BD gets permission to set up nuclear power plant

Bangladesh has got permission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to set up a nuclear power plant to meet its growing demand of power.

"Bangladesh was in the top of the list of eight developing countries which were approved to set up nuclear power plants," Tapan Chowdhury, adviser to the interim government and head of the energy ministry, told media on sunday.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco and some small countries in central Asia got the approval for setting up nuclear reactors.

“We have now got the approval from the organization and already there is an offer from (South) Korea to finance 60 per cent of the project,” he said, without elaborating. Bangladesh is suffering from acute shortage of electricity. The country faces around 2,000 MW shortage of electricity every day and the shortage is being covered through load shedding of electricity.

Last year, violence over power cuts in a northern Bangladesh town (Fulbari) left at least 20 people dead in clashes between police and farmers who had demanded increased power supply for irrigation. The country’s military-backed government, which took over in January after an emergency was imposed and elections cancelled over vote-rigging allegations, has made tackling the power crisis one of its top priorities.

Bangladesh has already attempted to import electricity from India, Nepal and Bhutan, but finally abandoned the idea due to complicacies.

US ambassador says engage political parties in reforms

Outgoing US ambassador Patricia Butenis says she hopes Bangladesh will have a new democratic government by next year and a better climate for foreign investment inflows.

Speaking on a state-run BTV program on friday evening, Butenis cautioned: "We've got a way to go." She said political parties must be allowed a role in the current process of reforming political and electoral institutions.Reforms were a must, she said but warned they wouldn't be possible "without engaging the political parties".

"No one has accused majority of the membership (of a political party) of being corrupt," Butenis said in a recorded interview on "shomoyer kotha" program. Her clear emphasis was on an early lifting of the ban on politics. "Wouldn't it be better to make them partners in this process?" she told interviewer Syed Munir Khasru. "Resolving of the issue of leadership" was also possible "if all the parties talk together".

Butenis, who is departing Dhaka Saturday to take up her new assignment in the US mission in Baghdad, described Bangladeshis as "warm, friendly and hospitable". She also said she will remember Bangladeshi hospitality, culture, and mango. But she joked Bangladeshis also at times tended to be "conspiratorial".

The outgoing envoy denied the United States having any secret agenda in Bangladesh. She assured Bangladesh of easing the visa procedures for "true and genuine" Bangladeshi applicants.

She continued with her characteristic attack on the Bangladeshi media that the ambassador often accused of attributing to her statements she had never made or activities she had never undertaken. Although, she made it clear that the solution was not to shut them up but to help them learn and improve.

Butenis described the transition from democracy to a state of emergency as 'difficult time'. She said a lot of people were relieved when the state of emergency was imposed. Answering a question on interference, she said: "Political problems in Bangladesh are not simple. One problem goes into another. Obviously you cannot solve all the problems in 18 months." She however appreciated the government's efforts to bring changes to people's attitude which she described as positive. She said the best way to solve the problems was to have an elected government.

On having assistance from the US for the elections, Butenis said, "We are working with the government and ready to offer any sort of funding that may be required." The US government is working with the Election Commission but not "dictating" it.

On the critical turning point in national politics, she said: "I don't know how one can proceed in political reforms by keeping politicians in the box. Reform must be done taking them on board as partners. "When we talk about reforms in politics we are talking about leadership that should go way forward. By holding the politicians back you are denying their participation. "It was very frustrating when the political leadership failed to agree on selecting a leader for the caretaker government. I tried to promote dialogue on this issue but I really didn't think they were serious."

Ms. Butenis was appointed by the US Senate as mission chief in Bangladesh on 16 February 2006. She joined Dhaka office on 17th march as the thirteenth US ambassador in Bangladesh. She worked in Pakistan before Bangladesh.

Patricia Butenis was graduated on international relationship from Columbia University in New York. She joined the US foreign administration in 1980.

Expatriate Bangladeshi voters to be enrolled

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to enlist the expatriate voters in the electoral roll to ensure their right to franchise. The EC is planning to set up a separate desk in the Bangladesh embassies in foreign countries in this regard."The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and we, the two Election Commissioners (ECs), have agreed to enroll the expatriate voters in the voter list to ensure their right to vote. Now we are thinking on how to enlist them properly," Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain said while talking to newsmen at his office yesterday.The EC said that a separate desk would be opened in each of the Bangladesh foreign embassies and an official of the embassy would be appointed as Assistant Registration Officer (ARO) there. The ARO will enroll the expatriate Bangladeshi voters of that country but it would be the responsibility of the voters to come to the embassy for their enrollment in the voter list, he added."This desk for enrollment of expatriate Bangladeshi voters will be set up only in those countries where Bangladesh embassy exists and only one desk will be opened in each country, irrespective of whatever the size of the country. The voters may have to endure a bit trouble for this but we hope they will not feel disinterested," Sohul said.The EC said that no new law would be necessary for enlisting the expatriate voters in the electoral roll-only a minor reform in the Representation of People Order, 1972 (RPO, 1972) would be needed for this purpose.Replying to a query of journalists about the process of casting vote by the expatriate voters, the EC said they might cast their votes through the concerned Bangladesh embassies. But those who will live in Bangladesh during elections they will be able to cast their votes from their local address, he added."The Commission is also thinking of online voting system, as many of the would-be expatriate voters have opined in favour of the system but the voting process is yet to be finalised," he said.Sohul said that the Commission has primarily thought about the above-mentioned matters. But all the matters related to franchise of expatriate Bangladeshi voters will be finalised after making discussion with the Home Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry, he added.According to Mr Sohul, more or less 12.5 million Bangladeshi people live in different countries of the world and nearly 8 million of them are eligible to become voters. Most of the Bangladeshi people live in the countries of European Union, in USA and in the Middle Eastern countries, he added.The EC said that many expatriate Bangladeshi people have requested the Commission to ban the branches of Bangladesh political parties in foreign lands, as activities of those political branches tarnish the image of the country.