December 26, 2013

Avenue T

The mysytical hill tracts

Poush 12, 1420 Safar 22, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 272

Juris

7

Acts of parliament in 2013

International

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

Thai PM proposes national reform council

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Security blanket for Khaleda’s house, office BNP criticises arrest, restriction; ex-MP Bakul hospitalised; Gani released ing the party office. Rather they were Sarkar and Mohammad n Kailash seen picking up leaders and activists Al-Masum Molla Police virtually kept BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia isolated yesterday after her residence and office in Gulshan remained restricted for party leaders and activists amid the deployment of additional security forces.

P2 FAKHRUL, OTHERES SUED Moreover, the government seemed to have opted for hard line against the opposition parties through filing of new cases and arresting many of them.

Except for a group of people from the Christian community, who met Khaleda at her office around 8:30pm, the police did not allow anybody enter-

INSIDE Business

B1 The orders for apparel products registered decline as the country’s readymade garment industry witnessing a lagged impact of Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen Fashion fire incident, industry insiders said.

News

5 The construction of Purbachal link road missed its deadline as the project was being implemented at a snail’s pace and repeatedly suspended.

Nation

6 Intensity of cold with dense fog is affecting normal life as well as agriculture because of further falls of temperature in Gaibandha.

Sport

13 South African cricketer Jacques Kallis will retire from Test and First-Class cricket after the upcoming Test against India.

from the surrounding areas.

The law enforcers already detained several opposition leaders and activists including former BNP lawmaker Shakhwat Hossain Bakul, and drove away many others as they had tried to meet the BNP chief.

Meanwhile, acting secretary general Mirza Fahkrul Islam Alamgir yesterday condemned and protested the arrest of the party men and the role of police.

He also demanded release of all the detainees.

According to sources, the law enforcers detained Bakul and Shammi Akhter; Standing Committee member RA Gani; Titumir College unit  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Police officials stand guard outside BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence yesterday as part of added security for the opposition party chief

Khaleda: The march will be peaceful n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday warned that the government would have to meet the worst and dire consequences if the “peaceful” March for Democracy programme towards Dhaka on Sunday was obstructed.

“We have announced to observe the programme in a peaceful manner. I am giving you word that no chaos will take place at the programme. Despite these, if the government does not allow us to hold the programme, the consequences will be dire and tough,” she said.

The former premier issued the warning while exchanging greetings with the members of Christian community on the occasion of Christmas Day at her Gulshan office in the capital.

“[People] come and join the programme. I will also be there with you.

I am telling the government ‘if you have courage, do not obstruct our programme.’” she said.

“I believe that the government will refrain from putting obstructions on my way to reach the programme on Sunday. If it puts any barricade, it will mean that the government has no venture; it is weak and isolated.”

Regarding the law enforcers position around her residence and office, Khaleda said: “Leaders were barred from enter the office. Leaders were arrested from the entrance. The same situation is prevailing at my residence. Is it democracy? This government is not a democratic government, [rather] an  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

DECEMBER 29 DHAKA MARCH

BNP grassroots resolute but fear repression n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP grassroots are bracing to march towards Dhaka on December 29 but they are sceptical about the success of the programme in apprehension of repressive measures of the government.

‘Thousands of people will join the rally in case Khaleda Zia is allowed to take to the streets’ A similar programme was thwarted by the government last year.

Most of the leaders of the BNP talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday said the ruling party and their “cohorts” may slap undeclared transport strike

More than a dozen candidates of the ruling Awami League including central leaders and ministers of the government are likely to face challenges during the January 5 polls.

They are now sweating to conduct door-to-door campaigns seeking votes to save their prestige in the dull and cold shoulder elections.

Accruing to local Awami League leaders and our correspondents, Presidium member and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, another Presidium member Kazi Zafarullah, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku, former State Minister Munnuzan Sufian and lawmaker Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin are in tensed situation about their wining in the polls.

Matia, known as a clean and hon-

est person, is a lawmaker candidature from Sherpur 2 constituency where the rebel candidate is Badiuzzamam Badsha, chairman of Nalitabaria upazila and also vice-president of Krishak League, the Awami League’s farmers’ front. Badsha who is contesting the polls as an independent candidate has got pineapple as his election symbol.

Voters of the constituencies told the Dhaka Tribune that there would be a

Lot of Lotus Kamal changes astronomically n Muktasree Chakma Sathi

mainly to stop the stream of people heading for Dhaka.

Imprisonment and pending warrants against a large number of the opposition leaders are the other barriers to the party leaders reaching the capital defying all the hurdles.

They think thousands of people will join the rally in case Khaleda Zia is allowed to take to the streets.

This correspondent talked to leaders of at least 15 districts. They said the Dhaka March programme will rejuvenate the grassroots once again to mount pressure on the election commission to suspend the January 5 polls.

“I am desperate to go to Dhaka but

Postal savings of former Awami League lawmaker AHM Mostafa Kamal, also known as Lotus Kamal, soared to Tk23 crore from that of only Tk60 lakh in five years, a 38 times higher rise than the amount he mentioned in 2008 affidavit.

His bank deposition too has swelled by 68 times. It was only Tk5 lakh in 2008 which now stands at Tk3 crore.

Kamal, also International Cricket Council’s vice president, is contesting from Comilla-10 constituency in the upcoming 10th parliamentary election.

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Senior Awami League leaders to face rebels n Emran Hossain Shaikh

DHAKA TRIBUNE

remarkable fight between the two Awami League leaders.

Badsha is hopeful about his win. “I am hundred percent hopeful that I will defeat her [Matia],” he told the Dhaka Tribune claiming that the locals had been disappointed with the agriculture minister’s behaviour.

He said although the supporters of Matia were threatening his workers  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Little known lawmaker amasses huge wealth

n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

Little known and first-time MP Zahid Maleque has gained huge wealth in the last five years, says his latest affidavit in which he declares that the value of his movable property jumps from over Tk7 crore and 21 lakh to Tk37 crore and 49 lakh.

Of the total value Zahid did not  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Fakhrul, 20 others accused in police bus arson n Kailash Sarkar

The city’s Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue near Farmgate in gridlock yesterday though it was a national holiday

Army deployment from today n Mohammad Zakaria The army will be deployed today in view of maintaining the law and order during and after the 10th parliamentary elections.

The election is slated for January 5.

The army will help the Election Commission in maintaining law and order until January 9.

EC officials, however, said if the situation deteriorates the army might overstay.

On December 22, the EC sent a letter signed by its Joint Secretary Jesmin

Tuli, to the principle staff officer of the Armed Force Division.

The letter stated that as per article 126 of the constitution, the commission had decided to deploy army along with law enforcement agencies from December 26 to hold the election in free, fair and peaceful manner.

The army will assist the civil administration in the election-related works.

They will be deployed at the nodal points of every district, upazila, metropolitan area and other areas.

About army deployment, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin

Khaleda: The march  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

extreme autocratic one.” She said: “It seems that this country is not people’s country, rather it is the property of Awami League’s father. This situation cannot prevail. We have to resist it.”

The BNP chief also renewed her call to the government for giving up politics of stubbornness in the interest of holding a dialogue for inclusive and acceptable general polls under a non-party neutral administration.

“We do not want politics of confrontation but the government is indulging in the acts of sabotage by setting vehicle on fire and killing people to shift people’s attention to another direction,” she alleged.

The three-time former premier said the ruling Awami League was holding a lopsided national election ignoring public

opinion. “We want inclusive and acceptable general polls held in a free, fair and impartial manner. But the ruling Awami League is planning to hang on to power through illegal means,” she alleged.

The government has to quit power by postponing schedule of the 10th parliamentary election and paving the path of dialogue “if it [Awami League] wants welfare of the state,” she said.

Terming the Election Commission “failed, spineless and incompetent,” Khaleda said it was just fulfilling the government’s purposes. “The next general election will never be held in a free and fair manner under the present EC.” She also criticised the ruling party men for amassing huge wealth, the BNP chairperson said: “They do not want to step down from the office as they cannot check their greed.” l

Security blanket  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal President Obhi; Khaleda’s Adviser Abdul Awal Mintu’s son Tabid Awal; and several others from in front of the residence and office of the BNP chief.

Gani, however, was freed after a brief questioning at Gulshan police station; Bakul was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital as he felt ill while Shammi was at the Cantonment police station.

According to witnesses, Bakul was arrested by the DB personnel around 6:30pm while he was briefing the media in front of Khaleda’s residence. Gani and five pedestrians were picked up around 8:30pm and Shammi in the evening in front of Khaleda’s office. Obhi was picked up around 2:30pm from near the party chief’s residence and Tabid Awal near her office around 9:45pm.

The police also barred Khaleda’s three advisers – former minister Osman Faruq; former IGP Abdul Quaiyum; and Khaleda’s adviser Khandaker Mahbub Hossain – from meeting Khaleda at her office and asked them to leave the area immediately. Journalist Shafique Rehman was stopped while entering the office in the evening.

To avert arrest, opposition chief whip Zainal Abdin Farroque and BNP Executive Committee member Zeba Rahman sped away their cars from in front of Khaleda’s residence when the police took attempt of arresting them in the afternoon.

Around 10:30pm, a team of pro-BNP journalists met Khaleda at her office.

As they came out around 11:45pm, the BNP chief also left for her residence.

But Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam, also spokesperson of the DMP, said they had arrested none other than Bakul.

Asked, he declined to disclose the charges under which they had arrested Bakul, who was taken to the DB headquarters following detention.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Osman Faruq said: “Around 8pm, I was stopped and the law enforcers asked me to leave the area quickly, unless they would have arrested me.”

Hours after the announcement of “March for Democracy” towards Dhaka on December 29, a large number of additional security forces was deployed surrounding Khaleda’s residence and office since 2am yesterday.

Moreover, traffic movement was also restricted in the area since the afternoon by installing several barricades on different streets.

“Everything has been done considering the overall situation,” said Khandaker Ltuful Kabir, deputy commissioner at Gulshan division, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Kabir said the measures had been taken to ensure foolproof security of the leader of the opposition.

Asked whether the police had any intelligence on any attack or security threat for Khaleda, the DC would not answer the question.

However, Nur-e-Alam, assistant police commissioner of Gulshan zone, denied obstruction to any of the visitors to Khaleda’s residence saying that the BNP advisers needed to take permission from Khaleda’s residence for the entrance. l

Ahmad told the media that the commission would not deploy army in five districts where candidates of all constituencies were set to be elected uncontested.

The CEC said the number of army personnel to be deployed would depend on the decision of the districts’ law enforcement committees.

Army have been deployed during all the parliamentary elections from 1973 to 2008 with the longest deployment of 20 days taking place during the controversial elections in February 15, 1996. l

Little known lawmaker  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

mention the source of his movable property worth Tk17 crore and 69 lakh. He just said he got it from “others” sources.

He has now Tk30 crore more than that of the previous election time.

Zahid Maleque was re-elected MP from the same Manikganj-3 constituency unopposed in the 10th parliamentary polls.

In the affidavit he submitted to the election commission in 2008 he said the value of the movable property of his and his dependents was over Tk7 crore 21 lakh including shares of companies worth over Tk6 crore and 45 lakh.

According to the latest affidavit, Zahid mentions that the value of the movable property of his and his dependents rose to over Tk37 crore and 49 lakh. Value of the “others” movable property is over Tk17 crore and 69 lakh and shares of the listed or unlisted companies is now worth over Tk13 crore and 58 lakh.

The 2008 affidavit mentions the value of the companies’ shares as over Tk7 crore 40 lakh. He has over Tk3 crore and 48 lakh in cash and an investment in the postal savings of over Tk 1crore and 12 lakh. l

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

New DC joins Satkhira n Our Correspondent, Satkhira Nazmul Ahsan, deputy secretary of Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, had joined as the deputy commissioner of Satkhira yesterday.

Dr Muhammad Anwar Hossain, former DC of the district, handed over the responsibility to Nazmul Ahsan yesterday morning.

An order from the Ministry of Public Administration on December 17 withdrew Dr Anwar from his post and transferred him to the same ministry as well. l

BNP acting secretary general Fakrul Islam Alamgir, along with 20 other leaders and activists from BNP, Jamaate-Islami, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir were sued for the arson attack to a bus that killed a police constable and injured two others on Tuesday night at the capital’s Banglamotor.

Sub-Inspector Nazmul Islam of Ramna police station filed the case yesterday alleging that two unknown criminals riding a motorcycle carried had out the attack with petrol bombs following the plan, conspiracy and influence of those 18 men and their financial support.

BNP standing committee members Mirja Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Joint Secretary Generals Aman Ullah Aman and Barkat Ullah Bhulu, Dhaka City unit BNP Secretary General Abdu Salam, Joint Secretary General Salauddin Ahmed, acting Jamaat secretary general Shafiqur Rahman, central committee member Shafiqul Islam Masud, JCD acting president Saiful Islam Firoj and acting general secretary Obaidul Huq Nasir were among the others accused.

SI Nazmul in his case statement said the attack was made as part of their attempt to break the morale of the police. He also said these people had been implicated in the crime in light of their speeches at different rallies and meetings.

The case statement is quite similar to another, filed for an arson attack on a bus that killed one, and injured 18 others at Shahbagh on November 28.

The accusations made against the political leaders in that case were also the same. Fakhrul, Mirza Abbas, Aman and BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi are accused in that case.

Lot of Lotus Kamal changes  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Comparing affidavit between 2008 and 2013 on property of the candidate submitted in the Election Commission it was found that in 2008 the Kamal couple owned movable property worth Tk33 crore 63 lakhs 82 thousands and 754 and 112 tolas of gold while in 2013 they own movable property worth Tk91 crores 34 lakh 45 thousand and 807 along with 112 tolas of gold.

In 2008, Kamal’s postal savings was Tk60 lakh 41 thousand and 983 which now stands at Tk23 crore 10 lakh 75 thousand and 335 in 2013.

According to the same documents, his wife Kashmiri Kamal’s postal savings has increased 14 times in five years. Kashmiri’s postal savings was Tk97 lakh 81 thousand and 794 in 2008 while presently she has a postal savings of Tk14 crore55 lakh 11 thousand and 500.

In the moveable property section of his submitted affidavit in 2008 he had bank deposit of Tk5 lakh 36 thousand and 473 while in 2013 his amount reached Tk3 crore 67 lakh 89 thousand and 647.

Kashmiri had a deposit of Tk6 lakh 56 thousand and 388in banks in 2008.

Now the deposit has fattened to Tk1 crore 98 thousand and 213 which is a 15 times higher rise than the 2008’s amount.

Of the affidavit Kamal has Tk50 lakh in cash in 2008 that has now risen to Tk2 crore 29 lakh and 66 thousand.

According to immovable property section in the affidavit the couple now owns residential and commercial buildings worth Tk14 crore 11 lakh 55 thousands and 367. In 2008, however, the couple had the property worth Tk3 crore 92 lakh 58 thousands and 657.

Kamal, also a businessman, has a loan of Tk18 crore 63 lakh 14 thousand and 316. His business companies run by his family members had a loan of Tk1 crore 50 lakh 34 thousand and 56 in 2008.

Kamal and his wife presently own immovable property worth Tk14 crore 96 lakh 45 thousands and 71 while they possessed immovable property worth Tk4 crore 92 lakh 75thousands and 657in 2008. l

BNP grassroots resolute but fear repression  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

I do not know if I really could join the programme avoiding arrest and other obstructions,” Matiur Rahman, a leader of Barthi union of Gauranadi of Barisal, said.

BNP Chairperson and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia on Tuesday called upon people from all walks of life to march towards Dhaka with national flags in hands on December 29 to say “no” to the “farcical polls”.

Mahbubul Alam Faruk, president of Barguna district unit of the BNP, said a huge number of people from Barguna are keen on joining the march.” He, however, feared a government-sponsored transport strike to foil the programme.

Referring to the government steps to block the last year’s March 12 Dhaka siege programme, the grassroots leaders said they might face similar obstruction this time too.

Many transport owners and workers allegedly loyal to the government refrained from operating inter-district buses and launches ahead of the March 12 programme. The BNP said 10 thousand people joined the agitation despite the hurdles and the police hassles.

The BNP says most of the presidents and secretaries of the BNP and its front organisations are either behind bars or on the run to evade arrest.

The leaders of Dhaka city units have rarely been seen since the blockade programme started on November 26.

Belal Hossain, president of Panchhari Upazila BNP of Khagrachhari district, also expressed his firm determination to join the programme.

“We must go as the Netri (leader) has instructed us to come to Dhaka.

The arrest can in no way stop us,” he said.

Mahbubur Rahman Hares, a BNP leader of Serpur Upazila of Bogra, said: “How many people will they kill? How many people will they arrest? How many people will they prevent from going to Dhaka? We will go to Dhaka at any cost.”

Ali Ahmed, former organising secretary of Sylhet district unit BNP, said they would march towards Dhaka at any means and more than 5000 leaders and activists of his district would join the march.

Nuruzzaman Nuru, former president of Netrokona district BNP, said the more the government will take

hard line the more the movement will get momentum.

“I think people will mainly converge to the venue from the capital and its adjacent areas. As soon as Madam (Khaleda) takes to the street leaders who went into hiding will come pouring on to the streets,” he hoped.

Meanwhile, a three-member delegation led by Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, went to Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters seeking permission to use mike at their December 29 Dhaka rally at Nayapaltan headquarters.

“Our programme on December 29 will be held in front of our headquarters. We sought all-out support from the police commissioner to make the programme a success,” Farroque, told journalists.

The opposition BNP-led 18-party alliance declared a countrywide demonstration for Thursday protesting the causalities and arrest of opposition party members during their blockades in five phases.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement through a press release issued yesterday afternoon. l

Police said they had not yet identified the killers or arrested anyone in connection with the attack in Banglamotor.

Traffic Constable Ferdows Khalil, 42, was burnt alive and police Constable Faizur Rahman and Bayezed Ahmed injured when several unidentified miscreants attacked a requisitioned police bus with petrol bombs, around 11pm at Banglamotor.

They also exploded 10-12 crude bombs while fleeing the scene.

Eyewitnesses said a group of criminals, two of whom were riding a motorcycle, hurled petrol bombs while the vehicle was on its way to Rajarbagh carrying policemen who had ended their shifts.

Meanwhile, the condition of injured Constable Faizul Islam and driver Bayezid Ahmed is critical. They are undergoing treatment at the Burn and Plastic Surgery unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Doctors at the Burn and Plastic Surgery unit said Faizul was unable to speak as his throat was damaged in the fire while driver Bayezid had sustained burns on 75% of his body.

Driver Mayezid said he had jumped out of the bus by breaking a window glass when the petrol bombs were hurled at the vehicle.

After the incident, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hassan Mahmood Khandker and top police officials visited the victims at the DMCH on the early hours of yesterday.

The IGP vowed of sparing no one and condemned the attack as an attack on the state and the state engine.

The body of deceased Traffic Constable Ferdows Khalil was sent to his village home of Nagervita in Gaibandha for burial yesterday afternoon.

Khalil had joined the police in 1991 and he had been transferred to the DMP few months ago. l

Zhenmin due Dec 28

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman The Chinese Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Liu Zhenmin, is set to arrive in Bangladesh on Saturday for discussing the political situation in the country.

Zhenmin is coming on a two-day visit at the invitation of Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Leader of the Opposition Khaldea Zia, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and have a bilateral meeting with Shahidul Haque.

On December 18, China sent a letter expressing desire to have a diplomatic consultation and learn about the current political situation from the Bangladesh leaders, said an official of the foreign ministry.

Zhenmin wanted to meet President Abdul Hamid but the government would not allow that, the official said.

In the bilateral meeting, Bangladesh was likely to raise issues of foreign investment, expansion of trade, connectivity and technology transfer with the Chinese side, he said.

“The foreign secretary had a meeting with Zhenmin in China last June,” the official added. l

Senior AL leaders  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

and voters, and they had been ready to teach her a good lesson.

There is an allegation that two central leaders of the party had inspired Badsha to remain in the voting race against Matia.

Presidium member Kazi Zafullah is facing independent candidate Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury alias Nixon Chowdhury, who is a relative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Zafrullah is annoyed with the party’s central committee for not taking any action against the rebel candidate, said a person close to the aspirant.

He was also hopeful to win over Nixon as the party leaders and activists were with him.

Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin is the Awami League-nominated candidate from Dhaka 7 constituency. Former MP and Joint Secretary of the party’s Dhaka City unit, Mohammad Selim is the rebel candidate here. Tuku will be facing former state minister Prof Abu Sayeed, known as reformist in the party, in Pabna 1 Several other leaders including former post and telecommunication minister Shahara Khatun, former minister Ramesh Chandra Sen and state minister Dipankar Talukdar will face competition in the polls. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Justice Kabir of tribunal 1 chair retires Dec 31 n Udisa Islam

Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal 1, will retire on December 31. But the next step in this regard is yet to be decided.

Some sources said the judge was not ready to continue the job any further, and for that, the government was working on some options which would be fixed by the next one week – either the government will rearrange the tribunal or dissolve it. The first option will work positively, said officials.

Among the top war criminals, only Motiur Rahman Nizami’s case is waiting for verdict. The tribunal may pronounce it before December 31 as the tribunal 1 chairman retires soon. The tribunal also fixed that day for giving order on indictment of war crimes suspect Jamaat leader Abdus Subhan.

Justice Kabir has been serving as the chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal 1 since December 13 last year after the resignation of Justice Nizamul Huq. While he was a sitting judge at the High Court Division, Justice Kabir was appointed as the chairman of tribunal 2 on March 22 last year. Afterwards, he was appointed as the chairman of the tribunal 1 on December 13 the same year.

Article 96 (1) of the constitution states that subject to the other provisions of this article, a judge shall hold his office until he attains the age of sixty-seven years.

As per his profile uploaded on the tribunal’s website, Justice Kabir was born on January 1, 1947. So, his retirement date will be December 31 of this year.

Asked, prosecutor Tureen Afroz said the government should take a decision immediately as all the parties of the trials had got enough time to be prepared.

Meanwhile, the tribunal 1 last week fixed every date after election for case proceedings. There is no date before January 7. l

Awami League leader Shahriar Alam seeks vote from an elderly woman in Rajshahi’s Nimpara area as part of electoral campaign yesterday; A man upholds a toy elephant in a procession organised as part of an electoral campaign of Awami League’s rebel candidate Hazi Selim yesterday in the the capital’s Bongshal area DHAKA TRIBUNE

8 new plants to start production in Jan 2014 The gas and fuel oil-based plants have a capacity of 768MW n Aminur Rahman Rasel Eight new gas- and fuel oil-based power plants built under public and private sectors are scheduled to go into operation in January next year with an aim of producing 768MW of electricity.

Officials at the Power Division, however, said the electricity generated would not be in use during winter as supply was higher than the demand.

The additional production will be needed during summer,” division’s Secretary Monowar Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

The government is currently generating maximum 5,400MW of electricity; it was 6,000MW a month ago.

Monowar said: “The generation capacity will reach its highest capability after these plants start operation.”

Five of these plants are powered by furnace oil, two use dual fuel – gas, and furnace oil or diesel – and another is powered by gas. The plants were supposed to start operation between June and November this year.

The country’s electricity generation capacity from 86 plants stands at 10,264MW. The government celebrated the milestone of 10,000MW of power generation on November 11 After these plants start production, the country’s power generation capacity will stand at 11,032MW. The new furnace oil-based plants implemented by independent power producers are: 102MW Gogonnagar

plant in Narayanganj, 108MW Potiya plant in Chittagong, 52MW Natore plant in Rajshahi, 53MW Kathpotti in Munshiganj, and 50MW Patenga in Chittagong. The dual fuel-powered Meghnaghat 300-450MW plant will initially generate 220MW. The other dual fuel 150MW plant in Sirajganj – implemented by the stateowned North-West Power Generation Company Limited – is already producing 75MW of electricity and will now start producing 75MW more.

The gas-based 108MW Ghorashal plant in Narsingdi is also implemented by an independent producer.

The government celebrated the milestone of 10,000MW of power generation on November 11. At present, the country’s electricity generation capacity from 86 plants stands at 10,264MW. l

AL leaders not worried about BNP’s march n Emran Hossain Shaikh The ruling Awami League is not anxious about the opposition’s “March for Democracy” programme as its leaders think the programme will not be able to affect the people and will fail like the blockades and hartals.

Awami League Presidium member Mohammad Nasim even thinks that the activists of Khaleda Zia’s own party will not respond to her call.

A source in the ruling party said the government would not allow the opposition to move towards Dhaka and take necessary measures to stop the march.

On Tuesday, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia announced the programme, urging people to join the march towards the capital on December 29.

After the announcement, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina discussed the matter with a few central leaders at Ganabhaban and gave hints that necessary steps would be taken to foil BNP’s programme.

“I will do whatever is necessary,” a leader who attended the meeting quoted

Hasina as saying.

Referring to the PM’s hints, a central leader who was present at the Ganabhaban meeting told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the BNP had previously cut off communication between Dhaka and the rest of the country through blockades, “now we will do that.”

A number of Awami League leaders said they would face the opposition’s programme politically and administratively.

They said the government was examining several options – such as not giving permission to hold the programme, banning all political programmes for the time being, calling counter programmes in the capital or imposing an undeclared blockade in Dhaka before December 29 – to foil the BNP’s march to the capital.

Criticising the programme, senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta said: “It is a march for autocracy, a march for hypocrisy.”

Warning the opposition leader, Suranjit said: “You have the right to holding rallies, but you have no right to damage assets of the country.” l

JaPa candidates in Dhaka busy in election campaigns n Manik Miazee

Raisul Islam, 38, a victim of an arson attack, undergoing treatment at the DMCH burn unit. He is a traffic police official who received 40% burn injuries after miscreants torched a police-requisitioned vehicle in the capital’s Banglamotor intersection on Tuesday night MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Amid claims and counter-claims over the party’s position about participating in the upcoming national elections on January 5, HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party’s three candidates in Dhaka are contesting with the party symbol of plough.

The three JaPa candidates, contesting in the 20 constituencies of Dhaka district, are Salma Islam in Dhaka-1, Syed Abu Hossain in Dhaka-4 and Kazi Firoz Rashid in Dhaka-6 constituencies.

They all are presidium members of the party.

After a month-long drama over the party’s participation in the elections, two groups of JaPa leaders made contradictory claims after party chief Ershad was taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) by law enforcers.

Before going to the CMH, former autocrat Ershad made repeated claims that JaPa would not take part in the

polls without ensuring all parties’ participation. The party also sent a letter to the Election Commission saying not to allocate its party symbol to any candidate.

However, the EC allocated JaPa its symbol, while the candidates were also using the symbol on their posters claiming they were candidates of Ershad and Jatiya Party.

During recent visits, two JaPa candidates were seen busy with election campaigning in their constituencies.

Several thousand election posters had been put up and leaflets distributed, as the leaders communicated with voters.

While campaigning at Dulipar in old Dhaka yesterday afternoon, Syed Abu Hossain told this correspondent: “I have got so much response from my constituency’s general people. And I think our party chief’s blessing is always with me.”

He added that he was a candidate of

Ershad and Jatiya Party.

Kazi Firoz Rashid, who was campaigning for the Dhaka-6 seat, yesterday told The Dhaka Tribune: “I am sure about my victory in election as a candidate of Jatiya Party. The people want alternative leaders as their representatives. Our party workers are facing some problems about the party chief’s statement on participating in polls or not.”

Replying to a query, he said: “JaPa candidates are taking part in polls with instruction of Rawshan Ershad and with consent of our party chief HM Ershad.”

A supporter of Firoz Rashid said: “We have already put up 1 lakh 20 thousand posters in Dhaka-6 constituency for Firoz’s support.”

Salma Islam, incumbent state minister for women and children affairs and a candidate for the Dhaka-1 seat, is also busy election campaigning in her constituency. l

15 private universities spent nothing on research in 2012: UGC

Menon takes protocol to campaign for candidate

n Mushfique Wadud

Workers Party president, lawmaker and Telecom Minister Rashed Khan Menon visited Barisal 3 constituency (Babuganj and Muladi upazilas) yesterday with full ministerial protocol, violating the Electoral Code of Conduct.

Menon visited the area for election campaign and asked for votes for his party’s candidate district Jubo Moitri President Sheikh Md Tipu Sultan.

He sought votes for party candidate Tipu Sultan against the Jatiya Party (Ershad) MP and candidate Golam Kibria Tipu for the development of the region and people.

The University Grants Commission’s 39th annual report reveals that at least 15 private universities did not spend anything on research in 2012, which is a violation of Private University Act 2010.

According to the 2010 act, private universities are obliged to spend a significant portion of their annual allocation on research.

The clause was included in the private university act to encourage those private institutes in research activities.

But the UGC report revealed that a

total of 15 private universities were least concerned about their research obligation. The report was published last week.

The 15 are City University, Victoria University of Bangladesh, Sylhet International University, The Millennium University, Central Women’s University, The People’s University of Bangladesh, Southern University Bangladesh, Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology, Prime University, Darul Ihsan University, Barendra University, Hamdard University Bangladesh, North East University, Ishakha International University Bangladesh and ZH Sikder

University of Science and Technology.

Of the 15 universities, five universities were established in 2012.

The five are Barendra University, Hamdard University Bangladesh, North East University, Ishakha International University, Bangladesh and Z H Sikder University of Science and Technology.

Contacted, Victoria University of Bangladesh Vice-Chancellor MR Khan told the Dhaka Tribune they had budgetary constraints and so they could not spend enough on research.

“Though we do not spend money

directly, we spend money indirectly on research. We have research activities,” he claimed.

Sakhawat Hossain, registrar of the City University, Bangladesh, said they spent more than Tk1crore on research in 2012-2013 year.

Former director of the Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research, Siddiqur Rahman said research activities were an integral part of universities.

He said the UGC should be strict with private universities so that they carry out research. l

RU teacher dismissed for sexual harassment n RU Correspondent

The Rajshahi University syndicate has dismissed a teacher from the university in allegation of sexual harassment against him.

The decision was made at a syndicate meeting on December 23-24.

The teacher, Shaon Uddin, was a lecturer of Management Studies Department of the university.

Earlier on September 8, 2012, the academic committee of the department had suspended the accused from all academic activities of the 13th Batch of the department followed by a written complaint of the female students of the batch.

In the compliant, students alleged that Shaon had made several sexually abusive comments on the female students in the classroom.

Later, the university’s committee against sexual harassment investigated into the complaint and founded the accused guilty.

Recently the committee submitted a probe report to the university authorities, recommending to dismiss the accused from university.

Shaon told reporters that he would go to the High Court, adding that he was yet to receive the copy of the

syndicate decision.

Meanwhile, the syndicate also dismissed Sanowar Hossain, a trainer at the Teachers Students Cultural Centre of the university in the same allegation.

Sanowar Hossain could not be reached for his comments.

Pro-VC Prof Sarowar Jahan told the Dhaka Tribune that the decisions would be delivered as soon as possible. l

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Upazila WP President TM Shahjahan Talukdar presided over the programme.

Dulal Majumdar, the district election officer, said Menon as a party chairman could ask for votes for his party candidate, but could not get ministerial protocol.

Shah Alam, Babuganj police station in-charge, acknowledged that Menon had been given full ministerial protocol and security by police and Rab. Menon was not available for comments, but upazila WP leaders claimed he did not use government transport and residence facilities, and law enforcement agencies had worked only to maintain security and law and order in the area. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Rickety DU dorms a threat to students Two kids die as cold n Arif Ahmed Residential students of Dhaka University are living in constant fear of imminent danger of the collapse of rundown dormitories that are too weak to withstand any natural disaster.

Students said the authorities had not taken any measures to repair the halls declared risky by the engineers of the university.

The most risky buildings on the campus are Haji Muhammad Mushin Hall, Salimullah Muslim Hall, Jagannath Hall, Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Haq Hall, Surja Sen Hall, Rokeya Hall, Fazlul Haque Hall and Shahidullaha hall, Sir PJ Hartog International Hall, said acting chief engineer Mofizul Islam.

The engineers and experts of the university have already expressed concern about these risky buildings, he added.

While visiting the halls this correspondent found many walls with

cracks and crevices and ceilings without plasters at places.

Students of those halls said they had witnessed many minor accidents of plasters falling off the celling on residential students but none was seriously injure.

Salimullah Muslim Hall established in 1921 has become so dilapidated that one can notice numerous cracks on the celling of the two-storey building.

Asif Uddin Ahmed, a resident student of the hall said: “We are always at risk and we have received minor injuries several times. But still we are here as we cannot afford other places to live in.”

Crakes were also found in the main building of Haji Muhammad Mushin Hall. Students of the hall said a long patch of plaster had fallen in the TV room injuring three students about six months ago.

“With a view to repairing the main building the hall authorities shifted some students to the newly made tin-

shed structure few years ago,” said a student of that hall seeking anonymity.

Muhsin Hall Provost Ali Akkas Said: “Our buildings are very old and that is why some minor incidents had happened. The university authorities have already taken initiatives to repair those buildings.”

In Zahurul Haq hall, a portion of roof of a corridor has collapsed a few days ago. After the incident, university vicechancellor along with some experts visited the hall and ordered the department concerned to repair it soon but the repair work is yet to start.

A portion of the north block of the Surja Sen Hall has collapsed recently.

Surja Sen Hall provost Maksud Kamal said: “We have talked to the higher authorities to repair the broken part of the north block as well as some other parts of the hall building. The process could not be started for lack of budget.”

On October 15, 1985, 39 students were killed at Jagannath Hall when a

roof caved in on the students in the TV room. Many students of the hall fear the repetition of the accident.

Rokeya Hall Provost Prof Nazma Shahin said: “Some of our buildings are at risk and we need to construct new buildings to ensure safety of the students.”

Prof Dr Mahmud Alam, chairman of the geology department, said any natural disaster could wreak havoc on the rickety dormitories.

When asked DU acting chief engineer Mufizul said: ”We could not start the repair work for lack of sufficient budget. In 2011, Tk11crore was endorsed for the repair work but we did not get the total amount of money.”

DU Vice-Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique said: “We have noticed some cracks in our university buildings and our team is working to repair those. Despite the limitation we have already constructed some new halls for residential students.” l

intensifies in Kurigram n Our Correspondent, Kurigram Two minor girls died in Kurigram after being affected by pneumonia as the cold intensified in the northern district.

Jarina, 2, of Char Ramniasa village under Ulipur upazila, and Aduri, 3, of Char Kolakata village, died in the last 3 days.

Children are getting pneumonia and diarrhoea as the intensity of cold has severely increased in last three days.

Poor people of nine upazilas of the district, especially the day labourers, women and children have been suffering from the cold spell.

Children and old people are coming daily at the upazila health complexes to get medical treatment.

Hospital sources said more than 200 children and old people took medical treatment in the last five days for cold

related diseases, and more than 50 children got admitted in different hospitals.

Mostofa Kamal, a resident doctor of Ulipur Health Complex, said the number of patients has been increasing for the last couple of days.

However, Nazrul Islam, resident doctor of Kurigram Sadar Hospital, said no patient was admitted at the sadar hospital with cold related diseases.

But he added that the intensity of cold is severe in other upazilas then the sadar, but patients cannot come to the sadar hospital from remote places as continuous hartals and blockade programmes are going on.

Dhaka Meterological Department said the temperature may fall all over the country especially in the northern region of the country in the next one or two days. l

CU arts faculty viva deferred

AL leader chopped to death n Our Correspondent, Meherpur

The Chittagong University authorities yesterday rescheduled the viva-voice date for B 1 unit of the first year admission test to December 28-29.

The viva-voice was due on December 14-15, which could not be held because of the countrywide blockade programmes enforced by BNP-led 18-party alliance, CU admission committee said.

Confirming the decision, Prof Imran Hossain, dean of Arts and Humanities Faculty, said the candidates would have to bring their SSC and HSC mark sheets along with the registration cards during the viva-voice.

The unit comprises of Bangla, English, History, Islamic History and Culture, Persian Language, Literature and Modern Language departments. l

Unknown assailants chopped a local Awami League leader to death while he was returning home from election campaign early yesterday.

The victim was named as Nurul Amin, 36, son of Nasir Uddin of Banshbaria village under Gangni upazila in the district. He was also the general secretary of Ward No-1 of Gangni Pourashava Awami League.

Shamim Hossain, elder brother of the deceased, said Nurul Amin was loyal to former MP Mokbul Hossain, an independent rebel Awami League candidate for Meherpur-2 constituency in the upcoming January 5 general election.

Masudul Alom, officer-in-charge of Gangni Police Station, quoting family members said possibly Nurul Amin came under attack next to an Eidgah field near his house about 2am while he was returning home from Banshbaria Bazar after election campaign of Mokbul Hossain.

However, the OC said the real cause of the murder could not be known immediately.

The killers stabbed him indiscriminately with sharp weapons. He died on the spot. Family members claimed that Nurul Amin was killed out of political vengeance.

Awami League nominated MP aspirant of the constituency and Gangni Upazila Awami League General Secretary Abdul Khaleq demanded immediate arrest of the killers terming it a pre-planned murder.

Police sent the body to Meherpur General Hospital Morgue for autopsy. l

n FM Mizanur Rahman

4 hurt while making crude bombs n Mohammad Ali Zheelon Four people were injured, one critically, in an explosion while they were making crude bombs in Gazipur’s Dattarapara Himardighi of Tongi area yesterday.

Critically injured Shahidul Islam, 35, of Mothbaria upazila of Pirojpur was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Ismail Hossain, officer-in-charge of Tongi police station, said a bomb went off when Sahidul along with three fellows was making bombs at his rented house around 5pm, leaving the four injured.

On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered four crude bombs and three bullets from the spot.

Police also detained Sahidur’s wife Rina and daughter Laboni to quiz them in this regard. l

WEATHER

Dry weather likely n UNB Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today.

Moderate to thick fog might occur over the river basins of the country and light to moderate for might occur elsewhere over the country during midnight until morning, Met Office said.

Night temperature may fall slightly and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:19pm today and rises at 6:39am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 27.4 degree Celsius was recorded at Cox’s Bazar and lowest 10.4 degrees at Srimangal yesterday.

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

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

21.4 25.0 21.5 20.5 22.5 24.2 21.2 27.5

15.3 14.4 12.3 14.8 15.5 14.0 12.7 16.0

Law enforcers yesterday held two youths, Razu and Rashed who claimed themselves to be Chhatra League activists, with firearms and ammunition in front of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital’s Emergency Unit DHAKA TRIBUNE

Development depends on lawmakers’ performance, says a research n Abu Bakar Siddique Parliament members’ party affiliations worked as an important factor in picking regions for development programmes by the government during every regime, a study said.

The opposition boycotting parliament has been a common trend and opposition lawmakers have subsequently failed to obtain development projects for their area, the research showed.

In general ruling party lawmakers, particularly those who are more regular in parliament, have managed to direct more of the government’s development efforts to their constituencies.

The State of Governance in Bangladesh 2012, an annual study of the Institute of Governance Studies (IGS) have

uncovered these trends. The report, titled “Regions, Representation, Disparity,” will be made public today.

The Dhaka Tribune obtained a copy of the report that showed that regionwise development in the country has been dependant on the participation and voices of the parliamentarians in the parliament for the last two decades.

Regarding female participation in the parliament, the study said an equitable representation of women in political offices was still absent, despite women leaders holding the office of the prime minister, leader of the opposition, speaker of the house and the ministry of foreign affairs.

It showed that there were 39 districts that had never been represented by a female MP.

However, the study showed that districts with female MPs between 1991 and 2008 had experienced better female literacy and had a bigger share of skilled birth attendants.

The report also said urbanisation was playing the key role in education sector governance in Bangladesh.

Urbanisation, remoteness, population density, poverty, female literacy and being a divisional headquarter were the major factors affecting school governance.

The report said three divisional headquarters, Dhaka, Rajshahi and Khulna, were among the top 10 districts in terms of performance in education while Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj with Kishoreganj and Habiganj were in the bottom 10.

5:18am 6:38am 11:59am 3:43pm 5:19pm 6:40pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

Young man burnt to death in Jessore n Our Correspondent, Jessore A young man was burnt to death in his sleep at his Mandolgati residence under Jessore Sadar Upazila yesterday morning.

The fire was originated from a kerosene lamp while he was in deep sleep.

The victim was identified as Billal Hossain, 20, son of Jahurul Islam.

Locals rushed to the spot and took the victim to Jessore Medical College Hospital.

Sharmin Akhter, assistant sub-inspector of Kotwali Police Station confirmed the death of the youth. l

3 Hizb-ut Tahrir men jailed in city n Kailash Sarkar Three activists of banned Islamist outfit Hizb-ut Tahrir were sentenced to different terms of imprisonment by a mobile court in Kotwail area of the city yesterday.

Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali police station Shah Alam said they had arrested three youths – Khalid Hossain, Mizanur Rahman and Alamgir Hossain around 2:30pm while they had been distributing leaflets containing various

provocative statements against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia. Later, Magistrate Iftekhar Alam handed down the verdict around 8pm after the detainees confessed their offences, the OC added.

Of the convicts, Khalid and Mizanur, students Daffodil University, have been sentenced to two years of jail and another youth Alamgir to one year imprisonment. l

Three robbers held n Our Correspondent, Satkhira

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

Dhaka was the best performing division in the education sector and Sylhet the worst.

The report said schools with school management committees (SMCs) composed of trained members and headed by female head teachers had a positive effect on educational outcomes.

Like education, the health sector analyses also found similar results where governance inputs have been found to have significant influence on health outcomes.

No divisional headquarters fall among the high performers (top 10 districts) when outpatient delivery was taken into account.

The study said Khulna, which was a divisional headquarter, belonged in the bottom 10. l

Muslim-Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Sampriti Parishad organises a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday to mark the Christmas MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

A notorious forest robber along with his two associates were arrested yesterday in Gabura area of Shyamnagar upazila in Satkhira.

The robbers were identified as Aminul Islam alias Khokon Molla, 50, leader of Aminul Islam group, son of Jiad Molla of Chadnimukha village under Shyamnagar, Rejaul Sheikh, 42, son of Moksed Sheikh of Kalinchi village of the same

upazila and Khokon Sardar, 38, son of Jahed Sardar of Koyra upazila in Khulna.

Officer-in-Charge of Shyamnagar police station Sagir Mia said a team of police had conducted a raid in the area and arrested the trio when they were demanding toll money from some fishermen at about 4am. There are several cases lodged with the police station against them for abducting fishermen in the Sundarbans, kidnapping and taking extortion from fishermen. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Purbachal link road fails to meet deadline Rajuk appoints new contractor to restart suspended construction n Abu Hayat Mahmud The construction of Purbachal link road missed its deadline as the project was being implemented at a snail’s pace and repeatedly suspended.

An alleged indifference of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha is attributed to the failure to complete the project within the deadline.

The construction of 300-feet wide Purbachal link road started in October 2011 and was scheduled to end in April this year, and later the deadline was extended to August this year.

Earlier, the Roads and Highways Department was tasked with the link road construction in the year of 2000, but the Rajuk took it back in 2009 in the wake of the RHD’s failure.

In 2010, the Rajuk took the decision to implement the road on fund of Purbachal new town project.

Rajuk is now implementing the road at a cost of Tk350crore. The under-construction 13-kilometer link road – 6.5 kilometres from Kuril flyover to Balu bridge on river Balu and 6.5 from Balu bridge to Kanchan bridge on Shitalakkha – a gateway to the capital.

Only 50% of the construction work has been done in the northern and eastern parts.

The Rajuk is now facing trouble in implementing the link road as the contractors stopped construction demanding additional funds reasoning out rise in cost of construction materials.

The suspension of construction work came at a moment when the link road assumed a far greater importance than any other previous time after inauguration of the Kuril flyover, as one of its ramps was inked to the Purbachal link road.

Md Mukul, a resident in Isapura,

also owner of a piece of land acquired for the road, claimed hundreds of people used the link road daily.

The CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver told the Dhaka Tribune: “People living in Kuril, Khilkhet, Barua, Dumni, Isapura and different adjoining areas are using the road as a short-cut which saves time as well.”

“I drive auto-rickshaw on the road, but because of its incompletion it is difficult for me to run the vehicle,” he added.

Mukul also claimed on each trip from Khilkhet to Kanchan Bridge he carried 4-5 persons charging each Tk70 as fare.

Azahar Ali, resident in Dumni said they were not riding vehicles comfortably because of potholes and bumpy ride.

“Only a few CNG-run auto-rickshaws and battery-run three-wheelers are available on the road. Except those, no other vehicles are seen to ply,” he added.

Rajuk officials said the 12-lane road was planned to have a four-lane expressway with two service roads on its both sides.

The road has seven bridges, six underpasses and two culverts.

When visiting the link road, the Dhaka Tribune correspondent found only a few auto-rickshaws and private cars particularly from different private housing companies were plying out there.

Although the road is incomplete, the brides and culverts are almost complete.

Contacted, Rajuk Chief Engineer (implementation) Md Emdadul Islam admitted that the construction work of the link road had been suspended.

He told the Dhaka Tribune: “The

The Purbachal link road is left undone after the construction project is temporarily suspended. Only a few vehicles opt to hit the road because of a bumpy ride construction is now halted following continuous blockade and strike. The contactors are not carrying construction materials and thus the construction was temporarily suspended.”

Shibir man gets two years’ jail for Sitakunda mayhem n Tribune Report A mobile court yesterday sentenced a Shibir man to two years of jail term for vandalising vehicles on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at Sitakunda in Chittagong.

Additional Police Superintendent of Satkhira Joydeb Chowdhury said the joint forces arrested two Jamaat-Shibir men during an overnight raid.

The joint force in an overnight raid arrested 20 activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, students’ wing of Jamaat-eIslami, from Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong The arrestees were identified as Ibrahim Gazi, 25, son of Samsuddin Gazi of Parulia village under Debhata upazila and Abul Kalam Gazi, 35, son of Jumman Gazi of Toilkupi village under Patkelghata, police said.

Afterwards, Rezaul Karim, execu-

tive magistrate of the mobile court, yesterday afternoon sentenced Ibrahim Gazi to two years of jail term for conducting subversive activities at Sitakunda.

Officer in-charge of Debhata police station Tareq Biswas said as Ibrahim Gazi confessed before the court that he had been involved in the killing of upazila Awami League organising secretary Abu Raihan, he had been also shown arrested in the murder case.

Meanwhile, the joint force in an overnight raid arrested 20 activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, students’ wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, from Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong yesterday for their alleged involvement with the Sitakunda havoc.

Iftekhar Uddin, officer-in-charge of Sitakunda police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that the joint force, comprising of police, Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Ansar, conducted the drive in different areas of the upazila and ar-

rested them. Later, they were handed over to the Sitakunda police station, he said.

Blockade campaigners have unleashed overnight violence on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Sitakunda on November 17.

At least seven people, policemen and drivers included, were injured during the violence.

Supporters of the blockade vandalised and set fire to a number of vehicles. They also clashed with the police at several places of the upazila.

Moreover, police arrested a suspected activist of Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islam, with 20 crude bombs from the capital’s Mirpur in the afternoon.

The arrestee is one Saiful Islam.

Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Media Centre), said: “Acting on a tip off, Mirpur police arrested the Shibir activist from a residence at in East Monipur around 2:30pm.” l

In reply to a question on demand of additional fund by the contactors, Emdadul said, “For delay in construction, we canceled the agreement with the former contractor ACL-RP Construc-

the next January 5 polls,” he added.

The Rajuk chief engineer also said they would take decision about the CTCL-Monico, observing its performance after January 5. l

Economic lifetime of CNG-run autos increased by one year n Mohosinul Karim and Rabiul Islam The government has increased the economic lifetime of four-stroke three-wheeler auto-rickshaws by one year, following a recommendation by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).

In this regard, the Roads Division on Tuesday issued a letter to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).

The 11-year long economic lives of 5,500 CNG-run three-wheelers in the capital were supposed to expire on December 31, 2013; meaning that all those auto-rickshaws were supposed to be replaced by new ones after the date.

An auto-rickshaw owner said it would not be possible for him to replace by the deadline. Unless the economic life of auto-rickshaws was increased, around 11,000 drivers would become unemployed, while the passengers would also face a crisis, he added.

Officials at the Roads Division said around 13,000 CNG-run auto-rickshaws operate in the capital.

“We have increased the replacement time of CNG [auto-rickshaws] by one year following a recommendation of Buet,” Roads Division Secretary MAN Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

The official letter has already been issued, he said, adding that a circular would be issued in a day or two.

Siddique said Buet had recommended increasing the economic life from 11 years to 15 years.

Saying that a policy change would be required to increase the economic, the secretary said the decision was made for an ad interim period.

Buet however set four conditions, including the full overhauling of engine, and the replacement of hood cover and seats. Besides, necessary repairs of body, suspension and break trans-

mission have to be carried out.

“We would take permission after complying with the conditions of Buet,” Dhaka Metropolitan CNG Auto-Rickshaw Business Owners’ Association General Secretary Md Faridul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

Asked about the dilapidated conditions of the vehicles, he said the auto-rickshaw owners were unsure whether the economic life would be increased or not. Following the government move, the owners would now carry out repairs, Faridul said.

Saying the CNG-run auto rickshaws operate for 15 years in India, he asked why it had to be only 11 years in Bangladesh.

Earlier, CNG-run auto-rickshaw owners observed a 48-hour strike during May 26-27 in Dhaka city to press home a 10-point demand, which included raising the auto-rickshaws’ economic life. l

Zafar-led JaPa expresses solidarity with ‘March for Democracy’

Khulna Medical College opens burn unit

n Manik Miazee

n Our Correspondent, Khulna

A ten-bed burn and plastic surgery unit was established for the first time in Khulna Medical College Hospital yesterday. Dr Paritosh Kumar Kundu inaugurated the unit as the chief guest.

In his inaugural speech, Dr Kundu said: “This is the only burn and plastic surgery unit among ten districts of Khulna division.”

This burn unit would help cure patients of burn injuries, he said.

An eight-bed child surgery unit was also inaugurated in the hospital on the same day. l

tion, and CTCL-Monico, another contactor, is now under observation.”

“We already appointed a new contactor – National Civil Engineers Limited, and it will start construction after

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Members of Human Safety Foundation, operated by the DU students, distribute warm clothes to underprivileged women and children at TSC yesterday

A faction of Jatiya Party led by Kazi Zafar Ahmed yesterday expressed solidarity with the 18-party opposition-called “March for Democracy” programme scheduled for 29 December.

The faction took the decision to support the agitation programme of the main opposition at a meeting with JaPa Chief Kazi Zafar Ahmed in the chair.

A total of 27 presidium members out of 29 of the party attended the meeting held at a city hotel.

The meeting discussed several issues, including joining the opposition anti-government movement.

The meeting announced the names

Mymensingh Medical College interns call off strike n Our Correspondent, Mymensingh Intern doctors of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, who went on an indefinite strike on Monday night, called off the strike yesterday after a discussion with MMCH authorities and leaders of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA).

The interns went on a strike following an incident of alleged misbehaviour with two intern doctors at CCU around 9pm on Monday night.

A patient named AKM Emdadul Haque,

75, got admitted to the hospital on Saturday. A relative of Haque misbehaved with two on-duty interns at CCU over treatment issues.

Soon after the incident, 180 intern doctors at the hospital went on strike. They suspended their activities including emergency services at the hospital. They also ransacked the room of the MMCH director.

Later, the interns demanded immediate arrest of the person responsible for the misbehaviour. They also demanded security of the interns and staff working at the hospital.

Dr Mithun Sutradhar, president of intern doctors association at MMCH, said: “After a fruitful meeting with MMCH director Brigadier General Md Fasiur Rahman and BMA leaders, we withdrew the strike at 6pm this evening.”

They would join the work from today as the authorities assured them of taking necessary steps against the responsible people soon and rendering proper security measures for the interns and the staff as well, said Dr Mithun.

Dr Motiur Rahman Bhuiyan, secretary of

BMA local unit said: “We convinced the interns to return to their work for the greater interest of the patients admitted to the hospital.”

“Proper security measure is a must for the interns and staff working at the hospital,” said the BMA leader.

Director of the hospital Brigadier General Md. Fasiur Rahman said: “We will strictly maintain the security of the interns and staff to keep a congenial atmosphere for rendering better treatment facilities at the hospital.” l

of conveners for the committees of seven divisions.

The conveners are TIM Fazle Rabbi for Rangpur division committee, Brigadier General (rtd) Mahmud Hassan for Dhaka division, Mustafa Zamal Hayder for Barisal division, HM Gulam Reza for Khulna division, Lutfur Rahman Helal for Sylhet division and Mostak Ahmed Labu for Rajshahi division.

The party’s next meeting will be held on December 30. The party will take decision on its next course of action at the meeting.

The meeting insiders told the Dhaka Tribune “morally” the party agreed to joint the movement of 18-party alliance. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Life in Gaibandha comes to a halt for chilly weather n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha Intensity of cold with dense fog is affecting normal life as well as agriculture because of further falls of temperature in Gaibandha.

The severity of cold increased further for blowing of cooler winds, fogs and mists, causing untold suffering and miseries to the people, especially the homeless and char (shoal) people.

According to Rangpur Met Office, the lowest temperature in the district was recorded 20.50 degree celsius yesterday while it was 24.20 on Tuesday.

The chilly weather is expected to prevail in the district for more days, said met office sources. Moreover, the sun is not visible all the daylong. The intensity of chill went on high before sunrise and after sunset on the day.

The number of patients with cough, fever and asthma has been increased during the past few days everywhere in the district, said Civil Surgeon Ahad Ali. Gaibandha Sadar Hospital and other private clinics are crowded with bron-

chitis and asthma patients, said Civil Surgeon Ahad Ali. Commuters faced troubles in getting vehicles particularly tempo, rickshaw and van as the presence of the vehicles on roads and bus stands were very thin.

Poor people particularly farmers and day laborers are the worst sufferers as they cannot work at the field for chilly wind.

Golam Hossain, a day laborer of Barobaldia village under sadar upazila, said he along with his family members had been sufferings a lot for the last couples of days as they did not have warm clothes.

He said he had tried to buy used warm clothes for his family members, but traders had already increased the prices of warm after falls of temperature.

Many of the destitute are trying to combat this bone chilling cold through heat generated from burning straws and old rubber tyres.

Standing crops, including maize,

mustard, wheat and seedlings of Boro paddy had started damaging in the fields, said Mir Abdur Razzak, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension.

Chairman of Mollarchar union of the district M Saiduzzaman said the char dwellers of the union were the worst sufferers as they were facing bone biting chili wind during the winter season for want of warm clothes.

The administrations, NGOs, voluntary, socio-cultural and charitable organisations have distributed warm clothes among the distressed cold-hit people to mitigate their sufferings, but it is very insufficient than the necessity.

Beside, district administration has distributed warm clothes to the cold victims of four upazilas at the first of the current month.

The cold hit people urged the government and other socio-cultural organisations, including well-off section of the society to distribute warm clothes to cold victims to combat the cold wave. l

People buy warm clothes from a roadside shop in Bogra district town yesterday

FOCUS BANGLA

Road accidents kill four

Two AL men among three killed

Mustard fields wear eye catching looks in Gaibandha

Four people were killed in three separate road accidents in Netrokona, Natore and Laxmipur in the last two days.

An old man named Abdul Mojid, 70, was killed in a road accident on Mohangonj-Gaglajur road at Gaglajur bazaar, Mahangonj upazila, Netrakona yesterday, reports our correspondent.

Police and local sources said the accident occurred as a motorcyclist lost his control and hit Mojid around 11am, leaving him dead on the spot. A case was filed with Mohangonj police station. Police confined the motorcycle.

In Natore, a pick-up van driver was killed in a collision between the van and a truck at Agran area of BanparaHattikumrul Highway of Baraigram upazila early yesterday, reports our correspondent.

The deceased was Shafiqul Islam,38, of village Basundia, Jessore. Masud Parvez, officer-in-charge of Banpara Highway police camp, said the pick-up van was carrying a truck’s engine. The pick up entered under a truck while it tried to overtake. The driver died on the spot.

In Laxmipur, two people were killed and four others injured in a road accident in Chowdhury Bridge area on the Raipur-Chandpur Highway in Raipur upazila on Tuesday.

The deceased were Mohsin, a resident of Purbalach village in Raipur upazila, and Palash Hossain, a resident of Matlab Upazila, Chandpur.

Police said a CNG-run auto- rickshaw collided head-on with a pickup van in the area around 9pm, leaving two people dead on the spot and four others injured.

The injured were rushed to Pabna Medical College Hospital. l

n Tribune Report

n Tribune Desk

n Tribune Report

1,200 mango saplings felled in Natore n Our Correspondent, Natore A group of unidentified people cut down around 1,200 mango saplings on 14 bighas of land in Natore sadar upazila early yesterday.

Owners of the saplings Shahid Hossein, Khorshed Alam and Shukur Ali said the loss was estimated at around Tk50 lakh.

They also added that the group also damaged co-crops cultivated at the field.

Aslam uddin, officer-in-charge of Natore police station, said no allegation was submitted in this connection. l

Barisal University intake test held n Our Correspondent, Barisal The entrance examination for 2013-14 academic session of Barisal University held on yesterday.

Faisal Mahmud Rumi, public relations officer of the university, said a total of 29,690 students registered for the test against 1,160 seats, and about 85% candidates participated in the test.

The result of the intake test would be published as soon as possible through the websites and notice board of the university. l

Three people were killed in Meherpur, Kishoreganj and Natore in the last two days.

Our Natore correspondent reports: Awami League activist Shakhawat Hossein of village Raypur was hacked to death and his associate was critically injured in an attack at Bijoypur Bazaar in Lalpur upazila yesterday.

Police said when Shakhawat along with his friend Jakaria were returning Lalpur Bazar from Walia around 1:30pm riding on a motorcycle, some miscreants attacked them with sharp weapons, killing Shakhawat on the spot.

Meanwhile, Nurul Amin, 37, general secretary of Gangni municipality ward 1 unit of Awami League, was hacked to

death by miscreants in Bashbaria village under Gangni upazila in Meherpur on Tuesday night.

Family members said some unidentified assailants had hacked Amin to death while he was returning home after doing campaign for independent candidate Mokbul Hossain who is contesting for the upcoming national election.

In Keshoreganj, a driver was strangled to death in Pakundia upazila yesterday.

Locals found the body of was Polash Chandra Das, 23, of Batrish Manipurghat area at a paddy field near Kodalia High School in Pakundia upazila around 8:30am and informed police about the matter.

Police suspected that he might have killed over previous enmity. l

Mustard fields, which are now in full bloom in the vast tracts of land in the district, have already worn eye catching yellow looks to all with an expectation of bumper production.

According to sources, the cultivation of mustard has gained much popularity to the farmers of the district in recent years for getting desired production and fair prices.

Office sources said the Department of Agriculture Extension set a target to cultivate quality mustard on 7,244 hectares of land of all the seven upazilas in the district during the current season.

Later, the cultivation target fixed by the department was exceeded and

finally, a total of 7,820 hectares of land were brought under the farming this year with the production target of 8,690 tonnes of mustard.

Of the total, some 750 hectares of land were cultivated in Sadar upazila, 540 in Sadullapur, 475 in Palashbari, 4,400 in Gobindaganj, 480 in Sundarganj, 625 in Saghata and 550 in Fhulchhari upazila in the district.

Now, the farmers are so much busy to nurture the mustard field as per the directions of the field level sub assistant agriculture officials, reports UNB. Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer M Mokbul Hossain said the farmers of the district had been showing more interest in cultivating mustard in recent years after getting repeated bumper

production and better prices of the Robi crop.

Crop production specialist of DAE Golam Mostafa said the favourable climatic condition, proper distribution of high quality seed, timely supply of fertilisers and other agri inputs to the growers and less pest attacks in the field are the reasons behind the expectation.

Meanwhile, the commercial banks including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank also disbursed soft loan to the growers during the season to boost production of the crop, bank sources said.

The DAE sources said the land owned by flood affected farmers were also brought under this cultivation this year to help them recover the losses caused by floods.

Sunflower a new addition to Jhalakati oilseeds n Tribune Desk

A group of miscreants felled around 1,200 mango saplings on 14 bighas of land at Hazra in Natore sadar upazila in the early hours of yesterday FOCUS BANGLA

NEWS IN BRIEF College student shot in Rangamati A student of Rangamati Government College was shot by some unidentified miscreants in Technical Training Centre area of the district town on Tuesday night. Local people said when Tuhin Chakma, 20, of Sarbotali union under Bagaishari upazila reached the area around 9:30pm, the gang opened fire on him. He was admitted to Rangamati Sadar Hospital in critical condition. – Our Correspondent

Five shops, cotton warehouse gutted in Jhalakati

Five shops and a cotton warehouse were gutted by a fire in Kathalia upazila headquarters on Tuesday morning. Witnesses said the fire originated from the warehouse of Sumi Bedding Centre, a quilt making shop, in Kathalia Market around 10am and it soon engulfed the entire warehouse as well as five shops. On information, a firefighting unit rushed in and doused the blaze after one hour of frantic efforts with the help of the locals. Three people were injured in their attempt to tame the fire.

The reason behind the fire could not be

known yet. The extent of losses caused by the fire could go up to Tk1.5 lakh. – UNB

RU winter vacation begins tomorrow Rajshahi University authorities declared winter vacation for the year. The vacation would begin tomorrow and would be continued till January 9, 2014, said a press release yesterday. All the academic activities of the institution would remain closed from December 27 to January 5 during the vacation. The residential halls of the students will remain closed from December 27 to January 6 as per syndicate decision. Residential students were asked to leave halls by 12noon tomorrow.

– RU Correspondent

22 arrested in Joypurhat Police in separate drives arrested 22 people on various charges from different places in five upazilas of the district early yesterday. Police said the arrested persons were include 17 Jamaat-Shibir activists, absconding warrantees, drug peddlers and accused persons in different cases. Police also recovered illegal goods during the drive. – BSS

Farmers are cultivating sunflower as new oilseed crop on vast tracts of land raising total oilseed cultivation acreage in Jhalakathi.

Sources at Department of Agriculture Extension in Jhalakati said a target was fixed to bring 6,830 hectares of land under oilseed like mustard, peanut and sesame cultivation in four upazilas in this winter.

Brac, a non-government organisation, has endeavoured to boost oilseed farming to a greater extent with the target of bringing 694 hectares of land in Sadar and Rajapur upazilas under sunflower farming as a new oilseed.

The leading NGO, under its food safety programme, has also planned to assemble 1,000 farmers of the two upazilas to cultivate sunflower on cooperative basis.

In the meantime, some 477 farmers have already started cultivating sun-

flower on 380 hectares of land in sadar upazila and 470 ones on 314 hectares in Rajapur upazila.

Farmer Hayat Khan, of Gabkhan village, said he was preparing his land for cultivating sunflower. The land was used for paddy farming earlier.

Another farmer Abdur Rahim, of the same area, said after harvesting of Aman paddy, he prepared his land for sunflower farming and was sowing seeds of the winter crop.

Talking to UNB, Champak Aich, manager of Brac’s food safety programme in Jhalakati, said farmers have to spend Tk14,000 for cultivating sunflower on per acre of land.

On an average, production of the winter crop is 30 tonnes per acre of land, he said, adding that growers can make profit of Tk22,000 out of the crop produced per acre of land.

The cholesterol-free sunflower oil is considered as ideal edible oil for cardiac and diabetes patients, they added. l

United resistance against violence, destruction for peace stressed n Tribune Desk Speakers at a post-rally discussion yesterday stressed establishing peace through launching stiff resistances involving the mass people against all sorts of violence and destructions in the name of political movements.

They were addressing the discussion on Central Shaheed Minar premises in the city after bringing out a huge procession styled “Mass Public Rally for Peace” organised under the banner of the people’s organisation “Jago Rangpur”.

Led by Convener of “Jago Rangpur” and District Commander of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangshad (BMS) Mosaddek Hossain Bablu, the mass public rally paraded the city streets and gathered in the discussion on Central Shaheed Minar premises, reports BSS. Leaders and activists of “Jago Rangpur”, different socio- cultural organisations and political parties, student and volunteer organisations, women and human rights bodies, professionals, teachers, students, civil society mem-

bers and elite of the city participated.

Member-secretary of “Jago Rangpur” and noted social worker Dr Mamunur Rahman read out the peace deceleration and urged the common people to become united for stopping anarchy, destruction, terrorism and violence in the name of political movements.

Speakers called upon the common people for forging a rock-solid unity against violence, terrorism and anarchy in the name of political movements to ensure peace in the society for smooth national uplift With Mosaddek Hossain Bablu in the chair, Deputy Commander of District unit of BMS Motiar Rahman, district JSD President Dr Ekramul Hossain Swapan and Law Affairs Secretary of district Awami League Advocate Rothish Chandra Bhowmick, spoke.

Gangachara upazila chairman Majibar Rahman Pramanik, General Sec-

retary of District Shop Owners’ Association Rezaul Islam Milan, teacher China Chowdhury, Principal Professor Mozahar Ali, Secretary of District Mohila Samity Hasna Hena Chowdhury and Coordinator of district BSD Comrade Abdul Kuddus addressed.

Organiser of Udichi Shilpi Gosthi Professor Dr Swaswato Bhattacharya, President of “Unnota Mohila Paribar” Marhamatun Nesa, dramatist Sirajul Islam Siraj, Human Resources Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Sabrina Shamshad, women leaders Rosy Rahman and Monwara Begum also addressed.

Besides, a large number of journalists, leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League, Chhatra Union, JSD-backed Chhatra League, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, cultural organisations including “Kakashis”, “Kanasas”, “Spandan” and different NGOs were present.

The speakers called upon the common people for forging a rock-solid unity against violence, terrorism and anarchy in the name of political movements to ensure peace in the society. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Juris

7

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Acts of parliament in 2013 2013 is the last year of the 9th National Parliament. As many as 69 laws were passed during the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th sessions of this parliament. For our readers, we highlight the basic features of 12 of the laws passed in the year that may have significant impact on people’s lives

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

1. Safe Food Act The Safe Food Act, 2013 was enacted to stop widespread food adulteration through commissioning of separate courts for the disposal of food-related crimes.

The Safe Food Act, 2013 has categorised 23 offences for which criminals will face maximum five years in jail term or Tk1,000,000 fine. Of them, 13 offences are non-bailable.

The maximum punishment for adding radioactive ingredients or heavy metals to food stuffs is four years in jail or the Tk800,000 fine or both.

The highest punishment for adding insecticides, hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals above permissible limits is three years in jail or a fine of Tk600,000 or both. Owners of restaurants and hotels, causing health hazards to consumers, will face maximum three years of jail or a fine of Tk600,000 or both.

The law says public servants failing to discharge duties stipulated in the law would face departmental disciplinary actions.

According to the act, the government will form a 30-member National Safe Food Management Advisory Council, headed by the food minister, comprising of 14 secretaries, 11 heads of government entities and representation from other stakeholders.

Any aggrieved person can lodge complaints with the chairman of the Bangladesh Safe Food Authority.

2. Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act The parliament passed the Torture and Custodial Death (prevention) Act, 2013 aimed at curbing tortures by the law enforcement agencies on common people under custody.

The law stipulates that the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Customs, Immigration, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), intelligence agencies, Ansar & VDP, Coast Guard and other public servants cannot extract confessional statement through torture.

The law says any custodian torturing a detainee would be liable of committing offences defined under the law. Again, any person attempting to commit, aiding and abetting to commit, or conspiring to commit an offence must be considered an offender.

According to the new law, for any death in custody, the custodian would be awarded with rigorous life imprisonment or a fine of Tk100,000.

In addition, they must compensate family members of the affected with Tk200,000.

3. Multi-Level Marketing 5. Anti-Corruption Activities (Regulation) Act Commission (Amendment) Act Parliament enacted the Multi-Level Marketing Activities (Regulation) Act, 2013 to stop the swindling of people’s money through promotion of the pyramid structure marketing by the multi-level marketing (MLM) companies.

According to the law, the multi-level companies must take prior licence from the government or face maximum jail term for 10 years and a fine of Tk5,000,000 for running the business without licence. Those who are already running multi-level marketing activities will require applying to the government for the licence within 90 days.

Anyone transferring the licences to others will face maximum two years of imprisonment and a fine of Tk500,000 for transferring any licence, totally or partially. For marketing substandard products, the marketers will face maximum five years of imprisonment and a fine of Tk500,000.

The law will authorise the government to appoint administrators to the companies if found guilty of fraud, harassment, or ill motives. Again, the law has the provision according to which the government, through gazette notification, in the future can prohibit the use of certain goods and services of the multi-level marketing businesses.

4. Information and Communication Technology (Amendment) Act The ICT (Amendment) Act, 2013 was passed by the Parliament amending the original ICT Act, 2006.

According to the new law, hacking into an individual’s computer system, willfully publishing anything “untrue and obscene” on a website that may result in “defamation, deterioration of law and order situation, tarnishing the image of the state or individuals and hurting people’s religious sentiments.” will be a non-bailable offence, punishable with up to 14 years’ imprisonment.

Under the new law, the police may arrest any person without warrant.

Again, any person illegally accessing a protected computer system of the government will become liable for punishment and face jail term between seven and 14 years and fine up to Tk1,000,000.

According to the law, the government will form a cyber tribunal headed by a judge or an additional judge. The tribunal will be able to conduct trial of the absconding persons in absentia.

The main opposition and the civil society had criticised the law saying it would curtail freedom of opinion and expression and leave room for abuse of power by the law enforcing agencies.

The parliament has passed an amendment to the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004 incorporating a controversial provision curtailing the commission’s authority to file cases against the public servants.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Act, 2013 forces the criminal courts to seek permission from the government before taking criminal charges into cognizance against judges, magistrates and public servants.

According the amendment, crimes involving corruption would be classified into three categories: cognizable, non-compoundable, and non-bailable.

The amendment also contains a provision for safeguarding information providers keeping their names secret as well as punishment for furnishing any false information.

6. Grameen Bank Act The new law replaces the existing 30-year old “Grameen Bank Ordinance, 1983” promulgated during the government of military ruler HM Ershad.

As per the new law, the bank will have to consult with the government before taking any policy decision. The Board of the Bank will comprise 12 members.

Of them, three will be given from the government while rest of the members will be elected from the shareholders.

The authorised capital of Grameen Bank was TK 350 crore earlier. Now it will be increased to Tk 1,000 crore and there will be 10 crore shares of the Bank.

The managing director of the Bank will be a director, but he will not have the voting right.

The tenure of the Board of Directors will be three years. Earlier, there was no specific tenure for the Grameen Bank’s board of directors.

No member of the Board, except the managing director or CEO, will get the chance to be the director of the bank for more than two consecutive terms.

The managing director will be chosen by a selection committee that will select a three-member panel.

It would need prior approval from Bangladesh Bank to appoint one of them as managing director. The managing director will be allowed to serve the Bank up to the age of 60 years. Like the other banks, Grameen Bank will also have to submit its annual report to the Bangladesh Bank.

7. Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Act A new anti-terror law, which would allow the courts to accept videos, still photographs, and audio clips used in Facebook, Twitter and Skype as exhibit was passed by the parliament in June, 2013.

In line with its election pledge of “zero tolerance” for violence, the present government enacted the AntiTerrorism Act, 2009 and amended the same in 2012. The original law stipulates capital punishment as highest punishment for terrorism and subversive activities depending upon the extent of the crimes.

The newly amended law stipulates that the police officer concerned will immediately inform the district magistrates about the occurrence of a crime that comes under the purview of the act and file cases against the persons or entities or foreign nationals involved.

8. Parent’s Care Act The Parent’s Care Act, 2013, a law to ensure social security of the senior citizens, compels the children to take good care of their parents.

According to the law, the children will have to take necessary steps to look after their parents and provide them with food and shelter.

Each of the children will have to pay 10% of their total income regularly to their parents if they do not live with their parents. Moreover, children will have to meet their parents regularly if they live in separate residences. Furthermore, under no circumstances are children allowed to send their parents in old homes beyond their wishes.

The law also allows aggrieved parents to file cases against their children if they decline to support them. A first class magistrate court will settle issues related to the violation of the law. For reconciliation of any issues, local government representatives such as chairmen, members and others authorised by them will settle the disputes. The law has the provision of Tk200,000 as fine and, in default, six months jail term for violation of the law.

Spouse or any relative, including the in-laws, will be considered as offenders and will be punished if they are proved to be guilty of having objected to such support.

9. Geographical Indicative Products (Registration and Protection) Act The Geographical Indicative Products (Registration and Protection) Act, 2013 was passed

in the parliament this year with an aim to safeguard the patent rights of the country’s centuries-old indigenous products.

The act would protect the country’s claims to commodities such as hilsa fish, jamdani saree, nakshi kantha, pineapple, and fazli mango, etc.

According to the act, geographical indications (GI) is a sign which defines the source and contains the goodwill of a product that originated in a particular area, like hilsha from Padma, chamcham from Tangail and kanchagolla from Natore.

According to the law, a separate unit will be formed under the Department of Patent, Design and Trademark to operate on works related to the GI products. The unit will conserve a detailed list of the GI products from across the country as a primary database of the local products.

To register a product, the association or the co-operative for a product will have to apply; no individual can register a product.

The validity of a particular registered GI product will remain for five years. The producer would have to apply for re-registering after the validity expires.

Any person or organisation will be punished with three years of imprisonment and Tk200,000 fine for producing, transporting, storing and selling of a particular geographical indication product by providing false and fabricated information. Similar punishment will be charged for marketing of a particular registered product which had expired its validity, and for breaching the conditions of the registration as a geographically indicative product.

10. Birth and Death Registration (Amendment) Act Birth and Death Registration (amendment) Act, 2013 has introduced a provision for birth and death registration of the expatriate Bangladeshis as well as incorporating a 17-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) of the respective persons.

The new law provides one-year jail term or a fine of Tk5,000 or both for providing false information in connection with birth and death registration.

According to the amended law, the government will appoint a registrar general and adequate manpower to intensively supervise and conduct the birth and death registration activities of union parishad chairmen, pourashava chairmen and mayor, city corporations mayors, president of cantonment board and Bangladesh’s envoys abroad or their nominated persons responsible for completing the task.

Moreover, according to the new law, the record of birth and death registration would be preserved in digital system to make the total process flawless.

11. Protection of the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities Act Parliament passed “Rights of the Persons with Disabilities and their Protection Act, 2013” for ensuring rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.

The newly enacted law will abolish the existing “Bangladesh Persons with Disability Welfare Act, 2001.”

The aim of the act is to protect dignity of the persons with disabilities and ensure their educational, physical and mental improvement as well as participation in social and state activities removing all the discrimination.

The law stipulated 21 rights of the disabled persons. The disabled persons must get the national identity cards and be listed in the voters roll.

Even they will be able to contest in the polls.

The new law will help make the people with disabilities capable of contributing to the country’s development and welfare.

According to the newly enacted law, a 19-member national executive committee, headed by the social welfare secretary, will work for national implementation of the law.

12. Bangla Academy Act The Bangla Academy, which is dedicated to conducting research on Bangla language, got its first ever law written in Bangla since its establishment on December 3, 1955, when parliament enacted the Bangla Academy law this year.

The aim of the law is to give the Bangla Academy more roles in expanding the use of Bangla in every sphere of life.

The law mandated the Bangla Academy to impart trainings to public servants, upon requests from the government, on Bangla language.

The new law has stipulated 22 functions of the academy, including translating Bangla literary works into different languages to uphold the rich tradition of Bangla literature, as well as translating works from other languages into Bangla.

Prior to passing of the law, Bangla academy was regulated under the “Bangla Academy Ordinance,” which is in English, promulgated by the then President General Ziaur Rahman in 1978.

Parliament in 1987 enacted a law for mandatory use of Bangla in all spheres of life, but its implementation still remains elusive because of the authorities’ inaction.

In addition, the academy has been tasked with increasing the use of Bangla in the field of science and technology. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Over 400 killed in 10-day air blitz of Syria’s Aleppo n AFP, Beirut A 10-day air offensive by Syria’s regime against rebel areas of divided Aleppo city and nearby villages has killed more than 400 people, including 117 children, a monitor said Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that by Tuesday night the toll since December 15 from air strikes and a bombing campaign using barrels packed with TNT stood at 410. Also among the dead were 34 women, 30 rebel fighters and nine jihadists.

The Britain-based group said that the air force pressed its assault into an 11th day on Wednesday, with fresh raids on the opposition-held districts of Sakhur and Jabal Badro in eastern Aleppo city.

However it had no immediate information on further casualties.

Aleppo has been divided into regime and rebel-held enclaves since the opposition launched a massive offensive in July last year.

Rights groups have blasted the regime’s relentless air raids against Aleppo and its dropping of massively de-

structive barrel bombs in civilian areas.

Human Rights Watch has described the use of such weapons as “indiscriminate and therefore unlawful.”

The United States too has condemned the regime’s aerial assault on civilian areas of Aleppo, accusing the military of using barrel bombs and SCUD missiles “indiscriminately.”

On Wednesday, the Arab League and the European Union joined the chorus of criticism against the regime’s offensive.

“The High Representative (Catherine Ashton) is deeply concerned with reports of an escalating bombing campaign in the city of Aleppo,” the EU said in a statement.

“She condemns the unabated use of air strikes by the Syrian government on civilian areas.”

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi meanwhile called on “the Syrian army to stop the air bombings” on Aleppo, condemning the killing of “hundreds of innocent civilians, especially women and children.”

Arabi also called on the UN Security Council “to take responsibility” to end the conflict raging in Syria.

The opposition National Coalition

has said it will boycott peace talks slated for January if the bombing of Aleppo does not cease.

A security source in Damascus on Tuesday defended the military’s operations as necessary to “save Aleppo.”

“We do not target any area unless we are 100% sure that the ones there are terrorists,” the source said, using the regime’s term for the rebels.

“The bodies you see on television are the bodies of terrorists and mercenaries, most of whom travelled into Syria from abroad.”

Syria hit back at the US on Tuesday, describing it as a “one-eyed pirate” for condemning the aerial assault but “ignoring the crimes committed by the terrorists.”

Meanwhile, fighting raged on Wednesday in the Aleppo province area of Naqarin, pitting rebels and jihadists on one side against the army backed by Lebanese Shia Hezbollah fighters and the paramilitary National Defence Force.

The regime’s ground forces were backed by helicopters. which dropped barrel bombs on rebel-held areas, the Observatory said. l

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Bomb attacks on Christians in Baghdad kill 37 n AP, Baghdad Militants in Iraq targeted Christians in two separate bomb attacks in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 37 people, officials said. In one attack, a car bomb went off near a church during Christmas Mass in the capital’s southern Dora neighborhood, killing at least 26 people and wounding 38, a police officer said.

A little bit earlier, a bomb ripped through an outdoor market in the nearby Christian section of Athorien, killing 11 people and wounding 21, the officer added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Iraq’s dwindling Christian community, which is estimated to number about 400,000 to 600,000 people, has often been targeted by al-Qaida and other insurgents who see the Christians as unbelievers.

Along with Christians, other targets include civilians in restaurants, cafes or crowded public areas, as well as Shias and also members of the Iraqi security forces, who are targeted in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shia-led government and stir up Iraq’s already simmering sectarian tensions.

Militants on Wednesday launched two separate attacks against Christians in Baghdad AP A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

Wednesday’s bombings came amid a massive military operation in Iraq’s western desert as authorities try to hunt down insurgents who have

Erdogan challenged as three Turk ministers quit over scandal

China unveils anti-graft plans, focus on protests, reforms

n Reuters, Ankara

n Reuters, Beijing

Three Turkish ministers resigned on Wednesday, a week after their sons were detained in a sweeping corruption investigation that pits Tayyip Erdogan’s government against the judiciary and has rattled foreign investors.

One of those stepping down, Environment and Urbanisation Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, urged the prime minister to follow suit - an unprecedented challenge to the Turkish leader, who has cast the scandal as a foreign-orchestrated plot and purged police in response.

“For the sake of the wellbeing of this

nation and country, I believe the prime minister should resign,” Bayraktar, whose son was briefly detained in the case that erupted on December 17, told NTV news channel.

Each of the other cabinet members who resigned, Minister Muammer Guler and Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, has a son among the 24 people still in police custody on graft charges.

They denied any wrongdoing by their sons or the government.

“I have resigned from my post of economy minister to help the truth to come out and to foil this ugly plot, which has impacted my child and my close work colleagues among others,” Caglayan said in a statement.

In a separate statement, Guler called

the December 17 arrests “a dirty set-up against our government, party and country.”

If the resignations of Caglayan and Guler were meant to help distance Erdogan from the scandal, the late timing and the public clash with Bayraktar could prove to be big hurdles.

Turkey has flourished economically during the Islamist-rooted premier’s three terms, though he has been accused of authoritarianism.

With international trading on hold for Christmas, the resignations were unlikely to have a strong market impact in Turkey. The lira had plunged to an all-time low of 2.0983 against the dollar on Friday but rallied to 2.0801 on Tuesday. l

China’s ruling Communist Party unveiled on Wednesday a five-year plan to fight pervasive graft, with particular attention on corruption that triggers protests or happens in the course of economic reforms. President Xi Jinping has launched a sweeping crackdown on corruption since taking power, pursuing high-flying “tigers” as well as lowly “flies” in the government, military, stateowned enterprises and universities.

The party’s anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline and Inspection, said in November it would target all senior officials as part of a deeper war on graft, a problem so serious Xi has said it threatens the party’s survival.

The five-year plan was approved in late August but has only now been released in full, by the official Xinhua news agency. The commission said the party faced tests in governing, in reform and opening up and danger from being too distant from the people as well as the danger of corruption.

The party must “deepen the struggle for party governance and clean government and fighting corruption to ensure that it always maintains the firmness of its core leadership.” The lengthy statement was full of jargon but short on specific steps the party would take, only outlining areas that would get particular focus, such as protests and accidents like mine disasters which happen because of corrupt officials. l

Ukraine expects Putin says new post-Soviet union ready for 2015 launch remaining $12bn of one day even be joined by nations such as Turkey and India the keystone projRussian bailout in n AFP, Moscow ect of his third Kremlin term.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia has put immense pressure on on Tuesday the final pieces were in early 2014 Ukraine to join the alliance and threatplace for the 2015 launch of an ecoened economic sanctions against Kiev nomic union with Belarus and Kazakhn Reuters, Kiev when it was on the verge of signing a stan that Moscow hopes can also be

landmark trade and political association deal with Brussels last month.

Kiev’s decision to spurn the EU pact sparked the biggest protests since the 2004 pro-democracy Orange Revolution and exposed the deep cultural rifts running between the nationalist west of Ukraine and its more Russified eastern parts. But the size of those rallies began to ebb when Ukraine agreed a $15-billion bailout package with Russia that also included a one-third cut in the price Moscow charges its neighbour for natural gas.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said during talks in Moscow with his counterpart Dmitry Medvedev that Kiev had just received the first $3.0-billion tranche of the Russian rescue plan. l

stepped up attacks across Iraq in the past months, sending violence to levels not seen since 2008.

The Christmas Day attacks brought the total number of people killed so far this month in Iraq to 441. According to UN estimates, more than 8,000 people have been killed since the start of the year. l

Egypt’s former Islamist prime minister arrested

n AFP, Cairo

Egyptian police arrested ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi’s former prime minister Tuesday as tensions rose after a major car-bomb attack on a police building killed 15 people.

The interior ministry said ex-premier Hisham Qandil, who is facing jail after being convicted of failing to respect a court ruling while in office, was arrested in the desert outside Cairo with a “smuggler attempting to escape to Sudan.”

An unpopular prime minister who struggled to right a dire economy, Qandil has kept a relatively low profile since the military overthrew Morsi in July.

He represented an alliance of pro-Morsi Islamist groups in meetings with European mediators who tried to defuse tensions with the military-installed government.

The efforts failed in August, with the police launching a massive crackdown that killed more than 1,000 people in street clashes.

In April, while still in office, Qandil was sentenced to a year in prison for not carrying out a ruling to re-nationalise a company that had been privatised in 1996. An appeals court upheld the sentence in September.

Qandil’s arrest followed an early-morning car bombing outside the police headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura that killed at least 15 people, including at least 12 policemen.

The explosion, which the country’s military-installed authorities suggested was carried out by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, was one of the deadliest since the Islamist leader’s ouster, which has bitterly polarised the country.

The Muslim Brotherhood condemned the bombing “in the strongest possible terms.”

Analysts said the attack was likely the work of more radical Islamists, who have carried out a string of similar attacks in the Sinai peninsula targeting security forces. l

Ukraine expects a $15 billion bailout package from Russia to be fully disbursed in early 2014, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on Wednesday after Kiev received the first $3 billion tranche.

Russia agreed to bail out Ukraine by purchasing its sovereign bonds after Kiev performed a sharp foreign policy U-turn and refused to sign deals on political association and free trade with the European Union in late November.

Russia told Ukraine on Tuesday it had transferred the first $3 billion tranche of the bailout, part of plans to keep Kiev firmly within Moscow’s orbit. {ID:nL6N0K320B] “We expect the remaining $12 billion in the beginning of next year,” Azarov told a government meeting on Wednesday. l

joined by Ukraine.

Putin promised following talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko that the so-called Eurasian Economic Union would turn into a new source of growth for all involved.

The alliance would replace a much looser Eurasian Customs Union that Russia formed with the two ex-Soviet nations in an effort to build up a free trade rival to the 28-nation EU bloc.

“Government representatives of the troika (Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus) ... have developed the draft of the institutional part of the Eurasian Economic Union agreement,” Putin said in televised remarks.

“This document determines the in-

Russia drops charges against 16 Greenpeace activists n AP, St Petersburg

Storms wreak havoc in Britain, France on Christmas Eve

UN sends more peacekeepers to South Sudan as violence worsens

n Reuters, London, Paris

n Reuters, Juba

Greenpeace says investigators have dropped charges against 16 activists who were detained in Russia’s Arctic in September.

Authorities on Tuesday notified one crew member that his criminal case was closed. The remaining 29 activists were summoned to receive similar notifications on Wednesday.

Greenpeace on its official Twitter account on Wednesday listed 16 activists who had their criminal cases closed.

The 30 crew members aboard a Greenpeace ship were detained in September and held in custody for two months before they were released in November pending trial. They were originally charged with piracy, but that was then downgraded to hooliganism.

All non-Russian crew members are expected to have the charges against them dropped and be allowed to leave Russia. l

Hurricane-force winds and torrential rain disrupted transport networks and cut power supplies in Britain and France on Tuesday, one of the busiest travel days of the year just before Christmas, pushing the death toll to at least six people.

Winds of up to 90 mph hit both sides of the Channel with heavy downpours causing flooding, traffic jams, and cancellations of rail, flight and ferry services.

In Britain the number of people killed in two days of storms rose to at least five after a man died trying to rescue his dog from fast-flowing waters in Devon, southwest England. A teenager died in France on Monday after a wall collapsed on him.

Airports in southern England were disrupted, with some flights from Britain’s busiest airport, Heathrow, canceled or delayed. Britain’s second busiest airport, Gatwick, said one terminal had been hit by a major power outage on Tuesday and storm damage had

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (C), his Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko (R) and Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev walk before a a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council at the Kremlin in Moscow AFP ternational legal status, organisational frameworks, the objectives and mechanisms of how the union will operate

temporarily cut all trains to the airport.

Passengers on a train heading to Plymouth in Devon spent the night stranded in the town of Taunton, tweeting photos of their ‘bed’, a seat, but praising staff.

British train operators canceled hundreds of services on Tuesday morning, by which time the storm had abated, leaving hundreds of thousands of people scrambling to get onto later services in and out of London.

The weather was expected to hurt British retailers, eager to cash in on the traditional pre-Christmas rush. “Given retailers’ hopes that the last couple of days before Christmas would see a final strong surge in sales, the awful weather could not have come at a worse time,” IHS analyst Howard Archer said.

Brittany and Normandy were among the regions worst hit in France, where 240,000 homes lost electricity, while in southern England, 150,000 homes were cut off from the power grid, according to the Energy Networks Association. l

starting on January 1, 2015,” Putin said.

Putin has made the creation of a post-Soviet economic union that could

The UN Security Council approved plans on Tuesday to almost double the number of peacekeepers in South Sudan in an effort to protect civilians as reports of mass graves fueled fears of a worsening of ethnic bloodletting in the world’s newest state.

The move came as the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in the country said the death toll from the past 10 days of violence was likely now in the thousands, rather than the hundreds the world body had previously estimated.

“I think it’s undeniable at this stage that there must have been thousands of people who have lost their lives,” Toby Lanzer told the BBC’s Newshour program.

“When I’ve looked at the hospitals in key towns and I’ve looked at the hospitals in the capital itself, the range of injuries, this is no longer a situation where we can merely say it’s hundreds of people who’ve lost their lives,” he said.

Lanzer was speaking from a UN compound in the rebel-held city of

People gather at a makeshift IDP camp at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound in Juba AFP Bentiu, capital of Unity state.

With some 45,000 civilians seeking protection at UN bases, the 15-member Security Council unanimously authorized a plan by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to boost the strength of the peacekeeping force in South Sudan

to 12,500 troops and 1,323 police.

The additional personnel will reinforce UN bases where civilians are seeking shelter. However Ban warned that “even with additional capabilities, we will not be able to protect every civilian in need in South Sudan.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

AFRICA

9

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

ASIA

US envoy says South Sudan president open to talks

China commits $6.5bn for Pakistan nuclear project

n Reuters

n Reuters

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir is committed to begin talks with rebel leader Riek Machar, the country’s former vice president, to end fighting, a senior US official said after meeting Kiir in Juba.

“President Kiir committed to me that he was ready to begin talks with Riek Machar to end the crisis without preconditions as soon as his counterpart is willing,” said US special envoy to South Sudan, Donald Booth on Monday.

It was not immediately clear how soon a meeting could be arranged.

Booth was sent to South Sudan at the weekend to seek a diplomatic solution to avoid the violence spiralling into an ethnic civil war. Earlier, Machar told Reuters news agency he was ready for dialogue but Kiir must first release his detained political allies.

The violence began last week when

Kiir, a member of the majority Dinka ethnic group, accused Machar, a member of the rival Nuer ethnic group, of attempting to seize power by force.

Kiir also detained 11 politicians, some of them former ministers, in connection with the “foiled coup.” Booth said he visited the detained officials who were “secure and well taken care of.”

US deploys marines

“These individuals communicated to me their desire and their readiness to play a constructive role in ending the crisis through peaceful political dialogue and national reconciliation,” he said.

President Kiir said on Monday that the army will step up the fight against rebels with imminent strikes in Bor and Bentiu, but it is not clear whether this will still take place.

Meanwhile, the US military deployed about 150 marines to a base in the Horn

of Africa to prepare for possible further evacuations of US citizens from the deepening conflict in South Sudan, US officials said on Monday.

The deployment of a special crisis-response team of marines, who are normally stationed at Moron Air Base in Spain, follows a thwarted evacuation attempt in South Sudan over the weekend in which four US soldiers were wounded by gunfire.

Three US officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the Marines were sent to a base in Djibouti, a move that would allow them to deploy to South Sudan more quickly, if asked.

Meanwhile, United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon asked the UN Security Council on Monday to send 5,500 more peace-keepers in South Sudan to better protect civilians from violence that threatens to plunge Africa’s youngest country into civil war. l

China has committed $6.5bn to finance the construction of a major nuclear power project in Pakistan’s port city Karachi, as it seeks to strengthen ties with its strategic partner, Pakistani officials said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif broke ground on the $9.59bn project last month but officials have provided few details of how they planned to finance it.

Financing documents seen by Reuters showed that the China National Nuclear Cooperation (CNNC) had promised to grant a loan of at least $6.5bn to finance the project which would have two reactors with a capacity of 1,100 megawatts each.

Two members of the government’s energy team and three sources close to the deal confirmed this. CNNC was not

available for comment.

“China has complete confidence in Pakistan’s capacity to run a nuclear power plant with all checks in place,” said Ansar Parvez, chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission which runs the civilian nuclear programme.

“As things stand, the performance and capacity of nuclear power plants in Pakistan is far better compared to non-nuclear plants,” Parvez said.

Parvez declined to give more details on the funding but said it would be completed by 2019 and each of the two reactors would be larger than the combined power of all nuclear reactors then operating in Pakistan.

As part of the deal, China has also waived a $250,000 insurance premium on the loan, said two sources in the Energy Ministry with knowledge of the project. They declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to

the media about the financing.

Pakistan and China, both nuclear-armed nations, consider each other close friends and their ties have been underpinned by common wariness of India and a desire to hedge against U.S. influence in South Asia.

Pakistan sees nuclear energy as key to its efforts to solve power shortages that have crippled its economy. Pakistan generates about 11,000 MW of power while total demand is about 15,000 MW. Blackouts lasting more than half a day in some areas have infuriated many Pakistanis and sparked violent protests, undermining an economy already beset by high unemployment, widespread poverty, crime and sectarian and insurgent violence.

Under its long-term energy plan, Pakistan hopes to produce more than 40,000 MW of electricity through nuclear plants by 2050. l

SPECIAL

Xi’s dilemma: Military is more challenging to control Rise of nationalist leader comes as China’s military prepares to ‘win wars’

n Reuters It’s part of the lore of modern China.

When paramount leader Deng Xiaoping was handing over power a generation ago, a widely recounted tale goes, he had some advice for his successor.

For every five working days, spend four with the top brass of the People’s Liberation Army.

The latest leader of China, Xi Jinping, shows every sign of applying that lesson. A month after assuming power in November last year, Xi visited the province of Guangdong on his first major political tour. Of the five days he spent there, three were at a military base, according to official coverage of his trip.

The son of a Communist revolutionary commander, Xi built his career as a friend of the army, and at times an official in it. But he still feels compelled to ask his generals for something in return: loyalty. “First, we must keep in mind that the military must unswervingly adhere to the party’s absolute leadership and obey the party’s orders,” he said on one of his many military inspection tours.

Xi’s injunction that the party comes first is a sign of the insecurity modern Chinese leaders feel at the top of their nation’s huge and increasingly powerful armed forces, military experts say. As it grows mightier, the People’s Liberation Army is growing trickier to govern.

The PLA’s rising global profile is integral to Xi’s stated vision for the nation: the “China Dream,” a rejuvenated country that’s both peace-loving and militarily powerful.

But Xi is less a true military man than Deng and the founder of the People’s Republic, Mao Zedong. He is fundamentally a career bureaucrat, like his immediate predecessors, Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin.

Like them, Xi has to win over the force that keeps the Communist Party in power. But he must do so at a time when the PLA is more self-confident than ever, mounting the first serious challenge to the naval dominance of the United States since the end of the Cold War. “It will take time for Xi to take control of the military,” says Huang Jing, an authority on the PLA at the National University of Singapore. “Most of the senior generals were not appointed by Xi. Instead they were all appointed by his predecessors.”

The rise of a nationalistic leader with military leanings comes as the People’s Liberation Army, with 2.3 million men and women under arms, is the hard edge of a rising China.

China’s annual military spending is now second only to that of the U.S. armed forces. The PLA navy is projecting power further into the Pacific. Years of buying, copying and sometimes stealing technology have helped the PLA narrow its capability gap with the United States and other rivals in Asia.

BEYOND BORDERS

Xi, as chairman of the Central Military Commission, is commander-in-chief alongside his roles as party general secretary and president. He now oversees armed forces that are influencing events far beyond China’s borders.

Fleets of Chinese warships patrol disputed territories in Asian seas. On Dec. 5, a Chinese warship forced a U.S. guided missile cruiser, the USS Cowpens, to take evasive action in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy said.

The incident, in international waters, appeared to be an attempt to prevent

the U.S. ship from observing sea trials of China’s new aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, naval experts said.

PLA fighters now scramble to guard the controversial air defense zone that Beijing imposed last month off its east coast. The Chinese navy also cruises the Indian Ocean, contributing to international anti-piracy efforts, while PLA peacekeepers are on duty in Africa and the Middle East.

In hardened silos and on mobile transporters, the PLA’s Second Artillery Corps is modernizing China’s modest but expanding armory of nuclear missiles, Chinese and foreign military analysts say. During Xi’s tenure, likely to last another nine years, this force is expected to be bolstered with China’s first effective ballistic-missile nuclear submarines. If PLA engineers can make them stealthy, these subs will be capable of retaliating if China comes under nuclear attack, according to Chinese and foreign military assessments.

All this has been a dramatic change.

In the late 1990s, visiting foreign military officers scoffed at China’s poorly equipped army. After more than three decades of soaring military spending, infusions of foreign and domestic technology and improvements in training, the PLA is transformed.

“There is no question China’s power is growing,” says Li Nan, an analyst of the Chinese military at the United States Naval War College. “That is contributing to a higher level of confidence.”

Reflecting the more complex military challenges China faces, Xi has moved to establish a national security commission, thought to be modeled on the U.S. National Security Council.

No details about the proposed new body have been released. Foreign diplomats believe it is aimed at tightening coordination between China’s sprawling military, intelligence, diplomatic and internal security agencies. Xi is likely to head the new body, according to several people familiar with the move.

Xi is keeping his generals close. The military’s top two commanders are almost always photographed at his elbow on his frequent visits to exercises, frontline units and military schools: army General Fan Changlong and air force General Xu Qiliang.

He has also been quick to begin putting his own men at the top of the PLA hierarchy. Within days of taking over from Hu Jintao as head of the Central Military Commission in November last year, Xi promoted Wei Fenghe, commander of the Second Artillery Corps and member of the CMC, to full general. In late July and early August, he promoted six officers to the rank of four-star general, and 18 to lieutenant-general.

Eleven of those 24 officers are political generals, said Bijoy Das, a Chinese expert at India’s Institute of Defence Analysis. “In essence it indicates that the Party is co-opting a section of the PLA echelon to ensure that the ‘Party holds the gun,’” he said.

Xi is shown mixing with the lower ranks, too. Dressed in plain military-style khaki slacks and shirt, the solidly built 60-year-old stands in mess lines, selects a plate and chopsticks from a stack and is filmed eating and chatting with soldiers and sailors.

MILITARY PRINCELING

Xi, like all of China’s Communist leaders, insists the PLA is bound with the party’s fortunes. The army delivered political power with its civil war victory in 1949 over the Nationalists. It fought

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects an honour guard, file photo the U.S. to a prestige-enhancing stalemate in Korea. It buffered tumult at home in the early decades of the People’s Republic and ended the 1989 Tiananmen protests in a bloody crackdown.

In his task of cementing ties with the generals, Xi had a head start.

His father, Xi Zhongxun, was a Communist guerrilla fighter who became a senior political leader and an architect of the market reforms that ignited China’s economic boom. That makes Xi a “princeling” of the leadership, and he rubbed shoulders with other offspring of Communist China’s founding elite.

Throughout his career, Xi has appeared to march in step with the PLA. In his first job after graduating from Tsinghua University, he was a key aide in the general office of the Central Military Commission, the top military council he now runs. Xi was secretary to Geng Biao, a defense minister and former military subordinate of Xi’s father.

He held no rank, but his duties were considered military service. “The military sees Xi as one of their own,” says a person with ties to the leadership.

As he climbed the rungs of China’s provincial bureaucracy, Xi had a parallel career as a political commissar in local army headquarters, units of the PLA and the People’s Armed Police, the party’s paramilitary internal security force.

He was careful to defer to important old soldiers. About 10 years ago, when Xi was party chief in Zhejiang Province, a retired vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Zhen, visited Zhejiang Province to celebrate his birthday. Xi, then provincial party chief, broke with his official duties for several days to accompany the civil war veteran.

“Zhang Zhen was very touched with Xi’s respect for old cadres,” said the individual with leadership ties. “Those who came to offer their birthday felicitations all saw Xi next to Zhang. It was a plus for Xi.” Zhang Zhen’s own princeling son, general Zhang Haiyang, is now political commissar of the Second Artillery Force.

As China has grown richer and better educated, the middle ranks of the PLA have filled with technically trained

specialist officers. Along with that have come consistent if muted calls for China to have a fully professional army: one loyal to the state rather than the party, and free from the parallel supervision of political commissars who monitor the forces at virtually every level.

Amid these rumblings, the army remains deeply politicized, military analysts say. The PLA has long-standing internal factions and loyalties divided between rival political benefactors and regional commands.

While Xi was working his way up, Deng’s successor, Jiang Zemin, was promoting dozens of senior officers who remain in positions of power today. Jiang was the man Deng advised to tend to the generals. In retirement, Jiang remains one of China’s leading power brokers. His military appointments made sure his influence would outlast his term.

Hu Jintao, who replaced Jiang, likewise sought to anchor his position through military promotions and patronage before handing over to Xi. Both Jiang and Hu kept the funding tap wide open for new military hardware and substantially improved pay and conditions for the troops. Xi appears set to maintain heavy military spending despite competing needs.

A hundred million Chinese still live in poverty, according to official measures, and there is growing pressure to spend more on health, education and pollution control. Official defense spending is set to climb 10.7 per cent this year to $119 billion. Much spending takes place outside the budget, however, and many analysts estimate real outlays are closer to $200 billion, second only to the United States. The U.S. Defense Department’s 2012 budget totaled $566 billion.

FRIENDLY GENERALS

As Xi came to power at the 18th Party Congress in November last year, there was substantial turnover in the Central Military Commission. Eight of 10 uniformed members of the council were replaced.

It isn’t clear if there is close patronage or loyalty between Xi and his top commanders. But other princelings,

REUTERS

Chinese military analysts and foreign military attaches identify several generals with whom Xi is on especially good terms.

One is Central Military Commission member Zhang Youxia. Also close are two officers outside that top body: army General Liu Yuan and air force General Liu Yazhou. (The two Lius are not related).

Like Xi, these officers are princelings. Zhang Youxia is the son of General Zhang Zongxun, a celebrated senior commander in PLA’s wars against the Japanese and the Nationalists. The elder Zhang fought civil war battles with Xi’s father in north-western Shaanxi Province, according to people familiar with both men’s family background.

People close to the military say Xi last year wanted to nominate Zhang, now head of the PLA’s General Armaments Department, as one of the two vice chairmen of the CMC. Retired leaders Jiang and Hu vetoed the move, these people say.

Liu Yuan and Liu Yazhou are engaged in what they have described as an undeclared war by subversive foreign forces to unseat the Chinese Communist Party. They have also warned of the danger that unchecked corruption poses to the party’s survival.

Liu Yuan, 61, is the son of former president Liu Shaoqi, once designated to succeed Mao before he was brutally purged in the Cultural Revolution and died in custody. The elder Liu was posthumously rehabilitated after Mao’s death, clearing the way for his son’s life of privilege.

In a late start to a military career, Liu Yuan joined the People’s Armed Police as a political commissar at 41 before transferring to the army. He is now commissar of the PLA’s General Logistics Department. Xi has publicly acknowledged his friendship with Liu on a number of occasions.

Liu Yuan was also close to the powerful regional party chief Bo Xilai. Bo was sentenced to life imprisonment in September for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

Liu first attracted wide attention for a rambling essay he wrote as a preface for a friend’s book in 2010.

He called for China to reject imported political models, including Western democracy, and extremes of the left and right. In convoluted language, Liu nevertheless appeared to be suggesting a more open political system that would allow more robust debate without challenging the leadership of the party.

More recently, Liu has led a rhetorical assault on corruption in the military.

“Liu Yuan himself has become the anti-corruption poster child,” says Huang from the National University of Singapore. The campaign mirrors Xi Jinping’s declared attack on graft, in which he has threatened to go after “tigers and flies” - corrupt officials big and small.

Liu Yuan helped bring down Lieutenant General Gu Junshan, who was sacked last year as deputy director of the PLA’s logistics department and is soon expected to be court-martialed for corruption, according to three sources in Beijing. In an online discussion on the official People’s Daily website on Aug. 1, the military confirmed Gu was under investigation.

Liu Yuan may have paid a price for his zeal. “He was passed over for promotion because of this, and also because he was too close to Bo Xilai,” said a person with ties to the leadership who is familiar with the anti-corruption drive.

“SILENT CONTEST”

General Liu Yazhou, also 61, is the sonin-law of Li Xiannian, who became president in the Deng era. Liu Yazhou, too, is a political officer rather than a military professional. One of the most outspoken senior officers, Liu became well known as a writer of fiction early in his career. He later turned to politics and strategy, writing frequently about the decisive role that air power plays in modern warfare.

For a time, he was widely regarded as one of the most liberal PLA officers. He once dared suggest that China needed a democratic political system to stamp out corruption and provide an environment where the best talent could get to the top. China routinely persecutes dissidents for airing similar views. His articles indicate he is an avid analyst of the U.S. military and the Pentagon’s strategic thinking.

More recently, however, Liu has written about the party’s “absolute leadership” over the PLA. He also appears to have hardened his views on America.

In his current posting as political commissar of the National Defense University in Beijing, Liu this year co-produced a documentary film, “Silent Contest.” The documentary, thought to have been prepared for an internal military audience, appeared on Chinese websites for a couple of days in late October before being removed.

The film warned of an American “soft war” against China aimed at toppling the party. “They confidently believe it would be easier to divide or split China by approaching and engaging China and integrating it into the U.S.led international political system,” Liu says in the film.

The documentary includes similar warnings from other uniformed senior officers. And to clinch the message, General Liu rolls out his heaviest weapon: the commander-in-chief of the PLA and leader of the Communist Party.

“Western countries’ strategic goal of containing China will never change,” Xi Jinping is quoted as saying. “They absolutely don’t aspire to see a big socialist country like us achieve peaceful development.” l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

A peaceful way forward

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Don’t become materialistic for advertisements December 23

W

e do not wish to get caught up in the minutia of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s speech on Tuesday, which included both laudable as well as regrettable sentiments and statements, but rather to focus on the crux of her speech: the call for renewed dialogue and the march for democracy on December 29.

The call for renewed dialogue, while always welcome, strikes us as too little, too late. While it may be true that the government has shown little inclination to negotiate with the BNP in good faith, it is also true that at no point did the BNP present itself as a constructive partner for meaningful dialogue towards a mutually acceptable solution to the election crisis.

Similarly, the months-long series of hartals and blockades that have caused incalculable damage to the economy and left hundreds dead was an unconscionable strategy for the party and its allies to have pursued.

Had they been sincere in their approach, the party could have laid down reasonable conditions for the upcoming election which the AL would have found difficult to credibly oppose. BNP most certainly should have pursued its agenda in a peaceful and inclusive manner, and not taken to the streets to press its case, with catastrophic consequences for the nation.

Nevertheless, we are gratified that at long last the party is proposing a form of protest that is both peaceful and inclusive of the general public.

The opposition leader was unequivocal in stating that “everyone must ensure that no harm is done to the lives and property of the people” and that “the non-communal heritage and character of the people of Bangladesh must be protected.”

Late in the day though it might be, we welcome Khaleda Zia’s new-found emphasis on non-violent demonstration and renewed dialogue to seek compromise on the mode of election, and we will hold her to her word.

So will the Bangladeshi people.

We welcome Khaleda Zia’s newfound emphasis on non-violent demonstration and renewed dialogue to seek compromise on the mode of election, and we will hold her to her word

Act now to ensure food security

T

he present political instability is hurting everyone by increasing the price of basic staples.

If the crisis is prolonged, there is a risk of food reserves depleting if action is not taken. In light of this, the government’s plans to build up strategic food reserves are an important priority.

According to the Food ministry, current reserves in December are 44% lower than the same time last year and their routine replenishment is threatened by delays caused by blockades, even though farmers are reporting very good harvests.

The government’s decision to expand the buffer stock and build a strategic reserve is a good one, as volatile prices hurt farmers and adversely affect inflation.

Because of soaring transportation costs, farmers have been incurring losses and losing the incentive to produce. Government plans to expand procurement of Aman rice may help overcome this problem.

It is important to mitigate against excessive price fluctuations. Farmers need to be fairly rewarded for their efforts in order to be able to plan ahead and consumers need to be protected from shortages. We cannot afford the risk of blockages in the system leading to price hikes or shortages caused by hoarding or failures in distribution.

It is vital to mitigate against the harm that could be caused to food security by further unrest or unforeseen natural disasters.

The nation’s food security must not be left to chance.

When we see an advertisement, we become persuaded to buy that product. Our wants are increasing as advertisements become more prominent. We are immature, we don’t really think about the advantages and disadvantages of using that product. New items, products, and brands will always appear, but that does not mean we have to give advertisements our undivided attention.

Our kids are getting spoiled by watching these advertisements, and wanting us to acknowledge their wishes and want for more products. But we still have to think about building their future.

Now, advertisements can have both positive and negative impacts on our lives. It’s not good if we are always engrossed by advertisements, because they are shaping our future as a materialistic society.

Advertisers should think harder about the kind of advertisements they produce, preferably those that won’t affect us as badly. And it is our responsibility, as consumers, to control our materialistic urges.

Don’t be materialistic; don’t let others become victims of consumerism and materialism. Think for the good all, and be responsible.

Sumaiya Rashid

The audacity to criticise December 20

Tandua ketra Pakistanis could not swallow the reality that Awami League won the elections of 1970, and refused to allow the rules of the game to come to pass.

Instead they unleashed a barbarity which have been described by many, even some Pakistanis. Rather than dwelling on the issue of Pakistan’s debasing humanity, and proving to be void of civil conduct, we find Pakistani politicians delivering moral lectures.

If they have any such value in them they should debate on the conspiracy of Bhutto and Yahya and company and the atrocities meted out by the Pakistani military, and decide on an appropriate course of action which can only acknowledge their monumental crime which should be followed by a pleading apology.

Emile Sadekin In a way, I am glad that these events have finally cleared up certain veiled perceptions about Pakistan and an equally misled notion that most Pakistanis felt remorse about the atrocities in 1971.

Chaos on last day of trophy display December 20

Shall we blame India or Pakistan for the chaos?

Or maybe unitedly we can blame FIFA? :-) Shammi Huda

Nahid: Students to get textbooks on first day of new academic year

December 20 Before you give them books, make it so that they can go to school without being afraid.

What will students do with all these books, if the situation doesn’t even allow the students to go to school in the first place? First, stop the violence, then think about the allotment of books.

MD Easir Arafat Siddik

Rahat Khan If the Pakistani government really wants to try to stop the next hangings, this would be a great opportunity for them “to officially apologise to us for one of the worst genocides in modern history,” as the author says.

Bangladesh local company develops 6 mobile apps for international android market

Ak I applaud the author for being bold enough to stand up for his beliefs and state things that should be said, rather than the hide and seek and political waltz the “grownups” are playing.

Nazrul Islam

December 19 Great job!

Be Heard Write to us at:

Consular rights don’t include a cut rate nanny

Dhaka Tribune

December 20

Being a Dalit, Devyani rose to the top, despite social stigma, when she joined the Indian Foreign Service.

She damaged it all by breaking the US labour law, when she filed falsified visa information for her Indian nanny/maid. She was paying her less than $4, way below the minimum wage in America. So, she was arrested (handcuffed and strip-searched). Indians are furious for her facing such indignities. But essentially she is the one who dug her own grave.

Some of her predecessors, in the diplomatic

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath

world, had gotten in trouble with US authorities for similar charges. Why didn’t she learn from those?

She thought diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention was going to protect her? She thought wrong. She was treated as a common criminal and no special treatment was offered. The US authorities had enough with diplomats like her who regularly break laws and make domestic workers work like slaves with little pay and no individual freedom. ddr

Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: letters@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion@dhakatribune.com Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Plans to build up strategic food reserves are an important priority.

The nation’s food security must not be left to chance

CROSSWORD

PEANUTS

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

ACROSS 1 Bring up (4) 3 Male deer (4) 7 Lyric poem (3) 8 Flies aloft (5) 11 Building division (4) 12 Farm birds (5) 13 Aromatic substance (5) 15 Devoted followers (4) 18 Easy pace (4) 19 Primary (5) 20 Sheeplike (5) 21 Box (4) 23 Thick (5) 24 Female swan (3) 25 Singing voice (4) 26 Enquires (4)

DOWN 1 Oppose (6) 2 Slowly (mus) (6) 4 Also (3) 5 Adds lustre to (6) 6 Precious stone (3) 9 Clergyman (6) 10 Bishop’s territory (3) 11 Purify (6) 14 Drive forward (6) 16 Sports enclosures (6) 17 Emphasise (6) 19 Rope-splicing pin (3) 21 Mineral spring (3) 22 Insect (3)

How to solve Sudoku: 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.

Code-Cracker

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Thursday, December 26, 2013

They make each other look good n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

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Is Washington casting a big shadow?

AFP

Washington’s Bangladesh strategy? n Tamim Choudhury

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ashington’s ongoing campaign to discredit Bangladesh’s government continues to build in the corridors of power. The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has approved a resolution calling for political reform in Bangladesh, and will hold a congressional hearing on this matter.

If the House of Representatives hearing on Bangladesh held this past November is an indicator, this will be another damning indictment on the Awami League government.

Simple Resolution 318 condemns Bangladesh’s political violence and urges the nation’s leaders to engage in substantive dialogue for free, fair, and credible elections. It supports the UN’s efforts to foster political dialogue.

Moreover, it asks the government to rein in the violence, ensure judicial independence, end human rights activists’ harassment, and restore Grameen Bank’s independence. It also asks of safe access for election observers, a moot point now that US has decided not to deploy election monitors due to a one-sided election. Now, who are the key players behind this resolution?

This was sponsored by Senator Richard Durbin from Illinois. The Democratic senator also serves as majority whip, the Senate’s second-highest position. Previously, the senator had written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing disappointment over the government removing Professor Yunus from Grameen Bank’s managing director position.

Senator Durbin is a longstanding supporter of Professor Yunus and sponsored the resolution that awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in US. Senator Durbin has remarked on S.Res. 318: “My interest is in part due to the role of Nobel Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Congressional Gold Medal winner Professor Mohammad Yunus, whom many may know

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from his pioneering work to help the world’s poor through microfinance programs. The United States’ relationship with Bangladesh is strong. Peaceful democratic elections and greater respect for the Grameen Bank will only further those ties.”

The resolution’s eight co-sponsors include Senator Robert Menendez from New Jersey, Senator Barbara Boxer from California, and Senator John Boozman from Arkansas.

Senator Menendez is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and has issued a committee report on Bangladesh’s worker safety and labour rights back in November.

written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to bring necessary changes to the International Crimes Tribunal Act. He declared: “It is vital the act be updated to make the process compatible with international standards. Without the necessary updates, the Bangladesh Tribunal will continue to be politically volatile and controversial.”

He has also suggested that the tribunal is being utilised to sideline opposition Jamaat-e-Islami.

Given the senators’ leanings, it is not surprising to find Grameen Bank and the ICT tied to the resolution on “the critical need for political reform in Bangladesh.”

The resolution will most likely pass; it has bipartisan support as Bangladesh’s political reform is certainly not a controversial topic between party lines

He has remarked: “No consumer will want to wear clothing if it’s stained by the blood of innocent workers. We should not rest until these individuals are given the rights they deserve and the tools they need to protect themselves.”

The senator has acknowledged the moral imperative to bring fundamental change to Bangladesh’s garments industry.

Senator Boxer is also among the high-profile American politicians concerned about the government takeover of Grameen Bank. Earlier, she commented: “I am deeply disappointed in the Bangladeshi government’s efforts to exert control over Grameen Bank. This move threatens the ability of millions of women to find a path out of poverty.”

She has led women senators to request Prime Minister Hasina for the independence of Grameen Bank.

Senator Boozman has previously

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The resolution cites US interests in Bangladesh, such as counterterrorism, regional stability, and the over $6-billion annual trade, with American businesses having long-term investments in the nation. It also criticises the ICT for not adhering to global standards and elimination of the caretaker government. The ultimate line is probably this: “The success of the democratic process in Bangladesh is of great importance to the US.” Although a simple resolution is a nonbinding position of the senate, designed to provide advice on foreign policy or administrative measures, Congress is the junior partner on US foreign policy.

It is the legislative branch that appropriates funds for foreign policy goals, including foreign aid. Congress also shapes the public agenda by educating its constituents on issues the general public is unaware of, such as how political developments in a

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specific South Asian nation are deteriorating, and what the US can do to make the place far better in the name of democracy.

As a responsive measure, Bangladesh Ambassador to the US Akramul Qader met up with Senator John McCain, who is in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to present AL in the best light. The ambassador apprised how the government attempted to bring in opposition BNP to the election, and how the prime minister tried for a consensus on the election-time government.

He also noted that the government wants to hold free and fair elections. These statements fall flat in a one-sided election scenario where 154 preselected parliamentary candidates are running unopposed, ensuring a landslide victory for the incumbent government, with the opposition boycotting the election and conducting arson, bombing, killing, and terrorism in the name of democracy.

Besides having a Bangladeshi adopted daughter, Senator McCain is not known for his ties to Bangladesh.

As the hawkish senator is usually favourable to US intervention abroad, one doubts if he will vote against this resolution.

At the moment, it does not seem that the AL government has any solid allies in the senate. The resolution will most likely pass; it has bipartisan support as Bangladesh’s political reform is certainly not a controversial topic between party lines. The hearing will probably usher in pre-selected witness experts who will illustrate a detailed, negative portrayal of the political scenario, possibly placing the blame squarely on the government.

If held as per the senate legislative calendar, this hearing and subsequent resolution will be another black mark for the AL in the international political arena. l Tamim Choudhury is a communications analyst based in greater Washington, DC, USA.

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rshad’s sudden U-turn from joining the “all-party” interim cabinet to deciding against contesting the polls at all has not only poured cold water on the Awami League’s efforts to stage a minimally credible election, but also acted in favour of main opposition BNP’s stance.

Since the Constitution was amended for the 15th time in 2011, when the caretaker government system was annulled, BNP has continued to assert that credible elections would not be possible under any partisan arrangement.

The main opposition party has never heeded the AL’s calls for participating in the “all-party” polls-time administration, nor has it ever given any positive hint about contesting polls under any partisan government.

Failing to move BNP from its stance, the AL resorted to wooing Ershad’s Jatiya Party for giving the polls – slated for January 5 – minimum credibility.

The fact that some of the JP leaders, including Ershad himself and his brother and former minister GM Quader, have been elected uncontested despite applying for a withdrawal of nominations has added insult to injury for the AL, who has been trying desperately to stage a credible election.

The government was trying hard to keep JP in the electoral race to create the illusion of an inclusive poll, but everyone has been observing what is going on centring the party.

Is it not a disgrace for a party like the AL that enjoys huge support, a glorious history and led the liberation war of the country, that it has been doing these things? Moreover, the drama surrounding Ershad’s “arrest” has made things even more complicated for them.

If she compromises with BNP over the polls-time government, would it not be healthy for a democracy?

Six ministerial positions and an adviser’s position in the polls-time interim cabinet were given to JP to woo them.

And now, the AL has decided to leave at least 59 seats to the party.

In 1986, the AL participated in a “controversial” election under Ershad, ultimately giving necessary legitimacy to the polls. In 1996, JP extended its support to the AL to form the government.

The opposition BNP became confident after the landslide victory in the

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five city corporation polls, where the BNP-backed candidates won the mayoral posts. The BNP leaders repeatedly alleged that the government wanted to keep BNP out of the polls, fearing a huge debacle in the next polls as they became isolated from the people.

The vendetta among the two leaders is so intense that they are chasing one another and making each other look good

The AL leaders repeatedly said, as there was no scope of holding any election under a non-partisan government, that the political parties, including BNP, had to participate in elections under a polls-time government headed by an elected person.

Even when the polls-time government was formed, the ruling party called on the BNP repeatedly to join the polls-time cabinet. But the BNP rejected the calls, saying that free, fair and credible polls were not possible under any partisan person.

As there is a constitutional compulsion to hold the election by January 24, 2014, the government has taken all sorts of preparations to hold elections, and Ershad’s double somersault questioned the election’s credibility as 154 seats were already elected uncontested.

Defending such a huge number of uncontested seats, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the AL has reached a compromise with the parties of the polls-time government and that is why they have withdrawn their candidatures from some seats after a liaison.

If she compromises with BNP over the polls-time government, would it not be healthy for a sustainable democracy and a growing economy?

Would she not be appreciated by the populace and be setting an example before the nation?

But the reality is that since this country’s independence, especially after the quasi-military rule, one lopsided election was held on February 15, 1996, which was a stigma for BNP and for which they had to pay.

The AL did not have such a “brilliant record” of holding one-sided elections. But this time they broke BNP’s record, not only by holding unilateral polls but also by the huge number of uncontested seats.

The personal vendetta among the two top leaders is so intense that they are chasing one another and are actually making each other look good. l Mohammad Al-Masum Molla is a political reporter at the Dhaka Tribune.

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Can there be a national reconciliation? n Mamun Rashid

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y friends feel that I am in a fools’ paradise, as I had thought there might be a national reconciliation after the 1971 war criminals were brought to justice. Yes, I thought once the 1971 war criminals were tried, the division and disconnect between the two large political groups would be narrowed down, and we could emerge as a united nation. I even shared this with many people on national television channels, that I saw the rise of a true nationalist force after the real collaborators and perpetrators of our 1971 massacre were put in the dock.

was almost nobody on the streets lamenting the killing of her father.

That she also thought late president Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP, was either engaged in or aware of the Mujib killing.

She of course doubts a few of her party stalwarts too, but for bigger political interests she keeps mum.

She also strongly believes she was the main target in the August 21 attack.

And whoever might have been ultimately behind the brutal incident, it seems she truly believes that Tareque Zia, or Khaleda Zia herself, sponsored the plan or were aware of the incident.

She seems never to have contemplated the following questions. What

Yes, I thought once the 1971 war criminals were tried, the division and disconnect between the two large political groups would be narrowed down As I write this piece now, I am embarrassed I was so wrong. My friends told me Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina could never forget the killing of her father in 1975. That she knew there

was the cause of the rift between Tajuddin Ahmed and Bangabandhu?

Why was Tajuddin, who planned and led our nine-month fight against Pakistan, forced to resign? What prompted

her father to go for one party rule?

Was there democracy in independent Bangladesh as of August 15, 1975, when our founding father was killed?

Who and what should be credited most for bringing Bangladesh to where it is positioned now, economically and socially?

She seems unaware of Saudi or Middle East factors in Bangladeshi politics, why Bangabandhu wanted a truce with Musim rulers in the Gulf, the role of Jatiyo Samajtantric Dal (JSD), or pro-China left-leaning parties, after the independence and pre-Mujib killing. She is unwavering in her belief that India is a good friend to Bangladesh and has our best interests at heart.

On the other hand, Khaleda Zia believes, it seems, that her husband was a valiant freedom fighter who worked day and night for the rebuilding of a modern Bangladesh. That he was an honest soldier and statesman.

Her colleagues and advisers may have told her that her husband was a person who believed in multi-party democracy, and had his own definition of this.

While she is aware that Mujib and his party led the Bangladesh war of liberation, and was a respected political leader, she also thinks her husband was not properly recognised for what

he did for Bangladesh. She is happy that her party could create a platform for people with multi-faceted backgrounds and beliefs.

It seems Khaleda also thinks the present AL government, and particularly Hasina, has forcibly kept her two sons away from her, while she is physically unwell and lonely. The same “fascist” government (in her words) has ousted her from her cantonment home, and connived with the group who killed her husband in 1981. She possibly also gave coinage to the popular belief that India was somehow behind the brutal BDR massacre in 2009.

Her party men made her believe that a few politically loyal security forces officials were behind the killing or abduction of her important political colleagues. She believes the country needs more private sector investment to generate employment for the poor people, and thereby accelerate the poverty alleviation process. She also thinks India may not welcome a truly independent and prosperous Bangladesh.

She is not a fool who has not understood the political delinquency of Pakistan, but reality tells us she has more admirers and well-wishers in Pakistan than in the neighbouring state. In the same way, she enjoys more affinity

with the Middle East rulers.

Unfortunately for this nation, both the ladies command unassailable popularity within their ranks. This stands in the way of ensuring compliance of democratic values within the party.

Reconciliation between the two major parties, who cannot agree on major national issues, is not possible in the near future The “experts” are only called in to advise them when desired. None of them have clear visibility of their destination.

Vested interest groups assist them, try to influence them, or at times guide or command them when possible.

With these on the table, I possibly agree with my friends. Reconciliation between the two major parties, who cannot agree on major national issues, is not possible in the near future.

Each of them has too many stakeholders. Therefore, it is extremely hard for them to chart a mutually acceptable path for this country. Poor Bangladesh. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Moutushi Biswas anchors RFL Homemaker of the Year

Dhaka Int’l Film Fest to feature 180 films n Entertainment Desk The 13th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) will be held in Dhaka from 10 to 18 January 2014 and will feature around 180 films from different countries.

The general theme of the festival is “Better Film, Better Audience, Better Society.”

The Festival has been organised on a regular basis by Rainbow Film Society, which has been dedicated to the promotion of a healthy cine culture in Bangladesh and in celebrating the global mainstream in film and its social relevance since 1977.

The festival will have a competition section for Asian and Australian cinema and segment categories for: Retrospective, Cinema of the World, Children’s Film, Women Filmmakers, Short and Independent Films Section and Spiritual Films Section.

The retrospective section will present movies by Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi and French filmmaker Olivier Assayas.

An international jury board will adjudicate the Asian competition section. The award will include a crest, certificate and a cash prize of taka 100,000 for the best film.

The international jury committee

Thursday, December 26, 2013

ON TV MOVIE 8:30pm Zee Studio

n

will also select one Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Music Director and Best Cinematographer. These awards will consist of a crest and certificate.

A jury committee of the international film critics federation FIPRESCI will select one film for the Critics Award, which consists of a crest and a certificate. The audience awards for Best Film and for Best Juvenile Film also earn a crest and certificate. A five-member special jury selects one film from among all entries in the Festival for the Rainbow Award (covering all segments). This award also consists of a crest and a certificate.

One documentary and one fiction film will be selected independent Jury, appointed by the Festival, will adjudicate. Prizes will be awarded to the directors of the winning films. The award will be in the form of a certificate and a crest.

During this year’s festival the festival committee will hold a conference titled International Conference on Women Cinema.

In order to educate future film activists the festival is also going to organise the 4th Dhaka Cine Workshop from January 12 to 17. l

Pirate Radio

Entertainment Desk

Model and actor Moutushi Biswas will be see anchoring a cooking show RFL Homemaker of the Year starting this Friday. The show will air at 8:30pm on Channel 24. This is the fifth time Moutushi will be anchoring a TV show.

About hosting shows, Moutushi said: “I always give an immense effort to make a programme lively enough to captivate my viewers. I hope I will be able to make a positive impression on the audience while anchoring this programme.”

Moutushi made her debut in anchoring through Adventure Bangladesh in 2000 on ETV, after which, the charming host was seen anchoring NTV’s Prio Mukh and Circle the Globe on Channel 24. Besides anchoring lifestyle programmes, Moutushi is working on a new drama series Family Pack, directed by Ali Fida Ekram and very soon, she will be working on the drama series Apurba, which is directed by Goutam Koirir.

11:10pm Fox Movies Premium Safe

DRAMA 11:00pm Star Plus Veera

12:00pm Colors Madhubala

COMEDY 10:00am Z Cafe Just For Laughs

9:30pm Comedy Central Whitney

NEWS 5:30pm Channel 24 Desh 24

6:45pm RTV

Shondhar Shongbad

MISC 3:30pm Fox Traveller Jamie at Home

8:00pm National Geographic Taboo

Poribaar Kori Kolpona airs on NTV n Entertainment Desk

Single-episode play ‘Out of Rules’ featuring Mosharraf Karim and Auhona in the lead roles will air tonight on Maasranga TV. Here, Mosharraf plays the role of a loner who later falls in love with his office colleague Auhona. A senior officer also feels the same for her and that creates tension in the office. The end reveals who gets the beautiful girl

Hrithik Roshan’s LA secret revealed n Entertainment Desk The last few weeks in Hrithik Roshan’s life have been full of twists and turns.

The actor made a public statement announcing the end of his marriage and this led a series of speculations on what exactly went wrong between Sussanne and him.

While all this was happening, Hrithik chose to stay away from the spotlight, and was in LA for some much-needed rest post Krrish 3. It also gave him a chance to allow the shock among his fans post the news of his split with Sussanne to settle down.

When Roshan landed in Mumbai a few days back, he looked fitter than ever before.

Reportedly when Hrithik Roshan flew to LA a few weeks back, he even took his trainer along with him.

Post his brain surgery in

July, Hrithik had been advised to stay away from intense workouts. At the same time he was also busy with the 24x7 promotions of Krrish 3, due to which his body was slowly becoming out of shape.

So in this short break before resuming the shoot of Bang Bang, Hrithik and his trainer chalked out a new workout and diet plan to help the actor return to his GreekGod physique.

So Hrithik signed up with one of LA’s best gyms and his workout included cardio and resistance training followed by weight and treadmill runs.

“His diet was high on nutrients and low on calories.

His morning began with egg whites and a protein shake.

He lunched on salad, a few potatoes and 200 gm fish. Dinner was salad again with 150 gm chicken,” said a source. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

City of Rhythm Second phase of Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed Time: 12-8pm Shilpangan, House 7 Road 13 (New) Dhanmondi Dhaka Eternal Japan

By Monzurul Huq Time: 12-8pm

Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts House 42, Road 16 (New) / 27 (old) Sheikh Kamal Sarani Dhanmondi Dhaka Return to Eden

By Nasima Khanam Queenie Time: 10am – 8pm Alliance Francaise Dhanmondi Dhaka

Film

Pacific Rim in 3D Escape Plan The Conjuring The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Star Cineplex, Level 8 Bashundhara City 13/3 Ka Panthopath Ki Prem Dekhaile Udhao Balaka Cineworld

The second episode of the new drama series Poribaar Kori Kolpona will air tonight at 8:15pm on NTV. The drama will be aired every Thursday and Friday.

Written by Iqbal Hosssain Chowhury, the drama has been jointly directed by Atiq Zaman and Rezwaan Roni. Poribaar Kori Kolpona features Mosharraf Karim, Zakia Bari Momo, Mehzabian Chowdhury, A K M Hasan, Abul Hayat, Shahed Ali Sujon, Shushoma, Golaam Habibur Rahman, Kumkum Hasan, Laila Hasan , Anando Khaled, Shoikot and others.

The story is about two people with the same name, one is Mizanur Rahman Khaan, with a Chandrabindu in Khaan, and another one is Mizanur Rahman Khan. The first person thinks he belongs to the royal family as his name is spelled with Chandrabindu,

just like the original descendents of the Khaan family. He lives a luxurious life in his mansion.

The other Mizanur stays in an old home. He has a different story to tell as

he meets unique individuals on a regular basis. A minor mistake merges the lives of these two very different people and the experience leaves them forever changed. l

Justin Bieber announces retirement n Entertainment Desk Justin Bieber has announced via Twitter that he’s “retiring.” “My beloved beliebers I’m officially retiring,” he posted on his Twitter account.

When asked to explain his decision, the popstar pointed the finger at the media and the appeared to contradict his earlier statement. “The media talks a lot about me. They make a up a lot of lies and want me to fail but I’m never leaving you, being a belieber is a lifestyle.”

Despite this contradiction, the “retirement” post has not been removed.

Be kind loving to each other, forgive each other as god forgave us through Christ Merry Christmas Im here forever.

Instead he wrote this message: “Be kind loving to each other, forgive each other as god forgave us through Christ Merry Christmas Im here forever.”

And this was followed by: “I’m not leaving u.”

He then urged his followers to see his “Believe” film, saying it shows the “real” Justin Bieber.

So far, there has been no official word from his management team about what his “retirement” means.

But doubtless it will cause alarm for his 47 million Twitter followers.

His message comes just days after the 19-year-old told a Los Angeles radio station that he was finishing after his next album.

“After the album, um, I’m actually retiring man. I’m retiring,” he said.

However, the statement was later played down by his efficinent management team. l

Did you know?

Swansea have five own goals in their favour this season, one more than second-highest scorer Bony has managed in the league

Sport

Thursday, December 26, 2013

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

0 8 0 DAYS TO GO

14 City, Liverpool face-off in packed Boxing Day

15 U-19 boys depart for Asia Cup today

ACC concerned over Asia Cup hosting n Minhaz Uddin Khan The CEO of Asian Cricket Council, Syed Ashraful Huq has expressed concerns over the hosting of Asia Cup Cricket due to the ongoing political turmoil in the country.

Talking to a satellite channel yesterday he expressed current ongoing political unrest might have effect on the scheduled to take place in Dhaka in February.

The ACC official while talking to a private channel of the country informed that the tournament will need to be shifted to some other Asian country if the situation doesn’t improve.

“The tournament will take place on the given time but whether it will take place in Bangladesh is a question. This is mainly because of security reason.

If the situation doesn’t improve, the tournament might be shifted to some other Asian country,” He added.

“None of the participating teams have yet showed concern to the ACC officially but they are aware that the situation in Bangladesh is not right at the moment. There is no reason to hide this and one cannot hide this because everything is very much clear and updated in the media,” he exclaimed.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has recently expressed to held meeting with

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club players enjoy a practice match at the club ground yesterday

the leaders of two leading political parties and discuss the negatives impact on the upcoming international cricket events. Ashraf said this should be done as soon possible and also mentioned that such move might come handy.

“It was in 1988 that the first time the Asia Cup took place in Bangladesh.

During that time whole country was protesting against the Ershad government. The than BCB president Anisul Islam Mahmud told me and Tanna (Tanvir Mazhar Islam) to go and meet the political leaders and discuss with them officially. We were able to convince them that the tournament will do good to our country. The political parties right away declared that there will be no demonstration during the tournament and we had a successful tournament,” informed Ashraf.

The former Bangladesh national cricketer is hopeful that the political unrest will cool off and the tourney will be held in Bangladesh.

“Seeing it in a Bangladeshi perspective we will want the tournament to take place here as it will do good both to the country and its cricket and also because a very good amount of crowd shows up in all the matches of the tournament. I honestly don’t think the tournament will get this much of crowd in any other country,” said Ashraf. l

MUMIT M

Jamal capable of winning the league: Afusi n Shishir Hoque Rather than celebrating Christmas Joseph Afusi, the Nigerian coach of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club concentrated upon his training session at the club ground yesterday. With the seventh edition of the Bangladesh Premier League is just a day away to be kicked off, the professional coach kept his football commitments above all the parties and festivities. Splitting into two groups, Sheikh Jamal were playing a practice match in a Christmas day afternoon and Afusi was playing in one of the sides. The way he was running, passing and controlling the ball it appeared that the coach still can continue his career as a player.

Afusi started his career in Bangladesh as a footballer of Sheikh Jamal, then became a player-cum-

coach and now he is the head coach of Dhanmondi outfits, the team that he helped win the curtain raising Federation Cup this month. In an interview with Dhaka Tribune, the Nigerian talked about his squad, team’s preparation for the Bangladesh Premier League, the fixtures and the growing competition in the league.

The league is set to kick-off in two days, is your team prepared?

The team is in good shape. We are well prepared and we want to start playing from where we finished in the Federation Cup. The first match is very important and we have to play well in the first match to boost our confidence. It’s going to be a tough league and difficult because there are a lot of teams who have good players. However though they have done well in the Federation

Mohammedan, Prime Bank post wins to share lead n

Minhaz Uddin Khan

Mohammedan Sporting Club and Prime Bank CC reached the top of the table winning their respective third round matches in the Amber Victory Day Twenty20 at Sylhet Divisional Stadium yesterday. Both team earned four points from three matches while Abahani and UCB-BCB XI posted two points each.

BRIEF SCORES

PRIME BANK CC V ABAHANI LTD Abahani: 171/7 in 20 overs Mushfiqur 50, Soumya Sarkar 31, Rubel 3/17 Prime Bank: 175/6 in 19.3 overs Sabbir 84*, Anamul 22, Sohrawardi 1/15 Prime Bank CC won by 4 wickets MOHAMMEDAN SC V UCB-BCB XI UCB BCB: 129/9 in 20 overs Rony 43, Tamim 34, Dewan 4/22 MSC: 130/3 in 17.1 overs Mominul 50*, Taiabur 30*, Enamul 2/14 Mohammedan SC won by 7 wickets

Prime Bank CC v Abahani Ltd

Riding on Sabbir Rahman’s second unbeaten half-century of the tournament, Prime Bank picked up a four-wicket victory against Abahani Limited.

Batting first, Abahani skipper Mushfiqur Rahim’s 50 off 33 and Soumya Sarkar’s 31 off 27 aided the side to post 171 in 20 overs losing seven wickets. It was the second fifty for Mushfiq in the tournament which includes one boundary and four over boundaries. Prime Bank pacer Rubel Hossain secured three

wickets in four overs conceding 17 runs while Taijul Islam bagged two.

In reply, Sabbir’s unbeaten 84 runs steered Prime Bank to victory in 19.3 overs and four wickets to spare. Sabbir hammered six fours and four sixes in his 50-ball innings. Sohag Gazi was unbeaten on the other end at 14 off 6.

Mohammedan SC v UCB-BCB XI

Unbeaten fifty by Mominul Haque saw Mohammedan pick their second win of the tournament defeating UCB BCB XI by seven wickets in the second game of the day. UCB BCB went to bat first after winning the toss. The start for the side was never smooth losing opening batsman Imrul Kayes on a golden duck.

Other opener Tamim Iqbal and number three Rony Talukder settled the boat posting 71 runs partnership. However the other batsmen in line failed to capitalize on the partnership and saw the innings end with 129 on the board in 20 overs with one wicket to spare.

Tamim faced 38 balls to score 34 with a boundary and as many over boundary.

Rony before was pinned by Alauddin Babu in front of the stump posting 43 off 32 to the board hitting nine fours.

Dewan Sabbir picked four wickets for Mohammedan while Alauddin Babu secured two. Later, Mohammedan chased the target in 17.1 overs losing only three wickets. Mominul with his 28-ball 50 runs drove the side to victory. The young talent struck seven fours and a six. Taiabur Parvez was unbeaten on the other end at 30 off 25. Enamul Haque Jr picked two wickets while Naeem Islam bagged one for UCB BCB XI. l

Considering the standard of Bangladesh football, what kind of football Sheikh Jamal are going to play to entertain the crowd?

Joseph Afusi Cup, the challenges of the league will be different.

What is the injury status of the team ahead of the league?

We have one or two injuries but I hope the players will be fit to play before the game.

I always profess the philosophy of keeping the ball, try to play the ball, try to entertain and also try to get points.

Because if you play well and at the end you lose the game, it does not make any sense.

We want to play well at the same time we want to win. I had the players capable of playing good football and now I have players capable of winning the game as well. So combining all the ingredients together, I believe, we will put a good show and win the title.

Sheikh Jamal have comparatively an easier opening fixtures and will play Chittagong Abahani, Brothers and

Soccer Club Feni. Any thoughts on rotating the squad?

No. I want to put the strongest team out there because this is league football. League means the more points you get then you become the first so we want get the maximum points and we want make it happen from the very first game. So it doesn’t matter who we are playing against, strong or weak teams, we need to earn three points.

How are you going to celebrate Christmas?

Last year, I celebrated it with my family but this time the situation is difficult as there is blockade every day. I want to celebrate with my players.

But having games in next three days make it difficult to celebrate the way we do because they also have to be

ready for the game. So I think it would be a delayed celebration (laughs).

What is the strongest and weak points of you team?

From the Federation Cup we have seen a lot of weak points and we also see some positive signs not negative. We need to score more goals and we also have to work on conceding fewer goals.

Midfield has to keep the ball more and we have to work on it as well.

What team do you think is the biggest competitor in the league?

No team is small. Abahani, Muktijoddha, Sheikh Russell and Mohammedan, they all are good teams and are ready to make the life harder in the competition. Most important thing is to keep focusing on playing good football and win the game. l

Sponsor-less BPL set to kick off n Raihan Mahmood The seventh edition of the Bangladesh Premier League kicks off tomorrow though Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is yet to finalise the title sponsors of the lone professional league of the country.

Amid the existing political turmoil of the country, BFF had toiled hard to rope a sponsor in for the show-case league of the country but their effort did not see the light. Till date, two cellular operators Citycell and Grameenphone have bought the title sponsorship since the second edition of the professional league. Both of the companies were the sponsors for

three years each from 2008 to 2010 and 2011 to 2013. The initial edition of the league did not have any sponsors.

Abu Naeem Shohag, the general secretary of BFF said they have nothing apart from being patient. “In the existing political scenario it is not easy to seal a deal for a long-term sponsorship, we have been assured by a couple of companies that they will consider the matter but only after the country reaches a stable position, we have to wait and hope the country’s political scenario becomes stable” said Shohag.

However, Shohag added that there will be a couple of co-sponsors of the league. “We are not confirming

the title sponsorship but there will be a number of co-sponsors. Walton, Pragati Insurance, Amber, DBL Group and Acme will be the co-sponsors, if the situation becomes calm a number of banks will also step ahead for the more co-sponsorships” added Shohag.

The political turmoil has already made BFF alter its plans as the third phase of the league, which is scheduled to be played after the second phase is being played first. No matches of the third phase will be played outside the capital.

The 10-team Bangladesh Premier Football League starts at the Bangabandhu National Stadium with holders Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra

playing Uttar Baridhara Club in the opening match. The Participating teams are Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, Dhaka Abahani Limited, Team BJMC, Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra, Dhaka Mohammedan SC Ltd, Brothers Union Club, Chittagong Abahani Ltd, Soccer Club, Feni, and Uttar Baridhara Club.

In the first round matches, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will take on Chittagong Abahani on Dec 28, Dhaka Abahani will play Brothers Union on Dec 29, Team BJMC will encounter Soccer Club, Feni on Dec 30 while Mohammedan SC Limited will face Muktijoddha Sangsad KC on Dec 31. l

Kallis to retire from Test cricket n AFP, Johannesburg South African cricketing great Jacques Kallis will retire from Test and FirstClass cricket after the upcoming Test against India, which gets underway in Durban on Thursday, he announced on Wednesday.

However, the 38-year-old – described by Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Haroon Lorgat as the test team’s ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ -- is determined to play for the one day team at the 2015 World Cup. “It’s been an honour and a privilege to have been part of the South African Test team since making my debut 18 years ago,” the star all-rounder said.

“I have enjoyed every moment

out in the middle but I just feel that the time is right to hang up my Test whites,” he said in a statement issued

by CSA. “It wasn’t an easy decision to come to, especially with Australia around the corner and the success this team is enjoying, but I feel that I have made my contribution in this format.”

Having started playing internationally aged 20, Kallis ends his career the highest-placed active player. He scored 13,174 runs and took 292 wickets in 165 Test matches for the Proteas.

“The last two years specifically have been a memorable journey with an exceptional group of cricketers,” he said.

“I am fortunate enough to have

ended my Test career amongst a group of talented cricketers but more importantly, friends whom I will cherish for years to come.”

Captain Graeme Smith praised the veteran’s achievements, but expressed sadness at his retirement.

“It’s been an emotional few days knowing JK (Jacques Kallis) retiring,” Smith posted on Twitter.

“All I can say what a privilege to have played with the great man! Hopefully we can give him the send off he deserves over the next 5 days! Gonna miss him immensely.”

Kallis will hope to bow out with a victory in his final Test, and a series win, after the first Test ended in a thrilling draw last Sunday. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, December 26, 2013

City, Liverpool face-off in packed Boxing Day FIXTURES

n AFP, London The concertina effect at the top of the Premier League table means that no fewer than five teams will have designs on top spot in Thursday’s traditional Boxing Day fixtures.

For the first time in the post-1992 Premier League era, just two points separate the top five teams on Christmas Day, and the erosion of Arsenal’s seven-point lead has also given hope to seventh-place Tottenham Hotspur and eighth-place Manchester United.

Arsenal’s bruising 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea on Monday left Liverpool top at Christmas for the first time since 2008.

However, the new leaders face a stern test on Thursday when they visit a Manchester City side who have won all eight of their home games to date this season, scoring 35 goals.

City, 4-2 victors at Fulham in their last outing, will leapfrog Liverpool if they prevail at the Etihad Stadium and visiting manager Brendan Rodgers says that his side must not get carried away by their early-season form.

“You don’t get the rewards at Christmas. It is a nostalgic time and people always want to know where the team is at around Christmas Day,” he said.

“We want to be there, but we want to be there at the end of the season and for that there is a lot of hard work ahead.”

Rodgers remains without Steven Gerrard, Daniel Sturridge and Jose Enrique due to injury, but in 19-goal top scorer Luis Suarez he can call upon the outstanding player of the season so far.

City’s own leading man, Sergio Aguero, is currently sidelined with a calf complaint, and having seen Liverpool rout Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 in their last away game, manager Manuel Pellegrini predicts a “very

Aston Villa Cardiff City Chelsea Everton Hull City Man City Newcastle Norwich City Tottenham West Ham

Yaya Toure difficult” encounter.

“Liverpool is a very good team and Suarez is in a very good moment,” said the Chilean.

“But I think this Premier League, we are just finishing the first half, in two more games.

“And this Premier League will not just be Liverpool and Manchester City. Five or six teams will fight

Rooney playing for the team, says Moyes

Luis Suarez until the end.”

Second-place Arsenal, behind Liverpool on goal difference, will hope to capitalise on any slip-ups by Rodgers’s side when they visit London rivals West Ham United.

Fourth-place Chelsea, meanwhile, host Swansea City, with fifth-place Everton hosting bottom club Sunderland.

Chelsea have failed to sparkle during the first half of the season, but with Liverpool only two points ahead of them, captain John Terry knows that Jose Mourinho’s side remain very much in contention.

“We all know, and the fans have seen it home and away, that we can get better,” Terry told Chelsea TV. “So whilst everyone is dropping

‘I bleed Tottenham,’ says new coach Sherwood

n AFP, Manchester

Carroll should be back soon for West Ham: Allardyce n Reuters, London n AFP, London

England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has turned into a selfless player who is now playing for the team, United manager David Moyes said on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old – who was given his Premier League debut by Moyes when he was at Everton – has scored 10 goals this term but it has been his all-round play that has pleased the manager.

“What Wayne is doing is making the others play well because he is playing well. He has turned himself into a real team player,” Moyes said.

“With the assists for the team and the goals, his all-round contribution has been fantastic.”

Rooney, who has scored 207 goals in 423 games for United, had been thought to be on the verge of leaving in the close season after a rocky end to last term when his relationship with

England striker Andy Carroll has yet to play for West Ham United this season because of a foot injury but should be fit to return soon.

Manager Sam Allardyce said on Tuesday that he had studied Carroll, 24, closely in training and was convinced he was almost ready to make his comeback.

“Andy’s training on a day to day basis with the rehab boys and improving all the time,” Allardyce told the club website ahead of Thursday’s London derby at home to second-placed Arsenal.

“He’s kicking, turning, twisting. He’s improving all the time and I expect him back with us shortly. I’m not going to put days or weeks on it because I don’t want to but it won’t be too long,” said Allardyce.

West Ham have struggled up front this season without Carroll, scoring 14 goals in 17 Premier League games. l

Villa striker Benteke out of Palace clash n Reuters, Brussels Injured Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke will miss his team’s Premier League clash at home to Crystal Palace on Thursday as he is undergoing physiotherapy in his native Belgium until Friday.

The 23-year-old Belgian international has been struggling with knee and hip injuries since the close season and decided to meet up with physiotherapist Lieven Maesschalck, who also works for the Belgian national soccer team, in Antwerp.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen also spent some time with Maesschalck recently, recovering from an ankle injury.

“Vertonghen has already left but Christian Benteke will stay until Friday,” a spokeswoman for the Move to Cure physiotherapy centre in Antwerp, where Maesschalck works, said.

Benteke, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season, has struggled to make his mark this campaign, failing to find the net in the past 10 matches as Villa have slipped to 13th in the table.

He could be fit for Villa’s following home match against Swansea City on Saturday and their away trip to Sunderland on Jan.1.l

Moyes’s predecessor Alex Ferguson deteriorated.

However, Moyes believes that now his future has been settled the sometimes fiery Rooney can play a role in setting an example for the younger players at United. l

Most expensive Brazil World Cup stadium has leaking roof n Reuters, Sao Paulo The most expensive of the 12 stadiums built or revamped for the 2014 World Cup has a leaking roof less than eight months after it was finished, the stadium’s operators said on Tuesday.

Secopa, the local government agency that runs the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia, will ask the company that rebuilt it to explain why parts of the roof let in rain during last weekend’s women’s match between Brazil and Chile.

Local media reported that almost the entire lower ring of the stands was soaked although Secopa played down the problem, saying the leaks were not serious and would not affect any of the matches being played there during next year’s World Cup. “Because it is a new, grandiose and complex stadium, some small points are still being corrected and tested but there is nothing that compromises the running of the stadium or the holding of events there,” Secopa said in a statement.

The stadium comes with a five-year guarantee and any repair work will be paid for by the builders, Secopa added.

The national stadium in the capi-

points around us, hopefully in the new year we have to start firing and put ourselves on a good run of games.

“If we do that we’re more than capable of pulling away from everyone.”

Tottenham, four points below the top five, host West Bromwich Albion, with Tim Sherwood set to experience life as a full-time Premier League

tal Brasilia cost more than 1.2 billion real ($508.99 million). It will stage six World Cup matches including a quarter-final and the third-place playoff.

The venue was inaugurated in May and hosted the opening match of the Confederations Cup between Brazil and Japan in June. It has held 17 major events since then, including several first division football matches, stadium officials said.

The uproar over the scandal of a leaky roof at the 73,000 seat arena is not the first time construction work at Brazilian stadiums has been called into question.

The Joao Havelange stadium in Rio was closed earlier this year, six years after it was built for the Pan American Games.

Engineers ruled that the roof was in danger of collapsing in high winds and said repairs taking 18 months must be carried out for the the stadium to be fit to host the 2016 Olympics.

At least three of the six World Cup stadiums still to be finished before the tournament kicks off in June will be handed over behind schedule. A total of five people have died while working on the 12 venues, including one man in Brasilia. l

New Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood on Tuesday spoke of his pride after being appointed as the club’s head coach on a permanent basis.

Spurs announced on Monday that Sherwood has been awarded a contract until the end of next season, a week after Andre Villas-Boas was sacked following a chastening 5-0 home defeat

by Liverpool.

Sherwood, 44, has no prior experience of first-team management, but having played for Spurs for four years and been a member of the coaching set-up since 2008, he says that he understands what the club stands for.

“It’s an honour to be head coach of this top club,” Sherwood told the club’s in-house television channel, Spurs TV. “It’s a club that means an awful lot to me and a proud moment. If you cut me in half, I bleed the colour of the

Dempsey returns to struggling Fulham n AFP, London

US international midfielder Clint Dempsey on Tuesday agreed to return to struggling Premier League club Fulham on a two-month deal.

The 30-year-old, who plays for the Seattle Sounders in the MLS, spent five and a half seasons at Craven Cottage in his first spell after signing in January 2007 from New England Revolution.

During his first stay, Dempsey scored 60 goals in 225 appearances.

Dempsey scored the only goal of the match against Liverpool at Craven Cottage in May 2007 which secured Premier League football the following season.

Fulham will need all of Dempsey’s experience with the London side sitting second bottom in the Premier League.

“It feels good to be back. This has always felt like my home in Europe,” said Dempsey.

“I am excited to be back and be a part of this team and play in this league.”

Dempsey said he also hopes that a spell in England will help sharpen his form ahead of the World Cup. “I just wanted to be back playing at the highest level, get back to top form and get back to helping the team where they are not where they want to be in the table,” he added.l

club. It means an awful lot to me. Blood is thicker than water, as they say.

“I’ve known it from the grass roots right up to the first team, worked at every level of the football club and played here, so I know it better than most. Hopefully that will stand me in good stead taking this club forward as head coach.”

Sherwood was initially placed in temporary charge following VillasBoas’s departure, overseeing a 2-1 loss at home to West Ham United in the League Cup and a 3-2 win at Southampton in the league on Sunday.

Despite spending £105 million ($171 million, 124 million euros) on new players in the close season, Spurs lie seventh in the table, but Sherwood is confident that the squad is fully equipped for a tilt at a top-four finish.

Sherwood will take charge of Spurs for the first time since his job on a permanent basis was confirmed when West Brom visit White Hart Lane on Thursday. l

v v v v v v v v v v

Crystal Palace Southampton Swansea City Sunderland Man United Liverpool Stoke City Fulham West Brom Arsenal

manager for the first time after being appointed as the permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas on Monday.

Defending champions United, meanwhile, will look to close the eightpoint gap that separates them from arch rivals Liverpool when they visit Hull City.

United have won four consecutive games in all competitions since the shock of successive home defeats by Everton and Newcastle United, and manager David Moyes hopes it will stand his side in good stead against a Hull team who have only lost once at home all season.

“It will be a tough game, that’s for sure, but we have got ourselves on a winning run and hopefully we can continue that,” he said.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Malky Mackay will take charge of Cardiff City against Southampton for the first time since being granted a stay of execution by owner Vincent Tan. Mackay looked destined for the sack after being told by Tan to either resign or face dismissal, but chairman Mehmet Dalman revealed on Monday that the club are working to resolve the situation through talks.

“The players have trained as they always do,” Mackay said.

“We have big games to prepare for and no matter what goes on, that’s my number one focus for this club and it always will be.” l

Arsenal playmaker Wilshere reacted to children jibes n Reuters, London The abusive hand gesture Jack Wilshere directed at Manchester City fans this month was a reaction to jibes about his children, the Arsenal and England midfielder explained on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old said he regretted his reaction, which resulted in a twogame suspension, and he would have to learn his lesson.

“Suppose I will just have to take the abuse about my kids in future,” Wilshere said on his Twitter account.

“Anyway, one more game to go! Can’t wait to be back.” Having missed secondplaced Arsenal’s goalless draw with Chelsea on Monday, Wilshere will complete his ban by sitting out Thursday’s Premier League visit to West Ham United.

The player will be back for the match at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Arsenal were beaten 6-3 by City at the Etihad Stadium on Dec. 14. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Thursday, December 26, 2013

QUICK BYTES Obituary

Ranjan Kumar Saha, the father of the Daily Samakal’s senior sports reporter Sanjay Saha Piyal passed away at the age of 65 yesterday. He was a teacher of English at the Ishan High School,Faridpur. Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association, Bangladesh Sports Press Association expressed deep shock over the death of Ranjan Kuamr Saha and also expressed sympathy towards the family of the deceased.

–Tribune Desk

Fahad tastes defeat Bangladesh Fide Master Fahad Rahman tasted a defeat against Abdrashev Arlen of Kazakhstan in the 8th round of the under-10 open classic section in the World Youth Chess Championship at Al-Ain, UAE on Wednesday. At the end of the 8th round Fahad earned 6 points was placed 14th among 200+ participants. In the 9th round, Fahad is scheduled to face with Kushagra Mohan of India on Thursday night.

–RM

Bartoli and Parkes L’Equipe’s French sportspeople of year

Wimbledon women’s singles champion Marion Bartoli and NBA star Tony Parker were named female and male sports person of the year by French sports newspaper L’Equipe on Wednesday.

Bartoli, 29, topped the women’s section with 886 points following her stunning success at Wimbledon beating German Sabine Lisicki, her first - and only - Grand Slam crown at the 47th attempt, a record in the women’s game for those who have finally captured such a lofty honour. Two skiers downhill world champion Marion Rolland (522pts) and giant slalom world champion Tessa Worley (520pts) finished second and third but not much consolation given both have been ruled out of February’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, because of injury.

–AFP

Guardian names Messi player of the year The Guardian has revealed the top ten spots in its ranking of the best 100 players in the world in 2013, as selected by a panel of judges. Messi leads the list ahead of Cristiano and Ibrahimovic, with Ribéry, Iniesta, Neymar, Bale, Xavi, Luis Suárez and Agüero completing the honour roll. Barcelona is the ‘La Liga’ team with the most representatives in the list, namely 11 (Messi, Iniesta, Neymar, Xavi, Busquets, Cesc, Piqué, Alves, Mascherano, Valdés and Alexis).

There are nine Real players in the top 100 (Cristiano, Bale, Xabi Alonso, Ramos, Benzema, Marcelo, Modric, Di María and Isco) and five Atlético players (Diego Costa, Courtois, Arda Turan, Alderweireld and Koke).

–Agencies

Curbishley Agrees To Technical Director Role At Fulham

Alan Curbishley has been named firstteam technical director at struggling Premier League side Fulham after the former Charlton Athletic and West Ham manager agreed to take up a full-time role at a club for the first time in five years. The 56-year-old Curbishley has been a television pundit since leaving West Ham in Sept. 2008 and will work alongside manager Rene Meulensteen, who replaced Martin Jol when his fellow Dutchman was sacked following a run of five defeats.

–Reuters

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six NBA 2013-14 7:00AM San Antonio v Houston 9:30AM NBA 2013-14 Golden State v La Clippers Ten Cricket 2:00PM South Africa v India 2nd Test, Day 1 Star Sports 2 2:30PM Big Bash T20 Perth v Melbourne Star Sports 4 English Premier League 6:45Pm Hull City v Man United 9:00PM Chelsea v Swansea 11:30AM Man City v Liverpool Star Sports 1 5:30AM (Friday) Australia v England 4th Test, Day 2

England coaching staffs, including head coach Andy Flower (2R) and batting coach Graham Gooch (R), inspect the wicket during a training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), in Melbourne yesterday

Proteas seek better fortunes at Kingsmead n

Reuters

South Africa will seek to arrest a dismal Durban run of four straight defeats at Kingsmead when they host India in the second and final test on Thursday, four days after their epic draw in Johannesburg.

The Proteas are at a loss to explain their miserable run at one of the country’s premier test grounds, where they have not won since beating West Indies in 2008.

Australia, England, India and Sri Lanka have all enjoyed handsome triumphs in Durban over the world’s top ranked test team since then and vicecaptain AB de Villiers cannot fathom the poor run.

“I am confused about Durban. I don’t know what to expect,” he told reporters.

“I am going to play it like I always play my cricket. I am going to take it one ball at a time and use my experience to adapt as quickly as I can. So will the whole team.”

De Villiers suggested it would be a good toss to win, with a lively pitch expected for the first part of the test.

“I think there will be a bit of movement on the first day. Batting first always seemed the better option in the past.

“I don’t expect as many cracks as there was at the Wanderers. It will probably be a bit more green, a bit firmer, and there may be a bit of turn towards the end of the test.”

South Africa’s overall record at Kingsmead is symmetrical - they have won 13, lost 13 and been involved in 13 draws. Durban-based fast-bowler Kyle Abbott should come into the side for Morne Morkel, who suffered an ankle

ligament strain in the first test at the Wanderers, but it is the spin department that will give the selectors the most pause for thought.

Imran Tahir went at five runs an over in the first test and was a pressure release for the Indian batsmen.

De Villiers defended the Pakistan-born 34-year-old.

“Immi (Imran Tahir) has bowled really well in the last few months. He didn’t have a great game at the Wanderers but that is part of sport. We know what he is capable of,” De Villiers said.

Questions around India’s team selection also centre on the spinners, with Ravichandran Ashwin bowling 42 wicket-less and expensive overs.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha is the other option, though he has never bowled in test matches outside the sub-continent. l

England’s pride on line in Boxing Day Test n Reuters, Melbourne

An Ashes series that promised so much has all but fizzled with Australia taking an unassailable 3-0 lead, but Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test offers some intrigue as to whether England will continue to self-destruct or salvage some pride from a turbulent campaign.

Arriving as comfortable winners of the northern Ashes series earlier this year, Alastair Cook’s team has not had its problems to seek Down Under with spiritless efforts in the field and tumult off it.

Graeme Swann’s retirement this week, cast as selfless by the spinner but slammed as gutless by critical British media, has only added to the air of a team in disarray.

The Coliseum-like Melbourne Cricket Ground might be the world’s loneliest place for a team attempting to regroup after passing a sombre Christmas.

Dead rubber notwithstanding, a festive crowd of more than 80,000 are ex-

Murray plays down new Lendl, Becker rivalry

pected to flock to the ground for Thursday’s opening day of the fourth Test.

England belted Australia in their last MCG meeting to retain the Ashes in 2010-11, but the hosts have humiliated India and Sri Lanka in the two Tests at the ground since.

Sri Lanka’s innings and 201-run defeat last year included seamer Mitchell Johnson taking six wickets, while breaking the forefinger of master batsman Kumar Sangakkara and the thumb of wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene in a man-of-the-match performance.

“We’re playing good cricket at the moment,” Australia’s in-form opening batsman David Warner told reporters at the MCG on Tuesday. “We need to really drive it into England.

The pint-sized Warner’s turnaround has been symbolic of Australia’s revival from their own forgettable campaign in England, which started with a coach’s sacking and ended in an ignominious 3-0 series defeat. l

Cook says Swann saga is over n AFP, Sydney

n AFP, Abu Dhabi

Andy Murray believes the intense rivalry between his coach Ivan Lendl and Boris Becker, the newly-appointed coach of Novak Djokovic, which was a feature of the 1980s, won’t be rekindled in 2014.

Lendl took Murray to a breakthrough major at the 2012 US Open as well as this year’s historic Wimbledon triumph while Djokovic has turned to Becker to help add to his six Grand Slam titles.

In their playing careers, Becker defeated Lendl in the 1986 Wimbledon final, the 1989 US Open championship match as well as the 1991 Australian Open final.

The German claimed six career majors. Lendl won eight and it was the Czech who enjoyed a 12-10 advantage in their head-to-head record.

“I personally don’t think there will be renewal of a rivalry,” Murray told the Gulf News.

“I mean, no matter if you are coaching the players, you can’t influence much. Once you step on court, the coaches can do very little to the outcome of a match.

“It is the preparation where the coaches can make a really good difference. We will have to see how it goes from here.”

Murray and Djokovic have joined world number one Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Stanislas Wawrinka in the six-man field for the Mubadala World Tennis Championships which runs from Thursday to Saturday.

Murray believes today’s players have a lot to learn from the legends of the past -- even Roger Federer has been practising with six-time major winner Stefan Edberg over the winter. l

AFP

Bangladesh U-19 cricket team poses for an official photo at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday

COURTESY

U-19 boys depart for Asia Cup today n Minhaz Uddin Khan

The Bangladesh U-19 side will be on toes and boosted with confidence from their recent successes when they play in the ACC Asia Cup U19 said the side’s captain Mehidy Hassan Miraz to the media yesterday. The young Tigers are scheduled to fly to Dubai today to participate in the eight-day long tournament.

“This Asia Cup will be the first time for many of us as most of us in the team are juniors and not so experienced. As a captain my target will be to win the championship if possible. We believe that we are a competitive side and the wins against West Indies U19 will boost us,” said Mehidy at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

The seven-match youth ODI home series against West Indies U19 was Bangladesh’s last competitive cricket before the Asia Cup. Mehidy thinks that

the West Indies Cricket Board’s decision to withdraw the team due to security concern denied the Bangladesh U19 from proper preparation.

“The series would have helped us gain confidence and we had started the series on high winning the first game.

Winning the series could have helped us get some more confidence and at the same time it was a platform for the players to perform,” said Mehidy.

Few practice matches with the National A team and the CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metro Polis) have concealed the gaps in preparation and the young captain believes that a good result in the Asia Cup will aid the side to have a good preparation for the ICC U19 World Cup. Bangladesh pitted in Group B and will face Afghanistan U19, Sri Lanka U19 and Malaysia U19 in the group stage of the tournament. The last time Bangladesh U19 faced Afghanistan was

in the Asia Cup and that saw the former thrashed out of the tournament losing the game by seven wickets.

“We lost against Afghanistan in the last Asia Cup so we will watch out for them in this edition. They are a very good side and will be prepared for the tournament and will aim to defeat us again for sure. We will have to count on our strength which is batting and at the same time will also expect the bowlers to contribute to make this a successful campaign,” said the U19 skipper.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced the replacement of U19 vice-captain Jasim Uddin. The wicket-keeper batsman was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2014 due to a finger injury. Jasim picked up injury during training on Tuesday and an x-ray confirmed an oblique fracture of his right index finger.

Zakir Hasan has been named as his replacement in the 15-man squad. l

England captain Alastair Cook Wednesday declared the furore over Graeme Swann’s shock retirement “closed”, saying the spinner had assured him that controversial remarks about player arrogance were not directed at his teammates.

Swann stunned the cricket world with his announcement Sunday that he was resigning immediately from the England team midway through the Ashes series.

There was speculation he was referring to his England colleagues, particularly outspoken batsman Kevin Pietersen. But Swann has since denied that and Cook said Wednesday he had insisted it was not the case.

“A phone call to Swanny reassured me very quickly that it wasn’t at all anything about England players,” Cook told reporters ahead of Thursday’s Boxing Day fourth Test, where the tourists will be hoping to avert a 5-0 series whitewash.

“I haven’t heard the quotes exactly - obviously I’ve seen what’s been written - and whether it’s come across badly, he totally 100 percent reassures me and the whole England team that it’s not about us. So to me the matter’s closed on that.”

Cook commended Swann for his courage, saying “no one’s forcing you to play cricket for England, we’re privileged to do that.” Graeme just gave up a lot for that England shirt and he had no more to give, and I think it’s a very brave decision."

“He could have just hung on for these two games, and whether he played or not is pretty irrelevant, he could have stayed but he was like ‘I know I’ve got no more to give, I don’t feel I’ve got anything left’.”

Cook said Swann “will be missed because he was a fine, fine cricketer.” l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

District bodies formed to prevent sabotage n Mohosinul Karim The government has formed a district-level core committee for all districts, in accordance with directions from the election commission, to oversee and assist the district terrorism and sabotage prevention committees to control the law and order situation across the country during the election period.

Led by the local deputy commissioners, the committees have already been formed in all districts to coordinate all the election related works and controlling law and order during the polls.

The cabinet division recently sent a letter to all the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners asking them to form the committee and inform the division about its progress.

Obaidul Azam, deputy commissioner of Narsingdi, yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have already formed the core committee according to the instruction of the cabinet division, which was given following the direction of the election commission. We have already started working together to hold a free and fair election.”

The eight-member core committee was formed comprising local superintendent of police, commandant of Rapid Action Battalion and chiefs of the local units of Border Guard Bangla-

Ex-Shibir leader confesses to killing Satkhira AL leader n Tribune Report An ex-Shibir leader confessed that he and his party men were directly involved into the killing of Satkhira Awami League leader Abu Raihan on Tuesday.

The accused, Ibrahim Hossian, 28, was an ex-president of Debhata unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat. At present, he is an assistant manager of an Islamic NGO’s Parulia branch.

He gave the confessional statement before Satkhira Judicial Magistrate Court after police arrest, police said.

On November 21, a gang of criminals stabbed Abu Raihan, organising secretary of Debhata upazila unit Awami League, to death while he was gossiping with some other people sitting in front of a shop at Parulia Bazar in Debhata upazila.

“We caught Ibrahim red-handed Tuesday night chasing a group of Shibir men who were vandalising a covered van in Chara Bottola area. A mobile court sentenced him two years’ imprisonment,” said Tarek Biswas, officer-in-Charge of Debhata police station.

“As we interrogated him, he confessed that he was involved in torching a garment house a few days back. He also admitted his involvement into the killing of the AL leader,” he said.

“That night we took him to the court where he gave the confessional statement,” the OC added. l

MPs for security in Dhaka n Tribune Reports Lawmakers from the ruling Awami League and candidates from other parties including HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party have requested the law enforcement agencies to arrest the identified “terrorists” and “militants” to restore the law and order in Dhaka ahead of the January 5 polls.

“We request the law enforcers to nab immediately the identified terrorists and militants to establish law and order in the capital,” said a statement, signed by the Awami League’s office secretary.

The signatories are Sahara Khatun, Rashed Khan Menon, Kazi Feroz Rashid (JaPa), Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Syed Abul Hossain Babla (JaPa), Mostafa Jalal Mahiuddin, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Quamrul Islam, Kamal Ahmed Majumder, AKM Rahmat Ullah, Habibur Rahman Molla, Aslamul Haque, Ilias Uddin Molla, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Fazle Noor Tapas and Sanjida Khanam.

The statement did not contain the name of Ershad, chief of JaPa. They came up with the statement as they felt many identified miscreants had taken shelter at messes, slums and apartments in the capital to create anarchy ahead of the 10th parliamentary polls. l

desh, Coast Guard, Ansar and National Security Intelligence (NSI).

Local additional district magistrate (ADM) has been given the charge of member secretary of the core committee.

The letter also said the core committee will collect information using sources and deliver the messages to the district terrorism and sabotage prevention committee, in a bid to prevent sabotage, terrorism and vandalism in the districts. It will also advise the committee to resist the saboteurs and terrorists.

According to the cabinet division officials, the initiative has been taken to enhance the coordination between law enforcement agency members and civil administration, considering the current political situation and the elections scheduled on January 5.

At least 45 field-level high officials such as divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers recently requested the cabinet division to ensure the security of themselves and their family members during the election period.

They expressed the security concerns as opposition activists continue to attack different public installations and offices, as well as torching vehicles and houses, blasting bombs and killing law enforcers and civilians. l

‘A homemade peace’ n Reuters, Vatican City

Children celebrate Christmas with Santa Claus in the capital’s Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel yesterday

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Christmas observed across country n Tribune Report

Commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ the Christian community yesterday observed their biggest religious celebration across the country with full solemnity and festivities.

The Christians gathered at churches and took part in special prayers. The churches were decorated with Christmas trees and grandeur lighting.

Major hotels of the capital, including Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Ruposhi Bangla, Radisson Blue Water Garden, and Westin, organised parties featur-

ing Christmas carols, games, dance and special meals. Some of the hotels organised special arrangements where Santa Claus has given special gifts to the crowding children.

President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition chief Khaleda Zia greeted members of the Christian community on the occasion and called for upholding the tradition of religious harmony.

To mark the day, Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar, and private television channels aired special programmes.

Outside the capital, Christian commu-

nities in Barisal, Sylhet and Chittagong also celebrated Christmas with colourful programmes, traditional feasts, prayers and illuminated decorations.

In Barisal, the occasion was celebrated amid tight security measures.

Churches were decorated with colourful lights and illuminated Christmas trees. Santa Claus distributed gifts to the children and family gatherings took place with regular Christmas Day feasts.

Md Shamsuddin, Barisal Metropolitan Police commissioner, said special security measures were taken in the city to ensure peaceful celebrations. l

Mysterious murder of veteran lensman Aftab

n Kailash Sarkar Prominent octogenarian photojournalist Aftab Ahmed was killed at his Wapda Road residence in the capital’s Rampura. His body was recovered yesterday morning with his hands and legs tightly tied.

“We recovered the body of the

80-year-old journalist from his house in the morning. We suspect he was strangulated to death,” said Kripasindhu Bala, officer-in-charge of Rampura Police Station.

Aftab was famous for his photography of the Liberation War in 1971 including the surrender of the Pakistani forces on December 16 and the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with his family and relatives in 1975.

He also earned fame for his photography of Basanti of Chilmari in Kurigram. His creation of Basanti wearing a fishing net depicted the poignant image of the famine of 1974.

He was awarded the most prestigious Ekushey Padak in 2006 for his contribution in 1971.

The OC said police went to the spot on information from the victim’s daughter and son-in-law.

Since his wife died seven years ago Aftab Ahmed has been residing alone on the 2nd floor of his four-storey building. His son Monowar Ahmed lives in Jessore and a daughter Afroza

Ahmed Barna, who is an official of the National University, lives with her husband in Gazipur.

His driver Kabir Hossain and housemaid Nasima Khatun were taking care of him in absence of his son and daughter.

“As I found the door locked I knocked on it several times. But as there was no response I informed the tenants who opened the door and found him dead,” said Nasima.

His daughter Afroza Ahmed Barna said she came to her father’s house on information of the death of her father.

She said the entire house was ransacked and a good amount of money and valuables were missing. “We do not have any clue as to why my father was killed.”

“Although Aftab’s housemaid Nasima is available but driver Kabir has remained untraced,” said Faruq, Barna’s husband, adding: “Everything in the house was found scattered and disorganised.”

Nasima was taken into police custody for interrogation. Rampura OC Kripasindhu Bala said: “Nothing should be

said for sure at this moment and we are yet to detain anybody.”

However, journalist Zahirul Huq, a long-time colleague of late Aftab Ahmed, said he had a large amount of cash money which might have caused his killing.

Inspector Nasim Ahmed (OC-Investigation) of Rampura Police Station said his son-in-law had informed police around 9:00am after he came from his Gazipur residence along with his wife Barna.

Born in 1935 in Mohipur village under Gongachora upazila in Rangpur district, he joined Bengali daily the Ittefaq in 1962.

Immediately after the information of the murder, personnel from Rab, police, detectives and Crime Scene unit of the Criminal Investigation Department rushed to the spot.

Additional Commissioner Maruf Hasan of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said, primarily they suspected that the lensman might have been strangulated to death as no injury mark was found on his body. l

Pope Francis, celebrating his first Christmas as Roman Catholic leader, yesterday called on atheists to unite with believers of all religions and work for “a homemade peace” that can spread across the world.

Speaking to about 70,000 people from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, the same spot where he emerged to the world as pope when he was elected on March 13, Francis also made another appeal for the environment to be saved from “human greed and rapacity.”

The leader of the 1.2 billion-member Church wove his first “UrbietOrbi” (to the city and world) message around the theme of peace.

“Peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace,” he said.

He said that people of other religions were also praying for peace, and - departing from his prepared text - he urged atheists to join forces with believers.

“I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace,” he said, drawing sustained applause from the crowd.

Francis’s reaching out to atheists and people of other religions is a marked contrast to the attitude of former Pope Benedict, who sometimes left non-Catholics feeling that he saw them as second-class believers.

He called for “social harmony in South Sudan, where current tensions have already caused numerous victims and are threatening peaceful coexistence in that young state”.

Thousands are believed to have died in violence divided along ethnic lines between the Nuer and Dinka tribes in the country, which seceded from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war.

The pontiff also called for dialogue to end the conflicts in Syria, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, and prayed for a “favorable outcome” to the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Wars shatter and hurt so many lives!” he said, saying their most vulnerable victims were children, elderly, battered women and the sick.

The thread running through the message was that individuals had a role in promoting peace, either with their neighbor or between nations.

“God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world,” he said.

In his speech, Francis asked God to “look upon the many children who are kidnapped, wounded and killed in armed conflicts, and all those who are robbed of their childhood and forced to become soldiers.” l

Majedul, two other arson victims succumb to injuries n Ashif Islam Shaon On Monday, he told the Dhaka Tribune, “I am already dead,” describing the unbearable pain from the 90% burns on his body. Death has now put an end to all his sufferings.

Yesterday in the early hours, transport worker Mohammad Majedul, 25, and two others succumbed to their injuries, the latest in a long line of innocent victims killed during the opposition’s blockade programmes.

When our correspondent visited Majedul at the burn and plastic surgery unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Monday, he was found crying in his sister’s arms and asking to meet the rest of his family for a last time. It was an unbearable scene for our reporter, who left the place soon afterwards, unable to speak.

“You think that I am alive, but I am already dead and they are just talking to a dead man. Is it possible for a living person to bear this pain?” he wheezed.

Majedul, Nazrul Islam, 35, and another blockade violence victim Nazrul Islam, 38, passed away despite the earnest efforts of Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s doctors.

They had been injured in three separate incidents.

Majedul survived four days after getting burned.

Nazrul, who had received 20% burns, fought for his life for a day. The other Nazrul Islam, who received a head injury from picketers, survived for three days.

Majedul, was the son of Mohammad Ishaq from Naogaon Sadar.

With a truck laden with vegetables, two drivers Ataur, Shahin and helper Majedul were on their way to Dhaka from Sirajganj. The two drivers were shifting their duties.

The truck was attacked by picketers at Sirajganj around 10pm. He and Shahin managed to escape from the truck, but in a horrifying act of cruelty, the picketers caught them, poured petrol on them and set

them on fire.

Locals rushed them to a nearby hospital. On Sunday they were shifted to DMCH. Partha Shankar Pal, the resident surgeon of the burn unit, said they had lost hope for Shahin.

Another arson victim truck driver Nazrul Islam, 35, son of Mohammad Fazar Ali from Kalihati, Tangail was on his way to Chittagong from Dinajpur with a rice-laden truck on Monday night. Pickets attacked the truck at Kaliakoir, Gazipur near the Ansar Academy. They hurled a petrol bomb into the driver’s cabin.

His helper Nuruzzaman also got burnt. Local rushed them to the burn unit of DMCH. “We started for Chittagong on Friday evening and halted in Tangail for two days fearing blockade violence. On Tuesday evening we started again but could not avoid the danger,” said Nuruzzaman at DMCH. Kaliakoir police station’s Officer-in-Charge Omar Faruque said police had filed a case in connection with the attack. They had arrested three youths, Saddam Hossain, 19, Md Rana, 20, and Md Hasan Miah, 23, for their suspected involvement in the attack.

Another truck driver, Nazrul Islam, 38, who sustained a head injury after blockaders attacked his vehicle in Magura on Saturday, died at DMCH around 12:30am. Nazrul was a resident of Kola village in Jhenidah Sadar upazila.

He came under attack near Magura bus stand on his way to Dhaka from Jhenidah, said victim’s uncle Abdur Rashid.

He was injured as a brick chip thrown by blockaders hit his head while he was trying to escape the attack, said Kazi Jalal Uddin, the officer-in-charge of Jhenidah Sadar Police Station.

Islam was initially admitted to Faridpur Medical College and Hospital. Later the same day, he was transferred to DMCH as his condition deteriorated.

Over 150 people have died in the past few months in the ongoing political violence. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

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Continue to the Business section...

Business

Change in weighted average Price to NAV ratio of the mutual fund sector in the last two months

4,500

1.05x

4,350

0.97x

4,200 0.89x 4,050 0.81x

3,900

0.73x

3,750

0.65x

3,600 29-Sep

6-Oct

20-Oct 27-Oct 3-Nov 10-Nov 17-Nov 24-Nov 1-Dec DSEX (RHS)

8-Dec 15-Dec 22-Dec

Price/NAV (LHS)

Source: BRAC EPL Research, DSE

B3 85% mutual funds

B4 One year later,

being traded at discount

Japanese PM has big ‘to do’ list

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2013 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Apparel raw materials use falls sharply Industry insiders say it’s a lagged impact of factory disasters; political unrest is a catalyst Series2

3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500

may continue in the days ahead,” said Shabbir Mostafa, a BGMEA director.

Before placing orders, the buyers say building compliance, including fire safety, is a must while they are unwilling to take orders from shared buildings, he added.

Rana Plaza incidents left the garment sector into crises, tarnishing the industry image as the buyers did not think about building safety before the incident, said Mostafa, also MD of Raozan Sweater Limited.

“After the disaster, the buying orders saw down trend due to bad im-

ly

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Se gus pt t em b O er ct o No be ve r m be r

Their assessment is based on the recent trend of utilisation declaration (UD) of raw materials – BGMEA maintains for its members who use the materials tax-free under a bonded warehouse mechanism.

Number of UDs reflects the trend of production to be performed.

According to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), factory owners obtained 8,706 UDs in August-November period, which is 9.5% lower than 9,625 UDs obtained during the same period last year.

“Two of my buyers have shifted on excuse of fire and building safety issues. Buying orders are moving and it

Series1

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Political violence ahead of the general elections works as a catalyst to slowing down the orders

3500

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The orders for apparel products registered decline as the country’s readymade garment industry witnessing a lagged impact of Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen Fashion fire incident, industry insiders said.

The ongoing political unrest has intensified the crisis.

UD trend

Ja nu a Fe ry br ua ry M ar ch Ap ril M ay Ju ne

n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

age,” said Syed Sadek Ahmed, another BGMEA director.

The buyers are moving elsewhere due to the fire and building safety as well as price competitiveness.

He said the production cost has increased due to low productivity of workers while our competitor is producing more products by employing same number of workers.

The global demands are showing up and down due to economic recession, which might pull down the buying orders, said Khandaker Golam Moazzem of Centre for Policy Dialogue, a civil so-

Industrial credit falling fast

ciety think-tank.

“It’s a reflection of Rana Plaza and Tazreen Fashion disasters,” Exporters Association Bangladesh (EAB) President Abdus Salam Murshedy told the Dhaka Tribune.

Impact of Rana Plaza disaster began surfacing after five months as the execution of an order becomes effective at least four month later, he said To escape the adverse impact, Bangladesh has to make RMG sector stable by ensuring fire and building safety standards, he added.

If the global retailers’ brands work with Bangladesh government and BGMEA to improve the fire and building safety, it will be a certificate for the RMG sector, which will also brand Bangladeshi products, said Murshedy, also former president of BGMEA. “Political violence ahead of the general election works as a catalyst to slowing down the orders,” said BGMEA Vice President Reaz Bin Mahmood.

He said safety and security aspect was another reason. “It’s a great challenge for the RMG sector to remain connected with the buyers.”

According to BGMEA, around 44 lakh workers are employed in the industry – 80% of them are women.

The export earnings of $21.5bn from the sector contributes 10% to the country’s GDP. l

included pharmaceuticals, chemicals and chemical products, transport and communication, iron, steel, construction, petroleum, fertiliser and, cement and cement products due to the frequent shutdown, it said.

Some companies have adjusted term loans after taking foreign credit and some are issuing initial public offering, which have contributed to decrease in industrial credit Industrial term loan means any type of loan made to a business or corporation and not to an individual. Commercial and industrial loans can be made to provide either working capital or to finance major capital expenditures.

Local entrepreneurs have failed to go for fresh investment mainly due to lack of adequate infrastructure facilities, including gas and electricity, said Zaid Bakht, research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).

of shrinking business and disappearing job opportunities, as a result.

The growth of credit to the trade sector declined to about 13% at the end of Q1 from nearly 25% in the same period a year earlier while advances to transport and communication sector registered a negative growth of 43.54%, according to BB data.

There is also evidence that retail and wholesale trade slowed down due to the frequent nationwide shut-downs during the quarter under review.

This slow growth is stemming from the low growth of private sector construction activity as bank credit to this sector also experienced a low growth of 8.87%, according to statistics.

Some manufacturing industries have experienced negative growth during the period included pharmaceutical and medical chemical (36.67%) and chemical and chemical products (13.7%), said BB. Md Jahangir Alam, chairman of MI Cement, said it is very difficult to take investment decision amidst political turmoil. “How will we go for fresh investment at a time when we failed to repay the existing loans and poor sales of goods.” l

n Tribune Report Apparel manufacturers and exporters yesterday raised question about the export data released recently as it showed robust growth despite the ongoing political crisis and industrial unrest in the country.

“The recent trend of UDs (utilisation declarations) and factory performance does not go with the export data released by the Export Promotion Bureau,” said Faruque Hassan, former BGMEA vice president.

Ordering trend in the factory and the UD shows downtrend in last few months, but the export data showed healthy growth.

“That’s why I think, there might have flaws in the calculation of export data,” said Hassan.

He made the remarks at a function of providing financial supports for the victims of Smart Export Garment Limited – the fund was provided by Spanish retailer Inditex and UK retailer Newlook.

Bangladesh’s readymade garment exports have seen a 30% jump to US$1,767m in November as compared to US$1,364m of the same period last year.

In November 2013, Bangladesh exported knitwear products worth

BTRC issues new directive on mobile banking fees

Economists warn of shrinking business and disappearing job n Muhammad Zahidul Islam opportunities, as a result Bangladesh Telecommunication Regu“Political unrest is an additional facDeceleration in the industrial credit lator Communication (BTRC) has issued n Kayes Sohel tor for the slump,” he said and warned a new directive on fees or charges for growth was observed in some sectors The demand for industrial credit is falling fast because of deepening political crisis, industry insiders and analysts say.

A sharp contraction in lending to business suggests the shrinking of investment and job opportunities, they said. From the beginning of this year, demand for industrial term loans started falling but intensified since July, according to latest Bangladesh Bank figures released last week.

Pubali Bank Managing Director Helal Ahmed said: “Some companies have adjusted term loans after taking foreign credit and some are issuing initial public offering, which have contributed to decrease in industrial credit.”

Moreover, he said, fresh term loan was not created after the adjustment of the non-performing loans due to negative business environment caused by political chaos. “The demand for industrial credit continued to contract, as a result.”

The overall disbursement of industrial term loan by banks and non-banking financial institutions dropped 66% to Tk3,300 crore as reflected in the report on July-September quarter of the current fiscal year as compared to Tk9,700 crore of the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

Apparel makers raise question about latest export data

mobile banking.

It has fixed charges for different amounts of transaction including the transactions of above Tk1 lakh.

However, according to Bangladesh Bank guideline, the ceiling for a single transaction is Tk25,000. So, there is no scope for transacting above the ceiling, but BTRC set charges for Tk1 lakh+ transaction.

BTRC said the charge or fee could be taken up to 2% of a transaction. But Bangladesh Bank guideline says the fee or charge will be determined as per the market rate. Currently, market rate is 1.85%. “BTRC can issue their own directive for the mobile phone operators.

However, the central bank guideline must be followed in financial service,” said Asaduzzaman, a general manager of Bangladesh Bank.

“It is also mandatory to ensure that all the transactions are made within the banking network.”

BTRC on Tuesday finalised the directive which also said the mobile phone operators cannot charge except three financial services - cash in and cash out, person to person (P2P) fund transfer and any kind of utility bill payments through mobile phone networks.

The telecom regulator also initiated slab-based maximum charges for different mobile banking services offered by the mobile phone companies.

The preface of the directive said the operators are charging at different rates for the same type of services in mobile banking and financial system.

In some cases, the mobile operators are charging from the customers, it said.

“We issued the directive mainly to standardise the mobile banking and financial service charges,” a BTRC official told the Dhaka Tribune. He said the rate was fixed earlier through negotiations between the banks and operators which have no standard base.

“Usually the mobile banking rates were fixed through bargaining, which would affect the end-users,” the official said. A bkash high executive said they charge 1.85% for such transactions.

The directive also admitted that 1.8% charge for Tk10,001-20,000 and 1.6% for Tk20,001-30,000, 1.5% for Tk30,00140,000, 1.4% for 40,001-50,000, 1.2% for Tk50,001-75,000 and 1% for Tk75,001100,000. For transaction of more than Tk100,000 and bill payments through mobile banking, the maximum charge will be Tk1,000, the directive said.

For P2P fund transfer the rate will be Tk2 for transaction of up to Tk500 and Tk5 for above Tk500. The directive has also made balance and statement inquiry free of charges for the users. l

US$878m while it fetched $889m by exporting woven products, which is 34% and 25% higher respectively compared to the same period last year.

Inditex and Newlook provided Tk5 lakh to three injured workers while it gave Tk15,000 each to 264 workers as three-month salary. The global buyers also provided over Tk5 lakh and Tk4 lakh to two victims of Spectrum Garments respectively.

“July-November export data does not reflect the present industry situation,” Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB), told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“There might have flaws in the data compilation.”

“I could not ship my products and cannot bring raw material for production due to political unrest.

But the government data has shown 21% growth in July-November period in RMG, which is unrealistic,” said a factory owner, wishing anonymity.

He claimed the government showed inflated data to escape from shouldering the impact of political unrest.

Whatever they may say based on their perception, but data speaks itself, EPB Vice Chairman Shubhashish Bose, however, said earlier. l

Two more LTE operators in the offing n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Two more companies would be awarded with licences to provide modern telecom data services – Long Term Evolution (LTE).

They are Mango Telecom Services Limited and government-owned Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL). “We’ve decided to issue the licences as the WiMAX technology is becoming obsolete day by day,” Post and Telecommunication Secretary Abubakar Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune.

At present, there are three LTE operators in the country.

“BTCL will provide LTE services in a particular area under a foreign funded project. The spectrum charge will be paid from the project,” said the secretary.

Earlier, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission had awarded the licence to Bangladesh Internet Exchange Limited (BIEL) under the brand name Ollo, mainly owned by Russian company Multinate, with 20 Megahertz spectrum in 2600 band at a payment of Tk246 crore.

Two WiMAX operators – Banglalion and Qubee – were also permitted to provide the LTE services. Both the operators had taken Wimax license in 2008 after holding an open auction.

Both the companies paid Tk215 crore each for the licence. l

Blockades thump flower sales in peak season n Tazlina Zamila Khan Flower traders of the country are counting severe losses as their sales went down drastically in the wake of continuous blockade programmes enforced by the BNP-led 18 party alliance Never before had they witnessed such a decline in sales during winter which is considered the peak season for flower sale.

Many of the flower traders in capital’s Uttara, Shahbag and Baily Road area claimed that for last two months they have been incurring a loss of Tk2,000 per week.

This is the time of the year when they usually draw a handsome profit. Winter, the quintessential wedding season triggers a high demand for flowers, however, this year the scenario happens to be different.

Mohammad Liton, a sales executive of Ananya Pushpo Bitan, a flower shop in capital’s Shahbag area, said: “We used to earn a profit of Tk20,000-25,000 per month during this season but now we are facing a loss of Tk10,000 every month. It is 12pm now and I sold flowers worth only Tk200 since morning. We have to pay our labours from our pockets although we are going through severe loss.”

The shop owners have to pay Tk 350400 to the senior labourers and Tk250-

300 to the junior labourers per day, he said.

“We bought 500 pieces of flowers at Tk5,000 yesterday but at least 5060 pieces of flowers worth Tk600 were perished at night. Seeing no other option we just had to throw them into garbage bin,” said Liton.

We used to earn a profit of Tk20,000-25,000 per month during this season but now we are facing a loss of Tk10,000 every month.

It is 12pm now and I sold flowers worth only Tk200 since morning Another flower trader Abdus Salam of Shahjalal Pushpo Kendra, a flower shop in Uttara, said: “At least three orders got cancelled during this week. Last month we went through a loss of Tk12,000. We hope to make up the losses in January after the elections are over.”

A customer in the Shahbagh area, Zivan Sultana, said: “I had to postpone my wedding because of the blockades. I previously ordered flowers for my ‘Gaye

Holud’ [a ceremony to apply turmeric on the bodies of the bride and groom] but later had to cancel it and organise the programme at my home with few guests.”

She added, “Because of the ongoing blockade and political unrest, I cannot organise the wedding as I had desired and planned to do.”

Another customer Jannatul Ferdous cancelled an order worth Tk10,000.

The traders scratched Tk3,000 as compensation, she said.

Flowers of different shapes and coloursRose, Gladiolus, Chrysanthemums, Orchid, Gerbera, Pompom, Gypsy, Marigold, Tuberose, Lavender, Sunflower and Oxeye daisy-are pick of the season. At least 35 types of flowers are available in the market of which roses are cultivated mainly in Savar and Gladiolus in Jessore.

Roses (one piece) are sold at Tk10, Gypsy (one bundle) at Tk50, Pompom (one bundle) at Tk10, Chrysanthemums (one piece) at Tk10 and Gerbera (one piece) at Tk7- 10.

Floral ornaments are on high demand during the wedding season, according to the flower traders.

According to sources in the Department of Agricultural Extension under the Ministry of Agriculture, different types of flowers are

cultivated on around 10,000 bighas of land including 1500 bighas of cultivation land in Jhenidah district.

They said a large quantity of flowers were rotten on the fields this year.

President of Shahbag Ful Market Committee Babul Proshad said: “Most of the flowers come from Jhikorgacha upazila under Jessore district and Jibon Nagar upazila under Chuadanga district. We have contracts with the farmers. We bring flowers from them on a daily basis.”

He said: “These days we are not being able to bring the flowers because of the blockades.

Two pickup vans were vandalised by pickets and at least 5000 pieces of flowers were destroyed by the pickets this month.”

President of Bangladesh Flower Growers and Exporters Association M Ahsan Ullah said: “Flowers mainly come from Jessore, Bagura and Chittagong districts. But transport workers fear to bring out vehicles during blockade, though, we managed to bring some flowers by vans from Jessore.”

“How can people be interested to buy flowers when they are scared to come out of home even? Government should pay attention in this sector,” urged Ahsan. l

Two nuns seen buying flowers ahead of Christmas

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, December 26, 2013

US cites ‘many concerns’ over China business practices n AFP, Washington The United States said Tuesday it harbored “many concerns” over China’s business practices, despite significant progress since the country’s 2001 accession to the World Trade Organisation.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued its findings in its annual report to Congress on China’s compliance with WTO regulations.

“While progress was made on some meaningful issues ... many issues of concern remain,” the USTR report said.

The United States has denounced Beijing’s practices before the WTO on numerous occasions since China was admitted to the WTO, regularly accusing it of limiting foreign companies’ access to its domestic market or illegally subsidizing its own industries.

The USTR called on China to “reduce the role of the state in planning the economy, reform state-owned enterprises, eliminate preferences for domestic national champions and remove market access barriers currently confronting foreign goods and services.”

The report welcomed an announcement by the Chinese Communist Party in November that the free market should be “decisive” and “dominant” but said Washington wanted to see the rhetoric “translate into changes.”

The USTR meanwhile called on Beijing to overhaul its legal structure in order to better protect intellectual property.

“Critical changes to China’s legal framework are still needed in several

areas, such as further improvement of China’s measures for copyright protection on the Internet,” the report said.

“Counterfeiting and piracy remain at unacceptably high levels and continue to cause serious harm to US businesses across many sectors of the economy.

“Indeed, in a study released in 2011, the US International Trade Commission estimated that US businesses suffered a total of $48 billion in lost sales, royalties and license fees due to IPR infringement in China in 2009.”

The USTR called on China to “eliminate the use of unauthorized software at all levels of government and to discourage the use of unauthorized software by enterprises, including major state-owned and state-invested enterprises.”

The USTR said China also continued to limit access to its market by foreign companies, in violation of WTO rules.

“China continued to pursue industrial policies in 2013 that seek to limit market access for imported goods, foreign manufacturers and foreign service suppliers, while offering substantial government guidance, resources and regulatory support to Chinese industries,” the summary said.

China remained among the “least transparent and predictable” of the world’s markets for agriculture products, largely because of selective intervention by the country’s regulatory authorities, the USTR said.

While the US would continue to engage in “productive” dialogue with China, Washington would “not hesitate” to invoke the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism if required. l

Oil prices rise amid South Sudan violence n AFP, New York Oil prices rose Tuesday on concerns that fighting in oil-producer South Sudan could curtail petroleum production.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in February advanced 31 cents to $99.22 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Trade ended early Tuesday due to the Christmas holiday.

European benchmark Brent oil for delivery in February gained 34 cents to $111.90 a barrel in London.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has warned warring factions that reports of crimes against humanity will be investigated.

Ban has also asked the Security Council to nearly double the size of the UN mission in the country Oil traders are keeping close eye on South Sudan, where United Nations officials say waves of violence have already claimed thousands of lives.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has warned warring factions that reports of crimes against humanity will be investigated.

Ban has also asked the Security Council to nearly double the size of the UN mission in the country.

Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho Securities, said South Sudan usually exports about 220,000 barrels a day to Japan, Malaysia and China.

“The rumour supposedly is that these barrels are still exporting,” Yawger said. “But they could start scaling back any day.”

“As the year comes to a close, the risk of an all out civil war that could stymie the country’s production of around 250,000 barrels per day is growing,” said JBC Energy in a note to clients.

After retreating for much of the late fall, oil prices have rallied over much of the last week on better economic data and continued supply problems in Libya.

On Tuesday, solid reports on US durable goods orders and new home sales strengthened confidence that the US economy is improving.

The weekly report on US oil inventories will be released Friday instead of Wednesday owing to the Christmas holiday. Analysts project US supplies fell 2.2 million barrels, according to a survey by the Wall Street Journal. l

A man walks near trucks parked in a shipping container area at Shanghai Yangshan port

REUTERS

China to aim for 7.5% growth in 2014 as exports recover n Reuters

China will likely stick with this year’s growth target of 7.5% for 2014 as top leaders balance the need to keep the economy on an even keel while pushing through necessary structural reforms, sources at top government think tanks said.

Growth will be supported by a steady recovery in China’s exports next year thanks to stronger demand from developed economies, the commerce ministry’s think tank said.

The 2014 growth target was endorsed at the annual Central Economic Work Conference earlier this month, when top leaders pledged to maintain policy stability and reasonable economic growth at the closed-door meeting.

Prior to the December 10-13 meeting, some top think tanks, including the State Information Centre and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, had proposed to lower next year’s growth target to 7% to create more room for reforms and discourage local governments from pursuing high growth rates.

Top leaders believe that maintaining

the 7.5% target will help keep growth humming to create more jobs, while providing wiggle room to deepen reforms, government economists involved in the discussions about the plans said.

“Two camps who proposed growth target – 7% or 7.5% - made their points.

But the government favours 7.5%,” said an economist at the State Information Centre, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Key economic targets for 2014 will be announced by the government during the annual parliament meeting in March.

The world’s second-largest economy is widely seen growing around 7.6-7.7% in 2013, just ahead of the government’s 7.5% growth target, but still near the weakest pace since the Asian 1997-98 financial crisis.

Stability remains the watchword as President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang seek to put the economy on a more sustainable footing. Li said economic growth of 7.2% was needed to keep a lid on unemployment.

Beijing had maintained a target for growth of 8% for eight years before cut-

ting it in 2012 to 7.5%.

Some policy advisers believe the government may change the way it manages the economy by avoiding setting a specific growth target next year in line with its pledge to allow market forces to play a decisive role allocating resources. At a key party plenum in November, Chinese leaders pledged to make the most sweeping changes to the economy and the country’s social fabric in nearly three decades.

“The government has said it will not intervene in allocating resources, so it will be difficult for it to set a target on economic growth,” said Zhao Xijun, deputy head of the Finance and Securities Institute at Renmin University in Beijing. “They can still refer to targets in 2013. To maintain stability means that economic growth cannot be lower than 2013 and inflation cannot be higher than 2013,” he said.

Stronger exports seen

The government may also stick with this year’s 3.5% inflation target for 2014, but economists cautioned that price pressures could rise as China frees up

Dollar higher in Asia n AFP, Tokyo

The dollar traded higher against major currencies in Asia yesterday following another batch of solid US economic data.

The greenback bought 104.39 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade from 104.27 yen in New York Tuesday afternoon.

The euro bought $1.3667 against $1.3681 while fetching 142.68 yen from 142.65 yen.

The November report on US durable goods orders showed a better-thanexpected increase of 3.5%. That was followed by a report on new home sales in the US that also beat forecasts.

Tuesday’s data came on the heels of other recent upbeat US economic reports, which have added fire to sentiment about the world’s biggest economy after the Federal Reserve last week moved to scale back its vast stimulus programme.

The dollar was likely to be susceptible to moves from Japanese corporate accounts on Christmas day in Asia when there would be fewer big players in the market, a senior dealer at a major Japanese trust bank told Dow Jones Newswires.

The thin trade of the holiday season may make the currency

market vulnerable to any unexpected headlines, he said.

The greenback was mostly lower against other Asia-Pacific currencies.

It fell to Sg$1.2675 from Sg$1.2683 on Tuesday, to 1,059.92 South Korean won from 1,060.45, to 12,201 Indonesian rupiah from 12,225 rupiah, to 32.74 Thai baht from 32.76 baht, and to 61.80 Indian rupees from 61.85 rupees.

It was flat at Tw$30.00 and at 44.34 Philippine pesos The Australian dollar edged up to 89.23 US cents from 89.12 cents. The Chinese yuan changed hands at 17.19 yen from 17.18 yen. l

DCSL signs agreement with Buro Bangladesh

NRBCB opens new branch NRB Commercial Bank Limited (NRBCB) inaugurated its 8th branch at Uttara recently. NRBCB Directors Rafikul Islam Mia Arzoo and Tamal S M parvez jointly inaugurated the branch. The inaugural ceremony was attended among others by the Chairman Engr Farasath Ali, VC Dr Toufique Rahman chowdhury, Direc-

tor Dr Nuran Nabi, Alternate Directors A K M Mostafizur Rahman, A M Saidur Rahman, Anwara Begum and Sponsor Dr Rafiqul Islam, Managing Director and CEO Dewan Mujibur Rahman, Additional Managing Director A S M Bulbul and Senior EVP Arif Mohammad Sahedul Haque. l

Mercantile Bank Limited (MBL) Chairman M Amanullah inaugurated its 90th Branch “Velanagar Branch” as chief guest of the opening ceremony at Chinishpur, Narsingdi.

Managing Director and CEO M Ehsanul Haque, Additional Managing Director Md Abdul Jalil Chowdhury, Head of Corporate Affairs (PRD) K M Abdur Razzaque and Head of Velanagar Branch Partha Sarker were present on the occasion

Dipon Consultancy Services Ltd (DCSL) as a part of Dipon Group’s ongoing efforts to expand banking services availability all over the country announces the signing of an agreement with Buro Bangladesh at a ceremony held recently.

Under this agreement, Buro Bangladesh with its 250 branches will act as a corporate agent of Dipon Group to offer Prime Cash Services throughout Bangladesh.

DCSL Director Shafquat Matin and Buro Bangladesh Executive Director Zakir Hossain signed the agreement on their companies’ behalf. The deal aims to introduce basic banking facilities such as disbursement of remittance, money transfer, cash deposit, withdrawal, account opening, DPS, Mobile Top-up, etc. across the country.

DCSL Director Syed JavedIqbal, Business Development Manager Shah Hasibur Rahman and Finance Director M Mosharrof Hossain, Special Program Director Md Sirajul Islam, Operation Director Md Mukitul Islam, Risk Management and Internal Audit Director Khandaker Mahfuzur Rahman and Buro Bangladesh Special Program Deputy Director Pranesh Chandra Banik were present during the signing ceremony. l

energy and utility prices. Annual inflation in 2013 is seen at 2.6-2.7%, below the target.

With developed economies showing signs of sustained recovery, the government has more confidence in targeting steady economic growth next year, economists said.

The commerce ministry’s think thank forecast that China’s exports may grow at least 10% in 2014 thanks to improved global demand, especially from developed countries.

“The external environment may show some improvements from this year. Exports could grow 10% or slightly faster,” Li Jian, head of foreign trade research of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told Reuters. Exports are on track to grow around 8% this year.

But the yuan’s appreciation, along with rising wages, is putting pressure on local exporters, Li said. The yuan has risen around 36% since its landmark revaluation in 2005.

“It’s very difficult for exporters to cope with the appreciation. Some firms have hit the wall,” he said. l

Japanese automakers' sales in China surge in November

n AFP, Tokyo

Leading Japanese automakers saw their best November sales ever last month, in stark contrast to a year ago when shipments plunged amid a deep territorial row between Tokyo and Beijing. Industry leader Toyota said its sales in China for the month reached 90,000 units, up 40.7% from a year ago, driven by popularity of its flagship models, including Camry, Corolla and Rav4. Rival Nissan said sales in China nearly doubled to 131,778 vehicles, thanks to motorists' appetite for the Sylphy series and Qashqai. l

BB, FSIBL sign agreement for JICA fund

Grameenphone launches 3G in Barisal Grameenphone (GP) launched 3G for its customers in Barisal on commercial basis with colourful programmes on December 24.

The inauguration programme was held at GP Regional Office with presence of senior government officials and local dignitaries. The guests were given live experience of different services of 3G. Barisal City Corporation Mayor Md Ahsan Habib Kamal was the chief guest of the inaugural session.

GP Regional Head A M Sazzad Hossain

and Technology Region Head Nandan Kumar Saha were present on the occasion.

Following areas of Barisal City and its outskirts are under 3G coverage now: Kashipur Bus Stand, Boiddyopara, Natullah Badh Bus Stand, Sinha Road Kawnia, Gorosthan Road, Kirod Mukharjee Lane, Nazir Market, Shahapara, Circuit House, Police line, Launch Ghat, Medical College, Stadium, Amtola Bus Stop, Rupatoli Bus Stand and Barisal Cadet College. l

Bangladesh Bank (BB) signed corporate agreement with First Security Islami Bank Limited (FSIBL) for JICA Assisted Financial Sector Project for the Development of Small & Medium Sized Enterprises (BD-P67) recently.

BB SME & Special Programmers Department General Manager Sukamal Sinha Choudhury is seen exchanging agreement with FSIBL Managing Director A A M Zakaria. Among others BB Executive Director A H M KaiKasru, SME & SPD Deputy General Manager Md Masum Patwary, and FSIBL Head of Investment Division Md Zahurul Haque and SME Division Official Santush Chandra Sarker were also present on the occasion. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Change in weighted average Price to NAV ratio of the mutual fund sector in the last two months

4,500 4,350

0.97x

4,200 0.89x 4,050 0.81x

3,900

0.73x

3,750

0.65x

3,600 6-Oct

20-Oct 27-Oct 3-Nov 10-Nov 17-Nov 24-Nov 1-Dec DSEX (RHS)

8-Dec 15-Dec 22-Dec

Price/NAV (LHS)

Source: BRAC EPL Research, DSE

85% mutual funds being traded at discount

'Either the investors don’t understand mutual funds or they don’t trust the fund managers' AMCL Islamic, ICB AMCL 1st NRB n Tahmidur Rahman Mutual Fund and 2nd ICB MF. Thirty five mutual funds out of 41 are still being traded at discounts at the stock markets as reflected in the recent disclosures of net asset value (NAV) of the closed-end mutual funds.

The funds’ closing prices as of December 22, the sectoral price to NAV ratio went up slightly to 0.77times against 0.74 last week Analysts said this is due to the ongoing political unrest.

The funds’ closing prices as of December 22, the sectoral price to NAV ratio went up slightly to 0.77times against 0.74 last week.

Among the six overvalued funds, Prime Finance First Mutual Fund has the highest price to NAV ratio of 2.22 times, followed by Grameen Mutual Fund One, Mutual Fund Grameen One – Scheme Two, ICB

Sectoral P/E & EPS SECTOR Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Textile Pharma. & Chemical Paper & Printing

Service Leather Ceramic Cement IT General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Stock Exchanges

On the other hand, Green Delta Mutual Fund (managed by LR Global) is being traded at the highest discount of 43% in tie with PHP First Mutual Fund (managed by RACE) and DBH First Mutual Fund (managed by LR Global).

“Many mutual funds generated higher returns than the market return in last couple of years.

Despite that, the funds are trading at such huge discounts,” said Shahidul Islam, CEO of VIPB Asset Management Company Limited.

“Either the investors don’t understand mutual funds or they don’t trust the fund managers.”

On Tuesday, Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) has been allowed to convert its eight mutual funds from closed-end to open-end funds by December 31 next year.

The market capitalisation of the funds stood at Tk3,630 crore while assets under management of the sector stood at Tk4,690 crore at the start of the current week. l

PE RATIO DSE

CSE

7.06 16.94 8.80 23.06 27.26 11.51 14.89 23.74 37.44

7.03 17.40 8.93 23.08 27.92 11.41 14.20 23.36 37.69

18.94 15.94 26.13 15.47 20.64 18.23 25.31 16.08 16.20 13.59

19.13 16.37 26.08 15.46 20.75 18.08 25.65 16.06 18.14 13.61

13.00

ANALYST

12.86

Name of mutual fund

DSE ticker

First Janata Bank Mutual Fund 1st ICB M.F. Prime Finance First Mutual Fund 2nd ICB M.F. 3rd ICB M.F. 4th ICB M.F. 5th ICB M.F. 6th ICB M.F. 7th ICB M.F. 8th ICB M.F.

1JANATAMF 1STICB 1STPRIMFMF 2NDICB 3RDICB 4THICB 5THICB 6THICB 7THICB 8THICB

AB Bank 1st Mutual Fund AIBL 1st Islamic Mututal Fund AIMS 1st M.F. DBH First Mutual Fund EBL First Mutual Fund EBL NRB Mutual Fund EXIM Bank 1st Mutual Fund First Bangladesh Fixed Income Fund Grameen Mutual Fund One MF Grameen One : Scheme Two Green Delta Mutual Fund ICB AMCL 1st NRB Mutual Fund ICB AMCL 2nd NRB Mutual Fund ICB AMCL Third NRB Mutual Fund ICB AMCL Second Mutual Fund ICB Employees Provident MF 1: Scheme 1 ICB AMCL Islamic ICB AMCL Sonali Bank Limited 1st Mutual Fund IFIC Bank 1st Mutual Fund IFIL Islamic Mututal Fund-1 LR Global Bangladesh Mutual Fund One MBL 1st Mutual Fund NCCBL Mutual Fund -1 NLI First Mutual Fund Phoenix Finance 1st Mutual Fund PHP First Mutual Fund Popular Life First Mutual Fund Prime Bank 1st ICB AMCL Mutual Fund Reliance Insurance Mutual Fund Southeast Bank 1st Mutual Fund Trust Bank 1st Mutual Fund

ABB1STMF AIBL1STIMF AIMS1STMF DBH1STMF EBL1STMF EBLNRBMF EXIM1STMF FBFIF GRAMEEN1 GRAMEENS2 GREENDELMF ICB1STNRB ICB2NDNRB ICB3RDNRB ICBAMCL2ND ICBEPMF1S1 ICBISLAMIC ICBSONALI1 IFIC1STMF IFILISLMF1 LRGLOBMF1 MBL1STMF NCCBLMF1 NLI1STMF PF1STMF PHPMF1 POPULAR1MF PRIME1ICBA RELIANCE1 SEBL1STMF TRUSTB1MF

Fund manager

Price to NAV

RACE ICB ICB AMCL ICB ICB ICB ICB ICB ICB ICB

RACE LR Global AIMS LR Global RACE RACE RACE RACE AIMS AIMS LR Global ICB AMCL ICB AMCL ICB AMCL ICB AMCL ICB AMCL ICB AMCL ICB AMCL RACE ICB AMCL LR Global LR Global LR Global VIPB ICB AMCL RACE RACE ICB AMCL AIMS VIPB RACE

35.89

Market share

9.95 1,100.50 11.56 248.56 223.43 234.59 192.59 57.36 98.06 64.53

7 7.2 41.7 5.6 7.1 7.5 7.8 9.1 46.7 18.2 5.3 25.5 9.6 5.1 5.8 5.9 18 7.9 6.6 5.6 6.7 6.1 8.4 9.2 5.5 5.5 6 5.5 8.5 8 7.3

11.13 10.07 47.58 9.8 9.83 10.35 10.99 10.65 31.21 17.15 9.37 24.98 10.97 7.33 8.16 7.48 17.24 10.06 10.23 9.1 10.5 9.85 11.1 11.58 7.12 9.69 10.33 7.47 12.01 11.2 10.3

3% 2% 1% 0% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

3% 2% 5% 2% 2% 4% 2% 14% 3% 7% 2% 1% 3% 1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 2% 2% 6% 2% 3% 1% 1% 3% 3% 2% 1% 2% 4%

Redemption year 2020 2014 2015 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014

2022 2021 2015 2019 2019 2021 2023 2022 2015 2023 2020 2017 2018 2019 2019 2019 2014 2023 2019 2019 2021 2021 2022 2022 2019 2020 2020 2019 2021 2021 2019

Average daily turnover last week (in million Taka) 1.17 0 30.6 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.08 0.83 0.01 0.41

3.54 0.36 48.16 1.56 10.15 1.27 0.02 0.14 25.76 48.53 0.67 0.08 1.49 1.2 0.16 0.67 0.41 5.29 2.89 1.16 1 0.5 0.32 13.62 1 2.83 3.28 4.1 6.51 8.83 4.97

Price/NAV of the fund managers

1.10

VIPB 4%

1.07

1.00

ICB 6%

0.90

ICB AMCL 15%

RACE 42%

0.84

0.84

0.80

0.75

0.71

0.70

LR Global 16%

0.65

0.60

AIMS 17%

AIMS

ICB AMCL

ICB

VIPB

RACE

LR Global

Source: BRAC EPL Research, DSE Source: BRAC EPL Research, DSE

MON TUE

20.26 130.73 14.40 45.83 12.25 22.81 46.95 122.50 21.72 28.00 35.70

Upcoming events Dividend/AGM

shareholders other than the Sponsor shareholders, Directors and Deposed Directors, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 28.11.2013.

30.12.2013, RD: 04.12.2013.

USMANIAGL: 11% Cash & 10% Stock, AGM: 27.12.2013, RD: 07.11.2013.

DESCO: 10% Cash & 15% Stock, AGM: 04.01.2014, RD: 05.11.2013.

PRIMETEX: 10% Cash, AGM: 28.12.2013, RD: 12.11.2013.

ANWARGALV: 7% Case for general shareholders, AGM: 13.01.2014, RD: 11.11.2013.

DELTASPINN: 10% Cash, AGM: 28.12.2013. RD: 21.11.2013.

MPETROLEUM: 70% Cash & 20% Stock, AGM: 17.01.2014, RD: 28.11.2013.

LIBRAINFU: 20% Cash, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 12.11.2013.

ATLASBANG: 50% Cash, AGM: 28.12.2013, RD: 01.12.2013. EPS of Tk. 9.14, NAV per share of Tk. 222.05.

POWERGRID: 15% Cash, AGM: 18.01.2014, Time: 10:00 AM. RD: 01.12.2013.

FUWANGFOOD: 10% Stock, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 20.11.2013.

DESHBANDHU: 5% Stock, AGM: 29.12.2013, RD: 29.10.2013.

OLYMPIC: 10% Cash and 50% Stock, EGM and AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 21.11.2013.

METROSPIN: 10% Stock, AGM: 30.12.2013, RD: 17.11.2013.

ZAHINTEX: 5% Cash, 15% Stock, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 07.11.2013.

DAFODILCOM: No dividend, AGM: 30.12.2013, RD: 21.11.2013.

PHARMAID: 15% Cash, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 04.12.2013.

HAKKANIPUL: 5% Cash, AGM: 30.12.2013, RD: 13.11.2013.

RAHIMAFOOD: 10% Cash to the

GEMINISEA: No dividend, AGM:

ECABLES: 10% cash, AGM: 01.03.2014, RD: 29.12.2013.

BDCOM: 10% Stock, AGM: 25.12.2013, RD: 17.11.2013.

KNOWING THE BASICS

It is a large fund made up of a pool of smaller funds collected from many investors for the purpose of investing in securities such as stocks, bonds, money market instruments fixed income assets.

The funds are operated by money (fund) managers, who invest the fund's capital and attempt to produce capital gains and income for the fund's investors. The fund management company cuts an annual percentage of the managed fund yearly for the service. Investors who are not familiar with the market dynamics are advised to invest in such a fund in order to make a sound investment.

The entire fund is divided into smaller unit with each representing (face value) Tk10. Each unit's value

Latest NAV/unit (Dec 22, 2013)

6 841.1 25.7 252.1 190.5 190.5 157.9 52 86 52.3

63% 71% 88% 57% 72% 72% 71% 85% 150% 106% 57% 102% 88% 70% 71% 79% 104% 79% 65% 62% 64% 62% 76% 79% 77% 57% 58% 74% 71% 71% 71%

EPS (%) DSE CSE 31.01 31.01 27.40 27.76 10.26 10.26 29.58 28.84 121.96 123.22 63.49 63.49 22.31 22.25 52.26 46.20 8.39 8.92

20.26 108.57 14.40 45.83 12.25 22.05 46.95 122.50 22.93 28.75

Current price (Dec 24, 2013)

60% 76% 222% 101% 85% 81% 82% 91% 88% 81%

Market share of the fund managers

Many mutual funds generated higher returns than the market return in last couple of years. Despite that the funds are trading at such huge discounts

Mutual Fund

B3

Thursday, December 26, 2013

MUTUAL FUNDS

1.05x

29-Sep

Stock

goes up as the fund performs well and the opposite when it incurs losses.

The value, each unit of a mutual fund holds is called Net Asset Value (NAV) per unit that is to be given back to the unit holders at the end of the fund's life, usually referred as redemption. Redemption is the process of giving the unit holder the net asset value (NAV) per unit in cash with certain percentage deducted for the transaction cost (2.5%) in a predetermined year.

Currently there are 41 mutual funds in the Dhaka Stock Exchange and so far only two mutual funds have redeemed.

One of the main advantages of mutual funds is that they give small investors access to professionally

FUWANGCER: 10% Stock, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 13.11.2013.

managed, diversified portfolios of equities, bonds and other securities, which would be quite difficult (if not impossible) to create with a small amount of capital.

The funds publish its updated Net Asset Value on the first session of every week that are available in the DSE news server. According to the NAV declaration, if the market price of the unit is lower, that means the unit is theoretically underpriced and the unit is overpriced market price is higher than NAV. However, the NAV of the fund has also been invested in the capital market meaning it is also exposed to market rise.

The unit holders are often rewarded by means of (cash and stock) dividends. l

STANCERAM: 10% Cash, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 19.11.2013.

MONNOCERA: 5% Cash, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 13.11.2013.

PTL: 12% Stock, AGM: 30.12.2013, RD: 12.12.2013.

EASTRNLUB: 30% Cash, AGM: 25.01.2014, RD: 04.12.2013.

JAMUNAOIL: 90% Cash & 10% Stock, AGM: 25.01.2014, RD: 04.12.2013.

SAVAREFR: No dividend, AGM: 30.01.2014, RD: 19.12.2013.

PADMAOIL: 90% Cash, 10% Stock, AGM: 15.02.2014, RD: 23.12.2013.

SAMORITA: 30% Stock, AGM: 11.01.2014, RD: 25.11.2013.

Business Realtors, buyers in deep trouble

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Real estate has become a popular investment avenue during 2009-10 when it was booming and prices of property prices went sky-high. Prices plateaued in 2011 and 2012 before beginning to nosedive early this year nologies, Intimate Home Builders and lation of apartment houses, mostly n Kayes Sohel booked nearly one year ago, is gradStyle Real Estate.

Like hundreds of real estate investors, Arifur Rahman (not his real name) wanted to take benefit out of rising property prices. He had invested in plots of a real estate company that launched several projects in the city and adjacent areas. l REHAB cancelled its five members in

response to complaints by clients of not refunding millions of taka

l Even after 30% drop in apartment

prices in last one and a half year, offering up to 25% discount and wide range of gifts such as LCD televisions and cars, realtors have failed to hook expected buyers

Impressed by a company’s advertisements, Rahman invested in multiple plots in the outskirts of Dhaka city in 2010. Around 20 of his friends and relatives also invested in the projects, speculating high returns. But drastic fall in land, plot and apartment units dashed their hopes.

Many wanted to link the fate of the real estate market with the stock market crash after 2010.

“Our combined investment was around Tk100 crore. Each one in our group booked plots in these projects,” says Rahman.

But the projects, which were scheduled to be ready by 2012, have been suspended and his queries sent to the company went unanswered. “Some of the projects where we invested were yet to take off,” said Rahman.

The story of Khan Mohammad Asfaq Hasan, a 30-year old, is grimmer than that of Rahman. Hasan invested Tk50 lakh in a project of Canadian Garden City in Naraynganj, a concern of Global Neway, in January, 2012 by selling his ancestral land and borrowing from his relatives.

“The company promised to hand

Japan OKs record budget, sees deflation threat recede n AFP, Tokyo Japan approved its biggest ever budget Tuesday, as an improving economy and a sales tax hike made room for more defence spending and the first step towards achieving a balanced budget.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet rubber-stamped a plan that will see the government spend 95.88tn yen ($922bn) in the year from April 2014, up from 92.61tn yen the previous year.

The figure is the largest in Japan’s history due to changes in accounting rules and the sales tax, which will rise from five percent to eight on April 1.

The budget came on the day that a key government report dropped the word “deflation” for the first time in more than four years, saying the economy “is on the way to recovery at a modest pace”.

The lion’s share of the extra revenue generated by the sales tax rise is earmarked for spending on snow-balling medical fees and other social welfare costs.

Even so, the projected primary balance deficit - the shortfall between what the government gets and what it spends on everything apart from debt-servicing - is expected to shrink by 5.2tn yen to 18tn.

That means Japan’s national debt already the highest proportionately in the industrialised world - will continue to rise, but at a slower pace.

The government’s official policy is that Japan’s primary balance should be in surplus by 2020, although most analysts expect that target to be missed.

In line with defence policies announced last week that are intended to shore up the way Japan protects its remote islands at a time of rising tensions with China, military spending will increase for the second consecutive year.

Overall it will rise 2.8% to 4.88tn yen, accounting for 5.1% of the whole budget.

The bulk of the increase reflects salary hikes, with the remaining 0.8% set aside for new fighter jets, drones and a new amphibious unit.

Until last year, Japan’s military budget had been shrinking for a decade, in contrast with China’s, which has seen double digit rises most years over the same period. l

A panoramic view of the capital city Dhaka over the plot by 2012 but is yet to fulfill its commitments,” Hasan said. Rather, the company’s brokers, who tantalised me before, now intimidated me. They threatened to humiliate me when I asked to get my money back,” he said.

Abul Kashem was slightly luckier than Rahman and Hasan. Kashem had booked a 1,150 square feet apartment unit in a project of Multi Plus Engineering Construction Ltd in Khilgaon in mid-2011.

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

He paid Tk200,000 as an enrolment fee for two apartment units diverting his fund from stock market that was on declining trend at that time.

“And now the real estate sector condition is not good. Then, I asked the company to return my money. Fortunately, I have a friend in the company.

So, I easily got the money back,” he said.

Many small real estate companies are on the verge of closure, leaving

behind investors with nothing except purchase agreements, said an industry insider.

Recently, Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB), a platform of realtors, cancelled its five members in response to complaints lodged by their clients of not refunding millions of taka to them.

The five companies are Green Delta Housing and Development, RSA Real Estate, Janata Development and Tech-

Real estate has become a popular investment avenue during 2009-10 when it was booming and prices of property prices went sky-high. Before beginning to nosedive in property prices from early this year, it had remained flat in 2011 and 2012.

The builders, however, blamed economic slowdown and political chaos for slump in their sales. The combined unsold apartment units of the realtors in Dhaka is 20,000 to 22,000 valued more than Tk3,300 crore, which is more than 24% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the REHAB. The situation might look even grimmer if the figures for unfinished projects or those under construction were to be included. For the entire sector, the unsold apartments could be many times more, as a majority of the developers, estimated nearly 500, are not REHAB members.

Even after 30% drop in apartment prices in last one and a half year, offering up to 25% discount and wide range of gifts such as LCD televisions and cars, realtors have failed to hook expected buyers.

“Realtors, already weighed on electricity shortage, started feeling the pain of economic slowdown and deepening political uncertainty,” said REHAB President Nasirul Hamid.

REHAB Vice President Liakat Ali Bhuiyan estimated that apartment sales in recent time fell more than 50% due to economic slowdown, electricity shortage and the sorry-state of the capital market. Construction works of around 10,000 units have already been suspended because of the strikes and blockades, he said.

Sheltech Managing Director Toufiq M Seraj said that his company experienced 30% drop in sales in the recent months.

But most alarming is that cancel-

One year later, Japanese PM has big ‘to do’ list

NEWS IN BRIEF Japan drops ‘deflation’ from report, first in four years

n AFP, Tokyo A year after a landslide national election, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is riding high as his plan to rescue the economy earns praise at home and abroad, but chinks in his armour are beginning to show.

The unprecedented policy blitz, dubbed Abenomics, ushered in growth that led G7 nations in the first half of the year, stoked a sizzling stock market rally and offered a tantalising end to years of deflation.

When Abe formed his cabinet on December 26 he had the backing of a large proportion of the population to follow through with a pledge to reverse two decades of lacklustre growth and debilitating deflation.

Then at the beginning of 2013 he declared that “Japan is back” in a speech to the New York Stock Exchange, saying his prescription of big government spending and monetary easing would reinvigorate the world’s number-three economy.

He embarked on a roadshow abroad to sell Brand Japan, including signing a nuclear reactor deal in Turkey and focussing on fast-growing economies in Southeast Asia.

“This has been a very hectic year, travelling a lot overseas,” Abe said in speech last week, adding he visited over two dozen countries since election night.

His globetrotting burnished an image of a strong leader committed to getting things done in a country where the pace of policy is often glacial.

And Tokyo’s winning bid to host the 2020 Olympics gave national pride another shot in the arm, as well as promises of further economic benefits.

“Abenomics definitely deserves praise,” said Ivan Tselichtchev, economics professor at Niigata University of Management. “It has greatly improved sentiment among investors and consumers which is a positive for economy.”

Applause for the two-time premier is a far cry from 2006 when his term ended in ignominy and illness after just a year in office.

This time around, Abe’s efforts are bearing fruit. His policies and those of his new central bank governor Haruhiko Kuroda helped sharply weaken the yen - the unit has lost a fifth of its value against the dollar this year, giving a boost to exporters - while the stock market has surged more than 50% to a six-

ually increasing over the last eight months, he said. In the last one year, cancellation rate rose to 25%, enlarging the list of backlog of apartment units, he said.

Tanveerul Haque Probal, managing director of Building For Future, also attributed to a combination of political instability and poor economic growth.

The country’s economy grew more than 6% in the last three years.

“Unsold apartment houses are growing. People are cautious ahead of national election and some are expecting more fall in property prices,” he said. “The market is actually almost bottoming out.”

The real estate sector contributes to about 12-14% of the country’s GDP and employs about one lakh skilled and about 35 lakh unskilled workers. It emerged in its present form in the early eighties.

Policy Research Institute Executive Director Ahsan H Mansur said the real estate sector has no entry barrier.

“With the stock market booming and no let-up in demand for real estate, a number of players have entered the scene. Though not all new developers are dubious, many investors fall prey to unscrupulous companies,” he said.

Until there are entry barriers and tough rules for developers, it’s your responsibility to verify the builders’ past track record before investment, he said.

According to Sheltech Field Survey in 2010, Dhaka is presently growing with an unprecedented growth accommodating more than 600,000 people per year, meaning every year more than 120,000 units are required to house them.

In this situation, the supply in the city is only around 25,000 units, of which real estate developers contribute 15,000 units and the remaining by the individual developers, said the survey. l

A key Japanese government economy report on Tuesday dropped the word “deflation” from the text for the first time in four years, but analysts warned the battle against falling prices was far from won. The cabinet’s December report gave an upbeat assessment of the world’s third largest economy despite signs of in recent months of a slowdown. “The Japanese economy is on the way to recovery at a moderate pace,” the report said. “Private consumption is picking up. Prices are holding firm.” It was the first time the government report had not used the word “deflation” in its assessment since November 2009 when it acknowledged sustained price falls following the 2008 onset of the global financial crisis. – AFP

Crude prices mixed in quiet Asian trade

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe year high.

Economic growth slowed in the third quarter, but business confidence remains at a six-year high, while a key inflation indicator in October rose at the fastest pace since the late Nineties.

But observers say firms must now raise wages so employees have more to spend, driving the economy and giving the corporate sector confidence to expand.

An increase in pay packets is even more crucial ahead of a sales tax rise next year to 8% from 5%, a move aimed at shrinking Japan’s huge national debt, proportionately the worst among wealthy nations.

The International Monetary Fund, among others, has welcomed Tokyo’s efforts to get its fiscal house in order, but the tax rise has stoked fears it will derail a recovery. The last sales tax rise, in 1997, foreshadowed the fall into deflation.

‘I’m worried about our future’ And while the economy is moving to move in the right direction, there is a growing disillusionment with the leadership.

An unpopular state secrets bill, raw tensions with China and South Korea,

REUTERS

and growing doubts about Tokyo’s printand-spend economic policies are beginning to test Abe’s popularity.

“My husband’s salary has not changed in the past eight years and now rising prices are affecting the family’s budget,” said 42-year-old Tokyo resident Yasuyo Sakata.

“Abenomics is for other people. I haven’t felt any positive impact from it, and I’m worried about our future.”

Criticism like Sakata’s is a worry for Abe, whose place in the history books rests on him convincing ordinary people that his much-lauded policies will help them, rather than just lift company profits and share prices.

For detractors such as Noriko Hama, economics professor at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Abenomics is “a bunch of all the wrong ideas for all the wrong reasons”, a money-printing exercise that will saddle Japan with more debt.

Critics and advocates alike have warned that promised economic reforms - including more flexible labour markets and free trade deals - are essential for the growth plan to work.

“Progress on structural reforms has been disappointing,” Capital Economics

said.

While Abe’s first year largely focused on the economy, he wobbled on the diplomatic front, and ties with China and South Korea, soured over separate territorial disputes, remain poor. The spectre of an unpredictable North Korea also lurks in the background.

His donations to a controversial war shrine and pledges to spend billions of dollars building up the armed forces has unnerved neighbours wary of Japan’s imperialist aggression in the 20th century.

The military is limited to self-defence under Japan’s pacifist constitution - a restriction Abe would like to change.

His government continues to face opposition over plans to re-start nuclear reactors shut down after the 2011 Fukushima crisis, and a broad state secrets law lambasted by critics as “the largest threat to democracy in post-war Japan”.

Abe’s first year has gone “smoother than we thought,” said Shinichi Nishikawa, politics professor at Tokyo’s Meiji University.

“But the real tests are still ahead next year will be crucial for Abe, and for Japan.” l

Oil prices were mixed in quiet Christmas Eve trade in Asia Tuesday as dealers engaged in profit-taking with a lack of leads to spur fresh market movement, analysts said.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for February delivery, was down 24 cents at $98.67 while Brent North Sea crude for February gained eight cents to $111.64. – AFP

American Express to pay $75.7m for overbilling Credit-card giant American Express Tuesday announced a $75.7m settlement to resolve charges that it overbilled consumers and misled customers on services provided.

American Express, a Dow component, will pay $16.2m in fines and at least $59.5 million in customer remediation, the company said. – AFP

Russia files first WTO complaint against EU Russia has accused the European Union of violating global free trade measures in its first complaint before the World Trade Organisation, the economy ministry said Tuesday. The procedure has to do with “a violation by the EU of anti-dumping provisions of the WTO agreement,” said spokeswoman Yulia Chkanikova. The complaint is the first Russia has filed since it joined the global trade body in August 2012, the economy ministry said. – AFP