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Dhaka will soon invite Yangon to sign an agreement on the first-phase construction of the proposed 153-kilometre Bangladesh-Myanmar road link, aiming to revive its ‘look east’ policy.
   The communications ministry decided at a meeting on June 12 to send an invitation to the Myanmar government through the foreign ministry.
   ‘The government wants to see some positive coming out of the road project before leaving the office in October,’ a high official of the ministry said. ‘We have already conveyed our decision to the foreign ministry with a request to invite the authorities in Myanmar.’
   The road link is a major component of the look east policy the government the BNP-led four-party alliance launched in 2002 with a view to cementing ties with countries in Southeast Asia.
   The meeting, which was presided over by the communications secretary, Shafiqul Islam, also decided to ask the Planning Commission to approve the project as a priority, taking into account its importance in respect of the government’s foreign policy.
   The proposed road will stretch from Taungbro to Kyauktaw in Myanmar via Ramu-Gundom to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and be constructed in two phases at an estimated cost of Tk 933.46 crore.
   The Bangladesh government, according to the plan, will construct a 43km stretch of the road in the first phase, of which 20km will be in Bangladesh and 23km in Myanmar, at a cost of Tk 163.49 crore.
   Of the total sum, Tk 94 crore will be spent on the 23km road from Taungbro to Bawli Bazar inside Myanmar along with two bridges and 90 culverts.
   Later, in the second phase, another 110km stretch from Bawli Bazar to Kyautaw in Myanmar will be constructed at an estimated cost of Tk 770.26 crore.
   Yangon has been unwilling and non-cooperative despite repeated requests from Dhaka since September 2005 for finalising a framework of the agreement on the road link.
   It has maintained that it is unable to finance the Myanmar portion of the road and that the project is not on its priority list.
   In May, during his visit, the foreign secretary, Hemayetuddin, convinced the Myanmar government to sign the agreement, a foreign ministry official said.
   According to the framework of the agreement, Bangladesh and Myanmar will be responsible for planning, construction and maintenance of the road. Both countries will make land available, free of charge, for the proposed road as well as for camping facilities for construction personnel, equipment and supplies.
   The prime minister, Khaleda Zia, proposed to build the highway during her visit to Myanmar in 2003. The head of the Myanmar government visited Bangladesh the following year and laid foundation of the road in Teknaf.
   The proposed road link is also considered necessary to establish road communications with Thailand and China and is expected to boost trade and commerce with these south east countries.

Several hundred indigenous people on Monday laid siege to the office of Rajshahi deputy commissioner protesting against their eviction from Haripur village under Paba upazila.
   The agitating people submitted a memorandum to the DC.
   At around 10.00am hundreds of indigenous men under the banner of Jatiya Adibashi Parisad, Rajshahi staged a demonstration on the DC office premises.
   Chaired by Parisad president, Bimal Chandra Rajoar, the rally was addressed by organization leaders Anil Marandi, Uttam Kumer Khalko, Kristina Paharia, Shuresh Kumer Shannayal.
   The rally was also addressed by CCVO secretary Sarwari Kamal, Blast official Elen Siraji.
   Anil Marandi said that 15 indigenous families were living at the Haripur village under Paba upazila in the district
   since ancestral period.
   Some influential persons including Haripur UP Chairman Bazley Rezvi Al Hasan grabbed their land.
   They alleged that they were being tortured by the influential people.
   They demanded immediate retrieval of their land and other properties.

Government primary school teachers across the country continued their indefinite strike for the third day on Monday for their demand to end discriminatory salary structure.
   The leaders of the Bangladesh Primary School Teachers’ Association enforced the strike on Saturday and have been preparing to begin their fast-unto-death programme on June 24 at Muktangan in Dhaka to realise the same demand.
   The government has started a discussion with the leaders of the agitating teachers.
   A highly placed source in the government said the prime minister, Khaleda Zia, also the minister for primary and mass education, on Monday asked the officials concerned to hold talks with teachers’ leaders.
   The health minister, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, and a ruling party lawmaker, Nazimuddin Aalm, have been assigned to hold talks with the leaders.
   ‘The minister and the lawmaker have already held a meeting with the leaders on Sunday midnight and another meeting is scheduled to at Mosharraf’s residence today morning,’ said a source.
   Activities of primary schools were hampered for the day as almost all the schools across the country were closed. A number of schools in Dhaka, however, remained open but there were almost zero attendance.
   There are about 38,000 government primary schools employing about 1.8 lakh teachers teaching about one crore students.
   The salary of a primary school teacher is less than that of an upper division clerk or even a driver of a government official. The teachers also demanded reformation of the existing examination system. ‘Teachers of secondary schools are also getting much higher salary although we have the same rank and academic qualifications,’ said Abul Kalam Azad, president of the association.
   New Age district correspondents have confirmed that almost all the schools were under lock and key since Saturday.
   The Moulvibazar correspondent reported that the teachers in Moulvibazar were observing a strike according to the decision of the central body.
   In Moulvibazar, teachers of most of the government primary schools joined the programme. They have not attended the classes.
   A meeting of teachers was held at Government Shishu Primary School at Moulvibazar district town. It was presided over by Abdul Awal, president of the Moulvibazar district unit of Government Primary Teachers Association.

The overall flood situation in the district improved slightly as the floodwater started receding on Monday.
   The flood affected people had been facing enormous problems due to lack of relief and pure drinking water.
   All the educational institutions at Kulaura, Baralekha, and Juri upazilas remained closed from June 13 due to flood.
   On the other hand, road communication among the three upazilas also remained suspended till Monday. A vast tract of cropland went under water.

Grassroots leaders of the Awami League from the three hill districts demanded inclusion of a pledge regarding implementation of the CHT peace accord in the election manifesto to capture the three seats of the hill tracts in the next general elections.
   The leaders of Bandarban, Khagrachari, and Rangamati made the demand while they were exchanging views with the party chief, Sheikh Hasina, at her Dhanmondi office on Monday.
   The leaders also hoped that Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), which had signed the peace agreement, might not go against the Awami League in the polls, if they vowed to implement it (agreement).
   In response to request, Hasina, also leader of the opposition in parliament, assured them of implementing the pact, if backed to power again.
   At the beginning of the meeting, she said the peace agreement was signed during the tenure of the last AL government after all the hill districts had been isolated from other parts of the country for two decades.
   The Awami League government through signing of the agreement had restored normalcy in the CHT, she added.
   ‘Following the accord, peace and stability were restored, and a new era of development was ushered in for the deprived people of the hill tracts.’ But unfortunately, all the hopes for the development of the CHT were ruined after vote-rigging in the 2001 election, she alleged.
   During the meeting, the leaders of Khagrachari said the local administration was not acting neutrally, and speculated that the administration might work against the Awami League during the next polls.
   The leaders of Rangamati said there was misunderstanding about the agreement. They also called for quelling all the misunderstandings and help to recover arms before the polls.