Armed Force Reforms
Reforms in the armed forces and resetting civil military relations is a priority for the Bangladesh government given past experience of take over by the Army from time to time as well as suggestions that the army was behind emergency imposed in the country in 2007. At the same time the BDR mutiny has added another challenge even as the government is facing problems from growth of fundamentalism and terrorism which has led to a diverse role for the Army. The Army using its background in conventional forces capacity is now contributing heavily to UN missions, thereby ensuring that its professional capacity is retained. The Prime Minister in a function in the capital highlighted some of the initiatives of the Awami League government for betterment of the forces from to time as follows:-
· Introducing rice instead of bread in day-time meal for soldiers and treatment facilities for their parents and family members irrespective of their ranks.
· 500-bed hospital along with the Armed Forces Medical College to ensure medical facilities for family members of the armed forces likely to be taken up.
· Equalising ration for the army with the air forces and the navy and increasing daily allowance of the JCOs and other ranks for their temporary duties to Tk 20 from Tk 9 for their duty of aid to civil power as well as LPR duration and financial benefit from four months to six months for JCOs and other ranks.
· Steps have also been taken to provide collateral-free loan to soldiers from the Trust Bank so that they can refurbish their houses during their two months annual leave
· Government was contemplating increasing housing facilities within cantonment area.
· Government had introduced low-cost and free telephone facilities for the Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers so they could easily talk to their family members from abroad.
AUG 2010
| 
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Y! MyWeb