June 5, 2016

SECOND EDITION

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

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Jyoishtha 22, 1423, Shaban 28, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 43

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

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Muhammad Ali, one of the iconic sporting heroes of the 20th century and three-time heavyweight champion of the world, who said he could “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” died on Friday in Arizona at age 74.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Experts discuss the proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 at a roundtable organised by Bangla Tribune in its office in Dhaka yesterday

RAJIB DHAR

No specific strategies to stop wildlife trafficking in BD n Abu Bakar Siddique Bangladesh government has yet to have a solid set of strategies in place or to take proper actions to stop illegal wildlife trade and trafficking in the country, despite the number of poaching incidents that have come to light in recent years.

In fact, no field-level survey has been conducted on wildlife trade and trafficking, which could give the realistic details regarding the numbers, routes, vulnerable species, vulnerable areas, etc, according to several sources.

Bangladesh, along with the rest of the world, is observing World Environment Day today.

This year’s theme for the day is “Go wild for life: Zero tolerance for the illegal wildlife trade.”

There have been a number of media reports on wildlife trafficking in Bangladesh in recent years, especially the rescue of animals by law enforcers. The most highlighted report was the rescue of three tiger cubs by

Rapid Action Battalion in 2012.

“Wildlife trade and trafficking in and around the country has been in the limelight in the past few years, but no research has been done on this issue, said Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmad, country representative of International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bangladesh.

In addition, the government has yet to take proper action to put a stop to wildlife trafficking in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, he added.

Aiming to protect the wildlife in the Sundarbans – including the infamous Bengal tiger – as well as the plant life and timber, Bangladesh and India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2011 to jointly monitor and take measures to protect the mangrove forest.

“But there has been no significant progress in implementing the MoU,” said Ishtiaq, also a former chief conservator of forest under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

On the occasion of World Envi-

‘Muhith was never minister of any democratic government’ n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The BNP on Saturday harshly criticised the Finance Minister saying the Abul Maal Abdul Muhith could not understand the meaning of “reactionary” as he was never the minister of any democratic government.

“He would not understand the meaning of reactionary because he was the minister of autocratic ruler Ershad and never was minister of any democratic government.

His mindset is yet to be changed,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP senior joint secretary general, said at a

press briefing at party’s Nayapaltan headquarters.

The BNP on Thursday in a post budget immediate reaction said the budget is ‘reactionary’. Finance minister on Friday countered Rizvi’s comment saying progressive meant who were aligned to the left from the centre and those on the right, reactionary.

Rizvi said: “Reactionary means anti-people. Proposed budget did not go in favour of the people as price hiking of bread, flour, agricultural machineries and there was no space for employment. It is called reactionary.” l

ronment Day, the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and Interpol jointly published a report yesterday on the environment-based crimes.

According to the report, the last decade has seen environmental crime rise by at least 5-7% per year around the world.

The value of environmental crime is 26% larger than previous estimates, at $91-258 billion today compared to $70-213 billion in 2014, says the report.

“The Interpol and Unep have joined forces to bring to the attention of the world the sheer scale of environmental crime. The vast sums of money generated from these crimes keep sophisticated international criminal gangs in business and fuel insecurity around the world,” said Unep Executive Director Achim Steiner.

“The result is not only devastating to the environment and local economies, but to all those who are menaced by these criminal enterprises. l

World Environment Day today n Abu Bakar Siddique The 2016 World Environment Day is being observed in Bangladesh today along with the rest of the world with a focus on saving wildlife from illegal trafficking.

This year’s theme for the day is “Go wild for life: Zero tolerance for the illegal wildlife trade.”

The Department of Environment has organised a round table discussion on the issue in observance of the day. The discussion will take place at CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka today.

The United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) is stressing the importance of stopping wildlife poaching to save wildlife this year.

The growing trend of trading wildlife products illegally is directly affecting Earth’s biodi-

versity, which in turn puts the existence of humans at huge risk, according to the Unep website.

“The killing and smuggling is also undermining economies and eco-systems, fueling organised crime and feeding corruption and insecurity across the globe,” the website says.

Unep has identified iconic elephants, rhinos, tigers, gorillas and sea turtles to be especially endangered by wildlife crime.

It also listed off the specific species that have already gone extinct in recent years due to wildlife trafficking: A subspecies of Javan rhino, western black rhinos, great apes, helmeted hornbills and pangolins. The extinct plants include wild orchids and rosewood. l

BB asked to keep bank branches open at night during Ramadan n UNB Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday urged the Bangladesh Bank to take a step to keep bank branches near shopping malls and markets open at night during Ramadan to facilitate businesspeople.

The minister advocated for the nighttime banking as he said the money flow increases in markets and shopping malls at night during the fasting month.

The home minister made the request while addressing a views-ex-

change meeting on the role of businesspeople and law enforcement agencies in controlling the prices of essential commodities during the upcoming Ramadan.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) organised the programme at its conference room in the city.

Asaduzzaman said the police will remain ready to escort and ensure the security of businesspeople while carrying money from one place to another.

Besides, he said, police will also

ensure round-the-clock security in markets and shopping malls during Ramadan.

The minister urged the businessmen to inform police about extortionists, if they presume anyone, so that they can take stern action instantly.

He said the government wants the businessmen to run their businesses without any fear and interruption as the wheels of the country’s economy will roll if they can do their business properly. l

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

3 killed on last day of UP polls n Tribune Desk At least three people were killed during the last day of the six-phase Union Parishad elections yesterday with the chief election commissioner claiming that they had performed their duties successfully.

Of the deceased, an agent of a member candidate in Feni was gunned down by unidentified criminals in the morning while a Chhatra League leader got killed during a clash in Noakhali. The other person Md Shahjahan, 50, died while chased by law enforcers following a clash at Gafargaon of Mymensingh.

In the sixth phase, elections were held at 698 union parishads under 92 upazilas of 46 districts. Some 3,223 candidates contested for the chairman posts, more than 25,000 for member and over 5,000 for the reserved women seats. Twenty-five chairman candidates backed by the ruling Awami League already won the elections uncontested.

The person killed in Feni is Shipon, 40. Local BNP claimed him as their member.

Shipon was shot and bombed while 12 others including four police members injured during the clash that took place outside Hazi Tofael Ahmed High School centre in Char Bhoirab area of Char Chandia Union under Sonagazi Upazila around 10:30am.

Voting was suspended at the centre following the fierce clash, OC Mesbah Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune’s Feni correspondent.

Four others were shot in the upazila during the clashes – one at Palgiri centre of Mahiganj Union, one outside Sorajpur centre and two others in Amirabad area under Nawabpur Union.

In Noakhali, eight campaigners of two member candidates were injured in a clash between the rival groups in the morning outside Mohammadia Ebtedayee Madrasa centre under Newazpur Union over establishing supremacy.

Of them, injured Chhatra League leader Arafat, 26, died on the way to Dhaka from Noakhali General Hospital in the afternoon, reports our correspondent.

Arafat was the president of Chhatra League’s Newazpur Union unit. Vice-President of the union unit Awami League Jahid, 23, was critically injured in the clash.

In the district, the election officials suspended voting at six centres following the incidents of vote rigging, clashes and snatching of ballot boxes.

According to our Mymensingh correspondent, the supporters of member candidates Musa and Karim engaged in a clash at Pukuria Primary School centre under Saltia Union of Gafargaon around 3pm.

Locals said that BGB fired blank

shots to disperse the supporters. At one point, Shahjahan started to run along with other people as the BGB members chased them, but fell into a roadside pond. Musa’s supporters alleged that Shahjahan had been hit by the BGB men which led to his death.

19 BNP candidates boycott polls

The BNP yesterday blamed the Election Commission and the government for all sorts of irregularities and violence centring the polls, claiming that at least 113 people were killed in the six phases. The party alleged that the EC was working on behalf of the government.

Our correspondents report that at least 19 BNP-backed chairman aspirants boycotted the elections yesterday raising allegations of vote rigging and irregularities

wara upazila. Moreover, four houses were set on fire during a clash at Barshat union of the upazila.

On the other hand, members of Border Guard Bangladesh detained Chhatra League activist Emran Ahmed, 25, with a locally-made LG from Board Office polling centre of Bazalia Union under Satkania yesterday morning.

In Tangail, at least seven people were injured during a clash between the supporters of two chairman candidates of Jamuria Union under Ghatail in the morning. Two of them were sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital with critical injuries.

The clash took place at Sadhurpara Golonogondo centre between the supporters of Awami League’s Shahidul Islam and BNP’s Shamim Khan. Police held three people in

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News Nur Nabi was later handed over to the local police, OC Humayun Kabir said.

CEC says they took prompt steps

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday said that they had took legal and administrative action against wrongdoers at many places.

During a press conference at his office in the evening, the CEC said that they had suspended, withdrawn and even sacked many officials including police superintendents, UNO, OC and election officers. Moreover, cases were lodged against lawmakers.

He mentioned that the EC had fined 500 people Tk12.9 crore and sentenced 18 others to different jail terms.

BNP: 113 killed in UP elections n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The BNP has claimed that at least 113 people were killed and around 10,000 others injured in the six phases of the Union Parishad elections that ended yesterday.

The party blamed the Election Commission and the government for all sorts of irregularities and violence centring the polls.

Selima Rahman, vice-chairman of the party, came up with the allegations after meeting with the EC officials yesterday.

“The Election Commission is not independent. They are working on behalf of the government,” she said, adding that violence could have been stopped had the EC acted independently.

Selima also said that her party had complaints to the EC repeatedly but not a single complaint was entertained.

“The chief election commissioner said again and again that they are taking steps and that the situation will improve. But in reality violence and irregularities are taking place.”

The BNP leader alleged that through the UP polls, it is now proved that fair election is not possible under the incumbent government and the Election Commission.

Asked whether her party would take part in any election under the ruling party, Selima said: “It is a decision of the party but my personal realisation is that fair election is not possible under this government.” l

BNP claims widespread rigging in polls Followers of two union parishad (UP) member aspirants lock in a clash near a poll centre in Haripur union of Poba upazila, Rajshahi yesterday during the vote-casting for the UP elections. The clash left four people including Awami League- backed candidate Saidur Rahman Badal injured AZAHAR UDDIN against the ruling party-backed candidates and their supporters.

Five BNP candidates boycotted the polls in Feni Sadar Union, five others at two upazilas of Natore, three each in Chittagong and Savar, and one each in Noakhali, Gaibandha and Narsingdi. Agents of the BNP candidates were driven out of polling centres in some districts.

Widespread violence at many places

Fierce clashes and incidents of vote rigging were reported from at least eight districts. Voting was suspended at some polling centres because of the irregularities.

In Chittagong, Awami League chairman candidate of Kanchana Union under Satkania Upazila Ramjan Ali received bullet injuries during a clash around 11am.

Three other people were shot in a clash outside a polling centre at Mohsen Awali High School in An-

this connection.

Gobindaganj police in Gaibandha said that around seven people were injured in a clash that broke out at Balughora Primary School centre under Gumaniganj Union.

In Narsingdi, five people were injured in a clash between the supporters of two member candidates at Kocherchar Muksud Ali High School under Doulatpur Union of Monohardi Upazila around 1pm.

Presiding officer held

A mobile court yesterday afternoon detained Nur Nabi, the presiding officer at Char Sahabhikhari High School under Char Darbesh Union of Feni’s Sonagazi, for snatching away 800 ballot papers.

Additional Executive Magistrate Sohel Rana said that they had heard about outsiders casting fake votes in connivance with the presiding officer.

‘Killings are social problem’

Rakibuddin blamed the people’s intolerance for the murders centring polls. The candidates think they must win at any cost, and it triggers violence and results in deaths.

“The most important reason behind the election-related violence is our social intolerance which is seen at every step of the society.

We have to change the scenario …

“The value of people’s lives has become the cheapest thing nowadays. On the other hand, prices of everything else are increasing.”

The CEC avoided a direct answer when asked who is to blame for the killings. “It is a social issue. The people need to change their mindset. We hope that someday we will be able to hold a fair election without the help of the law enforcement agencies,” Rakibuddin told reporters. l

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The BNP on Saturday alleged that a vote rigging spree is taking place in the last phase of Union Parishad elections.

“Till now from the information we have received, it seems to us that a festival of occupying polling stations is going on across the country,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary general of the party, said at a press briefing at party’s Nayapaltan headquarters.

The BNP leader alleged that the voters cannot enter the polling stations and the ruling party men have been stamping on the Awami League’s party symbol illegally.

When asked about the achievement of the party participating in the polls even after raising allegations, Rizvi said: “Through this elections, the government’s real face came out. We know what are the consequences of this election.

Even after that, we have participated in the polls and we are successful in unveiling the government’s real face before the people.” l

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Sheikh Hasina performs holy “Umrah” n BSS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her younger sister Sheikh Rehana and her entourage perform Umrah at Mecca early yesterday

BSS

Desco signs deal for 5 new GIS substations n Aminur Rahman Rasel Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco) yesterday signed a Tk455.42 crore contract with Hyosung Corporation of Korea to construct five gas-insulated high-voltage switchgear (GIS) grid substations.

The GIS substations will be constructed in Uttara third phase area, Aftabnagar, Purbachal, Bashundhara and Gulshan-Banani area, all of which are under the jurisdiction of Desco.

GIS is a compact metal encapsulated switchgear consisting of high-voltage components

such as circuit-breakers and disconnectors, which can be safely operated in confined spaces.

The signing ceremony was organised by Desco at a hotel in Dhaka.

Zulfiqar Tahmid, company secretary of Desco, and Yun Tae-bum, general manager of Hyusung Corporation, signed the deal on behalf of their respective organisations.

Brig Gen (retd) Shahid Sarwar, managing director of Desco, said: “With the construction of the five new substations, Desco will achieve the capacity to supply 640MW of electricity at 132KV

level. It will also become possible for Desco to provide 450,000 new connections.

“The total cost of the project is Tk946.13 crore. Of the amount, the government of Bangladesh will provide Tk160.47 crore, Desco will provide Tk242.12 crore and the remaining Tk543.53 crore will come from project aid.”

Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, in his speech as the chief guest asked Desco to improve its customer service.

“Providing connections to new subscribers is not Desco’s only task. As a public service provider,

it is their duty to improve customer services. Customer services of Desco are not up to the mark and they should work on that as early as possible.”

Md Tajul Islam, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on power, energy and mineral resources ministry, AR Khan, chairman of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, Mahbubul-Alam, additional secretary of the Power Division, Asian Development Bank’s Country Director Kazuhiko Higuchi, and the chairman of Desco board were present at the signing ceremony among others. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina performed the holy “Umrah” after she reached the holy city of Mecca overnight from Jeddah of Saudi Arabia.

“She performed the holy Umrah after Friday midnight and offered special prayers at the Ka’aba Sharif,” premier’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim told newsmen.

He said the premier also offered prayers seeking divine blessings for the people of Bangladesh as well as continued peace, progress and prosperity of the entire Muslim Ummah.

In line with the Islamic rituals Sheikh Hasina performed ‘tawaf’ around the holy Ka’aba Sharif and walked and ran between Safa and Marwa.

She later offered the prayers at the Ka’aba Mosque.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s youngest daughter Sheikh Rehana, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and other entourage members of the premier also performed “Umrah” along with her.

Earlier, the premier arrived at the holy city of Mecca from Jeddah by road around midnight on Friday.

The prime minister is now in Saudi Arabia on a five-day official visit at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

After arrival at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport last night, Sheikh Hasina joined a banquet hosted in her honour by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz at King Faisal Palace.

Sheikh Rehana, Saudi Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten, Islamic Development Bank (IDB) President Dr Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Madani, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madani attended the banquet, among others. l

PwC: Budgetary measures to help expand taxpayers base n Tribune Report Several measures introduced by the government to increase the total taxpayer base in the budget for the Fiscal year of 2016-17 will have a positive impact on the economy, according toPricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Bangladesh, a global consultancy firm.

The introduction of penalties in absence of electronic tax identification number (e-TIN) can eventually lead more people to register for e-TIN. While penalties, such as imposing disallowances and higher

tax rates if the 12 digits e-TIN is not obtained have been proposed in the recent budget said PwC Bangladesh, yesterday at a critical evaluation of the impact of Finance Bill for the Fiscal year 2016-17.

In addition to expanding the number of taxpayers, the budget also focused on the collection of tax deductible at source (TDS) in order to ncrease the revenue base.

Such mechanisms of enforcement includes the acceptance of TDS claims only on submission of proof of tax deposit while a false TDS certificate would result in a

personal liability for penalty.

“It has been observed that many people are indeed paying TDS but that sum is not ending up in the sates coffers which results in lost revenue for the government,” said Mamun Rashid, Managing Partner of PwC Bangladesh.

He added: Introducing a penalty mechanism for not paying TDS should encourage business’ to pay their dues to the government on time.

Road towards ‘Flat VAT’ rate

VAT component of the revenue

sources has undergone drastic changes in the proposed budget – mainly to establish a platform that would make way for VAT reforms in the coming year.

We have witnessed changes in VAT rate of many products and services conversing towards 15% in budget for the fiscal year of 2016-17, said Sushmita Basu, lead researcher of the paper at PwC Bangladesh.

This year’s budget is servicing as an implementation phase of the new VAT and Supplementary Duty Act 2012, she added.

Notable changes in the Finance Bill FY17

Finance Bill 2016-17 proposed some changes that can potentially levy a bigger cost to the general public for the consumption of some specific products and services.

The government introduced an advance tax of Tk15,000 on buying a car with engine capacity not exceeding 1500cc while the tax amount increases with higher engine capacity.

Contrarily, the government reduced source tax on bank deposit interest from 10-15% to a flat 5%. l

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

New LPG policy introduced n Aminur Rahman Rasel With provisions for import and export, the government has enacted a policy for establishing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) bottling plant under both public and private initiative.

“Before this policy, there was only a provision for LPG import.

With this policy, the import oriented LPG bottling plant establishment system of 2011 is abolished,” an official of Energy and Mineral Resources Division told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The recently enacted policy by Energy and Mineral Resources Division said that no person or organisation could import, export, establish, bottling, distribute or market any LPG without the permission of the government.

Considering the limited energy resources and the continuing development of the country, the policy termed LPG as one of the most promising energy sources.

Under the circumstances, the government in principle has taken the decision to establish the LPG bottling plant to increase the usage of LPG in households, automobiles, small industries and as the raw materials for chemical and processing industries.

The government also formed

latory Commission (BERC) and the concerned ministries and departments of the government.

After getting the licence, the organisation has to make a contract with Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC).

The organisation has also to take the approval of the Ministry of Commerce aside from taking the approval of Energy and Mineral Resources Division.

If the government wants, it can provide assign a company the rights to market LPG in given areas of Bangladesh or the entire country.

No company will be able to market and distribute their products without their own branded cylinder.

the LPG Bottling Policy 2016 to safeguard the dwindling energy resources of the country as well as to ensure competitive market scenario.

The government can cancel the license of any LPG plant or company under the act if it violates rules and regulations.

The organisations interested to establish a plant must take permissions and licence from Department of Environment, Department of Explosives, Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD), district administration, local government, Board of Investment (BoI), Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), Bangladesh Energy Regu-

However, if several organisations have mutual agreements among themselves, they can go for cross filling after taking permission from the license giving authorities.

To get the permission for establishing an LPG plant, the concerned organisation must establish a laboratory comprised of modern equipments to conduct different kinds of testing and experiments on the external and internal examinations of the LPG cylinder.

Besides the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, BPC, BSTI and any authority powered by the division could check the quality if the LPG. The policy also said that the no

LPG bottling plant could be established in residential and populous regions.

“There is no real monitoring on any safety or operational issues by government departments like explosives and others in this sector – as a result we see so many illegal refilling stations around us,” LAUGFS Gas Bangladesh Ltd Chief Executive Officer and Director Mohammed Saidul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The government should have developed separate institutions in this sector like the Explosives Department or BERC to facilitate growth in a safe manner. Instead the investor needs similar sorts of approval from many of these government departments,” he said.

Referring to the recent negative newspaper reports on the sector, Saidul said: “This can frustrate big investors and can encourage illegal traders. Investors need one point approval for LPG bottling plant from all government departments, say in 60 days - not separately from all departments.”

“For engraving or embossing company name on valves, the investors need some time, there are many cylinders in the pipeline.

“Also, there is no separate guideline for 'Satellite LPG filling plant' for the importers,” he added. l

Bela: HC directives yet to be in place in ship-breaking industry n Abu Bakar Siddique The High Court's directives on environmental safety and compliance in the Bangladeshi ship-breaking industry are yet to be implemented due to the lack of political will, an environmental group has said.

“The High Court wants to impose restrictions on the ship breaking industry but the government wants the ongoing hazardous situation to go on,” Syeda Rizwana Hasan, head of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyer’s Association (Bela), said yesterday at a conference.

In a 2010 directive, the High Court called ship-breaking a “hazardous and polluting operation” and told the government the industry could not continue on open

beaches without proper safety measures for the people of the coastal area as well as protection of the eco-system.

It decreed that the government has no authority to lease out seashore, coastal areas and forest lands as ship-breaking yards.

The said the government is yet to implement most of the HC directions to make the industry clean.

Bela chief Rizwana was speaking at a session titled Supreme Court directives on Environmental Justice: Ship-breaking at the National Access to Justice Conference held yesterday at CIRDAP International Conference Centre.

The day-long conference was jointly organised by Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN SUNDAY, JUNE 5

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Trust, Bela and Bangladesh Women Lawyer's Association.

According to data presented at the conference, Bangladesh imported 72 ships between March 2009 and June 2011. In 2012 the number of imported ships was 206, in 2013 it was 194, in 2014 it was 222 while in 2015 it was 194.

The ships broken in Bangladeshi yards are mostly imported from European Union countries like Germany, Denmark, Bulgaria, Poland, Belgium, Greece, Italy, UK, Cyprus, Netherlands and Malta.

According to the World Bank 2010 data, Bangladesh will receive some 79,000 tonnes of Asbestos by 2020 through ship-breaking , if the current rate of ship import continues. l

Chittagong

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Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:44PM

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Rangpur

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Khulna

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Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:11AM

37.2ºC Rajshahi

23.4ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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PRAYER TIMES

Sylhet

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Cox’s Bazar

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Fajr: 4:40am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:45pm Esha: 8:30pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Nabaganga River now cropland n Mazharul Hoque Lipu, Magura

Nabaganga, a tributary of Mathabhanga and one of the biggest river in the country turned into cropland in Magura as it has dried up at different points.

Hundreds of people, particularly the fishermen, have become jobless due to continued drying up of the river.

Fishermen in the district are passing through hard times as they hardly find any fish due to siltation and drastic fall in the water level of the river.

Even movement of people in small boats is also being hampered due to continued siltation and emergence of a good many shoals in the river.

The river lost its navigability long ago forcing the service of water vessels including steamer and launches to stop. It once played a vital role in transportation of merchandise and movement of people to different places. A good number of market places had been developed near the banks of the rivers passing through several points. These market places always remained abuzz with trade activities.

Farmers living in the river-side areas, who used to irrigate their crop fields with the water from these rivers, cannot use river water now due to siltation and fall in the water level.

The sharp fall in the water level of the river has resulted in almost disappearance of fish, local sources said. Once various kinds of fish were found aplenty in the two rivers and fishermen got huge catch.

‘Now I find it very difficult to earn my livelihood. I have no alternative to earning as continued siltation has made the river almost dead,’ a fisherman living near the river said.

‘Singra municipality to become role model for development’ n M Kamal Mridha, Natore

A recent picture shows farmers have cultivated crops on the dried-up riverbed of Nabaganga near Magura town DHAKA TRIBUNE Thousand of people thronged the river bank to enjoy boat racing in the river. Durga puja fair took place on the bank of the river. But all these have now turned into story only as the river has lost its navigability and turned into cropland.

Water Development Board (WDB) sources said the river had lost its navigability as illegal structures had been built up occupying the river.

Local influential are using the river as dumping station. An unscrupulous circle is continuing fish cultivation by making embankment in the river for years. All these have plundered the normal flow of the river.

About 22 km of the river has been silted up in want of dredging the river.

Abul Fatta of Nanduli village said: “Earlier we used the river for our journey to different district like Jhenidah, Narail, Khulna and Faridpur as launch and steamers plied in the river. But now we cannot imagine this as the river is now almost dead.”

Septuagenarian Mihir Shikder Ramnagar village said: “We did not use irrigation pump to irrigate our cropland. We used the river water for irrigation in natural way.

He also said: “We also used the river for transporting our agricultural products to different markets. But stigma in the river flow has stopped all these causing difficulties to us.”

When contacted, Agriculture Extension Department (DAE) official Gobinda Shaha said: “The river is

now being used as cropland. About 200-hectare land in the river bed is being used as cropland.”

Shafiqur Rahman executive director of Palli Prokriti (an environment friendly NGO) said: “The river is almost dead now. It has a great impact on our social as well as economic life.If we fail to save our river, our ecology will he hampered seriously.”

“Through proper planning river, we may get back its youth. Non government organization as well as government organization should come forward in this regard right from now,” he added.

WDB Executive Engineer Abdul Latif said the dredging of the river could be continued due to want of financial support. l

State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said yesterday Singra municipality of Natore would become a role model of development for other local government bodies across the country.

“Bangladesh will soon be considered as a role model for development internationally, while Singra will be the role model for development locally,” the state minister said while speaking as the chief guest at the budget session for 2016-17 of the municipality.

Palak said Bangladesh would become middle-income country within 2021 under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sehikh Hasina.

“We will also become one of the developed nations in the world by 2041,” he said.

The state minister said Singra was a neglected municipality in the country for long, but things have started reversing after people gave their mandate to local Awami League candidate Jannatul Ferdous as the municipality mayor.

“Now the entire area is united when it comes to becoming a role model for others,” Palak said.

Singra municipality announced an annual budget of Tk48.79 crore in the presence of Palak, the upazila chairman and other local officials. l

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Biharis demand continuation of free power supply Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong The Bihari community in Chittagong yesterday urged the authorities concerned not to discontinue free electricity services till their full-fledged rehabilitation as assured by the government.

They made the call during a news conference organised by the Stranded Pakistani General Repatriation Committee at Chittagong Press Club.

Sohel Aktar Khan, zonal secretary of the committee, told the conference they came to know that the government had decided to cut power supply to different Bihari camps in the district.

“The government from now on will not bear electricity expenses of the Bihari people in Chittagong, even those who have been included in the voter list,” he said.

“Around 30,000 Bihari people are leading a miserable life in seven camps in Chittagong. The decision to cut power lines will severely affect them.

“The government’s plan will definitely trigger a humanitarian disaster if we are deprived of power supply. We also urge the government to speed up the rehabilitation process so that we can lead our life with dignity,” said Sohel.

Referring to rising electricity prices, the Bihari community leader said: “A Bihari family uses only a light and a fan inside the camp.

We do not use air-conditioner and refrigerator. Still we have to count Tk12,000-14,000 in electricity bill for a camp. This is totally absurd and ridiculous.”

Sohel alleged that some corrupt Power Development Board workers and camp residents were responsible for tampering with the electric meters in the camps.

“Only illegal power connections should be cut and those who manipulated the meters should be brought to book,” he said. l

With little care about their own lives, three construction workers rest on the Moghbazar flyover yesterday amid moving vehicles, deliberately putting themselves at risk of a major accident MEHEDI HASAN

Mango trade gains momentum n Tribune Desk

Mango trading has gained momentum with appearance of several varieties of mango in the markets of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts, which are famous for the delicious fruit.

Besides the market and other growth centres, the mango-based trade and business has changed the rural economic scenario of the region as a whole.

Now the city’s markets are abundant with all varieties of mango and the wholesale buyers as well as the retailers have been pouring into the markets and bargaining to settle the price.

During the current peak season, Gopalbhog, a king variety of mango for its taste and flavor along with some other delicious varieties like Langra and Himsagar have ap-

peared in the markets in abundance besides other local and developed varieties. However, the brisk business of Gopalbhog is at the last stage.

According to the sources concerned, market price of the seasonal delicious fruit is exorbitant this season due to less production caused by different natural catastrophes.

Gopalbhog is being sold at Taka 2400 to 2600 per mound while Langra and Himsagar at Taka 2000 to Taka 2200 and Taka 1800 to 2000 in the wholesale markets and there is no possibility that the market price will come down in the days ahead.

In Rajshahi city, many places like Shaheb Bazar, Swarnapatty, Seroil, Railway Gate, Luxmipur, Bus terminal, Court Bazaar, New Market, Upashahar Market, Shalbagan, Binodpur, Court Station and Baneshwar Bazar are flooded with

mangoes.

Besides the market-based trading, many vendors are selling mango with vans and other manual vehicles frequently.

Rahmat Ali, a mango-trader at Bus terminal in the metropolis, said the much- expected buying and selling has been gaining momentum gradually despite the high price.

Like the previous years, people from across the country are coming in Rajshahi city and its outskirts especially Baneshawar Bazar to buy quality juicy mangoes.

Meanwhile, at present around 40 tonnes of mangoes are being supplied and transported from Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts to different parts of the country including the capital city Dhaka everyday.

In addition to the passen-

ger-coach, train, truck and other private vehicles, huge mangoes are being transported by the courier services in particular every day.

Some conscious buyers alleged that a section of unscrupulous mango traders are mixing quality mangoes with low quality mangoes to make extra profit, reports BSS. Centering the marketing of mango, also an important cash crop in the northwestern Bangladesh especially in the two districts, a large number of people are involved in various types of works in the two districts.

Dr Alim Uddin, Principal Scientific Officer of Mango Research Centre, said mango farming is increasing every year and the gardeners are earning huge profits by cultivating high yielding and hybrid varieties like Amropali side by side with the traditional and popular indigenous varieties. l

Traders not to hike prices of essentials in Ramadan n BSS Business community leaders here at a meeting yesterday expressed their commitment for keeping prices of the essential commodities reasonable during the coming holy month of Ramadan.

The common people should not be worried as supply and stock situations of the essential commodities are quite normal and satisfactory to contain increase of market prices during the coming Ramadan

in the district, they said.

At the same time, the business community leaders sought continuous cooperation of the government in reducing some hurdles being faced by them in the process of importing essential commodities for ensuring smooth supply to the local markets.

Leaders of different organisations of the business community, importers, whole sellers and retailers made the commitments at a views exchange meeting organised

by Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) at RCCI auditorium in the city.

President of RCCI Md Abul Kashem chaired the meeting with the business community leaders of the city with a view to contain prices of the essential commodities within logically tolerable limits during the holy month of Ramadan.

Senior Vice-president of RCCI Mostafa Ahmed, its Vice-president Mozammel Haque Dambel, Director Habibur Rahman Raja, leaders

of different business organisations including Akbar Ali, Azizul Islam Mukul, SM Badruddoza, Alhaj Sadek Hossain Munna, Altaf Hossain, Sirajul Islam Siraj and Alhaj Moyen Uddin, addressed among others.

In his speech, the RCCI President urged the businesspersons to conduct their businesses with normal profits during the holy month of Ramadan like in the other periods of the year.

“Steps would be taken with as-

sistance of all concerned organisations to keep prices of the essentials stable and tolerable and a Bazaar Monitoring Committee will work for ensuring supply of pure and hygienic food stuffs during Ramadan,” he said.

The businesspersons reiterated their firm commitments for ensuring supply of pure and hygienic food stuffs and conducting business genuinely in keeping prices of essential commodities normal during the holy month of Ramadan. l

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SOUTH ASIA

Diplomats urge Obama to keep Afghanistan troop level Thirteen retired US generals and senior diplomats urged President Barack Obama on Friday to maintain the current US troop level in Afghanistan, saying a reduction would undercut the morale of Afghan government forces and bolster the Taliban. The 13 men oversaw US military operations and policy in Afghanistan.

-REUTERS

INDIA

5 Indian security officers shot dead in Kashmir Five Indian security personnel have been shot dead by suspected rebels in restive Indian-administered Kashmir in the past two days, police said Saturday. Two police officers were on a routine patrol Saturday when insurgents fired automatic weapons from a moving vehicle in southern Anantnag town. On Friday, 3 paramilitary soldiers from India’s Border Security Force were killed when militants fired bullets.

AFP

CHINA

China detains activists on Tiananmen anniversary Chinese police have detained several activists while others were placed under surveillance for the anniversary of the bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square, which was heavily policed on Saturday. On June 4, 1989 military tanks rolled into the square in the centre of Beijing to crush pro-democracy protests, killing hundreds of unarmed civilians. -AFP

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan, S Korea to set up direct line between defence ministers

Japan Defence Minister General Nakatani said on Saturday that Japan and South Korea agreed to expand an emergency communication system between their defence ministries, including adding a new direct line between defence ministers. Tensions have been high in the region since early January when North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

UN blacklists Saudi coalition in Yemen UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon slammed the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen for killing and maiming children by adding it to an annual blacklist of states and armed groups that violate children’s rights during conflict. The coalition was responsible for 60% of child deaths and injuries last year, killing 510 and wounding 667, according to Ban’s report released on Thursday -AP

US flexes muscles as Asia worries about South China Sea row n Reuters, Singapore

South China Sea watch

The United States stepped up pressure on China on Saturday to rein in its actions in the South China Sea, with top defence officials underlining Washington’s military superiority and vowing to remain the main guarantor of Asian security for decades to come.

Defence Secretary Ash Carter said the US approach to the Asia-Pacific remained “one of commitment, strength and inclusion”, but he also warned China against provocative behaviour in the South China Sea. Any action by China to reclaim land in the Scarborough Shoal, an outcrop in the disputed sea, would have consequences, Carter said.

“I hope that this development doesn’t occur, because it will result in actions being taken by the both United States and ... by others in the region which would have the effect of not only increasing tensions but isolating China,” Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security forum in Singapore.

“The United States will remain the most powerful military and main underwriter of security in the region for decades to come – and there should be no doubt about that.”

The South China Sea has become a flashpoint between the United States, which increased its focus on the Asia-Pacific under President Barack Obama’s “pivot”, and China, which is projecting ever greater economic, political and military power in the region.

Carter however said he would welcome China’s participation in a “principled security network” for Asia.

“Forward thinking statesmen and leaders must ... come together to ensure a positive principled future,” he said, adding that the network he envisaged could also help protect against “Russia’s worrying actions” and the growing strategic impact of climate change.

The deputy head of China’s delegation to the forum said the United States should reduce its provocative exercises and patrols in the region and said any attempts to isolate China would fail.

“This is a time of cooperation and common security,” Rear Admiral Guan Youfei told reporters.

“The US action to take sides is not agreed by many countries. We hope the US will also listen to the other countries.”

China’s reach CHINA Suspected radar and defence capabilities according to a study published February by US think tank*

Fighter aircraft range from Chinese air strips

TAIWAN

Woody Island surface-to-air missile range

Chinese claim

Potential radar range, according to satellite image analysis

Woody Island Duncan island Triton island

PHILIPPINES Subi Mischief

Graven VIETNAM

Fiery Cross

Hughes

Johnson South Cuarteron

BRUNEI

200 km

MALAYSIA

*Center for Stratetic and International Studies

Sources : CSIS/AMTI

Regional worries

Other Asian leaders said the situation in the South China Sea was viewed with concern across the region.

“All countries in the region need to recognise that our shared prosperities and the enviable rate of growth that this region enjoys over past decades will be put at risk by aggressive behaviour or actions by any one of us,” Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told the forum.

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said his country would help Southeast Asian nations build their security capabilities to deal with what he called unilateral, dangerous and coercive actions in the South China Sea. “In the South China Sea, we have been witnessing large-scale and rapid land reclamation, building of outposts and utilization of them for military purposes,” Nakatani said. “No country can be an outsider of this issue.”

A Chinese official responded by saying Japan should be careful “not to interfere and stir up problems” in the waterway, while China’s foreign ministry also weighed in regarding the US and Japanese comments.

“Counties outside the region

should stick to their promises and not make thoughtless remarks about issues of territorial sovereignty,” the ministry said in a statement.

Trillions of dollars of trade a year passes through the South China Sea, which is home to rich oil, gas and fishing resources. Besides China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have claims in the area, and rising tensions have been fuelling increasing security spending in the region.

“The uncertainty of China’s future trajectory is arguably the main driving concern about possible military competition now and in the future,” Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.

Carter said that for decades some critics had been predicting an impending US withdrawal from the region, but this would not happen.

“That’s because this region, which is home to nearly half the world’s population and nearly half the global economy, remains the most consequential for America’s own security and prosperity.”

Trump counter

In an apparent counter to “America-first” policies expounded by prospective Republican presiden-

tial candidate Donald Trump, including suggestions that US troops should be withdrawn from Asia, Carter stressed bipartisan support for continued engagement.

The Shangri-La Dialogue is being held ahead of a significant ruling expected in coming weeks on a case filed by the Philippines in the International Court of Arbitration challenging China’s South China Sea claims, which Beijing has vowed to ignore.

The United States has been lobbying Asian and other countries to back the judges’ statement that their ruling must be binding, a call echoed by Japan on Saturday.

China has lobbied on the other side for support for its position that the court lacks jurisdiction in the case. l

CORRECTION On June 4, Dhaka Tribune published a report on Page 8 titled “SWIFT fights to restore faith after BB height.” We inadvertently put ‘height’ in place of ‘heist’. Actually the headline should have been “SWIFT fights to restore faith after BB heist.” We regret the error.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Trump seizes on US jobs report to target Democratic economic policies n Reuters, Washington, DC Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said a US jobs report on Friday that showed the weakest hiring in more than five years proved that Democratic economic policies are pushing the country in the wrong direction.

The report gave Trump his biggest opening yet to target Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on the economy, after months of mostly solid economic indicators.

Clinton, the front-runner to be the Democratic nominee for the November 8 election, has credited President Barack Obama for reviving the US economy after the 2008 recession but has also said that the recovery is not over.

In a CNN interview, Clinton acknowledged the figures were “disappointing to anybody.”

The unemployment rate in May fell three-tenths of a percentage point to 4.7%, the lowest level since November 2007, but that was in part due to people dropping out of the labour force. Overall, non-farm payrolls increased by only 38,000 jobs in May. If disappointing jobs reports continue, Trump could use Clinton’s pledge to build on Obama’s work against her to woo working-class

Chants during a demonstration outside a campaign rally for Donald Trump in San Jose, California on Thursday REUTERS voters in states such as Ohio. The state has lost well-paying manufacturing jobs and is also a key presidential battleground - closely competitive because it does not lean heavily Republican or Democratic.

Clinton leads in poll

Clinton, a former secretary of state, is likely to finally clinch the Democratic nomination over challenger Bernie Sanders on Tuesday when six states hold nominating contests. One is California, the most populous US state, with the most Democratic delegates of any other state and where both candidates have been campaigning heavily.

In a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday, some 46% of likely vot-

ers said they supported Clinton, while 35% said they supported Trump, and another 19% said they would not support either. The survey of 1,421 people was conducted between May 30 and June 3.

Trump, a real estate developer, has already sewn up the Republican nomination. In the general election campaign, job creation plans are expected to be a priority, particularly in states that have been hit hard by manufacturing-sector job losses.

Trump has promised to toss out international trade deals to revive US manufacturing and sweep away a slew of environmental regulations to bolster the ailing energy sector.

Job creation in the manufac-

turing and construction sectors fell sharply in May, according to Friday’s jobs report.

Trump has already begun working economic numbers into his stump speeches. He has said he could put 15 states that have voted for Democratic presidents in recent elections in play, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, which have all lost manufacturing-sector jobs.

Peter Morici, a conservative economist and professor in the business school at the University of Maryland, said the poor jobs numbers reflected trends that have driven voter frustration and fueled the populist campaigns of both Trump and Sanders.

He said Trump needed to add detail to his economic policies, such as detailing changes to social programs like Medicaid, which provides healthcare for the poor.

“We can’t just turn around and cut income taxes without doing something about those things,” Morici said.

Republican strategists agreed that Friday’s jobs report created an opportunity for Trump to differentiate his policies from Obama’s or Clinton’s.

“Trump has been fleshing out his foreign policy ideas and has released a tax plan, but he has been light on other details, such as how he would oversee the US financial system. l

Brexit debate brings out Britain’s World War II fixation 18 DAYS TO GO

n Reuters, London When Nigel Farage rolls into town in a purple double-decker bus to campaign for Britain to leave the EU, the music blaring from the loudspeakers is from the classic World War II movie “The Great Escape”.

“That’s what we need, isn’t it?

A great escape from this European Union!” Farage told cheering supporters as his bus arrived at a recent campaign stop, a typical scene as he tours Britain ahead of its June 23 referendum on EU membership.

Critics say it is outrageous to suggest a parallel between a tale of British and allied prisoners of war escaping from a Nazi camp and the prospect of the United Kingdom leaving the EU, but supporters of Farage’s UK Independence Party love it.

“This has to be the best campaign tour! The ‘Great escape’ theme :) what a brilliant choice.

Makes you proud to be British!”

wrote user @Mat_Griffin on Twitter.

Memories of World War II are central to many Britons’ self-image as an indomitable island people. Historians say the contrast with fellow EU member nations which experienced fascist rule and foreign occupation is a main reason why Britain has struggled to find its place in the bloc.

Talking about the war is a reliable way to tug at patriotic heartstrings, and both sides in the EU debate have been doing it.

Prime Minister David Cameron, campaigning to keep Britain in the bloc, recounted in a speech last month that when he departs for EU summits from a Royal Air Force base, he passes a Spitfire, the fighter plane that helped to repel Adolf Hitler’s Luftwaffe.

“Like any Brit, my heart swells with pride at the sight of that aircraft,” he said.

Cameron went on to argue that it was not by choice that Britain stood alone against the Nazis in 1940, after the fall of France and before the United States entered the war, and that wartime lead-

er Winston Churchill had never wanted isolation.

“In the post-war period he argued passionately for Western Europe to come together ... so that our continent would never again see such bloodshed,” Cameron said.

Churchill, Hitler and the EU

Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames, a member of parliament, has said Churchill would have voted “Remain”.

But the “Leave” camp argues that he did not want his country to be fully involved in European integration and would therefore have backed a British exit.

“All of the evidence about Churchill’s view on the matter says he wanted Britain to be a separate sponsor and friend to the developing union in Europe,” said Julian Thompson, a retired major general who chairs pro-Brexit group Veterans for Britain.

Treading into even trickier territory, “Leave” campaigner and former London mayor Boris Johnson argued that the EU and Hitler were part of the same long history

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of doomed attempts to dominate Europe.

“Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods,” he said in a newspaper interview.

The comments by Johnson - a senior member of Cameron’s Conservative party which is divided on the issue - caused a row that dominated the campaign for days on end.

The shadow of Hitler was also present on the front page of The Sun, Britain’s top-selling newspaper, when it mocked a package of reforms obtained by Cameron that he said gave Britain “special status” within the EU. Referring to “Dad’s Army”, a hugely popular BBC TV comedy about a group of hapless older men volunteering to defend Britain against Nazi invasion, the Sun asked: “Who do you think you are kidding Mr Cameron?”

This was the first line of the Dad’s Army theme tune, except that in the original, the question was addressed to “Hitler”. l

USA

US House Speaker Ryan backs Trump Paul Ryan, the top elected US Republican, ended a long period of soul-searching and endorsed Donald Trump for president in a column for the Janesville Gazette newspaper, step toward unifying party loyalists behind the insurgent candidate despite concerns about his candidacy. Ryan did not specifically use the word endorse in his column, but his spokesman, Brendan Buck, made clear that Ryan’s move should be seen as an endorsement.

-REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Argentines protest violence against women Thousands of people marched in Buenos Aires on Friday to condemn violence against women, the latest public outcry following the recent killings of three 12-year-old girls in Argentina and the gang rape of a teenage girl in Brazil. The rally was organised on social media by women’s groups under the slogan #NiUnaMenos, meaning “Not one less.”

-AP

UK

‘Brexit campaign writing cheques they know will bounce’ David Cameron has accused senior Brexit campaigners of “writing cheques they know will bounce” for claiming that leaving the EU would allow the government to pump £100m more a week into the National Health Service (NHS) by 2020. In a joint statement, Vote Leave campaigners Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Labour’s Gisela Stuart said quitting the EU would provide a cash transfusion into the NHS. -THE GUARDIAN

EUROPE

German president to skip candidacy for second term German President Joachim Gauck will not run for a second fiveyear term in office, given his age and health reasons. Gauck, 76, is expected to explain his decision in a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday. Gauck’s term ends in March 2017. A spokeswoman for the president declined to comment.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Boko Haram attack in Niger kills 32 soldiers 30 soldiers from Niger and two from Nigeria were killed in a Boko Haram attack by hundreds of assailants on Friday on the southeastern town of Bosso close to the border with Nigeria, the Niger defence ministry said on Saturday. 7 others from Niger and 8 from Nigeria were injured in the attack, according to the ministry, which reported several deaths among the assailants.

-REUTERS

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US falters in campaign to revive Iraqi army n Reuters A 17-month US effort to retrain and reunify Iraq’s regular army has failed to create a large number of effective Iraqi combat units or limit the power of sectarian militias, according to current and former US military and civilian officials.

Concern about the shortcomings of the American attempt to strengthen the Iraqi military comes as Iraqi government forces and Shia insurgents have launched an offensive to retake the city of Falluja from Islamic State. Aid groups fear the campaign could spark a humanitarian catastrophe, as an estimated 50,000 Sunni civilians remain trapped in the besieged town.

The continued weakness of regular Iraqi army units and reliance on Shia militias, current and former US military officials said, could impede Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s broader effort to defeat Islamic State and win the long-term support of Iraqi Sunnis.

The sectarian divide between the majority Shia and minority Sunni communities threatens to split the country for good.

Critics agree that there have been some military successes, citing the continued victories of American-trained Iraqi Special Forces, who have been fighting IS for two years. But the presence of 4,000 American troops has failed to change the underlying Iraqi political dynamics that fuel the rise and growing power of sectarian militias.

Retired US Lieutenant General Mick Bednarek, who commanded the US military training effort in Iraq from 2013 to 2015, said the Iraqi army has not improved dramatically in the past eight months. He blamed a variety of problems, from a lack of Iraqis wanting to join the military to the resistance of some lower-level Iraqi officers to sending units to American training.

Two senior US military officers and Bednarek said that with few exceptions, the most effective and only truly non-sectarian Iraqi government fighting force is the Iraqi Special Forces, sometimes called the Counter-Terrorism Service.

American officials expressed worry that the Special Forces units may burn out after nearly two years of continuous combat.

Militia influence

Across Iraq, regular Iraqi army units have largely watched from the sidelines as Iraqi Special Forces and Shia militias have reclaimed land from Islamic State, current and former US military officials said. Militias have repeatedly taken advantage of the power vacuums that have emerged after Islamic State defeats.

The Iraqi military operations command of Salahuddin province,

A member of the Iraqi security forces fires artillery during clashes with Islamic State militants near Falluja, Iraq, May 29 north of Baghdad, is dominated by a Shia militia leader, Abu Mehdi Mohandis, according to a current US military officer, an Iraqi security official and three Iraqi officials who monitor the province.

Mohandis serves as the chief state administrator for Shia paramilitary forces. The US Treasury sanctioned him in 2009 for allegedly attacking US forces in Iraq. He was also convicted in absentia by Kuwaiti courts for the 1983 bombings of the US and French embassies in Kuwait.

The Fifth Iraqi Army Division in eastern Diyala province is considered to be under the command of the Badr group, a powerful Shia militia and political party with strong ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, according to four current and former US military officers.

In Baghdad, US military officers estimate that 10% to 20% of the 300 officers who run the Iraqi military’s Operations Command have an affinity or association with either the Badr militia or the Shia religious leader Muqtada al Sadr.

And after Iraqi Special Forces, aided by US air strikes, captured a strategic oil refinery in the town of Baiji in October, Shia militias looted all of its salvageable equipment, according to a senior US military official and three Iraqi government officials.

Over the past year, US military officers have struggled to ensure that militias do not seize American weaponry delivered to the main Iraqi army supply depot in Taji and to a brigade in the Saqlawiya region.

“An official body”

Iraqi government and senior paramilitary leaders said the reports

of poor training and Shia militia dominance in the military are false.

They said the militias follow the orders of the prime minister and his military commanders.

Iraqi defence ministry spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool called the militias “an official body connected with the office of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.” He said they take their orders only from government officials and “have a great role in supporting the army forces and the federal police.”

Mohammed Bayati, a former human rights minister and senior Badr group leader, now commands forces in northern Salahuddin Province. He said the Shia paramilitaries fall under the army, police and regular military chain-of-command. Bayati said that any reports of militias operating on their own were false.

“Yesterday, I was in the Salahuddin Operations Command,” he said. “All orders are coming from the police and army leadership.”

The Shia militias “are supporting the army and police.”

The spokesman for the government umbrella body that oversees the militias, Ahmed Al-Asadi, said the Shia forces did not loot the Baiji refinery. “I deny totally such allegations,” he said. Islamic State, he said, stole and destroyed equipment.

The office of Prime Minister Abadi and the Iraqi Embassy in Washington didn’t respond to requests for comment.

American concerns

But current and former US military officials and local Sunni leaders say the militias continue to take advantage of the vacuums that emerge in predominantly Sunni areas after

Islamic State forces are defeated.

A lack of strong regular army units allows the militias to remain the dominant players.

Norman Ricklefs, a former US government adviser to the Iraqi interior and defense ministries, said the state has still not filled the void in most areas retaken from IS. He said militias are the most powerful they have been since Iraqi government forces defeated them in a series of battles across Iraq in 2008.

Ricklefs regularly visits Iraq and maintains ties with the Iraqi security apparatus and Shia and Sunni politicians.

“In the cities the militias occupy - Samarra and Tikrit and significant parts of eastern Baghdad they are the most powerful force,” Ricklefs said. “For the first time since 2008, the government has lost control of large parts of cities” to Shia militias.

One senior US military official said the setbacks call into question the Obama administration’s overall strategy in Iraq. He said any military training effort would fail until the US put more pressure on Iraq’s Shia and Sunni political leaders to strike a genuine power-sharing agreement.

Obama administration officials said the US strategy is succeeding and Iraqi forces have steadily grown stronger with American support.

US advisers have helped train existing units and set up two new Iraqi divisions, according to American and Iraqi officials. They achieved this despite struggling with shortfalls in Iraqi funding to hire new soldiers and a shortage of Iraqi Shia volunteers.

But there has been little improvement in overall Iraqi army combat readiness, according to a

REUTERS

US civilian official, one ex-official, a former general and three current senior US military officers.

Last October, American military officials estimated that only five Iraqi army divisions were ready for battle and put their combat readiness at only 60 to 65 percent. Today, those figures have increased only marginally, the officials said.

‘Lion’s share’ of progress

The US military spokesman in Iraq, Colonel Chris Garver, said that despite the difficulties, US forces have seen Iraqi army units improve after training. He also cited advances by army brigades in areas around Falluja as signs of success.

But Garver acknowledged that the lion’s share of military offensives has been spearheaded by the Special Forces, and that two years of battle are taking a toll on Iraq’s elite soldiers.

“The Government of Iraq has relied heavily on the Iraqi special operations forces and the potential for these forces being depleted into combat ineffectiveness is a real concern,” he said.

Garver said the regular Iraqi army continues to struggle with increasing its ranks. “Recruiting and funding have both been well-documented challenges for the GOI,” or Government of Iraq. “These are areas the GOI must address.”

Brigadier Rasool, the Iraqi Defence Ministry spokesman, rejected any suggestion that the regular Iraqi army was not an equal partner to the Iraqi Special Forces.

The current and former US officials contended that the Falluja offensive is again exposing the weakness of regular army units.

“The regular army does not seem to have been rebuilt,” Ricklefs said, “and it’s a real pity.” l

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Dam completion signifies Indian influence in Afghanistan “Destroying is easy and building is difficult. Contrary to those whose main art is destroying and sending messages of destruction, we have taken the difficult responsibility of building prosperity,” Ghani said in a veiled reference to the Taliban.

“We resolutely believe that... prosperity triumphs over destruction. Hope is right and hopelessness is wrong; seeking peace is right and seeking war is wrong.”

Diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Kabul have

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, centre, arrives ahead of the inauguration of the Salma Hydroelectric Dam in Herat on Saturday AFP

n Tribune International Desk India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Afghanistan on Saturday to mark the completion of a nearly $300m hydroelectric dam project, the latest symbol of Indian investment in its South Asian neighbour.

The dam, originally built in western Herat province in 1976 before being damaged during the civil wars of the 1990s, was rebuilt by some 1,500 Indian and Afghan engineers, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

“It is symbol of our friendship and would usher in hope, light up homes, nourish the fertile fields of Heart and bring prosperity to the people of the region,” Modi said in a social media post as he departed for Afghanistan, the first stop on a five-country trip.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has nurtured closer ties with India in the past year as relations with Pakistan have deteriorated in the face of continued insurgent attacks and border tensions.

Afghanistan has walked a fine line as it accepts Indian aid, with Pakistan historically wary of any Indian influence in Afghanistan.

“Salma Dam is another big step in deepening and broadening the relationship between Afghanistan and India,” Ghani said in a post on Twitter.

At more than 100 metres high and 540 metres wide, the dam is designed to generate 42 megawatts of power and help irrigate 75,000 hectares of land, according to Modi.

India has poured more than $1 billion into Afghanistan reconstruction projects and humanitarian aid, making it one of the largest donors to the war-torn country.

A new national assembly building in Kabul and major power line and road construction have been among the main projects funded by India.

Building prosperity

New Delhi’s active engagement has led analysts to point to the threat of a “proxy war” in Afghanistan between India and its nuclear-armed arch-rival Pakistan.

Pakistan - the historic backer of the Taliban - has long been accused of supporting the insurgents in Afghanistan, especially with attacks on Indian targets in the country.

In December, Modi inaugurated Afghanistan’s new parliament complex in Kabul, built by India at an estimated cost of $90 million.

A few days after his visit militants launched a 25-hour gun and bomb siege near the Indian consulate in Afghanistan’s Mazar-iSharif city.

And in March, Taliban militants fired a barrage of rockets at the parliament complex.

grown despite a series of attacks on Indian installations in Afghanistan.

The two countries recently signed a three-way transit agreement with Iran to develop its southern port of Chabahar, as Modi visited Tehran last month.

The deal, bypassing Pakistan to connect Iran, India, and Afghanistan to central Asia, would boost economic growth in the region, Modi said at the time. l

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Stock markets pass the week cautiously

Stock markets passed the week with cautious trading taking cues from the new budget proposed in the parliament on Thursday afternoon. During the past week, the benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange DSE gained 58 points or 1.4% to 4,446, after profit booking decline in previous week.

PAGE 15

Capital market snapshot: Past Week DSE Broad Index

4,446.1

1.3% ▲

Index

1,097.0

1.9% ▲

30 Index

1,761.2

3.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

21,695.1

45.8% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

689.1

56.7% ▲

All Share Index 13,691.3

1.2% ▲

30 Index

0.9% ▲

CSE 12,563.1

Selected Index

8,329.7

1.3% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

1,474.2

57.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

61.1

66.9% ▲

SoEs NET PROFIT/LOSS IN LAST FIVE YEARS 12,000

11,786

Taka in crore

1,0000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000

0 -2,000

-2,626

-4,000 -6,000 -8,000 -10,000

-9,415

crash in oil price, it brought a blessing for Bangladesh, said a senior executive of BPC. He said the gulf countries are on the move to cut the government facilities for their residents to reduce cost, but in Bangladesh the scenario is opposite as the government slashed the fuel price which will positively impact the

2,837

4,316

Source: Bangladesh Economic Survey

The country’s leading cement Brand, Shah Cement, on Friday hosted a gala day in Hotel Le Meridian in the capital to celebrate its houseful offer. The celebration came following a four-month campaign offer period from January to April.

PAGE 14

The government experienced a sharp rise in net profit by 173% in the fiscal year 2015-16 from the state-owned enterprises (SoEs) backed by Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) earning.

The Oil price fall in global market helped the government bag a huge profit, said the authorities concerned.

According to the statistics of Bangladesh Economic Review 2016, the net profit from SoEs stood at Tk11,786 crore as of April 2016 of the current fiscal year compared to Tk4,316 crore in the previous fiscal year.

The profit growth was 52% in the fiscal year 2014-15 from the earning of Tk2,837 crore.

The government profit saw a high jump as BPC capitalised on the oil price fall in the global market and earned Tk12,186 crore in the current fiscal year which was 195% higher from Tk4,126 crore in the last fiscal year.

Though the Saudi Arabia’s economy is suffering badly for

2015-2016 (April)

Shah Cement celebrates houseful offer

n Jebun Nesa Alo

2014-2015

PAGE 13

2013-2014

Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) yesterday called upon the finance minister to reconsider rationalising tax at source for the exporters, which was proposed to hike at the national budget.

SoEs net profit jumps by 173% in FY’16 2012-2013

EAB: Cut tax at source for exporters

2011-2012

TOP STORIES

mass people.

Though the government earns big from SoEs, it gives subsidy to some SoEs that went up by 37% in the current fiscal year.

The total amount of subsidies stood at Tk1,824 crore as of April 2016 of the current fiscal year compared to Tk1,328 crore in the last fiscal year. l

National Savings Week 2016 begins n Tribune Business Desk National Savings Week 2016 begins yesterday across the country to motivate the people for investment in savings.

To mark the week, Department of National Savings will organise different programmes till June 8 across the country for encouraging people to invest in savings under the slogan “Savings is symbol of financial and social security.’’

Internal Resources Division Senior Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman inaugurated the programme through bringing out a colourful rally in the morning in the city.

The rally, which was brought out from National Sports Council premises at Purana Paltan, paraded the nearby areas including National Press Club before concluded at the same place.

Addressing the programme, Nojibur Rahman said: “The authorities are trying to provide quality services to the people to meet the vision 2021 and 2041 announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”

The directorate is trying to habituate the people in savings through making saving instruments popular as a tool of social security, he added. l

Call to end rampant extortion during Ramadan n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Business leaders yesterday called for steps to end rampant extortion throughout the month of Ramadan allegedly demanded by law enforcers and musclemen backed by political parties.

They said such extortion lead to an abnormal hike in prices for essentials ahead of Eid. Several leaders from some wholesale trade associations came up with the call at a view exchange meeting titled “The role of law enforcement agencies in keeping prices for essentials at tolerable level during Ramdan”.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) hosted the meeting in the capital.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was present at the meeting as the chief guest while DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia as a special guest.

DCCI president Hossain khaled presided over the session.

The wholesale trade leaders also laid blame on manufacturers and importers for price hike of essentials like sugar, lentil, gram and edible oil.

They said they are entirely dependent on four to five importers and refiners, who control the supply chain of those items.

“In true sense, there is no visible drive by the law enforcers and Tax or VAT officials in the market for 11 months of the year except Ramadan. Only at Ramadan, they become more active,” said Abu Motaleb, one of the directors of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

He also alleged that police and political musclemen become desperate to extort money from the traders, thus pushing the prices up.

Motaleb also blamed the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 that would lead to hike in price for essentials in line with the rise in VAT. Ruling out the allegation of unethical business practice, Motaleb claimed that 99% traders in Bangladesh are honest. Only 1% of them is dishonest and they are affiliated with political parties who use power to run their business.

Bangladesh Paikary Vojjaya Tel Babosayee Samity president Md Golam Mawla said: “The whole-

sale traders are dependent on the producers and the international supply chain. If the prices go up in the global market, they affect our local market.’

A leader of wholesale sugar trader, Hazi Md Abul Hasem, said there is no actual data of real demands for essential products, which is needed for keeping stock in line with the demands.

“If refiners fail to make available supply of sugar, we have nothing to do as a lion’s share of the demand is met by imported sugar,” said Hasem.

Khaled said TCB can use e-commerce system for selling its products

smoothly to maximum customers.

He also called upon police to provide security to the businessmen while the latter is carrying a large amount of money specially in the month of Ramadan.

Home Minister said: “Extortion and other crimes have fallen compared to the previous time, and the government is committed to ensuring zero tolerance for any kind of extortion or hijacking.”

The intelligence department is working to identify extortion and robbery hot spots, he said.

“We will take stern actions against the extortionists whoever they may be.” l

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EAB: Cut tax at source for exporters n Tribune Report Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) yesterday called upon the finance minister to reconsider rationalising tax at source for the exporters, which was proposed to hike at the national budget.

General activities of the export-oriented industries will slow down while capacity of the industry will be reduced in the highly competitive market due to the proposed tax at source hike to 1.50%

from existing 0.60%, said EAB President Abdus Salam Murshedy in a press statement released yesterday.

In his budget reaction, he argued: “Economic development of the sector will be badly hampered while increasing investment and employment generation will be discouraged in the wake of the proposed provision.”

The association has also called upon the finance minister to reconsider the provision for the sake of

the export-oriented industry.

The association also demanded the government to reduce the corporate tax for the apparel manufacturing industries at 10% from the proposed 20% to increase investment and job creation in the sector.

While presenting the budget proposal for the FY-17, Finance Minister AMA Muhith proposed to reduce the corporate tax rate for the apparel makers at 20% from existing 35% from the next fiscal year.

He also drew the finance minister’s attention to the special monetary policy for the export-oriented industries and requested him to come up with a direct or an indirect direction in the next budget to spur investment.

The association, however, welcomed the finance minister for coming up with an extensive budget for the fiscal year 2016-17.

Besides, it welcomed the finance minister for keeping Tk4,500 crore as incentive for export-oriented

Shah Cement celebrates houseful offer n Tribune Business Desk

The country’s leading cement Brand, Shah Cement, on Friday hosted a gala day in Hotel Le Meridian in the capital to celebrate its houseful offer.

The celebration came following a four-month campaign offer period from January to April.

Shah Cement gave away scratch cards each to its clients for buying every hundred bag cement during the campaign period.

The scratch card was worth a wide range of gifts, i.e. smartphone, Tab, Laptop, refrigerator, motorbike and car.

Mr Naushad Karim Chowdhury, Shah Cement brand director, handed over the keys to the car and motorbike winners.

Toyota-Allion was the mega gift among the company’s houseful offer.

Deputy General Manager Md

Shah Cement officials at a prize-giving ceremony held on the sidelines of a gala party in Le Meridian hotel in the capital on Friday COURTESY Helal Uddin, Assistant General Manager (Finance) Mr Kazi AsifIqbal, Senior Manager (Finance) Mr NahidUllah, Brand Manager Mr Ibrahim Khalil, Sales Manager Mr

Shahinur Alam Shahin and other senior officials, distributors and dealers of the company were present at the celebration event.

The musical performance by the

country’s famous singers Kumar Biswajit and Konal stole the show.

Shah Cement has recently been recognised among the very best cement in ASIA. l

Minister for delivering ECR machines in installment n Tribune Business Report Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque has urged the government to provide Electronic Cash Register (ECR) machines for the traders, who are not able to pay the machine price instantly, through installments for the effective use of the mechanism across the country.

Many foreign countries collect Value Added Tax (VAT) on sales through ECR machines but these machines are very few in Bangladesh, said the minister while addressing a seminar on new Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act 2012 held at IDEB Bhaban in the city yesterday.

In this regard, citing an example, he further said: “Only 5 to 10 shops in Gazipur uses the ECR machines.”

Addressing the seminar, as chief guest, the minister said: “If the mechanism can be used properly, it can help the government earn higher amount of revenues.”

Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Dhaka (South) organised the seminar to aware the stakeholders about the new act.

The minister called upon the government and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to take an imitative for providing the machines to the traders through installments to make the system effective and mandatory across the country.

While unveiling budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 in parliament on Thursday last, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said: “The government will collect the ECR and Point of Sales (POS) machines by itself and will deliver them to the companies.”

He also proposed the government to amend the existing rules and orders to make it mandatory for all the super resorts, hotels and companies to use the ECR and POS. In July 2009, NBR made it mandatory for 11 types of business to install and use ECR and POS software to boost VAT collection. The business entities include hotels, restau-

rants, sweetmeat shops, furniture outlets, beauty parlours, community centres, all shops located at the mega malls in the metropolis, departmental stores, general stores, big and medium-size wholesalers and retailers and jewellers.

The new VAT law, which will fully come into effect from July 2017, will make it compulsory to use ECR machine in shops and other businesses.

According to an NBR estimate, there are now 11,005 shops under the categories. Of them, a number of 8,559 were selected for ECR installation, but so far only 2,970 machines have been installed in the country.

The NBR is now working to connect its server system with the ECR machines to get real time record of the machines to get the actual amount of VAT collected by business entities from their customers.

According to the plan, NBR will install a chip in each ECR which will be connected with the IVAS server. Thus the NBR officials will be able to cross check the transac-

tion records any time they want.

By doing so, the revenue authority is expected to get the actual amount of VAT as no traders will be able to alter the records due to that system.

Mozammel Haque also called upon the government to come with special tax incentive packages to encourage industrialisation in backward and undeveloped areas of the country.

In this regard, he said: “Old businesses are enjoying many facilities including proper connection of gas and electricity that helps them do business in low costs. On the other hand, the new entrepreneurs are to spend more to manufacture their products due to lack of availability of utility connections.”

Presiding over the seminar, NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman said: “There will be no complexity in the VAT payment and collection when the new law will come into effect as it will ensure hassle-free and fear-free atmosphere for businesses and industrialists.” l

industries, continuation of concessional duty rate for capital machinery import, special tax package on import of pre-fabricated building material and fire safety material, for ensuring significant allocation for human resource development, and plan to introduce pension scheme for the private sector.

It also greeted the minister for putting emphasis on electricity, energy and overall communication infrastructure along with significant funds for 10 mega projects. l

Menon: Aviation University in the offing n Ishtiaq Husain The government has taken up an initiative to establish an “Aviation University” in the country to fulfil manpower requirement in aviation sector.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon came up with the disclosure while addressing a seminar titled “Role and Impact of Aviation Sector on Visit Bangladesh 2016” at a city hotel yesterday.

Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) and Travel Magazine “VROMON” jointly organised the seminar.

The seminar was addressed, among others, by former Bangladesh Bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin, Controller General of Bangladesh Masud Hossain, Malaysia-Bangladesh Chamber of Industry President Nasir A Chowdhury, Additional Secretary of Aviation Ministry Rafiquzzaman, Tourism Board CEO Akhter-Uzzaman Khan Kabir, Board of Trustee Chairman (Daffodil University) Sabur Khan. Novoair Managing Director Mofizur Rahman presented a key-note paper.

Speaking as chief guest, Menon said: “Periphery of aviation sector is increasing day by day as the industry is recognised an important sector in the world. As we don’t have much trained people in this sector, the government has undertaken a move to set up an Aviation University in the country.

“Aviation industry plays a vital role in flourishing the tourism industry as most of the foreign tourists enter into a country through airports. So, we will have to give more emphasis on this sector, so the foreign tourists can treat our country positively,” said Menon.

“Bangladesh has a total of 15 airports, out of which, only seven airports are functional. If the government take proper decision to make all the airports functional, it will bring a positive impact on the country’s overall economic activities,” speakers told the seminar. l

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Business

CORPORATE NEWS

Standard Bank Limited has recently celebrated its 17th founding anniversary at a hotel in Dhaka, said a press release. The bank’s chairperson, Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed inaugurated agent-banking service of the bank at the programme

Rajshahi branch of National Bank Limited has recently arranged a loan distributing programme in Rajshahi, said a press release. The bank’s managing director, AFM Shariful Islam was present at the programme

Standard Chartered Bank and MasterCard Bangladesh have recently launched the first automatic cash back credit card in Bangladesh, said a press release. The bank’s CEO, Abrar A Anwar was present at the launching ceremony of Titanium credit card

Stock markets pass the week cautiously n Tribune Business Desk Stock markets passed the week with cautious trading taking cues from the new budget proposed in the parliament on Thursday afternoon.

During the past week, the benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange DSE gained 58 points or 1.4% to 4,446, after profit booking decline in previous week.

The blue-chip comprising index DS30 rose 53 points or 3.2% to 1,761. The DSE Shariah Index DSES was up 20 points or almost 1% to 1,097.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX closed at 8,329, rising 104 points or 1.3%.

The national budget proposed by Finance Minister AMA Muhith has nothing unusual message for the stock market.

Risk-averse investors were cautious throughout the week while some bargain hunters took position during the past week.

The market observed rising activities last week, coupled with sector and issue specific movements, as expectations for budgetary incentives came into play, said IDLC Investments.

The market broke the spell in the final session of the week, as indices strode forward with surging participa-

tion, it said.

Stocks-wise movement was strong as some issues attracted considerable turnover and offered substantial gain.

Among the major sectors, cement, food and allied, power, engineering and telecommunications increased by 8%, 2%, 2%, 1.5% and 1% respectively, while non-banking financial institutions and bank sectors decreased marginally.

Lanka Bangla Securities said the prime index made significant move last week amid increased market volatility as budget gripped the investors mind throughout the week.

The daily average turnover stood at Tk434 crore, up over 16.6% over the previous week’s average of Tk372 crore during the week.

Power, pharmaceuticals and engineering sectors dominated the trading throughout the week as they together accounted for 46% of the week’s total turnover.

Gainers took a modest lead over the losers as out of 326 issues traded, 170 closed higher, 131 ended lower and 25 remained unchanged on the DSE during the week.

Lafarge Surma Cement was the week’s top turnover leader with shares worth Tk128 crore changed hands, followed by Titas Gas, Shahjibazar Power Company, United Airways and United Power. l

Global oil giants seek inroads into India’s retail fuel market n Reuters, New Delhi

Global oil majors including Saudi Aramco and Total plan to tap the retail fuel market in India, its oil minister said on Friday, reflecting the expanding role of the world’s fastest-growing large economy on the global crude landscape.

India’s fuel markets could be a lucrative prize for the world’s oil majors as they seek outlets for their gasoline and diesel. India posted the fastest oil demand growth in the world in the first quarter of 2016 and is replacing China as the driver of growth globally, the International Energy Agency said in its latest report.

“Saudi Aramco is eager to enter in Indian market,

we are finding ways to help them,” Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in Hindi in a live telecast on a government website.

India, the world’s fourth-biggest oil consumer, recently offered Saudi Aramco a stake in refineries and petrochemical projects.

Saudi Aramco wants to expand globally and is looking at potential joint ventures in several countries, including Indonesia, India, the United States, Vietnam and China, chief executive Amin Nasser told Reuters in an interview in May. Fuel marketing in India has turned profitable after the government ended decades-old control over the retail prices of gasoline and diesel. l

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Career

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

The humble artist

Reverting back

Before my father passed away, I wanted to study the arts and become an artist. I loved it – to be able to make something beautiful from what I saw around me.

However, life had something different planned for me, and before I knew it, I was a son without a father. It took an effort but I was able to integrate my passion for art into my drive to make a positive change.

Business, in today’s world, demands to be creative; to be unique. In that sense, somewhere along the line, I became a different form of artist.

Family and support

Story of a Japanese entrepreneur taking the necessary steps to make Bangladesh leap forward

n Rad Sharar Bin Kamal Sorane Fukuda is introduced as the founder and CEO of BIT Makers Ltd, an IT service provider in Dhaka. His entrepreneurial journey is a one worth mentioning, trailing from Japan to Dhaka in just six years.

Today, Fukuda speaks on how the path of success will inevitably be turbulent, and how sheer persistence and passion can pull success towards you.

The seed

Before I came to Bangladesh, I worked at an advertising agency based in Japan, as a digital producer, as well as accounts executive. It was an interesting job and I really loved it, but something inside me really wanted to make a bigger impact. I wanted to have a firm that I could call my own. I think that passion may be tracked

back to my father, who was an entrepreneur as well.

The beginning

When I was a university student, I frequently visited India for research projects. I gained a general perspective on the culture, lifestyle and economy of Bangladesh through that, as it may be deemed similar.

I wished to concentrate on South East Asian countries for my ventures after my visits. I was hungry for opportunities, and eventually ended up creating a company specialising in donation tracking systems with a friend of mine.

The opportunity

My drive seemed to only grow from there. I looked towards Bangladesh after RE.A.PRA Group, a Japanese start-up building company, reached out to me.

To me, Bangladesh is different in every meaning. The people here are truly kind, the country is exquisite in beauty and nature, the food is irresistible, and all that together, makes it a wonderful country full of opportunities.

RE.A.PRA Group saw Bangladesh in the same light as I did, and our ideologies matched instantly. We saw a population with the potential to revolutionise the country’s IT infrastructure, one which is a decade behind Japan with regard to digital market innovation.

I felt a need to parry that, and everything seemed to put itself into place from there. By taking up that responsibility to establish a thriving IT initiative in Bangladesh, BIT Makers Ltd began to form on November 11, 2015.

BIT Makers is an IT service provider, one which aims to lead the category in Bangladesh.

My mother and elder brother were always supportive of my initiatives. They encouraged my leaps of faith but as simple as it sounds, it never is as easy to leave your friends and family behind, miles away. When it’s all for the greater cause, I guess the struggle is automatically justified, right?

Bumps and cracks

When I came to Bangladesh, I personally faced the immediate

Bangladesh is different in every meaning. The people here are truly kind, the country is exquisite in beauty and nature, the food is irresistible and all that together, makes it a wonderful country full of opportunities

About BIT Makers Ltd’s services: First Jobs

This is an online job portal and the ultimate platform for the fresh graduate students who have just completed their education and are looking for an entry level jobs.

This platform will help them initiate their corporate journey, with the best opportunities available. On the other hand. organisations can also find their potential candidates by posting job offers on the portal.

Tech Monsters

This is an online job portal dedicated

to IT developers. Techmonsters. com will allow IT engineers and developers to make their skills click to their best advantage.

The platform will also allow employers to circulate job vacancies. Individual freelancers also can apply for the contractual or permanent jobs.

Kajer Khoje

This is an online job portal for the common job seeker to look for employment. The portal will advertise and promote blue-collar jobs exclusively.

challenge in cultural differences and traffic deadlocks.

In addition, severe challenges arose when starting our business in Bangladesh due to the lengthy and time consuming documentation process.

Then came the issue of combining the right team.

Bangladeshi job seekers are not exactly tech savvy to the Japanese definition. People here use the Internet mostly for surfing, Facebook and YouTube.

There aren’t many efficient logistics support either. Moreover, lack of local and international payment gateway systems held us back. Local transactions are still manageable due to mobile money services like Bkash. But when it came to international transactions, the task was excruciating in Bangladesh.

Company tickboxes

BIT Makers Ltd’s plan is to fulfill the needs of the untapped IT market in Bangladesh. Our company is coming up with innovative IT based products; for instance, specialised job portals like “Tech Monsters” for the IT sector, “Kajer Khoje” for Blue Collar employment opportunities and finally, “First Jobs” for fresh graduates to find immediate work.

A wedding portal named Biye Bari is also in the pipeline, which shall serve as a one-stop-shop for all marriage related needs.

We seek fresh opportunities for more IT related services and hope to become leading IT company in the Bangladeshi market.

The goal? To become the number one IT service provider in the respective sectors we head into.

Secrets of survival

In short, coffee and biryani. I just can’t resist!

Words of wisdom

Your dreams are your heart telling you what you need to fight for.

Listen to it. l

With the aim to reduce the information gap and empower the mass, kajerkhoje.com aims to bring the right skills to satisfy the right need.

Biye Bari

This is an online curation media focused on the wedding market of Bangladesh. The wedding portal will act as a single go-to destination for all celebratory needs.

The site shall also provide important and interesting articles on various issues and news of the Bangladeshi wedding scenario over time.

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Advantages of being a startup intern n Mustafizur Rahman Khan As college students, when applying for internship to enrich working experiences, you often opt for big companies that you have heard about and dreamt of.

However, what we don’t know is that there are lots of hidden advantages when you are working at a startup company.

Nowadays, landing a part time job or an internship at a startup has become quite easy, given how the startup scene is sprouting with new names every day.

Startup internships are said to be notorious for being underpaid or involving unpaid voluntary work.

That is why many have a negative predetermined notions about working in startups.

That is not and has never actually been the case. While looking for opportunities, startups will be happy to offer you a position as a paid intern (that is, if you are qualified and make the cut). In fact, if you have performed well enough by the end of the internship you might just get a recommendation guaranteed to have a job waiting when you graduate. Here, we are going to talk about the benefits of completing an internship at a startup and debunk those negative views.

Your performance will always automatically be evaluated or seen In some big firms, it is not only hard to get noticed but sometimes, your efforts and contributions tend to be unnoticed. Whereas,

in startups, all your efforts count.

What’s more, whatever you do, your performance is visible.

So in a way, your performance, if not constantly curated, will always shine through one way or the other. Thus, it will make you more conscious and aware of your responsibilities. This will eventually help to build up your confidence in work places.

It helps you to explore your talents across a wider spectrum College can be a confusing time.

Even if you’re still unsure as to which specific sector you want to work in, an internship at a startup will be your perfect opportunity to figure it out.

Now, in my experience, I have heard many complain about how at a startup they hand you tasks from other departments.

Working at a startup can be more challenging than working at a stable big firm but it also helps you to be more versatile simultaneously.

By the time you are done with your internship, you can flaunt that resume with experiences in not only a single line of work, but a whole range of skills.

You will have more knowledge about the internal framework of the company You’ll have hands-on experience,

as the projects that you may be taking on in a startup will have a direct impact on the firm’s image and efficiency. On the contrary, your efforts will be a fraction of all the work put in by many other employees in a large company.

Hence, you get limited exposure in big firms than in startups.

Besides, you will gain more knowledge about the other departments. Whether it be through quick team meetings, overhearing a conversation between two programmers at the engineering department in the elevator or going to lunch with the marketing team, there’s no stop to the information you will be absorbing from different sectors.

As an intern, many do not even get the word on what a large company is planning to do or about its next move, leading to greater chances for you slugging behind. Whereas in a startup, you will be updated with more interactive meetings, where even the top level managers will be willing to hear your pitch about your absurd idea or suggestions.

Startups are always on the verge of becoming the next big thing So what if you did not work at a big shot firm but instead at a startup? These days, startups have become bigger names than some companies that have been around

for years. You might just end up working for a startup that will possibly take the market by storm.

Even if it is not the case, worry not, for you will be receiving experience and knowledge.

Top that with a rocking recommendation and you are all set for your big plans after graduation!

Furthermore, in the future, the ones you have worked with in a startup may go on to do different and big things. That will always come in handy to expand your network in your specific sector of profession.

The work environment will always be a more tight-knit It’s obvious that a working in a

startup will be more like working with a family. You will always have a direct contact with the heads of different departments.

However, working at a large firm with experienced team members can be a daunting experience, and may hinder you to present your true talents.

In startups, you can further explore your realms of talents and know your capabilities more in a comfortable manner, thus giving you a better experience. That also opens up the opportunities of receiving feedback about your performances. Why? You can learn more by asking for guidance, assistance and by self-learning as your performance is up to you. l

Whereas in a startup, you will be updated with more interactive meetings, where even the top level managers will be willing to hear your pitch about your absurd idea or suggestions This article has been reprinted under a special arrangement with SD Asia.

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‘Digitisation is changing the threat and crime models’

Dr Vilius Benetis

The biggest risk for financial institutions and their clients is the lack of knowledge on these new threats

n Mahmood Sadi After the much talked about cyber heist in Central Bank this year, the entire commercial banking sector of Bangladesh has been put under a scanner to seal off every security leak. Many banks have already began consulting with worldleading cybersecurity providers.

Dr Vilius Benetis is a senior consultant, focusing on securing digital environment and capabilities development for organisations, via changing behavior and automation. With 20 years of experience in the sector, Benetis promotes critical security controls for effective cyber defense to IT firms.

He is currently working with the Bangladesh Government for the implementation of National Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) and development of information security policies in Bangladesh. Dhaka Tribune recently sat with the expert, and talked about to what extent cybersecurity issues really matter.

What do you think is the condition of cybersecurity in the financial and banking sectors in Bangladesh? What are the major threats?

The only way for the financial sector to be efficient and reliable in the world, and in Bangladesh,

is to be highly automated. That includes the automation of client services and internal operations.

Automation is implementing through digitisation, and the usage of digital services saves time for the customers, helps elevate the economy, reduce physical dangers to people as well as organisations.

At the same time, digitisation is changing the threat and crime models. Instead of physical attacks on banks and armed heists, criminals are benefiting from cyber attacks.

This change has to be comprehended by banks and their clients, and it should come hand-in-hand with new skills and knowledge on how to protect themselves.

The biggest risk for financial institutions and their clients is the lack of knowledge on these new threats - what their methodologies are, what technology they use, and what cyber-hygiene they follow.

What is your current assignment in Bangladesh?

The objective of the assignment is to establish the Government of Bangladesh’s information security program, as well as set program goals and priorities to support the government’s mission. It will also provide resources to set up a national Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) to facilitate

and support the program.

The assignment has multiple components, including the drafting of policies, regulations, standards and guidelines. It will also propose a structure for the CIRT that is technically, financially, and operationally sustainable; provide trainings for the CIRT personnel; and lastly, assist the CIRT to establish relationships with other international/regional CIRTs.

What is CERT? Are there any differences between CSIRT and CERT? CERT/CSIRT/CIRT are synonyms, with some minor, mostly irrelevant, differences. These teams have a particular processes, communities, cooperation models, and trust in the community.

CIRTs can be national/sectorial/ company wide, depending on the need and setup. NRD CS have commercial CIRT, which helps organisations to set up own CIRTs and securely handle cybersecurity incidents on their behalf.

Is this cybersecurity solution to banking industry expensive?

What options are present?

Cybersecurity costs must be adequate to the value of the protected assets. Due to more assets moving to the digital world, more investment is required. What is not so obvious is that hygiene is not expensive at all due to numerous tools which exist (both commercial and open source).

What costs most is the setup of appropriate processes and build required human skills.

You mentioned a few issues in our Digital Security Act, for instance,

provision of a national Internet security officer. Why do we need that position?

We were not commenting on the Digital Security Act, as it is in a draft form and still being discussed. Yesterday, we were not talking about the Digital Security Act.

Does the financial sector need a CIRT to monitor transactions?

Organisations in the financial sector should start from building their own capability (Cybersecurity Incident Response Teams - CIRT/SOC), adjust processes, and then cooperate in organised manner with other national and regional CIRT teams to achieve the security of their assets and clients.

Additionally, organisations should focus on cybersecurity hygiene - adopting and implementing practical frameworks like CIS Security Controls (https://www.cisecurity. org/critical-controls.cfm), which already benefitted many organisations around the world.

This would allow them to be better suited with sectorial regulation as PCI DSS.

How can you trace breaches that have been made in the system?

We empower financial organisations to be able to secure and monitor their IT and banking systems, detect incidents and respond appropriately in order to reduce losses.

It is done by the means of creating internal CIRTs – teams of incident handlers, who work according to specific process.l

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Biz Info

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

| agreement |

| offer |

GIZ project team visits BUFT

Iftar delights at Sonargaon

A six-member German team on a fact finding mission for the new GIZ project, entitled Bangladesh German Higher Education Network for Sustainable Textile visited BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT) on May 29.

The purpose of the visit was to find out the areas of education and collaborative research between German higher education institutions, BUFT and GIZ. Faruque Hassan, senior vice president of BGMEA and member of the Board of Trustees, BUFT,

| food |

gave a warm welcome and discussed the overall activities of BUFT. There was a fruitful discussion between the two parties who decided to work together for the development of RMG, fashion and textile education of Bangladesh. l

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Dhaka

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf launched its flagship store in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded in 1963 by Herbert Hyman in California, USA, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is one of the largest privately-owned, family-run coffee and tea companies in the world.

This is their 1029th store in the world.

Known for sourcing and providing the finest ingredients and flavours, the brand has built relationships with the best private coffee farms and tea estates around the world, selecting only the top 1% Arabica beans and finest hand plucked, whole leaf teas.

Coffee Bean has a lighter roasting touch, which differentiates it from Starbucks and some of the other chains.

The company’s house blend, for example, falls into a light-to-

medium-roast category. They have a very classic and welcoming interior but great decor isn’t really what makes it a must-visit. Their Chicago cheesecake is also worth a mention. l

Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, a premier destination for food lovers, is offering a truly unique iftar experience to celebrate this year’s holy month of Ramadan.

Enjoy a sumptuous feast with friends and family as the hotel’s culinary team prepares a traditional Ramadan iftar buffet at its Café Bazar Restaurant.

The Ramadan buffet will feature some of the most unique dishes from countries along the Pacific Rim. When celebrating Ramadan in countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, millions of Muslims spend the daylight hours avoiding food awaiting an iftar that is not only tasty and hearty, but also recipes that warms the soul and rewards the assiduous Muslim after his day of sacrifice. Bangladeshis here are no different in this aspect.

And so, this gave the inception of uniting iftar culinary dishes from the Pacific region to our local traditional Bangladeshi pleasures at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel.

With a selection of several menus to choose from, including the lip-smacking traditional halim and jilapi, rest assured the guests will find something to suit their palette. All menus feature a selection of traditional

curries, porridges, roasts, and rice cakes in endless varieties, along with a few innovations.

Main dishes on offer include a variety of succulent meat dishes, including the famous Malaysian beef rendang, chicken cooked in coconut milk known as Opor Ayam from the hills of Indonesia, traditional Thai chicken satay and the renowned Vietnamese aromatic lamb chops. The menus also come with a delightful culmination of mouthwatering desserts, bringing a healthy and nourishing end to your Iftar with some delicious glutinous rice cakes known as Pulut Intl Kelapa from the outskirts of Malaysia.

Also, do not forget to taste the highlight of this year’s iftar at Café Bazar - the delectable Phuket chicken biriyani.

Besides the heavy-on-calorie dishes that are ought to be the apex of this year’s iftar outing at the hotel, the chef’s team has also kept in mind the healthy diet of the worrywarts in Dhaka who are very conscious about their health. For them, there is the Thai turkey salad, Malay baked spinach patties, Indonesian fried corn fritters and world famous Vietnamese noodle soup, Pho. l

DT

20 Editorial

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

TODAY

It’s time to go wild for life Without Royal Bengal Tigers, the forest will be less dangerous, and thus safer for wildlife poachers, illegal trading, honey collecting, fishing, and forestcutting PAGE 21

Should we be worried about the size?

Our growth rate has accelerated in the post-2008 period when the global financial crisis took the world market by surprise. This is a noteworthy achievement PAGE 22-23

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

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

REUTERS

The final fight

“I

f I get kicked out of America, I have another home,” said Muhammad Ali, upon receiving an honorary Bangladeshi citizenship when he was visiting the country in 1978, where he was greeted by 2 million fans at Dhaka Airport.

The only three-time lineal world heavyweight champion in the world, Muhammad Ali, aged 74, fought for his final breath on Friday. He was suffering from a respiratory illness complicated by Parkinson’s, a battle he had been tackling for 32 years.

Even till the end, Ali did not shy away from being bold in his views as he recently criticised Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering America.

His gift of witful gab got him the name of “Louisville Lip” early in his career, as he often bragged his own talents in verse and his provocative words often stirred controversy. He claimed that the hype was part of his job, like skipping rope.

He was reputed to have thrown an Olympic gold medal he won into a river, acting out against American racism as he was refused services at a soda fountain.

Even if this tale was apocryphal, his courage and outspokenness in the fight against racism and bigotry were not.

In 1967, Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam War, even after being drafted.

He pointed out the hypocrisy of the American administration in denying rights to black people even as they were ordered to fight in the war.

He was stripped of his title and banned from boxing for his convictions.

Muhammad Ali was not just a boxing champion and a fighter in the ring, he was a testament to the fighting spirit that inspired hope and confidence for many around the world to stand up against oppression.

By his own estimation, he was one of the greatest athletes of our time.

No doubt, the world agrees, and will miss him dearly.

Ali was not just a boxing champion and a fighter in the ring, he was a testament to the fighting spirit that inspired hope and confidence for many around the world to stand up against oppression

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21

Opinion

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

It’s time to go wild for life The economic contribution of the Sundarbans to the nation is incalculable

Let’s not let these beautiful creatures go extinct

n Md Mahfuzul Haque

T

he 2030 agenda for UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is to achieve economic, social, and environmental sustainability in a balanced and integrated manner.

To achieve this goal, the world community is determined to protect the planet from degradation through sustainable consumption, production of natural resources, and urgent action on climate change.

However, the UN long ago acknowledged the contribution of biodiversity and ecosystem in providing goods and services which accounts for at least 40% of the world’s economy and 80% of the needs of the poor, and are almost free.

To create awareness on environmental issues, each year UN celebrates World Environment Day based on a certain theme.

This year, the theme is “Go Wild for Life” and the host of the event is Angola because of its imminent threat of illegal trading of ivory, rhinoceros horns, and dwindling biodiversity.

Likewise, the Bangladesh government, along with its development partners, are also celebrating the day.

As a developing nation, the country’s economy has its deepest roots in its natural resources in some form.

Increased wildlife poaching and unplanned development are eroding its precious biodiversity and natural heritage, and are driving some species to the brink of extinction.

Unfortunately, the contribution

of biodiversity and ecosystem is neglected in development planning.

For example, the Sundarbans -- the nation’s largest mangrove forest -- helps in reducing poverty for the 2-3 million people living in the impact zone by expanding economic opportunities.

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

suffering from habitat loss and falling in numbers due to the decline of its prey. IPCC also predicts that the tiger population in the Sundarbans could disappear by the end of this century due to rise in the sea level caused by climate change.

The tiger census conducted

through 369 projects initiated by the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund. But none of the projects has exclusively focused on wildlife preservation in the Sundarbans except a small project that seeks to induct the Sundarbans as a new wonder of nature.

Without Royal Bengal Tigers, the forest will be less dangerous, and thus safer for wildlife poachers, illegal trading, honey collecting, fishing, and forest-cutting The mangrove forest stores about 615.5391 million mg carbon and acts as a regulator for greenhouse gases. It also acts as a deterrent to tropical cyclones and storm, and saves assets worth millions of dollars.

But this monetary value and its contribution are being ignored in our economy.

I argue about the monetary value because the Vietnam government has assessed that planting and protecting 12,000 hectares of mangrove costs just over a million dollars, but it also saves annual expenditures on dike maintenance of well over $7 million dollars.

However, Bangladesh does not have a comprehensive assessment on the contribution of the Sundarbans to our economy, including the savings it makes during cyclones by protecting vulnerable communities.

The iconic Royal Bengal Tiger, the jewel of the mangrove, is

by the Forest Department of Bangladesh has found 440 tigers in 2004, while the last census in 2015 officially found that the number is only 106 in Bangladesh territory.

Honey collectors in the Sundarbans say the wilder the Sundarbans, the higher the ecosystem services. They also predict that if there are no Royal Bengal Tigers in the Sundarbans, ultimately, there will be no Sundarbans, period.

Without Royal Bengal Tigers, the forest will be less dangerous, and thus safer for wildlife poachers, illegal trading, honey collecting, fishing, and forestcutting.

When the mangrove forest has a great potential to fight climate change, initiatives launched by the government and development partners are not sufficient in protecting wildlife.

In the last five years, the Bangladesh government has invested Tk3,000 crore ($390m)

However, this project has no direct value for the conservation of the Sundarbans. In fact, the government has approved environmentally sensitive development projects like the construction of a coal-based power plant near the Sundarbans and has authorised commercial ships to navigate the rivers within the forest.

All these activities are threatening noise and water pollution, which will adversely affect Irrawaddy dolphins and other species, and can be attributed to “counter climate financing” initiatives for this world heritage site.

However, development partners and donors are also doing their bid to conserve the ecosystem and raise awareness to protect its endangered species.

Climate funds like Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund and Pilot Program for Climate Resilience have also ignored the

issue of conservation of wildlife to combat climate change.

Although Global Environmental Facility has implemented certain projects, it has also canceled a project which was exclusively focused on biodiversity conservation concerning the Sundarbans.

Recently, GEF has decided to set up a new trust fund to implement the Paris Agreement to build country-level adaptation and mitigation capacities by providing, initially, $50m through GEF agencies.

As both opportunity and the need for adaptation finance exists, the government should create more pressure on development partners to provide adaptation finance for biodiversity conservation.

Because, if this mangrove and its unique species cease to exist, there will be no place for the wild to go to.

The government needs to ensure stronger and more transparent policies for the correct utilisation and implementation of projects by integrating poverty, climate vulnerability, and sustainability issues to access ecosystem services.

So, this year’s theme of World Environment Day 2016 matters to us more than any other nation, to ensure environmental integration, economic development, and better adaptive capacity to face the pressing challenges of climate change. l Md Mahfuzul Haque is Program Manager, Climate Finance Governance, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

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Opinion

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Should we be worried about the size?

The present agenda is an ambitious agenda, but not a meaningless one

n Ashikur Rahman

E

very year, the shape and size of the national budget in any country raise imperative questions concerning the economic opportunities it will create, the challenges it might face, and the socio-economic vision it will support.

Thus, the strong public discourse in Bangladesh on the expected nature of the current national budget for FY17 is, by and large, a healthy and useful development.

Most importantly, a vibrant public scrutiny allows policymakers to fine-tune its resource mobilisation mechanisms and expenditure decisions by balancing competing needs, so that the overall exercise achieves both productive and allocative efficiency.

In the context of Bangladesh, however, one aspect of this public discourse -- ie whether the budget size is too ambitious or not -- is, I believe, somewhat misguided.

While it is true that most discussions on the national budget have rightly focused on the need to improve the capacity of the government to implement its objective effectively, the size of the budget has rarely received an adequate comparative analysis.

This, I believe, is essential if we have to understand where Bangladesh is and the kind of socio-economic character it can and should aim to achieve.

First, let us agree that no acceptable evaluation of the budget size is possible without scrutinising the relation the

The goals are big, but we have to plan right market and the state will have with each other in any country.

In other words, does Bangladesh aspire to be a country where neo-liberal principles are dominant and market-led mechanisms play a fundamental role in allocating resources?

Or, will Bangladesh aim to create a dynamic social welfare

BIGSTOCK

Our growth rate has accelerated in the post-2008 period when the global financial crisis took the world market by surprise. This is a noteworthy achievement state where equal opportunities are available for everyone? Of course, some mistakenly believe that this decision only has implications for allocation -- ie the share of total expenditure that is dedicated for social sectors like health care, education, public housing, etc.

But as I will point out, the socio-economic opportunities that a state aims to create also have consequences for the budget size itself.

For countries where policymakers have invested in a market mechanism so that it can play a fundamental role in shaping economic outcomes, like the US, the size of the budget has typically been around 25% of GDP. On the other hand, countries where its respective political leadership has opted for a social welfare state, especially

Scandinavian countries in Europe and others like Germany, France and the UK, the budget size has been approximately 35% of GDP or more.

Even a country like India, which is far from settling whether it wants to carry on operating on neo-liberal economic principles or whether it will opt for creating a welfare state entertains a budget outlay that is nearly 25% of GDP. Consequently, the size of the national budget in Bangladesh, which typically hovers around 15% of GDP, does not merit a discussion on.

In fact, as indicated in Figure 1, we have performed unfavourably in increasing our budget size as a share of GDP if we compare to countries like India or Malaysia.

Hence, the only option for policy-makers in Bangladesh is to be ambitious and continue to

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

economic needs of our social sector and the type of investments on infrastructure we can undertake, which will determine our economic growth prospects.

Bangladesh has already defied expectations in achieving growth rates that makes it stand out with few other countries in the current global economic context.

In fact, since 1990, we have maintained an economic growth rate above the world growth rate (Figure 3).

An even more remarkable landmark is that our growth rate has accelerated in the post-2008 period when the global financial crisis took the world market by surprise.

This is a noteworthy achievement, and it deserves sincere reflection, especially at a concentrate efforts to enhance the size of our tax base so that we can mobilise resources for financing our infrastructure needs and investments in human capital.

In recent times, however, Bangladesh has achieved tremendous results in increasing the absolute size of its national budget as of FY10.

When the current government assumed office in early 2009, it started implementing its Vision 2020 manifesto with approximately Tk90,000 crore for FY10. In the last fiscal year, the original budget aimed for achieving Tk295,000cr, but the revised budget stood at approximately Tk264,000cr.

This reflects a threefold increase approximately against the earlier budget size of FY10.

In the upcoming financial year, the budget size is expected to be

Tk340,605crore, which marks a growth of 30% in total outlay.

Moreover, if this milestone is achieved, then our budget size will reach 17.4% of GDP. As pointed out in the Seventh Five Year Plan, budget size is targeted to reach 18.5% of GDP by FY17 and 21.1% of GDP by FY20 (Figure 2).

Hence, the Tk31,000cr revenue shortfall in the current fiscal year probably explains why policymakers have lowered their target from 18.5% (as originally targeted in the Seventh Five Year Plan) to 17.4%. On the whole, this ambitious resource mobilisation endeavour needs to be backed by well-thought-out actions.

This is particularly crucial because the size of the budget fundamentally shapes the state’s capability to pay attention to the

DT

23

Opinion

time when the dominant public discourse in Bangladesh is mainly focussed on the “glass half-empty narrative.”

Furthermore, if we have to achieve a growth target of 8% and reduce poverty to under 20% by 2020, as embodied in the Seventh Five Year Plan (Figure 4), there is no alternative to increasing the size of the state in our country.

Hence, the present ambitious agenda is not necessarily a meaningless agenda for Bangladesh, and I hope policy-makers will design effective measures to realise such an agenda. l Ashikur Rahman is Senior Economist, Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI), and Member Secretary, Bangladesh Economists’ Forum (BEF).

DT

24 Sport

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

When Ali came to Bangladesh Giasuddin, boy who ‘knocked out’ Ali, cherishes memories n Tribune Report Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74.

He was suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson’s disease.

The funeral will take place in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, his family said in a statement.

The death of the people’s champion Ali took Bangladesh back to 38 years ago when one of the greatest

athletes of the 20th century visited the country, leaving not only his footprints behind but a “lifetime experience” for some people.

Accompanied by close family members including wife Veronica Porsche, daughter Laila Ali and his parents, the boxing legend landed in Bangladesh, back then in polit-

ical turmoil, on February 19, 1978 for a five-day tour. Ali was greeted by millions of his jubilant fans at the airport.

The National Boxing Stadium (Muhammad Ali Boxing Stadium) in Paltan still carries the legend’s name. Ali himself inaugurated the venue and during the occasion

IF YOU WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN, COME TO BANGLADESH

CAREER RECORD

TOTAL FIGHTS

61

WINS

56

WINS BY KO

37

LOSSES

5

This file photo from 1978 shows legendary boxer Muhammad Ali hoisting the Bangladesh flag in Dhaka MOHAMMAD LUTFAR RAHMAN BINU

staged a “boxing match” with a certain 12-year old boy named Mohammad Giasuddin.

Ali was originally supposed to fight with Abdul Halim, who was known as “Muhammad Ali of Bengal” but he refused to join a real fight and instead asked for a younger one for some “fun boxing”. In came Giasuddin.

Cherishing the memory, Giasuddin said, “I could not believe that I would share the same ring with Muhammad Ali but later I prepared quickly to get into the ring.”

He continued, “I saw a scar on his face and he told me not to hit on his face. Although my hand would not reach the well built Ali, I tried hard to punch on his belly and chest. And his lightning speed amazed me. It was the most memorable moment of my life and I will never forget the experience.”

A documentary was made filming his five-day stay titled “Muhammad Ali Goes East: Bangladesh, I Love You,” and during his time in Bangladesh, Ali travelled to some remote but beautiful areas of the country, including the Sundarbans, Sylhet, Rangamati and Cox’s Bazar. He was also awarded a plot of land in the coastal town of Cox’s Bazar.

Ali left behind hundreds of memories in Bangladesh and after witnessing the warm hospitality and the country’s beauty, he had this to say, “If you want to go to heaven, come to Bangladesh,”. He expressed his wish to return to Bangladesh and build a home here.

He has another famous quote regarding Bangladesh - “If I get kicked out of America, I have another home.”

He was honoured with the Bangladeshi citizenship, courtesy of a passport. l

HIGHLIGHTS OF MUHAMMAD ALI’S RING RECORD DATE Oct 29 1960 Feb 25 1964 May 25 1965 Nov 22 1965 Mar 29 1966 May 21 1966 Aug 6 1966 Sep 10 1966 Nov 14 1966 Feb 6 1967 Mar 22 1967 Mar 8 1971 Oct 30 1974

OPPONENT Tunney Hunsaker Sonny Liston Sonny Liston Floyd Patterson George Chuvalo Henry Cooper Brian London Karl Mildenberg Cleveland Williams Ernie Terrell Zora Folley Joe Frazier George Foreman

RESULT Won 6th rd TKO 7th KO 1st TKO 12th Won 15 TKO 6th KO 3rd TKO 12th TKO 3rd Won 15 KO 7th Lost 15 KO 8th

TOURNAMENT Pro debut World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship

Mar 24 1975 May 16 1975 Jul 1 1975 Oct 1 1975 Feb 20 1976 Apr 30 1976 May 24 1976 Sep 28 1976 May 16 1977 Sep 29 1977 Feb 15 1978 Sep 15 1978 Oct 2 1980 Dec 11 1981

Chuck Wepner Ron Lyle Joe Bugner Joe Frazier Jean Pierre Coopman Jimmy Young Richard Dunn Ken Norton Alfredo Evangelista Earnie Shavers Leon Spinks Leon Spinks Larry Holmes Trevor Berbick

TKO 15th TKO 11th Won 15 TKO 14 KO 5th Won 15 TKO 5th Won 15 Won 15 Won 15 Lost 15 Won 15 KO By 11 Lost 10

World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship World championship Last pro fight

Ali, in his own words “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

“It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.”

“Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up.”

“At home I am a nice guy but I don’t want the world to know. Humble people, I’ve found, don’t get very far.”

“I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning, and throw thunder in jail. You know I’m bad. Just last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.”

“I’m not the greatest. I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I pick the round. I’m the boldest, the prettiest, the most superior, most scientific, most skillfullest fighter in the ring today.”

“I know I got it made while the masses of black people are catchin’ hell but as long as they ain’t free, I ain’t free.”

“I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong.”

“I may not talk perfect white talk-type English but I give you wisdom.”

“If Ali says a mosquito can pull a plow, don’t ask how.

Hitch him up!”

“I’m the onliest person that can speak to everybody in the whole world. My name is known in Serbia, Pakistan, Morocco. These are countries that don’t follow the Kentucky Derby.”

“Sometimes I feel a little sad because I can see how some things I said could upset some people. But I did not deliberately try to hurt anyone. The hype was part of my job, like skipping rope.”

“Now the things that once were so effortless - my strong voice and the quickness of my movements - are more difficult. But I get up every day and try to live life to the fullest because each day is a gift from God.”

25

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Sport

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

‘Ali was the moral lodestar’ Dhaka Tribune editor Zafar Sobhan shares his memories of Muhammad Ali, the legendary world champion boxer who passed away yesterday at the age of 74 Dhaka Tribune Sports (DTS): What is your first memory of Muhammad Ali?

Zafar Sobhan (ZS): Actually, just about my very first memory in life is sitting with my father and brothers at my grandmother’s house and watching the “Thrilla in Manila” on TV. This must have been 1975.

It is certainly the first vivid one. I remember that they used to cut away to ads in between rounds and when they came back from the ad after the 14th round, the fight was over! This was because Joe Frazier’s trainer had thrown in the towel before the 15th round started to save his fighter from more damage.

DTS: Did your father’s boxing background also draw you towards Ali?

ZS: My father had been a champion boxer in his schooldays and took his boxing very seriously. So we all did too. We used to watch and follow boxing from a very early age, and I even learned how to box very young as well. While other kids were learning world capitals etc my brothers and I knew the names of all the heavyweight boxing champs starting with John L Sullivan. We all followed boxing as obsessively as we did football and cricket, and still do, to a large extent.

DTS: Do you remember anything about his visit to Bangladesh in 1978?

ZS: Sadly, we weren’t living in Bangladesh in 1978 and so I only was able to hear about it from my friends and family. I was green

“God came for his champion. So long great one.”

- @MikeTyson “Muhammad Ali is dead at 74! A truly great champion and a wonderful guy. He will be missed by all!”

- Republican presidential hopeful @ realDonaldTrump “God bless Muhammad Ali peace and love to all his family.”

- Beatles drummer Ringo Starr @ ringostarrmusic “Muhammad Ali was not just a champion in the ring - he was a champion of civil rights, and a role model for so many people” - British Prime Minister David Cameron “This Man. This King. This Hero.

This Human! Words cannot express. He shook up the World! God Bless Him.” - pop star Madonna

DTS: What caught your eye when you first saw him?

ZS: We all loved Muhammad Ali. Apart from his preternatural talent as a boxer and a showman, he identified with the people of the Third World and was a spokesperson and lodestar for us. In fact, for years as a child I thought that he was a Bangladeshi and remember how shocked I was when my mother gently informed me that actually he was American!

TWITTER REACTIONS

“The peoples champ. My hero” - rapper Snoop Dogg

In this May 25, 1965, file photo, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stands over fallen challenger Sonny Liston, shouting and gesturing shortly after dropping Liston with a short hard right to the jaw in the first round of their title fight in Lewiston AP with envy and disappointment. It was only afterwards that I truly understood what a momentous visit it had been and how it had been very much in character for him. It was a wonderful gesture of Third World solidarity and meant and still means a lot to Bangladeshis.

People still remember that visit here and talk about it.

DTS: Why do you think he is the greatest? What stood out for you?

ZS: He was the greatest. Not only was he a supremely talented boxer but his entire life story was an inspiration: How he came out of Lousiville in the deep South and battled racism and prejudice his whole life. How he was a spokesperson for black Americans in their fight for equal rights and dignity. The abuse he suffered growing up and early in his career can scarcely be imagined today. The fear he engendered among large swathes of the white

American population and the fervour and love he inspired among the black community and around the world. His outspoken refusal to bow down to white supremacy. His embrace of Islam. His commitment to the down-trodden. His fellow feeling for the impoverished and disadvantaged around the world.

And of course, the crowning glory of his life: His refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. His refusal to take part in an unjust war being waged against people of colour. He put his money where his mouth was. He was stripped of his title, banned from boxing, even thrown in jail on trumped-up charges. But he stood by his guns. He did the right thing.

What a man.

DTS: What was bigger for you, Ali the boxer, the athlete or the personality?

ZS: I think Muhammad Ali transcended boxing and transcended

sport. It was his story, his courage, and his outspokenness that made him who he was. We should never forget Ali the boxer. Without question one of the all-time greats.

Very possibly the greatest of them all. But he was so much more than that. And that is where his true greatness lay.

DTS: What does his passing away mean to the world?

ZS: This is a sad day for the world.

We have lost one of our greatest sons. There will never be another one like him. But we should continue to take inspiration from his life and take heart from the fact that by the time he passed away the entire world - including those who had once reviled him - acknowledged him as a great man who had been a true leader and moral lodestar. It shows how far we have come as a people. There is a lesson in his life for all of us to take away.l

“This is the ALI we should all remember! The fun loving man who was fully himself!! RIP CHAMP!!!”

- Canadian pop star Justin Bieber posted this message alongside a picture of a youthful Ali playing Monopoly “A giant among men, Ali displayed a greatness in talent, courage & conviction, that most of us will EVER be able to truly comprehend. #RIPAli” - former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis “RIP @muhammedali, a legend who transcended sport and was a true champion for all. #thegreatest#MuhammadAli” - former Mexican-American champion Oscar De La Hoya “Today we lost the Greatest Sportsman that’s ever lived #RIPMuhammadAli” - former Irish featherweight champion Barry McGuigan “The Greatest there will ever be ....

The biggest and the best ..... Rest In Peace.”

- Former England football captain David Beckham on Instagram

DT

26

Sport

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

20 best moments that made Ali 'The Greatest' 1) Takes up boxing after his bike is stolen (1954)

If it wasn’t for the lure of free food, Muhammad Ali may never have boxed. As the 12-year-old Cassius Clay he pedalled on his red and white Schwinn bike to the Louisville Home Show, an exhibition for black businesses, for the free popcorn, hot dogs and candy. But when he left, his bike was gone.

9) Cassius Clay becomes Muhammad Ali (1964)

15) The Fight of the Century (1971)

2) Wins his first bout – and is hailed a future champion (1954)

The 6st 9lb Clay won his first bout by split-decision against another novice, Ronny O’Keefe, on Martin’s TV show Tomorrow’s Champions, which was shown all over Kentucky.

3) Gold at the Rome Olympics (1960) Malcolm X trains his camera on Muhammad Ali after he beat Sonny Liston to become the heavyweight champion of the world After the earthquake, the aftershock. Clay’s interest in the Black Muslims began in 1959 when he saw a man in Louisville selling newspapers shouting: “Muhammad speaks! Read it!”

But it was only in March 1961 that he visited a temple and became deeply immersed in the religion.

10) Ali shows his nasty side (1965 and 1967)

After comfortable victories in his opening three bouts, Clay found the 1956 bronze medallist Zbigniew Pietrzykowski harder to fathom in the final, struggling with his opponent’s southpaw stance before winning a unanimous verdict.

After knocking out Liston in the first round of their rematch – a robust discussion continues over whether Liston, a mob fighter, took a dive – Ali faced Patterson, who had told Sports Illustrated: “The image of a Black Muslim as the world heavyweight champion disgraces the sport and nation.” Ali responded, first with his tongue – Patterson was “nothing but an Uncle Tom Negro” - and then by torturing him for 12 rounds.

4) Clay meets the wrestler Gorgeous George (1961)

11) “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong” (1966)

Cassius Clay wins gold at the Rome Olympics

As Ali later told his biographer Thomas Hauser: “[George] started shouting: ‘If this bum beats me I’ll crawl across the ring and cut off my hair, but it’s not gonna happen because I’m the greatest fighter in the world’.”

Ali soon started correctly predicting the round of victory and when, in February 1962, he stopped Don Warner in four rather than the five forecast, he claimed he had finished the fight early because Warner had not shaken hands.

Clay sauntered into Wembley like a monarch, with a gown emblazoned with “Cassius the Great” and a crown encrusted with imitation diamonds. And, having predicted Cooper would fall in five, Ali preferred slow death by a thousand cuts.

7) Earns himself a fight with Sonny Liston (1964)

Clay was fast, handsome and quick-tongued but he was also brave. Just before the second Sonny Liston v Floyd Patterson fight in 1963, Clay followed Liston to Vegas and, after watching him lose at craps, shouted to him: “Look at that big ugly bear, he can’t do anything right.”

8) Clay wins world heavyweight title (1964)

Muhammad Ali, center, in 1966. He was barred from boxing for years for draft evasion After hours of questions from reporters, asking him where he stood on the Vietnam War, Ali erupted: “Man, I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong.” White America, who already hated him for being a Black Muslim, now accused him of being a draft dodger too.

12) Ali takes the heavyweight belt out of America (1966)

In five decades, from when Jack Johnson had lost his title to Jess Willard in Havana in 1915 to 1966, the heavyweight title had been contested only twice outside America. Yet with Ali finding it hard to fight in the US, he took his belt on the road: travelling to Canada to beat George Chuvalo, then to England to dispose of Henry Cooper – again – and Brian London, before hopping to Germany to beat Karl Mildenberger.

When Ali returned to America, he produced one of the great visual performances of his career, stopping Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams in three rounds – although Williams, who had lost a kidney and needed four operations after being shot in 1964, was an already broken shell.

At the weigh-in, Clay’s pulse was double his normal rate. People thought he was scared. But as he explained to his doctor Ferdie Pacheco he had a plan.

16) Wins back title in The Rumble in the Jungle (1974)

Foreman had destroyed Frazier in two rounds, and set out to dismantle the 32-year-old Ali in much the same way. But Ali sat back on the slack ropes – the famous “rope-a-dope” – inviting Foreman to expend his energy before picking him off.

13) The Ali shuffle is unveiled (1966)

“I shook up the world”: Cassius Clay screams with delight after defeating Sonny Liston in their world heavyweight title bout on February 25, 1964

At Madison Square Garden, Ali and the new champion Joe Frazier threw everything at each other. But Ali was not quite as elusive or sharp, and increasingly Frazier caught up with him, before a left hook putting Ali on his pants in 15th round.

Muhammad Ali watches as defending world champion George Foreman goes down on the canvas in the eighth round

5) Clay becomes a boxing Nostradamus (1962)

6) Shows his heart against Henry Cooper (1963)

Muhammad Ali steps away from a punch thrown by boxer Joe Frazier during their heavyweight title fight in 1971

14) Banned from boxing and thrown into jail (1967-68)

“How can I kill somebody when I pray five times a day for peace,” asked Ali, as over a few feverish months in 1967, he was stripped of his heavyweight title and banned from boxing for refusing to join the US Army. A year later he had a 10day spell in the Miami Dade County Jail, for driving without a valid license, where he served food to death row inmates.

17) Thrilla in Manilla (1975)

Ali was on top early, Frazier rallied but with his eye closed, he took a beating in the 13th. At the end of the 14th, Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch stopped the fight, telling him: “No one will forget what you did here today”.

18) Ali becomes a three-time heavyweight champion (1978)

He was a little less plodding as he won the rematch to become the first man to hold the heavyweight belt for a third time.

19) A horrible night against Larry Holmes (1980)

Heavyweight champion Larry Holmes and Muhammad Ali exchange blows during their world heavyweight title match in 1980 But like so many fighters, Ali couldn’t keep away. He signed up to fight Holmes, his former sparring partner and now the new champion, and having taken huge quantities of diuretics he looked the part entering the ring. But as Ali admitted afterwards, the drugs had drained him.

20) Atlanta – and reappraisal (1996-present day)

Not everyone has bought into the Ali-as-saint narrative: in his book Ghosts of Manilla, the acclaimed writer Mark Kram claimed: “Ali was no more a social force than Frank Sinatra.”l

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QUICK BYTES Arsenal trigger Vardy’s buy-out clause

Arsenal have triggered a buy-out clause in striker Jamie Vardy’s contract with English champions Leicester City after making a bid of about 20 million pounds ($29.04 million), several British media reports said on Friday. Vardy, who is in England’s 23-man squad for the Euro 2016 finals in France that start next week, scored 24 Premier League goals last season as Leicester won the top-flight crown for the first time in their history. The 29-year-old was chosen as Player of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association and was named in the Professional Footballers’ Association’s team of the year. Former England forward Gary Lineker, a Leicester fan, has urged Vardy not to leave.

–REUTERS

Colombia down US hosts 2-0 in Copa opener Colombia scored two first half goals to tame hosts the United States and open the Copa America tournament with a convincing 2-0 victory in front of a big crowd on Friday. The South Americans did not take long to strike with Cristian Zapata delivering the first goal in the eighth minute, the defender seizing on a corner kick from the left and volleying the ball into the back of the net. James Rodriguez scored the second from a penalty in the 42nd minute after DeAndre Yedlin had been penalised for handball, a call the Americans hotly contested. “The hand ball was not a hand ball,” defender Geoff Cameron told reporters. “We’re disappointed, obviously. But I thought we were the better team.”

–REUTERS

Ibra will sign for Man United - Sky sources Manchester United will swoop for Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer as new manager Jose Mourinho’s first marquee signing at Old Trafford, Sky Sports reported on Friday. United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is finalising a one-year deal with the player’s representatives and the 34-year-old could join before Euro 2016, Sky sources said. Sweden’s first Group E match against Ireland is on June 13. The former Malmo, Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona and AC Milan striker, whose Paris St Germain contract is about to expire, wants to add the Premier League title to a trophy cabinet that already includes the Dutch, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 crowns.

–REUTERS

Narine, Pollard in triumphant return for WI Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard made triumphant returns to the West Indies team in a comfortable victory over South Africa in the opening match in a triangular one-day international series on Friday.

Off-spinner Sunil Narine took a career-best six for 27 as West Indies dismissed South Africa for 188 off 46.5 overs on a slow pitch at Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana. Pollard then did his job with the bat, using his power to hoist six sixes in a run-a-ball 67 not out as the Windies scored 191 for six to win by four wickets with 11 balls to spare. The entertaining innings by the 29-year-old Trinidadian turned the match around after the West Indies had become bogged down and the run rate had slowed to a crawl. All of his sixes came in an arc between long-on and straight hit. In the process he became just the fourth Caribbean player to hit 100 sixes in ODIs, joining Chris Gayle, Viv Richards and Brian Lara.

–REUTERS

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL SONY ESPN 7:30AM Copa America Centenario Brazil v Ecuador 3:00AM (Monday) Jamaica v Venezuela

TEN 3 10:30PM Tri-Nation: 2nd ODI West Indies v Australia

BASKETBALL SONY SIX 6:00AM (Monday)

6:00AM (Monday)

NBA Finals: Game 2

Mexico v Uruguay

Golden State Warriors v

CRICKET

Cleveland Cavaliers

STAR SPORTS 1 4:00PM

MOTO GP TEN 2

Royal Londan One Day Cup

2:00PM

Somerset v Gloucestershire

Race: Catalunya GP

Djokovic and Murray eye milestones in blockbuster Paris final n Reuters, Paris An 18-year rivalry will play out its next gripping chapter at Roland Garros as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic eye up a French Open final in which milestones galore will be on the line.

Will Murray become the first British man to lift the French Open trophy in more than eight decades? Or will Djokovic have enough energy left in the tank after playing four days in succession at the rain-ravaged claycourt grand slam to become the first man in almost 50 years to hold all four majors at once?

What is certain though, is that the Musketeers’ Cup will have a new name engraved on it come today - weather permitting - after Djokovic pulled rank

on a player he described as “a leader of a new generation” to reach his fourth Paris final in five years.

The world number one’s 6-2 6-1 6-4 win over Austrian tyro Dominic Thiem on Friday had to be staged on the secondary Court Suzanne Lenglen after a week of rain derailed the tournament’s usual schedule.

That left Murray and defending champion Wawrinka to grab Centre Court billing and while the Swiss conjured some blazing backhands to whip the noisy crowd into a frenzy, the winners were rare as he surrendered his Roland Garros crown with a 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-2 defeat by the British second seed.

“I knew today if I wanted to win I was going to have to play one of my

best claycourt matches. Stan was playing better every match,” an emotional Murray, who became the first British man to reach the Paris showpiece since Bunny Austin in 1937, told the crowd with a quivering voice.

“I am extremely proud. I never expected to reach the final here, I always struggled on the clay. I played one of my best claycourt matches today...

I hope I can put on a good match on Sunday.” Djokovic and Murray, born a week apart in May 1987, are not the only ones in pursuit of records in Paris.

Martina Hingis and Leander Paes both completed the full set of grand slam doubles titles when they beat Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig 4-6 6-4 10-8 in the mixed final. l

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MUGURUZA OVERPOWERS SERENA Garbine Muguruza achieved the rare feat of overpowering world Serena Williams to claim her maiden grand slam title with a 7-5 6-4 win over the world number one and defending champion in the French Open final yesterday.

The 22-year-old fourth seed, who lost to Williams in last year’s

Wimbledon final, became the first Spaniard to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1998.

“This is the big tournament in Spain and Rafa (Nadal) is our cbampion,” she said courtside, referring to the nine-times men’s winner who pulled out injured last week.l

DPL hots up ahead of final round n Mazhar Uddin With only the 11th and final round remaining, the Dhaka Premier League has reached its business stage as the six-team Super League is beckoning for several clubs who are still in the reckoning.

Keeping that in mind, second positioned Victoria Sporting Club and third placed Legends of Rupganj yesterday registered important wins over Brothers Union and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club respectively.

Kalabagan Krira Chakra, meanwhile, leaped out of the much-dreaded relegation zone with an impressive victory against Mohammedan Sporting Club.

Victoria SC v Brothers

Batting first in Mirpur, Victoria posted a huge 302/9, riding on a brilliant 170-run opening wicket stand between Abdul Mazid (118) and Fazle Mahmud (71). This was Mazid’s third List A century.

In what was a below-par display by the Brothers bowlers, only Nabil Samad (4/50) stood out from the rest. In reply, third-from-bottom, Brothers never looked like chasing the target down and were eventually skittled out for 190 with just captain Tushar Imran (93) offering any sort of resistance.

Paceman Mahbubul Alam bagged three wickets for Victoria while Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Al Amin shared four wickets between themselves.

Rupganj v Sheikh Jamal DC

Spain's Garbine Muguruza kisses the trophy after winning the women's final match against US player Serena Williams at Roland Garros yesterday AFP

Away at the BKSP 3 ground, Rupganj’s decision to field first paid off in some style as they strolled to a rather comfortable seven wicket win over Sheikh Jamal, who are fourth from bottom.

Russel, Ctg Abahani in Fed Cup group of death n Tribune Report Rising powerhouse Chittagong Abahani and former treble winner Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra were pitted against each other in the group of death as the draw ceremony of the Federation Cup was held at Bangladesh Football Federation House yesterday.

The second professional tournament of the season will kick off at Bangabandhu National Stadium this Friday with the participation of 12 premier league clubs split into four groups. And it goes without saying that Group B, comprising Sheikh Russel, Chittagong Abahani

and Muktijoddha Sangsad, appears the most toughest among all the groups.

Reigning champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi GROUP A: Abahani, Feni Soccer, Arambagh GROUP B: Sheikh Russel, Mukijoddha, Chittagong Abahani GROUP C: Sheikh Jamal, Brothers Union, Uttar Baridhara GROUP D: Mohammedan, Team BJMC, Rahmatganj Club were drawn in Group C along with Brothers Union and the newly-promoted Uttar Baridhara.

The traditional arch-ri-

vals, Abahani Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club, meanwhile, were placed in comparatively easier groups.

The Sky Blues will face Feni Soccer Club and Arambagh Krira Sangha in Group A while the Black and Whites will take on Team BJMC and Rahmatganj MFS in Group D. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarter-finals.

The semi-finals will be held on June 22 and 23 with the grand finale scheduled for June 26.

The logo unveiling and Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony were also held yesterday afternoon.l

BRIEF SCORES VICTORIA SC 302/9 (Mazid 118, Fazle 71, Nabil 4/50) beat BROTHERS 190 (Tushar 93, Mahbubul 3/33, Kamrul 2/25) by 112 runs SHEIKH JAMAL DC 184 (Sadat 41, Taijul 3/29, Murad 3/48) lost to RUPGANJ 185/3 (Nahidul 92, Junaid 53*, Soumya 29) by seven wickets MOHAMMEDAN SC 290/6 (Sharma 100, Mushfiq 75, Sabbir 3/77) lost to KALABAGAN KC 291/4 (Tasamul 126*, Hasanuzzaman 95, Tanveer 52*) by six wickets

Kalabagan KC’s Tasamul Haque cuts one during his unbeaten hundred against Mohammedan SC in the DPL in Fatullah yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK Asked to take first guard, Sheikh Jamal were bundled out for 184 in 45 overs; Taijul Islam and Murad Khan picking up three wickets each for Rupganj, who hardly seemed to miss the suspended duo skipper Mosharraf Hossain and Mohammad Mithun.

In pursuit of a lowly 185, Rupganj coasted home with seven wickets and 17.1 overs to spare. One-drop Nahidul Islam top-scored with a 92 while Junaid Siddique was unbeaten at the end on 53.

Kalabagan KC v Mohammedan SC

The Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium witnessed a high-scoring affair and it was eighth positioned Kalabagan KC who prevailed against fourth-placed Mohammedan.

Batting first, Mohammedan put up 290/6 with Bipul Sharma’s 100 the highest score. In reply, Kalabagan KC coasted home in 43.1 overs with six wickets in hand. Tasamul Haque was undefeated on 126 while Hasanuzzaman provided valuable support, scoring a brilliant 95. l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Eating place (4) 3 Rascal (5) 8 Above (4) 9 Minute particle (4) 11 Abnormally fat (5) 12 Sly look (4) 14 Narrow beam (3) 15 Upright (5) 18 Fixed gaze (5) 19 Corded fabric (3) 21 Preservative (4) 24 Angry (5) 26 Capital of Peru (4) 27 Former Yugoslav leader (4) 28 Show contempt (5) 29 Aid to detection (4)

DOWN 1 Fuel (4) 2 Failure (4) 4 Male swan (3) 5 Ward off (5) 6 Table-shaped hill (4) 7 Exerts harmful influence (5) 10 Fitting (arch) (4) 11 Musical drama (5) 13 Efface (5) 16 Prison room (4) 17 Legal documents (5) 18 Flood (5) 20 Poet’s Ireland (4) 22 Money drawer (4) 23 Destiny (4) 25 Digit (3)

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Downtime

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 15 represents L so fill L every time the figure 15 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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Showtime

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

Filming the GOAT

Prakash Mehra wished to make film with Muhammad Ali and Amitabh Bachchan Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has mourned the death of legendary former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, terming him, “the greatest ever.”

He said that late filmmaker Prakash Mehra wished to make a film with them. Ali, who was hospitalised with respiratory pains on June 2, passed away at the age of 74 on Friday.

“Mohammed Ali the greatest ever! A gentleman and learned mind! He not just fought in the ring but outside it as well! And won,” Amitabh posted on Twitter this past Saturday.

The film star later posted a black-and-white photograph of himself “with the greatest” Muhammed Ali at his home in Los Angeles. “Prakash Mehra had wished to make film with him and me,” he wrote alongside the image.

One of the greatest boxers in

Taking a look at Muhammad Ali through moving pictures

n Mahmood Hossain Self-proclaimed, “The Greatest of All Time,” Muhammad Ali was an inspiration all over the world, almost unmatched. Not only was his presence known and felt in the boxing ring, Ali was revolutionary in other aspects of life. He was also a major influence in rapping and the development of the hip-hop culture. To no surprise, the man was visually stunning, so it is only fit to capture his charismatic and polarising figure. We take a look at the must-see films based on arguably the greatest heavyweight to ever put on a pair of boxing gloves.

The Greatest (1977) Directed by Tom Gries, here is a film about the life of Muhammad Ali, starring, well, himself. Ali plays himself during his fight stages through the 1960 Olympics, all the way to his regaining the heavyweight crown from Gorge Foreman. A fight that was

remembered in 1974 as “Rumble in the Jungle.” Most of the film uses actual footage of the time, and all the pre and post-fight events as well. The song “The Greatest Love of All” was written for the film and sung by George Benson. It was later remade by Whitney Houston as “Greatest Love of All”.

Michael Mann. It captures all of the notable events from 1964 to 1974. From his heavyweight bout with Sonny Liston (as in that iconic photo), to his views on Islam and the Vietnam War. His return fight against Joe Frazier in 1971 and the “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in 1974 are also highlighted in this film. The movie also discusses the political upheavel in the US, after Malcolm X’s and Martin Luther King Jr’s assassinations.

“I’m young; I’m handsome; I’m fast. I can’t possibly be beat.” - Ali

Cultural icons lost in 2016 The year 2016 has claimed some of the world’s most iconic figures, leaving many missing the familiar faces and personalities they had known throughout their lives.

Muhammad Ali’s death Friday night was the latest in the first half of a year in which celebrity deaths have continued to pelt grieving fans with more sadness.

The dismal litany actually began shortly before 2016, with Natalie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole, dying at age 65 on New Year’s Eve.

Ali (2001) Starring one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Will Smith, this was the first actual biopic on Ali’s life. This film portrays Ali’s life in and out the ring, directed by

Facing Ali (2009) This was a one-of-a-kind documentary that filmed Ali’s rivals in the ring. More importantly, the fighters that went toe-to-toe with “The Greatest of All Time” speak very highly of him in this film. Throughout the entire film, 10 of his former competitors share their personal experiences with Ali, and also pay tribute to the fighter. l

history retired in 1981 and soon found signs of sluggishness and neurological damage. He thereafter received treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

Ali, known as Cassius Clay before he converted to Islam, began boxing training at the age of 12. He won the World heavyweight championship at the age of 22 in 1964.

He won the title again in 1974 and 1978. l Source: The Indian Express

Another major blow came shortly afterwards, with David Bowie succumbing to cancer on January 10, two days after his 69th birthday.

While Ziggy Stardust’s death left many thinking that the

world had lost enough talent, the first three months of the year would go on to claim actor Alan Rickman; Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey; Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White; Prince protégé Vanity; author Harper Lee; and singer Frank Sinatra Jr. April was also a cruel month, with wrestler Chyna and singer Billy Paul leaving us in a week that was dominated by purplethemed tributes to Prince.

Even those who had remained unmoved by previous departures said they became emotional at Ali’s exit from the arena. l Source: NY Daily News

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WHAT TO WATCH

The Matrix HBO 6:50pm A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano

Life of Pi [Star Movies 9:30pm] A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.

Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Ayush Tandon, Gautam Belur, Adil Hussain

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Zee Studio 2:50pm When New York is put under siege by Oscorp, it is up to Spider-Man to save the city he swore to protect as well as his loved ones.

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz Rocky Balboa HBO 4:55pm 30 years after the ring of the first bell, Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement and dons his gloves for his final fight; against the reigning heavyweight champ Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon.

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Milo Ventimiglia, Tony Burton, Antonio Tarver

The Bourne Ultimatum Star Movies 4:20pm Jason Bourne dodges a ruthless CIA official and his agents from a new assassination program while searching for the origins of his life as a trained killer.

Cast: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez Rocky Balboa HBO 4:55pm

The Matrix Revolutions HBO 11:5pm The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines, as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Blackman

Batman & Robin WB 11:25pm Batman & Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City.

Cast: George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone l

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Back Page

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016

SOES NET PROFIT JUMPS BY 173% IN FY’16 PAGE 13

WHEN ALI CAME TO BANGLADESH PAGE 24

FILMING THE GOAT PAGE 30

Country’s southerner fishermen to turn dolphin saviours n Rafiqul Islam Akkas Ali is a fisherman from Dublar char, a remote island located off the coast in Bangladesh’s Bagerhat district. He has been fishing in the Bay of Bengal for almost 20 years and has been witness to the slaughter of dolphins. Most of these deaths were accidental – dolphins became entangled in the nets of fishermen and died. In the last two years, three dolphins were killed after being trapped in Akkas Ali’s own fishing nets.

At least five species of dolphins and several species of whales can be found between the coast of the Sundarbans (the world’s largest mangrove forest) and the Bay of Bengal. The rivers of the mangrove forest are the habitat of Gangetic river dolphins and Irrawady dolphins.

According a 2010 joint survey conducted by the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project (BCDP), there were about 225 Gangetic river dolphins, 6,000 Irrawady dolphins, over 1,000 Bottlenose dolphins and a significant number of Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphins, pan-tropical spotted dolphins and spinner dolphins in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans. Some of these dolphins are also found in the Brahmaputra, Meghna, Karnaphuli and Sangu rivers, which flow from India into Bangladesh.

Most fisherfolk in Bangladesh do not intentionally harm dolphins.

But, just like elsewhere in the world, many dolphins drown because they become entangled in fishing gear.

Akkas Ali is about to change this; he will now become their saviour and will even help researchers conduct studies on dolphins and other marine aquatic species.

Turning fishermen into conservators

The change involves two simple things: equipment and training.

As the fishermen could not monitor their nets, they did not know when a dolphin became entangled.

Now they have been issued binoculars, a relatively expensive piece of equipment for the fishermen. “Us-

Chandpai and Patakata of the Sundarbans east zone. Therefore, the Bangladesh Forest Department created three dolphin sanctuaries covering 32 square kilometres of the rivers and canals in the mangrove forest in 2012.

“Earlier, we identified three hotspots of dolphins in the Sundarbans and have already declared these spots as sanctuaries,” said chief conservator of forests, Mohammad Yunus Ali.

Still in danger

The Ganges dolphin ing binoculars, we will see that dolphins are trapped in our nets and immediately cut the nets so that they can free themselves,” Akkas Ali proudly told thetheirpole.net.

Akkas Ali is not alone. WCS trained nine fishermen to help in dolphin conservation in April 2016.

The fishermen have also been supplied equipment to help in this task, including binoculars, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and cameras to help them monitor dolphin movement in the sea during their fishing excursions.

“By releasing live animals from their nets, fisherfolk can save dolphins. And many do that. But it’s not always that easy, especially because nets are often set at night or are so long that entangled dolphins can’t be detected quickly,” said the director of WCS Bangladesh, Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur.

In the coastal waters, she said, WCS has established a citizen science network among gillnet fishermen who monitor their nets for dolphin entanglements, rescue live dolphins when they become entangled and collect information and samples from dolphins found already dead.

IMAGE BY BANGLADESH CETACEAN DIVERSITY PROJECT/THETHIRDPOLE.NET

“We provide them with a GPS and training on how to use it to navigate to safety during increasingly frequent extreme storms.

This has proved to be an effective incentive to engage fishermen in marine megafauna conservation,” Mansur added.

A win-win situation

In exchange, the fishermen are happy to help monitor dolphins in the rivers and the sea. “We generally go to sea for 15 day trips to catch fish,” Akkas Ali said. “During that time we will count dolphins and identify their species. We will use GPS to map their movements and take photos.” Hopefully they will also make short videos of the dolphins as they swim out to sea, he added, keeping a watch on the endangered species throughout the year.

If the fishermen find dead dolphins in the sea, they will collect a piece of their hides. Upon returning to their homes, they will provide all the data they collect from the sea to the WCS researchers.

Jahangir Alam, a senior researcher at WCS, said the role of the fishermen was critical not only

in saving the dolphins, but also to help in research. “We go to sea during winter to collect data on dolphins, but we cannot do so during the monsoon due to adverse weather. The fishermen can,” he explained.

With the help of the data and samples the fishermen can provide, Alam hopes to identify the dolphin species in the region and their habitats. He also hopes the new information will help WCS map more accurately the risks that the dolphins face as well the trends among the sea mammals.

Steps to save dolphins

This is part of a wider effort in Bangladesh to protect the dolphin population. In 2014, the country declared 1,738 square kilometres in the Bay of Bengal a marine protected area. Unplanned fishing has been prohibited and the access of ships to the area has been restricted to ensure safe habitat for the dolphins.

According to forest department officials, the river dolphins found in the Sundarbans move mostly in the rivers Andharmanik, Dhangmari, Dudhmukhi, Betmore,

Although the government of Bangladesh has taken steps to conserve dolphins, many of them are merely announcements without serious follow through. Jahangir Alam, who is also the coordinator of BCDP, said fishermen are still using banned nets to catch fish in the designated areas and ocean-going vessels are still using the area as a thoroughfare. According to survey data collected by the BCDP project, at least 130 dolphins were killed in the marine protected areas from January 2007 to April 2016 either because they were trapped in fishing nets or injured by the propellers of ships.

Unchecked fishing continues in the Sundarbans and vessels carrying toxic chemicals move through the rivers. A tanker carrying about capsized in the Shela River of the Sundarbans, a dolphin habitat, on December 9, 2014 while a cargo ship sank on March 19, 2016.

Three years after the announcement of dolphin sanctuaries, the authorities concerned are yet to finalise a management plan to protect dolphins in the Sundarbans’ rivers. “We have already prepared the management plan and sent it to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. But the ministry is yet to finalise the plan,” Yunus Ali said.

Once the plan is finalised, he said, unplanned catching of fish in the Sundarbans’ rivers and water vessel movement on the rivers could be checked that will help ensure safe havens for the dolphin.

The article was originally published on thethirdpole.net and has been republished under Creative Commons license. l

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