Commerce Minister of Bangladesh visited India’s North-east; Bangladesh hands over three ULFA Cadres to BSF; Foreign aid in Bangladesh fell by 45 per cent;
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    • A high-powered Bangladesh delegation, led by Commerce Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan, visited North East of India and met Chief Ministers and top officials of Assam and Meghalaya and discussed ways of improving Indo-Bangladesh trade. Mr. Khan told that Bangladesh was looking forward to increase business ties with the North-eastern India for an overall development of the region.1

    Meanwhile, reports noted that Bangladesh security agencies has handed over three ULFA cadres, who were arrested in Dhaka on December 13, 2010, to BSF on February 5 at Dawki near Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya. BSF has handed them over to Assam Police.2

    Reports noted that foreign aid in Bangladesh fell by 45 percent in the first six months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year due to a delay by government agencies in implementing foreign-aided projects as well as curtailed budget support. As the foreign aid flow fell, the overall balance deficit in the first six months of the current fiscal year was $584 million, which was a $2.16 billion surplus in the same period of the previous fiscal year.3

    The Bangladeshi cabinet has approved Bangladesh’s ‘position paper’ which claimed legitimate authority over 450 nautical miles from the coastline in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh is scheduled to submit a memorandum to the UN body claiming its legitimate authority over its territorial waters adjacent to India and Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal by May 31 and July 1, 2011 respectively.4

    In other developments, seventy one Bangladeshi workers were deported from the United Arab Emirates on charges of instigating a strike demanding a pay hike by their employer, Arabtec, a construction company in Dubai.5

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