Title: Background Note: Bangladesh
PA
Source: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public
Affairs
Description: Historical, Political and Economic Overviews of the
Countries of the World
Date: Dec, 15 199212/15/92
Category: Country Data
Region: South Asia
Country: Bangladesh
Subject: Travel, History, International Organizations,
Trade/Economics, Military Affairs, Cultural Exchange,
State Department
[TEXT]
Official Name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
PROFILE
Geography
Area:
143,998 sq. km. (55,813 sq. mi., about the size of
Wisconsin).
Cities:
Capital--Dhaka (pop. 7 million). Other cities--
Chittagong (2.8 million), Khulna (1.8 million), Rajshahi (1 million).
Terrain:
Mainly flat alluvial plain, with hills in the
southeast.
Climate:
Semitropical, monsoon.
People
Nationality:
Noun and adjective--Bangladeshi(s).
Population (1991):
116 million.
Annual growth rate:
2.4%.
Ethnic groups:
Bengali 98%, tribals, non-Bengali Muslims.
Religions:
Muslim 83%; Hindu 16%; Christian, Buddhist,
others 1%.
Languages:
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali),
English.
Education:
Attendance--73% (primary school), 26%
(secondary school). Literacy--47% for males; 22% for females.
Health (1991):
Life expectancy--54 yrs. male, 52 yrs.
female.
Work force (35 million):
Agriculture--74%. Services--
15%. Industry-11%.
Government
Type:
Parliamentary democracy.
Independence (in present form):
1971.
Constitution:
1972 (as amended).
Branches:
Executive--prime minister, president.
Legislative--unicameral parliament (330 members). Judicial--civil
court system on British model.
Administrative subdivisions:
divisions, districts,
subdistricts, unions, villages.
Political Parties:
30-40 active political parties. Only 4
parties have more than 10 members in the current parliament: the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Awami League (AL), the
Jamaat-E-Islami (JI), and the Jatiyo Party (JP).
Suffrage:
Universal at 18.
Flag:
Red circle on dark green field.
Economy
GDP (1991):
$23 billion.
Real annual growth rate (1991):
3.6%.
Per capita GDP:
$198.
Natural resources:
Natural gas, water.
Agriculture (37% of GDP):
Products--rice, jute, tea, sugar,
wheat.
Industry (17% of GDP):
Types--jute goods, garments,
frozen shrimp, textiles, fertilizer, sugar, tea, leather, metal re-
processing, pharmaceuticals, newsprint.
Trade (1991):
Exports--$1.7 billion: ready-made
garments, jute goods, leather, frozen fish, shrimp, raw jute, tea.
Exports to US (1991 est.)--$515 million. Imports--$3.5 billion:
capital goods, foodgrains, petroleum, consumer goods,
fertilizer, chemicals, vegetable oils, textiles. Imports
from US (1991 est.)--$140 million.
Official exchange rate (1992):
Taka 39=US$1.
PEOPLE
Bangladesh, or "Bengal Nation," is the most densely populated
agricultural country in the world. With a per capita gross domestic
product of $198 (1991), it is also one of the poorest. Bangladesh's
116 million people are concentrated in an area about the size of
Wisconsin. Its population growth rate is currently estimated at
2.4% annually; a conservative estimate projects a population of 140
million by the year 2000. At present, 44% of the population is under
15 years of age. Urbanization is proceeding rapidly, and it is
estimated that only 30% of the population entering the labor
force in the future will be absorbed into agriculture, although many
will likely find other kinds of work in rural areas.
The areas around the capital city, Dhaka, and around Comilla are the most
densely settled. The Sundarbans, an area of thick tropical jungle inland
from the coastline on the Bay of Bengal, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts on
the southeastern border with Burma and India, are the least densely
populated areas.
About 98% of Bangladeshis are ethnic Bengali and speak Bangla.
Urdu-speaking, non-Bengali Muslims of Indian origin and various
tribal groups, mostly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, comprise the
remainder. Most Bangladeshis (about 83%) are Muslims, but Hindus
constitute a sizable (16%) minority. There are also a small number
of Buddhists, Christians, and animists. English is spoken in urban
areas and among the educated.
HISTORY
The area which is now Bangladesh has a rich historical and cultural
past, the product of the repeated influx of varied peoples, bringing
with them the Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Mongol-Mughul, Arab, Persian,
Turkic, and European cultures. About 1200 A.D., Muslim invaders
under Sufi influence, supplanted Hindu and Buddhist dynasties, and
converted most of the population of the eastern areas of Bengal to
Islam. Since then, Islam has played a crucial role in the region's
history and politics. In the 16th century, Bengal was absorbed into
the Mughul Empire.
Portuguese traders and missionaries reached Bengal in the latter
part of the 15th century. They were followed by representatives of
the Dutch, the French, and the British East India Companies. During
the 18th and 19th centuries, especially after the defeat of the
French in 1757, the British gradually extended their commercial
contacts and administrative control beyond Calcutta into the
remainder of Bengal and northwesterly up the Ganges River valley.
In 1859, the British Crown replaced the East India Company,
extending British dominion from Bengal in the east to the Indus
River in the west.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Muslim and Hindu leaders
began to press for a greater degree of independence. At the
movement's forefront was the largely Hindu Indian National
Congress. Growing concern about Hindu domination of the movement
led Muslim leaders to form the All-India Muslim League in 1906. In
1913, the League formally adopted the same goal as the Indian
National Congress: self-government for India within the British
Empire. The Congress and the League were unable, however, to
agree on a formula to ensure the protection of Muslim religious,
economic, and political rights. Over the next 2 decades, mounting
tension between Hindus and Muslims led to a series of bitter
intercommunal conflicts.
Pakistan and Partition
The idea of a separate Muslim state emerged in the 1930s. It gained
popularity among Indian Muslims after 1936, when the Muslim
League suffered a decisive electoral defeat in the first elections
under the 1935 constitution. On March 23, 1940, Muhammad Ali
Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, publicly endorsed the "Pakistan
Resolution" that called for the creation of an independent state in
regions where Muslims were a majority.
At the end of World War II, the United Kingdom, under considerable
international pressure to reduce the size of its overseas empire,
moved with increasing urgency to grant India independence. The
Congress Party and the Muslim League could not, however, agree on
the terms for drafting a constitution or establishing an interim
government. In June 1947, the UK declared it would grant full
dominion status to two successor states--India and Pakistan.
Pakistan would consist of the contiguous Muslim-majority districts
of western British India, plus parts of Bengal. The various princely
states could freely join either India or Pakistan. These
arrangements resulted in a bifurcated Muslim nation separated by
more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 mi.) of Indian territory. West
Pakistan comprised four provinces and the capital, Lahore. East
Pakistan was formed of a single province. Each province had a
legislature.
East and West Pakistan
Pakistan's history for the next 26
years was marked by political instability and economic difficulties.
Dominion status was rejected in 1956 in favor of an "Islamic
Republic within the Commonwealth." Attempts at civilian political
rule failed, and the government imposed martial law between 1958
and 1962 and 1969 and 1972. Frictions between West and East
Pakistan culminated in a 1971 army crackdown against the East
Pakistan dissident movement led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose
Awami League (AL) Party had won 167 seats out of 313 National
Assembly seats on a platform of greater autonomy for the eastern
province.
Mujibur Rahman was arrested and his party banned. Many of his
aides and more than 1 million Bengali refugees fled to India, where
they established a provisional government. India and Pakistan went
to war in late November 1971. The combined Indian-Bengali forces
soon overwhelmed Pakistan's small army contingent in the East. By
the time Pakistan's forces surrendered on December 16, 1971, India
had taken numerous prisoners and gained control of a large area of
East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh.
Bangladesh
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Mujib came to office
with immense personal popularity but had difficulty quickly
transforming this support into political legitimacy. The 1972
constitution created a strong prime ministership, an independent
judiciary, and a unicameral legislature on a modified British model.
More importantly, it enunciated as state policy the Awami League's
four basic principles--nationalism, secularism, socialism, and
democracy.
The Awami League won a massive majority in the first
parliamentary elections in March 1973. It continued as a mass
movement, espousing the cause that brought Bangladesh into being
and representing disparate and often incoherent elements under the
banner of Bangla nationalism. No other political party in
Bangladesh's early years was able to duplicate or challenge its
broad-based appeal, membership, or organizational strength.
The new government focused on relief, rehabilitation, and
reconstruction of the country's war-ravaged economy and society.
Economic conditions remained tenuous, however, and food and health
difficulties continued to be endemic. In 1974, Mujib proclaimed a
state of emergency and amended the constitution to limit the
powers of the legislative and judicial branches, establish an
executive presidency, and institute a one-party system. Calling
these changes the "Second Revolution," Mujib assumed the
presidency. All political parties were dissolved except for a single
new party, the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL),
which all members of parliament were obliged to join.
Implementation of promised political reforms was slow, and Mujib
increasingly was criticized. In August 1975, he was assassinated by
mid-level army officers, and a new government, headed by a former
associate, Khandakar Moshtaque, was formed. Successive military
coups occurred on November 3 and 7, resulting in the emergence of
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ziaur Rahman (Zia), as strongman. He
pledged the army's support to the civilian government headed by the
president, Chief Justice Sayem. Acting at Zia's behest, Sayem then
promulgated martial law, naming himself Chief Martial Law
Administrator (CMLA).
Ziaur Rahman. Ziaur Rahman was elected for a 5-year term as
president in 1978. His government removed the remaining
restrictions on political parties and encouraged opposition parties
to participate in the pending parliamentary elections. More than 30
parties vied in the parliamentary elections of February 1979, but
Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won 207 of the 300 elected
seats.
In 1981, Zia was assassinated by dissident elements of the military.
Vice President Justice Abdus Sattar was constitutionally sworn in
as acting president. He declared a new national emergency and
called for elections within 6 months. Sattar was elected president
and won. Sattar was ineffective, however, and Army Chief of Staff,
Lt. Gen. H.M. Ershad assumed power in a bloodless coup in March
1982.
Hussain Mohammed Ershad. Like his predecessors, Ershad dissolved
parliament, declared martial law, assumed the position of CMLA,
suspended the constitution, and banned political activity. Ershad
reaffirmed Bangladesh's moderate, non-aligned foreign policy.
In December 1983, he assumed the presidency. Over the ensuing
months, Ershad sought a formula for elections while dealing with
potential threats to public order.
On January 1, 1986, full political rights, including the right to hold
large public rallies, were restored. At the same time, the Jatiyo
(People's) Party (JP), designed as Ershad's political vehicle for the
transition from martial law, was established. Ershad resigned as
chief of army staff, retired from military service, and was elected
president in October 1986. (Both the BNP and the AL refused to put
up an opposing candidate.)
In July 1987, the opposition parties united for the first time in
opposition to government policies. Ershad declared a state of
emergency in November, dissolved parliament in December, and
scheduled new parliamentary elections for March 1988.
All major opposition parties refused to participate. Ershad's party
won 251 of the 300 seats; three other political parties which did
participate, as well as a number of independent candidates, shared
the remaining seats. This parliament passed a large number of
legislative bills, including a controversial amendment making Islam
the state religion.
By mid-1990, opposition to Ershad's rule had escalated. November
and December 1990 were marked by general strikes, increased
campus protests, public rallies, and a general disintegration of law
and order. Ershad resigned in December 1990.
GOVERNMENT
On February 27, 1991, an interim government oversaw what may be
the most free and fair elections in the nation's history. The center-
right Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a plurality of seats and
formed a coalition government with the Islamic fundamentalist
party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
The new Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, was the widow of the
assassinated former president Ziaur Rahman. Before the death of
her husband in 1981, her participation in politics was minimal. She
joined the BNP in 1982 and became chairman of the party in 1984.
Besides presently serving as Prime Minister, she holds the Defense
and Establishment ministries.
In September 1991, the electorate approved changes to the
constitution, formally creating a parliamentary system and
returning governing power to the office of the prime minister, as in
Bangladesh's original constitution. In October 1991, members of
parliament elected a new head of state, President Abdur Rahman
Biswas.
Principal Government Officials
Prime Minister--Begum Khaleda ZiaPresident (head of state)--Abdur
Rahman BiswasForeign Minister--Mustafizur RahmanAmbassador to
the United States--Abul AhsanAmbassador to the United Nations--
Humayun Kabir
Bangladesh maintains an embassy in the United States at 2201
Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202-342-8372;
fax. 202-333-4971) and a consulate general at the Bangladesh
Mission to the United Nations, 821 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017
(tel. 212-867-3434; 212-972-4038).
ECONOMY
As one of the world's poorest and most densely populated countries,
Bangladesh struggles constantly to produce or import enough food
for its rapidly increasing population. An estimated 10-15% of the
population is at serious nutritional risk; the majority faces food
insecurity. Bangladesh's predominantly agricultural economy
depends heavily on an erratic monsoonal cycle, which leads to
periodic flooding and drought. Although improving, Bangladesh's
transportation, communications, and power systems are poorly
developed. Bangladesh has virtually no mineral resources except for
an estimated 17 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves
(which meets two-thirds of Bangladesh's commercial energy needs);
coal reserves estimated at 250 million metric tons in the
northwest; and estimated oil reserves of 7.5 million barrels. It has
a weak industrial base and a largely unskilled labor force.
At its founding in 1971, Bangladesh, with the help of massive
infusions of donor relief and development aid, slowly began to turn
its attention again to developing new industrial capacity and
rehabilitating its economy. The statist economic model adopted by
its early (Pakistani and Bangladeshi) leadership, however, including
the nationalization of the key jute industry, had resulted in
inefficiency and economic stagnation. Beginning in 1975, the
government gradually increased private sector participation in the
economy, including privatization of more than 30 state enterprises.
However, rapid population growth, inefficiency in the public sector,
and restricted natural resources and capital hindered development.
In the mid-1980s encouraging, if halting, signs of progress appeared.
Economic policies to encourage private enterprise and investment,
denationalize public industries (including jute, textiles, and
banking), reinstate budgetary discipline, and liberalize the import
regime were accelerated. In 1985, the government also began an
economic structural adjustment program with the International
Monetary Fund.
Economic reform efforts have continued under the Zia Government.
Inflation fell in 1992 to an estimated 5%--down from 8% in 1991.
Foreign exchange reserves ($1.5 billion in May 1992) are higher than
had been expected, because of improving export performance and
continued high levels of remittances from overseas workers. The
exchange rate has remained generally stable, although the taka was
devalued by about 8% in 1991 to compensate for the effect of
inflation. The new government has improved revenue collection by
means of a value-added tax.
On the other hand, privatization of public-sector industries
continues at a slow pace, due in part to worker unrest in affected
industries. The government also has proven unable to resist
demands for wage hikes in government-owned industries. Growth
has been slowed by an antiquated banking system which has impeded
access to capital, a serious problem in rural areas, where many
farmers have difficulty getting access to credit at reasonable rates.
Agriculture
Most Bangladeshis earn their livings directly or
indirectly from agriculture. Rice and jute are the primary crops;
wheat is assuming greater importance; and tea is grown in hilly
regions of the northeast. Bangladesh's fertile soil and normally
ample water supply yield three rice crops in many areas. Through
better flood control and irrigation measures, more intensive use of
fertilizers and high-yielding seed varieties, increased price
incentives, and improved distribution and rural credit networks,
Bangladesh's labor-intensive agricultural sector has achieved steady
increases in foodgrain production. Foodgrain production in 1992 was
about 20 million metric tons, a 5% increase over the previous year.
Rice is Bangladesh's principal crop, although yields per hectare are
among the lowest in Asia. While rice output rose 3.2% in 1992, much
recent growth in foodgrain output can be attributed to the irrigated
spring crop, which has increased steadily due to the greater
availability of fertilizer and irrigation equipment. Wheat production
also is expected to rise from 900,000 to about 1 million metric tons
in 1992. Jute, which historically has accounted for the bulk of
Bangladesh's export receipts, faces an uncertain future due to
competition from synthetic fiber substitutes. Fishing, especially
for shrimp, has become an increasingly important source of export
earnings.
Overpopulation and underemployment remain serious problems, and
finding alternative sources of employment for landless peasants is a
continuing challenge.
Industry
Although small, the industrial sector contributes
significantly to export receipts; it also provides employment and a
market for cash crops. Jute products--mainly burlap sacking and
carpet backing for export--and cotton textiles for domestic
consumption predominate. Since the early 1980s production of
ready-made garments for the US market has grown rapidly.
Bangladesh is the fifth largest supplier of cotton apparel to the
United States, and it has begun exporting to West European markets.
Breaking up ships for scrap, using methods that are highly labor
intensive, now meets most of Bangladesh's domestic steel needs.
Other industries include sugar, tea, leather goods, newsprint,
pharmaceuticals, and fertilizer production. The industrial (and
foreign exchange) impact of the discovery of modest reserves of oil
in 1986 remains to be assessed.
The government continues to court foreign investment. To this end,
the United States and Bangladesh signed a bilateral investment
treaty which took effect in 1989. Bangladesh also has established
an export processing zone (EPZ) in Chittagong and plans to create
additional zones. The government has offered special incentives and
simplified procedures for potential investors.
Aid and Trade
Since independence in 1971, Bangladesh has
received more than $22 billion in grant aid and loan commitments
from foreign donors, about $15 billion of which has been disbursed.
Major donors include the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank,
the UN Development Program, the United States, Japan, Saudi Arabia,
and a number of West European countries. As of 1991, the United
States had provided more than $3.3 billion in food and development
assistance. Food aid provides food, promotes production, and helps
stabilize prices. Other US programs target family planning and
health, agricultural development, and rural unemployment. In 1991,
the US forgave Bangladesh $293 million of development assistance
debt.
Bangladesh historically has run a large trade deficit, about $1.5
billion annually during the late 1980s. This was financed largely
through foreign assistance. The balance of payments swung into
surplus in 1990-91 because of increased exports of garments and
depressed domestic demand for imports. In recent years,
remittances from workers in the Middle East have been Bangladesh's
most important source of foreign exchange earnings. The US trade
balance with Bangladesh has been negative since 1986, due largely
to imports of ready-made garments. Jute carpet backing is the
other major US import. US exports to Bangladesh include wheat,
fertilizer, cotton, communications equipment, and aircraft and
medical supplies, some of which is financed by the US Agency for
International Development (USAID).
DEFENSE
The 100,000-member, 6-division army is organized along British
lines. It is supported by artillery, armor, and combat units. In
addition to traditional defense roles, the army has been called on to
provide support to civil authorities for internal security.
Recognition of economic and fiscal constraints has led to the
establishment of paramilitary and auxiliary forces. In addition to
7in-country military training, some advanced and technical training
is done abroad, including grant aid training in the United States.
China and Pakistan are major defense suppliers to Bangladesh.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Bangladesh pursues a moderate foreign policy, emphasizing
multinational diplomacy, especially at the United Nations.
Bangladesh was admitted to the United Nations in 1974 and served
on the Security Council in 1978. Dhaka actively participates in
international conferences, especially those dealing with population,
food, and development issues. In 1982-83, Bangladesh chaired the
"Group of 77," an informal association encompassing most of the
world's developing nations.
Since 1975, Bangladesh has sought close relations with other
Islamic states and friendly relations with the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In 1983, it hosted the foreign
ministers meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC). It contributed 2,300 troops to the Gulf war coalition in 1991
and has taken a leading role in the Group of 42 Least Developed
Countries.
Other Nations
India.
India is Bangladesh's most
important neighbor; geographic, cultural, historic, and commercial
ties are strong. During and immediately after the Bangladesh
independence struggle in 1971, India supported the East Bengali
nationalists, assisted refugees from East Pakistan, intervened
militarily to help bring about the independence of Bangladesh, and
furnished relief and reconstruction aid.
Indo-Bangladesh relations have not been without strains. Long-
standing transborder water resource issues are contentious issues,
particularly control of river flooding and the equitable division of
dry-season water on which both countries' economies depend. A
bilateral water-sharing agreement for the Ganges River lapsed in
1988 and has not been renewed. Both nations have, however, begun
to cooperate on the issue of flood warning and preparedness.
Discussions on the return to Bangladesh of tribal refugees, who fled
into India beginning in 1986 to escape violence caused by an
insurgency in their homeland in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, continue
as well.
Pakistan.
Bangladesh enjoys warm relations with Pakistan,
despite the inauspicious early days of their relationship. Landmarks
in their reconciliation are:
-- An August 1973 agreement between India and Pakistan on
repatriation, including 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war stranded
in 1971;-- A February 1974 accord by Dhaka and Islamabad on
mutual recognition (followed more than 2 years later by
establishment of formal diplomatic relations);-- The organization
by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees of an airlift that moved
almost 250,000 Bengalis from Pakistan to Bangladesh and non-
Bengalis from Bangladesh to Pakistan; and-- Exchanges of high-
level visits, including a visit by the former Prime Minister of
Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, to Bangladesh in 1989 and a visit by Prime
Minister Zia to Pakistan in 1992.
Still to be resolved are the division of assets from the pre-1971
period and the status of more than 250,000 non-Bengali Muslims
(known as "Biharis" or "stranded Pakistanis") remaining in
Bangladesh but seeking resettlement in Pakistan.
Other South Asian Countries.
Bangladesh maintains
friendly relations with Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It
strongly opposed the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Dhaka played
an instrumental role in the establishment of SAARC, and at the
Bangalore summit in November 1986, Abul Ahsan, now Ambassador
to the US, was chosen the organization's first Secretary General.
Bilateral ties with Burma are also good, despite border strains near
the Chittagong Hill tracts and a recent influx of over 270,000
Muslim refugees from predominantly Buddhist Burma.
Russia.
The former Soviet Union supported India's actions
during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war and was among the first to
recognize Bangladesh. Moscow initially contributed considerable
relief and rehabilitation aid to the new nation. After Sheikh Mujib
was assassinated and replaced by military regimes, however,
Soviet-Bangladesh relations cooled. In 1989, the USSR ranked 14th
among total aid donors to Bangladesh. The Soviet-financed Ghorasal
thermal power station is Bangladesh's largest electric power
station. Several barter trade agreements have been allowed to lapse
since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Bangladesh
cautiously began to open diplomatic relations with the Central Asian
states in the spring of 1992. China.
China traditionally has
been more important to Bangladesh than the former USSR. Since
China recognized Bangladesh in 1975, relations have centered on
trade, cultural activities, military and civilian aid, and exchanges of
high-level visits, beginning in January 1977 with President Zia's
trip to Beijing. The largest and most visible symbol of bilateral
amity is the Bangladesh-China "Friendship Bridge" completed in
1989, near Dhaka.
US-BANGLADESH RELATIONS
Although the US relationship with Bangladesh was initially
constrained due to strong US ties with Pakistan, US-Bangladesh
friendship and support developed quickly. Currently, US-Bangladesh
relations are excellent, as demonstrated by the visits to Washington
in August 1980 by President Zia, in 1983, 1988, and 1990 by
President Ershad, and in May 1992 by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. US
policies have focused primarily on efforts to promote Bangladesh's
economic development and the strength of its democratic
institutions.
This US economic aid program totaled about $133 million in 1992
(1972-91 the US provided more than $3.3 billion). In addition to
symbolizing long-standing American humanitarian concern for the
people of Bangladesh, US economic and food aid programs, which
began as emergency relief following the 1971 war, now concentrate
on long-term development. Objectives of US assistance include
increasing agricultural production, providing new employment
opportunities, and helping reduce population growth.
Relations between Bangladesh and the United States were further
strengthened by the participation of Bangladeshi troops in the Gulf
war coalition, and the assistance of a US naval task force is
credited with having saved as many as 200,000 lives after a
disastrous cyclone in March 1991.
Principal US Officials
Ambassador--William B. Milam
Deputy Chief of Mission--Lee O. Coldren
Political Counselor--Jeffrey J. Lunstead
Economic/Commercial Counselor--Philip Carter
Administrative Counselor--Allan V. Ellsbury
Consular Officer--Edward J. Wehrli
AID Director--Mary Kilgour
Public Affairs Officer--Michael Korff
Defense Attache--LTC Steven R. Robinson
Agricultural Attache--Daniel Conable (Resident in New Delhi)
The embassy and the USAID mission, are located in the Diplomatic
Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara, GPO Box 323, Dhaka (tel. 011-
880-2-884700, telex 642319 AEDKA BJ, telefax 011-880-2-
883744; the USAID telefax number is 011-880-2-883648). The
official workweek is Sunday through Thursday.
TRAVEL NOTES
Customs and immigration:
US tourists do not need visas
for stays of up to 14 days if they have an onward ticket. Visas are
required for longer visits and for business travelers.
Climate and clothing:
Wear lightweight clothing for most
of the hot, wet period; medium weight clothing for the short winter
(Dec.-Feb.).
Health:
Health and visa requirements change; check latest
information before traveling. Basic medical facilities are available
in Dhaka. Pharmacies can fill simple prescriptions. Tetanus,
typhoid, and polio immunizations are recommended; malaria
suppressants for travel outside of Dhaka are also recommended.
Telecommunications:
Internal and external telephone,
telegraph, telex, and mail services are available. Direct-dialing is
possible to Western Europe and the United States. Bangladesh is 11
hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
Transportation:
International and domestic airline
service is adequate, and railroad service is limited. Road transport
is crowded but adequate to most major cities; river transport is
extensive.
HOW TO ORDER BACKGROUND NOTES IN PAPER
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of
Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC
December 1992 -- Editor: Josephine C. Brooks -- Managing Editor:
Peter Knecht
Department of State Publication 8698 -- Background Notes Series --
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