2002 in Bangladesh explained

The year 2002 was the 31st year after the independence of Bangladesh, and the second year of the third term of the government of Khaleda Zia.

Incumbents

• President:
  • until 21 June: Badruddoza Chowdhury
  • 21 June – 6 September: Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar (acting)
  • starting 6 September: Iajuddin Ahmed
• Prime Minister: Khaleda Zia
• Chief Justice: Mahmudul Amin Choudhury (until 17 June), Mainur Reza Choudhury (starting 18 June)

Demography

Population, total

132,478,077
Population density (per km^2)	1017.7
Population growth (annual %)	1.8%
Male to Female Ratio (every 100 Female)	105.5
Urban population (% of total)	24.8%
Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people)	26.1
Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people)	6.6
Mortality rate, under 5 (per 1,000 live births)	77
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)	66.4
Fertility rate, total (births per woman)	3.0

Climate

Flood

In late summer 2002, heavy monsoon rains led to massive flooding in eastern India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, killing over 500 people and leaving millions homeless. There were an estimated 3.5 million victims of flooding in 30 out of 64 districts. Continuous heavy rainfall and water from the Meghalay hills in India had caused the flash floods.^[1]

Economy

National Income

	Current US$	Current BDT	% of GDP
GDP	$54.7 billion	BDT3,142.8 billion
GDP growth (annual %)	3.8%
GDP per capita	$413.1	BDT23,723
Agriculture, value added	$11.3 billion	BDT646.9 billion	20.6%
Industry, value added	$12.5 billion	BDT717.8 billion	22.8%
Services, etc., value added	$28.2 billion	BDT1,620.8 billion	51.6%
Balance of Payment
	Current US$	Current BDT	% of GDP
Current account balance	$0.7 billion		1.4%
Imports of goods and services	$9.1 billion	BDT520.4 billion	16.6%
Exports of goods and services	$6,885.0 million	BDT390.0 billion	12.4%
Foreign direct investment, net inflows	$52.3 million		0.1%
Personal remittances, received	$2,858.1 million		5.2%
Total reserves (includes gold) at year end	$1,721.7 million
Total reserves in months of imports	2.2

Note: For the year 2002 average official exchange rate for BDT was 57.89 per US$.

Events

• 1 January – The government of Bangladesh banned the sale of polyethylene bags in the capital, Dhaka, for environmental reason.^[2]
• 5 February – The government of Bangladesh introduce a maximum sentence of death for acid attacks.^[3]
• 3 May - A ferry named MV Salahuddin-2 sank in the Meghna River south of Dhaka, Bangladesh, leading to death of more than 450 people.^[4]
• 23 July – Bangladesh Police raid Shamsunnahar Hall, the women's dorm, of University of Dhaka.^{[5] [6]}
• 29 August – According to the annual survey by Transparency International, Bangladesh is amongst the most corrupt nations, along with Indonesia, and neighbours India and Pakistan.^[7]
• 16 October - An anti crime operation named "Operation Clean Heart" carried out by Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Ansar members in Bangladesh^[8] started.
• 10 November - Model Tinni was murdered.
• 1 December – 30 people die in Gaibandha in a stampede when a mill owner opened the gates of his house to distribute food to the poor.^[9]
• 6 December - Coordinated bombing of four movie theaters caused in the deaths of 27 people and injured over 200 others in Mymensingh, Bangladesh.^[10]

Awards and Recognitions

Independence Day Award

Recipients	Area	Note
	literature
	music
	music
	liberation war
	social work	organization

Ekushey Padak

1. Sufia Ahmed, flourishing culture and Language Movement
2. Gazi Mazharul Anwar, music
3. Abul Kalam Azad, education (posthumously)
4. Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Language Movement (posthumously)
5. Ahmed Sofa, literature (posthumously)
6. Monzur Hossain, Language Movement (posthumously)
7. Sharif Hossain, education
8. Serajur Rahman, journalism
9. Abdur Jabbar Khan, film (posthumously)
10. Sadek Khan, Language Movement and film
11. Kazi Golam Mahbub, Language Movement
12. Pratibha Mutsuddi, education
13. Muhammad Shahidullah, literature and Language Movement (posthumously)
14. Ramesh Shil, Gano Sangeet (posthumously)

Sports

• Asian Games:
  • Bangladesh participated in the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea. Bangladesh national kabaddi team won silver medal in kabaddi.
• Commonwealth Games:
  • Bangladesh participated in the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England. Shooter Asif Hossain Khan won gold in 10 m Air rifle individual event.^[11]
• Domestic football:
  • Mohammedan SC won Dhaka League title while Abahani KC became runner-up.^[12]
• Cricket:
  • The Pakistani national cricket team toured Bangladesh in January 2002 and played a two-match Test series against the Bangladeshi national cricket team. Pakistan won the Test series 2–0. In addition, the teams played a three-match series of Limited Overs Internationals (LOI) which Pakistan won 3–0.^[13]
  • In August Bangladesh toured Sri Lanka and played 3 ODIs and 2 test matches. This was followed by 2002 ICC Champions Trophy in which Bangladesh played 2 ODIs against Australia and New Zealand. Bangladesh lost all these matches.
  • In October Bangladesh toured South Africa for another bi-lateral series of 3 ODIs and 2 test matches. Bangladesh could not win any of these matches either.
  • Later in December the West Indies team visited Bangladesh and played two Test matches and three limited overs internationals. They won both the Test matches and two of the One Day Internationals, while the remaining ODI was a no result.
• Chess:
  • Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman earned his GM title

Deaths

• 17 February – Ehtesham, film director (b. 1927)^[14]
• 18 June – Nilima Ibrahim, academician, author (b. 1921)
• 28 July – Syed Ali Ahsan, poet (b. 1920)
• 13 October – Ila Mitra, peasant movement organizer (b. 1925)

See also

• 2000s in Bangladesh
• List of Bangladeshi films of 2002
• Timeline of Bangladeshi history

Notes and References

1. https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/bangladesh-flood-situation-report-31-jul-2002 Bangladesh: Flood Situation Report 31 Jul 2002, World Vision
2. News: Bangladesh bans polythene . BBC News . 1 January 2002.
3. News: Bangladesh acid attackers may face death . CNN . 5 February 2002 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110810235913/http://articles.cnn.com/2002-02-05/world/bangladesh.acid_1_acid-attacks-rights-groups-heinous-crime?_s=PM:asiapcf . 10 August 2011.
4. News: 7 May 2002 . Ferry Wreck Yields Over 300 Bodies . The Washington Post.
5. News: Punishment to JCD cadres, other culprits demanded . 24 July 2008 . The Daily Star . 24 January 2018.
6. Web site: 200 Injured As Police Beat Bangladesh University Girls. rense.com. 24 January 2018.
7. News: Asian nations among world's most corrupt . CNN . 29 August 2002 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091001000042/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/08/29/corrupt.index/ . 1 October 2009.
8. News: Operation Clean Heart indemnity law illegal: HC . The Daily Star . 16 November 2016. 13 September 2015.
9. News: Bangladesh rush for gifts kills 30 . BBC News . 1 December 2002.
10. News: Ahsan . Shamim . The Blame Game Goes on . Star Magazine . The Daily Star . 27 November 2016.
11. News: Khan on target for Bangladesh . BBC Sport . 31 July 2002.
12. Web site: List of Champions. Atsushi Fujioka for Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 16 October 2018.
13. Web site: Pakistan in Bangladesh 2002 . CricketArchive . 10 June 2014.
14. Web site: Film director Ehtesham dies at 75. 19 February 2002. Dawn. 28 January 2021.