NAYPYITAW, 09 August 2021, (TON): As Myanmar marked the 33rd anniversary of the “Four Eights” pro-democracy uprising on Sunday, activists around the country renewed calls to end military rule once and for all.

Anti-dictatorship protests were held in both urban and rural areas to commemorate the 1988 uprising, which began on August 8 of that year and was crushed the following month by a bloody coup that claimed thousands of lives.

Coming 188 days after the latest military coup, the anniversary was remembered with a renewed sense of urgency, with many activists linking the two events.

“Let’s struggle together towards completion of the unfinished 8-8-88 people’s liberation movement” was a slogan seen on placards and banners at a number of protests.

Some signs, meanwhile, bore starker messages.

“Blood that was shed in ’88 must be repaid in ’21,” read one that hearkened back to the violence that ushered in nearly a quarter century of brutal military rule.

That era ostensibly ended a decade ago after the military orchestrated a transition to quasi-civilian rule that left its power largely intact.

However, the country was again plunged into crisis when the military seized direct control on February 1, citing alleged irregularities in last year’s election.

Since then, the newly installed regime has killed nearly a thousand civilians and arrested another 7,000 in an effort to crush a massive popular resistance movement reminiscent of the one that emerged in 1988.

Many who came out into the streets on Sunday made it clear that they considered themselves heirs of that earlier struggle.

KATHMANDU, 09 August 2021, (TON): Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi paid a Acourtesy call on Minister for Home Affairs Balkrishna Khand at latter’s office in Singh Durbar.

During the meeting, Minister Khand thanked the Government of China to continuous humanitarian assistance given by China to Nepal.

On the occasion, Ambassador Hou wished for the successful tenure of a new government and made her commitment to continued support to Nepal from the Chinese side in future.

She also said that Nepal and China are enjoying age-old bilateral relations adding that China was always positive to Nepal and democracy.

KHARTOUM, 09 August 2021, (TON): The foreign ministry said “Sudan has recalled its ambassador to neighboring Ethiopia, reporting Addis Ababa had spurned its efforts at trying to broker a cease-fire in war-torn Tigray.

The ministry said in a statement “Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, chair of the regional body IGAD, wanted to encourage all Ethiopian sides to reach a cease-fire agreement, and engage in comprehensive political talks.”

But last week Ethiopia said their trust in some of Sudan’s leaders had been eroded, and accused the Sudanese army of launching an incursion into their territory.

Northern Ethiopia has been wracked by fighting since last November, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to topple the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the region’s then ruling party.

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians have fled to refugee camps in Sudan, to escape a conflict that the UN says has pushed 400,000 people into famine-like conditions.

Relations between Khartoum and Addis Ababa have also soured over the contested border region of Fashaga, a fertile strip long cultivated by Ethiopian farmers, but claimed by Sudan.

DHAKA, 09 August 2021, (TON): The concrete houses in Bhashan Char are way stronger than the makeshift ones in Cox’s Bazar.

According to government officials concerned “while the Rohingyas residing in the camps in Cox’s Bazar were badly hit by recent floods and landslides caused by heavy monsoon rains, their fellow countrymen from Myanmar who have been relocated to Bhashan Char Island remained unscathed.”

This has been possible due to the strong structure of the houses in Bhashan Char, in the Noakhali district, where Rohingyas were relocated, the office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief told Dhaka Tribune.

The RRRC based in Cox’s Bazar is the top entity of the Bangladesh government with respect to dealing with the Rohingya crisis.

Additional RRRC Mohammed Moazzam Hossain told this correspondent from Bhashan Char on Sunday evening “no, we have not been affected at all by the monsoon.”

He said “the shelters in Cox’s Bazar were made of bamboos and tarpaulins. On the other hand, Rohingyas in Bhashan Char have been housed in strongly-structured buildings.”

Assistant RRRC Shamima Akter Jahan said from Cox’s Bazar “the concrete houses in Bhashan Char are way stronger than those in Cox’s Bazar.”

DHAKA, 09 August 2021, (TON):  They were detained from 15.4 nautical miles southwest of Mongla Fairway Buoy.

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard have detained 13 Indian fishermen along with a fishing trawler on charge of illegally intruding into Bangladesh territory in the Bay of Bengal.

CGS Sonar Bangla, inshore patrol vessel of the Bangladesh Coast Guard, spotted a foreign trawler, named Shornotara, illegally fishing in Bangladeshi waters.

Sensing their presence, the intruders tried to flee but the coast guards detained the fishermen along with the boat from 15.4 nautical miles southwest of Mongla Fairway Buoy.

The process to hand over the seized trawler and the detainees to Mongla police station for legal action was underway, said Bangladesh Coast Guard Media Officer Lt Commander Amirul Haque.

 TEL AVIV, 09 August 2021, (TON): The new national security ad-viser, Eyal Hulata, visited Cairo along with his predecessor Meir Ben-Sha-bbat and met Egypt’s head of intelligence, Abbas Kamel, Hebrew media reports.

According to the reports, the main topic discussed was the situation in the Gaza Strip and negotiations aimed at stabilizing a ceasefire following May’s 11-day round of fighting between Israel and Palestinian terror groups.

The brief visit comes some six weeks after Kamel visited Israel to negotiate the initial ceasefire.

ISLAMABAD, 09 August 2021, (TON): Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri rejected reports published by Indian media which quoted an Indian official as saying that terrorists are waiting at launch pads to infiltrate into occupied Kashmir from Pakistan.

Chaudhri said in a statement  "we categorically reject the baseless allegations that Pakistan wanted to infiltrate so-called 'terrorists' via the Line of Control (LoC)."

In a report published earlier this week, Indian publication The Hindu quoted an unnamed security official as saying that 140 terrorists are waiting at launch pads to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and the terror infrastructure across the LoC remains in place.

The report said "the Indian army had been noticing the continued presence of around 140 terrorists at the launch pads across the LoC, likely waiting to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, but the robust counter-infiltration grid had so far desisted them from making any such attempts."

The official said, according to The Hindu "they tried in the past, but had to return after alert jawans foiled their nefarious designs."

In his statement, Chaudhri said India's "smear campaign against Pakistan is well-known and was fully exposed" by EU DisinfoLab last year in its investigation titled Indian Chronicles.

NAYPYITAW, 09 August 2021, (TON): As Myanmar marked the 33rd anniversary of the “Four Eights” pro-democracy uprising on Sunday, activists around the country renewed calls to end military rule once and for all.

Anti-dictatorship protests were held in both urban and rural areas to commemorate the 1988 uprising, which began on August 8 of that year and was crushed the following month by a bloody coup that claimed thousands of lives.

Coming 188 days after the latest military coup, the anniversary was remembered with a renewed sense of urgency, with many activists linking the two events.

“Let’s struggle together towards completion of the unfinished 8-8-88 people’s liberation movement” was a slogan seen on placards and banners at a number of protests.

Some signs, meanwhile, bore starker messages.

“Blood that was shed in ’88 must be repaid in ’21,” read one that hearkened back to the violence that ushered in nearly a quarter century of brutal military rule.

That era ostensibly ended a decade ago after the military orchestrated a transition to quasi-civilian rule that left its power largely intact.

However, the country was again plunged into crisis when the military seized direct control on February 1, citing alleged irregularities in last year’s election.

Since then, the newly installed regime has killed nearly a thousand civilians and arrested another 7,000 in an effort to crush a massive popular resistance movement reminiscent of the one that emerged in 1988.

Many who came out into the streets on Sunday made it clear that they considered themselves heirs of that earlier struggle.

NEW DELHI, 09 August 2021, (TON): The Soviet Union and India signed a treaty of peace, friendship and nonaggression. The essence of the treaty was its provision that in the event of attack or the threat of attack there would be immediate mutual consultations. Each side also undertook to refrain from giving assistance to any third party taking part in armed conflict with the other party.

These clauses not only assured the prospect of Soviet assistance and support in the event of war. The Indo-Soviet Treaty had a far-reaching consequence for the Bangladesh war. Thereafter, the USSR began to show a clearer pro-Bangladesh tilt.

The agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Andrei A Gromyko of the Soviet Union and Swaran Singh, the Indian minister for external affairs, at a five'minute ceremony. Then, Gromyko met with India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Gromyko arrived in New Delhi yesterday on a hurriedly arranged visit to demonstrate Soviet support of India in its worsening dispute with Pakistan over the Pakistan army's suppression of the independence movement in Bangladesh.

DHAKA, 09 August 2021, (TON): Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said “Bangladesh is keen to intensify political, trade, economic and cultural ties with the ASEAN countries.”

He said while addressing a 54th ASEAN Day event organized by the ASEAN Dhaka Committee on virtual platform "Having a strong tie with the ASEAN countries is by any standard a key foreign policy priority of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina."

Momen said “with a large manufacturing base, Bangladesh stands to be one of ASEAN's strongest partners and an attractive destination for the ASEAN investors.”

He suggested that Bangladesh and ASEAN countries can forge partnership in the areas of poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, climate change, water resources management, migration, disaster management, agriculture and ICT.

On the Rohingya repatriation issue, Dr Momen said that the prolonged presence of such a huge number of displaced people entails serious ramifications for the socio-political stability of not only Bangladesh but also of the entire region including the ASEAN.

He sought intervention from the ASEAN for speedy repatriation of the Rohingyas to their motherland.