11 March, 2016

SECOND EDITION

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016 | Falgun 28, 1422, Jamadiul Awal 30, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 325 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages plus 24-page Weekend supplement | Price: Tk10

Anatomy of a bank robbery n Tribune Desk Those suspected perpetrators of the $100 million heist of Bangladesh Bank funds deposited at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed) in February opened dollar-denominated accounts in May last year.

And then they sat and waited.

For what? A long weekend.

On May 15, 2015, Enrico Teodoro Vasquez, Alfred Santos Vergara, Michael Francisco Cruz and Jessie Christopher Lagrosas opened US dollar bank accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation

FALSE TRANSFER ORDERS TO THE PHILIPPINES ●

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● ●

and Monday, February 8, fell on Chinese New Year, a non-working holiday in the Philippines.

It mostly went according to plan.

The perpetrators of the robbery certainly “had deep knowledge of [Bangladesh Bank’s] internal workings, likely gained by spying on bank workers,” Reuters quoted security experts as saying.

They managed to steal payment transfer credentials which were used to order transfers out of a New York Fed account held by Bangladesh Bank, Reuters reports.

The heist

$6m

25

$ m to Vasquez supposedly on behalf of Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridges Construction project

$19m

$30m

$25m

30

$ m to Lagrosas supposedly on behalf of Dhaka Mass Rapid Trans Dev project

6 $19m to Vergara supposedly from Bheramara Combined Cycle $ m to Cruz supposedly on behalf of IPFF project cell

Approximates.

Source: inquirer.net

Power Plant Development Project

INSIDE

(RCBC), a Philippine bank.

The accounts remained untouched until February 4, 2016, the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) reports.

The fraudulent transfer orders were timed for February 4 this year, a Thursday, so that the next day Bangladesh Bank would be closed for the weekend.

Saturday is a common weekend for Bangladesh and the Philippines, Sunday is a weekend there

On February 4, a Thursday, $81m from the account of Bangladesh Bank at the New York Fed was ordered to be transferred to the four RCBC accounts – $30m was transferred to Lagrosas, $19.99m to Vergara, $25m to Vasquez and $6m to Cruz.

The funds were credited to the accounts via straight-through process after the transactions passed internal validation criteria. The funds were cleared through US-

First DTH satellite TV starts Apr 14

March to stop Rampal plant begins

Beximco Communications Limited is going to launch country’s first DTH service on the Bengali New Year.  PAGE 3

Several green groups started their fourday mass procession towards Rampal plant yesterday demanding that it should be scrapped immediately.  PAGE 32

based correspondent banks Citibank, The Bank of New York Mellon and Wells Fargo.

The same day, Lagrosas withdrew $22.73m and deposited it in the US dollar account of William Go DBA Centurytex Trading, an account which was opened that day, PDI reports.

Between February 5 and 13, remittance company Philrem remitted the funds, now converted into Philippine pesos, to the bank accounts of Chinese national Weikang Xu, Eastern Hawaii Leisure Co and Bloomberry Hotels Inc (Solaire Resorts).

By the time Dhaka sent off frantic messages to halt the transaction, there was nobody in the office in Manila to respond.

On February 9, RCBC received a Swift message from BB requesting payment to be stopped and the accounts to be frozen for investigation. But withdrawals from the accounts totalling $58.15m had already been processed by RCBC. Some $15.2m was deposited in the account of Philrem, $42.93m in Go’s dollar account and another $20m in Philrem, PDI reports.

On February 16, BB Governor Atiur Rahman sought the assistance of Philippine counterpart, Governor Amando Tetangco Jr of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, PDI reports.

Three days later, the Philippines’ Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) began a probe of bank accounts relating to Weikang Xu (believed to be a junket operator), Eastern Hawaii Leisure Co and Solaire Resorts.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer broke the story of a possible $100m digital bank robbery of BB funds on February 29.

The next day, the Court of Appeals in the Philippines, acting on an urgent petition from the AMLC, ordered four Philippine banks  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

1st Round

Sport Page-28

BB HEIST TIMELINE

May 15, 2015 Five Philippine nationals open US dollar accounts at RCBC bank in the Philippines

February 4, 2016 $81m from BB account at New York Fed transferred to the four RCBC accounts

February 5 to 13 Remittance company Philrem remits the funds that are converted into Philippine pesos to the bank accounts of a Chinese national

February 8 BB requests RCBC to stop payment and refund the funds. But, this is a non-working holiday in the Philippines.

February 9 RCBC receives a Swift message from BB requesting payment to be stopped. But withdrawals totalling $58.15 million have already been processed.

February 16 BB governor seeks the assistance of Philippine counterpart regarding the loss of $81m

February 29 The Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) reports Philippine financial regulators investigating estimated $100m bank heist

February 19 Philippines' Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) begins probe of related bank accounts

March 1 Philippine Court of Appeals orders four Philippine banks – RCBC, East West Bank, Banco de Oro and Philippine National Bank – to freeze suspected accounts for six months

March 7 BB says Financial Intelligence Unit working with the AMLC to retrieve the money.

New York Fed denies its systems were breached

March 8 Finance Minister AMA Muhith says government will file a case against the US Federal Reserve

March 9 It is reported that an attempted theft of $870m of BB funds was foiled. BB executive director says $20m retrieved

March 10 The AMLC announces probe into six people.

Philippine Senate public hearing scheduled for March 14

Sources: dhakatribune.com, inquirer.net, rappler.com

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Washington Times runs Joy’s article on war crimes tribunal n BSS

The vernacular US daily, the Washington Times, ran a thought-provoking article of Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Prime Minister’s ICT advisor, where he said that those guilty of genocide in Bangladesh’s ‘liberation war’ are called to account.

“Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal’s (ICT) is sometimes a target of criticism from outsiders. But these war crimes trials are overwhelmingly popular at home,” Joy stated in his article published on Monday and visited by several thousand readers.

He said verdicts have been treated almost as national holidays, with patriotic songs, impromptu street parties and the handing out of sweets to children.

He pointed out that Bangladeshis reacted favourably earlier this month when the tribunal pronounced death sentences for war criminals Obaidul Haq Taher and Ataur Rahman Noni, who abducted, tortured and killed 15 people and looted some 450 houses during Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Liberation from Pakistan. “Such positive reaction from the Bangladesh populace is typical.”

Joy said after a death sentence against war criminal Mohammad

Kamaruzzaman was carried out in April 2015, thousands of people celebrated in the streets of Dhaka and other cities for two days. Similar outpourings of support followed the hangings last November of war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury.

The public demonstrations were designed in part to encourage the International Crimes Tribunal to complete its work and convict other criminals who committed crimes against humanity during the 1971 war and genocide launched by Pakistan, which killed up to 3 million Bangladeshis, he referred.

A nationwide poll conducted last year by the Dhaka Tribune found that 79% of the respondents want Bangladesh’s war crimes trials to continue. Even in Bangladesh’s Khulna Division – home to the strongest opposition to the current ruling party – 64% of the respondents want the trials to go ahead, the poll said.

Indeed, a major reason Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a substantial victory in 2008 (16 percentage points more than her closest rival) was her promise to reinstitute the tribunal.

Why, then, the sharp divide between those inside Bangladesh and those on the outside when it comes

Bangladeshis have a deep thirst for justice. Rape and torture were common weapons of war. When it became clear to Pakistan that it was going to lose the war, Pakistan launched a grisly, systematic program to kill as many Bangladeshi intellectuals as possible - doctors, artists, teachers and writers, he said.

But the perpetrators of the worst

atrocities managed to elude justice for more than 40 years. A series of coups, assassinations and military takeovers actually cleared the way for some of the most vicious war criminals to join the Bangladesh government in leadership positions.

Shortly after Sheikh Hasina’s election, Joy said, she put an end to that. She reconstituted the war crimes tribunal that was actually launched in the 1970s by her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, but was abandoned by his political enemies after his 1975 assassination.

Sheikh Hasina set up two International Crimes Tribunals structured after the Rome Statute, the gold standard for international criminal courts. The process, as a result, is open and transparent. Anyone can come to watch the trials.

In addition, the Bangladesh ICT is the only war crimes tribunal in the world that offers defendants the ability to appeal their verdicts to a higher court, in this case Bangladesh’s Supreme Court. And indeed, the Supreme Court has, on appeal, changed death sentences rendered by the tribunal to life imprisonment.

In short, Joy said, the International Crimes Tribunal is fair and just. Bangladeshis know this.

Outsiders have criticised the

ICT because they say a disproportionate number of defendants belong to opposition political parties, mainly Jamaat-e-Islami. There are two problems with this objection: Members of other parties – including a former member of the current government’s Awami League – have also been tried by the tribunal.

Second, he said, if war crimes evidence is discovered that incriminates Jamaat members, should they be spared a trial simply because they are members of an opposition party? Should justice be deferred or abandoned for the victims of the 1971 war and genocide – and their long-suffering family members – because the optics is bad? Besides, it’s natural for some Jamaat leaders to be in the dock; Jamaat opposed Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 and collaborated with the Pakistani junta to try to prevent it.

Joy concluded with that the people of Bangladesh recognize an empty argument when they see it.

They know firsthand what these war criminals did. They have seen up close how the tribunal has operated in transparency and credibility.

They believe in this fight for justice.

“That’s why these trials are overwhelmingly popular in Bangladesh and why they will – and should – continue,” he said. l

made by the electronic swindlers who looted $81m of Bangladesh Bank money show that the fraudsters evidently did their homework.

Every one of the false payment instructions was made in the name of big-ticket Bangladeshi development projects, the PDI reported.

For example, one transaction for $25m was supposedly ordered

by Bangladesh Bank on behalf of the government’s The Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridges Construction project.

The amount was remitted to the account of Vasquez purportedly for the payment of a “loan” from Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).

A payment for $30m to Lagrosas, an IT professional, likewise under a Jica “loan,” was supposedly ordered on behalf of Dhaka Mass Rapid Trans Dev project.

A $6m payment order on behalf of an IPFF project cell was supposedly to pay for Cruz’s consultancy fees.

Another payment worth $19m was supposedly from Bheramara Combined Cycle Power Plant Development Project with Vergara as

a beneficiary, citing “engineering consulting fees.”

It remains to be seen how the fraudulent orders slipped past the US financial system.

The transactions involved the New York Fed, where BB is an account holder, and US correspondent banks Citibank, The Bank of New York Mellon and Wells Fargo Bank.

A minor tit for tat between the New York Fed and BB ensued, with Finance Minister AMA Muhith saying on March 8 that a case would be filed against the Federal Reserve, a day after the US institution denied its systems had been breached.

The Fed said it followed normal procedures when responding to requests that appeared to be from Bangladesh Bank, which were made and authenticated over Swift, Reuters reported.

Belgian-based Swift, a member-owned cooperative that banks use for account transfer requests and other secure messages, declined to comment on specifics of the case, the report added.

Security experts said the cyber criminals had to gather information about Bangladesh Bank’s transfer order procedures so that

their actions would go unnoticed.

They had to have stolen credentials for processing transfers and “probably spied on BB staff to get a deep understanding of the central bank’s operations,” according to experts in banking fraud.

Kayvan Alikhani, a senior director with security firm RSA, told Reuters that in addition to user names and passwords for accessing Swift, the hackers likely needed to obtain cryptographic keys that authenticated the senders.

Such certificates can be copied and used by impostors if they are not properly secured, he said.

And this is not the first time such a crime has been attempted.

In a round of robberies disclosed last year, a group dubbed the Carbanak gang hacked into a number of banks around the world, seized control of computers that access Swift, then ordered fraudulent transfers.

“The genius of the attacker in the Carbanak case is taking the time to learn directly from the victim and thus bypass fraud prevention measures through sheer mimicry,” Juan Guerrero, a researcher with Kaspersky Lab which studied the campaign, told Reuters. l

to the International Crimes Tribunal?

Joy said: simply put, because outsiders can never fully understand what it was like to live through Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Liberation and the attendant genocide. They cannot comprehend what it’s like to be the son or daughter of a man who was tortured or killed and to watch the perpetrator escape justice for decades.

Members of other parties – including a former member of the current government’s Awami League – have also been tried by the tribunal

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The anatomy of a bank robbery RCBC, East West Bank, Banco de Oro and Philippine National Bank – to freeze for six months the bank accounts of Michael Francisco Cruz, Jessie Christopher Lagrosas, Alfred Santos Vergara, Enrico Teodoro Vasquez, William So Go, Centurytex Trading, Kam Sin Wong (aka Kim Wong) and all related accounts.

Over a month after the fraudulent transfer was made, BB issued a press statement saying its Financial Intelligence Unit had been working with the AMLC to retrieve the money.

Finance Minister Muhith said he had been unaware of the lost funds.

In the end, the fraudsters successfully got their hands on $81m and pulled off one of the biggest bank heists in history.

Spelling mistake

About $20m was retrieved from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Subhankar Saha recently said.

But a Reuters report filed yesterday suggests the Sri Lankan story could have a twist to it.

A spelling mistake on one fraudulent bank transfer instruction for

$20m to be sent to a Sri Lankan non-profit organisation was held up because the hackers misspelled the name of the NGO. The full name of the non-profit could not be learned.

But one of the officials said the hackers misspelled “foundation” in the NGO’s name as “fandation,” prompting a routing bank, Deutsche Bank, to seek clarification from the Bangladesh central bank, which stopped the transaction.

The Reuters report said the recovered amount referred to by BB officials was the halted payment.

The resulting halt in transfers totalled funds worth $850m and $870m, one of the officials said.

Approximately $81m was successfully transferred to the Philippines and has still not been retrieved.

The scale of the crime and the involvement of so many business entities in the scam has so alarmed the financial services industry that the Philippine Senate is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the matter on March 14.

Deep knowledge

The fraudulent transfer orders

Mobile phone usage becomes costlier after 1% surcharge n Tribune Report Mobile phone usage has become costlier as the mobile phone operators have started to collect 1% surcharge on the amount paid by their subscribers for obtaining services using Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) and Removable User Identity Module (RUIM) cards, as well as memory cards.

The Value-Added Tax (VAT) wing of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued the rules on March 8 to implement the decision.

With the implementation of the move, use of mobile phones becomes more expensive as the surcharge will be collected from all the services including voice calls, short messaging services and multimedia messaging services, internet and other services.

Earlier, users were sharing 15% VAT on any use of mobile phone services including voice, data, or any other value-added services as well as a 3% supplementary duty.

Mobile phone operators have started charging the new surcharge after the Internal Resources Division issued guidelines to them on Tuesday to collect it from the subscribers.

NBR officials said they would collect information from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on regular basis to check whether the tax was being deposited in government exchequer properly or not.

Although the rules have also imposed 1% surcharge on usage of memory cards, NBR officials stated that they were yet to finalise any mechanism on how to implement the provision.

According to a primary projection, 1% surcharge on SIM and RUIM cards will generate an additional Tk140 crore revenue for the government every year. The amount collected from surcharge would be spent on education and healthcare.

The NBR first undertook the move to impose the surcharge in July 2014 but failed to implement it in absence of the related laws and rules.

Later on November 15 last year, the parliament passed a gazette notification on the Development Surcharge and Levy (Imposition and Collection) Bill 2015 to collect the surcharge.

According to the BTRC's estimates, six mobile phone operators in Bangladesh have a totoal 132 million subscribers as of January 2016.

Grameenphone has the largest subscriber base with 56.204 million, followed by Banglalink with 32.368 million.l

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First DTH satellite TV to launch on Apr 14 n Tribune Report Beximco Communications Limited is going to launch country’s first Direct-to-Home (DTH) service on the Bengali New Year.

DTH is a method of receiving television signal directly at home from satellites via dish antennas.

The service will be launched under the brand name RealVU in different divisional headquarters including Dhaka.

Dmitry Lapitskiy, CEO of Bex-

imco Communications, made the announcement at a press conference yesterday.

“We are ready to provide DTH services under the RealVU brand name very soon. This will drastically change the viewing experience of the Bangladeshi TV audience,” Lapitskiy said.

He said the picture quality provided by RealVU would be much better than the analogue cable system used at present by consumers.

“We will bring coverage to the

entire country gradually,” he added.

The company also announced that the approximate monthly bill for the DTH will be Tk300, for which subscribers will get over 100 channels with more than 26 Bengali channels and many international channels including five HD ones.

Customers will need a set-top box and a dish antenna apart from their TV to enjoy RealVU. The company will provide 24 hours customer support and various methods of paying the subscription fee.

Beximco Communications has finalised the list of distributors so that the customers can easily get the service from the nearest location.

Beximco Communications obtained a licence for DTH services in 2013. RealVU is a joint venture between Beximco and the Russian GS Group.

It is the GS Group Russian investment and industry holding company that brought the best technology to support this vision. l

Officials of Dhaka South City Corporation conduct a drive to evict illegal establishments in the capital's Kathalbagan area yesterday

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Verdict on 16th amendment petition May 5 n Tribune Report The High Court is set to deliver its verdict on May 5 in a writ petition filed challenging the legality of the 16th amendment to the constitution for restoring parliament’s authority to impeach the Supreme Court judges for misconduct and incapability.

A special bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal fixed the date yesterday after completing hearing in a rule issued by the court earlier.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state while Manzill Murshid stood for the petitioners.

On September 17, 2014 the parlia-

ment passed the amendment bill rejecting all calls for imploring public opinion. President Md Abdul Hamid gave his consent to the amendment bill on September 22 that year.

According to the amendment, not only the judges, parliament can also remove the chief election commissioner and commissioners of the Election Commission, the chairman and the members of the Public Service Commission, chairmen and the commissioners of the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Comptroller and Auditor General on similar grounds.

The articles establishing the EC, PSC, ACC and the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General stipulate that the holders of constitutional posts would be removed according to the procedures ap-

plicable for the removal of the Supreme Court judges.

The original constitution of 1972 contained the provision for impeachment of the judges by a twothird majority in parliament.

The petition was filed by nine lawyers including Asaduzzaman Siddique on November 5, 2014.

The High Court earlier issued a rule on the government asking why the amendment would not be declared illegal following a primary hearing into the petition.

Five senior lawyers Dr Kamal Hossain, M Amir-ul Islam, Mahmudul Islam, Rokanuddin Mahmud, and Ajmalul Hossain were made amicus curie in the case. Of them, Mahmudul Islam could not give his opinion for illness.

In his statement on August 19 last year, Dr Kamal said that the amendment had curbed the independence of the judiciary. The main structure of the judiciary was smitten through empowering parliament to remove the Supreme Court judges.

He said that the completion of tenure by any judge is an important thing for the independence of the judiciary. “It must be ensured that a judge can deliver justice without any hindrance throughout his/her tenure. But, the parliament can remove a judge with a two-thirds majority following the amendment.

As a result, the judges cannot perform their duties without fear.”

He also said that there was a possibility of using political and party influence while removing a judge. l

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

Land grabbers tarnishing pro-liberation force’s image

Ex-ETV chair put on remand

n Abid Azad

A Dhaka court yesterday placed former Ekushey Television (ETV) chairman Abdus Salam on remand for three days in a case filed over the embezzlement of around Tk34cr.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Khurshid Alam passed the order when Anti-Corruption Commission Deputy Director Shamsul Alam produced Salam before the court seeking a 10-day remand.

The court also rejected Salam's counsel Ehsanul Haque Shamaji plea to reject the remand sought. l

Rights activist Sultana Kamal has claimed that people grabbing land belonging to the indigenous community are using the name of pro-liberation forces.

“If the ‘Muktijuddher Pokkher Shakti’ [pro-liberation forces] is doing this then [guess] what the anti-liberation people will do!” she said at a media briefing in Dhaka yesterday before unveiling a report on land grabbing and attack on the minority in Dinajpur’s Parbatipur.

Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, read out part of the report. He said 55 families, including 40 Hindu families, were living on 25.78 acre land at Chandipur Babupara and Goalpara in Parbatipur.

These families are heavily dependent on this land for livelihood.

He alleged one Emdadul Islam

Chowdhury and his followers were trying to grab the land with false documents and attacked the residents with hired goons, apart from forcefully harvesting paddy and accusing members of the minority community in false cases.

Rana alleged Emdadul claimed the land belonged to Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman but the latter snubbed the claim.

On January 23, Emdadul’s men attacked these families, torched and ransacked their houses and tortured the women in presence of police.

Sultana Kamal, also the TIB chairperson, said such activities were unexpected in a democratic and secular country. “The minister has ethical responsibility to look into this matter as some local leaders are trying to grab this land using his name,” the Ain-o Shalish Kendra executive director added. l

Committee: 9th grade pay at entry level n Tribune Report The cabinet committee to resolve pay scale disparities has decided that the entry level pay for newly appointed all cadre, non cadre and directly appointed officer-level staff at different government owned organisations will be set at the ninth grade.

The cadre officers however, will receive additional payments compared to noncadres.

The cabinet committee yesterday disclosed those decisions after a meeting at finance division auditorium, presided over by Finance Minister AMA Muhith. Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Public

Administration Secretary Dr Kalam Abu Nasir and Senior Finance Secretary Mahbub Ahmed also attended the meeting.

After the meeting the finance minister told reporters the cabinet committee had discussed three issues of disparity in the new pay scale.

“Two of the issues were technical. We have changed the entry level pay for cadre and non-cadre officers in the two grades, eighth and ninth,” he said.

Minister said the issues of salary disparity of public university teachers will be resolved in the next cabinet committee meeting.

Finance Secretary Mahbub Ahmed said after this decision there would be no pay disparities at entry level positions. l

Japan-BD Hospital hearing deferred n Tribune Report A private hospital in the city accused of keeping a lifeless child in the ICU to extract money from its parents has sought time from the High Court to explain its actions.

Dr Junayed Shafique and Dr Nayeem Ahmed, respectively the chairman and the managing director of Japan Bang-

ladesh Friendship Hospital, appeared before a High Court bench yesterday.

The court ordered them to appear again on March 27 after they sought more time.

The bench of Justice Moazzem Hossain and Justice Bodruzzaman also ordered RAB to submit the case documents related to the incident. l

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Members of Dhaka City Youth Forum organises a human chain in front of National Press Club in the capital yesterday demanding end of violence against children and an environment that facilitates children'd mental development MEHEDI HASAN

4 JMB men get life term for 2005 series blasts n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court has handed down life imprisonment to four Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militants for their role in the 2005 series bomb blast.

Judge Momtaz Begum of Speedy Trial Tribunal 3 yesterday also slapped a Tk20,000 fine each on Kawsar Alam Sumon, Yunus Mia Kawsar, Mehedi Habib Mohammad Rafiq, and Ashraf alias Ashraful Islam alias Sharif.

All but Sharif are in police custody. The court acquitted eight others.

Banned militant group JMB orchestrated a series bomb explosions in 63 districts in 2005 demanding introduction of sharia laws. l

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SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Four policemen withdrawn n Tribune Report

Prime Minister inaugurates several development projects and raises the flag of the newly built Second Infantry Brigade headquarters under the 10th Infantry Division of Bangladesh Army at Ramu Cantonment yesterday PID

PM to army: Stay alert to face internal and external threats n BSS Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed Bangladesh Army to keep a “constant vigilance” to face “internal and external threats” for safeguarding the country’s sovereignty.

The premier made the statement while addressing the flag-hoisting function of seven units including 2 Infantry Brigade of 10 Infantry Division of the army at Ramu Cantonment in Cox’s Bazar yesterday.

“You will have to always remain united, alert and ready to face inter-

nal or external threat for protecting the sacred constitution and sovereignty of the motherland,” she said.

The prime minister said significant numbers of modern vehicles, helicopters and arms and ammunition have been inducted in Bangladesh army for further boosting its capability and efficiency.

“In its continuation, there is a plan to establish another division of Bangladesh Army at Lebukhali in Patuakhali to make well-protected our southern frontier... and in this way, we would build Bangladesh Army as a more time-befitting

force through speedy and coordinated modernisation,” she said.

Describing Bangladesh Army as an asset of the country and a symbol of the confidence and the trust of the people, the premier also directed its members to be more professionally efficient and welfare-minded with social and religious values.

The premier also advised members of Bangladesh Army to discharge their responsibility by maintaining discipline and keeping trust in the senior leadership.

“I believe that you would main-

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police have withdrawn four of its members for alleged sexual harassment of a woman.

The accused – Sub-inspector Rafiqul Islam, assistant sub-inspectors Abdul Khalek, Murad Hossain, and Constable Asaduzzaman – were posted at Rampura police station.

Acting on a tip-off, they went to a house at Boubazar on February 29 to investigate allegations that a woman was running a prostitution ring, police sources said.

The woman filed a complaint with Rampura police on March 2 against the officials, accusing them of barging into her house, harassing her mother and sister, looting valuables and sexually assaulting her.

DMP’s Motijheel division withdrew them yesterday after initial investigation. Deputy Commissioner Anowar Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that investigators had been asked to file a report within seven business days. l

Iqbal Mahmud made ACC chief n Tribune Report

tain discipline and accomplish your tasks by working with utmost sincerity, mutual trust, dutifulness, sympathy and goodwill by keeping confidence in the senior leadership.”

Hasina said the flags of the seven units including 2 Infantry Brigade of the 10 Infantry Division were raised today to give a complete shape to the 10 Infantry Division.

“I hope that every member of the newly-formed brigades and units would help increase the strength of the division being inspired with patriotism,” she said. l

The government has appointed Iqbal Mahmud, former senior secretary of Economic Relations Division, as the chairman of Anti-Corruption Commission.

Additional secretary of Cabinet Division, Maksudur Rahman Patwari, confirmed this to the Dhaka Tribune. A gazette notification was also issued yesterday regarding the appointment.

Iqbal Mahmud will get salary, allowances, facilities and status like a judge of the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, reads the gazette.

Iqbal Mahmud will replace Md Badiuzzaman as the ACC chief. Besides, AFM Aminul Islam has also been appointed as an ACC commissioner. l

land and the ownership of 12 bigha land in Savar and Gazipur.

A senior ACC official, seeking anonymity, said Moosa failed to provide any documents to back up his claims.

During his second round of interrogation on January 28, Moosa reportedly claimed that the account in which his money was frozen was

a joint account shared with his business partner who know details about the account. A lawyer had been appointed for a lawsuit regarding that account, the businessman added.

Moosa also assured that he would inform the ACC about if there was any progress in the case, said the ACC official. l

ACC sues Moosa Bin Shamsher n Adil Sakhawat

The ACC has sued the self-styled richest person in Bangladesh, Moosa Bin Shamsher, accusing him of providing false information regarding assets in a Swiss bank and land ownership in Savar and Gazipur.

The controversial businessman

had earlier told the Anti-Corruption Commission that he had $12bn frozen in Swiss bank accounts, but later failed to prove his claim.

The commission’s director and inquiry team leader, Mir Jainul Abedin Shibly, filed the case against Moosa with Ramna police station yesterday, confirmed ACC Public Relations Offi-

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

SUNNY WEATHER FRIDAY, MARCH 11

Dhaka

36

23

Chittagong

33

cial Pranab Kumer Bhattacharya.

Earlier at its regular meeting in the morning, the commission approved the filing of the case against Moosa, an alleged arms dealer.

The case was lodged as Moosa reportedly amassed wealth illegally and made false claims about $12bn in frozen assets in Switzer24

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:06PM

38

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Rangpur

36

19

Khulna

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23

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:10AM

34.7ºC Chuadanga

16.7ºC Rajarhat

Source: Accuweather/UNB

36

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PRAYER TIMES

Sylhet

35

17

Cox’s Bazar

32

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Fajr: 4:53am | Jumma: 12:08am Asr: 3:32pm | Magrib: 6:09pm Esha: 7:36pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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JS body recommends securing Sheltech Fair 2016 tomorrow n insurance for labourers Abu Hayat Mahmud

n

Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment yesterday recommended the formation of specialised insurance companies to ensure expatriates are insured before leaving the country.

“Our labourers become victims of many accidents abroad and many even die there. After such incidents, the victims’ families fall into trouble.

If the labourers have insurance, then they will be secure, and that's why the committee recommended this,” Mahjabin Morshed, a committee mem-

ber, told the Dhaka Tribune.

The recommendation was made at a standing committee meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the aforementioned ministry at the parliament.

Praising the initiative, Welfare Association for the Rights of Bangladesh Immigrants Chairman Saiful Huq said, “It is a very positive step. We have been discussing this issue for a long time, and we hope the ministry will implement this recommendation soon.”

Huq said labourers of Philippines, Mexico and India are under such insurance coverage and recently Nepal also took the same initiative.

Mahjabin also said the

committee recommended the ministry take this initiative to legalise the illegal migrants in Malaysia.

“Illegal labourers in Malaysia lead an inhuman life there.

The committee recommended taking this initiative to legalise them,” she said.

According to the committee’s press release, the committee has discussed the issue of manpower export in Malaysia through the G2G process.

The meeting also discussed the committee’s recommendation to ensure the security of female labourers before sending them abroad, and not only sending them as housemaids but training them in other areas. l

‘Phase down mercury-based dental amalgam’ n Tribune Report The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Alliance have urged governments around the world to act fast in order to phase down the use of mercury-based in dental amalgam.

They emphasised the national implementation plan for successfully implementing the dental amalgam phasedown measures under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, they revealed yesterday on a side event of a UN mercury

treaty meeting in Jordan, according to a press release issued yesterday.

The UNEP and World Alliance jointly organised the side event at King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, Dead Sea, Jordan.

Speakers at the event highlighted the World Alliance’s mercury-free dentistry initiatives in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Charlie Brown, president of the World Alliance, said setting up national objectives for minimising amalgam use

is very important, and promoting mercury-free dental restoration and raising public awareness about the mercury content in dental amalgam are urgent to protect environment and public health.

Desiree Montecillo Narvaez, programme officer at UNEP Chemicals and Waste branch chaired the session, and Michel Bender of Mercury Policy Project, USA presented the overview of UNEP Brochure which contained lessons from countries phasing down dental amalgam use. l

Francophonie festival begins today n Tribune Report Francophonie Festival 2016 is all set to begin today in Dhaka and Chittagong amid a festive environment.

Every year, one month after “Ekushey February,” the Francophone community celebrates and promotes worldwide the use of the French language as well as cultural and linguistic diversity.

In the framework of the 2016 edition, the Francophone diplomatic missions in Bangladesh, together with Alliances Française in Dhaka and Chittagong, are set to offer a rich programme of activities from March 11 to 20.

Alliance Française de Dhaka has set up weeklong events such as a “pétanque” compe-

tition, national finale of LabCitoyen (a speech contest), cooking competition, Francophonie Short Film Festival 2016, visit to Liberation War Museum operated in French language, translation competition, and many more.

A talk on “Preservation and Promotion of Mother Language” will be held at Dhaka University, at the Institute of Modern Languages (IML) auditorium at 10am on March 16.

The panellists are the ambassadors of the Francophonie countries and eminent Bangladeshi personalities including Professor Anisuzzaman (Professor Emeritus, Dhaka University).

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique will

be present as chief guest and Dr Jinnat Imtiaz Ali, director of International Mother Language Institute, will be special guest.

A seminar on “Trade between Bangladesh and Francophonie countries” will take place under the auspices of three Francophonie Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Canada, France and Switzerland), at 11am at Hotel Le Méridien on March 20.

The French language is spoken by 220 million individuals worldwide, and is the official language of 32 countries.

The Francophonie missions present in Dhaka are the High Commission of Canada, Embassies of Egypt, Switzerland, France, Vietnam, Morocco and Qatar. l

One of the country's leading real estate and housing company Sheltech will start its “Sheltech Anniversary Fair 2016” on March 12 and it will continue till March 31.

Sheltech Managing Director Dr Toufiq M Seraj made the announcement yesterday at a press conference held at the company's

new apartment project “Bithika” at Mazar Road in the capital's Mirpur, which is also the location of the fair.

Sheltech Chairman Engineer Kutubuddin Ahmed, Director Dr Saamiya Seraj and other high officials of the company, among others, were present at the conference.

Sheltech MD Seraj said: “We think 2016 is a friendly year for fair and real estate business. l

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Four pirates killed in Sundarbans ‘gunfight’ n Tribune Report Four alleged members of a pirate gang, including its ringleader, were killed in a ‘gunfight’ with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Bangladesh Coast Guard in the Sundarbans yesterday morning.

Lieutenant Colonel Faridul Alam, commanding officer of Barisal Rab-8, said they had got information that members of a pirate gang

locally known as ‘Nayan Bahini’ were taking preparation to commit a robbery in the area, a joint team of RAB and Coast Guard launched a drive there. 19 fishermen were abducted from Barguna’s Patharghata area a few days ago and they were held hostage by Noyon Bahini, said Faridul Alam.

The team reached Kachikhali Chandeshwar area under Shoronkhola upzila, Bagerhat around 6:30am.

Sensing the presence of the joint team members, the pirates opened fire at them prompting the team members to fire back, triggering a gunfight. After 40 minutes’ gun battle, the pirates fled the scene.

Later, the joint team recovered the bodies of Manir Hossain,25, commander of ‘Nayan Bahini’ and son of Abduk Khalek of Patharghata upazila in Barguna district, and Enam Ahmed,35, deputy com-

mander of the gang and its two members Gias Uddin,25, and Hachan,20, residents of Chittagong.

Eighteen firearms and 450 rounds of bullet were also recovered from the spot. The bodies of the dacoits were sent to Bagerhat Sadar Hospital morgue. Two cases were filed in this connection.

Earlier, two forest bandits were killed in a “gunfight” with RAB personnel at Tambulbunia canal of

Chandpai range of the Sundarbans on December 28, last year.

The RAB members also recovered 17 firearms and 450 rounds of bullets from the forest during the drive.

Despite effort from law enforcment agencies, piracy in the Sundarbans has sharply risen with the killing of several fishermen and around 200 incidents of abduction in the last six months. l

Ctg trade fair begins today n Tribune Report

The month-long Chittagong International Trade Fair is going to be inaugurated today at Railway Polo Ground in the city. The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organising the fair for the 24th time in the premier port city.

Commerce Minister Tofayel Ahmed will attend the inaugural ceremony as the chief guest while Housing and Public Works Minister Engr Mosharraf Hossain MP will inaugurate the fair.

Besides, State Minister for Land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed MP, Chittagong City Corporation mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, MA Latif MP and FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad will remain present at the inaugural ceremony of the fair as special guests.

This year, over 450 enterprises are participating in the fair. Thailand is participating in the fair as the partner country. Temporary police camps, CCTV have been installed on the fair premises. The entry fee for visiting the fair has been fixed at Tk10 for each person. l

Dhaka Ahsania Mission organises an exhibit of cautionary messages about the harmful effects of smoking and using tobacco-based products in Shahbagh, Dhaka yesterday demanding implementation of pictorial warnings on packets and packages of tobacco products from March 19 RAJIB DHAR

200-bed cancer hospital to be set up in Chittagong

Four held over forced prostitution in Ctg

n Abid Azad

n Tribune Report

A 200-bed specialized hospital for cancer patients will be established soon in port city soon.

AFC Health Ltd, Bangladesh and Cancer Treatment Services International (CTSI), made this announcement at a city hotel yesterday afternoon.

President of the CTSI and CEO Joseph A Nicholas and AFC Health director operations Saidul Amin signed an agreement at the ceremony.

AFC Health, a rising health care service provider, will own and operate the cancer hospital in full technical collaboration of American Oncology Institute (AOI) which is a subsidiary of the CTSI.

Chairman of AFC Health ABM Ghulam Mostafa said: “The construction will begin this year and the work is expected to end within the next 16 months. The specialized 200-bed hospital will provide international standard cancer care with the help of highly experienced local and international consultants and state-of-the art medical technology.”

“Our main goal is to provide quality treatment to the patients within an affordable cost. As we choose Chittagong to set up the hospital, so people from Chittagong, Camilla and surroundings areas do not need to come to Dhaka for cancer treatment.

“We hope that we could provide the best international standard

cancer treatment to our patients,” he added.

According to World Health Organisation updated estimation, there are about 12 lakh cancer patients in the country and every year two lakh people are attacked by cancer and 1.5 lakh people die of the disease.

There are 12 lakh cancer patients in Bangladesh, according to statics of the World Health Organisation.

According to WHO, 8.2 million people die of cancer every year while around 10.50 crore women are affected by breast cancer, the second deadly disease across the world each year globally and most of them are residing in the third world countries, including Bangladesh. l

Police arrested four members of a gang which is engaged in forcing women into prostitution from Panchlaish area, Chittagong city Wednesday night.

During the drive, police also rescued three teenage girls who were forced into prostitution from a flat located in Hill View residential area.

A case was filed against Nazir Uddin, 48, Kulsuma Begum, 40, Ali Haidar, 30, and Samsu, 35, in this connection.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (prosecution) Kazi Muttaki Ibn Minan said the three victims who were rescued from the clutches of the gang will give their statement

before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Nowrin Aktar Kakon under section 164.”

Police said one of a victims managed to get out from the custody of the culprits and informed police about the flesh trade. Later, police conducted a drive at the flat and rescued them and rounded up four persons.

“The male members of the gang first developed relationship with the girls of rural areas across the country and abducted them technically luring to marry or promising a good job in the city.

When the victim fall off on their trap, the gang brought them to the city and sold to the flash traders and forced them into illicit business. l

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

‘Turn autistic children into human resources’ Disabled children deserve their proper constitutional rights, but not mercy tal role in turning the autistic and over the ceremony. town of Nilphamari yesterday. n Tribune Report mentally retarded children of the Mayor of Domar municipality AlSociety for Welfare of the IntelMainstreaming of autistic, intellectually and mentally retarded children is possible through turning them into human resources by taking proper care and extending supports to flourish their inherent talents.

Nilphamari-1 MP Aftab Uddin Sarker said this while launching academic activities in the Autistic School at Dangapara area in Domar upazila

lectually Disabled (SWID), Bangladesh extended assistance in establishing the school for educating the autistic and mentally retarded children of the area to make them able and worthy citizens.

Councillor of Domar municipality and General Secretary of Domar municipality unit of Awami League (AL) Moynul Haque Manu presided

haj Mansurul Islam Danu, President of SWID Bangladesh Zaoaherul Islam Mamun, General Secretary of Domar upazila AL Toaffael Ahmed, Upazila Social Service Officer Abdul Hannan Sarker, addressed among others.

Appreciating the authorities of SWID Bangladesh for extending support in launching the school, the speakers said it would play vi-

upazila into worthy citizens.

They said the autistic, mentally retarded and disabled children deserve their proper constitutional rights, but not mercy, and they must get all privileges and human rights, as they are the integral parts of the whole society.

The chief guest said the autistic and intellectually retarded children must not be considered as burden

of the society and they must be provided with opportunities for education in congenial atmosphere, normal mental and physical growths.

He put special importance on ensuring all necessary supports and facilities for the autistic and intellectually children to turn them into worthy human resources with an ultimate goal of mainstreaming them with the process of building a developed Bangladesh. l

Bail cancelled for two murder accused Correspondent, n Our Habiganj

A court yesterday ordered cancellation of bail granted to two accused in the sensational Bahubol four-murder case of the district.

According to the court sources, the two accused Bashir Mian and Saleh Ahmed applied for the bail through their lawyer to the court led by Judicial Magistrate Kaosar Alam.

Kazi Kamaluddin, officerin-charge of the court police, said the court cancelled the bail after examining the records and witnesses.

According to a report published in the Dhaka Tribune, on February 17, police recovered the bodies of four children, aged between seven and ten, from a ditch at Shundratiki village under Bahubol upazila of the district, five days after they went missing.

Bahubol police detained Abdul Ali, 50, and his son Jewel Mia, 30, around 8:30pm from local Rashidpur Bazar for their suspected in-

volvement in the murders.

The district police authorities earlier in the day declared a reward of Tk1 lakh for giving information to trace the criminals.

The deceased were Monir Miah, 7, son of Abdal Miah; Jakaria Ahmed Shuvo, 8, son of Md Wahid Miah; Tajel Miah, 10, son of Abdul Aziz; and Ismail Hossain, 10, son of Abdul Kader. Jakaria, Tajel and Monir’s fathers are cousins while Ismail was their neighbour.

Of the victims, Monir was a student of class I at Shundratiki Primary School, Jakaria of class II and Tajel of class IV. Ismail was a student of Shundratiki Madrasa.

Bahubol model police station OC Mosharraf Hossain confirmed the identity of the children. The children were strangled to death, the post-mortem examination reports said.

DIG Mizanur Rahman visited the crime scene and assured the victims’ families of ensuring justice. Later, he made the declaration of Tk1lakh reward.

Trapped in sand hole, minor girl dies n UNB A minor girl was killed as she sank down into a sand hole at Bijoyrampur on the bank of Bupzera Harihar River in Manirampur of Jessore on yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Arifa Khatun, 7, daughter of construction worker Nazim Uddin, a resident of Bijoyrampur village.

Locals said Arifa was playing on the bank of the river in

the morning. At one stage, she fell into a sand hole and died on the spot getting trapped inside around 7:30am.

A lot of sand holes have been created on the river’s bank due to accumulation of sand lifted illegally from the riverbed, locals alleged.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Manirampur upazila Kamrul Hasan said stern actions will be taken against those responsible for the nuisance resulting from illegal sand extraction. l

Superintendent of Police Joydeb Kumar Bhadra declared a bounty of Tk20,000 for any information regarding the missing children.

The families claimed that the OC had not taken the matter seriously when they wanted to file a general diary after the abduction.

They alleged that their neighbours Abdul Ali and Bachchu Mia could be behind the abduction and murder of the children over previous enmity. Monir’s mother claimed that the murders were premeditated.

In the morning, locals found the bodies buried under sand of the ditch and informed the police. The law enforcers recovered the bodies and collected some evidence from the spot.

The bodies were later sent to Habiganj Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination. Police suspect that the criminals killed the children just after the abduction.

Jakaria’s father Wahid filed a case with Bahubol police station. l

Four injured in bomb explosion Correspondent, n Our Jamalpur

At least four workers were injured in Bonpara area of Jamalpur town in bomb explosion yesterday.

Local sources said the incident took place when the workers were digging a pond near the Bonpara Graveyard.

Abdul Awal, officer-incharge of Jamlpur police station, said workers Sydur, Abdul Rahim, Rafiqul and Hasi got injured while an abandoned bomb exploded in the area. l

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Writing

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

The fifth delivery

U

n Subah Shaheen nlike the first, my second delivery was to courier 15 longstemmed yellow roses to the client’s abode. I arrived with the bouquet a little ahead of the appointed time, and was asked to wait. The client wasn’t home yet and hadn’t left the payment with the maid.

With no other option, I took a seat and looked around the well adorned drawing room. That was the moment I first laid my eyes on it; it was a lighter.

The object immediately captivated me and I uncomfortably shifted my weight to angle my line of vision elsewhere; I knew where this was going, but alas, I couldn’t escape it. The lighter continued to glitter at the corner of my eye and I could feel the attraction getting stronger. I closed my eyes, but almost immediately, my disobedient mind began envisioning it. Cold sweat broke over my forehead and my heart thumped violently. There it was, resting on the side table, a perfect shade of blue and black. I opened my visual devices for a final peak and noticed an engraving of some sort on its body. What was marked on it? Initials, perhaps? Or was it the label of the manufacturer?

A personalised note maybe? My curiosity led me to my doom.

I looked around for possible witnesses and found none, as I stealthily moved towards the most fascinating object in the world, and pocketed it quickly.

Everything became hazy after that; my mind remained a prisoner to the thoughts of my latest possession. I remember smiling involuntarily at the thought of the lighter which had, by then, grown into a full blown out obsession.

The mania continued until I brought home a pair of cuff links from my next delivery. From the fourth, I took a topaz colored guitar pick. The poor thing was lying ignored on the floor! They say, nothing haunts the heart more than guilt, but I felt no inch of it. In fact, the highlight of my existence became these flower deliveries or more accurately, the objects I brought back from them.

That was, until someone stole me.

The day was windy when he arrived. My boss loved old, soft music and a particular favorite of mine was playing when he entered the store. Introducing himself as the new employee, my colleagues greeted him while I just stared. Stared and repeated

He told me about his life, his days, his interests and I listened. My experiences were far fewer than his, but I believed I had more to hide. No one could love a thief

his name in my head every time someone said it. It wasn’t his face, or his hair, or his voice or anything that could be explicitly pointed out. He was on a whole, a very attractive person. I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but now the concept started to make more sense. Assuming soul mates do exist then we should be able to instinctively identify our significant other, right? Eventually, it was my turn to introduce myself. He said his name and offered his hand to shake. Seeing him just inches away from me broke the trance.

I smiled, introduced myself and made his acquaintance.

It all started rather smoothly on the surface, how I felt inside was another story. We worked the same shift as I and what started out as amicable chats soon became intensely great conversations. He told me about his life, his days, his interests and I listened. My experiences were far fewer than his, but I believed I had more to hide. No one could love a thief.

I intentionally avoided doing home deliveries. Spending time with him was a far superior

pleasure and I didn’t even feel a need to look at my, “acquired gifts,” anymore. My mind was entirely engrossed in him, but then, my luck ran out. One fine day, just three weeks after he joined, an urgent delivery was requested. Five sticks of every colored orchid we had. There was no one else to run the delivery so the responsibility became bestowed on myself. I cried inside. I didn’t want to steal anymore. I wanted to be good, the kind of person who would deserve something innocent for once.

Content provided by SteamPug Writers, a pack of experienced writers and editors well-versed in producing dynamic content. ‘’Sir, could I go with her?’’ His inquiry broke my train of thought and relieved me from my worries.

I knew he would be the perfect distraction. I’d be so occupied with him that I would never feel the urge to take anything, or so I thought.

The harmonica was my favorite shade of brown. I tried concentrating on him. His words, his voice, his eyes; all I had to do was wait it out but the feeling was too overwhelming.

I became nauseous. I rushed to the washroom and threw up, cried a little too. I wasn’t strong enough to fight my addiction.

I waited for a while longer and then walked back into the room, contemplating ways to have the object in my possession. From the doorway I saw him fiddling with something in his hand. He was practiced, smooth.

He pocketed the harmonica and I gasped. He looked up, terrified as I looked back, relieved. l

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Feature

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

The journey so far

achievement we’re most proud of is how we only began with 26 students but we’ve been able to raise that number to 122.”

Aziza Khairun Siegee, Foodshelf “Foodshelf, the first online e-organic shop in Bangladesh started its journey back in 2013, beginning by selling honey.

With the motto of promoting organic food, we wanted to raise awareness about the harmful effects of eating processed food.

Right now our store has more than 50 products.

Over time Foodshelf has amassed positive acclaim, with our company’s popularity increasing day by day. I really believe it’s because of the fact that we source our food products from very specific areas - areas that specialise in that particular food.

I began this this initiative out of my eagerness to be an independent woman who stands on her own feet. Ever since I wan the award, two other women followed in my footsteps and that really inspires me a lot.”

n Saudia Afrin The Joy Bangla Youth Award (JBYA) is a milestone platform initiated by Young Bangla, aimed at giving recognition to the successful contribution of those unsung heroes whose stories remain untold. Last year on May 2, 30 candidates received awards for the very first time, in recognition of their contribution towards society. The award was given for leaders that excelled in five categories: Community Development, Social Inclusion & Empowerment, Business Entrepreneurship, Cultural Activities and Research And Innovation. Today we talk to five young leaders to know how far they’ve come since then.

Ahsan Rony, Green Savers “Our freedom fighters gave us the freedom our country now enjoys. The current generation is the one that needs to work for the betterment of the country. I really think we are the ones who are responsible for making our country’s name shine.

Green Savers aspires to build a greener capital city by implementing our projects such as the ones that promote urban

agriculture, among others.

Attaining the Joy Bangla Award has increased our acceptance among the youth. It creates a sort of motivation that inherently influences others to involve themselves with Green Savers.

This achievement has definitely fuelled up our entire initiative.”

Al Mamun, Mithapukur Etim Unnayan Foundation “Since its inception, Mithapukur Etim Unnayan Foundation has been helping orphan children by providing them with school stationery. However, the foundation’s most significant goal is to provide emotional support by arranging career counselling programs every year.

I would say that over time we have definitely made a lot of progress, especially when we think of how we’ve created a space for ourselves in people’s hearts. Initially we mostly worked in remote areas so people didn’t fully understand our initiative.

Despite it all, we worked as hard as we could to ensure that people would one day understand our goals for the country.

Being awarded with the JBYA has really made people expect a lot from us. So far I’d say one

Safayet Ahmed, Inventor, Speak Up “The mute population of Bangladesh use sign language in order to communicate. And it is hard for a normal people to decode that language.

Speak Up is a machine that has been invented to speak on behalf of a voiceless human being.

Through this invention I wanted to give voices back to the mute community. This machine is able to turn any sign language into sounds. It also contains an LCD monitor using which a deaf person can understand what another person is trying to say. I believe this will definitely be a milestone as far as communication is concerned.

Speak Up will not only make it easier for the disabled community to communicate, it will also help them gain smoother entry into the job market.”

Sukanto Gupto, Sruti “Culture is the root of every society. With the goal of practising the manifestation of culture by inspiring the young generation about freedom fighters, Sruti, a Sylhet based cultural organisation has been working relentlessly for 16 years. From national holidays and events such as the Language Movement Day to Victory Day, all these days have been celebrated

by Sruti in unique ways.

Through each of these celebrations, we want to acquaint the new generation with our own culture, reminding and raising awareness about our roots and history.” l

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Editorial 11

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

INSIDE

Hullabaloo in the Far East The recent testing of so-called hydrogen bombs has put North Korea on the back foot. China’s stakes are high as the security of two of its most important allies, Japan and South Korea, are inextricably linked PAGE 12

Once a teacher, always a teacher For a good teacher, this is the absolute minimum way students should pay them back -- encouraging reciprocity. I guess this is why Professor Rehman Sobhan commands so much respect from his students PAGE 13

A preface to Bengali nationhood He then had the text of the speech sent to the venue, and got someone else to read it out to the people. Had it been so, how would the speech have sounded?

Without Bangabandhu, the March 7 speech is unthinkable PAGE 14

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ DhakaTribune.

The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors alone. They do not purport to be the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher.

BIGSTOCK

Address the causes of gold smuggling to improve security

C

ustoms officials have seized nearly 3,000kg of smuggled gold at the country’s international airports in the last three years.

Gold smuggling syndicates are a major security issue because they directly involve airline workers, airport, and security officials.

The security risks posed by smuggling syndicates operating with the collusion of corrupt individuals at airports make it an urgent priority to root out their activities.

Authorities estimate that efforts to apprehend gold smugglers are only successful in recovering 10% to 20% of the actual volume of gold that is smuggled every year into or through Bangladesh.

There can be no tolerance of the cancer of corruption and criminality and inherent security risks caused by gold smuggling. While greater vigilance and exemplary punishment of those found involved in smuggling is clearly necessary, it is also vital for the government to address the causes of gold smuggling.

Intelligence sources estimate that in terms of value, gold accounts for 95% of all smuggling items in Bangladesh, so anything that helps to curb gold smuggling syndicates would bring major benefits.

As gold is a legal product, the government should reform the legal framework to make it easier to import and export gold through legitimate channels. Much if not most of the gold that is smuggled is believed to be illegally shipped to India, so co-operation between Bangladesh and India on facilitating legal transshipments is imperative.

Such moves are important not only to curb criminality but also to help reduce the high domestic price for gold which limits Bangladesh’s jewellery industry’s efforts to export their products overseas.

The government must make sure gold import rules are fit for purpose in facilitating trade, rather than providing an incentive for smugglers.

The security risks posed by smuggling syndicates operating with the collusion of corrupt individuals at airports make it an urgent priority to root out their activities

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Opinion

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

Hullabaloo in the Far East Are North Korea’s nuclear ambitions a threat to global security?

n Mohd Aminul Karim

W

hy has such a small, impoverished country like North Korea resorted to nuclearisation? What are its likely intentions with these weapons? How are the neighbours, especially South Korea, Japan, and the US, responding to such a development?

These are delicate questions to answer, as the issue is intricately linked to geo-politics, internal and external security of the Koreas, China, and Japan, and historical animosities.

North Korea, traditionally a satellite and outlawed state of the former Soviet Union, used its status as a Soviet-client to shield itself against any retribution. After

What’s Kim Jong-un looking for?

REUTERS

The recent testing of so-called hydrogen bombs has put North Korea on the back foot. China’s stakes are high as the security of two of its most important allies, Japan and South Korea, are inextricably linked.

American deterrence may not be able to placate the involved players

its collapse, North Korea lost a powerful benefactor. It watched with dismay the destruction of Iraq in 1991 whose military much resembled North Korea’s. So it concluded that conventional forces could no longer protect the regime and the state.

In this context it is difficult to differentiate between regime and state. Regime survival, at the cost of human security, is the primary motivation of as grandiose a project as nuclear armament.

This impoverished country, with a GDP one-third of Ethiopia, diverted its resources into a nuclear program and, in 2006, detonated its first nuclear bombs.

And it worked to create an artificial protection both for the regime and the state. It tested its nukes four times, starting in 2006, in underground tunnels located in the eastern part of the country. It is estimated it has between 10 to 16 such weapons in its arsenal and in the worst-case scenario may reach up to 1,000 bombs by 2020.

It even tested its first ever hydrogen bomb on January 6; and a long-range ballistic missile was tested on February 7. All these were conducted in violation of many UN Security Council Resolutions. More stringent sanctions by

the UN Security Council have been imposed.

The US-Korea Institute at the John Hopkins University has assessed that North Korea can fire a bomb from its mediumto-intermediate range missiles.

These missiles can reach targets in countries such as Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, and at the formidable military bases of the US in the Asia Pacific.

A new version of the KN-08 ballistic missile, likely to be operational by 2021, may be able to reach the West Coast of the US with smaller sized nukes.

To put it in perspective, North Korean missiles are capable of reaching targets beyond the Japanese mainland. North Korea’s behaviour overall, and especially after the Taepodong Missile Crisis, rather forced Japan to incorporate a concept of expanded national defence as part of its national security policy.

To deal with North Korea, China has turned out to be a key player.

The US wants China to take a harder line towards North Korea.

Interestingly enough, North Korea wants to play the US card. North Korea proposed to abandon the nuclear program in exchange for economic aid (or even a peace

treaty) through direct bilateral talks with the US. This tactic, called the “cycle of provocation and accommodation,” is being tried by North Korea even after the recent regime change.

The present young leader must feel vulnerable.

Japan would have been happy with one-on-one negotiations with the US, as presumably it would have sidelined China. North Korea succeeded in concluding the Geneva Agreed Framework that puts North Korea on an equal footing with the US. However, the US has given a cautious response to such an overture and has always communicated to Beijing that the Six-Party Talks would be the appropriate forum. Although the Six-Party Talks has been suspended since 2009, US-North Korea contacts got renewed early 2011.

The recent testing of so-called hydrogen bombs has put North Korea on the backfoot. China’s stakes are high as the security of two of its most important allies, Japan and South Korea, are inextricably linked. American deterrence may not be able to placate the involved players.

Both South Korea and Japan are potential nuclear powers.

However, the US may not approve of such a venture in the foreseeable future. And the China-America Mutually-Assured Dependency Syndrome is at work.

Mutually-Assured Destruction (MAD) Syndrome is also at work.

Both the powers may not allow the status quo be disturbed although it is a period of transition.

And a period of transition is always fraught with risks and uncertainties.

That said, China’s policy is formulated by a combination of factors such as historical relations, ideological solidarity, economic motives, alongside a fear of collapse and the loss of North Korea as a strategic buffer.

It is primarily driven by security considerations. Its value as a strategic buffer best explains its worth to China. But this time round China is rather unhappy, as such developments provide no tangible benefit. China would not like to see North Korea turn into a strategic burden. It is otherwise a burden as China provides assistance, in food and energy, for sustenance of its impoverished people. In the process, human value, dignity, and the rights of the people are getting marginalised.

Be that as it may, China is one of the signatories to the Armistice Agreement of 1953 that brought an end to the Korean War. China has an alliance treaty with North Korea dating back to 1961 that obligates China to defend North Korea should the eventuality dictate so.

However, at this point in time, neither the US nor China would like to see a repeat of the Korean War. As a counter-measure to nuclear attack, Japan has deployed

a multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) with the support of the US for the protection of its mainland and the surrounding islands. Japan has also been assured of the US’s extended nuclear deterrence. There is a difference between direct deterrence and extended deterrence. Japan is getting extended deterrence assurance but that may not totally placate Japan.

Japan is allowed to transfer its BMD to third parties under certain conditions. This is an ominous development. Japan is also set to invest in the US-made Terminal High Altitude Defence (THAAD) system and is also pondering over developing its own cruise missile.

Geo-political strategies such as balancing, alliance-building, action-reaction cycle, populist nationalism, skirmishes, joint military drills, nuclear arms race, nuclear defence, trampling of human security and rights, consolidation of totalitarianism, etc would tend to rise with all its horrendous and destabilising impacts.

North Korea revised its constitution in 2012 to proclaim itself as a nuclear power.

That said, there is a silver lining as we see the success of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. But it has nothing to do with the resumption of Six-Party Talks as preconditions from the stakeholders are diametrically opposed to each other. l Mohd Aminul Karim, PhD, is a retired Lieutenant General of Bangladesh Army, currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malay, Malaysia.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

Once a teacher, always a teacher There is only individual in life who will champion your continued success regardless of who you are -- your teacher

Have you shown appreciation to your teachers today?

n Mamun Rashid

I

was born into a family of teachers. My father was a teacher early in his life, my sister is a teacher, my brother is a teacher, my uncles from both sides are teachers. Moreover, I am fortunate to have found so many good teachers all through my life -- Rafiqul Islam, Babu Sailesh Dev at Sylhet Zilla School, Mohammad Zakerullah, ATM Nasir Chowdhury, and Gopal Chandra Barua at Faujdarhat Cadet College, Professor Akhlaqur Rahman and Anu Muhammad at Jahangir Nagar University, Professor Ray Wild at Henley Management College, Anthony Hourihan at London Business School, Professor Dipak Jain and Philip Kotler at the Kellogg School of Management.

The list is much longer.

Actually, I myself have been teaching management, entrepreneurship, and commercial banking to undergraduate and post-graduate students at leading public and private universities as an adjunct and full-time faculty for more than two decades.

How good is my teaching? I myself can’t tell. However, my scorecard does appear to show a very good record. There is an interesting story here: When Sir Fazle Hasan Abed invited me to join the BRAC Business School and position it as the premier business school in the country, there was a lot of resistance from the teaching community both from the inside and outside. For

obvious reasons, UGC wanted to know how someone who was not a lecturer, an assistant professor, or an associate professor could become a professor and director at a leading university. I came to know that my case was defended well.

BIGSTOCK

and jump on to the table in the classroom. I try to emulate the man in my own class as well, without anyone’s knowledge of course. I try to bring in a lot of Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Europe experiences to the table. My students can attest

student at BRAC University.” This is how a teacher is remembered, respected, and paid back.

I remember how the CEO of the international NGO I work with was having a tough time with regulatory institutions. The board thought that, as the member

For a good teacher, this is the absolute minimum way students should pay them back -- encouraging reciprocity. I guess this is why Professor Rehman Sobhan commands so much respect from his students, such as Muhammad Yunus, Mirza Aziz, Fakhruddin Ahmed, or Mohammad Farashuddin My academic track record was never too bad, very good in fact, at the secondary and higher secondary levels, while I was above average at the Honours and Master’s level -- I hold two Master’s degrees in economics and business administration. I have contributed many articles to international professional journals and have represented Bangladesh in various international forums.

Yet, I would give the utmost importance to “classroom delight,” and for this I would give a lot of credit to my teachers -- Mohammad Zakerullah, ATM Nasir Chowdhowdhry, Anthony Hourihan, and Dipak Jain.

Each of them used to relate the classrooms to the larger world outside. Anthony Hourihan used to laugh, act, cry, sit on the floor,

that most of my classes started with me reading newspaper articles to them. I put the highest emphasis on capacity building -- the capacity to think beyond, relate small happenings to a larger destination, and force students to seek out broader knowledge.

And my students have not disappointed me. They don’t care if I am a big-time economist or a banker. They value me for the commitment I demonstrated towards their success. I go to GP House, and more than a dozen would greet me as their teacher from NSU; I go to any coffee shop and I would spot some of my students from IBA, right before they’d come up to greet me; I go to the airport and someone will aggressively come forward to help me and tell me: “Sir, I was your

secretary, I should go and see the DG at the regulatory institution. As it happened, in most government offices, we were given an unwelcoming welcome by the PS, as he let us sit in the waiting lounge. The DG was outside her office. She was otherwise known as a very strong administrator. She came after half an hour, and, while entering her room, peeped into the waiting room, looked at me, and shrieked: “Sir! How come you are here?”

She rebuked her PS for having kept me waiting outside. I didn’t have a clue -- when did I ever teach this iron lady, an additional secretary of the government?

She took us all to her room and commanded her office assistant to bring us refreshments: “Give tea to others, I know my sir takes coffee and I want to prepare it myself.”

I suddenly remembered having taught her at NDC while she was a joint secretary, where she claimed that I was the best teacher she ever had. I was awestruck.

The other day, I asked my secretary to get me an appointment with an additional secretary working very closely with our honourable PM. My secretary, called her PS for the appointment, and his boss replied: “Anytime is the best time for sir to see me.” I asked my secretary how she was able to manage something so convenient, to which she said: “Sir, the way she reacted, it felt as if she would seek the PM’s approval to leave her side for the time being to attend to you.”

For a good teacher, this is the absolute minimum way students should pay them back -- encouraging reciprocity. I guess this is why Professor Rehman Sobhan commands so much respect from his students, such as Muhammad Yunus, Mirza Aziz, Fakhruddin Ahmed, or Mohammad Farashuddin.

Life must be fun for people like Abdullah Abu Sayeed, or indeed many of the successful students of the late Shamsuddin at Mohammadpur Laboratory School and Jahangir Nagar University School. They taught well and guided their students in their times of need. A teacher is always a teacher: Enlightening, caring, and forgiving. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

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Opinion

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

A preface to Bengali nationhood Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s speech on March 7, 1971 was more than just a speech manifesto of independence was read out a day later.

According to Sardar Fazlul Karim: “A man cannot just appear out of nowhere and claim, ‘I am your leader.’ Nor can others accept it in their hearts and say: ‘Yes, you are our leader.’ Only an armed man can become a leader by force, something not possible for an unarmed individual.”

Bangabandhu is both a creator of history and a creation of it.

Only he could create history with one sentence: “The history of the Bengalis is a history of colouring the roads with Bengali blood.” It was only Bangabandhu who could create an epic with a single remark: “You won’t be able to suppress seven crore people.”

The speech that defined a nation

n Mijanur Rahman

B

angabandhu’s speeches were always spontaneous and undrafted. He would never read out the text of a speech written earlier. “While Sheikh Mujib’s speeches would not be written beforehand, those could not be put in writing either,” said sociologist Sardar Fazlul Karim.

Numerous articles and several books have already been written on his March 7 speech that has earned a distinguished place among the world’s greatest speeches of all time. This particular speech by Bangabandhu has even made it to We Shall Fight on the Beaches: The Speeches That Inspired History -- a compilation of the most impactful speeches between 431BC and 1987AD. The title of the book, compiled

by Jacob F Field, has been taken from the famous speech by Winston Churchill, during World War II. The book ends with the “Tear down this wall” speech by Ronald Reagan in 1987. Bangabandhu’s historic speech, “The struggle this time is the struggle for independence,” can be found on Page 201 of the 223-page book.

As much as it is true that the speech in its documented form has now made an indelible mark in the political history of the world, it is also undeniable that by reading

the speech or the analyses on it, one may realise its significance, but can never grasp the essence of the true Bangabandhu in it.

Let’s say Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech was drafted beforehand.

According to her daughter Sheikh Hasina, “Abba had a cold that day.

I rubbed Vicks on his forehead and chest. He was lying in bed under a sheet.” Let’s imagine his cold turned worse and he caught fever, so much so that he barely could talk. Bangabandhu had no way to go to the Race Course Ground, which was already teeming with people.

He then had the text of the speech sent to the venue, and got someone else to read it out to the people. Had it been so, how would the speech have sounded?

Without Bangabandhu, the March 7 speech is unthinkable. “Bhaiyera amar (my dear brothers)” -- could anyone other than Bangabandhu himself articulate these apparently simple words in such an emphatic way? It was Bangabandhu’s presence at that very juncture of time and his own voice behind the speech that made the address one of the greatest in the world history.

Lincoln’s presence was not a must at the dedication of the unionist soldiers’ national cemetery in Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. Senator Edward Everett was the main

speaker there.

Everett’s two-hour speech was followed by Lincoln’s, and it lasted only two minutes. Martin Luther King Jr delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 at a program addressed by the leaders of 20 more organisations involved in the American Civil Rights Movement.

His speech was written.

Toward the end of the speech, King, prompted by singer Mahalia Jackson, departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on the theme “I have a dream.” It would not have mattered much if someone else, other than Churchill, had delivered the “We shall fight on the beaches” speech on June 4, 1940.

Since taking the office of the British prime minister on May 10, 1940, Churchill in fact had given four speeches on the same issue at the House of Commons of the UK Parliament till June 18 that year. But that the March 7 speech in 1971 would have to be delivered

by Bangabandhu was a historical necessity.

It was announced on March 1 that Bangabandhu would address a rally at the Race Course Ground on March 7, and would announce the subsequent programs. The flag of an independent Bangladesh was hoisted on March 2 and the

He then had the text of the speech sent to the venue, and got someone else to read it out to the people. Had it been so, how would the speech have sounded? Without Bangabandhu, the March 7 speech is unthinkable

Syed Manzoorul Islam, a student of Dhaka University back then, was working as an interpreter for a foreign journalist at the rally venue. He was instantaneously translating what Bangabandhu was saying. After listening to the translation for a while, the journalist asked Manzoorul Islam to stop. Though the pressman had no knowledge of Bengali, he started listening to the speech very carefully.

“From his facial expressions, it seemed as if he could understand every word, as if Bangabandhu were delivering the speech in English, not in Bengali,” Manzoorul Islam would later say.

Before leaving the venue, he asked the journalist what could happen next. “Get ready,” the journalist replied.

Bangabandhu did not stop after saying that the struggle was for

independence. He rather went on to add: “The struggle this time is the struggle for liberation.” Even in the face of an imminent war, he was aware of the need for a struggle for emancipation.

The word independence came up in his speech only once, but liberation or emancipation was used quite a few times: “The people of Bengal now want liberation,” “People of this country will taste economic, political and cultural emancipation,” “Until my country is liberated,” “We will liberate the people of this country, Insha-Allah,” and in the end, “The struggle this time is the struggle for liberation; the struggle this time is the struggle for independence.”

The struggle for emancipation is much more significant than that for independence. People cannot feel the essence of liberation even after the end of the rule of a foreign country until they achieve economic and social emancipation.

Our struggle for independence ended in 1971. The Bengalis for the first time in their millennia-old history got a sovereign country of their own. The newborn country had only started taking its babysteps towards economic and social emancipation when it suffered a major setback -- the assassination of Father of the Nation.

The history then started taking a backward course, one that could not be stopped yet, especially in the societal context.

We were far more liberal in our views even in the 1940s than we now are. The society, at least a significant part of it, was not so much wrought with fanaticism and intolerance as it is now. It’s time we started thinking of how we, through our collective efforts, can build a multi-dimensional and pluralistic society. Liberation is more powerful, more significant than freedom. By liberation, Bangabandhu had meant emancipation from all sorts of deprivation, discrimination, exploitation, meanness, bigotry, and spiritual depravity.

His daughter Sheikh Hasina is now leading us in the struggle for liberation. But it is a struggle that never ends, never stops, for people by nature strive relentlessly for furthering their liberation, for solidifying their achievements and for safeguarding their emancipation. l Mijanur Rahman is Vice-Chancellor of Jagannath University, Dhaka.

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Business 15

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

INSIDE BUILD: Widening tax base must to ease tax burden on individuals Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) has urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to put more focus on widening the tax net for the sake of reducingthe existing extra tax burden on the individuals. PAGE 16

IMF official: Global growth forecasts could be cut again The International Monetary Fund may cut 2016 global growth forecasts again in the coming weeks, according to a senior IMF official who yesterday called on policymakers to take comprehensive measures to strengthen their economies. PAGE 17

ECB gives eurozone ‘one more adrenaline shot’ With inflation now back in negative territory and the economic outlook clouding over, the European Central Bank gave the eurozone another “adrenaline shot” of stimulus measures at its policy meeting yesterday. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Thursday DSE Broad Index

4,484.5

0.6% ▲

Index

1,085.6

0.3% ▲

30 Index

1,721.1

0.6% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,834.0

22.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

112.0

19.5% ▲

All Share Index 13,797.8

0.5% ▲

30 Index

0.7% ▲

CSE

Selected Index

12,491.6 8,383.5

0.5% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

263.7

31.5% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

9.5

24.0% ▲

BGMEA wants relaxation in UK decision until March 31 n Tribune Report

Bangladesh garment exporters want the United Kingdom relax its suspension order of cargo flights from Dhaka until March 31 as they fear it will affect their supply of products to the European nation.

Expressing concerns over the decision taken under security reasons, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association at a press conference yesterday urged the Bangladesh government to deal with the UK concerns promptly and also request the UK authorities to relax their decision.

On Wednesday, the UK government suspended direct cargo flights from Dhaka out of security concerns at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

“UK market is a very important for Bangladesh and 10%-15% of total exports to the country are airshipped,” BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman said.

“The decision will hurt the export-oriented RMG sector as we are already suffering losses from a same type of move taken by the Australian government,” he said seeking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention into the issue.

BGMEA Vice President Mohammad Nasir and Director Miran Ali were also present.

Though the Civil Aviation Au-

The front view of Dhaka Shahjalal International Airport. After raising questions about the security arrangements at Bangladesh’s main airport, the UK government has suspended direct Dhaka-UK cargo flights DHAKA TRIBUNE thority of Bangladesh held an emergency meeting yesterday, it didn’t disclose anything about what steps would be taken in response to the British allegations of lax security at the country’s main airport. Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon, along with CAAB chairman and Biman Bangladesh Airlines acting CEO, was present at the meeting.

At a different meeting with the EU ambassador in Dhaka, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed raised the issue and requested the

envoy to look into the matter.

In its website on Wednesday, British Transportation Department said: “Recent security assessments of Dhaka International Airport found that some international security requirements were not being met... As part of a set of interim measures, cargo will not be allowed on direct flights from Dhaka to the UK until further notice.”

“Airlines carrying cargo between Bangladesh and the UK on indirect routes are being asked to ensure it is re-screened before its

final leg into the UK,” it added.

It also threatened the suspension of passenger flights from Dhaka to the UK unless the security was improved by this month.

The British authorities earlier asked Bangladesh authorities to improve security measures and take a sustainable action plan for ensuring adequate security at the airport. They threatened complexities might arise regarding continuation of Dhaka-London direct flight if the security was not improved. l

Bangladesh to hold first ever dialogue with European Union business council in May n Tribune Report Bangladesh and European Union Business Council Bangladesh will hold the first ever dialogue on business climate to discuss business obstacles and devise solutions to them.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed came up with the announcement after a meeting with the European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh, Pierre Mayaudon, at the secretariat yesterday.

The dialogue will be held on May 12 in Dhaka.

“EU is the number one export destination for Bangladesh products, specially RMGs, and the dialogue will focus on enhancing trade between Bangladesh and EU members,” said Tofail.

According the latest data of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), in the last fiscal year, Bangladesh earned $17.04 billion.

Eight EU ambassadors to Dhaka, three other EU member country representatives and five EU private sectors will take part in the dia-

logue, said the minister.

Business issues like VAT, tax, corporate tax, income tax and bilateral trade issues would be discussed at the dialogue, he said.

Talking on the export earnings from EU, Tofail said the earnings could be more if the currency did not devalue against dollar.

“We are thinking about providing incentives for those exporters, who export to EU countries.”

In his address, Pierre Mayaudon said: “The dialogue is aimed at identifying obstacles to trade and investment between EU and Bangladesh and to devise solution.”

He said the dialogue will encourage more EU investment and trade in Bangladesh.

EU is the number one trade partner of Bangaldesh, and 60% of total RMG exports goes to its member states, said Mayaudon.

The European Union wants more diversified economic relation and to reach it to a new height through dialogue, he added.

Senior Commerce Secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon and Nuria Lopez, president of Spain Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, were present at the meeting. l

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BUILD: Widening tax base must to ease tax burden on individuals n Tribune Report Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) has urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to put more focus on widening the tax net for the sake of reducingthe existing extra tax burden on the individuals.

“Once the tax network is increased, it will help escalate revenue collection,” it said.

Public private dialogue platform BUILD has come up with the suggestion while placing its prebudget proposals to NBR recently, according to a press release issued by its Chief Executive Officer Ferdaus Ara Begum yesterday.

This is one of the total 90 proposals, including 18 on income tax and audit, 21 on VAT, 35 on customs, and 16 on simplification of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) policy. The proposal was handed over to NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman on March 7.

Currently, less than 1% of the population pay tax in Bangladesh, a country of around 16 crore population. Around 18 lakh people have taxpayers identification numbers, however, only around 12 lakh of them submit their income tax returns regularly.

BUILD has also requested the NBR not to enforce uniform corporate tax rate for all the companies and instead, it suggested to do fu-

BUILD has also requested the NBR not to enforce uniform corporate tax rate for all the companies ture study before implementing the move.

A uniform income tax rate will be applicable for all companies and there will be no provisions for minimum tax ceiling for individual taxpayers, according to the draft of Direct Tax Code, which is likely to be finalised by the year-end.

In case of audit, BUILD has proposed to establish a risk-based audit system and urged the NBR authorities to establish a ‘Good Governance and Integrity Unit’ in its office to ensure clarity and transparency in the audit system.

It also recommended for reducing time to resolve the cases and is-

suing a guideline for the taxpayers so they van understand their mistakes ahead of submitting their returns.

Regarding customs, BUILD put emphasis on simplification of process for procurement and import of raw materials for domestic industries, along with ensuring proper supports to domestic industries that produces same raw materials in the country.

The differences between duty of finished product and raw materials of the same product produced in the country should be justified, it added.

In regards to implementation of new Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act 2012, BUILD pre-

DHAKA TRIBUNE

ferred for an extended amount of VAT exemption limit and lowering VAT rates for some areas like health and education.

The government is all set to enforce the new VAT law from July 1, 2016 which will bring all the companies under a uniform 15% VAT rate.

In respect of ADR, BUILD has proposed NBR to review the role of facilitators and to allow small entrepreneurs to avail of benefits of ADR. The other suggestions from the platform includes eradication of general bottlenecks in the taxation system, people’s apathy towards tax payment, and sufferings of the genuine taxpayers. l

State banks cut deposit rate further n Tribune Report

The state-owned banks have slashed interest rate on deposits further to maximum 6.5% from 7% in March due to sluggish investment and lower inflation.

The interest rate on term deposit was cut from lowest 0.5% to highest 1% effective from March 3 while lending rate remains unchanged.

Earlier on January 31, all the state banks set deposit rate at maximum 7%, lowering from 8%. At the same time, banks set lending rate at 14%.

The burden of excess liquidity and sluggish investment prompt banks to cut the deposit rate, said M Farid Uddin, managing director of Rupali Bank.

Moreover, inflation and lending rate remained downward. As a result, banks lowered the deposit rate, he added.

Depositors are getting interest in between 5.5% and 6% on term deposits for less than a six-month tenure from March which was 6.5% in February.

Banks cut the interest rate from 0.5% to 0.75% on the deposits of less than one year tenure.

The interest rate on long-term deposits has been set at 6.25% from 6.50%.

Some banks slashed their interest rate by 1% for short-term large amount of deposits over Tk25 crore. l

Stocks extend small gains VW’s top US executive steps down for fourth straight session n Reuters, Washington

n Tribune Report

Stocks continued to make small gains for the fourth straight session yesterday with slightly improved trading activities.

The market opened on a positive note and continued to register a limited rise led by rallies in most sectors, including power, engineering and financial instiutions.

The benchmark index DSEX rose 27 points or 0.7% to close at 4,484. With this rise, the index added around 49 points to the last consecutive four sessions.

The Shariah index DSES was marginally up 3 points to 1,085.

The blue chip comprising index DS30 moved up 10 points or 0.7% to 1,721.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 8,383, rising 83 points.

The DSE total turnover stood at Tk383 crore, which is 22% over the previous session’s value.

All large cap sectors closed higher except telecommunications that

edged 0.3% down.

The power sector gained highest almost 1%, followed by engineering 0.82%, non-banking financial institutions 0.8%, banks 0.7%, food & allied 0.4% and pharmaceuticals 0.3%.

Shares of 315 companies were traded on the day. Of these, 158 closed positive, 117 negative while 41 remained unchanged.

Aman Feed Limited remained the most favourite among investors with shares worth Tk21 crore changing hands, after the news that the company has decided to sell products of Bengal Feed & Fisheries through Aman’s existing distribution network to all over the country.

The agreement will take effect today and the maximum sales volume of Aman Feed will increase by 8,400MT and the sales amount approximately Tk35 crore during the agreement period and the net profit approximately Tk2.80 crore.

After Aman Feed, other turnover leaders included Beximco Pharmaceuticals, CMC Kamal, Lanka Bangla Finance and Summit Power. l

Volkswagen AG’s top US executive is stepping down nearly six months after the German automaker admitted to installing software to allow 580,000 diesel US vehicles to emit excess emissions, the company said on Wednesday.

Michael Horn, who has been president and chief executive officer of Volkswagen Group of America since 2014, is leaving by mutual agreement “to pursue other opportunities effective immediately,” VW said.

Horn, 54, could not immediately be reached. A lawyer for Horn did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The German automaker said on an interim basis, Hinrich J. Woebcken, a former BMW executive who ran global purchasing among other jobs, is filling Horn’s job. In January, VW named Woebcken as head of VW’s North American region, effective April 1.

Horn sent an email to employees thanking them for supporting him and for pulling together during

the crisis.

Horn’s departure comes as VW continues to negotiate with California, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency on possible fixes or buybacks for the diesel vehicles that emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution. It faces a March 24 deadline to tell a federal judge whether it has an acceptable fix.

A top California official told state lawmakers Tuesday that VW may only be able to mount a partial fix and may have to pay to mitigate the harm caused by allowing vehicles to remain on the road.

Volkswagen faces an ongoing Justice Department criminal investigation. The Justice Department sued VW in January seeking up to $46 billion for violating environmental regulations and sent VW a civil subpoena under a bank fraud law.

Alan Brown, general manager of Hendrick Volkswagen in Frisco, Texas who is president of the National Volkswagen Dealer Advisory Council, praised Horn’s tenure at VW and said he had talked to

Horn over the last three days about his departure. Brown told Reuters Horn had been offered other jobs at Volkswagen outside the United States, but declined to take them.

Brown said it was critical VW maintain the strategy of growing US volume and noted dealers have strongly supported the automaker through the crisis.

“We are not working out of gas stations any more,” Brown said, noting VW’s about US 650 dealers have invested $1 billion over the last decade in facilities.

Brown is flying to Germany on Sunday and staying through Wednesday for meetings with VW executives in the aftermath of Horn’s departure.

The VW dealer council in a statement called Horn’s departure “a serious blow to the US dealer network, the employees of Volkswagen of America, the workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, and the entire Volkswagen community.” It added that the “change in management can only serve to put the company at more risk, not less.” l

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Germany’s Linde sees ‘challenging’ year in 2016 n AFP, Frankfurt German industrial gas maker Linde said it was able to lift earnings last year despite a difficult market environment but was still aiming to achieve further growth this year.

“Linde is seeking to achieve an increase in revenue and operating profit of four percent after adjusting for exchange rate effects,” the company said in a statement.

But it cautioned that “the challenging market environment could result in a decrease of up to three percent.”

‘Positive exchange rate effects had an impact on the revenue trend, particularly in the first six months of the year’ Workers signal to a mobile crane operator as he moves a container to stack it at Thar Dry Port in Sanand

REUTERS

IMF official: Global growth forecasts could be cut again n Reuters, Mumbai The International Monetary Fund may cut 2016 global growth forecasts again in the coming weeks, according to a senior IMF official who yesterday called on policymakers to take comprehensive measures to strengthen their economies.

In January, the Fund projected global growth of 3.4% in 2016 and 3.6 percent in 2017, having revised down its October forecast for both years by 0.2 percentage point.

“It is very likely that by the time that we arrive at the spring meet-

ings next month there may be a further downward revision in our forecasts,” Jose Vinals, financial counsellor and director of the monetary and capital markets department said during an event organised by the Reserve Bank of India.

His comments echoed a warning last month from Managing Director Christine Lagarde, who said the global economy could be derailed unless policymakers took collective action.

“The cost of inaction will be costly in terms of global growth,” Vinals said.

Expressing concern over China’s

slowing growth and “vulnerabilities” in its corporate and financial sector, Vinals said its deleveraging will be key to global financial stability. But he added that he did not foresee a hard landing for the world’s second-largest economy.

Vinals said India needed to prioritise a clean-up of its banks’ balance sheets, while tackling a debt overhang. He also said potential capital outflows posed a risk.

Indian banks’ stressed loans are at 13-year high of 8tn rupees ($119.12bn), constraining banks’ ability to lend and boost economic growth, which is pegged at 7.00-

7.75% for 2016/17.

Worried that further rise in bad loans could impede the early recovery, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has asked banks to provide even for potential bad assets after pledging to clean up lenders’ books

by March 2017.

Meanwhile the government has also said it will put in 700bn rupees through March 2019 to shore up state-run banks.

Vinals said it is “very important” that India “redouble the efforts to clean up public sector banks’ balance sheets” and tackle its corporate sector debt overhang. l

Linde’s two main businesses are industrial gases and plant construction. Overall group sales rose by 5.3% to 17.9bn euros ($19.6bn).

“Positive exchange rate effects had an impact on the revenue trend, particularly in the first six months of the year,” Linde said.

“After adjusting for these effects, group revenue was 2.3% below the figure for the prior year.”

That was due to a fall in revenue in the engineering division from the record level achieved in 2014. Revenue in the gases division, on the other hand, rose by 2.1% after adjusting for exchange rate effects and changes in the price of natural gases, it said.

At the level of earnings, underlying or operating profit rose by 5.4% to 4.1bn euros and net profit climbed by 4.3% to 1.15bn euros.

Linde said that management would propose an increased dividend of 3.45 euros per share for 2015 after 3.15 euros for 2014. l

EU trade chief: US campaign rhetoric won’t stop TTIP trade talks n Reuters, Washington Europe’s top trade official plans an ambitious push to seal a sweeping US-European free trade deal this year even as bitter US presidential primary races sour voter sentiment towards trade.

With many candidates, including Republican front-runner Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders, voicing strong opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, its European counterpart, still under negotiation, has largely flown under the radar.

European Union Trade Commis-

sioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters on a visit to Washington on Wednesday that major negotiating rounds for the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) were scheduled for April and July, with more informal meetings in March, June and May. She will meet US Trade Representative Michael Froman this week to discuss progress.

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton’s surprise defeat by Sanders in manufacturing-heavy Michigan has laid bare growing voter anger over trade and job losses…

Despite such opposition, Malmstrom said she was determined to sew up most of the TTIP chapters by summer, including settling major differences over US “Buy American” government procurement standards, how to resolve investment disputes and over Europe’s many geographical rules that govern food products from Parma ham to feta cheese.

“We are determined to try to push this, if possible, to finalize it, being aware that there will be a new administration that will have a word on it,” Malmstrom said. “If we are to finish this before the end of

the year, of course we need to enter the end-game by the summer.”

But with some US congressional leaders saying that the TPP deal is unlikely to get a vote before the November presidential election, the TTIP is virtually certain to be left to President Barack Obama’s successor.

Malmstrom said that EU and US negotiators last week traded proposals on the difficult issue of investment dispute resolution. The EU has objected to the US model for investor-state dispute settlement with binding arbitration and recently bolstered its argument by signing a free trade deal with Can-

ada that includes Europe’s model for a more court-like system that allows for appeals.

No negotiations have taken place yet over the dispute resolution proposals, but Malmstrom said, “I don’t expect this to pass smoothly.”

Malmstrom said she was determined not to let US campaign rhetoric against free trade jobs stall the TTIP negotiations.

“Without entering into debate with one individual, I don’t share those arguments,” she said. “In good trade agreements, there are a lot of economic advantages.” l

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ECB gives eurozone ‘one more adrenaline shot’ n AFP, Frankfurt With inflation now back in negative territory and the economic outlook clouding over, the European Central Bank gave the eurozone another “adrenaline shot” of stimulus measures at its policy meeting yesterday.

The European Central Bank cut interest rates yesterday to boost the euro zone economy, surprising financial markets by dropping its main refinancing rate to zero from 0.05%.

It also expanded its quantitative easing asset-buying program to 80bn euros a month from 60bn euros, starting this June and cut its deposit rate to -0.4% from -0.3%, charging banks more to keep their money with the ECB. The moves - which knocked the euro down 1% against the dollar reflect the ECB’s struggle with falling inflation expectations and worries about ultra low price growth.

Moves announced by the ECB back in December were perceived by the financial markets as being half-hearted.

So, ECB chief Mario Draghi is set

ECB President Draghi arrives at the EU council headquarters to announce bolder measures at his traditional post-meeting news conference this time later yesterday, central bank watchers predicted.

With area-wide falling inflation back in negative territory in February for the first time in five months - it fell to minus 0.2% - and eurozone growth not expected to pick up speed any time soon, the case for further stimulus measures is clear, analysts agreed.

‘Done deal’

REUTERS

At the last meeting in January, president Mario Draghi promised that the ECB’s decision-making governing council would “review and possibly reconsider” the policy stance this month.

For UniCredit analyst Marco Valli that meant that “further monetary accommodation this week appears to be a done deal.”

The deposit rate is the interest

the ECB usually pays banks for the excess funds they place at the central bank overnight.

But it has been negative since June 2014, meaning the ECB effectively charges the banks for using the facility, in the hope that banks will instead lend the funds out to businesses and companies to get the economy moving.

However, banks complain the currently ultra-low interest rate environment is eroding profits and pushing the deposit further into negative territory could harm them further still.

The powerful German banking federation BdB is opposed to opening up the monetary sluice gates still further, insisting it will not provide any additional boost to economic growth.

“On the contrary, additional expansionary measures will do more harm than good,” it said on Wednesday.

“We currently see no deflationary dangers whatsoever. The ECB is exaggerating the risks and acting too mechanistically,” said BdB chief Michael Kemmer.

Some economists believe the

ECB could introduce a tiered interest rate scheme to ease the burden on banks, whereby lenders would pay a lower or no penalty rate at all up to a specified amount of excess liquidity.

“If a tiered rate system were introduced, the burden on banks would rise less strongly and the deposit rate could be cut more sharply than if the ECB stuck to a universal penalty rate,” said Commerzbank economist Michael Schubert.

A number of governing council members, notably Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann, are opposed to additional stimulus measures.

The minutes from the December meeting, published in January, revealed that “some members” believed “that the existing policy measures were working in the right direction and more time should be given for them to unfold their full effect ... before adopting further monetary policy measures.”

Nevertheless, the ECB’s own staff economic projections, scheduled to be published on Thursday, are likely to provide the necessary ammunition to overcome such caution, analysts said. l

CORPORATE NEWS

Akij has recently arranged a fair to display products made out of jute. Chairperson of Akij Group, Sheikh Nasir Uddin inaugurated the event, said a press release

Real estate company, Sheltech has announced to arrange a housing fair in order to make its 28th anniversary on March 12. The company’s chairperson, Engr Kutubuddin Ahmed made the announcement yesterday at a press conference

On behalf of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman has recently handed over a cheque of Tk 20lakh to a woman entrepreneur Helena Akter at Women Entrepreneur Congregation and Goods Exhibition 2016 in Dhaka

Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh has recently celebrated 20 years of credit cards service in Bangladesh by arranging an event in Dhaka, said a press release. The bank’s CEO, Abrar A Anwar was present on the occasion, among other officials of the bank

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

| seminar |

| event |

| conference |

Digital Innovation Challenge for Women, 2016 held at UIU

PersonaFreedom Ajker Nari 2016

NSU celebrating 24 years of glory

A seminar on Digital Innovation Challenge for Women 2016 was held yesterday at United International University (UIU), jointly organised by UIU Career Counseling Canter and Women in Digital Bangladesh.

Prof Dr M Rezwan Khan, vice chancellor of UIU presided over the ceremonies, while Obaidul Quader, the Minister of Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, was present as the chief guest and Selima Ahmad, president of Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shameem Ahsan, president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Dr Yasmeen Haque, professor, the department of physics of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, A K M Fahim Mashroor, CEO, Bdjob.com

and Abul Khair Patowary, chief adviser of Women in Digital were present as the special guests.

Obaidul Quader stressed the need for equal rights of men and women across all political parties in the country.

Prof Dr M Rezwan Khan said the main objective of this event was to inspire women empowerment through technology alongside building women networking.

The seminar was held from January 28 till March 8 with 32 teams from different universities taking part. Finally, 13 teams went on to the grand finals. The winning team was awarded with Tk 25,000, first runner up with Tk15,000 and second runner up was awarded with Tk10,000. l

| tech |

Samsung’s Big Win offer

On International Women’s Day on March 8, eight successful women were recognised for their outstanding contributions to nation building through services in various fields. Canvas presents Freedom-Persona Ajker Nari 2016 honoured the eight successful women at an award giving ceremony held at ACI Centre.

Meher Afroz Chumki, State Minister of Women and Children Affairs graced the event as chief guest. Renowned actress and winner of Ekushey Padak Dilara Zaman was present as special guest. Managing director of ACI Salt Syed Alamgir and managing director of Persona Kaniz Almas Khan were also present.

The winners are Farzana Islam, vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar University (Education), Tahsina Shahin, owner of Shada Kalo (Fashion), Rupali Chowdhury, managing director of Berger Paints (Corporate), Geeti Ara Safia Chowdhury, chairman of Adcomm Ltd (Entrepreneur), Shahin Samad, renowned Nazrul Sangeet singer (Music), Rokhsana Sulatana, executive eirector of Breaking the Silence NGO (Social Service), Afroza Zamil Konka, renowned painter (Art) and Dr Hosne Ara Tahmin Charu, principal of Nightingale Medical College & Hospital (Medical Science). l

| food |

Set menu at Iram’s Cafe

Samsung Mobile Bangladesh has introduced the Big Win Offer where customers now have the chance to avail exciting cash discounts, win LED TVs and at the end of the extended campaign, also win a car upon purchasing the Galaxy Grand prime, Galaxy J1 ACE, Galaxy J2, Galaxy J5 or Galaxy J7.

Customers can now buy the Samsung Galaxy J7 at Tk19,900 (previously priced at Tk21,990), Galaxy J5 at Tk16,900 (previously priced at Tk18,990); the Galaxy J2 at Tk11,490 (previously priced at Tk12,990); the Galaxy Grand Prime at Tk13,490, (previously priced at

Tk14,900) and the Galaxy J1 ACE at Tk8,990, (previously priced at Tk9,490).

Along with the exciting new prices, customers also have the chance to get guaranteed cash discounts of Tk500 to Tk5,000.

Everyday one 32” Samsung LED TV will be given out with one final bumper prize of winning a sedan car.

The offer is valid till the month of March while stocks last. The offer can be availed from Samsung authorised stores located nationwide. To learn more about the offer visit www. samsung-bd.com/winacar l

Iram’s Cafe is a fairly new cafe located at 32 Kemal Ataturk Avenue (FR Tower, 1st Floor, Banani). Their wide range of food items include a whole range of dishes. Whether you’re looking for a light bite in the form of a salad or something heavier like a main dish, they have it all. Iram’s cafe’s set menus range from Tk230-350, making it a reasonable option for students or young professionals that want to dine in or get takeaway.

They recently expanded their menu by adding a few appetizers as well as mains such as Pepper Steak and Heart 2 Heart Chicken, both served with sauteed vegetables and a choice of potato.

Their range of desserts, hot and cold drinks are also worthy of tries. The red velvet cake is something that differs itself from its competitors and is the cafe’s bestseller. l

North South University (NSU), the first private university in Bangladesh, has successfully completed 24 years in the private university sector. To memorialise all its glorious achievements, NSU scheduled a nine-day long program that began March 3 and continued till March 11.

Yesterday, the Office of International Affairs, in association with Model United Nations (MUN) Club of North South University, hosted an International Model United Nations Conference at the campus arena.

Several national and international students of NSU participated in the event by representing their respective countries such as Bangladesh, USA and UK. This conference simulated the function of the General Assembly’s Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee.

Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs, M A Kashem, chairman, BOT,

NSU, members of the Board of Trustees, Prof Atiqul Islam, vice chancellor of NSU, Prof Gour Gobinda Goswami, treasurer of NSU, deans of the four schools and the administrative heads were also present.

Participants from different nations were occupied with intensive dialogues and constructive arguments on the issue of, “the role of youth as agents of change for a better and peaceful world.”

In evening, a debate was organised by the Communication Club of NSU on Privatization in Higher Education in Bangladesh. It was held in between NSU and Dhaka University team.

Today, a road cleaning program will be held in Manik Miah Avenue, (near Parliament Bhaban), Dhaka. Annisul Huq, Mayor, Dhaka North City and Sayed Khokon, Mayor, Dhaka South City will be present along with more than 1,000 NSU students, faculty members and administrative heads. l

| contest |

Acnes and ABC Radio paid tribute to Woman’s Day 2016 by setting up quiz games for women across four locations in Dhaka. Five winners were selected from the contest and given prizes.

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Downtime

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Wan (4) 5 Waterway (5) 9 Develop gradually (6) 10 Consumed (3) 11 Fewer (4) 12 Essential (5) 14 Cut off (5) 16 Region (4) 19 Auction (4) 21 Added clause (5) 24 Minute particles (5) 27 Storm (4) 29 Fish (3) 30 Book of the Bible (6) 31 Long lock (5) 32 Transmitted (4)

DOWN 1 Raw hide (4) 2 Hail! (3) 3 Causalities (6) 4 Otherwise (4) 5 Venerated (7) 6 Fermentation vessel (3) 7 Greek letter (3) 8 Become less tense (5) 13 Wrath (3) 15 Travellers’ bags (7) 17 Scrape off (6) 18 Precise (5) 20 Limb (3) 22 Love god (4) 23 Keen relish (4) 25 Hill (3) 26 Lyric poem (3) 28 Weapon (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 18 represents L so fill L every time the figure 18 appears.

You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

A B C DE FG H I J K L MN O P Q RST UVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

INSIDE

Defector leaks details of 22,000 Dae’sh members n Reuters, London

Top job beckons for Suu Kyi confidant after 2 months in party Until two months ago, Htin Kyaw was not even a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). Now, he is the favoured presidential candidate of Myanmar’s ruling party, on course to become the country’s first head of state who is not a former top-ranking member of the military since the 1960s.

PAGE 23

A disillusioned former member of Dae’sh has passed a stolen memory stick of documents identifying 22,000 supporters in over 50 countries to a British journalist.

A man calling himself Abu Hamed, a former Dae’sh member, who became disillusioned with its leaders, passed the files to Britain’s Sky News on a memory stick he said he had stolen from the head of the group’s internal security force.

On it were enrolment forms containing the names of Dae’sh supporters and of their relatives, telephone numbers, and other details such as the subjects’ areas of expertise and who had recommended them.

One of the files, marked “Martyrs”, detailed a group of Dae’sh members who were willing and trained to carry out suicide attacks, Sky said.

Sky said it had informed the British authorities about the documents which were passed to its correspondent, Stuart Ramsay, at

Documents identifying supporters of Dae'sh are seen in this image, released by Sky News on Thursday an undisclosed location in Turkey.

Western security sources said that if genuine, the files could be gold dust as they could help identify potential attackers and the networks of sympathisers behind them, and give insight on the structure of the group.

A selection of them was published in Arabic.

The defector, a former Free Syrian Army fighter who switched

to Dae’sh, said the group had been taken over by former soldiers from the Iraqi Baath party of Saddam Hussein, who was ousted in 2003 after the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Some of the defector’s Arabic documents, posted on the Zaman Al Wasl Syrian news website, were forms issued by “Islamic State in Iraq and Sham, the General Directorate of Borders” and displayed

REUTERS

personal details of each fighter, according to a review of some of the documents.

The forms included answers to 23 questions such as assumed name, birthplace, education level, extent of Sharia learning and previous jobs, as well as details about the individuals’ journey to Dae’sh and whether they were potential suicide bombers or more traditional fighters. l

ANALYSIS

Saudi-led major military drill ends Warplanes roared overhead, tanks rumbled across the desert and smoke filled the sky Thursday for the final day of what Saudi Arabia billed as the region’s biggest-ever military exercises.

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Passion spent, Scots yet to be fired up by Britain’s EU referendum If British Prime Minister David Cameron is to win a June 23 referendum on membership of the European Union, he will need the passion of the Scots, who turned out in droves two years ago to decide the fate of the UK. But this time around, they just aren’t that fired up.

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Authenticity of leaked documents questioned n AFP, London The alleged identities of some 22,000 Dae’sh jihadists have been revealed in a cache of documents, according to media reports on Thursday, although analysts cast doubt on their authenticity.

The information, which some experts said would deal a blow to the Dae’sh group, was reportedly included in forms featuring 23 questions which new recruits had to fill out in order to be accepted into the group.

The documents contain details like names, dates of birth and phone numbers for people from 51 countries including from Britain, northern Europe, the Middle East, north Africa, the US and Canada.

If the documents are proved to be genuine, experts said they could help intelligence services around the world track down people who have travelled to countries such as Syria and Iraq to join Dae'sh.

“What’s important now is that the authorities can look at how this information can be used in the fight against Daesh and if it can then we would welcome that,” British Prime Minister David Cam-

eron’s spokeswoman told reporters at a daily briefing. She said the government was not aware of the story before the reports came out.

The size of the cache was revealed by Britain’s Sky News television following German media reports earlier this week about a questionnaire which new Dae’sh recruits from Germany had to fill in.

The documents on German suspects are believed by authorities there to be authentic and German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said they would help “a better understanding of the structures” of Dae’sh.

He said it would also pave the way for “faster, clearer investigations and higher prison sentences”.

Richard Barrett, formerly a senior figure in Britain’s MI6 overseas intelligence service, said the leak would be “an absolute gold mine of information of enormous significance and interest”.

Files documenting the deaths of Dae’sh militants use the words “date of killing” instead of the typical jihadist term “martyrdom.”

Romain Caillet, an independent jihadism expert, also noted that some documents feature a

A document identifying supporters of Dae'sh is seen in this still image from video, released by Sky News to Reuters in London on Thursday REUTERS second, circular logo not previously used on Dae’sh files.

Syrian opposition news website Zaman al-Wasl said there were thousands of repetitions in the leaked documents and the names of only 1,700 people could be identified in the 22,000 documents.

A spokesman for Britain’s Home Office said the ministry would not not comment on national security issues.

Detailed list of questions

Sky reported that a disillusioned former member had handed over the documents on a memory stick that

had been stolen from the head of the group’s internal security police.

Questions on the documents include asking recruits their blood type, mother’s maiden name, “level of sharia understanding” and previous experience, it said.

The alleged leak comes with Western security services on high alert against the possibility of fresh jihadist massacre following the Paris attacks spree last November.

On Monday, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism police officer warned of the risk of “spectacular” attacks targeting the “Western lifestyle”. l

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Advertisement

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

PORTRAYAL

SOUTH ASIA

Top job beckons for Suu Kyi confidant after 2 months in party n Reuters, Yangon Until two months ago, Htin Kyaw was not even a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). Now, he is the favoured presidential candidate of Myanmar’s ruling party, on course to become the country’s first head of state who is not a former top-ranking member of the military since the 1960s.

Htin Kyaw has risen to prominence for one reason: he is among Nobel peace prize laureate Suu Kyi closest friends, and she trusts him to run the country as her proxy.

Suu Kyi cannot become the president of Myanmar, even though she is a towering political figure in the country after leading the democracy movement for 25 years through repressive military rule to a landslide general election win in November.

The constitution inherited from the junta bans her from the top office because her children

are British citizens, as was her late husband. She has said she will run the country anyway, but to do that she needs somebody who she can trust to exercise presidential power for her.

On Thursday, the NLD nominated Htin Kyaw as its presidential candidate for the lower house of parliament, a move that should propel him into the position thanks to the party’s overwhelming parliamentary majority.

Htin Kyaw has run the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, established

by Suu Kyi in 2012 and named after her mother, for the past few years. The charity works to raise health, education and living standards in the country’s least developed areas.

He was born in Yangon a year after Suu Kyi and attended the same high school as the NLD leader. He holds a postgraduate degree in economics from Yangon University and worked in the ministry of finance.

Htin Kyaw

REUTERS

House arrest

His father was a renowned poet and scholar who worked as an academic in Yangon and in Japan, and was a candidate for the NLD in its 1990 election win that the military government never recognised.

Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest before that election.

After her release in 1995, Htin Kyaw became involved in her political activities through his father-in-law, U Lwin, who was then the NLD’s secretary.

Under Myanmar’s indirect system for electing a president, three candidates are nominated - one by

the lower house, one by the upper house, and one by the military bloc in parliament. The constitution gives the armed forces a quarter of seats in both houses.

Because the NLD has a comfortable majority in both chambers it effectively controls two of those nominations.

After being vetted by a parliamentary commission, the three nominees will be put to a vote by a special joint session of both houses, with the winner elected president and the two losing candidates becoming vice presidents.

The NLD nominated Henry Van Thio, a little known lawmaker from Chin state, in the country’s northwest bordering India and Bangladesh, as its upper house candidate.

The party had been expected to use its second nomination to ensure a representative of one of the country’s myriad ethnic minorities becomes a high-level government member. l

Saudi-led major military drill ends

30 die in building collapse in n AFP, King Khalid Military City Nigeria’s Lagos Warplanes roared overhead, tanks rumbled across the desert and Reuters, Lagos n smoke filled the sky Thursday for At least 30 people were killed when a five-storey building still under construction collapsed in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, officials said on Wednesday.

The Lagos state government said the house collapsed on Tuesday after the owners had added floors despite lacking a permit from authorities, which had sealed off the site - a common problem in the West African nation where law enforcement is weak.

Aid officials had initially put the death toll at four but relief workers pulled out more bodies from the rubble by Wednesday afternoon.

Thirteen people were rescued, officials said.

The building site located in the popular Lekki district, which had been inhabited by workers and their families.

The Lagos state government told the management of the builder to report to police or face arrest.

“It has also been discovered that in a brazen act of defiance and impunity, the owners of the building ... criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors,” the state government said in a statement. l

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World

the final day of what Saudi Arabia billed as the region’s biggest-ever military exercises.

The 12-day “Thunder of the North” manoeuvres in the kingdom’s northeast included 20 nations from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Saudi officials said.

The exercises took place near Hafr al-Batin city, close to the Kuwaiti and Iraq borders.

Thunder of the North also took place after tensions escalated between Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and its regional Shiite rival Iran, which back opposing sides in Syria and Yemen.

Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran earlier this year after mobs ransacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the execution of a prominent Saudi Shia cleric.

Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told reporters this week the exercises were preparation to tackle the region’s “terrorist menace” and were not directed against Iran.

However, a foreign military source said he did not think the exercise was directed at Syria “or anything else” but was a chance to practise working together.

The source said Saudi troops

China to build contentious Sri Lanka port city Sri Lanka on Thursday granted permission for China to build a vast port city in the island’s capital, despite concerns the ambitious project could be an environmental disaster. Beijing has been accused of seeking to develop facilities around the Indian Ocean in a string of pearls strategy to counter the rise of rival India and secure its own economic interests.

-AFP

INDIA

Kanhaiya Kumar attacked on JNU campus JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was slapped and verbally abused by an outsider at the university campus Thursday evening. Eyewitnesses said that the man first spoke a few words with Kanhaiya before launching a physical assault on him. The assailant, whose identity was being ascertained at the time of filing this report.

-THE HINDU

CHINA

China urges diplomats and UN to boycott Dalai Lama in Geneva China has written to diplomats and UN officials urging them not to attend a Geneva event on Friday where the Dalai Lama will speak. In a letter, China’s diplomatic mission in Geneva said that inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to the aforementioned event violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the people’s republic, in contravention of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

N Korea fires missiles, liquidates S Korea’s assets North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, as South Korean and US forces conducted massive war games. The North also announced it had scrapped all agreements with the South on commercial exchange projects and would liquidate South Korean assets left behind in its territory. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Arab League to elect new chief at critical time

A picture taken on Thursday, shows smoke billowing after an apache helicopter fired during the military exercises in Hafr al-Batin in Saudi Arabia AFP were “honing their skills and their operability with other nations.”

The drill’s official Twitter ac-

count said the exercises aimed to “confront all the threat scenarios in the region.” l

The Arab League’s 22 members are voting on Thursday to elect the organisation’s new chief, with a veteran Egyptian diplomat the only contender for the post. The vote comes at a critical time for the Mideast. Egypt’s Ahmed AboulGheit, a former ambassador to the UN and veteran diplomat under autocrat Hosni Mubarak, is the only nominee for the post and is widely expected to win approval.

-AP

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USA

Rice: Obama committed to TPP, even as opposition spreads US President Barack Obama is fully committed to pushing for Congress to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, National Security Adviser Susan Rice said on Wednesday. Rice made her comments ahead of a summit between Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, a nation also wrestling with the merits of the TPP. -REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Venezuela pulls top diplomat from US over threat decree President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday recalled Venezuela’s top diplomat from the US in protest against the renewal of a yearold US decree calling his country a security threat. Maduro said he is acting in response to President Barack Obama’s announcement last week that he would renew a decree that classifies Venezuela as an unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security. -AFP

UK

UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia face inquiry A full-scale inquiry into the UK’s sales of arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen is to be mounted by the powerful cross-party committee on arms exports controls. The committee to examine the government’s expenditure, administration and policy on strategic exports, specifically the licensing of arms exports and other controlled goods.

-THE GUARDIAN

EUROPE

Turkey won’t take back migrants already in Greece Turkey will not take back migrants already on Greek islands under a deal proposed to EU leaders at a crunch summit this week, Ankara’s EU affairs minister said Thursday. Volkan Bozkir was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying Turkey would take back tens of thousands of migrants, not hundreds of thousands or millions, and they would “not include the existing refugees on the Greek islands.

-AFP

AFRICA

32 killed in pre-election violence in Nigeria Nigeria’s governing party charged Thursday that 32 of its members have been shot, clubbed and beheaded in escalating violence as oilrich Rivers state prepares for a rerun of legislative elections previously annulled amid fraud and killings.

The state committee of President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress accused opposition leaders of hiring gangsters to kill and intimidate its members.

-AP

Key moments from Wednesday’s Miami Democratic debate D e m o c r a t ic White House race front-runner Hillary Clinton looked eager to shake off her surprising loss to Senator Bernie Sanders in the Michigan Democratic primary, as the two candidates sparred over immigration, climate change and Wall Street during Wednesday night’s Democratic presidential primary debate in Miami.

Here are a few interesting moments from the latest debate--

Boos on Benghazi questions

Even before the Univision debate moderators could finish a question about the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, the crowd showered them with boos.

“Secretary Clinton, on the night of the attacks in Benghazi, you sent an e-mail to your daughter Chelsea saying that al-Qaeda was responsible for the killing of the Americans,” said moderator Jorge Ramos began, sparking catcalls from the audience. “However some of the families claim you lied to them, the mother of the information officer,” Ramos continued over the crowd noise before finally asking “Secretary Clinton, did you lie to them?” “So I testified for 11 hours,” Clinton re-

sponded. “Anybody who watched that and listened to it knows that I answered every question that I was asked and when it was over the Republicans had to admit they didn’t learn anything. Why? Because there had already been one independent investigation, there had been seven or eight congressional investigations, mostly led

by Republicans who all reached the same conclusions, that there were lessons to learned.”

Sanders and the Koch brothers

At another point during the debate, Clinton moved to link Sanders to the Koch Brothers. “The leaders of the fossil fuel industry, the Koch brothers, have just paid to put up an ad praising Senator Sanders,” Clinton said. Her comment came the same day that the Koch brothers backed Freedom Partners group released a new web video praising Sanders for opposing the Export-Import Bank. But Sanders scoffed at the attack and slammed the conservative mega-donors. “There is nobody in the United States Congress who has taken on the Koch brothers, who want to destroy Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and virtually every federal programme passed since the 1930s, more than Bernie Sanders,” Sanders said.

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders writes notes as his rival Hillary Clinton walks past him before a debate in Miami on Wednesday REUTERS

Sanders ticked off by Minutemen charge

In response to Clinton’s accusation that Sanders supported the Minutemen patrols along the Mexican border, Sanders bristled, saying the very accusation itself was a “horrific” attack line based on a distortion of the facts. “No, I do not support vigilantes, and that is a horrific statement and unfair statement to make,” Sanders said. “I will stand — my career, political career fighting for workers, fighting for the poorest people in this country. Madam secretary, I will match my record against

yours any day of the week.”

‘Excuse me’ again

After Sanders stopped Clinton from interrupting him during the last debate by saying “excuse me, I’m talking,” Clinton tried to pay him back in kind on Wednesday.

During an exchange over climate change, Sanders tried to talk over Clinton, saying “I have introduced…” But she curtly interjected with a well-timed “Excuse me. Excuse me,” as the crowd applauded. l

Source: POLITICO

INSIGHT

Passion spent, Scots yet to be fired up by Britain’s EU referendum n Reuters, Sterling If British Prime Minister David Cameron is to win a June 23 referendum on membership of the European Union, he will need the passion of the Scots, who turned out in droves two years ago to decide the fate of the UK. But this time around, they just aren’t that fired up.

In 2014, 85% of Scotland’s 4.3m voters cast ballots to decide whether to seek independence from Britain, the highest recorded turnout at any Scottish election since the advent of universal suffrage after World War I. They rejected independence by 55%-45%, but unleashed passions that catapulted the pro-independence Scottish Nationalists (SNP) to a thunderous

victory in a vote for British parliament a year later, winning 56 of Scotland’s 59 seats.

The upcoming referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU is just as important for Scotland, not least because if Britain leaves the bloc some secessionists may seek independence again.

Scots, whose economy is focused on exports and who are proud of the welcome they give foreigners, are more supportive of the EU than the rest of Britain. An Ipsos Mori poll last month showed 62% of Scottish voters would support EU membership compared to 55% across Britain.

Scottish verve

The SNP has scolded Cameron for calling the June 23 referendum just six weeks after a vote for Scotland’s own parliament, saying voters will be exhausted and have

too little time for debate. By the time of the EU referendum, Scots will have voted 5 times in four years.

But that is not the only reason why Scots are slow to engage fully in an EU debate whose most outspoken figures on both sides have been members of Cameron’s ruling Conservative Party. The Conservatives, or Tories, won less than 15% of the vote in Scotland at the general election last year and barely register in most communities north of the border.

The Conservatives, divided for decades over Europe, are now split between Cameron’s pro-EU wing and an “Out” camp led by London Mayor Boris Johnson. The two men are schoolmates from the same elite English boarding school, the sort of background many Scots view with disdain.

In 2014, the prime minister

conceded his public image as a privileged Englishman with aristocratic roots did not make him the best salesman for the UK in Scotland, even imploring Scots to ignore their personal dislike for him.

This time Cameron has to call on his political foes, the nationalist SNP, for help to build proEU support. The popular Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged Cameron not to campaign north of the border to avoid putting off voters.

The SNP says Scottish voters must not be dragged out of the EU against their will. If Scotland votes to stay in but the rest of Britain votes to leave, the nationalists warn some could seek a new referendum on independence; many voted to stick with the UK because it gives them automatic EU membership. l

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

INSIDE

TODAY'S MATCHES Group A 3:30PM, 7th Match

Netherlands v Oman 8:00PM, 8th Match

Bangladesh v Ireland

Coach hopeful over Shakib, Mushfiq

Maasranga TV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1

Bangladesh experienced a tough time against the Netherlands in their 2016 World Twenty20 first round opener last Wednesday.

Defending a total of 153/7, the Tigers eventually clinched a slender eight-run win despite brief moments of confusion. PAGE 26

3 THINGS TIGERS SHOULD IMPROVE AGAINST IRELAND MIDDLE-ORDER NEEDS TO FIRE Despite a magnificent unbeaten 83run knock by Tamim Iqbal against the Netherlands, Bangladesh were unable to post a big target as almost all the batsmen failed to apply themselves at the middle.

The Tigers managed to post 153/7 in their 20 overs and if any of the Bangladesh batsmen were able to support Tamim, the total could have been bigger. The major concern of the Tigers’ batting line-up is centring around Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim and their inconsistent displays. At one point of the game, things looked extremely clumsy for the Tigers.

ICC to conduct random dope tests ICC will carry out random dope tests, following a series of drug scandals that have blighted the sports world. This week Maria Sharapova admitted to being tested positive for the recently banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open. PAGE 27

DROPPED CATCHES The ICC officials yesterday officially expressed concerns about the bowling actions of Bangladesh bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny. Following the ICC’s decision, this picture of Taskin (L), with a straightened wrist, and young Indian paceman Jasprit Bumrah, with a flexed elbow, went viral on social media INTERNET

Zimbabwe eliminate Scotland from WT20 Sean Williams stroked a brisk fifty before the bowlers ensured a second straight win for Zimbabwe, beating Scotland by 11 runs in the World Twenty20 in Nagpur yesterday. Electing to bat, Williams’ 36-ball 53 enabled the side to post 147 for seven. PAGE 28

Sharapova thanks her fans for support Days after stunning the sports world by announcing she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January, Maria Sharapova thanked her fans for their “wonderful words” that put a smile on her face. PAGE 29

Taskin, Sunny's bowling actions questioned by ICC

Hathurusingha upset with timing of ICC decision cern about my bowlers then I have Andy Pycroft in his official report Uddin Khan n Minhaz a concern about their actions as raised concerns regarding the from Dharamsala Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha said he is upset as the International Cricket Council officially questioned the legality of the bowling action of Bangladesh bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny. The Tigers camp was rocked when it was known that the duo’s bowling action came under the spotlight during such a big event like the 2016 World Twenty20.

The ICC yesterday through a media release said left-arm spinner Sunny and fast bowler Taskin have been reported for suspect bowling actions during their side’s World T20 first round opener against the Netherlands in Dharamsala last Wednesday. Following the game, match referee

bowling action of the duo.

The timing of such a decision by the regulators of the game has surprised the Bangladesh camp and plunged the side in deeper trouble. The Tigers are already without the services of key pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who is recovering from a side strain injury.

“I don’t see anything wrong.

They have bowled the same way as the last 12 months. As you said, if they [the ICC officials] have officiated the matches they have been playing, they must have seen something different [Wednesday].

That’s all I can say,” Hathurusingha told the media yesterday.

“I haven’t spoken to them (ICC) yet but that’s a big concern,” he said before adding, “If they have a con-

well. I don’t see anything wrong.”

Hathurusingha, the former Sri Lanka cricketer, is confident that there is nothing wrong with the action of his two bowlers and believes such issues will not affect Bangladesh’s performance in the ongoing World T20.

“It’s about how you take it.

As a bowler, they (Taskin and Sunny) are strong enough to understand what they are doing is right. We also think that we have no worries. They have played so much cricket, recently as well. It is a surprise for us. We have to take their concerns. They are only concerned about it at this stage. I don’t think it will affect the way we are playing,” he explained. l

Ever since the addition of head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and fielding coach Richard Halsall to the Tigers team management, the fielding aspect has been world class. However, against the Dutch, the standard dropped slightly as Mushfiq and Nasir Hossain grassed two catches which could have proven to be costly errors in the context of the game. Both Mushfiq and Nasir are considered safe fielders but the latter dropped a dolly, that of Netherlands captain Peter Borren. The Tigers would be targeting a more professional exhibition of ground fielding today.

ADAPT TO THE CONDITIONS The Tigers’ tight schedule has been one of their major obstacles recently. Bangladesh reached Dharamsala just a day after the Asia Cup Twenty20 final. And just a day later, they took on the Dutch in their World T20 first round opener. The weather and condition are never easy to acclimatise instantly and it was clearly evident against the Dutch. With the venue standing more than 4000 feet above sea level, both the teams struggled in the testing condition. However, having got enough time to familiarise themselves with the surroundings, Mashrafe and his troop will find the condition to their liking as the tournament progresses. l MAZHAR UDDIN From Dharamsala

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

V Bangladesh

56 19 36 1 3

Ireland Played Won Lost No result

Head-to-head

51 24 22 5 1

PLAYERS TO WATCH MAHMUDULLAH

The most in-form Bangladesh batsman at the moment, Mahmudullah will have to play a key role today against Ireland, provided he gets the opportunity to bat. The stylish righthander has been in fantastic touch of late, especially in the recently concluded Asia Cup Twenty20.

The 30-year old might have missed out against the Netherlands in the 2016 World T20 first round opener last Wednesday, having been dismissed for 10, but will not be short of confidence. With Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim under-performing with the willow, Mahmudullah’s importance to the side has increased mani-fold.

PORTERFIELD

One of the most experienced Irish players around, Porterfield has been a vital cog in the side for quite some time now.

The left-handed opening batsman made a decent start against Oman in their first-round opener, scoring 29 off 28 balls before being dismissed. The Irish captain has a strike rate of 111.41 and can prove to be dangerous on his day. The Tigers would dearly love to dismiss him cheaply today and prevent the Irish from posting a brisk start. l MAZHAR UDDIN

Hathurusingha hopeful over Shakib, Mushfiq comeback

WHAT HE SAID

Uddin n Mazhar from Dharamsala Bangladesh experienced a tough time against the Netherlands in their 2016 World Twenty20 first round opener last Wednesday.

Defending a total of 153/7, the Tigers eventually clinched a slender eight-run win despite brief moments of confusion.

Dashing opening batsman Tamim Iqbal played a brilliant 58-ball 83 and it was followed by some outstanding bowling by the Tigers attack.

However, the Bangladesh middle-order came under the scanner yet again as Shakib al Hasan was dismissed for five and Mushfiqur Rahim departed without troubling the scorers. The experienced Tigers duo were hoping to put the bitter memories of their Asia Cup T20 performance firmly behind them.

But it was not to be.

And ahead of the crucial firstround clash against Ireland, Tigers head coach Chandika Hathurusingha informed that the senior batsmen’s lack of form is a slight concern. Hathurusingha however, believes his charges will script a comeback, and soon.

“I would love them to score more runs. There are concerns with some senior players. We normally know that they are capable with more than what they are doing now. Team is not always going to fire with all seven or six batters. But we are fortunate that the guys who are getting in are making a good contribution and that takes the pressure off from some of the guys who are not doing well. I hope very soon these guys will also come into form and contribute for the team,” the former Sri Lankan international told the press conference previewing the Bangladesh-Ireland tie yesterday in the picturesque city of Dharamsala.

GARY WILSON

Wicketkeeper-Batsman Ireland

OMAN DEFEAT It’s not the first time our backs have been against the wall. We’ve been in bad situations before and come out on top. We’ve got a pretty decent record against Bangladesh. We’re really looking forward to playing this (game). We know they have a pretty good side and they’re improving but we’re up for it. We have two games now with nowhere else to go other than pick ourselves up.

I guess we haven’t got our combinations right in the last six-seven games. We’ve either bowled or batted well in a game but not followed up in the other department. At half time we were pretty confident. If we had 170, the game was probably dead and buried but the wicket wasn’t coming on well. 155 was a decent score and we were confident of defending it with our attack.

Bangladesh pacer Abu Haider bowls during a practice session in Dharamsala yesterday BCB Hathurusingha said among other concerns, ground fielding and high catching are also worrying him a bit. Against the Dutch, Nasir Hossain dropped a set Peter Borren when the game was hanging finely in the balance.

The missed opportunity however, did not prove to be costly as the Netherlands skipper was caught by the same fielder just a few deliveries later.

“If you drop a catch you give chances to a player. It’s always a concern. If he is a good player, it can hurt. I think we are trying very hard. So there are some areas which still need to improve. We are

still winning matches, that’s the good thing,” he added.

As for today’s opposition, Hathurusingha said Ireland will pose a stiff challenge of their credentials, despite their opening match loss against Oman.

“I know Ireland are a professional team, although they had a bit of a hiccup [Wednesday]. In T20 cricket, you can’t predict. Anything can happen, one over can change a game. So we expect to perform to our potential. I think if we play to our potential I expect us to win the game. The condition is going to be challenging for both the teams,” he explained.l

BANGLADESH AS OPPOSITION There have been times when we have beaten Bangladesh. The games have always been pretty close. We’ve beaten them in the 2009 World Twenty20 as well.

We’ve got good records in World Cups and have big players that, as I said when they have backs against the wall, more often than not will stand up. You’ll not find us hiding, you’ll not find us giving excuses. l MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN

THE TIBETAN UPRISING Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Dharamsala Given that most of the business happens later in the day, the morning starts slow for the Bangladesh reporters covering the 2016 World Twenty20 in Dharamsala.

But yesterday was a bit different.

Majority of the reporters were awaken by the noise of at least 40 beeping motor cycles and slogans being fired through a speaker mounted on a motor van. Going into the verandah, one realised it was a huge rally of the Tibetans from the nearby hillside, McLeod Ganj.

Yesterday was March 10. On this day back in 1959, the Tibetan Uprising began when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the

capital of Tibet. The incident had brought in the first wave of Tibetan refugees that year, around 80,000, to Dharamsala, led by the 14th Dalai Lama and some of his government officials. Since then, there have been several more waves bringing in the Tibetans in exile to this particular region of India.

TOUR DIARY Around 20,000 Tibetans yesterday marched from McLeod Ganj, also known as the “Little Lhasa” to the DC office down the hill. The gathering had not only involved the Tibetan leaders but also general Tibetans, from old to young.

They believe a dialogue can solve their

crisis and free Tibet from China.

Dhondup, in his 30s, was born in Dharamsala and till date has never been to Tibet. But on the day he brought his three-year old son, Tensing, to the march.

“I have never been to Tibet. My grandfather had fled from Tibet to Dharamsala and since then, my family has been living here. But I was passed on the importance of a Free Tibet by my father and I am doing the same to my son,” said Dhondup.

“The practice has been the same for generations now. Without this practice, the protest against the Chinese government will fade and our sufferings will mount,” he added. l

27

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016 BJMC players celebrate winning the final of KFC National Women’s Football Championship against Mymensingh District at Bir Shrestro Shahid Shipahi Mostafa Kamal, Kamlapur Stadium yesterday.

National star Sabina Khatun scores 4 goals and Sopna hits a hattrick for BJMC while Sanjida scores the consolation goal for Mymensingh in their 7-1 defeat

WT20 BYTES Hong Kong no match for Afghanistan

Hong Kong tied themselves into knots against Mohammad Nabi, and how. Their lack of application on slow turners, typical of the subcontinent, stood exposed as Afghanistan bossed their way to second successive win, this time by six wickets, to set them up for a knockout against Zimbabwe which will determine the Group B qualifier for the Super 10s.

–CRICINFO

PCB wants security assurance from India The Pakistan Cricket Board wants security assurance from India before it allows the team to travel to the World Twenty20 with its first group match at Kolkata scheduled for next Wednesday. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan briefed the team players and officials in Lahore on Thursday and was hopeful the Indian government will publicly announce Pakistan team’s safety during the tournament. Khan told the players the team’s departure will only be possible once India gives security assurance and the government of Pakistan also clears the tour.

–AP

Ireland still hopeful of progressing despite Oman loss Captain William Porterfield has refused to write off Ireland’s chances of qualifying for the World Twenty20 Super 10 stage in India after Wednesday’s shock loss to Oman left them needing to win both their remaining Group A games. Ireland were unable to defend 154 for five as Oman marked their debut in a major International Cricket Council (ICC) event by sealing victory with two balls to spare after needing 14 runs off the last over.

–REUTERS

Khawaja expects to be fall guy for Finch In-form Australia batsman Usman Khawaja expects to be squeezed out of the top order in favour of former captain Aaron Finch when they kick off their World Twenty20 campaign against New Zealand next week. Khawaja scored 33 in an opening partnership of 76 with Shane Watson as Australia cruised to a series-winning six-wicket victory over South Africa in Cape Town. Australia tried different opening combinations in all three matches of the series, with Khawaja and Finch teaming up in the first in Durban.

–REUTERS

DHAKA TRIBUNE

ICC to conduct random dope tests n AFP, New Delhi Cricket’s World T20 tournament organisers said Wednesday they will carry out random dope tests, following a series of drug scandals that have blighted the sports world including Maria Sharapova’s shock revelation.

Doping has been rampant in the field of athletics and this week tennis’ poster girl Sharapova admitted to being tested positive for the recently banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open.

Cricket saw the ugly face of doping when Australian spin legend Shane Warne tested positive for a banned drug just ahead of the 2003 World Cup and was suspended for a year.

The organisers of the sixth edition of the World Twenty20 want to make sure that the event stays clear of the doping menace.

“Dope tests are already in place.

Random tests will happen during the event,” tournament director M V Sridhar, who is Indian cricket board’s general manager for cricket operations, told AFP. Boasting of being cricket’s biggest ever spectacle, the 27-day tournament is witnessing 16 teams play 58 matches, including 35 men’s games and 23 women’s fixtures, across eight Indian venues.

Organisers insist that the random checks will keep the players away from indulging in any dope activity.

“The tests will be done by the International Cricket Council anti-doping committee as per the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) code,” Sridhar said.

“Like in any bilateral series on the morning of the match the managers of the two teams will exchange the names of two players from their sides to be tested and their sample will be taken in the evening,” he added.

The ICC has been a signatory to the WADA code since 2006 and has been complying by the international agency’s program by upgrading the clauses every year.

CEO Dave Richardson has previously said the ICC will continue random doping players of any team

as they want to see that the game is clean.

Last year, Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah and Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kusal Perera also saw suspensions by their respective boards and ICC after testing positive for banned drugs.

While Yasir was banned for three months in January for breaching ICC’s anti-doping code, Perera faces a four-year ban after his provisional suspension ends.

Controversial Pakistani pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif had also faced bans after testing positive for a prohibited substance named nandrolone just weeks before the ICC Champions Trophy event in 2006. l

Aussies, Proteas confident for WT20 n AFP, Cape Town Australia clinched the series with a six-wicket win in the third and final Twenty20 international against South Africa at Newlands on Wednesday, but both teams believe they have reason to be confident ahead of the World Twenty20 in India next week.

Australian captain Steve Smith said the series win, built on strong batting performances in the last two matches, were an ideal boost for his side.

South African captain Faf du Plessis said he was disappointed to lose the series but believed his team had played good cricket in all three matches.

“We need to look at where we made mistakes,” said Du Plessis after Australia chased down a target of 179 with four balls to spare.

“Credit to Australia, they chased down what we thought was a good score. They kept playing aggressive-

BRIEF SCORES SOUTH AFRICA 178 for 4 (Amla 97*, Coulter-Nile 2-36)

AUSTRALIA 181 for 4 (Smith 44, Tahir 2-38) Australia win by six wickets

ly and kept scoring boundaries. How you win games like that is to get one or two wickets and squeeze the opposition but we couldn’t do that.”

But Du Plessis said South Africa could do well in India.

“This team has got really good results in the sub-continent, so we’ll be really confident. But we’ve got a lot of work still to do before the first game. Our basics at crucial times let us down.”

Smith did not attend the press conference after the match but praised his players at the postmatch presentation and said they would be confident going into the

tournament in India.

South African coach Russell Domingo said “a lot of boxes have been ticked during the series,” citing the return to action of Dale Steyn, the development of his fellow fast bowler Kagiso Rabada and the team’s batting performances.

“Any one of the top teams can win the World Cup but we’re one of the most consistent teams in this format,” said Domingo. “We’ve chased really well to win five mustwin games lately but we need to find ways of creating pressure when we’re defending totals.”

Hashim Amla made 97 not out in a total of 178 for four on Wednesday to make a claim for an opening batsman berth.

Du Plessis had previously said only two of Amla, Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers would be likely to play in India, but on Wednesday said there was probably room for all three, with one of them dropping into the middle order.l

Australian batsman Shane Watson plays a shot during the third and final T20 match against South Africa in Cape Town on Wednesday AFP

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

Zimbabwe eliminate Scotland from WT20 BRIEF SCORE

n AFP, Nagpur

Sean Williams (R) of Zimbabwe plays a shot as Scotland's Matt Cross looks on during their World T20 match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur yesterday AFP

Sean Williams stroked a brisk fifty before the bowlers ensured a second straight win for Zimbabwe, beating Scotland by 11 runs in the World Twenty20 in Nagpur yesterday.

Electing to bat, Zimbabwe suffered from regular wicket-fall but Williams’ 36-ball 53 enabled the side to post 147 for seven, a score which proved enough against a seemingly brittle Scotland batting.

Zimbabwe though had a terrible start after a mid-pitch collision between the openers which resulted in the run out of Hamilton and an

Q2: Which venue will host the 2016 T20 World Cup final?

Ans: Kolkata Mumbai Dharamsala Q3: Which edition is the 2016 T20 World Cup? Ans: 4th 5th 6th

injury to Vusi Sibanda’s chin.

The incident forced a six-minute stoppage time but did little to improve Zimbabwe’s batting prospects as wickets continued to tumble against a discipline Scottish attack. l

Terms & Conditions:

Prizes: (First Round)

The lucky winners among all the participants who have answered correctly will be selected in an official lottery and will have their picture published in the newspaper. v Answers must be sent in only the coupon (photocopy will not be accepted). v Quiz coupon should be submitted in the Dhaka Tribune newspaper address. v No one affiliated with Dhaka Tribune and Walton will be able to participate. v Coupon submission deadline March 13, 2016. v A person can send as many coupons as he/she wants. v Walton-Dhaka Tribune T20 World Cup should be written on top of the envelope.

1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize 4th prize 5th prize

v

Q1: Who won the last T20 World Cup in 2014?

Ans: Sri Lanka India Australia

ZIMBABWE 147 for 7 in 20 overs (Williams 53, Chigumbura 20; Watt 2-21) SCOTLAND 136 all out in 19.4 overs (Berrington 36, Momsen 31; W Masakadza 4-28) Zimbabwe win by 11 runs

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DT

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

ZENIT v BENFICA 1-2

Zenit Hulk 69

Benfica

Gaitan 85, Talisca 90+6 Benfica win 3-1 on aggregate

53 15 4 5 6 7 6 1/0 14 19 461 391

47 13 9 2 2 5 2 2/0 22 14 361 297

Possession (%) Total attempts on target off target blocked Corners Offsides Yellow/Red Fouls committed Fouls suffered Passes completed

CHELSEA v PSG Chelsea Costa 27

42 17 9 3 5 5 2 3/0 16 12 452 395

1-2

PSG

Rabiot 16, Ibrahimovic 67 PSG win 4-2 on aggregate Possession (%) Total attempts on target off target blocked Corners Offsides Yellow/Red Fouls committed Fouls suffered Passes completed

58 8 5 0 3 4 6 3/0 13 13 768 706

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET

STAR SPORTS 1 ICC World T20 2016 : Qualifiers 3:30PM Netherlands v Oman 8:00PM Bangladesh v Ireland

FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 2 1:15AM German Bundesliga Hertha Berlin v FC Schalke 04

TEN ACTION 2:40PM A-League 2015/16 Adelaide United v Melbourne City 1:20AM French Ligue 1 2015/16 Monaco v Stade De Reims

SONY SIX 1:40AM Italian Serie A Juventus v Sassuolo

SONY ESPN 2:00AM The Emirates FA Cup Reading v Crystal Palace

TENNIS SONY ESPN 03:30AM ATP 1000 Masters BNP Paribas Open Day 2

PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after scoring the second goal against Chelsea during their Uefa Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match at Stamford Bridge, London on Wednesday REUTERS

Ibra returns to haunt Chelsea as PSG advance n Reuters, London

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the winner as Paris St Germain beat Chelsea 2-1 to knock them out of the Champions League for the second successive season at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

PSG’s victory after their 2-1 first-leg win in Paris put Laurent Blanc’s team into the last eight for the fourth successive season 4-2 on aggregate. A composed display built on superb passing outclassed the English champions and confirmed the runaway Ligue 1 leaders as one of the favourites to win this

season’s premier European club competition.

PSG went ahead in the 16th minute when Angel Di Maria found Ibrahimovic, sent off when the sides clashed at the same stage a year ago, wide on the right.

The 34-year-old Swedish striker’s cross eluded the defence for Adrian Rabiot to tap in, giving Thibaut Courtois no chance.

But Chelsea, without injured skipper John Terry at the back, recovered with neat moves of their own and equalised with a superbly constructed goal when Diego Costa checked past Thiago Silva to fire wide of

Kevin Trapp after 27 minutes.

The hosts, however, lost their cutting edge when Costa went off injured and Ibrahimovic turned in Di Maria’s cross from close range after 67 minutes, meaning Chelsea needed to score three times to win the tie.

“It was a difficult game for us but we never change our philosophy, we try to play with the ball and create gaps to score,” PSG’s former Chelsea defender David Luiz told.

“It was a collective victory.

Everyone knows how hard it is to play here. We kept calm and we scored at key moments.”

Chelsea’s interim manager Guus

Sharapova thanks her fans for support n Reuters Days after stunning the sports world by announcing she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January, Maria Sharapova thanked her fans for their “wonderful words” that put a smile on her face.

The Russian faces a ban of up to four years pending an investigation by the International Tennis Federation after testing positive for meldonium, which some researchers have linked to increased athletic performance and endurance.

“I woke up yesterday morning with an inbox, in full capacity of love and compassion,” five-times grand slam champion Sharapova, 28, posted on Facebook. “In this moment, I am so proud to call you my fans.

“Within hours of my announcement, you showed me support and loyalty, which I could only expect to hear when someone would be at the top of their profession. I wanted to let you know that your wonderful words put a smile on my face.

“I’d like to play again and hope to have the chance to do so. Your messages give me great encourage-

ment. This message isn’t anything else but to say thank you. Thank you very much.”

Sharapova, who has struggled with multiple injuries in recent years but is known for her neversay-die approach to the game, said she was prepared to battle through her latest setback.

“New day, new start,” the former world number one wrote on Facebook. “It is fair to say that this day was not average. Nothing came to mind at 6am, except that I am determined to play tennis again and I hope I will have the chance to do so."l

Hiddink bemoaned the gulf in quality between the sides.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Gaitan and Talisca scored late goals as Benfica came from behind to beat Zenit Saint Petersburg 2-1 in Russia on Wednesday and march on to the Champions League quarter-finals 3-1 on aggregate.

Trailing 1-0 from last month’s first leg, Zenit levelled the tie when Hulk opened the scoring on the night in the 69th minute and extra time was looming when Gaitan stunned the Petrovsky Stadium by netting at the other end five minutes from time. l

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Showtime

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

Khalid Mahmood Mithu:

Life of an intuitive artist

Khalid the Best Director award at the Brasov International Film Festival (BRIFF).

Khalid achieved a good reputation and won 29 prestigious awards for best in film directing, scriptwriting, painting, photography and cinematography. He won the Arab Bangladesh Bank Award in 2007 in the 16th National Art Exhibition, organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Khalid Mahmood Mithu is the founder chairman of Arjo Cholochitro Foundation.

Awards for films

n Showtime Desk Khalid Mahmood Mithu was a multifaceted artist. Born on January 1, 1960 in Dhaka, Khalid completed his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the Institute of Fine Arts in Dhaka University.

Khalid Mahmood Mithu won the National Film Award in 2010 in the best director category for his debut film Gahine Shobdo. His second feature film Jonakir Alo (Glow Of The Firefly) was selected as Bangladesh’s entry in the Foreign Language Film category of 87th Oscars. The film also earned

Did you know?

• Mithu is the nephew of renowned Bangladeshi filmmaker Alamgir Kabir, who also tragically died 27 years ago by accidentally drowning in the Jamuna River.

• From childhood, Mithu grew up around his uncle where he found a pleasing condition for learning to direct films. Almgir Kabir’s editing panel was right beside Mithu’s reading table. Consequently, he got some help with experimental direction from Kabir’s equipments.

• As his debut production, he directed Shopne Shobuj Pahar in 1992, a musical program assisted by the SAARC cultural exchange program.

• As his maiden TV play, he directed Dhusor Album in 1993. He later worked on more than 60-70 plays before shifting his attention to the big screen.

The Dialogue of the Dogs to be staged today

n Showtime Desk Marking the 400th death anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes, the great Spanish novelist, poet and playwright and also the creator of the famous novel Don Quixote, the Inditex Chair of Spanish

Language and Culture at the University of Dhaka is bringing to Bangladesh the theatre company from the University of Valle from Cali, Colombia.

This prestigious university company will perform an adapted version of The Dialogue

of the Dogs, one of the most personal and original stories from Exemplary Novels by Miguel de Cervantes.

The play will be presented twice: on March 11 at the National Theater Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, and on March 16 at the TSC of Dhaka University. Both shows are free for all.

In the play, we find a curious fact - the main characters are two dogs that talk among themselves.

The testimony of this unusual dialogue is brought to us by a patient, that was confined in a hospital, listens to the conversation of the dogs.

The Dialogue turns into a brutal and valuable portrait of ethical, religious, social and artistic values of the 17th century. l

2010: Best Director for Gahine Shobdo, Bangladesh National Film Award 2004: Best Script writer Award, Fizzup and Reporters Association 2003: Best Script Writer for Drama, Rater Atithy, TRAB Award 2003: Best Director for Ruper Palanko, Television Reporters Association of Bangladesh 2003: Best Documentary Film Director for Life in Light and Dark, Bangladesh Documentary Film Festival 2001: Best Director Award in Drama for Dhushor Album, Bangladesh Reporters Award 2001: Best Director Award for Drama for Smriti Satta, TRAB Award Noted artist and national award-winning director Khalid Mahmood Mithu died in the afternoon of March 7 after a tree fell on him while he was on his way home from his office. He is survived by wife Kanak Chanpa Chakma, who is also a noted artist, and their two children, son Arjo Shrestho and daughter Shiropa Purnais. The grief for the loss of director Khalid Mahmood Mithu shall supersede his success in his short lifetime. l

Mithu’s journey as a painter A graduate of Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Khalid Mahmood Mithu’s artistic career demonstrates a remarkable versatility in expression and creative inspiration. As a pure abstract painter, Mithu’s works feature pure forms and compositions. His colours are subdued and the forms are not well defined.

Painting has always been a natural extension of his soul, an important element constructing his spirit. His paintings and prints demonstrates his deep relationship with art as an indispensable tool in finding meaning behind the human condition.

Besides his 11 solo painting and photography exhibitions held in Bangladesh, USA and Japan, Khalid had participated in more than hundreds of group exhibitions around the world.

Major achievements that mark the journey of Khalid Mahmood Mithu include: 2010: Peace Cup Award, Beijing China 2008: Olympic Medal, Beijing Olympic Fine Arts.

China.

2006: National Award for Video Installation, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

2005: Excellent Award, Art Mirai International Art Expo, Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan.

1997: All media Best and Judges choice Award, Florida, USA

Sovvota live!

n Showtime Desk The “Melay Jaire” voice Maqsoodul Haque is not only the director of operations of Dhaka FM90.4, but he’s also the host of the show. This Saturday, he is set

to host ACCA Music Unlimited where Sovvota, a promising singer is going to be featured. Listeners can catch Sovvota live with Maqsudul Haque from 11.30pm to 1am at night. l

Prachyanaut’s tribute at the Joy Bangla concert

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

Game of Thrones season 6 trailer setting the Internet ablaze n N Anita Amreen

n Showtime Desk In the recently concluded Joy Bangla concert, theatre troupe Prachyanaut performed a special theatrical production that depicted the ambience of the Ramna Race Course Maidan, the venue where Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered his monumental speech. The theme of their performance was aimed at portraying the zealous nationalistic spirit of the common Bangali man, that inspired them to

prepare for the Liberation War. Through a brief but informative act, the performers shed light on national events which occurred after the general elections of 1970, which eventually led to rising anticipation among the people.

With a brilliant display of choreography and expressions, the actors subtly portrayed how the nation truly felt about independence back then. Their show served as a prelude to the coloured speech performance,

Srabonti opens her heart to Bangladesh

which was presented for the first time in front of 30,000 spectators.

A total of 65 theatre activists participated in the act. Most performers were students of Prachyanaut’s school of acting, while others were members of the troupe.

Basic concept: Azad Abul Kalam Choreography: Snata Shahreen Acting director: Toufikul Emon Music: Neel Kamrul l

DT

Showtime

With April right around the corner, HBO has finally given avid Game of Thrones fans their first peek into what to expect from season six. Set to premiere on April 24 on both HBO and it’s sundry streaming services, the trailer has fired through the Internet making it one of the most traumatic teaser trailers out there. The element of mystery surrounding this season is more ever present than before, since the drama’s storyline is going to go beyond George R R Martin’s novels for the first time ever. The action packed trailer begins by quickly addressing the burning question in everyone’s minds: is Jon Snow really dead?

The trailer confirms he is, however, the Internet can’t help but have its own doubts.

Highlights from the trailers (spoiler alert!)

1. Is Jon Snow really dead?

Kit Harrington who plays Jon Snow recently stated that he only shot footage as a corpse, however, some sources on the internet claim that perhaps, there maybe a slight chance that he isn’t dead.

The trailer, on the other hand, begins with a scene set at Castle Black with Jon Snow’s corpse lying in the snow, as an ominous voice states, “He’s gone.”

Melisandre is seen confessing her belief that perhaps her visions may have been wrong.

As Stannis Baratheon admits defeat to the Boltons, the red witch is shown expressing uncharacteristic grief: “The great victory I saw in the flames, all of it was a lie.”

4. Jorah Mormont on the hunt for Daenerys As our favourite blonde princess is held captive by the Dothraki, the trailer reveals Mormont finding the ring that Daenerys dropped when she was captured by the Dothraki clan. It’s unclear as to what’s really happening, but her dragons are clearly out and unchained.

5.Greyjoys’ uncertain fate The trailer provides quite a few glimpses of Theon Greyjoy’s uncle, Euron. His head is seen being dumped under water but this isn’t as alarming as it sounds since it’s a sign of the Iron Islander’s form of baptism to honor their drowned God. Theon, on the other hand, is seen chased down by what looks like men and dogs, but we really can’t be sure.

6. The return of Bran Stark Finally, towards the end of the trailer, a much older Bran Stark is seen standing up, about to get in battle with his deadliest foe as yet - a whitewalker.

n Showtime Desk Tollywood actress Srabonti Chattergee recently visited Dhaka for the shoot of her Bangladeshi film Shikari. She will be appearing alongside Shakib Khan in the film, which is being co-produced by Bangladesh’s Jaaz Multimedia and India’s SK Movies. The film was officially announced in Dhaka with Srabonti’s presence along with other artists who worked in the film.

When Srabonti was asked about Bangladeshi films and how she feels about working in one, she shared with the audience that her grandfather was originally from the district of Barisal. Hence, she is a Bangladeshi by heart.

Shikari’s screenplay and dialogues were written by Abdullah Zohir from Bangladesh and Pele Chatterji from India.

Apart from the lead duo Shakib Khan and Srabonti, the rest of the cast include Omit Hassan, Shubroto, Shiba Sanu from Bangladesh and Rahul Deb, Shobbosachi and Lipi Promukh from Kolkata. l

2. Cersei-Jamie twincestuous romance still alive As the scene moves towards the next, Jamie proclaims in a rather lust filled voice, “We’re the only ones that matter, Everything they’ve taken from us we’re going to take back and more.”

Clearly, season six will have more of the incestuous romance that viewers may have thought would have been put on hold, with Myrcella’s death looming over her mother Cersei.

3.Melisandre doubts her powers In one seen at Castle Black

Along with these little snippets, we also see Arya, her eyes milky and possibly blinded. There’s also Brienne as she’s seen battling unknown assailants and then there’s the mysterious scenes of battles and horses falling, people jumping off roofs, and of course, the intense lusty scenes that are characteristic of GOT. While none of these snippets answers our questions, we can’t help but wait in nervous anticipation to really know if our doubts have been confirmed (or not). l

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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016

ONCE A TEACHER, ALWAYS A TEACHER PAGE 13

BGMEA TO UK: RELAX BAN UNTIL MARCH 31 PAGE 15

LIFE OF AN INTUITIVE ARTIST PAGE 30

March to stop Rampal plant begins n Tribune Report

The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, and several other green groups started their four-day mass procession towards Rampal of the Sundarbans yesterday morning demanding that the coal-based power projects be scrapped immediately.

Thousands of activists of different left-leaning parties, mainly of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), Workers Party and Ganosanghati Andolon joined the event with a convoy of buses.

The organisers said that the march would reach Khulna today and finally the Sundarbans on Sunday.

The national committee earlier observed a long march from Dhaka to Rampal in September 2013, just a month before the prime minister inaugurated construction of the 1320MW coal-based power plant beside the mangrove forest.

Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPCL), a joint venture of PDB and NTPC of India, is developing the Maitree Super Thermal Power Project at Rampal which will use imported coal.

The plant would adopt super critical technology. India’s staterun Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd or BHEL has won the deal to build the plant. On the other hand, local firm Orion Group is building a 566MW power plant in Rampal area.

“The Rampal power plant is a project of betrayal ... it is a destruc-

Prior to starting the long march against Rampal power plant, members of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports bring out a procession in front of National Press Club yesterday to press home their seven-point demand that includes abandoning the coal-based power plant project MEHEDI HASAN tive project. We will resist implementation of the project through a united movement,” said Prof Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the national committee, while addressing a rally prior to launching of the procession in front of the National Press Club.

He alleged that the government was implementing the Rampal power project ignoring opinion of the local and international experts only to serve the interests of the In-

dian profit-monger businessmen.

National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), one of the India’s largest power utilities, wants to build the project by convincing the Bangladesh government. The NTPC had failed to build a similar project in India due to strong protests from the citizens, said Prof Anu, a teacher of Jahangirnagar University.

“The Sundarbans has been serving us as a protective fence from

natural disasters. It is the habitation of the whole southern region of the country. So, we cannot allow any move to destroy this World Heritage Site.

“More than one million people’s livelihood depends on the Sundarbans while the forest is protecting more than 40 million people from natural disasters,” he said.

He said that the objective of the long march programme was to create mass awareness against the

government’s move and save the Sundarbans.

The protesters also demanded enactment of a law in order to prevent the export of mineral resources, full implementation of the 2006 Phulbari Agreement and a ban on lifting coal in open mining method.

BSD leaders Khalequzzaman and Bazlur Rashid Firoz, CPB leader Ruhin Hossain Prince and Dhaka University teacher Ahmed Kamal were also present at the rally. l

Tigers look to continue momentum against Irish Uddin Khan from n Minhaz Dharamsala

Backed by a winning start, Bangladesh will take on giant-slayers Ireland in the first round of the 2016 World Twenty20 in Dharamsala today. A win will take the Tigers on the threshold of the main round in the flagship event.

Bangladesh had come into the tournament boosted with a winning momentum. The Tigers played the final of the Asia Cup T20 against India riding on victories over favourites like Sri Lanka and Pakistan. But the start of the world competition was not a sound one for Bangladesh. Although they picked up a win against the Netherlands in their first game, it had come after a tough fight.

The batting was disastrous with almost everyone failing to contribute. The only positive with the willow was opening batsman Tamim Iqbal’s unbeaten 83 which guided Bangladesh to a competitive total.

Perhaps the failure of the senior batsmen is troubling the side the most. Some runs added to the tally by Shakib al Hasan and wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim will surely aid Bangladesh’s prospects but they have been unable to do that for quite some time now. Opener Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman and Mahmudullah had also failed in the opening game and they will be on their toes to bounce back for the team.

Bangladesh in the recent past had been backed by their pace bowlers more often than not.

Thanks to the pace attack, the Tigers were successful on several occasions and it was no different against the Dutch. Defending 154, the Bangladesh bowlers, especially the pacemen, put in a clinical display, eventually managing a narrow eight-run win.

The task though seems to be getting tougher with each passing day.

Missing pacer Mustafzur Rahman to injury already hampered Bangladesh’s plans in the tournament.

It worsened yesterday when Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny’s bowling actions came under the scanner.

Pacer Taskin and left-arm spinner Sunny following the first game were suspected of illegal bowling action by the on-field umpires and it was later informed to the International Cricket Council by the match

referee. Taskin has been an essential part of the Bangladesh attack, since the Asia Cup T20, and the concern of an illegal action is expected to cut down his efficiency, thus putting a mental block in the back of his mind. There is no doubt that their availability in the remainder of the tournament is crucial.

Until they face the bowling action test though, they can continue to play in the red and green colours.

On the other hand, the game is a do or die one for the Irish. They made a humiliating start, losing the first game to minnows Oman by two wickets last Wednesday.

The Irish will now need to win their remaining two matches to survive in the competition. Known as giant-killers, the Irish had no concerns with the bat. Almost all the

batters had chipped in with contributions, only to see the effort go in vain as the bowlers failed to defend the target.

Bangladesh and Ireland have faced each other four times with the Tigers winning on three occasions. The last time the two sides encountered each other was in 2012 in a three-match T20I series where Bangladesh white-washed the Irish.

Today’s game will be played under floodlights so the toss will be both vital and tricky, given that due is expected to cause havoc as the game progresses. The wicket in Dharamsala tends to be on the slower side and the side winning the toss will like to bat first.

The game begins at 8pm and will be telecast live on BTV, Maasranga TV, Star Sports 1 and GTV. l

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