Bangladesh Navy (Thief): A junkyard of Chinese navy but a business entity of Bangladesh military

The Bangladesh Navy has the wider commercial and financial interests in the country, and is a forerunner of the Khulna Shipyard, Dockyard and Engineering Works Limited and Chittagong Dry Dock, the Navy was a major sponsor of the coal transportation business of the powerplant, bridal event management, matrimony business – the real estate enterprise– and reportedly received market shares for the use of its name in commercial building projects. The Navy gained control of Chittagong Dry Dock to produce and repair commercial ships is known to Bangladeshi media.

Mrs Afroza Aurangzeb, Wife of Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhery, CNS Bangladesh Navy is accepting lavish gifts from other Naval officer’s wives.

Read More Bangladesh Military: as inept as it is corrupt

Business Entity of Bangladesh Navy

The Navy and Air Force have sought permission from the Bangladesh government to start commercial bank. In a letter to the prime minister, Navy chief Vice Admiral Muhammad Farid Habib has asked for clearance for the proposed Maritime Bank Ltd. Habib said this would ‘further facilitate’ financial services for those serving the Navy and the Air Force.

Ordinary citizens took the matter in their hands when a Bangladesh Navy’s officer attempted to steal an iPhone from a shop. A mob beat a Bangladesh Navy officer Lieutenant Wasim Ahmed. Photo courtesy, the Sun newspaper.

The Navy wants to operate the bank through its commercial arm Nou Kalyan Foundation. It says the Air Force has ‘agreed’ to be a partner in the venture.It also said that they would file a formal proposal to the Bangladesh Bank after getting the prime minister’s permission on the matter.

The finance ministry said they were aware about the navy chief’s initiative.“I am aware about the proposal, but I don’t know whether any decision has been reached on it,” Secretary to the Banking and Financial Institutes Division M Aslam Alam told GDC. The Vice Admiral said in his letter said that his force had a strength of 22,000 whose banking needs had grown.“

The Navy is dealing with public and private funds more than ever before. The number of vessels serving for the UN peacekeeping mission has also increased,” the letter to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh says.

Bangladesh Navy now uses different commercial banks to handle financial matters, the navy chief wrote, adding that a separate bank would make things easy and save public funds.

The bank aims to invest in large projects in the maritime and aviation sector, especially export-import, shipbuilding and aviation, ports and in the blue economy.“Feasibility study by a well-known consulting agency says the bank would be able to play an important role in the country’s economic development process,” Vice Admiral Habib wrote.

Maj Gen. Md Nazim Uddin, Director General of Ansar-VDP, Mohammad Shams-Ul-Islam, Managing Director of Ansar-VDP Development Bank and Dr Sahadat Khan, CEO of SureCash are seen at an agreement signing ceremony in the city recently. Ansar-VDP BanK

Vice Admiral Habib sought the prime minister’s intervention to instruct the finance ministry and the central bank to clear their initiative.

Vice Chairman of Trust Bank Limited and Adjutant General of Bangladesh Army Major General Ashraf Abdullah Yussuf inaugurating the bank’s branch at 7/2 Khan Jahan Ali road, Bagerhat recently in presence of local elite persons, business men and bank officials. Managing Director and CEO of the bank Ishtiaque Ahmed Chowdhury was present on the occasion.

Bangladesh Army’s commercial arm, Sena Kalyan Foundation currently operates the Trust Bank Ltd.The Ansar-VDP Unnayan Bank, a specialised bank, operates for the Bangladesh Ansar and VDP, is owned by the government.

The Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) also sought the government’s clearance for a bank of its own.

MV Nou Kollan 1 and sister ship MV Nou Kollan 2 are operated in Bangladesh to transport coal in various coal-fired powerplant in Bangladesh

For external billets appointment, the Bangladeshi government takes the senior leadership of the Navy as a secondment to manage the naval institutions such as the Chittagong and Khulna Ports and port authority.

Anti-corruption Education

Due to high corruption activities within Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Government has sent Navy officers to Putrajaya Malaysia to participant in anti-corruption education programs, among the Navy’s participated the Royal Malaysian Navy, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Royal Malaysian Police Marine Police Division, Bangladesh Navy, Indonesian Navy and Lubnan Navy visited the MACC Headquarters in a bid to avoid corruption and bribery offered by Rosoboronexport, UAC, Rostec, Norinco and Chinese Naval Shipbuilding Companies.

Corruption Education Slide Deck presented by anti-corruption watchdog

The visit was also a collaborative effort between Navy KD Sultan Idris I and MACC via Lt. Kdr. Ezrinorsyah bin Md Shah as the course coordinator and lead delegation. 

Due to high corruption activities, Bangladesh Navy officers were sent to anti-corruption education sessions.

The group was first given a safety briefing, before visiting the exhibition gallery and MACC courtyard. 

Next, a slot featuring a talk entitled “Integrity and Corruption Prevention” was delivered by Mr. Jayantha Kumar. 

Bribing overseas military officials have become a norm for Chinese defense Industries. Chinese President Xi’s pledge to crack down on “tigers and flies” — a slang phrase to refer to powerful officials embezzling millions of dollars to local civil servants and military contractors indulging in expensive banquets — has reportedly snared more than 1.5 million government officials over the past five years.

Punishment for Misappropriation

Every person subject to this Ordinance who commits any of the following offences, that is to say-    (a) commits theft of any property belonging to the Government, or to any service mess, band or institution or to any person subject to service law, or serving with or attached to the navy;  (b) dishonestly misappropriates or converts to his own use any such property;    (c) commits criminal breach of trust in respect of any such property;    (d) dishonestly receives or retains any such property in respect of which any of the offences under clauses (a), (b) and (c) has been committed, knowing or having reason to believe the commission of such offence;

Chapter 63 of Naval Ordnance 1961 under Bangladeshi law recommended long imprisonment of Naval officers who has committed above crimes.

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Bangladesh Navy is dangerously incompetent, corrupt and ill-equipped

Why the Bangladesh Navy has failed to restore public confidence that it can defend the territorial sovereignty of Bangladesh. How does one explain these failures? There can be many explanations. However, if there is an overriding message from these debacles, it is that the military is ill-equipped to defend the state because it has captured much of the bedrock of the state to which it is unaccountable.

Rohingya Refugees in Cox Bazar (Source BD News 24)

Read More Bangladesh Military: as inept as it is corrupt

Some leading Bangladeshi figures in business has admitted that military-owned businesses are virtually indistinguishable from other commercial enterprises in the way they operate. The irony is that military business interests have thrived more under the civilian rule than under the martial law regime of General Hossain Mohammad Ershad.

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Transocean Offshore Drilling Rig escorted by Myanmar Navy Ships spotted within Bangladeshi EEZ (Source The Daily Star)

Bangladesh Navy spent almost US $203 million dollars to buy obsolete type 035G submarine from China where Myanmar Navy has inducted modernised Kilo-class submarine from India.

Bangladesh Navy currently has no meaningful anti-submarine warfare capability. Bangladesh Navy so far procured second-hand type 053H obsolete Chinese ships.

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Type 035G, an obsolete submarine of Bangladesh Navy

The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation is the national flag carrier and a state-owned mega corporation under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh for Maritime Affairs. The Corporation’s head office is located in Dhaka. The Chairman of BSC is appointed by the government and is usually a three-star naval officer.

Read More Bangladesh Air Force: A Band of Morons

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Navy procured second hand and refurbished Chinese Navy’s ships. When the Chinese Navy cannot operate or intend to scrap the ships, they transfer and sale the ships to Bangladesh Navy.

Read More Bangladesh airspace can belong to anyone who wants it

Bangladesh Navy continues to procure Chinese refurbished ships and siphoned billions of dollar to coal transportation business.

A coal-laden lighter vessel operated by Bangladesh Navy capsized near the Sangu Gas Field in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh Noujan  Sramik Federation joint secretary Md Khorshed Alam said that fishing boats rescued the crew and sent them to another ship, MV AL Namera-8.

Read More Contested Skies: BAF’s uncertain Future

Bangladesh Navy’s coal transportation business is also responsible for many catastrophic ecological disasters in the Bay of Bengal and Sundarban, a mangrove forest in the Bangladeshi coast.

Bangladesh Navy operates MV Nou Kollan 1 and MV Nou Kollan 2 transportation ships and leased many coal transportation ships to operate in Bangladesh.  

Type 053H Obsolete ship of Chinese Navy, refurbished and transferred to Bangladesh Navy

The BN currently operates four frigates; an elderly Type 053H1 (Jianghu II)-class ship acquired from China in 1989, and two former PLAN Type 053H2 (Jianghu III)-class vessels transferred from China in 2014. It also operates two larger, 3,250-ton former US Coastguard Hamilton-class cutters, each armed with a 76 mm Oto Melara gun, acquired in 2013 and 2015.

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