January 01, 2014

Poush 18, 1420 Safar 28, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 278

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

The year of the snake

20 pages plus 8-page Treehouse and 48-page year-end special supplement | Price: Tk10

The special year-end supplement

Bleak outlook for economy in new year Continued political turmoil may lead to a collapse Sohel and n Kayes Asif Showkat Kallol Ali Azgar, a cauliflower grower from Narsingdi, said most of his harvest this year had rotten away unsold, for it could not reach the markets in absence of transportation amid all the political turmoil.

“I am wondering how I will pay back the Tk20,000 bank loan. Maybe next year I will have to drive a rickshaw,” he said.

Like Azgar, most of the economy is looking on to bleak economic prospects in the new year.

Economists and market stakeholders have warned that the country might plunge into an economic downturn if the political turmoil continues for more than another two or three months.

P16 ECONOMY IN RETROSPECT They estimate that GDP growth might plunge below 5%, much lower than the budgetary projection of 7.2% for the current fiscal year and close to the International Monetary Fund’s forecast of 5.5% and the World Bank’s 5.7%.

Bangladesh Bank has already revised down and said growth is likely to be between 5.7% and 6%.

The fabric of the economy has already been shattered due to long spells of political violence and blockades, with all sectors facing losses.

The economic slowdown means the country may face a multitude of problems, including financial sector collapse, increased unemployment and poverty, reduced growth and slow social development.

“We are moving backwards fast. It looks bad for the economy,” said Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of economic think-tank Policy Research Institute.

He said the country was on its way

GREETINGS The Dhaka Tribune family wishes a very happy New Year to all our readers, well-wishers, advertisers, and newspaper agents.

to lose what it had achieved since its independence.

“This is the worst situation in terms loss of income, loss of opportunities and loss of life…everything,” he said.

“No one is saying growth will be below 6% now. They are saying it will be below 5%, as there is no sign that the crisis will be resolved anytime soon. Politicians are beating around the bush.”

Cultivation of the country’s largest crop, Boro, is facing a serious supply crunch of fertilisers and diesel. This could pose a serious threat for the country’s food security.

Echoing Mansur, economist MA Taslim said if political turbulence continued for another one or two months, the GDP growth might drop below 5%.

Production, consumption, supply chain, investment, export and import have already been badly hit by the political turmoil, he said.

“But I am afraid that if the banking system collapses, whole economy might break down,” he said.

Taslim, the chairman of Dhaka University economics department, said if the communications system continued to crumble, food prices would go further up, fuelling inflation.

“I have never seen a worse situation since the independence,” he remarked.

“We are not feeling the impact of the economic damage that the country has already suffered because of the economic strength we have built up since the 1980s,” Taslim said.

The implementation of Annual Development Programme (ADP) would also definitely face setbacks, he added.

Center for Policy Dialogue Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya told the Dhaka Tribune that two decades of continued development and democratic management was facing a big risk this year and the economic crisis would deepen if the election took place.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

A year full of political turmoil that has immensly affected the lives of commoners finally comes to an end. With chances of respite anytime soon looking bleak on the New Year’s Eve, people write down their resolutions and expectations for peace on a giant sheet of paper at a programme in the capital yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Mozena visits ‘confined’ Khaleda n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla US ambassador to Dhaka Dan W Mozena yesterday paid a visit to “beleaguered” Leader of the Opposition Khaldea Zia who had been held in “confinement” since December 24 midnight.

Mozena at his meeting with Khaleda underscored the “ever more urgent need for the parties to engage in serious dialogue immediately to find an agreed way forward to free and fair elections that are credible in the eyes of the Bangladeshi people.”

The atmosphere around Khaleda’s house yesterday was a bit relaxed with no leaders and activists visible in the vicinity of her house.

Even the number of lawenforcers, journalist and curious people was less than the last few days.

At 3pm Mozena stepped in Khalea’s

One dies as non-stop blockade begins today n Ashif Islam Shaon The BNP-led opposition-sponsored non-stop blockade of rail, roads and waterways starts from 6am today, the New Year’s Day, with a vow to “resist the one-sided January 5 election.”

The fresh agitation programme, which is the sixth in its kind since the election commission announced the polls schedule in November, was called Monday night following government’s use of excessive force to foil the opposition’s Dhaka march.

A few district units of the BNP observed demonstration called by the party yesterday.

Meanwhile, the local unit of the 18-party opposition alliance has called a 36-hour hartal beginning at 6am to-

day in Bogra, the home district of BNP founder late president Ziaur Rahman, protesting the “confinement” of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. Since November 26, the BNP-led 18-party alliance has enforced a nationwide blockade of roads, rail and waterways for 22 days in phases demanding the cancellation of the January 5 polls.

More than 120 people lost their lives in violent clashes, arson, blasts and killing that happened almost every day in the previous back-to-back blockades.

Yesterday, a victim of bomb blast Tuhin Chowkider, 38, succumbed to his injuries at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital Barisal.

Police said miscreants hurled the bomb when he was going to Dhakakandi  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

residence and held one-and-a-half hour-long meeting. At 3:05pm, BNP chairperson’s advisers Reaz Rahman and Sabihuddin Ahmed entered to accompany Khaleda.

‘The incidents on Sunday at the Supreme Court, press club and Dhaka University were most disturbing as they were contrary to the democratic process and must not be allowed to recur’ After the meeting neither Mozena nor BNP leaders briefed the media rather a representative from the US embassy issued a press release about the meeting issues.

“He [Moznea] wanted to talk to you [media] but he could not due to unavoidable reasons. You understand…,” Syed Shahnawaz Mohsin, a media

official of the US embassy, told the reporters.

The US envoy went to Khaleda’s residence just after a day of British High Commissioner to Dhaka Robert Gibson’s visit to Khaleda at her abode.

In the press release, Mozena said the government should provide political space to the opposition and it was the responsibility of the opposition to use the space peacefully.

“BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and I [Mozena] discussed the democratic process, the responsibility that the government has to provide political space to the opposition so that it can freely express its political views, and the responsibility that the opposition has to use the space peacefully.”

Mozena also said: “I noted that the incidents on Sunday at the Supreme Court, press club and Dhaka University  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Hoisted by their own petard n Emran Hossain Shaikh

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not have the chance to cast votes in the January 5 polls, as the two constituencies they are voters of have got their MPs already elected uncontested.

Hamid is a voter of Kishoreganj 4 constituency, comprising Itna, Mithamoin and Ashtagram upazilas of the district. The president is a voter of the Kamalpur village of Mithamoin.

Hamid’s son Rezwan Ahmed Toufiq, an Awami League candidate, was elected member from the seat for the 10th parliament unopposed.

Election Commission sources said Sheikh Hasina is a voter of Dhaka 10 constituency, comprising Dhanmondi and Hazaribagh. Sudha Sadan, the house owned by Hasina, is located  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Court orders arrest of Tazreen owner, 5 others n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka Court yesterday issued arrest warrants against six fugitive accused including Tazreen Fashions Limited owners Delwar Hossain and his wife, a year after the tragic deaths of over 110 workers at the factory.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Wasim Sheikh issued the warrants after taking into cognisance the charge sheet filed against 13 people.

The court also ordered the investigation officer and the police station concerned to submit a report before the court whether the fugitive people were arrested or not by February 25.

Investigation Officer AKM Mohosin-uz Zaman Khan, also a CID inspector, pressed the charges on December 22.

If the charges – filed under penal code – are proved, the accused may be punished by maximum life imprisonment or minimum seven years’ rigorous imprisonment.

The fugitive accused are Delwar Hossain, also the managing director, his

wife and Chairman Mahmuda Akhter, Factory Manager Abdur Razzaq, Quality Control Manager Shahiduzzaman Dulal, Engineer M Mahabubul Morshed and Production Manager Mobarak Hossain Manju.

The remaining seven are Administrative Officer Dulal, Securityin-Charge Anisur Rahman, Security Supervisor Al-Amin, Store-in-Charge Hamidul Islam Lavlu and Al-Amin, loader Shamim Miah and security guard Rana alias Anwarul. Of them, all but Anisur are on bail.

The IO said the prosecution would produce 104 witnesses in the case.

According to the charges, the accused did not allow the workers to get out of the factory saying that the fire alarm was part of “drill procedures,” the court’s additional public prosecutor Anwarul Kabir Babul told the Dhaka Tribune.

The November 24 fire at Tazreen Fashions at Nishchintapur of Ashulia raised a wave of concern among national and international community over the standard of factory buildings in Bangladesh. l

US: ‘Conducive environment’ needed for consensus efforts n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Washington would be prepared to help the major political parties reach a consensus if there was a more conducive environment, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf has said.

“We are prepared to reengage our efforts and in particular our observation efforts at a later time if there is a more conducive environment, but we are disappointed that so far they haven’t done so [sic],” she said in reply to a question at a regular press briefing on Monday.

She expressed her disappointment that the major political parties have not yet reached a consensus on holding free, fair, and credible elections.

US Ambassador Dan W Mozena had met leaders of the political parties on many occasions and discussed the volatile situation in the country. State Department Assistant Secretary Nisha Desai Biswal also visited Bangladesh before her official swearing-in, as she thought the trip was crucial.

The State Department deputy spokesperson said some US officials

also made phone calls to leaders in Bangladesh.

“I am sure some phone calls have been made from this building.” However, she did not elaborate.

When inquired, Spokesperson of the US embassy in Dhaka Kelly McCarthy told the Dhaka Tribune that Harf referred to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s call to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this month.

“The spokesperson was referring to Secretary Kerry’s call to Sheikh Hasina on December 11 in which they discussed current events in Bangladesh,” Kelly said through an email.

About the recent violence in the country, the deputy spokesperson said it showed that it was more urgent than ever for the major parties to redouble their efforts to engage in constructive dialogue and find a way forward to hold free, fair and credible elections.

“As we’ve said repeatedly, violence is not acceptable for a number of reasons, but in part because it subverts the democratic process. And we have called on it to stop immediately,” she said. l

Hoisted by their own petard  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

on Road 5 in Dhanmondi.

Awami League candidate barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has already been elected the MP from the constituency unopposed.

In the previous ninth parliamentary elections, Hasina cast her vote at the City College centre in Dhanmondi under Dhaka 12 constituency. Her nephew Taposh was her party candidate.

Not only the president and the prime minister, but many senior leaders of the ruling Awami League would not also get the chance to cast their votes for similar reasons.

Awami League leaders Syed Ashraful Islam, AMA Muhith, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, Syeda Saje-

da Chowdhury, Abdul Latif Siddique, Mohammad Nasim, Obaidul Quader, Mosharraf Hossain, and most of the party’s central committee leaders will not be able to practise their voting rights, as their constituencies had sole candidates.

Many senior leaders of the ruling Awami League would not also get the chance to cast their votes Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who lives in the USA, has not yet got a chance to cast his vote.

The Election Commission has confirmed that Joy is a voter of Dhaka.

Joy came to Bangladesh last week from the USA. Later, he told journalists that he had come to cast his vote. l

Shamsher Mobin released n UNB

Members of Jubo Mohila League torch an effigy of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in front of the National Press Club yesterday protesting her remarks on Gopalganj DHAKA TRIBUNE

MP candidates attacked, offices torched n Tribune Report The motorcade and election campaign offices of lawmaker candidates for the January 5 polls have come under attack in three districts.

Unidentified miscreants attacked the motorcade of Awami League-nominated candidate for Gaibandha 1 (Sundarganj upazila) Monjurul Islam Liton on Monday evening, reports the Dhaka Tribune correspondent in Gaibandha.

The incident took place in Kalirpat area of the upazila around 7pm while the MP aspirant was returning from Tarapur after attending an election

meeting there.

According to sources, Liton along with his supporters participated in the election campaign at Chaitanyabazar under Tarapur union of the upazila in the evening. Later they started for the Sundarganj upazila town.

When his motorcade reached Kalirpat area, the miscreants swooped on them and attacked with bricks. They also set a motorcycle on fire. During a chase, at least five supporters of Liton were injured.

Police went to the spot on information and brought the situation under control. Officer-in-charge of Sundarganj police Kaisar Ali Khan confirmed

The economy may move from a short term crisis to a medium term crisis due to the prolonged political turmoil, he said.

“The country’s social coherence has been badly damaged because of the chaos and political disruption by the political parties and without the social coherence, investment will not come to Bangladesh.”

He also said the country needed a “passable” democracy for development and growth, in the experience of two decades.

Development think-tank Unnayan Onneshan forecasts that the country‘s the real GDP growth in this fiscal may fall below 5.60%, well below a decade’s average of 6%.

It said the drastic fall would be caused by stagnant business, agriculture, industry and investment. The income inequality has also increased

due to the impact of politics in the rural economy.

According to the Economic Relations Division, of the Tk65,872 crore earmarked for the annual development programme (ADP) in the current fiscal year, only Tk13,156 crore or 20% was spent during July-November.

Two weeks ago, Finance Minister AMA Muhith also expressed the fear that the economy may not recover from the losses incurred in the continuous hartals and blockades.

Losses are piling up in every sector each day due to the prolonged political turmoil.

The readymade garment sector — the mainstay of the economy that makes up almost 80% the country’s total foreign earnings — is set to suffer badly, as buyers continue to cancel orders from Bangladesh. The volume of cancelled orders has already crossed $3.6m in 21 days, according to Bangla-

the attack.

Our Correspondent in Jessore reports that two election offices of ruling party-backed candidate for Jessore 4 constituency Ranjit Roy at Baghutia and at Gopinathpur under Abhaynagar upazila were ransacked and torched on Monday night.

Enamul Haque Babul, general secretary of Abhaynagar upazila unit Awami League, blamed the followers of rebel candidate Sheikh Abdul Wahab for torching the offices.

A complaint was lodged with the assistant returning officer of Abhaynagar in this regard, Enamul said.

Imdadul Haque, OC of Abhaynagar

police, confirmed the incident to the Dhaka Tribune.

In Chandpur, the private car of Lakshmipur 1 independent candidate Shafiqul Islam was torched on Chandpur-Comilla highway on Monday night.

Unidentified miscreants torched the vehicle near Ghosherhat point while Shafiqul was on his way to Dhaka, according to our correspondent in Chandpur.

Model police station chief Mahbub Morshed told the Dhaka Tribune that they had been suspecting the BNP-Jamaat activists for the incident. A case was filed with the police station against 20-25 miscreants. l

Workers Party announces CEC: Political situation to improve ahead of polls election manifesto n

Manik Miazee

The Workers Party of Bangladesh, an ally of the Awami League, yesterday unveiled its election manifesto for the upcoming 10th parliamentary elections, which included the establishment a non-communal democratic Bangladesh.

The party announced its 24-point manifesto, becoming the second party to do so – just four days ahead of the January 5 elections.

Rashed Khan Menon, the president of the party (and the post and telecommunication minister), in his introduc-

tory speech said the election was going to be held in adverse conditions as the BNP-led alliance will not take part in it.

Menon said that holding the upcoming polls was mandatory for the sake of constitutional continuation.

If main opposition BNP declared that they would take part in the elections, the government could consider rearranging the polls, he said.

Four candidates of the Workers Party are taking part in the elections as candidates of the alliance with the symbol “boat,” and 14 candidates are taking part with the party symbol “hammer.” l

n Mohammad Zakaria

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday hoped that the situation would soon improve before the 10th parliamentary polls slated for January 5, as the law enforcement agencies were active.

“People are fed up with the continuous blockade programmes,” he told reporters at the Election Commission secretariat.

“There would be no public support to the January 1 blockade programme.

We hope that good sense will prevail.”

“There is no confusion regarding holding of the elections,” said the CEC.

Rakibuddin also said it is the miscreants who carry out murders and create untoward situations by using arms illegally not leaders of political parties.

“The situation is improving as the law enforcement agencies are conducting drives. Everyone can participate in the polls safely,” he said.

The CEC said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina can ask for votes following the electoral code of conduct.

“The official government activities and election campaign are different.

She [Sheikh Hasina] can ask for vote by campaigning for election as per the law,” he said. l

One dies as non-stop blockade begins today  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

from his village home of Mathabhanga of Chardawlatkhan union in Madaripur around 12:00pm.

A Sub-Inspector of Kalkini Police Station Abdul Barek said they got two versions about the incident. Some locals said he himself was carrying the bomb while others said miscreants hurled the bomb.

They were investigating into the incident, he said.

Meanwhile, on the eve of blockade unknown miscreants hurled two Molotov cocktails aiming police leaving three passers-by and four policemen injured at Mouchak in the capital. Police fired several shots after the incident and picked up a suspected attacker from the spot.

Deputy Commissioner of Ramna Division police Maruf Hossain said the

miscreants hurled the bombs at a police team on duty under an over bridge of the area in the evening.

The bomb hurt constable Aminur, Kamrul, Ibrahim and a traffic constable Shahidul Islam. The minor injured rickshaw puller, a passenger and a female pedestrian’s identity could not be known as they left the place following the incident.

Meanwhile, from Chittagong law enforcers in separate drives arrested 57 activists of BNP-Jamaat-Shibir in an overnight drive ahead of the non-stop blockade.

District police control room said that the opposition activists were arrested in separate drives from different areas of Lohagara, Satkania, Sitakunda, Bhujpur, Patiya, Anwara, Jorargonj, Fatikchhari, Rangunia and Mirsarai police stations

desh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

Although exports have surged by 21% in the July-November period, the garment sector is threatened by the risks of cancellation of orders, GSP cancellation in June next year and Pakistan’s recent acquisition of GSP-plus facilities from the European Union.

Owing to political violence, eight factories have already been shut down, according to Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

According to the country’s apex trade body FBCCI, small entrepreneurs incur a total loss of about Tk1,000 crore in a single day of shutdown.

The manpower export sector is also collapsing, with remittance flow falling by 8% in November, according to the Bangladesh Bank. The current political turmoil and strained relationships with some Middle Eastern countries has also

of the district. Police claimed, of the 57, 32 Jamaat-Shibir men were nabbed from Lohagara upazila by joint force. All of them were involved in violence in the district during the opposition-called political programme in the recent times.

From Satkhira joint forces arrested nine BNP and Jamaat men. Among them, a mobile court has awarded a Chhatra Dal activist Ariful Islam, 20, to two years imprisonment.

Meanwhile, police opened fire on a BNP procession at Kaliakour Upazila in Gazipur yesterday leaving at least five activists injured.

Police said the activists tried to bring out a procession marking BNP’s countrywide agitation programme. At one stage a chase and counter-chase took place and police opened fire.

According to UNB, joint forces in separate drive arrested six opposition activists from Joypurhat, seven from Laxmipur district, 33 from Khulna, 22 from Dinajpur, 19 from Comilla and one from Sylhet.

On the other hand, 450 Jamaat-Shibir men were sued on charge of stabbing the general secretary of AL Sadallapur upazila unit of Gaibandha Shahriar Khan Biplob.

In a statement last evening, BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called upon people to make the blockade a success to resist the “one-sided election”.

“The government has been behaving like an autocrat to oversee the voter-less polls,” he said. The joint-force, he alleged, engaged itself in “arrest business” and by doing this they were making quick bucks. l

Mozena visits ‘confined’ Khaleda

Bleak outlook for economy in new year  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

BNP Vice-Chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury who was picked up by plainclothes police from near party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence on Monday, was released around 1am yesterday.

“Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury has been released hours after his detention,” BNP chairperson’s media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan told around 2:30am.

He said Shamsher Mobin was taken to the DB head office at Minto Road after his detention.

A team of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police asked the BNP leader to get into their vehicle as soon as he came out of Khaleda’s residence around 7:35pm after British High Commissioner Robert Gibson’s meeting with the opposition leader.

Before the British High Commissioner’s arrival, Shamsher and Khaleda’s two advisers Riaz Rahman and Sabihuddin Ahmed were allowed to enter Khaleda’s house. l

reduced the outflow of workers.

The poultry industry that contributes to 19% of the GDP has incurred losses worth more than Tk4,000 crore due to political unrest in the last three months, said Moshiur Rahman, the convener of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Coordination Committee.

All sub-sectors of the poultry industry, such as breeders, feed vendors, meat and egg producers and medicine sellers are incurring losses due to blockades and shutdowns.

Poultry farmers are selling products more than 30-40% below the production cost, said Saidur Rahman Babu, general secretary of the Breeders’ Association.

The poultry feed industry has suffered losses of around Tk1,000 crore in the last three months, said Fazle Rahim Khan Shahriar, the secretary of the Feed Industries Association of Bangladesh. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

were most disturbing as they were contrary to the democratic process and must not be allowed to recur.”

He reiterated his call for all parties to eschew “violence, which is not consistent with the democratic process, is unacceptable, and must stop immediately.”

He also noted the US government’s concern over the recent wave of arrests of senior political leaders Meanwhile, sand-laden trucks kept on either side of Khaleda’s house were changed. The old five were removed and new four trucks were placed there.

One of the truck drivers Khalil Mia told the Dhaka Tribune that police requisitioned his truck on Monday night from Natunbazar.

“I was heading towards Shampur and a police official requisitioned my car and asked me to place my truck there at 9pm.Since then I have been

here and I also do not know how many days I have to stay here,” he said.

When asked whether they had provided any food to them, Khalil said: “They gave us supper last night and a parata in the morning but till 4pm we have had nothing.”

On the night of December 28, five sand-laden trucks were brought to Khaleda’s residence hours after withdrawal of her police protocol. Journalists used the sand-laden trucks for covering news especially for taking photographs and videos.

Since then when the opposition leaders and activists tried to enter her residence or office, they were either barred or arrested.

On December 24, Khaleda Zia announced the “March for Democracy” programme slated for December 29.

From midnight that day law enforcers took position in front of the BNP chairperson’s residence and her Gulshan office. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Human rights situation deteriorates Political unrest may give rise to extremism, says 2013 ASK review n Rabiul Islam Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has expressed grave concern at the deterioration of the human rights situation, including arbitrary arrests and killings during political protests, across the country over the past year.

In its annual report on the state of human rights in Bangladesh in 2013, the legal aid and human rights organisation also warned against the rise of extremism and armed political groups that would occur unless negotiations were held soon to end the political stalemate over the next general elections.

It also termed the Rana Plaza building collapse, which claimed over a thousand lives and left innumerable others injured or maimed, the most devastating incident of the year.

Despite achievements in economic and social fronts, the report says the overall human rights situation was alarming in 2013.

“Due to continuous political violence and deterioration of law and or-

der, common people live in apprehension and insecurity,” it says.

Presenting a summary of the report at a press conference yesterday, ASK acting executive director Nur Khan said people’s rights were being curbed due the government. He also criticised the random arrests of “innocent” people during security drives.

“In the name of security, people are being arrested indiscriminately – political leaders are arrested and released after two hours – which is a matter of great concern. Unless political negotiations take place, extremism, armed political organisations, or any other third force may arise,” Nur Khan said.

Deputy Director Sanaiyuya Faheem Ansari and Information Officer Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir were also present at the press conference, held at the DRU auditorium in the capital.

The political crisis in the country, which started with the opposition’s demand to restore the caretaker government system for the parliamentary polls, has deepened ahead of Sunday’s

vote in the face of a boycott by the BNPled 18-party alliance.

The report was prepared on the basis of ASK’s own analysis and investigations, as well as news items from various electronic and print media throughout the year.

The report notes that political violence has accelerated across the country centering around the verdicts against the war criminals of 1971 and the dispute over the elections.

In 2013, 507 people were killed and 22,407 injured in a total of 848 violent incidents. Of the dead, 15 were police personnel and two BGB members.

The report says over 100 people died in violence during hartals and road-rail-waterway blockades, enforced by the opposition alliance following the announcement of the election schedule on November 25.

Law enforcers clashed with opposition activists during the shutdowns, while picketers set fire to a number of vehicles, leaving at least 75 people dead between November 26 and December 15.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Furthermore, at least 30 people were killed in violence unleashed by Jamaat-Shibir supporters over December 10-13, following the execution of convicted war criminal Quader Mollah.

During the period, acts of violence occurred in 50 districts, but the situation was worst in Satkhira, which was cut off from the rest of the country.

After war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee was given the death penalty on February 28, Jamaat-Shibir activists clashed with police and ruling party supporters, leaving at least 37 people dead.

In the wake of the verdicts against the war criminals, minorities, especially the Hindu community, were tortured. A total of 278 houses and 208 businesses were torched, whilst some 495 incidents of vandalism of temples and idols took place.

Quoting media reports, ASK says a total of 22 people, including one policeman, were killed in clashes with law enforcers during a Hefazat-e-Islam rally in the capital on May 5.

Members of the press also fell victim

to both ruling party and opposition activists in 2013. Three journalists were killed and 280 others were tortured while performing their duties.

Terming “disappearances” a new addition to state terrorism, the ASK report claims that law enforcers in plain clothes took away people who later disappeared, often without trace.

Last year, at least 53 people were victims of such disappearances. Of them, five dead bodies were recovered and three people were placed in police detention, while the rest are still missing.

Although the government promised to stop extrajudicial killings, a total of 72 people were killed by law enforcers in “crossfire”. Of them, 24 were killed

by RAB, 17 by police and one by BGB, while 27 detainees died in custody.

The report also says many Bangladeshis were killed by BSF at the border. A total of 26 people were killed, while 175 were abducted by the Indian border forces.

Also in 2013, a total of 812 women were raped. Of them, 87 were killed after violent assault and 14 committed suicide. l

British envoy meets with Syed Ashraf n Tribune Report In an apparent eleventh-hour bid to help the squabbling political parties in Bangladesh to reach a consensus, British High Commissioner in Dhaka Robert Gibson yesterday met Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam at his residence in the city.

The British envoy held a nearly 50-minute meeting with Ashraf, also the Local Government Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Minister, at the latter’s Bailey Road residence.

However, the content of the meeting could not be known as neither Gibson nor Ashraf talked to the press after the meeting.

The British envoy entered Ashraf’s also the ruling party general secretary residence around 2:50pm and came out of it at 3:40pm.

On Monday, Robert Gibson had a lengthy meeting with BNP Chairperson and opposition leder Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence in what is believed to be an attempt to break the prevailing political deadlock. l

Lawyers agree on no rally, meeting at Supreme Court n Nazmus Sakib Both pro-government and pro-opposition lawyers yesterday assured the chief justice of not holding any rallies, processions and meetings on Supreme Court premises from now.

The issue of hunger strike, however, did not come up in the meeting with Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain Attorney General Mahbubey Alam yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the lawyers could hold their programmes in the Supreme Court Bar Association building and bring out processions parading only through the Mazar gate of the High Court.

The issue of hunger strike, however, did not come up in the meeting with Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain.

The attorney general was present at the meeting.

The chief justice had called upon the attorney general, present and former

SCBA presidents and secretaries, and other senior lawyers for the meeting at 2pm.

Appellate Division judges Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, Justice Abdul Wahhab Miah, Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, Justice Md Imman Ali and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, SCBA President AJ Mohammad Ali, acting secretary ABM Rafiqul Islam Raza, former presidents Abdul Baset Majumder, Habibul Islam Bhuiya and AFM Mesbahuddin, former secretaries SM Rezaul Karim and Bodruddoza Badal, former attorney general AF Hassan Ariff, and senior lawyers Anisul Huq and Yusuf Hossain Humayun were present in the meeting.

SM Rezaul Karim said the chief justice had expressed his concern over Sunday’s political violence on Supreme Court premises and asked for assistance of lawyers so no such unwanted incidents took place in future.

On Sunday, pro-Awami League men attacked pro-BNP lawyers, storming into the Supreme Court compound. l

Water transportation resumes yesterday after a long postponement because of the political unrest . The photo was taken from Sadarghat

Subhan indicted for war crimes

Morshed Khan and his family members n Udisa Islam sued over money The war crimes tribunal yesterday framed charges against Jamaat-e-Islaundering lami Nayeb-e-Ameer Maulana Abdus Subhan for his alleged involvement n Tribune Report in crimes against humanity including The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday filed a case against former foreign minister M Morshed Khan and two of his family members on charges of laundering over US$41.2m to Hong Kong.

ACC Deputy Director M Moniruzzaman Khan filed the case with Gulshan police station against M Morshed Khan, his wife Nasrin Khan, and their son Faisal Morshed Khan, ACC Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumer Bhattacharya told reporters.

According to the case statement, Morshed Khan and his family members had siphoned off US$39.5m and HKD$13.6m to Hong Kong during 20042011, through seven bank accounts at Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong.

The three accused did not seek any approval from the Bangladesh Bank while opening the bank accounts and transacting money in Hong Kong.

In addition, they did not inform the central bank of their assets and cash abroad.

“The accused three have kept foreign money in an international bank without Bangladesh Bank’s consent because of their ill intention to conceal wealth, that is an offense under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2009 and the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012,” the case statement added.

The ACC in 2009 sent a Mutual Legal Assistant Request to Hong Kong, seeking information on the account.

After receiving the information and analysing it, the ACC found Morshed Khan and his family members guilty, the statement said. l

genocide during the 1971 Liberation War. Then vice-president of Pakistani collaborators’ group Peace Committee, Subhan is accused of superior responsibility in the crimes, planning acts of genocide, killings, abduction, confinement, torture in confinement, arson and looting at different places in Pabna.

The charges are based on more than nine separate incidents of crimes against humanity, in which more than 400 unarmed people had been killed during the war. Subhan was the acting chief of Pabna unit Jamaat.

After framing of the charges, the International Crimes Tribunal1 set January 28 to begin the trial with opening statement of the prosecution side and deposition of the first witness. Tribunal Chairman Justice ATM Fazle Kabir read out the charges. Justice Jahangir Hossain and Md Anwarul Haque are the other members of the three-member tribunal.

Following arguments on the charges, December 18 was set for the indictment order. But the tribunal that day deferred the date on its own motion as

the order had not been prepared.

This is the 15th case to go on trial at the two war crimes tribunals set up in 2010 to try the collaborators who siding with the Pakistani occupation forces had committed genocide, rape and other offences in 1971.

Of these, the tribunals have already delivered verdicts in nine cases. Moreover, the case against Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami is awaiting verdict while arguments on the indictment of suspected war criminal Syed Mohammad Qaisar is underway.

In 1972, Subhan was accused by a special tribunal of collaborating with the Pakistan Army during the war and summoned.

However, he did not face the trail as he already fled to Pakistan with former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam. However, he resumed his political career after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He became a lawmaker in the 2001 national elections from Pabna 5 constituency.

According to one of the nine charges, Subhan on a day in May 1971 had led some 30 Pakistani occupation army men to Satbaria, Fakitpur, Kandarppur and Gupinpur of Pabna and killed at least 400 unarmed Hindu civilians in a planned way and set fire to their houses after looting.

Subhan had committed all the

crimes, took place between April and November of 1971, with the help of Khoda Box who executed the plans made by the suspected war criminal.

The other charges are about the murder in Bharara, Atghoria, Betbaria, Ramnathpur, Juktitala and Sahapur areas of Pabna.

Subhan, 84, was produced before the tribunal at 10:35am. He first took a seat in the dock at the back of the courtroom.

Before starting the proceedings, the tribunal asked the accused to sit in the dock near the judges’ bench.

The Jamaat leader claimed himself innocent when the tribunal asked him whether he was guilty.

He said all the charges brought against me were false. “I was not involved in anything stated here [in the charges].”

The investigation agency of the tribunal conducted the probe against Subhan between April 15 last year and September 12 this year. Investigation Officer Motiur Rahman conducted field inquiry for the first 10 months while Nur Islam took the charge on February 2 this year.

Accused Sobhan was arrested on September 20 last year.

Prosecution pressed the charges against him on September 15 this year and the tribunal took the charges into cognisance on September 19. l

No guarantee of peaceful polls: HT Imam n Mohammad Zakaria Awami League Election Steering Committee Co-chairman HT Imam yesterday said there was no guarantee of peaceful parliamentary elections but his party would try to hold it peacefully.

“We cannot give 100% guarantee,” he told reporters after one and a half hour-long meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibud-

din Ahmad at the Election Commission secretariat. Former advisor to the prime minister Mashiur Rahman was also present at the meeting.

“Some stray incidents may happen.

We will foil the opposition-sponsored non-stop blockade,” he also said.

However, former advisor to the prime minister said: “I don’t think the BNP provokes violence as their leaders and activists are seen nowhere.”

He blamed the Jamaat-Shibir for the violence. Jamaat-Shibir is resorting to violence to resist the ongoing trial of war criminals, not the polls, Imam said adding that Jamaat is trying to create instability in the country.

When asked if there is any chance for consensus he said the door is always open but the opposition must stop violent activities first. Violence and dialogue cannot go together, he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Tribunal 1 chair spends an eventful last day n Udisa Islam The last day in office for Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, the outgoing chairman of the first International Crimes Tribunal, was an eventful one.

Yesterday was the last working day before retirement for the 67-year old Supreme Court justice. The tribunal framed charges against Jamaat leader Abdus Subhan for his alleged involvement in committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. That would not only be the last order passed by Justice Kabir, but also the last activity of the tribunal before it gets a new chair. The government, however, is yet to appoint his successor.

According to Article 96(1) of the constitution, a judge is supposed to retire after he reaches the age of 67 years. Justice Kabir’s profile, available on the tribunal’s website, shows that he was born on January 1, 1947 in Chapainawabganj.

Other than chairing the proceedings of the tribunal until 5pm on his last working day, Justice Kabir met with the prosecutors and employees of the tribunal and also the journalists. The Supreme Court Bar Association and the Attorney General’s Office gave him farewell at the tribunal 1 courtroom. Nearly a hundred

lawyers were present at the farewell.

In his usual calm voice, the justice said at the farewell: “The trial [of war criminals] is a continuous process. I finished some of it. My brothers will continue with it after me.”

Justice Kabir said in the beginning he was not very sure. “In the beginning I thought if we failed to end the trial, what were we going to tell the nation?

But now I can say that we did some good work.

“In 2010, the then chief Justice called me up and told me that they were going to form a tribunal and that I was selected a member of the bench. I answered: ‘Why not.

I will serve my country from wherever you tell me to go.’ My family and relatives were not happy with my decision because they thought it was a risky job. Then again, some of my family members also encouraged me,” he recollected.

Before that, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam read out Justice Kabir’s profile and wished him good luck.

“Although you [Justice Kabir] were not a permanent justice of the Supreme Court, you displayed knowledge, commitment and dedication” – that was the attorney general’s evaluation. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Smuggling rampant at Shahjalal and Shah Amanat international airports

Defamation case against Khaleda dismissed

n Kailash Sarkar

A Dhaka Court yesterday dismissed a defamation case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for her comment that Gopalganj will cease to exist in the geography of Bangladesh.

Jananetry Parishad, an organisation loyal to Awami League, President AB Siddique filed the complaint yesterday morning.

After recording the statement of the plaintiff Metropolitan Magistrate Md Asaduzzaman Nur at 3:30pm refused to accept the complaint under section 203 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The plaintiff, in his complaint, said that during an exchange with police personnel posted outside her Gulshan residence in the capital on December

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Customs once again seized 1.25kg of gold and Tk3 crore worth anti-cancer drugs while being smuggled.

They recovered the medicine from the cargo village of the airport yesterday afternoon.

The medicines were imported from Turkey without taking any permission from the Directorate General of Drug Administration and also without paying the duties and taxes, said Kamrul Hasan, assistant commissioner of the Customs Department.

“After verification, we found the name, address and the contact num-

ber of the importer to be fake,” said the custom official.

The medicines were being smuggled out of the airport in association with some cargo house officials, said the Customs officials.

One gold bar weighing 1.25kg was seized at the green channel of the airport around 11:30pm on Monday.

According to Kazi Wazed Ali, assistant commissioner of the Customs Department said the gold was found in a bag in an abandoned state.

“The owner of the bag has been identified as Rafiqul Islam who was a passenger of an Emirates flight from Dubai,” he said, adding that Rafiqul could not be located yet.

The Customs officials said the estimated price of the gold bar was Tk50 lakh.

In recent times, gold smuggle has become rampant at the airport, in association with a section of unscrupulous officials and employees of different government and non government agencies at the airport.

On the other hand, Customs officials at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong seized eight gold bars hidden inside soaps in a luggage yesterday.

Mashiur Rahman Mandal, assistant commissioner of the Customs department, said they found the gold bars, weighing one kg, worth Tk40 lakh, from an expatriate Nurul Afsari, 35,

around 5:30pm after he arrived at the airport by a flight of Oman Airlines from Muscat, Oman.

Nurul was handed over to Patenga police station while a case was lodged in this connection. Quoting the arrestee, the Customs official said Nurul brought the bars for his family members.

Existing law allows a person to carry highest 200gm gold from abroad paying necessary duty at the airport.

During the year 2013, the Customs authorities in Chittagong have seized 686 gold bars worth Tk35.30crore through 16 drives.

The gold were seized while being smuggled by expatriates in the airport, mostly coming from Middle East. l

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Shibir holds demo n Tribune Report

Environment minister sues SHUJAN secretary n Mohosinul Karim

Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, yesterday claimed it staged its pre-announced countrywide demonstration to protest the “killing” of its leader Md Mansur Ahmed Padhani.

Mansur was killed at the Malibagh Chowdhurypara area in the capital during the opposition’s “March for Democracy” programme on Sunday.

Following his death, the next day, Islami Chhatra Shibir Secretary General Mohammad Abdul Jabbar announced to stage demonstrations countrywide yesterday and a prayer programme today.

The Shibir men staged demonstrations in different parts of the country including Uttara, Azimpur, Dayaganj and Jagannath university area inside the capital.

Some 45 activists including four in Dhaka were arrested while 30 activists sustained injuries during clashes with police, the organisation claimed in a statement yesterday. l

Blue Panel gains majority in DUTA n DU Correspondent The Blue Panel, pro-Awami League teachers, of Dhaka University had gained majority in the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) election for the year of 2013-14.

Pro-Awami League teachers secured nine posts, including president, general secretary and treasurer, out of total 15 posts, while the White Panel, proBNP-Jamaat teachers, won the rests, including vice-president post.

Election Commissioner Prof AK Fazlul Haque Shaha announced the results at the DU Teachers Club around 5pm. l

WEATHER

Temperature likely to be unchanged n UNB Weather is likely to remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today.

Moderate to thick fog might occur over the country during night till morning, Met Office said.

Mild cold wave is sweeping over the regions of Rajshahi, Pabna, Dinajpur, Sayedpur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Rangamati, Sitakunda, Jessore, Kushtia and Srimangal and it may continue.

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

The sun sets in the capital at 5:22pm today and rises at 6:42am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 26.7 degree Celsius was recorded at Sylhet and lowest 8.3 degrees at Sitakunda 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

23.7 24.2 24.6 23.7 25.0 23.8 26.7 26.0

11.8 12.3 09.2 11.0 11.6 10.4 10.7 13.8

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:21am 6:40am 12:02am 3:47pm 5:23pm 6:43pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

29, Khaleda Zia asserted she would erase the name of Gopalganj from the map of Bangladesh.

The court also mentioned that the complaint is of civil nature – while that particular court is a criminal court – and so the case is not under its jurisdiction.

After the case was dismissed, plaintiff Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune that he would go to the higher court.

As she was barred from joining “March for Democracy” programme on December 29 an apparently angry and frustrated Khaleda Zia vented her anger at police personnel in front of her house: “Where are you from? Gopali [Gopalganj]? We will change the name of Gopalganj district…Gopalganj will cease to exist.” l

Awami League leader Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin holds campaign for the upcoming election at the city’s Chakbazar yesterday

Work abstention in courts observed n Tribune Report

The call for observing work abstention in all courts of the country by pro-opposition lawyers, led by Supreme Court Bar Association, worked partially at the Supreme Court yesterday.

Though the chamber judge of the Appellate Division ran its session, no other bench of the HC could start proceedings because of absence of the lawyers.

The Supreme Court has been on winter vacation since December 13 and it ends today.

According to the cause list, there were nine benches operating in the High Court while only two benches took seats but could not hear any case.

The SCBA, dominated by pro-opposition lawyers, on Monday asked judges and lawyers to observe the “work abstention” in protest against the attack made on the pro-BNP lawyers the previous day.

AJ Mohammad Ali, president of the organisation, yesterday announced that they would observe hunger strike

tomorrow over the same incident.

On the other hand, a faction of proAwami League lawyers organised a press briefing while another faction held a rally on the SCBA premises. They asked the chief justice to take action against the lawyers who obstructed the court’s proceedings.

At the Dhaka court, which is also in vacation, all the 35 magistrate’s courts held their sessions. Many pro-BNP lawyers moved in the court, lawyer Prokash Ranjan Biswas told the Dhaka Tribune.

In Narayanganj, lawyers leaning to two major political camps brought out separate processions. At one stage, pro-BNP layers forced lawyers to boycott the court. Later, the judicial magistrates led by Chief Judicial Magistrate M Jabid Hossain adjourned the courts.

Protesting the work abstention, a group of pro-Awami League lawyers stormed courtrooms and chanted slogans targeting the CJM and the opposition supporters. After a few minutes, all the courts re-commenced and normalcy in the proceedings restored.

Chittagong DB holds 6 with stolen microbus, 7Kg hemp n FM Mizanur Rahaman CU Correspondent The Detective Branch of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, in separate drives, arrested six people yesterday, including three women. They recovered one stolen microbus and seven kilograms of hemp.

The arrestees were identified as microbus lifters – Md Salauddin, 38, Tarekul Islam, 28, and Dulal Hossen, 30, and drug peddlers – Hasina Begum, 35, Khadija, 27 and Nur Bahar, 45.

Babul Aktar, additional deputy commissioner of the DB, said acting on a tip-off they conducted drive at a residential hotel at Nandan Kanun area under Katwali police station and held three women around 3pm.

Seven kilograms of hemp were also recovered from their procession, the

ADC said, adding that the three confessed to peddling drugs in different parts of the city.

In another drive resulting from secret intelligence, DB men held Salauddin in the city’s Baizid Bostami area on charges of stealing a microbus from Brahmanbaria.

According to his statement, his two associates Tarikul and Dulal were also arrested from Rowfabad, of Baizid, and Agrabad early yesterday.

Later DB conducted another drive in Chawkoria upazila of Cox’s Bazar and recovered the stolen microbus from the residence Fazlul Karim Saydee, director of Cox’s Bazar Chamber and Commerce (and also former councillor of Chawkoria municipality).

The trio stole the microbus from Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria on December 15. l

In Chittagong, no judicial activities were conducted at the courts yesterday. The pro-BNP lawyers demonstrated inside the court compound protesting Sunday’s incident. Court sources said the chief metropolitan magistrate of Chittagong and 16 other metropolitan and district judges left their courtrooms when the pro-BNP lawyers urged them not to conduct the courts.

Muhammad Rezaul Masud, additional deputy commissioner (prosecution) of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police, told the Dhaka Tribune that the pro-BNP-Jamaat lawyers had urged the CMM to stop activities around 11:25pm.

But tension spread in the court area as the pro-BNP and pro-Awami League lawyers held counter rallies and brought out processions. “Security measures were increased in the area to evade any untoward incidents,” said the ADC. In Madaripur, pro-Awami League lawyers took part in the court proceedings. Lawyers loyal to the two major parties staged separation processions on the district court premises. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

A legal notice was served to Shushashoner Janney Nagorik (SHUJAN) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder for allegedly disseminating “incomplete” and “exaggerated” information from a wealth statement of the Forest and Environment Minister Hasan Mahmud.

Abdul Baset Majumder, the minister’s lawyer, issued the notice yesterday, citing that the report had caused “immeasurable losses” to the minister’s “hard earned” political and social image.

Mostafa Kamal Pasha, public relation officer to the environment and forest ministry, said: “The notice stated that SHUJAN intentionally did not mention the information on the liabilities and debts of the minister, which amount to ‘misrepresentation and misappropriation of the truth.’”

On December 27, SHUJAN released the report on the wealth statement of the minister at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium.

The report of SHUJAN stated that the average income of Hasan Mahmud has increased to over Tk2 crore while his net wealth is now over Tk15 crore.

However, the report did not mention anything about the liabilities and debts of the minister. l

Measurement of Ganges, Padma water levels starts today n Our Correspondent, Pabna Like every year Bangladesh and India will record water level at different points of the Ganges and the Padma from today till May 31, 2014 as agreed in the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996.

A two-member Indian team, comprised of Indian Central Water Council Executive Engineer SK Chaturbedi and Assistant Engineer the CWC G Venu Gopal, arrived in Bangladesh yesterday.

On the other hand, a five-member team led by Md Iqbal Hossain, executive engineer of Hydrology, Pabna will start recording water level at 8,000m upstream of the Padma at Hardinge Bridge point from 7am today.

“The joint team will record the water level at Hardinge Bridge point and Farakka point in India according to treaty,” Iqbal Hossain said.

The joint experts will record each 10-day cycle of water level at Hardinge Bridge point and file a report.

“According to the treaty we are supposed to get 35,000cusec water at Hardinge bridge point from January, 1,” said Md Mofazzal Hossain, one of the members of the Bangladeshi team.

“Just 50,000-70,000cusec water used to flow at Hardinge Bridge point in the first week of January, but this year over 1.15 lakh cusec water is flowing at present,” Mofazzal Hossain added. l

ACC to seek wealth statements from 2 Ctg customs officials n Tribune Report The Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to ask for wealth statements from two officials of the Chittagong Customs House.

A meeting of the commission yesterday approved notices to be served on Office Super SM Jahangir Alam and his wife Rafeza Begum, who is an assistant of the same office, ACC PRO Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told reporters.

Khulna ACC Deputy Assistant Director M Mosharrof Hossian found that Jahangir and his wife have properties valued at Tk1.13 crore and Tk1.27 crore.

The ACC suspects that the huge property may have been generated from other sources, so it decides to ask them to submit their wealth statements for further inquiry. l

A teacher demonstrates in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding a solution to the ongoing political deadlock DHAKA TRIBUNE

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Purbachal New Town moving at snail’s pace The deadline of the 24,697-plot project has been revised to December 2015 from June 2012 most complete, and in other sectors n Abu Hayat Mahmud development was going on. Road conThe development of Purbachal New Town Project in the capital is going on at a snail’s pace as indifference of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) has started the project since 20 years ago.

Rajuk officials said the revised timeline of the 24,697-plot project is July, 1995 to December, 2015, where earlier it was from July 1995 to June 2012.

The government planned the satellite city Purbachal New Town Project in 1992 and land acquisition started in 1993.

Plots, roads, bridges, lakes and utility services have not been fully completed in any of the sectors The Purbachal project is situated at Rupgonj upazila of Narayanganj and Kaliganj upazila of Gazipur between river Balu and Sitalakhya in the northeast side of Dhaka, at a distance of 16 km from the Zero Point.

The Project area is divided into 30 sectors. Rajuk officials said the handover of plots in sectors 1, 3, 4, 5, 11, 13, 14 and 17, and in parts of sector 8, 9, 18, 20, 23, 29 will start by April 2014.

Site development work has been going on in 4,500 acres of Rupganj since 2002-2003 fiscal year. In 1,650 acres of land in Kaliganj, work started from January, 2013, but is facing uncertainty because of orders of the Supreme Court.

The High Court Division ordered Rajuk to suspend the development work following a petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA). Later in response to an appeal

by Rajuk the Appellate Division asked Rajuk to maintain the status quo until further order is issued on land development or any monetary transactions for the Gazipur part.

Officials of Rajuk said the site development work of 17 sectors was al-

struction works in 12 sectors have been mostly completed. In six sectors road construction was ongoing. Out of 42 bridges, the construction of 28 bridges was ongoing, and work progress was 70%.

However, the 300 feet wide Purbachal Link Road missed its completion deadline as the construction work is being conducted at a slow pace and keeps getting suspended frequently.

Only half of it was completed within the scheduled time. Two major bridges on river Balu and Shitalakkha have been built, and about 70% of other bridges are complete. The two bridges were inaugurated along with Kuril flyover on October 4 last year.

Plots, roads, bridges, lakes and utility services have not been fully completed in any of the sectors. As for the utility facilities, only electric polls were set up in a few sectors.

Moreover, though the lands in the project were acquired, many of the land owners who sold their land to the government are still living in the project area.

Project Director Md Anwar Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune: “The project is going on in full swing. We will hand over the plots to owners by 2015.”

Asked about the delay of development completed in last 20 years, PD Anwar said, “I am not the person responsible for commenting on the project. You should contact the Rajuk chairman.”

Rajuk Chairman Nurul Huda was unavailable for comments.

Sources at Rajuk said the project was going at a slow pace because of frequent changes in Rajuk’s senior management, plans, interference of ministers and MPs, indiscipline and objection of local people protesting land acquisition. l

A portion of the Purbachal project at Roopgaqnj in the capital

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Over 10 lakh textbooks yet to reach Barisal n Our Correspondent, Barisal

More than 10 lakhs copies of textbooks are yet to reach different institutions in Barisal division for free distribution among the primary level students till yesterday.

Mahbub-e-Ilahi, deputy director of Barisal divisional office of primary education said till December 31, 5,480,748 ( 84%) out of 6,530,493 copies of demanded books for about 13 lakhs stu-

dents of classes I-V in more than 8,000 primary schools, including 3,305 government primary schools at 41 upazilas under six districts of Barisal division were sent.

Most of the books reached at the institution would be distributed among students tomorrow along with other parts of the country, he said.

According to the Divisional Primary Education Directorate Office, 1,741,902 out of 1,846,599 demanded copies of

textbooks for Barisal, 704,510 out of 773,847 copies for Pirojpur, 415,551 out of 434,319 copies for Jhalakathi, 702,589 out of 702,789 copies for Barguna, 487,291 out of 1,198,821 copies for Patuakhali, 1,418,905 out of 1,574,118 copies for Bhola have been disbursed from divisional office.

The disbursed books have already reached upazila level district primary education offices and grass root level clusters, the deputy director said.

Police yet to file case after two weeks of murder of a man

1 dies from ‘wrong treatment’

n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

A college student allegedly died of wrong treatment at the Panacea Medical College and Hospital in Puran Kachari area of the city on Monday evening.

Doctors and staff fled the hospital after the death. They later settled the matter in exchange for Tk3 lakh in yesterday afternoon.

A second-year college student Asma Akter, daughter of Jaher Mia of Mehari village of Mehari union under Kasba upazila of the district, was admitted to Panacea Medical College and Hospital to undergo an appendix operation.

Asma was taken to the operation theatre on Monday evening.

Relatives of Asma said the doctors fled the hospital after she had died during the operation. Nobody was allowed to go near the operation theatre for almost two hours.

Relatives and locals recovered the dead body of Asma yesterday morning.

Afterwards, the members of Asma’s family came to a compromise because

Police are yet to file a murder case in the killing of Abu Hossain Sham in Dinajpur over two weeks, with officials saying it may take some more time as they are waiting for autopsy report.

Laila Begum, mother of Sham, told the Dhaka Tribune that people who killed her son over previous enmity were moving freely under the nose of law enforcers.

Restraining herself from uttering any name, she also said the suspected were threating her family with dire consequence if they tried to register a case against them.

“I tried to raise my voice against the slothfulness of the police for not lodging the case, it seems all of my efforts went in vain,” she said in a voice choked with emotion.

Police recovered the body of Sham from Chok Kanchan Notun Para area beside Dinajpur-Bochaganj road under

Birol upazila of the district.

Then, police sent the body to Dinajpur Medical Collage Hospital for autopsy and handed over the body to family members after post-mortem examination.

Police recovered the body of Sham from Chok Kanchan Notun Para area beside Dinajpur-Bochaganj road under Birol upazila of the district When the family went to the police station for lodging a murder case with Kotwali police station, they refused to file the case and said that the murder occurred in the territory of Birol police station, so they could not file case.

They also advised them to go to Birol police station to file a case.

Later, the family members rushed to Birol police station, but Officer-in-Charge of the police station

Correspondent, n Our Brahmanbaria

Amirul Islam refused to file a case and advised Sham’s family to wait for post-mortem report.

Amirul Islam also told Laila Begum that they could not file the case because of pressure from higher authorities.

Ruhul Amin, superintendent of police, said: “We cannot file any case without receiving the autopsy report.”

About the matter, some lawyers, including Shamim Bin Golam Pal, Saiful Islam, said: “If any person go to any police station with such kind of allegation police are bound to file a case immediately.”

They termed the activities of police centering the murder of Sham a “drama”.

Locals demanded punishment of the killers by filing the case immediately.

They said they would go for stronger movement if police did not file a murder case and take stern action against the killers. l

of the financial condition of the family and pressures from influential people.

Asma’s uncle Md Solaiman Mia said: “Nobody dies in an appendix operation. It must have happened for wrong treatment.”

A neighbor of Asma, Md Rafiqul Islam said he did not find anyone in the hospital for a long time yesterday.

Seeking anonymity one of the relatives of Asma’s family said around 5pm yesterday, the matter was settled in exchange for Tk3 lakh.

Ibrahim Khan Sadat, managing director of Panacea Medical College and Hospital, however denied the matter of wrong treatment saying: “There was no wrong treatment. The patient died after two hours of the operation. She might have cardiac problem.”

When asked about settlement he said: “The compensation was given to avoid any police cases.”

The hospital was established four months back on the second floor of the Municipality Market of the city. Locals alleged the hospital lacks quality doctors. l

Till filing of this report yesterday evening a total of 1,048,745 copies of text books meant for free distribution have been sent to remote areas, he said, adding rest of textbooks have yet been reached due to disruption of communications in recent days, he said.

He, however, said books would be reached all institutions and hands of the students as soon as possible before starting curriculum. l

Kashem’s family wants justice n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj Family members of Abul Kashem, who was killed in an arson attack in Kamalapur, want justice.

Abul Kashem, 35, a member of Railway Nirapotta Bahini (RNB) was killed in a bomb blast near Kamalapur railway station. He died around 3:15pm on Sunday when he was on duty.

Rina Sultana, wife of Kashem, was broken after her husband’s death. Rina said, “I became helpless with a family of two daughters and one son. My husband died when he was on duty. I want punishment for the killers.”

Kashem’s mother Rubia Begum was mourning her son’s death and also demanded punishment for the culprits.

Kashem was buried in Ujani village of Muksudpur upazila, Gopalganj.

Ferdous Hossain, officer-in-charge of Moksudpur police station, said Kashem joined the railway security force in 2004. The family became helpless after losing their sole breadwinner. l

2 throat-slit bodies found in city n Ashif Islam Shaon

Young girls are buying flowers in the city’s Shahbagh arera yesterday on the eve of New Year’s celebration

RAJIB DHAR

Police recovered two throat-slit bodies including that of a minor girl from the capital in last two days.

The body of Rafiq-uz-Zaman, 45, an accounts officer of a private firm, was found in his house in the capital’s Kafrul area around 5am yesterday.

On the other hand, the body of a seven-year-old girl was recovered from the Kamarpara slum in Uttara area around 8:30pm on Monday.

Zaman used to live with his wife Sheuli Akhter and 13-year-old daughter at a rented flat on the fourth floor of a six-storey building in South Kafrul.

Police found his body tied with a chair and mouth gouged after breaking into the flat, said Kazi Wazed Ali, officer-in-charge of Kafrul police station.

Sheuli told this correspondent that she and her daughter went to attend a wedding in Manikdi on Sunday where Zaman was also expected to join.

“The last time I talked with Rafique

was over phone around 3pm on Monday. He was then in his office in Banani.

Around 7:30pm someone called up my sister from my husband’s number and wanted to know the name of my husband,” she said.

“The voice said he found the mobile phone on street. Later we called at Rafiq’s office and got to know that he had left the office around 5pm that day,” Sheuli said.

Later, Sheuli filed a General Diary with Banani police station to trace her husband and yesterday around 5am went to her flat and found it locked from outside.

Being informed, police went to the spot and recovered the body after breaking into the house.

The miscreants had stabbed Rafiquzzaman 13 times before slitting his throat. There were marks of blood in the bathroom and on floor,” said the OC. The killer took nothing from the flat, he said.

He said they were trying to nab the killers and the victim’s family members did not name anyone as suspect.

In Uttara, police recovered the body of Rojina, daughter of a day labourer, from an abandoned shanty in Kamarpara slum around 8:30pm on Monday.

Noticing the body, the locals informed police.

The victim’s father told reporters that a young boy named Sumon, resident of the same slum, called Rojina out of home in the afternoon on Monday and since then she had been missing.

Sub-Inspector Rezoanul Fakir of Uttara West police station said founding some signs, police suspected that the girl might had been raped before being murdered. They were interrogating Sumon in this regard.

Rojina’s body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy and a case has been filed in this connection, he added. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Farmers in despair with Boro seedbeds n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat Farmers in Lalmonirhat are fearing that whether they would be able to bring their land under Boro cultivation this year or not as many seedbeds in the district have been damaged for dense fog and cold spells.

During a visit to different village in the district, this correspondent found that seedbeds of Boro seedling in many areas have turned yellowish for lack of sunlight.

Azizar Rahman, a farmer at Tajpur village in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila, said: “My 21-day old BR-28 seedling have become yellowish because of cold wave which has been sweeping over the district as well as other northern districts of the country over a week. It will be a great blow to us if our seedlings will be damaged totally.”

Saber Ali, another farmer at the same village, said young saplings at many fields had become whitish for lack of adequate sunlight.

“I have cultivated Boro sapling on 25 decimals of land. Of them, sapling on about 15 decimals of land are going to be yellowish. If my cultivated saplings are totally damaged I will not cultivate Boro on my land this year,” he said.

Another farmer said he had prepared seedbed on two bighas of land for cultivating Boro, but a portion of his seedbed was damaged because of chilly weather.

Union Parishad Chairman of Rajpur Mofazzol Hossain Mofa said the boro farmers in his union were worried as dense fog with severe cold affected their saplings.

Farmer Tarun Chandro Barmon at Mogholhat village said “My cultivated boro saplings on 40 decimals of land are

becoming yellowish as they were not getting adequate sunlight for thick fog.”

“I bought boro seeds at higher cost and prepared my seedbed, but they are going to be damaged. If the situation is continued, all the saplings would be damaged soon,” he said.

The department of agriculture extension in Lalmonirhat has set a target of cultivating 69,000 hectares of land, including high yielding varieties on 44,000 hectares, hybrid on 12,000 hectares and local varieties on 13,000 hectares of land.

Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Mohammad Nuruzzaman said Boro saplings would not be affected if the temperature would not rise within few days.

He said they were advising farmers to use fertilisers such as potash and zinc to save their seedbeds.

He suggested that farmers should use polythene over the seedbed to save them from cold and fog.

Meanwhile, normal life and vehicular movements were badly affected for the third consecutive day yesterday as a mild cold wave coupled with dense fog continued sweeping in Jaipurhat.

Only a fewer member of day labourers and farm workers were found working amid foggy weather in the crop fields, movement of vehicles on roads were disrupted as thick layers of fog reduced the visibility.

The vehicles were found plying with their headlights to avoid any accident.

The sun remained blanketed by thick fog for the past three days.

Local Agriculture office recorded the minimum temperature at 9 degrees Celsius this morning. l

Seedlings on the seedbed have turned yellowish for dense fog

Bina-7 puts smile on farmers’ face in Madaripur n Our Correspondent, Madaripur Fazlul Khan, a farmer of Palashpur village under Madaripur sadar upazila, is jubilant as he witnessed a bumper yield of Bina-7 Aman paddy after cultivating 63 decimals of land this year.

Fazlul opted for Bina-7 Aman instead of local variety with a hope of superb production and he has already harvested his paddy, one month before of other farmers of the locality, who opted for the local variety of Aman.

He said, “Other farmers are now feeling sorry for not choosing Bina-7 as they have found my better crops in less time.”

Anayet Hossian, another farmer of the locality, said, “I will cultivate BINA7 on my land from the next year as I see it brings better crops.”

Earlier, Hossain was planning to start cultivation of other crops instead of paddy as he used to get less price than production cost.

Bochiruddin of Gopalpur union un-

der Kalkini upazila who also cultivated Bina-7 said he would cultivate it again in next year. “We would get more profit if we choose Bina-7 instead of local variety of Aman.”

Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension Golam Mostofa told the Dhaka Tribune that cultivation of Bina-7 has seen success in the southern areas of the country for the first time, although its cultivation was introduced in the belt few years back.

“Farmers usually get 6 to 6.5 tonnes of crops from per hector of land within 90-110 days. Three crops can be cultivated in two croplands and four crops can be cultivated in three croplands through cultivating this variety,” said Mostofa.

It has increased the interest of farmers to cultivate paddy along with other crops, said hoping that it would bring changes in agricultural sector.

Farmers can be benefitted through cultivating vegetables after harvest-

Four people killed in three districts n Tribune Report

ing crops. Short term vegetables can be planted this time before cultivating winter crops, he added.

DAE sources said Bina-7 rice was cultivated on 350 hectares of land in the district this year which was 55 hectares in the last year. Madaripur Agricultural Division gained success last year in its experimental cultivation of ina-7.

The DAE sources said 39,444 tonnes of rice was produced on 28,985 hectares of land last year. Getting less price the affected farmers of the locality cultivated in 26,509 hectares land resulting decrease of the targeted production to 35,223 tonnes.

However, cultivation of Aman paddy has decreased by almost 2,500 hectares of land this year as the local farmers got less price last year. The Madaripur Agricultural Division hopes that the farmers of the Southern area of the country would get better crops through BINA-7 and will start cultivating Aman paddy in large extent. l

Four people were killed in Magura, Mymensingh and Madaripur in separate incidents in the last two days. Of the victims, one has not been identified yet, report our correspondents.

A youth was slaughtered for motorcycle in Magura on Monday. The deceased was Kamrul Islam, 33, of village Gopalgram under Magura sadar upazila.

Litan Mia, sub-inspector of Magura police station, said around 11pm, miscreants intercepted Kamrul in Mandhartala area of Magura when he was returning from Magura town by motorcycle. Subsequently they slaughtered him with sharp weapons.

Hearing Kamrul’s scream, local came forward and the miscreants fled away leaving the motorcycle. Primarily police suspected that Kamrul might heve been killed with a view to snatching the motorcycle. The dead body was sent to Magura Sadar Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination. Two youths were nabbed for interrogation.

In Mymensingh, a man was killed at village Purba Dhurail in Haluaghat. The

Man tortured to death by ‘cops’ in Khulna n Tribune Desk

Activists of Awami League put up barricade on the Dhaka-Khulna Highway, protesting Khaleda Zia’s comments about Gopalganj FOCUS BANGLA

Bodies of two Rohingyas recovered from Naf

Maowa-Kawrakandi ferry service halted n Tribune Report

n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar

Ferry plying on the Maowa-Kewrakandi river route remained suspended for over nine hours till Tuesday morning due to dense fog.

Sirajul Haq, manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation at Maowa ghat, said ferry movement on the river route was stopped around 1:45am am due to poor visibility caused by dense fog.The ferry service was later restored at 10:30am, reports UNB. Nine ferries with several hundred vehicles on board were forced to anchor at the midpoint of the Padma River, he said. l

Police recovered bodies of two Rohingya from the Naf River in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar yesterday.

The bodies were identified as Fatema Begum, 50 and Mohammad Iliyas, 8 of Gouzibil area.

On Monday, a boat carrying 18 Rohingyas plunged into the river while returning to Myanmar from Bangladesh around 9:30pm.

Bodies of seven Rohingyas were still missing.

On that night fishermen rescued

nine of them alive but rest of them were missing.

Local administration handed over the bodies to their families at Rohingya camp in Noyapara area of the upazila after identification.

Fatema’s relative Abdul Hakim and Moulavi Idris said Fatema with his family came to Bangladesh for treatment five days ago.

Lieutenant Colonel Abu Zar Al Zahid, captain of Teknaf 42 BGB, said the BGB could not conduct rescue drives as the boat plunged into the Myanmar territory. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

A man was tortured to death allegedly by police at Barakpur in Dighalia upazila of the district on Monday night.

Denying the allegation, Dighalia police said the man identified as Kesmat Ali, 50, fell ill after seeing them and died of cardiac arrest.

Locals and family sources said subinspector of Dighalia police station Mominur Rahman aided by its constable Mahbub and local guard Makbul raided Kesmat’s house at Barakpur around 9:30pm on Monday and arrested him.

Later, police severely beat the arrestee with rifles and took him to local union parishad office.

Immediately, Kesmat was taken to a pharmacy and then to Dighalia Upazila Health Complex where he died.

On information, victim’s wife Nazma Begum on Tuesday morning rushed to the hospital to receive the lifeless body of her husband.

Hospital sources said the victim received injuries to different parts of the body, including cheek and kidneys.

Police said Kesmat who had been residing in Mumbai of India for the last 10 years came to the village barely 10 days ago.

M Robiul Islam, officer-in-charge of Dighalia PS, said Kesmat used to drink liquor and that he died of cardiac arrest after seeing police.

The OC also said they were investigating the incident.

On Tuesday morning, senior police officials visited Barakpur and ordered the arrest of Makbul and Selina. l

victim was Awlad Hossain, 52, of Purba Dhurail.

Witnesses said Awlad, a farmer, got marriage for the second time around two years ago. Since then, he had a dispute over land with his first wife and her children. Awlad had been living with his second wife at the same house.

Following an altercation, his wife Begum, sons-Abdul Halim and Abu Horaira; and daughter Fatema Akhter, along with her husband, attacked Awlad with sharp weapons around 9pm, said Fazlul Karim, officer-in-charge of Haluaghat police station.

Awlad was rushed to Haluaghat Upazila Health Complex immediately.

As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries yesterday, said the OC. The body was sent to morgue for post mortem examination.

A case was lodged. Police arrested Begum, Halim, Horaira and Fatema.

In Madaripur, a teenage boy was killed at Sannasirchar in Shibchar upazila yesterday.

The deceased was Hasan,14, an

eighth standard student of Rajarchar Al-Jamiatul Islamia Madrasa.

Witnesses said Hasan and Liton, 15, of the same village locked into an altercation on playground in the afternoon on Monday. Family members of Liton cama to know that Hasan’s family members filed a GD with the police in connection of this clash. They attacked Hasan’s house and hit his head with a stick.

Hasan wash rashed to a local hospital and then transferred to Dhaka, but he succumbed to his injuries yesterday.

Masud Khan, acting officer-incharge of Shibchar police station, said they were going to file a case soon.

Meanwhile, police recovered the floating body of an unknown youth, 20, from Padma river at Kaurakandi’s dockyard No 3 at Shibchar upazila.

Arshed Ali, officer-in-charge of Shibchar police station, said there had been no water transport accident in the last couple of days in the area. The body bore injury marks on its eyes, forehead and head, so they were suspecting that the person might have been killed.

The body was sent to morgue. l

NEWS IN BRIEF UP Chairman threats AC in Munshiganj Imampur union parishad chairman had threatened the assistant commissioner (land) of that area to kill him if he did not fulfil the chairman’s demand. AC (land) Abu Zafar Ripon claimed that Chairman Monsur Ahmed Khan Zinnah asked him to register a piece of land to Monayem Company, adding that as it was against the interest of the government he refused Zinnah. Officer-inCharge Mamunur Rashid of Gazaria police station said with the help of the caretaker of the Dakbanglo, the chairman along with some men broke into Ripon’s house and threatened to kill him around early Monday.

Ripon had filed a case against eight people, including the UP chairman as prime accused. – Our correspondent

Man killed by muggers in Magura A man was killed by a gang of muggers at Battala in Sadar upazila on Monday night.

The deceased was identified as Kamrul Islam, 35, son of Ahmed Ullah of Dholhara village of the upazila. MA Hashem Khan, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said a gang of muggers waylaid Kamal in the area, snatched his belongings and hacked him when he was returning to his house from the upazila headquarters around 10pm, leaving him dead on the spot. UNB

Man hacked to death in Brahmanbaria A man was hacked to death by miscreants at Pikepara in the district town on Monday evening. The deceased was identified as Amir, 24, a resident of Rajghar village of Sadar upazila. Locals said Amir came under an attack by the miscreants in the area while returning to his town residence at about 6:30pm. The attackers hacked him with

sharp weapons, leaving him dead on the spot. UNB

Youth held with Yaba in Sylhet Plainclothes police arrested a young man along with 110 pieces of Yaba tablets from the city’s Dakshin Surma area on Monday night. The arrested was identified as Rumon Ahmed, 20, son of late Sundar Ali of Sheikhghat area of the city. Police said acting on secret information, a team of plainclothes police led by Sub-inspector Enamul Haque of DB police conducted a drive at about 8:15pm and arrested Rumon along with 110 Yaba tablets from in front of the railway station. UNB

Eight crude bombs recovered in Rajshahi Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in a drive recovered eight crude bombs from rail station area of the city on Monday night. Rab sources said, being tipped off, a team of Rab-5 Shimrail camp, conducted a drive in Shiroil colony area around 11:45pm and recovered the crude bombs in an abandoned condition. None was arrested in the connection. BSS

500 bottles of Phensidyl seized in Brahmanbaria Police in a drive recovered 500 bottles of Indian Phensidyl syrup at Kawtoly highway area in Sadar upazila on Tuesday. They also arrested a drug peddler named Anwar Hossain, 35. Police Inspector of Brahmanbaria detective branch Akul Chandra Bishwas said, acting on secret information, a team of police conducted a raid in the Nosimon at around 2.30pm and recovered the contraband drugs. Sensing the presence of police, Selim, Tajul and Emon managed to flee the scene. A case was filed. Our Correspondent

DHAKA TRIBUNE

A snapshot of the Ganajagoron Mancha at Shahbagh

Long Form

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

7

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Rescuers fighting to save the lives of the people trapped in the Rana plaza collapse

Hefazat-e-islam rally attendees encounter a police barricade

RAJIB DHAR

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

The year of the snake

The Chinese year of the snake began on February 2013 and will end in January 2014. Snakes are regarded as intelligent, but with a tendency to be unscrupulous

F

n Zeeshan Khan

ew years have been as eventful or as explosive as 2013 was, in our relatively recent history as the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. It was marred by upheavals, transformations, political stand-offs and social unrest, resulting in violent confrontations on a near regular-basis.

Various fractures along social, economic and religious lines have been exposed and dormant forces have come to the fore in a way that leaves very little doubt that Bangladesh is experiencing an uncomfortable “coming of age” crisis.

It began with the demands for the death penalty, following a War Crimes Tribunal verdict, which gave Quader Molla a life sentence – seen as too lenient by the crowds that converged at Shahbagh in February. This quickly developed into a national movement, but a highly polarising one, since Jamaat-e-Islami and other opposition parties questioned the veracity of the tribunal’s findings, and insisted that Molla and others accused were being targeted for political motives. Their concerns were echoed by various rights groups and by a number of foreign governments. Still, the demand for justice for crimes committed in 1971 was a galvanising call, and awoke nationalistic sentiments that were severely offended by the impression that an anti-war crimes tribunal position was automatically an anti-liberation position. This was further aggravated by allegations that Jamaat-Shibir activists were attacking Hindus, temples and cultural symbols like Shaheed Minars.

Things deteriorated fast and very soon, convoluted associations were being made on both sides of a widening fault line. The Shahbagh movement was mistakenly associated with atheism and anti-Islam, for its perceived persecution of “Muslim” leaders and for some controversial blogs written by participants in the movement. Rajib Haider, one of the original organisers of the Shahbagh protests, was unfortunate enough to have lost his life at the hands of religious extremists for this.

But Shahbagh conflated war criminals with religion-based political parties, ie with Jamaat-e-Islam, leading to the valid impression that it was not just about war crimes. Institutions linked

to Islamic parties, like the Islamic Bank and Ibn Sina Hospital were placed on the firing line. The AL capitalised on the opportunity to push its nemesis, the BNP, altogether off the stage, and raided its office, carting away busloads of its activists and a large part of its leadership. It did this in the name of preventing terrorism, as BNP was being inextricably linked to Jamaat, whose activists were said to be committing acts of terror. In this roundabout way, the AL sought to rid itself of political opponents. Rallies and demonstrations came under attack, casting aspersions on the AL’s commitment to democratic free expression.

The violence escalated dramatically.

Sporadic scattered attacks became an everyday occurrence, and crude bombs were being detonated with increasing frequency. To control this the police were authorised to use excessive force, leading to brutality and deaths, fuelling further violent retaliations.

In April, Hefazat-e-Islam, a group of Deobandist Madrasa teachers and students, in existence since 2010, burst onto the scene demanding death to the Shahbagh bloggers along with 12 other absolutely unacceptable demands, which included curbs on “free mixing,” free speech and an end to women empowerment. Disavowing any connection with Jamaat-e-Islam, Hefazat claimed to be an apolitical entity, interested only in preserving the sanctity of Islamic civilisation. But their similarities to Jamaati rhetoric were too obvious to miss, even for Jamaat itself, who piggybacked off this “Islamic blowback” in an attempt to redress the balance of popular power.

They held a massive rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel to demand an end to what they saw as immoral governance. Many fiery speeches ensued, along with several threats, but by and large the assembly was peaceful.

April is marked for other reasons though. On the 24th of the month, Rana Plaza collapsed, killing over a thousand garments workers. It was the single largest industrial disaster in the country and one of the worst in the world, exposing systemic frailties that had already brought the sector into considerable disrepute following previous disasters. It pitted workers against owners, leading to several weeks of protests and fears that the industry, the largest in the country, would collapse under the weight

People waiting in a polling station, to cast their vote in the mayoral elections SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

of international pressure, demands for better conditions and outright vandalism. Debates over the formation of trade unions, minimum wages and global comparative advantages were revisited, leading to a number of resolutions being signed, along with, later in the year, a revised pay-scale. But the difficult balance between economic competitiveness and workers rights remains elusive and a looming class conflict seems only to have been put off for the moment, but not permanently prevented. A silver lining to this terrible incident was the massive support rescue operations received from ordinary citizens of every stripe, who risked their own lives and dug deep into their pockets to save over 2,500 people from the rubble, in a valiant show of solidarity. Less heartening however, was the industry’s and the administration’s response.

while the government insists that no one died in the night raid.

In June mayoral elections in all major cities of the country were won by the opposition, despite, many would say, the AL best efforts to discredit them. This was a reflection of the AL’s dwindling popularity but it also lent credence to its claim to be able to hold fair and free elections on its watch, without a caretaker system in place for the next general elections.

The abolition of the caretaker system is a major sticking point for the BNP, which insisted that it be restored ahead of coming elections. The AL refused to budge and a political impasse developed that has resulted in the BNP boycotting the elections, leaving more than half the elected seats in Parliament uncontested. Earlier, following the death of Zillur Rahman, Speaker Abul Hamid became president of the

2013 has been fraught with controversy and bloodshed. It has been the year of settling scores, acid-testing national cohesion, revisiting old fractures and creating new ones

May saw a return to ideological confrontations, but none as controversial as the violence surrounding a second Hefazat-e-Islam rally in Motijheel. After day-long running battles between the police and activists of undecipherable affiliation, the areas around Paltan, Baitul Mukarram and Motijheel resembled a war zone, which left several Hefazat men dead as a result of police firing. The conflict reached dangerous proportions as Hefazat-eIslam refused to give up their position at Shapla Chattar (Motijheel), leading to an enormous push by combined security forces to dislodge them in the dead of the night. This was accompanied by a media blackout, making it difficult to confirm the number of casualties it caused.

Hefazat claims it is in the thousands,

Guard of honour for the deceased president

Republic, while Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, an unelected MP, became Speaker. With an AL-dominated house, an AL Speaker, and an AL President, the BNP continued to boycott parliament, leaving little room for participatory democracy to flourish.

Instead of a caretaker government, the AL opted for a multi-party pollstime government, seeking inclusion of all the major parties, including the BNP. Simultaneously, Jamaat-e-Islam was barred from participating in the elections, and number of new parties were allowed to register.

The street violence continued unabated, with attacks and retaliatory police action growing more and more brutal, and continuous hartals crippled the economy. Even the month of Ramadan gave agitators no occasion to pause. The government’s crackdown

RAJIB DHAR

on freedom of speech also continued, with an amended ICT law giving them powers to detain and arrest anyone expressing anything that could be deemed seditious, even in a facebook status. A Russian built nuclear power plant was inaugurated at Rooppur, amidst controversy about the safe handling of nuclear waste, while plans for a coal-fuelled one at Ramphal, near the Sundarbans, brought environmentalists on the streets in protest.

The war crimes tribunal, following the protests at Shahbagh in February, amended its rules to allow prosecutors to appeal for a higher sentence, resulting in Quader Molla’s life-sentence being converted to death in September.

This was seen as a popular victory, but also as a travesty of justice by eternal observers. The tribunal also handed down other death sentences, allowing the AL to keep to its electoral pledge of bringing known war criminals to book.

These were widely popular among mainstream Bangladeshis, but once again, the religious right perceived it as a persecution of Muslim leaders, while the oppositions parties viewed it as political manoeuvring.

The unwillingness of leaders of the two major parties to come to terms or even to engage in any sort of constructive dialogue became a national sore point in October, and when it finally did happen the telephone conversation between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina became a national embarrassment, and resulted in nothing more than bickering of a most unflattering kind. The strikes continued and so did the killings on the streets.

In November, Sheikh Hasina brought into being the multi-party interim government to oversee the elections, scheduled for January 5. This was met with resistance by the opposition parties, and street violence, now an everyday affair, escalated to include the murdering of innocent commuters, when buses full of passengers were set alight with petrol bombs. The number of casualties grew daily. This, in turn, led to a further crackdown on the opposition leadership, with the BNP having to resort to issuing statements from undisclosed locations, like outlaws and terrorists.

As December rolled around, it became clear that the elections would not be inclusive, as the BNP refused to participate, while Jatiya Party chief Hossain Muhammed Ershad flipped and then flopped, agreeing to participate one day,

and then refusing to another. In dramatic fashion he declared he would commit suicide if he was arrested, yet did no such thing when law enforcers took him away, ostensibly for his own good.

The AL announced 154 seats of the 300 elected seats in parliament would be uncontested and therefore filled by MPs of the ruling alliance, making an already unrepresentative election all the more farcical.

Quader Molla was executed on the 12th of December, bring the process that began in February, full circle. The Pakistani parliament, controversially, expressed sympathy for Molla, causing considerable resentment in Bangladesh, and led to attempts at surrounding the Pakistani High Commission.

Once again, Islamists expressed their ire by killing ordinary citizens and Hefazat-e-Islam sought permission for a third mass rally in the capital, but were denied it. The Commonwealth and the European Union announced that they would not be sending observers for the January elections, and on December 26 the government deployed the army to prevent a further escalation of violence. On December 29 the government intercepted an opposition-planned “March for Democracy” rally, and the capital was cut off from the rest of the country to prevent opposition activists from gathering in the city. The government also called on AL activists to be armed and ready on the streets to prevent any opposition agitation. The did this with relish, even invading the Supreme Court premises and attacking demonstrating pro-BNP lawyers, including women. Opposition leader Khaleda Zia was also prevented from leaving her house to join the rally.

Businessmen also took to the streets in December, to demand a restoration of normalcy, as the political violence is severely affecting their businesses and in turn the economy.

Needless to say, 2013 has been fraught with controversy and bloodshed. It has been the year of settling scores, acid-testing national cohesion, revisiting old fractures and creating new ones. It has shown us, clearly, that we are still far from being able to pull in the same direction, but are instead dangerously close to being pulled apart by forces that have not yet found a way to co-exist. Where we will be after the dust settles, is anyone’s guess. l Zeeshan Khan is a journalist.

Bolstered police protection for the leader of the opposition

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

South Sudan rebel chief rules out immediate ceasefire Rebel forces continue to march on Juba as talks with the government begin "It depends on how the negotiations n AFP, Nairobi go," he said.

South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar told AFP Tuesday he was sending a delegation for peace talks with the government and was not yet ready for face-to-face talks with President Salva Kiir.

Machar also ruled out an immediate ceasefire, saying this "needed to be negotiated" and that in the meantime the rebels would continue to fight.

"Our forces are still marching on Juba, there is no cessation of hostilities yet," Machar said, speaking by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location inside South Sudan.

We did not ask for this battle, it was forced upon us

A South Sudan army soldier stands next to a machine gun mounted on a truck in Malakal town

REUTERS

"That is what the delegation is going to Addis Ababa to discuss and to negotiate."

He said troops loyal to him had recaptured the town of Bor on Tuesday, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Juba.

Machar said he was not yet ready for face-to-face talks with Juba's leadership.

"I will follow later, once the negotiations have resulted in a cessation of hostilities. It depends on if and when that is achieved," he added.

"We did not ask for this battle, it was forced upon us," Machar said, again dismissing Kiir's allegations that he started the fighting by attempting a coup.

Machar is sending a three person team of senior leaders, including Rebecca Garang, a powerful politician, respected Dinka leader and widow of former South Sudan's founding father John Garang.

The other two in the delegation are Taban Deng Gai, a former governor of oil-rich Unity state, large parts of which are under rebel control, and Hussein Mar, former deputy governor of Jonglei.

But he also demanded Juba release several key leaders arrested following the outbreak of fighting on December 15, especially Pagan Amum, the former secretary-general of the ruling party.

"They must release the prisoners," Machar said, adding that Amum was needed to head the rebel delegation at any peace talks. l

Russian police round up dozens after suicide bombings

New Year on ice as weather stalls Antarctic air-sea rescue

n Reuters, Volgograd

n AFP, Sydney

Police detained dozens of people on Tuesday in sweeps through the Russian city of Volgograd after two deadly attacks in less than 24 hours that raised security fears ahead of the Winter Olympics.

A man wounded when a bomber set off a blast in the city's railway station on Sunday died overnight, bringing the toll in that attack to 18. Regional governor Sergei Bazhenov said 16 died in a trolleybus bombing on Monday.

There was no indication that any of those held was connected to the attacks.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but they underscored vulnerability to bombings and raised fears of attacks by Islamist insurgents whose leader has called on militants to prevent Russia hosting the Olympics in February.

Mourners laid flowers at the site of the suicide bombing that tore the bus apart.

"I'm frightened," said Tatyana Volchanskaya, a student in Volgograd, 700 km (400 miles) northwest of Sochi, the Black Sea resort where the Winter Games start on Feb. 7. She said some friends were afraid to go to shops and

Uighurs urge independent probe into attack

n AFP, Beijing

An exile Uighur group on Tuesday demanded Chinese authorities allow independent investigations into a clash in Xinjiang where eight "attackers" were shot dead by police, the latest deadly incident in the largely Muslim region.

The Xinjiang regional government should "fully disclose all information" on the Monday violence and allow "an independent investigation to be conducted by international organs", the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) said in a statement.

It also called on Beijing to open Shache county, where the conflict took place, to foreign media and government representatives "to allow transparency surrounding the narrative of the incident".

The area, around 200 kilometres (124 miles) south-east of Kashgar, is known as Yarkand in the Uighur language.

Chinese authorities have described the incident as an "organised and premeditated terrorist attack" on a local police station by a total of nine "terrorists" armed with knives and explosive devices, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

One of the "attackers" was held in the clash, it said, adding police confiscated 25 explosives and nine knives at the site of the "attack".

The group, led by two apparent Uighurs identified as Usman Barat and Abdugheni Abdukhadir, had gathered to watch terrorist videos and promoted religious extremist ideas since August, Xinhua quoted Xinjiang police as saying. They had also raised funds and made and tested explosives for planned terrorist attacks, it added. l

other crowded places.

The attacks posed a challenge to President Vladimir Putin, who oversaw a war that drove rebels from power in Chechnya over a decade ago but has been unable to quell the Islamist insurgency that erupted in its wake.

87 people had been detained after they resisted police or could not produce proper ID Volgograd – formerly Stalingrad - is a city of about 1 million and a transport hub for an area of southern Russia that includes Chechnya and the other mostly Muslim provinces of the North Caucasus, where the insurgency generates deadly violence almost every day.

A car bomb killed a prosecutor's assistant in Dagestan, a hub of Islamist militancy in the Caucasus, on Tuesday, and two people were killed in a bomb blast there late on Monday, authorities said.

Putin has staked his prestige on the Games in Sochi, which lies at the Western edge of the Caucasus Mountains and within the strip of land the insurgents want to carve out of Russia and turn into an Islamic State.

He ordered increased security nationwide after the attacks, the deadliest outside the North Caucasus since a suicide bomber from a province next to Chechnyakilled 37 people at a Moscow airport in January 2011.

In Volgograd, about 5,200 police and interior troops were mobilised in "Operation Anti-terror Whirlwind", Interior Ministry spokesman Andrei Pilipchuk, said on state TV. He said 87 people had been detained after they resisted police or could not produce proper ID or registration documents, and that some had weapons.

State TV showed helmeted officers pushing men up against a wall. But there was no sign any were linked to the bombings or suspected of planning further attacks. The Itar-Tass news agency said police were focusing on migrant workers from the Caucasus and ex-Soviet states - groups that rights activists say face prejudice and are often targeted by police indiscriminately.

Investigators said they believed a male suicide bomber was responsible for Monday's morning rush-hour blast, which turned a trolleybus into a twisted wreck and left bodies lying in the street. l

Dozens of Iraqi MPs quit over Anbar violence n

Agencies

Forty-four Iraqi MPs have announced their resignation over violence in Anbar province, just days after a deadly raid on the home of a Sunni lawmaker in the area.

Fighting erupted when police broke up a Sunni Muslim protest camp on Monday, leaving at least 13 people dead, police and medical sources said.

Four people died on Tuesday in clashes between Iraq’s security forces and gunmen in Ramadi, following the forced closure of the site.

The camp has been an irritant to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Shialed government since protesters set it up a year ago to demonstrate against what they see as marginalisation of their sect.

We hold the government of Nouri al-Maliki responsible for the bloodshed and the fighting Maliki has repeatedly vowed to remove the camp and accused protesters of stirring strife and sheltering fighters linked to al-Qaeda.

The MPs who stepped down after the latest bout of violence demanded “the withdrawal of the army... and the release of MP Ahmed al-Alwani,” a Sunni of the Iraqiya bloc who was arrested during a deadly raid on Saturday.

Prominent Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq called for all legislators from Iraqiya to withdraw from the political process, saying it had hit a “dead end”.

“Elections in this atmosphere would be settled in advance, therefore we should raise our voices high and say the political process cannot proceed in this way,” he told reporters.

Tensions have been rising over the past few weeks in Anbar, a province that makes up a third of Iraq’s territory and is populated mainly by Sunnis.

Police said the clashes on Monday broke out when armed men opened fire on police special forces trying to enter Ramadi, the city where the protest camp is located.

Shooting and blasts were heard in parts of the city. The assailants destroyed four police vehicles and killed at least three policemen in the north of Ramadi, one police source said.

The bodies of 10 other people killed in the clashes were brought into Ramadi’s morgue, hospital and morgue sources told Reuters news agency.

Tribal leader Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, meanwhile, accused the army of firing on unarmed civilians.

“We hold the government of Nouri al-Maliki responsible for the bloodshed and the fighting,” he said.

The fighting spread to the nearby city of Fallujah, where police Captain Omar Oda said armed men burned military vehicles during clashes with security forces.

Maliki’s spokesman, Ali Mussawi, said military sources confirmed that tents at the protest site had been removed and the highway towards neighbouring Jordan and Syria reopened.

This was done “without any losses, after al-Qaeda and its members escaped from the camp to the city, and they are being pursued now,” Mussawi told AFP. The sprawling protest site on the highway outside Ramadi, where the number of protesters ranged from hundreds to thousands, included a stage from which speakers could address crowds, a large roofed structure and dozens of tents. l

An icebound Russian research vessel prepared to ring in the New Year in remote Antarctica Tuesday as blizzards hampered a helicopter rescue planned after several icebreaking attempts failed.

The MV Akademik Shokalskiy has been stranded 100 nautical miles east of the French base Dumont d’Urville for a week, hemmed in by impenetrable pack ice that three separate breakers have been unable to breach.

The Australian government’s supply ship Aurora Australis on Monday came within 10 nautical miles of the marooned vessel – which has 74 research scientists, tourists and crew on board – but was forced to turn back by snow showers and freezing winds.

Russia’s foreign ministry said a decision had been reached overnight to evacuate MV Akademik Shokalskiy trapped in thick Antarctic ice 1,500 nautical miles south of all 52 passengers by a helicopter on board Hobart, Australia AP the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long, which related to carrying out the rescue may be remains nearby after its own aborted bid to involving a number of steps and subject to made at short notice.” factors such as weather,” AMSA said. reach the Akademik Shokalskiy.

In preparation for a helicopter bid AMSA “The helicopter is unable to fly in the The Australian Maritime Safety said a landing site had been marked on the current weather conditions, and will hold Authority (AMSA), which is coordinating ice beside the Russian ship, adding that off on the rescue until conditions improve. operations, said heavy weather continued only passengers and none of the ship’s 22 Weather conditions are unlikely to start to block efforts Tuesday. crew would be evacuated. l “This rescue will be a complex operation improving until tomorrow and decisions

Bahrain probes torture claims n Reuters, Dubai

Bahrain said on Tuesday it was investigating torture claims by three men jailed for 15 years for two homemade-bomb attacks – including one during last year's Formula 1 car race.

On Sunday, five men - including two who were tried in absentia - were convicted by a court for their role in the blasts, which destroyed several vehicles but caused no injuries, according to the Gulf Arab state's official BNA news agency.

BNA said the men had admitted being behind the bombings but the men's lawyer, Jassim Sarhan, told Reuters they pleaded not guilty to involvement in the attacks and told the court their confessions during questioning were obtained under torture.

"The Kingdom of Bahrain does not and will not tolerate any form of torture or mistreatment. The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) did receive complaints from the defendants," the government's Information Affairs Au-

thority (IAA) said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

"The SIU takes these allegations very seriously and have looked into these claims. Their investigation is currently ongoing. We can't give further information until the investigation is completed."

Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, has been in political turmoil since a 2011 uprising led by majority Shi'ites who demand more say in running the kingdom, which is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa dynasty. l

NEW YEAR IN SAO PAULO

Thousands of biodegradable balloons are released by members of the city’s commercial association a in Sao Paulo, Brazil to celebrate the New Year AFP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

9

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Myanmar declares ‘no more political prisoners’ after amnesty n AFP, Yangon Myanmar on Tuesday announced there were “no more political prisoners” after issuing a sweeping amnesty order aimed at fulfilling a presidential pledge to free all dissidents by the end of the year.

The country has released scores of prisoners of conscience as part of dramatic reforms, implemented since the end of outright military rule in 2011, that have ended the former pariah’s international isolation and seen most western sanctions disbanded.

It was not immediately clear whether the amnesty would affect all of the approximately 40 political prisoners listed by campaigners, as well as a further 200 people awaiting trial, mainly for protesting without permission.

Myanmar late Monday said it would pardon those imprisoned under controversial legislation, including the Emergency Act used by the junta to imprison opponents as well as laws governing freedom of assembly and the right to protest.

Presidential spokesman Ye Htut said the amnesty, along with a separate pardon for five additional inmates jailed under other legislation, meant “there are no more political prisoners”.

“I would like to say that the president has fulfilled his promise given to the people, because there will be no political prisoners at all at the end of 2013,” he said in a post on his Facebook

page, without giving further details of the release, which began Tuesday.

Former general Thein Sein, who has won international plaudits for overseeing new political and civil freedoms since becoming president nearly three years ago, had vowed to free all detained activists by the end of the year.

But campaigners sounded a note of caution over the announcement.

Arbitrary imprisonment was a hallmark of nearly half a century of harsh rule by a junta that denied the existence of political prisoners David Mathieson, a researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch, said the claims could be “bluster” to try to meet the self-imposed release deadline.

“They can claim a technical fulfilment of the presidential pledge at best,” he told AFP, adding the government would need to demonstrate it had resolved the cases of the dozens of people facing trial.

He also called on Myanmar to repeal the controversial laws, with campaigners fearing authorities could continue to arrest critics in the future, potentially creating more political prisoners.

Dozens of relatives and friends gathered outside Yangon’s notorious Insein prison early Tuesday awaiting news of their loved ones.

Peace activists Yan Naing Tun and

Aung Min Oo, who were sentenced in recent weeks to eight months in prison for marching to the rebel town of Laiza in strife-torn northern Kachin state, were greeted by jubilant supporters as they walked free from the jail.

“I respect the president for keeping his promise,” Yan Naing Tun told reporters.

Arbitrary imprisonment was a hallmark of nearly half a century of harsh rule by a junta that denied the existence of political prisoners, even as it imposed harsh punishments on rights activists, journalists, lawyers and performers.

Before Myanmar’s reforms, rights groups accused the country of wrongfully imprisoning about 2,000 political detainees – most of whom have since been freed.

Prison authorities said they did not have a timetable for releasing those pardoned under the latest amnesty, adding it could take time to identify all those affected.

“We do not know how many yet as we are still scrutinising the list... we will release them as soon as possible,” said corrections department director Than Htay.

The latest amnesty includes the most notorious laws used by the former junta against its critics, including democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi – who is now an opposition MP following the country’s dramatic reforms. l

A Pakistani truck painter adds the finishing touches to a truck in Karachi

Pakistan truck artists fret over NATO withdrawal n AFP, Karachi Pakistan’s truck artists, who transform ugly lorries into flamboyant moving works of art, fear boom times for their trade could be at an end as NATO winds down its mission in Afghanistan.

The workhorses of the Pakistani haulage industry are often ageing, patched-up Bedford and Dodge models, but almost without exception they are lavishly decorated.

Elaborate colourful designs, calligraphy, portraits of heroes and singers, mirrors and jingling tassels are skilfully worked onto the trucks by artists such as

Haider Ali. In his open-air workshop in the heart of Karachi, a goat or two browsing the dusty ground, Ali sketches out a design for a boat.

“The design depends on the owner of the truck. Everyone wants his truck to be different from everyone else’s,” Ali, who left school to follow his father Mohammad into the truck art business, told AFP. Decorating trucks is big business -haulage firms and lorry owners shell out $5,000, even $10,000 a time to have their vehicles adorned.

It can take a team of half a dozen artists nearly six weeks to decorate a truck, not just painting but working up intricate

Flood displaces 18,000 in Indonesia n AFP, Jakarta

Afghanistan rejects grim US intelligence forecast

Around 18,000 people in western Indonesia have had to leave their homes after two rivers burst their banks and flooded thousands of houses, an official said Monday.

More than 4,500 houses and 500 shops in the coastal town of Tebing Tinggi on Sumatra island have been inundated since Saturday, when the Padang and Bahilang rivers swelled after days of torrential rain, said National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

“The floodwater inside people’s homes reached one metre (3.3 feet),” Nugroho said, adding more flooding was expected.

Some 17,648 people have taken shelter in tents provided by the government as well as neighbours’ homes, Nugroho said, adding there were no casualties.

Indonesia is hit each year with deadly floods during the wet season, which lasts around six months.

Environmentalists blame logging and a failure to reforest denuded land in the world’s fourth-most populous country for exacerbating the flooding. l

Afghanistan on Monday rejected as baseless a US intelligence forecast that the gains the United States and allies have made in the past three years will be significantly rolled back by 2017.

The US National Intelligence Estimate also predicted that Afghanistan would fall into chaos if Washington and Kabul failed to sign a pact to keep an international military contingent there beyond 2014.

President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman dismissed the US forecast, reported by the Washington Post on the weekend, and suggested there was an ulterior motive for it.

“We strongly reject that as baseless as they have in the past been proved inaccurate,” Faizi told Reuters.

Relations between Afghanistan and the United States have grown seriously strained recently by Karzai’s refusal to sign the security pact that would permit some US forces to stay.

US officials have said that unless a deal is reached to keep perhaps 8,000 US troops, the Taliban might stage a major comeback and al Qaeda could re-

n Reuters, Kabul

gain safe havens.

The pact must also be signed for the United States and its allies to provide billions more dollars in aid.

Without a deal, the United States could pull out all troops, the socalled zero option, leaving Afghan forces to battle the Taliban on their own.

The United States has set a Tuesday deadline for Afghanistan to sign the pact but the White House has said it is prepared to let the deadline slip until early January.

The US intelligence estimate predicted setbacks even if some US troops remained. But some US officials felt the forecast was overly pessimistic, the Washington Post said.

LAND FOR PEACE? Faizi suggested the leaking of the gloomy US intelligence report was part of bid to press Karzai into granting the Taliban control of some areas as part of a peace moves.

“If it’s a design to hand over parts of Afghanistan to the Taliban, we will never allow that and it will never succeed,” Faizi said. “The Taliban can only come back through a political process.” l

Giant yellow duck explodes in Taiwan...again n AFP, Taipei

Volcanic ash spews up into the air from Mount Sinabung as it erupts in Karo, North Sumatra AFP

19,000 Indonesians flee erupting volcano n AFP, Sinabung More than 19,000 people have been displaced by a volcano in Indonesia that has been erupting for months and shot lava into the air nine times overnight, an official said Tuesday.

Mount Sinabung on the western island of Sumatra sent hot rocks and ash 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) in the air Monday night and Tuesday morning, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

“Mount Sinabung remains on the highest alert level and we have warned there should be no human activity within a five-kilometre (three-mile) radius of the crater,” Nugroho said.

“On Monday night, 19,126 people

had fled their homes, and we expect that number to rise,” he said.

Police and soldiers were patrolling the danger zone to evacuate people who have chosen to stay in their homes, Nugroho said.

Mount Sinabung – one of dozens of active volcanoes in Indonesia which straddles major tectonic fault lines, known as the Ring of Fire – erupted in September for the first time since 2010 and has been rumbling ever since.

In August, five people were killed and hundreds evacuated when a volcano on a tiny island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted.

The country’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of violent eruptions in 2010. l

A giant yellow duck on display in a northern Taiwan port exploded Tuesday, just hours before it was expected to attract a big crowd to count down the new year.

The 18-metre-tall (59-feet) duck on show at Keelung burst around noon and deflated into a floating yellow disc, only 11 days after it went on display.

It was the second time that a giant inflatable duck – a bath toy replica created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman -- had burst while on show in Taiwan.

“We want to apologise to the fans of the yellow rubber duck.... the weather is fine today and we haven’t found the cause of the problem. We will carefully examine the duck to determine the cause,” organiser Huang Jing-tai told reporters.

Organisers had planned to stay open past midnight Tuesday in anticipation of a large new year crowd.

The Central News Agency cited an eyewitness as saying the rubber bird might have fallen victim to eagles which scratched it with their claws.

Three Taiwanese cities exhibited their versions of the yellow duck in 2013. But all were forced temporarily to suspend the exhibit due to bad weather or damage.

Last month the duck on display in the northern county of Taoyuan became a high-profile victim of a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, which triggered a power outage that caused it to deflate when an air

AFP

arabesque collages of laminated stickers.

Jamal Elias, a truck art expert from Penn State university in the United States, said it represents the largest art sector of the Pakistani economy.

For the past decade, hauliers in Pakistan have been making money by ferrying supplies for the NATO mission in neighbouring, landlocked Afghanistan from the port of Karachi.

Profits from this work have meant they have been happy to spend on decorating their vehicles, but with NATO withdrawing from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, the artists fear the good times could be over. l

Chinese officials set corpse ablaze in cremation row n AFP, Beijing Officials in a Chinese village dug up and set fire to a man’s corpse after his family ignored their demand that he be cremated rather than buried, state media reported Tuesday.

The case is an extreme example of the country’s unevenly-enforced funeral policy, which tries to encourage cremation rather than interment given the wide range of alternative uses for land.

But traditional Chinese belief holds that an intact corpse buried in the earth allows the dead person’s soul to live in peace. Confucian edicts say that ensuring one’s body, hair and skin are not damaged is the most basic way to show respect to one’s parents since they are gifts from them.

Cheng Chaomu, an 83-year-old peasant, was buried at Qinfeng in the eastern province of Anhui three days after his December 13 death by family members who said interment was his “dying wish”, the state-run China Daily reported.

When they learnt of the burial, local officials demanded that the family dig up Cheng’s body and cremate it, the paper reported. Relatives ignored the order and the officials, along with police and firefighters, dug up Cheng’s coffin, poured petrol on it and ignited it. l

Chinese doctor admits selling patients’ babies

n AP, Beijing

Local residents gather to see Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s yellow rubber duck at a harbor in the southern city of Kaohsiung AFP pump stopped working.

Powerful winds caused the duck’s rear end to burst while it was being re-inflated.

Organisers in Taoyuan had to borrow another duck commissioned by the Kaohsiung city government to continue the show.

The duck at Kaohsiung, which attracted four million visitors during a one-month

display, was temporarily deflated and lifted ashore as a safety precaution when Typhoon Usagi pounded the island in September.

Since 2007 the original duck designed

by Hofman -- which is 16.5 metres tall -- has travelled to 13 cities in nine countries, including Brazil, Australia and Hong Kong, on its journey around the world. l

A Chinese doctor has admitted in court that she stole babies from the hospital where she worked and sold them to human traffickers, state media and a court said.

Zhang Shuxia, a locally respected and soon-to-retire obstetrician, stood trial on Monday in northern Shaanxi province’s Fuping county, according to online postings from the court.

Zhang told parents their newborns had congenital problems and persuaded them to “sign and give the babies up,” the court postings said. Calls to the Weinan Intermediate People’s Court and the local Communist Party propaganda department went unanswered.

The indictment said that from November 2011 to July 2013, she sold seven babies to middlemen who sold the babies to “couples” in central and eastern China. Six of the babies were rescued, but one that was trafficked for 1,000 yuan ($165) in April later died.

Zhang was found out when a mother suspected her baby had been abducted and reported her to police in July. The official Xinhua News Agency reported that Zhang had taken the baby home with her and sold him to a man in a neighboring province for 21,600 yuan ($3,600) the same night. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

LETTER OF THE DAY

For a better year ahead

Bangladeshis have good reason to hope for a better future if the political crisis can be resolved

A new year’s wish

A

s the new year begins, we feel that there is still time for the political parties to find an amicable and mutually acceptable way out of the current crisis.

In the interest of the people and in the spirit of hope and renewal that ushers in every new year, we call on both of them to turn over a new leaf in 2014 and work together to find a reasonable solution that will allow the country to move forward.

The opposition must renounce all violence and programs such as hartals and blockades that hurt the people of this country. There is no reason why they cannot press their case in a peaceful manner, and indeed there is no doubt that in doing so they would win the sympathy and respect of the general public.

As a first step, we ask that the opposition call off its blockade scheduled to start today and to extend the hand of amity towards the government.

By the same token, the government should reciprocate by releasing all senior opposition leaders and allowing the opposition the democratic space that is their right.

The government should also pledge to abandon the heavy-handed measures that have characterised its response to the opposition and that have equally caused hardship to the common people.

Both major parties have a responsibility to the people to settle the political crisis. Blockades and strikes can only exert a severe toll on the country, and counter-blockades set up by the government together with repressive measures that deny the opposition space and also clamp down on civic life are no solution.

We sincerely hope that the new year can bring the amity and concord that the people of this country want and deserve. We need to move forward. Here’s hoping that 2014 will be a year of resolution.

They make each other look good

We hope 2014 will bring us peace

A

s the new year begins, the country remains in a state of uncertainty.

Key concerns which were present at the start of last year remain unresolved at the start of 2014. The political deadlock is still with us and fears over violence continue to affect the economy.

Nonetheless, some progress has still been made to address long running concerns over the past year.

Amid much political debate, the war crimes tribunal process has continued to proceed with broad public support. A new minimum wage was finally agreed in the garment sector, and the aftermath of the Rana Plaza tragedy has invigorated initiatives to work on raising safety standards and improving conditions in the industry.

The people have continued to demonstrate the resilience for which they are renowned in the face of political strife and the consequent economic fallout. Farmers have continued to report good harvests and the economy remains with a positive growth rate, despite being hampered by strikes and blockades.

Bangladeshis have good reason to hope for a better future if the political crisis can be resolved.

As January begins then, Dhaka Tribune is pleased to be publishing a special publication, Turning Points, in partnership with the New York Times. Turning Points brings together globally renowned experts and distinguished personalities, both Bangladeshi and international, to reflect on the key challenges and crises facing the world.

We hope that you will enjoy the special supplement we provide as a new year’s gift to you, our valuable readers, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your loyalty and friendship over the past year. We will continue to make every effort to be ever worthy of your time and attention.

The new year is a natural moment to plan ahead. We hope that the year ahead can be a better one for the country and wish all readers a happy and prosperous 2014.

the Editor

December 31

The number 13 is considered to be unlucky. We are at the end of 2013, but could we look forward with hope and happiness to usher in 2014? It is an empathetic no, because those in power, those who are responsible for the welfare of the country, have taken a path which is ominous and dangerous. They are talking of democracy, when actually they are strangling it.

We urge the government to shun the path of hostility, to not use law-enforcement agents for their selfish agenda of holding a farcical election which the people will never accept, and to prove that Awami League is a party which truly believes in democracy and will do everything to uphold it.

Nur Jahan Chittagong

Hasina’s relatives pile up assets in 5 years

Catching the conscience of the king

December 25

December 25

shevil What a beautiful piece of writing! Full of feeling, wit, wisdom and erudition. Rare combination of qualities. rh It is nice to see that you are writing. Some of your contemporaries are literary figures in Bangladesh.

Though I only like reading Manzur Islam’s stories when I can get hold of them. Glad to see you are writing witty columns. Keep it up, sir.

Lot of Lotus Kamal changes astronomically

Seems like this joke is no laughing matter. This country has so many people who are poor, yet there are a great many stealing the money which could be used to fund jobs and infrastructure, and they are getting away with it all the time. Think how many lives would be better off if they stole half as much, or even none at all! But again, when you expose a problem, all you get is unanimous apathy or cultural apologists.

This is a crime, and these thieves are criminals, and if you are a Bangladeshi citizen and you silently wait for things to clear up, then you are an enabler of crime, suffering, and death when you say, “Oh well, that’s just Bangladesh.” Well it does not have to be.

Fanon’s ghost

December 26

Aleef Khan Politicians such as him should be tried in a special court, like ICT. The Anti-Corruption Commission has become a mockery!

Jamil If this is his declared income I wonder how much black money he has.

Aleef Khan Where is our “Shadinotar Chetona”? Can we not create another “Moncho” to say no to corruption and these politicians?

AL men asked to ‘nab outsiders’ December 26

Why not the police, BGB, or the army?

PB

Joy Bangladesh December 24

Fantastic write up. We applaud the Bangladeshi resolve to deal with the Jamaatis. Apologies for the stupidity coming from some Pakistani politicians purporting to speak in our name.

Asif Pakistani

Purbachal link road fails to meet deadline

December 26 There is much evidence of Bangladesh Army battalions proving they are still reliable and capable enough to execute many difficult jobs. So I think Rajuk can send a request to the army, through the prime minister, to get proper intervention support.

Shujaat

December 26

Tandua ketra At the end, Ershad is a hero. Not Khaleda or Hasina. This political stage belongs to scalawags.

Farah Nusrat The last speech of Khaleda Zia was quite convincing and matured. I guess BNP is a bit better of the two. Well, they have a tough competition on this one!

WaliulHaqueKhondker With a magic wand, if the positions of the two leaders could be switched, the demand and the response would inevitably switch too! :-)

Depriving people of their voting rights December 28

Our honourable PM Sheikh Hasina often takes great pride in her restoration of the voting right of the masses through the 15th amendment to the Constitution.

Now when we see that about 50 million voters, out of a total of 91.9 million, have been deprived of their voting rights and that as many as 154 candidates have been elected uncontested in the upcoming 10th JS polls, apparently as a consequence of the incumbent PM’s unilateral decision of abolishing the CTG provisions through the controversial constitutional amendment in question, her assertion of restoring people’s voting right sounds like a cruel joke to us.

Jewel

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

We call on our political parties to turn over a new leaf in 2014 and work together to find a reasonable solution

CROSSWORD

PEANUTS

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Mild explosion (3) 3 Social standing (6) 8 American state (4) 9 Curve (3) 10 Heart ailment (6) 11 Season (6) 14 Company of eight (5) 17 Symbols (5) 20 Widespreading dominion (6) 24 Mad (6) 26 Fate (3) 27 Preservative (4) 28 Worn away (6) 29 Help (3)

DOWN 1 Church seating (4) 2 Jetty (4) 3 Australian river (4) 4 Dance (5) 5 Pollute (5) 6 Rounded vase (3) 7 Inadequate (5) 12 Hawaiian dish (3) 13 Tavern (3) 15 Drinking vessel (3) 16 Do wrong (3) 17 Show amusement (5) 18 Keen relish (5) 19 Inward feeling (5) 21 Honey drink (4) 22 Greek letter (4) 23 Observed (4) 25 And not (3)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

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

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Why this apathy? n M Abdul Latif Mondal

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The mood of the nation?

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Happy New Year?

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n Shawkat Hussain he mood of the nation is interrogative, apprehensive, despairing. New Year’s Eve celebrations in TSC are out; the New Year starts with

blockades.

As I write, two bombs explode somewhere nearby, perhaps in the New Market area. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner has announced that people in some areas, including the area I live in, should not venture out after 8pm. Virtual curfew on New Year’s Eve! What else can you say about the mood of the nation?

One thing is certain to me: The Election Express will reach its destination on January 5 with very few passengers on board. What the destination is, nobody is sure about. I have lost my voter ID. And since there is no campaigning in my constituency, I assume I don’t have a candidate either. My choices have been taken away both by the loss of my ID and AL’s unyielding position about upholding the letter of the constitution. But then we can never rule out a dramatic reversal in the final act of this very high drama that we are witnessing.

This is nothing if not a modern-day game of thrones and the stakes are very high. The only people directly involved in this game are those who benefit from it, or hope to benefit from it. Battle lines are clearly drawn between the AL and BNP-Jamaat axis.

Ershad, for the time being, appears to

have gone back into the wings.

Disinterested people (that is, basically people not interested in plundering), not necessarily pro-BNP, important and articulate members of our civil society who express concern about the nation’s plunge into chaos and suggest that the January 5 elections should be cancelled, are lambasted for reasons which seem like non-sequitors. If you are not with the government then you must be anti-liberation and pro-BNP. This is simply not true for a large section, perhaps even the majority, but their voices are not heard.

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spokesperson, and consequently sunk in the estimation of many. But what does it matter. He is now a man of importance.

Perhaps one of the most shameful political moments that we all witnessed, all in the name of constitutionality and democracy, was the manhandling of a female lawyer by AL thugs while the police stood by and watched in silence. And then of course, there was the drama in front of Khaleda Zia’s house, barricaded by several trucks laden with sand, forcing her to abort her march for democracy, all to protect the people and the constitution.

The people seem to have been erased from the equations and become completely voiceless while battles are being carried out in their names BNP’s “March for Democracy,” did not, could not, take place. Instead we saw violence on the streets, clashes between the police and pro-BNP lawyers in the High Court area, clashes between AL cadres and pro-BNP lawyers, scufflings and exchanges of hot words between pro-AL and pro-BNP journalists. The PM’s media adviser, once a firebrand critic of the government’s inept handling of the Sagar-Runi murder, has now become the government’s loudest and most vehement

But where are the people for whom the constitution is being safeguarded and the attempted “March for Democracy” undertaken? They are nowhere in sight. We have only seen the police and army following orders from the government. We have seen AL and BNP-Jamaat thugs out on the streets, and we have seen pro-BNP lawyers protesting and university teachers out to march for democracy. The people seem to have been erased from the equations and become completely

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voiceless while battles are being carried out in their names.

Teachers and lawyers are out on the streets because they want to be seen to be out on the streets by the leader, Khaleda Zia, and eventually rewarded for their partisan loyalties.

This has happened in the past and will happen in the future. AL teachers with high visibility on TV or out in the streets after 1/11 have all been suitably rewarded. Now the BNP people think it’s their turn.

Over 20 years back, when there was a real people’s movement against the regime of Ershad, a frail university teacher, then president of the Dhaka University Teachers Association, fell down on the street while he was leading a procession. Later, when BNP came to power, he rose to be president of the nation. Such ambitions run high among many teachers, doctors, lawyers and other uncritical partisan professionals.

The people who suffer most are disinterested people who see most clearly the swirling anarchy that surrounds them, who do not support the BNP-Jamaat axis, who are strongly, unquestionably pro-liberation, and who feel that this election is just not the way it should be.

I have a hunch that Khaleda Zia will indeed change Gopalganj’s name if and when she comes to power. l Shawkat Hussain is former Professor and Chair of English, Dhaka University, and now teaches at State University of Bangladesh.

hen journalists on December 19 drew the attention of an ACC commissioner to a report which compared the wealth statements submitted by some Awami League contestants ahead of the 10th parliamentary polls with those submitted before the ninth election, he said the Anti Corruption Commission would not launch an inquiry into how some AL contestants of the upcoming polls had amassed huge wealth in the last five years. His argument was that such a move might hamper the election.

The Daily Star had published a report titled: “The genie gave the money,” which showed that some of the AL contestants of the 10th parliamentary polls had become richer over the last five years, some rather astonishingly.

The report mentioned the names of eight such contestants.

Some people are of the opinion that the disclosed wealth statements of the said MPs and their dependants don’t fully reflect their wealth. They have many more undisclosed assets.

We all know that corruption is a serious problem in Bangladesh.

People of Bangladesh remember with melancholy those five years when the country topped the list of the most corrupt countries in the world.

Since then, Bangladesh has made insignificant progress in the fight against corruption. According to a Transparency International report released this year, Bangladesh ranked 136th among 177 countries.

A recent global survey by TI revealed that political corruption is the biggest scourge facing the world. As for Bangladesh, there is no comprehensive law regulating the raising of funds for political parties in a transparent way. It continues to be mostly a secret affair. It has been observed by many analysts that unless the funding process is transparent, elections will degenerate into the auctioning of nominations.

To win elections nowadays, one needs money and muscle power. If one has money, muscle can be arranged easily. This is exactly why the persons referred to in the news report used their public offices to illegally amass so much wealth in the past five years.

According to a TIB survey, the candidates who participated in the ninth parliamentary election spent about Tk30 lakhs each, which was in excess of the expenditure limit set by electoral laws. According to the survey, the highest spending by a candidate was Tk280 lakhs. Those who spend that much money for an election obviously do so with the hope of making good on that investment.

The other actors in the corruption drama are public servants and businessmen. Corruption has become pervasive in public administration in Bangladesh. This is generally attributed to poor pay and the lack of enforcement of laws.

The recent amendment of the ACC law requiring the commission to seek prior permission of the government to proceed against the public servants will encourage them to be more corrupt.

The functions of the ACC include, inter alia, conducting inquiries

into the offences under the Anti-Corruption Act, 2004 and other relevant laws; instituting suo moto inquiries or inquiries on the basis of applications from aggrieved persons, and filing and conducting cases. This shows that the ACC can initiate a suo moto inquiry into the wealth allegations of the MPs over the past five years. But the ACC does not appear interested. The question that arises is: Why this apathy?

In support of his argument for not launching an inquiry into the allegations of amassing huge wealth by the said eight MPs, the ACC commissioner said: “Now, an atmosphere is prevailing for an election, and a process is on for dialogue. So, if the ACC becomes active on the issue, the situation will worsen.”

The ACC can initiate an inquiry into the wealth allegations. But it does not appear interested Does this tally with the ground reality?

Following the boycott of the 10th national election by the BNP-led opposition alliance, the ruling alliance led by the AL has already won more than half of the parliament seats uncontested.

The AL alone is likely to get two-thirds of the seats in this “voterless” and “one-sided” election.

The AL high command has ruled out the possibility of any discussion with the opposition. Since the AL-led ruling alliance is going to form the next government, the commission doesn’t want to initiate any action that will go against the interest of any highups of the ruling AL. Secondly, the commission has a poor record of initiating action against the high-ups of the party/alliance in power. When the country repeatedly topped the list of the most corrupt countries during the time of the BNP-led four-party government, the commission failed to take any action against the alleged corrupt leaders of the BNP-led ruling alliance.

Hardly any change was noticed in the behaviour of the commission during the past five years of the AL-led grand alliance government. We have seen how the Padma Bridge corruption case was mishandled by the commission led by Ghulam Rahman. The result has been disastrous.

It may not be denied that during the period of the last caretaker government, the ACC sometimes acted harshly against corruption suspects.

But it is also equally true that the reconstitution of the ACC by the post1/11 caretaker government and amendments made to the Act 2004 provided some degree of dynamism and vibrancy, aiming at making corruption a punishable offence and challenging the culture of impunity.

The ACC must fulfill the people’s expectations by discharging the responsibilities entrusted to it by the charter without taking into consideration the interest of any political party, whether in power or not. l M Abdul Latif Mondal is a former government secretary.

A citizen’s call to both sides n Mridul Chowdhury

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he high-stakes “game of thrones” continues and we, the common citizens, are either silent observers, if lucky, or fallen victims, if unlucky. We sometimes hold processions on the streets – often too reserved to ask for specific demands, since if we ask for something like the caretaker government, we would be tagged as pro-BNP, or if we ask for something like an end to the hartals, we would be pro-AL. So, we get on the streets with our banners and our slogans with demands that are generalised enough in nature that we can avoid getting labelled.

So here I am writing an open letter to both the leading incumbent and opposition parties, with full cognisance that many readers will either put me on a “nouka” or picture me holding a “dhaner shish,” or if creative enough, put me on a “nouka” holding a “dhaner shish” – the image of the ultimate “shubidha-badigoshti.” So be it.

Note to BNP Bangladesh is not unfamiliar with political violence, often due to protests by an opposition left with little recourse. Both leading parties have misused this language of protest in the

past. But this is the first time we are seeing ordinary citizens systematically targeted again and again. These are not hapless bystanders who became “collateral damage” at points of political action – these are people going home from work and burnt inside their commuter buses.

We are also seeing targeted assassination of members of the police force and attacks on police stations. This is no longer a mere language of protest; it is bordering on terrorism.

In your press conferences, you call for “peaceful” blockades or hartals, but even when there is clear evidence of violence perpetrated by the “activists” of your coalition, you either blame the government or say that it is the common people who have risen. This attitude can easily give the impression that you either have no control over your “activists,” or that you are silently encouraging it.

Furthermore, what has caught people’s attention in particular has been your long eerie silence after the Quader Molla execution. The “morakanna” from the Pakistan parliament, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, and the Tehrik-e-Taliban has been particularly interesting.

The calls from Molla’s “friends” sort of bring into question the real political allegiance and philosophy of

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh. Jamaat commands no more than perhaps 3 or 4% of votes, but still you latch onto them. Is it just political pragmatism, or are there underlying issues of your own political identity that need to be resolved and clarified to the voters?

Note to Awami League While your boldness in dealing with the war crimes trials is commendable, you are fast losing scores on most other accounts. The only thing that you have going for you, as you plan for the January 5 election, is the constitution.

What you don’t seem to realise though is that this constitution is also going against you. The constitution guarantees the following fundamental right: “Effective participation by the people through their elected representatives in administration at all levels shall be ensured.” What is about to happen on January 5 can hardly be regarded as “effective participation by the people.”

I understand that you felt badly served by the caretaker system, even though you yourself campaigned for it. You played by the rules in 2001, but later it was abused by both BNP, which pushed for a controversial chief advisor, and by a military-backed caretaker government

that over-stayed its term by almost two years. But what effective steps have you really taken to legitimately replace a caretaker government system?

How strong is an election commission when it does not even once voice the concern that more than half the country’s population will not even get to vote on January 5, since their respective representatives have already been pre-decided for them?

How acceptable is an election-time government with an all-powerful prime minister position which, as per current rules, can easily over-shadow any other cabinet post?

There is little doubt that the January 5 election will not only have little legitimacy domestically, but also internationally. The international bodies have already reneged on promises of sending election observers.

The current support that you are enjoying from the Indian diplomatic community may significantly wither away if Congress loses office in the Indian general elections in mid-2014 (which there seems to be quite a big possibility of), which can create a major alternate dynamics of international cooperation.

Just because you seem to be in control of the game today does not mean it will last for very long – that is the very nature of this “game of thrones.”

Note to both A silent “game-changer” is that the demographics of this country’s voting population is changing quite drastically, with the educated youth increasingly taking a bigger chunk of the voting population pie every year.

is questionable, or from foreign forces that naturally come with their own agendas that can be divergent from our national interests.

To BNP: If you do not give up your allegiance towards Jamaat, it might soon weigh down on you so hard that you might not be able to lift yourself

It would take so little for you to win the hearts of the majority in a durable manner. Still, all you can think of are narrow, short-time, tactical moves

More importantly, the generation which never saw either Sheikh Mujib or Ziaur Rahman is growing rapidly in size. Both of your parties will have to find fresh identities and stop basking under the shadows of those two leaders.

It would take so little for you to win the hearts of the young, the progressive, the majority, in a durable manner. Still, all you can think of are narrow, short-time, tactical moves.

All that we really want is an honest fight between parties, which does not draw a life-line either from domestic forces whose allegiance to this nation

up again. Whether you realise it or not, your identity as a party with a strong backbone is diminishing every day.

To AL: You have to find a way to get the country back on a path of democracy soon, even if it means holding another election under a different head of election-time government. Whether you realise it or not, your identity as a party with strong democratic values is diminishing every day.

It’s your time to choose, while we wait patiently for our time to choose. l Mridul Chowdhury is co-founder of Jagoree, and CEO of a social enterprise.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Jaya redefines glamour of film industry The actor looks forward to making stronger position in cinema in the New Year

n Afrose Jahan Chaity From winning the National Film Award to representing Bangladesh at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival to the overwhelming success of Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini (PDPK), Jaya Ahsan had a very special year in 2013.

While her de-glam look and brilliant acting in the Liberation War based film Guerrilla brought Jaya the first National Film Award in her career, Her "Dhallywood" transformation in PDPK opposite Shakib Khan was a risky venture for her.

But, with her stunning look and acting, Jaya proved her versatility. Her glamour adds a different dimension to the film industry and hopefully that would contribute to bringing positive changes to the fashion sense of the beauties in the film industry.

Dhaka Tribune caught up with the accomplished artiste on the eve of the New Year 2014 to know about her ventures in the coming year and more.

After the success of PDPK, what do you plan for your career?

Yes, the success has really boosted up my confidence and given me access to the mass audience. But even before PDPK, I started to step out of TV industry since I became very upset about the substandard works there. Now I'm giving full concentration to my film career.

What are your next ventures?

Right now I'm working in two films Parle Theka by Samurai Maruf and Zero Degree

by Animesh Aich. A few projects are under discussion but not yet finalised.

Your recent ventures in mainstream cinema have been criticised by a certain people, how do you see it?

Our movie industry is considered as a

failed business, but many experimental works are being made and I’m positive about the change. I always look for diversity and experimentations. Viewers will also find me in a different manner in different stories. On the other hand, there are different types of audience. We need to also think about the so-called "suburban and lower class" audience. We have to help them to take their taste to a higher level.

Where do you want to see our mainstream film in near future?

I believe good commercial films should be made regularly for the development of Dhallywood. As an artiste and film lover I believe I should have an active participation. So, I’m acting in commercial films even after facing many the criticisms.

Please share your experience at the Cannes Film Festival.

I was surprised and honoured to be the first Bangladeshi actress to walk on the red carpet at the festival. It was a big responsibility as I was going to represent my country on a platform like this.

I saw there were so many pavilions of different countries but, I felt really bad thinking why we didn't have any. Even they thought I am from India. I was loud that I am from Bangladesh and I had to be very diplomatic.

The best thing was to watch the movies since Cannes selects the best movies from all around the world. Moreover, It provided me a grand opportunity to mingle with the big names of the world cinema. But, I found them depressed about the films and they wanted more exciting stories and experimental works. I think, we, the Bangladeshis, have the potential to fill in the gap. Our contents and concepts are very rich. We need to be more smart with the technology and then we can find a distinctive position in the world cinema. l

Progga Paromita’s 100th episode to air on ATN Bangla tonight n Entertainment Desk The 100th episode of drama series Progga Paromita will air on ATN Bangla at 8pm tonight. The intriguing soap is written by Matia Banu Shuku and directed jointly by Juboraj Khan and Matia herself. The cast of the drama includes Sharmili Ahmed, Shimul, Sanjida Prity, Afran Nisho, Tania Hossain, Mahmudul Islam Mithu, Shompa Reza, Shahed Ali, Shushma Sarker, Dominique, Dipannita, Dihan, Chobi and many more.

The story is about a girl named Progga who is the science teacher of an English medium school. She is an orphan who lives in an old house with her grandmother. Progga is in love with Palash and their wedding is finalised. She is super excited about tying the knot and everyone else around her is weary of her behaviour.

Just before the wedding, Palash ditches her and, devastated of being dumped, Progga tries to commit suicide. She goes to an abandoned under-construction building and just as she is about to jump, she is deterred from her goal by a mad man who presents her with a pencil. She goes home and rants about everyone in her diary and curses everyone in her writing.

Life goes back to normal and Progga goes on with her profession. But, a few days later, she discovers that Palash married one of her colleague’s sister and writes in her diary with the pencil given to her by the mad man. She gets another shock when she discovers that everything she has written with the pencil comes true for those people.

On an experimental basis, she starts to write in her diary about her col-

leagues with the magical pencil and everything comes true, just as she writes it. In the mean time, her grandmother tells her to write something for herself rather than writing about other people. But alas! She could only write a few lines when the pencil becomes too blunt to write any further and too small to re-sharpen. Later, Progga goes back to the same place looking for the mad man. l

Seven artistes receive Shilpakala Padak 2013 n Entertainment Desk Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) has conferred the Shilpakala Padak 2013 to seven noted personalities of the seven different sectors of art and culture.

Recently demised veteran theatre activist, actor and director Khaled Khan has been honoured posthumously for his unparallel contribution in the theatre arena as a playwright.

Khan died on December 20 in 2013.

Wife of Khaled Khan Mita Haque, also an eminent Tagore singer received the award from President Abdul Hamid on behalf of Khaled Khan.

Besides Khan’s glorious career as a TV actor, his prudent appearance in theatre productions like Dewan Gazir Kissa, Nurul Diner Shara Jibon, Galileo, Roktokorobi and Dorpon, captured hearts of millions.

Khan has acted in over 30 plays for Nagarik Natya Sampraday and directed over 10 plays.

His direction on stage includes Subachan Natya Sangsad’s Rupaboti.

He had also directed Muktodhara, Putul Khela, Kalshondhay, Master Builder, Khudito Pashan and many more.

Along with Khaled Khan, BSA handed the awards to six cultural connoisseurs of the country on December 30.

Dance guru Amanul Haque, instrumentalist Ustad Motiul Huq Khan, folk artist Saidur Rahman Boyati, artist Shomorjit Roy Chowdhury, singer Fahmida Khatun, independent filmmaker Manzar-e Hasin Murad also received the Shilpakala Padak 2013.

BSA introduced the award this year to acknowledge contributions in the field of Art and Culture every year.

The awardees received Taka one lakh in cash, and a certificate.

The ceremony featured a cultural programme with a dance performance choreographed by seasoned dancer Munmun Ahmed and music directed by Shekh Sadi. A musical session directed by Moniruzzaman marked the concluding session.

Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Hasanul Haq Inu graced the ceremony as the special guest while Ministry of Cultural Affairs Dr Ranjit Kumar Biswas, ndc handed the awards.

Director General of BSA Liaquat Ali Lucky presided over the event. l

Rani Mukerji sets wedding date and venue n Entertainment Desk

After keeping the media and fans on the tenterhooks on their marriage plans, long time mates Aditya Chopra and Rani Mukerji have finally decided to get married.

In a recent interview the glamourous actor revealed that she and Aditya were keen on getting married at Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhavan Palace on February 10. It is the same venue where Nita Ambani hosted a party on her birthday.

Rani was present at the spectacular do and the palace’s magnificence won her in no time.

Buzz has is that the soon-to-be-wedded couple has confirmed the venue lately.

However, neither Rani nor anyone from the Yash Raj family has made any official confirmation. Both the Chopras and the Mukerjis want to keep the marriage a private affair and have requested everyone to respect their privacy.

The rumours of their impending marriage were fuelled when Rani was spotted sporting a huge diamond ring in some of her recent public outings. l

ON TV MOVIE

Deepika-Ranveer voted as hottest couple of the year n Entertainment Desk Very rarely does one get to see the kind of chemistry that Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh created in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. No wonder, the fans have voted the duo as the Hottest Onscreen Jodi of the Year 2013 in the latest ApunKaChoice poll.

What’s a love story without a real spark of passion between the actors playing the parts? The best written roles can fall flat, the best possible direction come to naught if the actors have no vibe going on between them. Their sweet nothings may sound superficial, kisses and hugs mere formalities for the camera.

More than the physical intimacy, it’s the body language, the

expressions, the reactions, the eye-to-eye contacts, the invisible pull between the two actors that get the chemistry going.

An online entertainment based popular newspaper Apun Ka Choice picked the stars which they asked the readers to choose their favourite onscreen couple of the year.

Of the 1073 votes, a majority of 26 percent picked Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh as the hottest couple. The two did scorch the silver screen this year with their torrid passion play in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela.

In fact, Ranveer Singh advertised his kiss with Deepika Padukone in the film as the best in Hindi cinema ever.

Ahead, check out who the fans picked as the second best and the third best jodi of the year 2013. l

MISC

9:30pm WB

Clash of the Titans

11:30am Z Cafe The Big Bang Theory

10:30am National Geographic

10:40pm Fox Movies Premium

9:00pm Comedy Central

8:30pm Vh1

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

A scene from Progga Paromita

COMEDY

Awkward

Dangerous Encounters Top 50 Videos of 2013

‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,’ the special-effects-laden Hollywood movie that pits dwarfs against a dragon, blasted to its third consecutive US box office title, collecting $29.9m over the post-Christmas weekend. It has beaten newcomers ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ and ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.’

Did you know?

Mario Balotelli has won more penalties than any other player in the top five European leagues in 2013

Sport

13

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

DHAKA TRIBUNE

14 Injury-free 2014 top of Messi’s wish list

15 Junaid’s five keeps Pakistan high

0 7 4 DAYS TO GO

All-round Prime Bank lift T20 title n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Prime Bank Cricket Club celebrates their Amber Victory Day T20 title at the SBNS yesterday

MUMIT M

Afghans Malaysia thrashing sends Bangladesh home n Tribune Desk One defeat and it was all over for Bangladesh in the Under-19 Asia Cup. Despite two wins in the bag from their opening two matches, Bangladesh were knocked out of the tournament on net run-rate after suffering a twowicket defeat to Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi yesterday. Afghanistan’s crushing 10-wicket win over minnows Malaysia on the same day earned them the glory of progressing to the semi-finals on better run-rate.

Bangladesh headed in the last match as Group B toppers with two win

from two while Afghanistan needed a miracle to finish above Bangladesh in their last match. Bangladesh made 2036 and lost the game in the penultimate over while Afghanistan bundled out Malaysia for 40 runs and raced to the target in just 3.2 overs with 10 wickets to spare.

U-19 ASIA CUP GROUP B Teams

M W

L T Pts Net RR

Sri Lanka

3

2

1

0

4

Afghanistan 3

2

1

0

4

+1.161

Bangladesh

3

2

1

0

4

+1.073

Malaysia

3

0

3 0

0

-5.140

+1.722

Sri Lanka confirm tour n Mazhar Uddin

Sri Lankan confirmed of sending their cricket team to Bangladesh this month.

Earlier the Sri Lanka Cricket waited for security appraisal of the political situation in Bangladesh last month, but decision of the tour was given the green signal after Bangladesh Cricket Board CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury sat in a meeting with the Sri Lankan high commission yesterday.

Earlier on December the West Indies Cricket Board withdrew their Under-19 team from their tour of Bangladesh which created a lot of confusion in the international media regarding the security concerns in Bangladesh. Ban-

gladesh are scheduled to host Sri Lanka for a full series comprising of two Tests, three ODIs and two T20s before hosting the Asia Cup and the World T20, but due to the political unrest all the events were at point looking unlikely.

However, the Sri Lankan team has confirmed their tour and also planned to stay back for the Asia Cup, which will run from February 24 to March 7.

“We had a meeting with the Sri Lankan high commission yesterday and we assured them about the security arrangements and they also discussed about the issues and confirmed that the Sri Lankan cricket team will visit Bangladesh for a full fledged tour this month,” said Nizamuddin. l

Bangladesh U-19’s middle-order batsman Nazmul Hossain made 62 while contributions from Mosaddek Hossian (32) and Yasir Ali (33) carried them just over the 200-mark. A hundred from Sri Lanka’s number three batsman Kusal Mendis made all the difference in the end as others struggled against the Bangladeshi spinners.

Kusal made 100 of 112 balls while Priyamal Perera and Minod Bhanuka made 62 and 26 respectively as no other batsmen made it to double figures. Sri Lanka eventually made 206-8 in 48.1 overs. l

A successful batting effort followed by the bowling saw Prime Bank Cricket Club emerge as the champions in the Amber Victory Day Twenty20 yesterday. The champions defeated UCB BCB XI by 55 runs in the final at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Chasing 175, UCB BCB XI lost their dashing opener Tamim Iqbal through a controversial dismissal in the second over before they experienced a batting debacle after the batting powerplay. Tamim, who scored his maiden Twenty20 hundred in the previous game, was given out caught by Sohag Gazi off his own bowling, but replays clearly suggested the ball not hiiting the south paw’s bat, rather it deflected off the pads.

The decision from umpire SI Shaikat left the UCB BCB XI dressing room thundered while the verbal exchanges between Tamim and the umpire made match referee Roquibul Hassan fine Tamim Tk10,000.

However, Rony Talukder and Imrul Kayes were going steadily before Rony’s

‘We love cricket’ n Minhaz Uddin Khan

The final of the Amber Victory Day Twenty20 at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday witnessed a different chant from the crowd. The cricket crazy fans in Dhaka who are usually found chanting on top of their voice for their favourite team were seen in a different posture.

A section of the crowd at the stadium conveyed their message to the ICC (International Cricket Council) and the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) with the help of banners and placards.

‘ICC please don’t break our heart,’ was one of the message written on a banner and held by a group of 20 people. While other banners carried messages like ‘Keep cricket aside of politics’, ‘We want ICC World T20 2014 in

Bangladesh’ and ‘We love cricket’.

“Reports in the media of the events (ICC World Twenty20 and Asia Cup) getting shifted to some other country has made us restless. We are sports lovers and don’t understand much of politics,” said Tauhid to the Dhaka Tribune, one of the member of the large group.

The political turmoil throughout the country caught attention of few of the participating countries of the mega events which was followed by the security concern. The unrest in the country was highlighted in the international media after West Indies Cricket Board withdrew their Under-19 team from the seven-game youth ODI series against Bangladesh U-19 after a crude bomb exploded within a short distance from the team hotel at Chittagong. l

BPL resumes today n Shishir Hoque After a three-day unwanted interruption Bangladesh Premier League resumes with the match between Abahani Limited and Brothers Union at the Bangabandhu National Stadium at 5pm today.

Earlier on last Sunday, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) suspended the seventh edition of the Bangladesh Premier League after just two league matches as security concerns were raised due to ongoing political unrest across the country.

BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag said they received the green signal for the fully pledged security during the games and the league will also continue despite the political hustle. l

Cricket lovers display banners for timely hosting of upcoming Sri Lanka series and the T20 WC at the SBNS yesterday MUMIT M

Portuguese Capela at MSC’s helm n Raihan Mahmood

Star forward Zahid Hasan Emily welcomes Jose Rui Capela Batista, the new Portuguese coach of Dhaka Mohammedan at the club premises yesterday COURTESY

The traditional Black and Whites, Dhaka Mohammedan, stepped into a new zone introducing Jose Rui Capela Batista, a Portuguese professional as their new football coach yesterday.

The 44-year old arrived at the capital at 2:00pm yesterday and headed straight to the club premises where he was introduced to the players besides attending a media briefing. The Portuguese coach who also worked for the Luis Figo Foundation pledged to show an attacking brand of football and said he prefers the Latin style.

In the process Capela became the 7th overseas coach of the traditional crowd pullers after Naser Hejazi of Iran, Samir Saqir of Iraq, Man Young Kan of South Korea, Pakir Ali of Sri Lanka, Kaderi Ikana of Nigeria and Emeka Ezeugo of Nigeria.

Capela said he is upbeat about his chances in his new mission. “I have learnt that Dhaka Mohammedan is a big club with a long history. I also have some idea about Bangladesh football.

I have a long experience with coaching and look forward to utilise the opportunity,” said the Portuguese who signed a six-month deal with the club.

Capela guided his Paraguayan club 3

FACTS FILE Name: Birth Date: City : Nationality:

Rui José Capela Batista 06/05/69 Beja Portuguese

Coaching Career:

2013, 12, 11-, 3 de Febrero (Paraguay), 2010, 09, 08, 07-Esp. Lagos (Portugal),2006, 07- Portimonense SC (Portugal), 2005, 04, 03, 02- GD Lagoa (Portugal), 2001- Quarteirense ( Portugal) Playing Career:

Midfielder, 1979-85- Desp. Beja (U-15/U-17), 1985-Torralta, 1986-89 Farnese, 1990- Quarteirense, 1991-U.Tomar, 1992-Moura, 1993, 94-Esp,Lagos, 1994-SC Praiense, 1995, 96 97-Imortal,1998- Ourique, 1998,99, 2000,01GD Lagoa, (All are Portugal clubs)

de Febrero to the second division title last year after the team was relegated to the second division in 2011. A midfielder in his playing career Capela played in Portugal for different clubs in second and first division. He started coaching in 2001 for Portugal’s 2nd division club Quarteirense.

The coach loved the challenge of being in this part of the world and said, “I have learnt the games of Europe, Latin America now I am in Asia and I want to explore the new horizon. I have taken a challenge and I want to do good here.”

The coach said he loves attacking football and he is guided by the philosophy of it. “Passing, control and precision will be the key of my coaching. I hope to form a good team,” added Batista who said it took him two days to reach Dhaka from Lisbon, Turkey.

Mohammedan director in charge Lokman Hossian Bhuiyan, manager Amirul Islam Babu, directors Sarwar Hossain, Mahbubur Rahman and MSC’s last year coach Saiful Bari Titu were also present on the occasion. l

dismissal saw the rest of the batting members fall like a house of cards. Rony returned after making 32 off 24 balls with the scorecard reading 50-2 in seven over, and the failure of the remaining batsmen saw them been restricted to 119-8 at the end of the 20 overs.

Rubel Hossain ran to his right from the long-on position to take a brilliant catch couple yards inside the boundary to send Imrul Kayes back which completely shifted the momentum of the final.

Taijul Islam claimed two wickets for Prime Bank while Shakib, Gazi, Rubel, Mohammad Sharif and Sabbir Rahman took a wicket each.

Earlier, Prime bank opted to bat and rode on Liton Kumar’s fifty to post 174 for six in 20 overs. Liton’s 39-ball 62 saw him clobber six fours and one six.

Anamul Haque contributed 27 from 23 balls with two fours and a six and finished as the top scorer of the tournament with 298 runs.

UCB BCB XI pacer Al Amin bagged three wickets in the final to become the highest wicket taker in the competition with 13 wickets. l

We knew we are a better side: Shakib n Minhaz Uddin Khan Prime Bank Cricket Club skipper Shakib al Hasan believes they deserved the win against UCB BCB XI in the final of the Amber Victory Day Twenty20 tournament yesterday as they have a decent batting line-up and a superior bowling attack.

“We knew we are a better side and our bowling was our main strength. So we were confident after posting 174 on the board. We knew it won’t be easy to score 175 in a final,” said the former national skipper to the media at SBNS. Shakib suffered from dengue fever and missed the international home series against New Zealand in November and he returned to the field after three months with this tournament. 138 runs and 11 wickets in the tournament were satisfying, but he also realised that there is room for improvement.

“As far as my performance is concerned it was alright as I went down to play straightaway. But there are lots of homework to do starting from fitness to other areas ahead of the international season,” said Shakib.

UCB BCB XI captain Tamim Iqbal thought his dismissal was a major reason behind their defeat.

“A lot depended on me to be honest.

The decision given against me was not right. I have never seen such a decision in my life, and I probably won’t see it again. If I could have given a good start, it could have helped us to have a good chase,” said Tamim after the game.

The left-handed batsman believes the tournament to have a positive effect on the local cricketers and that it should take place every year. l

Bangladesh continue to impress in Int’l Karate n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh karate players continued their gold winning streak in the 4th International Karate Championship as they bagged six gold medals in the second day of the meet in Mumbai, India yesterday.

Hasan Khan alone bagged three gold while as a team Bangladesh won total 11 medals yesterday. Hasan clinched all his medals in Open Kata and Kumi event.

Hasnain Kabir grabbed gold in -70kg category, Shamim Osman won gold in -60kg while Md Abdul Latif took gold in age-level Kata event.

Abir Rahman, Rezaul Karim and Abdul Latif also bagged silver in their respective 14-15 age-group, -55kg and +80kg events.

Meanwhile, Mahi Rahman and Shamim Osmal won two bronze in the 14-15 age-group event. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

South American hooligans run amok ahead of World Cup n AFP, Montevideo

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (R) of Paris Saint-Germain takes part in a training session at the Aspire Academy of Sports Excellence in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday

AFP

An increase in footballrelated violence in South America is tarnishing the image of the game on the continent just months before Brazil hosts the World Cup. Thirty people were killed in football-related attacks in Brazil alone this year -- one less than the record 31 in 2012 -- while nine died in neighboring Argentina, leading authorities in that country to ban away fans.

In early December, a fracas broke out between “torcidas organizadas,” as hooligans are known in Brazil, following a match between Atletico Paranaense and Vasco da Gama. The brawl was broadcast live on television, shocking viewers as bloodied victims were beaten and kicked.

Weeks later in Argentina, two members of the “barras bravas” -- or hooligans -- of local team Newell’s Old Boys were shot dead by a fan from bitter rivals Rosario Central.

Other fatalities were recorded in Colombia, Paraguay and Peru, with football-related injuries and arrests in Uruguay, Ecuador and Chile.

In some countries in the region, hooligans engage in criminal activities and have designated attack groups. In Argentina, the “barras bravas” are even seen as a constituency and protected by politicians.

Violence reflects social frustrations For Uruguayan sociologist Leonardo Mendiondo, football serves as a window into South America’s pent up social frustrations. Much of the region has seen fast economic growth in the past years – along with a widen-

ing chasm between the haves and the have-nots.

Mendiondo, like his Ecuadoran counterpart Fernando Carrion, said the fans are a product of the violencemarked societies they live in.

Argentina expert Luis Sustas, meanwhile, said hooligans “are not irrational beings or monsters.”

Rather, they see membership of a hardcore fan grouping as defining their place in society, creating a sense of belonging, he said.

The “barras bravas” and “torcidas” often recruit their most die-hard members among the young and unemployed and plan attacks that can sometimes pull in peaceful fans on a wave of enthusiasm, according to observers.

Club managers shoulder most of the blame, he said.

“Those in charge of the clubs have been playing with fire in offering tickets and power to the barras bravas.”

Brazilian sociologist Maurici Murad warned that foreign fans could be at risk during the World Cup that kicks off on June 12 – if authorities don’t take action.

Murad watched the violence between Atletico Paranaense and Vasco da Gama unfurl on television – four people were injured – and decried the lack of a tough response.

As the author of a book about football violence, Murad expressed concern about a repeat once fans from around the world descend on Brazil for the month-long championship.

Although the focus is on Brazil in the run-up to the World Cup, it is the Argentine capital that is widely regarded as the main focal point of South American football violence.

There, hooligans have gained influence at the heart of the game. l

United, Spurs eye top four as 2014 dawns n AFP, London Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to poke sticks in each other’s wheel spokes when they face off in the Premier League’s stand-out New Year’s Day fixture.

Both sides have endured trying periods this season, United losing five of their first 15 games and Tottenham sacking manager Andre Villas-Boas, but both have enjoyed improved fortunes in recent weeks.

United have won their last six games in all competitions, while Tottenham are unbeaten in the league under new head coach Tim Sherwood, who has intro-

duced an adventurous 4-4-2 formation.

The two teams remain eight points behind leaders Arsenal, with United ahead of Spurs on goal difference, but results over the festive period enabled them to close to within just three points of the Champions League places.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are only two points ahead, having conceded their grip on top spot and slipped to fifth place following consecutive losses at title rivals Manchester City and Chelsea.

United expect to welcome back Wayne Rooney after he missed Saturday’s 1-0 win at Norwich City with a groin injury but Robin van Persie remains sidelined due to a thigh problem.

In the Dutchman’s absence, manager David Moyes has urged Danny Welbeck,

Injury-free 2014 top of Messi’s wish list n Reuters, Barcelona

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is hoping for an injury free 2014 as his recovery from a thigh injury nears completion, the World Player of the Year said on Monday.

Messi has been in his native Argentina recuperating from a thigh strain sustained on Nov. 10, the latest in a series of muscle injuries that plagued him throughout 2013.

“After celebrating the end of the year with my family and friends, I will fly to Barcelona on Wednesday and after my return we will see when I am ready to play again,” Messi said on Barca’s website.

“The objective now is to get myself back to full fitness and the idea is to

have a few practice sessions with my team mates before returning to action,” he added.

Coach Gerardo Martino’s squad have New Year’s Day free and return to training with a double session on Thursday.l

manager Arsene Wenger believes that it is too early to be thinking about the league title.

“Look, we believe in ourselves and we are determined to give our best, absolutely, and to turn back on the season at the end and think we have given our best,” he said.

Chelsea produced one of their most impressive performances of the season to date in Sunday’s 2-1 win at home to Liverpool and Jose Mourinho’s side will look to keep the pressure on Arsenal when they visit Southampton.

City, meanwhile, can give themselves an early taste of life at the summit if they avoid defeat at Swansea City in the first game of 2014.

However, like Wenger, City captain

scorer of four goals in his last four league games, to carry his impressive recent form through to the end of the season.

“He got one goal last year and now he is on seven for this season,” said Moyes.

Ozil, Ramsey, Giroud and Gibbs out for Arsenal

Stupid not to think Atletico can win La Liga: Simeone

Arsenal Crystal Palace Fulham Liverpool Man United Southampton Stoke City Sunderland Swansea City West Brom

v v v v v v v v v v

Cardiff City Norwich City West Ham Hull City Tottenham Chelsea Everton Aston Villa Man City Newcastle

n Reuters, London

Premier League leaders Arsenal will be without midfielders Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey, defender Kieran Gibbs and striker Olivier Giroud for the home game with Cardiff City on Wednesday, manager Arsene Wenger said.

Arsenal go into the match with a one-point lead over Manchester City and Wenger said he was proud of the fact his side accumulated more points in 2013 than any other side in the league.

“It’s not a trophy but it shows the consistency and the trend for the team,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “If you can manage from January 1 to December 31 to have that trend it means we are going upwards. l

n Reuters, Madrid

It would be “stupid” not to think Atletico Madrid can end Real Madrid and Barcelona’s decade-long stranglehold on the La Liga title this season, coach Diego Simeone was quoted as saying on Monday.

Atletico are level at the top with champions Barca on 46 points with just under half the season played, with Real five further back in third.

With La Liga’s leading marksman Diego Costa in scintillating form, the capital’s second club are in a strong

position to match Valencia’s feat from 2004 of denying Spain’s wealthy big two the domestic title.

Argentine Simeone, who has transformed the club since taking over at the end of 2011 and led them to a King’s Cup triumph against Real last season, told Italy’s Il Giornale daily that one of his wishes for 2014 was the La Liga crown.

“It would be stupid not to think about it, above all looking at the standings,” he told the newspaper.

However, the health of his three sons was the most important thing,

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says his only fear for the 2014 World Cup is players gloating over past victories and failing to be humble in the face of the great challenge ahead in Brazil.

“We have to forget the past and not gloat over what we have won in previous years,” Del Bosque told Spanish daily AS in an interview published Tuesday.

“Humbleness is not an empty word.

When I ask for it, it is because it is the path to success.”

Spain, champions of Europe in 2008 and 2012 and World Cup winners in

2010, face fierce competition in the tournament, which kicks off in Brazil on June 12, he warned.

“The players have won a lot, almost everything, and their vision is not the same as it was five or six years ago.

That is my only fear. We come back to humbleness. You have to be humble, sportsmen, and good lads.”

Del Bosque said Spain are not inferior to any other team but they need to be cautious.

“We are the rival to beat and there are powerful rivals, especially the South Americans and among them Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Chile,” Del Bosque said.

“Then there are the Europeans, teams like Germany, Holland or Portugal. It is not easy and you have to show respect with all our rivals.”

Del Bosque said 35-year-old Barcelona captain Carles Puyol, who has been dogged by injury problems over the last couple of seasons, is a “concern” but he hoped he would make the Spain team. “We still have time to make decisions,” he said.

The Spain coach said he was not worried about keeper Iker Casillas suffering from a lack of playing time after being left on the bench for Real Madrid’s Liga games, playing only in the Champions League and the domestic King’s Cup. l

added the 43-year-old, who spent part of his playing career at Serie A sides Inter Milan and Lazio.

He also had two stints at Atletico and was part of the side that won a league and cup double in 1996.

As well as riding high in La Liga, Atletico are through to the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will play AC Milan.

They will meet Valencia over two legs in the last 16 of the King’s Cup, with the first leg at the Mestalla on Jan 7. and the return at the Calderon a week later. l

Cisse set for Bastia stint n AFP, Bastia

Del Bosque warns Spain not to gloat n AFP, Madrid

Vincent Kompany has played down the significance of podium placings at this stage of the campaign.

Liverpool will be doubly motivated when they welcome Hull City to Anfield, having been beaten 3-1 by Steve Bruce’s side a month ago.

Everton capitalised on Liverpool’s loss at Chelsea by stealing into fourth place with a 2-1 win at home to Southampton, but on Wednesday they visit Stoke City, who have lost only once at home this season.

Bottom club Sunderland, meanwhile, will hope to escape from the relegation zone when they host Aston Villa, having closed to within two points of safety following a run of four games without defeat. l

“It could be better but you have got to say it is going in the right direction.

“With the second half of the season to go, he should be certainly looking to score 20 goals.”

Spurs held United to a 2-2 draw when the sides last met at White Hart Lane on December 1 and won 3-2 on their last visit to Old Trafford in September 2012.

Arsenal finished 2013 in first place after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Newcastle United at the weekend and on Wednesday they host a Cardiff City side still adjusting to life without sacked manager Malky Mackay.

However, with Manchester City a point behind in second place and Chelsea a point further back in third, Arsenal

FIXTURES

Atletico Madrid is a title contender for this season's La Liga trophy

Much-travelled French striker Djibril Cisse is set to return to France after agreeing an 18-month deal with Corsican side Bastia, a source close to the club confirmed on Monday.

The 32-year-old international forward has been playing at Kuban Krasnodar in the Russian Premier League since July, but is keen to return to France to better his chances of making the French World Cup squad.

Cisse, has broken his contract with the Russian club and agreed an 18-month deal with the Ligue 1 side. He will travel to Bastia on Tuesday and train with his new teammates on Wednesday.

Cisse’s previous clubs include Auxerre, Liverpool, Marseille, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers followed by spells in Qatar and Russia. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Schumacher improving but ‘not out of danger’

QUICK BYTES

Zia second after third round Bangladesh Grand Master Ziaur Rahman defeated Prosviriakov Vladimir of USA in the 3rd round on Monday to move to joint second position in the Masters event of the 89th Hasting International Chess Congress in Horntye Park, Hastings, East Sussex in England.

Ziaur Rahman now has 2.5 points after the end of 3rd round and placed 2nd with seven other players. Earlier in the 2nd round game, Zia drew with International Master Foisor OvidiuDoru of Romania and beat Repplinger Marc of Germany in the 1st round. A total of 94 players including 12 GMs and 12 International Masters from 23 countries are participating in the event.

Zia was scheduled to play German Fide Master Stewart Neil of Germany in the 4th round yesterday.

–Tribune Desk

n AFP, Grenoble

Anelka agrees not to repeat ‘quenelle’ salute

French striker Nicolas Anelka has agreed not to perform the controversial ‘quenelle’ salute that has been linked with anti-Semitism, his club West Bromwich Albion announced on Monday. Anelka, 34, sparked a media storm on Saturday when he celebrated the first of his two goals in the 3-3 Premier League draw at West Ham United by putting one arm across his chest and straightening the other. The gesture, popularised by French comedian Dieudonne, has been described by critics in France as an ‘inverted Nazi salute’, but Anelka insisted on Twitter that it was merely “a dedication” to the comic. However, with England’s Football Association having launched an investigation into the matter, West Brom have asked Anelka not to repeat the gesture.

–AFP

Jewish Congress offers FA, Uefa help to fight anti-Semitism

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) offered on Tuesday to help European soccer’s governing body UEFA and the English FA to fight anti-Semitism in the sport following Nicolas Anelka’s “quenelle” salute. It has also called on the soccer authorities to ban Anelka, 34, who is being investigated by the English FA, for the gesture. The former France striker celebrated the first of the two goals he scored in West Bromwich Albion’s 3-3 draw at West Ham United on Saturday by making the gesture, made famous by the French comedian Dieudonne, which is linked to anti-Semitism. The 34-yearold Anelka promised his club on Monday he would not repeat it in future. But EJC president Doctor Moshe Kantor has written to both Michel Platini, the UEFA president, and Greg Dyke, the chairman of the English FA, saying what Anelka did means there can be no let-up in the fight to keep anti-Semitism out of soccer.

–Reuters

Sunderland swoop early for defensive recruit Alonso

English Premier League basement dwellers Sunderland have moved quickly to reinforce their frail defence by agreeing a loan move for Fiorentina fullback Marcos Alonso until the end of the season. The 23-year-old former Real Madrid, Bolton Wanderers and Spanish under-19 defender will officially complete his move to Wearside when the January transfer window opens on Wednesday. “Marcos is a player that I have known well for a very long time,” Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet told the club’s website on Monday. “He was desperate to come and play for Sunderland and he is a player I am excited to work with.” Poyet has made new signings a priority in the weeks after taking on the role in October following the dismissal of former boss Paolo Di Canio.

Sunderland have improved under the Uruguayan’s guidance, recording wins over Manchester City, Everton and arch rivals Newcastle United but are still rooted in last place, two points away from safety.

–Reuters

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 1 8:45AM Big Bash T20 Hobart v Melbourne 2:45PM Sydney v Melbourne Stars Star Sports 4 6: 35PM Barclays Premier League 2013/14 Swansea City v Manchester City 11:45PM Manchester United v Tottenham

15

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Sri Lankan batsman Rangana Herath is bowled out during the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday AFP

Doctors treating Michael Schumacher said Tuesday the Formula One legend has undergone a second operation following his life-threatening ski accident but warned he is “not out of danger”.

Surgeons said there had been a “slight improvement” in his condition and that they had “gained some time” by performing a successful second operation on the seven times world champion on Monday night.

His family is at the hospital in the French Alpine city of Grenoble where the former racing driver remains in a coma after he fell and slammed his head on a rock while skiing off-piste on Sunday.

News of the accident stunned the world and racing stars joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and legions of fans in expressing their hopes for his recovery. The second operation Monday was to remove a blood clot which was putting pressure on the brain, doctors said.

Surgeons only went ahead with the operation after consulting Schumacher’s family, who took the “difficult decision” to agree to a new procedure.

However, Jean-Francois Payen, head of the intensive care unit, told reporters at a press conference Tuesday that Schumacher was still in danger.

Junaid’s five keeps Pakistan high n AFP, Abu Dhabi Paceman Junaid Khan grabbed five wickets and Bilawal Bhatti finished with three as Pakistan enjoyed the better of the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Junaid claimed his fourth five-wicket haul, taking figures of 5-58, while Bhatti took 3-65 in his first Test as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 204 after Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and opted to bowl first on a greenish Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch.

By the close on the opening day Pakistan reached 46-1 with debutant opener Ahmed Shehzad not out on 25.

Fellow opener Khurram Manzoor ran himself out after making 21, leaving Pakistan trailing by 158 runs but with

nine first-innings wickets remaining.

Amidst the collapse in the Sri Lankan innings, skipper Angelo Mathews stood out, defying the Pakistan attack for 160 minutes for his 91.

He added an invaluable 61 for the ninth wicket with Shaminda Eranga (14) to lift Sri Lanka from a precarious 124-8.

Mathews hit 15 boundaries during his fighting knock, improving on his previous best of 64 not out against Pakistan at Colombo in 2009 before he was the last man out, stumped off Saeed Ajmal, who finished with 2-32.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to field first had looked unwise as Sri Lankan openers Dimuth Karunaratne (38) and Kaushal Silva (20) gave their team a sound start, putting on 57 for the first wicket.

But, from 66-1, Sri Lanka lost seven

Warner recall puts power into Australia ODI squad n AFP, Sydney Australia recalled Ashes destroyer David Warner and Test captain Michael Clarke, adding power and class to the one-day squad unveiled Tuesday to face England in the first three of five matches.

“David Warner has won back his place in the Australia ODI squad with his outstanding recent form,” said national selector John Inverarity.

“Michael Clarke, Shaun Marsh and James Pattinson have been included after being unavailable through injury for the series against India in October.”

Australia have comprehensively outplayed England to take a 4-0 Ashes lead and are a strong bet for a total whitewash when the final Test opens on Sydney on Friday.

Warner has been in blistering form with the bat while Clarke, who missed the October tour of India with chronic back trouble, has led a total turnaround for an Australia team that lost the last Ashes series 3-0 in England earlier this year.

“There are three outstanding players in Clarke, Warner and Marsh coming back and we believe their inclusion provides the squad with several batting options,” Inverarity said.

“Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh are exciting prospects at the top of the

SQUAD Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vice-capt), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, David Warner, Shane Watson. order with the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup only 14 months away.”

Fast-bowler James Pattinson also returns from a long-term back injury.

“Pattinson has worked hard to get back to full fitness and will be looking to regain his best form,” the selector said with an eye on Australia’s Test tour to South Africa in February and March. l

wickets for the addition of 101 runs in the afternoon session.

Bhatti, making his Test debut, took three wickets off just eight balls after lunch. He had Silva caught at slip off the fourth ball after the resumption and then had the experienced Mahela Jayawardene (5) caught behind in his next over.

A ball earlier, Jayawardene had been caught behind only to see the umpire call it a no-ball.

Two balls later, Bhatti had Dinesh Chandimal caught in the slip by Mohammad Hafeez for a duck to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 76-4.

The left-armer dismissed Sri Lanka’s most reliable batsman, Kumar Sangakkara, caught off an uppish drive at point for 16, and had both Prasanna Jayawardene (5) and Sachitra

Senanayake (5) caught behind.

He then bowled Rangana Herath for a duck to complete his fourth five-wicket haul – all four have come against Sri Lanka.

Karunaratne hit three boundaries in the first three overs, and five in all, before he miscued a drive off Junaid and was smartly snapped up at gully by Asad Shafiq.

Pakistan strove hard for wickets in the first hour and wasted one review when they appealed for a catch behind against Silva off Junaid. Replays showed the batsman had not touched the ball.

Pakistan also gave a Test debut to Shehzad after he had played 40 oneday internationals in the last four years, while spinner Senanayake was given his Test debut for Sri Lanka. l

“We cannot speculate on the future,” he said.

Doctors claimed they were “surprised” by the improvement in Schumacher’s condition but he was still “critical” and remained “fragile”.

Doctors have said that Schumacher, who is due to turn 45 on January 3, has age and physical fitness on his side but stressed it was too early to say if he would pull through.

He has been put in a medically induced coma to spur recovery. The coma reduces the patient’s temperature to around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to reduce swelling.

By being unconscious, the brain is also switched off to sounds, light and other triggers that cause the organ to use up oxygen as it processes the stimuli.

A source close to the investigation into the off-piste accident at the posh ski resort of Meribel told AFP that Schumacher’s helmet, which medics say saved his life, was smashed “in two” by the impact. The German newspaper Bild also quoted a rescuer as saying the split helmet was “full of blood”.

Schumacher’s family in a statement expressed their thanks to the doctors who they said were doing “everything possible to help Michael” and to wellwishers around the world. l

SCORECARD Sri Lanka Ist innings D. Karunaratne c Shafiq b Junaid 38 JK Silva c Hafeez b Bhatti 20 K. Sangakkara c Shehzad b Junaid 16 M. Jayawardene c Akmal b Bhatti 5 D. Chandimal c Hafeez b Bhatti 0 A. Mathews st Akmal b Ajmal 91 P. Jayawardene c Akmal Junaid 5 S. Senanayake c Akmal b Junaid 5 R. Herath b Junaid 0 S. Eranga c Akmal b Ajmal 14 S. Lakmal not out 1 Extras: (b 4, lb4 nb 1) 9 Total: (all out; 65 overs) 204 Fall of wickets 1-57 (Karunaratne), 2-67 (Silva), 3-76 (Jayawardene), 4-76 (Chandimal), 5-82 (Sangakkara), 6-104 (Prasanna), 7-124 (Senanayake), 8-124 (Herath), 9-185 (Eranga).

Bowling Junaid 20-4-58-5, Ali 16-3-41-0, Bhatti 15-1-65-3 (1nb), Ajmal 14-3-32-2

Serena tested in season opener n AFP, Brisbane World number one Serena Williams opened her 2014 season with a hardfought 6-4, 6-4 win over Germany’s Andrea Petkovic in the second round of the Brisbane International on Tuesday.

Williams, who was given a bye in the first round, was pushed hard by the unseeded Petkovic in front of a packed crowd at Pat Rafter Arena.

The American mixed the good with the bad, making 36 unforced errors but hitting 35 winners in the 98-minute encounter. The defending champion now goes on to face Dominika Cibulkova in the quarter-finals after the ninth seeded Slovakian beat 43-year-old Japanese Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

Williams began well against Petkovic, breaking the German’s second service game. But any thoughts of an easy victory were quickly erased when Petkovic broke straight back.

In a close first set, both players had their chances until at 4-4 Williams seized on a loose service game to break Petkovic, then held her own serve to take the opener in 50 minutes.

Serena Williams of the US hits a return against Andrea Petkovic of Germany during their first round match of the Brisbane International in Brisbane yesterday AFP The second set was as closely fought as the first, but with games at 2-2 Petkovic let a 40-0 lead slip to surrender the only break of the set.

She had a point to break back in the

next game, but Williams held on and was never troubled on serve after that, claiming the second set and the match when a Petkovic forehand return hit the base of the net. l

Kallis knew it was time to quit Test India pick new fast bowler n Reuters, Durban

Jacques Kallis said he knew the time was right to quit the test arena as he bowed out after an 18-year career with victory over India at Kingsmead on Monday.

The 38-year-old all-rounder, regarded as South Africa’s finest cricketer, scored a farewell century on Sunday to help his side to a 10-wicket win and a series triumph in the meeting between the two top-ranked test-playing nations.

His 115 in South Africa’s first innings also took him into third place on the list of all-time test batsmen, with 13,289 runs from 166 tests, behind only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs) and Ricky Ponting (13,378).

Kallis surprised many with his decision to quit, catching the cricketing world unawares on Christmas Day with a statement saying the second test against India would be his last but that he would continue in the limited overs format. Usually it has been the other

way round for top players.

“It was a tough call but people say there comes a days when you wake up and you realise it is time to quit,” he told reporters.

I felt it was the right time and to finish it off in this manner has been incredible, the way the people have come out to support me, the way Cricket South Africa have made it a special game, my team mates have made it a special game. I couldn’t have hoped for a better exit.”

Kallis was lifted briefly on the shoulders of his team mates as he made a postgame lap of honour around Kingsmead, waving to the crowd and at one point stopping to down a can of beer.

All his South African team mates wore a tee-shirt with his picture on the front and inscribed on the back was: “The only player to score 10 00 runs and take 200 wickets in test cricket”.

It was fitting he departed in Durban on the same ground he where he start-

ed his test career in 1995.

“I sat here the day before the game and as I looked out over the field, I realised an nothing much has changed (in my 18-year test career). I’ve just got a little bit older. I still had the same butterflies and nerves.”

Kallis was greeted before he went out to bat on Saturday with a guard of honour from the Indian fielders, similar to the one they produced for Sachin Tendulkar when he finished his test career against the West Indies last month.

“Thanks to the Indian team for that guard of honour, that was really special. I’m glad I wasn’t facing immediately because it gave me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. It was a really emotional moment,” he added.

Kallis shed a brief tear too on Sunday when he reached his 45th test century, a figure bettered only by Tendulkar’s 51, a departure from his usually stoic and quiet demeanour. l

for New Zealand tour n AFP, New Delhi India named rookie paceman Ishwar Pandey in both the Test and one-day squads for their tour of New Zealand Tuesday, but left out senior pros Yuvraj Singh and Pragyan Ojha.

Pandey, 24, was the highest wickettaker in the Ranji Trophy first-class tournament in 2012-13, with 48 wickets at an average of 21.06 for the Madhya Pradesh state team.

The right-arm bowler has already picked up 30 scalps in eight matches this season, including a best of eight for 84 against Railways on his home ground in Indore. Pandey will be part of a six-man pace attack, led by the veteran Zaheer Khan, for the two Test matches in New Zealand.

He replaces Ojha from the squad that lost the recent Test series in South Africa

1-0, even though the left-arm spinner did not play any of the two matches. l

SQUAD

Test Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kolhi, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Ishwar Pandey.

One-day Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ambati Rayudu, Ishant Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Varun Aaron.

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Bribe fetches ‘bail’ for those who attacked Noor Jamil Khan, from n Mohammad Nilphamari Police in Nilpharami have been allegedly releasing the criminals, who attacked Awami League Lawmaker Asaduzzaman Noor’s motorcade, in exchange of hefty bribes.

There are also allegations that a section of local Awami League leaders and activists has been blackmailing and extorting money from the families of those accused in the case filed in connection with the attack.

On December 14, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of main opposition BNP, and its student front Chhatra Shibir, attacked Noor’s motorcade in the Ramganj Bazaar area of the district.

They convinced and misguided some local people from the Ramganj village, using the loudspeaker from a local mosque, to join them in the attack. Five of Noor’s associates were killed in the clash that ensued the attack.

Soon after the incident, Inspector Babul Akhter of Nilphamari police filed a case in this connection against 14 named and 1,500 unnamed criminals.

Later, the responsibility of investigation was handed over to Mostafizur Rahman, sub-inspector of the local police station.

However, despite continuously conducting drives in the area for the last 16 days, police have managed to arrest only one of the named accused and 35 others, whose names are not mentioned in the case statement.

SI Mostafizur told the Dhaka Tribune that the 36 arrested so far had been identified from the videos of the incident recorded by some local residents using their mobile phones. “Most of the criminals, especially those named as accused, went into hiding after the incident. But we are trying our level best to round them up.”

Although police have not been able to trace the named accused, local villagers said several of them had been hiding in the nearby Jogenshiri area of the district.

Seeking anonymity, a resident of Ramganj said the accused come to the village at night after police move from the place finishing their regular raid. In fact, they said, police had only arrested those who had failed to pay them the bribe.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that on December 28, police arrested Chanchal, Shumon and Shamim from the Lakkhichhap area and released them hours later after allegedly taking Tk18,000 bribe from each.

Similar cases of bribery have been reported from the Polashbari area where police allegedly took Tk9,000 each from BNP activists Kallol and Majedul and released them.

One Abu Sayed was arrested in connection with the attack. His father Abdul Majid alleged that his son had been taken to custody because he had failed to entertain the Tk50,000 bribe that police demanded.

Not only have the police, local activists of Chhatra League, ruling Awami League’s student front, also been reportedly doing the same.

Local residents, seeking anonymity, said Chhatra League leader Abul Kashem Shah of Polashbari union and his associates had been involved in the extortion. They reportedly find out the BNP supporters and demand extortion and threaten to call the police if their demands are not met.

Local villagers also said police had in fact arrested quite a few after being informed by these Chhatra League men.

Abul Kashem Shah refuted the allegation saying: “Helping the police maintain law and order is our responsibility. We are only doing that and nothing else. We called the police after tracing the criminals, who attacked Mr Noor’s motorcade and killed five people.”

Snubbing out the allegations of irregularity, Nilphamari police chief (SP) Mohammad Zubayedur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that police have made a number of arrest in the area after being tipped off by local residents. l

AL leader killed for helping joint forces n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue in the capital wears its normal look yesterday as public transport services resume after the three-day disruption centring BNP’s attempted ‘March for Democracy’ RAJIB DHAR

JAMAAT ‘DREADFUL’ FOR MONIRAMPUR VOTERS

Role of law enforcers questioned n Emran Hossain, from Jessore With only four days left of the 10th parliamentary elections, the ruling Awami League-nominated candidate in Jessore 5 constituency is yet to paste his electoral posters anywhere in Lebugati village.

The village, with only 1,000 voters, is not of much political important.

Election campaign is also not seen in areas like Dhakuria and Joypur as Jamaat men are allegedly preventing ruling party men from holding campaigns.

Even police do not dare enter these areas without assistance from the BGB or joint forces. It gives a glimpse Jamaat’s power in the area where tension is escalating every minute.

Ahead of the polls, rifts within the Awami League became evident. Party-nominated candidate and his rival, independent candidate Swapan Bhattacharya, have been counter campaigning.

Party-backed candidate Tipu Sultan, the incumbent MP, alleged that Jamaat men had been encouraged to demonstrate its violent politics in association with his rival candidate and the district’s

police superintendent, Joy Dev Bhadra.

Govinda Chandra Das, president of Lebugati unit Awami League claimed that the Jamaat activists were allowing the electoral campaigns of Swapan, and that the party’s only problem was with the electoral symbol, boat.

The situation is same in Chachra union, where an Awami League supporter was beaten up by the Jamaat activists the same evening he had pasted posters in Sarapol Bazar.

The correspondent travelled to Lebugati village on a motorcycle, diguised as an NGO worker because entry of journalists is restricted in the area.

Many Awami League activists are living away from home fearing Jamaat attack.

“The scenario in the village has changed immediately after war crimes trial began,” said Govinda.

With the ruling party activists gone, people of the Hindu minority community are now spending days in constant fear.

Monirumpur unit Krishak League President Shafi Kamal was chopped to death few days ago.

The recent deployment of joint forces and army has eased the situation a

bit. But tension is evident in the faces of the local people, giving rise to speculations of a low voter turnout.

Joypur is the area where 71 houses of Hindus and Awami League activists were set on fire on March 22.

Veteran local journalist Idris Ali was kidnapped on October 27. His body was found in Manush Marar Beel 29 days later.

“I am stunned and surprised over the situation. Some particular areas have been turned into heaven for Jamaat-Shibir activists in absence of step sfrom the administration,” alleged Tipu Sultan.

He complained about the police super to the returning officer for patronising Jamaat-Shibir men. Tipu also alleged that despite being tipped off, police and the joint forces had not been arresting the armed criminals who staged processions in parts of his constituency.

“This is unimaginable,” he said.

Dhaka Tribune could not get a response from the SP as he was busy attending a programme at the last minutes of filing of the report.

Independent candidate Swapan Bhattacharya could not be reached over the phone for comments. l

Leaders and activists of Sirajganj Awami League and Jubo League yesterday claimed that BNP-Jamaat activists killed a leader of local Awami League because he testified against them and helped the joint forces.

Miscreants chopped Saiful Islam, the victim, to death around 5pm on Monday.

Jubo League activist Hamidul Islam said: “Saiful Islam gave testimony in different cases against activists of BNP-Jamaat. As a result, criminals of BNP-Jamaat got angry on him.”

Another Awami League activist Selim Ahmed said Saiful helped the joint forces detain 23 people on December 26.

OC of Sadar police station Habibul Islam said killers held a meeting at Chatiyantoli Bazar before killing Saiful.

He was called out and BNP-Jamaat men chopped him to death. At least 20 people were arrested immediately after the murder. However, district Jamaat and BNP denied their party activists’ involvement in the murder. l

Jamaat leader killed in Meherpur ‘shootout’ n Our Correspondent, Meherpur A local Jamaat-e-Islami leader was killed in a “shootout” with joint forces in Hijuli village under Meherpur sadar upazila early yesterday.

The deceased, Abdul Jabbar, 58, had no official position. He was also a member of Amjhupi Union Parishad.

The joint forces arrested Abdul Jabbar in Hijli village along with two other Jamaat activists from Rajnagar on Monday.

Abdul Jabbar was accused in two cases filed recently in connection with violence, Reazul Islam, OC of Sadar police station, told the Dhaka Tribune.

After interrogation, the joint forces, along with Jabbar, conducted a drive to arrest more Jamaat-Shibir activists.

Sensing their presence, Jamaat-Shibir men opened fire. The joint forces retaliated, leaving Jabbar and three joint forces members injured.

Critically injured Jabbar was taken to the Meherpur General Hospital where on-duty doctors declared him dead around 2am. l

2013: A year of adversity and stagnation n Asif Showkat Kallol The culture of blockades and hartals and the government’s preventive measures have virtually affected every sector of the country’s economy in the past one year, ruining investment, income production and cultivation.

Economists said: “It has been a year of adversity and stagnation for the economy.”

Farmers failed to obtain good price for the Aman paddy because of transportation problems amid the ongoing political turmoil. The crippled transportation system in the country has also caused huge misery in the form of fertiliser and fuel shortage for the farmers growing Boro paddy.

The country was hit with a severe lack of in-

vestment in the gas and power sector in 2013, special in the private sector. Although the government has made some investments, the private sector remained by and large uninterested throughout the year.

The enormous volume of money lying idle with the banks also goes to show the severe sloth in the country’s investment situation. As of September last year, a total of Tk98,500 crore was lying idle in the banking sector. Foreign remittance, one of the driving forces behind the country’s economy, has declined in recent months.

The real estate and tourism sectors also experienced major setbacks. The day labourers have been going through severe hardships because of lack of work amid the prolonged unrest.

Despite the global economic downturn, Bangladesh achieved enviable GDP growth. But the prolonged political unrest has brought the flying hawk down, economists said.

Over the last three fiscal years, GDP growth hovered around the 6% mark. The expected growth rate for the current fiscal was 8% but in the first six months, it failed to go past 7%.

Economic analysts said the poor GDR growth performance was a result of the failures in achieving development, employment and Human Development Index targets.

Because of the massive industrial disasters such as the Ran Plaza collapse and with global brands like Wall-Mart reducing export orders, it would be hard to carry on with the’ 21% growth in export. 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

B3 Rights issue shrinks by 79% in 2013

B4 Unrest bodes ill for stocks in 2014

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Political unrest deepens scam-hit bank crisis The rate of classified loan reached 12.79% in September 2013 from 10% in December 2012.

In 2008, the classified loan in the banking sector was 10.79% n Jebun Nesa Alo The country’s banking sector faced a serious setback in the year 2013 because of the increased amount of non-performing loans coupled with gross anomalies in loan disbursement and realisation.

Lower repayments from the major borrowers also put the banking sector on the back foot in the backdrop of sluggish business condition due to the ongoing political turmoil.

BASIC Bank scam sore of Tk3,500 crore NPL reaches to 12.79% in September Average credit growth 9.5% in 11 months Forex reserve crosses $18bn in December The rate of classified loans reached at 12.79% of total outstanding loans and advances in September 2013 from 10% in December 2012. In 2008, the classified loan in the banking sector was 10.79%, according to the central bank statistics.

Bangladesh Bank has faced the biggest challenge to maintain the NPL at a tolerable level in its annual balance sheet at the year-end. The central bank had earlier relaxed the loan rescheduling rules for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and others big borrowers with an aim to reduce NPL largely in banks’ annual balance sheets.

Apart from this, the BASIC Bank financial scam has also hit hard the banking sector further last year while this sector was trying to recover from the sore of a Tk3,500 crore scam by Hall-Mark Group and five other compa-

nies between the years 2010 and 2012.

Bangladesh Bank found another loan forgery of around Tk4,500 crore approved by the bank’s board and top management mostly without proper documents and scrutiny.

Bangladesh Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with

FRA to be formulated on Sri Lankan model n

Asif Showkat Kallol

The government has decided to amend the draft of the Financial Reporting Act (FRA) in accordance with a model from Sri Lanka, officials said.

ICAB has always been against the proposed FRA as it is claiming there would be duel standards among the accountants and the auditors if the government enacts any such law According to the officials, the finance division is now looking into the weaknesses of the recommendations made

by Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) last week.

As per the draft law, the violators will be awarded a five-year imprisonment or Tk100,000 fines, or the both. If any person or institution continues to violate, they will have to pay Tk5,000

as penalty for each day.

Former chairman of ICAB Abdul Salam informed the member of the ICAB about a meeting held with the finance secretary Fazle Kabir at the finance division last week regarding the amendment of the proposed FRA. He said the finance secretary assured the finance division of looking into the matter.

ICAB has always been against the proposed FRA as it is claiming there would be duel standards among the accountants and the auditors if the government enacts any such law. It will also hamper the existing independency of the chartered accountants, it believes.

Earlier, the government had assured the Asian Development Bank of enacting FRA by this month. “The bill will be placed in next parliament,” said a senior official of finance division.

As ICAB is currently regulates such job, there will be a conflict in the overseeing of the overall work if the proposed law is passed, according to ICAB. l

BASIC Bank for its smooth functioning after the debacle.

BASIC bank anomalies in loan disbursement has also led the total NPL of the banking sector to higher level as most of the loans of the bank were finally declared classified at the year end.

According to Bangladesh Bank, clas-

n Tahmidur Rahman

Fund size of more than 50% listed mutual funds have increased by over 10% in 2013, despite sluggish market.

All the eight mutual funds managed by the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) showed surprising return in 2013.

Among the listed 41 closed-end mutual funds, 4th ICB Mutual Fund outperformed all the funds climbing 53% in its unit prices from its opening net asset value (NAV) in 2013.

The value of each unit of a mutual fund is called NAV that is to be given back to the unit holders at redemption of the fund’s life. Redemption is the

process of giving the unit holder the NAV per unit in cash with certain percentage deducted for the transaction cost in a predetermined year.

NAV of five funds have gone down below their opening NAV in the beginning of 2013. The worst performer among funds in 2013 was the EBL First Mutual Fund, managed by the Race Asset Management Company, with its NAV falling 8%.

Some of the ICB-managed funds showed remarkable returns, which is surprising.

However, most funds have performed well, said VIPB Asset Management Company Limited CEO Shahidul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

TOP TEN BEST PERFORMING MUTUAL FUNDS OF THE YEAR Name of funds

4th ICB M.F. 5th ICB M.F. 6th ICB M.F. 7th ICB M.F. 2nd ICB M.F. 3rd ICB M.F. Mutual Fund One 1st ICB M.F. Mutual Fund Grameen One : Scheme Two Grameen 8th ICB M.F.

DSE ticker

4THICB 5THICB 6THICB 7THICB 2NDICB 3RDICB GRAMEEN1 1STICB GRAMEENS2 8THICB

He said the most funds, including those that will be redeemed in 2014, are currently being traded at a discount value.

Either the investors don’t understand mutual funds or they don’t trust the fund managers, which resulted in poor performance of those funds, he said.

As of December 29, 2013, ratio of the closing unite prices of all the mutual funds to NAV rose slightly 0.76 times against 0.74 last week.

Based on the latest NAV, the market capitalisation of the 41 listed funds stood at Tk3,630 crore while assets under management of the sector stood at Tk4,690 crore. l

Fund manager ICB ICB ICB ICB ICB ICB AIMS ICB AIMS

NAV/unit (Jan 06, 2013) 168.55 144.91 48.93 79.57 208.22 183.38 27.16 964.04 14.97

NAV/unit (Dec 29, 2013) 234.59 192.59 57.36 98.06 248.56 223.43 31.21 1,100.50 17.15

Cash dividends (Taka) 24 20 10.5 12 37.5 24 2 70 1

Total increase in assets (Taka) 90.04 67.68 18.93 30.49 77.84 64.05 6.05 206.46 3.18

Return on opening NAV 53% 47% 39% 38% 37% 35% 22% 21% 21%

Market share 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 1% 3% 2% 7%

Redemption year 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2014 2023

ICB

63.59

64.53

11

11.94

19%

1%

2014

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

NBR bags poor tax return as deadline expires n Tribune Report The deadline for submitting income tax returns by individual tax payers expired yesterday with poor response from taxpayers, frustrating the NBR.

cell lacks proper manpower and equipments to accomplish the tasks. To provide regular and hassle-free services to taxpayers, we strongly feel establishing a separate unit which will technically assist the team,” said an official, who works with eTIN services.

The revenue authorities introduced the system on July 1 to boost revenue

The classified loans rose to 10% from 6%, with an increase of 3.8% by the end of December 2012 compared to the end of December 2011.

“The rate of classified loans of the banks has increased this year due to the adverse impact of the ongoing political unrest on business,’’ says a Bangladesh Bank statement.

Credit inflow remained shrunk throughout the year as the banks were very restrained in loan disbursement following several loan forgeries in the banking sector. Moreover big borrowers were also reluctant to take loans due to sluggish business environment amid political unrest.

Throughout the year, the credit inflow experienced down trends as the statistics show 13.39% in January, 12.73% in February, 10.29% in March, 11.12% in April, 10.61% in May, 8.97% in June, 8.44% in July, 7.11% in August, 7.40% in September, 7.50% in October and 7.83% in November.

However, the interbank call money rate remained stable between 7% and 8% throughout the year due to lack of credit demand and excess liquidity in the banks.

The country’s foreign exchange reserve hit $13bn milestone in January and $18bn in December 2013 for the first time thanks to the large growth in remittance and export as well.

The overall remittance inflow was also seen in lower trends last year as the country received a total of $11.56bn in the first 11 months which was $1.32bn lower from a total of $12.88bn in the corresponding period of the last year.

“Overall banking business in 2013 was not good due to the political unrest and instability,’’ BRAC Bank Managing Director Mahbubur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune. “As the country’s overall economy has been badly hampered due to the political turmoil, banking sector felt the pinch too,” he added. l

50% mutual funds shine in 2013

Taxpayers get 3 months more for eTIN registration National Board of Revenue has extended the deadline for Electronic Taxpayers Identification Number (eTIN) registration by three months more due to poor response, officials said.

They said the deadline extend to March 31 next year. The previous deadline for eTIN registration expired yesterday.

Some 9.5 lakh taxpayers registered with eTIN, including around 1.77 lakh new ones.

Field officials said they failed to bring taxpayers under eTIN mainly due to political turmoil. Meanwhile, taxpayers alleged they were facing problems to deal with the issue.

To solve the problem, NBR is working on establishing a separate cell to deal with the eTIN related issues.

“From the very beginning, the eTIN

sified loans were in declining trends until 2011, but suddenly turned around in the year 2012 due to the repeated credit scams. Moreover, the newly imposed strict loan classification and provisioning regulations of the central bank could be treated as one of the major cause for the rise in classified loans.

Trend of banks’ operating profit (in crore Taka)

collection, reduce hassles and prevent issuance of fake TINs. With the new system, the existing 10-digit TIN will be replaced with 12-digit ones. According to the newly introduced system, computer generated TIN certificates will be issued as soon as the application procedure is completed online. l

Those who are due to submit the returns can submit yet through applying to the Deputy Commissioner of Taxes Officials estimated the number of returns submitted to be around 8.5 lakh.

They said political turmoil badly affected the business, making them unwilling to submit returns.

“The ongoing political turmoil re-

sulted in lack of submission of returns.

We have extended the deadline thrice, but many of them failed to submit returns due to the situation,” NBR member Aminul Karim told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Those who are due to submit the returns can submit yet through applying to the Deputy Commissioner of Taxes.”

According to the income tax ordinance, the NBR can fine Tk1,000 at a time and Tk50 for each day if any TIN holder fails to submit the returns within the deadline.

However, the ordinance allows taxpayers to seek extension for submission of the return subject to valid reason. The Deputy Commissioner of Taxes can allow maximum three months to the respective taxpayers. l

Islami Prime Pubali Southeast Exim Mercantile Al-Arafa NCC IFIC Shahjalal Rupali BDBL Trust MTBL BASIC SBAC Modhumoti

2011 1223.47 745.94 592.04 689.68 407.33 345.18 373.41 421.47 290.18 289.21 360.09 86.97 156.02 120.72 233 14 10

2012 1584 884.41 650.6 543 533.32 340.14 438.13 402.69 271.69 441.94 367.46 104.38 115.74 133.1 254

2013 1600 850 815 680 560 535 460 403 390 300 310 248 223 211 178

Banks show ‘paper profit’ n Jebun Nesa Alo The country’s commercial banks have showed marginal operating profit as they closed the last year’s books of accounts yesterday.

They made the marks, as reflected from the unaudited results of some banks, despite continuous political chaos, sluggish investment and lower loan disbursement throughout the year.

“Few banks made good profits, but the performance by majority banks was as disappointing as last year because the business went sluggish throughout the year due to political unrest and a slump in the capital market,” NCC Bank Managing Director Nurul Amin told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The profit growth is not so high compared to the previous years as the country’s overall economy was in down trend due to political unrest,’’ said BRAC Bank Managing Director Mahbubur Rahman.

“The new banks could not do well in business due to the unrest,” said Modhumoti Bank Managing Director Mizanur Rahman.

Although the banks showed profits, but they were mostly in paper as the actual cash flow was poor, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank. He added the banks showed profit by means of rescheduling huge amount of classified loans at the end of the year.

Bangladesh Bank has relaxed the loan rescheduling rules for SMEs and big borrowers in December to help the banks show reduced non-performing loan and provisioning so that they could show healthy profit at year-end.

“If the banks show poor profit, it will give bad massage to the share market, and retail investors will become panicked, affecting the price index,” said a private bank senior executive.

Moreover, he said, Bangladesh Bank planned to show positive performance of banking industry ahead of the national election. In these circumstances, the central bank facilitated the banks to show paper profit through relaxing the loan rescheduling rules, he said.

However, the actual figure will reflect on the next year’s balance sheets as the banks will enjoy the provisioning facility up to June 30 next year, said the central bank executive. l

FIs get one more year to adjust single borrower limit n Tribune Report Bangladesh Bank has extended the deadline by one more year to adjust of the single borrower exposure limit by the financial institutions to facilitate financing operations of their subsidiaries, mainly brokerage houses and merchant banks.

The FIs will have to adjust the excess amount of loans to their respective subsidiaries by December 31 next year, said a circular issued yesterday.

They have been asked to bring down the limit compulsorily within the specified period without extending the existing loan limit under any circumstance.

The decision was taken in the backdrop of severe liquidity crisis in the capital market, said a senior executive of the central bank. l

B2

Key features 2013

PRICE EARNING OF DSE

DSE PE 25% higher in 2013 n

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

The price to earnings (PE) ratio of shares on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) stood at 15.07 at the end of last year, which is 24.8% higher compared to the previous year’s PE of 12.07.

The PE ratio means a valuation ratio of a company’s current share price compared to its earnings per share.

Earnings per share (EPS) dropped but market prices of shares increased pushing the overall PE up, said Akter Hossain Sannamat, managing director of Union Capital.

The current PE means it is suitable time for investment, but investors have to invest based on the PE of respective company not on the overall market PE, said Akter, who is also vice president of Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA).

Price earning (PE) ratio has increased in the last year due to enhanced cash flow in the money market, especially in July-September period, said Prof Abu

DSE

Turnover (Million Taka)

23,027,196,397

2,763,544,046

24,750,192

3,896,618

Traded Issues

303

270

Issue Gain (Avg Price Basis)

118

112

Issue Loss (Avg Price Basis)

167

153

Purabi G Insu.A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A National Bank - B FAS Fin. & Inv. Ltd-B Premier Leasing-Z Shahjalal Islami -A ICB AMCL 1st M F-A Unique Hotel RL - N

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

18

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion Taka)

2,058.16

1,978.39

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

24.95

23.98

BEXIMCO Ltd. -A National Bank - B FAS Fin. & Inv. Ltd-B Premier Leasing-Z Shahjalal Islami -A ICB AMCL 1st M F-A BD Finance-A EXIM Bank-A

2012

Listed Securities Companies Mutual Funds Debentures Treasury Bonds Corporate Bonds

DSE Broad Index (DSEX)

4,090.47 4,266.55 4.30 4,439.60 3,438.90

Opening Index (28.01.2013) Closing Index (30.12.2013) % of change Highest Index (16.07.2013) Lowest Index (29.04.2013)

1,473.01 1,466.25 (0.46) 1,654.22 1,282.42

Opening Market Cap. (01.01.2013) Closing Market Cap. (30.12.2013) Highest Market Cap (21.11.2013) Lowest Market Cap (01.04.2013)

2,616,730.54 2,403,555.62 2,790,617.90 2,039,135.98

2,403,555.62 2,647,790.83 2,731,641.83 2,160,241.18

Total Turnover in Tk. mn % of Change Total Trading Days Daily Average Turnover Highest Turnover (09.07.2013) Lowest Turnover (21.01.2013)

1,001,084.90 (35.87) 238 4,206.24 12,884.27 1,157.03

952,742.08 (4.83) 238 4,003.12 12,946.16 1,015.72

21,689 27.83 91 301.38 27.49

22,989 5.99 97 240.93 29.05

Total No. of Companies held their AGM

240

253

No. of co. declared cash dividend No. of company declared stock dividend No. of company declared right Issue No. of co. which didn't declare dividend No. of co. did not held AGM

116 165 15 17 2

128 153 8 22 2

Volume

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

1466.25

Introduced in 2013

Total Turnover in Volume (mn) % of Change Daily Average Turnover in Volume Highest Turnover in Volume (09.07.2013) Lowest Turnover in Volume (06.05.2013)

13202.94

(+) 2.71%

10839.27

(-) 1.66%

8377.36

(+) 2.47%

▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲

AGM

Dividend, Bonus & Right

% change 8.3% 5.0% 4.2% 8.7% 4.4% 14.8% 0.1% 16.2% 10.0% 0.0% 0.8% 1.0% 0.8% 4.1% 1.6% 2.6% 2.8% 6.1% 5.6% 3.1% 0.0%

Million Taka 10643 4566 3403 7105 5157 11874 0 16365 10562 78 802 1403 619 3129 2374 867 1830 5268 7540 5332 201

CSE

% change 10.7% 4.6% 3.4% 7.2% 5.2% 12.0% 0.0% 16.5% 10.7% 0.1% 0.8% 1.4% 0.6% 3.2% 2.4% 0.9% 1.8% 5.3% 7.6% 5.4% 0.2%

Million Taka 90,164 51,763 43,336 89,658 47,033 153,308 862 170,511 105,545 223 8,134 10,933 7,766 41,813 17,333 25,278 28,843 62,998 60,663 35,112 584

Total

% change 8.6% 4.9% 4.1% 8.5% 4.5% 14.6% 0.1% 16.2% 10.0% 0.0% 0.8% 1.0% 0.7% 4.0% 1.6% 2.4% 2.7% 6.0% 5.8% 3.3% 0.1%

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

Sun Life Insurance-N Summit Purbanchol Power Argon Denims Limited-N Premier Cement-N Golden Harvest Agro-N Global Heavy ChemicalsOrion Pharma-N Bengal Windsor-N ICB Sonali Bank 1 MF-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N EXIM Bank 1 MF-A Central Pharm-N Fareast Finance-N BD Building Systems -N Paramount Textile Ltd.Appollo Ispat CL -N

DE LISTING 2013 Ocean Containers-A ICB AMCL1stMF-A 1st BSRS M F-A

TURNOVER TABLE Name

UNITED AIR-A BD Submarine Cable-A Grameenphone-A Meghna Petroleum -A Unique Hotel RL - N R. N. Spinning-A Summit Purbanchol Power-N Square Pharma -A Generation Next Fashions-A Padma Oil Co. -A Titas Gas TDCLA Orion Pharma-N Olympic Ind. -A Jamuna Oil -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Envoy Textiles Ltd-N Argon Denims Limited-A Active Fine Chem.-A Tallu Spinning -A Aftab Auto.-A Golden Harvest Agro-N UCBL - A aamra technologies-A Delta Life Insu. -A LankaBangla Fin. -A BSC-A Premier Cement-N CMC Kamal Tex. -A National Bank - B Golden Son -A Malek Spinning-A Saiham Cotton-A ConfidenceCement A Keya Cosmetics -A BATBCL -A Barakatullah E. D.-A Bengal Windsor-N Khulna Power-A HeidelbergCement -A DESCO Ltd. -A Summit Power -A BSRM Steels-A LafargeS Cement-Z Singer BD -A Sun Life Insurance-N Paramount Textile Ltd.-N AIMS First -A Maksons Spinning-A Delta SpinnersA Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N

Turnover value in million Taka 34917.36 34363.35 28754.95 27520.69 25931.63 24780.86 24524.37 24131.57 21418.45 20755.84 19777.87 19111.40 18914.10 18797.63 17597.62 15566.88 15122.75 14112.47 12683.22 12580.29 12148.46 10992.13 10668.20 10307.49 10222.92 10195.26 10189.72 8907.76 8905.54 8860.95 8833.77 8662.85 8636.51 8111.02 7983.95 7927.30 7808.44 7017.62 6722.28 6679.58 6534.61 6436.73 6354.33 6332.71 6256.10 6053.79 6025.34 5984.18 5884.14 5784.73

% of total turnover 3.32 3.26 2.73 2.61 2.46 2.35 2.33 2.29 2.03 1.97 1.88 1.82 1.80 1.79 1.67 1.48 1.44 1.34 1.20 1.19 1.15 1.04 1.01 0.98 0.97 0.97 0.97 0.85 0.85 0.84 0.84 0.82 0.82 0.77 0.76 0.75 0.74 0.67 0.64 0.63 0.62 0.61 0.60 0.60 0.59 0.57 0.57 0.57 0.56 0.55

Average turnover 20.27 216.46 193.54 247.04 99.80 32.85 64.78 197.33 28.93 326.09 82.55 68.88 168.73 227.20 43.83 54.14 52.04 83.88 35.39 106.90 44.67 21.05 37.63 469.55 57.10 507.30 104.84 31.15 14.91 50.54 26.42 28.31 127.29 28.46 1164.84 34.55 53.78 52.94 377.16 80.73 42.26 69.19 32.93 197.03 74.16 57.60 46.88 16.81 36.86 41.26

DSE close 16.40 168.10 200.90 211.00 78.00 36.90 61.60 190.20 36.90 252.30 73.80 58.70 147.10 191.80 32.20 54.30 94.90 82.30 38.10 90.70 43.90 25.10 35.90 266.70 66.50 413.00 99.60 32.60 11.80 65.60 26.80 24.90 123.90 27.70 1603.10 33.80 62.90 49.10 380.70 58.40 38.40 68.70 33.50 186.80 57.90 51.70 40.90 19.90 40.90 58.10

DSE % change -21.90 26.49 14.80 33.12 -38.19 8.21 0.00 12.81 7.27 34.56 13.02 0.00 49.49 7.45 -50.00 3.63 0.00 13.20 48.25 6.71 39.81 6.36 -2.18 -94.17 12.71 51.01 0.00 -2.69 -46.61 29.39 6.77 -12.01 18.11 -9.48 90.96 3.68 0.00 -1.41 43.82 -19.00 -27.95 1.18 1.82 13.83 0.00 0.00 -14.26 11.80 19.59 0.00

DSE previous close 21.00 132.90 175.00 158.50 126.20 34.10 0.00 168.60 34.40 187.50 65.30 0.00 98.40 178.50 64.40 52.40 0.00 72.70 25.70 85.00 31.40 23.60 36.70 4572.00 59.00 273.50 0.00 33.50 22.10 50.70 25.10 28.30 104.90 30.60 839.50 32.60 0.00 49.80 264.70 72.10 53.30 67.90 32.90 164.10 0.00 0.00 47.70 17.80 34.20 0.00

DSE year high 26.00 340.00 247.20 325.00 138.50 44.00 97.80 245.90 41.00 492.00 104.90 91.00 258.00 290.00 76.00 63.80 102.00 106.00 47.10 140.00 84.00 27.00 49.40 8500.00 71.90 736.25 152.10 39.00 24.00 65.90 32.90 34.40 158.90 36.00 1800.00 47.00 69.90 61.00 464.00 97.50 60.00 88.00 36.70 243.00 106.40 72.00 59.40 23.00 46.00 72.90

DSE year low 13.70 104.00 135.00 141.00 62.60 22.60 39.40 151.00 18.00 155.00 60.00 48.00 81.00 149.30 23.70 37.00 28.60 46.50 17.50 61.00 28.20 14.50 21.50 225.80 30.70 186.00 65.40 21.00 9.00 34.70 14.50 21.70 83.00 20.40 820.00 22.40 40.30 40.00 220.00 54.00 26.90 41.60 28.40 112.00 44.70 44.00 33.60 11.50 25.00 27.50

CSE close 16.40 168.00 203.50 210.60 78.00 36.90 61.90 190.50 37.20 252.20 73.20 58.70 147.90 191.80 32.10 54.20 93.10 83.00 38.20 90.10 43.90 25.20 36.00 267.10 66.60 414.00 100.00 9.40 11.90 65.80 26.90 25.10 124.00 27.50 1600.00 33.70 62.90 49.00 370.40 57.90 38.50 68.50 33.00 188.10 58.00 51.80 40.30 19.90 40.90 59.10

Rahima Food -Z CVO PetroChem RL-Z Northern Jute -Z Bangas -A Desh Garments -B Al-Haj Textile -A Legacy Footwear -A Usmania Glass -A Marico BD Ltd-A

CSE % change -21.90 26.79 16.35 34.05 -38.10 7.89 6.54 13.12 7.20 34.79 12.44 9.11 50.15 8.12 -49.92 3.04 38.75 15.12 48.64 6.12 18.97 5.88 -2.17 -93.48 12.69 51.37 -2.06 0.00 -46.64 28.77 7.60 -11.62 18.10 -10.13 86.07 3.69 36.15 -1.61 47.16 -17.76 -27.36 0.74 0.00 16.04 0.35 0.00 -15.87 11.17 20.29 38.41

CSE previous close 21.00 132.50 174.90 157.10 126.00 34.20 58.10 168.40 34.70 187.10 65.10 53.80 98.50 177.40 64.10 52.60 67.10 72.10 25.70 84.90 36.90 23.80 36.80 4095.00 59.10 273.50 102.10 9.40 22.30 51.10 25.00 28.40 105.00 30.60 859.90 32.50 46.20 49.80 251.70 70.40 53.00 68.00 33.00 162.10 57.80 0.00 47.90 17.90 34.00 42.70

CSE year high 25.50 342.00 247.00 319.50 130.00 42.70 97.70 245.00 41.00 489.00 99.90 92.00 255.90 300.00 71.50 63.80 100.00 104.00 47.90 139.00 85.00 26.90 49.50 7799.00 69.90 739.50 151.90 0.00 24.00 66.00 32.70 35.90 158.70 35.80 1700.00 44.40 69.90 60.90 464.00 97.00 59.50 86.90 36.50 242.00 110.00 72.00 59.00 22.20 46.00 72.80

Closing average 32.23 11.98 15.07 10.28 16.80 26.80 19.18 12.70

25.60 32.20 11.80 14.90 10.00 16.80 24.60 78.00

Closing

Yearly high

Yearly low

Turnover in million

80.00 76.00 24.00 37.80 19.20 30.00 64.40 138.50

19.00 23.70 9.00 12.00 9.00 12.00 24.10 62.60

1245.977 14458.474 7344.322 2244.405 865.624 1757.009 473.552 23439.110

Yearly high

Yearly low

Turnover in million

71.50 24.00 37.60 19.00 30.50 61.00 34.30 22.00

25.80 9.50 12.50 9.00 12.80 26.80 15.40 9.40

3139.142 1561.220 221.189 162.423 175.835 10.717 146.365 444.194

32.10 11.90 14.90 10.30 16.80 26.80 19.10 12.80

Securities added through IPOs % of Total No of Securities Securities added through Stock Dividend % of Total No of Securities Securities added through Right Issue % of Total No of Securities Total Securities added

Addition of Securities Value

IPO Issue size Tk. in mn % of Total Value Stock Dividend Tk. in mn % of Total Value Right Tk. In mn % of Total Value Total Value added

Listing

Listed Stocks and Bonds with DSE Paid up Capital Tk. in mn % of Total value

Dividend Statistics

17 15,562.46 12,081.09 827.95 59,020.77

12 13,377.24 8,305.00 870.00 56,165.67

1,817,515,512 4.67 4,718,426,807 12.14 497,909,036 1.28 7,033,851,355

1,663,979,299 3.79 3,141,799,502 7.15 180,303,953 0.41 4,986,082,754

18,175.16 4.54 47,973.40 11.98 4,979.09 1.24 71,127.64

16,639.79 3.69 31,418.00 6.98 1,803.04 0.40 49,860.82

14 18,175.16 4.54

17 16,749.79 3.72

7 4 12 13 61 19

9 3 16 12 68 20

13,483.94 5,558.02 7,925.92 19,041.96 1.90 26.27 12.07

26,525.26 7,089.33 19,435.93 33,614.60 3.53 25.51 15.07

Limit of dividend (Only Cash) Above 100% Above 50% up to 100% Above 30% up to 50% Above 20% up to 30% 10% up to 20% Below 10%

Foreign Trade Turnover Tk. in mn**

Buy Sell Net Total % of Total Traded Value*** Market Cap. To GDP Ratio Market P/E * IPO value with Premium ** Subscription amount of 11 Securities *** Up to November 2013

287.43 259.78 205.73 152.09 126.45 117.61 103.79 101.71 100.42

Closing (% change)

Rahima Food -Z CVO PetroChem RL-Z Bangas -A Marico BD Ltd-A Legacy Footwear -A Usmania Glass -A Hakkani P& Paper -B Anwar Galvanizing-B BATBCL -A ApexAdelchi Ftr -A

25.90 32.41 11.99 15.10 10.02 16.91 24.54 78.35

Closing

Addition of Securities

CSE GAINERS Company

Average (% change) -50.30 -46.47 -45.04 -42.12 -40.99 -39.78 -37.61 -39.38

Closing average

No. of IPO IPO Issued Capital Tk in mn General public Tk. in mn* Pre IPO Private Placement Tk. in mn Public Subscription Tk. in mn**

Closing (% change)

Company

Average (% change) -53.68 -50.02 -46.14 -45.59 -42.97 -41.16 -39.66 -37.87

Initial Public Offering (IPO) (Subscription Completed)

DSE GAINERS

DSE

Million Taka 79,521 47,197 39,933 82,553 41,876 141,435 862 154,146 94,982 146 7,332 9,530 7,147 38,685 14,958 24,411 27,013 57,730 53,123 29,780 383

NEW LISTING 2013

529 256 41 8 221 3

Opening Index (28.01.2013) Closing Index (30.12.2013) % of change Highest Index (20.11.2013) Lowest Index (30.04.2013)

Turnover

4266.55

-49.92 -46.64 -45.62 -42.13 -41.05 -39.78 -38.78 -38.76

2013

515 242 41 8 221 3

Market Capitalisation Tk. In mn

DSE Broad Index DS - 30 Index CSE All Share Index CSE - 30 Index CSE Selected Index

Closing (% change)

Company

DSE 30 Index (DS30)

Introduced in 2013

-54.29 -50.00 -46.61 -45.62 -42.86 -41.05 -39.41 -38.19

CSE LOSERS

Key Securities Market Indicators 2013

Daily capital market highlights

Closing (% change)

Company

99,037.54

Number of Contract

Ahmed, who teaches Economics at Dhaka university. He said participation of institutional investors helped increase the PE. Meanwhile, a DSE director wishing anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune: “Investors are not putting fresh funds on equities despite having investable PE as they are scared about political unrest.

Investors had bitter experience over stock market during the regime of Awami League government in 1996 and the present tenure, which prompted them to abstain from investment.”

According to DSE statistics, in June 2006, the PE of the premier bourse recorded its lowest point of 10.66 while the overall market PE ratio hit the highest level at 30.58 at the end of February 2010.

Meanwhile, the benchmark general index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange reached the highest peak of 8,928 points on December 5, 2010 when the daily turnover was Tk32.49 billion, the highest ever in the history of country’s stock market. l

DSE LOSERS

CSE

953,900.87

Turnover (Volume)

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

269.36 226.83 150.00 123.43 100.47 97.14 97.14 86.47 86.07 73.91

CSE year low 14.90 110.00 137.00 141.00 16.50 23.10 41.20 150.00 18.40 153.00 59.00 49.20 84.00 155.00 25.80 36.30 28.80 47.30 18.50 61.00 29.00 15.00 23.00 228.30 30.00 191.30 65.40 0.00 9.50 35.00 15.40 21.40 82.00 20.60 850.00 22.50 39.10 41.40 222.00 54.00 28.80 43.80 28.00 119.60 45.00 44.20 34.00 11.70 26.00 27.50

Average (% change) 284.70 256.12 203.80 151.61 127.38 117.26 102.17 103.55 99.93

Average (% change) 269.83 226.83 175.59 123.43 99.86 98.97 104.17 86.59 90.48 73.91

Last AGM date 04-Dec-13 26-Oct-13 10-Apr-13 04-Jan-14 24-Jun-13 03-Apr-12 28-Apr-13 25-Sep-13 11-Apr-13 15-Feb-14 24-Dec-13 24-Jun-13 26-Dec-13 25-Jan-14 29-Jun-13 21-Dec-13 23-Apr-13 18-Apr-13 12-Dec-13 23-Dec-13 12-Dec-13 06-Jun-13 22-Dec-13 19-Sep-05 31-Mar-13 08-May-13 14-Dec-13 17-Jun-13 09-Jun-13 27-Jun-13 24-Dec-13 30-Oct-13 12-May-13 01-Nov-13 01-Apr-13 13-Nov-13 08-Dec-13 19-Jun-13 09-May-13 04-Jan-14 28-Apr-13 30-Apr-13 13-Jun-13 08-May-13 08-Sep-13 30-Dec-13 02-Sep-13 28-Mar-13 28-Dec-13 ––

Closing average 67.40 608.71 58.33 477.35 62.53 72.87 42.86 142.36 762.00

Closing average 63.87 562.80 468.50 780.00 42.77 139.28 35.73 31.72 1600.00 400.00

Last dividend 12%B 20%, 15%B 140% 70%, 20%B 25% 35%B 30%B 25%, 30%B 20%B 90%, 10%B 35% 20%, 20%B 10%, 50%B 90%, 10%B 15%B 17%, 3%B 20%B 25%B 15%B 8%, 12%B 10%, 5%B 10% 5%, 10%B 2100%B 10%B 10% 40% 15%B 6% 5%, 15%B 10%B 10% 20% 10%B 500% 10%, 5%B 14%, 8%B 12.5%, 12.5%B 50% 10%, 15%B 20%B 10%, 5%B No Div. 125%, 25%B 5%B 12%B 25% 5%B 10% No Div.

Year end 0613 0613 1212 0613 1212 1211 1212 03/13 1212 06/13 0613 1212 0613 0613 1212 09/13 1212 1212 0613 0813 0613 12122 0613 1212 1212 0612 06/13 1212 1212 1212 0613 0413 1212 0613 1212 0613 0613 1212 1212 06/13 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 0613 0613 0912 0613 1212

Closing 67.80 614.50 58.70 477.20 62.50 72.90 43.00 141.60 763.40

Closing 63.90 562.80 468.50 780.00 42.90 138.00 34.50 31.70 1600.00 400.00

NAV per share 12.87 26.38 26.26 59.26 86.29 16.58 23.34 37.18 15.15 64.31 46.26 68.68 14.73 57.32 86.74 37.86 38.86 13.89 16.17 50.81 24.36 21.72 19.91 189.4 31.07 565.82 32.6 19.31 15.76 28.7 43.48 23.62 90.76 21.54 117.22 19.43 24.3 15.86 111.5 31.27 19.26 19.53 7.22 45.74 0 17.91 15.7 20.55 26.84 14.68

Yearly high

Yearly low

Turnover in million

92.90 943.70 60.50 734.00 108.00 121.00 51.10 193.00 914.00

13.00 87.00 16.20 156.00 20.00 30.00 12.40 64.00 299.00

1420.312 4957.156 3.041 4200.787 328.043 1331.280 900.207 1580.558 2100.881

Yearly high

Yearly low

Turnover in million

92.90 972.40 714.70 950.00 53.90 192.00 43.20 37.50 1700.00 454.00

13.00 90.00 162.50 325.00 12.70 66.20 16.20 12.70 850.00 215.00

297.335 175.687 163.655 24.399 747.316 117.542 48.851 109.839 1806.347 57.287

EPS audited 1.1 5.82 12.96 21.34 4.02 2.8 3.81 6.93 1.68 25.11 9.2 5.02 5.23 19.83 3.24 3.1 1.89 3.23 1.75 3.6 2.31 1.9 1.33 38.53 1.61 1.77 5 1.37 1.05 3.7 2.81 1.92 6.23 1.55 65.69 1.48 3.85 4.73 22.85 2.34 3.17 3.06 1.6 9.99 0 1.89 3.02 0.16 3.06 3.72

PE audited 14.9 28.9 15.5 9.9 19.4 13.2 16.2 27.4 22.0 10.0 8.0 11.7 28.1 9.7 9.9 17.5 50.2 25.5 21.8 25.2 19.0 13.2 27.0 6.9 41.3 233.3 19.9 23.8 11.2 17.7 9.5 13.0 19.9 17.9 24.4 22.8 16.3 10.4 16.7 25.0 12.1 22.5 20.9 18.7 – 27.4 13.5 124.4 13.4 15.6

Latest EPS 1.52 3.8 10.57 25.08 3.56 6.11 5.35 10.44 2.25 27.28 8.64 4.4 6.32 20.4 1.03 3.1 3.33 5.25 3.56 3.6 2.04 2.44 1.24 0 2.75 -21.77 4.72 1.52 -3.63 3.35 2.6 1.8 7.44 2.12 76.51 2.08 4.52 5.89 29.19 0.24 3.59 4.37 1.63 9.35 0 3 3.02 0.55 1.16 8.29

PE latest 10.8 44.2 19.0 8.4 21.9 6.0 11.5 18.2 16.4 9.2 8.5 13.3 23.3 9.4 31.3 17.5 28.5 15.7 10.7 25.2 21.5 10.3 29.0 – 24.2 -ve 21.1 21.4 -ve 19.6 10.3 13.8 16.7 13.1 21.0 16.3 13.9 8.3 13.0 243.3 10.7 15.7 20.6 20.0 – 17.2 13.5 36.2 35.3 7.0

Latest report Q1 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q3 Q3 HY Q3 Q1 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q1 Q3 Ad Q3 Q3 Q1 Ad Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q3 Q3 Q1 HY Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q1 Q3 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q3 Q3 Q3 Q1 Ad Q3 Q1 Q3

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

3G handsets given to 323 freedom fighters

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Rights issue shrinks by 79% in 2013

BTRC and AMTOB take the initiative n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi with the sponsorship from four mobile Raising capital through issuing rights operators shares seen over 79% fall in 2013 due Bangladesh Telecommunica- to tightening rules and increased cash n Muhammad Zahidul Islam tion Regulatory Commission (BTRC) flow in the money market.

The telecom regulator BTRC and Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) yesterday honoured disabled freedom fighters and family members of martyred freedom fighters by presenting 3G-enabled mobile handsets.

'Mobile operators are proud to be a part of efforts to honour national heroes'

Four mobile phone operators Grameenphone, Robi, Airtel and Banglalink sponsored a total of 323 mobile handsets with 3G SIM cards.

Telecommunications Minister Rashed Khan Menon distributed the handsets and SIM cards at a function at the National Museum auditorium in Dhaka.

Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu, Shipping and Liberation War Affairs Minister Shahjahan Khan, Telecom Secretary Md Abubakar Siddique, BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose and AMTOB Secretary General TIM Nurul Kabir were also present.

“Mobile operators are proud to be a part of efforts to honour national heroes,” said TIM Nurul Kabir.

Vice-chairman Md Giashuddin Ahmed and freedom fighters Hemayet Uddin Birbikrom and MA Mazed also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, the state-owned operator Teletalk gave freedom fighters 3G-connected SIM cards with Tk500 free talk time per month.

AMTOB sources said the mobile handset vendor Symphony would provide technical supports to the handsets and give training on how to use the handsets.

Referring to the speech of BNP leader Khaleda Zia, Shipping and Liberation War Affairs Minister Shahjahan Khan said: “She will rename not only Gopalganj, but also the whole country as ‘Banglastan’ as per the name of Pakistan.”

“It’s not new for BNP. Its founder Ziaur Rahman, who usurped power after 1975 after the assassination of father of the nation, changed the name of Bangladesh Betar to Radio Bangladesh like Radio Pakistan and also of Chittagong Port to Port of Chittagong like Port of Karachi.”

“After taking over state power, Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated the people like Sabur Khan (razakar and then Muslim League leader.) Later, his wife (Khaleda Zia) made Nizami and Muzahid (convicted of war crimes) ministers.” l

In 2013, six companies have offered over 531m shares to raise Tk1.80bn from the existing share holders, while in 2012 nine firms raised Tk8.65bn, including premium, from the stock markets.

In 2011, a number of 21 listed companies raised Tk23.41bn and in 2010, 24 companies raised Tk17.60bn through issuing 880 million rights shares.

“Issuance of rights shares declined due to the tightening of rules by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC),” said Professor Abu Ahmed, a stock market analyst.

Company owners preferred funding from the banks due to easiness in the money market, he added.

“BSEC is mainly responsible for the decline in rights offering as it restricted the offers,” said MA Hafiz, former president of Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA). The BSEC misunerstood the logic of issuance of rights shares, he added.

“Listed firms restrained from issuance of rights share fearing lower price than expected, which caused decline in rights offering,” said Akter Hossain Sannamat, vice president of Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA).

On the other hand, available cash flow in the money market influenced taking loans from banks to avert hassles in getting approval from the stock

'Listed firms restrained from issuance of rights share fearing lower price than expected, which caused decline in rights offering' market regulator, he added.

A rights issue is an issue of additional shares issued by a company to raise capital under a seasoned equity offering.

Rights shares are issued only for a short period of time after which they expire.

In rights share offering system, only existing share holders can buy stocks.

In November 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) amended rights issue rules to protect investors’ interest and to bring transparency.

As per the latest rights shares issue rules, no issuer of a listed security shall price its rights share above par value if it has not been in commercial operation for immediate past three years having a track record of profitability. l

China says to rein in local debt, push financial reform n Reuters, Beijing China's top planning agency pledged yesterday to curb local government debt while the central bank said it will keep monetary policy stable in 2014 as it pushes financial reforms.

The promises come as China's policymakers are looking to put the economy on a more sustainable footing.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it would curb the "disorderly expansion" of local debt, remarks that came after the National Audit Office said local governments had run up total debt of 17.9tn yuan ($2.95tn) as at the end of June.

Leaders are looking for steady growth in the economy as they push through one of the country's most ambitious reform agendas, aiming to transform the economy into one driven by consumers rather than the traditional investment and exports.

But policymakers faces a series of challenges, including weak demand for China's goods overseas, over-capacity in industries at home and structural problems as well as the rise of debt at all levels of government.

The NDRC said that, overall, debt levels were under control, but it would take measures to keep debt down, including allowing local government financial companies to issue bonds to replace some existing short-term

A general view of centre Tianjin taken from Tianjin World Financial Center debt that has high interest rates, and encouraging private capital into infrastructure projects.

It will also step up spot checks on local government financing vehicles.

In a New Year message on the bank's

REUTERS

website, www.pbc.gov.cn, People's Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said monetary policy would be

more pre-emptive and coordinated next year.

"We will vigorously promote financial reform, accelerate financial innovation to maintain financial stability, improve financial services and management to support the economic development and adjust the economic structure," Zhou said.

His comments supplement earlier ones from the bank after its fourth-quarter monetary policy committee meeting that China will achieve reasonable growth in credit and social financing while keeping appropriate liquidity to support growth.

The central bank has not found its part in the reform process easy, having tried to cut the cash in the system to rein in bank lending in a move that caused credit crunches in June and December.

The central bank said separately yesterday it had added 70bn yuan ($11.6bn) worth of three-day bills into China's money markets on November 18 via short-term liquidity operations.

Also on Tuesday, the central bank announced rules for financial institutions issuing asset-backed securities, saying they must keep at least 5% of the securities themselves to prevent risk.

In a further announcement, it said that as part of its ongoing interest-rate reforms, qualified banks would be able to allow their branches to issue certificates of deposits in future. l

B3 Dollar down in Asian trade n AFP, Singapore The US dollar eased against the yen and other Asian currencies in thin Asian trade yesterday as investors stood on the sidelines with few leads on the last day of the year.

The greenback bought 105.04 yen in Singapore afternoon trade, down from 105.11 yen in New York and 105.41 earlier Monday - its strongest since October 2008.

The euro fetched $1.3794 from $1.3800 in US trade, and eased to 144.83 yen from 145.05 yen. Financial markets in Tokyo, Manila, Seoul, Bangkok and Jakarta were closed for public holidays.

"There is very little propping up up the market at the moment, especially with Japan closed. Investors are taking up offsetting positions," Desmond Chua, market analyst at CMC Markets in Singapore, told AFP. Chua said a US consumer confidence report to be released later Tuesday will be in focus when markets in New York open for a full-day session before the New Year's Day holiday.

The dollar had slipped against the euro and other major currencies Monday after data showed US pending home sales rose 0.2% in November, the first rise in five months but below the 1.5% increase projected by analysts. l

Oil prices edge higher as year draws to a close n AFP, Singapore Oil prices inched higher in holiday-reduced Asian trade yesterday, but gains were capped as investors booked profits before the end of the year.

New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for February delivery, added five cents to $99.34 in afternoon trade while Brent North Sea crude for February rose 13 cents to $111.34.

WTI fell $1.03 in New York on profit-taking Monday after it closed above the psychologically important $100 level on Friday, buoyed by upbeat sentiment about US demand. Brent closed 97 cents lower in London trade.

Financial markets in Tokyo, Manila, Seoul, Bangkok and Jakarta were closed for public holidays.

Tan Chee Tat, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, said investors "were prompted to engage in profit-taking in the year-end when the market is not so active".

Oil prices were also under pressure following comments from the Libyan national oil company that some operations in the country had resumed.

Output from the North African state has been hit by a months-long blockade of key export terminals by armed protestors.

Investors remain concerned over the escalating violence in fledgling oil producer South Sudan, as the United Nations on Monday said an armed conflict was escalating.

More than 1,000 people have died since fighting between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar broke out on December 15.

Analysts say the country usually exports about 220,000 barrels of crude oil a day to Japan, Malaysia and China. l

Turkey 'takes $100bn hit' from political turmoil n AFP, Ankara The political crisis engulfing Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cost the economy $100 billion, a top official said Monday, as financial markets rebounded after days in freefall.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said a sweeping corruption probe that has shaken the core of Erdogan's adminstration was a "plot aimed at tarnishing Turkey's prestige at home and abroad", a frequent government refrain since the scandal erupted.

"We are talking about damage of over $100bn," Arinc said after Turkey's first cabinet meeting since a major reshuffle last week forced by the resignation of three ministers over the probe.

Turkey had been seen as a model of democracy in the Muslim world and an emerging economic power but the crisis sent its currency and shares plunging.

However, the battered financial markets bounced back Monday.

The lira rallied to 2.1239 against the dollar after hitting a record low of 2.17 last week as Erdogan faced mass protests and growing calls to resign.

The Istanbul stock exchange surged 6.42%.

Erdogan, struggling to keep his grip on power after 11 years as the country's almost unassailable strongman, has vowed he would survive what he has branded a "dirty" plot to try to topple him.

A string of public figures including high-profile businessmen and the sons of three ministers were rounded up on December 17 over allegations of bribery for construction projects as well as illicit money transfers to sanctions-hit Iran.

Local media reports have also suggested his son Bilal may face investigation.

It is the worst crisis since June when Erdogan faced a month of mass street demonstrations against what critics said was his increasingly authoritarian rule and attempts to impose his Islamic values on society.

Erdogan named 10 new ministers -- almost half the cabinet -- after his interior, economy and environment ministers stepped down last week following the detention of their sons.

The turmoil has exposed rifts within his own Justice and Development Party (AKP) and a power struggle with an influential US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen.

It has also sullied the reputation of his party which took office in 2002

with a pledge to root out corruption and which takes its name from AK meaning "clean" and "pure" in Turkish.

The government has suggested that Gulen loyalists, who wield considerable influence in the police and judiciary, were forcing the corruption inquiry to undermine Erdogan in the runup to the March elections.

"This operation is an assassination attempt ahead of elections," new Interior Minister Efkan Ala was quoted as saying by pro-government Sabah daily.

"This is almost a coup to topple the government."

Gulen, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999 after being accused of plotting to form an Islamic state, has denied involvement in the corruption probe.

Neither Gulen nor his Hizmet (Service) movement has "any hostility" towards the government, according to the Journalists and Writers Foundation, a non-profit group of which Gulen is honorary president.

It voiced "deep concerns" over what it said were the authoritarian tendencies of the AKP, and rejected allegations that Gulen's movement was acting on behalf of foreign powers to establish a parallel state as "ugly slander".

"It is obvious that in Turkey any government involved in corruption... has lost trust and credibility," it said in a statement.

Erdogan's government has ordered the sacking of dozens of police chiefs linked to Gulen or who oversaw sweeping raids on December 17 that saw the detention of dozens of people including the ministers' sons and high-profile businessmen.

Among those charged with bribery is Suleyman Aslan, the chief executive of Turkey's state-owned Halkbank, which is accused of being involved in illegal gold sales to Iran in return for energy imports.

"It is the first time in the history of the Turkish republic that a prime minister is defending thieves. How can someone who defends thieves be prime minister," said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party.

Anti-government demonstrators have taken to brandishing shoeboxes at anti-government protests after $4.5m in cash was found stashed in boxes in Aslan's home.

Turkey's once powerful military, the self-declared guardian of the secular state which has launched three coups, has said it would not get involved in the latest crisis.

Turkey's outgoing Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan (centre) talks during a handover ceremony as he is flanked by newly named minister Nihat Zeybekci (seated L of Caglayan) and former European Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis REUTERS Since taking office, the Islamic-rooted government has reined in the military with a series of court cases against top army brass.

An AKP lawmaker suggested at the

weekend that the government could change the law to pave the way for retrials of hundreds of convicted army officers but Arinc said Monday such a move was not on the agenda. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Unrest bodes ill for stocks in 2014 Experts say investors to closely observe political developments n Kayes Sohel Having passed yet another gloomy year, the country’s stock investors welcomes the New Year today with a bleak prospect of turnaround amid political volatility.

According to the experts, the two bourses, which are still suffering fallout of the 2010 market collapse, will now largely depend on political stability.

The investors affected by the market debacle continue to feel the pinch with the ongoing deadly political battle over the national polls adding to their woes.

Analysts believe investors would keenly follow the political developments in 2014. This factor will remain a major market mover in the year, they said.

Looking back

An analysis of Dhaka Stock Exchange turnover data shows that the volumes still hover around Tk1,000 crore.

Before the bubble year of 2010, the turnover in 2009 was Tk1,475 crore and in 2008 it was Tk667 crore.

Exceptionally, the 2010 turnover reached an astounding amount of Tk4,009 crore, and then fell sharply, but not to the levels of before 2009.

In the just concluded year, the

benchmark index DSEX gained marginally 4% and it was the best gain since 2010. The intra year volatility was 1000 points.

Strikingly, the volume of trade fell 6% and daily average turnover was down 5% to Tk400 crore.

“The boat (of stocks) kept tipping to one side and the other in 2013,” said Faruq Ahmed Siddiqui, former chairman of Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission. “It was an extremely volatile year for the country’s bourses,” Different efforts were taken to shore up the market artificially, Faruq Ahmed reminisced, adding “I however think the market looked somewhat stable at the end of the year.”

According to him, the low cap companies’ behavior was abnormal during the year. “The bottom line is that the low cap companies didn’t act normally.”

“So it is clearly understood that manipulators were very active in the market while the regulator simply looked helpless.”

The Lanka Bangla Securities said stocks of the low cap companies closed more than 29% higher but the large cap companies liked banks that dropped over 11% due to consistent volatility

throughout the year.

He however didn’t think the political turmoil was the only major factor causing market fall.

Siddiqui said: “If you take a look at the past history of the market reaction to the political situation like in 2006, the market was unperturbed. I cannot say the present political turmoil is also affecting the market significantly.”

“But, then, in these days, the declining turnover, which was probably caused by the political destabilisation, is the reflection of eroding confidence on the market.”

Former finance adviser to last caretaker government Mirza Azizul Islam said: “Firstly, the market has undoubtedly been undervalued if the current price-earning-ratio is taken into account.

It means that the investors are to regain since the 2010 market crash.”

In 2013, price-earning-ratio stood at 15, according to the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

“Investors are yet to heal the wounds of that crash, which reflects in the lower turnovers and flat growth of indices,” said the ex-adviser.

Secondly, he continued, those who suffered losses were promised to be

given compensation and other stimulus package, but are yet to be implemented.

He said thirdly the political turmoil has been aggravated now, creating a mess.

Amid negative business climate, people cannot expect reasonable dividends because many enterprises will probably make losses, he said, adding that it is one of the reasons that investors found not enough interest to bet on stocks. “So, it was certainly a disappointing year.”

Looking back at the past 12 months, there wasn’t a big event that investors could cling to, said Yawer Sayeed, a leading fund manager.

“Only big event was the implementation of demutulisation of stock exchanges but it has no relation with the price movement.”

“Instead, it was a rally or slump and junk stocks that gained momentum. The market failed to overcome the shock of the debacle,” said Yawer Sayeed.

Investors were, however, increasingly worried over the tense political situation. It could take away steam out of the market further, signs of which

are already visible in the falling volumes, according to the analysts.

Looking ahead

The investors see no glimmer of hope in the year which just has begun as the political turmoil lingers with apparently no possibility of tranquility very soon.

Bangladesh Bank estimated the gross domestic product is likely to grow at the rate between 5.7% and 6%, much lower than the budgetary projection of 7.2% for the current fiscal.

Earlier, International Monetary Fund also lowered growth forecast at 5.5% and the World Bank at 5.7%.

“If political turmoil continues, confidence will be dented further,” said Faruq Ahmed Siddiqui, adding that “the situation will lead to generate another disastrous year for everything including the stocks.”

He put emphasis on the immediate solution to the current political crisis for the benefit of the market and the whole economy.

The economic slowdown means no new investment, which might have an adverse impact on the initial public of-

fering market, Faruq Ahmed observed.

Mirza Azizul Islam, a former BSEC chairman also, echoed Siddiqui, saying the prospect of 2014 depends to a great extent on how soon the political crisis is resolved.

“Everybody is waiting to invest after political stability returns.”

Other factors to help the market revive include implementation of incentive packages, effective behavior of the regulator and the board for demutulised stock exchanges, regeneration of confidence among investors through monitoring and taking punitive actions against errant companies and manipulators.

Over the year, BSEC has made some changes to its regulatory framework and taken actions, which are yet to bring results in the market, said Mirza Aziz.

The commissions ratified some new rules and modified some, including book-building, private placement of debt securities, mutual funds and corporate governance.

Former finance adviser said the lowering of GDP growth forecast and the slow-down of capital machinery import do no bode well for the entire economy including the bourses. l

Indian traders squeezed as farmers gamble stockpile n Reuters Farmers such as 68-year-old Ghanshyam Gokale are quietly shaking up agricultural commodity trading in India, forcing the likes of top soybean processor Ruchi Soya to shift its business model away from futures contracts and towards the “spot” market.

Gokale, and other prosperous growers like him, has stopped selling his crops immediately after harvesting. Instead, he has converted his old house into two warehouses, where he stores his produce and waits for prices to rise when supplies dwindle.

Rising wealth due to a rally in agricultural crop prices, a jump in farm loan disbursement at more favourable interest rates and larger houses with space for storage are giving millions of farmers the freedom to decide when to sell their harvest.

That is disrupting seasonal supply patterns and squeezing processors and exporters, who have been left unsure whether they will get enough supplies on time to fulfil their contracted obligations.

“Money gives you the power to hold crops,” said Gokale, who kept back his entire harvest of 350 quintals of soybeans from 30 hectares.

“Farmers are getting higher prices. They are becoming rich.”

Soybean, rubber, rice and sugar cane prices have more than doubled in five years, while wheat and corn prices have surged more than 60 percent, boosting earnings of farmers.

“Usually small farmers rush to sell their crops in the first three-four months after harvesting and prices fall,” said Gokale, who plans to build a cold storage for potatoes at his farm in Piwdai village, near Indore, 600 km north-east of Mumbai.

“I started selling crops after six months. By that time supplies fall and I garner higher prices.”

Supply cycle disrupted

The number of farmers moving away from the traditional supply cycle is rising every year, forcing traders and exporters to adjust.

“We have changed our business model with more spot month basis soymeal sales than longer term,” Nitesh Shahra, president of the refinery division at Ruchi Soya, told Reuters.

“It is a step back from what is happening in the world, but we have to live with the situation.”

Spot sales are conducted for immediate settlement, whereas futures contracts involve selling goods for delivery some months ahead.

The shift does bring some advantages for Ruchi Soya, which crushes soybeans bought from farmers to produce oil and meal that it mainly exports.

“Since now it is more spot-to-spot trade, you don’t need to keep inventory. So cost of inventory and risk of carrying inventory will go down ... hedging requirement is also going down,” Shahra said.

A workers carries bananas to load them into a cart after weighing them at a wholesale market in the southern Indian city of Kochi November

'We have changed our business model with more spot month basis soymeal sales than longer term, Nitesh Shahra, president of the refinery division at Ruchi Soya, told Reuters. It is a step back from what is happening in the world, but we have to live with the situation'

In August and September oil mills aggressively struck deals to export soymeal as soybean prices were around 3,400 rupees per 100 kg, and were expected to fall with new season supply starting from October.

But when the mills started to execute exports orders, soybean prices jumped above 3,900 rupees as farmers held back supplies.

“Just to fulfil soymeal export obligations some oil mills bought soybean at a higher price, but they incurred losses from the deals,” said Rajesh Agrawal, coordinator of the Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA).

Nasty surprise

India’s imports and exports of farm goods have become more volatile as a result of the shifting supply patterns.

Soybean supplies in the first half of the 2012/13 marketing year ended on September 30 fell 7% from a year ago in top producing Madhya Pradesh, while in the second half they jumped 85%. Consequently India’s soymeal exports in the first quarter of the year fell nearly 27% from a year ago, but in the last quarter of the year jumped 157%.

India’s natural rubber imports in the September quarter more than doubled from a year ago due to a domestic supply crunch.

“You don’t know when you will get nasty surprise,” said an official at the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association. “In July tyre companies were not getting enough rubber despite paying a nearly 10% premium over global prices. They were forced to increase rubber imports.”

In September and October, farmers’ holding back of supplies of onions, a staple of many Indian dishes, forced the government to organise

REUTERS

emergency supplies from China and Iran to calm record prices ahead of elections in five states.

With the exception of highly perishable commodities such as some vegetables, farmers have started holding back almost every crop, from pulses to cotton to rubber, says Nitin Kalantri, a pulses miller based at Latur in Maharashtra.

As a result, he struggles to operate his mills at full capacity.

Institutional credit

Jagdish Rawalia, another prosperous farmer from neighbouring Sanawadia village, said there was less risk in delaying sales now that farmers mostly borrow from banks that charge around 4 percent interest per year.

“Just five years back the interest rate was 16%,” said Rawalia. “Moneylenders were charging much more than that. Then there was more risk and less incentive in holding back supplies.”

Farmers usually borrow ahead of sowing to buy seeds and fertiliser. Private money lenders had been charging interest as high as 30% per year from farmers in the absence of institu-

tional credit. So after harvesting farmers were quickly selling their crops to repay the loans.

In 2008 the government waived agriculture debt of millions of farmers who had defaulted, reopening access to bank loans for many such farmers in a populist move that, along with an interest subvention scheme, made new credit cheaper.

“More and more farmers will borrow from institutions like banks and co-operative societies in coming years as the banking network is expanding in rural areas,” said a senior official at National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

The government expects agriculture lending to rise to more than 7tn rupees in the 2013/14 financial year ending on March 31, compared with 2.5tn in 2007/08.

Farmers are using profits to build spacious new houses, where some portion can be used for storing crops.

“Many farmers don’t need to spend money to store crops in warehouses. They keep it in houses,” says Agrawal of SOPA. And this is just beginning. Industry officials believe the traditional supply pattern will change further as smaller farmers have started following their more prosperous peers.

“This trend is going to continue ... for farmers now it has become a rule-of-thumb that prices will rise in the lean supply season,” says Shahra at Ruchi Soya. l