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A Bangladesh court upheld the death penalty for 139 soldiers yesterday over their role in a “brutal and barbaric” mutiny in which dozens of top army officers were  massacred. In delivering his verdict Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique described the 2009 slaughter of 74 people – including 57 top brass – as an unprecedented atrocity in Bangladesh’s relatively short history. “It was the most heinous, brutal and barbaric carnage of our history,” he told the Dhaka courtroom of the two-day massacre in which victims were shot, hacked to death and burned alive by marauding troops. The sentences will be appealed again in the Supreme Court, which by law has the final say in all capital punishment cases. In 2013, a court sentenced 152 soldiers to death for the grisly killings in a mass trial criticised by the United Nations rights chief as failing to meet basic standards of due process. One of those handed the death penalty died in custody, eight others had sentences commuted to life imprisonment and four were acquitted. Thousands were rounded up and tried in special military courts in the aftermath of the massacre, as the newly-elected government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wrestled to regain control in a country prone to military coups. Hundreds were singled out for trial in civilian courts and handed punishments ranging from death to a few years. The high court in Dhaka yesterday upheld sentences of mixed severity to more than 380 accused, including 185 life sentences, prosecutor Jahid Sarwar Kazal said. “Forty-five people were  acquitted,” he added. The mutineers stole thousands of weapons in February 2009 from the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) paramilitary squad before embarking on a killing spree in the barracks. The home of the BDR chief was also stormed and his wife, guests and staff slaughtered  before the building was razed. The remains of those butchered in the carnage were dumped in sewers or shallow graves. “Nowhere in the world did anything happen like the way those 57 top army officers were killed,” Bangladesh Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters outside the courthouse. The uprising quickly spread to other military bases, with thousands of soldiers seizing weapons and pledging allegiance to the mutineers in Dhaka before it was quashed by the army. An official investigation into the mutiny blamed years of pent-up anger among ordinary soldiers, who felt their appeals for pay rises and better  treatment were ignored. Rights groups criticised the scale of the punishments meted out en masse, claiming the trials were “an affront to international  legal standards”. Bangladesh defended the death sentences, insisting those convicted would have a chance to appeal and denying claims that confessions were extracted through torture.

In a sensational disclosure, Bangladesh’s Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon yesterday said the problem in the aircraft, which was carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina abroad on November 27 last year, might have been a ‘man-made technical glitch’. Three probe reports in this regard, already handed over to the prime minister, suggested it to be purposefully created fault in the aircraft (Boeing 777-300 ER) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, he said. The Hungary-bound plane had to make an emergency landing in Turkmenistan due to, what the authorities immediately claimed, technical glitch. The minister was replying to a question from media about the PM’s recent comment that it was a deep- rooted conspiracy. “It is not our duty to find out whether it was a sabotage or not and a part of an attempt to murder,” he said. “Rather, it is the home ministry to find out the actual reason.” Inaugurating a lounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), Menon said that the country’s civil aviation could not avail various facilities as it could not develop the airport security at an expected level. “All the airports across the world have been suffering from safety hazards and falling under significant surveillance,” he said, adding that aviation security has got new dimension and Bangladesh could not improve in all the areas. “It has deprived Bangladesh aviation industry from many facilities it was supposed to get.” But in a recent report of ICAO, the minister said, the HSIA has scored more than the average point – 77.4 – of airport safety in this region.  Also the ongoing joint assessment by the UK Department of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has been good so far, he added. “We are moving towards a favourable situation gradually.” He pointed out that the HSIA infrastructure has limitation in providing all the facilities. The expansion process of HSIA was going on and will be opened in 2019, he added. The annual passenger growth at HSIA has been 18% and cargo 10%.

A Bangladesh Border Guard officer sits on a chair overlooking the Naf River, on the outskirts of Shah Porir Dwip, 490km south of Dhaka, yesterday.

Bangladesh has constituted a trust fund with its own finance for facing the risks of climate change without waiting for foreign assistance. “Bangladesh is facing the impact of climate change but we will no more look for foreign assistance and the government has already formed a trust fund to face the situation,” Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju said at the opening of the green convention and exhibition at Bangabandhu International Convention Centre (BCCI) in Dhaka. Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Ltd (BIFFL), a government-owned non-banking financial institution, organised the event to create awareness about the adverse impact of chimney-based brick kiln pollution and promote environment friendly and energy saving technologies in the country. Manju said the government has been working to create awareness among the people to prevent  environment pollution.  “Many factories and brick manufacturers are not complying with government’s rules and regulations,” he said, adding that the government is encouraging people in industrial sector to comply with the rules and regulation  through BIFFL. BFFL director and secretary of economic relations division Kazi Shafiqul Azam chaired the opening session while Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Fazle Kabir, World Bank’s country director Qimiao Fan, alternative executive director to Asian Development Bank (ADB) Mahbub Ahmed, Chinese embassy commercial councillor Li Guangjun and Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, among  others, spoke on the occasion. BB Governor Kabir said banks have been given necessary instruction not to give loans to factories which are not complying with the government’s rules and regulations for saving the environment from pollution.  Side by side, banks have been asked to spend 10% of their funds kept for corporate social  responsibility (CSR) programmes.  World Bank’s country director Qimiao Fan said the coastal belt of Bangladesh is facing the risk of climate change and the World Bank has a plan to spend $2bn in the next three years for facing this risk.

Rafts and boats used by Rohingya refugees to cross into Bangladesh are seen at the port of Shah Porir Dwip Bangladesh, after being confiscated by the Bangladesh Border Guards, yesterday.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali yesterday said the deal signed with Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation has kept Bangladesh’s interests intact. “The deal would not hamper the interest of Bangladesh … we have signed the arrangement as our prime objective was to send back the displaced Rohingya to their homes in Myanmar and we have done it,” he said at a press conference two days after he signed the deal with the neighbouring country at Myanmar capital. He said the repatriation would be completed in a “reasonable” timeframe and the process will begin within two months of signing of the arrangement. Ali inked the bilateral instrument with Myanmar’s Union Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe in Naypyidaw on Thursday following a meeting with State  Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The deal came amid mounting global pressure on Myanmar over the crisis while in a significant development the United States three days ago changed its stance on atrocities on the Rohingya, now preferring to call it ‘ethnic cleansing” in line with the UN stance and threatened penalties against Myanmar  military officials. Ali said the deal was being negotiated by officials of the two countries for the past few months and later they reached a consensus to sign the arrangement on return of displaced persons from Myanmar’s Rakhine state. He said in line with the agreement Myanmar will take back its nationals who were displaced since October 9, 2016, after it completes the repatriation of the Rohingya who recently crossed into Bangladesh to escape the atrocities. Ali rejected negative speculations that the deal ignored Bangladesh in the agreement saying that the international community including the United Nations viewed it a positive  development as well. “Rather, I can say that Bangladesh’s interest remained intact in the deal since our objective was to send the displaced persons back to their homeland,” he added.  Ali, however, called the deal was a “primary step” for the repatriation process as the displaced Rohingyas would be repatriated through a  “verification” process. He said according to the deal a joint working group will be formed within next three weeks and a “specific bilateral instrument (physical arrangement) for repatriation will be concluded in a speedy manner”.  The minister said the Myanmar authorities will keep the Rohingyas in temporary camps near their abandoned homes after they returned to their  country. He said responding to a Bangladesh’s proposal, India and China have agreed to erect makeshift camps for Rohingya in the Rakhine state. Ali said under the deal, Myanmar agreed to take all possible measures so that the returnees would not have to stay for a long time in their temporary refuge on their return and provide them the freedom of movement in the state inconformity with the  existing laws and regulations. Simultaneously, Myanmar will issue the returnees an identity card for national verification immediately on their return,  he said. “Myanmar will take necessary measures to halt the outflow of Myanmar residents to Bangladesh to restore normalcy in the northern Rakhine state and to encourage those who had left Myanmar to return voluntarily and safely to their own households and original places of residence,” he quoted from the deal. According to the deal, Myanmar will not prosecute and penalise returnees for illegal exit and return unless there are specific cases of their involvement in terrorist or criminal activities. At least 620,000 Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine state fled to Bangladesh, seeking refuge from what Burma’s military has called “clearance operations”. Among others, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque and senior foreign ministry officials were present at the briefing. Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali, left, and Myanmar Union Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe attending a bilateral agreement signing ceremony in Naypyidaw recently.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina watches a cultural function organised to celebrate the recognition of the historic March 7, 1971 speech of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as a world documentary heritage by Unesco, in Dhaka, yesterday.

Several small opposition parties in Bangladesh have called for a half-day strike on Thursday against a power tariff increase, which could cause traffic chaos in the congested capital as Pope Francis arrives for a three-day visit. The strike will begin on Thursday morning and end in the early afternoon, after the pope is expected to land in Dhaka following a visit to neighbouring Myanmar. Strikes in Bangladesh often involve street protests. The Communist Party of Bangladesh, which is leading the protest against the increase in electricity prices by an average of 5.3% from next month, said it had no intention of disrupting the pope's visit but the action was necessary given the "burden" on the people. But police said there would be no problem. "We will be able to control the situation during the strike and there is nothing to worry about," said police spokeswoman Sahely Ferdous. Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with an average traffic speed of just 7 kph, slightly faster than an average walking speed, according to the World Bank. Congestion in Dhaka eats up 3.2 million working hours per day, it says.  Pope Francis' visit will include a mass and meetings with a group of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh following violence in Myanmar since late August.

Bangladesh and Myanmar will start repatriating refugees in two months, Dhaka said yesterday, as global pressure mounts over a crisis that has forced more than half a million Rohingya to flee across the border. The United Nations says 620,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh since August and now live in squalor in the world’s largest refugee camp after a military crackdown in Myanmar that Washington said this week clearly constitutes “ethnic cleansing”. After months of wrangling, Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dhaka’s Foreign Minister A HMahmood Ali inked a deal in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw yesterday. Dhaka said they had agreed to start returning the refugees to mainly Buddhist Myanmar in two months. It said that a working group would be set up within three weeks to agree the arrangements for the repatriation. “This is a primary step. (They) will take back (Rohingya). Now we have to start working,” Ali told reporters in Naypyidaw. Impoverished and overcrowded Bangladesh has won international praise for allowing the refugees into the country, but has imposed restrictions on their movements and said it does not want them to stay. Myanmar, meanwhile, has bristled at the growing chorus of global criticism. Aung San Suu Kyi, a one-time heroine of the human rights movement whose halo has been badly tarnished, shot back yesterday at foreign interference in what she said was a “bilateral” issue. “Western countries as well the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) had portrayed the matter as an international issue by passing resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations,” her office said in a statement. “The principled position of Myanmar is that issues that emerge between neighbouring countries must be resolved amicably through bilateral negotiations.” Yesterday’s agreement is a “win-win situation for both countries”, the statement added. The tentative deal comes the day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who met with Suu Kyi in Myanmar last week, issued Washington’s strongest-yet denunciation. “It is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya,” Tillerson said. “No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued.” The tide of desperate humanity that has poured over Myanmar’s riverine border into Bangladesh is thick with horrifying stories of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar’s military and Buddhist mobs.  Yesterday’s outline deal offered no detail on how many Rohingya will be allowed back and how long the process will take. Rights groups have raised concerns about the process, including where the minority will be resettled after hundreds of their villages were razed, and how their safety will be ensured in a country where anti-Muslim sentiment is surging. The stateless Rohingya have been the target of communal violence and vicious anti-Muslim sentiment in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years. They have also been systematically oppressed by the government, which stripped the minority of citizenship and severely restricts their movement, as well as their access to basic services. Tensions erupted into bouts of bloodshed in 2012 that pushed more than 100,000 Rohingya into grim displacement camps. Despite the squalid conditions in the overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, many of the refugees say they are reluctant to return to Myanmar unless they are granted full citizenship. “We won’t go back to Myanmar unless all Rohingya are granted citizenship with full rights like any other Myanmar nationals,” said Abdur Rahim, 52, who was a teacher at a government-run school in Buthidaung in Myanmar’s Rakhine state before fleeing across the border. “We won’t return to any refugee camps in Rakhine,” he told AFP in Bangladesh. The signing of the deal came ahead of a highly-anticipated visit to both nations from Pope Francis, who has been outspoken about his sympathy for the plight of the Rohingya. The army backlash rained violence across northern Rakhine, with refugees recounting nightmarish scenes of soldiers and Buddhist mobs slaughtering villagers and burning down entire communities.The military denies all allegations but has restricted access to the conflict zone. Suu Kyi’s government has blocked visas for a UN-fact finding mission tasked with probing accusations of military abuse.

A special court in Bangladesh yesterday sentenced six men, including a former lawmaker, to death for crimes committed during the country’s 1971 war of  independence. The war crimes tribunal in Dhaka handed down the sentences against Abu Saleh Muhammad Abdul Aziz, the former member of parliament from the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, and five others for mass killings, arson attacks and looting during the nine-month armed struggle, prosecution lawyer Syedul Huq Sumon said. Three counts, including the killing of 13 elected representatives and a minority community man, and the looting of homes in the northern Gaibandha district, were proved beyond doubt against the accused, Sumon added. The court also asked the authorities to arrest Aziz, who was a local commander of a wartime vigilante group aiding Pakistani forces against unarmed civilians, and four of his associates who have been on the run since the trial began in June 2016. One of the accused was on the dock when a three-member panel of judges pronounced the verdict.  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set up the tribunal in 2010 to prosecute those accused of atrocities committed in the 1971 war in which some 3mn people died and about 200,000 women were raped, according to  Bangladesh government estimates. An earlier initiative to try the accused was called off following the 1975 assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding leader and father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The defendants allegedly collaborated with the occupying army during the conflict. Most of those indicted are from Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party, which opposed independence.

The Bangladesh prime minister has criticised the judiciary for ‘wasting’ its time with ‘petty’ matters keeping aside major cases. “There’re tens of thousands of cases pending with courts in the country. Even a writ is filed with the court regarding the examination (PSC) of children. Courts also pass time with it, though there’re many emergency cases like the arrest of terrorists and JMB men ... there’s also hearing of capital punishment remains pending ... there’s no time for those. Why is the court passing time with these petty matters,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said. The prime minister was speaking in parliament over a question of legitimacy for holding examinations like PSC and JSC raised by Jatiya Party lawmaker Kazi Firoz Rashid.  Rashid said such examinations go against the constitution of the country and these are illegal. The prime minister said there are some people in the country whose only job is to file writ petitions with the court and discuss the matter. She said that it would be a matter of great regret if the court passed the judgment to stop these examinations. “I don’t know what judgment the court will deliver. If the court gives verdict to stop the study of students it’ll be nothing but a matter of great regret.” Regarding the introduction of PSC and JSC examinations, the prime minister said she herself did that. “I’ve done it considering the wellbeing of children.” Hasina said before introducing these examinations the school authorities used to sort out some students from a class to appear for scholarship examinations and arranged coaching for those selected students only. “With the introduction of the PSC and JSC examinations, school authorities are now paying attention to all students.”  Briefly describing various steps of the government for the upgradation of the country’s education system, she said the government has already introduced PM’s Education Assistance Trust Fund for higher education. “With this fund, the government provides stipend to even PhD students.” Hasina feared that one day someone will lodge a writ petition with the court why this stipend is being given. “You cannot predict anything.” Talking about coaching, she said this is not related with the PSC and JSC examinations. “Coaching is a different issue,” she said. Earlier, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the PSC and JSC examinations are not illegal at all. These are held in line with the National Education Policy 2010 which was approved by parliament.

The Bangladesh prime minister yesterday announced that the government would provide allowance from January next to the members of different forces who took part in the Liberation War. “We’ve taken a decision to give allowance from January 2018 to those who fought for the country’s independence from different forces including the armed forces, police, Ansar-VDP and Border Guard Bangladesh,” Sheikh Hasina told a reception at an event held to mark the Armed Forces Day 2017 in Dhaka yesterday. The prime minister accorded the reception to gallantry award-recipients freedom fighters and their heirs at the Army Multipurpose Hall at Dhaka Cantonment yesterday. Hasina said those force members who joined the Liberation War in 1971 were not given allowance as they were in-service at that time. “All of them went on retirement and their families are now in much need ... we will start providing allowance to them from January next,” she said. In this connection, the premier mentioned that the demand is raised every year when she meets the veterans on the Armed Forces Day. “So we have decided to give it,” she said.  Pointing out that her government did whatever necessary for the valiant freedom fighters, the prime minister said: “Within our limited capacity, we’re trying to give dignity to those who took part in the Liberation War and embraced martyrdom.” Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division (AFD) Lt Gen Mahfuzur Rahman delivered the welcome address at the function.  Liberation War Affairs Minister Mozammel Haque, PM’s security adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddiq, Chief of Army Staff General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Haque, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmad and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Abu Esrar and high ranking civil and military officials were present. Hasina presented honorarium cheques and gifts including mobile phones and tabs to the successors of seven Birshreshthos as well as other gallantry award-recipients.  The prime minister also handed over Shantikalin Padak (peacetime medals) to 12 armed forces members and Osamanya Seba Padak (outstanding service medals) among 14 armed forces officers in recognition to their heroic role in war and peacetime.

Bangladesh yesterday decided to amend the labour law and the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) law to comply with recommendations of the European Union (EU).  After attending a meeting over labour law and BEPZA law at the Secretariat in Dhaka, Law Minister Annisul Huq said, “We’ve advanced much in labour law and BEPZA law, and the laws will be amended considering the interest of the country along with conditions given by the European Union as they are the largest buyer of our garments,” he said. “We have managed to come into a positive conclusion during today’s meeting of stakeholders, and the decision will be informed to the prime minister and experts committee of International Labour Conference (ILO),” the minister added. The laws will be introduced in parliament this winter, he added. Referring the labour’s right of trade union in Export Processing Zone (EPZ) area, the minister said the existing worker welfare association will work as trade union there.  Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque, representatives of the Bangladesh garment manufacturers and exporters association, Bangladesh knitwear manufacturers and exporters association and PM’s Office secretary Suraiya Begum were present in the meeting.  Earlier, the EU called on Bangladesh to show tangible progress on labour rights to avoid temporarily losing the generalised system of preferences (GSP) benefit that allows the country duty-free export to the 28-nation economic bloc.  “This will be essential for Bangladesh to remain eligible for the everything but arms regime,” said the EU in a letter to the government. The letter was sent to the secretaries of foreign, commerce and labour ministries, venting dissatisfaction as Bangladesh did not reply to its previous letter. Dhaka did not present any time-bound action plan in the compact meeting in order to address the ILO recommendations on labour rights, as was requested in the letter.  “With regards to the preferences granted to Bangladesh under the EU’s GSP regulation, we would like to recall that Bangladesh needs to demonstrate, as a matter of urgency, that concrete and lasting measures are taken to ensure respect of fundamental human and labour rights,” the EU  letter reads. “Without such progress, the EU will need to monitor the situation more closely in the context of the GSP regulation, including through a dedicated mission to Bangladesh. Such monitoring could eventually lead to the launching of a formal investigation, which could result in temporary withdrawal of preferences.” In fiscal 2015-16, Bangladesh exported goods worth $18.68bn to the EU, which was 54.57% of the total receipts for the year.

A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against four, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, in a sedition case. Dhaka Metropolitan sessions judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order, setting January 15 to start recording depositions of the witnesses in the case, additional public prosecutor Tapas Kumar Paul told newsmen. The other three accused have been identified as former ETV chairman Abdus Salam, private TV channel’s former chief reporter Mahathir Faruki and its former senior reporter Kanak Sarwar. Of the four, all but Salam are on the run. The court on October 23 issued arrest warrant against the three fugitives after taking the charges into cognizance. Police filed the case on January 8, 2015, for live broadcasting of Tarique’s speech from London on January 5, 2015, threatening the country’s sovereignty and trying to create hatred towards an elected government. After probing the allegations, police filed a charge-sheet on September 6, 2016. Police added names of Mahathir and Kanak during filing of charge-sheet.

Bangladesh police said Monday they would deport five Indians caught betting at a weekend cricket match as authorities crack down on illegal bookmaking in the lucrative domestic league. The men were detained Saturday at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium during the one-day Bangladesh Premier League match, police said. They were caught by cricket officials concerned about match-fixing and illegal gambling in the hugely popular league. ‘We have handed them over to police as this is the most we could do. They will take further action,’ said cricket board spokesman Jalal Yunus. Two of the accused were previously caught betting during Bangladesh's home series against England in October last year, he added. Authorities were ‘in the process of deporting them to India’, said local police head Nazrul Islam. Gambling is illegal in Bangladesh but the cricket league has been dogged by betting scandals and its first two editions were marred by a match-fixing controversy. involving players and team owners. Last week nearly 80 spectators at two cricket grounds were thrown out on suspicion of betting. The alleged offenders -- including 10 Indians -- used mobile phones to place live bets before scores were broadcast on television and online. A leading newspaper reported last week that betting on domestic cricket was rampant, with tea stalls, restaurants and rickshaw garages doubling as venues to place bets. The cricket board searches stadiums to catch gamblers but that has not stamped out the practice. Last year the country's communications regulator blocked a dozen gaming websites in a bid to curb betting on cricket. Nearly 50 foreign cricketers, including Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga, the West Indies' Chris Gayle, New Zealand's Brendon McCullum and England's Jos Buttler, are competing in the seven-team BPL tournament this year.

Bangladesh is in negotiations with Myanmar aimed at a deal to repatriate displaced Rohingya and Dhaka’s foreign minister will address the matter at talks in Myanmar this week, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry said yesterday. More than 600,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since late August, driven out by a military clearance operation in Buddhist majority Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The suffering of Rohingya has caused an international outcry. “Bangladesh and Myanmar are in the process of negotiation for a bilateral agreement for repatriation of displaced people and expect to form a Joint Working Group to facilitate the repatriation,” said a ministry statement, quoting remarks by Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali at a meeting with his Japanese counterpart in Dhaka yesterday. A senior aide to Ali said he would leave for Myanmar late on Sunday to attend an Asia-Europe (ASEM) meeting today and tomorrow and would stay on another couple of days for bilateral talks on the Rohingya. The official said Ali hoped for an agreement on allowing Rohingya to return to Myanmar. “Both countries have almost reached an understanding on this issue and there are a few points (still) to be agreed ... We hope to reach an agreement.” There was no immediate comment from Myanmar. On November 1, Myanmar insisted it was ready to set up a repatriation process but voiced fears Bangladesh was delaying an accord to first get international aid money. A senior Bangladesh home ministry official described the accusation as  outrageous. Stung by international criticism and accusations of ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has said Rohingya who can prove they were resident in Myanmar would be  accepted back. Last week a United Nations General Assembly committee called on Myanmar to end military operations that have “led to the systematic violation and abuse of human rights” of  Rohingya. The move revived a UN resolution that was dropped last year due to Myanmar’s progress on human rights. However, in the past three months there has been a Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh after the Myanmar military began an operation against Rohingya militants who attacked 30 security posts and an army base in Rakhine on August 25. Myanmar’s army released a report last Monday denying all allegations of rapes and killings by security forces, days after replacing the general in charge of the military operation. Top UN officials have denounced the violence as a classic example of ethnic cleansing. The Myanmar government has denied these allegations. Rohingya have been denied citizenship in Myanmar, where many Buddhists see them as illegal immigrants from  Bangladesh. A US congressional delegation, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Germany, Sweden and Japan visited Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar at the weekend to raise awareness of their plight. “We support Bangladesh’s efforts towards a lasting solution, including the repatriation of displaced persons,” Japan’s Taro Kona told Ali at their meeting, where Tokyo pledged $18.6mn in aid to ease the  Rohingya crisis. Mogherini told reporters: “More than putting pressure, our approach has always been and will continue to be to offer a negotiating space, encourage the taking care of a situation that is not going to disappear.”

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with both sides emphasising their willingness to further deepen pragmatic co-operation, a media report said yesterday. During the meeting on Saturday, Hasina congratulated the successful holding of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. She thanked the Chinese side for offering long-term support and aid to Bangladesh’s development and construction, Xinhua news agency reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping last year paid a historic visit to Bangladesh while establishing the strategic co-operative partnership between both countries, Hasina said, adding that Dhaka is willing to further deepen pragmatic co-operation with Beijing in all fields. Wang said China is willing to work with Bangladesh to firmly support each other on issues of core interests and major concern, and deepen the strategic co-operative partnership. He expressed hope that the two sides could speed up the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, and actively push forward the building of Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar-Economic Corridor. Wang also suggested the two sides to explore new co-operation areas such as maritime co-operation. China will continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh, he added. Hasina and Wang also discussed the Rohingya issue. Wang said the issue should be resolved by Bangladesh and Myanmar through dialogue and consultation, and expected the two sides to sign an agreement as scheduled on the repatriation of the Rohingya people who have crossed into Bangladesh. China is willing to continue to offer support for a proper settlement of the issue, he  added.

Bangladesh police said on Sunday they had arrested a suspected leader of an extremist group wanted in connection with the death in 2015 of a US blogger critical of religious extremism. Deputy police commissioner Masudur Rahman said the man, identified as Mojammel Hossain, 25, head of the intelligence wing of the al Qaeda-inspired militant group Ansar Ullah Bangla Team, was suspected of taking part in the killing of writer Avijit Roy. Roy, a US citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants in February 2015 while returning home with his wife from a Dhaka book fair. Roy's widow, Rafida Ahmed, was seriously injured. Rahman said Hossain, who was identified after analysing CCTV footage, was arrested on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, on Saturday. "Acting on a tip-off, the counter-terrorism police unit arrested him," he told Reuters. In the primary interrogation, he confessed his involvement in the killing of four other secular activists, Rahman said. The arrest came after another suspected killer of Roy was detained early this month. Bangladesh has had a string of deadly attacks targeting bloggers, foreigners and religious minorities. The most serious recent attack came in July 2016, when gunmen stormed a cafe in the diplomatic quarter of Dhaka and killed 22 people, most of them foreigners. Police say the Ansar Ullah Bangla Team militant group is behind the murders of more than a dozen secular bloggers and gay rights activists. They believe a sacked army major, who is still at large, was the leader of the group and masterminded the killings. Al Qaeda and Islamic State have also claimed responsibility for a series of killings over the past few years, including Roy's. Police and army commandos have killed more than 60 suspected militants and arrested hundreds since the cafe attack.

* Dhaka's foreign minister to have talks in Myanmar this week * Hopes for bilateral deal on returning Rohingyas to Myanmar * Myanmar earlier accused Bangladesh of delaying any deal * Over 600,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar military crackdown  Bangladesh is in negotiations with Myanmar aimed at a deal to repatriate displaced Rohingya and Dhaka's foreign minister will address the matter at talks in Myanmar this week, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry said on Sunday. More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since late August, driven out by a military operation in Buddhist majority Myanmar's Rakhine State. The Rohingyas' suffering has caused an international outcry. "Bangladesh and Myanmar are in the process of negotiation for a bilateral agreement for repatriation of displaced people and expect to form a Joint Working Group to facilitate the repatriation," said a ministry statement, quoting remarks by Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali at a meeting with his Japanese counterpart in Dhaka on Sunday. A senior aide to Ali said he would leave for Myanmar late on Sunday to attend an Asia-Europe (ASEM) meeting on Monday and Tuesday and would stay on another couple of days for bilateral talks on the Rohingya. The official said Ali hoped for an agreement on allowing Rohingya to return to Myanmar. "Both countries have almost reached an understanding on this issue and there are a few points (still) to be agreed ... We hope to reach an agreement." There was no immediate comment from Myanmar. On November 1, Myanmar insisted it was ready to set up a repatriation process but voiced fears Bangladesh was delaying an accord to first get international aid money. A senior Bangladesh home ministry official described the accusation as outrageous. Ethnic cleansing allegations Stung by international criticism and accusations of ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has said Rohingyas who can prove they were resident in Myanmar would be accepted back. Last week a United Nations General Assembly committee called on Myanmar to end military operations that have "led to the systematic violation and abuse of human rights" of Rohingya. The move revived a UN resolution that was dropped last year due to Myanmar's progress on human rights. However, in the past three months there has been a Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh. Rohingyas have been denied citizenship in Myanmar, where many Buddhists see them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. A US congressional delegation, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Germany, Sweden and Japan visited Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar at the weekend to raise awareness of their plight. "We support Bangladesh's efforts towards a lasting solution, including the repatriation of displaced persons," Japan's Taro Kona told Ali at their meeting, where Tokyo pledged $18.6mn in aid to ease the Rohingya crisis. Mogherini told reporters: "More than putting pressure, our approach has always been and will continue to be to offer a negotiating space, encourage the taking care of a situation that is not going to disappear." 

Bangladesh aims to raise its export earnings from the information and communications technology (ICT) sector to $5bn in 2021, said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, junior minister for ICT division of the ministry of post, telecommunications and information technology. He said the country earned $800mn from the sector last year and that this will reach $1bn for the fiscal year ending next June. European countries, the United States, Canada, Russia and India are among the main buyers for the sector, he said. To showcase the sector to other countries, the ministry is organising a four-day exposition and conference from December 6.  He said 162 organisations from around the world would be involved. “To develop the sector along with the policy support, the government is also providing a 10% cash incentive and 100% tax exemption facility,” the minister said. He said that to achieve the target the ministry is working to develop human resources and has been carrying out training for young people and collaborating with academic institutions. “We have also focused on better production and developing infrastructure,” he said. He said that in view of the country’s rapid economic growth the ministry was also working to train up cyber security experts. “The size of the economy is $246bn, the growth of economy is more than 7% for the last couple of years, so we need to focus on cyber security,” he said.