DHAKA, 30 August 2022, (TON): Foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen is going to join a foreign office consultation meeting between Brunei Darussalam and Bangladesh scheduled for August 31 amid fuel oil crisis following the Russia-Ukraine war.

A senior foreign ministry official confirmed “Masud Bin Momen left Dhaka for Brunei, an oil-rich country in Asia, to join the meeting at a time when the Brunei government was willing to export fuel oils and Bangladesh was looking for sources alternative to traditional Arab markets to import petroleum products.”

According to officials “the secretary-level meeting between the two countries is going to be held ahead of the upcoming visit of Brunei’s sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, also the country’s prime minister, to Bangladesh, possibly in October.”

DHAKA, 30 August 2022, (TON): The outgoing Indian high commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, said “relations between the two countries were more mature today than they were 20 years ago.”

Doraiswami said ‘Bangladesh and India have resolved many of the major issues, including land boundary and maritime disputes, and our relationship with Bangladesh is much more mature than it was 20 years ago.”

He made the remarks at a views exchange meeting with the Editors’ Council at a city hotel ahead of prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India next week.

He said “the prime minister’s visit to India next week would take the relationship between the two neighbours to a new height, according to a press release issued by the Editor’s Council.”

DHAKA, 30 August 2022, (TON): Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki hopes that the Bangladesh government and the Election Commission will make necessary efforts to make the next parliamentary polls.    

Naoki said “the election is drawing near. You still have one year and three-four months more. So, I do hope that with efforts of the government, particularly the chief election commissioner and the Election Commission, the next general election will be free, fair and participatory one.”

He further said “he visited the CEC and heard about the commission’s preparations for holding a free and fair election.”

By Muzhgan Feraji

Nepal, Sir Lanka, and Bangladesh are South Asia countries which have a larger population of women but compared to the population, their participation in various social activities is low as vis a vis man. Even if the women have higher education and more experience, they are not accepted at country's macro level. The political position of women includes power and representation in the government. Which is the purpose of political situation, economic situation, and social situation) Economic status includes the status of women in "activities and institutions built around the production, consumption, and consumption of goods and services Social status includes women's access to education as well as the objectification of gender and reproductive rights.(Previous studies have shown that the level of education of women has a positive effect on the GDP of a country.

In recent years, there have been activities in the field of equality and empowerment of women in these countries. Ms. Devi Bhandari is the President of Nepal. Nepal is moving rapidly towards development, knowledge, and gender equality and in the meantime, the role of women in progress and development is felt and admired. Nepalese women are now active as politicians, professionals, executives, environmentalists and civic activists, and the Nepalese government is determined to implement gender equality laws. In recent years, Nepali women have sought more progress and development, and in 2015, for the first time, a woman Bidhya Devi Bhandari succeeded to become the president of Nepal. Throughout Nepal's history, women have been politically active, such as Thakurani, who was elected to parliament in Nepal's first democratic elections held in February 1959.

Anuradha Koirala She is the founder of the non-profit office for the defense of the rights of trafficked women., Pasang Lamu Sherpa the first woman to the summit Everest and others.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a country affected by civil wars, and women and children are the most vulnerable groups in society. At the macro level of the country, women are engaged in household chores such as cooking and washing, and agriculture and animal husbandry.

According to opinions and feminists, the role of women in large government organizations, especially politics, is insignificant . Although Sri Lanka is a country influenced by culture and traditions and each region has different traditions, but it is one of the South Asian countries where the education level of women is very high and Mortality among mothers and children is less and the standard of living of women is 67 years.

In recent years, the gender gap is almost disappearing Sri Lanka had the world's first female prime minister in 1960 and elected its first female president in 1994.

Women in Sri Lanka make up 51% of the population and are active in every part of the society. Women have gained more information about their needs and democratically They have become aware of their rights, such as the right to participate in politics and society, and they dare to speak freely about the challenges ahead.

Women in Sri Lanka are motivated and striving for political and social participation. The Sri Lankan government is determined to support women in the areas of gender awareness, political participation, better education provision, health etc.

Bangladesh

Ever since Bangladesh gained independence, they have always progressed and These advances include women's political empowerment, the field of women's education, the field of work for women, and laws to protect women. Four decades ago, there were health, treatment, knowledge, etc. problems among women.

Women in Bangladesh have access to different jobs. When the General Organization of the United Nations Assembly declared the Decade of Women from 1976 to 1985 for the development of women, it had the effect that the government of Bangladesh changed programs and policies to improve the social and economic conditions of women.

In this decade, the central role of women in fighting poverty, creating productive jobs and strengthening the social fabric was emphasized.

In 1999, out of 190 countries, 7 countries including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had a female minister in their cabinet. In a report of 2012 According to reports from the Asian Development Bank, 95 percent of women in Bangladesh live below poverty and face the latest challenges.

Women in Bangladesh have access to different jobs but considering the number of their population, it is not acceptable, and the government of Bangladesh has been implementing support programs for women since the past.

Conclusion:

South Asia has been subject to customs and traditions since the past, and every support program for women has faced challenges. Although I know that the governments of Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are determined to support women from the past until now and women are the financial support of the above countries, but they still suffer from gender inequality and discrimination in these countries. After several decades, women in the above countries do not have access to their rights as they should, but how were they able to reach high government officials in the past and recent years? While most women are deprived of their basic rights. The above governments are determined to support women, it is better to have programs to train men, especially rural men, so that women are not seen as tools. A society reaches prosperity when the women of that society feel comfortable and happy, and it is the responsibility of governments to provide the comfort and happiness of women. Empowered women will draw a prosperous society It is enough to support women to reach glory.

DHAKA, 29 August 2022, (TON): President M Abdul Hamid administered the oath of office to Deputy Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shamsul Huq Tuku at the President's chamber at Sangsad Bhaban here.

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Leader of the House and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chief Whip Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury, among others, were present on the occasion.

Jatiya Sangsad Secretary KM Abdus Salam conducted the oath taking ceremony.

Tuku was elected as the deputy speaker in voice votes at the outset of the nineteenth session of the JS with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

DHAKA, 29 August 2022, (TON): Bangladesh will voice its strong protest with Myanmar so that nothing such happens inside Bangladesh as the country witnessed two mortal shells from Myanmar inside Bangladesh territory.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “we usually protest amid such incidents. Few days ago we also received similar reports. We will again strongly protest it with them.”

He said “it will first be investigated whether the fall of unexploded mortar shells on the Bangladesh border was an accident or intentional.”

Border Guard Bangladesh stepped up its vigilance along Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Bandarban area after two Myanmar mortal shells landed in an area near Tambru under Naikkhangchhari in Bandarban on Sunday afternoon.

KABUL, 29 August 2022, (TON): At a press conference in Kabul, acting Defense Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid once again asked Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to return the helicopters and military aircraft of Afghanistan that had been transferred to these nations following the fall of the previous government.

Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid emphasized that these helicopters are the property of the Afghans, and that efforts are being made to bring them back to the country.

The defense minister said "they say that the issue is that the Americans don’t let us transfer these helicopters back to Afghanistan. We have spoken with Americans about it and informed them that they belong to the nation, and it is Afghanistan's right, not someone else's personal property.”

The US announced that it will not provide the Islamic Emirate any military aircraft from the previous administration. Additionally, a Russian official has raised concern that the helicopters may have been transported to Ukraine.

DHAKA, 29 August 2022, (TON): Bangladesh is going to sign a power purchase agreement with Indian companies GMR Karnali Hydropower Company Limited and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam to buy 500 MW of electricity.

According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation “in the joint steering committee meeting between the two countries held last Thursday, the Bangladeshi side expressed its commitment to sign a PPA with the Indian companies.”

The signing is expected to take place within the month of September that features the visit of the Bangladesh prime minister to Delhi.

Bangladesh: Two mortar shells from Myanmar land in Bandarban

DHAKA, 29 August 2022, (TON): Heavy fighting between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military in Myanmar’s Rakhine state along the border left two unexploded mortar shells landing in Naikhyangchari in Bandarban on Sunday, ringing alarm bells in Bangladesh.

There were no casualties reported in Bangladesh, but government officials said people in the Tumbru Uttar Para border area were panicked.

Naikhyangchari upazila nirbahi officer Salma Ferdous said “the incident took place at about 2:30pm and that they had informed senior officials immediately.”

She said “the Border Guard Bangladesh’s bomb disposal unit defused the shells.”

DHAKA, 29 August 2022, (TON): Environment, forest and climate change minister Md Shahab Uddin said “Bangladesh will require $ 230 billion till 2030 to implement the newly formulated National Adaptation Plan for combating climate change.”

We will mobilise our domestic resources despite it would be very difficult to implement and attain 113 activities under eight thematic areas identified in the NAP without International and bilateral support.

He said after a delegation led by British high commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson “so we are promoting and encouraging cooperation and support from developed countries like United Kingdom.”

A press release said “Deputy minister Habibun Nahar, secretary Farhina Ahmed, additional secretaries Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Md Maniruzzaman, Sanjay Kumar Bhowmick and senior officials of British High Commission attended the bilateral meeting.”