Nou Porikroma (January) 2020
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7 March 1971. The Ramna Race Course ground in Dhaka is brimming with a crowd of a million Bengalees waiting for their leader’s command. Soon, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman appeared, stood before the historic gathering and in his thunderous voice, called upon the nation to rise up, fight back, shatter the chains of slavery, and win the long cherished independence. The Liberation War took off immediately and Bangladesh clinched the radiant sun of freedom on 16 December 1971, soaking in the bloodbath of three million lives. In a few weeks on 10 January, 1972 Bangabandhu returned home from the Pakistani jail only to find before him the daunting task of rebuilding a war-ravaged country. Instantly, Bangabandhu committed himself to the new mission of building a ‘Sonar Bangla’ for the war-torn nation. In line, to defend the rights over our maritime zone, he took to the restructuring of the state for the maintenance of our sea resources and ensure economic emancipation. Bangabandhu, in fact, felt the need of a strong naval force much earlier to the independence and demanded the establishing of a naval headquarters in the then East Pakistan in his ‘Six Point Charter,’ a manifestation of his far-sighted vision. During the Liberation War, our valiant naval commandos ignited the legendary ‘Operation Jackpot’ and played a decisive role in accelerating our final victory. With Bangabandhu’s sincere efforts, the Bangladesh Navy set off its journey in 1971 with just two patrol crafts ‘Padma’ and ‘Palash’ procured from our friendly neighbour India. Consequently on 10 December 1974, Bangabandhu conferred National Standard to Bangladesh Navy and commissioned the largest naval base BNS ISSA KHAN. To further capacitate the navy, he also procured 5 modern warships from Yugoslavia and India. He then commenced the building of five more patrol craft at Narayanganj and thus, laid down the foundation for the local shipbuilding industry for construction of warships. Following this legacy, the shipbuilding in Bangladesh today has risen up as one of the leading industry in the country. With his sheer wisdom and unparalleled foresight, Bangabandhu promulgated the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act-1974, the law that in later years qualified us to determine our maritime border with neighbouring countries in a peaceful manner, through the verdict of the International Court. Today, we can boast our sovereignty over an area of 118,813 sq km which is roughly equal to the size of our country. Right after the Independence, Bangabandhu, by dint of his diplomatic prudence, persuaded the Soviet Government to help us retrieve the navigability of the Karnaphuli Channel by getting rid of the lethal mines that were set by the enemy forces during the Liberation War. Members of the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy began the rescue operation and they partially cleared the Chattogram Port by July, 1972. The port eventually turned fully operational by June 1974. Bangabandhu, the greatest Bangalee ever in a thousand years, was born at Tungipara in Gopalganj on 17 March 1920. From an early age, he got immersed into different political movements for the emancipation of the nation. He played an active role in the Language Movement of 1952, won the election in 1954 on a United Front ticket and served as a Minister in a short-lived cabinet. In 1966, he declared his 6-point demand termed as ‘Charter of Survival’ and led the Awami League to a landslide victory in the 1970 national election. Nevertheless, the audacity of the then junta authority led to ensuing events culminating in the ultimate independence of Bangladesh. However, his tenure lasted short as it came to an abrupt end during the early hours of 15 August 1975 when some derailed army members stormed his residence and assassinated Bangabandhu as part of a nefarious coup. Bangabandhu may have died but the legacy of his never-give-up motto has extended even to this day. As the supreme leader, Bangabandhu has handed over to us the victory torch and now it is our sole commitment to move ahead with it. 39 Perspective In this issue... Climate change conflicts: Implications for armed forces Implications of climate change are being assessed now in the various walks of life. Being an all-pervasive issue, climate change is a much discussed matter and raises concerns about the civilisation’s sustenance, and now we analyse its implications on the future of the armed forces. 46 12 Exclusive Interview Vista Female officers play a big role for “Bangladesh Navy is ever ready to Bangladesh Navy protect national sovereignty, preserve maritime interest and to promote peace.” Role of the female gender in the military services is more seriously considered in the contemporary days. Our – The Chief of Naval Staff government is also emphasising on the women empowerment. CNS shared his candid thoughts on a wide range of We take this opportunity to narrate the glorious history of contemporary naval, maritime and security issues. Bangladeshi females serving in armed forced of Bangladesh and vis-a-vis their important role in Bangladesh Navy. 42 48 Bulwark Training Sustainable ocean management benefits BN prioritises quality training the Blue Economy Proper training is imminent to build an able and Bangladesh government has prioritised their complete force. Bangladesh Navy always kept its agenda on Blue Economy nowadays. Oceans are prime focus on the superior quality of training facilities the world’s largest ecosystem and essentially and its implementation. The overall training policy to important for the survival of humanity. A wide the training priorities are set by the Naval Headquarters. array of benefits can be achieved by enriching our The entire scenario of the training facilities of perception of Blue Economy and learning how to Bangladesh Navy is vividly described in this article. use the ocean for ensuring a sustainable future. 18 With a vision to reach beyond, Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set a matchless instance in building a state-of-the-art and three-dimensional naval forces for comprehensive growth and economic development of this nation. It is now the responsibility of the Bangladesh Navy to safeguard this maritime resource and keep the Lead Story economic wheel rolling forward. In this regard, our lead article describes how Bangladesh Navy Bangladesh, riding the waves is preparing itself to become a valiant naval The odyssey of a valiant Navy force in the regional realm and beyond. 06 Editorial 32 07 Achievement Endeavour National Fisheries Award 2019 National Standard Conferred to BNS TITUMIR Top news 09 Prime news of BN at the national level Unbeatable at sea 24 Maritime security related drills and training news 27 UN Mission news BN in the UN peacekeeping mission Bangladesh shipbuilding industry in the 31 Development global and local context Development news of BN Bangladesh has a long history of being a glorious Area news country in the art of shipbuilding. This is the story 36 of the endeavour of Bangladesh Navy to revive an Regular news on naval areas old glory as a shipbuilding nation. The shipbuilding industry has become more global than local due to Sports increasing global demand for new ships and let us 52 Sports news of BN look into our placement in the global context. 57 BNFWA Various events and activities of BN family 54 Peacemaker 28 Humanitarian Effort A call for humanity: Bhasan Char rehabilitation project In order to materialise the government's plan, Bangladesh Navy has built Bhasan Char rehabilitation project on 1,702 acres of land for Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMDs). This article portrays the project detailing its facilities. Contributions and sacrifices of BN in UN peacekeeping missions Bangladesh is one of the largest troops contributing countries to the United Nations peacekeeping missions. Not only hat, Bangladesh is the much praised nation for its quality of contributions as well. Since 1993, Bangladesh Navy personnel have been participating in UN peacekeeping mission on a regular basis. These are the tales to tell about their utmost sincerity and devotion to ensure world peace. Editorial INAUGURAL ISSUE The determined Bangladesh Navy is preparing January 2020, Volume 01, Issue 01 to face the 21st century challenges Nouporikroma English Edition An annual publication of Bangladesh Navy ear readers, we are delighted to inform you that in the successful continuation of D Quarterly Bangla Magazine Nouporikroma, the annual English edition has started its journey in a new format from this inaugural issue. From the maritime security and defence perspective, we believe this magazine will play a pivotal role in the field of knowledge sharing as well as in expressing our thoughts, views and development information to the world’s defence community. At the same time, this magazine also aims to make our potential youth force aware of maritime and naval defence issues of the Bay of Bengal and beyond. Under the prudent leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has emerged as one of the largest South Asian economies and the country is now striving hard to explore sea resources in her maritime economic zone under the concept of Blue Economy. The economic growth of Bangladesh and its sustainability have been heavily dependent on her South front, the Bay of Bengal and it will remain so in future. Therefore, its water, subsurface areas and the sky above the sea areas need to be secured and kept free from all kinds of threats ranging from fighting armed aggression down to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Keeping that in mind, Bangladesh Navy plays a key role in providing security and protection of economic interests in the maritime arena. Our lead article sheds light upon the glorious past, vibrant present and the shining future of Bangladesh Navy.