Bangladesh army foils a “coup attempt to overthrow the present democratic government; Indian Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal stressed upon the efforts to deepen cooperation in the telecoms sector between Bangladesh and I
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    • In a major development, according to reports, the Bangladesh army has foiled a “coup attempt to overthrow the present democratic government”, an army spokesman said on January 19, 2012. A band of religious fanatics, comprising mid-ranking officers and their retired colleagues, was involved in the failed putsch. At the instigation of some non-resident Bangladeshis, they sought to “disrupt democracy by creating anarchy in the army, cashing in on the fanaticism of others”. Brigadier General Muhammad Mashud Razzaq, director of Personnel Services Directorate, disclosed the information at an unprecedented press briefing at the Army Officers Club in Dhaka cantonment. He was accompanied on the dais by Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Sazzad Siddique, acting judge advocate general of the army. Also present were Lt Gen Md Mainul Islam, chief of general staff, and Brig Gen Ridwan-Al-Mahmud, director of Military Intelligence. Reading out a statement, Mashud said the army had unearthed specific information about some serving officers' involvement in the conspiracy. “This evil plot has been resisted thanks to sincere efforts by the well-disciplined members of the force,” he said adding that some serving and retired officials had already admitted their involvement. Replying to a query, Brig Gen Mashud said around 14 to 16 mid-level officers were believed to have been involved in the bid. 1

    According to reports, Indian Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal has stressed upon the efforts to deepen cooperation between Bangladesh and India in the telecoms sector. The minister said this while talking to the visiting Bangladesh parliamentary delegation led by Hasanul Haq Inu, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on ministry of posts and telecommunications in New Delhi. 2

    In another development, according to reports, India relaxed a major condition on using its $1 billion credit to Bangladesh to expedite the implementation of various projects with this loan. A major hurdle to implementing the projects was the condition of purchasing 85 per cent of supply from Indian origin, allowing Bangladesh sourcing only 15 per cent from the local market. But India has agreed to allow Bangladesh more room for local sourcing, which would be determined on the basis of the nature and requirements of the projects. The decision was reached at a high-level official meeting between the two countries, held at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) in Bangladesh’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.3

    Reports noted that the four-member Sri Lankan delegation led by Commander of Sri Lankan Army Lt Gen Jagath Jayasuriya paid a courtesy call on Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Z U Ahmed at Naval Headquarters. The delegation visited Bangladesh from January 10 to January 16, 2012.4

    In other developments, Bangladesh reportedly, plans to connect with the world's longest undersea cable through Myanmar to strengthen its back-up for internet operation. To connect with the SEA-ME-WE 3 (South-East Asia - Middle East-Western Europe), Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd (BSCCL) will build about 50-kilometre fibre optic link from Cox's Bazar up to the Myanmar border. 5 Meanwhile, according to reports, the World Bank (WB) will provide $ 290 million to Bangladesh to finance the Second Local Governance Support Project to cover all 4,504 union parishads and benefit around 130 million population of the country. 6

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