DHAKA, 29 March 2004 — US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas yesterday said the US government likes to see stability in Bangladesh with the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party running its full term to 2006.

Unless the Parliament decides to bring down the government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, BNP would finish its term, he said in response to queries from reporters after attending the luncheon meeting of the Foreign Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Dhaka.

When a correspondent sought his comment on the opposition’s April 30 deadline to pull down the government for a midterm election, Harry said: “I think that the BNP government was elected. Its term runs out in 2006. The US government likes to see stability with BNP fulfilling its term.”

He went on to add: “ This is a Westminster style of democracy. Unless the Parliament decides to bring down the government, BNP will finish its term and we would be happy to see that happen because we think stability would benefit the economy and people of Bangladesh.”

Asked what if an elected government fails to govern the country, he, however, smilingly retorted: “Never ask hypothetical questions.”

About the business community’s recent strike in old Dhaka against terrorism and extortion as well as Saturday’s killing of a businessman and his son, Harry was taken aback as he exclaimed: “Really! I don’t know about that.”

Meanwhile, Bangladesh is now set to train its women for security jobs abroad.

Officials and newspaper reports said in Dhaka yesterday the country’s women will soon take up security guards’ jobs abroad under a government initiative.

The government will send trained women such as members of the Village Defense Party (VDP) to the Gulf as security guards of girls’ colleges, dormitories, hostels and other predominantly women workplaces, a high official of the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry said.

India’s Two Private Airlines Eye Dhaka

Having made a foray into foreign skies by introducing flights linking Colombo with Madras, India’s two major private airlines — Air Sahara and Jet Airways — have brought Bangladesh and other South Asian destinations in their radars.

Jet Airways’ next international destination will be Dhaka, Katmandu, the Male and Islamabad, according to chief executive of the airline Wolfgang Prock-Shauer.

Uttam Kumar Bose, chief executive of Air Sahara, which also introduced a flight between the Sri Lankan capital and Madras a day before Jet Airways, said flights to Bangladesh and the Maldives are next in line, possibly next month.

Air Sahara is understood to have entered into a tie-up with Cathay Pacific from Colombo for onward movement of traffic from India to the Far East and the United States. Jet Airways is also reportedly considering an alliance for onward international air traffic.

Both the private airlines are eyeing travelers to other parts of the world through their tie-ups and that is the reason why they have scheduled late evening flights to Colombo in order to connect east and west-bound flights from the island nation capital.

With Air Sahara and Jet Airways joining Indian Airlines in flying to Colombo, Sri Lanka is set to become a real tourist hub in South Asia and it will have a ripple effect on the entire region, tourism industry sources in Dhaka yesterday.