From: sahmed@occs.cs.oberlin.edu (Saif Ahmed)
Subject: Bangladesh and the world Bank. (News items)
Organization: Oberlin College Computer Science
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 23:50:39 GMT
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                              Agence France Presse

                               November  16, 1992


HEADLINE: World Bank chief visits bridge project site

DATELINE: DHAKA

 BODY:
    World Bank President Lewis Preston flew to northern Bangladesh on
Monday to see the site of the country's planned half-billion-dollar
bridge over the Jamuna river, the official BSS news agency reported.

    Preston, on the second day of his three-day Bangladesh trip,
visited the east end of the planned bridge as Communication Minister
Oli Ahmed and senior government officials explained its importance in
Bangladesh's socio-economic context.

    The 4.8 kilometre (three mile) long and 18.9 metre (62 foot) wide
bridge linking the developed eastern region with underdeveloped
western Bangladesh by road and railway is to cost 560 million dollars.

    The project, to be funded by the World Bank, Japan and the Asian
Development Bank, is to be completed by 1997, officials said, adding
that a meeting of the co-financers to firm up funding is to be held
shortly.

    The Bangladesh government had already mobilised 100 million
dollars through a domestic levy, Ahmed told Preston, adding that the
whole nation was united to see the bridge built.

    Earlier press reports had indicated that World Bank had some
reservations on the project and that it had sought details on the
costs and justification of including a railway line on the bridge. BSS
did not say if Preston had made any comment during Monday's project
trip.

    The World Bank chief, who met Bangladesh Finance Minister Saifur
Rahman shortly after arrival from India, was to hold a series of
meetings with government ministers and officials late Monday and early
Tuesday.

    He will call on Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and give a press
conference late Tuesday before ending the visit, his first since
becoming head of the Washington-based bank a year ago.

    His arrival Sunday was marked by protests by several local woman,
student and professional groups who criticised the World Bank for
alleged economic interference in Third World countries.

    Some 100 women held a rally near the downtown local office of the
World Bank carrying banners and shouting slogans against the bank and
Preston.

    Several small local groups including Citizen's Response to the
World Bank, grouping left-wing trade union leaders and professionals,
also threatened to hold similar protests during the visit.

    Citizen's Response accused the World Bank of imposing "deadly
strict conditions as a typical money lender" on developing countries.
Since 1972, the bank has committed more than 5.6 billion dollars of
economic assistance to Bangladesh.

                       Copyright 1992 Reuters, Limited
                           The Reuter Library Report

                      November 16, 1992, Monday, BC cycle

HEADLINE: DHAKA URGES WORLD BANK TO RELEASE AID FUNDS

DATELINE: DHAKA, Nov 16

 BODY:
    Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries, has urged the
World Bank to release suspended credit worth millions of dollars to
help avert an economic collapse, officials said on Monday.

   ''We will be choked to death if the suspended funds are not
released forthwith,'' Finance Minister Saifur Rahman told World Bank
chief Lewis Preston during a meeting on Sunday.

   He said the worst hit was the energy sector, which had virtually
come to standstill as a result of the suspension of $300 million in
promised credit.

   ''If the energy sector is crippled, this will automatically bring
all the development projects to a complete halt,'' Rahman told
Preston.

   Preston arrived on a three-day visit to Bangladesh on Sunday to
demonstrations against the World Bank's call for more privatisation of
industry.

   Officials said he would meet Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia on
Monday evening to discuss Bangladesh's future aid plans and review
development projects.

   The bank also suspended $200 million credit for industries and $150
million for the agricultural sector.

   It said it would not disburse funds unless Dhaka took steps to
discipline its private sector, curb losses in factories and lay off
excess workers in state-owned factories.

   Hundreds of workers staged protests in Dhaka over the weekend
denouncing the bank's recommendations. They said the credit suspension
would ruin the economy and raise unemployment.

   In a recent report, the bank lauded Bangladesh's economic
performance, saying it was trying to stimulate the private sector by
lowering interest rates and easing imports.

    Bangladesh has liberalised its industrial policy, allowing shares
of government-owned industries to be sold to entrepreneurs, the report
said.

   It also decided to permit foreigners to invest through the stock
exchange and allow full ownership of companies in any part of the
country.

   Preston on Monday flew to the site of a proposed $525 million
multi-purpose bridge across the river Jamuna which will link the
Bangladesh capital with the north.

   Officials said the World Bank had earlier hinted it might offer
$150 million after Bangladesh requested $200 million in aid to finance
the bridge project.

    Bangladesh receives over $2 billion in annual aid from overseas
donors, including $400 million from the World Bank.


                    The Xinhua General Overseas News Service

                          Xinhua General News Service

HEADLINE: world bank urged to assist bangladesh's energy sector

DATELINE: dhaka, november 16; ITEM NO: 1116073

   a senior bangladesh official said his government's reform program
would be disrupted if the promised world bank energy sector credit of
300 million u.s.  dollars did not be disbursed on time.  bangladesh
finance minister saifur rahman made this call when the visiting world
bank (wb) president lewis t.  preston who arrived here on a three-day
official visit, met him here sunday evening, reports said.  during
their meeting rahman gave a detailed account of the policies and
reforms and said, "we have initiated massive reform programs to bring
about drastic changes", bangladesh economy is now picking up gradually
as a result of the policy changes.  the export earnings of the country
had increased by 12 percent during the first four months
(july-october) of the current fiscal 1992-93, compared with the
corresponding period of the last fiscal year. while imports also
picked up by 26 percent.  the monetary situation of the country was
now excellent and that the rate of inflation was only 4.5 percent, the
finance minister told the wb chief.  the wb chief lauded the very
efficient macro-economic management of the present government, and
praised the efforts of the government in mobilizing successfully
higher domestic resources and tightening the belt.  the cumulative
bank group commitments to bangladesh so far totalled 5.6 billion u.s.
dollars, the bank approved 129 credits and one loan since 1972, which
accounted approximately one quarter of the total external aids
committed to the country.

                          Xinhua General News Service

                           NOVEMBER 15, 1992, SUNDAY


HEADLINE: world bank policy towards bangladesh criticized

DATELINE: dhaka, november 15; ITEM NO: 1115107

 BODY:
    bangladesh politicians, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, social
workers and students strongly criticized the world bank's policy
towards their country on the eve of arrival of the world bank chief in
the country.  at a seminar on "world bank and bangladesh" held here
saturday, speakers termed the world bank as an "imperialist agency",
and it was politically influencing the government

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| | Saifuddin Ahmed                                                        |
| | sahmed@occs.cs.oberlin.edu                                             |
| |________________________________________________________________________/
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.bangladesh