A quiet violence in Bangladesh’s chars
There are plentiful cases of land-grabbing and violence for control over new char or khas land in the country.
Rohingya repatriation: Can we ever find a viable scheme?
International support for the Rohingya people is diminishing by the day.
Of river erosion and the people it displaces
Displacement due to river erosion is an entirely different story.
Six years on, a solution to the Rohingya crisis is still elusive
China's latest move to advance repatriation still falls short of addressing the Rohingya citizenship issue which is central to the crisis.
Living with the river or fighting against it?
It is neither possible nor desirable to eliminate flooding completely, for floods are intricately linked to the very survival of people in this delta country.
Stories and impacts of Padma Bridge
The improved transport network has now reduced the hauling time of vehicles and enhanced economic activity, boosting the national GDP, according to one estimate, to roughly one percent annually.
What if the Rohingya are not repatriated?
A pilot project to repatriate over 1,100 Rohingya refugees is now in discussion between Bangladesh and Myanmar, negotiated by China.
A turning point in the struggle for climate justice
With the adoption of the resolution and ICJ involvement soon, the concept of climate justice will likely turn into a movement for equity.
December 11, 2021
Thinking big beyond the LDC graduation
Bangladesh is a surprising success story. Emerging out of war and destruction in 1971, few in the world had any optimism about the country’s future.
November 23, 2021
After the UN resolution on Rohingya crisis, what comes next?
On November 17, 2021, a resolution titled “The Situation of Human Rights of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar” was adopted at the United Nations with unanimous support—a first for a Rohingya-related resolution since the crisis began in 2017.
February 7, 2020
On Ekushey and its global legacy
The month of February is a prized and sacred one for Bengalis. It reminds us of the sacrifices made for our beloved Bangla language and the rewards it ultimately brought in for Bengalis as a nation.
December 18, 2019
The anguish of a people fighting for recognition
My recent op-ed for The Daily Star about the controversial drive for citizenship screening in India’s Assam, involving the “illegal” Bengali-origin Muslims, drew considerable attention from the readers, with a particular curiosity about the Miya (also spelled Miyah) poetry used to assert the identity and rights of the people as settlers and citizens of India.
December 9, 2019
NRC and the larger crisis brewing in Assam
Ecent developments surrounding the controversial National Registry of Citizens (NRC) in Assam have made many extremely worried across borders in Bangladesh and India regarding the future of Bengali Muslim settlers and Hindus alike.
November 21, 2019
Rohingya repatriation: No more dancing around key issues
In the last two weeks, the world has witnessed a renewed interest in the Rohingya’s struggles for justice and persecution of Myanmar officials for the Rohingya genocide.
August 18, 2019
No turning point yet
In recent weeks, there have been a flurry of diplomatic activities in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, starting with the high-level visit of Myanmar delegation led by Myint Thu, Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Cox’s Bazar.
July 2, 2019
Rohingya crisis: The long view
There is no dearth of opinion on the Rohingya repatriation issue with political leaders, scholars, and even ordinary people all weighing in with their own views.
May 21, 2019
Rohingya Repatriation: Many twists and turns but no solution in sight yet
There are over a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, including the latest batch of 800,000 that came after August 25, 2017 and the 250,000 that arrived since the first exodus of mid-1990s.
March 29, 2019
Risks and responses to Rohingya relocation plan
It is now clear that the Bangladesh government is all set to relocate nearly 100,000 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char, a remote island off its coast, starting April 2019.
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