Bangladesh - We may face a famine soon...
A report from Bangladesh regarding the 'silent' food emergency spreading among the poor and landless. Also, the related demonstrations that were repressed due to the State Emergency's ban on political expressions.
Human chain regarding food emergency, Bangladesh
Human chain in Dhaka, Bangladesh, encounters police repression
Demonstration in Bangladesh demands attention to food crisis
April 2008 - The situation of Bangladesh is getting worse. Maybe we are going to face a famine soon. Government has declared that the situation is bad but it's not famine, its hidden hunger. Some veteran researchers say that a silent famine is going on in the country. But the whole nation is under a State Emergency [ban on political expressions] and can't open their mouth.
All initiatives of the Government are failing again and again, the price hike of rice has not stopped, just going on up. Now, low quality rice is more than 40 Taka. For the past week, we have been visiting all wholesale markets for rice in Dhaka to find out some internal information. We are also trying to arrange a national dialogue about our food crisis and famine.
The Government is trying to distribute some rice at a reduced rate, but it's very insufficient and slum dwellers in the cities or landless people in villages don't have the ability to purchase even at the reduced rate.
Some hungry people have died already. Government is trying to import rice from India but it's taking time and also we know that it's not a solution. Because millions of poor people have no income and have no work. They need completely free food support.
We are trying to do something.
April 15th - Today we organized a human chain in Muktangon, Dhaka to criticize the government's food and market policy. The human chain was successful but after some times police attacked and massacred the program.
The police tried to snatch our festoon and banners, but our activists dragged and pulled with the police. Now the police are making preparations to sue us for breaking the Emergency [ban on demonstrations].
They also falsely claimed that some police were beaten up by some of our activists and demolished some vehicles. But we know that this was an intentional arrangement to sue against us. Our point was that the food crisis is a higher emergency than the State Emergency.
All initiatives of the Government are failing again and again, the price hike of rice has not stopped, just going on up. Now, low quality rice is more than 40 Taka. For the past week, we have been visiting all wholesale markets for rice in Dhaka to find out some internal information. We are also trying to arrange a national dialogue about our food crisis and famine.
The Government is trying to distribute some rice at a reduced rate, but it's very insufficient and slum dwellers in the cities or landless people in villages don't have the ability to purchase even at the reduced rate.
Some hungry people have died already. Government is trying to import rice from India but it's taking time and also we know that it's not a solution. Because millions of poor people have no income and have no work. They need completely free food support.
We are trying to do something.
April 15th - Today we organized a human chain in Muktangon, Dhaka to criticize the government's food and market policy. The human chain was successful but after some times police attacked and massacred the program.
The police tried to snatch our festoon and banners, but our activists dragged and pulled with the police. Now the police are making preparations to sue us for breaking the Emergency [ban on demonstrations].
They also falsely claimed that some police were beaten up by some of our activists and demolished some vehicles. But we know that this was an intentional arrangement to sue against us. Our point was that the food crisis is a higher emergency than the State Emergency.
