Global Voices » Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Using Mobile App To Collect Data On Transportation

Rezwan — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:21:27 +0000

The Noun Project blog introduces an innovative project titled Urban Launchpad, which uses mobile apps for data gathering to better understand the complex transportation conditions in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh: Protest Against Criminalization For Archiving A Banned Book

Rezwan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:29:19 +0000

Hana at Unheard Voice highlights a petition by twenty human rights activists, academics and members of the Bangladeshi civil society in which they protest the arrest of a Head Teacher for having a copy of Taslima Nasreen’s ‘Lajja’ in the school’s library.

India, Bangladesh: Cattle Trade And Border Killings

Rezwan — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:44:19 +0000

The New Horizon thinks that cattle trade is the major root cause behind the regular border killings at India-Bangladesh border.

Bangladesh: The New Pravda

Rezwan — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:51:27 +0000

Ishtiaque opines that the Bangladeshi national TV channel has become a state propaganda machine like the Pravda.

Bangladesh: The Treasure Chest At Wari Bateshwar

Rezwan — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:08:04 +0000

Bangladesh Unlocked reports that the 11th season of excavation has opened at Wari Bateshwar archaeological site, in Narshingdhi near Dhaka.

Global Voices in French: Translators' Choice 2011

Marvin Vann — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:10:03 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage 2011 on Global Voices.

With now more than 500 volunteer authors and translators, Global Voices is a unique global media network that keeps track of current events via social media conversation. Global Voices in French [fr] is one of the 20-plus sites of the Lingua translation project, and one of the most read Global Voices Lingua websites.

Since early 2007, when the French site launched, nearly 200 volunteers [fr] have translated or continue to translate articles and posts from various languages into French, every day. Our “family” lives on every continent: Francophonia is truly worldwide!

Global Voices French logo

In 2011, French-speaking translators carried out the challenging task of covering the many historic revolutions and uprisings throughout the world for the Francophone world by translating hundreds of blogsposts (with our co-editor, our Suzanne Lehn, on the front line!).

But, like our friends the Spanish translators at Global Voices in Spanish [es], when we asked volunteers what translations struck them most in 2011, “The Arab Spring” was not their automatic response. (Global Voices has been following and translating bloggers from the Arab world since 2004.)

Our translators' picks for 2011 demonstrate how much they approve of the Global Voices philosophy: shining light on countries, places, people, ignored by traditional media (for now, at least).

From left to right, upper row: Samantha, Abdoulaye, Fabienne, Ange, Lou. Lower row: François-Xavier, Noële, Gaël, Thalia, Stéphanie. Greetings and thanks to everyone involved!

Abdoulaye Bah, a Guinean United Nations retiree living in Rome, naturally pays particular attention to Africa:

I really liked translating the post about the mayoral opposition win in Mozambique. That victory teaches how it's possible to win elections in an African country, without fraud by those in power and without spending large sums of money.

Noële Belluard-Blondel, a professional translator living in France, was the first to refuse to choose only one translation:

My last translation in 2011 made me daydream…. ‘USA: Has NASA Discovered a Life-Friendly Planet?‘ I love astronomy, and space travel fascinates me. These are today's exploratory expeditions, and we're only at the beginning. I find that fascinating, gripping! I must say two other subjects struck me: ‘Bangladesh: A Bold Protest Against Dowry.' The courage of some women makes you wonder. It made me wonder. And China: ‘Do You Have Memories From Before You Were Kidnapped?‘ In this case, I was moved by the life of these women. A disturbing topic, deeply moving.

Fabienne Der Hagopian, who lives in Normandy, makes it a principle to translate what she most likes to read:

There is a lively diversity in our tastes and interests, which means that almost all the posts published in Global Voices in English get translated into French. In 2011, the posts that most struck me were those concerning the women of Yemen and their courage, such as this one on revolutionary women. It's sad that the traditional media don't talk about this more. It reminds me of [French singer] Daniel Balavoine's song, ‘Revolucion.'

Teacher Ange Pambou's pick illustrates the diversity of topics covered by Global Voices:

For 2011, my favorites are: the blogpost about the “Bidun” in Koweit (I was unaware of both the term and the phenomenon), another on homosexuality in Ghana (which, in addition to demonstrating the difficulties of being homosexual in Africa, deconstructs rather methodically the arguments generally advanced against homosexuality), the letter by a young Chinese woman to the Norwegian killer after the massacres in Norway, the gripping testimony of a “nuclear gypsy” in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, a post about the prohibition of water fights in Tehran last summer, and finally, — without a doubt, my favorite among favorites — an astonishing post about the daily life of a blind person who happens also to be a film critic.

Stéphanie Camus, who runs an e-commerce site, takes the time to “listen to the world” by translating:

I think it was my translation of the anniversary of the Sabra and Chatila massacre that had the greatest impact on me. I had just watched the film, ‘Waltz with Bashir.' The full meaning of “We must never forget,” becomes clear when one observes such an event, I find. It's the account of a horrific episode in a long war that symbolises, in my view, the horror and absurdity of all armed conflicts, whatever form it takes…

Lou F., currently studying in the United Kingdom, is a fan of world languages and met interesting people while translating:

In 2011, I loved translating the profile of Julie Kertesz, because she is one of those people one would like to come across more often: passionate, active, and above all, very human. I also really liked the article on the Welsh-language blogosphere. Global Voices allows us to discover voices from throughout the world, and I think it's great that regional languages are now joining the international choir!

Samy Boutayeb, our specialist on net freedom and the free software culture, refuses to choose:

As far as I'm concerned, it's impossible to make a choice, because I loved not only reading but also translating *all* the posts I translated.

Tahlia Rahme, who works for the Global Road Safety Partnership with the International Federation of the Red Cross in Beirut, Lebanon, is addicted to our short “updates”:

Once I got started translating those, I found it difficult to stop. This year I tried to translate every update about the Middle East. I considered it my duty somehow to familiarize the rest of the world, especially the French-speaking world, with the Middle East and its news, and above all to help change its image and the prejudices attached to it.

François-Xavier Ada Afana is a young, enthusiastic translator from Cameroon who is studying in Cyprus:

The post I most enjoyed reading and translating, by far, was the one about Independence Day in Tanzania: A good overview of the situation in the country.

Gaël Brassac lives in South-East France but will soon move to Japan, and opted to go with a “Top 3″ format:

1. ‘Global: Bloggers Take Issue With Anti-Niqaab Punditry,' because this article is a model of sort to expose ethnocentric self-righteousness, feminist extremism, and religious intolerance. 2. ‘China: Reflecting on 100 Years Since the Xinhai Revolution,' because I love history and China, so putting the two together could only please me! 3. ‘Mozambique: Behind the Detention of MC Azagaia,' because this is the kind of articles that makes me love Global Voices, covering countries never talked about in the traditional media.

Samantha Deman began translating for Global Voices while she was living in Singapore and offers a nice panoramic view of her years with Global Voices.

I choose my very first translation, published in 2008: ‘Humanitarian Crisis in South Philippines,' simply because it represents the beginning of my adventure with Global Voices. I like the idea of being able to inform others about what's happening in the remotest, often forgotten locales, thus helping weave ties between people living in the four corners of the world.

This post is part of our special coverage 2011 on Global Voices.

South Asia in 2011: A Year Full of Controversies and Protests

Rezwan — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:13:02 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage 2011 on Global Voices.

2011 was an eventful year for social media as people used many tools to organize protests, share frequent updates and news which had impacted our lives. We have seen people talking intensely in Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc about deaths of world-changing figures - from inventors to dictators and terrorists. The Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street protests became viral and the world was glued to the events in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.

South Asian countries also have seen use of social media to discuss about many controversies and protests. This year we saw more netizens using microblogging sites to share their opinions.

Controversies

In January, Pakistani celebrity Veena Malik was accused by religious hardliners of immoral behavior as she took part in the Indian reality show Big Boss. Pakistani netizens stood divided amongst its conservative and liberal lines.

Veena Malik at Lux Style Awards. Image by Arun Reginald. CC-BY-SA-3.0

At the end of the year Veena Malik stirred up another controversy when FHM India, a male lifestyle magazine, published her nude picture on its cover page. Veena’s shoot with an ISI Tattoo on her arm sparked strong reactions from right, left and center in Pakistan and India.

On the other hand a Pakistani Islamic televangelist was also at the center-point of a controversy. A behind-the-scenes video depicted Dr. Amir Liaquat Hussain, a notable religious scholar, uttering abuse and profanities as well as religious blasphemy.

In April the Sri Lankan government had condemned a 196 page leaked report on civilian casualties by an United Nations (UN) advisory panel, dismissing it as flawed and biased. Intense debate ensued in Twitter and Facebook.

In May the accidental death of a research scholar from Kerala, India sparked controversies about the privacy of women, privacy of a dead person and in general about the lingering male chauvinism in Keralan society.

A couple of Indian Ministers were drawn into controversy because of their statements. India's Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, angered the gay community and gay rights activists with his comments at a HIV/AIDS conference in New Delhi. Netizens condemned his take on homosexuality as “unnatural” and a “disease” that had come from the West.

In December the Indian Union Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal asked Internet giants such as Facebook, Google and Yahoo to pre-screen derogatory, defamatory and inflammatory content about political leaders and religion and filter if objectionable. His words got a huge backlash from the netizens.

Wordle Image of the banned word list. Click on the image to enlarge.

In November, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) become the center of controversy when it sent a list of 586 Urdu and 1,109 English banned words and phrases to the mobile phone operators in the country to filter them.

The pregnant Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her impending child birth produced a media hype in India. Bangladeshi exile writer Taslima Nasrin was also drawn into controversy when she tweeted that she wished that Aishwarya would give birth to a girl child.

Actions have been taken by a Bangladeshi court against a teacher living abroad, as a consequence of his Facebook status.

Protests

Anna Hazare addressing the people and media at Jantar Mantar, Delhi. Image by Sarika Gulati, copyright Demotix (08/04/2011).

In India, social media has been extensively used to power civil society's push for a proposed anti-corruption bill. The movement is being led from the front by a Gandhian social activist Anna Hazare, who continues to receive a huge amount of support in home and abroad - online and offline.

In November, India's Agriculture Minister, Mr. Sharad Pawar, was slapped on the face by a youth, who was apparently fed up of the growing inflation, corruption and graft cases in the country and decided to hit out at the Union Minister in protest. Netizens discussed the merits and demerits of this violent protest.

In Bangladesh, citizen media was a vital tool for the indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh who shared news about the ethnic clashes between Bengali settlers and indigenous people. These minorities have found a voice via blogs and Facebook when the mainstream media have been accused of ignoring the plights of the local aboriginal people. Later in the year many Bangladeshi indigenous people had taken the streets holding meetings, human chains and rallies, demanding constitutional recognition of their identity. Bloggers engaged in a debate on this issue.

Farzana Yasmin. Image courtesy Kowshik

In this region some of the protests were unprecedented and unique. In several South Asian countries Dowry is prohibited by law but is still widely and illegally practiced. A protest against dowry was much discusses and lauded in the social networks in Bangladesh. Farzana Yasmin sent ripples across the country by divorcing the bridegroom right after the wedding as her in-laws demanded a TV set, refrigerator, motorbike and a few more things as ‘gifts' from the bride's family in presence of the guests.

In Bangladesh capital Dhaka after a three-fold campaign via Blogs, Facebook and street protests authorities of the Viqarunnisa Noon School and College (VNC) were forced to sack and arrest a teacher accused of sexually molesting a student.

In July bloggers and online activists among other protesters were arrested while striking in protest of a recent Production Sharing Contract (PSC) between the Bangladesh government and United States energy giant ConocoPhillips for deep sea gas exploration.

A placard of the Occupy Dhaka Movement

This year in October Eight Bangladeshi migrant workers were beheaded in public in Saudi Arabia for being involved in the robbing a warehouse and killing of a security guard. Netizens were enraged by this horrific punishment and questioned the transparency of the trial.

The Occupy Wall street movement prompted a similar protest in Dhaka where people vowed to get themselves free from the two feuding, corrupt and occupier political alliances.

A recent venture by the Bangladesh government to takeover 25000acres of wetlands (Arial Beel) 60km South of the capital city of Dhaka, for a proposed International airport and satellite city led to protests and violence in the area. Netizens too, reacted strongly to the government debating the need for a new airport and the government was forced to back down on the airport project.

In Pakistan, the death of 24 Pakistani troops by friendly fire from NATO helicopters and fighter aircrafts in Pakistan sparked protests across the country.

Raymond Davis, an American diplomatic staff, is under investigation for the double murder of two Pakistani motorcyclists in Karachi, Pakistan. Following the US demand to release Davis, the protesters took to the streets in a country which already has increasing anti-US sentiments.

In Sri Lanka, clashes at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Sri Lanka between protesting workers and police claimed the life of an young worker and injured many workers and policemen. The debate on the social media on this issue sent a strong signal to the Sri Lankan government.

Protesting increase of commodity prices in Maldives. Image from Twitpic by Ahmed Nazim (@GraveBone).

For seven consecutive days, thousands of residents of Male, the capital of Maldives, have protested on busy streets and public spaces, expressing their dissatisfaction over soaring prices of consumer goods and economic mismanagement of the government. Madivian citizen journalists shared the updates of the protests.

Nepali Internet users were caught in disarray as the Internet Service Provider’s Association of Nepal (ISPAN) shut down its internet service as a mark of protest against the government's crackdown on ‘illegal VOIP call bypass'.

The South Asia authors team will continue to highlight and translate more citizen voices from across the region in 2012. You can get involved in the Global Voices community in multiple ways. Please do send us your suggestions and feedback. Wishing you a happy 2012.

This post is part of our special coverage 2011 on Global Voices.

Bangladesh: Titas is the Name of a Murdered River

Rezwan — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:18:40 +0000

The Titas River is a trans-boundary river of south-eastern Bangladesh and it is more known to the Bengalis by a famous novel and a movie titled “A river named Titas“, which depicts the life of the fishermen on its bank.

River Titas, which is the source of livelihood for many people, is now endangered. In Ashuganj town of the Brahmanbaria District of Bangladesh a long diversion road has been hurriedly built through the Titas river and its tributaries and canals obstructing its flow in many parts.

Local media reports that it was done to facilitate transhipment of Indian goods on heavy vehicles as the existing roads and bridges are damaged and cannot bear the load of these huge carriers. Netizens are outraged by the developments.

A road through Titas river. Image courtesy Sharat Chowdhury

Here is a picture of the same place taken on 2008.

Mahfuzur Rahman Manik reports [bn]:

সম্প্রতি সামাজিক যোগাযোগের ওয়েবসাইটগুলোয় (ব্লগ, ফেসবুক) একটা ভিডিওর ব্যাপক ছড়াছড়ি। তেমন কিছু নয়, একুশে টিভিতে প্রচারিত সংবাদের ভিডিও। ‘ট্রানজিট’ নিয়ে প্রচারিত তিন পর্বের এক পর্ব। সেখানে উঠে এসেছে আখাউড়া ও ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়ার সংযোগস্থলে তিতাস নদী দ্বিখণ্ডিত হওয়ার করুণ কাহিনী। ভারতকে ট্রানজিট সুবিধা দেয়ার নামে তিতাসের মাঝখানে রাস্তা বানিয়ে কীভাবে তাকে মেরে ফেলা হচ্ছে তার প্রমাণ ভিডিওটি। যারা কখনো তিতাস দেখেননি কিংবা নদী বরাবর কীভাবে রাস্তা বানানো হলো তা দেখার কৌতূহল থেকেও অনেক ইন্টারনেট ব্যবহারকারী এতে ঢুঁ মেরেছেন।

Recently the social networking sites (Blog, Facebook) are flooded with a video. Nothing extra-ordinary, but a a news report on Ekushey TV. Its the first episode of the three part fetaure on “transit”. the video is the proof how a road was built dividing Titas river and killing it in the name of providing transit facility. Many internet users are watching this video, especially those who have never seen Titas or those, who are simply interested to see how a road can be built dividing a river.

একুশে টেলিভিশন প্রচারিত সংবাদটি বলছে, তিতাস নদীর ওপর বাঁধ দেয়ায় চারপাশের লাখ লাখ হেক্টর জমিতে ফসল উত্পাদনের ওপর বিশাল প্রভাব পড়ছে। এ নদীর ওপর নির্ভর করে যারা জীবিকা নির্বাহ করেন, তাদের জীবনে এসেছে অনিশ্চয়তা। বিশেষ করে জেলেদের অবস্থা খারাপ। সেখানকার মানুষ ঘরে ফসল তুলতে পারেন না। হাজার হাজার হেক্টর জমি তলিয়ে গেছে পানিতে। পরিবেশ বিপর্যয় তো রয়েছেই।

The Ekushey TV report divulges that the cultivation in the surrounding thousands of hectares of land has already been effected. Those who depends on this river for their livelihood face an uncertain future. Especially the fate of the fishermen are doomed. Thousands of hectares of cultivated fields have been submerged and many crops are damaged. The environmental damage is enormous.

Blogger Kallol Mostafa went to the site and reported [bn]:

ভারতের ত্রিপুরার পালাটানায় ৭২৬ মেগাওয়াট ক্ষমতার একটি বিদ্যুৎ প্রকল্পের প্রয়োজনীয় ভারী যন্ত্রপাতি ৯৬টি ওভার ডাইমেন্সনাল কার্গো’র (ওডিসি) মাধ্যমে পরিবহনের জন্য ৩০ নভেম্বর ২০১০ এ ভারত ও বাংলাদেশের মধ্যে একটি সমঝোতা স্মারক স্বাক্ষরিত হয়। [..] আশুগঞ্জ বন্দর আর আশুগঞ্জ থেকে আখাউড়া সড়ক পথ ওডিসি পরিবহনের অনুপযুক্ত হওয়ায় বন্দর উন্নয়ন, ৪৯ কিমি রাস্তা মেরামত ও ১৮ মিটার পর্যন্ত প্রশস্ত করার জন্য ভারত এককালীন ২৫.৫০ কোটি টাকা প্রদান করবে বলে ঠিক হয়। [..] এই রাস্তায় তিতাস নদী ও বিভিন্ন খালের উপর যেসব ব্রীজ ও কালভার্ট রয়েছে সেগুলো এত ভারী কার্গোর ভার বহনের সক্ষম নয়। তাই রাস্তা মেরামত ও প্রশস্ত করণের পাশাপাশি ভারতের আসাম বেঙ্গল কেরিয়ার বা এবিসি ইন্ডিয়াকে দ্বায়িত্ব দেয়া হলো ব্রীজ ও কালভার্টগুলোর পাশ দিয়ে “বিকল্প রাস্তা” তৈরী করার।

A memorandum of understanding was signed on November 30, 2011 to provide transit facility to 96 over-dimensional cargoes (ODCs) which will carry heavy machinery for a 726 Megawatt power plant in Trpura, India. [..] It was decided that India will pay 255 million Bangladeshi Taka to upgrade 49 kms of road by making them 18 meter wide. However, the bridges and culverts on these roads are not able to carry the heavy loads of these ODCs. So besides up-gradation of the road, the Asam Bengal Carrier (ABC) company was awarded a contract to build alternative roads besides those bridges and culverts.

A makeshift road near the culvert on a canal of Titas river. Image by Niloy Das. Courtesy Dinmojur Blog

The whole article has been shared many times in social networks. Kallol also shares [bn] his frustrations and anger:

দুনিয়ার আর কোন দেশের শাসক শ্রেণী এইভাবে নিজ দেশের নদী-খালের মাঝখান দিয়ে বাধ নির্মাণ করে আরেক দেশের মালামাল পরিবহনের ব্যবস্থা করেছে বলে আমাদের জানা নাই।

I am not aware of any other country who has diverted its rivers and canals with dams and built roads through them to facilitate transit of goods of a neighboring country.

Some bloggers took an initiative to carry out a visit to the site. A Facebook event [bn] was created.

Kowshik provides [bn] the scope of the visit:

আমাদের রাজনীতি নেই, আমরা রাজনীতি বুঝি না - কিন্তু সব গেলো সব গেলো বলে আহাজারি করতে পারি! সেই আহাজারীর মাত্রা আরেকটু বাড়াতে আগামী ৩০শে ডিসেম্বর তিতাসের খণ্ডিত বুকে গিয়ে জানতে চাই সেখানকার মানুষদের কি মতামত!

We have no political intention, we don't understand politics but we can cry for our loss. To extend that cry to another level we want to go to the divided Titas and ask for local people's opinions.

Kowshik also provided frequent updates [bn] of the bloggers' initiatives.

Here is a three part videocast showing interviews of bloggers and locals:

(Part 1: Featuring Ali Asif Galib [bn])

(Part 2: Featuring Sharat Chowdhury [bn])

(Part 3: Featuring Ali Mahmed [bn])

Blogger Sharat Chowdhury shares his experience [bn] of actually being there:

আমরা দেখি নদীর বুক চিড়ে রাস্তা বানানো হয়েছে। ট্রানজিটের রাস্তা। আমাদের নতজানুতার পথ। এই পথ দেখে আমাদের কষ্ট হয়, ঘৃণা হয়, অবিশ্বাস গাঢ় হয় সরকারের বিবেচনা বোধ আর সদিচ্ছার প্রতি।

We see that roads have been built dividing the river. The roads for transit, the road to our submissiveness. Our heart aches seeing this road, we loath. Our mistrust on the government deepens.

Sharat adds:

এই মুহুর্তে প্রতিবাদ প্রতিরোধ ছাড়া আর কোন পথ নেই। ব্লগাররা কাজ করতে পারেন স্থানীয় অপনিয়ন লিডার হিসেবে। কেবল রাজধানী-কেন্দ্রীক আন্দোলনের বদলে আমরা এমনও দেখতে পারি যে ব্রাম্মণবাড়ীয়া, আশুগঞ্জের ব্লগাররা প্রতিবাদ জানিয়েছেন স্থানীয় প্রশাসনকে। অবহিত করেছেন স্থানীয় মানুষদের। সংগঠিত করেছেন। এটা আমাদের করতেই হবে।

Now we have no options except protesting the road constructions. Not only the capital centric protests, we would like to see that the local bloggers are protesting to the local government. We would like to see them organize locals and making them aware. We have to do it.

Bangladesh: Suggestions for the New International Crimes Tribunal

Aparna Ray — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:09:26 +0000

The government of Bangladesh is planning to set up another International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) to help expedite trial of war criminals of 1971. Rumi Ahmed offers some suggestions in this respect, which he feels will enable the government to avoid the controversies dogging the current tribunal.

Bangladesh:Hot Air Balloon Show in Dhaka

Aparna Ray — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:57:14 +0000

On 28th December, a hot air balloon show was held in Dhaka. In this context, photojournalist Monirul Alam discussed the history of hot air balloons.

Bangladesh: The Dhaka Project Celebrates Students' Success

Aparna Ray — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:30:52 +0000

The Dhaka Project reports that all the 49 underprivileged students who appeared in the Primary Education Completion Examination from their RSF Dhaka School & College have successfully passed the exam

Bangladesh: The Cost of Being Fooled

Aparna Ray — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:13:48 +0000

Kotha-Chhilo rues the fact that we are often made fools of, something that is likely to end up costing all of us dearly.

Bangladesh: A Crowd-Sourced Travel Photography Project

Rezwan — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:32:00 +0000

Anil introduces us to Positive Light, Bangladesh's first crowd-sourced photography project.

Bangladesh: Why A Region Is Poor?

Rezwan — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:45:44 +0000

Basher tries to analyze why a large region in the north of Bangladesh remains poor.

Bangladesh: Debt Storm Rising?

Rezwan — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:29:02 +0000

Mukti is alarmed by the steep rise of Bangladesh government’s domestic debt which is triggering downfall of credit growth in the private sector thus stopping investment.