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Environmentalists call to stop its use for commercial tourism

Expressing deep concern over gradual destruction of the bio-diversity
of Saint Martin’s Island, environmentalists yesterday demanded that
the government take effective steps to make it a ‘marine protected
area’ based on scientific researches and stop its use for commercial
tourism.

They recalled that the island, one of the finest coral islands of the
world, was already declared an ‘ecologically critical area’ and
projects were undertaken to protect its marine resources. But
implementation of the projects was impeded as the officials concerned
lacked knowledge and skills required for this and in absence of proper
monitoring by the government, they said.

The environmentalists spoke at a seminar in the city on “Saint
Martin’s Island is on the verge of destruction: what is the way to
save it?” organised by Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa).

The government should consider if the entire island could be brought
under conservation schemes, speakers said.

People from other areas are buying land and constructing buildings in
the island threatening its bio-diversity, they pointed out at the
seminar held at Women’s Voluntary Association auditorium at Dhanmondi.

“We destroy our natural resources like hills, forests and rivers in
various ways without realising the consequences of destruction of
bio-diversity. We must be careful that we do not destroy Saint
Martin’s Island in the name of eco-tourism,” said Bapa President Prof
Muzaffer Ahmed.

Legal and administrative steps should be taken to save the island, and
public awareness has to be created in this regard, he said.
“Commercial use of the island should be stopped.”

Dr Khandkar Rashedul Haque, director general of the Department of
Environment, said eco-tourism is possible in the island but it must be
regulated keeping the nature unharmed by travellers.

“Political will is the main factor in this regard,” he said.
Influential people using their links with political high-ups buy land
and do things arbitrarily in the island.

Difference of opinions among various ministries and departments on
environmental issues is a hurdle for the appropriate authorities in
taking proper steps concerning projects on environment and
bio-diversity.

Former marine official and researcher Saiful Alam Paikar said most of
the recommendations of the National Conservation Strategy
Implementation Project–Phase -1 taken up by the Ministry of Forest
and Environment in 1992 were not implemented.

A Tk 15-crore project on conservation of bio-diversity ended on June
30 this year without setting up a marine park and a sanctuary, badly
needed for marine resources.

There is still lack of long-term planning and steps for alternative
livelihood of the local people, he said, adding that commercial and
unplanned tourism has put the island in a risky situation.

Syeda Rizwana Hassan of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers’ Association
said there is a realisation that Saint Martin’s Island should be
conserved but effective steps for this are yet to be taken.

Tourism should be regulated there, she said.

Speakers included Dhaka University teachers AQM Mahbub, Kazi Zaker
Hossain and Nurul Islam Nazem, Bapa Vice President Qazi Modina,
General Secretary Dr Abdul Matin, former marine official Khorshed
Alam, and Abdus Salam, who hails from the island.

DHAKA, Bangladesh – They call themselves the forgotten refugees, dreaming of a land many have never seen – Pakistan.

Crowded into impoverished shanty camps across Bangladesh, they are remnants of the mass migration that accompanied the break-up of the Indian subcontinent along religious lines at independence from Britain in 1947.

Bangladesh is often the forgotten third country of partition. The departing British lumped what is now Bangladesh together with Pakistan because of their shared Islamic religion. But the two regions are more than 1,600 miles apart on either side of India and have a different languages, cultures and histories.

Bangladesh – then known as East Pakistan – revolted and won its independence with India’s help in 1971. The nine-month conflict pitted East Pakistan’s Bangla-speaking majority against Urdu-speaking Muslims who had fled from India at partition and wanted to remain part of Pakistan.

Calling themselves “stranded Pakistanis,” about 500,000 Urdu-speakers decided to depart for Pakistan rather than join newly independent Bangladesh. But in 1993, Pakistan halted the repatriation process, saying it did not have the money or land to house them.

That left some 250,000 refugees and their descendants to languish in 70 government-run camps across Bangladesh. They are not citizens and cannot vote or apply for government jobs.

“I’ve been dreaming of going to Pakistan for years,” said Mosammat Rahima, 50, standing outside the tiny hut she shares with seven other family members. “There they speak my language, Urdu.”

Rahima’s camp has become another sprawling slum in the capital of Dhaka, a city of 10 million people. Many live without electricity, water or adequate health care. Illiteracy, unemployment and malnutrition are rampant.

“Can you imagine, we have only 150 toilets for 25,000 people of the camp?” says Abdul Jabbar Khan, who has led protests and a media campaign for repatriation to Pakistan.

“Nobody thinks of us, not Bangladesh, not Pakistan,” he added. “We know there’s no hill of gold for us in Pakistan. But still we want to try our fate there. We aren’t accepted here, we’ll never be.”

Barred from applying for government jobs, many in the camp eke out livings as day laborers or cleaners.

Rahima and her 60-year-old husband often sleep outside when their shack becomes too crowded on muggy nights.

“Do you think we’re human beings?” she said. “Even dogs at many homes in this city live in better places.”

Bangladesh and Pakistan say they are looking for a solution, though it appears remote.

“Both governments believe that we need to resolve this issue,” Iftekhar A. Chowdhury, foreign affairs adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government said. “On a recent visit to Pakistan, I raised the issue with my Pakistan counterpart, and he was of the same opinion.”

As the years pass with no solution, however, the dream of Pakistan grows increasingly less appealing to younger generations. Many youth now speak Bangla and feel accepting Bangladeshi citizenship would give them a chance at a better life.

“Why shall we call ourselves Pakistanis? This is absurd,” says Sahid Ali Babul, 25. “We should be given Bangladeshi nationality, since we were born and brought up here.”

DHAKA, Aug. 2 — With some 90 more reported struck by mass hysteria on Wednesday, the total number of the students afflicted by the mass psychogenic illness in Bangladesh has exceeded 550 since July 14.

The mysterious illness has been spreading rapidly during the last 18 days, striking students of dozens of schools in different parts across the country, causing panic in the areas.

Mass hysteria, a sort of temporary psychiatric problem, usually affects specific groups of children or people, spreading quickly from one person to another, Bangladesh Health Adviser Matiur Rahman told a press briefing earlier on July 19.

In the first outbreak in capital Dhaka, eight girls from the same class of grade eight in Hazrat Shah Ali Model High School in Mirpur residential fell unconscious in the morning on July 24.

“The girls fainted within 15-20 minute one by one and they were immediately sent to hospital,” MA Hamid, the school teacher who was giving a mathematics class to the girls, told Xinhua on Thursday.

“The girls felt vomiting tendency, headache and weakness before they fainted,” headmaster of the school Md. Mustafiz Billah said.

“They also got breathing problems,” MA Hamid said.

Doctor Ataur Rahman of Selina General Hospital and Diagnostic Center who received the sick girls said that the students remained unconscious for about half an hour. He said they only gave sedative to one student whose condition was serious. For others, they just gave saline or spread fresh water on their faces.

“No treatment was needed as it’s not a physical disease and has no risk of death,” he said. However, the girls were kept in the clinic for 24 hours for observations.

In terms of the cause, the doctor said some of these girls didn’t have their breakfast in the morning and that some didn’t even take their supper on the previous night. That might be the cause as they are too weak, he added.

Some psychological impact might have acted because reports about the disease from different parts of the country are being published in newspapers almost everyday, he said.

The headmaster said their half-yearly examination is ahead. This might be another reason.

Experts said an outbreak of the mass psychogenic illness is at a time of anxiety and worry. The illness is aggravated by malnutrition, tension and lack of tolerance. The victims are mostly students aged between 13 and 25.

The illness usually occurs in closed communities, like schools and factories and it tends to occur more frequently among adolescent girls. Emotional factors sometimes make adolescents, with low level of tolerance for stress, to feel headache, nausea, convulsion, pain in the chest and abdomen, and difficulty in breathing.

However, experts said people don’t need to panic since no one died of the seizures. The disease has no long-term complication and remits almost automatically after a few hours of the appearance of symptoms. Counseling, nutritious food and proper health care for the sick students are very important.

The government has attached importance to the disease and called upon all especially the mass media to create public awareness so that the common people can easily cope with the disease themselves without getting unduly worried.

The government decided to raise awareness about the illness by forming a platform comprising representatives from all affected sections of the population, the Health Adviser announced on July 24 at a seminar.

A seminar on “Mass Psychogenic Illness” was held at Dhaka Medical College Hospital in line with the government’s plan to launch the awareness program.

The adviser said a platform of doctors, teachers and parents of students will initiate an awareness raising program, rendering support to emotionally distressed adolescents.