DHAKA: A 100-year-old boat market in Bangladesh’s Manikganj district has become the only resort for thousands of villagers looking to purchase a boat ahead of the monsoon season.
The vessels serve as the only medium of travel for more than one million residents of Manikganj and adjacent districts.
Every Wednesday, hundreds of people from Manikganj, Tangail, Sirajganj, Faridpur and Dhaka fill the market, located along the banks of the Dhaleswari river.
“The boat market remains open for five months during the monsoon season. I have been visiting this market since my early childhood with my father,” Jagadish Chandra Sarker, a 70-year-old tea vendor, told Arab News.
“On market days, the traders remain busy throughout the day,” Sarker added.
Bangladesh is surrounded by the Padma, Jamuna, Dhaleswari, Ichhamati and Kaliganga rivers, a resource which becomes problematic during the monsoon season when floodwaters inundate the low-lying villages of the country, disrupting life and communication for thousands of villagers.
Every family is compelled to purchase at least one boat.
“This boat market has earned a huge goodwill for its craftsmanship. Even traders from some adjacent districts like Tangail, Sirajganj and Saver visit regularly,” Gouranga Kumar Ghosh, the operator of the market, said.
On any given day, traders sell around 100 boats, Ghosh added.
The average length of the boats is between 15 and 20 feet, while the prices varies from $25 to $100, depending on the quality and size of the vessel.
“On average, our boats last for two seasons. But they serve more if properly coated with coal tar," Abdul Halim, a market trader, told Arab News.
Like Halim, other traders manufacture boats at stations in their homes, which they then deliver to the market through trucks, rickshaw vans or horse carts.
It takes a day for a carpenter to make a small boat, Halim said.
“With this seasonal boat trading, I earn a handsome amount during the monsoons. On an average, I earn around $200 per month from boat trading,” Halim said.
“I bought a new boat for my family for $35. It seemed that the price is little higher than the previous year,” Abdur Rahman, a 47-year-old buyer from Shibpur, Manikganj told said.
Solaiman Sheikh, 37, another buyer from the Savar district said he was happy with his latest purchase.
“I have been visiting this boat market once a year for the past nine years. Since, during monsoons, I have no other choice for commuting except by boat, I prefer a new boat every year. Safety is the first concern as my little boys also travel with me,” Sheikh said.
Monsoon threat forces Bangladeshis to flood traditional boat market
Monsoon threat forces Bangladeshis to flood traditional boat market
- Bangladesh is surrounded by the Padma, Jamuna, Dhaleswari, Ichhamati and Kaliganga rivers, a resource which becomes problematic during the monsoon season
- The average length of the boats is between 15 and 20 feet, while the prices varies from $25 to $100, depending on the quality and size of the vessel
Thai and Cambodian top diplomats meet in China to solidify ceasefire
- The ceasefire agreement comes with a 72-hour observation period, at the end of which Thailand agreed to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers it has held as prisoners since earlier fighting in July
BEIJING: Top diplomats from Thailand and Cambodia kicked off two days of talks in China on Sunday as Beijing seeks to strengthen its role in mediating the two countries’ border dispute, a day after they signed a new ceasefire.
The ceasefire agreement signed on Saturday calls for a halt to weeks of fighting along their contested border that has killed more than 100 people and displaced over half a million in both countries.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn were set to meet in China’s southwestern Yunnan province for talks mediated by their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
The talks aim to ensure a sustained ceasefire and promote lasting peace between the countries, according to a statement by Sihasak’s office.
Wang was scheduled to join both bilateral meetings with each of the diplomats and a trilateral talk on Monday.
China has welcomed the ceasefire announcement, which freezes the front lines and allows for displaced civilians to return to their homes near the border.
“China stands ready to continue to provide (the) platform and create conditions for Cambodia and Thailand to have fuller and more detailed communication,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement read.
The ceasefire agreement comes with a 72-hour observation period, at the end of which Thailand agreed to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers it has held as prisoners since earlier fighting in July. Their release has been a major demand of the Cambodian side.
China has sought to position itself as a mediator in the crisis, along with the United States and Malaysia.
A July ceasefire was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from US President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed.
Despite those deals, Thailand and Cambodia carried on a bitter propaganda war, and minor cross-border violence continued, erupting into heavy fighting in early December.
Prak Sokhonn, in a statement after his meeting with Wang, expressed deep appreciation for China’s “vital role” in supporting the ceasefire.
China also announced 20 million yuan ($2.8 million) of emergency humanitarian aid for Cambodia to assist the displaced.
The first batch of Chinese aid, including food, tents and blankets, arrived in Cambodia on Sunday, Wang Wenbin, Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, wrote on Facebook.
Sihasak said Sunday he hoped the meetings would convey to China that it should both support a sustainable ceasefire and send a signal to Cambodia against reviving the conflict or attempting to create further ones.
“Thailand does not see China merely as a mediator in our conflict with Cambodia but wants China to play a constructive role in ensuring a sustainable ceasefire by sending such signals to Cambodia as well,” he said.
