Author: Fahmida Khatun, CPD

Bangladesh’s export-oriented ready-made garments (RMG) industry has made significant contributions to the country’s economic development over the last four decades. But this will come undone unless Bangladesh can make progress on workplace safety compliance and labour rights. Read more…

Author: Sumit Kumar, Pondicherry University

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s state visit to India from 7 to 10 April signalled a remarkable movement in the relationship between the two countries. Nearly seven years after Hasina’s last trip to India, the visit was of such importance that protocol was set aside and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally received Hasina at Palam airport in New Delhi. Read more…

Author: Arafat Kabir, University of Utah

Bangladesh is said to be planning to relocate its Rohingya refugees to a remote island. If implemented, tens of thousands of Rohingyas currently living in the camps around Cox’s Bazar — Bangladesh’s top tourist destination — would move to Thengar Char Island. Read more…

Author: Rajni Gamage, RSIS

BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, celebrates its 20th anniversary in June 2017. It is well positioned to engage in maritime security cooperation to face the challenges of a changing strategic and economic landscape. Read more…

Authors: Asit K. Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada, NUS

Socially and economically, the performance of the four northern Indian states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) collectively known as BIMARU (meaning ‘sick’ in Hindi) and neighbouring Nepal has left much to be desired. Read more…

Author: Iftekharul Bashar, NTU

On 9 October 2016, 200 armed attackers from the Aqa Mul Mujahidin — an organisation with links to the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) — carried out a surprise attack on Myanmar’s police at the Maungdaw border, killing 9 police officers. The attackers were from Myanmar’s northern Rakhine (Arakan) State. Read more…

Author: Iftekharul Bashar, NTU

2016 was a challenging year for counterterrorism in Bangladesh. The so-called Islamic State (IS) succeeded in carrying out a series of attacks, most notably the July attack in the capital city of Dhaka. Despite counterterrorism operations by Bangladeshi authorities, the group’s residual strength remains significant. Read more…