Author: People’s View Report

A parliamentary delegation from Bangladesh’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs has visited Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, to assess humanitarian conditions, engage directly with displaced communities, and reaffirm repatriation to Myanmar as the ultimate aspiration for resolving the protracted Rohingya crisis. Facilitated by the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), Thursday’s visit brought together lawmakers, government officials, humanitarian agencies, and Rohingya youth representatives for a series of field-level engagements covering cultural preservation, healthcare, food assistance, refugee verification, and inter-agency coordination. The visit underscored Bangladesh’s continuing commitment to addressing the humanitarian needs of the forcibly displaced Myanmar…

A 30-hour confinement has ended, but the three-week shutdown exposes a deeper governance failure, with students demanding the reinstatement of the former vice-chancellor and academic activities still paralysed. The release of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) Vice-Chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam from nearly 30 hours of confinement has ended the immediate standoff on campus, but it has done little to resolve the crisis that has paralysed the university for more than three weeks. Escorted out of an administrative building by police on Tuesday evening, October 13, the newly appointed vice-chancellor left the campus amid chants of…

A deepening crisis at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) has escalated into a dramatic confrontation, with newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam confined inside his office building for over 16 hours without electricity, as the university’s teachers, officers, and employees announced a total non-cooperation programme demanding his removal. As of Tuesday morning, when this report was filed, the Vice-Chancellor remained stranded inside his office at CUET, with protesting students maintaining a strict siege of the administrative building. The standoff, now in its third week, began after the government removed former VC Professor Abu…

Built from a journalist’s salary and a conviction that overlooked environmental stories deserve attention, the Bangladesh-based news portal is now connecting reporters across South Asia, with an eight-member team preparing to cover COP31. For nearly a month, Bangladeshi journalist Shamsuddin Illius struggled to convince his editor that a story about disappearing naming traditions deserved prominent space in the newspaper. The story explored how climate change was affecting more than livelihoods, settlements and the environment. It was also reshaping cultural identities and traditions in vulnerable communities, including the names through which people expressed their relationship with the natural…

Home minister says diplomacy must engage China, Japan, ASEAN, UN and other key stakeholders Bangladesh is intensifying regional and international diplomatic efforts to ensure the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Sunday, stressing that unilateral efforts alone cannot resolve the protracted Rohingya crisis. He called for a strategic regional coalition involving China, Japan, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations and other key stakeholders to create conditions for sustainable repatriation. Salahuddin made the remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Rohingya…

Rival groups trade accusations over armed activities as blockade disrupts tourist movement A rivalry between the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) and the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) has heightened tensions in Sajek, prompting the Rangamati administration to close the popular tourist destination indefinitely on security grounds. The escalating dispute came to the fore on Sunday when two local organisations enforced an indefinite blockade on the Baghaihat-Sajek road, accusing JSS armed members of threatening residents and engaging in extortion. The JSS rejected the allegations, instead accusing the UPDF of long-standing oppression and harassment of ordinary people in…

Students from Bihari settlements overcome poverty through education, scholarships and skills training, while digital mathematics learning offers new opportunities Every morning, Farha Begum enters a small classroom at OBAT Helpers Junior School in Segunbagan Colony in Pahartali, where children with special needs, including autism, gather for lessons, care and nutritional support. For their families, bringing the children to school often comes with anxiety and uncertainty. Inside Farha’s classroom, however, the children settle into a calmer environment, appearing cheerful and eager to participate. “The children are always eager to come here, and their parents bring them to school…

The battle over Chattogram Port exposed a widening gap between economic nationalism and internationalisation, but the opposition struggled to turn its concerns into a credible alternative. The 15-year concession agreement between the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) and Dubai-based DP World is the culmination of a process spanning three successive governments. The initiative began under Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, which pursued the appointment of an international operator for the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) under a public-private partnership framework, receiving in-principle approval in March 2023. The interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus subsequently advanced negotiations, although it suspended…

Move aside, traffic jams and honking horns—Chattogram is taking the “pedal to the metal” quite literally! In a scene straight out of a feel-good blockbuster, Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain ditched their VIP motorcades to hop on two wheels, kicking off the grand opening of Bangladesh’s very first official cycle track. Held on the scenic Airport Road in Patenga, the star-studded rollout was all about bringing fun, fitness, and fresh air back to the streets. And the Finance Minister didn’t hold back on the inspiration. “We must create spaces for…

After decades of resistance to foreign terminal operators, Bangladesh has granted a global port giant control of its largest functional container terminal’s operations. The agreement marks a turning point in port policy—but its economic benefits will depend on transparency, performance and public accountability. A long-running contest over who should operate Bangladesh’s principal seaport has entered a new phase, with the government signing a 15-year concession agreement with Dubai-based DP World to operate and maintain the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chattogram Port. The deal, signed on October 8, represents a significant shift in Bangladesh’s port-management policy. For decades,…