Latest news with #DhakaUniversity
Indian Express
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami projects force with a big rally in Dhaka
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party rallied in the capital on Saturday to show their strength before an election expected next year, as the nation stands at a crossroads after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said that the next election would be held in April. But his administration didn't rule out a possibility of polls in February, which has been strongly demanded by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies. Jamaat-e-Islami, which had sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971, had said that it would mobilize 1 million people on Saturday. While Hasina was in power from 2009 until she was toppled in student-led protests last year and fled to India, top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed or jailed on charges of crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in 1971. In late March 1971, Pakistan's military had launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka, which was then part of East Pakistan, to quell a rising nationalist movement seeking independence for what is today known as Bangladesh. The party on Saturday placed a seven-point demand on the Yunus-led administration to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election; justice for all mass killings; essential reforms and the proclamation and implementation of a charter involving last year's mass uprising. It also wants the introduction of a proportional representation system in the election. Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami had spent the night on the Dhaka University campus before the rally. On Saturday morning, they continued to stream toward Suhrawardy Udyan, a historical site where the Pakistani army had surrendered to a joint force of India and Bangladesh on Dec. 16, 1971, ending the nine-month war. 'We are here for a new Bangladesh, where Islam would be the guiding principle of governance, where good and honest people will rule the country, and there will be no corruption,' Iqbal Hossain, 40, told The Associated Press. 'We will sacrifice our lives, if necessary, for this cause.' Many young supporters in their 20s and 30s were also present. 'Under Jamaat-e-Islami, this country will have no discrimination. All people will have their rights. Because we follow the path of the holy book, Quran,' said Mohidul Morsalin Sayem, a 20-year-old student. 'If all the Islamist parties join hands soon, nobody will be able to take power from us.' The party's chief, Shafiqur Rahman, said that the struggle in 2024 was to eliminate 'fascism' from the country, but this time there will be another fight against corruption and extortion. Rahman, 66, fainted twice as he addressed his supporters, but quickly returned to continue to speak surrounded by other leaders on the stage. 'How will the future Bangladesh look like? There will be another fight … We will do whatever is necessary and win that fight (against corruption) collectively by uniting the strength of the youth to eliminate corruption,' Rahman said. It wasn't immediately clear why he fainted. He was later taken to a hospital for tests. The event was the first time that the party was allowed to hold a rally at the site since 1971. To many, the decision signaled a shift supported by Yunus' government in which Islamists are gaining momentum with further fragmentation of Bangladesh's politics and the shrinking of liberal forces. Hasina's Awami League party, in a statement on X, reacted sharply for allowing it to hold the rally on that politically sensitive site. It said that the move 'marks a stark betrayal with the national conscience and constitutes a brazen act of undermining millions of people — dead and alive — who fought against the evil axis (in 1971),' the statement said. Hasina, whose father was the independence leader and the country's first president, is a fierce political rival of Jamaat-e-Islami. The party is expected to contest 300 parliamentary seats and is attempting to forge alliances with other Islamist groups and parties in hopes of becoming a third force in the country behind the BNP, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and Hasina's former ruling Awami League party. The party had previously shared power with the BNP, and it had two senior Cabinet members under Zia in 2001-2006. After Hasina was ousted, tensions grew between parties over reforms agenda undertaken by the Yunus government, which is facing challenges to establish order in the country. The government has been criticized by Hasina's party and others for using force in a confrontation with protesters in a Hasina stronghold on Wednesday, where four people died. Their families complained that authorities didn't conduct autopsies and hurriedly buried or cremated their relatives. Yunus' office said that the government was doing everything lawfully in Gopalganj, the district where the violence occurred. Jamaat-e-Islami has now established close ties with a new political party formed by students who led the anti-Hasina uprising. Both Jamaat-e-Islami and the students' National Citizen Party also promote an anti-India campaign. The Yunus-led administration has banned the Awami League, and Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug. 5. She is facing charges of crimes against humanity. The United Nations said in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the anti-Hasina uprising in July-August last year.
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bangladesh's Islamist party projects force with a big rally in Dhaka
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party rallied in the capital on Saturday (July 19, 2025) to show their strength ahead of elections expected next year, as the South Asian nation stands at a crossroads after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said the next election would be held in April but his administration did not rule out a possibility of polls in February as strongly demanded by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies. Jamaat-e-Islami, which had sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971, said earlier it would mobilise 1 million people on Saturday. While Ms. Hasina was in power from 2009 until she was toppled in student-led protests last year and fled to India, top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed or jailed on charges of crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in 1971. In late March in 1971 Pakistan's military had launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka, then part of East Pakistan, to quell a rising nationalist movement seeking independence for what is today known as Bangladesh. The party on Saturday placed a seven-point demand to the Yunus-led administration to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election, the trial of all mass killings, essential reforms and proclamation and implementation of a charter involving last year's mass uprising. It also wants the introduction of a proportional representation system in the election. Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami had spent the night on the Dhaka University campus before the rally. On Saturday morning, they continued to stream toward the Suhrawardy Udyan, a historical ground where the Pakistani army had surrendered to a joint force of India and Bangladesh on Dec. 16 in 1971, ending the nine-month war. 'We are here for a new Bangladesh where Islam would be the guiding principle of governance, where good and honest people will rule the country, and there will be no corruption,' Iqbal Hossain, 40, told The Associated Press. 'We will sacrifice our lives, if necessary, for this cause.' Many of the young supporters in their 20s and 30s were also present. 'Under Jamaat-e-Islami, this country will have no discrimination. All people will have their rights. Because we follow the path of the holy book, Quran,' Mohidul Morsalin Sayem, a 20-year-old student, said. 'If all the Islamist parties join hands soon, nobody will be able to take power from us.' It was the first time the party was allowed to hold a rally on this ground since 1971. To many, the decision signaled a shift supported by Yunus' government in which Islamists are gaining momentum with further fragmentation of Bangladesh's politics and shrinking of liberal forces. Hasina, whose father was the independence leader and the country's first president, is a fierce political rival of Jamaat-e-Islami. The party is expected to contest 300 parliamentary seats and is attempting to forge alliances with other Islamist groups and parties in hopes of becoming a third force in the country behind the BNP, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and Hasina's former ruling Awami League party. The party had previously shared power with the BNP, and it had two senior Cabinet members under Zia in 2001-2006. After Hasina was ousted, tensions grew between parties over reforms agenda undertaken by the Yunus government, which is facing challenges to establish order in the country. The government has been criticized by Hasina's party and others for using force in a confrontation with protesters in a Hasina stronghold on Wednesday, where four people died. Their families complained that authorities did not conduct autopsies and hurriedly buried or cremated their relatives. Autopsies are part of an investigation in any violence. Yunus' office said the government was doing everything lawfully in Gopalganj, the district where the violence occurred. Jamaat-e-Islami has now established close ties with a new political party formed by students who led the anti-Hasina uprising. Both Jamaat-e-Islami and the students' National Citizen Party also promote anti-India campaign. The Yunus-led administration has banned the Awami League and Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug. 5. She is facing charges of crimes against humanity. The United Nations said in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the anti-Hasina uprising in July-August last year.
Scroll.in
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scroll.in
US tariffs will crush lives and livelihoods in Bangladesh, Cambodia garment industries
Across Asia, unions and industry groups are raising alarms over the impact of higher tariffs by the United States on garment workers. High tariffs might force companies to shut down or move to neighbouring countries that offer lower tariff rates, resulting in a loss of jobs, they say. 'The potential loss of jobs will cut the income and ability for workers to sustain their daily lives,' said Ath Thorn, vice president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, which represents 80,000 workers across 40 factories. Several countries in Asia have gotten notice of new tariff rates imposed by the United States to take effect August 1, after a 90-day pause on tariffs came to an end. Manufacturing hubs such as Bangladesh and Cambodia will face high tariffs of 35% and 36% respectively, while neighbouring countries are still negotiating with the US government. US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs through official letters posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on July 8. The US is the largest garment export destination for Bangladesh. The country's exports to the US totalled $8.4 billion last year and of that, garments comprised $7.34 billion. Also in 2024, Cambodia exported nearly $10 billion worth of goods to the US, which accounted for nearly 40% of the nation's total exports, according to government customs statistics. More than half of US imports from Cambodia were garments, footwear and travel goods such as luggage and handbags, a sector that makes up nearly half of the country's export revenue and employs more than 900,000 workers. Unions and industry groups warn that these workers could be hit hard with job losses if the high tariffs force companies to move to countries under lower tariff rates or shut down altogether. While Cambodia is looking at a tariff rate reduction from 49% in April, anxiety permeates its garment industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of people and is one of the developing nation's key economic pillars. Meanwhile, the US and Vietnam have struck a trade agreement that set 20% tariffs on Vietnamese goods. With a neighbour next door with a significantly lower tariff, many companies may choose to leave Cambodia, said Yang Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, which represents thousands of women who support their families as garment workers. The fear is echoed by experts in Bangladesh, which faces a 35% tariff. Selim Raihan, a professor of economics at the Dhaka University, said if tariff rates on Bangladesh's competitors like India, Indonesia and Vietnam prove to be lower, Bangladesh would face a serious competitive disadvantage. Such a disadvantage could make supply chain decision-making more difficult and erode the confidence of buyers and investors, Raihan told Context. 'As production costs rise and profit margins shrink due to the tariff, many garment factories may be forced to scale back operations or shut down entirely,' Raihan said. In Bangladesh, the 35% tariff announced by the US is more than twice the current 15% rates on Bangladeshi goods. 'With more than doubling tariff rates, can you imagine how the cost of the products will rise?' asked Mohiuddun Rubel, a former director of Bangladesh's garment manufacturers' association BGMEA and now additional managing director at textile maker Denim Expert Ltd. The question is what happens to the tariffs for main competitor countries like India and Pakistan, said Rubel. The US is negotiating a trade deal with India, while reciprocal tariff rates for Pakistan have not been announced yet. Outsized effect on women Potential layoffs within the garment industry will have an outsized effect on women workers, which Sophorn said would cripple entire families. 'If these women lose their jobs because high tariffs force factories to shut, it will not only impact Cambodia's economy, but now children may not be able to go to school and aging parents may not be able to afford medicine,' Sophorn said. 'The situation for women garment workers is already bad, but it will get worse if these tariffs were to come into effect.' Many of the women she represents have taken bank loans to support their families and work in the garment industry to pay off their debts. 'If they lose their job, it means they will lose everything,' Sophorn said. Tariffs would directly affect a sizable chunk of the four million workers in Bangladeshi's garment industry, most of whom are women from low income and rural backgrounds, Raihan said. Thorn suggested Cambodia continue negotiations to get the tariffs down or find other ways to export more products, generate more income and create more work. 'If not, we will face problems,' he said.
Qatar Tribune
12-07-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Asian garment industries raise alarms over higher US tariffs
Agencies Across Asia, unions and industry groups are raising alarms over the impact of higher tariffs by the United States on garment workers. High tariffs might force companies to shut down or move to neighboring countries that offer lower tariff rates, resulting in a loss of jobs, they say. 'The potential loss of jobs will cut the income and ability for workers to sustain their daily lives,' said Ath Thorn, vice president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, which represents 80,000 workers across 40 factories. Several countries in Asia have gotten notice of new tariff rates imposed by the United States to take effect August 1, after a 90-day pause on tariffs came to an end. Manufacturing hubs such as Bangladesh and Cambodia will face high tariffs of 35 percent and 36 percent respectively, while neighboring countries are still negotiating with the US government. US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs through official letters posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on July 8. The US is the largest garment export destination for Bangladesh. The country's exports to the US totaled $8.4 billion last year and of that, garments comprised $7.34 billion. Also in 2024, Cambodia exported nearly $10 billion worth of goods to the US, which accounted for nearly 40 percent of the nation's total exports, according to government customs statistics. More than half of US imports from Cambodia were garments, footwear and travel goods such as luggage and handbags, a sector that makes up nearly half of the country's export revenue and employs more than 900,000 workers. Unions and industry groups warn that these workers could be hit hard with job losses if the high tariffs force companies to move to countries under lower tariff rates or shut down altogether. While Cambodia is looking at a tariff rate reduction from 49 percent in April, anxiety permeates its garment industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of people and is one of the developing nation's key economic pillars. Meanwhile, the US and Vietnam have struck a trade agreement that set 20 percent tariffs on Vietnamese goods. With a neighbor next door with a significantly lower tariff, many companies may choose to leave Cambodia, said Yang Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, which represents thousands of women who support their families as garment workers. The fear is echoed by experts in Bangladesh, which faces a 35 percent tariff. Selim Raihan, a professor of economics at the Dhaka University, said if tariff rates on Bangladesh's competitors like India, Indonesia and Vietnam prove to be lower, Bangladesh would face a serious competitive disadvantage. Such a disadvantage could make supply chain decision-making more difficult and erode the confidence of buyers and investors, Raihan said. 'As production costs rise and profit margins shrink due to the tariff, many garment factories may be forced to scale back operations or shut down entirely,' Raihan said. In Bangladesh, the 35 percent tariff announced by the U.S. is more than twice the current 15 percent rate on Bangladeshi goods. 'With more than doubling tariff rates, can you imagine how the cost of the products will rise?' asked Mohiuddun Rubel, a former director of Bangladesh's garment manufacturers' association BGMEA and now additional managing director at textile maker Denim Expert Ltd. The question is what happens to the tariffs for main competitor countries like India and Pakistan, said Rubel. The US is negotiating a trade deal with India, while reciprocal tariff rates for Pakistan have not been announced yet. Potential layoffs within the garment industry will have an outsized effect on women workers, which Sophorn said would cripple entire families. 'If these women lose their jobs because high tariffs force factories to shut, it will not only impact Cambodia's economy, but now children may not be able to go to school and aging parents may not be able to afford medicine,' Sophorn said. 'The situation for women garment workers is already bad, but it will get worse if these tariffs were to come into effect.' Many of the women she represents have taken bank loans to support their families and work in the garment industry to pay off their debts. 'If they lose their job, it means they will lose everything,' Sophorn said. Tariffs would directly affect a sizable chunk of the four million workers in Bangladeshi's garment industry, most of whom are women from low income and rural backgrounds, Raihan said. Thorn suggested Cambodia continue negotiations to get the tariffs down or find other ways to export more products, generate more income and create more work. 'If not, we will face problems,' he said.
Kuwait Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Asian garment industries raise alarms over higher US tariffs
Bangladesh and Cambodia among countries getting revised tariff rates DHAKA/PHNOM PENH: Across Asia, unions and industry groups are raising alarms over the impact of higher tariffs by the United States on garment workers. High tariffs might force companies to shut down or move to neighboring countries that offer lower tariff rates, resulting in a loss of jobs, they say. 'The potential loss of jobs will cut the income and ability for workers to sustain their daily lives,' said Ath Thorn, vice president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, which represents 80,000 workers across 40 factories. Several countries in Asia have gotten notice of new tariff rates imposed by the United States to take effect August 1, after a 90-day pause on tariffs came to an end. Manufacturing hubs such as Bangladesh and Cambodia will face high tariffs of 35 percent and 36 percent respectively, while neighboring countries are still negotiating with the US government. US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs through official letters posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on July 8. The US is the largest garment export destination for Bangladesh. The country's exports to the US totaled $8.4 billion last year and of that, garments comprised $7.34 billion. Also in 2024, Cambodia exported nearly $10 billion worth of goods to the US, which accounted for nearly 40 percent of the nation's total exports, according to government customs statistics. More than half of US imports from Cambodia were garments, footwear and travel goods such as luggage and handbags, a sector that makes up nearly half of the country's export revenue and employs more than 900,000 workers. Unions and industry groups warn that these workers could be hit hard with job losses if the high tariffs force companies to move to countries under lower tariff rates or shut down altogether. While Cambodia is looking at a tariff rate reduction from 49 percent in April, anxiety permeates its garment industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of people and is one of the developing nation's key economic pillars. Meanwhile, the US and Vietnam have struck a trade agreement that set 20 percent tariffs on Vietnamese goods. With a neighbor next door with a significantly lower tariff, many companies may choose to leave Cambodia, said Yang Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, which represents thousands of women who support their families as garment workers. The fear is echoed by experts in Bangladesh, which faces a 35 percent tariff. Selim Raihan, a professor of economics at the Dhaka University, said if tariff rates on Bangladesh's competitors like India, Indonesia and Vietnam prove to be lower, Bangladesh would face a serious competitive disadvantage. Such a disadvantage could make supply chain decision-making more difficult and erode the confidence of buyers and investors, Raihan said. 'As production costs rise and profit margins shrink due to the tariff, many garment factories may be forced to scale back operations or shut down entirely,' Raihan said. In Bangladesh, the 35 percent tariff announced by the U.S. is more than twice the current 15 percent rate on Bangladeshi goods. 'With more than doubling tariff rates, can you imagine how the cost of the products will rise?' asked Mohiuddun Rubel, a former director of Bangladesh's garment manufacturers' association BGMEA and now additional managing director at textile maker Denim Expert Ltd. The question is what happens to the tariffs for main competitor countries like India and Pakistan, said Rubel. The US is negotiating a trade deal with India, while reciprocal tariff rates for Pakistan have not been announced yet. Outsized effect on women Potential layoffs within the garment industry will have an outsized effect on women workers, which Sophorn said would cripple entire families. 'If these women lose their jobs because high tariffs force factories to shut, it will not only impact Cambodia's economy, but now children may not be able to go to school and aging parents may not be able to afford medicine,' Sophorn said. 'The situation for women garment workers is already bad, but it will get worse if these tariffs were to come into effect.' Many of the women she represents have taken bank loans to support their families and work in the garment industry to pay off their debts. 'If they lose their job, it means they will lose everything,' Sophorn said. Tariffs would directly affect a sizable chunk of the four million workers in Bangladeshi's garment industry, most of whom are women from low income and rural backgrounds, Raihan said. Thorn suggested Cambodia continue negotiations to get the tariffs down or find other ways to export more products, generate more income and create more work. 'If not, we will face problems,' he said. — Reuters
