Chittagong University Library, Bangladesh
The Chittagong University Library is located in Hathazari Upazila, Chittagong District, southeastern Bangladesh. The University of Chittagong, founded in 1966, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, although the current library building itself dates only from 1990. Measuring 56,700 square feet, it houses around 350,000 books and more than 40,000 bound journals. The library serves some 22,000 students and 750 faculty members. Among the latter has been the Nobel-Prizewinning Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus, whose research in Zobra village near the university eventually led to award-winning publications. As the library website explains, it is seen as
a prime requisite for successful implementation of academic programmes of the University. The Chittagong University Library functions in order to fulfill the aims and objectives of its parent body university.
Among the notable items in the rare books collection are old manuscripts written in the Bengali, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages. Some of these manuscripts and other documents, dating back to the 1800s, are written on unusual materials such as palm leaves. The library also houses some of the personal libraries of eminent intellectuals, such as Munshi Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad (1869–1953), who researched and repertoried mythological literature and published over six hundred articles on the subject, helping to better document Bengali language and literature. Professor Abdul Karim memorably wrote:
We are the morning and the vanishing night stars of an age when Muslims first engaged themselves in modern literary pursuits in Bengali. But I was a deviant. I strayed from the flock of those who had devoted their lives in different ways in the service of Bengali language. My colleagues discussed through the medium of Bengali language and presented before us the lives and deeds of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish brothers. But I chose a different path. I collected the literary deeds of my next door Muslim brothers. My understanding is straight – if I do not know the lives and deeds of my fellow brothers here, what would I do knowing the lives and deeds of brothers of other lands?
Thailand and Bangladesh
Official relations between Thailand and Bangladesh began in 1972. Two years later, Thailand opened an embassy in Bangladesh, and Bangladesh opened its own embassy in Bangkok a year after that. As the website of the Embassy of Bangladesh in Thailand indicates, the two countries enjoy an
excellent bilateral relationship which is deeply rooted in religious, cultural and linguistic linkages of the two countries. Shared commitment to democracy, development and international peace and security has brought the two countries to work closely in many areas of mutual interest…The renewed momentum in the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Thailand is manifested in high number of visits at political level, official interactions, and increased people-to-people contact during the last four years.
Trade Relations
As the Bangladesh Embassy website also observes, in 1997 Thailand and Bangladesh signed a trade agreement, among other things establishing chambers of commerce to promote bilateral trade. Trade between the countries has steadily increased. Items exported from Bangladesh to Thailand include other textile articles, vegetable textile fibers, articles of apparel, products of animal origin, electrical and electronic equipment, and fish and crustaceans. Major imports from Thailand to Bangladesh include cement, cereals, plastics and related articles, man-made staple fibers, sugar and sugar confectionary, machinery and mechanical appliances, and cotton and cotton fabrics. Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh consider that among further products will sales potential in Thailand would be pharmaceuticals and chemicals, chemical products, leather and leather products, frozen fish, raw jute and jute goods, ceramic tableware, knitwear and woven garments, and tea.
In May, The Nation reported on the first-ever Bangladesh Trade and Investment Expo held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok from May 30 to June 1. Her Excellency Saida Muna Tasneem, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Thailand, explained:
More than 50 Bangladeshi manufacturers and service enterprises that export goods and services to Europe and North America will join the expo to seek trading and investment opportunities in Thailand and Asean.
At the event, closer cooperation and joint investment was suggested between Thailand and Bangladesh in garments and clothes, pharmaceuticals and medical products, ceramic and tiles, kitchenware, furniture, leather and footwear, energy and alternative energy, electronic and electric appliances, ICT and software, silk, handicraft and home decorative items, tourism, food and beverages, frozen food, organic tea, hospital and medical services, chemical products, cosmetics, jewellery and ornaments, machinery and engineering equipment, and automobiles and parts. To date, Thai investors have backed 96 commercial projects in Bangladesh with an initial value of US$605 million (Bt23 billion). Half are fully owned by Thais, while the others are joint ventures. They range from the poultry industry, fishing, electronics, processed food, to utility development, including the Dhaka Elevated Expressway. The Nation further noted that Thai-Bangladesh bilateral trade was expected to double to about US$2 billion (Bt71 million) next year. Last year, Thailand exported about $800 million worth of goods to Bangladesh, while Bangladesh exported about $400 million in goods to Thailand.
In February, Reuters suggested that annual trade between Thailand and Bangladesh could quadruple to $4.8 billion, due to a recent agreement to establish direct coastal shipping links between the two nations. Currently goods must pass through Singapore, delaying transport time by a full six days, according to some calculations. Rashed Maksud Khan, president of the Bangladesh-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BTCCI), declared:
The annual trade volume of Bangladesh and Thailand will be increased four times to $4.8 billion by next five years if both countries can establish direct coastal shipping links by the end of the year.
Direct coastal shipping between Chittagong, Bangladesh and Ranong on the Andaman Sea in Thailand would be a notable advantage.
Other ties
In addition to these trade matters, as the former Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand, Kazi Imtiaz Hossain, told The Big Chilli in 2012, medical tourism attracts visitors from Bangladesh to Thailand. Although Thai tourism to Bangladesh still remains to reach its full potential, Buddhist monasteries and archeological sites of Mainamaiti in Comilla and Mahastangarh in Bogra are worth visiting. Around 900
Bangladeshis live in Thailand, mostly working in United Nations agencies, international organizations and multi-national companies. Thais who work in Bangladesh tend to be employed in construction, manufacturing, or hospitality sectors.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).