BANGLADESH

Phulbari Tragedy Day today

With the demand of execution of Phulbari agreement signed between the government and the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, the 16th anniversary of Phulbari Tragedy Day is being observed today.

The national committee and its branches have taken elaborate programmes in remembrance of the people, who were shot dead by law enforcers while protesting against open-pit coal mining by the Asia Energy at Phulbari in Dinajpur in 2006.

On 26 August, 2006, local people under the banner of the committee raged a bold demonstration against Asia Energy.

Three demonstrators — Amin, Salaken and Tarequl — were shot dead and hundreds of people injured when Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guard Bangladesh) personnel opened fire to disperse the protesters.

After four days of the incident, the then Rajshahi city mayor Mizanur Rahman on behalf of the BNP-led government signed a 6-point agreement with the protesters led by the national committee.

The government agreed to cancel Asia Energy’s work permit in Bangladesh, scrap plans for open-pit mining, compensate the victims of BDR firing and withdraw complaints lodged against the Phulbari protesters.

The then leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina, now the prime minister, extending her support to the protesters, vowed that she would implement the agreement if she went to power.

The agreement, however, is yet to be executed despite 15 years had elapsed.

The injured were still deprived of due compensation while the government did not scrap its plan for an open-pit mining at Barapukuria coal field violating the Phulbari agreement, alleged local leaders of the national committee.

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