The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a discussion meeting on Sunday demanded of the government to raise an Army Corps exclusively for disaster management.

They also demanded of the international development partners to waive all foreign loans and compensate Bangladesh for all devastating natural disasters including Sidr.

Coalition for Local NGOs Bangladesh (CLNB) organised the meeting on 'Role of Large NGOs of Bangladesh, International NGOs and Multinational Lending Agencies' at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity.

Speakers blamed the developed countries including the US that those countries emit Carbon-di-Oxide most, which is one of the main causes of climate change, on the other hand the LDCs including Bangladesh expel only 001 per cent of the toxic gas.

They also blamed the donor agencies that they had promised to help the country in disaster situation but they did not meet their promises by imposing hard conditions.

The speakers also urged the local NGOs to waive all farm loans and micro credit loans and interest of all industrial loans in the Sidr hit areas.

They said blaming the local NGOs that in the name of help the NGOs were busy to realise instalments of micro credit loans, which made the life of the victims miserable after a devastating cyclone.

They urged the government to strengthen the Red Crescent Movement and train people in disaster management in educational institutions, mosques, temples and churches and raise funds to cope with the disasters.

The coalition would organise a Sidr conference on April 29 and 30, 2008 in Dhaka. Chairman of CLNB Harun-ur-Rashid presided over the meeting. Subal Sarkar presented keynote paper while Fayez Hossain, leader of Shadhinata Party, Rafiqul Islam Pathik garment workers leader spoke at the meeting.