Powerful cyclone batters Bangladesh, thousands flee

A powerful cyclone battered the coast of Bangladesh on Thursday with strong winds, surging waves and heavy rain, forcing hundreds of thousands of villagers to seek shelter in the low-lying nation. via WAVE-TV Louisville

[ahmed]

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN (important)

Assalamu Alaikhum. I’m very sorry for the flood victims. We’re blessed here in Ramu. Aid workers and NGOs in Barghona, Potuakhali, Bagherhat, etc. claim that the aid is reaching to the 15th-16th Nov 2007 cyclone victims but, practically when you talk to the victims, it’s completely different picture. Now you can see how’s going on in Barghona after these days, the natives are not getting rice or other help they desperately need to survive! Chairman is arrested so, justice will be done. This time suppose to be the most organised structure of distributing governmental and non-governmental aid but, fraud is everywhere. These are national enemies and I hope justice will also be done for those who are above the law and still at large.

We suffered a lot in 1970’s cyclone and then again in 1990’s. Our little rice growing land was salted so, my father moved to a higher ground. My father said I lost my eldest brother in that disaster. Yesterday, my father told me one case about a person who made fortune out of those donations given by friendly countries and the Bangladesh Government. He’s Mr. Mostofiz Rahman from Cox’s Bazar who’s a billionaire now. My father also said Mr. Rahman transferred some of the things to Tekhnaf to sell and also sold the things in different parts in this country all the flood victim aid destined for Cox’s Bazar in 1970’s cyclone when some hundred thousands died by the disaster. This is only one case out of several cases, my dad told me about Mr. Rahman. In fact, my father rented him one of the boats he needed for transport donated goods. My father even didn’t get a longi. These are shocking stories! I hate this gentleman.

Mr. Rahman filed a case about that robbery that he was pirated and robbed. This was not true according to my dad instead Mr. Rahman grabbed all. It was his master plan piracy. He made fortune out of it. He owns Hotel Niribili, factories, land, more land, fisheries, hatcheries, etc. etc. you name it. He’s now probably one of the 10 richest persons in Bangladesh. Look at his sons and daughter-in-law, they’re all multi-millionaires. All kinds of government contracts they take (like constructions, building embankments, relief distribution, etc.), their pockets are overflowing with money and at the end of the day, the end users or consumers or the needy get nothing. So floods or cyclones are very good and welcome news for those suckers. They’re only a few percentages of persons hold the vast acres of land but if you go and verify about their assets you find they have different owners! In the last few months, government wanted to tighten about this but, they slackened lately so, justice is not done, one step forward and two steps backward.

This time at these unfortunate circumstances, we’re getting an unanticipated bigger help than before. I hope and pray that this time will be better organized distribution of aid to the needy. My father is very quiet person and doesn’t know how to read and write. I’m sure he’ll not be happy if he comes to know what I’m writing but we’ve generations gap! If Mr. Rahman comes to know about this, he’ll attempt to clean my dad and us by hiring someone. We can not continue with the same old tyrannical traditions.

Ahmed, Ramu. 28th November, 2008

[tweetie]

i feel very sad i allmost started to cry of the devestation those poor people had to go through my heart goes out to those whos family members died in the cyclon and so should yours