Bangladesh bans protests against starvation

Bangladesh bans protests against starvation
SYLHET, Bangladesh,
December 3, 2007
RATER ZONAKI
Source: UPI Asia Online
Picture Courtesy: New Age

Column: Humanity or Humor?

Bangladesh will no longer allow protests or processions from victims of the recent cyclone, a government official said Friday, after starving villagers in the disaster-hit area held demonstrations demanding food and relief.

Maj. Gen. M. A. Matin, chief coordinator of disaster management, rehabilitation and relief work as well as advisor for the Ministry of Communications, reminded the nation that a state of emergency is in effect in the country and that violators of its anti-protest rules will be arrested.

Thousands of people are still homeless and without adequate food or clean water since Cyclone Sidr struck southwestern Bangladesh on Nov. 15.

True to the government's threat, on Sunday law enforcement officers arrested 14 people for demanding relief from the authorities in a demonstration at a school ground in Barguna District. The arrested men were detained in police custody for the day.

About 500 villagers in the area went on hunger strike to demand the release of the arrested people. They also refused the relief offered by the government. Following these public protests, the authorities were compelled to release the detained people in the evening.

Through this crackdown, the government magnified the severity of the ongoing prolonged state of emergency in Bangladesh. The government has gone beyond the suspension of freedom of expression to the suspension of the right to food, or people's right to survive.

The victims of Cyclone Sidr might not have understood that the government has also granted them a new right: the right to starve to death! This is one of the innumerable attempts of the government to hide its utter failure to address the people's dire needs; it has revealed the shamelessness, inhumanity and inefficiency of the nation's leadership.

The government and its policymakers apparently did not consider that their repressive actions might backfire. The arrests of the 14 starving victims resulted in even larger protests by the inhabitants of a number of villages, which compelled the arrogant government to release the detained people.

Governmental power can make a country's leaders blind and deaf, especially in countries like Bangladesh. The leaders speak ad nauseam, shutting off the views of everyone else, although their refusal to acknowledge and permit other opinions contributes nothing to the suffering nation.

Bangladeshis have received an important message, however: they must learn from the people of Barguna, who were arrested for demanding food and were able to free the detained people through larger protests on the same day. Fear profits nothing; these sufferers were brave enough to break their silence and challenge the powerful until they backed down.

Meanwhile, the military-backed government must learn from the same incident how worthless the state of emergency is! The people of Barguna forced the authorities to release those who had been detained, as the people of Bangladesh will soon force the government to withdraw the state of emergency. The time is rapidly coming when the military-backed government will find no way to flee.
______________________________________________
(Rater Zonaki is the pseudonym of a human rights defender living in Sylhet in Bangladesh who has been working on human rights issues in the country for more than a decade and who was a journalist in Bangladesh in the 1990s.)

Bangladesh heading for silent famine

Bangladesh heading for 'silent famine', say experts
Source: Indian Muslims
By IANS

Dhaka : Hit thrice by disaster this year, Bangladesh could be heading for a "silent famine", economists and politicians have said, echoing the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) assessment that this is the "worst year" for the country since it became free in 1971.

Cyclone Sidr, which hit the country on Nov 15, could have a cumulative effect after two rounds of floods, taking a severe toll on crops, and threatening agriculture and income-generating activities, experts interviewed by the New Age daily said.

Those who stopped short of predicting a famine, also draw a grim picture of the economy of this disaster-prone nation that depends heavily on foreign aid.

"A silent famine is just round the corner. It's a big challenge to import food and a bigger challenge to empower the affected people with purchasing capacity after giving food aid," economist Mahbub Ullah told the New Age newspaper.

ADB's country director Hua Du Monday termed the country's situation "the most critical one after independence in 1971".

Ruling out the possibility of a famine, however, she said that there should be a huge stress on food security.

"I have studied Bangladesh for several decades since its independence, but I have never sensed such difficulties as the country is going to face this year," she said.

Endorsing Hua's suggestion that the farmers be provided inputs to enable them to recoup the losses caused by the cyclone and floods, Bangladeshi experts said these must include housing material.

Politicians warned that there might be a severe food crisis in the country, particularly in the Sidr-affected southern part, unless an adequate quantity of food grain was immediately imported and distributed.

Matia Chowdhury, a former agriculture and food minister and Awami League leader, said a food crisis could not be averted if the government failed to import food grain as per the demand through both public and private initiatives.

"Surely there will be a food crisis although I do not want to use the word famine. The development partners (foreign donors) should not do their job just by making comments. They should extend their helping hands as well," she said.

Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, a joint secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), said: "A food crisis is imminent because there is shortage of fertilisers and other inputs after the damage caused by the calamities."

He accused the government of having "double standards" as politicians were being barred from taking part in the relief activities. This might lead to failure to give the people a sense of direction in coping with the calamity.

Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, agreed with Hua's observations on the state of the economy. He said: "We too believe that the country is facing a dangerous situation."

The Communist Party of Bangladesh's general secretary, Mujahidul Islam Selim, accused the ADB and other lending agencies of "damaging the economy and causing the current stagflation".

"It is true that the country is suffering from a severe crisis but Hua Du did not mention that they (international lenders) were also responsible for the economic situation," Selim said.

Selim blamed part of the crisis on the "wrong policies of the World Bank and IMF."

From Bangladesh to California: the digital gap widens?

Opinion: from Bangladesh to California: the digital gap widens?
Source: The Editors Webblog
November 29, 2007

Media coverage of cyclone Sidr, which devastated Bangladesh, left hundreds of thousands homeless and killed at least 3,100, has been extensive, as is now the tradition in cases of major natural catastrophes. However, in comparison to coverage of the recent Californian wildfires, one can also wonder whether the differences in coverage of these two events can be representative of the digital gap widening.

In addition to the official death count, the Guardian reported that about 1,700 people are missing and over 28,000 were injured by the storm. According to the Disaster Management Ministry, 458,000 houses have been destroyed and another 665,000 have been partially damaged.

Statistically, the death and damage toll of Sidr far outweighs the – also tragic – destruction caused by the Californian wildfires.

Yet arguably, the news ‘lifespan’ of the Bangladesh disaster has been relatively short for many broadcasters and news networks in Europe and Northern America.

During the Californian wildfires, most US news outlets promptly established and developed techy features and hyperlocal tools to service the population. The Los Angeles Times even chose to cover the fires in blog-like fashion, posting short briefs on its homepage, even a few notes, to keep people up to date. News sites all over produced interactive maps that depicted the evolution of the situation and such. Slideshows, video, multimedia coverage were the norm.

But in the case of the cyclone in Bangladesh, it seems ‘western’ media coverage got little more than some sensational footage initially, and most of the subsequent coverage skimmed the surface. There were little efforts to depict the situation with the same precision, timeliness, and tech-savvy features that were used for the California wildfires.

This can be explained by two things, among other reasons (apart from issues about the editing and prioritization of news):
- the audience that would most benefit from that type of specific information, mostly in Bangladesh, might not have access to these digital outlets.
- The media teams, whether local or international, might not have the equipment and resources needed to produce that information.
Both reasons would point to the widening of the digital gap between a country like the US and one like Bangladesh.

However, ‘new media’ forms have also grown roots in Bangladesh. It is bloggers who made some of the strongest calls both to the international community and local inhabitants to help and collaborate.

The blogging platform Somewherein launched an SMS-based campaign to enable Bangladeshis to donate money: for every SMS sent (which costs 2 BDT), Somewherein and its fellow sponsors will add an amount to the donation, based on the number of sponsors, which will go to the Save the Children Cyclone Relief fund.

Yet it will take more than bloggers to promote relief in the country. If traditional media don’t – or can’t – put up the type of precise, incisive, and simply informative coverage they did for the wildfires, then public opinion will remain relatively unmoved.

If you have more information or insight about this issue, please feel free to contact us or leave a comment.

Source: Guardian – Media Channel

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Posted by Jean Yves Chainon on November 29, 2007 at 01:32 PM

Bangladesh is coping

1. MSNBC: Fight for food
2. NBC: Video Footage
   Desperate days in Bangladesh

Save the Children of Cyclone Sidr

Please watch this CNN's video footage to find how Sidr is impacting children in the devastated area of southern Bangladesh. Courtesy of: Save the Children UK

Cyclone Sidr News Update

Please join us to look through the news coverage on Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh for last 24 hours. These headlines and the contents reflect the wide range of world reactions from the most sensitive to the least sensitive one.

1. ABC News: U.S. Aid Arrives in Bangladesh (Video)
2. ABC Australia: Desperate struggle for survival
3. BBC: Bangladesh makes fresh aid plea and Video link
4. Bloomberg: UN grants aid to Bangladesh
5. CBS News: Trail of Destruction (Photo feature)
6. CNN: Bangladesh appeals for more aid and Video link
7. Global Voices: Bangla blogs seek aid for cyclone Sidr
8. International Herald Tribune: In Bangladesh: Picking through Pieces
9. Khaleej Times: Reach out to Bangladesh (editorial)
10. Los Angeles Times: Banding together for Bangladesh
11. Newsweek: Challenges for Aid groups
12. The Times: Bangladesh begs world for more help
13. Time: How Bangladesh survived a cyclone
14. Washington Post: Tales of tragedy and horror
15. Google: Latest news on Cyclone Sidr

UN OCHA Press Release on Bangladesh

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Date: 20 Nov 2007
Published: ReliefWeb

Bangladesh: Cyclone Sidr OCHA Situation Report No. 5
This situation report is based on information received from the Bangladesh Disaster Management Information Centre, the UN Resident Coordinator's Office Bangladesh, the Disaster Emergency Response Group (DER), UN Agencies, UN OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) and media sources.

I. Situation in Bangladesh

1. Cyclone Sidr (Category IV) hit Bangladesh on the evening of 15 November. The cyclone struck offshore islands at 1830 hours and made landfall across the southern coast from Cox's Bazaar in the east toward the Satkhira districts in the west at 2030 hours local time, with wind speeds of up to 240 kilometres per hour. The storm caused extensive damage to the southern districts as it moved north across central Bangladesh.

2. More than 4 million people in 28 southern districts are now known to have been directly affected by the cyclonic storms. As of 20 November, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) official reports indicated an increasing death toll of 3,447 people, with a further 2,062 missing and 6,611 injured. The GoB estimates that over 300,511 homes were destroyed and a further 626,088 houses were partially damaged. An estimated 870,000 acres of crops were damaged. Extensive damage to roads and public buildings is also evident, including 792 educational institutions destroyed and another 4,393 partially damaged. The worst affected areas include Bagerhat, Barguna, Barisal, Bhola, Gopalgonj, Jhalkhati, Khulna, Mandaripur, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Satkhira and Shariatpur districts.

3. A series of assessments are currently underway and more detailed information on the scale of the needs is expected to be made available in the coming days. The Disaster Emergency and Response (DER) group coordinated the pre-positioning of UN agencies and NGOs in affected areas in advance of the cyclone, allowing initial assessment data to be made available in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

4. On the basis of early assessment data, priority needs include food, clean water supply, diarrhoea treatment and shelter assistance. The longer term perspective requires rehabilitation of livelihoods, infrastructure, health and educational services and increased shelter capacity.

II. National Response in Bangladesh

5. To date, the Chief Government Adviser has allocated 100 million taka for relief and house construction in 11 districts. The Deputy Commissioners are procuring and collecting sufficient amount of dry food to respond to the current situation. The Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (MoFDM) has allocated 4,000 metric tonnes of rice, 7,500 tents, 18,000 blankets and 30 million taka as gratuitous relief grants, to date. A special fund was established allocating 350 million taka for housing construction grants. 13,000 bundles of corrugated iron sheets are ready for immediate distribution. 732 medical teams are working in the affected areas. The Bangladesh Armed Forces Division deployed several aircrafts and a number of helicopters. Six Bangladesh Navy ships are conducting rescue, evacuation, relief and reconnaissance operations in the worst storm affected areas. While more roads are opened, the military continues to bring relief items to the affected people by planes, boats and helicopters.

6. The Government of Bangladesh held the Disaster and Emergency Response group (DER) meetings on 15 November and 18 November. The next DER meeting will be held on 22 November.

7. The Government of Bangladesh's early warning and preparedness systems were activated prior to the cyclone making landfall, which greatly reduced the humanitarian impact of this disaster. Preparedness measures included the evacuation of approximately 3.2 million people. Alarms were raised and relief and rescue items were stockpiled.

III. International Response in Bangladesh

8. The United Nations, IFRC, and NGOs, including Save the Children, World Vision International, CARE, Caritas, OXFAM, Islamic Relief, ACT, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Muslim Aid, CONCERN, Plan and ActionAid continue to provide support to the Government of Bangladesh through extensive emergency response mechanisms, including mobilizing in-country staff and pre-positioned relief stocks across southern Bangladesh.

9. Reports from the UN needs assessments of the storm-affected area is expected on 21 November. On 19 November, UN Heads of Agencies visited the worst affected districts to assess the situation. They met assessment and relief teams and confirmed that relief is reaching the farthest corners of the affected area. They also noted that material damage was severe and varied between regions, nevertheless there were indications of small-scale economic recovery.

10. The United Nations is distributing 208 tonnes of high-energy biscuits to assist an estimated 850,000 cyclone affected people. 240,000 packets of water purifying powder are reaching 48,000 families. Shelter materials (thick polyesters) will also be distributed to 18,000 households whose houses were destroyed by the storms. Partners are currently distributing dry food (flattened rice and molasses) to 70,000 affected families. Medical officers have been made available to assist Government response, including 4 for coordinating central response. USD 50,000 was made available for water and supplies and transportation. More relief will be made available following initial determination of needs.

11. The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator released an initial allocation of USD 8.75 million from the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) for projects in Agriculture, Child Protection, Food, Nutrition and Water and Sanitation on 21 November. A second round of allocations is in-process for activities in Heath and Shelter.

12. On 16 November, IFRC launched a preliminary emergency appeal for USD 3.5 million to support the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society to assist 235,000 beneficiaries for a period of 9 months.

13. The following countries have pledged assistance to the relief effort so far: Australia (USD 2.7 million); Czech Republic (USD 81,000); Estonia (USD 46,000); France (USD 730,000); Germany (USD 1 million); India (USD 1 million); Ireland (USD 720,461); Spain (USD 1 million); United Kingdom (USD 5.2 million); United States of America (USD 5 million). The USA also contributed USD 100,000 in initial emergency assistance.

14. The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) has pledged USD 9.2 million to the Cyclone Sidr emergency response.

15. Caritas Spain contributed USD 288,184 for emergency aid to the affected disaster population.

16. For updated information on financial contributions, please refer to the OCHA Financial Tracking System website. Donors are encouraged to verify this table and inform FTS of corrections/additions/values to this table.

17. This situation report, together with further information regarding on-going emergencies, is also available on the Reliefweb.

For detailed information please contact:

OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok)
Ms. Eliane Provó Kluit
Tel. +66819129854
Email : provokluit@un.org

Desk Officers:

(NY)Ms. Kendra CleggMr. Jean Verheyden
Tel. +1 646 416 1140
Email: clegg@un.org

(GVA)Mr. Jean Verheyden
Tel: + 41 79 509 8116
Email: verheyden@un.org

Press contact

(NY)Ms. Stephanie Bunker
Tel. + 1 917 367 5126

(GVA)Ms. Elizabeth Byrs
Tel. + 41 22 917 2653

No talks with politicians

Tapan rules out relief talks with politicians
Wed, Nov 21st, 2007 12:32 am BdST

DHAKA, Nov 20 (bdnews24.com) – Disaster management adviser Tapan Chowdhury and lieutenant general Masud Uddin Chowdhury Tuesday ruled out the need for any meeting with politicians to face the aftermath of cyclone Sidr.

"Businessmen are able to reach commodities direct to cyclone victims. That's why we held a meeting with them. But there is no need to sit with the politicians," Tapan told reporters after a meeting with business leaders at the food and disaster management ministry.

Masud Uddin, the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division, who also attended the meeting, said: "I don't think it's necessary to sit with politicians for relief operations."

But both said there was no bar on politicians to join forces with relief operations for the Sidr survivors.

Tapan called upon all, including the politicians, to come forward to work together to help the victims.

"It is the responsibility of politicians to stand by people in times of a crisis," he said.

The meeting was designed to chart out ways to cope with the aftermath of the Nov 15 cyclone that affected about 40,000 people in different districts.

Cyclone Sidr News Coverage

We're monitoring the news coverage of Cyclone Sidr and the relief and rehabilitation works that are undergoing.

• PBS news reports,

"The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross, warned that the death toll could rise to 10,000 once rescuers reach outlying islands, according to the Associated Press...International aid organizations promised initial packages of $25 million during a meeting with Bangladeshi agencies Monday, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that several million dollars were available from the U.N.'s emergency response funds, reported the AP.

Other governments have offered assistance, including Britain -- $5 million, the European Union -- $2.2 million, the United States -- $2.1 million, France -- $730,000, Germany -- $730,000, and the Philippines said it would send a medical team. About 3 million survivors, who were evacuated from low-lying areas or had their homes destroyed in the massive storm, were in need of government help..."

• Listen to the Bangladesh's Ambassador in Washington, DC Mr. Humayun Kabir's interview at PBS News Hour
• Telegraph: Death Toll Hits 15, 000
• NBC Nightly News:
  Extent of Bangladesh disaster emerges
• National Public Radio: Sidr leaves thousands dead
• CNN's News Video: Survivors grieve
• BBC News Video: Aid Battle for Bangladesh

Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh

Click the picture to see a slide show on Cyclone Sidr's destruction in Bangladesh

Watch CNN's Coverage: