Letters to the Editor | The Daily Star

  • Ensuring the safety of Rohingya camps

    With the beginning of the rainy season, it is likely that the suffering of the Rohingya refugees will worsen. Most of the makeshift houses that the Rohingyas are living in are either on hilltops or on hillsides.

  • Domestic medical expense shouldn't be taxable

    A few years ago, a group of top executives of private commercial banks and non-banking financial institutions received more than Tk 1 million from their employers as overseas medical expenditure for themselves and their family members.

  • Tackling sexual harassment in public transport

    A survey shows that 94 percent of Bangladeshi women have been sexually harassed in public transport at least once in their life. Due to social stigma, many victims don't feel comfortable to reveal or share their bitter experiences. That is why it's tough to document the actual extent of harassment of women.

  • Railroad between Cox's Bazar, Chittagong needed

    Cox's Bazar is the number one tourist destination in our country. Every day hundreds of tourists travel to the town by buses from Chittagong and Dhaka. If there were a railroad between Cox's Bazar and Chittagong, travelling to the place would have been much easier. Since there is already rail communication between the port city and Dohazari, if a railroad can be built between Dohazari and Cox's Bazar, it will make travel more comfortable for the tourists.

  • Increase allocation for education, health

    Allocations for education and health in the proposed budget rose by 5.2 percent and 13.2 percent respectively from the outgoing fiscal year's. Experts say that allocations for these two sectors should increase by around 25 and 20 percent, respectively, to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In fact, Bangladesh should invest more in education if it wants to change its future and achieve the goals set in the National Education Policy 2010 and Vision 2021, and also invest in the universal health coverage for everyone.

  • Rain puts Rohingya lives in peril

    The Daily Star on June 14 published a story titled “Rain brings miseries to Rohingyas.” Cox's Bazar is very close to the Bay of Bengal and the rainy season has already begun in that area. Landslides and heavy downpours in the area are high-risk factors and make survival difficult in this rainy season. The Rohingya refugees suffered greatly during the last rainy season, as we have seen in the media. They suffered a lot during the torrential rain, and that suffering has started again.

  • Nationalising private colleges

    The government selected 285 private colleges across the country to nationalise in April, that employ nearly 18,000 teachers. The prime minister had also declared that her government planned to set up a public college in every upazilla.

  • The deadly journey

    Eid is the biggest festival in this country of largely Muslim population. It is also the time when the largest internal human movement takes place in the country. During Eid festivals, everyone wants to spend time with their near and dear ones and so they travel to different districts, a journey that often turns deadly because of accidents.

  • A message to our women's cricket team

    Congratulations to the Bangladesh women's cricket team for winning the T20 Asia Cup 2018. It is a big achievement for the team and their composure and confidence on the field was good to see.

  • Stop sending women workers to Saudi Arabia

    The Daily Star reported yesterday that a number of Bangladeshi female workers returned home from Saudi Arabia after having been physically and sexually abused.

  • The Tigress Triumph

    Bangladesh women's national cricket team have, for the first time, entered the final of the Asia Cup, or any international tournament for that matter.

  • The budget fails to address inequality

    It's been reported that the government has decided not to implement new taxes in the upcoming budget, keeping the upcoming election in mind. But the Centre for Policy Dialogue, a policy think tank, said in its budget reaction that the budget would continue to widen the wealth and income inequality in the country as it is the wealthiest that are likely to enjoy more benefits.

  • Reduce plastic consumption

    It has been reported that 79 percent of the plastic products end up in garbage dumps. Nowadays plastic is used to make a wide variety of

  • Rain harvesting for survival

    Our rivers are drying up because upper riparian countries are diverting water from our rivers causing an acute shortage of water and desertification. The day may not be far off when we will have no water in the rivers.

  • Humiliating defeat for Bangladesh

    Bangladesh endured a humiliating defeat against Afghanistan in the first T20 cricket match in their three-match series. Many have questioned some of the decisions made by captain Shakib Al Hasan.

  • Incomplete construction work

    Questions were raised in parliament in regard to the development of a 2.1km-Mehdipur-Abdul Nabi Road in Daganbhuiyan upazilla, Feni. Only half the road has been completed while the rest has remained untouched for a long time.

  • Extrajudicial killing is not the answer

    The number of alleged drug dealers killed in “gunfights” in the ongoing anti-narcotics drive across the country has crossed 100. This can

  • Dowry has no place in a civilised society

    Not a day goes by without the media reporting on women being killed, tortured or divorced over dowry. It is an evil practice that commodifies women.

  • Increasing spending by decreasing revenue?

    According to media reports, the finance minister is set to announce a big budget this week keeping the election in mind. He plans to reduce the tax rate at both personal and corporate levels.

  • Myanmar's MoU with UN agencies raises hope

    The news that UNDP and UNHCR, two United Nation agencies, have agreed with Myanmar on a text of a Memorandum of Understanding

  • Increasing suicide cases in Bangladesh

    The number of suicide cases among young people in our country is increasing day by day. It has been well established by experts that suicidal tendencies stem from insecurity, depression, bullying, fear, social and familial pressures, etc.

  • Health insurance for all

    Despite rapid economic growth, many people still cannot afford the ever-increasing medical treatment in our country. Every day people

  • Unacceptable presidential pardon

    The news of Tofayel Ahmed Joseph, a convicted murderer and top gangster, receiving a presidential pardon is as sickening as it is

  • A confusing war on drugs

    We are confused about the anti-narcotics drive currently underway across the country, which has claimed more than a hundred lives.

  • Repair the lane beside BSK

    Bishwo Shahitto Kendro is one of the busiest centres of culture and education in the city. It is a popular destination for the book-loving

  • Sanchayapatra needs a fix

    The Daily Star on May 28 published a letter titled “Contain Sanchayapatra rate” by Mojammal Hoque. The national savings certificate of

  • Compensation for negligence

    In 1998, Azhar Ali Raza was arrested in a murder case and sentenced to death. The High Court, however, acquitted him in 2012 and the

  • Bangladesh should go to ICC

    Why did China, Russia, Asean and even Japan not do anything to stop Myanmar and its armed forces from massacring and expelling the Rohingyas? Why instead are they now trying to prevent Bangladesh from taking the matter to the International Criminal Court?

  • Contain Sanchayapatra rate

    Sanchayapatra is a national savings scheme of the government. The government collected more than Tk 750 billion during the 2016-17 fiscal year by selling Sanchayapatra. The government had an initial aim of

  • Build a citywide drainage system

    West Kazipara is one of many areas in Dhaka that resembles the seashore after only a little rain. Sometimes during my commute to work, I have to fold my trousers over my ankles while wading through the filthy water. The water is so dirty that it looks totally black. I can only imagine the woes of my female colleagues.

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