Mokammel Shuvo

Only 2,000 visitors allowed per day as island reopens for two months

The tourist season in St Martin’s Island began yesterday with three cruise ships carrying 1,174 passengers from Cox’s Bazar’s Nuniachhara BIWTA jetty to the coral island.

Despite the government’s decision to allow overnight stays on Saint Martin’s Island from December, cruise ship operators and resort owners say bookings have been far below expectations for the first half of the month.

Near the Burmese School in Cox’s Bazar town, several vendors from indigenous communities, most of them women, were seen on both sides of the road in a simple, modest market setup.

An unfinished bridge over the nine-kilometre Jowari Canal has left nearly 50,000 residents of Varuakhali union in Cox’s Bazar Sadar struggling to cross the area for almost five years.

Groundwater levels are depleting rapidly across almost all upazilas in Cox’s Bazar, raising fears of an acute water crisis in the near future.

A Border Guard Bangladesh soldier died after being injured in a landmine explosion, allegedly planted by the Arakan Army along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, the latest in a series of incidents that have endangered security personnel and civilians.

Bangladesh’s only coral island, Saint Martin’s, officially reopened to tourists yesterday, but not a single ship departed as operators suspended services, citing a government ban on overnight stays.

Tourist ship services suspended over govt’s ban on overnight stays

While the government will allow tourists to visit, no one will be permitted to stay overnight in November

Shrimp fry produced in Cox's Bazar supply the farms of Khulna, Satkhira, and Bagerhat

Inside a small classroom in Cox’s Bazar’s Burmese Market area, a group of 12 to 15 Rakhine children sit together, learning in a setting unlike regular schools.

From the beaches of Cox’s Bazar and Kuakata to the hill slopes of Sajek Valley and the wetlands of Sylhet, Bangladesh’s major tourist destinations are expanding without proper planning or regulation..Makeshift shops, unauthorised hotels, risky embankments, and unregulated boating threaten

There was hardly any space to step foot at Sugandha Beach in Cox's Bazar yesterday as it was packed with holidaymakers. Some played in the sand, some dived into the sea, while others enjoyed horse riding or jet-ski rides. Smiles and joy were visible on every face as a light drizzle added to the thrill.

The upgrade of Cox’s Bazar airfield to an international airport has been delayed by about a week as it awaits government approval.

The intensive care unit at the 250-bed Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital is now running at limited capacity due to strained funding and shortage of manpower.

Essential goods like rice, fertiliser, and medicines are being quietly smuggled into Myanmar by a syndicate working with the Arakan Army (AA). In return, yaba, crystal meth, and other narcotics pour into Bangladesh, according to BGB and home ministry sources.

Rip currents and shifting sand channels have made three of Cox's Bazar's most popular beach zones -- Kolatoli, Sughandha and Laboni -- increasingly treacherous for tourists.

Many people are yet to taste hilsa this season because of exorbitant prices, while the peak period for catching the national fish draws to a close. Fishermen in the Bay of Bengal say this year’s hauls are far smaller than last year’s.

With the launch of train services between Cox’s Bazar and Dhaka, tourism has entered a new era. At the same time, yaba traffickers have become increasingly active, choosing trains as a mode of transport.