September 8, 2013

Business

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Hotel chains eye Bangladesh market

Bhadra 24, 1420 Zilkad 1, 1434 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 167

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The Political Impasse: A way out of the constitutional riddle

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

Central bank opposes plan for new specialised bank

International

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United States orders diplomats out of Lebanon amid fear

16 pages with 8-page business tabloid | Price: Tk10

PADDLES AND WAVES

n Tribune Report

Palli Sanchay Bank mooted under ‘Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar’ scheme

n Asif Showkat Kallol The Bangladesh Bank has differed with a government plan to set up Palli Sanchay Bank, a new specialised institution like the Grameen Bank, saying such financial institutions established earlier have failed to achieve their objectives.

An official at the Bank and Financial Institutions Division said three such specialised banks – Ansar-VDP Unnayan Bank, Probashi Kallyan Bank and Karmasangsthan Bank – had been established with a view to increasing cash flow for the development of rural people, but they had failed.

When the Grameen Bank board failed to appoint a managing director because of the opposition from the bank’s nine female directors in the beginning of this year, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said a specialised bank like the Grameen Bank would be set up.

Bangladesh Bank General Manager KM Abdul Wadud last week sent a letter

KHALEDA’S RALLY

Tk20m extorted from upazila level BNP leaders n Our Correspondent, Narsingdi A section of district level BNP leaders in Narsingdi has allegedly been extorting money from upazila level leaders and businessmen, promising party tickets for the upcoming national polls.

The extortion racket has gained momentum ahead of party chief Khaleda Zia’s public rally in the district town, scheduled for today.

There are allegations that around Tk20m has already been extorted from local leaders and businessmen who had been looking for prominence in the party ranks ahead of the elections.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that a group, led by an influential local leader, has extorted Tk2m from the Madavdi Bazar alone.

The Madavdi Bazar is one of the most important business hubs in the region.

Although nobody has dared to speak publicly, a sense of dissent has been prevailing in the build up to the party chief’s much-awaited public rally.

Brushing aside the allegations,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

to Banking Secretary M Aslam Alam, conveying opinions of the central bank and other stakeholders on setting up of the new specialised bank.

Styled Palli Sanchay Bank, the proposed financial institution has been planned under the government’s “Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar” – one home, one farm – project to give the scheme a permanent shape. Members of the project and the government will be the proposed bank’s shareholders.

The bank’s board of directors will include representatives of the project members and the government, but only the shareholders will be entitled to enjoy corporate benefits such as profit or dividend.

In its letter, the Bangladesh Bank said the proposal that the Palli Sanchay Bank would not operate under the central bank and yet would take loans from the central bank would create indiscipline in the financial sector.

Also, the proposal that the MD and the board of directors of the bank

would be appointed with approval of the Bangladesh Bank was inconsistent with the proposition that the bank would not be governed by the central bank, it said.

The proposal says the bank will have services such as online banking, credit card, ready cash, bond, share and debenture, and will also facilitate foreign trade to increase the confidence of the under-privileged people.

The central bank said all these were the activities of commercial banks, which were done under the Bank Company Act and monitored by the central bank.

The draft will be submitted to the cabinet for approval after receiving opinions from the stakeholders.

According to the draft, the members of the project now have Tk13.32bn in a savings account of the project. After the Palli Sanchay Bank is set up, the members will have separate savings accounts for making transactions,

Indian authorities need to take appropriate steps to ensure justice for the killing of Felani, the national human rights body and home minister said separately yesterday.

Criticising the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) court’s verdict in the Felani Khatun shooting case, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Mizanur Rahman said the judgment shows disrespect to international law.

A special court formed by India’s BSF on Thursday acquitted BSF constable Amiya Ghosh of the charge of killing 15 year old Bangladeshi girl Felani at the Cooch Behar frontier.

“The judgment has made a mockery of justice. It has not only cheated the family of Felani but also the whole nation,” Mizanur Rahman told reporters after attending a discussion meeting at the Liberation War Museum yesterday.

After labelling the verdict as being disrespectful to international law, the NHRC chief said that India should take the next step to ensure justice.

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

BNP surveys point to election landslide

Hall-Mark chief not following bail condition

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

Poll conducted by Tarique finds the party likely to get 261 seats Based on the surveys, the oppon Mohammad Al-Masum Molla sition party is also preparing a list of BNP is sure of winning 261 of the 300 seats in the next parliamentary elections if it is held free and fair, according to three surveys conducted at the instruction of BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman.

The remaining 39 constituencies will see candidates of the ruling Awami League-led alliance winning, according to the surveys. However, there will be neck and neck fight between candidates of the two alliances.

A BNP leader who is also a close aide of Tarique told the Dhaka Tribune the surveys found there were conflicts among the leaders of the BNP in over 50 constituencies and if the conflicts could be resolved, the party could win a few more seats.

The main opposition party is now preparing its list of candidates for 255 seats, leaving 45 seats for its alliance partners, he said.

3G spectrum auction today n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The much-awaited auction for 3G spectrum is going to be held today, with four leading mobile phone operators – Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Airtel – participating with a view to advancing their networks with the modern technology.

Although Bangladesh hit the list as a 3G country through Teletalk’s commercial test run on October 14 last year, this time the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is going to open up the real test of modern telecom services.

The auction is scheduled at 10am at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.

The four operators attended a mock auction yesterday afternoon at the auction venue.

After the mock event, BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose said: “So far we are satisfied with the auction procedure and the mock auction. As it is the biggest ever auction in the country, we are very excited.”

The operators would pay the money immediately after winning a bid and the BTRC would award the licence, he told the Dhaka Tribune.

In terms of money, the auction would hit billion dollars – so far the country’s biggest auction, said TIM Nurul Kabir, secretary general of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob).

The floor price of one Megahertz (MHz) spectrum has been fixed at $20m and the call starts from $21m. So far 40MHz spectrum is available for auction with 10MHz reserved for Teletalk, the price of which is $220.5m. If the BTRC can sell 40MHz spectrum to the private operators, its price will rise to at least $888m.

“No doubt it is the highest ever auction in terms of  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Dhaka protests Felani killing verdict

probable candidates of the ruling Awami League-led alliance and trying to finalise its candidates to make sure who would do better against the probable ruling alliance candidate, said party insiders who are aware of the surveys.

The result of one of the surveys says the opposition alliance will do well in Rangpur region, which is known as the stronghold of Jatiya Party and where BNP fared poorly in recent elections.

Tarique Rahman gave instructions for conducting three surveys and the party is now gathering the results of the surveys and working to finalise a list of candidates on the basis of the findings.

Candidates who were found winner in all the three surveys would be given the party’s nomination for the next general elections, a highly placed source close to Tarique said.

According to the survey results, the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Traditional boat races – nouka baich – are held every year on the Buriganga River. These races have taken place on the rivers of Bangladesh for centuries. The photo was taken from the Basila Bridge yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Hall-Mark Group Chairperson Jasmine Islam is yet to deposit Tk1bn as the first month’s instalment to the Sonali Bank which she had promised to a lower court to secure bail on August 4.

The plaintiff ’s lawyer says because of violating the conditions, her bail was supposed to be cancelled on September 3.

Jasmine is accused in all the 11 money laundering cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission on October 4 last year for embezzling around Tk30bn from Sonali Bank Ruposhi Bangla branch.

On August 18, the ACC lodged 11 petitions with the High Court, seeking cancellation of the bail in all the cases.

Later on September 1, the High Court in response to the ACC pleas issued a rule for three weeks, asking the Dhaka deputy commissioner and Jasmine why the bail should not be cancelled.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zahurul Haque had granted Jasmine the bail for a Tk100,000 bond and stipulating the condition of depositing Tk1bn every month.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, September 8, 2013

22 years’ wait for promotion ends n Tribune Report Ten senior information officers of Press Information Department, who were recruited as 9th batch officers of BCS, have been promoted as deputy principle information officer (DPIO), after waiting 22 years in service.

The information ministry issued the promotion order on Thursday and the promotions were given according to the recommendations given on September 3 by the departmental promotion committee (DPC).

The officers promoted as DPIO were senior editors of the Department of Film and Publication (DFP), Mohsina Begum and Nasima Aktar, director of DFP, Nurun Nahar Nazma and director of Bangladesh Film Archive, Aktar Hossain, who was also the director of Department of Mass-Communication.

All of them were working in the same posts earlier as current charge officer.

Bangladesh Film Sensor Board’s Secretary Abdur Rahim, Public Rela-

tion Officer Subodh Chandra Dhali of the education ministry, Senior Information Officer (Protocol) AFM Aminul Islam of PID, Senior Information Officer Bidhan Chandra Karmakar of Rajshahi regional information office and Deputy Director Anwara Begum of National Mass Media Institute were also promoted as DPIO. DPIO Shachindra Nath Haldar was promoted to senior DPIO by the ministry. A separate order was issued in this regard the same day.

AFM Aminul Islam and Subodh Chandra Dhali told the Dhaka Tribune that they joined the civil service as officers of the 9th batch (1984) of BCS. They were promoted as senior information officers in 1991.

According to the ministry officials, most batch mates of the promoted officers who had joined as admin cadres were now working as joint secretaries.

The officials alleged that the promotions of the officers were delayed due to negligence of high officials. l

Eyewitness to murder beaten to death in Ctg n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong An eyewitness to murder was beaten to death yesterday evening by a gang of killers at Boro Hatia village in Lohagara upazila under the port city.

The deceased was identified as Md Arman, 25, who witnessed his maternal uncle’s murder, said police sources.

AKM Emran Bhuiyan, assistant superintendent of police (ASP) of Satkania circle in Chittagong range, said a gang of criminals beat Arman to death in the area around 6:30pm.

Arman was the witness to the murder

BNP surveys  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

BNP may not win in 39 seats, which are Nilphamari 1, 2, 3; Rangpur 1, 2, 3, 5; Kurigram 3; Lalmonirhat 1, 2; Gaibandha 2, 3, 5; Naogaon 6; Sirajganj 1; Pabna 4; Jessore 6; Magura 1; Narail 2; Bagerhat 1; Khulna 1; Barguna 1; Patuakhali 3; Pirojpur 2; Tangail 1, 8; Jamalpur 5; Sherpur 1; Mymensingh 1; Kishoreganj 1; Faridpur 4; Gopalganj 1, 2, 3; Madaripur 1, 2, 3; Shariatpur 1; and Khagrachhari.

The BNP is finalising names of three candidates for each seat on the basis of the results of the three surveys. It has selected one candidate each for 150 constituencies, but it has also kept two alternative names as backup.

If the first nominated candidate fails to participate in the polls, the second one will get party nomination, and by chance the second one fails, the third candidate will get the party ticket.

The evaluation of the survey says for finalising nominations the party will consider the constituencies of the candidates: for example, if there are two upazilas in one constituency, the candidate will be picked considering the size of his/ her area and the number of voters.

Tarique Rahman had the surveys conducted by private firms with the help of some of his close aides. His personal assistant Mia Nuruddin Opu coordinated the survey. However, the names of the private firms could not be confirmed.

BNP Standing Committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that Tarique had conducted surveys in the past, too, and the party had benefited from those surveys. l

Tk20m extorted  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

Khairul Kabir Khokan, president of the BNP district unit, said stern actions would be taken if anyone was found to be involved in extorting money.

“All district and upazila level members of the party are donating money to make the party chief’s rally a grand success,” Khokan claimed.

District BNP Secretary Tofajjal Hossain accused the ruling Awami League and its “agents” of using propaganda against the opposition by spreading rumours about extortion.

This is the first time in 18 years that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is attending a rally in Narsingdi.

The district township, meanwhile, have adopted a festive look ahead of the mass rally, scheduled to be held at the Shishu Park grounds in the Bashail area on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway.

Organisers have erected as many as 500 archways and gates at different locations in the town, beginning from Bhulta all the way to the rally venue. l

of his maternal uncle who was hacked to death in last December in the area over land dispute, said the police official.

Later, he was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where the on-duty doctors pronounced him dead, said Jahirul Islam, sub-inspector of CMCH police outpost.

After the murder of his uncle, Arman was being continuously threatened by his uncle’s killers, said family members of the deceased.

A case was lodged with Lohagara police station in this regard. Police are trying to nab the killers, said the ASP. l

Youth hurt in BSF shooting n UNB

A youth was injured when the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) opened fire on him at the Molani border point, Haripur upazila, Thakurgaon Friday night.

The victim was Anwar Hossain, 26, of from Moradhar village.

Major Kazi Alamgir Hossain, operation officer of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Battalion 30, said a BSF patrol team from Sripur camp opened fire on a group of 15 cattle traders, who tried to enter into Indian territory. Anwar was left injured. Fellow traders took him to a local clinic. l

Teacher accused of raping student n Tribune Desk

BTRC consultant Abdullah Ferdous coordinates a mock auction for 3G spectrum at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel yesterday

Housewife burnt to death over dowry n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

A Kishoreganj housewife was burnt to death on Friday, allegedly by her husband and sister-in-law who had demanded dowry money from her.

The incident occurred in the Purba Katiarchar area under Sadar upazila of the district.

The deceased, Toma Adittay, 21, was a second year honors’ student at Kishoreganj Gurudayal Government College, and the mother of a one year old child.

Police arrested three suspects, including the husband of the dead. The arrestees were Toma’s husband Jhutan Chandra Bishwas, her mother-in-law

Central bank opposes plan for new specialised bank  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

said Project Director Prosanta Kumar Roy, who is also joint secretary of the LGRD and cooperatives ministry.

The bank would not, however, provide any credit facility. “It will offer savings and other deposit services, in addition to remittance services,” he said.

The “Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar” project was launched in 2009, aiming to set up a farm at every house to create income and livelihood for rural people by combining human resources with micro-savings.

As the first phase of the project ended in June and the next started the following month, the local government and rural development (LGRD) and cooperatives ministry prepared the draft, outlining the formation of the Palli Sanchay Bank.

The project has so far included 1m families and the draft on the bank proposes increasing the number to 2.5m by the end of the second phase in June 2016.

The main objectives of the bank include making every house in a village a centre of income generation through maximum utilisation of natural and

human resources, encouraging micro-savings and providing credit with soft service charges.

Tahsina Khatun, one of the nine female directors of the Grameen Bank, said they did not know anything about the government plan of setting up a specialised bank. She said by the move the government would “steal” the Grameen Bank.

She also said they would raise the issue at their board, asking if the government could set up a bank in the fashion of the Grameen Bank.

Former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said there was no need for another specialised bank since different NGOs, especially Grameen Bank and Brac Bank, had already been providing loans to people in rural areas.

The number of branches of the existing commercial banks should be increased to help rural areas develop, he pointed out; the specialised banks in rural areas also needed to increase their capacity.

He said: “I do not think the government has conducted any survey on setting up a new specialised bank in rural areas.” l

Hall-Mark chief not following bail condition  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune: “The accused is yet to pay the money. As per the law, her bail was supposed to be cancelled on September 3.”

He also said the bail should not be given to the Hall-Mark chairperson considering the gravity of offence.

“Bearing in mind the gravity of the offence, the court should not have given her bail since she was involved with money laundering offense,” he said, adding that such bail was always “illegal” at the High Court and the Appellate Division.

A Dhaka court on June 26 ordered the freezing of all 260 bank accounts of the various Hall-Mark concerns, on the basis of several petitions filed by the ACC. Jasmine earlier secured bail on February 7 which was later rejected by two different courts following ACC petitions.

She was arrested in a joint drive of Rab and ACC in Manikganj on October 18 last year.

Her husband and Hall-Mark Managing Director Tanvir Mahmood, and

RAJIB DHAR

General Manager Tushar Ahmed are currently in jail along with several other Sonali Bank officials.

Jasmine’s lawyer Kazi Md Nazibullah Hiru told the Dhaka Tribune that he did not have any idea why the money was not deposited. “Depositing money or not is her decision. I am not authorised to comment on the issue,” he said yesterday.

“As per my knowledge, Jasmine Islam through her counsel barrister Rafique-Ul Haque has challenged the bail condition terming it inappropriate.”

While appealing for the bail on August 4, Hiru assured the court that Jasmine would pay the amount of Tk1bn regularly to the head office of Sonali Bank.

Asked, he avoided answering the question.

The cases say Sonali Bank’s Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch had lent Tk36.06bn to Hall-Mark Group, T and Brothers, Paragon Group, Nakshi Knit, DN Sports and Khanjahan Ali, violating banking rules.

Of the amount, Hall-Mark alone allegedly swindled Tk26.86bn. l

Kolpona Ranee Bishwas and sister-inlaw Sita Ranee Bishwas.

Locals said on Friday morning an argument began over dowry, and at one stage of the argument Toma’s husband and her in-laws set Toma on fire around 10am after dousing her body with kerosene.

After hearing her cries for help, locals rescued Toma and rushed her to Kishoreganj Adhunik Sadar Hospital.

She was then shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burns unit as her condition deteriorated. She succumbed to her injuries around 5pm.

Toma’s father Tapan Kumar Adittay said his son-in-law demanded a huge amount of money as dowry be-

fore marriage, and he had been paying the dowry money to the son-in-law by installments since his daughter’s marriage.

He added that in recent times his son-in-law had been demanding Tk100,000 more as dowry money, but he refused to pay the money.

Later, “they started torturing Toma as we refused to give them the money,” added Tapan Kumar.

He filed a murder case with Kishoreganj sadar police station under the Women and Children Repression Act, accusing five individuals, including the husband.

However, the victim’s husband and his relatives denied the allegations. l

A teacher has been accused of raping a student of tenth grade in a case filed against him at Thakurgaon’s Baliadangi upazila.

The victim’s uncle filed the case against Abdur Rashid, an assistant teacher at Baliadangi Lahiri Dwi-Mukhi High School, on Friday night, according to bdnews24.

Meanwhile, students of the upazila’s various schools formed a human chain at Baliadangi intersection yesterday to press for the teacher’s arrest and threatened of tougher measures if the culprit was not arrested.

Rashid used to teach at a coaching centre near the school. The case filed said Rashid, on Wednesday, asked the victim to come at the coaching centre by 6am and the other students by 7am.

Upon her arrival, he molested the student and forcibly took obscene photos of her in his phone. He then forced himself on her, threatening to release the photos on the internet.

The other students due at 7am shortly learned of the incident as they found the girl in tears.

OC Asaduzzaman of Baliadangi police station said the teacher could not yet be arrested as he was on the run. l

3G spectrum auction today  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

money in the country. Earlier, the 2G licence renewal fee of the mobile operators was the highest, amounting at Tk70bn,” barrister Tanjib-ul Alam, a legal consultant of the four operators, said.

The operators have to pay 60% of the total price of spectrum assignment as the first instalment within 30 days – before October 8 – and the remaining 40% by the next 180 days.

The BTRC chairman, however, expects that the operators will pay the money earlier as they then have to start rolling out the network.

At yesterday’s mock auction Grameenphone bid for 15MHz in 2135-2150 band while others bid for 5MHz each.

“What you saw here today may not happen tomorrow during the real auction,” Ziad Shatara, CEO of Banglalink, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Teletalk will get the 3G licence on 2150-2160MHz band, but it will have to match with the highest price fixed by the auction today.

The country’s only CDMA service provider Citycell also applied for 3G licence but it finally did not deposit the $20m of earnest money as it could not arrange the fund.

It requested the regulator to give some more time for depositing the earnest money, but the BTRC rejected its appeal.

ROAD TO 3G AUCTION June 24, 2008

BTRC started forming a guideline for the upgraded service

October 14, 2008

The guideline was placed in a commission meeting

January 18, 2009

The first date set for the spectrum auction but was delayed because of post-general election changes in commission and policy.

July 23, 2012 October 14, 2012

The commission formed a new draft guideline from scratch Teletalk launches 3G services on a commercial test-run basis

February 12, 2013

The MoPT finalised and approved the 3G licence guideline

February 14, 2013

The new auction date was declared for June 24, 2013

June 24, 2013 July 31, 2013 August 29, 2013

The auction was deferred to July 31, 2013 as the mobile operators had tax issues with the NBR The scheduled date was revised again and set to September 2 Four mobile operator – Grameenphone, Airtel, Banglalink and Robi – submitted earnest money to the BTRC, Tk20m each

September 2, 2013

The auction date was revised for the third time

September 8, 2013

The final date set for the 3G spectrum auction though there were requests from operators to delay the auction

From ‘closed door’ to open auction

In an unprecedented move, the telecom regulator had disagreed from the very beginning of the auction process to allow journalists’ presence in the auction room.

The parliamentary standing committee on the post and telecommunication ministry questioned the decision at its meeting on August 29.

Finally, however, the regulator has agreed to allow journalists for the sake of maintaining transparency.

Teletalk secure licence

Teletalk has already secured the 3G licence as it has been operating the services.

It got 10MHz spectrum according to the guideline and started commercial test run on October 14 last year. Currently it runs 3G only in six districts – Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Chittagong, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar.

Muzibor Rahaman, managing director of Teletalk, said they had some special plans for 3G which they would launch the day after the auction. l

Dhaka protests Felani killing  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

He suggested that the foreign ministry should take up the issue with the Indian government and convey the sentiments of their neighbour so that an appeal can be lodged in India challenging the verdict.

“We would contact the Indian Human Rights Commission and request that it participate in the process of appeal,” the national rights body chair said.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said aggrieved persons should appeal to the appropriate authorities if they consider that a judgment has not been fair.

Killings on the frontiers are in no way acceptable and both countries should work together to stop border killings, he said.

“We expected justice, but it has not been reflected in the judgement of the Felani killing case,” Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir said while talking to journalists after laying a foundation stone at the Nageshwari thana building in Kurigram yesterday.

He said the killing of Felani is a shameful and tragic incident for both Bangladesh and India.

A five-man BSF General Security Forces court headed by DIG (Commu-

nication) SP Trivedi conducted the hearings from August 13 at Sonari BSF camp, near the North Bengal town of Cooch Behar.

BSF’s 181 Battalion constable Amiya Ghosh, the prime accused in the case, could not be found guilty due to ‘inconclusive and insufficient’ evidence against him, the court found.

BSF officials said the verdict was given Thursday night and the proceedings of the GSF court were forwarded to the Director General for final approval.

Felani was shot dead by BSF while she was trying to climb over the barbed wire fence along the Anantapur border point in Kurigram on January 7, 2011.

She was on her way home to Bangladesh from India.

When her clothes became entangled in the barbed wire, the BSF fired at her. A photo showing Felani hanging from the fencing was widely circulated by the media, sparking protests and prompting Indian rights groups to demand justice. Amidst protest and criticism, BSF enquired into the incident and found one of its members to be involved. That member was acquitted in Thursday’s judgement.

In response to media reports on the judgement, the spokesperson for the

High Commission of India in Dhaka said the trial by a BSF Court of Inquiry was the first step in a quasi-judicial process.

The due process of law, which has provisions for appeal and review by the competent authority, will be followed, they said.

Justice will be delivered to those who are found guilty, they added.

Meanwhile, Indian rights body Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) questioned the trial process of Felani killing.

Issuing a statement, MASUM said: “How and why was BSF Jawan Amiyo Ghosh accused alone? Who accused him and why? Which procedure was followed to accuse Amiyo Ghosh? What sort of investigation was conducted by the court formed by the security force?

Why did the court not allow civilian people in the court to witness the trial?”

MASUM also questioned if the BSF had been given the legal right to shoot a person who crossed the border without attacking it.

“What is the concrete decision of the court? Was it a killing for self-defence?” it said in the statement.

The rights body urged the Indian home ministry to investigate the incident properly. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Convicted war criminals should not be allowed to appeal: NHRC chairman n Tribune Report

BSCIC AND TANNERIES TO SIGN MOU

Decision taken for fast relocation of Hazaribagh tannery units to Savar n Mohosinul Karim A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed this week between Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) and the tanneries that are based in the capitals’ Hazaribagh, for fast relocation of the leather procession units to Savar, said shipping minister and chairman of the River Protection Taskforce, Shajahan Khan yesterday.

According to the proposed MoU, tannery owners would have to submit lay-out plans to relevant authorities with next month.

The minister said: “Construction is ongoing of a common effluent treatment plant (CETP) costing around Tk4.77bn, which will recycle waste from the factories to ensure the industry is environment-friendly.”

Speaking to reports during a visit to the site in Savar’s Hemayetpur where the tanneries will be relocated, he said work on the ETP and industrial area should be completed within a year.

The minister said he had instructed concerned authorities to finish building the CETP as soon as possible so tanneries can shift quickly and thereby save the rivers of Dhaka from further contamination.

According to the shipping ministry, the project to relocate the tanneries was initiated in 2003.

Implementation cost is estimated to be around Tk10.78b, as per an amended proposal approved by ECNEC last August.

About 81hectares have been acquired for the leather processing industry, where 205 plots have already been allocated to 155 tanneries by BSCIC. l

A mobile court removes advertisement banners from the police box adjacent to the National Press Club yesterday

BNP does not know the language of democracy: PM n Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday claimed that the main opposition BNP did not understand the language of development, progress or democracy.

“BNP only knows killings and lootings. When the government is working for the development of the people, BNP is killing people in the name of movement. This party does not understand the language of development as it does not want people’s progress,” Hasina said while addressing a ruling party rally on the grounds of Azimpur Girls High School in the capital.

The rally was organised by Lalbagh and Kotwali units of Awami League.

Hasina, who is also AL president, said her government wanted people’s development, and continuation of development required continuation of the government. “For the sake of development, cast your votes for ‘boat’ once again,” Hasina said, referring to her party’s election symbol.

The PM said her government’s de-

velopment activities included increase in electricity, gas and water supplies, steps to free the country from militancy and terrorism, progress in law and order, reduction in traffic jams and surplus in food production.

At the start of her speech, the prime minister recalled her days at the Azimpur school where she was once a student. She also made an announcement to nationalise the institution, which was established in 1957.

Hasina bitterly criticised BNP and described the party’s alleged misrule during previous tenures.

“BNP’s basic character is to kill people and indulge in corruption. When this party was in power, it tried to annihilate the then opposition Awami League. When Khaleda Zia was prime minister, she whitened her black money and her sons smuggled money out of the country,” Hasina said, adding that her government had recovered the smuggled money.

She also alleged that BNP had taken up the path of destruction to create ob-

stacles to the development activities of the incumbent government.

Referring to the mayhem committed during Hefazat-e-Islam’s Dhaka blockade programme on May 5, the AL chief claimed that activists of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat set fire to a large number of holy Qurans, although those parties were doing politics using the name of Islam.

“Those who can burn Qurans, how will they take care of Islam?” she asked.

Before joining the rally, Hasina inaugurated or laid foundation stones for a number of development projects in the Lalbagh-Kotwali area, including a 10-storied women’s hostel at Eden College, Azimpur sub-station, Midford sub-station and Prosonna Podder Lane government primary school.

Lalbagh unit AL president Abul Hasnat presided over the rally, which was also addressed by party leaders Matia Chowdhury, Nurul Islam Nahid, Mahabub-ulAlam Hanif, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Quamrul Islam, Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin and Fazley Noor Taposh. l

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Hajj flight starts amidst chaos n Tribune Desk The Hajj flight has started on a sour note with 163 pilgrims facing lot of hardship on the first day of the flight as Biman’s Boeing 747 aircraft, leased from Nigerian airlines Cabo, did not get clearance from Saudi Arabia.

As its newly acquired Boeing did not get the requisite certificate, Biman finally pressed into service its own Boeing 777 aircraft on Saturday for the inaugural Hajj flight. But as this aircraft has less seating capacity, 163 pilgrims could not board it, according to bdnews24.

The first Hajj flights departed for Jeddah at 1.40 pm from Shahjalal International Airport. Biman’s Boeing 777 took off with 419 pilgrims.

This flight was supposed to operate with leased 747 aircraft, which has capacity to carry 582 passengers.

However, Biman officials are blaming Cabo for this chaos.

The Boeing 747 leased from Cabo arrived on Friday evening. But as the aircraft did not get Saudi Arabian certificate, Biman could not start Hajj flight with it, National flag career Biman official said.

Cabo was black listed by Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) for de-

frauding while renting an aircraft in 2009.

Minister for Civil Aviation Faruk Khan told journalists: “The aircraft did not get Saudi Arabian authority’s certificate. So we started the Hajj flight with our Boeing 777 aircraft.”

Kevin Steele, the state owned Biman’s MD told bdnews24.com: “We did not get any response from any other airlines except Cabo, so we were compelled to take the aircraft from it.”

Regretting the unpleasant situation, he said: “We are going to keep on standby two of our aircrafts to avoid any chaos.”

On the other hand, many pilgrims did not get there emigration certificates even after queuing for it for hours in Ashkona Hajj camp.

According to the Religious Affairs ministry, a total of 88911 pilgrims will take part in this year’s Hajj. Of them 1548 are going on government’s arrangement.

According to an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, half of the pilgrims will be carried by Biman.

And rest will fly by Saudi Arabian Airlines and Nas Air. Biman’s communication department sources said, pilgrims will be carried on 209 flights. Of them 165 will be dedicated and 44 scheduled flights. l

National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman yesterday said convicted war criminals should not be given the opportunity to appeal against their sentences.

“As far as I know, no other country in the world has given such an opportunity to war criminals,” Mizanur told a discussion on “trial of war criminal and propaganda”, organised by the Sector Commanders’ Forum at a city auditorium.

Mizanur said Bangladesh first formulated the war crime law in 1973, and the present international war crimes tribunal had set a new standard. He added that the country had made an example to the whole world by bringing the war criminals to justice.

Mizanur also said the war criminals were doing propaganda with the help of lobbyists, but the government had failed to appoint any lobbyist of its own.

Planning Minister AK Khandaker, who is also the chairman of the forum, presided over the discussion. Among others, it was addressed by M K Rahman, additional attorney-general and tribunal prosecution team coordinator, and Tureen Afroz, a barrister. l

Fire breaks out at Ashulia Jute Mill n Kailash Sarkar A fire broke out at a jute mill at Bolibhadra, under Ashulia police station, on the outskirts of the capital yesterday.

Mobilising Officer Farid Uddin of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the fire broke out at Supreme Jute Mills Limited around 5:30pm.

“Six units of fire-fighters from DEPZ in Savar and Kaliakoire in Gazipur with their joint efforts fought to douse the fire,” said Farid. The fire was brought under control around 7pm, he added.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Zahirul Islam said the fire originated in a storehouse at the factory.

He said although there were not many workers in the factory at the time, it could not be ascertained immediately whether there were any casualties. l

Ganajagaran Mancha activist stabbed n Ashif Islam Shaon

Ganajagaran Mancha activists bring out procession at the city’s Shahbagh yesterday evening protesting the assault on Arif Noor DHAKA TRIBUNE

Unidentified miscreants stabbed an activist of the Ganajagaran Mancha at Paribagh in the capital on Friday night.

Arif Noor, who is known for the slogans that he coined during the Shahbagh protests, came under attack while he was returning home around 12am.

He is also a central committee member of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, a pro-left cultural organisation.

A friend of the victim, Moniruzzaman Akash, said a group of four to five people riding in a microbus intercepted Noor near the Paribagh over bridge.

Sensing danger, Noor started running, but the criminals got hold of him and stabbed him several times in the head.

Hearing his screams, some people from a nearby CNG station came to Noor’s aid

BNP believes in transfer of power through a democratic process: Fakhrul n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla Rejecting accusation by the Awami League that the BNP wanted to create a political crisis so that a “third force” could assume power, yesterday acting secretary general of the party Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they believed in the transfer of power through a democratic process.

Fakhrul was speaking at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers when he said: “BNP is a liberal democratic party and we believe in the transfer of power through elections.

Jute mill workers unrest in Khulna n Tribune Report Jute mill workers of seven state-run jute mills in Khulna laid siege to administrative buildings yesterday demanding the immediate release of the third installment of wage commissions.

The protesting workers said the authorities had assured them they would be paid their due salaries several times but this has yet to occur, according to banglanews24. l

However, for free and credible polls there is no alternative to a non-partisan government.”

He said the ruling party is hatching a conspiracy to stay in office permanently by holding elections under its own power.

“The government has amended the constitution, ignoring people’s aspirations and expectations. This constitution is not the Bible or the Qur’an. The government has to understand that the constitution is there to meet people’s aspirations and expectations,” he said as he urged the government to take im-

mediate steps to resolve the political standoff.

“In just a few weeks, it will be clear what the government wants. While many questions have been raised about the course of action BNP will take; we want to make it clear that the opposition will do whatever is required of us.”

The BNP leader urged engineers to unite for a tough movement to demand that elections are held under a non-partisan government.

He went on to say that the government didn’t take a firm stance to ensure a fair trial was held for killing Felani. l

Kamal Lohani visits Arif Noor at DMCH and the attackers fled the scene.

Noor was immediately taken to a local private hospital and then to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

On-duty doctors at the DMCH said he had sustained four stab injuries to the head and some injuries to his body.

Maruf Rasul, an activist of the Ganajagaran Mancha, said the attackers

had not taken his mobile phone, wallet or computer tablet. “Before attacking, they teased him by chanting distorted Mancha slogans. So, we think they were Jamaat-Shibir men,” he claimed.

After visiting the victim at DMCH, Imran H Sarker, convener of Ganajagaran Mancha, said: “Ganajagaran activists Rajib, Dwip and Tanmoy were murdered in the same style.”

“In all of those incidents, attackers hit the victim in the head with machetes. We think it was pre-planned.

Reactionary Islamist groups might be behind it,” he claimed.

Sirajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh police station, said the victim had not filed a complaint as of yesterday afternoon. “We went to the hospital and talked to Arif,” he added.

Protesting the attack, the Mancha

brought out a torch-lit vigil in the evening from Shahbagh.

A group of bloggers and online activists began a protest at the capital’s Shahbagh intersection calling for the death penalty for war criminals as an immediate reaction to the lifetime prison term handed down to Jamaat leader Quader Mollah by the International Crimes Tribunal in February.

The protest, which came to be known as the Ganajagaran Mancha, later spread to various parts of the country fuelled by youths demanding capital punishment for all those convicted of war crimes and a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, the party that opposed Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.

At least four activists of the Ganajagaran Mancha have so far been killed in different parts of the country. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, September 8, 2013

BU students agitate over Saoda’s murder

Unesco award for Dhaka Ahsania Mission n Tribune Report

Bipul, Russell’s acquaintanc sent to jail ship between them. n Tribune Report Police detained Bipul Baroi, a first

Dhaka Ahsania Mission will be awarded the Unesco Confucius Prize for Literacy 2013 for its contribution to raising literacy rate in the countryside of Bangladesh.

The prize will be handed over in the Unesco Headquarters in Paris on the occasion of International Literacy Day. Chairman of Dhaka Ahsania Mission Kazi Rafiqul Alam will receive the prize tomorrow.

Executive Director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission Dr Kazi Ehsanur Rahman confirmed the matter. Dhaka Ahsania Mission won the prize for a programme named Ganakendra (People’s Centre), a platform for community learning among rural adults, especially women and girls.

The literacy prize is named in honour of the renowned Chinese philosopher Confucius, established in 2005 through the generosity of the Government of Peoples Republic of China. The prize consists of two monetary awards of US$20,000, a medal and a diploma awarded to each prize-winner, according to Unesco website. l

Students of Barisal University (BU) formed a human chain in front of the City Centre yesterday demanding exemplary punishment of Russell Mia, the accused in the Saoda murder case.

Under the banner of the General Students Forum on Friday, they gave a 24-hour ultimatum for their demand and announced that they would blockade roads and conduct hunger strikes if their demand is not met.

The body of Saoda, who was allegedly murdered by Russel on Thursday, was handed over to her guardians on Friday night after post-mortem examination at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

The body was brought to the BU premises at 8:45am yesterday so people could bid farewell before the body was taken to her native home.

Her Namaje Zanaja was held on the Barisal Zilla School grounds at 10am.

Students of BU observed a three-day mourning programme, marked with discussions and milad-mahfil, since Thursday after Saoda was hacked to death on the university campus by her lover, Russell, around 8:30am.

The first-year accounting student was taken to the intensive care unit of DMCH by air ambulance around 1:30pm where she succumbed to her injuries around 5:30pm.

Russell, 20, fled the scene immediately after the attack and has been missing since.

According to campus sources, Russell and Saoda were from neighbouring villages in Patharghata upazila of Barguna district and had been in a relationship for at least a year.

On Thursday night, Saoda’s mother Shahida Begum lodged a murder case accusing Russell and two or three unnamed others with the city’s Kotwali Police Station.

In the case lodged, Shahida alleged that Russell teased her daughter, but she did not state any previous relation-

year student of the Accounting Department at BU and close friend of Russell, for interrogation.

Bipul was produced before a Barisal court on Friday. The court ordered he be sent to jail, rejecting his bail petition.

The arrestee denied any involvement in the killing and also alleged police harassment in custody.

Bipul said Russell was his roommate and everyone knew about Russell’s love affair with Saoda.

Bipul maintained contact over mobile phone with Russell before and after the attack on Saoda, said Shakhawat Hossain, Barisal Kotwali police station officer-in-charge (IO).

Police recovered suicide notes which Russell had left in his dormitory in the Jordan Road area of the city before he ventured out to kill Saoda on Thursday.

In the notes, he also pinned blame on Saoda’s parents and her elder sister’s husband whose acts of humiliation he said made him resort to murder.

Police are searching for two others, named as the ‘mother of Mahir and Nasima’ in the letter, for encouraging him to commit the murder, said the IO. Russell claimed in the notes that he decided to kill Saoda as her family members, knowing about the longterm physical and emotional relationship between the two, decided to allow him to marry her, but then later refused to allow the marriage.

He alleged, citing issues of poverty, that Saoda’s family also insulted him and his family members. In the letters, he said he would take his own life so he could be reunited with Saoda in the afterworld.

Saoda was laid to rest at her family graveyard in Hatempur village under Patharghata upazila yesterday afternoon.

She was the youngest daughter of Shahida Begum and Mawlana Abdur Razzak.

Saoda obtained GPA-5 in both SSC and HSC. She left behind her parents, an elder sister and a younger brother. l

144 Jamaat-Hefazat activists charge-sheeted

Specific strategy needed to fight climate change effects: Speakers

n Our Correspondent, Feni

n Abu Bakar Siddique

Feni police yesterday submitted a charge sheet against 144 activists of Hefazat-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami, including Jamaat’s district Ameer AKM Nazem Osmani, for their alleged involvement in vandalising the district’s Shahid Minar in February. Police submitted the charge sheet to the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court at Feni Sadar.

Investigation officer Md Kamal Hossain said Hefazat and Jamaat activists torched the banner of Ganajagaran Mancha and floral wreaths at the district Shahid Minaron February 22. l

The country should have a specific strategy for tackling natural disasters and climate change vulnerability, as it has only limited resources to spend, professionals observed yesterday.

The measures for coping with risks and vulnerabilities should be based on priorities and indigenous knowledge to ensure the sustainability of the projects, they added.

The views were expressed in a programme at the capital’s Brac Centre, marking the publication of a report titled “Building Resilience to Natural Disasters and Major Economic Crisis”, prepared by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said: “Every country has to devise a strategy of its own to cope with the situation, as their economic

WEATHER

Temperature unlikely to change n UNB Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places Chittagong, Sylhet, Dhaka, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Khulna and Barisal divisions until 6pm today.

Moderately heavy falls are also likely at places over the country, Met Office said. Day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 6:10pm today and rises tomorrow at 5:43am.

Country’s highest temperature 35.0 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday at Rajshahi, Jessore, Chuadanga and Sayedpur and lowest 22.0 degrees at Rangamati.

Highest and lowest temperature recorded in some major cities yesterday were: City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

33.0 29.4 35.0 33.8 33.5 32.5 32.3 31.0

26.5 26.0 26.7 26.2 27.0 26.5 23.5 25.2

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:26am 5:41am 11:56pm 4:24pm 6:10pm 7:26pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

A passenger of a BRTC bus takes matters into her own hands at the Basila Bridge over Buriganga River, when it was congested by disorganised vehicle movement. The photo was taken yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

No electricity at half of polling centres EC approaches external donor for rechargeable lights

n Tribune Report Half of the proposed polling centres for the upcoming 10th parliamentary election have no electricity connection.

Of the 44,000 potential venues, almost 22,000 lack electricity. Deputy Secretary of the Election Commission (EC), Mihir Sarwar Morshed, said when there is no electricity the EC faces huge difficulties when counting votes and conducting other activities at the end of the vote casting.

To avoid such inconveniences and to ensure smooth running of polls, the EC has written to a donor agency asking for chargeable lights, EC officials said yesterday.

They predict that two of these lights will be required at each polling

strength and social factors are different from others.” Bangladesh’s challenges are more complicated as it has limited resources to mobilise, he added.

Saleemul Huq, director of the In-

centre for the smooth casting and counting of votes.

The commission would use the same polling centres that were used in the fifth parliamentary election, he said.

The EC would publish a list of the centres 25 days ahead of the polls, he added.

In the past, the commission has supplied candles to the polling centres.

However, during the Rangpur City Corporation election the commission gathered chargeable lights from locals and these were given to the presiding officers for the counting of votes, said Sarwar.

EC officials said the next parliamentary elections would be held by January next year, during the winter.

The commission has urged the donor agencies to deliver the chargeable

ternational Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Independent University, Bangladesh, said a significant amount of resources for disaster risk reduction and climate change ad-

Pending cases delaying teachers’ status upgradation n Tribune Report The ministry of primary and mass education cannot move forward with the work to upgrade the employee status of head teachers in government primary schools because of undecided court cases, officials at the ministry said.

The government is under pressure to change the status of primary head teachers but officials said it is not possible until those cases, filed

by rival groups of teachers, were decided first.

At a consultation meeting last week, Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Ameen expressed his willingness in this regard.

“We really want to raise the employee status of primary head teachers from class III to class II, but we cannot do so because of the pending cases.

The whole process has been halted because of this reason,” he said.

However, the ministry is currently

working to expedite the process, he added.

The teachers of government primary schools have been agitating with this demand for quite a while now, and even issued an ultimatum for the ministry to announce a decision in their favour by September 15.

Abul Basher, president of Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association, said their strike would include forced closure in all primary schools across the country. l

lights in time for the elections.

The EC would direct 70 Returning Officers and 600 Assistant Returning Officers to hire generators two days prior to the polls.

In the last parliamentary polls, the EC appointed 66 Returning Officers and 587 Assistant Returning Officers.

Senior Assistant Secretary of the EC, Farhad Hossain, said the commission would need at least 22,000 lights for holding the polls.

For the 10th parliamentary elections, the commission will set up approximately 44,000 polling centres to accommodate approximately 92 million voters.

Over 35,000 polling centres were set up for the ninth parliamentary polls while there were 81 million voters. l

aptation should be allocated at the local level to reduce vulnerability in the long-term.

He also gave Nepal as an example, saying the country allocates 80% of the resources allocated for climate change adaptation to local level initiatives in a bid to achieve realistic and permanent adaptation.

The local people’s knowledge and culture should be given priority before initiatives are taken to reduce vulnerability, he added.

Dr Asaduzzaman, professional fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, said there should be better resource mobilisation for conducting research on the water and agriculture sectors, as these sectors are the most vulnerable in Bangladesh in terms of being at risk of disasters and climate change.

According to the UNESCAP report, massive investments made by the country to reduce disaster risks have

Workers of jute mills demand wages

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Workers of 10 jute mills in Chittagong staged demonstrations yesterday, demanding the realization of an 11-point demand, which includes payment of their outstanding salaries.

The agitated workers blockaded the jute mills for an hour and brought out processions following protest rallies in front of the factories.

Sources said, thousands of workers from 10 jute mills gathered in front of their respective factories at around 9am and blocked the main entrances to press home their demands.

After an hour, the workers brought out processions after holding protest rallies.

Mahbubul Alam, convener of Patkol CBA Samannay Parishad, said an hourlong road blockade was planned for Sunday. l

been able to curtail losses and damages over the past years.

Bangladesh suffered losses of $4.3bn and $2.4bn from the cyclones of 1991 and 2007 respectively, while investment in disaster risk reduction brought down losses from Cyclone Aila in 2009 to only $270m, the report added.

Ferdousi Begum, executive director of Development of Biotechnology and Environment Conservation Centre, said the government should also try to avoid manmade disasters which inflict huge losses in terms of money and ecology.

The cost of destruction of agriculture and ecology on the coastal belt – caused by the manmade disaster of shrimp cultivation – cannot be recovered with the profits made from shrimp exports, she added.

The programme was organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue and moderated by Professor Rehman Sobhan. l

Enclave people demand execution of exchange deal n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat Indian enclave people in Bangladesh territory yesterday submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Lalmonirhat district commissioner demanding implementation of enclave exchange deal.

Earlier, members of BangladeshIndia Enclaves Exchange Coordination Committee held a rally at Tin Bigha Corridor where they demanded the implementation of the exchange deal as soon as possible.

The General Secretary of Enclave Exchange Coordination Committee (EECC) in Lalmonirhat district unit said the enclave exchange committee in India also submitted a memorandum to their PM through Cooch Behar district magistrate yesterday.

Golam Mostafa, the general secretary of EECC of Bangladesh, said Bangladesh and India’s members of EECC have been planning for further tougher programme to press home their demand. They will blockade the UNO and DC office and will call for a hunger strike to press the demand. l

Common safety standards agreed on for apparel factories n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Participants at a workshop agreed to formulate common inspection standards for electrical, fire and structural safety in readymade garment factories.

Government representatives, factory owners, international buyers and rights activists agreed in principle to work with the North American Alliance and Accord to ensure guidelines are set as per existing local laws.

Convened by the labour ministry and International Labour Organisation (ILO) the workshop also included

building and fire safety specialists.

Mikail Shipar, secretary of labour attended the Technical Workshop on Standards for Assessment of Building, Fires and Electrical Safety for Readymade Garment Factories in Bangladesh yesterday said a consensus was reached on the issue of building and workplace safety.

The labour secretary said: “We have decided in principle to work together with the Alliance and Accord on common safety standards for Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector.”

Several national and international

initiatives have been taken by the European Union (EU), ILO and the governments of Bangladesh and United States since the Tazreen Fashion fire and Rana Plaza disaster to improve safety standards in local garment factories.

“It is necessary to agree on a coordinated approach towards safety standards, assessment and inspection methodologies to avoid duplication of inspection of the same factory and to ensure that the same basic standards are applied to the extent possible,” said Srinivas Reddy, ILO’s country director.

It was also decided that a tripartite

committee assisted by ILO, will work in consultation with the Accord and the Alliance.

A Walmart representative said they are ready to provide financial assistance for, and accept a common standard of fire and building safety.

Charge de’ affairs Phillip Jacques, heading EU’s technical cooperation said: “The main objectives of today’s workshop are to prevent tragedies like Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen Fashion fire,” but he cautioned that it will not “be so easy.”

Wazedul Islam of National Coordi-

nation Committee for Workers Education stressed the need for n RMG industrial park and urged all factories in residential areas to relocate.

Scott Nova, executive director of Workers Rights Consortium said building safety inspections should be carried out by experts who are qualified engineers.

US Ambassador Dan Mozena said a detailed database must be prepared of those employed in the factories. He said for Bangladesh to win back GSP facilities the factories must comply with the Action Plan to prevent disasters in the future. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

5

Sunday, September 8, 2013

THE POLITICAL IMPASSE

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

A way out of the constitutional riddle

T

n Ifti Rashid and Saiful Haque here is much consternation over the constitutional impasse ahead of the next general election. The political stalemate on the election-time government has pitted the two main parties: the Awami League (AL) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), against each other, while fringe leftist and rightist groups are trying to fish in the troubled waters.

In May 2011, the Supreme Court declared the constitutional provision for a caretaker administration during general elections as illegal. Though the verdict kept the option of holding the next two general elections under a caretaker government, in June 2011 Parliament passed the fifteenth amendment scrapping the system altogether.

1. The riddle Caretaker government is not a foolproof mechanism

The caretaker government system itself was not above controversy, as losing sides did not hesitate to raise allegations of rigging and manipulation

Constitutional options Prime minister As per Article 57 (3), the PM is due to remain in office till a successor is “entered upon office(That is continue in her position as PM during the election).” There can be an alternative PM only if another MP commands majority support in the parliament.

One possible solution could arise if a parliament backs the president to appoint a neutral person, who can be elected as an independent MP from a vacated seat.

Another option is to elect someone other than the PM from AL MPs who would be more acceptable to the opposition.

However, past experience shows finding someone acceptable to both sides is near to impossible making these alternative options impracticable.

Ministers Article 56 (1) states it is possible to appoint neutral persons from outside Parliament as technocrats in the cabinet, provided they are not more than one-tenth of the total number of members. This means that if there are 20 Ministers in the election-time government, two could be non-partisan technocrats appointed on the basis of consensus. Both AL and BNP could nominate one person each for the technocrat slots.

A possible solution could be appointing an all-party Cabinet with 18 ministers from the AL and BNP, leaving two slots open for technocrats who would look after key portfolios critical to the election, such as public administration, Home Affairs and Defence. To make this option palatable to the BNP, AL should extend the olive branch allowing equal representation in the electiontime government cabinet.

An additional layer of oversight can be added by appointing ten Advisers to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) under the rules of business to ensure the smooth and impartial functioning of key ministries during the election. Under the Rules of Business 3 (B) (i) (ii) and (iii), the PM could appoint ten fresh neutral technocrat PMO advisers to assist the cabinet after

despite the “neutral” character of the election-time government.

In 1996 and 2008, BNP claimed that the results were “manipulated and stage-managed” by the caretaker administration, while the AL alleged “crude rigging” in 2001. Faith in the caretaker government system by either side has been dependent on their performance in the general election.

Moreover, the caretaker system raised the possibility of politicising both the judiciary and civil society.

Political impasse: Déjà vu?

Currently, the AL wants to hold general elections under an elected administration, while the BNP is demanding restoration of the nonparty caretaker government. There is a sense of déjà vu with the tables turned as the AL was campaigning for a caretaker government but the BNP rejected it as unconstitutional pre-1996.

In the past, political deadlocks have brought great cost to the nation.

We seem to be moving in the same direction again as local and foreign investment is slowing down and the spectre of political violence looms large.

The political deadlock is heightened this time around because of the high stakes perceived by both sides. It is not only a battle of the alliances, but the survival of rival families at the helm of their respective parties is in question.

A resounding victory by the AL or BNP will confirm the line of dynastic succession in both parties, while an embarrassing defeat may lead to calls for leadership change and reform.

The War Crimes Tribunal, including its fallouts in the form of Shahbagh and Hefazat, have made the political environment even more hostile. The crisis has been exacerbated further by politicized institutions, including a weak and divided civil society that has been unable to take up its earlier role as a trusted mediator.

A silver lining?

Though doomsayers predict the deadlock will hinder the democratic process, the silver lining is that the constitution allows enough flexibility to find a creative solution to the satisfaction of both sides: an elected government under a constitutional framework (AL) with a non-partisan character (BNP).

The viable options are:

asking the incumbent advisers to resign from their positions. AL and BNP could nominate five advisers each in a system that would not be much different from the role currently played by Advisers in running key ministries.

There can be a number of variants to the above solutions, such as a smaller cabinet with space for one neutral minister or a larger cabinet with three neutral ministers. Another option could be the ten advisers running key ministries under the PM without any ministers in the cabinet.

Can a neutral minister or adviser serve as the PM? In this respect, article (56) is explicit that the PM needs to be a MP commanding majority support in the parliament. Though the constitution appears to be inflexible about the eligibility to be PM, there is nothing barring the PM remaining in her position but going on leave during the election and delegating key responsibilities other cabinet members.

this respect, 72 (1) and 57 (2) stipulates that the president can dissolve the parliament on the basis of written advice from the PM. If the president dissolves the parliament following the PM’s advice even on January 24, the general election can be within ninety days after that date i.e. January 25 to April 25, 2014. Section 123 (4) allows for emergency situations to extend the time-frame by a further ninety days i.e. Potentially until July 24, 2014. If the latter option is pursued, the government can continue business as usual for its full five year term without the need for any constitutional amendment.

The government should consider the option offered by 123 (3) (b) to not only complete its full five year term but also allow time for a consensus between political parties. Moreover, holding the elections after the dissolution of the parliament will create a more-level playing field.

General election

According to article 66 (1) (c), the seat of a MP is vacated upon dissolution of parliament. This means if the election takes place under article 123 (3) (a) with an automatic dissolution of parliament on January 24, 2014, general elections would be held while the parliament is still legal and valid. This means outgoing MPs would continue in their positions till the expiry of their terms.

As per article 66, there is no legal bar for incumbent MPs to seek reelection.

Given the inevitable influence of current MPs over the local administration, this may hinder a level-playing field during the general election.

However, this can be avoided by holding the general elections after the parliament is dissolved as per article 123 (3) (b). In this alternative scenario, elections would take place after January 25, 2014 when the MPs would cease to hold office. This would undoubtedly create a more level-playing field as candidates from both parties would be on equal footing instead during the election period.

Article 72 (3) states parliament will stand dissolved five years after its first seating unless dissolved earlier by the president upon advice from the PM as per 72 (1) and 57 (2). Given the first seating of the ninth parliament was on January 25, 2009, it is due to automatically expire on January 24, 2014.

The Constitution offers two options for a time-frame before or after the dissolution of the Parliament to hold the general election.

As per Article 123 (3) (a), the automatic dissolution of the Parliament on January 24, 2014 would mean that general elections would need to be held ninety days before that date. This means the election must be held between October 25, 2013 and January 24, 2014.

However, this time-frame is not set in stone as Article 123 (3) (b) offers an alternative to hold elections ninety days after the dissolution of the parliament provided it is dissolved by the president upon advice by the PM before its automatic expiry on January 24, 2014. In

Members of parliament

2. Interim government What do existing constitutional provisions stipulate about the election-time government? Actually, almost nothing. Except for Article 57 (3) making it mandatory for the PM to hold office till a successor takes oath and 58 (3) stating there is no legal bar for Ministers to continue in their positions, the constitution is virtually silent on the modalities of an interim government.

This can be a boon than a bane.

Given the lack of constitutional conditions on the size, scope, structure and power of the interim government, a legislation can be passed in Parliament or an ordinance promulgated by the President to determine the modalities of the interim government as per Article 124 or 93.

The proposed Interim Government Act or Ordinance could focus on the following areas:

INTERIM GOVERNMENT Defining the interim period Limiting the power of the PM Determining size of the interim cabinet, including party representation Specifying the role of the PMO Advisory council Vesting some executive powers of the government with the election commission (EC)

Constitutional interim government, non-partisan character

The constitution actually provides sufficient flexibility for both political parties to reach an amicable solution to resolve the political deadlock.

The AL announced earlier it may consider an all-party interim administration, while the BNP has made it known it will accept a non-partisan government without the caretaker terminology.

In reality then, both parties are not so far apart as it seems from their frequent rhetorical “war cries.” This opens the doors for imaginative solutions ranging from all-party elected cabinet to nonpartisan technocrat advisors running the show during the election.

At this point, the only constitutional compulsion that may be a sticking point is the PM remaining in her position during the election period. This can be addressed by creative options like the PM going on leave delegating powers to a neutral minister, electing an alternative AL MP acceptable to the opposition or even nominating a neutral person in a vacated seat.

3. Our solution:

A WAY OUT It is recommended a solution to the current impasse would be, as follows: The government completing its five years term followed by the President dissolving Parliament upon the advice of the PM on January 24 before its natural expiry Holding general elections between January 25 to April 25, 2014, allowing a levelplaying field for all candidates following the dissolution of the Parliament The PM convening a dialogue between the AL and BNP for negotiations on the modalities of the interim government to enacted as a legislation or ordinance before January 2014 Agreement on the PM remaining in office as per constitutional compulsions, but with limited executive powers and option of going on leave Agreement on appointing neutral technocrat ministers and advisers as per the constitution and rules of business While the above compromise formula may not be acceptable to both sides at this point, these options should be put on the table for negotiations between the AL and BNP. It provides for an interim government of a non-partisan character within a constitutional framework. There is no alternative that can overcome deadlock but immediate dialogue between both parties, along these type of lines.

respectively for a non-partisan character of the interim government Appointing an all-party elected cabinet of 20 members with equal representation of from the AL and BNP Appointment of two neutral Ministers as technocrats in the cabinet to be in charge of public administration, Home Affairs and Defense with one nomination each from the AL and BNP; Appointing ten neutral advisers to the PM for oversight and support to the interim government with five nominations each from the AL and BNP Empowering the EC to take key electionrelated decisions, including transfer of public officials and deployment of security forces from one month prior to the election Signing a ‘Charter of Peace’ between the AL and BNP with a commitment to shun violence pre, during and post-election Any negotiated constitutional solution would be contingent upon some concessions from either side. BNP would have to concede on the incumbent PM remaining in office with limited powers in return for the AL accepting neutral ministers/advisers and dissolving the Parliament prior to the general election. Other issues, including delegating responsibilities of key ministries or empowering the EC, can be ironed out once the major issues are resolved.

In the past, political deadlocks have brought great cost to the nation. We seem to be moving in the same direction again as local and foreign investment is slowing down and the spectre of political violence looms large

4. The priority Article 123 (3) (b) holds the key for a consensus between the AL and BNP to hold free, fair and credible elections.

It is possible to delay the election by the government completing its full term within the existing constitutional framework without the need for amendments, allowing extra time for a constructive dialogue to resolve the current political deadlock.

If there is no consensus between both parties on the interim government, there will be disastrous consequences for the nation. It is imperative for both sides to see this

bigger picture as we cannot afford further violence.

Moreover, in the past, failure to reach consensus has invited extraconstitutional adventurism. The two parties must surely not let their rivalry allow them to forget they stand to suffer the most if the democratic process is hindered?

It is time to break the constitutional riddle. After all, elections are not an end in themselves, but a means to the end of representing the wishes of the people. l Ifti Rashid is a political and security analyst and Saiful Haque is a governance and development consultant.

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Child marriage bid foiled in Kishoreganj n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

46 rescued at Benapole while being trafficked to India

n Tribune Report

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh rescued 46 people, including six women and one child, while they were being trafficked to India through the Sadipur border point on Friday night.

Acting on a tip off, a team of BGB 26 raided the house of an alleged human trafficker, Razzak, around 10pm and rescued the people, said Abdul Mannan, in-charge of ICP Camp, Benapole.

The victims are residents of different parts of Dhaka, Narayangnaj, Gopalganj and Faridpur districts, reports UNB. Sensing the presence of BGM members, other traffickers managed to escape.

Sumon, a victim, said they each had paid the human traffickers TK30,000 as they promised to provide them with good jobs in India.

Later, they were handed over to Benapole Port police. l

Local administration in Kishoreganj foiled an attempt to marry off a 12-yearold girl on Friday. The incident took place at the Laksmia Konapara village in Pakundia.

Locals said Subarna Akter, a class six student of Pakundia Pilot Adarsha High School and daughter of Nazrul Islam, was about to be married to Anwar Hossain, son of Islam Uddin of Dordora village, when a mobile court led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mahmud Hasan intervened.

The marriage attempt was foiled successfully and both sides involved with the incident were fined Tk20,000 each.

A seven-day imprisonment was ordered in case of failure to pay the fine. l

15 hurt in students’ clash

n Our Correspondent, Khagrachhari At least 15 students were injured in a clash between Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) and Bangali Chhatra Parishad (BCP) at Mohalchhari College yesterday.

Following the incident, the college authority suspended classes sine die.

Mohammad Zobairul Hoque, OC of the Mohalchhari police station, said the clash started from an argument over using a classroom.

He added that PCP members wanted to use a classroom for holding a meeting, but BCP members would not allow them to use it.

Raton Smrity Chakma, president of Mohalchhari upazila PCP, said three PCP members had been injured in the clash while Shahdat Hossain, president of BCP Mohalchhari upazila unit, claimed that 12 BCP members had been injured.

Abu Shahed Chowdhury, upazila nirbahi officer of Mohalchhari, said the academic activities at the college would resume after the issue was resolved. l

Jute growers in the northern district of Gaibandha are finding it hard to sell their produces at satisfactory prices although it is the peak season. Many growers are forced to sell jute at prices even lower than the cost of production. Many are taking their products back home from the Fulchhari bazar FOCUS BANGLA

Poor consumer response frustrates Kurigram jute growers n Tribune Report Jute farmers in Kurigram are not getting fair prices for their produces at the local markets despite a good harvest, because of poor consumer response.

Tosha variety jute is now selling at Tk1,000 per maund (40kg) on an average, which accounts for a loss of Tk300Tk400 in terms of production cost.

Farmers say the government procurement centres are partly to blame for the situation since they have not yet started buying jutes from them, reports UNB. An informed source at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)

in Kurgram said jute was cultivated on 24,000 hectares of land in nine upazilas of the district this season, up against an output target of 250,000 bales.

The production of the golden fibre was “as planned” and there were ample supplies to the local markets; but farmers’ expectations were yet to meet the reality, the source added.

A number of growers in the Jatrapur Haat, a popular jute bazaar at the Sadar upazila of Kurigram, could be seen sitting with large piles of raw jute unsold with no buyer around.

Farmer Haider Ali of Nunkhaoa came to the bazaar with 30 maunds of

jute; but he said buyers were showing “little interest” in bargaining, let alone buying.

The seven government-controlled jute procurement centres that operate in Kurigram, under the aegis of Bangladesh Jute Mill Corporation, have a combined outstanding loan of over Tk50m from last year.

There had been no allocation from the government to pay off the loan or buy new jute from the farmers, sources said.

Rois Uddin, manager of Platinum Jute Mills which has an outstanding loan of Tk15m, said they had been

struggling with loan repayments as the government had not yet provided any allocation in this regard.

“Buying jute from the farmers can be a long way off if we do not have enough money to repay our loans first,” he added.

Officials at the Crescent, Star, Latif Bawani and Eastern purchase centres shared similar stories.

Chief Jute Inspector Abdul Qader said the quality of jute this year was not “satisfactory” because of the drought; but the situation would improve in favour of farmers when all the centres start procuring jute from them. l

Drug peddlers kill Imam Lives of evicted sex workers at stake of a mosque in Barisal as hospitals refuse healthcare n Tribune Report Two people, including an Imam of a mosque, were killed in separate incidents in Barisal on Friday and Thursday night.

Hafez Parvez Mahmud, 31, was the Imam of the Uttar Dhamura Jam-eMasjid. He was originally a resident of Dhamura village in Uzirpur.

He used to speak against the vice in his sermons. Aggrieved by his active role against drug abuse, a group of peddlers strangulated him to death at the Khanqah He was killed allegedly by some drug addicts, police said.

Officer-in-charge of Uzirpur police station Anwar Hossain said they had recovered the body from a Khanqah, a place for spiritual gathering, of Maijbhandari (a school of thought of Sufism, based on the holy Qur’an and Sunnah) on Thursday night, reports UNB. The OC said Hafez used to raise his

voice against drug abuse, peddling and immoral activities. He used to speak against the vice in his sermons. Aggrieved by his active role against drug abuse, a group of peddlers strangulated him to death at the Khanqah, Anwar suspected.

Abdullah, brother of the Imam, lodged a murder case accusing Mithun Mia, a local drug addict and a follower of Maijbhandari, in this connection.

Police sent the body to Barisal Shere-Bangla Medical College Hospital morgue for post mortem.

Meanwhile, Barisal Airport police recovered the body of a night guard of a fish enclosure from a ditch in Sona Miar Pol area in the city about 11:30am on Friday.

Shahidullah, in-charge of Airport police station, said the victim was Sumon Nath, 29, night guard of the fish enclosure.

Police filed an unnatural death case with the police station and sent the body to the Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital for autopsy. l

n Tribune Report The lives and livelihoods of sex workers in Madaripur cathouse have become endangered following an attack led by the Islamist Group Islahe Qawmi Parishad in association with the locals.

The August 26 attack on the brothel rendered at least 500 sex workers shelterless, besides bringing them untold sufferings.

Even, the infirmaries in the district refuse them essential treatments being subjected to wrath of the attackers who have warned the hospital authorities not to give any healthcare to the sex workers, according to banglanews24.

Seeking anonymity, a sex worker said she had sustained severe head injuries after being hit by lethal weapons during the attack.

“I did not get any treatment for the injury from hospitals or anywhere else,” she said.

The sex worker added that the assault left at least 30-40 of her fellows critically injured.

Some of them have had their ears

and noses cut when attackers whisked their ornaments away.

Another injured sex worker, on condition of anonymity, said, “When we went to the Madaripur Sadar Hospital, the authorities turned us out.”

“I have been starving over the past four days. The attackers looted five tolas of gold ornaments and money from me,” she said.

Dr Lelin was in charge of the hospital’s emergency ward when the attack took place on August 26, said a source.

He said, “No new patient was admitted to the emergency ward on the day of the attack. I was on duty from morning to 2pm.”

The attack on sex workers was a clear violation of a High Court order.

On August 26, the HC had extended its stay for one year which allowed them to reside in the brothel.

An investigation into the attack found that the local administration had filed cases against unidentified persons.

A case was filed against 2,500 people for obstructing police from performing

n Tribune Report

At least nine people were injured in a clash between the activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Islami Chhatra Shibir at Navaran under Sharsha upazila in Jessore on Friday.

Police said several hundred activists of Chhatra Shibir, student front of Jamaat-e-Islami, gathered in front of the local Jamaat office on the Kazirber Road in Navaron area for bringing out a procession around 9:30am.

At the same time, a group of activists of Chhatra League, student body of the ruling Awami League, brought out a procession from the nearby Navaron Bazar.

At one stage, Shibir activists hurled crude bombs at the Chhatra League procession, triggering a clash that left nine people injured from both sides.

The injured were rushed to several hospitals and clinics. Police later brought the situation under control and arrested four Jamaat-Shibir activists in this connection, reports UNB. l

104 sued over Satkhira Matsyajibi Dal leader murder n Tribune Report A case was filed against 104 BNP men in connection with the killing of Satkhira district unit Jatiyatabadi Matsyajibi Dal President Aman Ullah Aman.

Aman’s mother Fatema Khatun filed the case against 54 identified and 50 unidentified men yesterday.

District BNP President and ex-MP Habibul Islam was made the prime accused.

District Jubo Dal President Abul Hasan Hadi is also among the accused, reports UNB. Police arrested seven including Sadik Anwar Chhoto, general secretary of Ashashuni upazila Matsyajibi Dal. Aman, 44, was killed and 15 people were injured in a clash between two factions of BNP in Satkhira town around 11am on Friday over taking seats on the podium during a meeting.

On Friday night, BNP suspended all activities of its Satkhira unit committee following the internal clash.

The party also formed a three-member committee to look into the incident. l

C&B river port in Faridpur in desperate state

Kids attend classes on porch n Tribune Report Students of the Tarashail Government Primary School in Comilla have been attending classes on a porch as the rickety classrooms are too risky to sit in.

The roofs of the classrooms are tilted; ceiling plasters are falling down, while the floors rooms are filled with rain water.

In this situation, teachers have been taking regular classes on the porch of the school situated at Konkapyt union of Chauddagram in Comilla.

Saymon, a student of the school, told banglanews24.com that: “Our classroom is tilted, and that is why we are studying on the porch. A few minutes’ rain fill up the floor of our classroom.”

Motahar Hossain, upazila nirbahi official, said they abandoned two rooms of the school building as they were too risky.

Head teacher of the school Nurul Islam Mozumder said: “Four among six classrooms in our school are abandoned. The two remaining classrooms are not in good condition either.”

He added that they had sent a written application to the local education official for repair the building, but no action had yet been taken. The school was established in 1936. At present it has 407 students. l

their duty.

Besides, the administration showed arrest of 17 people although none of them was involved in the assault.

Moreover, Monir Hujur and Badal Hujur – activists of the Islamist group – have been reportedly roaming around in broad daylight.

Mahmuda Akhter – district Women Affairs Officer – was tasked with investigation into the incident, but she had allegedly joined hands with the attackers.

Mahmuda said, “I am with the majority. No one wants a brothel in the city centre.”

Many parents complained that their children allegedly took drugs in the whorehouse, she said, adding that most objections went against the sex workers.

Asked about the officer talking in favour of the attackers, Nur-e-Rahman, deputy commissioner, said: “I have not heard that the officer is supporting the attackers; but I will look into the matter.”

A government officer cannot stand beside the offenders, he added. l

9 hurt in BCL-Shibir clash in Jessore

n Tribune Report

Students of three schools in the Kowkhali area of Pirojpur district go to school everyday by crossing the rickety bamboo bridge over the Julagati canal. The concrete brigde over the canal was destryoed by Sidr in 2007 FOCUS BANGLA

The C&B river port in Faridpur is beset with various problems including lack of maintenance and extensive damage caused by riverbank erosion, which port insiders say are “impacting it negatively.”

Although a revenue income of Tk5m in the current fiscal year may suggest otherwise, there has been little development of the port’s infrastructure and service standards in recent years, reports UNB. Businessmen are increasingly losing interest in what was once a highly-regarded and busy river port because of its present state. Most of their problems are related to shipment and transportation.

During a visit to the port, tonnes of rice, jute, onion and other agricultural produces were seen being shipped to different districts through the port.

There were cements from Narayanganj, coal and sand from Sylhet and fertilisers from Chittagong.

Sources said, the port would do well with three more pontoons to transport goods and more depots to store them.

Mahfuz, master of a cargo that brought government-owned fertilisers

from Chittagong, said he could not unload the fertilisers even after ten days of wait because of these problems.

The portside shore is also not suitable for the passage of a ship or cargo, he added. “The port authorities should take initiatives to improve the navigability of the river.”

Oliur Rahman, who brought cement from Narayanganj, said he had been in the port area for the last four days and could not yet unload because of shortage of pontoons.

Port cashier Abdur Razzak said there was not sufficient space in the river port to store goods. In addition, roads connecting the port were in poor condition.

“Drivers often complain about the roads being too muddy or bumpy for their vehicles, especially during the monsoon,” he added.

Jalil sheikh, who took lease of the port, said they had to struggle to transport goods through the port because of various problems.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Faridpur Moinuddin Ahmad said the higher authorities would be informed of the situation very soon. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Metro

7

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Rab and police take over community centres in the capital Public denied access to 19 venues occupied by security forces for setting up community outposts and camps and allowed the public to use commun Kailash Sarkar nity centres for purposes they were intended for.

She warned that communities with little or no access to healthy social activities and cultural interactions could easily turn to social ills and criminal activities.

Law enforcement agencies are occupying at least 19 out of 48 community centres in the capital for extended periods, depriving public access to these venues.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have expanded security operations on several occasions, when they set up security outposts and camps at various community centres.

Local government-run community centres are generally used for weddings and other celebrations. Many also have libraries and gyms for local residents’ use.

These facilities face closure when the venues are rented by security forces.

Response of authorities concerned

Security is an important issue, but the importance of peopleto-people contact in society cannot be overestimated Some public education institutions, such as school buildings, especially in the older parts of Dhaka, are being used as affordable alternative venues. Many of the private venues are too expensive and beyond the means of those with limited financial resources.

Sources said two community centres that were built by the erstwhile Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) before it was split into two, are in the corporations’ possession.

The continued occupation by the security forces has aggravated the situation, which is already exacerbated by a general lack of affordable venues.

“Some of my fondest memories are of the Shayesta Khan Community Centre in Lalbagh, which was like a second home to me. It had a music centre, a library and a gymnasium,” said Reyadul Islam, a resident of Lalbagh, remembers playing in the yard of the community centre, and celebrated various social and cultural events, but ever since a Rab 10 camp was set up at the venue several years ago, it has been inaccessible to locals. The Lalbagh local

A community centre in the capital’s Kalabagan area is being used as the local police station said: “Now we cannot even step into the premises, let alone use the venue for any event. It is really pathetic.”

Residents of other areas also expressed discontent about public venues occupied by security forces.

However, fearing repercussions if security forces learned of their identities, many sought anonymity when

they spoke about the situation, while others declined to comment.

In May last year, residents of Mughda demonstrated on the streets to protest against a move by police to establish an outpost at Afir Uddin Community Centre, a public venue in the area. However, their objections were never heeded by the authorities.

RAJIB DHAR

Social aspects

Rights activist Sultana Kamal, chairperson of Transparency International Bangladesh’s (TIB) board of trustees, said if people were unable hold social, cultural and religious celebrations because they were barred from access to public venues, amounted to more than breach of civic rights.

She said: “Security is an important issue, but the importance of people-to-people contact in society cannot be overestimated,” but the two issues should not be “mutually contradictory” according to her.

The TIB chairperson said the government needed to find suitable places for external wings of security forces

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hassan Mahmood Khandker said they were “forced” to use some public community centres, given the importance and necessity of establishing a network to ensure public safety.

He said: “We are using the venues because there is no other alternative.

But this is just a temporary arrangement. As soon as we find suitable places, the community centres will be freed for public use again.”

Rab Director General Moklesur Rahman said several alternative sites had already been selected where buildings would be constructed for Rab’s use.

However, sources said neither the police nor Rab had any “immediate plan” to vacate the community centres they had been occupying.

There are plans to build at least 101 new police stations, 21 of those in Dhaka, at the cost of nearly Tk82bn. But none of the police outposts located in the community centres were included in the list of new stations.

Among the community centres occupied by the police are venues in Lalbagh, Bongshal, Wari, Mugda, Basabo, Dhanmondi, Rupnagar, Khilgaon, Kamrangirchar and Pallabi.

While centres in Azimpur are being used by Chawkbazar police station and two community centres in Lalbagh are being used for residential purposes.

Rab occupied venues include centres in Sher-e-Banglanagar, Moghbazar, Tikatuli, Khilgoan, and one in Mohammadpur’s Tajmahal Road. l

Awami League hoardings now in Barisal n Our Correspondent, Barisal

After plastering the capital and other divisional cities with party advertisements, the promotional billboard spree of Awami League (AL) has now hit the streets of Barisal.

With only few months until the next parliamentary elections, a number of billboards and digital banners have sprung up at various locations across the city, lauding the achievements and success stories of the present government.

The billboards do not carry the name of any organisation but rather picture Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

and call for the re-election of the AL. With the tagline ‘‘Unnoyoner Angikar, Dharabahikata Darkar” (to fulfill the pledge of development, continuity is essential), these billboards draw comparisons between the performances of the ruling AL and the opposition BNP parties’ performances, including statistical data.

Nikhil Chandra Das, chief executive officer of Barisal City Corporation (BCC), said BCC leased the advertising spaces to people in return for taxes.

BCC is not concerned whether someone else leases the space from the leaseholders afterwards, he said.

Advocate Afzal Hossain, Barisal

Reckless motorcycling blamed for deaths The aesthetic beauty and wide-open spaces of the Hatirjheel project are gradually losing their charm due to odours seeping out from the contaminated lake.

The area draws a large number of city dwellers who converge on the area to hang out and have fun with friends and family, but the stench from the water is interfering with their fun.

The main objectives of the 302 acre project were to connect the eastern and western parts of Dhaka, reduce traffic jams, and improve Dhaka’s drainage and sewerage system, but it has turned into a hotspot for people to pass good times.

The project, which includes a beautiful lake, stylish bridges and beautiful flowers on road islands, has been drawing the crowds since it opened to public in January this year.

Lately however, the odour emanating from the lake has become troublesome as sewerage water makes its way into the lake.

Talking to this correspondent, many visitors said they could not stay there for long because of the bad smell coming from the lake.

Jannatul Ferdous, a visitor taking a stroll at the site with family members, told the UNB correspondent that it extremely difficult to pass time there due to the bad smell from the polluted water.

Aside from the stench from the lake, reckless motorcyclists have also been troubling visitors to the area, with four people killed in recent times in the Hatirjheel area When asked about this issue, Abdul Mannan, acting chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk), said the odour in the water at Hartirjheel was a technical problem. The stench is the result of sewerage water entering the drains which connect the Panthapath, Sonargaon and Rampura areas, he said.

Salauddin Ahmed, another official at Rajuk, said they were setting up

pumps near the Rampura Bridge to remove the odour.

“Once the pumps are in place, there’ll be no stench from the water.”

However, Abdul Matin, general secretary of environmentalist group Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, said it is not possible to clean the water at Hatirjheel simply by setting up pumps.

The water will spread more unpleasant odours in the area when it is drained, he said, adding that sewerage water from the Kalabagan, Panthapath and Moghbazar areas is entering the lake.

Matin said when project began they suggested to the concerned authorities that they should set up an organic treatment plant to remove the odour from the water.

He said the water at Hatirjheel would be odour-free if an organic treatment plant was set up to replace the lake water.

Asked what steps they are taking to remove waste from the Hatirjheel area, Rajuk official Salaud-

n RU Correspondent

din Ahmed said the Dhaka North City Corporation would clean up the area after work on the project is completed.

He said Rajuk would recruit workers, including security personnel and cleaners, to look after the project site once the army completes it work next year.

Aside from the stench from the lake, reckless motorcyclists have also been troubling visitors to the area, with four people killed in recent times in the Hatirjheel area.

When questioned about the deaths, Salauddin Ahmed said they had written to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and asked the inspector general of police to take preventive measures to protect visitors to the area.

On January 2, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the Hatirjheel-Begunbari integrated development project.

The 302 acre site stretches between Airport Road and Rampura to the Tejgaon, Gulshan, Modhubagh, Moghbazar, Badda and Ulan areas. l

Prof Entajul Haque was appointed as the registrar of Rajshahi University after three days of resignation of the earlier registrar Prof Nazrul Islam.

Head of Chemistry department Prof Haque took his duty yesterday morning, said a press release of the university administration.

Earlier, on Wednesday, the former registrar Prof Islam had resigned from

The former senior vice-president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sajjatuz Jumma, has been elected as the president of the Bangladesh Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the 2013 to2015 term, in its ninth annual general meeting held at the Dhaka Club yesterday.

Mohammad Shahjahan Khan and Mohammed Ali were elected as senior vice-president and vicepresident respectively while Abu Rushd Tarek was elected as director of administration and M Enayet Husain as director of finance, according to a media release.

The Thai ambassador in Dhaka, Madurapochana Ittarong, was present as the

guest of honour at a lunch that followed the general meeting.

The other newly elected directors were Zafar Osman, Asif Ibrahim, Salahuddin Abdullah, MRA Taha, Mafiz A Bhuiyan, Charles CR Patra, Montchai Musicabud, Shahzada Hamid, M Salem Sulaiman and Munir Hossain.

Sajjatuz Jumma is an accomplished and widely acclaimed entrepreneur.

his post over intervention in his administrative activities by Shahabuddin Saker, personal secretary of the Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Mizanuddin.

The university administration granted his resignation, though, in a separate press release, refused his allegations against the VC’s personal secretary Sarker.

Prof Haque, earlier performed duties at the university as provost, director of Institute of Education and Research and syndicate member. l

A makeshift fish market on the roadside in the capital’s Sat Masjid Road in Dhanmondi has becomes the reason of suffering for pedestrians FOCUS BANGLA

Sajjatuz Jumma elected as BTCCI president n UNB

He said: “Pulling off such a campaign by hijacking billboards strongly indicates that the AL government has failed and has become totally isolated from people. In BCC elections, it was proven that billboards may not change their fate or help win the hearts of people.”

He also questioned the funding sources behind the campaign and said the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) should look into the matter.

The billboards and banners are mostly placed near the entrance point of the city and along the city’s highways, including Bibir Pukur Par, C and B Road, Rupatali, Nathullabad, Dapdapia, Shikarpur and Doarika Barisal Airport. l

RU appoints new registrar

FOUL ODOUR RUINS HATIRJHEEL’S CHARM

n UNB

city’s Awami League secretary, made no comment when asked about the erection of the eye-catching billboards and banners on spaces leased to others.

He said: “Every entity has the right to demonstrate its own accomplishments.

You may contact the information department and concerned authorities if you have any queries regarding this.”

The district information office and concerned departments, as well as the leaseholders of the billboards, all refrained from making any comment.

Lawmaker Mojibor Rahman Sarwar, who is also the city BNP president and central organising secretary, strongly condemned the campaign.

He owns several enterprises including Desh Electronics, Milling Engineers Limited, Desh Landmark Limited, and is the founder, chairman and director of Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited, and chairman of Prime University and the Prime Foundation.

Sajjatuz Jumma was also the former chairman of the Islamic Banks Consultative Forum. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Obama says US can’t turn ‘blind eye’ to Syria n AFP, Washington Inaction is not an option for the United States in Syria after a horrendous chemical attack, President Barack Obama said Saturday as he urged holdout lawmakers to back a military strike.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to images like the ones we’ve seen out of Syria,” Obama said in his weekly address.

“That’s why I call on members of Congress, from both parties, to come together and stand up for the kind of world we want to live in; the kind of world we want to leave our children and future generations.”

Congress reconvenes on Monday and Obama addresses the nation on Tuesday about a possible US response to the August 21 attack that left hundreds dead on the outskirts of Damascus.

But he has already acknowledged that convincing lawmakers to back military action against the Syrian regime would be a “heavy lift.”

According to a Washington Post survey, 224 of the current 433 House members were either “no” or “leaning no” on military action as of Friday. A large number, 184, were undecided, with just 25 backing a strike.

The skepticism is also prevalent

among the people the lawmakers represent.

A Gallup survey showed 51 % of Americans oppose strikes in Syria compared to 36 % in favor, a larger opposition ratio than before the onset of the Gulf War of 1991, Kosovo (1999), Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003).

In his address, Obama said he wanted to strike Syria and punish President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

In his address, Obama said he wanted to strike Syria and punish President Bashar alAssad’s regime “This was not only a direct attack on human dignity; it is a serious threat to our national security,” he said.

“That’s why, last weekend, I announced that, as commander in chief, I decided that the United States should take military action against the Syrian regime.”

Obama warned that if the United States fails to respond to the “outrageous attack,” Assad could use the chemical weapons again, or they could fall in the hands of “terrorists.”

“It would send a horrible signal to other nations that there would be no

consequences for their use of these weapons,” he added.

However, Obama also stressed that he was asking for congressional authorization because “our country will be stronger if we act together, and our actions will be more effective.”

As he faces a war-weary American public after more than a decade of protracted conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan, Obama insisted that any US strike in Syria “is not an open-ended intervention.”

“This would not be another Iraq or Afghanistan. There would be no American boots on the ground. Any action we take would be limited, both in time and scope -- designed to deter the Syrian government from gassing its own people again and degrade its ability to do so,” the president added.

“I know that the American people are weary after a decade of war, even as the war in Iraq has ended, and the war in Afghanistan is winding down. That’s why we’re not putting our troops in the middle of somebody else’s war.”

The Senate is expected to vote next week on allowing a limited attack, while the House is due to vote within the next two weeks, according to Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. l

Not interested in becoming Pakistan PM: Zardari n AFP, Islamabad

Philippine protesters hold anti-US placards and light candles during a prayer-vigil in Manila on Saturday. The protesters said the US should keep out of Syria AFP

United States orders diplomats out of Lebanon amid fear n

AP, Beirut

The State Department ordered all nonessential US personnel Friday to leave Lebanon, reflecting fears that an American-led strike on neighbouring Syria would unleash more bloodshed in this already fragile nation.

The Lebanese government’s top security body held an emergency meeting and the Shia militant group Hezbollah put its fighters on high alert.

Lebanon and Syria share a complicated history and a web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries. The uprising against President Bashar Assad has intensified divisions among Lebanese religious groups as well as polarisation among those who support him and those backing the rebels fighting to topple him.

Lebanon has become completely

A Lebanese supporter attends a demonstration against a possible military strike in Syria, near the US Embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut AP

consumed by the civil war next door.

Car bombings, rockets, kidnappings and sectarian clashes — all related to the conflict — have become increasingly common in recent months.

Hezbollah, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime, has sent its fighters to back Assad’s forces against the rebels and the militant group’s leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, has suggested he would to do everything it takes to save the regime.

Adding to the jitters, the US said it had instructed its nonessential staff to leave Beirut and urged private American citizens to get out of Lebanon.

The step had been under consideration since last week, when President Barack Obama said he was contemplating military action against the Syrian government for its alleged chemical

weapons attack last month that killed hundreds near Damascus.

In a separate advisory for Turkey, the State Department announced it would allow personnel at the Adana consulate — the closest diplomatic post to Syria — to leave their posts. It recommended that US citizens defer nonessential travel to southeastern Turkey.

The department also renewed its travel warnings for Iraq and Pakistan, advising Americans of continuing security concerns in those two countries. Both have been the subject of long-standing travel warnings.

About 150 people from several pro-Syrian political groups gathered for a peaceful protest near the US Embassy compound north of Beirut, pledging larger rallies in case of a US attack in Syria. Some of them had painted their hands red, symbolising blood. l

Pakistan releases seven Taliban prisoners

Nigerian army says 50 Islamists killed n AFP, Islamabad with air support Pakistan on Saturday announced the release of seven senior Afghan Taliban n Reuters, Maiduguri figures to help the peace process in Nigerian soldiers backed by air support have tracked down and killed 50 members of Islamist sect Boko Haram in the sect’s northeastern stronghold, an army spokesman said on Saturday.

Suspected members of Boko Haram killed 20 people in two attacks late on Wednesday and early on Thursday in the villages of Gajiram and Bulabulin Ngabura in the northeastern Borno state, local residents said.

“Troops pursued the terrorists to their camps and with air support about 50 terrorists were killed in a shootout,” army spokesman Sagir Musa told reporters in Maiduguri.

Boko Haram, which wants to impose sharia law in northern Nigeria, and other splinter Islamist groups, are the biggest threat to stability in Africa’s top oil exporter. l

war-torn neighbour Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said.

“In order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process, Pakistan is releasing seven Taliban detainees namely Mansoor Dadullah, Said Wali, Abdul Manan, Karim Agha, Sher Afzal, Gul Muhammad and Muhammad Zai,” it said in a statement.

“These releases are in addition to 26

Taliban detainees released during the last year,” it added.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged Pakistan to help arrange peace talks between his government and the Taliban during a visit to Islamabad last week to meet with PM Nawaz Sharif.

Infuriated by the opening in June of a Taliban office in Qatar, considered a precursor towards talks with US officials, Karzai wants Pakistan to help open dialogue with the insurgents.

But analysts doubt whether Pakistan has the influence to force the Taliban to the negotiating table – and

the insurgents have publicly refused all contact with Karzai’s government, branding it a US puppet.

Karzai said Afghanistan expected Pakistan to provide “opportunities or a platform for talks between the Afghan High Peace Council” – Kabul’s official negotiators – and the Taliban.

In the past, the Afghan leader has identified Taliban havens in Pakistan as the main cause of increased violence in his country.

Afghan government peace negotiators accompanying Karzai earlier called for the release of the most senior Tali-

ban figure detained in Pakistan, former deputy leader Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Afghan officials believe former detainees may talk to the Kabul government, although observers say there is little evidence those hopes have been realised. On Saturday, a senior member of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council Mohammad – Ismail Qasimyar – welcomed news of the Taliban figures’ release.

“This is a goodwill and trust building move by Pakistan and we hope the release of these Taliban prisoners could change the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan,” Qasimyar said. l

FEARLESS EMBRACE

S Korean celebrity ‘marries’ gay partner

WORLD WATCH Cambodian opposition rallies as poll results loom

Thousands of Cambodians, many holding lotus flowers symbolising peace, joined a mass protest in the capital Phnom Penh Saturday in a last-ditch bid to challenge Prime Minister Hun Sen’s disputed election win, AFP has reported. Around 20,000 demonstrators gathered in Democracy Park to demand a probe into allegations that voter fraud denied the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) victory in July’s election. The protest comes as final results due Sunday are expected to end the CNRP’s legal options to overturn the result.

Man arrested in Buckingham Palace

British police said on Saturday they had arrested a man who scaled a fence to get into Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of Queen Elizabeth II, AFP reported. No members of the royal family were in the palace at the time of the incident on Monday night, said a spokesman for London’s Metropolitan Police. The man was found “in an area currently open to the public during the day” and arrested for burglary, trespass and criminal damage, the spokesman said. A second man was arrested outside the palace in central London for conspiracy to commit burglary. Both men were bailed to return to a London police station at a later date. It was not immediately clear why the incident had only come to light five days after it happened.

Harmony Gold in talks to end S Africa strike

The world’s fifth-largest gold producer Harmony Gold said it was holding talks on Saturday to try to end a crippling miners’ strike, after rival firms reached deals with their workers, AFP has reported. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said all its members except those employed by Harmony Gold had gone back to work after accepting wage increases of between 7.5% and 8%.

A spokeswoman for Harmony Gold, which is South Africa’s second-largest gold producer, said miners at most of its operations remained on strike, and it was meeting unions for talks.

German firm ‘sorry’ for anti-immigrant condoms

n AFP, Seoul A prominent gay rights campaigner and movie director “married” his partner in South Korea Saturday, where same-sex marriage is not legally recognised.

Kim Jho Gwang-Soo – a rare openly gay celebrity in conservative South Korea – and Kim Seung-Hwan held an outdoor ceremony in central Seoul, urging the government to recognise their union. “Through this ceremony, we will become a married couple, regardless of whether our marriage is legally accepted or not,” Kim told journalists.

Same sex marriage is illegal in South Korea and much of the population frowns upon homosexual relationships.

Hours before the ceremony between Kim, 48, and his partner, a handful of Christians briefly occupied the site in an attempt to stop the celebration, engaging in shoving matches with the couple’s supporters. l

Outgoing Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said in comments aired Saturday he will not seek to become prime minister and will instead focus on leading his party after stepping down.

Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan’s Peoples Party (PPP), vacates the presidency on Sunday and will be replaced the following day by Mamnoon Hussain, a businessman and close ally of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The centre-left PPP ran a rudderless general election campaign earlier this year and was defeated by Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N. “I will not try to become the prime minister of Pakistan,” Zardari, who defied expectations by holding onto power for a record five years, said in excerpts of an interview shown on Geo TV. “In my view running the party is more important than becoming prime minister,” he added.

Zardari, a controversial figure who was once sentenced to 11 years in prison for alleged corruption, said that as the presidency was the highest office in Pakistan it would not be appropriate for him to become prime minister.

The widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto leaves office with the country gripped by an energy crisis, a flagging economy and a Taliban insurgency. l

Australian motivational speaker, Nick Vujicic (top L), who was born without limbs, swims in a shark habitat while protected within a customised acrylic enclosure at Marine Life Park, Resort World Sentosa in Singapore on Thursday. Vujicic is in Singapore for a one-day event where he will be speaking to a 5,000 strong audience AFP

A German firm has apologised for producing condoms marked with an offensive message that were used in a far-right party’s campaign against immigrant births, Reuters has reported.

The contraceptives, ordered by the youth wing of the National Democratic Party (NPD), came in black boxes bearing the slogan “For foreigners and certain Germans”. The activists sent them to lawmakers as a protest against “unchecked immigration.” The message had a particular resonance in the country where the Nazi party also tried to control childbirth, encouraging people considered pure-blood Germans to breed, while going as far as sterilising people from other groups.

The condoms came with a letter, telling lawmakers: “We are protesting against unchecked immigration and the resulting population change in our country.

10 DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

No justice on the border

4 operators to vie for four 3G licences

T

he not guilty judgment in the Felani killing case is a travesty and does nothing to assuage concerns that India gives its BSF (Border Security Force) impunity to shoot Bangladeshis.

Felani’s case is well known because of the notorious circumstances in which she was shot by Indian border guards as she was attempting to travel back to Bangladesh in January 2011. The 15 year old was alive for four hours after being shot, but BSF guards refused to even provide water as she bled to death on a barbed wire fence. The trigger happy reputation of BSF guards is believed to have deterred Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officers from Despite repeated trying to assist. assurances and According to unofficial negotiations, Indian reports, at least 21 Banglaofficers continue deshis have been killed and 60 to violate basic others injured by the BSF at the human rights and India-Bangladesh border in the international norms last eight months. There are by shooting unarmed also widespread allegations of Bangladeshi civilians abduction and torture.

BGB’s director general acknowledges that BSF sometimes does not officially report incidents to BGB, so he can only confirm 16 victims this year, of which 14 were killed by the BSF Whatever the exact figure, it is clear the BSF has failed to keep its promise to bring the number of Bangladeshis killed at the borders down to zero.

Despite repeated assurances and negotiations, Indian officers continue to violate basic human rights and international norms by shooting unarmed Bangladeshi civilians.

While the trial of a BSF officer for Felani’s death may have been welcome, however belated, this verdict makes a mockery of justice. The ongoing litany of BSF killings only raises further doubt as to how seriously India values the lives of Bangladeshis.

Militants strike again?

T

he attack on Ganajagaran Mancha activist Arif Noor that has left him with 15 stitches in his head once again underlines the dangers posed by extremists, and serves as a strong reminder that the government must do more to crack down on those guilty of political violence.

While direct evidence as to who is responsible for the attack is hard to come by, it is fairly apparent what the motive was, It is fair to say and there can be little doubt as that as long as to the ideological outlook of the the government attackers. continues to play The government may not be both sides of the able to provide round the clock fence, that it is protection for those who are sending mixed being targeted by Islamist milsignals itants, but what it can do is to redouble its efforts against the purveyors of violence, and send the message that there will be zero tolerance for such attacks.

In this connection, the government’s public distancing itself from those it has dubbed “atheists,” and prosecution of the “atheist bloggers” does not help matters. It emboldens those who would target them.

We won’t say that the government has created an environment where this kind of thing can happen, but it is fair to say that as long as the government continues to play both sides of the fence, that it is sending mixed signals.

We do not expect a full-throated defense, though that would be nice. But what we do expect is that the government will use its full power to defend the vulnerable and ensure that those who target them are brought to justice.

Indeed, scrapping the tendentious cases against the “atheist bloggers” would be a good way to make the point, and would be a good place to start.

CROSSWORD

Banglar Babaji BTRC should launch at least 2-3 communication satellites on the orbit. A superpower can help us. It’ll save us huge $ and it’ll boost our communication and media industries.

Electronic media, TV stations, Telecom sector, ISPs are paying a huge sum of money to lease foreign satellites and infrastructure. It’s important to have our own communication satellites on the orbit which will also enable us to spread out culture/beam down our culture to a greater area – covering a greater space in the horizon ...

1 telecom and internet, 1 media, 1 military and weather satellite are important.

Rethinking political Islam

I wonder why do we have to read writers who sympathise with Islamist ideas and groups.

I’m referring to another foreign Bangladeshi writer Shafi Huq who thinks theocracy is what the world needs. How come he did not mention anything about the funding of these political Islamist parties? Why should we be reading how to implement political Islam into systems?

What is the direction of this newspaper? Twice thrice he mentions in the article that Islam is the solution. I think the writer is brainwashed and very closed minded as to think that a fascist ideology is what the world needs.

Also like to mention that Muslim Brotherhood was created by USA to counter communist influences in the Egypt , 1960 Nasser, Egyptian pres was assassinated by a Muslim brotherhood member. So there were “prosecuted, banished etc” cause they are terrorists working for USA for fundamentalism destroys a nation.

Sameer Ahmed

Be Heard Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: letters@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion@dhakatribune.com Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

DOWN 1 Praises (6) 2 Scold (4) 3 Tally (5) 4 Copy (3) 5 Young horses (5) 6 Donkey (3) 7 Cereal (3) 11 Marine growth (5) 13 Verdant (5) 16 Meddle (6) 18 Sundried brick (5) 20 Unspoken (5) 22 Nominate (4) 23 Top card (3) 24 Ruminant’s food (3) 25 Moved quickly (3)

August 30 LOANS to garment factories? I am curious to watch how this is implemented down to the root/worker level. Owners will have access to these loans; the question is, how will it benefit the workers? What sort of monitoring will be done to check on this?

Tunazzina Iqbal Sahaly

Banglar Babaji Rajvi Bd: Citycell can strictly become a “specialised market niche” service provider. It can target high security market niche.

Number of foreign students in private universities rising August 30 Zahurul Islam Good progress, though our universities are still lagging behind in global ratings!

Arch Bishop Zahurul Islam: Global ratings are a pipe dream as long as the universities are little more than training camps for extortionists known as “student wings of political parties.” And please save me the nonsense of “glorious past of student politics” etc etc.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

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Walmart ready to loan $50 million to Bangladesh factories

Rajvi Bd Nice work of the govt and operators.

But I’m feeling sorry for the only CDMA operator in BD, Citycell. Right now they are facing financial crisis, and I hope they will regain their previous position very soon plus also take part for 3G.

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Sunday, September 8, 2013

$2.5bn to eradicate extreme poverty people who make up the masses of our population ... Is this really what we want for our sonar Bangladesh?

In Bangladesh, there are about 26m extremely poor people, or approximately 6m extremely poor families, according to the HIES 2010 household income survey.

The complete eradication of this extreme poverty is actually within our reach. It can be achieved, if political support, motivated leaders and people who care, move into action fast.

To eradicate extreme poverty, what do we need?

AFP

T

n Shazia Omar

he extreme poor earn less than that necessary to consume the minimum basic required calories a day. They eat less than three meals a day, and the meals they eat are mostly rice. They lack employment opportunities because they typically live in remote areas and have no education, literacy or skills/training.

Many are from ethnic minorities who are excluded from markets or disabled people who lack access or physical capacity to sell in the daily labour market. The majority of extreme poor have fallen outside the reach of government safety nets and are too poor to qualify for micro credit.

Female-headed households are disproportionately high among this

population. Their number grows as families often disintegrate under the pressure of desperation. Men abandon their wives and small children in order to eke out enough to survive alone.

a person’s neural development takes place within the first two years of life.

Proper brain development requires protein and multi-vitamins which extremely poor children do not get.

The complete eradication of this extreme poverty is actually within our reach. It can be achieved, if political support, motivated leaders and people who care, move into action fast

Their wives, who are from extremely poor families themselves, and never had an education or exposure to income earning, suddenly find themselves in the position of supporting their children. These children in turn are deprived of schools or food.

It is a scientific fact that much of

With low or no education, no fathers or family support, all that our 8m extremely poor children are left with is a bleeding heart and a bleak future.

We, as a nation, are allowing millions of girls to become young mothers and single parents, adding millions of babies to the ranks of extremely poor

Promotive social protection programmes, like the EU’s Food Security for Ultra Poor Programme, Brac’s Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction, and the Economic Empowerment of the Poorest (Shiree), that raise a person’s ability to generate income need to be scaled up.

These livelihood enabling programmes transfer a package of skills, assets and support to extremely poor families. On average, a package of $500 is enough to help a family climb out of extreme poverty. Generally, these programmes target the poorest of the poor, those who fall below the scope of micro-finance eligibility.

Currently promotive programmes support roughly 1m families. If this work is scaled up, it can address the remaining 5m families. The cost would then be approximately $2.5bn.

In theory there are at least a dozen billionaires in Bangladesh who could, if they wanted, provide the funds to help wipe out poverty in this way. Of course they may care sufficiently or even want to contribute to this cause.

Still, perhaps motivated by a need to cleanse their conscience or karma, some may, like Rockefeller, turn to philanthropy.

The government already spends significant money on poverty reduction strategies. With clearer targeting and a strong anti-corruption drive, as well as contributions from donors and private sector companies, the resources we need can be generated.

The goal and upside of such fundraising can be the complete eradication of extreme poverty!

Protective social protection programmes (safety nets such as VGD, VGF, elderly allowance, disability allowance) will still need to play a role, to provide continued support to those who are unable to work for a livelihood. Our 2m elderly poorest, and 2m disabled poorest, will need continued government assistance.

I am not an economist but I know that in many instances a single transfer of Tk15,000 in value has transformed the life of an extremely poor family, starting an upward income trajectory.

The complete eradication of this extreme poverty is actually within our reach. It can be achieved, if political support, motivated leaders and people who care, move into action fast

This type of single kick-start of capital is necessary to transform one’s earning capacity, and achieves more than the meagre dribbling of social protection that safety net schemes provide.

Such families will of course continue to remain vulnerable to external shocks such as floods, hurricanes, cyclones and evictions.

Hence large-scale promotive programmes that give poor people a chance to establish micro-enterprises or gain employment must be combined with measures that increase resilience through diversification of income and better targeting of public services.

With these in place, Bangladesh may shine as a global example of a nation transformed. We need to mobilise our leaders and our resources for maximum impact now. The scale of our problem is already huge. Let us address it before it grows any larger.

What better gift can we give ourselves as a nation for our 50th birthday? l Shazia Omar is head of advocacy at Shiree.

The new Myanmar is looking Damned if he does, damned if a lot like the old one he doesn’t! n Jared Ferrie and Aung Hla Tun

I

t was once the feared weapon of a military junta, ruthlessly deployed to restrict Myanmar’s nascent Internet and throw journalists, students, monks and other political opponents behind bars.

The junta is gone, but the Electronic Transactions Law and other draconian legislation remain on Myanmar’s books.

Attempts to revamp them are stirring debate over the reformist credentials of the semi-civilian government that took power in 2011 and how far it will loosen tough state controls.

Other junta-era laws have been scrapped or amended, only to be replaced by contentious alternatives that rights advocates regard as a threat to the emergence of a free media and civil society after nearly 50 years of dictatorship.

Myanmar’s former military junta imposed the Electronic Transactions Act in 2004 to counter the growing influence of the Internet, which had been introduced to Myanmar a few years earlier. Offenders can be jailed for up to 15 years for sending an e-mail containing information deemed detrimental to the nation’s security, economy, culture or “peace and tranquillity.”

In January, a motion to abolish the law was rejected by the lower house of parliament, which is packed with active and former military officers.

A revised motion to amend the law, replacing its long prison terms with shorter ones or fines, will be debated when parliament resumes in October.

Members of the drafting committee claim the law was being changed to focus on less contentious objectives such as supporting e-commerce and fighting cyber crime and credit card fraud.

“The existing law is concerned with the power and stability of the previous regime to detain those who opposed them,” said one committee member, who declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to media. “We are changing the aims and objectives.”

Prominent victims of these laws say the new draft version which they have seen contains language that would still allow the government to target activists in Myanmar.

“The proposed amendments are not much different from the original law,” said Ko Ko Gyi, 52, a former political prisoner sentenced to 65 years in jail after leading anti-government protests in 2007. His term included four 15-year sentences under the Electronic Transactions Law. Aung Thein, a veteran lawyer who has represented Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and other celebrated democrats, said the law was an unwanted remnant of a dark past.

“There was a time when we had to apply for a licence to own a radio,” he said. “Now things have changed a lot in telecommunications and electronic technology. I don’t think this law should exist.”

Even if its penalties were amended, the law would remain vague and arbitrary, he said.

The junta is gone, but the Electronic Transactions Law and other draconian legislation remain on Myanmar’s books

Also causing outrage is a draft law on associations made public in July, which activists say could give the government arbitrary powers to crack down on any groups it does not like.

If passed, the law would require domestic and international non-governmental organisations to register with the government. Members of organisations that fail to register can be imprisoned for up to three years.

The law would be “a serious setback for the development of a strong and vibrant civil society,” Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said in an statement on August 21.

The government is taking some criticism on board, said Nay Phone Latt, a blogger who spent 4 years in prison under the Electronic Transactions Law and is now executive director of Myanmar ICT for Development Organization, which promotes internet access and freedom.

He said members of the committee drafting the new associations law met last month with civil society delegates in the capital, Naypyitaw. “After our discussion, they will make amendments so the government cannot silence civil society organizations.”

Myanmar’s President, Thein Sein, is a retired general and many of his ministers were high-ranking members of the old junta. Last year, his government won international plaudits for abolishing strict censorship of newspapers and magazines.

But a new Printing and Publishing Enterprises Law, already passed by parliament, has been criticised by Myanmar’s journalists. Thiha Saw, editor of the English-language Myanma Freedom Daily, said the revised law differed little from the original one, introduced after the military seized power in 1962.

“Most journalists hate it,” he said.

Unfortunately for journalists, draconian laws seeking to police dissent on the internet are not unique to Myanmar. Many Southeast Asian governments already impose severe restrictions on the Internet and freedoms of speech and association.

In Vietnam, a decree took effect this month that makes it a crime to share news via blogs and social networks.

Reporters Without Borders, which says 35 bloggers and internet activists languish in Vietnam’s jails, called it “nonsensical and extremely dangerous.”

Thailand has prosecuted hundreds of people under strict laws governing cyber-crime and the monarchy while in Malaysia last year, bloggers and opposition politicians staged a one-day “internet blackout” to protest against a law they said threatened online expression.

Singapore also enforces tough controls on the Internet, introducing this year new regulations on websites that regularly report on the city state, sparking debate over whether the measure was a new attempt to stifle online criticism of the government.

The current debate in the new democratising Myanmar raises fears that draconian attitudes can continue to survive in new laws. l This article has been syndicated from Reuters.

n Sankalita Shome

P

resident Barack Obama and the US administration are in an unenviable position right now.

They are the favourite punching bag of the Muslim world and many accuse them for being responsible for all that is ailing Egypt and Syria.

In July this year, when the Egyptian military deposed President Morsi, those in Egypt who supported the generals took great pains to educate Obama that the move had the backing of a large number of Egyptians. But when the US administration appeared cautious in responding, they were slammed it being supportive of the Islamists.

By mid-August, the United States had apparently switched sides when the generals in Egypt, ruthlessly went about dispersing sit-ins by the Muslim Brotherhood in support of Morsi, leading to more than 1000 deaths.

Obama was now accused of being sympathetic to the military and backing the generals against the Islamists.

There is just no pleasing some people. Both the charges cannot be true at the same time and probably neither is.

But the situation symbolises the loathing for Obama and the US that seems to prevail in the Muslim world.

But then who said being in the top job in the world was going to be easy?

As the chief of a superpower nation, the general feeling is that he can orchestrate events sitting in the Oval Office, by a nod of his head and flick of his finger. The United States’ approval and complicity for solving global strife is often desired but at the same time, its role as a global policeman is also much despised and reviled.

Egyptians who supported the military overthrow are convinced that Obama is firmly behind the Islamists. This begets the question as to why would America support the Muslim Brotherhood. To weaken the country by dividing Egypt into mini-states, claims a conspiratorial chorus, and thus help the cause of an Israeli invasion.

Taking forward the absurd,a mainstream Arabic newspaper ran an explosive front-page headline a couple of days ago, alleging that Obama is

a full-blown member of the Muslim Brotherhood International!

At the same time, to the Islamists, the ousting of their leader, Morsi, has to be America’s handiwork. A pro-Islamist poster shows Obama dressed as a pharaoh and leading the Egyptian military chief General Abdel Fatah-al-Sisi by a dog leash. After all, didn’t America’s secretary of state, John Kerry, defend his country’s reluctance to suspend military aid to Egypt, by describing the dismissal of Morsi as an attempt to “restore democracy” in Egypt.

Both the sides have a different narrative, but are happy to blame America as logic and facts become a casualty of troubled times.

it again by depicting doomsday on the lines of America’s intervention in Iraq, with the war with Syria being billed as Iraq 2 and Obama being compared to his predecessor, George W Bush.

Added to all this cacophony is strident criticism at home of Obama’s strategy for handling overseas crises.

There are growing demands to suspend military aid to Egypt, while others want the President to support the generals.

On Syria too, the President is slammed by some as “weak” for dithering on Syria, while others argue that engaging militarily in Syria will be suicidal since there is no clear leadership to hand over to and peace might turn out to be a long drawn out affair.

By mid-August, the United States had apparently switched sides when the generals in Egypt, ruthlessly went about dispersing sit-ins by the Muslim Brotherhood in support of Morsi, leading to more than 1000 deaths. Obama was now accused of being sympathetic to the military and backing the generals against the Islamists

Coming to Syria, the President has managed to back himself into a corner and tie himself up in knots over the two-year old Syrian civil war. The United States has received flak for its forbearance to engage militarily with Syria, while more than a 100,000 people have already died and it has waited for Obama’s “red line” to be crossed.

Now that the “red line” has been breached-the United States says it has proof that chemical weapons have been used by the Assad regime in Syria against its civilian population- the decision by Obama to seek Congressional support to engage in unilateral military strikes against Syria has been described as “alarming.”

Of course, in this case too, there are those who think that an intervention by the United States at this stage is a folly and there have been anti-war demonstrations in Jordan, Turkey and Tunis.

The cartoonists and caricaturists are at

Americans themselves seem detached from the events unfolding in Egypt and Syria and seem to favour a handsoff approach. The spectre of debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan still looms large and Obama does not enjoy much support for a war with Syria.

With so many opposing voices and the memory of his predecessor’s protracted imbroglios still fresh, Obama has his work cut out. He is has argued that the “red line” is not just his, but that it is the international community’s credibility that is at stake in the case of Syria.

However, this is unlikely to change perceptions or to stop the varied criticisms against him.

But the man has got to do what he has got to do. Maybe, history will be kinder to Obama. After all, in hindsight, things are always clearer. l Sankalita Shome is a freelance contributor.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Sunday, September 8, 2013

I love playing negative roles: Kalyan Corraya n Limana Solaiman The young and lively actor Kalyan Corraya forged his way into the media of Bangladesh with his debut through single episode TV play “Prem O Porabastobotar Golpo,” directed by Mejbaur Rahman Suman. In a short span of time, the youngster with his rugged good-looks has made quite an impression on the audience with his composure and unique style of acting.

Kalyan was again seen on “Nokkhotro, Ghash O Chandramallika’r Raat,” a single episode play by the Meril-Prothom Alo Critics Award winning director Nurul Alam Atik.

In the drama, he was co-star of the beautiful and popular actor Joya Ahsan and according to Kalyan, he came into lime-light through this venture.

Besides his TV career, the artiste has done two films, “Pita” and “Jonakir Alo.” Recently, Dhaka Tribune caught up with the charming actor:

How do you label your position in the industry?

I wouldn’t tag myself as successful yet.

I am glad to have reached a certain position in such a short span of time and I am thankful to a lot of people. I feel that the whole world is out there for me to discover and I want to work hard in order to prove myself to the audience of the country. In the beginning and the end, it’s always about the audience, their love and acceptance.

Who is your favourite co-star?

Shillong Chamber Choir performs at the Mirpur Indoor Stadium on September 6

SYED LATIF HOSSAIN

Shillong Chamber Choir fascinates Dhaka audience n Punny Kabir A houseful audience at the Mirpur Indoor Stadium in Dhaka was rocking with an array of popular Hindi, English and Bangla songs on September 6 as Shillong Chamber Choir made a performance which did full justice to the title of the show “Grand Musical Concert.”

The choir music, which is a very new genre in Bangladeshi music arena, won hearts of the listeners with eclectic, soothing and youthful presentation of the band.

The Shillong Chamber Choir, one of the top exponents from India of choir

music and has obtained acclaims from all around the world, demonstrated its skill in vocal deliveries in different layers with outstanding synchronization.

The choir performed with a number of musical instruments such as piano, guitars, chime, percussions and more.

Neil Nongkynrih, who founded the musical ensemble in 2001, made the whole session interactive with his words urging for more love and friendship between India and Bangladesh.

For this particular performance, the band prepared a track which is a blend of two popular Bangla songs “Banshi Shune Ar Kaj Nei” and “Jodi Tor Dak

Shune.” The audience warmly greeted the artistes when they presented the song in different harmony parts.

Hit tracks of Bollywood— from early era to contemporary — have been covered by the band with their unique rearrangement combining western chorals as well as choral-style revamps.

They sang “Yeh Dosti,” “Ajib Dastan Hain Ye,” “Tu Ashiki Hain,” “Nayi Nahi Ye Batein” and few more. Their mixture of a few Bollywood tracks and renowned songs of Abba received repeated applause from the audience.

Their exclusive track “The Great Train Journey” made the audience nostalgic

n

Metallica’s upcoming IMAX 3D concert movie, “Metallica Through the Never,” is shaping up to be an epic blowout that combines concert footage with narrative elements. In the film’s trailer, which has been recently released, the band blasts through their classic track “Master of Puppets.”

Drummer Lars Ulrich said, “Not only are we beyond psyched about our movie coming your way shortly, but the fact that we get to share the music directly in different formats is really cool.”

n Entertainment Desk

“Shuddh Desi Romance,” starring Parineeti Chopra and Sushant Singh Rajput is not a typical romcom. It captures the lives of ordinary people who live in the fear of commitment and yet dare to take the leap for love every time, feel movie critics.

The film is an attempt to depict the love affairs of the modern generation.

Sushant Singh Rajput plays the role of a casual boy-next-door, Raghu, and Parineeti Chopra plays the bold role of Gayatri - his lover. Newbie Vaani Kapoor plays Tara, who is also Raghu’s

Metallica unleash fury in Through the Never trailer “Metallica Through the Never” will open in IMAX 3D theaters on September 27, with a wide release on October 4.

The movie revolves around Trip, a young roadie for Metallica, who is sent on an urgent mission during the band’s show. But what seems like a simple assignment turns into a surreal adventure. On his way, Trip’s van is hit by another vehicle and he subsequently finds himself up against a death-dealing horseman. As Trip flees through desolate streets, he has only his wits to help him avoid the deadly horseman and deliver Metallica’s cargo. l

Well, I love playing negative roles. From the top of my head, one of my favourite roles so far is from the play “Samantha,” it was a negative role. Recently, I am working on two plays, “Keu Keu Mrito Jonaki” by Shahiduzzaman Selim and “Dorjar Opashe” by Matia Banu Shuku.

In both the plays, I am playing negative role and am enjoying myself immensely.

Tell us about your dream role?

Wow, never really thought of it before but now that you ask, I think the role of Achilles from the movie “Troy” is my dream role.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

I will try my level best to be a truly successful actor in the industry and I hope in ten years time I will be one of the most popular faces in the media.

I want to have a long and successful acting career in both film and TV. I am not afraid to work hard in achieving my goals. l

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s Contemporary Film Festival will end today with the screening of Debdash, directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam. The show time is 6pm and entry is free for all

Shuddh Desi Romance delights critics

ON TV

Entertainment Desk

as the innovative artistes, through their vocal use, created different sounds that people encounter in a train journey.

However, the people went crazy when the choir rendered Queen’s classic number “We Will Rock You.” The Choir’s repertoire included works of western classical music including Handel, Bach, Gershwin and Mozart.

The orchestrated performance was a treat for ears for the music lovers.

Moreover, their costumes and synchronised physical movements were visually enthralling.

Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka organised the event. l

I cannot point out any single person, but I am lucky enough to have acted with personalities such as Shahiduzzaman Selim, Tariq Anam Khan, Shuborna Mustafa, Mou and Kusum Sikder. I have learned a lot of the tricks of the trade from them and I am very comfortable in acting with them. I would have loved to have worked with Humuyan Faridi, he is my all time favourite.

Which is your favourite role so far?

lover. The love-triangle gets complicated when the lives of the three cross, their beliefs get challenged, and their love gets tested.

Shuddh Desi Romance is not a routine love-saga, with the cliches Bollywood is known for. It offers something new.

“Shuddh Desi Romance is a welcome change for the cynics amongst us who find typical romances like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge filmy and unreal. The blossoming chemistry of its lead actors is a swell, but mostly this is a film that encapsulates the lives of ordinary people who perennially live in the fear

Captain America will be airing on HBO at 930pm

Citizen Khan will air on Comedy Central at 7-30pm

of commitment and yet dare to take the leap for love every time!,” says Mohar Basu of Koimoi.com.

Agrees Taran Adarsh in Bollywood Hungama: “True to its title, Shuddh Desi Romance is indeed a shuddh [pure] take at live-in relationships involving desi characters and looks at the highs and lows that come with it.”

Director Maneesh Sharma is lauded for giving a unique treatment to the movie. “Capturing the energy of the young and the restless isn’t an easy job, but director Maneesh Sharma does his job with near infallibility. It’s liberating to watch this film for the mere treatment of its basic concept. Bred on the ideas of happy endings and the regal fanfare of red roses, the director does a good job at hammering on the fact that day-to-day relationships are more about moments of insecurity, fear and lot little about ‘love’ these days,” writes Basu.

The film, according to some critics, is repetitive. “Creating a pattern out of repeated events is a classic device in romantic comedies, but it only works when there are little differences in detail with each repetition,” writes Deepanjana Pal, Firstpost.

“The only glitch in the otherwise smooth narrative is that the pacing slows down considerably in the second hour,” feels Adarsh. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Jol Bindu

By Shahnoor Mamun Alliance Francaise de Dhaka Time: 3pm–9pm Road no-3, Dhanmondi

Rhythm of Reality Ganesh Haloi Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts House No 275, Road No 27, Old Dhanmondi

Loss of the Toss is Blessing of their Disguise by Firoz Mahmud Time: 3pm – 8pm Dhaka Art Center, House-60, Road-7/A Dhanmondi

Verses Written Through Water

By Anisuzzaman Time: 12pm-8pm Institute Of Asian Creative Gulshan 2

Theatre

Devdas Rangana Natyagoshthi Time: 7pm National Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Pakhi Batikkrom Time: 7pm Experimantal Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shipakala Academy Segunbagicha

Film

The Wolverine in 3D Nishwartha Bhalobasa Fast & Furious 6 Despicable Me 2 in 3D Star Cineplex

Did you know?

Germany haven’t lost in their last 20 World Cup Qualifiers (15 wins, 5 draws).

Their last defeat came against England (1-5) in September 2001

Sport

Sunday, September 8, 2013

14 Klose equals German

record, Ronaldo grabs Portugal hat-trick

15 Serena, Azarenka set for finals rematch

Score Card Zimbabwe, first innings, 327 Pakistan, second innings 419-9 dec Zimbabwe, second innings

(overnight 13-1) T. Mawoyo lbw b Saeed Ajmal 2 V. Sibanda lbw b Junaid Khan 6 H. Masakadza c Azhar Ali b Junaid 1 Sikandar c Azhar Ali b Rehman 24 M. Waller c Rahat Ali b Rehman 17 E. Chigumbura c Hafeez b Rehman 28 R. Mutumbami not out 16 P. Utseya b Saeed Ajmal 0 S. Masakadza lbw b Saeed Ajmal 0 T. Panyangara lbw b Abdur Rehman 6 T. Chatara lbw b Saeed Ajmal 13 Extras (b1, lb5, nb 1) 7

Junaid Khan 10-3-20-2, Rahat Ali 7-135-0, Saeed Ajmal 16.4-5-23-4, Abdur Rehman 13-5-36-4 Result

Pakistan players celebrate victory during the fifth day of the first Test match against hosts Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club yesterday

AFP

Pakistan sweep to victory in Zimbabwe Pakistan took nine wickets in an extended morning session to beat Zimbabwe by 221 runs on the fifth day of the first Test at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

Zimbabwe, set an unlikely 342 to win, were bowled out for 120.

Left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan made the initial breakthrough, taking two wickets in his first eight balls of the day after Zimbabwe resumed at 13 for one.

Then spinners Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal took over, finishing with four wickets apiece.

Left-armer Rehman, who followed

up Junaid’s opening burst by taking the next three wickets, took four for 36, while Ajmal wrapped up the tail to take four for 23.

Off-spinner Ajmal finished with match figures of 11 for 118, the fourth time he had taken 10 or more wickets in a match.

Zimbabwe were in trouble from the sixth ball of the day when captain Hamilton Masakadza gloved a short delivery from Junaid to gully.

Overnight batsman Vusi Sibanda was out lbw in Junaid’s next over to reduce the home side to 19 for three.

Sikandar Raza and Malcolm Waller, who shared a century partnership in

Nepal cricket skipper interested to play in Dhaka aihan Mahmood, Rfrom Kathmandu Nepalese cricket captain Paras Khadka expressed his interest to play club cricket in Dhaka and believes he will be able to cope with the challenges if he gets the nod.

Speaking in a reception program of the national cricket coach Pubudu Dasanayke at Hotel Crown Plaza on Friday the fighting all-rounder expressed his desire to play in Dhaka. “I have the confidence to face the challenge. I want to play overseas as much as possible to earn experience,” said the tall all-rounder.

Paras is a middle-order batsman and bowls medium pace. He represented Nepal in three Under-19 World Cups in 2004, 2006 and 2008 while he is also a regular member in the senior national team. Groomed for captaincy through positions of leadership in age-group teams, he took over the national captaincy in 2009. A man for a pressure situation Paras also had a stint in Cana-

by logo row, says Aussie vice-captain

Nepal will come out firing in all cylinders to create history and make their way to the final against Afghanistan in the first semi-final of the Saff Championship at the Dasarath Stadium at 6:45pm today.

The charged up hosts, Nepal, has not featured in a final of the Saff Championship till date.

Nepal will relish the opportunity to avenge their sour defeat suffered at the hands of Afghanistan in the previous edition of the event at Delhi when Afghanistan handed them a 1-0 defeat to book a place in the final. Jack Stefanowski, the coach of Nepal cautioned his team about any complacency. “We are in the most crucial stage of

Bowling

AFP, Harare

15 Ahmed unmoved

aihan Mahmood, Rfrom Kathmandu

120

Pakistan won by 221 runs Man of the match: Younis Khan (PAK) Pakistan lead the two-match series 1-0

13

Nepal eye dream final

Pakistan, first innings, 249

Total (46.4 overs)

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Paras Khadka da as he played for Ontario Cricket Club and Academy.

Now Paras looks forward to take his team to the World T20 scheduled to take place in Bangladesh next year.

“We are preparing hard. We have spinners like Basanta Regmi and the team is working hard to attain a slot in the next year’s T20 World Cup,” said Paras.

The World Twenty20 Qualifiers, from which six of the 16 teams will progress to the main tournament in Bangladesh next year, is scheduled to take place between November 15 and 30 in the UAE. z

the first innings, provided some resistance with a fourth wicket stand of 30 before Waller swept left-arm spinner Rehman to backward square leg where the tall Rahat Ali stretched skywards to hold a catch.

Raza was dropped by wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal off Rahat when he was on 17 but made only seven more runs before he was caught at short leg off Rehman.

Elton Chigumbura took advantage of ultra-attacking fields to strike 28 off 35 balls, with five fours, before he became Rehman’s third victim, caught at slip.

Wickets tumbled and play was extended when Zimbabwe were eight

down at the scheduled lunch break, enabling Pakistan to complete an early victory in a match in which Zimbabwe had the better of the first three day’s play.

An unbeaten double century by veteran Younis Khan gave Pakistan the edge though, and he was later named man of the match.

“Zimbabwe won the game for threeand-a-half days,” admitted Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq. “Younis played a match-winning innings that changed the game.”

Zimbabwe had led by 78 runs on the first innings and were still on top deep into the Pakistan second innings

before Younis’ unbeaten 200 allowed the tourists to declare on 419 for nine, leaving Zimbabwe with what proved an impossible task.

Misbah acknowledged that Zimbabwe had played well for much of the match but said his team need to improve in the second Test, which starts at the same venue on Tuesday. “We need to be on the money right from the start,” he said.

Hamilton Masakadza, who took over the captaincy when Brendan Taylor withdrew on the morning of the match after the birth of his first child, said Zimbabwe had fought hard and played well for much of the match. z

Nepal is a very strong team technically and in terms of speed. Nepal also has the home ground advantage the meet and we need just a win to be in the final. The situation is expected to be tougher than anticipation as Afghanistan is the highest ranked team,” said Stefanowski.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan coach Yousef Kargar is not taking the hosts lightly and poured respect on his opponents. “Nepal is a very strong team technically and in terms of speed. Nepal also has the home ground advantage. However, we’ll also try to reach that point,” said the coach of the topranked South Asian country.

“In the semis we missed chances, but played good football. We maintained superior ball possession and we were technically sound. We want to continue that,” said the Afghanistan coach. z

Tamim intended to play for Brothers

New association introduce members Minhaz Uddin Khan Mazhar Uddin National opening batsman

A new sports organisation in the name of “Sports Development Association” introduced their members to the media at a local hotel yesterday.

The president of the organisation Mosaddek Ali Falu informed that they will work for the betterment of sports in Bangladesh and said, “We want to work together for the development of sports in Bangladesh and those who think like that we will include them in the sports development association.”

Along with former sports minister Sadek Hossain Khoka former BCB president Ali Azgar Loby, Moinul Hoque Chowdhury, former footballer and minister retd Major Hafiz Uddin, former minister Mirza Abbas and former manager of the Bangladesh national cricket team retd col Abdul Latif Khan, former national footballer Kaisar Hamid were also present during the occasion.

However, it was mainly the showdown from the opposition political party who are trying to reunite and take a strong stance for the future in Bangladesh’s sports arena. z

Tamim Iqbal revealed that he had earlier thought of playing for either Gazi Tank Cricketers or Brothers Union in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) starting from Tuesday. The hard hitting left-hander, however, was bought by Brothers Union Limited in the ‘Players by Choice’ for the 50-overs tourney which has gained the List-A status by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

“I was looking forward to play for the Gazi Tank or Brothers this season.

The new system of players’ recruitment got me into Brothers and I am happy about it,” said Tamim at a press conference held at Brothers club yesterday.

Brothers will face Prime Bank Cricket Club in their first round game at Rajshahi on the opening day of the tournament. Last season Tamim played for champions Victoria Sporting Club.

Victoria’s chairman Lutfur Rahman switched to Gazi Tank which made the chances of seeing both Tamim and national all rounder Shakib al Hasan wearing Gazi’s jersey. But the newly

introduced players’ draft saw the duo get recruited by two different clubs.

“I played for them (Brothers) in Chittagong and did have intentions to play for them in the premier league (DPL). So the intention has come true this time,” informed Tamim who will be playing for Brothers for the first time in DPL. However, he yet again complained of the players’ draft causing financial damage to the cricketers.

“I have said this before. The draft system has done loss to the cricketers. Many are not getting paid less than half of what they could have got if things happened in the traditional way. I have always opposed this new system and it is the same even today,” said Tamim.

Tamim will be sharing Brothers’ dressing room with other national cricketers like Sohrawardi Shuvo, Shuvagata Hom, Alok Kapali, Mehrab Hossain Jr and his elder brother Nafees Iqbal.

“I think we have very good local cricketers in the team and hope that they will give their 100 percent to lift the team,” he said.

Brothers earlier informed of having Indian star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh playing for the side this season. However, the recruitment was denied after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to sign NOCs for their cricketers.

“He (Yuvraj) was eager to play for us to be honest and showed interest to fly to Dhaka for few matches. But the BCCI didn’t allow him. However, I am personally contacting few foreign cricketers and pursuing them to play for Brothers,” said Tamim.

The port city boy also informed that the club has confirmed services of former Pakistani national and British passport holder Azhar Mahmood along with Sri Lankans Angelo Mathews and Sachithra Senanayake. The trio will join the Brothers tent in next two to three days.

On the other hand, chairman of the cricket committee of the club, AJM Nasiruddin named Sohrawardi Shuvo as the vice-captain of the team.

The sports organiser from Chittagong also informed that the Brother Union Sports Club turned into a Limited Company yesterday. z

Bharat Khawas – Nepal’s rising star aihan Mahmood, Rfrom Kathmandu He is a newly recruited second lieutenant in Nepal Army, but on the football field he is the general of the Nepal national team - steaming up the attack of the Gorkhali’s with speed and agility.

His tireless runs down the flanks often arrive as the major sources of the goals scored by Nepal and when the time goes tough he lands with the crucial goals. He is none other than Bharat Khawas - the exciting 22-year-old Nepalese forward.

Bharat arrived as a tormentor for Bangladesh as he followed his goal against Bangladesh in the AFC U-22 last year with an instrumental performance in the ongoing Saff Championship. Nepal scored two goals against

Bangladesh in the tournament opener in which Bharat paved the way for Anil Gurung for the first one before netting a goal himself. The talented forward said he is ready to score more and help Nepal win their maiden Saff Championship. “I feel this time we can do it.

We are playing good football and the team has required spirit to win the title. We are ready to put the best,” said Bharat who joined the army in November last year and will have to complete 21-month training.

Bharat doesn’t have to prove his talent as his feat speaks for him. He joined the national camp just a week before the Saff Championship as he was not allowed to leave his military base. Due to training commitments he was also excluded from the national squad that toured Bahrain and Kuwait for three

weeks. Bharat proved that a player of his calibre can deliver the goods when required. In 2011 it was his goal that sent Nepal to the Saff Championship semis when Nepal held Pakistan in a 1-1 draw.

“I was admitted in the ANFA Football Academy when in was 11 years old and I debuted for Nepal in 2008 as a teenager, it was a match against Pakistan at Kathmandu and I scored a goal in my debut match. It was the inspiration and I grew confident, I am always ready to serve Nepal team and it is in my every heartbeat,” said the produced by the ANFA Academy.

Khawas loves Didier Drogba’s style of play and he often has been seen doing the hard work in the opposition defence zone. At a tender age he has attained all the required qualities to be a formidable forward and he is expect-

ed to deliver more. “Football in Nepal is gaining momentum, the national team players feel that they have to produce something special to win the Saff Championship and also create the history. We are just a couple of matches away and we are ready with the youth and experience,” said the forward.

Bharat Khawas already received an offer from Indian Premier League side Pune FC, but refused that for the Army training. “I am not allowed to play for any team apart from the army team. I am getting a good allowance there and when I complete my training it will increase I have to concentrate on my training,” said Bharat Khawas.

“Winning Saff Championship will be the platform to boost Nepal’s football ahead, we want that at any cost,” concluded the energetic forward. z

Nepalese forward Bharat Khawas

DHAKA TRIBUNE

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Sunday, September 8, 2013

ELECTION PLEDGES

Iradication of illiteracy far from reality n Mushfique Wadud

The Awami League-led government may fail to meet its target of eradicating illiteracy from the country in line with the party’s pledge in the election manifesto.

In its election manifesto from 2008, the Awami League pledged that it would eliminate illiteracy from the country by 2014.

But, with just three months remaining before the end of its tenure, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) says the literacy rate in the country now stands at 59.8%.

Researchers and officials from the Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE) say it is impossible to raise the literacy rate to 100% in just three months.

BNFE officials said the target was already unrealistic and the primary and mass education ministry was negligent in implementing non-formal education programmes.

“The literacy rate was 52% in 2009 when the government assumed power. It is quite an unrealistic target to increase the literacy rate from 52% to 100% in five years,” a senior official at BNFE said.

All focus was given to primary education and the non-formal education system was largely ignored in the last five years, he said.

“Under the Primary Education Development Programme the government is spending millions of taka but a very little amount was spent on non-formal education programmes.”

Professor Jalal Uddin, director at the Institute of Education and Research (IER) at Dhaka University, said increas-

ing literacy rates to 100% is not that easy and it is not possible at the pace with which the non-formal education programmes are being carried out.

“There are achievements in the literacy rate but the pace has to be increased if we want to achieve the 100% target,” he said.

Azharul Islam, a professor at the Non-Formal and Continuing Education Department at IER, said that the adult literacy programme is moving at a snail’s pace and this is affecting the total literacy programme.

“A lot more programmes need to be introduced to reach the 100% literacy target. A coordinated approach is a must,” he said.

Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Ameen said the government will be close to reaching the goal of 100% literacy by 2014.

He, however, claimed that the literacy rate in the country is now 71%, a claim that contradicts BBS figures.

He also claimed that the literacy rate was 62% when the Awami League was in power during 1996-2001 but it came down to 52% during BNP’s tenure from 2001 to 2006 as they shut down the BNFE. International Literacy Day will be observed today in Bangladesh and elsewhere around the world.

Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Ameen will inaugurate a programme at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium today on the occasion.

A roundtable will be held at the BNFE auditorium on the day. A rally will also be held and various non-government organisations have also chalked out programmes to mark the day. l

Medical representatives hindering service at RMCH n Tribune Report Directives by authorities’ are being ignored by medical representatives at the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH), hindering services at the hospital.

Medical representatives, who are marketing agents working on behalf of pharmaceutical companies, continue to operate at the hospital to persuade physicians to prescribe medicines made by their respective companies, according to banglanews24.

As a result doctors are often wasting time on the representatives instead of paying attention to patients’ needs.

In order to control the aggressive activities of these representatives, earlier hospital authorities passed a policy to restrict their access. They are only allowed to visit doctors from 1-2.30pm on Thursdays and Saturdays.

However, marketing agents continue to take up valuable time and space in waiting rooms every day, despite the

directions.

Nearly one thousand people come to the 1,000-bed hospital every day to consult doctors and up to 350 patients are admitted daily for further treatment, said hospital sources.

But doctors are unable to attend to patients because they are often busy meeting medical representatives instead.

Sub-inspector (SI) Uttam Kumar, incharge of RMCH police box said they manage to stop the marketing agents from entering the hospital. He said: “Every time we bar their entry, they name doctors who have asked them to meet at the hospital.”

The SI said they have are trying to monitor the situation to prevent representatives from entering the hospital.

Director of RMCH Brigadier General Saidur Rahman said they had a schedule restricting unchecked access to the hospital. He said necessary actions would be taken against those who violate the rules of access. l

Two workers are busy disassembling and repairing vehicle parts at Dholaikhal in the capital. The light engineering industry in the area serves the automobile sector, farm machinery, and a number of other industries with spare parts and repair and maintenance work. The photo was taken yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Pharma agents out of control at Birdem Doctors back the representatives because companies allegedly give them expensive gifts for prescribing their drugs n Moniruzzaman Uzzal Time has probably come for patients to appoint security guards when they go to the capital’s Birdem Hospital, the biggest healthcare facility for diabetic patients in the country.

Nilufar Begum, 48, has been coming to the Birdem Hospital every week for the last 10 years to check the sugar level in her blood. Last week also, she came to the hospital to get her regular sugar-level checkup and doctor’s consultation.

When she came out of the doctor’s chamber with a prescription in her hand, some of the representatives, who were not supposed be inside the hospital at that time of the day, gently wanted to see which drugs she had been prescribed.

But, what she could never expect was that some of the other representatives would try to snatch the prescription from her hand without caring to take permission.

“I have been coming to Birdem for 10 years. But I have never experienced such aggression before.” She said it was a habit that some of the representatives had grown very recently.

Patients say the representatives want to make sure that doctors prescribe the drugs manufactured by his

or her company.

A few years ago, the hospital authorities imposed restrictions on the presence of medical representatives inside the hospital premises, which barred them from entering the hospital or the doctors’ chambers except for Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays – not before 1pm.

However, Nilufar said she had never seen the rule at work. For a year or so, no matter which time of the day it was, she had been seeing hundreds of medical representatives inside the hospital premises. She said they even entered the chambers when the doctors were in the middle of checking patients.

This correspondent has also seen scores of medical agents inside the hospital every day and almost around the clock.

They could be seen religiously noting down every drug listed in the prescriptions every time a patient came out of a consultant’s chamber.

Many other patients have also described similar predicaments associated with the aggression of the medical representatives.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that at least 600 representatives of 30 pharmaceutical companies regularly throng the Birdem hospital, although only two are allowed from each company. Pa-

tients say recently they have been seeing female representatives as well.

There are allegations that these representatives care little about rules because the doctors themselves privilege them. Many of the doctors allegedly get into secret dealings with drug makers. They prescribe the drugs manufactured by a certain company in exchange of hefty bribes.

The bribes generally take the form of expensive cars, mobile phones, television sets, refrigerators, air-conditioners, air tickets and hotel booking for foreign tours to attend international seminars.

Lutful Chowdhury, senior consultant of medicine of Apollo Hospitals in the capital, said the authorities there encourage doctors to write generic names of drug in the prescriptions.

He added that they get the medical representatives and chances of bribery out of the equation by not writing the name of any specific drug in the prescriptions.

The Birdem authorities are also apparently concerned about such bribery.

Seeking anonymity a high-ranked official of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (Badas) said: “It is true that the environment of the hospital is having to suffer because of the aggressive marketing policy. This is totally unethical.”

Innovators look for ‘digital solutions’ High yielding varieties to social issues can ensure food n security: Researchers Syeda Samira Sadeque

A four-day programme aiming to solve social issues through the use of technology in Bangladesh ended yesterday, with three winners and at least 20 digital solutions that technology experts of the country can now work with.

The Google Developers’ Group (GDG) Devfest 2013, which was spread over last weekend and this, was organised by the GDG, Dhaka, the UNDP-supported Access to Information (A2i) programme, the Prime Minister’s Office and Google. Other sponsors were Banglalion, Teletalk 3G and United International University (UIU) and Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) who were the venue-partners.

The event had 25 teams in total, each team consisting of three participants. The 75-member event had students from as many as 15 universities and four-five professionals, and a domain expert for each team. The aim of the programme, which was executedwith the blueprint of a global “hackathon” movement, was to provide public service through mobile phone applications – quite a realistic aim in a country where 100million people use cell phone services.

The teams gathered last weekend

when they discussed which problems were to be addressed through this system and created basic designs for each solution. This weekend, they worked continuously for 48 hours, a signature of the hackathon movement, on coding these “digital solutions.”

They were able to come up with a total of 20.

Although this was the first such event, Sami Ahmed, technology expert of the A2i, said the government planned to have one every three months.

Kabir Bin Anwar, national project director of the A2i and director general foradministration at the Prime Minister’s Office, applauded the effort and success of the students.

“If we have to survive in this world, we have to end our problems – and we have enough of those. But through these inspirational efforts, we can overcome these hurdles,” he said. He indicated success of the A2i programme by pointing out that today it reaches more than 4,000 union parishads and has in turn made communication and accessibility significantly better for Bangladeshi people.

Skewed ratio

Albeit successful, the event saw an appallingly low participation of women.

Out of its 75 participants, only seven

were female.

A2i Policy Adviser Anir Chowdhury said while there were fewer females in this field in general, another reason for the low participation was the fact that it required the students to stay overnight – a factor that could have discouraged many. He said from next time they planned to have better facilities – such as a resting room, or separate rooms for each gender – to encourage more participation of women.

Laila Mustaq, who was the team leader of project Zaskin, a mobile application that would create awareness for women regarding health and rights issues, said the organisers were very helpful and supportive but from next time should do more to attract more female participants.

“One way could be to place a quota of having at least one female student per team,” said the MIST student.

While Laila’s team dealt with a project regarding awareness for women, the event hosted a range of other kinds of projects, including informational applications on the Liberation War, directory of the government and police members in all regions of the country, and applications that would promote citizen journalism by allowing people to capture images of events and sharing on social media. l

n BAU Correspondent Researchers at Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) yesterday said adopting new varieties of high yield crops could help maximise food production, which would lead to increased earnings and a stronger national economy.

Part of the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), the BINA researchers were speaking at the inauguration of a two-day training programme for journalists.

BINA has developed draughtresistant varieties that could be harvested in the northern regions Dr MA Sattar, director general of BINA, said because of food shortages due to poor harvests Bangladesh had to import essentials for high prices from neighbouring countries, which could be avoided if high yield varieties of various crops are cultivated.

He said agro-scientists at BINA and others institutions are trying to develop crops that had the potential to ensure food security for the nation.

On August 26, the National Seed Board approved cultivation of four new high yield varieties of rice - BINA dhan -11, 12, 13 and 14.

The new varieties released to farmers should yield optimum production and contribute towards ensuring food security in Bangladesh, said Dr Sattar.

According to Dr Salam nearly 2.5m hectares is unutilised in the coastal areas because the soil is highly saline. He said rice can easily be cultivated on 30% of the coastal land using two varieties of salt-tolerant rice, BINA dhan - 8 and 10.

He said it won’t be long before Bangladesh starts to produce enough rice and cereals for export as well as to meet demands at home.

BINA has also developed draught-resistant varieties that could be harvested in the northern regions, said another researcher Dr M Raisul Haider.

Dr Habibur Rahman spoke about the development of several varieties of mustard that are capable of producing twice the amount of oil than the traditional variety.

Around 60 journalists are taking part in the workshop, including members of BAU journalists association and press clubs of Mymensingh. l

Badas Joint Secretary Professor Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub said: “We have asked the pharmaceutical companies to not offer any sponsorship to the doctors directly.

We have asked them to forward the offer to the Birdem authority who would then select the doctors for the foreign tours.”

Birdem Director Brigadier General (retd) Shahidul Hoque Mollick said: “We are trying to control it [the unauthorised presence of medical representatives].”

However, Abdul Muktadir Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI), claimed that none of the companies were involved in the aggressive marketing.

Muktadir, who is also the managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals, said they offered sponsorships to the doctors from their obligation to develop the health sector.

He also claimed that the representatives who behave aggressively inside the hospital were not their employees.

He suggested that the people from survey firms act in that way.

He further claimed that a pharmaceutical company would go bankrupt if it were to give such expensive presents to all doctors. l

British man drowns in BAU pond n BAU Correspondent A 23-year-old British man drowned in a pond on the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) campus in Mymensingh yesterday.

The deceased was Atif Mohammad, a British citizen hailing from 50 Brington Road, Manchester, UK. He arrived in Bangladesh on October 2 last year.

Atif was part of a 13-member team from Tablighi-Jamaat, which included five British citizens, four Australians and four Bangladeshis. The group was attending the Baitul Aman mosque located on the BAU campus on Friday morning, said Dr Habibur Rahman, amir of the team and a professor at Sir Syed Salimullah Medical College.

Eyewitnesses said Atif and his friends were swimming in the mosque’s pond during the afternoon when he drowned. Locals retrieved Atif unconscious from the water and rushed him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead around 6pm.

Golam Sarwor, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station, said an unnatural death case was filed.

The deceased’s body will be handed over to the British High Commission after the completion of a post mortem examination is conducted in accordance with the High Commission’s orders, added the OC. l

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