Crossing Streets in Bangladesh

The cars are following the rules - the people not.

Post by Ranak Martin.

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11/11/11

I hope I will look back at this day sometime in the future:

Related:

* 11ElevenProject
* 11Eleven Facebook Page
* Event in Dhaka on 11/11/11

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World Cup Craze In Dhaka

Flags of Worldcup football playing nations proudly displayed.

Spanish flag on a car bonnet. I have seen Argentinian and Brazilian flags being displayed like this.

Argentinian flag on top of car.

This time around I saw huge projection screens put up in public places for viewing Worldcup matches.

Jerseys on Sale

Huge graffiti on the wall by Argentinian fans. The Brazilian flag is overshadowed.

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Bangladesh in Pictures

Swelled rivers in monsoon season - view from air. One can tell flood is coming.

Submerged Brick-fields - just outside Dhaka.

The changed name of Zia International airport. Signboard in Pink (or Orange?) - surely not elegant for an International airport.

New seats in some Bus stands in Dhaka. Strong enough - but can you sit on that slope?

Digital Bangladesh.

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Train Journey

In Jakarta. Image courtesy Brommel

In Dhaka. Image courtesy Sabloemarts

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Journey To Dhaka In Images

Air Asia, making international air travel affordable in Asia.

Over the sea and islands.

Traffic Jam in Dhaka. Familiar scene before Eid.

Concrete Jungle and disapperaing green

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BDR Revolt Updates

First of all check my roundup in Global Voices Online.

Update 1:

Unheard Voice reports:

2AM: Fazle Nur Taposh, Sahara Khatun and the chief of Police went inside BDR compound to start the process of surrendering. Bangladesh TV cameraman has been called inside the BDR compound.

3AM: The jawans have started surrendering arms to Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun. The Daily Prothom Alo confirms BDR DG Shakil is dead, more than 15 killed. The officers’ families are getting out through Police ambulance.

4AM: Fresh gunshots heard. Its not over yet.

4:10AM Around 50 dead inside the BDR HQ. Taposh taking two buses inside to get the families out. BDR DG’s wife possibly released as well. Another released hostage said that officers’ houses were bombed and cars destroyed.

Army is kept out carefully. Politicians and police chief involved only.

4:27AM The jawans are finished surrendering. Now the tricky part. What to do with them? There are 3300 of them.

Main Report:

The Daily Star interviewed some rebel BDR personnel to learn how it all started:

The DG raised before the Prime Minister only two demands of the army officers in BDR but none of the demands of the lower tier personnel. This intensified our grievance.

when the DG started delivering his speech before 9:00am, a few BDR personnel created a commotion from the rear. The officers, sitting in the front row reacted to their unruly behaviour.

The disgruntled jawans asked the DG about the profit made during the Dal-Bhaat programme. They said after the programme ended, they were told that they would receive bonuses from the profit. Accordingly they had put their signatures on money receipts, but never got the money, claimed the mutineer.

The mutineer said, “At one stage, an officer fired a shot injuring a jawan. Then the lower tier personnel went out of the Darbar Hall and returned there with arms from the Pilkhana armoury and held the officers hostage at gunpoint.”

However the army is denying that anyone has been shot. “Was that a blank fire? An intimidation that provoked?” Surely we know how the armed forces people treats the BDR jawans.

The situation is far from over and still volatile. Rumors are that some of the 40 odd army officers (and some of their family) stationed inside the BDR compound may have been killed. We have then a hostage situation with dead hostages. So an army repercussion may be imminent.

Updates from Unheard Voices Blog:

BDFact says:

It is learnt BDR troops is not likely to surrender arms to night.

Some technical difficulties arose as to whom they will surrender arms as chain of command is fully broken and they are not willing to surrender arms to military.

This was complicated further by a rumor that a group of army commando is on its way from Sylhet to BDR HQ.

Tonight is a night of many probabilities.

Fariha questions why Army was there first to quell the mutiny:

For the army to use a chopper, ack acks and other ammunition to fire in a civilian dominated area in a democratic country is unnatural. We’re just asking for some transparency. Who ordered the army to come to BDR? And why the army and not police?

Globetrotter says:

I have this sneaky suspicion (I hope I’m wrong) that the BDR jawans who led the mutiny won’t lay down their arms. They’ve already killed their officers, so they know that they will have to face the music from the army.

Meanwhile Shahidul Alam has posted some photos from the ground and unbelievable videos:

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Images from Dhaka

"We are all well because Bangla Link 'Desh' is there." Mobile service providers and their competition dominate Bangladesh. Mobile phones are used all over, by all income classes. The call rates and connection charges are all time low (Even it was a few times more in just 3 years ago).

Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF)-2009 has always been a crowd accumulator.

I have read about the killer smogs in many Asian countries. Each morning numerous flights and boat journeys are being postponed in Dhaka and across Bangladesh because of the smog. The smog is visible when you look at the city from an elevated space. You can barely see the sun in the day time.

People call it a concrete jungle and its a typical megacity.

Dhaka has become a city of malls. Basundhara shopping complex at Panthapath is Dhaka's showcase.

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Back to home

I know I have been neglecting this blog, big time. There was a time I used to blog in every possible situation. Only two years ago I published a post in my blog from a plane flying at 35000 feet (10668 meters) somewhere above the Caspian See. Now I realize probably I am growing old.

After two years I am in Dhaka now. I wonder why I didn't bother writing about the journey or updating from the transit point of the total 20 hours journey even though there was free internet available.

Dhaka, what should I say, continues to bewilder me. At the first look its the same traffic jams, crowds, zillions of rickshaws plying in the streets; but there is something different this time. Dhaka has grown its concrete masses. There are new buildings, malls being constructed just about everywhere. And the most visible thing, Dhaka has accelerated its pace. Everybody is in a hurry or seem to be occupied with something. Even the kids standing in the corner of the streets were seen texting with their mobile phones. My four year old is fascinated with rickshaws and loves to ride them here but she even realizes that they are rolling on too fast. While riding rickshaws or any car you will be scared with the feeling that you are hitting someone right, left or front. But miraculously you survive and reach your destination without any trouble. Ofcourse the fares have been almost double, that makes sense because of the inflation.

There are new big traffic lights but I was surprised that there are still policeman controlling the traffic points manually disregarding the lights. While traveling at night I was told that nobody follows the traffic lights after 10 PM. I was wondering when exactly are they followed. There is a calculated anarchy in place here that I am unable to fathom. So far I have avoided driving in Dhaka but I have taken the challenge to drive on next Friday. When the word challenge is coming from someone who has a driving license since 1999 and has driven in Dhaka for many years and about 40000km in different European countries you know there is something wrong somewhere. Will keep you posted on this.

The broadband connection at my home failed at times but I was able to use my Nokia E71 as a modem and the 'Edge' connection proved to be as good as broadband, without disruption in service. And its at a decent price - Tk. 1150 (13 Euros) per month internet flat compared to the monthly 1000tk. shared bandwidth broadband connection with variable speed (the more users connected at a given point of time). This is good news.

The positives of Dhaka this time so far (I haven't had the time to explore much) is that there was no black out. The air is much cleaner. I was told that now more than 70% of cars have converted to CNG (compressed natural gas) option. This is a welcome change, but the smogs are continuing to be prominent here.

We have more entertainment options (cable channels). The price of essentials are decreasing.

More updates will follow...

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The sewers of gold

The price of gold rose to $1,000 an ounce and its more than a luxury in places like Bangladesh where gold used to be something worn by people as a symbol of prosperity, security, wealth.

There is a street called Tanti Bazaar in old Dhaka which houses a range of goldsmiths. While producing jewelery they produce gold dusts that end up in the sewerage drains of the street. This has created a new job for some people, to pan for gold in the sewerage drains. BBC has details.

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Photos of Mughal Edifices in ruins

This is a great collection. Shows the rich past of Dhaka city.

Also check this new photoblog from Bangladesh.

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