Mong Sing Hai Marma

Farmers along the banks of the Sangu river in Bandarban’s Thanchi upazila are gradually moving away from tobacco cultivation, turning instead to green, environment-friendly crops in a shift that is improving livelihoods while easing pressure on forests and fragile hill ecosystems.

Despite government restrictions, a clear High Court directive, and repeated raids by the district administration and the Department of Environment, furnaces of illegal brick kilns in Bandarban flare back to life soon after enforcement teams leave after conducting drives.

Nearly 60 sawmills across the seven upazilas of Bandarban have been operating without any environmental clearance from the Department of Environment, according to the official record of DoE.

The Parbatya Zila Parishad Gold Cup Football Tournament 2025 is set to kick off today at the Bandarban District Stadium, a venue that is in urgent need of repairs after years of neglect.

Farmers in the hilly areas under the Chimbuk range in Bandarban are gradually shifting from traditional jhum cultivation to coffee farming, driven by better market prospects and higher returns.

A 15-day craft and cottage industry fair is being organised on the playground of Mro Residential High School in Suwalak union under Bandarban Sadar upazila without permission from the school authorities and at a time when students’ annual examinations are underway.

Four decades after its inception in 1984, Bandarban municipality still has no permanent waste management facility.

In the Galengya union of Ruma upazila, Bandarban, allegations have emerged that bricks from an abandoned government primary school are being used in the construction of a new Buddhist monastery.

Just a few years ago, jhum farming defined the landscape of Chimbuk’s hillside areas of Sualok and Tongbati in Bandarban Sadar upazila. Farmers cleared forest patches, burned undergrowth, and planted rice, maize, or spices. After harvest, the land would be left fallow for years to recover its fertility.

The state must realise that acknowledging and empowering its indigenous peoples is not a concession; it is a constitutional and moral obligation.

Police yesterday arrested the owner of a tour company in a case over the death of two trekkers, including a young woman, in a trail in Alikadam upazila of Bandarban last week.

Illegal hill cutting in the Thoingyapara area of Balaghata union in Bandarban Sadar upazila has been disrupting academic activities at Thoingyapara Government Primary School.

Local businesses thrive as the site reopens after years of closure

Residents of Thangkhroi Para, a centuries-old village in Bandarban Sadar upazila, are grappling with an acute drinking water crisis even before the peak of summer.

The residents of Ward-4 in Chaikkyang union under Alikadam upazila in Bandarban have been enduring hardships for a long time due to the absence of a bridge over the Matamuhuri river near Refer Bazar.

The Sangu river, winding through the hilly district of Bandarban, is an embodiment of nature’s beauty, its crystal-clear waters flowing serenely past steep hills and lush greenery.

Residents of the hilly areas on both sides of Chimbuk-Neelgiri road in Bandarban have been facing a severe water crisis amid the ongoing hot spell.

The strong influence of armed group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) in Chin and Rakhine states of Myanmar and Mizoram and Manipur states of India has led to its creation in Bangladesh, said security analyst Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain.

Amid widespread fear in the hills of Bandarban following last week’s bank robberies and attacks on security personnel, the government has said it will be tough on the regional armed group Kuki-Chin National Front.

Law enforcers along with army and border guards will start a joint operation against armed group Kuki-Chin National Front in Bandarban from today.