When Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled in the face of a mass uprising last week, a power vacuum was left in the 170 million-person country. After Hasina left the country, the army took over and swiftly established an interim government to steer Bangladesh towards free and fair elections within three months. Amid hopes for […]

The post Can Yunus save Bangladesh’s democracy? appeared first on Asia Times.

“Inni, we are independent!” my 26-year-old cousin chanted from Shahbagh, a neighborhood in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, as millions joined a major protest march on Monday to the country’s Parliament House. Soon after, social media was flooded with news of “a new independence” – a free Bangladesh reborn after the autocratic leader of over 15 years, […]

The post Bangladeshi youth toppled Hasina. Can they spark real change? appeared first on Asia Times.

The banning of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party while the nation is on the boil amid student-led protests about government job quotas that have morphed into something much larger has put the ruling Awami League on a razor’s edge. The Awami League, which has been in continuous power for the last 15 years thanks to three […]

The post Bangladesh intensifies crackdown with Islamist party ban appeared first on Asia Times.

Bangladesh is still shaking from violent student protests in recent weeks that resulted in over 170 deaths, a crackdown that has drawn unflattering global attention to the unprecedented brutality of police forces against civilians and an alleged government-enforced internet blackout that lasted for over five days. As the situation starts to stabilize and internet access—at […]

The post Hasina missing the point in post-protest Bangladesh appeared first on Asia Times.

Bangladesh’s economy faces a perfect storm with double-digit inflation pinching wallets, foreign exchange reserves dwindling and economic growth fading away. To weather the crisis, the government is desperately seeking foreign loans. Enter China into the eye of the tempest. With a timely US$5 billion soft loan, Beijing has positioned itself as Bangladesh’s potential financial savior. […]

The post China, India duel for riverine lifeblood of Bangladesh appeared first on Asia Times.

Late last week, a boat crammed with Rohingya refugees fleeing a squalid camp in Bangladesh capsized off the coast of Indonesia. Around 75 people were rescued, including nine children, but more than 70 are missing and presumed dead. This wasn’t an isolated incident. The number of Rohingya people trying to escape refugee camps by boat […]

The post Gangs, kidnappings, murders drive Rohingya from camps appeared first on Asia Times.

The result of Bangladesh’s 12th parliamentary election on January 7, 2024, came as no surprise: Prime Minister Sheik Hasina coasted to her fourth electoral victory while her Awami League picked up 223 of 300 parliamentary seats, nearly 75% of the legislature’s “voting shares.” Electoral drubbings of this magnitude are possible when the winning candidate is an incumbent, has the backing […]

The post Why Bangladesh can’t get enough of Hasina appeared first on Asia Times.

EDITORS’ NOTE: Asia Times has learned that the credentials and identity of author “Doreen Chowdhury” are false. This article appears to have been a despicable plant by the Sheikh Hasina government or forces allied with it. We do not stand by the points made in the piece.

The post Belt and Road a net benefit for Bangladesh appeared first on Asia Times.

EDITORS’ NOTE: Asia Times has learned that the credentials and identity of author “Doreen Chowdhury” are false. This article appears to have been a despicable plant by the Sheikh Hasina government or forces allied with it. We do not stand by the points made in the piece.

The post Dhaka determinedly neutral in great power rivalry appeared first on Asia Times.

In April 2023, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released its inaugural official document on the Indo-Pacific, detailing guiding principles and objectives to form the foundation of Dhaka’s regional policy.  The publication represents a significant step forward in Dhaka’s efforts to articulate its vision for the Indo-Pacific and is indicative of its willingness to engage with […]

The post Bangladesh grappling with its own US or China dilemma appeared first on Asia Times.

A country’s nationalism lives through its shared vision from generation to generation. In the early post-colonial era, the early dreamers of Bangladesh shared a vision of independence, economic development and an equal society. As it celebrates 52 years of independence this week, Bangladesh cherishes the same vision and has achieved remarkable successes. However, many short […]

The post Bangladesh’s remarkable journey and hard road ahead appeared first on Asia Times.

A Bangladeshi man in his 80s has been reunited with his nearly 100-year-old mother after about 70 years thanks to social media. Abdul Kuddus Munsi was sent to live with his uncle when he was about 10, but lost touch with his family after running away and being adopted by two sisters. “This is the happiest day […]

The post Son reunited with mother after 70 years apart appeared first on Asia Times.

Tens of thousands of people on Thursday attended the funeral of the firebrand leader of Bangladesh’s top hardline Islamist organization just hours after he died in the port city of Chittagong, police said. Junaid Babunagari – who in November took over as the chief of the fundamentalist Hefazat-e-Islam, the largest Islamist group in Bangladesh – […]

The post Bangladesh’s firebrand Islamist leader dies appeared first on Asia Times.

Bangladesh on Tuesday started vaccinating Rohingya refugees living in congested camps as the impoverished South Asian nation battles a record surge in coronavirus cases, officials said. Health officials say 2,600 Covid-19 cases and 29 deaths have been recorded in the camps housing about 850,000 Rohingya, but many experts say this is likely a gross underestimate. […]

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Thousands of people were stranded in Bangladesh’s capital on Monday as authorities halted almost all public transport ahead of a sweeping lockdown imposed to combat a deadly resurgence of Covid-19 infections. The country reported 119 deaths on Sunday, its highest daily death toll ever from the pandemic, while new infections have been averaging about 5,000 […]

The post Thousands stranded in Bangladesh ahead of lockdown appeared first on Asia Times.

Fifteen people have died and 400 are missing after a huge fire destroyed the shanty homes of tens of thousands of Rohingya in the world’s biggest refugee settlement in Bangladesh, the UN said Tuesday. Nearly one million of the persecuted Muslim minority – many of whom escaped a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar that UN […]

The post Hundreds dead or missing in Rohingya camp blaze appeared first on Asia Times.

A huge blaze that ripped through a sprawling Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh has forced at least 50,000 people to flee and left seven people feared dead, officials and aid workers said, in the biggest fire to hit the shanty settlement to date.  Nearly one million of the persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar – many […]

The post Thousands flee blaze at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh appeared first on Asia Times.

A documentary by Al Jazeera that aired explosive claims about Bangladesh’s army chief must be scrubbed from the internet in the South Asian country, a court ordered Wednesday. The Doha-based broadcaster released the hour-long program titled “All the Prime Minister’s Men” in early February detailing allegations that the country’s security forces and Prime Minister Sheikh […]

The post Bangladesh: Remove Al Jazeera documentary from web appeared first on Asia Times.

Five Islamist extremists were sentenced to death on Tuesday over the brutal murder of a Bangladeshi-American writer and rights activist six years ago. Avijit Roy, a prolific blogger and the author of 10 books including the best-selling “Biswasher Virus” (“Virus of Faith”), was hacked to death outside Bangladesh’s largest book fair by machete-wielding extremists in […]

The post Bangladesh killers to die for blogger’s murder appeared first on Asia Times.

CHIANG MAI – They were told that they would be the first to be repatriated to Myanmar. But when the first lot of 1,642 Rohingya Muslim refugees arrived on Bangladesh’s Bhasan Char island on December 3, they were herded into a huge, newly built settlement consisting of concrete living quarters, two hospitals, clinics, mosques, teaching […]

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