Bangladesh in world media this week

Bangladesh is busy preparing to celebrate a proper Eid-ul-Fitr after two years of limited scale. There were a few Eid and Ramadan related stories on international media this week. Also, there were many cricket news that appeared on South Asian media.

Following is a pick of five stories on Bangladesh that made headlines on international media in the outgoing week (April 23 to April 29). The stories are sorted according to their merits.

Eid travellers face "snake-like" queues at railway ticket counters in Bangladesh

Thousands of Bangladesh travellers in desperate bid to get advance tickets face huge "snake-like" queues at railway ticket counters in the capital Dhaka, Xinhua reported on April 28.

As the holy Eid-al-Fitr is drawing near, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the ticket counters at the city railway station have started witnessing a mad rush of people since last weekend.

People of all ages and even women in large numbers are now thronging Kamalapur Railway Station in the capital to buy tickets for Eid trips.

Bangladesh Railway on April 23 began to sell train tickets in advance for Eid travellers who will flock home to join the festival with their kith and kin.

The desperation for reservation of tickets brings queues of thousands standing for agonizingly long hours that are apparently getting longer day by day.

Bangladesh Railway on April 23 began to sell train tickets in advance for Eid travellers who will flock home to join the festival with their kith and kin.

India looks at resuming Bangladesh bus, rail link ‘after Eid’

India is looking at resuming cross-border bus and railway services with Bangladesh “shortly after Eid”, the Indian Express reported citing Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on April 29.

Jaishankar said this while making a press statement in Dhaka, where he met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen.

Bangladesh PM’s spokesperson Ihsanul Karim Hasina told PTI in Dhaka that Hasina underlined the importance of connectivity between the two neighbours and offered her country’s main seaport — Chittagong Port — to India’s landlocked northeastern states such as Assam and Tripura.

She told Jaishankar that the enhanced connectivity was needed for mutual benefit, while it would particularly benefit India’s northeastern region in using Chittagong port, Karim said. “If the connectivity is increased…states like Assam and Tripura can have access to the seaport in Chattogram,” she said.

She said that initiatives were taken to resume cross-border routes between Bangladesh and India which were stopped during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, when Bangladesh was the eastern wing of Pakistan.

Karim said several bilateral and international issues were discussed during Prime Minister Hasina’s more than half-an-hour-long meeting with Jaishankar.

Bangladeshis protest Sweden far-right unrest, Al-Aqsa clash

Thousands of members of an Islamist group rallied in Bangladesh’s capital on Friday to protest recent violence in Sweden involving an anti-Muslim far-right group and fresh clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Associated Press reported on April 22.

Protesters from the conservative Islami Andolon Bangladesh group, which supports the introduction of Islamic law in the Muslim-majority secular country, carried banners and placards reading “Sweden Police, Shame, Shame!” and “Stop Brutality in Aqsa Mosque.”

Many also carried the flags of Bangladesh and Palestine during a procession. Bangladesh does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel and supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The protesters marched peacefully through streets of Dhaka outside the country’s main Baitul Mokarram Mosque following Friday’s weekly prayers.

The conservative group has in the past organized similar protests to denounce France’s president and his staunch support of secular laws that deemed caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad protected under the nation’s freedom of speech.

Washington won’t lift sanctions until RAB respects human rights: US envoy

Washington will not lift sanctions against Bangladesh’s elite force RAB until it shows it can respect human rights, the new ambassador said in the latest US assessment of an issue that is straining bilateral ties, Indonesian Benar News reported on April 25.

In his first public comments on the Rapid Action Battalion sanctions since arriving in Dhaka in March, Ambassador Peter Haas conveyed that U.S. officials would keep working with the South Asian nation to combat terrorism and violent extremism.

“Regarding law enforcement, I will be honest. There is no scope for repeal of sanctions against the Rapid Action Battalion without concrete action and accountability,” Haas said Sunday.

“We want to see a RAB that remains effective at combatting terrorism, but that does so while respecting basic human rights.”

Despite those concerns, Haas said, sanctions issued against RAB by the U.S. Treasury on Dec. 10, 2021, do not mean that the two nations cannot enhance their strong law enforcement security cooperation. Those sanctions are against the organization and six officers, including RAB Director General Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.

Ambassador Haas made his comments during a seminar in Dhaka on “Bangladesh and the United States Relations: Moving toward Enhanced Cooperation and Partnership,” attended by Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen and Al-Mamun. The seminar was hosted by the Bangladesh Institute for International and Strategic Studies.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan returns for Sri Lanka Test

Shakib was part of Bangladesh's one-day international squad during the recent tour of South Africa, with a 2-1 victory giving the visitors their first ever series win in that country, AFP reported on April 24.

He missed the Test series against the Proteas because of a family emergency.

The 35-year-old, who is also Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, returned to action this week with the domestic Dhaka Premier League.

Opening batsman Shadman Islam, who made just nine runs in his sole South Africa Test, made the way for Shakib.

The home side also left out fast bowler Taskin Ahmed for injury and added uncapped pacer Rejaur Rahman.

Shoriful Islam was also included in the side, subject to a fitness test that Minhajul was optimistic the pace bowler would pass.

Sri Lanka will arrive in Bangladesh on 8 May and the first Test will begin at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on 15 May.

Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium will host the second Test from 23 May.

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