#Anbarasan Ethirajan

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Under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, Bangladesh has transformed itself by building new roads, bridges, factories and even a metro rail in the capital Dhaka. Its per-capita income has tripled in the last decade and the World Bank estimates that more than 25 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the last 20 years. But many say that some of that growth is only helping those close to Ms Hasina’s Awami League. Dr Luthfa says: “We are witnessing so much corruption. Especially among those close to the ruling party. Corruption has been continuing for a long time without being punished.” Social media in Bangladesh in recent months has been dominated by discussions about corruption allegations against some of Ms Hasina’s former top officials – including a former army chief, ex-police chief, senior tax officers and state recruitment officials.

Anbarasan Ethirajan, ‘Why is the Bangladeshi government facing so much anger?’, BBC

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China debt dogs Maldives' 'bridge to prosperity'

China debt dogs Maldives’ ‘bridge to prosperity’

Image copyright Anbarasan Ethirajan/BBC

Image caption Before the bridge people had to travel to the capital by boat

For years Aminat Waheeda drove her taxi along the narrow lanes and congested roads of the Maldives capital looking for passengers. The most lucrative fares – airport arrivals – were out of reach.

The airport serving…

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China debt dogs Maldives’ ‘bridge to prosperity’ – BBC News

China debt dogs Maldives’ ‘bridge to prosperity’ – BBC News

Image copyright Anbarasan Ethirajan/BBC

Image caption Before the bridge folks had to journey to the capital by boat

For years Aminat Waheeda drove her taxi alongside the slim lanes and congested roads of the Maldives capital in search of passengers. The most profitable fares – airport arrivals – had been out of attain.

The airport serving Male is on a special island and a speedboat was wanted to get between the 2.

In 2018, that every one modified, as did Ms Waheeda’s life. And the one mom of two youngsters has China to thank.

A 2.1km (1.three-mile), 4-lane bridge constructed with $200m (£148m) from Beijing means Male’s taxi drivers can now decide up passengers proper from the airport entrance.

“After the bridge was built, transportation got easy for everyone,” she says. “[It] has helped taxi drivers like me to earn more money.”

In truth, her revenue doubled.

Image copyright Anbarasan Ethirajan/BBC

Image caption Amina Waheeda and different taxi drivers used to be unable to decide up fares on the airport

The bridge, the primary constructed between any islands within the Maldivian archipelago, has additionally led to a growth in new property and industrial developments on the island of Hulumale the place the airport is positioned, easing congestion within the capital for its 140,000 residents.

Chinese infrastructure initiatives in creating international locations have been criticised, however the Sinamale bridge – or the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge as it is also identified – might be seen as an actual success.

However the present Maldives authorities does not see it that method. It is alarmed by how a lot cash this tiny, tourism-dependent nation now owes China.

The bridge was one in every of a number of main initiatives constructed below Abdullah Yameen, a pro-China president elected in 2013. He needed to kickstart the economic system and borrowed tons of of hundreds of thousands of dollars from China to achieve this.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) pictured with Maldives’ former President Abdulla Yameen

At the time Chinese President Xi Jinping was embarking on his grand “Belt and Road Initiative” to construct highway, rail and sea hyperlinks between China and the remainder of Asia, and much additional past.

Mr Yameen’s tenure was additionally marked by allegations of human rights abuses, which he denies. Many opposition politicians, together with the previous president Mohamed Nasheed, had been jailed.

But in September 2018, weeks after the bridge opened, Mr Yameen suffered a shock election defeat to his rivals, the Maldivian Democratic Party, with the MDP’s Ibrahim Solih turning into president.

The change of guard additionally enabled Mr Nasheed to return and re-enter politics.

Image copyright Anbarasan Ethirajan/BBC

Image caption Chinese cash has introduced a growth in new property and industrial developments in Hulumale

The new authorities quickly started wanting into the nation’s funds. What they discovered shocked them.

“The [Chinese debt] bill was $3.1bn,” Mr Nasheed, now Speaker of parliament, advised me. The determine included government-to-government loans, cash given to state enterprises and personal sector loans assured by the Maldivian authorities.

He is apprehensive his nation walked right into a debt entice.

“Can these assets produce enough revenue to pay back the debt? The business plan of none of these projects has any indication to suggest that it will be able to pay back the loan.”

He argues the price of initiatives was inflated and the debt on paper is way larger than the cash really obtained – which he says was solely $1.1bn, though he hasn’t launched paperwork to again up his sums.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Mohamed Nasheed is apprehensive the nation borrowed an excessive amount of cash

Former Maldivian officers and Chinese representatives level out his lack of detailed accounting. They put the determine Male owes China between $1.1bn and $1.4bn – nonetheless an enormous sum for the islands.

The Maldives GDP is round $four.9bn and when you go by Mr Nasheed’s figures, then the debt is greater than a half of the nation’s annual financial output. If authorities revenues fall it might wrestle to repay the mortgage by 2022-23.

If the Maldives defaults, Mr Nasheed worries his nation may face the identical destiny as close by Sri Lanka – it owes billions of dollars to China after borrowing to rebuild after years of civil warfare.

Among the initiatives, the Sri Lankan authorities spent almost $1.5bn on constructing a port in Hambantota. But inside a couple of years the port proved to be economically unviable and Colombo defaulted on its mortgage dedication.

‘We do not like our land being given away to China’ Sri Lanka clashes over Chinese funding

After the debt was restructured, a Chinese state-run enterprise acquired a 70% stake within the port on a 99-year lease in 2017. In addition, Sri Lanka additionally agreed to give 15,000 acres across the port to China to construct an financial zone.

Image caption Hambantota port in Sri Lanka was funded by Chinese cash

For China, the port is a invaluable strategic asset overlooking one of many busiest delivery lanes within the Indian Ocean. The port can also be a couple of hundred kilometres off the southern coast of China’s rival, India.

Last 12 months US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hit out at China for what he described as “corrupt infrastructure deals in exchange for political influence” and utilizing “bribe-fuelled debt-trap diplomacy”.

Beijing rejected his feedback as “irresponsible”.

In a uncommon BBC interview, the Chinese ambassador in Male, Zhang Lizhong, additionally dismissed the allegations that the Maldives had been dealing with a debt entice as “a fiction”.

“China never imposes additional requirements to the Maldivian side or any other developing country, which they do not want to accept or against their will.”

Mr Zhang says Mr Nasheed’s determine of $3bn debt is “highly exaggerated”.

The Maldives is known as an image-good vacationer vacation spot – however the archipelago can also be strategically positioned, with islands dotted throughout the northern Indian Ocean. Tens of 1000’s of oil tankers and ships criss-cross the route.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption The Maldives economic system depends closely on the tourism business

India and China have been vying for affect within the area for years.

Some argue that a number of the huge-ticket infrastructure initiatives, just like the growth of the airport constructed with Chinese loans throughout Mr Yameen’s time in energy, have helped to enhance vacationer arrivals within the Maldives. They level out that it was troublesome to get the cash for the initiatives from different worldwide gamers.

“I think at that time there was not any other option,” says Ali Hashim, the governor of the Maldivian Monetary Authority, the islands’ central financial institution which regulates its monetary sector.

He factors out “other countries in the region as well as faraway [countries] were quite reluctant to lend to the government because the institutions that controlled the whole process were being slowly compromised”.

The initiatives have boosted vacationer arrivals within the nation – final 12 months they reached a document 1.7 million, incomes greater than $2bn.

One of the primary causes behind rising tourism, is that successive Maldivian governments have inspired investments in new islands.

Rules on overseas investments had been relaxed to construct extra resorts and lodges. Hundreds of hundreds of thousands of dollars poured in from Indian, Thai and Chinese buyers.

Image copyright Anbarasan Ethirajan/BBC

Image caption Zhang Lizhong says claims of a “debt trap” are baseless

Mr Nasheed says he is involved about Chinese investments in a number of islands the place resorts and lodges are being constructed which have each Maldivian and Chinese companions.

“It is very easy to see these Maldivian partners don’t have necessary finance to be able to be a partner in such a venture, So, the Chinese partners would buy it out in no time. I can see the islands going to them very quickly,” Mr Nasheed says.

But Ambassador Zhang dismisses this, arguing the investments are purely industrial.

“Mr Speaker may not get the right information,” he says. “We do not attach any pre-condition for the loans. It doesn’t happen and will not happen.”

Former president Abdullah Yameen’s People’s National Congress can also be scathing about Mr Nasheed’s allegations, calling them “baseless fear-mongering”.

“Not a single island was given to the Chinese,” get together vice chairman Mohammad Hussain Shareef says.

Late final 12 months Mr Yameen was sentenced to 5 years in jail on prices of cash laundering. His get together described it as a political vendetta.

China unveils $124bn international commerce plan Sri Lanka chief on China go to

The fears over debt should not restricted to the Maldives. Other international locations in Asia have additionally been reviewing mega initiatives funded below China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Last 12 months, after a change of presidency, Malaysia renegotiated a Chinese-funded railway challenge, bringing the associated fee down by a 3rd to $11bn.

In 2018, Myanmar reviewed a Chinese-funded multi-billion greenback deep-sea port challenge and scaled it down to three-quarters of the unique price, fearing the mortgage could be unrepayable.

The Maldives will not be Malaysia or Myanmar and its bargaining energy is proscribed.

Media playback is unsupported in your machine

Media captionWhat is China’s One Belt, One Road?

It’s closely reliant on tourism, which has been hit onerous by the coronavirus outbreak. Foreign vacationer arrivals had been down 55% by the tip of June. Estimates recommend the nation could lose greater than $700m, greater than a 3rd of its tourism revenue, this 12 months if the pandemic persists.

Officials in Male say Beijing has agreed to partially droop debt repayments due to the pandemic.

But even so it is unchartered monetary territory for the Maldives which should hope its borrowing has not mortgaged its future.

The post China debt dogs Maldives’ ‘bridge to prosperity’ – BBC News appeared first on Pet Food India.

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China debt dogs Maldives' 'bridge to prosperity'

China debt dogs Maldives’ ‘bridge to prosperity’

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Image copyright Anbarasan Ethirajan/BBC

Image caption Before the bridge people had to travel to the capital by boat

For years Aminat Waheeda drove her taxi along the narrow lanes and congested roads of the Maldives capital looking for passengers. The most lucrative fares – airport arrivals –…

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China-India border: Why tensions are rising between the neighbours

By Anbarasan Ethirajan and Vikas PandeyBBC News

29 May 2020

Asia

Calm and India letter Nine

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Sri Lanka attacks: Government vows to overhaul state security

Sri Lanka attacks: Government vows to overhaul state security Sri Lanka's president has vowed to overhaul state security after several bomb blasts on Sunday killed 321 people and wounded 500. Late on Tuesday, Maithripala Sirisena announced changes to the heads of defence forces "within 24 hours". He said threat reports had not been shared with him, and promised to take "stern action" against officials. The country's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Islamic State (IS) group may be linked to the blasts. He added that the government believed Sunday's attacks could not have been carried out without help from terror groups abroad. IS claimed the attack on Tuesday, although did not provide evidence. In a televised address late on Tuesday President Sirisena said he would completely restructure the police and security forces in coming weeks. "The security officials who got the intelligence report from a foreign nation did not share it with me. I have decided to take stern action against these officials." The BBC World Service's South Asia Editor Ethirajan Anbarasan said it was an embarrassing admission by President Sirisena that security officials did not share with him the intelligence report warning about the attacks. With IS claiming responsibility for the attacks, Sri Lanka is now entering uncharted territory, our correspondent explains. Authorities say they are looking into possible links between the local Muslim youths who carried out the suicide bombings and the global jihadist group.

'Foreign links'

Sri Lanka's government has blamed the blasts on local Islamist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ).

Sri Lanka's president has vowed to overhaul state security after several bomb blasts on Sunday killed 321 people and wounded 500. But Mr Wickremesinghe said the attacks "could not have been done just locally". "There had been training given and a coordination which we are not seeing earlier," he said. Police have now detained 40 suspects in connection with the attack, all of whom were Sri Lankan nationals. A state of emergency remains in effect to prevent further attacks. The nearly simultaneous attacks targeted three churches packed for Easter services and three major hotels in the capital, Colombo. An attack on a fourth hotel on Sunday was foiled, Mr Wickremesinghe said. He also warned that further militants and explosives could still be "out there" following the attack.

Who could be behind the attacks?

IS said it had "targeted nationals of the crusader alliance and Christians in Sri Lanka" via its Amaq news outlet. It provided no evidence for the claim but shared an image on social media of eight men purported to be behind the attack. The group's last territory fell in March but even then experts had warned it does not mean the end of IS or its ideology. Earlier, the country's defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament that NTJ was linked to another radical Islamist group he named as JMI. He gave no further details. The alleged bombers: National Thowheed Jamath Why cut off social media in Sri Lanka? He also said "preliminary investigations" indicated that the bombings were in retaliation for deadly attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March. NTJ has no history of large-scale attacks but came to prominence last year when it was blamed for damaging Buddhist statues. The group has not said it carried out Sunday's bombings. The Sri Lankan government is facing scrutiny after it emerged the authorities were warned of about a possible attack. Security services had been monitoring the NTJ but the prime minister and the cabinet were not warned, ministers said.

Who were the victims?

The first mass funeral was held on Tuesday, as Sri Lanka marked an official day of mourning for the victims. Most of those who died were Sri Lankan nationals, including scores of Christians attending Easter Sunday church services. Sri Lankan officials said 38 foreign nationals were among the dead, with another 14 unaccounted for. The death toll includes at least eight British citizens and at least 11 Indian nationals. The mass funeral for about 30 victims took place at St Sebastian's church in Negombo, north of Colombo, which was one of the places targeted in Sunday's blasts. Another funeral service was scheduled for later on Tuesday. A moment of silence was also observed at 08:30 on Tuesday, reflecting the time the first of six bombs detonated. Flags were lowered to half-mast and people, many of them in tears, bowed their heads in respect. Are you in Sri Lanka? Have you been affected by the attacks? You can share your experience by contacting haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: WhatsApp: +44 7555 173285 Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk Upload your pictures / video here Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100 Please read our terms of use and privacy policy Published at Wed, 24 Apr 2019 02:30:03 +0000 Read the full article

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There are about 35,000 Nepali Gurkhas currently serving in the Indian army, including in the geopolitically sensitive region of Indian-administered Kashmir and the northeastern parts of the country. The Gurkhas have a strong bond with the Indian military, and Gurkha regiments have become part of the culture of the Nepali hill communities. There are about 120,000 Indian Gurkha veterans living in Nepal. Their pension and other benefits have contributed to the economy of the impoverished hill regions.

Anbarasan Ethirajan, ‘Agnipath scheme: The pain of Nepal's Gurkhas over Indian army's new hiring plan’, BBC

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New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/world/sri-lanka-attacks-government-vows-to-overhaul-state-security/

Sri Lanka attacks: Government vows to overhaul state security

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionVolunteers provide water, food and support to those mourning the bombing in Negombo, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s president has vowed to overhaul state security after several bomb blasts on Sunday killed 321 people and wounded 500.

Late on Tuesday, Maithripala Sirisena announced changes to the heads of defence forces “within 24 hours”.

He said threat reports had not been shared with him, and promised to take “stern action” against officials.

The country’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Islamic State (IS) group may be linked to the blasts.

He added that the government believed Sunday’s attacks could not have been carried out without help from terror groups abroad.

IS claimed the attack on Tuesday, although did not provide evidence.

In a televised address late on Tuesday President Sirisena said he would completely restructure the police and security forces in coming weeks.

“The security officials who got the intelligence report from a foreign nation did not share it with me. I have decided to take stern action against these officials.”

The BBC World Service’s South Asia Editor Ethirajan Anbarasan said it was an embarrassing admission by President Sirisena that security officials did not share with him the intelligence report warning about the attacks.

With IS claiming responsibility for the attacks, Sri Lanka is now entering uncharted territory, our correspondent explains.

Authorities say they are looking into possible links between the local Muslim youths who carried out the suicide bombings and the global jihadist group.

‘Foreign links’

Sri Lanka’s government has blamed the blasts on local Islamist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ).

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionThe footage shows a man wearing a large backpack calmly walking towards St Sebastian’s church

But Mr Wickremesinghe said the attacks “could not have been done just locally”.

“There had been training given and a coordination which we are not seeing earlier,” he said.

Police have now detained 40 suspects in connection with the attack, all of whom were Sri Lankan nationals. A state of emergency remains in effect to prevent further attacks.

The nearly simultaneous attacks targeted three churches packed for Easter services and three major hotels in the capital, Colombo.

An attack on a fourth hotel on Sunday was foiled, Mr Wickremesinghe said. He also warned that further militants and explosives could still be “out there” following the attack.

Who could be behind the attacks?

IS said it had “targeted nationals of the crusader alliance [anti-IS US-led coalition] and Christians in Sri Lanka” via its Amaq news outlet.

It provided no evidence for the claim but shared an image on social media of eight men purported to be behind the attack.

The group’s last territory fell in March but even then experts had warned it does not mean the end of IS or its ideology.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption There were emotional scenes outside St Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo

Earlier, the country’s defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament that NTJ was linked to another radical Islamist group he named as JMI. He gave no further details.

The alleged bombers: National Thowheed Jamath

Why cut off social media in Sri Lanka?

He also said “preliminary investigations” indicated that the bombings were in retaliation for deadly attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March.

NTJ has no history of large-scale attacks but came to prominence last year when it was blamed for damaging Buddhist statues. The group has not said it carried out Sunday’s bombings.

The Sri Lankan government is facing scrutiny after it emerged the authorities were warned of about a possible attack.

Security services had been monitoring the NTJ but the prime minister and the cabinet were not warned, ministers said.

Who were the victims?

The first mass funeral was held on Tuesday, as Sri Lanka marked an official day of mourning for the victims.

Most of those who died were Sri Lankan nationals, including scores of Christians attending Easter Sunday church services.

Sri Lankan officials said 38 foreign nationals were among the dead, with another 14 unaccounted for. The death toll includes at least eight British citizens and at least 11 Indian nationals.

The mass funeral for about 30 victims took place at St Sebastian’s church in Negombo, north of Colombo, which was one of the places targeted in Sunday’s blasts. Another funeral service was scheduled for later on Tuesday.

A moment of silence was also observed at 08:30 on Tuesday, reflecting the time the first of six bombs detonated.

Flags were lowered to half-mast and people, many of them in tears, bowed their heads in respect.

Are you in Sri Lanka? Have you been affected by the attacks? You can share your experience by contacting haveyoursay@Toldnews.co.uk

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

WhatsApp: +44 7555 173285

Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay

Send pictures/video to yourpics@Toldnews.co.uk

Upload your pictures / video here

Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100

Please read our terms of use and privacy policy

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Sri Lanka Defense Minister: Blasts Were Revenge For New Zealand Mosque Killings http://bit.ly/2GrdobI

Reuters: Sri Lanka blasts were revenge for New Zealand mosque killings: minister COLOMBO (Reuters) - Devastating Easter bombings in Sri Lanka were retaliation for attacks on mosques in New Zealand, a Sri Lankan official said on Tuesday, as Islamic State claimed responsibility for the coordinated blasts that killed 321 people. Islamic State’s claim, issued on its AMAQ news agency, came shortly after Sri Lanka said two domestic Islamist groups, with suspected links to foreign militants, were believed to have been behind the attacks at three churches and four hotels, which wounded about 500 people. Islamic State gave no evidence for its claim. The government has said at least seven suicide bombers were involved. “The initial investigation has revealed that this was in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attack,” junior minister for defense Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament. Read more .... WNU Editor: How does this junior defense minister know? And when do extremist Islamic groups need a reason to attack churches since they have been doing it throughout history. This sounds more like the Sri Lankan government trying to divert attention away from the real story which is that this is a massive intelligence failure on their part when they were warned two weeks ago that these attacks were going to take place. There is also this article from the BBC stating that Sinhalese Buddhist - Muslim relations have been tense for the past year after mobs attacked Muslim targets .... Sri Lanka attacks: What led to carnage? (Anbarasan Ethirajan, BBC). Bottom line. Sri Lanka is not the paradise that the country is trying to present.

More News On The Sri Lanka Defense Ministy Saying That The Blasts Were Revenge For New Zealand Mosque Killings

Sri Lanka minister: Easter bombings a response to NZ attacks -- AP Sri Lanka Church Bombings Were Response to Christchurch Mosque Shootings, Defense Minister Suggests -- Newsweek Sri Lanka attacks 'retaliation for Christchurch': Minister -- Al Jazeera Sri Lankan Official Says Bombings Are Retaliation For New Zealand Massacre -- NPR Sri Lanka bombings retaliation for Christchurch mosque shootings, minister says -- DW from War News Updates http://bit.ly/2Pp2VBG via IFTTT

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Kezang Dorji: How Eminem inspired Bhutan's star rapper - BBC News by BBC News Kezang Dorji, 28, rose from a poor background to become one of Bhutan's most loved rappers. He was inspired by Eminem growing up - and raps about the dangers of alcoholism and substance abuse. Producer: Anbarasan Ethirajan Camera: Choling Please subscribe HERE http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

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China debt dogs Maldives' 'bridge to prosperity'

China debt dogs Maldives’ ‘bridge to prosperity’

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Image copyright Anbarasan Ethirajan/BBC

Image caption Before the bridge people had to travel to the capital by boat

For years Aminat Waheeda drove her taxi along the narrow lanes and congested roads of the Maldives capital looking for passengers. The most lucrative fares –…

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Brothers transform expected win into stunning rout of the opposition, writes Anbarasan Ethirajan. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3gCPlHL

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Sri Lanka election: Rajapaksa brothers tighten grip on power

Brothers transform expected win into stunning rout of the opposition, writes Anbarasan Ethirajan.