E paper 12 03 2016

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

|

Falgun 29, 1422, Jamadiul Sani 02, 1437

|

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 326

|

www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

Now ASI shoots cable operator n Mohammad Jamil Khan An assistant sub-inspector of Bongshal police station was arrested and subsequently suspended after he had shot a cable operator in the city’s Meradia area of Khilgaon yesterday.

ASI Shamim Reza shot Al-Amin, 25, with his revolver in front of his house at Nandipara during an altercation over paying cable rent.

“Al-Amin is now out of danger as the bullet hit his abdomen and passed through creating an exit wound,” said Dr Moshiur Rahman of the casualty unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The youth was discharged from the hospital in the evening.

After shooting Al-Amin, ASI Shamim went back to Bongshal police station and was taken into custody. “Later we handed him over to Khilgaon police,” said Nur-e-Alam Siddique, OC of Bongshal police.

“The revolver was seized from his possession. Action will be taken against him after investigation,” said OC Monirul Islam of Khilgaon police.

Joint Commissioner of police’s Lalbagh division Mofiz Uddin confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune the

suspension of ASI Shamim in the evening.

Maruf Hossain Sarder, deputy commissioner of the DMP, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had launched a departmental inquiry into the matter.

Al-Amin filed an attempted murder case against ASI Shamim with Khilgaon police last night.

Recently, several members of the police were suspended and sued for torturing people including two officials of Bangladesh Bank and Dhaka South City Corporation. A sub-inspector of Kadamtali police was suspended recently for assaulting the son of a law enforcer based on false allegations.

On Wednesday, four officers including a sub-inspector of Rampura police were suspended for sexually harassing a woman while searching her house.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Al-Amin said that for the last few months ASI Shamim had been refusing to pay the monthly rent of cable connection to his flat claiming that he had paid the money to another person. Thus rent for four to five months remained due.

“Today [yesterday] I went to

Police too lenient when it comes to their own?

Jamil Khan n Mohammad and Kamrul Hasan

Criminologists say police are notoriously ineffectual at policing themselves

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Yesterday’s shooting of a cable company employee by an irate policeman is stoking fears that a culture of impunity is taking hold in the police force. In 2015, complaints against policemen averaged 21 per day.

Criminologists point out that cops are notoriously ineffectual at policing themselves. Administrative slaps on the wrist by Police HQ and police top brass have done little to stamp out police crime, they say.

Less than a fourth of complaints determined to be serious by the police itself resulted in disciplinary action in 2015.

Punitive measures were taken against 1,034 officials by Police HQ last year, of which 74 assistant sub-inspectors and constable-level police were suspended or forced to retire for committing major crimes.

Some 960 officials faced lighter punishments like deductions of salary and demotions.

Yet in 2015, some 4,788 complaints filed against police officials involved killings and sexual  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Malware suspected in BB heist Bangladesh, Oman set n Reuters

FireEye Inc’s Mandiant forensics division is helping investigate the cyber heist, which netted hackers more than $80m before it was uncovered.

Investigators now suspect that malware that allowed hackers to learn how to withdraw the money could have been installed several weeks before the incident, which took place between February 4 and February 5, the officials said.

Investigators suspect the attack was sophisticated, describing the use of a “zero day” and referring to an “advanced persistent threat,” t he officials said.

A zero day is a vulnerability in software that has yet to be identified or patched. Hackers leverage this hole to plant malware on the target computer.

Advanced persistent threat is a long-term attack on a system, where hackers remain inside the target, for months, and sometimes even years.

So far investigators have not found any proof of involvement of the central bank staff in Bangladesh, one of the officials said, but added that the probe was continuing.

Unravelling the mystery behind

Gulshan street caves in

Why we all should be feminists

Defiant Sundarbans march advances

A 30-foot stretch of a street in Dhaka’s Gulshan has subsided during development works.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2013 TED talk “We all should be feminists,” now available as a book, adds new momentum to global feminist movement.  PAGE 18

Activists marching towards Sundarbans from Dhaka, demanding the Rampal coal power plant projects be scrapped, were barred by police in Jessore.  PAGE 32

INSIDE

Investigators suspect unknown hackers managed to install malware in the Bangladesh central bank’s computer systems and watched, probably for weeks, how to go about withdrawing money from its US accounts, two bank officials briefed on the matter said on Friday.

More than a month after hackers breached Bangladesh Bank’s systems and attempted to steal nearly $1bn from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, cyber security experts are trying to find out how the hackers got in.

 PAGE 7

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

for Group A decider n Mazhar Uddin from Dharamsala

Tamim Iqbal’s hurricane knock went in vain as persistent rain played foul in the 2016 World T20 yesterday.

Following the cancellation of the Netherlands-Oman tie owing to heavy rainfall, the Bangladesh-Ireland encounter was also called off as the rain-gods intervened in the picturesque city of Dharamsala. All the four Group A sides had to be

content with the share of the points.

With an identical one point from two matches, both the Irish and the Dutch have been eliminated in the first hurdle.

With three points from the same number of outings, Bangladesh and Oman, on the other hand, have it all to play for. Their winnertakes-all clash tomorrow will decide which team from Group A join hosts India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand in the main round  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

1st Round

Sport Page-28

DT

2

News

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Mass signature campaign for Sagor-Runi murder trial n UNB Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) will launch a month-long mass signature campaign on March 15, demanding the arrest of the killers of journalist couple Sagor and Runi.

On completion of the campaign, the DRU will submit a memorandum with the signatures to the Prime Minister’s Office to press home the demand.

The DRU leaders announced the programme at a press conference at the DRU yesterday as their onemonth ultimatum to divulge visible progress in the investigation into the gruesome murder expired on March 10.

DRU President Jamal Uddin addressed the conference while its general secretary Razu Ahmed read out a written statement.

As part of the fresh programme, the signatures will be collected

at DRU office and different media houses in phases, they said.

On February 11 last, the DRU arranged a rally on its premises on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the gruesome killing of news editor of Masranga TV Sagor Sarwar and Senior Reporter of ATN Bangla Meherun Runi.

At the rally, the DRU leaders gave the government one month to disclose visible progress in the investigation into the murder.

At the press conference, the journalist leaders said the authorities concerned failed to divulge any progress in the last one month, let alone identifying the perpetrators.

They said RAB, the investigation agency of the case, could not even submit its progress report case before the court on February 28.

In this situation, they are worried about the trial of the killing, they added. l

Members of volunteer organisation Green Belt Trust, which works to raise public awareness on climate change, light lanterns to commemorate the victims of the devastating tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people in Japan on the event’s five-year anniversary yesterday in Tabelar Char, Cox’s Bazar RAJIB DHAR

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Malware suspected in BB heist one of the largest cyber heists in history is crucial for security in a connected world. Understanding how it happened could help banks shore up security of their computer systems and payment networks that form the backbone of global commerce.

Security experts say the perpetrators had deep knowledge of the Bangladeshi institution’s internal workings, likely gained by spying on bank workers.

Bangladesh Bank officials have said hackers appeared to have sto-

len their credentials for the Swift messaging system, which banks around the world use for secure financial communication.

The Fed, which provides banking services to some 250 central banks and other institutions, has said its systems were not compromised.

The Bangladesh central bank had billions of dollars in its current account, which it used for international settlements, officials have said.

The money stolen from the Bangladesh central bank made its way to the other side of the world.

Bangladesh, Oman set Some $80m are believed to have ended in the Philippines, and further diverted to casinos and then to Hong Kong, according to bank officials.

One $20m transaction was directed to a non-profit organisation in Sri Lanka.

But the unusually large transaction for the island nation and a misspelling of the NGO’s name raised red flags that helped bring the robbery to light. The transaction was blocked as was another huge payment instruction that was for between $850m-870m. l

of the global showpiece event.

The weather forecast makes for grim reading though. According to forecasts, the hilly venue will experience continuous rain in the next two weeks, putting the Bangladesh-Oman match in jeopardy.

The Tigers fans however, need not worry as their side have a better net run rate. In the event of another abandonment, it is Bangladesh (+0.4) who will go through at Oman’s (+0.2) expense.

Yesterday, the Tigers managed a brisk 94/2 from eight overs in a 12-

Police too lenient when it comes to their own? harassment, according to the Bangladesh Police security cell database.

Another 3,912 complaints involving allegations of harassment, extortion and bribe-taking were also made in 2015 and the first two months of this year.

Fear of reprisals have proved an effective deterrent against victims pursuing cases. When they do, there are allegations that police stations are uncooperative and unresponsive.

Police HQ said they received thousands of complaints last year but said the accusations were later withdrawn.

On February 4, the chairman of the National Human Rights Council, Dr Mizanur Rahman, told the Dhaka Tribune that such crimes were not isolated incidents.

He said lax enforcement and weak punishment was driving an increase in police crimes.

Last July, 24 Cox’s Bazar policemen were determined to be in-

volved in human trafficking.

Mohammad Ashraful Alam, chairman of the criminology and police sciences department at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, told the Dhaka Tribune that high-profile cases of crimes committed by policemen typically result in the suspect being withdrawn by Police HQ. He claimed that suspect policemen returned to work in due course after “managing the probe body.”

“If police crimes were investigated by other forces, the crime rate would drop,” he said, adding that proper punishment was needed to improve the situation.

The shooting in Khilgaon yesterday of a cable company employee over a satellite channel subscription is just the latest in a series of crimes committed by policemen.

He has survived that attack.

On March 9, the Motijheel division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police withdrew four of its officials from

Rampura police station accused of sexual harassment.

Usually, the higher profile the case, the greater the chance that action is taken against offending law enforcers. But even this does not necessarily ensure that justice is done.

A harassment complaint against SI Masud Rana of Mohammadpur police station was proved by a police probe body, but because the victim, Bangladesh Bank official Golam Rabbi, has not filed a case, no further action has been taken against the guilty policeman.

Jamaluddin Mir, officer-incharge of Mohammadpur police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that no formal complaint had been filed against SI Masud. He said he believes SI Masud is currently off duty and attached to Rajarbagh police lines.

A departmental case against him is under way, he added. A criminal case has not been filed against him.

Victim Golam Rabbi claims he was threatened while in hospital recov-

ering from an assault by SI Masud.

Traumatised by the beating, he is still receiving psychiatric therapy.

A police probe body has also found SI Akash, SI Rasel and SI Monoj of Jatrabari police station guilty of assaulting city corporation Cleaning Inspector Bikash Chandra.

The policemen have temporarily been withdrawn from duty but no further legal action has been taken against them. Police departmental action against them is being taken.

Asked for a comment, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the Dhaka Tribune that allegations have occasionally been made against the police. “But no one who is guilty of a crime will be spared. They will be held to account according to the relevant laws.”

Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Haque said the police have a zero tolerance policy against crimes committed by policemen.

He said the police force would not bear responsibility for the crimes of even a single dirty cop. l

over per side affair before rain had its final say.

Tamim and Soumya Sarkar made a blistering start to their innings.

Soumya departed after scoring 20 off 13 balls but Tamim continued to flay the Irish bowlers to all parts of the ground and was later joined

by Sabbir Rahman (13* off nine).

Tamim made 47 runs off just 26 balls with the help of three fours and four sixes before being outfoxed by Irish left-arm spinner George Dockrell. l

Now ASI shoots his house along with two others to collect the dues. But he wanted to pay for only two months. We agreed on it. But he wanted to pay Tk250 instead of Tk300 as monthly rent.

“We protested and demanded that he must pay Tk300 or else we will disconnect the line. Then we came down and cut off the connection.

“ASI Shamim came down to the ground floor and slapped me. As my co-workers protested, he brought out his revolver and shot at me,” Al-Amin said while lying on the hospital bed.

Anowar Hossain, a constable of the police’s Detective Branch, who used to live on the second floor of the building, was present when the altercation took place. After the shooting, he first took Al-Amin to Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital and later to the DMCH. Asked how ASI Shamim took his service revolver to home, Bongshal OC Alam said: “He was on duty today [yesterday]. He went home for a while informing the police station that it was something urgent. The incident took place at that time.” l

Another maid dies after falling off a building Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong A 14-year-old housemaid died in a hospital after allegedly falling off the fourth floor of an under-construction building in Chittagong city’s Hazari Lane area on Thursday night.

Police identified the victim as Bulbuli, from Fatikchhari upazila of Chittagong district.

The incident happened around 11pm, said Jaharlal Hazari, local ward councillor.

“Locals told me that the girl jumped off the fourth floor of the building late at night,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “Some of them went into the building right away to see if anyone had pushed her off the building, but they did not find anyone.”

Critically injured, Bulbuli was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where she died two hours later while undergoing treatment, said Sub-Inspector Sirajul Mostafa of Kotwali police station.

Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Pankaj Barua of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police outpost said Bulbuli had been working as a domestic help at a house near the under-construction building for seven years.

Her employer, named Subimal, brought her from Fatikchhari in 2009 to work for his three-member family, said Siraj.

Police grilled Subimal and his family after the incident but found no significant information, he added.

“According to her employers, on the night of the incident, Bulbuli went to a wedding with them and came back with them. We are suspecting that she may have committed suicide because the witnesses said it seemed she made the jump herself, rather than being forced to jump,” Siraj told the Dhaka Tribune.

Police will take necessary legal action after getting the the autopsy report of Bulbuli’s body, he added.

This is the fourth incident of an under-age domestic help dying after falling from a building in Chittagong since October.

Earlier, nine-year-old domestic help Sultana died after allegedly falling off the rooftop of a five-storey building on February 23 in the city’s Khulshi area. On November 12, 12-year-old Bali Akhtar Polly succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital after allegedly falling from the fourth floor of a residential building while trying to escape through a balcony in the city’s Amirabad area.

On October 7, seven-year-old Munni died after allegedly falling off the fifth floor of a six-storey building in the city. l

3

DT

News

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

ASSAM BIDHAN SABHA POLLS

Ruling BJP vows to strip Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants of voting rights n Reuters, Jaleswar India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has vowed to disenfranchise millions of Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants in the upcoming Assam Bidhan Sabha election, waging a polarising campaign in a bid to form its first government there.

In campaign rallies in the remote eastern frontier state, party officials have also promised to identify and deport younger illegal migrants, in response to rising discontent among the state’s Hindus.

When Assam elects a state legislature in April, an estimated 10% of its 20m voters will be Muslims who have migrated since the 1950s from the former East Pakistan, and gained Indian citizenship.

“Legal Indian citizens are being branded as Bangladeshis,” student Ismail Hussain said at a rally held by a mainly Muslim party in Assam.

“The BJP can’t just do what they want. We have faith in the Indian constitution.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power less than two years ago with a promise of jobs and growth, playing down his roots in the powerful Hindu-nationalist umbrella group to which his party is affiliated.

Yet, after a heavy defeat last

autumn in Bihar, the BJP has pursued a more confrontational line.

It has promoted the idea that India is a Hindu nation and rounded on “anti-national” opponents, in what critics say is an attempt to marginalise minority Muslims.

India is officially secular, but four-fifths of its 1.3bn people profess the Hindu faith. Muslims comprise 14% of the population.

At 34%, Assam has the second highest percentage of Muslims of any Indian state. The BJP’s plan risks reigniting communal tensions that have led to deadly clashes between Hindus and Muslims, although analysts doubt there will be a full-scale drive to expel Muslim immigrants.

“All this is pre-electoral mobilisation,” said Ajai Sahni of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, which tracks security issues across South Asia.

“You don’t have a state that has the capacity, the instruments and the institutions to do anything about this.”

If the BJP gains traction in Assam, hardliners in the BJP and the Hindu-nationalist movement that backs it, the Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh (RSS), could push a similar brand of anti-Muslim rhetorics in West Bengal that votes in April and May.

Who’s welcome, who’s not

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP’s campaign manager in Assam, said if the party is elected it will try to bar Muslims of Bangladeshi origin who entered India between its first census in 1951 and 1971 from voting. They can stay but would have to re-apply for citizenship, he said.

The BJP’s campaign does not target millions of Hindus who have also left Bangladesh for Assam, or Muslims of Indian heritage. Modi’s government has also said it would welcome minorities from mainly Muslim Bangladesh and Pakistan, and could offer them citizenship.

The BJP also plans to deport illegal immigrants who arrived subseqently and strengthen a citizen registration programme to track future inflows, said Sarma.

“There are about 2m immigrants [who came before 1971] and their descendents. Let them grow economically and educationally,” he said. “But their status should be refugee and, on the basis of individual application, if someone becomes an Indian citizen that’s a different issue.”

Opposition to the BJP plan is vocal. At a rally this month in Jaleswar village, leaders of a largely Muslim party likened themselves to Myanmar’s Rohingya minority.

The Rohingyas, many with roots in Bangladesh, are deemed stateless and have been excluded from the democratic transition in Myanmar. They have been targeted in attacks by hardliners from Myanmar’s Buddhist majority.

“We all know what has happened to the Rohingya Muslims. It could happen to us too,” Aminul Islam, a leader of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), told the crowd.

“There’s a conspiracy to disenfranchise 4m of us. We will become stateless if we don’t come together.”

When Modi swept to victory in 2014, the election was marred by sectarian violence in Assam that killed more than 40 people.

During that campaign, Modi told illegal immigrants in states bordering Bangladesh to have their “bags packed” ready to be sent home should he win.

Sarma rejected suggestions the BJP was running a divisive campaign, accusing Muslim politicians of using the immigrant issue to polarise state politics first.

“Their entire idea is to take over the state, suppressing our voice and suppressing our culture,” said Sarma. “That’s why this election will be a counter to that communal propaganda. We are all for Indian Muslims and they are with us.” l

DT

News

4

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Tofail: $60 billion UN, NGOs urge world to ratify convention on mercury export by 2021 n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

At its current pace, Bangladesh will earn $50 billion from exporting apparel products by the end of 2021, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has said.

“We hope to achieve the $50 billion apparel export target by 2021.

At the time, the total export will stand at $60 billion,” he said at the inaugural ceremony of Chittagong International Trade Fair (CITF) yesterday.

Tofail said he expected Bangladesh to earn about $5 billion from the ICT sector and another $5-10 billion from exporting drugs.

The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) is organising the month-long fair for the 24th time. Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain inaugurated it.

CCCI President Mahbubul Alam demanded a permanent CITF venue.

Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin proposed using 250 acres of land on the bank of Karnaphuli River.

More than 450 enterprises are

taking part in this year’s fair. India, China, Iran and Thailand are also participating.

Minister Tofail noted that Bangladesh, once written off as a basket case, had been named in Goldman Sachs list of ‘Next 11’ (N-11) emerging countries.

He said the economy was doing well under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership to the surprise of many, who say the rise of Bangladesh was nothing short of a miracle.

“Bangladesh now boasts 7% GDP growth. There is no shortage of food and we are now exporting rice. Our foreign currency reserves stand at $28 billion,” Tofail said.

The senior Awami League leader rued the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami alliance for trying to destabilise the country with their three-month blockade last year which dealt a huge blow to the economy.

Despite all odds, Bangladesh maintained steady growth. “We can achieve wonders if there is political stability in the country,” the commerce minister added. l

n Tribune Report

The United Nations and non-governmental organisations urged governments to ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury, at the seventh session of the convention’s intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC7) being held in Jordan from March 10 to 15.

Speaking at a resort on the Dead Sea coast on Thursday, Jordanian Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw Thursday called on governments to help bring the global pact into effect.

Adopted in 2013, the convention has been signed by 128 countries and ratified by 23 nations, but needs to be ratified by 50 countries this year in order to enter into force.

Thiaw said it took decades for the world to understand the science of mercury poisoning. “But whether the exposure is through

lack of choice [or] lack of awareness, the damage is the same.”

The convention will ban new mercury mines, phase out existing ones, control measures on air emissions and put into force an international regulation of the informal sector for artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

The WHO says mercury has toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes It also seeks to control the use and trade of mercury and its components and ensure sound management and treatment of contaminated sites.

Activities as common as con-

struction, cremation and coal burning release mercury into the environment.

Mercury is toxic to human health, posing a particular threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The president of the World Alliance for Mercury-free Dentistry, Charlie Brown, said: “The World Alliance urges continued focus on ratification so we can reach the magic number of 50 in 2016.

“We thank the thousands and thousands of mercury-free dentists all over the world.”

The WHO says mercury has toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

Thiaw said the knowledge gap about mercury production is significant, saying that while estimates of man-made mercury emissions stand at around 2,000 tonnes, the margin of error is more than double that amount. l

5

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Piotr confesses police link in ATM scam n Kamrul Hasan At least one policeman was involved with the recent ATM scam, one of the key suspects has confessed to a Dhaka court.

Piotr Szczepan Mazurek, who was arrested last month for his alleged involvement in the ATM booth forgery, also named his local and foreign accomplices when he submitted a confessional statement to a Dhaka court on Thursday.

An investigation source told the Dhaka Tribune that the names Piotr provided included former Gulshan police inspector (investigation) Firoz Kabir, Khan Travels owner Touhid Khan and his employee Abu Jafar who provided point of

sale machines, the suspected mastermind Farid Nabir, and fugitive foreigners Andrew and Romeo.

Piotr and three officials of City Bank's card division were arrested in connection with stealing money from card holders In the confession, Piotr said Firoz Kabir was involved in the scam and had been blackmailing him after finding out that Piotr was staying in the country without proper

DT

News

Hindus fear attack during UP polls n Adil Sakhawat

documentation.

However, Firoz, now transferred to the Rangpur range of police, denied the claims.

Earlier on March 1, Counter-terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit chief Monirul Islam had also rejected allegations of any police involvement in the scam.

Meanwhile, senior assistant commissioner of DMP Detective Branch, Nazmul Hossain, said Piotr has been placed under a fresh fiveday remand.

On February 22, Piotr and three officials of City Bank's card division were arrested in connection with stealing money from card holders by copying card data from the capital's ATM booths. l

Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote yesterday said it was fearing attacks on Hindus across the country during and after the upcoming Union Parishad elections.

Urging the government to ensure their safety, it also warned of stern actions if the government failed to do so.

Palash Kanti Dey, the Mohajote spokesperson, told a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity that Hindu men and women, like in the past, could face attacks on their houses, temples and idols during and after the elections.

“Since the 2001 general elections, there has been an increase in violence against the minorities, and

such incidents have now become regular phenomenons. It has now become our reality that election is another name for attacks on the religious minorities,” Palash said.

He urged the UP candidates not to blame the Hindus for election results.

Palash claimed attacks on the minority groups are carried out by defeated candidates.

“They think they failed because the Hindus did not vote for them.

That is why they attack Hindu people, their residences and places of worship. But why should the Hindus be political scapegoats?”

Other leaders of the alliance alleged that Hindu candidates in many unions had been threatened and attacked. l

Green tech expo begins n Nure Alam Durjoy A three-day expo on innovation, development and green investment summit began yesterday in the capital with over a hundred global companies showcasing their environment friendly technologies.

State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid inaugurated the event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The expo is being attended by 130 global leading companies from 13 countries in 220 stalls.

Speakers at the opening ceremony said the expo will create an opportunity to establish cross-border trade relations, face to face contact, sharing knowledge and experience to standardise their products, modernise business and improve supply chain management.

Speaking at the inauguration, Naushad Ali Chowdhury, the executive director of Bangladesh Bank, said, “We haven't paid enough at-

tention to the environment, and as a result we're facing many development challenges.”

Nasrul Hamid said technologies were improving every day. “Are we keeping pace with the changes in technology? We have to discuss this and plan accordingly,” he said.

The minister stressed on introducing green technologies that would help grow sustainable future cities and villages.

At the venue, the participating companies showcased efficient generators, solar PV and irrigation pumps, intelligent fire safety and building construction equipment, LED lighting, heat control and air conditioning systems and eco-industrial products.

The company GTS Solar System showcased a solar powered water pump. They said the 2,400W solar pump, costing Tk2.24 lakh, had recently been set up at two places in Rangpur and Comilla and had gotten positive feedback from users. l

Different solar power technologies are on display on the opening day of Bangladesh Innovation and Development Expo and Green Investment Summit 2016 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre yesterday RAJIB DHAR

BNP concerned over missing BB money n UNB Expressing concern over the hacking of millions of dollars from Bangladesh Bank’s reserve account in the US, BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan yesterday said it has happened as the government has no accountability to people.

“People now suffer from a sense of insecurity as the incidents of killing,

TEMPERATURE FOREC AST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

SATURDAY, MARCH 12

plundering and terrorism and corruption spread all over the country as the government has no accountability to people. Money is being looted from banks in our country. Our share market is being plundered. Even, the country’s money kept abroad is being stolen. It is a matter of great concern,” he said.

He made the remarks while addressing a discussion in the city.

Dhaka

39

23

Chittagong

33

24

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:06PM

Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member, said the country’s people, including women and children are not safe due to the government’s failure. “This is the scenario of the country now. We need to change it ... a representative government which will be accountable to people is necessary for the change and such an administration can be established through a fair election only.” l 39

26

Rangpur

37

20

Khulna

37

23

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:9AM

35.8ºC Faridpur & Jessore

16.5ºC Dimla

Source: Accuweather/UNB

39

25

PRAYER TIMES

Sylhet

36

19

Cox’s Bazar

32

24

Fajr: 4:52am | Zohr: 12:08am Asr: 3:32pm | Magrib: 6:09pm Esha: 7:36pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

DT

6

News

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

BBIN meet to smooth bumpy agreement n Shohel Mamun Officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) will meet at the end of March to sort out issues dogging the much-hyped cross-country motor vehicle agreement.

“BBIN representatives will come together in Dhaka at the end of this month to chalk out solutions,” said Chandan Kumar Dey, joint secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD).

The agreement signed on June 15 last year to facilitate movement of cargo and passenger vehicles among the member nations was expected to come into effect from January 2016, but Bhutan is yet to ratify it.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader had said

the deadline would not be missed.

Trial run for passenger vehicles was held in Bangladesh, India and Bhutan in November but trial run for cargo vehicles has missed several dates and would likely face more delay.

Najrul Ahmed, managing director of Najrul Transport Agency (NTA) authorised by the RTHD to arrange cargo trial runs, said they had prepared for trial runs several times on government orders. “But every time the government told us to stand down.”

Chandan Kumar, who represents Bangladesh at the BBIN, admitted that trans-border vehicle movement had been pushed by back by several months. “We are working in this regard.”

“The trans-border cargo vehicle trial will likely face another hurdle

as West Bengal is scheduled to go to polls. The trial run will be possible only if the election commission allows,” Chandan said, adding that they would discuss these issues and hammer out solutions to them at the upcoming meeting.

Bangladesh and India have completed formalities for motor vehicle movement but Nepal took three extra months to complete theirs.

Bhutan’s Parliament, on the other hand, is yet to ratify the agreement.

According to initial plans, BBIN members were expected to finalise and sign draft protocols separately

by October last year. But Bhutan is yet to finalise theirs. Earlier, BBIN members identified six routes for trans-border passenger and cargo vehicles movement. Once implemented, the agreement will give a huge boost to intraregional trade. l

Three men accused of child rape, sexual assaults remanded n Tribune Report

Police are interrogating two persons arrested over two separate incidents of child rape occurred in the city last week.

In another incident, police arrested and remanded a Hazaribagh restaurant owner for sexually assaulting four children at his house.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Yunus Ali yesterday placed a youth on a three-day remand after he was produced before the court by Mohammadpur police with a seven-day remand prayer.

The youth, who could not be named immediately, is accused of raping a three-year-old at Rayerbazar on Thursday afternoon, police said.

In another case filed with Jatrabari police, the same court placed

a man on a one-day remand for raping an eight-year-old girl at a rice store in Gobindapur Graveyard area of Jatrabari on March 6.

The Hazaribagh hotel owner, Mizanur Rahman, was arrested on Thursday morning and produced before the CMM Court. He was placed on a two-day remand.

The father of one of the victims filed the case with Hazaribagh police on Wednesday. He said that Mizan resides at his flat as a subtenant. The accused sexually harassed the girl in the room where she was asked to go to help him in the kitchen.

The three other children were threatened and sexually assaulted in a similar way, the plaintiff said, adding that Mizan had confessed to committing the crimes during an arbitration held on March 5. l

2 arms traders held in city n Tribune Report Members of Rapid Action Battalion yesterday detained two arms traders from the capital's Kallyanpur area.

The arrested are Nur Islam, 32, son of Abul Hussein hailing from Naogaon, and Jahangir Alam, 27, son of Mahiuddin hailing from Sunamganj.

RAB sources said they held the two from the crossing near Deen Kindergarten, acting on a tip-off.

The sources said RAB had received information that the two had been selling arms to miscreants for the last few days at that spot, following

which they kept the criminals under surveillance.

A team of RAB 2 conducted a drive in the area around 11am and arrested them. RAB also recovered one foreign pistol with an empty magazine after searching them, said Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, assistant director, media and legal wing of RAB. In primary interrogation, the two detainees confessed that they have been involved in arms trading for long. They also provided a good deal of valuable information based on which the RAB is preparing to conduct further drives, Mizanur Rahman added. l

Ashraf: Awami League national council on time n BSS There is no possibility of deferring the national council of the Awami League at present, said Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday.

“The national council of our party will be held as per schedule.

If situation compels or any issue arises to force us to defer the council, then it will be discussed at the central working committee meeting,” the ruling party’s general secretary told reporters during a visit to the site of the divisional commissioner’s office in Mymensingh.

He further said: “Townships like that of a developed country will be

constructed on both the banks of the Brahmaputra River.”

The minister said everything will be done for the development and expansion of the division and its headquarters in accordance with the expectations of Mymensingh-dwellers.

Asked about the possible location of the division office, Syed Ashraf said: “The divisional headquarters would be established at the best possible place here.”

After his meeting with the officers of the administration at the Circuit House, the minister visited China Morh of Charkalibari village on the other bank of Brahmaputra River and the embankment area of the river at Charishwardia village. l

A homeless woman climbs down the high steel fence surrounding the compound of the Supreme Court in Dhaka. Homeless people often spend the night inside the court compound, getting inside and back out this way to avoid getting detained by the court's security personnel. The photo was taken recently SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

7

DT

News

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Street caves in at Gulshan n Tribune Report A 30-foot stretch of a street in Dhaka’s Gulshan has subsided during development works.

Quoting locals, fire service Inspector Miron Mia said portion of road No 55 in Gulshan 2 subsided yesterday afternoon when Dhaka North City Corporation’s development work was in progress.

“Firefighters rushed to the spot immediately and started filling up work,” he told the Dhaka Tribune, adding that after initial inspection they believed the incident would not have serious impact on the area.

There was no immediate report of injury or any damage.

Dhaka’s development authority Rajuk’s Chairman JM Zainal Abedin said he suspected the street was constructed after filling up parts of the lake. “The truth could be known after reviewing documents,” he said.

“Our first priority is to fill up the subsided area. We will decide on the course of action after taking opinion of a Buet specialist team.” l

Portion of road no 55 in Gulshan 2 caved in during Dhaka North City Corporation’s development work on yesterday afternoon

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Future of thousands in Kurigram uncertain

Call for ensuring legal assistance to challenged people

Dudhkumar erosion wreaks havoc

n Tribune Report

Correspondent, n Our Kurigram Thousands of residents in Nageswari upazila, Kaliganj, in Kurigram are facing an uncertain future as many homesteads, cultivable land, orchards, mosques and temples have become vulnerable to erosion by the Dudhkumar River.

Many people of Kaliganj, Kachirvita, Kuriarpara, Boloder Vita, Uttar Wabda, Shalmara and Dhanirvita have already taken shelter on a town protection embankment as the erosion has taken an alarming turn in the last couple of weeks, but the Water Development Board seems reluctant to take action to stop the erosion.

Kaliganj Bazar, Kaliganj High School, Shalmara Daklhil Madrasa and Kaliganj union health complex are now on the verge of extinction.

Locals said they had contacted the upazila administration, district administration and WDB, seeking measures to stop the erosion, but none have yet been taken in this regard, which is frustrating for all those affected.

During a recent visit to Kaliganj, Kachirvita, Kuriarpara, Boloder Vita and Shalmara areas, this correspondent found that the people, who had taken shelter on the embankment and built several makeshift homes on it, are leading a wretched life for want of relief and aid. They also face an acute drinking water crisis due to the lack of a tube-well, along with numerous sanitation problems.

Momin Uddin, a resident of Dhanivita village, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government should take prompt measures to save them from erosion.

Krishna Chandra Roy, a resident of Kumria village, said: “I have been rendered homeless by the erosion. Now, my sons have to work as day labourers to maintain the livelihood of our family. We want immediate measures from the government’s end to save us from the Dudhkumar River.”

Kulsum Begum, a resident of the same village, said: “The river has taken all of my belongings, Now I have to stay in someone else’s home. My family and I live in a makeshift house on other people’s

land. We don’t want relief from the government; we want a permanent solution to our problem.”

Expressing his disappointment, Chairman of Kaliganj union parishad Nur Islam Mia told the Dhaka Tribune that he had contacted the authorities concerned seeking a solution to the problem, but all of his efforts are in vain.

“Thousands of people in my union parishad have been rendered homeless in the last one year.

“As a public representative, I request the Water Development Board to take measures as early as possible to impede the erosion of the river,” he said.

He also urged the authorities concerned to build a bridge over the river at Kaliganj union to ease road communication for Kaliganj, Madarganj and Kanchkata village residents.

An engineer of the Water Development Board Md Matiar Rahman said they had already sent a proposal to the senior authorities to take measures over the issue.

“After getting the location, we will begin work on controlling the erosion of the river,” he added. l

Tribune Members of District Protibondhi Legal Aid Committee (DPLAC) at a discussion called for extending legal assistance to physically challenged people for ensuring justice as well as human rights for them.

The DPLAC, Rangdhanu Zila Protibondhi Adhikar Sangstha (RZPAS) and Prottyasha Protibondhi Nari O Shishu Unnayan Sangstha (PPNSUS) jointly organised the discussion at RZPAS office in Keranipara area of the city yesterday.

ADD International and Manusher Janno Foundation extended cooperation in arranging the discussion for further strengthening activities of the DPLAC with President of DPLAC Advocate MA Basher Tipu in the chair.

Vice-presidents of DPLAC Advocate Kohinoor Begum and Mahbub Rahman Habu, its General Secretary Tamjida Zannati Shilpi, Joint Secretaries Advocate Khatune Zannat Sweet and Advocate AKM Harun-Ur Rashid, participated in the discussion.

President of RZPAS Nur Alam, President of PPNSUS Ummey Kulsum, Members of DPLAC Asaduzzaman Afzal, Rabiul Islam, Swapna Khatun, Alo Mina and Sultana

Parveen also spoke. Members of the DPLAC, lawyers, officials and executives of different organisations working for the welfare of the persons with disabilities and civil society members and journalists participated.

Vice-president of DPLAC Advocate Kohinoor Begum narrated the situation of the disabled population and their limitations in running cases to get justice for financial, social and physical constraints they have been facing in reality.

General Secretary of DPLAC Tamjida Zannati Shilpi laid emphasis on assisting the disabled persons for ensuring justice for them through legal process to establish their civic and human rights like other citizens guaranteed in the constitution.

Advocate Tipu said the disabled persons can equally contribute to the nation building activities and achieve self-reliance if they were provided with legal assistance, care to make them able citizens through education, training and other facilities.

He urged all concerned authorities to extend adequate legal assistance and support to the physically challenged people for establishing their legal and human rights as the state, government as well as society have moral obligation rather than showing pity for them. l

DT

8

News

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

UNION PARISHAD ELECTION

Campaign gains pace, 1 dies in pre-poll violence n Tribune Report Campaigning for the upcoming union parishad elections has gained momentum as Awami League (AL) and BNP activists rally behind their party-backed chairman and member candidates in the elections to 4,275 union councils across the country.

The two major political parties’ leaders and activists are keeping busy as the chairman elections will see the direct participation of political parties for the first time this year.

Incidents of violence have greatly increased as two people have already been killed in pre-poll violence.

In Bhola, a supporter of a chairman candidate was killed and five others were injured by the people loyal to another chairman candidate in Shantirhat Berirpar area, Sadar upzila, yesterday. The deceased is Siraj.

Supporters of chairman candidate Jahangir Sani attacked Siraj while he was returning home after conducting a campaign in favour of chairman candidate Bazlu Member in the early hours of the day.

He was taken to Bhola Sadar Hospital where the on duty doctor declared him dead.

Officer-in-charge of Bhola Model police station told the Dhaka Tribune that they would take action against the people responsible for the murder on receipt of the postmortem report.

In Lakshmipur, at least 10 supporters of a BNP-backed chairman candidate were injured and several

Supporters of Awami League leader Billal Hossain block a road at Burichong upazila in Comilla for an hour yesterday as the party did not nominate him as chairman candidate in the union council polls DHAKA TRIBUNE vehicles were vandalised during an election campaign at Komolnagar union parishad.

The injured are undergoing treatment at Komolnagar Upazila Health Complex.

Local sources said supporters of AL candidate Faisal Ahmed Ratan attacked supporters of BNP-backed candidate Moslehuddin when they were holding a rally at Muslimpara at Komolnagar union parishad.

Officer-in-Charge of Komolnagar police station told the Dhaka Tribune that the BNP activists were injured in a chase and counter-chase which took place between the supporters of both parties.

The upcoming union parishad elections will be held in six phases.

Voting will take place on March 22, March 31, April 23, May 7, May 28 and June 4.

In the first phase, on March 22,

elections will be held in 752 union councils while elections in another 710 union councils will be held in the second phase on Mar 31.

The third phase will see voting in 711 unions on April 23, followed by polling in 728 unions on May 7, and in another 714 unions on May 28. In the last phase, residents of 660 unions will go to the polls on June 4.

On Wednesday, a leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal was killed

Road accidents take lives of nine across country n Tribune Report At least nine people were killed in separate road accidents that took place in the capital, Khulna, Chittagong, Bagerhat and Savar yesterday.

Two men were killed in two separate road accidents in Dhaka in the morning.

Sub-inspector Md Julhas, incharge of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police camp, said a vehicle ran over Md Habibullah, 24, while he was crossing the road at Technical intersection in Mirpur around 5:15am, leaving him critically injured. As locals whisked off the injured to DMCH, doctors declared him dead.

Meanwhile, two people, including CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Kalu and his passenger Ahmed Ali, 50, were injured as the vehicle was hit by a truck from behind at Matuyail intersection in Jatrabari

area around 6:30am, the SI added.

As locals rescued the duo and took them to DMCH, doctors declared Ahmed Ali dead.

In Khulna, a rickshaw-van puller was killed and two others were injured in a road mishap at Mostormore intersection in Harintana thana on Khulna -Mongla Highway.

The accident took place around 10am when a Khulna-bound bus knocked the rickshaw van from behind.

The van puller Masum Gazi, 35, who was coming to zero point area carrying passengers, fell down on the street. Local people rushed him to Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) where the duty doctor declared him dead.

In Chittagong, a youth was killed when a covered van ran him over at AK Khan Intersection area in the morning.

The deceased was Md Rashed, 28, son of Abdul Kuddus, a resident

of Fakir Talukder Bari of AK Khan area in the city.

Police said Rashed was critically injured when a covered van knocked him down while he was crossing the road at AK Khan Intersection area at around 9am. He was taken to CMCH where the on-duty physicians declared him dead.

In Bagerhat, a man was killed in a road accident in front of Shahid Smirity College on the Bagerhat-Fakirhat Highway in Nawapara Town area.

The deceased is Mehdi Hasan, 52, driver of a Mahendra transport.

Police said the accident occurred when a Khulna-bound covered van coming from the opposite direction collided head-on with a Mahendra transport in the area, leaving Mehdi dead on the spot.

In Mirersarai, two people were killed and eight others injured at Bariar area on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in the early hours

of the day.

Md Sujon, 17, and Abdul Karim, 50, died on the spot when a truck turned turtle in which they were traveling.

Our Savar correspondent said two people, including a union parishad chairman were killed in separate road accidents.

Suspended Gazipur mayor Mannan faces road accident

Suspended mayor of Gazipur City Corporation MA Mannan and his three companions suffered minor injuries in a road accident in the city’s Meghdubi area in the afternoon.

Central Swechchhasebak Dal leader Hasibur Rahman Munna said a truck crashed into the jeep of Mannan in the area on his way to the city from his capital residence.

The accident left the suspended mayor, his personal assistant M Billal Hossain, Munna and the jeep driver injured. l

and another was injured as supporters of an AL candidate attacked him while he was returning home from conducting a campaign at Raghunathpur village, Nazirpur upazila in Pirojpur.

The deceased is Shamsul Haque Chhoto, joint convener of the Nazirpur upazila unit. He was also the nephew of the BNP-backed candidate for chairman of Sheikhmatia union Towhid Chairman. l

Man ‘commits suicide’ in police custody n Tribune Report An accused of two drug cases allegedly committed suicide in police custody at Shailkupa police station in Jhenaidah yesterday afternoon.

The deceased is Kajal Mandal, 28, son of Julhas Mandal, a resident of the Rajapur village of Kushtia district. He is an accused of two drug cases filed with Islamic University Police Station and the Shailkupa police station.

Earlier, being tipped off, a team of Shailkupa police station arrested him along with 20 small packets of hemp from Bhatai Bazar area of the upazila on Thursday night.

The arrested tried to commit suicide by hanging himself from the roof of a bathroom at the police station with his lungi around 10am on Friday. l

9

DT

Learn English

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Pre-reading task Put the words into the correct places in the text. a) file-sharing sites b) music business c) digitally d) MP3 e) download f) album g) mobile phone Twenty years ago, bands recorded songs to make an [1] ........ that they released on CD. Nowadays, however, most music is sold [2] ........ Fans can [3] ........ songs from the internet to their computers, [4] ........ or [5] ........ player. Sales like this are now the biggest part of the market. The problem for the [6] ........ is that people don’t pay for the music but get it free from the internet from [7] ........

These are places where people can swap music files without paying for them.

Music n Chris Cavey What’s wrong with this business plan for success in the world of rock music?

1.

Record 11 songs for a CD. 2. Give songs away for free on the internet.

3. Sell the CD in the shops.

It seems obvious that you don’t give away your product for free but this is exactly what indie rock group The Crimea did earlier this year. The band’s reasoning goes like this: more people will download the free album than would pay for it. Therefore more people will hear The Crimea’s music. These people will then pay money for concerts by the band and perhaps buy a T-shirt or other merchandise. If the band play regular concerts to crowds of 200 or 300 people they can make more money than they would from sales of a CD. There will always be some people who want

something they can hold in their hands so they will release the CD into the shops too – but making money through sales of their music isn’t the top priority.

The story illustrates the creative thinking going on in the music business in response to dramatic changes over the last few years in the way that people buy music. Sales of music digitally – to computers, phones and MP3 players – rose to $2 billion in 2006 – an increase of almost 100 per cent on the previous year – yet overall record company sales are down. People are simply not buying CDs in record shops in anything like the numbers they used to.

This trend looks set to continue so the big question for the music industry is whether they can successfully manage the move to being primarily a digital industry without profits falling to unacceptable levels.

There are both positive and negative signs. On the plus side, more and more people are buying music on mobile

phones.

This allows people to make impulse purchases – they can buy a song as soon as they hear it. Research by the UK mobile operator 3 suggested that 75 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds wanted to buy a track they liked as soon as they heard it. With so much competition for people’s disposable income, a product that you can sell immediately is a big advantage.

The bad news for record companies, however, is the amount of music that is downloaded illegally. Piracy – usually in the form of cheaply copied CDs – has long been an issue for the music business but the internet means music can be copied and distributed freely through file-sharing sites on a larger scale than ever before.

It is this situation that leads bands to start giving away their music for free and promises to make the next few years a very interesting time in the music business. l

BIGSTOCK

Exercise 1 Comprehension: read the passage about changes in the music business and match the numbers with their significance. a. b. c. d. e.

11 200 – 300 2 billion 100 75

1.

The percentage increase from last year in sales of digital music.

The number of people needed at a concert for the band to make money.

The number of songs on the band’s album.

The value, in US dollars, of digital music sales in 2006.

The percentage of young people who would like to buy songs immediately on hearing them.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Exercise 2 Comprehension: Multiple choice. For each question choose the correct answer: 1.

What is unusual about The Crimea’s business plan?

• Their music was given away free on the internet.

• They gave CDs away free in shops.

• They played free concerts.

2.

How do the band hope to make money?

• CD sales.

• Concerts and sales of T-shirts and other merchandise.

• Selling merchandise on the internet.

3.

Why did they also release the CD for sale in shops?

• For people who prefer CDs to other formats.

• To make extra money.

• For people who attend their concerts.

4.

What can we say about sales of music over the last year?

• Overall, sales are up on last year.

• Overall, sales are down on last year.

• There’s no change between this year and last year.

5.

What is meant by an ‘impulse purchase’?

• Buying something after carefully thinking about your decision.

• Buying something on the internet or by mobile phone.

• Buying something that you didn’t plan to buy without thinking too much about it.

6.

What is ‘disposable income’?

• Money you can spend as you want – after household expenses have been paid.

• Money that you don’t mind wasting.

• Money that is spent on household expenses like rent and bills.

7.

What effect has the internet had on music piracy?

• It has made it easier to fight piracy.

• It has increased the number of pirate CDs available.

• It has made it easier to illegally copy music.

Word search 6a 5c 4b

d1

3a

c4

2b

b2

1a

a3

Exercise 2

Exercise 1 7a 6b 5d 4g 3e 2c 1f

Pre-reading

Answers

Want to find more learning activities?

Visit www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish

e5

Conc_rts Impul_e Dig_tal Intern_t Disposa_le merchandise Download_d Pir_cy Fo_mat Profi_s

7c

See if you can find these words in the grid. They can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal and backwards.

© British Council 2016

DT

10

Biz Info

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

| tribute |

Persona’s tribute Eight successful women were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the nation through services in various fields on the International Women’s Day. “Canvas presents Freedom - Persona Ajker Nari 2016” acknowledged these eight successful personalities at an award-giving ceremony held at the ACI Center.

Meher Afroz Chumki, state minister of women and children affairs, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh was present as the chief guest.

Renowned actress and winner of Ekushey Padak, Dilara Zaman, was present as the special guest of the occasion. Syed Alamgir, managing director of ACI Salt, and Kaniz Almas Khan, managing director of Persona, were also present at the ceremony.

The award winners are Farzana Islam, vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar University (education category), Tahsina Shahin, owner of Shada Kalo

fashion house (fashion category), Rupali Chowdhury, managing director of Berger Paints (corporate category), Geeti Ara Safia

Chowdhury, chairman of Adcomm Ltd (entrepreneur category), Shahin Samad, renowned singer (music category), Rokhsana

| ceremony |

Seventh day of NSU celebrations

North South University (NSU), the first private university in Bangladesh, has successfully completed its glorious 24 years of operations. To memorialise their achievements, NSU has scheduled a program stretched out over nine days starting from March 3 to 11.

Marking the seventh day of the schedule, NSU’s School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (SEPS) hosted various events at the campus. A seminar on “Padma Bridge: An Engineering Challenge” was held where the keynote speaker was Major Gen Abu Sayeed Md Masud, the project co-ordinator of the Padma Bridge. He highlighted the major work areas and work forces of the project in

his speech.

Azim Uddin Ahmed, member of the Board of Trustees (BOT), was present as the chief guest while Prof Atiqul Islam, vice chancellor of NSU, chaired the session. In this session, Engr Md Kabir Ahmed Bhuiyan, president of IEB, and Mohiuzzaman Quazi, senior transport engineer of World Bank, were guest speakers. They elaborated on various conceptions regarding the birth of the Padma Bridge.

Coming in third, a “Tech Giants” seminar was held where Sajid Rahman, chief executive officer of Telenor Health and Hashmi Rafsanjani, country marketing consultant of Bangladesh at Google were guest speakers. In the interactive

session, the guests helped students clear out queries regarding the availability of work opportunities in corporate industries for freshers.

As evening neared, a cultural show was organised by the SEPS students and the International Office of NSU. All foreign faculty members and students carried out various performances where Arnob performed with his band as well. M A Kashem, chairman of the BOT, was the chief guest while Prof Atiqul Islam, vice chancellor of NSU, chaired the event.

Prof Gour Gobinda Goswami, treasurer of NSU, along with the deans, chairs, and administrative heads were present at that time. l

Sulatana, executive director of Breaking the Silence NGO (social service category), Afroza Zamil Konka, renowned painter (art

category) and Dr Hosne Ara Tahmin Charu, principal of Nightingale Medical College and Hospital (medical science category). l

| launching |

MoU signed by IMLI

As a token of the long-enduring national and linguistic bond between the Republic of Lithuania and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the translation of the book “The History of Lithuania” was officially launched along with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Lithuanian Language Institute and

International Mother Language Institute (IMLI), Dhaka.

The deal was signed at the auditorium of IMLI on March 10.

Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali MP, minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was present at the function as chief guest. Šarūnas Birutis, minister of culture of the Republic of Lithuania, was present as the special guest. l

DT

Editorial 11

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

INSIDE

VVIPS: Here and there PAGE 12

Game of drones PAGE 13

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Climate change PAGE 14

Save the Sundarbans from risky development

T In the times of Thomas Bowrey PAGE 19

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email letters.dt@ dhakatribune.com

Send us your Op-Ed articles:

opinion.dt@dhakatribune. com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook. com/DhakaTribune

his weekend’s march opposing the construction of the Rampal power plant rightly draws attention to the need to protect the unique ecosystem of the Sundarbans.

Both in its slow response to the Sela oil spill and its rush to allow the Rampal project, the government has shown a callous disregard for its own environmental regulations.

The national and environmental interest demand it rethinks its actions.

Setting up a 1,320MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal in an Ecologically Critical Area, some 10km from the Sundarbans, poses unacceptable hazards. Independent studies confirm insufficient safeguards have been implemented to mitigate the risks of coal burning, transportation, and waste disposal at this site.

The potential consequences in terms of pollution to air, soil, and the choking of waterways make it completely unacceptable to flout public interest regulations designed to safeguard the sanctity of the world’s largest mangrove forest.

Protecting the Sundarbans needs to be the paramount consideration. They are not only a Unesco world heritage site and home to the natural habitat of the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger, but serve as a vital sea surge barrier and are a priceless reservoir for carbon.

Indeed, it was for these very reasons the Indian power company behind the project was prevented from setting up a coal power project at a similar location within India.

There is still time for the government to heed public concerns.

It does not have to agree with the protesters’ demands to scrap all coal power projects, it just needs to find a more suitable site.

Bangladesh has plenty of far more appropriate locations available, closer to industries, transport, and supplies of coal, at which this type of power plant can more safely be located, without jeopardising the Sundarbans.

The government must live up to its responsibility to protect this invaluable threatened ecosystem and natural treasure.

The government should listen to public concerns and find more suitable sites for development

12

DT

Opinion

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

VVIPS: Here and there Why do we lack the decency to treat fellow citizens as equals?

n Esam Sohail

I

feel it far more on trips, probably because at airports and on airplanes there is a certain levelling effect that spares only the mightiest of the mighty like heads of state and military chiefs of staff.

It happened again on my trip earlier this month to Washington, DC where I was there for an extended weekend, for both business and pleasure.

At the baggage carousel at the Reagan National Airport, the gentleman behind me picking up his bag was a solitary individual with the typical looks and accessories of the business traveller: The harried look, slightly crumpled suit jacket, the obligatory laptop, and the smartphone on which he kept tapping away.

There was no assistant or porter, let alone a bevy of protocol people, waiting on him. This scene would have been unthinkable in Bangladesh (or in India, for that matter).

You see, this gentleman was the Surgeon General of the United States of America.

After retrieving his bag, just like most other passengers, he simply exited the arrival area, and was hailing a cab when I last saw him.

This kind of experience is hardly novel here. Last year, my brother was travelling back from a conference on the East Coast and was upgraded to first class by the airlines as a courtesy for his repeated patronage of the carrier.

Who was in the economy class? Why, it was our member of congress who made absolutely no effort to intimidate the crew into getting him a first class seat.

Mind you, this is a congressman who is a decorated senior military veteran and sits on the very powerful congressional committee where the policies, budgets, and doctrine of the United States military are overseen.

Compare this to a former member of the higher judiciary in Bangladesh who, as newspapers reported richly after the incident, threatened to issue judicial orders to keep a Biman flight from leaving unless His Honour was upgraded to first class.

For that matter, never mind cabinet members or even full secretaries, how many times have you witnesses additional and joint secretaries throwing their weight around at airports, railways stations, and launch terminals

Outta my way, commoners! to make sure that they get VVIP treatment while the ordinary public is made to suffer the wrath of their retainers, guards, and assistants?

The irony is that we even have self-proclaimed “socialist” ministers with their professed love for the “proletariat” who are quite adept at such patently un-socialist shenanigans.

Now, I realise, in the first blush of defensiveness, the retort of many readers would be: “Well, we inherited this VVIP culture from the British.” That doesn’t hold up to evidence, and I think most people know it in their hearts.

British civil servants and judges, then and now, rarely move like little satraps through roads, airports, and train stations; in fact most of the time, these men and women of immense power are virtually indistinguishable from the ordinary citizens around them in public places.

Chances are pretty high that a cabinet minister or judge in Britain who insisted on driving on the wrong side of the road or bellowed to the cabin crew for a first class upgrade would be turning in his or her resignation rather swiftly.

References to colonialism, resources, and maturity are simply excuses for the lack of integrity that fuels the disgusting VVIP culture in Bangladesh

In Scandinavia, the egalitarianism is even more pronounced when you realise that it is quite normal for a member of the royal family to actually take a bus or bicycle to do his or her household grocery shopping.

In my town in mid-western United States, there is no special treatment given to members of Congress, United States senators, or even former heads of the CIA (the ex-CIA chief was born and raised in this town) when they visit: They drive, shop, worship, and dine, just like everyone else.

The same is true in almost the entire United States: A VVIP

culture simply doesn’t exist in the public spaces except for the president and vice president sometimes.

Not long ago, it was asked of a 30-something offspring of a (then) sitting Bangladeshi cabinet minister why he was returning to Bangladesh for good despite having a green card and a comfortable job in a beautiful city in America.

The gentleman’s answer was truthful: “Here (in the US) I am a successful professional; in Bangladesh, I am a demi-God.” The decency to treat your fellow citizens as equals does not take money or a “maturation”

of democracy, contrary to the typical apologia of the current beneficiaries of the rotten VVIP culture. It only takes a simple integrity to practice what is written in the Constitution and preached from seminars at posh hotels every evening.

References to colonialism, resources, and maturity are simply excuses for the lack of integrity that fuels the disgusting VVIP culture in Bangladesh, and in her neighbouring countries. l Esam Sohail is an educational research analyst and college lecturer of social sciences. He writes from Kansas, USA.

13

DT

Opinion

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Game of drones Let us all sit back and watch the drama that is Pakistani politics

Is Mustafa Kamal winning the game?

n FS Aijazuddin

P

akistan’s politics and its television channels run like its sewage and fresh water pipelines. All it needs is for one to burst for the other to become contaminated.

Viewers could almost smell the swill when, on March 3, Pakistan’s television channels aired the latest episode of our continuing political sitcom, the Game of Drones.

This episode featured a bornagain patriot Mustafa Kamal, once MQM’s Nazim in Karachi, 2005 to 2010. Kamal felt impelled to justify to his discarded electorate why he had deserted them in 2013, why he had endured exile in Dubai for over three years, and why he was spurred to return and rescue his country from ruin.

Understandably, the script handed to Mr Kamal did not include answers to awkward questions that flickered across the screen-minds of his audience.

Why had he remained so loyal to a party whose leadership he clearly did not respect, or trust?

How had he been able to sustain himself in an emirate that offers no social security to out-of-work

BIGSTOCK

expatriates? How does he intend to establish a new political party here with no stem, grassroots, or seed capital?

Viewers addicted to such serials will recall that, in previous episodes, aired in 2013-14, a senior thespian Dr Tahirul Qadri had played a similar role, mesmerising (like Shakespeare’s Prospero) an audience of “demi-puppets” over wet days and shivering nights.

He exhorted voters, those “weak masters,” to overthrow their elected government. Then, on cue, Dr Qadri, like Prospero, quit the stage, moaning: “My ending is despair … let your indulgence set me free.”

Mustafa Kamal craves a similar indulgence. He too pleads to be set free from his past performances, to be accepted in a fresh disguise, this time as the catalyst of change within his own MQM party first, then the country.

It is clear that the MQM is undergoing a catharsis. After 20 or more years of decomposition, more apparent to outsiders than to those within, MQM loyalists have begun to question its Wizard of Oz style of leadership. Ever since local courts banned Altaf Hussain’s broadcasts, his followers, like

persuaded to lead his funerary prayers on the lawns of Governor’s House? Or that the Christian girl accused of blasphemy had been offered a premature presidential pardon which the governor was ordered to convey to her?

Or that governor’s son, released suddenly on March 8 after being abducted in August 2011, was incarcerated for almost five years somewhere beyond the myopic range of sightless drones and security greyhounds which could not (or would not) find him?

Future audiences will be forgiven for shaking their heads with disbelief when they replay today’s melodramas. They will be intrigued as to why a COAS needed to announce his departure eight months before his scheduled demise. They will be amazed at the effrontery of a retired president who rules an impoverished province through his sister and an octogenarian vassal.

They will marvel at the antics of a Peter Pan of Pakistani politics who can fly boisterously in the air but has yet to learn how to stand his ground. They will wonder whatever happened to the king-makers from Gujrat, seemingly written out. They will grapple to understand why anti-corruption drives found inroads

Future audiences will be forgiven for shaking their heads with disbelief when they replay today’s melodramas. They will be intrigued as to why a COAS needed to announce his departure eight months before his scheduled demise. They will be amazed at the effrontery of a retired president who rules an impoverished province through his sister and an octogenarian vassal

disoriented Munchkins, suddenly denied the sound of their leader’s voice, languished, baffled by the unnerving silence.

Rumours rumble that Mr Altaf Hussain lies mortally ill in London.

That might explain why there is no progress in the criminal and money-laundering cases in which he has been implicated. Could it be that those responsible for pursuing these accusations are reluctant to pass judgment over someone who is already under a natural sentence of death? If so, that would be a ghoulish application of justice.

To some, the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri (the assassin of

the late governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer), five years after his crime, has been a bitter example of justice delayed. On the death penalty, there will always be conflicting opinions, but one thing is clear.

The death penalty is a cruel barter -- a life for a life -- in which there is no return of goods, no refund. Neither the victim nor the culprit can be restored to life. All that is revived is the memory of the pain, the horror, the injustice of it all.

Have we forgotten already that the namaz-e-janaza of the slain governor had to be delayed because no maulvi could be

into Sindh possible, but into the Punjab impassable. And in a post 2018 election episode, they might well see a surprise cast: A Sharif as COAS, a Sharif as Chief Minister Punjab, a Sharif as Prime Minister, and a Sharif as President.

In our local tele-dramas, anything can happen. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Tempest waits for its public’s “rising senses [to] begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle their clearer reason.” l FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article first appeared in Dawn.

DT

14

Climate Change

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Climate change increases risks in slums

A Kenyan farmer at work in the Mount Kenya region

CIAT

Climate change increases the residents’ vulnerability, with acid rain corroding the already poor structures and contaminating the available water, thus causing serious human health implications

n Sam Otieno

T

he impacts of climate change pose a serious challenge to human well-being, economies and livelihoods, particularly in informal settlements in SubSaharan Africa, a workshop has heard.

Informal settlements are the fastest growing segment in Africa’s rapid urbanisation, with more than 60% of the Nairobi population living in informal settlements, said Griffin Songole, the director of the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Ltd in Kenya.

“Residents of Nairobi’s informal settlements live in unsafe, overcrowded and often unsanitary

housing, and lack access to basic services,” says Eric Odada, director of African Collaborative Centre for Earth System Science (ACCESS) Songole spoke during the Climate Resilience in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements workshop organised in Kenya on December 10 last year by the Kenya-based non-governmental organisation Maji na Ufanisi (Water and Development) in partnership with the African Collaborative Centre for Earth System Science (ACCESS) and the University of Nairobi’s Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA).

An informal settlement occurs when people create housing in an urban location without approval from officials, and has the

potential to result in slums.

Most informal settlements are located next to rivers and floodplains, with very limited infrastructure to provide relief when they are hindered, so they are worst hit in case of floods, droughts, and other climaterelated disasters including disease outbreaks, Songole explains.

Eric Odada says that climate change is a major cause of the extremes which are observed in water systems such as floods and droughts hazards.

“Climate change ... threatens to reverse the gains made in social and economic infrastructure,” says Odada.

Climate change increases the residents’ vulnerability, with acid rain corroding the already poor structures and contaminating the available water, thus causing serious human health implications, Odada adds.

Among the health issues are waterborne diseases such as dysentery, cholera and schistosomiasis, airborne diseases, and vectorborne diseases including Rift Valley fever and malaria.

Other impacts of climate change include sewer overflows,

poor solid waste management, drowning, impassable roads, landslides, clogged drainages, electrocution and insecurity -which mainly affect women and children, especially girls.

Shem Wandiga, the acting director ICCA, says that to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, efforts to expand drinking water services must be urgently stepped up.

For this to occur, governments must fasttrack institutional reforms, boost funding, eliminate corruption, and strengthen capacities in their water services sectors.

“Informal settlements residents should be educated and involved in maintaining the infrastructure (storm water draining channels) to achieve climate resilience,” notes Wandiga, adding that there is also a need for collaborations involving governments, city authorities, civil society, and donors could increase the pace of implementation, which so far is fragmented.

Chris Heymans, a senior water and sanitation specialist at the World Bank Group’s Water and Sanitation Program in Africa, observes: “We know that dealing with the water management issue inside city boundaries is not sufficient.

While demand grows due to migration and expanding coverage, supply may be reduced due to droughts or changes in the watershed, which reduces water availability.”

According to Heymans, Nairobi’s needs for future water demand can partially be met by considering a range of options such as creating infrastructure to collect waste and groundwater, and aiding watershed protection, leakage management, storm water harvesting, creation of protective levees and water demand management. l Sam Otleno writes for SciDev.net. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk. This article previously appeared on SciDev. net.

This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.

15

DT

Arts & Letters

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Rabindranath’s flute Nirmalendu Goon Those who sang with their fingers on the flute those who wrote poems at midnight -- those farmers, those factory workers who were the real makers of steel, who made biscuits and shirts for me and sari for Nilima; they all are different people now; their homes are the bastion of revolution now!

Those who sang with their fingers on the flute those who learnt from the school, or from the world, or from this civilisation, or from nature, those students and teachers and workers -they have come together and are all very different now.

They don’t sing songs anymore, they’ve all become different people now.

They threw their ploughs away and have taken up iron-made arms; in their foreheads flash the red ribbons;

Those who thrust wooden ploughs into the heart of the soil, those artists, those labourers who sang with their fingers on the flute, who dreamt in their sleep; leaving the village by the Dhaleswari river they are all rushing towards the city now!

Translated by Rifat Munim

INSIDE

16

Non-fiction: The poetics of a revolution

In the exultation of triumphing over the city, they call Rabindranath independence; they call his songs sten guns.

Those who sang with their fingers on the flute, those who wrote poems at midnight -they all are farmers now -- seasoned farmers of revolution.

For you, the barrel of a gun has become a flute in my hand too!

[ Nirmalendu Goon is a leading poet in Bangla literature. He stole the limelight as soon as his first volume of poetry, Premangshur Rokto Chai, was out in 1970. He has since published at least 35 poetry collections including Na Premik Na Biplobi, Tar Age Chai Somajtontr, Banglar Mati Banglar Jol and Chasabhusar Kabyo. The theme of a revolution by underprivileged groups cuts across his voluminous body of work. ]

17

Essay: Bridging distance through literature

18

Book review and Poetry

Send your submissions to: anl@dhakatribune.com

DT

Arts & Letters

16

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

NON-FICTION

The poetics of a revolution Tea garden workers of Chunarughat in Habiganj have waged a movement against the government scheme to take away their farmland. Here we publish the first instalment of a nonfiction piece that was written after interviewing some of the protesting workers

n Ahmad Ibrahim

T

he following is an investigation into the real world manifestations and contradictions of a revolutionary moment. A revolution can be a large transborder phenomenon or a relatively small event involving a particular group, area or community. The accounts that follow are meant to illuminate a revolutionary moment not as an abstract concept of change, but as a real world experience lived and influenced by its participants. It draws upon notes and interviews gathered from the tea garden workers’ community in Chunarughat, Habiganj. The workers there are revolting against the government’s decision to set up a Special Economic Zone on their farm lands, demanding legal rights to their homes and farms, something that has been denied them since colonial times. Some names have been changed to respect the request of anonymity of individuals involved.

Part I: A revolution is always a little late in coming.

Biren Pal stood at the mouth of the bridge that connected the tea estate to the village of Chunarughat. Behind him, he heard the faint tolling of the garden bell and a dust storm, as a thousand more bodies rushed to join him, wielding machetes, arrows, sticks and an irrepressible anger. His hands were empty, but he didn’t bother much. In front of him, he saw a procession of men attempting to cross the bridge, shouting chants in support of the economic zone.

The procession hesitated a while as it saw a furious Biren waiting on the other side, being flanked by an increasingly large body of infuriated tea garden workers. A majority of the supporters did not really know what an economic zone was, or why it would be beneficial to people in this particular area. They had mostly been paid to be there.

Biren’s blue top was now all

}

Later that night, he told me that in that instant, he had thought of the anger pulsing through all of their bodies, and of the centuries spent in painful obedience

soaked. He yelled out a stream of curses at faces standing on the other side – these were the people who had previously expressed solidarity with the cause of his people. He noticed the police commissioner, who too was standing on the other side, not really trying to stop the workers from crossing the bridge. Streams of angry men and women rushed past him and onwards to where the economic zone supporters, now visibly frightened, stood. A few of the police officers did try to stop the rush from the workers’ side, but they soon wilted in the face of their overwhelming wrath.

The supporters were by now terrified and had turned tail and scampered away. Biren Pal waited for a split second before acting swiftly to stall his angry people.

Later that night, he told me that in that instant, he had thought of the anger pulsing through all of their bodies, and of the centuries spent in painful obedience. It was a historic moment, but he didn’t care much about history. “Don’t cross the bridge!” he yelled.

Part II: A revolution moves forward through moments of incoherence.

In a large courtyard shared by three different families, twenty women sat on the ground facing two journalists and narrated their stories. It was the middle of a cool January afternoon. Work at the tea gardens had been cancelled for a long three-day weekend for puja celebrations. Behind them, a few more women were busy scaling fish and grinding spices to prepare the midday meal. On certain nights, these women fry tea leaves and eat it with puffed rice as a wage of Tk 69 per day leaves them with little choice. Today, however, the presence of Dhaka-dwelling reporters demanded an elaborate feast.

Sitting at the front of the gathering, Palak Rajbongshi was speaking at length. She wore a green sari with patches of leaf print on it. It was the kind of garment that symbolized the ease with which women tea workers moved throughout the community, tucking it around the

waist to wield a machete either to cut down the leaves from old trees or to face down those who would come to take their land from them. The twenty women who had gathered were always at the head of all rallies, always poised to lay down their lives at a moment’s notice for the land that fed them and held the bodies of their forefathers. “Everybody knows that tea garden workers don’t understand anything other than ‘the boat’ when it comes to politics,” Rajbongshi continued.

“Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had come here when the war was breaking out with Pakistan. He told us to be prepared to fight. We still have the bows and arrows that we had used in 1971”.

The smell of crushed peppers wafted around the courtyard.

Rajbongshi was the sardarni of the tea estate. All the other women became silent when she spoke. As questions were asked by reporters, she answered them all without hesitation, as if all the questions were aimed at her. Outside the compound, rumblings of a few voices could be heard. Something was happening.

“We don’t want to play dirty politics. Our demands are not towards local politicians. It’s towards the leader of this country.

Her father supported us and we believe with all our heart that she supports us, too. If she comes here and tells us to give up our land, only then will we give it up. We will give it up happily”.

And then, there was a silence

filled with unease. The women behind Rajbongshi looked at each other and started to murmur. Not everyone, it seemed, was fine with the idea of leaving their fate in the hands of another.

“We can’t give up the land,” Anjana Bakti, tea worker for 25 years, said quietly. “We believe she would never ask us to give up our land, but even if she does, we won’t give it up. She will have to take it over our dead bodies.”

The air was suddenly thick with an outcry of ‘No!’ They would not give up this land at any cost and they wanted legal ownership.

Mondagini Bakti spoke, loudly now, of her patch where she grew watermelons and, before that, a whole host of vegetables. She was ready to spill blood and let her blood be spilled. Rajbongshi, too, found her real voice and nodded her approval. All of them vehemently turned against toiling their life away for the interests of the existing political class. In that moment of incoherence, the movement was united, even if on a minuscule scale.

It was clear by then what was happening outside and the women began to leave their posts, emboldened by a new sense of clarity. They grabbed their weapons and prepared themselves for a battle that might entail death, as they scampered to join Biren.

The feast for the guests would have to wait. l Ahmad Ibrahim is a freelance journalist, writer and activist.

17

DT

Arts & Letters

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

E S S AY

Bridging distance through literature Bengali readers did not know much about the exchange between Bengali and Latin American cultures.

Writers who translate directly from Spanish reveal that the exchange had started with Rabindranath Tagore

n Razu Alauddin

I

am not a researcher, so I cannot say for sure what exactly the political and commercial state of relationship between Bangladesh and Latin America is. But I am certain of one thing and that is, there exists a very long historical and literary bond between Bengali culture and Latin American countries. Even a very conservative estimate reveals that this has flourished through one hundred years.

This bond was initiated by none other than our most celebrated cultural personality Rabindranath Thakur, who is more known as Tagore among the Spanish speakers. This significant historical fact, unfortunately, remained unknown to us for a long time because of our inaccessibility to the Spanish language. But we know now that their taste, clarity of mind, appreciative nature and most of all -- their unprejudiced inquisitiveness had led them to extend their welcoming hands towards Bengali culture one hundred years back. The exchange that happened through Rabindranath had tremendous impact on the culture and literature of some of the regions of Latin America.

Rabindranath entered Latin America through the translation of Argentine writer-journalist Carlos Muzzio Saenz Peña’’s in 1915. This initiative paved the way for building a bond between Rabindranath and the eminent personalities of Latin America.

Eminent personalities who showed an active interest in studying, translating and discussing Rabindranath included Argentine thinker and minister Joaquin V. Gonzalez, cultural personality Victoria Ocampo, poet Eduardo Gonzalez Lanuza, Jorge Luis Borges, Osvaldo Svanascini, Ricardo Guiraldes and painter Horacio Alvarez Boero; Chilean poet and educationist Gabriela Mistral, writer professor Raul Ramirez, poet Vicente Huidobro, poet Pablo de Roka, poet ambassador Pablo Neruda, essayist and professor Arturo Torres Rioseco; Bolivian writer-diplomat Abel Alarcon, leftist thinker Jose Carlos Mariategui; novelist Mario Vargas Llosa from Peru; thinkeressayist Pedro Enriquez Ureña

1st row: Portraits of Tagore by Latin American painters Federico Schiff, Osvaldo Svanascini, Roberto Montenegro, Gabriel Fernandez Ledesma; 2nd row: portraits of Tagore by Horacio Alvares and unknown artist; a Diego Rivera painting with long-bearded Tagore in the middle; and a photograph of Tagore with Victoria Ocampo from Dominican Republic, among many others.

From the north of the continent we can mention Mexican writer and philosopher Jose Vasconcelos, poet Jose Gorostiza, playwright Celestino Gorostiza, translator Pedro Requena Legarreta (who died prematurely), Emma Godoy, poet Jaime Sabines, poet ambassador Octavio Paz, Antonio Castro Leal, painter Diego Rivera, Gabriel Fernandez Ledesma and Roberto Montenegro.

All of them not only touched the very soul of Bengali culture through Rabindranath but also projected the light of that touch through the prism of their own cultural ambiance.

On the other hand, we Bengalis showed our interest in Latin America comparatively later -- almost half a century after them. Yet, we have been able to bridge the time gap by means of

our passion for Latin American literature through translations, studies and researches. It is no news now that most of the prominent Latin American writers of our time have been translated into Bangla and they have a very wide readership here in Bangladesh.

Let me provide you with a short list of writers whose works are available in Bangladesh: Mexican writers Mariano Azuela, Juan Rulfo, Octavio Paz and Carlos Fuentes; Nicaraguan poets Ruben Dario, Ernesto Cardenal, Sergio Ramirez; Chilean writers Gabriela Mistral, Vicente Huidobro, Pablo Neruda, Nicanor Parra; Peruvian writers Garcilaso de la Vega, Cesar Vallejo, Ricardo Palma and Mario Vargas Llosa; Cuban Jose Marti, Alejo Carpentier and Nicolas Guillen; Venezuelan writer Romulo Gallegos; Brazilian George Amado and Jose Carlos

Calvalcanti Borges; Argentine writers Jorge Luis Borges, Victoria Ocampo and Julio Cortazar; and Columbian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

All the major works of these writers have been translated into Bangla, yet we must remember that they do not represent the entire range of Latin American writers. I hope this not-socomprehensive list will suffice to show the depth and enormity of our love for Latin American literature -- though belated.

Common cultural practices and traditions have bound us together.

Hence, Latin American music and football, too, have a huge popularity here.

The exchange was on even during our Liberation War. Ocampo, Borges, Ernesto Sabato and Octavio Paz -- the compassion they showed and the support they gave during the most critical time

of our history is a gesture of love for humanity. Such a gesture is the core foundation of our culture as well as yours. This is perhaps why Gabriel Garcia Marquez, when asked to explain, said absence of love was the root cause of the Buendia family’s alienation in his famous novel Hundred Years of Solitude. The same thing was rephrased by Rabidranath too. He said: We do not love because we do not comprehend, or rather we do not comprehend because we do not love. For love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us. l Razu Alauddin is a translator and poet.

He delivered a longer version of this speech during a dinner in honour of ambassadors from Latin American countries at Padma, the state guest house in the capital. The programme was organized by the ministry of foreign affairs on March 5.

DT

Arts & Letters

18

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

BOOK REVIEW

Why we all should be feminists

C

himamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2013 TED talk “We all should be feminists”, also available in a tiny book format now, has added a new momentum to the feminist movement worldwide.

The impact it has made on different segments of culture is evident.

Even Beyonce Knowels, one of the biggest names in today’s pop industry, featured extracts from this book in her song “Flawless”.

Of course it caused a lot of controversy as Beyoncé embodies all the glitter and glam of a culture nurtured by male chauvinism. But it also shows the extent to which her book has reached.

“I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness. Because I deserve to be.”

Celebration of femininity is not new in the discourse of feminism, but the way Adichie has put it in her book offers a new perspective.

She boldly celebrates femininity without compromising the feminist stance. This fresh perspective sets the pace for “today’s” women in their struggle for emancipation, making it a must read, especially in the wake of International Women’s Day. There is another distinct feature that too sets this book apart. Unlike

}

She says, “Some people ask: ‘Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?’ Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general -- but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender. It would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded

many feminist texts which are addressed exclusively to women, her book is addressed to both women and men. It shows how a gender divide, rooted in our ideology, is equally harmful for men.

“But by far the worst thing we do to males—by making them feel they have to be hard—is that we leave them with very fragile egos.

The harder a man feels compelled to be, the weaker his ego is.”

It is after elaborating on this point she decisively says that we all, irrespective of our gender, should be feminists.

“Some men feel threatened by the idea of feminism. This comes, I think, from the insecurity triggered by how boys are brought up, how their sense of self-worth is diminished if they are not ‘naturally’ in charge as men.”

Through humour and sarcasm

We should all be feminists Publisher: HarperCollins UK Pages: 64, Price: £5.00 she addresses head-on the discrimination that the world has subjected women to, “by dividing human beings into two groups”, and “proceeded to exclude and oppress one group”. She argues how women are told to meet masculine standards, and men to shun away from anything that might emasculate them.

She discusses the double standards of gender expectations and unmasks

the delusion of the Nigerian terms “bottom power” and “hard man” and how boys are raised to be hard men in domestic spheres.

Adichie also talks about why we should use the word feminism, instead of human rights, to capture women’s position and struggle in society. She says, “Some people ask: ‘Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?’

Because that would be dishonest.

Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general -- but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender.

It would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded.”

Gender is a complicated issue involving many layers of politics.

It is difficult to deal with it holistically without sounding pedantic at times. Adichie, however, touches upon most of the current issues of gender politics and succeeds in giving a very light touch to everything she discusses. Readers don’t feel lost as they often do in the esoteric intellectual exercises of many feminist writers.

Sharmin Ahmed is a freelance writer and reviewer.

POETRY RIFAT ISLAM ESHA mourning light good morning, begin the day, fresh, grieve, as you may don’t shame others wash your mouth with unlearning gurgle if you please, rinse your face– in a prayer form and don’t doubt others who pray or not eat the newpapers, news of yesterday think where the splinters could be today swallow the shrapnel join the dots in the air if you may invite others on board or let them be end your morning light.

years down the line years down the line, when you look back– don’t say ‘the time was just not right’. the time

was perfect. it was just a small eternity.

they they said: ‘what is sadder is that you counted stars and i gazed at the moon; you clouded your eyes with the edges of winter and i inhaled the smog of your words’. and again: ‘what is sadder is that i nailed on to the shards of a mirror and mistook them for your eyes you were juggling with them anyway’

IKHTISAD AHMED they hummed: ‘place them back and you’ll find a faint picture place them back into the shadow.’

red bird i know it right when friday comes to an end that maybe the faint echo of the red bird that maybe lives inside my mind is one of realisation not anger; molten words morphed into sighs, just a bit of realisation– i should listen.

The R-Word I do not know if using the R-word, I will stay alive in Bangladesh; Life over death the easy choice, Caution preferred when possible; Self-censorship for survival, sensible?

I am ashamed nonetheless.

Pen mightier than sword They say, they assert; Should I take their word for it?

Paper-cuts hurt, They know from experience – Convinced, no more shall I prevaricate.

Arguments confidently offered, I think, therefore I articulate!

My undeniable rights I assert, I celebrate!

Venture into the R-word I do As a self-proclaimed Roy or Bruno.

Most profound, the R-word: Religion, rationality, Better still, reason!

The sweet embrace of the ultimate freedom Before succumbing to lamentable martyrdom, Except that they will say it was treason.

This poem was written in response to Avijit Roy’s killing.

19

DT

Heritage

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

In the times of Thomas Bowrey Bowrey’s journal provides insightful evidence of trade in Bangladesh

n Tim Steel

R

ecorded by the historian and biographer, Richard Davenport-Hines, as the first westerner to write about his experience of smoking cannabis during his travels around the Bay of Bengal between 1669 and 1679, Thomas Bowrey’s fascinating journal gives us a visitor’s dramatic description of the lands around the Ganges delta -- amongst them, the lands that are now Bangladesh -- in the early years of the reign of the sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb.

A prolific diaryist, his travels provide considerable source note treasures for historians of many locations.

We have no reason to suppose that Bowrey, unlike most such journalists, ended his time in the east especially enriched; which makes him, perhaps, the most interesting of all such sources

The much editorialised version of his journal, “A Geographical Account of Countries Around the Bay of Bengal: 1669-1679,” provides accounts of Europeans visiting and working in the region. In the process, affording an intriguing insight, not only to those European lives, but also to the lives of contemporary rulers and the subjects of the lands.

Sadly, since those rulers were conquerors of the lands and were served to a large extent by administrators, perhaps the journals offer more of an insight into political and economic life, than social life of more indigenous peoples.

However, from such writing, it is not hard to deduce some of the social and environmental realities of the lives of the ordinary people, as well as their rulers.

A lifelong merchant and sailor -- he appears to have commenced travelling at the youthful age of 19

in 1669. His youthful experience with cannabis may well qualify him as a rather modern young man.

His family background is obscure, but there is evidence that he spent his childhood close to London docks, at Stepney, and with considerable family connections in both mercantile and Royal navies -- so, in all probability, one of the rising artisan classes.

It is certainly true that his descriptions of life with the lands of “Bengala” do dwell rather more on lives and lands, less extraordinary than those he encountered in what he describes as one of the largest and most potent kingdoms of “Hindostan.”

Bengal and its surrounds, unsurprisingly, mesmerised him.

Editorially, this description of Bowrey’s is compared with that of the near contemporary, Willem Schouten -- a Dutch navigator of the Dutch East India Company, who writes of it in about 1618 as “Bengale is a great and powerful country, which was formerly an independent kingdom. At present it is under the rule of the Mogol.”

It is, perhaps, the curious omission of two of the most valuable indigenous resources from all these journals that might raise eyebrows.

The list of trading commodities described by them all is considerable, and, in some cases, perhaps a little surprising -- sugar,

beeswax, cotton and cotton cloth, silks, butter and ghee, ginger, cheese, civet musk, and opium.

But diamonds and saltpetre are most evident in journals of trading operatives, like Streynsham Master, only when mentioned in the context of such as, “stopped the saltpetre boats and hampered trade in every way, to exact offerings.”

A reference to the activities of Shaista Khan, the governor of Bengal, with oversight of all three provinces. Could it be, not that these two, most precious of indigenous commodities, were not something any wise traveller wrote about?

The evident greed of Shaista Khan, the maternal uncle of Aurangzeb, is underlined by references, all from origins far beyond India, for the most part, who successfully taxed such basics as “grass for beasts, canes, firewood, and even thatch, etc.”

The subsequent English rulers may well have been judged somewhat rapacious, but it seems that the people of these lands, including those of today’s Bangladesh, had already been accustomed to the depredations of foreign rulers of their fertile lands, so rich, also, in such as the most basic munition of war, and gemstones.

Whilst most of the European writers of the 17th century in the lands that are now Bangladesh,

and neighbouring lands, associated with taking something of a “bird’s eye” view of all they saw and experienced.

The Journal of Thomas Bowrey, however, takes us closer to local experience. A very telling passage in that journal illustrates a great deal of the realities of experience of both local inhabitants and traders from these territories.

“I remember, in the year 1674, when I lived in the town of Balasore, (described by Bowrey as ‘the only sea port in the Bay of Bengala’) a new nabob was sent from Dacca to settle in Cattack, the old one being first sent to avoid contention.

“The new nabob in his journey took all opportunities to get moneys, so much that he let slip none whereby he might enrich himself either by legal or Illegal means.

“He came near to Balasore, Vizt. Within one mile and ½ of it, where he sent for most rich merchants of Gentues and Bhajans, commanding their estates, or considerable portions of them, at his pleasure. His demands off some were 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 thousand rupees.

“And for no other law or reason, but that he told them he wanted a great sum of moneys to welcome him into the place, and he would have it by one means or other.”

Illustrating this observation by telling how he found himself

close by his (the Nawab’s) tent in company with an acquaintance, a Dutch doctor -- this brief passage speaks volumes for the oppression of traders, and, obviously, of their employees, associates, suppliers, and neighbours, by the Mughal rulers.

And describes the highly individualised rapacity of those rulers. It also, incidentally, confirms, in passing, the absolute power of the Dhaka rulers, who, at the time, was personified by Shaista Khan, who is famous (infamous) for the wealth he accumulated in Dhaka, a level of riches that probably inspired the greed of so many subsequent rulers.

It also serves to illustrate the fraternisation of Europeans in the region, in common interests.

No student of the history of Bangladesh, and its surrounding lands can fail to find revelation in the remarkable bequest of this sailor, of essentially working class origins, in its wide eyed observation, evidently unaffected by political or economic considerations.

We have no reason to suppose that Bowrey, unlike most such journalists, ended his time in the east especially enriched; which makes him, perhaps, the most interesting of all such sources. l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

DT

20

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Heavenly body (5) 4 Decorative plant (4) 7 Monkey (3) 8 Groove (3) 9 Corruptly mercenary (5) 12 Wise man (4) 13 Unceasing (6) 15 Light blow (3) 16 Place for pigs (3) 18 Strange (3) 19 Plant juice (3) 21 Coming too late (7) 24 Roofing item (4) 26 Select group (5) 27 Vestment (3) 28 Lair (3) 29 That following (4) 30 Mineral substance (5)

DOWN 1 Grotto (4) 2 Laid bare (6) 3 Repair (4) 4 Commotion (4) 5 Greek letter (3) 6 Very poor (5) 10 High mountain (3) 11 Letting agreement (5) 14 Not fresh (5) 17 Seesaw (6) 18 Frequently (5) 20 Close friend (3) 21 Girdle (4) 22 Season (4) 23 Refuse (4) 25 Lacking discipline (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 17 represents F so fill F every time the figure 17 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

DT

World 21

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

INSIDE

UN Security Council divided over tackling peacekeeper sex abuse

Fukushima’s ground zero: No place for man or robot Today, the radiation at the Fukushima plant is still so powerful it has proven impossible to get into its bowels to find and remove the extremely dangerous blobs of melted fuel rods, weighing hundreds of tonnes PAGE 23

Indian legislators to seek less health warnings on cigarette packs

A panel of Indian lawmakers will call for smaller health warnings on cigarette packs, saying the government’s requirement of 85% of surface area is too harsh on the tobacco industry, sources who have seen the panel’s draft report said.

PAGE 23

Obama hits out at Cameron, Sarkozy over Libya intervention In a rare public rebuke of two of Washington’s closest allies, President Barack Obama has hit out at British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of the Gaddafi regime.

PAGE 24

n AFP, United Nations

United Nations peacekeeping operations

Egypt and Russia led a charge at the UN Security Council on Thursday against plans to send peacekeeping contingents home if their soldiers are accused of sexual abuse while serving under the UN flag.

Facing a surge in the number of allegations of sex abuse by peacekeepers, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he will order troops who face repeated allegations to be repatriated, amid warnings the misconduct is damaging the reputation of the whole UN. The new policy is a key part of a US-drafted resolution under negotiation for nearly a week, the first by the Security Council aimed at addressing the scandal.

During a council meeting, Egyptian Ambassador Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta said his country “strongly opposes collective punishment against forces making the ultimate sacrifice in very difficult conditions.”

“We are talking about several dozen cases, a handful of cases among hundreds of thousands of troops,” said Aboulatta.

“Accountability must be confined to those involved in the crimes, and not others.”

Russian Deputy Ambassador Petr Iliichev also said entire contingents from a given country should not shoulder the blame and argued that the UN General Assembly, and not the Security Council, was the forum to address peacekeeping misconduct.

“The collective responsibility for such actions proposed by the secretary-general and a number of states raises questions,” Iliichev said.

Senegal, one of the few Security Council members that contributes troops and police to peacekeeping, also opposed wholesale repatriation because of the misconduct of a few soldiers.

Last week, Ban released a report that showed a hike in the number of allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers, from 52 in 2014 to 69 last year.

Two missions accounted for over half of the cases: MINUSCA in the Central African Republic and MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There have been 26 allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers already this year.

Some 125,000 personnel from 123 countries deployed in 16 peace missions around the globe Current operations *As of January 31, 2016, including troops, police, military observers, civilian personnel, volunteers MINURSO Western Sahara Since April 1991 Current strength*: 484

UNMIK Kosovo June 1999

367

UNFICYP Cyprus March 1964

UNIFIL Lebanon March 1978

1,066

UNDOF Golan June 1974

11,374

935

15 killed 46

55 MINUSTAH Haiti June 2004

183

308

UNMOGIP India and Pakistan January 1949

6,130

116

11 183

UNTSO Middle East May 1948

MINUSMA Mali March 2013

384

13,265

50 UNISFA Abyei June 2011

74 UNMIL Liberia September 2003

6,017

UNOCI Ivory Coast April 2004

7,685

MINUSCA MONUSCO Central DR Congo African July 2010 Republic 22,514 April 2014

13,302

137

Source : United Nations Peacekeeping

Letting it happen

Under UN rules, it is up to the country that contributes the peacekeepers to investigate and prosecute any soldier accused of misconduct while serving under the UN flag.

But US Ambassador Samantha Power, whose country funds 28% of the UN’s $8.3bn budget for peacekeeping, said the allegations “too often are allowed to remain in the darkness.”

Power said the UN should have acted more quickly to repatriate troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo who faced seven

UNAMID Darfur July 2007

20

21,217

UNMISS South Sudan July 2011

15,463

19 195

4,774

99

230 42

allegations of sex abuse while serving in the Central African Republic.

The DR Congo troops finally left in late February, but by then eight more allegations of sexual abuse had surfaced, seven of which involved children.

“How could we let that happen?” asked Power.

France, whose troops face accusations of raping children in the Central African Republic, said it strongly backs the US-drafted resolution to push peacekeeping countries to take allegations more seriously.

“It will help break the silence

and reverse the stigma from victims towards the perpetrators,” said French Deputy Ambassador Alexis Lamek. “That’s a very important moment.”

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft also called for measures to confront the rise in allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers.

“The sickening actions of a small number of individuals now threaten the reputation of the entire United Nations,” he said.

A total of 122 countries contribute 125,000 troops and police to the UN’s peacekeeping missions worldwide. l

DT

22

World

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

DOWN MEMORY LANE

Fukushima’s ground zero: No place for man or robot n Reuters The robots sent in to find highly radioactive fuel at Fukushima’s nuclear reactors have “died”; a subterranean “ice wall” around the crippled plant meant to stop groundwater from becoming contaminated has yet to be finished. And authorities still don’t know how to dispose of highly radioactive water stored in an ever mounting number of tanks around the site.

Five years ago, one of the worst earthquakes in history triggered a 10-metre high tsunami that crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station causing multiple meltdowns. Nearly 19,000 people were killed or left missing and 160,000 lost their homes and livelihoods in the quake and tsunami.

Today, the radiation at the Fukushima plant is still so powerful it has proven impossible to get into its bowels to find and remove the extremely dangerous blobs of melted fuel rods, weighing hundreds of tonnes. Five robots sent into the reactors have failed to return.

The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) , has

In this aerial view photo taken On Thursday, Tokyo Electric Power Co’s tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is seen illuminated for decommissioning operation in the dusk REUTERS

made some progress, such as removing hundreds of spent fuel roads in one damaged building. But the technology needed to establish the location of the melted fuel rods in the other three reactors at the plant has not been developed.

“It is extremely difficult to access the inside of the nuclear plant,” Naohiro Masuda, Tepco’s head of decommissioning said in an interview. “The biggest obstacle is the radiation.”

The fuel rods melted through their containment vessels in the reactors, and no one knows exactly where they are now. This part of the plant is so dangerous to humans, Tepco has been developing robots, which can swim under water and negotiate obstacles in damaged tunnels and piping to search for the melted fuel rods.

But as soon as they get close to the reactors, the radiation destroys their wiring and renders them useless, causing long delays, Masuda said.

Each robot has to be custom-built for each building.”It takes two years to develop a single-function robot,” Masuda said.

Irradiated water

Tepco, which was fiercely criticised for its handling of the disaster, says conditions at the Fukushima power station, site of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in Ukraine 30 years ago, have improved dramatically. Radiation levels in many places at the site are now as low as those in Tokyo.

More than 8,000 workers are at the plant at any one time, according to officials on a recent tour.

Traffic is constant as they spread across the site, removing debris, building storage tanks, laying piping and preparing to dismantle parts of the plant.

Much of the work involves pumping a steady torrent of water into the wrecked and highly radiated reactors to cool them down.

Afterward, the radiated water is then pumped out of the plant and stored in tanks that are proliferating around the site.

What to do with the nearly million tonnes of radioactive water is one of the biggest challenges, said Akira Ono, the site manager. Ono said he is “deeply worried” the storage tanks will leak radioactive water

in the sea - as they have done several times before - prompting strong criticism for the government.

The utility has so far failed to get the backing of local fishermen to release water it has treated into the ocean.

Ono estimates that Tepco has completed around 10% of the work to clear the site up - the decommissioning process could take 30 to 40 years. But until the company locates the fuel, it won’t be able to assess progress and final costs, experts say.

The much touted use of X-ray like muon rays has yielded little information about the location of the melted fuel and the last robot inserted into one of the reactors sent only grainy images before breaking down.

Ice wall

Tepco is building the world’s biggest ice wall to keep groundwater from flowing into the basements of the damaged reactors and getting contaminated.

First suggested in 2013 and strongly backed by the government, the wall was completed in

February, after months of delays and questions surrounding its effectiveness. Later this year, Tepco plans to pump water into the wall - which looks a bit like the piping behind a refrigerator - to start the freezing process.

Stopping the ground water intrusion into the plant is critical, said Arnie Gundersen, a former nuclear engineer.

“The reactors continue to bleed radiation into the ground water and thence into the Pacific Ocean,” Gundersen said. “When Tepco finally stops the groundwater, that will be the end of the beginning,” referring to the water flowing into the leaking basements of the reactor buildings.

While he would not rule out the possibility that small amounts of radiation are reaching the ocean, Masuda, the head of decommissioning, said the leaks have ended after the company built a wall along the shoreline near the reactors whose depth goes to below the seabed.

“I am not about to say that it is absolutely zero, but because of this wall the amount of release has dramatically dropped,” he said. l

23

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Indian legislators to seek less health warnings on cigarette packs A panel of Indian lawmakers will call for smaller health warnings on cigarette packs, saying the government’s requirement of 85% of surface area is too harsh on the tobacco industry, sources who have seen the panel’s draft report said.

The decision is the latest twist in a tussle between the health ministry, which wants to step up an anti-smoking campaign, in line with the rest of the world, and members of parliament who fear lower sales will hurt tobacco farmers.

Tobacco use is linked to 900,000 deaths every year in India, and the government had ordered manufacturers to print health warnings covering 85% of the surface of a cigarette pack, up from 20% now.

But the parliamentary committee has suggested in its report that the warnings be limited to half the packs’ surface area, as a move to protect tobacco farmers’ interests, while promoting health.

The panel feels “a balanced approach” would be to keep the warning size at 50%, according to

Study reveals background checks for US gun buyers could save lives

n Reuters, Boston Laws requiring background checks for buyers of guns and ammunition, as well as requirements that firearms be traceable, could sharply reduce gun deaths in the US, according to a study published on Thursday.

About 90 people die of gun-related injuries, both homicides and suicides, in the United States each day. The study, by Boston University researchers published in the Lancet medical journal, found that nationwide adoption of background check laws as well as measures making it easier to track spent ammunition back to the gun that fired it could reduce gun-related deaths by as much as 80%.

The study looked at how deaths in 2010 were influenced by gun laws put into place in 25 states the year before.

It found that closing loopholes allowing gun buyers to avoid background checks when purchasing guns was the most effective way of reducing gun-related deaths.

Other regulations, including requiring more stringent record-keeping by gun dealers or mandating gun locks, had no measurable effect on gun-related deaths. l

BIGSTOCK

n Reuters, New Delhi

two sources who have seen the report, but asked not to be identified because the draft is not public.

Panel chairman Dilip Gandhi declined to comment.

However, the government was unlikely to change its plan of implementing the stringent rules on cigarette packs from April, said a health ministry official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The government is not bound

by the decision of the panel, but it has political clout as its members are drawn from both the ruling party and opposition groups.

Activists fear the call will delay adoption of stiffer warnings on the packs.

Euromonitor International estimates India’s cigarette market was worth $9bn in 2014. Leading players include ITC Ltd , VST Industries and Godfrey Phillips India Ltd, a partner of US-based

Philip Morris International.

ITC did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment, while officials of Godfrey Phillips and VST were not reachable.

The Canadian Cancer Society ranks India 136th out of 198 countries that use warnings to deter smokers, lagging nations such as Australia and Thailand that top the list.

The lawmakers’ report would send an undesirable signal, said one official of an anti-tobacco alliance.

“It will be a very unfortunate reflection on commitment to health by people involved in policy making,” said Shailesh Vaite of the Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control, which groups more than 350 global organisations.

Industry lobby the Tobacco Institute of India (TII) has called the new rules drastic and unreasonable, saying they will hit farmers’ incomes and fuel consumption of smuggled cigarettes that do not follow packaging norms.

TII declined to comment on the parliamentary panel report as it has yet to be published. l

Report claims France awarded top honour to Saudi prince at his request n AFP, Paris The awarding of France’s top honour to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, which sparked a storm of criticism, was done at the royal’s request, a French magazine reported this week.

Causette, a monthly women’s magazine, published an exchange of emails between French diplomats ahead of the awarding of the Legion d’Honneur on March 7.

President Francois Hollande awarded the honour to Prince Mohammed, who is also Saudi interior minister, during a visit to the Gulf nation.

Saudi Arabia is regularly criticised by international watchdogs for human rights violations and there was harsh criticism of Nayef’s award on social media, particularly over its use of the death penalty, with people using the hashtag “#honte” (#shame) on Twitter.

According to one of the emails published by the magazine, Prince Mohammed requested the award “at a time in which he seeks to boost his international stature.”

“I know some are raising questions about honouring the

Legion d’Honneur medal WIKIMEDIA prince... certainly the kingdom does not have a good reputation,” reads the email attributed to France’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, addressed to advisors in the presidency and foreign ministry.

“No reason not to do it: It must be discreet concerning the media, without covering it up,” said the foreign ministry’s North Africa/ Middle East director.

He said that if questioned why the award should be given, the

DT

World

government “should respond ‘(for the) fight against Dae’sh and economic partnership’. Of course, let’s add, for good measure, elements about human rights.”

The decision to go ahead with the Legion d’Honneur was taken hours later when Hollande gave the green light, other emails showed. The award was given just two days later.

France did not initially announce the news, which was first revealed by Saudi press agency SPA. Jean-Marc Ayrault, the newly appointed foreign minister, told France Inter radio in the wake of the controversy that it was “a diplomatic tradition -- and I could tell you about many Legions d’Honneur that have been given”.

France has close ties to Saudi Arabia, has sold billions of euros worth of weapons to Riyadh, and sees the kingdom as crucial to intelligence sharing about jihadist groups.

But critics point out that Saudi Arabia has spent decades funding the spread of its hardline Wahhabist teachings across the world, which is widely seen as underpinning the very jihadist threat that France is trying to defeat. l

SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan parliament passes law against child sexual abuse Pakistan’s Senate on Friday passed a bill that criminalises for the first time sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking. The amendment to the penal code also raises the age of criminal responsibility from 7 to 10 years of age.

-AFP

INDIA

Hindustan Unilever settles mercury poisoning claims with workers Hindustan Unilever has reached a settlement with hundreds of former employees 15 years after its Tamil Nadu thermometer plant was shut following accusations of mercury contamination. The company agreed to provide payments to 591 former workers and their families. A workers’ group says mercury poisoning killed 45 workers and 18 family members over a period of 33 years.

-AP

CHINA

China angered as US approves frigate sale to Taiwan China expressed anger on Friday after the US State Department had authorised the sale of two surplus US Navy frigates to Taiwan for $190m.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China had lodged a protest with the US. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said the sale was part of a deal reached last year. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Philippines rejects talks with militants for release of captives The Philippines will not negotiate with militants demanding ransom within a month for the release of three foreign men and a Filipino woman kidnapped from a beach resort nearly six months ago, a military spokesman said. Army units pursuing the band of al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants, who are holding the two Canadians, a Norwegian and the Filipino woman, are closing in on them.

They are believed to be held in the jungle on Jolo island.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Ahmed Aboul Gheit new Arab League chief The Arab League chose former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Thursday as its new secretary-general. Gheit served as Egypt’s foreign minister during the final 7 years of Hosni Mubarak’s rule, leaving his post in 2011, following the mass protests. He will replace Nabil El-Araby, who served as Egypt’s foreign minister under a transitional government formed after the 2011 uprising.

-REUTERS

DT

24

World

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

USA

Carson endorses Trump

Former rival Ben Carson backed Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Friday, becoming the second former presidential candidate to support the billionaire businessman in the race for the White House. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who dropped out of the race on March 4, follows New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who also backed Trump after dropping out. -REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Brazil prosecutors seek ex-president Lula’s arrest Brazilian prosecutors requested the arrest of powerful former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Thursday in a money laundering case. A day after charging the once wildly popular Lula, Sao Paulo state prosecutors asked that he be placed in preventive custody. It is now up to a Sao Paulo judge to decide whether to accept the charges, which Lula denies, and whether to jail him pending trial.

-AFP

UK

Blair hopes UK will vote against Brexit Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Friday he felt voters would opt to stay in the European Union in a June 23 referendum but called on the “in” campaign to show more passion.

Blair, who was PM from 1997 to 2007, said he was concerned about the result of the referendum and cautioned Britain would face years of uncertainty if it left the bloc. -AFP

EUROPE

EU mulls returning some VAT-setting powers to states The EU might hand back powers to cut some VAT sales tax rates, according to a draft plan. The draft underlined that Britain would retain its right to apply a zero rate of VAT, an entitlement that it shares with other older member states.

The document also says states might be given the power over what is taxed at reduced rates.

That is now set up to a minimum of 5% .

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Angola’s president to quit office after 36 years Angola’s powerful veteran President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Africa’s second-longest serving leader after 36 years at the helm, on Friday said he would leave politics in 2018, after his current mandate ends. The 73-year-old has been in office just one month less than Africa’s record-holder, Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema. The Angolan leader’s tenure ends in late 2017.

-AFP

Obama hits out at Cameron, Sarkozy over Libya intervention n AFP, Washington, DC In a rare public rebuke of two of Washington’s closest allies, President Barack Obama has hit out at British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of the Gaddafi regime.

Cameron became “distracted” and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 Nato-led military intervention in Libya, Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine published Thursday.

British daily The Independent on Friday slammed Obama’s comments as “an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US president,” while The Times called the criticism “extraordinary.”

In the extensive interview, Obama discussed the conditions surrounding the British and French-led bombing campaign that led to the fall of Moammeer Gadhafi’s regime.

Obama said when he considered what went wrong in Libya, “there’s room for criticism because I had more faith in the Eu-

US President Barack Obama, centre, is seen having an informal conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left (behind), former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, left (front), and British Prime Minister David Cameron on the sidelines of G20 Summit on November 3, 2011 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ropeans, given Libya’s proximity, being invested in the follow-up.”

Cameron stopped paying attention soon after the military operation, he said, becoming “distracted by a range of other things.”

Despite the criticism, a US National Security Council spokesman insisted that Cameron remained a “close partner” of Obama’s.

“Prime Minister Cameron has been as close a partner as the president has had, and we deeply value the UK’s contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives which reflect our special and essential

relationship,” Edward Price told British media.

“With respect to Libya, the president has long said that all of us -- including the United States -could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention.”

US ambassador to Britain Matthew Barzun also tweeted that relations between the two countries remained “special,” a term that Britain has been desperate to re-emphasize since Winston Churchill coined it 70 years ago.

Uk plays it down

since Gaddafi’s downfall, Libya

has descended into near-anarchy, ruled by rival militias vying for power while Dae’sh group has gained influence in the country.

A spokesman for Cameron said: “We agree that there are still many difficult challenges in Libya.

The spokesman said Britain supported peace efforts in Libya, “but ultimately a positive outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community.

A British government spokeswoman later stressed there was “a regular dialogue between the White House and the prime minister,” that the relationship remained “special and central” and that it would take lessons from the criticisms.

Obama was also critical of France, saying Sarkozy during the bombing campaign wanted to “trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defenses and essentially set up the entire infrastructure” for the operation.

Britain joined France in bombing Libya to help rebels fighting Gadhafi. l

INSIGHT

Trump’s positions on trade, alliances could roil Asia ties n Tribune Desk China is ripping off America in trade and should be slapped with a fat import tax.

US military allies Japan and South Korea are freeloading and need to pull their weight. The pan-Pacific trade pact negotiated by the Obama administration is a “total disaster.”

With characteristic brashness, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has staked out uncompromising positions on Asia policy that could potentially roil US relations with the region if he won the White House.

That’s already prompted some sharp commentary from usually friendly countries in Asia, and expressions of contempt from Republican foreign policy hands who have vowed to oppose Trump.

Presidential hopefuls of both parties typically talk tough on China because of America’s yawning trade deficit and the migration of US manufacturing jobs to countries with cheaper labour. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee who lost the 2012 election, had vowed to declare China a currency manipulator on

Donald Trump

REUTERS

day one in office.

Trump is making the same threat, but also proposing a 45% tariff on Chinese imports into the US. He has also accused India and Vietnam, which have pulled closer to the US as China’s might has grown, of taking American jobs.

And Trump is questioning what the US gets out of its decades-old security alliances with Japan and South Korea, which host 80,000 US forces — the backbone of the US military presence in Asia.

“If somebody attacks Japan, we have to immediately go and start World War III, okay? If we get attacked, Japan doesn’t have to help us. Somehow, that doesn’t sound so fair,” Trump said on the stump in South Carolina December 30.

Trump also asserts that Japan and South Korea should pay for US military protection, but overlooks

that they already pay about half the cost of stationing US forces on their soil.

In Washington, more than 70 Republican national security experts have signed an open letter condemning Trump, saying his insistence on close allies like Japan paying vast sums for protection, “is the sentiment of a racketeer, not the leader of alliances that have served us so well since World War II.” Asian commentators have responded to Trump’s rise with a combination of puzzlement and anxiety.

“US politics is in disarray,” lamented the Nikkei newspaper in an editorial after Trump took an important step toward clinching the Republican nomination to contest the November election when he won seven states in “Super Tuesday” primaries. “Japan has taken for granted US leadership in international politics. How are we supposed to face this situation?” it asked.

A commentary in South Korea’s Dong-a-Ilbo newspaper said Seoul needs to start preparing for the possibility of a Trump presidency, which could kick the US economy back into a recession by employing protectionist trade policies.

Trump opposes the TPP that he

says would ultimately benefit China, although it is not among the 12 nations currently taking part.

In a Republican debate last week he called the agreement “a total disaster,” primarily because it doesn’t address currency manipulation. He blames undervalued currencies for trade imbalances with Japan, China and other countries.

Trump says that the sheer volume of US-China trade gives Washington leverage over Beijing, although he exaggerates the size of imbalance. For years China was widely regarded as having undervalued its currency to help its exporters, but the yuan appreciated significantly against the dollar after 2010. Market forces appear to have played a greater role in a more recent depreciation in its value.

But while he slams China’s commercial practices and resolves to boost the US military presence in the disputed East and South China Seas to check Chinese “adventurism,” Trump gives back-handed compliments to Beijing’s leaders as being smarter than Washington’s. He has likened them to Super Bowl winners competing against a high school football team. l

DT

Sport 25

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

INSIDE

Sunny to miss Oman tie, Taskin available Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny will head to Chennai today to undergo a test on his suspect bowling action. He will thus miss the Tigers' third first-round game of the 2016 World Twenty20 against Oman in Dharamsala tomorrow. PAGE 26

BD v IRE BANGLADESH (12 OVERS) R Tamim Iqbal c Porterfield b Dockrell47 Soumya stNJ O’Brien b McBrine 20 Sabbir Rahman not out 13 Shakib Al Hasan not out 0 Extras (b 1, lb 9, w 4) 14

Tributes flow at Martin Crowe funeral Cricketing greats honoured Martin Crowe at an emotional funeral for New Zealand’s greatest batsman yesterday, with his cousin, Hollywood star Russell Crowe, acting as a pallbearer. About 1,000 mourners packed Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. PAGE 27

It’s payback time, Klopp tells fans Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Thursday was payback for the fans, manager Juergen Klopp said after his side produced a commanding display to down their fiercest rivals in the Europa League. Klopp’s team ran out comfortable winners. PAGE 28

Pele to auction off WC winner’s medals Brazilian legend Pele is to auction off more than 2,000 items of memorabilia charting his dazzling football career including his three World Cup medals and the ball used when he scored his 1,000th goal, it was announced Thursday. PAGE 29

Total (2 wickets; 8 overs)

B 26 13 9 0

94

Fall of wickets 1-61, 2-94

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal smacks a six during their match against Ireland in the ICC World Twenty20 2016 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium in Dharamsala yesterday AP

We were playing for Taskin, Sunny: Mashrafe Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Dharamsala The Bangladesh camp was rocked after the bowling actions of paceman Taskin Ahmed and left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny came under the watch of the International Cricket Council. The Tigers believe their two attacking bowlers are absolutely fine and that the outcome of both their tests in Chennai will turn out to be positive.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza following the rain-abandoned game against Ireland in Dharamsala yesterday said the team are fully supportive of the two bowlers in question and that they had gone down to play the game against the Irish in support of the duo.

“It is a bad time for the team and also the two bowlers. Now that they have come under the radar they will have to go through a process. But the characters that both Taskin and Sunny are, we know very well that they won’t lose their nerve and fight the situation out. Only thing we can do

is support them. And we went to the middle [yesterday] dedicating the game to the two bowlers.

They have been precious to Bangladesh cricket and I hope will be back soon to serve the nation,” Masharafe informed the media after the game was called off.

Bangladesh made a flying start to the rain-curtailed 12-over game after they were asked to bat first.

Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, alongside usual suspect Soumya Sarkar, posted 61 runs in 4.4 overs before the latter departed.

Tamim made a quickfire 26ball 47 with the help of three boundaries and four sixes.

Mashrafe said Tamim can be an inspiration to the other Bangladesh batsmen who are struggling to contribute. The off-form batsmen include the likes of Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim.

“Tamim has been sensational in the last two matches and did exactly what was needed by the team. I wanted the game to happen and win it despite the fact that we still need to win the next game (against Oman) to qualify for next

stage of the tournament. But I think we got a good batting practice [yesterday] and hope to carry that on to the next game which is important for us,” said Mashrafe.

As things stand, Bangladesh’s third and final qualifier against Oman, scheduled for tomorrow, is a do-or-die one. Both the sides are jointly placed at the top of Group A with three points each.

The winning team will move to the next round where hosts India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand lie in wait.

The rain in Dharamsala however, can intervene in that game too. Rain abandoning the Bangladesh-Oman game will yet again see a split in points, bringing the net run rate into effect. It is Bangladesh who will benefit the most as they have a net run rate of +0.400, ahead of Oman’s +0.283.

“We have seen them (Oman) play against Ireland. What we believe is that we will need to give our best against them to win the game and there is no way we will take chances against them,” hoped Mashrafe.l

Bowling Murtagh 2-0-16-0, Rankin 1-0-11-0, KJ O’Brien 1-0-19-0, McBrine 2-0-20-1, Dockrell 2-0-18-1 Result: Match Abondoned

WHAT HE SAID

PORTERFIELD Captain, Ireland

This (World Twenty20 experience) has been the bugbear for a while. That is why the ICC has the tournament in two phases because they will lose a lot of revenue if one of the top nations go out to any of us in the early rounds. It doesn’t happen in any other sport. Every sport grows. Football has increased the number of teams for the 2022 world cup. Rugby has done the same. They are looking to progress their games.

It is a shame that the ICC at the top level insist on cutting teams.

It has fallen on deaf ears a lot of time. It is frustrating from our point of view. We will keep fighting. We have got good performances on the pitch. We come to every big event. Not just big events, we have got four big games this year. Two against Sri Lanka and two against Pakistan at home. Those are the games we have to win especially on home soil to put more pressure on them to get even more fixtures. l

DT

26

Sport

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Sunny to sit out Oman tie, Taskin available n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Dharamsala

Indian groundstaff cover the wicket as rain falls ahead of the World T20 qualifying match between Oman and the Netherlands at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium in Dharamsala yesterday. The match was later called off, forcing the Dutch out of the tournament AFP

We will beat Bangladesh, says Oman captain Uddin n Mazhar from Dharamsala All of a sudden, things are going in favour of Associates Oman in

TODAY'S MATCHES Group B 3:30PM, 9th Match

Zimbabwe v Afghanistan 8:00PM, 10th Match

Scotland v Hong Kong Maasranga TV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1

the ongoing 2016 World Twenty20 first round. Following a memorable two-wicket win over giantkillers Ireland last Wednesday, they shared the points with the Netherlands as heavy rainfall forced off their clash in Dharamsala yesterday.

The fate of Group A now depends on the Bangladesh-Oman game, scheduled for tomorrow. In all likelihood, the tie will decide which side go through to the main round where hosts India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand lie in wait.

And ahead of their all-important clash, Oman captain Sultan Ahmed, the oldest skipper in the

sixth edition, informed the media that his side will play for a win against the Tigers.

Oman attained the status of Associates only last year and this is the very first time they will be up against a Full Member side.

“Yes, definitely excited, but we are very confident to give our best and, God willing, we will beat Bangladesh. Yes, definitely, we played some good cricket against Ireland. We also had the opportunity to play a series against Hong Kong [recently] and we beat them 3-2. I think we are very confident because the circumstances and the atmosphere are in favour of us,”

said Sultan in the post-match press conference yesterday.

The 38-year old said there is no fixed salary structure in place in Oman cricket so events like the World T20 is a golden opportunity for them to prove that they belong. Sultan though urged for more games in future so that they can improve themselves and challenge the bigger sides more often.

“Definitely there should be more cricket played and if we can play more matches in different formats, the popularity of cricket in Oman will increase and many more will be eager to play this game back home,” he added. l

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny will head to Chennai today to undergo a test on his suspect bowling action. He will thus miss the third first-round game of the 2016 World Twenty20 against Oman in Dharamsala tomorrow.

Another Bangladesh cricketer whose bowling action was also called into question, right-arm paceman Taskin Ahmed will be available for the Oman game and will only travel to Chennai following the completion of the first round.

Bangladesh Cricket Board’s cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan confirmed the news to the media yesterday.

Explaining the separate travel plans for the two cricketers, Akram said, “Taskin was supposed to play the game (yesterday against Ireland) so travelling the day after will be tough given that he is a pacer.

At the same time, we plan to make him play in our third game (against Oman). That is why we have decided to make him travel (this Monday),” said Akram.

Sunny, on the other hand, is scheduled to reach Chennai today and get the action test done at an ICC-accredited laboratory under the supervision of technical experts. Following the test, Sunny is scheduled to join the Bangladesh team in Delhi this Monday.

Sunny and Taskin were reported for suspect bowling actions during their first-round opener against the Netherlands last Wednesday. The two Bangladesh bowlers are however, free to continue bowling in international cricket until the results of testing are known.l

Dharamsala counting losses of India-Pakistan cancellation Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Dharamsala Ever since the inauguration of the Dharamsala International Cricket Stadium in 2005, the locals here have been receiving extra source of income generated from cricket.

The locals soon got the taste of higher revenue generation when Dharamsala hosted its first international game in 2013, an ODI between hosts India and England.

Before the 2016 World Twenty20 got underway, Dharamsala had hosted only three international matches. So without a shadow of a doubt, holding the World T20 this year has added a feather to the crown of the residents of the picturesque city.

The high-voltage India-Pakistan Group 2 encounter was scheduled to take place in Dharamsala and this particular fixture captured the imagination of the entire population, estimated to be around 50,000. The blockbuster game was expected to bring in a good number of tourists and people involved with the game, giving a positive thrust to business.

But, all their hopes were shattered as the biggest game of the tournament was shifted to Eden Gardens in Kolkata last Thursday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had raised security concerns regarding touring the hilly venue ever since the Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh said, and later reiterated, that the people of Himachal

did not want the game to be held in this state. The CM had also said he would not ask the police to “lathi-charge” family members of the martyrs who had threatened to protest against the match in Dharamsala.

TOUR DIARY The protesters were planning to show their disapproval towards the terrorist attack in the Pathankot air force station, located some 78 kilometres from Dharamsala. The attack on January 6 this year had killed a civilian and seven security personnel and injured another 20 who belonged to places in and around Dharamsala.

The concerned authorities put the

blame on Pakistan for the sudden attack on civilians.

Not surprisingly, the unfortunate decision of the International Cricket Council has upset the locals. They have been denied of a big cricket match that would have turned the small city jubilant and helped the locals earn some good money, let it be people working in a hotel, a restaurant or even a taxi cab driver.

Harjit Kaur is in his 70s now. Over the years he has worked hard to establish an electronics shop. A Lion Club member and also an associate to the Dalai Lama, Harjit is totally against mixing human emotions with a cricket match.

“I have all my sympathies for those who lost their family during the attack

but it makes no sense not to allow the game. It was a big occasion to bring in a good crowd to this place. The game would not have only introduced Dharamsala to the world but also would have done good to the people here (business-wise),” Harjit explained his theory.

Prakash, who drives a tourist van, was equally upset. “I don’t earn much to run my family but the India-Pakistan game would have done wonders to me.

I had expected to earn nearly a month’s income in those three-four days,” said Prakash.

The change of venue for the game has equally affected the hotels and guest-houses. A large number of bookings for rooms are now being cancelled. l

27

DT

Sport

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

WT20 BYTES India convince Pakistan to send team for World T20 The Pakistan government cleared the national cricket team’s participation in the World Twenty20 yesterday after hosts India addressed concerns about the safety and security of their players. The much-anticipated March 19 clash between the neighbours had earlier been shifted to Kolkata following Pakistan’s security concerns over the original venue Dharamsala. Pakistan had said its men’s and women’s teams would travel to India only after New Delhi gave a public guarantee on the safety of its players. Outside of international tournaments, cricket matches between the two countries have been suspended since gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai in a three-day rampage in 2008, which India blames on a Pakistani militant group.

–REUTERS

Batting power gives Aussies a chance The World Twenty20 is the one major international cricketing prize to have eluded Australia but with the batting firepower in their ranks, they cannot be ruled out as contenders to grasp it at the sixth attempt. With David Warner, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja and skipper Steve Smith all able to take the game away from their opponents on any given day, the 50-over world champions have every reason for confidence heading to India. The big question mark over their challenge is the fact that their batsmen have rarely thrived on the spin-friendly pitches of South Asia, where teams will use three, and sometimes four, slow bowlers against them.

–REUTERS

Windies still a strong Twenty20 threat Despite off-field rows and a steep decline at Test level, West Indies have remained competitive in the shortest format of the game and will enter the World Twenty20 with genuine hopes of going all the way.

Led by captain Darren Sammy, masterblaster batsman Chris Gayle and all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, the Caribbean team have been drawn in Group One for the Super 10 stage, along with England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and a qualifier. The 2012 World Twenty20 champions are currently ranked second in the world behind hosts India, far above their lowly test ranking of eighth.

–REUTERS

A traditional Maori dance is performed as a hearse carrying Martin Crowe leaves Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland, New Zealand yesterday. Former New Zealand cricket captain Crowe died March 3 after a long battle with cancer AP

Tributes flow at emotional Crowe funeral n AFP, Auckland Cricketing greats honoured Martin Crowe at an emotional funeral for New Zealand’s greatest batsman yesterday, with his cousin, Hollywood star Russell Crowe, acting as a pallbearer.

About 1,000 mourners packed Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral to remember Crowe, who died on March 4 aged 53 after a long battle with cancer. The batsman’s brother Jeff, himself a former Black Caps captain, said the family had been touched by the outpouring of grief from across the cricketing world.

He was in Bangladesh on umpir-

ing duties when Martin died and said there were heartfelt tributes from many involved in the game, including “a new Indian cricket generation”.

“It had never really dawned on me... what a huge splash he made, what a true inspiration he was,” Crowe senior told the service.

“Wasim Akram reminded me just the other day that Martin was the greatest batsman he ever bowled to - no higher praise than that,” he added.

Former team-mates shared memories of a player who averaged 45.36 despite being plagued by injury in his 77-Test career, hitting

17 centuries - still a New Zealand record. Ex-Black Caps wicketkeeper Ian Smith read out a message from Australian great Allan Border, Crowe’s fierce rival who became a close friend.

“Cricket has lost one of its iconic players. He will be fondly remembered, greatly missed but never forgotten, a true champion,” Border said.

Smith said Crowe’s cricketing brain was unsurpassed, describing him as years ahead of his time in devising a shortened form of the game that paved the way for Twenty20. He also shared lighter memories, such as Crowe imitat-

South Africa squad is well balanced, says captain Du Plessis n Reuters, Mumbai South Africa have their best balanced squad ever going into the World Twenty20 and captain Faf du Plessis is confident they can finally put an end to the "chokers" tag that has dogged the country in major tournaments.

South Africa have arrived at the sixth edition of the World Twenty20 in a rich vein of form, winning nine of their last 12 completed matches and with a settled line-up.

They notched up series victories in Bangladesh and, crucially, India before losing 2-1 at home to Australia.

“In the series against Australia, we tried to make sure that every area was covered and that is why the team changed a little bit every game,” Du Plessis told reporters yesterday.

“So as a captain I don’t feel worried, I feel that we have got a well balanced team.

“I feel that it is the probably the most balanced squad we have had, and it is not the eleven that is playing, we have got some real depth in our squad.”

South Africa have great strength at the top of their batting order with both Hashim Amla and Quin-

ton de Kock having staked their claims to be the opening partner for AB de Villiers.

The middle order is studded with powerful strokemakers while fit-again Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada provide pace and control in the fast bowling department.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir has been a key wicket-taker in the 20over format and is seen as South Africa’s trump card on the slow spinning wickets in India.

“If you look at guys like Hashim Amla in the previous game, and two games Hashim was not playing, Dale Steyn is just back,” said Du Plessis.

“So we have got some great names in our squad and guys are competing to get into the eleven.

Like I said for the first time we have got a real great balance and every single area is covered.”l

ing opponents’ techniques during rain delays in the dressing room and forcing team-mates to repeatedly watch films featuring his Oscar-winning cousin.

Jeff said cousins Martin and Russell had shared a friendly rivalry as they both embarked upon stellar careers in their chosen fields.

“I do remember a wager they had on who would be the most famous,” he said. “Russ, today only, I think Martin might be in front.”

Smith said he saw Crowe in recent months “as things were shutting down” due to the cancer that was first diagnosed in October 2012 and then returned in September 2014.l

Army, Navy, Air Force, BKSP in hockey semis n Tribune Report Three services teams – Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force – and BKSP swept into the semi-finals of the Anjan’s Independence Day Hockey yesterday. Army will face Air Force in the first semi-final today while Navy take on BKSP in the day’s other last-four clash. In their last match of the group stage yesterday, Army earned a hard-fought 7-6 win over BKSP. Despite the loss, BKSP’s Ashraful Islam was the star of the match as he scored five of the six goals. Milon Hossain bagged two goals for Army while Sirajul, Malek, Ripon, Shohag and Sabbir added one apiece. In the day’s other game, Navy registered a comfortable 5-2 victory over Air Force. National forward Krishna Kumar netted three goals while Koushik and Romman notched one each. l

DT

28

Sport

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

RESULTS 3-1

Anderlecht

Taison 21, Kucher 24, Eduardo 79

Acheampong 68

Donetsk

Basel

0-0

Sevilla

Dortmund

3-0

Tottenham

1-0

Braga

2-0

Leverkusen

1-0

Valencia

2-0

Man United

Aubameyang 30, Reus 61, 70

Fenerbahce Mehmet Topal 82

Villarreal Bakambu 4, 56

Athletic Bilbao Raul Garcia 20

Liverpool Sturridge 20-P, Firmino 73

Sparta Prague

1-1

Frydek 13

Lazio Parolo 38

MATCH STATS Dortmund

Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino (2R) shoots to score against Man United during their Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match at Anfield on Thursday

It’s payback time, Klopp tells fans n Reuters, London Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Thursday was payback for the fans, manager Juergen Klopp said after his side produced a commanding display to down their fiercest rivals in the Europa League.

Klopp’s team ran out comfortable winners in the first leg of their last-16 clash at Anfield and would have inflicted a more embarrassing defeat on United but for a string of brilliant saves from David De Gea. In a simmering atmosphere, the hosts took a stranglehold on the tie with an authoritative performance that was, according to their German coach, like watching the dominant Liverpool sides of old.

The show, he said, was a reward for supporters who had endured inconsistency since Klopp took charge in October.l

66 17 5 7 5 1 9 1 0/0 0 11 629 582

REUTERS

EUROPA LEAGUE LAST-16, FIRST LEG TALKING POINTS De Gea keeps United alive

Liverpool will be delighted to have beaten old rivals Manchester United 2-0 in Thursday’s opening leg, but the Reds are far from safe yet – largely due to the heroics of United goalkeeper David de Gea. The Spanish international made a string of saves, most thrillingly from Coutinho in the second half, to give his side a fighting chance next week.

Villarreal’s strong foundations

This was the Spanish side’s fifth win out of five at home in the Europa League this season, and their fifth clean sheet. Only Atlético have a better defensive record in Spain and it does not seem to matter who Marcelino selects – only Víctor Ruiz is ever-present at the back in Europe this season – the wall of yellow stands firm. Leverkusen could not put them out of shape. Scoring two next week will be a tall order.

How good is Marco Reus?

Marco Reus’s two goals in Dortmund’s 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur have left Thomas Tuchel’s side with one foot in the quarter-finals. Both strikes showcased the 26-year-old’s excellent technique; arriving at the back post, the Germany international hammered an unstoppable volley past Hugo Lloris for his first, before rounding off a free-flowing team move with a half-volleyed finish for number two.

Alex who?

January’s loss of Alex Teixeira (scorer of 25 goals in the first half of the campaign) to China was expected to severely blunt Shakhtar Donetsk’s strike force – it seems to have had the opposite effect. Five games into 2016 and the Pitmen have already managed 13 goals, shared between eight different players.

Three in a row on for Sevilla

Sevilla ended up looking very comfortable at Basel, despite having lost all four of their European away games this season – a 0-0 draw taking them a step closer to an unprecedented third successive triumph. Basel, though, should not be underestimated in next week’s rematch; they have lost just once in six away fixtures in Europe in 2015/16, and have scored in all of those matches.

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

Ans: Sri Lanka India Australia Q2: Which venue will host the 2016 T20 World Cup final?

Ans: Kolkata Mumbai Dharamsala

Underwhelming in Serie A and out of the Italian Cup, Stefano Pioli’s Lazio have attracted the wrong kind of attention, rumblings in the Italian media suggesting defeat at Sparta Praha might have led to sweeping changes. The Biancocelesti showed a good deal of class to come from behind and earn a draw against a side on a four-game winning streak in this competition. 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

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

Name...................................................................................................

Father's Name.....................................................................................

Address...............................................................................................

Phone/Cell...........................................................Age.........................

Dhaka Tribune, F.R.Tower, 8/C, Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka – 1207.

Possession (%) Total attempts on target off target blocked against woodwork Corners Offsides Yellow/Red Red Cards Fouls committed Passes completed

Liverpool

Lazio still a class act

v

Tottenham

60 13 8 2 3 7 2 3/0 14 15 440 407

34 3 2 0 1 0 4 1 2/0 0 13 320 287 Man United

Possession (%) Total attempts on target off target blocked Corners Offsides Yellow/Red Fouls committed Fouls suffered Passes completed

: Walton Refrigerator (11.5 CFT) 01pcs : Walton LED Television 24” 01pcs : Walton Microwave Oven 01pcs : Walton Blender 03pcs : Walton Rice Cooker 05pcs

40 5 1 4 0 0 3 3/0 16 12 321 293

29

DT

Sport

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Bouchard’s comeback gathers steam

Newcastle sack McClaren as boss n Reuters, London Steve McClaren was sacked as Newcastle United manager yesterday with the club facing relegation from the Premier League with 10 matches of the season left.

“After the defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday the Club has spent some time considering its position and today concluded that Steve McClaren’s employment with the Club will end with immediate effect,” Newcastle said in a statement.l

n AFP, Indian Wells

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 ICC World T20 2016: Qualifiers 3:30 PM Zimbabwe v Afghanistan 8:00 PM Scotland v Hong Kong

FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS HD 4 6:35 PM Norwich City v Manchester City 8:50 PM AFC Bournemouth v Swansea City 11:15 PM Bundesliga Bayern Munich v Werder Bremen

TEN SPORTS 9:00 PM Sky Bet Championship Huddersfield Town v Burnley

TEN HD 2:30 PM A-League 2015/16 Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory 12:50 AM Montpellier v Nice

TEN ACTION 9:50 PM French Ligue 1 Lorient v Olympique De Marseille

SONY SIX 11:20 PM FA Cup Quarter Final Everton v Chelsea 1:40 AM Serie A TIM Inter Milan v Bologna

SONY ESPN 9:00 PM Liga Bbva FC Barcelona v Getafe 11:30 PM Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad 1:30 AM Atletico Madrid v Deportivo

TENNIS SONY ESPN 3:30 AM ATP 1000 Masters BNP Paribas Open Day 3

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in action in her match against Risa Ozaki of Japan during day four of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California on Thursday AFP

Eugenie Bouchard took another step in her comeback by rallying for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over qualifier Risa Ozaki in the opening round at Indian Wells on Thursday.

The 22-year-old Canadian, who had a breakout year in 2014 when she reached world No. 5, is fresh off a run to the final of the Malaysian Open on Sunday where she lost to Elina Svitolina 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 7-5.

This was the first career meeting between Bouchard and Ozaki, who won two qualifying matches to get into the main draw. Ozaki proved to be a difficult opponent mixing up her shots and making very few mistakes in the early stages of the match.

“I felt out of sorts,” said Bouchard, adding she was fatigued from her hectic travel schedule. “I felt more emotional than usual. It was one of those days where I felt weird and off on the court.

“I just told myself ‘I love playing tennis I got to keep trying. If I lose I want to go down the right way,

Barca seek to continue record run n AFP, Madrid

A well-rested Barcelona look to take another step closer to the Spanish title when struggling Getafe visit the Camp Nou today looking like cannon fodder for the rampant European champions.

Barca haven’t lost in a Spanish record 36 games to open up an eight-point lead over Atletico Madrid in the title race with just 10 games remaining.

Moreover, Luis Enrique’s men have combined that run with a gruelling schedule and will start today having enjoyed their first

free midweek since December.

Barca will therefore be close to full strength with Neymar returning after he made the most of his suspension for last weekend’s 4-0

LA LIGA Barcelona Celta Vigo Atletico Madrid Rayo Vallecano

v v v v

Getafe Real Sociedad Deportivo Eibar

win at Eibar to return home to Brazil to celebrate his sister’s birthday.

Javier Mascherano is banned so Jeremy Mathieu or Thomas Ver-

maelen should be handed a rare start in central defence, while Luis Enrique could make a few more changes with the second leg of his side’s Champions League last-16 tie with Arsenal in mind despite holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg.

“We are aware that we could do another treble,” Barca midfielder Sergi Roberto told the club’s website.

“We are in the final of the Cup, there are 10 games to go in the league and, although the Champions League is very difficult, we will try to win it again. We hope the season finishes in the best way possible.”l

Pele to auction off WC winner’s medals n AFP, Los Angeles Brazilian legend Pele is to auction off more than 2,000 items of memorabilia charting his dazzling football career including his three World Cup medals and the ball used when he scored his 1,000th goal, it was announced Thursday.

Beverly Hills-based auction house Julien’s said in a statement the 75-year-old icon - widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of the sport - would donate a portion of the proceeds to a chil-

dren’s hospital in Brazil.

The collection will go under the hammer during a three-day auction in London from June 7-9, Julien’s said, and will include items spanning the entirety of Pele’s 21year playing career.

Among the highlights are a copy of the Jules Rimet Trophy which is expected to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000 and Pele’s winner’s medals from the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cup finals which are estimated at between $100,000 and $200,000.l

playing my game.’ At least it went the right way.”

Bouchard made the quarter-finals of the Australian Open last year but then saw her game go sideways. Heading into Indian Wells this year she was ranked 42nd in the world. She suffered a concussion at the 2015 US Open after she slipped in the locker room and hit her head, causing her to withdraw from the Grand Slam event.

She is involved in a legal battle with the United States Tennis Association. But Bouchard is now on the road to putting 2015 behind her and getting her game back in order.

The unseeded Montreal-born Bouchard needed almost two hours to win Thursday evening’s match which ended when Ozaki’s backhand sailed long.

Bouchard finished with six aces, two double faults and won 52 percent of her second-serve points.

In the men’s draw, unseeded Juan Martin del Potro marked his return to the desert tournament with a dominating 6-4, 6-0 victory over Tim Smyczek. l

No rest for the wicked as Guardiola feels Dortmund heat n Reuters, Berlin Bayer Munich coach Pep Guardiola is unlikely to rest any key players against Werder Bremen today ahead of next week’s Champions League clash against Juventus, with the Spaniard feeling the pressure from Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

The treble-chasing Bavarians, five points clear of their rivals with nine matches left in the Bundesliga, play the round of 16 second leg against Juventus next week after a 2-2 draw in the first game. But Bayern have managed just one point in their last two league games.

“Every game is a final 7for us now. There is not much space when you play Werder, it is complicated.

They play a five-man defence and in front of that four midfielders.

We will need patience and we can’t allow them any counter-attacks," Guardiola said.l

BUNDESLIGA M'gladbach Hanover 96 Hoffenheim Ingolstadt Darmstadt Bayern Munich

v v v v v v

Frankfurt Cologne Wolfsburg VfB Stuttgart Augsburg Werder Bremen

DT

30

Showtime

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Apeiruss’s stride toward Bollywood

n Showtime Desk Apeiruss, a Dhaka based electronic dance music trio, has recently worked in a song for a Bollywood flick. Last week, the song titled Buddha Sa Mann, from Karan Johar’s Kapoor & Sons, came out on Sony Music India’s YouTube

channel.

Apeiruss composed and programmed the song alongside Indian musician Abhijit Vaghani.

Directed by Shakun Batra, Kapoor & Sons stars Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan and Alia Bhatt. The film is scheduled to come out in theaters on March 18, 2016.

The trio formed three years ago, when Andy realised his passion and knack for composing music was similar to that of his band mates Samee Mahmud and his brother Shafi Mahmud. Since then, they have worked with many local and international artists and has launched their own productions.

Andy reported that Amaal Mallik, music director of Kapoor & Sons, contacted the trio to work on a song nearly two months ago, and they merrily agreed. After working on the song for a month, they handed in their composition, which was released on March 4.

Apart from their Bollywood and

international ventures, Apeiruss is currently working with country’s finest singers including Mehreen and Tahsan Khan in their upcoming albums.

Earlier, Apeiruss had taken on another Bollywood project with Atif Aslam in a single called Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main. l

Francophonie Festival underway

Big news for Honey Singh’s fans

n Showtime Desk

n Showtime Desk

Francophonie Festival 2016 began yesterday in Dhaka and Chittagong amid festivity and celebration.

Every year, one month after Ekushey February, which is the International Mother Language Day, the Francophone community celebrates and promotes worldwide use of French language as well as cultural and linguistic diversity.

In the framework of 2016 edition, the Francophone diplomatic missions in Bangladesh, together with Alliances Françaises, in Dhaka and Chittagong, are organising related activities from March 11 to 20.

Alliance Française de Dhaka has set up a week-long program that includes events such as pétanque competition, national

finale of LabCitoyen (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 organised at Dhaka University, Institute of Modern Languages (IML, auditorium), at 10 am on Wednesday, March 16. The panelists include Ambassadors of the Francophonie countries

and eminent Bangladeshi personalities including Professor Anisuzzaman (Professor Emeritus, Dhaka University), chief guest Professor Dr AA M S Arefin Siddique (vice-chancellor, Dhaka University), special guest Dr JinnatImtiaz Ali (director, of International Mother Language Institute) and so on.

A seminar on “Trade between Bangladesh and Francophonie countries” will take place, under t of three Francophonie Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Canada, France and Switzerland) on Sunday March 20 at 11:00am at Hotel Le Méridien.

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

This news will definitely be “music” to your ears, specially if you are a Honey Singh fan. Honey Singh, who set the music charts on fire, is all has already set to take a plunge as an actor with a Punjabi romantic action film tilted Zorawar. He will play the role of a soldier and will be performing some high-octane action stunts for the first time.

The film’s producer Rajiee Shinde said: “The audience will witness Honey Singh in a never-seen-before avatar for the first time in the film and that he has done a fabulous job as an actor. We hope he will live up to people’s expectations as always and the audiences will enjoy the film as much as we enjoyed making it.” On the other hand, the film’s director Vinnil Markan said: “Zorawar is an intense thriller which has all the ingredients of a commercial entertainment. The hero had to be someone who is larger than life; hence we picked Honey Singh to play the part. He approached the role with great

fervour and focus and has done a stupendous job as though he was truly, a veteran. It has been an amazing experience working with him.”

Readers may recall that, Honey Singh had made his Bollywood debut as an actor with Himesh Reshammiya’s whodunit thriller The Xpose. Zorawar is being produced by PTC Motion Pictures and is scheduled to be released on May 6, 2016. l

Tareque Masud’s works to be celebrated again

31

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Upcoming Bollywood flicks

n Showtime Desk

n Showtime Desk The third edition of the two-day Tareque Masud Festival will begin at 6pm today at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in the capital.

Organised by the Tareque Masud Memorial Trust, the intention of the event is to commemorate the birthday of the late filmmaker, which is on December 6.

To begin with, a seminar on “Hollywood’s perception of the East” will be delivered by Biren Das Sharma, associate professor of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata, India. This will take place at the seminar hall of BSA tomorrow.

The seminar looks into the practice of Western film-makers

stereotyping the East in their films, and how Asians, particularly the Indians, are projected as subservient to caucasians and their culture. Moreover, clips from different European films and reactions of Indian and Asian viewers would be screened following the lecture.

After the seminar, a screening of the top 10 films selected from the third Tareque Masud Film contest submissions will take place at the National Art Gallery. The theme of this year’s contest was “Justice is my right,” and was to be held in observation of Tareque Masud’s birthday as well. However, this year, it could not be arranged on time due to an unavoidable circumstances reported.

The winners are to receive crests, certificates and special

prizes, along with the esteemed Tareque Masud Young Filmmakers Award. The runner-ups will receive special scholarships from the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute.

Tareque Masud, popularly known as the “Cinema Feriwalla,” was a leading Bangladeshi independent filmmaker, film producer, screenwriter and lyricist. Born in 1956, he grew up in Nurpur village of Faridpur and studied for eight years in an Islamic madrasah until the Liberation War interrupted his education.

The great humanitarian and patriot died in a road accident near Ghior upazila on August 13, 2011, while returning to Dhaka from Manikganj on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway from a shooting. l

DT

Showtime

Teraa Suroor 2 March 11, 2016 Himesh Reshammiya, the musician turned filmmaker, is now back with his new film Tera Suroor 2. Himesh has worked hard to maintain a toned, six-pack body for this one. The movie also features Farah Karimi, who stars opposite Himesh in the film. The entire shoot for this film was completed in Dublin, Ireland.

The movie is produced by T-Series and HR Musik, and is all set to release today.

Kapoor and Sons March 18, 2016 Kapoor & Sons is a family drama and is about two brothers from a dysfunctional family, one of them being gay. Breaking news is that the film rolls out over a weekend, where the family goes on a vacation and one of the brothers, the younger one played by Sidharth, will finally reveal his sexuality. It is an unconventional family film, suited for the present day and age. The film also stars Alia

Bhatt, Sidhath Malhotra and Fawad Khan.

Great Grand Masti March 24, 2016 The naughty boys are back!

This time around, the Masti team of Indra Kumar and the flirtatious boys take a flight of stairs, serving no-holds-barred adult humor to patrons. Great Grand Masti will reunite Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani and Vivek Oberoi. Actress Nidhi Subbaiah, is paired opposite Riteish and Sonali Raut, will be performing a special song.

Rocky Handsome March 25, 2016 Rocky Handsome is an official remake of South Korea’s highest grossing film of 2010, The Man From Nowhere. The stylised action-thriller follows the journey of a lone crusader, played by Won Bin, who goes on a murderous rampage against the mafia when the only person he cares for, a seven-year-old girl, is taken from him along with her mother. The film stars John Abraham, Shruti Hassan and many more popular actors. l

WHAT TO WATCH from around the globe, each episode will feature amazing stunts, recorded live without the use of camera tricks or electronic fakery. The new show celebrates the passion and commitment, and in some cases art, that inspires expressions of human potential.

Host: Dean Cain

Mad Max: Fury Road HBO 9:30pm In an apocalyptic world, a tyrant rules over a stark desert, controlling every drop of water.

Two rebels, one escaping grief and the other reaching out to her childhood, are the last hope for a few.

Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize

Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley, Riley Keough Ripley’s Believe It or Not! AXN 8:28pm The classic returns, serving up new tales of the bizarre, the outlandish and the seemingly impossible. In addition to reports

Natural Born Hunters Animal Planet 9:00pm Join Steve Backshall and Barney Harwood commentate on a bat, golden eagle and hammerhead shark as they go head to head in a hunger race. Observe these amazing animals as they use their individual superpowers to catch their prey. The show reveals how the three contenders have one common skill; when it comes to hunting they all use a superpower above and beyond their normal abilities to help them catch their

prey. Observe how the bat has a super voice, the eagle has super eyes and the shark has a super sense in its hammer shaped head.

Narrator: Steve Backshall, Barney Harwood Curvy Brides TLC 10:30pm Sisters Yukia and Yuneisia specialise in dressing curvy brides. Their salon and Curvaceous Couture stock high-fashion designer dresses in sizes that fit the bodies of any women. It’s hard to believe that they built their brand and opened their first store in their father’s basement. On a typical day, Yukia and Yuneisia meet with clients whose shapes vary from apple and pear-shaped to triangle and square. The sisters carry a variety of dresses in the most classic and popular shapes to suit every

body type. In addition to greeting and meeting brides, Yukia and Yuneisia also work with bridal designers’ representatives to choose new gowns for their store.

To make their inventory desirable and unique, the sisters must weigh the latest trends against their budget and clients’ most requested styles.

Cast: Yuneisia Harris, Yukia Walker, Whitney Thompson Built for the Kill Nat Geo Wild 10:30pm Polar bears, talon-charged eagles and wily coyotes are among the predators that hunt and kill during the menacing grip of winter. The series reveals some of the most graceful hunters on land with the blueprint to be lethal killers.

Narrator: Matthew Morgan, Mario Redondo

DT

32

Back Page

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

GAME OF DRONES PAGE 13

CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISKS IN SLUMS PAGE 14

TAREQUE MASUD’S WORKS TO BE CELEBRATED AGAIN PAGE 31

Defiant Sundarbans march advances n Tribune Report

Activists marching towards the Sundarbans from Dhaka demanding that the Rampal coal power plant projects be scrapped were barred by the police in Jessore on the second day of the mass procession yesterday.

The scheduled rally on the Jessore Town Hall premises could not be held yesterday evening due to obstruction, threats and harassment by the law enforcers. Later the rally was held at Palbari intersection on Khulna bypass road.

The leaders of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports have condemned the police action.

“We sought permission from the police five days ago to hold the rally at Town Hall. But they told us on Thursday night that they could not allow us since there is another rally scheduled at the same place,” district unit Member Secretary Mahmud Hassan Bulu said, reports our Jessore correspondent.

Acting superintendent of police KM Ariful Huq claimed that law and order might deteriorate if the protesters were allowed to enter the town. “We did not get clearance of the authorities concerned.

The marchers can use the bypass to move towards Khulna and hold roadside rallies,” he added.

On the other hand, the authorities of Dr Abdur Razzak College also refused to let the marchers stay over on the premises. For this, the demonstrators will stay at different places of the town.

At the Palbari rally, committee Member Secretary Prof Anu Muhammad said: “Had a democratic system prevailed in the country,

the Rampal coal power plant project [1320MW India-Bangladesh joint venture] would have been cancelled much earlier considering the strong public opinion regarding the harmful impacts of the project.

“It is the duty of all citizens to raise voice against the government if it pushes the country and the people to the terrible danger by implementing such kind of anti-national projects.”

He said that the Sundarbans mangrove forest would disappear if the two coal power projects – the joint venture one and another to be built

by Orion Group near the mangrove forest – were implemented. “Moreover, the economy of the country will be affected, the sovereignty of the country will be at stake,” he said.

The mass procession is set to start for Khulna this morning and a rally will be held at Hadis Park in the afternoon. They will hold the concluding rally at Katakhali of Rampal in Bagerhat tomorrow.

Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPCL), a joint venture of PDB and NTPC of India, is developing the 1320MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Project at Rampal which will use imported coal. Besides, local firm Orion Group is building a 566MW power plant in Rampal area.

The government, however, claims that the projects would not harm the Sundarbans as they would use advanced technology to cut emission of hazardous gases including carbon dioxide, fine particles and fly ash, and properly dispose the solid and liquid wastes.

The National Committee started the four-day Dhaka-Rampal march programme on Thursday to press home its seven-point demands.

Prof Anu Muhammad speaks at a rally at Palbari intersection of Jessore after they were barred from holding a scheduled rally in the town yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE 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.

They earlier observed a long march towards Rampal in September 2013, several days before

the prime minister inaugurated construction of the much-debated mega project near the Sundarbans – a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The National Committee has long been opposing the coal plants saying that the projects would pose a major threat on the biodiversity of the forest, life of the water species and livelihood of the people who depend on the forest’s resources.

They also protest the government plan to establish an economic zone, cement factories, shipyards and silo near the power plants.

Our Magura correspondent reports that the activists reached the town via Faridpur around 11:30am. They paraded through the town and later held a rally at MR Road intersection.

The protesters were welcomed by locals in front of Ujor Ali High School of Jhenaidah town in the afternoon. The leaders spoke at a rally held at Paira intersection around 3pm, which was followed by a cultural programme, our correspondent from Jhenaidah said.

Meanwhile, in solidarity with the mass procession, Bangladeshis living in the Netherlands will gather at Dam Square of Amsterdam today.

“We are Bangladeshi people currently living in the Netherlands along with some Dutch and European people who feel responsibility to save the Sundarbans and the mother Earth,” said a press release read by Tanbira Talukder on behalf of the Protest From Netherlands.

Unesco, the Ramsar and other local and international environment experts expressed concerns regarding the projects. A Unesco delegation of experts is likely to visit Bangladesh this month to learn about Dhaka’s initiatives to tackle the environmental impacts of the Rampal coal power plant. l

‘Good’ cholesterol not always good, suggests study n BBC

Some people with high levels of supposedly “good” cholesterol are at much greater risk of heart disease, a study suggests.

A bloodstream tussle takes place between “bad” cholesterol dumping fatty material in the arteries and good cholesterol taking it away.

But a Cambridge University study in the journal Science showed more good cholesterol was not always better. It is thought the findings may help find new ways to protect the heart.

Eating olive oil, fish and nuts raises levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) – which is more commonly known as good cholesterol.

It is one of the things doctors test for when predicting your risk of a heart attack.

However, repeated trials that raise HDL with drugs have flopped, leading doctors to think something else is going on.

Rare mutation

Some insight has come from studying rare mutations that leave people with high levels of good cholesterol.

Trials showed people with a mutation in a gene called SCARB1, which affects one-in-1,700 people, had very high levels of good cholesterol. But they also had an 80% increased risk of heart disease – that is roughly the same increased risk as for smoking.

Further experiments showed the mutation was preventing HDL from dumping the fat it had collected in the liver for processing.

Prof Adam Butterworth, one of the researchers from the University of Cambridge, told the BBC News website: “This is significant because we had always believed that

good cholesterol is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

“This is one of the first studies to show that some people that have high levels of ‘good’ cholesterol actually have a higher risk of heart disease so it challenges our conventional wisdom about whether ‘good’ cholesterol is protecting people from heart disease or not.”

There have been huge efforts put into drugs to raise HDL in the hope they have the same impact as statins, which lower the bad cholesterol.

Prof Butterworth warned that drugs aimed simply at “trying to

raise HDL may not be that useful.”

Prof Peter Weissberg, the medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This is an important study that sheds light on one of the major puzzles relating to cholesterol and heart disease.

“These new findings suggest that the way in which HDL is handled by the body is more important in determining risk of a heart attack than the levels of HDL in the blood.

“Only by understanding the underlying biology that links HDL-C with heart attacks can we develop new treatments to prevent them.” l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com