January 04, 2014

Poush 21, 1420 Rabiul Awal 2, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 281

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

5 MINORITY VOTERS UNSURE

7 THE TWAIN SHALL MEET

16 pages | Price: Tk10

9 ANOTHER TERM DOUBTFUL

14 ATLETICO VIE FOR POSITION

Tension, fear mark build-up to the polls

EC fears poor voter turnout tomorrow n Mohammad Zakaria

are doing the same thing today.

“Today they are saying that their programme is more important than the democracy and voting rights. This tone is fascists tone. I am urging the leaders and activists and people of the country to go ahead with the ongoing movement,” she urged.

Khaleda says she fears none and not scared of imprisonment.

“People of Bangladesh have supported me repeatedly to serve them.

The Election Commission anticipates a poor voter turnout in the January 5 polls.

They fear that people may refrain from going to the polling centres to cast votes because of the hostile environment created by the major opposition alliance all over the country.

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

The commission also fears that the turnout of voters may be less than the controversial February 15, 1996 elections, EC officials said yesterday.

So far, a total of five national polls have been held under partisan governments: 1973, 1979, 1986, 1988 and 1996.

Among them, the 1988 and the 1996 elections are said to be the most controversial because the major opposition parties boycotted them.

In the sixth parliamentary elections held on February 15 in 1996, some 49 candidates of BNP were elected as MP uncontested. BNP won 279 seats out of 290. Elections to 10 parliamentary constituencies were not held because of unavoidable circumstances.

In 1996 polls, 26% votes were cast while in the ninth parliamentary polls in 2008, 87% votes were cast that set a record.

Awami League and Jatiya Party achieved 47% and 7.5% votes

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Voters are undecided about going to the polling centres fearing violence n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The country is heading into the 10th Parliamentary Polls tomorrow amid opposition’s boycott and threat to resist the polls, with tension, disappointment and fear of violence marring any chance of a festive mood.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led polls-time government is all set to hold the voting after the two major political parties – Awami League and BNP – have failed to reach a consensus over the mode of the administration that would oversee the polls.

The BNP-Jamaat-led 18-party opposition alliance have already announced resisting the polls and are in the middle of enforcing a non-stop blockade. Yesterday, the opposition combine also announced a 48-hour hartal for today and tomorrow protesting the polls.

“We have already instructed our leaders and activists to discourage the voters to not go to the polling centres [tomorrow],” said Osman Farruk, adviser to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, while making the hartal announce-

ment yesterday.

Meanwhile, opposition leader and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia issued a statement yesterday terming the polls “farcical” and urging people to boycott the polls.

Khaleda said in the statement: “None from inside and outside the country will endorse this farce.”

When the Hasina-led interim government is all set to hold the polls, Khaleda Zia and HM Ershad, the leaders of the two other major political parties of the country, are living in virtual confinements.

Khaleda Zia has not been allowed to come out of her Gulshan residence while Ershad has been spending days in a hospital in the capital.

Voting will be held in 147 constituencies out of a total of 300, as candidates in 153 seats have already been elected unopposed.

A total of five districts – Chandpur, Shariatpur, Rajbari, Madaripur and Joypurhat – will not be seeing any voting because the candidates in their seats  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Rickshaw-pullers look on at a burning bus after pro-blockade activists torch the vehicle in the city’s Gulistan yesterday

Khaleda calls for polls boycott n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Just two days before the 10th parliamentary elections BNP Chairperson and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia on Friday urged people of the country to boycott the “farcical” January 5 polls.

The former premier allegedly confined to her house, said the ruling Awami League had arranged a “discreditable and farcical polls” snatching away people’s fundamental rights to cling to state power.

Unusual prepolls inactivity hits rural economies

Ruling allies ‘compromised’ to avoid massive violence

n Asif Showkat Kallol

The ruling Awami League’s consensus with its allies for getting 153 candidates uncontested is basically a strategy to hold the 10th general elections with minimum violence in the pre- and post-election days, said party leaders.

The season of national elections have always been happy times for the rural nuclear economies of the country with candidates spending a lot of money for development works in the area and also to woo people to vote for them.

However, in the 153 parliamentary constituencies, where there will be no election this year, the rural economies, which are already reeling from the fallouts of the prolonged political turmoil, have seen no such pre-election inflow of money.

Apparently, chances of any meaningful competition in the remaining seats are also slim, and hence the candidates in those constituencies are not spending too much either for pre-election activities.

Dr Zaid Bakht, development analyst and research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The political turmoil has already seriously affected the rural economy. The absence of money  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE News

4 The government has started distributing free textbooks among students from the first day of the year, but it appears not everything labelled ‘free’ may always come for free.

Feature

6 History does a remarkable job of downplaying the role of women, so it is no surprise that few people have heard of Anjali Lahiri.

Reza Chowdhury and n Kamran Emran Hossain Shaikh

Mohammad Nasim said: ‘People in areas without polls will get relief from violence as the BNP-Jamaat has resorted to destruction and bloodshed in the pretext of movement against the election’ The party leadership forced many of its leaders to withdraw their nomination papers to get the alliance candidates elected unopposed as polling in 300 constituencies without the main opposition would certainly result in a severe bloodshed.

Its allies have reciprocated.

Party leaders anticipate that the BNP-Jamaat will be more aggressive against the Awami League candidates during the elections.

The ruling party has left seats for

HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party (JaPa), Jatiya Party (Manju), Workers’ Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and Tariqat Federation in BNP-Jamaat strongholds including Bogra, Feni and Laxmipur, places where voting is not taking place on Sunday.

In other BNP-dominated areas like Noakhali, Joypurhat and Chandpur, the Awami League has convinced allies to withdraw their candidates so that the party candidates could get elected unopposed.

Allegations are there that the law enforcers have threatened many candidates, including of the Awami League, to withdraw their candidature or face consequences.

Voting will take place in some Awami League and JaPa strongholds such as party chief’s home town Gopalganj and the greater Rangpur districts.

Bogra, Joypurhat, Chapainawabganj and the greater Noakhali districts saw huge violence against the Awami League government recently. On Friday, the BNP-Jamaat supporters torched four schools selected as polling centres.

In BNP-Jamaat-dominated Chapainawabganj, Awami League candidate  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Kolaroa turns ‘Jamaat den’ with police support Hossain, back from n Emran Satkhira Three hours after war criminal Abdul Quader Molla had been executed on December 12, Jubo League leader Mehedi Hasan alias Joj Miah frantically ran to the rooftop of his Sharashkati residence to call police for protection.

He had been tense since afternoon as activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir announced from a rally in the Sharashkati market that Joj would be slaughtered if Quader Molla was executed.

Now around 1am activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir were calling out his name and were trying to break into his three-storey house.

Joj called Liakot Ali, the in-charge of Sharashkati police outpost in Joynagar of Kolaroa, among others.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

“Please, save me!” pleaded Joj. His elder brother Abdur Rahman and nephew Abdus Salam were also calling people, making similar pleas.

Joj’s nephew called a constable named Hasan at the outpost. They requested the police to at least fire a couple of blank shots to drive away the attackers.

Joj lived in a compound of closely-knit houses inhabited by his relatives, who cried for help with all possible dispatches, informing their contacts about the news of Jamaat-Shibir attack.

One of the attackers shouted: “Joj Miah, either you come out, or we will shoot your relatives dead and burn their houses!” The attackers were carrying machetes, iron bars and torches.

Joj kept flashing his torch in the direction of the police outpost in a desperate bid to draw attention of the law enforcers, who had advised him to find  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Khaleda alleged that the ruling party was going to unfold a black episode of ruining democracy with the assistance of subservient election commission and by misusing law enforcers.

“I am calling upon the people of the country to boycott the January 5 polls.

No one from inside and outside the country will give it the legitimacy,” she said in a press statement.

The BNP chief said the Awami League killed democracy in 1975 in the name of second revolution and they

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, January 4, 2014

People indifferent, scared to talk about polls Samira Sadeque and Syed n Syeda Samiul Basher Anik In Dakhin Khan, a tinge of indifference, yet a strange sense of fear, lingers in the air regarding the upcoming elections. While many locals expressed anger over continuous blockades causing businesses to deteriorate, others were afraid to talk about the elections. The rest were indifferent.

Dakkhin Khan falls under Dhaka 18 constituencies, where the candidates are former minister Shahara Khatun for Awami League, contesting M Atikur Rahman of Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF).

However, the area was rather naked of the usual electoral campaign post-

ers, and also lacked the processions or the sound of loudspeakers lauding and promoting the candidates.

Only a few black-and-white paper posters strung above some shops were the only sign of Shahara’s campaigning in the area. Any sign of Atikur’s campaigning, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found.

Robin Mahmud, 28, who owns a clothing store in the area, said he has only seen two processions campaigning for Shahara Khatun, but none for any other candidate. Robin did not know who Shahara’s contender was.

Another local, a fruit vendor Mohammad Siddique Mia, who has been selling in the area for a few months, said he had seen no campaigning either.

Sneha Alamgir, another local, said: “There is of course no excitement or campaigning. Especially now that the country is in a very bad situation, fear lingers in the air and everyone is

Similar fears were also seen among the voters from Dhaka 5 constituency, where a gloomy scene was observed across all the four unions under the constituency scared.” Sneha said she was not aware of any of the candidates in her constituency.

Fearing the consequences, many locals refused to speak to the media

about the election.

Similar fears were also seen among the voters from Dhaka 5 constituency, where a gloomy scene was observed across all the four unions under the constituency.

Although Dhaka 5 had the highest numbers of candidates compared to other Dhaka constituencies, people from all four unions - Demra, Donia, Matuail and Sarulia – expressed reluctance to comment on the polls or about their favorite candidate.

Locals said the constituency lacked any festive election mood, as there was no campaigning and the main opposition BNP was absent.

Only Awami League leader Habibur Rahman Molla had campaigned

properly, while the other three candidates were hardly seen seeking votes from over four lakh voters in the constituency.

The constituency could have witnessed tough competition between two former labour leaders - Habibur Rahman Molla and Arju Shah Sayedabadi, as a good number of labourers and garments workers live in the area.

Mohammad Shiraj, 45, a tea-stall vendor, said never before had he seen an election like this. “There’s supposed to be some excitement, some noise, some chaos before any election, but I have not seen anything like it this year,” he said, adding that he did not even know who was running. l

will happen after the elections. Because of the political turmoil, we have not been able to sell our paddy. The fishermen have not been able to sell their catch either.”

Rashed Al Mahmud Titumuir, chairman of economic think tank Unnayan Onneshan, told the Dhaka Tribune that pre-election boost for the rural economies was much needed this year, especially the blows that these economies suffered because of the prolonged political turmoil.

“Huge amount of funds will not go to the public this year as there will be no elections in a total of 154 constituencies,” Titumir said.

Zahir Alam, an official of the finance

ministry, said the people in the rural areas are not concerned about elections because of the hardships that they had been going through in recent times.

The fact that there had not been any usual economic activity ahead of the elections, would only add more misery, Zahir said.

“Rural people have poor savings. If political violence continues, many people will slide below the poverty line.

Construction work, supply chain and channeling of public funds to the rural areas through development projects will be affected severely. These will have long term adverse impact on the rural economies,” he explained. l

establishment are also advised to keep their emergency departments ready with special reinforcements.

However, while talking to the Dhaka Tribune, voters from a number of constituencies in and outside the capital, have expressed concerns about the situation on the Election Day. Many female voters in particular, from a sense of insecurity, have expressed their unwillingness to go to the polling centres tomorrow.

In addition to the fear factor, many voters are in a big dilemma in their localities as the ruling Awami League is urging them to go to the polls without fear and the main opposition BNP is telling them to do the opposite.

Many have said they are scared that

they may be labelled Awami League supporters if they go to cast their votes; while others said they would not want to be labelled as supporters of BNP by not going to the polling centres.

Despite the opposition boycott, in many constituencies, local BNP leaders are reportedly working for the candidates, who are contesting against Awami League runners.

There has been one instance of a similar kind of a polls on February 15, 1996, where the then ruling BNP held “one-sided” polls amid boycotts from the then main opposition Awami League and the other opposition parties including HM Ershad’s Jatiya Party and Jamaat. In that election, 49 candidates were elected uncontested. l

Even after all this the law and order has not improved in Satkhira. The local journalists cannot yet visit most places outside the district town and those who come from Dhaka to help their local colleagues have to work in disguise.

Statistics of about a dozen murders that took place in the past two months show that half of those had taken place in areas under Kolaroa police station.

Kolaroa can be considered a microcosm of police performance in maintaining law and order in Satkhira district where over three dozen people, including 16 ruling party activists, had been killed since war criminal Delawar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death on February 28 last year.

OC Shah Dara claimed to have done everything in his capacity to ensure security in the area.

“Please evaluate if I am right or wrong. We are dealing with a situation resulting from a political crisis,” he said, adding that Jamaat’s violence had been widespread on the night Joj was killed and it had taken them a while to move a kilometre removing hundreds of trees felled on the roads.

When told that the evidence was still there at the crime scene, the officer only said he would look into the matter.

The lax security arrangement has strengthened the Jamaat-Shibir men to an extent that they dare even wash the blood off their body and clothes openly at a local market following a murder.

On November 26 just after killing

Deyara Union’s Jubo League General Secretary Mahbudur Rahman Babu, 32, in Mirzapur area, they went to a sweet shop at Kolaroa’s Deyara Bazar and washed the blood off their clothes as if it was dirt.

Hours later, they killed local Swechchhasebak League General Secretary Rabiul Islam in Deyara village.

These are not the only stories of a weak police performance in Satkhira.

In 2012, the police sat idle as Jamaat men burnt houses of Hindus in Fatepur and Chakdah areas.

The charge sheets submitted by the police in two cases filed over the incident prompted the district judge court’s public prosecutor to plead “no confidence” against the investigation.

The masterminds were let go off intentionally in the charge sheet as mentioned by the prosecutor at the court.

Top Satkhira politicians said evidence was aplenty now to substantiate a warm “institutionally established” relationship between the police and Jamaat-Shibir men. They said only money could ensure such a sustained relationship for years.

“Police officers and others in the administration in Satkhira are paid the same amount of their salary by Jamaat every month,” said an anonymous senior politician, summing up a discussion with a magistrate.

When contacted, the new Satkhira SP, Chowdhury Manzurul Kabir, angrily refused to make any comment. l

The AL candidates have been elected unopposed in five out of the six seats in Noakhali where the JaPa and the JSD candidates withdrew.

Voting takes place only in Noakhali 6 constituency where the Awami League has nominated Ayesha Ferdous, whom its leaders consider as a week candidate. Her contender is a JaPa candidate.

The Awami League has nominated only one candidate for the three seats of Feni district, known as a stronghold of the BNP-led opposition. Nizam Uddin Hazari has been elected unopposed from Feni 2.

Shirin Akhter of the JSD has been elected uncontested from Feni 1 seat, which is currently held by opposition chief Khaleda Zia, as the Awami League withdrew its candidate. The AL left Feni 2 to JaPa nominee Anwarul Karim,

popularly known as Rintu Anwar.

Out of four constituencies in Lakshmipur, the AL gave its ally Tariqat Federation the Laxmipur 1 seat. JaPa’s Md Noman (Laxmipur 2) and AL’s AKM Shahjahan Kamal (Laxmipur 3) have been elected unopposed.

Tariqat candidate MA Awal and JaPa’s Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman Mahmud are vying for the Laxmipur 1 seat. Awal told the Dhaka Tribune that he had been facing security threats in his constituency.

In Laxmipur 4, Awami League candidate Md Abdullah faces JaPa’ Md Belal Hossain and two other independent candidates.

Another BNP-dominated district Chandpur sees no election as all the five Awami League candidates have been elected unopposed. l

Unusual pre-polls inactivity hits rural economies  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

inflow during the elections will have no positive impact.

“A vibrant rural economy is key to the country’s development. As blockades and strikes have affected it, rural-urban wealth distribution will suffer a severe jolt and Bangladesh’s inclusive growth target will not be attained,” he said.

According to existing rules, candidates are allowed to spend a maximum of Tk25 lakh each for pre-election activities such as printing publicity posters, banners, festoons, hiring vehicles and other campaign related works. The limit was Tk15 lakh in the 2008 elections.

In most cases, however, candidates exceeded those limits by spending five to ten times more. The common practice before elections has been to donate money for various local development activities like repairing and construction of mosques and temples, schools and colleges; even cash incentives for the voters.

Although all these expenditures are illegal, they give the rural economies the much-needed boost every time before elections by creating additional employment opportunities in the areas and enhancing the purchasing power of the rural populace.

Subodh Chandra Mandal is a fishermen from the Ashtagram upazila in

Kishorganj district. He told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are not concerned about the elections because President Abdul Hamid’s son has already been elected [unopposed] a member of parliament because there is no other candidate.

“Our only concern now is that our livelihoods are now at stake because of the opposition’s prolonged blockades.”

Not only has the elections brought no good news for the struggling rural economies, fears of escalating violence after the elections has also gripped many villages.

Abdur Rahim, a paddy grower from the same area, said: “We are worried not about the elections; but about what

Tension, fear mark build up to the polls  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

have been elected uncontested.

Except for these five districts, the government has announced public holidays in the remaining 59.

A total of 389 candidates are contesting in the 147 constituencies where 43,93,8931 voters will get the chance to exercise their voting rights. The number of polling centres in these constituencies are 18,209 and polling booths 91,213.

Only more than half of a total of 9.2 million voters in the country will not be able to exercise their voting rights in tomorrow’s elections because of the unopposed elections.

Twelve out of the 40 parties registered with the Election Commission

are contesting in tomorrow’s polls.

Even many voters in those constituencies, where voting will take place from 8am to 5pm tomorrow, are wondering whether or not to go to the polling centres sensing violence.

Yesterday, opposition activists have set fire to more than a dozen poll centres in a number of constituencies in various districts including Feni, the home district of opposition leader Khaleda Zia. The arson attacks were part of the nationwide violence that has been going on for the last few months centring the mode of the polls-time government and the trial of war criminals.

More than a hundred people have been killed since the opposition stated

enforcing the countrywide blockade protesting tomorrow’s polls more than a month ago. Some of those have been killed in violence centring the execution of war criminal Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla.

To ensure peaceful voting, apart from a huge number of police, Rab and BGB personnel, the Election Commission has also deployed the army for 15 days.

The government’s health department has asked all public medical colleges, specialised, district and Upazila hospitals around the country to remain alert and take all-out preparations to ensure emergency healthcare services in case there are casualties and injuries resulting from violence. All these

Kolaroa turns ‘Jamaat den’ with police support  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

an escape route on his own.

The nearby police outpost is only two minutes’ walk.

Police later said they could not leave for the spot to protect the outpost although at least 16 policemen were at the outpost that night.

Joj had to give in, luring the attackers to three houses away by jumping over the adjacent rooftops and then climbing down a tree to surrender himself.

The Jamaat-Shibir men paraded Joj on the main road of Sarashkati Bazar, hurling abuse at him all the way.

“Mind your language. I am a man of honour,” Joj protested. But they did not stop.

Joj was taken to a culvert on the main road, less than 500 metres from his house. His groans broke the silence of the night as he was slaughtered. All of Joj’s fingers were cut off, apparently during his fight with them.

Joj’s niece Tania Sultana told Abdur Rahman about the place Joj was lying dead. Rahman and several relatives went out around 3am to bring the body.

The police did not come until 10am next morning.

The murder was not unexpected to anyone in the village. Many, in fact, said it was not even a matter to guess.

Just an hour before the killers went to Joj’s house, former Awami League president of Kolaroa ward 6 Azizur Rahman had been chopped to death in his own house around midnight.

“What are the police for if they do not protect a person in danger?” said an infuriated Rita Sultana, Joj’s widow with two children. “Can you please make it sure that we get justice?” she told this correspondent on December 28.

Joj’s 10-year-old son Abul Kalam Azad was the first person to begin describing how his father was slaughtered like “a cow or a goat.”

Locals said at the morgue the superintendent of police told Sharashkati police outpost in-charge Liakot: “It is not Jamaat-Shibir, but you who killed Joj Miah.” Local Awami League leader Sarder Mujib echoed the SP. Liakot, however, came up with a different version of the incident.

“I knew Joj only by his name and never met him. He did not call me that night,” he said. But Sharashkati police outpost’s second-in-command Asad, who was present at the outpost on the night Joj was killed, admitted that Joj had called Liakot.

Liakot’s relation with Joj is well known to the locals: Joj was fond of fishing and Liakot would take a good share of his catch.

Asad claimed that they had been besieged by a large number of Jamaat-Shibir activists at the outpost that night and that their high-ups had prioritised protecting the outpost first. Asked if they had sought reinforcement on that night, Asad could not find an answer.

The only action taken against Liakot so far was closing him to the Satkhira

police lines. He said he was currently performing election duty.

This is how things always were with the Sharashkati police outpost throughout 2013. In August, a local Jamaat leader was freed within two hours of arrest allegedly after Jamaat-Shibir men had held the police hostages.

Liakot claimed that he had bailed the Jamaat leader as he had fallen ill.

In an apparent publicity stunt, police arrested a Jamaat activist and suspected murderer Mukul Hossain on December 27 in connection with Joj’s killing.

The Dhaka Tribune investigation found evidence still left at the crime scene as of December 28 – even after two weeks of the murder – such as the nasal drop that fell from Joj’s pocket and the newspaper has a photograph of it. Joj had bought it for her daughter’s cold.

The findings of the Dhaka Tribune investigation are substantiated by locals’ suspicion of police’s having a link with influential Jamaat politicians.

They accuse Kolaroa police station’s Officer-in-Charge Shah Dara Khan of having relations with Jamaat men.

They told this correspondent that the local Jamaat activists had often claimed in public that the OC and the SP were their men and so they could do anything.

The OC is still posted at Kolaroa although a new SP took over on December 15.

Ruling allies ‘compromised’ to avoid massive violence  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Md Golam Rabbani who has been elected uncontested came under attack recently.

Awami League nominee Ragibul Ahsan Ripu filed his nomination paper for Bogra 6 constituency, but later had to withdraw in line with the party’s decision. His withdrawal paved the way for JaPa candidate Md Nurul Islam Omor.

“The party leadership instructed me to withdraw my candidature because of the Jatiya Party candidate’s refusal to do so,” he said.

AL Presidium member Matia Chowdhury is more candid about the internal arrangement for withdrawal of the candidature.

“We played no hide and seek game.

We reached a consensus with our allies on withdrawing candidates. At some

places, we have withdrawn our candidates while the allies followed the suit in other places,” Matia told the Dhaka Tribune.

Mujibul Haque Chunnu, a JaPa Presidium member, told the Dhaka Tribune that the Awami League had asked its nominees to lift their candidature so that more Jatiya Party candidates could be elected unopposed. The JaPa did the same in many areas, he said.

“People in areas without polls will get relief from violence as the BNP-Jamaat has resorted to destruction and bloodshed in the pretext of movement against the election,” Mohammad Nasim, an AL Presidium member and spokesperson of the 14-party alliance, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Nasim has also been elected MP uncontested.

Voting in Bogra Out of the seven seats in Bogra district, the Awami League candidates have fielded only two candidates. They have been elected unopposed in Bogra 1 and Bogra 5 constituencies. The JaPa candidates have been elected unopposed in three seats (Bogra 2, 3 and 6).

Voting will take place in two seats.

In Bogra 4, AKM Rezaul Karim Tanshen of the JSD and Md Nurul Amin Bachchu of JaPa are contesting the polls.

The Bogra 7 election is an all-Jatiya Party show - ATM Aminul Islam (Manju) and Muhammad Altaf Ali (Ershad).

In Joypurhat, AL candidates Shamsul Alam Dudu (Joypurhat 1) and Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan (Joypurhat 2) have been elected unopposed as the JaPa and the Workers’ Party candidates withdrew their candidatures.

BNP men support AL dissident candidate in Mirpur n Muktasree Chakma Sathi A section of BNP men are campaigning for Awami League dissident candidate Sardar Mohammad Mannan who is contesting independently from Dhaka 16 constituency in Mirpur.

The BNP activists campaigning for Mannan are mostly followers of local BNP leader Ismail Hossain Benu, Ward 2 commissioner of Mirpur.

Ilius Uddin Mollah is the Awami League candidate in the constituency.

BNP, the main opposition party, is not taking part in tomorrow's polls.

Locals of Mirpur 10, 12 and Pallabi told the Dhaka Tribune that activists of BNP were conducting strong campaign for Mannan.

A number of locals in the constituency said Benu has had a strong hold in Dhaka 16 as he has been a grassroots BNP leader and ward commissioner for the past 25 years.

“He went into hiding after the government started crackdown on opposition leaders and activists. Even though he is not present in the area, he has strong clout that matters a lot,” Mujibur, a local of Mirpur 10, said.

When contacted, Mannan told the Dhaka Tribune that he was not quite sure if BNP activists campaigned for him or not. “Locals are with me; there could be some BNP activists among them.”

Mannan said he knew nothing about BNP leader Benu.

Moments later, however, he said: “Benu is not in the country.”

When asked about voting, Raju said: “If I vote for boat, Awami League is going to win and even If I vote for pineapple, still the Awami league is winning.”

Independent candidate Mannan was allotted the symbol pineapple. l

Khaleda calls  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

I am grateful to them. Power is not a big deal to me. I am ready to do any sort of sacrifice in this stage of my life to re-establish people’s rights and their freedom, not to return to power,” she said.

“After my announcement of march for democracy programme, the scared government cordoned off my residence using law enforcers and detectives. I was barred from going out. The government has virtually put me under house arrest. My office and BNP central office are also cordoned off,” she said.

Thousands of people converged to the capital to join the programme but they were barred from going there and it was proved that: “Our programme was peaceful and the government’s publicity was untrue.”

Just after the day of the premier’s allegation that dialogue process was foiled due to the opposition party, the opposition chief counter-alleged that they repeatedly urged for dialogue to resolve the crisis but due to the ruling party’s stubbornness the dialogue process failed.

About one of the ruling party leader’s instruction of vote rigging Khaleda said the ruling Awami League had already instructed its leaders and activists to rig vote. l

EC fears poor  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

respectively while BNP achieved 32% votes in the polls.

Seeking anonymity, a deputy secretary of the EC told the Dhaka Tribune that this election season, the candidates did not provide voter slips to the voters in their respective zones which had been a usual scenario ahead of polls in the past years.

The commission has expressed concern over the matter upon receiving the field level reports, he said.

Some field level officials said generally the election candidates distribute the voter slips door to door in their respective areas that include the name of the voter, name of the polling centre and a voter number.

But this time, the candidates showed no interest in doing so. As a result more time may be needed for searching the voter number during the polls, said the officials.

In tomorrow’s polls 389 candidates from 12 registered political parties will be contesting.

As the main opposition BNP and some other parties are not taking part in the election, a total of 153 candidates have no competitors. Consequently out of 43,862,908 voters, 48,280,620 cannot exercise their franchises this time, shows the EC statistics.

A total of 91,213 polling booths will be set up inside 18,209 polling centres across the country for holding polls in 147 constituencies.

EC Secretary Muhammed Sadique said the commission would ensure maximum security for the voters. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

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Saturday, January 4, 2014

48-hour hartal on top of ongoing blockade to resist polls 2 killed, many others hurt in petrol bomb attacks; polling centres set on fire n Tribune Report The BNP-led opposition is likely to make an all-out effort from today to resist the January 5 “farcical” election as it has called a countrywide 48-hour shutdown yesterday alongside the ongoing nonstop road-rail-waterways blockade.

The opposition alliance, which is not taking part in the “one-sided” polls, announced the nationwide “peaceful strike” from 6am of Saturday to 6am of Monday also to protest the confinement of BNP Chief Khaleda Zia. The least contested election is going to take place in 147 constituencies on January 5 as 153 lawmakers have already been elected uncontested, thanks to the boycott by the BNP-led alliance and other political parties.

Yesterday, the violence escalated in different parts of the country where two people lost their lives in arson attacks by miscreants in Dinajpur, three truckers received injuries in Chapainawabganj and three more including a woman in the capital on the third day of the nonstop blockade.

Six policemen sustained injuries in a clash with blockade campaigners in Gaibandha.

On the day a college unit level leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat sustained injuries from blast while making bombs in Bogra.

In new dimension of subversion miscreants set fire to five polling centres set up in four schools and a madrasa in Daganbhuiyan upazila of Feni at midnight.

There were also incidents of attack and torching vehicles on highways, vandalism and arson of rival party offices, election campaign offices and establishments in several districts.

On the other hand life in Dhaka metropolitan was more or less hampered due to continuous isolation from other districts, especially for suspended road communication by the private long-distance bus owners fearing violence.

Target Polling Centers

Miscreants set fire to five polling centres set up in four schools and a madrasa in Daganbhuiyan upazila of Feni with a day in hand for the general election.

Two of the institutions were burned badly while three others damaged partially in separate arson attacks carried out between 1:00am and 3:00am.

Daganbhuiyan Police Station’s OC Nizam Uddin said miscreants set fire to Omar Sultana Memorial Girls High School in Jaylaskar union and Gazaria Ideal Academy, a kindergarten school, in Purba Chandrapur union by pouring petrol.

Besides, Nayanpur Government Primary School and Basiria Madrasa in Purba Chandrapur union and Karim Ullah High School in Matubhuiyan union were partially damaged when miscreants set afire the institutions, the police official said.

In the morning students and teachers of the fully burnt educational institutions broke down into tears after seeing their dear institution damaged and burnt. They saw only the charred benches, tables and the rooms where they used to study every day.

Deaths and causalities in arson attack

Quoting police, our Dinajpur corre-

spondent reports, at least two persons were killed and three injured as a truck plunged into a roadside ditch when blockaders hurled a petrol bomb on the vehicle in Hakimpur upazila in Dinajpur around 1:30am.

SM Ahsan Habib, OC of Hakimpur Police Station, said as the truck caught fire, the driver lost control over the steering and the onion-laden vehicle fell into a roadside ditch at Itai-Bawna village. Fire service recovered the charred bodies of the truck owner Shah Newaz Mandal, 30, and trader Adilur Rahman from the driver’s cabin.

“Driver Yusuf Ali, his helper Shahjahan and a worker Sumon sustained injuries but they could go out of the cabin, he said.

The truck was heading for Sadullahpur upazila in Gaibandha from Hili land port located in the upazila.

In the capital unidentified assailants hurled petrol bombs at a Gulistan-bound passenger bus of route 3 in front of Borak Tower near Paribagh’s foot-over-bridge around 7:30am that left passengers Md Farid, 50, Shahina Aktar, 40, and the

driver Babul, 32, injured.

In Shibganj upazila of Jamaat-dominated Chapainawabganj a trucker and his two helpers sustained burn injuries as blockaders hurled a patrol bomb at the Dhaka-bound truck at 3:00am.

Of the injured, trucker Jamaatul Islam, 40, and helper Azizul Islam, 50, were whisked off to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital. With 30 percent injuries Jamaatul’s condition was critical.

Meanwhile, miscreants set fire to an Awami League office in Comilla Sadar Upazila and in another incident they torched a truck in Chandpur. A human hauler was torched in Narayanganj.

President of Bogra Govt Azizul Haque College unit of Shibir Jewel Sarkar, 25, sustained injuries while making bombs, police said.

Later, in separate press statements, local Shibir first claimed that Jewel received injury when he picked up a cocktail mistaking it for a ball in front of his house but later the central unit of the student organisation said two motorbike riders hurled bomb at him.

Six police personnel including officer-in-charge and inspector were seriously injured in a clash between the law enforcers and the blockaders in Sabdin Nayabazar area under Palashbari upazila in the afternoon. Blockaders also set alight two police motorbikes.

The Capital

Shibir men locked into mild clashes with police in capital’s Azampur, Malibagh, Kolabagan and Kamalapur during processions with indiscriminate blasts when 6 Shibir men were arrested and 5 others injured. The blockaders torched at least four buses at Abdullahpur, Gulistan and Pribagh.

With a few passengers trains service continued but had delays in maintaining schedule. The number of public transports was higher than the previous days but launches plied with lower number of passengers.

At bus stations many passengers were seen trying to arrange alternative vehicles as some small bus companies decided to ply buses on long distance routes. l

Mostofa Jalal sues nine aides to Haji Selim n Kailash Sarkar

Awami League lawmaker Mostofa Jalal Mahiuddin yesterday filed a case against nine associates of rebel candidate and former Awami League lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim in connection with the bomb attacks on his election campaign on Thursday.

More than 10 people, including three women and a child, sustained injuries after bombs were hurled at the rally beside Islambagh Eidgah in Lalbagh around 5:30pm. The incident occurred when the rally concluded and participants were preparing to bring out a procession.

Mostofa Jalal Mahiuddin is contesting in the parliamentary elections from Dhaka 7 constituency, opposing Haji Mohammad Selim.

The nine associates of Haji Selim, who is a joint secretary of Dhaka city unit Awami League, were identified as Delwar Hossain, Shahidul Islam, Md Selim, Md Mintu, Abul Hossain, Md Jahangir Alam, Md Ibrahim, Md Rana and Md Jewel.

Sub-Inspector Shakhawat Hossain of Chawkbazar police station said the Awami League lawmaker had filed the case against the nine persons accusing them of conducting the bomb attacks at his

rally as per their alleged attempt to kill people and foil the programme.

The SI said all the nine accused were locals from Lalbagh and Chawkbazar areas. Local sources said the nine accused were also the co-accused in many other cases filed against Haji Selim as they were close to the former Awami lawmaker.

However, none were yet arrested till the filing of this report at 7pm.

When asked, Deputy Commissioner Harun-ur-Rashid at Lalbagh Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said: “All the nine accused belonged to Haji Mohammad Selim but we did not arrest or detain anybody yet as many mysteries over the incident, apart from the political affiliations in it, were still shrouded.”

The DC said without being sure of the involvement of anybody through investigation, they would not arrest or detain anybody as the matter was also a sensitive one.

Earlier on Thursday, Mostofa Jalal Mahiuddin had indirectly pointed fingers at Haji Selim for the attacks, saying that he had seen many of the latter’s goons present near the rally venue.

However, Haji Selim rejected the allegations and told the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday that he had no interests in such activities. l

Army personnel stand guard at the Kanchpur bus stand in Narayanganj yesterday as part of their election duty

MAHMUD OPU

KHALEDA’S CONFINEMENT

BNP seeks president Hamid’s intervention n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

BNP lawmakers come out from Bangabhaban yesterday after meeting President Abdul Hamid DHAKA TRIBUNE

Ershad’s men keep drama rolling n Manik Miazee HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party keep drama rolling just a day before the 10th parliamentary elections, giving self-contradictory statements.

JaPa Presidium member Delwar Hossain Khan said on Thursday Ershad had not asked anyone to announce its election manifesto.

On the same day, another Presidium Member Anisul Islam Mahmud announced JaPa’s manifesto.

Mahmud said every word of the manifesto was Ershad’s.

Khan said: “The manifesto can never be approved by Ershad because declared not to contest the polls.”

Khan also said the nation would never forgive those who are creating confusions. He also said 265 candidates of the party withdrew their candidacy as per Ershad’s statement. l

The main opposition yesterday sought the president’s intervention to make it clear whether the government put BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia under house arrest, arrest or confinement.

The opposition lawmakers also sought President Abdul Hamid’s interference in finding a way out to resolve the issue.

The government did not make it clear whether the leader of the opposition has been confined, put under house arrest or arrest, Zainul Abdin Farroque, opposition chief whip, told the journalists yesterday.

“We have told the president about the fundamental rights of a citizen and the president assured us that he would talk to the government.”

A BNP parliamentary delegation went to Bangabhaban and held a 44-minute-long meeting with the president.

Following the meeting, Farroque alleged that the government confined Khaleda Zia to her house and none was allowed to enter her residence. She was also barred from going to her office.

“We demand that the leader of the opposition be allowed to go to her office and barricade and law enforcers be withdrawn from the vicinity of her residence.”

Asked whether they talked about election and BNP’s position, Farroque dodged the question, saying their movement would go on.

The BNP leader said they also submitted a memorandum to the president during the meeting.

The other delegates were Ashrafud-

28 more human bones unearthed from Rana Plaza debris n Tribune Report Police retrieved 28 human bones including a broken skull from the debris of Rana Plaza at Savar yesterday.

According to sources, locals and former workers of the garment factories housed in Rana Plaza recovered the human remains and informed the police.

Savar Model Police Station officer-in-charge Mostafa Kamal said some miscreants’ had staged the bone recovery drama to embarrass the government.

Mostafa Kamal also said that the recovered

bones were in fact ‘cow bones’.

Former workers of Rana Plaza said that the recovered bones were human bones as the recoveries included a human skull.

Later, they brought out a pro-

cession in Savar Bus Stand area chanting slogans against the OC. They demanded government steps to recover the bones of workers that have been left unnoticed in the debris of Rana Plaza. l

din Nizam, Nazimuddin Ahmed, Harunur Rashid, Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, Rehana Akhter Ranu, Syeda Ashifa Ashrafi Papia and Rasheda Begum Hira.

UNB adds: President Abdul Hamid yesterday assured the delegation of taking every possible step in this regard in line with the constitution.

“The president told the opposition lawmakers to convey their message to the government authorities concerned and he would do everything possible in light with the constitution,” said president’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.

Briefing reporters at Bangabhaban after the meeting between Abdul Hamid and the eight-member delegation, Karim said the lawmakers apprised the president of the current state of Khaleda Zia. “The president gave the lawmakers a patient hearing and told them he wants

peace and normalcy prevail in the country,” the press secretary added.

Earlier on Thursday morning, the eight-member delegation of BNP lawmakers met Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at her office and sought her interference in freeing Khaleda Zia from her reported confinement.

South Asia Bureau Chief of the New York Times Ellen Barry was barred from meeting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, claimed the party.

According to the party’s press wing, police also barred Khaleda’s adviser Reaz Rahman from meeting the party chief yesterday evening.

BNP’s press wing official Syrul Kabir Khan told the Dhaka Tribune: “The on-duty police personnel at Khaleda’s Gulshan residence obstructed the journo and the adviser.” l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Not all free books are for free!

Tk10 and Tk50 were being charged for books depending on classes

n Tribune Report The government has started distributing free textbooks among students from the first day of the year, but it appears not everything labelled ‘free’ may always come for free.

Teachers of two government primary schools in Tungipara – Sorydanga Primary School and Purbo Gopalpur Primary School – were found to be setting prices for the books meant to be given free of charge.

During a visit to the Sorydanga school yesterday, assistant teachers Akbor Hossain and Jharna Patwary were found to be collecting fees from the students while distributing textbooks among them.

They took between Tk10 and Tk50 for each set of books depending on the classes (from classes I to V) receiving students were in, said Lipi, guardian of a student.

Sensing the presence of journalists, Hossain, distributing books out in the schoolyard, quickly retreated into his room with some students and continued with the distribution.

Later when reporters approached him, he said books would be distributed later.

He squarely denied allegations against the school of taking money from its students for their books, saying: “Money is being collected for the sports competition.”

The collected money would be returned to the students later, said Enayet Hossain, president of the school managing committee.

Meanwhile, several students of the Purbo Gopalpur Government Primary School said they had paid their teachers for their new books.

The government on Thursday started distributing new books for the students of classes I-IX across the country. l

Vegetable shopkeepers seat gloomily in an empty market. Continues blockades harm the trade immensely. Yield are being rotten in the field as cannot be carried away. The photo was taken from Durgapur, Rajshahi yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Politicians find DT poll unbiased

Three OCs in Pabna withdrawn n Tribune Report n Our Correspondent, Pabna Contacted, a number of politicians of The officers-in-charge of three police stations under Pabna-1 constituency have been withdrawn following a directive by Election Commission.

The departmental action was taken against Shahid Mahamud, Jahangir Hossain and Md Rezaul Karim, the OCs of Santhia, Bera and Atikula police stations respectively.

According to sources, independent candidate Professor Abu Sayeed of Pabna-1 constituency in a press conference alleged that the OCs were working in favour of Samsul Haque Tuku, state minister for home.

After publishing the report in different newspapers on Friday, the election commission issued a letter to the superintendent of police to take step against the officers in charge.

Later, the district police administration withdrew them according to the order of the Election Commission. l

the two major parties have termed the National Opinion Survey 2013 published by the Dhaka Tribune yesterday as unbiased.

The survey reflects peoples’ perception on the national parliamentary election due tomorrow, they said.

BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said the survey reconfirms the earlier surveys which clearly indicated that 80-90% of the people of Bangladesh want the 10th parliament elections under a neutral, non-partisan government.

“Under the present circumstance in Bangladesh, this survey has proven beyond doubt that the people of Bangladesh have already rejected this election for the fact that 153 public representatives have been elected MPs in a

WEATHER

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

Light to moderate fog may occur over the country during midnight till morning, Met Office said. Night and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:25pm today and rises at 6:42am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 28.5 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday at Cox’s Bazar and lowest 9.9 degrees at Srimangal. Highest and lowest temperature recorded in some major cities yesterday were: City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

23.2 26.5 23.4 19.3 24.5 23.8 25.2 28.5

13.0 15.2 10.6 11.4 15.0 13.8 12.5 16.1

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:22am 6:41am 12:03am 3:49pm 5:25pm 6:45pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

actual landscape. The party claimed that the outcome showing lesser number of supporters of awami league compared to BNP was untrue.

After consulting several AL leaders, the party’s Deputy Office Secretary Mrinal Kanti Das told the Dhaka Tribune: “I do not want to term it as biased. However, it could not produce the real picture of the [entire] country through the survey.”

He said some issues like the war crimes trial reflected public attiude but rest could not expose the reality.

In reference to previous surveys done by Bangladeshi media (not mentioning any name) on the same issue, Mrinal said: “This survey has shown that the supporters of Awami League had increased but we did not believe the fact that BNP’s supporters were larger in number.”

Some leaders of the parties were un-

‘Dhaka Tribune survey consistent with public views’

Two idols damaged in Lakshmipur n UNB n Syed Samiul Basher Anik Unidentified miscreants damaged two idols, including one of Hindu goddess Kali, at Barahi Temple near Choupalli Bazar in sadar upazila of Lakshmipur early yesterday.

Prantosh Kumar Nandi, president of the temple’s executive committee, said the miscreants had damaged the Kali and Mahadeb idols in the dead of night. They also looted valuables from the temple, including cash from its donation box after breaking open it, he added. l

parliament of 300 without having to go through any election process,” he said.

Communist Party of Bangladesh President Mujahidul Islam Selim said the the survey did not produce any outcome that was significantly different from the public views.

“It is a equation drawn from the perspective of the general people, I agree to what pubic has responded in survey.

I think the survey results are consistent with public views,” he said.

According to the poll, 77% of the 2438 respondents opined that an election without main opposition BNP was not acceptable, 71% said the country was heading in a wrong direction. Majority of the respondents was against the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami.

They anticipate a low turnout in the election due tomorrow.

Awami League noted that the survey was neither bias nor could reflect the

A number of civil society members yesterday found the results of Dhaka Tribune opinion polls consistent with public views.

They said the ruling alliance and polls aspirants should take note of results of such surveys and if they take them into considerations that would help democracy march ahead.

They expressed their observations while commenting on the survey titled Dhaka Tribune National Opinion Survey conducted between December 14 and 22 last year over mobile phones.

The survey revealed that more than three-quarters of the people in Bangladesh think that the January 5 general elections without the main opposition BNP’s participation will not be acceptable.

According to the survey, 77% people think an election without BNP is not acceptable while around 71% of the re-

spondents say Bangladesh is heading towards a wrong direction.

And 74% respondents are either satisfied or highly satisfied with the trial of the war criminals. 47% respondents said they think the current government is sufficient for holding a free and fair election while 38% was against it.

Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said conducting such surveys is a standard practice.

“What I have heard from the survey is nothing unusual. 77% percent people expressed that election without BNP is not acceptable which is a natural view and I think the survey has expressed the general public perception,” he said.

Shushashoner Jonnya Nagorik Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar found the survey interesting.

“Some results are consistent with my sense of public opinion. Political parties should take note of it,” he said.

However, Badiul found it is contradictory in the survey that 47% people think the current government is sufficient for holding a free and fair election.

In other surveys 70%-90% people were against such view, he observed.

Syed Abul Moksud said the result reflects more or less generalised views of public.

“From the general perspective, an election would not be acceptable if other parties do not participate. The results are genuine concern of people,” he said.

He also said people are independent of political affiliation and the results are their expressions.

“The survey has reflected the abnormal situation going on in the country.

But I think, the result needs to be thoroughly scrutinised or examined by the political parties. If ruling parties and power aspirants consider such results they could take some positive steps,” Moksud observed. l

willing to comment.

They were yet to read the report in detail, they said.

Secretary General of Bangladesh Shamajtantrik Dal Khalequzzaman termed the survey a “good survey,” but refrained from commenting any further on it.

“I have learnt about the survey from a talk show and as far as I understood, it was a good survey. However, I will not comment on it until I finish reading the whole survey,” he said.

Workers Party of Bangladesh President Rashed Khan Menon and Ershadled Jatiya Party Presidium member Anisul Islam Mahmud said they were yet to read the survey and would not comment until finishing reading it.

Krishak Sramik Janata League president Kader Siddique said: “I have heard about it two or three days back, however, I have no comment on it.” l

Four students were wounded as plasters fell from the ceiling of the class room during book distribution at Shirajdikhan upazilla in Munshiganj on Wednesday.

This accident happened in Guakhola Government Primary School. The injured were Ashik, Jannat, Sumaiya and Ferdousi, all of them were students of class two.

Md Atikul Islam, assistant teacher of this school said the students were given first aid. Students were attending their classes risking their lives as the building might collapse at any time.

The high authorities did not take any step though they were informed about the condition of the building, he added. l

Oklahoma media delegation tours Bangladesh n Tribune Report A media delegation from Oklahoma, USA is touring Bangladesh as part of an exchange programme with the support of US Department of State.

The exchange is being implemented in Bangladesh jointly by Brac University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The programme was inaugurated in the capital’s Brac Centre on Thursday.

Participants from US and Bangladeshi media alumni, who had been to Oklahoma on previous programmes, were present at the inaugural ceremony to mark the occasion.

Brac University VC Prof Ainun Nishat and Gaylord College Dean Joe

Foote spoke on the occasion and addressed the US State Alumni and the US media professional participants who were set to tour Bangladesh.

Dean Foote, at the ceremony, lauded the alumni and the Bangladeshi media professionals for their relentless commitment to professionalism and the progress of media in Bangladesh. He also emphasised on the valuable contributions for enhancement of media education and bilateral cooperation such programmes create for both sides.

Dr Elanie Steyn, assistant professor at Gaylord College and also the programme’s implementer on the US side, and Rezaur Razzak, Brac Business School professor and CED director, also spoke on the occasion.

The US media contingent will remain in Bangladesh until January 11, 2014. l

71 bombs recovered, 3 held

Two people killed n Tribune Report Two people were killed in Faridpur and Bhola yesterday.

Of the deceased one could not be identified yet, reports UNB. A fishery owner was hacked to death by miscreants at Byasdi village in Madhukhali upazila. The deceased was Murshed Azam Chanchal Joaddar, 47, of the village.

Shahidul Islam, sub-inspector of Madhukhali police station, said a gang of miscreants abducted Murshed from his fish farm and took him to the house of Waliar Sheikh and hacked him indiscriminately.

He was later taken to the district hospital where duty doctor declared him dead.

Victim’s brother-in-law Rezaul Karim alleged that Murshed was killed as he saw the killers stealing fish from the fishery on Wednesday night. Police detained Waliar in this connection and a case was filed.

In Bhola, police recovered the body of an unidentified woman from Char Sifli village in Sadar upazila.

Sub-Inspector Murad of Bhola Sadar police station said locals spotted the body in the morning. Miscreants might have dumped the body in the village after killing the woman elsewhere, he said. l

Ceiling plaster hurts four n Our Correspondent, Munshiganj

n Kailash Sarkar

Sonia Akhtar Nupur, wife of Rafiqul Islam Kajol, a convict offender, forms a human chain along with her relatives in front of the National Press Club yesterday. Nupur claimed that her two daughters were abducted by Kajol. She urged the administration to rescue her children and ensure their security RAJIB DHAR

RAB and police in separate drives recovered 71 petrol and crude bombs in the capital’s Agargaon, Mirpur and Azimpur areas and picked up three BNP activists.

A total of 16 petrol bombs and 29 crude bombs were recovered from Mirpur around 8pm and Md Ripon, 25, Iqbal, 34, and Sajid, 22 were detained.

Police frisked the three at the Mirpur 10 turnaround and found the items in their possession, said SI Rafiqul Islam of Mirpur police station.

He also claimed the trio were planning to explode the bombs just before they had been arrested.

Police also recovered two banners with anti-government texts from a carton that the three had been carrying.

In the afternoon, police recovered five crude bombs from the New Paltan Line area in Azimpur.

In the early hours of yesterday, 20 petrol bombs were recovered from the Agargaon slum near the Islamic Foundation by RAB 2. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Minority voters unsure about voting in Jessore As many as 85 of the 122 polling centres are considered vulnerable in Manirampur The AL-nominated candidates in rival Swapan Bhattacharya, former Commission. MP Ronojit Roy is in the n Emran Hossain, from Jessore three of the six constituencies in Jes- Chairman of Manirampur upazila, for race with AL ticket and his competiVoter turnout is likely to be low in the constituencies of Jessore, as locals – especially the Hindu community – fear that violence might escalate surrounding Sunday’s national polls.

Govinda Chandra Das, president of Awami League’s unit in ward No 3 in Kashimnagar Union in Manirampur upazila, is doubtful about the casting of over 30% vote in his union which has about 1,500 voters.

“Not even 10% of Hindu vote will be cast,” said Govinda, whose house came under a crude bomb attack on the night of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla’s execution. Govinda believes floating voters will largely avoid going to the polling centres.

The AL-nominated candidate could not run his electoral campaign in parts of the union, including the village Lebugati, he said.

Like Govinda’s union, tension also runs high in Bhojgati and Dhakuria unions at the 11th hour of the election.

sore are contesting their rival party colleagues who are participating in the election as independent candidates.

The administration has classified 301 polling centres of the total 504 as “vulnerable,” which are in areas dominated by mainly Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir.

Visits to a few of the “vulnerable” areas revealed that fear among voters, especially the local Hindu community, was likely to result in less than 50% voter turnout in the polls.

Fear is high among voters in Jessore 5 (Manirampur) constituency, as the AL leaders and activists faced violent resistance from Jamaat-Shibir during attempts to conduct election campaign.

As many as 85 of the 122 polling centres are considered “vulnerable” in Manirampur, where both Hindus and AL leaders have been repeatedly attacked.

AL candidate Tipu Sultan, who is also the incumbent MP, blamed his

backing Jamaat-Shibir men against him.

The Jessore 2 constituency (Chougachha-Jhikargachha) is relatively in a better election mood as a hard contest is expected between the candidates – former energy state minister Rofiqul Islam and former Jhikargachha upazila Chairman Monirul Islam.

The 174 polling centers in the constituency included 88 “important” polling centres. There are also speculations about potential election violence in the constituency involving the AL’s factional politics.

In Jessore 4 constituency (Abhaynagar-Bagharpara), 94 polling centres out of the total 134 have been labeled as “vulnerable” by the administration, while all the eight polling centres in Basundia union are considered “vulnerable.”

Two incumbent AL lawmakers are fighting for this seat because of electoral area delimitation by the Election

5

Saturday, January 4, 2014

tor is another AL leader Sheikh Abdul Ohab. A strong contest is expected in this seat too.

In Jessore 6 (Keshabpur) constituency, as many as 40 out of the 75 polling centers have been classified as “vulnerable”. The BNF candidate Proshanto Biswash is contending the AL candidate Ismat Ara Sadeq in the constituency.

The AL candidates elected uncontested from two constituencies are Kazi Nabil Ahmed from Jessore 3 (Sadar) and Sheikh Afil Uddin (Sharsha) from Jessore 1.

Jessore’s Returning Officer Mustafizur Rahman said the administration is all prepared for holding the election without any violence.

“Magistrates and law enforcement forces have already been deployed in all the constituencies. Those on duty in the ‘important’ polling centres were given special instructions,” said Mustafizur. l

‘Police violate electoral code in Sirajganj’ n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj An allegation was made against police of Belkuchi and Enayetpur police stations of violating electoral code of conduct as the lawmen provided security to Awami League candidate Abdul Majid Mandal in Sirajganj 5 constituency.

Police were alleged to have escorted the candidate during his election campaign at Enayetpur and Belkuchi.

Election campaign was scheduled to end yesterday at 8am.

In the constituency, Awami League rebel candidate Ataur Rahman Ratan allegedly said police escorted Majid to Belkuchi.

Ataur said the lawmen secured the AL candidate’s motorcade during his polls campaign from Sirajganj city to Enayetpur via Belkuchi.

But police denied the allegations.

“We did not provide private security to any candidates. We just guarded them,” said Belkuchi police station OC Abdul Hai. Enayetpur OC Wahiduzzaman also echoed his fellow.

He said: “One can raise complaint against us, but we did not provide pri-

vate security to any candidate.”

Contacted, Sirajganj Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Md Billal Hossain mentioned that Abdul Mojid sought for police protection four-five days back, but it was not granted.

Police security was only granted for public gathering, he added.

However, most of the AL activists in the area were found campaigning for the independent candidate.

The other two candidates – the Jatiya Party-backed Abul Hasnat Gofran and expelled leader of the party Abu Bakar Siddique – were also campaigning, but at a snail’s pace.

Local AL leaders became angry as the party nominated Abdul Majid instead of former fisheries and livestock minister Abdul Latif Biswas to contest the upcoming general election.

Majid was harassed by his own party men in Mukundagati Bazar area under Belkuchi while he was on campaign trail.

His stage set for polls rally was set afire once in Tamai village of the upazila.

Superintendent of Police SM Emran Hossain said of 121 polling centres, around 50 were considered risky. l

Factional disputes inside ruling alliance in Barisal ahead of polls n Our Correspondent, Barisal Factional disputes between the ruling 14-party alliance partners in Barisal have become visible ahead of tomorrow’s 10th parliamentary elections.

Reports from different areas suggest that the candidates nominated by the ruling alliance are facing internal conflicts, while the opposition activists are secretly telling voters to cast ballots against the ruling alliance candidates.

Nearly seven and a half lakh voters in three out of six Barisal constituencies – Barisal 2 (Ujirpur-Banaripara upazila), Barisal 3 (Babuganj-Muladi upazilas), and Barisal 4 (Mehendiganj upazila) – are ready to cast ballots at 291 voting centres.

The turnout of voters in this river-isolated constituency was always less than other seats, while local sources also claimed that Barisal city AL president Advocate Afzal Hossain – who was deprived nomination – might influence voting trends Around 7 lakh 80 thousand voters of the other three constituencies would be deprived from voting, as AL candidates in Barisal 1 (Gournadi-Agoiljhara) and Barisal 5 (city corporation and sadar upazila) and JaPa (Ershad) candidate in Barisal 6 (Bakerganj upazila) won the seats uncontested.

In the Barisal 2 constituency, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and Workers Party-backed candidate Sabina Aktar has accused the local administration of meddling in election affairs in favour of her Awami League rival.

Talukdar Md Yunus, district AL secretary and lawmaker from Barisal 1 constituency, is now contesting as the AL candidate for Barisal 2. Yunus denied Sabina’s allegations and said he would welcome any probe into the claims against him.

Central AL leaders like Amir Hossain Amu and Abul Hasanat Abdullah along with Barisal city AL unit Presi-

dent Shawkat Hossain Hiron have been helping Yunus’ election campaign; although rivalry between Yunus and Hiron is well-known in the region.

The supporters of Monirul Islam Monir, the incumbent AL lawmaker who was denied nomination this time, have also allegedly been secretly supporting independent candidate Sabina.

Nasiruddin Nasim Haoladar, JaPa (Ershad) candidate in the constituency, was not visible in election race; with supporters of JaPa likely to extend support for Banaripara-native Sabina, as AL candidate Yunus was from Agoiljhara.

Elsewhere in Barisal 3 constituency, the election race was now on between candidates from the AL-led alliance and JaPa (Ershad).

Sirajuddin Ahmed – nominated by the AL – withdrew nomination paper in favour of JaPa (Ershad) lawmaker and contesting candidate Golam Kibria Tipu. But some AL leaders are reportedly working directly for Workers Party-nominated candidate Tipu Sultan.

A leader of the ruling party’s Muladi upazila unit said local AL activists were working for Tipu Sultan, as he was from Muladi, while Golam Kibria Tipu of JaPa was from Babuganj.

The situation in Barisal 4 constituency was comparatively better for AL-nominated candidate Pankaj Devnath.

Among his rivals, Anjuman Salehuddin of BNF was a Dhaka resident, totally unknown in the area. Sheikh Md Joynul Abedin of JP (Anwar) was also a resident of Narayanganj and absent from election campaigning.

However, the turnout of voters in this river-isolated constituency was always less than other seats, while local sources also claimed that Barisal city AL president Advocate Afzal Hossain – who was deprived nomination – might influence voting trends.

Shohidul Alam, deputy commissioner and returning officer for six Barisal constituencies, said the administration was working according to Election Commission directives and necessary steps would be taken for conducting free, fair and peaceful elections. l

Students, teachers and locals roam around the debris of Purba Chandrapur Gajaria Adarsha Academy in Feni yesterday morning. The school was a polling centre, which miscreants burnt down late Thursday night just two days ahead of the 10th parliamentary polls DHAKA TRIBUNE

Neck and neck fight at Fatikchhari constituency n Tushar Hayat, Chittagong

There is neck and neck fight at only one constituency out of nine in Chittagong as a defiant candidate of Awami League is contesting the polls from Fatikchhari constituency (Chittagong 2). There is no significant candidate against the Awami League and Jatiya Party at the other constituencies.

Sources at Fatikchhari said there would be a tough fight between Tarikat Federation Chairman Nazibul Bashar Maizbhandari, who is contesting with the boat symbol, and defiant candidate Mahmud Hasan, a member of the district (north) unit of AL. A leader of the upazila unit AL, preferring anonymity, said local leaders and activists had resentment on Nazibul, who was elected from the constituency with AL ticket in 1991 and later left the party after being deprived of nomination.

Many AL men were persecuted by the henchmen of Nazibul after he had

left the party, he said, adding, “A section of leaders and activists are working against Nazibul remembering his prior role although now he is with the alliance.”

Manjur Ahmed, a resident in Azadi Bazar area, said Nazibul would get the support of disciples of Maizbhandar Darbar Sharif and it would be helpful for him.

Mahmud Hasan told the Dhaka Tribune that he was optimistic of winning the polls as large portion of his party leaders and activists were with him.

He alleged that unknown callers were threatening him that they would complete balloting through unfair means, however, added that he was optimistic of a free and fair election as the army and law enforcers were aware of such ill-efforts.

Nazibul Bashar told the Dhaka Tribune that he had solved many local problems apart from conducting development activities earlier, adding that he was confident of being evaluated by the

152 centres marked as vulnerable in Rajshahi Jamil Khan, n Mohammad from Rajshahi Out of 180 polling centres in Rajshahi, an area considered to be a stronghold of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhtra Shibir, 152 has been marked as vulnerable by law enforcement agencies anticipating possible clashes between supporters of political factions on the eve of polls.

Sources in Rajshahi district police said 42 poling centres in Rajshahi 3 (Paba-Mohonpur) constituency of Mohonpur Upazila, 36 others out of 43 polling centres under Paba police station, 42 poling centres in Rajshahi-6 (Charghat and Bagha) constituency in Bagha upazila, and 32 poling centres in Charghat area have been marked as

vulnerable. They claimed that five layers of security have been enforced to hold the election peacefully.

Alongside regular force, a number of ansar, police, army and armed police battalion will be deployed at the centres marked as vulnerable.

The law enforcers have already set up check posts at different points where patrol team, mobile team, executive magistrate and judicial magistrate will be on alert. The district police have imposed a ban on motor vehicles movement in the election areas from yesterday.

Contacted, Alamgir Kabir, superintendent of police, Rajshahi, told the Dhaka Tribune that law and order situation in the areas has been taken under control and a number of joint forces

were working at the field level to ensure a peaceful voting.

The situtaution has triggered tension among the locals. The voters in the constituencies are passing days in dilemma over voting.

A number of voters claimed that if they go to the poling centres than they would be marked as Awami League supporters while if they do not go then they would be marked as BNP supporters.

“We have fallen in a trap. We might have to face violence. Who would take responsibility of us? asked Abdul Malek, a resident of Paba area.

District Election Officer Saiful Islam said there were around 319,698 voters in Rajshahi-3 constituency of whom 160,945 are female and 158753

are male. Rajshahi 6 constituency holds 273,000 voters with 136,567 female and 136433 male.

In the 10th parliamentary polls, three contestants are participating from Rajshahi 3 constituency- Ayen Uddin and Meraj Uddin Mollah from Awami League while Shahbuddin Bacchu from Jatiya Party.

On the other hand, two candidates are participating from Rajshahi 6 constituency- AL leader Shahriar Alam, present member of the parliament with boat symbol and AL leader Raihanul Haque, former parliamentary member with butterfly symbol.

Candidates of Awami League-led 14-party alliance has been declared winner uncontested in four constituencies out of six constituencies in the division. l

local people due to his contribution.

He, however, alleged that his rival candidate had ties with the Hefazat and Jamat men, adding that the Hefazat and Jamaat men could try to foil the election through conducting subversive activities sensing defeat of their candidate.

According to local sources at eight other constituencies, voters are not much interested about the election as the candidates of the ruling AL and Jatiya Party are heading towards easy win and other candidates are not active in campaign.

Anowara Begum, a banker residing in Madarbari area of Kotwali constituency, said: “It seems to me that there is no election as there is no such campaign at our locality.”

Four candidates, including Abu Hanif of Workers Party, Nazim Uddin of National Awami Party and Arif Moinuddin of Bangladesh Nationalist Front, are contesting the polls from the constituency.

AL candidate Engineer Mosharraf Hossain was elected unopposed from Chittagong 1 (Mirsharai) constituency, Fazle Karim Chowdhury from Chittagong 6 (Raujan), Dr Hasan Mahmud from Chittagong 7 (Rangunia), Afsarul Amin Chowdhury from Chittagong 10 (Double-mooring and Pahartoli) and Nazrul Islam Chowdhury from Chittagong 14 (Chandanaish) constituency.

Jatiya Party candidate Anisul Islam Mahmud was elected unopposed from Chittagong 5 (Hathazari) and Jatiya Somajtantrik Dal candidate Mainuddin Khan Badal was elected unopposed from Chittagong 8 (Boalkhali-Chandgaon) constituency.

A total of 25 candidates have been contesting the polls at Chittagong 2 (Fatikchhari), Chittagong 3 (Sandwip), Chittagong 4 (Sitakunda), Chittagong 9 (Kotwali), Chittagong 11 (Bandar-Patenga), Chittagong 12 (Patiya), Chittagong 13 (Anwara), Chittagong 15 (Satkania-Lohagara) and Chittagong 16 (Banskhali) constituency. l

Bombs hurled at defiant candidate’s house in Lakshmipur n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur Miscreants hurled at least five petrol bombs and fired 10 rounds of bullets targeting the residence of Awami League renegade candidate Shafiqul Islam in Lakshmipur early yesterday.

Shafiqul Islam, who is contending as an independent candidate in the Lakshmipur 1 (Ramganj) constituency, said some miscreants led by ‘listed terrors in the locality’ Saikat Mahmud Shamsu and Commissioner Mamun, Bhuiyan Suman conducted the attack.

He alleged that upazila Awami League President Shahjahan Contrac-

tor was behind the attack.

The attack was launched to create panic among voters.

However, the upazila president could not be contacted in this regard.

Ramganj police Officer-in-charge Rezaul Karim Bhuiyan said some explosions were heard from the residence of Shafiqul Islam at night.

The police official, however, could not confirmed the matter.

Earlier, Shafiqul had made a similar claim that the very same people fired blank shot targeting his street rally at Balua Chawmohani in Ramganj on December 28. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Feature

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Anjali Lahiri, ‘Jagat Ma’ of 1971 freedom fighters, passes away at 91 and through the 1960s. She even serving one and a half years in jail for her involvement in underground communist movements, according to the Meghalaya Times.

Offering refuge

Anjali Lahiri

COURTESY

n Sohara Mehroze Sachi

H

istory does a remarkable job of downplaying the role of women, so it is no surprise that few people have heard of Anjali Lahiri. While the world was mourning Mandela’s departure, it lost another great champion for freedom.

Lahiri, fierce social activist and Liberation War hero who played a pivotal role in saving countless Bangladeshi refugees in India, passed away on December 4, at a hospital in Shillong, India. She was 91.

When women are portrayed in accounts of the 1971 war, they are usually shown as oppressed victims. But

For love of country From IBA to HSBC to the BCS

n Ishrat Jahan Why did a top graduate from IBA choose the civil service when the corporate world of opportunities lay open to her?

Because she wanted to make a difference. She wanted to serve her country.

Farhana Jahan Upama graduated with flying colours from Dhaka University’s Institute of Business Administration, placing 3rd on the Director’s Honour List, and landed a corporate job at HSBC by the start of 2011.

But she quickly realised that she wasn’t happy going down the conventional path.

She sat for the 31st Bangladesh Civil Service examinations and passed with merits in her first attempt.

The Dhaka Tribune interviewed this dynamic lady over the phone.

Tell me about your current job and responsibilities.

I am the Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate in the Comilla district. I find it quite stimulating really, because it’s a diverse job. I manage the SSC and HSC exams in all of the Bangla medium schools in Comilla.

I also have a big share of field work to do when dealing with the mobile courts, and that is exhilarating and draining all at the same time. Some of the cases, however small they may be, have complexities which require diplomacy and precision.

Also with the upcoming elections, where we manage the security issues and some of the other arrangements, the workload is quite a lot.

When did you decide to pursue civil service?

Shortly after I graduated from IBA. I just went with it, because I had a feeling this was something I wanted to do.

I know it’s not a “safe” or a very conventional option for an IBA graduate, but that’s not really my first concern when I think about what I want in life.

Some people think government jobs are not for “successful graduates.”

People prefer instant success, and they equate a high salary to greater success.

The perception that only jobs in multinational companies will give you success and satisfaction is wrong, at least for me. I’m glad I went through with my decision and didn’t settle for what I had.

Did the “IBA polish” help in any way for the civil service?

It does to a certain extent help with taking on more pressure with less anxiety. In a way, IBA prepares you for the uncertainties and challenges you face when pursuing any career.

How do you balance your personal and professional life?

It’s hard. I am the mother of an 8-month old beautiful girl, Nameera. My husband, Tanveer Ahmed is in government service as an ASP in RAB, posted in Dhaka.

So you can see that it’s not easy for any of us. I am practically a single mother with a demanding job and a child to care for. My mother-in-law has been a big help at times of extreme pressure.

Lahiri, reverently dubbed “Jagat Ma” (Universal Mother) by Bangladeshi freedom fighters, was no victim. She was a savior.

A life of activism

Lahiri was Indian by nationality, but that never detracted from her deep empathy for the Bangladeshi refugees in her country.

She was born in Kolkata in 1922, and raised in Shillong. She studied in Mymensingh from class VI to class IX at Bidyamayee Girls’ School, where she first became engaged in the freedom movement.

Lahiri remained politically active during WWII, Indian independence,

In 1971, seeing the cruelty perpetrated by the Pakistani militias on innocents, India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi opened the borders for ten million people from Bangladesh to take shelter in India.

As refugee camps sprouted along the border, diseases spread like wildfire. Food became scarce, and hunger would haunt the refugees for days on end. Lahiri described in her diaries: “Swarming flies. Dead newborns floating in the water. Nightmare.”

Lahiri worked tirelessly to ease the suffering of refugees in Cherrapunjee and other border areas, sometimes cooking for hundreds. She distributed relief material at the freedom fighters’ camps in Basthala, Tamabil and Mailam.

Lahiri also helped the refugees find employment to support themselves as private tutors. She even organised a cultural function in Shunamganj, the proceeds from which went to the Bangladeshi freedom fighter’s fund.

Later, Lahiri worked at the refugee camps at Pontung near the Dauki border. The camps were set up on a hillock and were pelted with rain day and night.

She would ride a military jeep through dense fog, often pushing it through mud when it got stuck, undertaking the risky drive through Cherrapunji where landslides were commonplace.

She not only served the people, but also stayed overnight with them at times to better understand their misery, eating “chicken legs with feet and nails.”

She and her husband Niren, who worked as a legal aid for the refugees, essentially turned their home into a refugee camp.

Members of the Muktibahini would take shelter in her home. One such freedom fighter, Jagatjoyti, left a lasting mark on Lahiri.

He came to her house for refuge, lungi-clad and covered in splinters. She offered to admit him to a hospital, but he said the army was after his head.

Soon after he left her place, the Pakistani army stabbed him to death with a bayonet, and hanged his mutilated body from a tree in Sunamganj Bazar, to strike fear in people’s hearts.

Lahiri braved social stigma and spent her days aiding strangers in disease stricken refugee camps

A lady of letters

The incident with Jagatjyoti left a mark on Lahiri, and she decided to pay her tribute to by immortalizing him through her book. The first piece of writing went missing, but she read out the second piece to some Bangladeshis. They had a misconception that only Muslims participated in the war and that there was no participation by Hindus, but Lahiri sought to prove that Hindus such as Suranjit Sengupta, Bidhu Dasgupta and Jagatjyoti also fought alongside the Muslim Bangalis.

Perhaps one of Lahiri’s most lasting contributions was keeping written records of the conditions of the refugees, with vivid and heart wrenching

descriptions of their plight.

Heavy rain and humidity worsened the diseases and deaths. In one entry regarding the outbreak of cholera in the camps, she wrote: “I saw a very beautiful young girl lying on the bamboo shaft. She looked up at me and said: ‘Didi please save me I do not want to die.’ Her expressive eyes were so eloquent, they shall remain etched in my memory as long as I live. She could not be saved for want of saline … maybe these two beautiful expressive eyes were pecked by the vultures.”

Lahiri’s story is one that deserves to be told. Bangladesh’s Ain o Shalish Kendra took on that task and documented the nine months Lahiri spent working in the disease and poverty stricken refugee camps, in a publication called “Sriti O Kotha Ekathor” (“Memories and Tales of ‘71”), collected from an interview by Shahin Akhter.

Ahead of her time

At a time when the society was even more conservative about the role of women than it is today, Lahiri braved social stigma, and spent days among strangers in disease stricken refugee camps.

How many people today provide services to the thousands of people in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps, or open their doors to strangers who are victims of war in another country?

Such acts can only be performed by exceptional individuals, who place others’ interests above their own and, more importantly, who transcend the artificial borders of countries, and place humanity above nationality.

Fittingly, in October 2012, the government of Bangladesh presented her the “Friends of Liberation War Honour.” l

Warmth where it’s most needed Despite hartals and blockades, Project Kombol delivers to the far reaches of the country hand out one blanket on their behalf n Promiti Prova Chowdhury for every Tk150 received.

Winter is here – the season of love, BBQs, badminton, and clothing drives.

While many of us are able to get cosy under our blankets with a bowl of jhalmuri, watching movies or cricket matches on TV, the less fortunate are left out in the cold.

This December the temperature has already dropped to 6.5 degrees Celsius, in Srimongol, and last winter the bone chilling cold wave fell below 5C and claimed 72 lives across the country through 25 districts in the northern zone.

Every year, schools and organisations in Dhaka collect donations of warm clothes and blankets to distribute to the poor, but often these items of goodwill never reach the coldest regions of the country, where they are most needed, because they are also the farthest regions from the capital.

Enter Project Kombol

Project Kombol connects Dhaka based clothing drives with NGOs operating outside of Dhaka.

Launched on Dec 14 by the BANDHU Foundation and Garbo Bangladesh Foundation, it has built a vast network with 17 NGOs covering 25 districts. Local NGOs are able to identify the neediest individuals in their respective districts and keep track of who has received donations.

The project has 20 zone leaders in the country to collect the goods: 17 in Dhaka and three in Feni, Chittagong and Sylhet. Donors can also contribute cash in person or via bKash and Project Kombol will purchase and

According to the project’s official website; 20 volunteer organisations, five schools and two corporate houses are currently on board.

The drive is on and aims to reach its goal by the end of January.

Going the extra mile

“We want to reach the most vulnerable communities in the most remote areas,” said Shagufe Hossain, c o director of Project Kombol, and chief operations officer and director of Garbo Bangladesh.

This winter pneumonia, asthma and other respiratory illnesses are becoming dominant in the northern districts of Kurigram and Gaibandha.

Dr Nazrul Islam, residential medical officer at Kurigram sadar hospital, on December 28 said: “141 people, including 60 children were admitted with cold-related complications yesterday.” At least 800 people had been treated at the outdoor unit of the hospital in the last few days, he added.

Into the right hands

“We also make sure that there is no overlapping,” Shagufe said.

Because clothing distribution has been largely ad-hoc in the past,

Many women face discrimination in the workplace, and people say it is more prevalant in government service.

I think we have come a long way in terms of female empowerment in the office, in both corporate and government jobs. But I have not faced anything like that in any of the jobs I have had. My seniors and coworkers encourage and respect me.

I believe people have yet to change the way they think of government service. l

An open door

‘Happiness is donating a kombol to a very needy person’ says co-chair Project Kombol Nuheen Khan, shown here with a beneficiary in Netrokona COURTESY there is actually a risk of donations going down the drain. If the warm clothes go to the same people over and over, they simply sell the surplus on the second-hand market, which means the real sufferers are not getting the intended help.

So how is it done? Each NGO prepares a survey report of the number of people in need, segregated by age and gender. Project Kombol then notifies the NGO of the date they need to travel to the location, and how many pieces they have to distribute. The day before they leave for the places, individual tokens are issued to the beneficiaries.

“Suppose we have 300 blankets,” Shegufe said. “So, 300 tokens are distributed. This will ensure that only the token holders get the blankets.

To avoid duplication, the token has two to three logos: the logo of Project Kombol, the logo of the local NGO and/or the logo of the organisations that has donated.”

Against the odds

In Gaibandha, women shiver while they wait in line for their blankets

Despite the current political instability, they successfully conducted the first drive on December 16.

To date, the project had distributed 6000 blankets across the country, of which 2600 were donated by different corporate houses.

“We had a target to distribute at least 20-25,000 blankets. But in the current political situation we think we can reach not more than 15,000,”

To contribute, find your nearest zone leader: l Hotline: 01819 230 486 l Online: facebook.com/projectkombol l Email contactus@projectkombol.com Or donate via bKash to 0177 939 4909 laments Nuheen Khan, co-chair of the project, president and CEO of Garbo Bangladesh Foundation, and a lecturer of Economics at North South University.

“Because of the hartal and blockades we are now targeting Fridays for distribution,” said Nueen. “On December 27, 2600 blankets were distributed in six districts. We booked a whole bus to carry the blankets.”

Of the cash donations they raise, Nueen explains: “We collect Tk150 from individuals and spend Tk105 for buying the blanket. The rest of the money is used for transportation.”

Ready, set, distribute

Alternatively, for those who want to connect with the beneficiaries directly, the platform also provides them with the option to go out and distribute their collected goods themselves.

Project Kombol takes care of all the distribution logistics with local NGOs. It even provides the donor with information on transportation, food and accommodation options in that particular area, to make the experience as hassle-free as possible. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

Saturday, January 4, 2014

7

The twain shall meet

RIO SHUVO

M

n Shafiqur Rahman

any historians say that the Enlightenment in Europe in the 18th century, the most important intellectual movement of the modern era, did not come about because of scientists dispassionately searching for objective truths in nature, but because of the rapid spread of civil and free conversation among the educated elite in the clubs, salons and dining rooms throughout the western world. In many ways the current political crisis is very different from everything that happened previously.

Although the political leadership are still not talking to each other, the general people are conversing freely and frankly like never before. In print and electronic media, in Facebook and on blogs, in sitting rooms and dining rooms, in buses and tea-stalls, Bangladeshis worldwide are furiously talking to each other. Alas! All of this talking seems to produce not even a trifle, let alone something substantial like enlightenment.

For better or worse, the two political factions are firmly entrenched in the people. If we love the country more than our politics, we must interact and meet somewhere

I do not claim to have a firm finger on the pulse of the people – my interactions are mostly limited among a particular section of Bangladeshis. What I find surprising is that even among the highly westernised, professional and academic Bangladeshis, two persons may be identical in their taste in popular culture, reading lists of books and movies, outlook on philosophy and life and everything else, but completely talk past each other when the topic is domestic politics. They may completely agree on the politics of USA, Europe and India, but find each other incomprehensible when it comes to politics in Bangladesh.

It seems people are living in two separate moral universes that frequently collide but never interact. One is reminded of the famous lines from Rudyard Kipling: “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.”

I also do not claim to be an impartial observer of the conversation looking down from Mount Olympus. On the balance, I firmly reside in one of the moral universes, but I fervently try to listen and understand what the other side is saying. I think at this time we

need to put a little break on the futile preaching and try a little listening. In this short essay I will try to synthesise my take on the basic aspirations and apprehensions of both sides.

Awami League supporters are most pained and bewildered by the seeming cavalier attitude of their BNP friends to the seminal, the proudest, and the most tragic event in our history, the 1971 liberation war. They perceive that BNP supporters are not very animated by our young nation’s history, the symbols, and founding leaders. Most particularly, the indescribable crimes committed against innocent civilians in 1971 cry out to heaven for retribution and redress, but BNP supporters don’t seem to reach out to a large part of their fellow countrymen. AL supporters see from BNP lukewarm support for the trial at best, indifference on average, and dismissiveness at worst.

AL supporters are pained that their secular, cosmopolitan BNP friends do not seem to realise the dangers of cavorting with absolutist religious parties. They see the national trajectory of Pakistan, Afghanistan and sundry Mideast theocracies, and imagine the worst for Bangladesh. They think Awami League is fighting a lonely and beleaguered fight to keep the flame of secularism alive in Bangladesh. They are also very aggrieved with the inconsiderate way BNP supporters dismiss the tragic events of August 15 and 21, when the most heinous attempts were made to wipe out AL leadership from the face of earth.

Keeping in mind such traumatic history, AL supporters think that BNP is not yet fit for state power, however much popular support they now have.

They fear that such odious violence may be repeated if an angry BNP, partnered with vengeful Jamaat, comes back to power. That is why a democratic vote is not looked upon by AL as a solution but an exacerbating event for the nation.

BNP supporters’ list of grievances starts right from where AL fears culminate. By happen-stance of state of affairs, BNP now finds itself firmly on the right side of democracy. BNP supporters see that a great majority of the nation is fervid about anti-incumbency and ready to vote BNP to power.

After the nadir of 2007-8 and five years of repression-marginalisation, BNP regards state power by popular mandate its rightful reward and it regards AL’s determination to hold on to power by hook or crook as a great travesty of politics.

But the Tantalus Cup of power is only the immediate of BNP’s hope and fear; BNP supporters live in a longterm existential angst. They know that since the death of Ziaur Rahman, BNP leadership had never attempted to shore up the ideological foundation of BNP. In the last couple of decades the party has been mostly defining itself vis-à-vis opposition to AL. BNP supporters are envious of the ideological cohesion of AL and the wide devotion

it still attracts from a large section of the country. More politically-conscious BNP supporters see that the original articulation of Bangladeshi nationalism – a political ideal composed of a free market economy with government support, personal and social values derived from religion and community, a state as the Hegelian embodiment for personal growth and freedom, and a nationalism based on geography, history and ethnicity – has become the dominant political philosophy of the nation but BNP leadership has failed to lay claim or build upon it.

BNP supporters fear dissolution and dispersion of the party in yet another successive oppressive AL regime. Their fear is reinforced every day by proclamations and actions of AL leaders and supporters who never seem to give political legitimacy to a party that has won repeated popular mandate. They see that AL regards BNP as an artificial construct made in cantonment and vocally predicts the demise of BNP routinely. They fear the overwhelming advantage of AL in the media and intelligentsia, an advantage more or less enjoyed by left-of-centre parties in most developed democracies, and feel apprehensive about a concerted effort to establish a dominant one-party rule like the initial years of the republic.

BNP supporters are ambivalent about the war crimes trial. Many of them understand the need for bringing to justice the worst perpetrators and collaborators of those terrible crimes, perpetrators who obscenely flaunted themselves for four decades. But they have misgivings about show trials carried out for political advantage.

They understand that rule of law is established by rule of law, and targeted show trials and verdicts do not pave the way towards that goal but may worsen the division of the nation.

As I see it, deep existential fears are compelling each side to scream and shout at each other in the same wavelength but not hear each other.

Moreover, pervasive clientelism in the country mean that a very deep and wide base built on trading of favour gets built every time a political government gets entrenched. As Upton Sinclair famously said: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his pay depends on his not understanding it.” Even many who have no personal stake in the political battle have identified their self image so closely to the political parties that they regard every political reversal as a personal slight and dread defeat as physically crippling.

We must recognise that this is no apocalyptic battle between good and evil, where good will finally triumph over evil to usher in a thousand years of peace. For better or worse, the two political factions are firmly entrenched in the people. If we love the country more than our politics, we must interact and meet somewhere. Our political overlords in and out of the country will sort out an intermediary arrangement sometime in the future

Even among the highly westernised, professional and academic Bangladeshis, two persons may be identical in their taste in popular culture, outlook on philosophy and life, but completely talk past each other when the topic is domestic politics

but we the citizens must seek what we can agree upon while respecting our disagreement. With a measure of impudence, I want to propose a program that can at least serve as a catalyst to such an interacting conversation.

The war crimes trials must proceed as they are currently advancing. There may be flaws in the process but recognising our limitations and circumstances, flawed but acceptable trials that tick most of the check-boxes, are the best we can hope for.

We should not demand any more death sentences to be carried out. This will be very hard to accept for many but I do not think killing a few old men, however heinous their crimes, will bring retribution to the hundreds of thousands of souls untimely terminated in 1971.

Jamaat as an organisation should be put on trial as soon as possible and, as many expect, should be banned as a political organisation for crimes against the nation and independence struggle. However, Jamaat leaders and activists who are untainted by crimes in 1971 must be allowed to form political organisations under different names and acceptable charters.

Mahfuz Anam, a man whose pro-71 credentials can hardly be questioned, essentially said the same thing recently in his opinion-editorial.

Religion is a deep and living belief for most of our people, and people must be allowed to do politics according to their beliefs; this is a fundamental political right enshrined in every democratic country.

Most importantly, we must agree to a fundamental constitutional reform so that a party with near or less than 50% popular vote cannot become an omnipotent-autocrat with the constitution and every organ of the state as its plaything. We must recognise that the unbridled concentration and exercise of power has been the main political ill afflicting our nation right from its birth, and we must put up all kind of safeguards to thwart its repetition.

We must know that a republic derives its legitimacy from the people, and a credible, inclusive election with participation of all major legitimate parties must take place as soon as possible.

This election must be held under the

supervision of an impartial government accepted by the major parties.

Now comes the most audacious proposal. Since incumbent political parties and their members of Parliament will never agree to voluntarily give up power, through constitutional reform, the next caretaker government must be in place for six to nine months so that a constitutional convention to reform the constitution can take place. The reformed constitution will be ratified by popular referendum, and the next general parliamentary election will take place under the reformed constitution.

The six to nine months will also act as a cooling-off period for the superheated political passion endangering the stability of the country. l Shafiqur Rahman is a freelance contributor.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

UN urges immediate ceasefire in South Sudan n Agencies The UN has called for an immediate ceasefire in South Sudan, after more than three weeks of violence that killed at least 1,000, and displaced close to 200,000 people.

Parts of the country are in a state of emergency as the warring factions were expected to begin talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday.

“We have seen terrible acts of violence in the past two weeks, there has been killings and brutality, grave human rights violations and atrocities committed,” Hilde Johnson, UN special representative to South Sudan, told Al Jazeera.

Johnson urged the government and the rebels to stop the fighting as negotiations were about to get underway.

The UN has also joined the African Union in expressing support for Ethiopia to broker peace talks.

But Johannes Musa, a member of the negotiating team for former Vice President Riek Machar, told Al Jazeera that there are significant problems to be overcome, and that the rebels will not lay down their arms unilaterally.

“We did not refuse a ceasefire,” Musa said. “ But we put out some conditions.

“The government may not commit itself to mutual ceasefire, that will not be monitored.” Musa said that in the absence of ceasefire monitors, the government could launch raid in areas already controlled by the rebels.

US Embassy to evacuate more staff from South Sudan n Reuters, Juba The US Embassy in the South Sudanese capital Juba has ordered the evacuation of more staff from the country, where more than 1,000 people have been killed in three weeks of fighting between rebels and government troops.

An emergency message to US citizens on the Embassy’s website said the move was due to a deteriorating security situation. It said there would be an evacuation flight on Friday arranged by the Department of State.

“We are not suspending our operations. We are just minimizing our presence,” Ambassador Susan Page told Reuters.

Fighting has continued in the world’s youngest state even as negotiators from both sides arrived in neighbouring Ethiopia for peace talks that are meant to focus first on ending the hostilities.

The Juba government and rebels have agreed in principle to a ceasefire but neither side has indicated when they might lay down their arms. l

The South Sudan government has also refused to call it a ceasefire, saying negotiators must first agree on “mechanisms” for talks to move forward.

Late on Wednesday, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei states, where government troops and rebel forces loyal to Machar, have been engaged in fighting.

Delegations from South Sudan’s warring factions were expected to meet for the first time on Thursday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Some Western diplomats were also

South Sudan has been plagued by ethnic tension and a power struggle within the ruling party that escalated after Kiir dismissed Machar as his vice president in July present as mediators waited for the arrival of the South Sudan government’s delegation. Ethiopia is playing a leading role in trying to get the two sides to negotiate a peace deal.

But those efforts have been overshadowed by persistent violence in South Sudan since mid-December.

Under a regional bloc known as IGAD, East African countries have urged Machar and Kiir to negotiate an end to violence that raised fears of civil war in the world’s newest country.

The fighting in South Sudan has exposed ethnic rivalry between the country’s two largest ethnic groups, the Dinka of Kiir and the Nuer of Machar.

The UN has said there is mounting evidence that people were targeted for their ethnicity.

Kiir insists the fighting was sparked by a coup attempt mounted by soldiers loyal to Machar on Dec.15 in the capital, Juba.

But that account has been disputed by some officials of the ruling party, who said the violence began when presidential guards from the Dinka group tried to disarm their Nuer colleagues.

From there, violence spread across the country, with forces loyal to Machar defecting and seizing territory from loyalist forces.

South Sudan has been plagued by ethnic tension and a power struggle within the ruling party that escalated after Kiir dismissed Machar as his vice president in July.

Machar has criticised Kiir as a dictator and said he will contest the 2015 presidential election. In an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday, Aly Verjee, a political analyst, said the conflict was born out of a political dispute among the elites in the ruling party.

He said: “There are ethnic overtones, unfortunately, that have developed over the course of the last few weeks,” Verjee, a senior researcher at the Rift Valley Institute in Kenya, said. “But it is still primarily a political dispute.” l

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Kerry on 2nd day of new Mideast peace push n AFP, Jerusalem US Secretary of State John Kerry launched a second day of talks with Israelis and Palestinians Friday, seeking to hammer out a framework to guide negotiations towards a peace deal.

American officials have privately said they believe the direct talks resumed in July after a three-year hiatus have reached a new phase, as an April deadline for an accord looms, but are struggling to overcome fierce opposition from both sides to any compromises.

Kerry returned to Israel on Thursday for his 10th trip as secretary of state, and went straight into five hours of meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The two men were to meet again around noon on Friday, after Kerry and his team first held breakfast talks at his Jerusalem hotel with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

The top US diplomat will later head to Ramallah for discussions with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas at his headquarters in the occupied West Bank.

But Netanyahu on Thursday was downbeat on progress so far, launching a scathing attack on Abbas and casting doubt on whether he and the Palestinians were genuine in their desire for peace.

“I know that you’re committed to peace, I know that I’m committed to peace. But unfortunately given the actions and words of Palestinian leaders, there’s growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace,” Netanyahu told a grim-faced Kerry.

Referring to Israel’s release of long-serving Palestinian prisoners as

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman greets US Secretary of State John Kerry ahead of their meeting at the David Citadel hotel AFP part of the talks, the Israeli leader said Abbas had “embraced terrorists as heroes. To glorify the murderers of innocent women and men as heroes is an outrage.

“He can’t stand against terrorists, and stand with the terrorists.”

But Kerry vowed the United States was committed to working with both sides “to narrow the differences on a framework that will provide the agreed guidelines for permanent status negotiations.”

“This will take time and it will take compromise from both sides. But an agreed framework would be a significant breakthrough.”

US officials have refused to go into specific details about the framework, but have said they hope to conclude it soon.

Tunisia assembly begins Turkey rules out amnesty voting on new constitution for jailed military officers n AFP, Tunis Tunisia’s national assembly on Friday began voting on the long-delayed new constitution, which must be adopted by January 14, the third anniversary of the 2011 revolution. Lawmakers approved, by 175 votes out of the 184 MPs gathered for the session, the title of the charter, which is to be voted on article by article.

They were then due to examine the text’s preamble, before scrutinising its 150 articles and 225 proposed amend-

ments, completing a process that would represent a crucial milestone in the country’s democratic transition.

For the constitution to be adopted, it must be approved by two thirds of the national assembly’s 217 elected members or put to a referendum.

It has taken more than two years to draft the text, mainly because of disagreement between the ruling Islamist party Ennahda and opposition, which has hampered the formation of functioning state institutions. l

Chemical shipment heads to Syria n AFP, Beirut Danish and Norwegian vessels left the Cypriot port of Limassol Friday and headed towards Syria to escort a delayed shipment of chemical weapons for destruction, a spokesman said.

“The Norwegian-Danish task group to transport Syria’s chemical agents to destruction left the port of Limassol this morning,” said Norwegian armed forces spokesman Lars Magne Hovtun.

“The four ships have now set a course toward a holding area in inter-

national water outside Syria, so we are most ready to enter the port of Latakia when the order arrives,” he added.

The ships are to be joined by Chinese and Russian vessels inside Syrian waters under a plan agreed in Moscow on Friday.

The removal had been scheduled to take place before December 31, but the deadline passed and a new one has not yet been set. civil war, logistical problems and bad weather had held up the operation to move chemical agents to the port of Latakia l

n AFP, Ankara Turkey’s deputy prime minister said on Friday there were no plans to grant pardons for jailed army officers convicted of plotting to topple Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.

The remarks by Bulent Arinc came a day after it was revealed that Turkey’s military had demanded a retrial for convicted officers, accusing the police and the judiciary of fabricating evi-

dence in two separate cases.

“Nobody should have expectations for a general amnesty,” Arinc told reporters. “We have no such plans.”

He said however that the right to fair trial should not be violated.

In 2012 and in 2013, hundreds of military officers including former army chief General Ilker Basbug were convicted and given long jail terms for plotting to overthrow the government. l

Heavy snow wreaks havoc across north-eastern US n Reuters, New York/Boston The governors of New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency on Thursday as a major snowstorm hammered the north-eastern United States, causing thousands of flight cancellations and paralyzing road travel.

The first major winter storm of 2014 brought bone-chilling temperatures and high winds from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast, with

nearly 2 feet of snow falling in some areas of Massachusetts.

Much of the northeast saw heavy snowfall and plummeting temperatures late on Thursday evening and early on Friday, said Jared Guyer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“That whole region is blanketed in winter storm warnings, which will continue at least through the morning hours if not beyond,” Guyer said. l

The core issues The US administration has also not yet decided whether it will be made public, but it is unlikely to be signed by both sides.

Kerry stressed the framework was building on ideas put forward by both sides over five months of talks, and would set out the agreements and disagreements on the core issues.

These include the contours of a future Palestinian state, refugees, the fate of Jerusalem, security, “mutual recognition and the end of conflict and of all claims,” Kerry said.

“It would address all of the core issues. It would create the fixed, defined parameters by which the parties would then know where they are going and what the end result can be,” he added. l

Qaeda makes gains in Iraq city after days of violence n AFP, Ramadi Al-Qaeda militants advanced Friday into new areas of one major Iraqi city and held part of another, after days of violence sparked by the removal of an anti-government protest camp.

Parts of Ramadi and Fallujah, west of Baghdad, have been held by militants for days, harkening back to the years after the 2003 US-led invasion when both cities in Anbar province were insurgent strongholds.

Fighting began in the Ramadi area Monday, when security forces removed the main anti-government protest camp set up after demonstrations broke out in late 2012 against what Sunni Arabs say is the marginalisation and targeting of their community.

Anger at the Shiite-led government among the Sunni minority is seen as one of the main drivers of the worst violence to hit Iraq in five years.

Fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which operates in both Iraq and neighbouring Syria, advanced amid early morning clashes into areas of central Ramadi and deployed snipers on one street, a police captain said. l

OTHER NEWS Egypt: slain Swiss couple found buried in their yard

Egyptian police found a murdered Swiss couple buried in the garden of their house in the Red Sea resort town of Hurgada, a security official told AFP Friday. The official said preliminary investigations revealed the two Swiss citizens, a man and his wife, were killed by the house’s guard and two of his friends who wanted to rob the couple. He did not reveal the identity of the two killed, but said the couple has been living in Hurgada for a while and went missing a week ago. The corpses were transferred to Hurgada’s general hospital.

A local official at the hospital told AFP “the two corpses arrived at the morgue in a complete state of putrescence,” without giving the identity of the two victims.

Earlier on Friday, the Swiss foreign ministry confirmed the death of two Swiss citizens in Egypt, saying it did not have immediate details on their deaths, according to Switzerland’s ATS news agency.

Briton, New Zealander shot dead in Libya: security

Libyan troops have found the bodies of a British man and a New Zealand woman shot dead southwest of Tripoli, a security source told AFP Friday. “The bodies of a British man and a New Zealand woman who had been killed by bullets were found on the beach in Mellitah on Thursday afternoon,” the source said. The bodies had been moved to Tripoli, the source added, without giving any details on the circumstances of the deaths. New Zealand’s foreign ministry said it was aware of the report and was “working with the relevant authorities to confirm this.” It added that “the bodies have not yet been formally identified and the next of kin People react to the fireworks on the new year’s celebration at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 1

AFP

have not yet been informed.” Libya has seen growing unrest following the overthrow of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The country is awash in weapons looted from the slain dictator’s arsenals, and many former rebel brigades have refused to disarm or join the new security forces.

Last month a young American teacher was gunned down while on his morning jog in the restive eastern city of Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 revolt which has since seen scores of attacks on security forces and foreign missions.

China seizes three tonnes of crystal meth

Chinese police have seized three tonnes of crystal methamphetamine during raids in a southern city authorities say is notorious for providing a huge share of the country’s supply of the drug. Police seized the crystal meth – also known as “ice” – in a series of raids last Sunday in Lufeng. Paramilitary troops and police officers used helicopters and speedboats in the raids, which also saw 23 tonnes of raw materials seized and the arrests of nearly 200 suspects from 18 drug rings, Xinhua reported on Thursday. Methamphetamine is the second most popular drug in China after heroin, according to a report last year by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which estimated that sales of the two drugs in China and Southeast Asia totalled more than $30bn in 2012.

Seizures of crystal meth in 2012 jumped 12-fold in Myanmar, 10-fold in Brunei, 91% in Hong Kong, 75% in both Indonesia and Cambodia, and 33% in Japan, according to the report. Chinese seizures of the drug rose 13% in 2012, from 14.3 tonnes to 16.2 tonnes, the UNODC estimated.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

9

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Manmohan Singh rules out another term as India PM

Cambodian forces open fire as strikes turn violent

n Reuters, New Delhi

Cambodian military police opened fire on Friday to quell a protest by stone-throwing garment factory workers demanding higher pay, killing at least three people, witnesses said.

Chaos during nationwide strikes erupted for a second day as security forces were deployed to break up the demonstration by thousands of workers, who refused to move and threw bottles, stones and petrol bombs outside a factory in Phnom Penh.

The clash represents an escalation of a political crisis in Cambodia, where striking workers and anti-government protesters have come together in a loose movement led by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

Unions representing disgruntled garment workers have joined opposition supporters protesting against the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen to demand a re-run of an election in July that the opposition says was rigged.

Military police confronting the protesters fired live ammunition, Reuters journalists said, and bullet casings were later seen scattered across the ground at the scene.

Two witnesses said they had seen at least three dead bodies during the chaos. Military police spokesman Kheng Tito, however, said only one protester was killed.

“We are sorry we heard one was killed and some were injured,” he said.

“But we were just following our duty, role and tasks. Now, we are securing the situation.”

It followed a similar crackdown on Thursday in another part of the city,

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday ruled out serving another term after an election due by May and threw his support behind Nehru-Gandhi dynasty scion Rahul Gandhi to lead the country if their party wins the vote.

Singh, 81, has presided over India for a decade at the head of coalition governments led by the Congress party and was widely expected to step down.

Gandhi will have his work cut out if he’s chosen to lead the Congress party into the election with corruption scandals, stubborn inflation and decade-low growth eroding support, opinion polls show.

“In a few months’ time, after the general election, I will hand the baton over to a new prime minister,” Singh said at a rare news conference, adding that a “new generation” would guide the country. Singh said Gandhi, 43, should be the Congress party’s prime ministerial candidate.

“Rahul Gandhi has outstanding credentials to be nominated as the candidate and I hope our party will take that decision at an appropriate time.”

The Congress is due to hold a top-level meeting on January 17 and is expected to announce its candidate soon afterwards.

Whoever gets the nod will face off in the election against Narendra Modi, of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who is ahead in the opinion polls.

Modi is campaigning on a platform to revive an economy growing at its slowest in a decade and end the red tape and corruption that have bedev-

Indian Prime Minster Manmohan Singh addresses a press conference, in New Delhi illed the Congress-led coalition.

The Congress fared badly in elections in four large states towards the end of last year, largely due to voters’ anger over corruption.

Compared with the relatively untested Gandhi, Modi has years of experience as the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat where he has built a reputation as a business-savvy and investor-friendly administrator.

But he has been unable to fully shake off allegations over anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 in which at least 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. Modi denies wrongdoing and a Supreme Court investigation found no evidence to prosecute him.

Singh was scathing about Modi, saying he would be bad for India.

“I sincerely believe that it would be disastrous for the country to have Nar-

South Korea dismisses Pyongyang’s peace call n Agencies South Korea has dismissed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s calls for improved ties, urging his government to take nuclear disarmament steps first.

Kim Eui-do, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman, told reporters on Friday that North Korea should first make “sincere” efforts for nuclear disarmament, if it wanted to improve strained ties with Seoul.

“In order to improve ties between the South and the North, North Korea must show sincerity in building trust and above all, it must make genuine efforts for denuclearisation,” the ministry spokesman said in a statement.

The North Korean leader made the overture in a New Year’s Day speech on Wednesday that included typical rhetoric against Seoul and Washington and a warning of a possible nuclear war.

But he also called for a “favourable climate” to improve relations with the South, saying it was time for the two Koreas to stop doing “anything detrimental to national unity and reconciliation.”

In response, Seoul said it was doubt-

ful about Pyongyang’s assertion because the country made a similar offer in a New Years’ Day message last year but quickly followed that with a nuclear test and a string of military threats that sharply raised tension on the peninsula.

Analysts said North Korean leader Kim’s hopes for better ties with South Korea could be linked to his vow to revive the country’s economy and improve his people’s living standards.

Prospects for inter-Korean relations were put in doubt after last month’s execution of Kim’s once-powerful uncle and mentor Jang Song Thaek on treason charges in the biggest political upheaval since Kim took power following the death of his father Kim Jong Il in late 2011.

Seoul officials have said North Korea may increase provocations against South Korea to bolster internal unity to cope with possible instability triggered

by Jang’s execution.

In his New Year’s Day speech, Kim said the country’s unity has been strengthened after the elimination of “factionalist filth” in a reference to his late uncle. l

China plans joint military command system n AFP, Beijing China’s armed forces plan to set up a joint operational command system to “enhance efficiency” in crisis response, state media reported Friday.

At present the People’s Liberation Army, (PLA) the world’s biggest military, which incorporates China’s navy and air force, is arranged on a geographical system with land forces at its core and dividing the country into seven regions.

Now the military has “launched positive pilot programmes” for a joint operational command system and will establish the system “in due course,” the state-run China Daily newspaper said, citing the defence ministry.

It was not clear from the report whether the regional system would be replaced.

But a more unified structure could reduce the possibility of a local commander taking unauthorised action in a crisis situation.

The defence ministry said its military modernisation was not aimed at any country, the China Daily said.

Arthur Ding, an expert on China’s military at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, said internal discussions over setting up such a system had been going on for years and it could be seen

as part of China’s military modernisation.

China was certain to reduce the number of military regions, he said, although the issue was sensitive with top brass.

“If you cut many military regions, many slots will be cut,” he explained, adding that reducing them to five was “probably the most the military can accept.”

The China Daily quoted Ouyang Wei, a professor at the National Defence University of the People’s Liberation Army, saying a joint command system would increase the military’s speed in responding to an emergency.

“The system, which has been popular in the West for decades, is not (aimed at) starting a war, but to kill it in the cradle,” he told the paper.

Tokyo and Beijing are locked in a simmering territorial row over Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea which China also claims and calls the Diaoyu Islands.

China has for years had double-digit increases in its official military budget, and Li Qinggong, deputy secretary-general of the China Council for National Security Policy Studies, said the country will focus on improving its high-tech sea, air and nuclear arsenals. l

n Reuters, Phnom Penh

AP

endra Modi as the prime minister,” said the softly-spoken Singh.

Singh rejected a suggestion that he had been a weak prime minister and again referred to Modi.

“If by strong prime minister you mean that you preside over the mass massacre of innocent citizens in the streets ... I do not believe that sort of strength this country needs. Least of all in its prime minister,” Singh said.

BJP spokeswoman Nirmala Sitharaman said on her Twitter account she was “utterly disappointed” with Singh’s remarks. In what was seen as his farewell news conference, the prime minister took a conciliatory tone on a dispute with the United States over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York.

Singh said the government was committed to good relations between the two countries. l

when armed troops struck demonstrators with batons. Witnesses said at least 20 people were wounded.

“If violence continues to happen and there are no talks, more violence will break out,” said Chheng Sophors of the human rights group Licadho. “Protesters have become angry.”

The CNRP, led by former finance minister Sam Rainsy, has courted some 350,000 garment workers from nearly 500 factories across the country by promising to nearly double the monthly minimum wage to $160 if it wins a re-run of the July election, which Hun Sen is refusing to hold.

Two witnesses said they had seen at least three dead bodies during the chaos

The opposition alleges 2.3m of its votes were stolen to allow the ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) to return to office. The CPP won 68 seats in the election to the CNRP’s 55, according to the National Election Committee, but the CNRP says the commission is one of many agencies under CPP influence.

The government is refusing to raise the wage beyond $100 dollars a month and has ordered factories to reopen to prevent damage and job losses in an industry worth $5bn a year to what is one of the world’s poorest countries.

Until this week, security forces had exercised restraint to try to cool tempers as pressure mounted on a government facing some of the biggest protests ever seen in Cambodia. l

n AFP, Bangkok Thailand’s anti-government protest movement reassured tourists Friday that it would not target the kingdom’s airports or public transportation during a planned “shutdown” of Bangkok later this month.

The demonstrators, who are seeking to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and curb herbnaire family’s political dominance, say they will occupy Bangkok from January 13.

“Operation Occupy Bangkok does NOT involve airport closures or the disruption of any mass transport services.

Public buses, trains, BTS sky-trains, MRT underground trains, and public boats will operate normally,” the protest movement said on its English-language Facebook page.

The demonstrators have vowed to set up protest stages around the capital, prevent government officials from going to work and to cut off power and water to government offices as well as to the residences of the prime minister and her cabinet.

The protesters also plan several marches in Bangkok starting from Sunday to build momentum ahead of the occupation attempt.

Thai stocks and the baht currency have fallen sharply on concerns that the deepening crisis will scare off foreign tourists and international investment.

In 2008 opposition protesters paralysed Bangkok’s main airports, stranding thousands of tourists.

A number of foreign governments have advised their nationals to avoid the current protest sites.

AFP

But the protest movement insisted tourists had nothing to fear.

“Shops and hotels near the protest sites are full. I ask tourists to feel relieved – they can join the protesters,” said spokesman Akanat Promphan.

“I understand about some entrepreneurs’ concerns. But if the prime minister resigns, everything will be solved,” he added.

Yingluck has called February elections but the protesters have vowed to block the vote, which they fear will only return the Shinawatra clan to power.

The protesters, who largely comprise southerners, royalists, middle class Thais and urban elite, accuse thebnaire tycoon-turned-politician of corruption and say he controls his sister’s government from his self-exile in Dubai. l

Chinese icebreaker stuck after helping in Antarctic rescue n Reuters, Sydney A Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue 52 passengers from a Russian ship stranded in Antarctic ice found itself stuck in heavy ice on Friday, further complicating the 9-day “roller-coaster” rescue operation.

The Snow Dragon had ferried the passengers from the stranded Russian ship to an Australian icebreaker late on Thursday. It now had concerns about its own ability to move through heavy

ice, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.

“It will attempt to manoeuvre through the ice when tidal conditions are most suitable during the early hours of 4 January 2014,” AMSA said.

The Australian icebreaker carrying the rescued passengers, the Aurora Australis, will remain on standby in open water in the area “as a precautionary measure,” the rescue agency said.

The Aurora Australis had meant to sail towards an Antarctic base to com-

Vaccines did not cause the deaths of nine children shortly after they were inoculated for hepatitis in a Chinese government program and no links have been found in eight other cases still being investigated, health officials said Friday after safety concerns arose.

At the same time, China’s national product safety watchdog said three drug makers — one of whom was scrutinized over the recent deaths — had suspended production because they failed to meet new manufacturing standards.

Public confidence in Chinese health authorities and the country’s drug safety regime is shaky at best, though improvements have been made in recent years since government agencies withheld information about the spread of SARS and bird flu.

Concerns over vaccine safety have surfaced after reported problems with vaccines for encephalitis, hepatitis B and other diseases. In those cases, the health ministry said the vaccines had been improperly stored but were unrelated to subsequent illnesses that were reported.

Nine were clearly unrelated to the vaccines, the commission said, while a preliminary investigation found no links in the remaining cases. The cause of those eight deaths would only be confirmed after autopsies are completed.

The causes of the deaths instead were acute pneumonia, suffocation, kidney failure, severe diarrhea, death of intestinal tissue, sudden infant death, congenital heart disease and so on, the commission said. The children were all younger than 5 and lived in nine provinces across China, the commission said without further details. l

China tells police to be loyal to party amid graft crackdown n Reuters, Beijing

Thailand protesters say no plan to shut airports

A Thai soldier stands guard on a school bus in Thailand’s restive southern province of Narathiwat

China says vaccines didn’t cause nine kids’ deaths n AP, Beijing

plete a resupply before carrying the rescued passengers back to Australia.

A helicopter from the Snow Dragon carried the 52 scientists and tourists in small groups from the ice-bound Akademik Shokalskiy to the Australian supply ship late on Thursday.

The rescue, delayed due to weather and ice conditions, took around five hours to complete. It had been a “roller-coaster” rescue, said Greg Mortimer, one of three expedition leaders on the Akademik Shokalskiy. l

China’s police chief wrote on Friday that his officers must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party and be loyal to it, as the government targets the domestic security apparatus in a crackdown on corruption.

Sources have told Reuters that China’s former security tsar, Zhou Yongkang, one of the most powerful politicians of the decade, has been put under effective house arrest while the party investigates corruption allegations against him.

Last month, the government began a graft investigation into a one-time deputy public security minister, Li Dongsheng, an ally of Zhou’s.

Li held a rank equivalent to cabinet minister, and state media says he is the first member of the ruling party’s Political and Legal Affairs Committee, the influential domestic security body which Zhou used to head, to be investigated for graft. Writing in the party’s official People’s Daily, Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun said his more than twom officers had to be “absolutely loyal and absolutely clean” and stand steadfastly in line with the orders and politics of President Xi Jinping.

All public security personnel must “take real actions to resolutely defend the leadership of the Communist Party,” Guo said. “Unswervingly be a loyal defender of the party and the people.”

Guo made no direct mention of Li’s case or of Zhou. The government has yet to make any official statement about Zhou. l

Myanmar protest seeks constitutional change

n AP, Yangon Activists have rallied peacefully in Myanmar’s biggest city to call for changing the constitution to allow pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to serve as president.

The small demonstration Friday in Yangon came as demands have grown louder among politicians and lawmakers for amending the constitution.

The charter was adopted under the stewardship of Myanmar’s previous military government to ensure that the military retains a major voice in administering the country.

A provision of the constitution says anyone whose spouse or children owes allegiance to a foreign power cannot become president or vice president.

Suu Kyi was married to the late British scholar Michael Aris, and her two sons are foreign citizens. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

What the people want

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Good news on Rana Plaza, finally

Not a madman January 2

O

ne clear indication from the Dhaka Tribune national opinion poll published yesterday is that we should not be where we are today, on the brink of an election without the main opposition party and in which 153 seats out of 300 have already been decided without a single vote being cast.

This is not what the people want. According to our poll, fully 77% say that elections without the BNP are unacceptable. This being the case, it falls on both sides to find a way to fresh elections within a reasonably short period of time.

For that to happen, both sides need to be willing to be reasonable and to act in the interests of the Bangladeshi people.

The BNP must understand that hartals and blockades are an unacceptable imposition on the general public and not the way to negotiate. Peaceful means of pressing their case will not only be more effective, but will be popular with the voters, too. They must renounce violence.

The AL must respond in kind. All senior BNP leaders and any political prisoners must be released. BNP and other opposition parties must be given full democratic space and freedom, and the AL must commit itself to new elections, acceptable to all, as soon as practicable.

Both sides need to commit to meeting and negotiating in earnest on the form and structure for the next elections.

The AL must not hide behind legalities and tactics to defer inclusive elections, and the BNP must let the ordinary mass of citizens get on with their lives without fear or hindrance and not hold the economy hostage.

BNP and other opposition parties must be given full democratic space and freedom, and the AL must commit itself to new elections, acceptable to all

Keep investments in the EPZ

December 29

It seems we have forgotten that: “The men or women in the masses rule the realm, and the political government is there to serve them.”

Small wonder that the very concept of democracy has been completely high-jacked, and we are brainwashed to conceive it as “Of the leaders, for the leaders, and by the leaders.” The very idea, “for the people, by the people, of the people” has been totally washed off in our form of “democracy.”

Who will bell the “ferocious cats” let loose in our political area? Does anyone dare?

Unfortunate Voter

All in

December 27 Mephisto Well written, but writing well is not enough. You must also assess and analyse things as they are, without fear and favour. My countrymen and countrywomen are not learned like you, they are not constitutional experts, and they care little of legalese. But they do care about rule of law. They care about a system where they can exercise their right to choose who shall rule them, a system whereby the change of government each five years should be like clockwork. At the moment they want a free, fair and inclusive election. And they reckon re-instating the CTG will allow that to happen. This may not tally up with your thoughts, but their views rule supreme. It’s called democracy. I take it you have not given up on it. nds Mephisto: Apparently your arguments look very sound and safe not because of their inherent strength but because they have good marketability right now. The arguments made here give one the impression that democracy means simply playing to the gallery; no need to enforce any rule of the game.

Once, the majority used to think that educating females was highly injurious to the well-being of society. On the basis of your argument, that belief should not have been violated since it was a most democratic belief system. In 2006, the majority thought the military government was far more acceptable than the two main political parties then playing on the stage,

Consensus initiative after Jan 24

I

n the midst of the prevailing political turmoil, it is good to see that the country’s eight export processing zones (EPZs) have had good growth in both local and foreign direct investments. The EPZs attracted an investment growth of 29.8% in the first five months of the current fiscal year.

This amounts to $154.47 million in the July-November period, representing a healthy growth from last year’s $109.08 million.

The investment scenario in the EPZs is good news at a time when our business sector is facing catastrophic losses all over. We need the EPZ investments and should try to keep these high investment levels in that sector.

The Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authorities (BEPZA) has already signed investment agreements worth $85.35 million with nine new companies, five of which are fully foreign-owned, to set up industrial units in the EPZ. If this is successfully done, jobs for 25,750 Bangladeshis may open up.

While this won’t solve the unemployment problem fully, it will make significant progress towards job creation. As of now, 382,000 Bangladeshis are employed in the 425 industrial units in the country’s EPZs. The government should find ways to create more EPZs, especially along corridors that can reach the ports easily. If properly guided and developed by the government, these zones could provide a much-needed boost to the country’s economy and more balanced growth across the country.

December 29 Why not now?

Md Mehedi Hasan

so, according to you that was a democratic choice.

I think the obstinacy and autocratic behaviour that Hasina is being accused of is not her inherent trait of character but mostly imposed by the exigencies of circumstances that the opposition has created in a very calculated way.

WaliulHaqueKhondker A very well written op-ed looking in to the pros and cons of the impending political situation. Even the prime minister concedes that the forthcoming 10th parliament won’t have legitimacy, when she declared there could be a midterm poll as soon the two parties come to a consensus on poll time government structure.

CTG is seen to be a system which guarantees a five-year rotation of governments between the two major political parties. Opposition in parliament is always in favour of it and party in power is always opposed to it. Which causes this five-year trouble for the people. We have already burnt our fingers twice in the past over CTG, ie first, while getting it and next while trying to corrupt it to pliability by the incumbent.

Hence, there has to be a new option, for which time is needed. And there will be a five-year period for the two major parties to brainstorm and devise such a system.

Meanwhile, the war crimes and crimes against humanity trial will continue without any interruption. Our people understand this; hope our leaders do the same.

Obaidul: Attack when attacked December 28 Real face, no surprise.

Nabeeul Khan

Abdul Mohan Even better if the money actually gets to any of the victims Wakho An excellent piece of news! The donors and ILO ought to closely monitor distribution of compensation money to the victims and their families up to the point, when money gets in to bank accounts of the recipients.

Realtors, buyers in deep trouble December 28 A sign of a “developing country.”

Sbua Joy

LETTER OF THE WEEK

Government can stop the unrest

December 27 This article clearly tells us that the Bangladesh government can stop the killings, arson, and unrest. Let there be more and more combing operations all over Bangladesh, everyday if needed.

I thank (from my heart) the Government of Bangladesh for bringing peace to Satkhira.

We don’t want anyone to destroy our beloved motherland. Most Bangladeshi citizens (I believe 99% of them) want peace there.

Muktijuddho Dr Emarat Hossain Pannah USA

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CALVIN AND HOBBES

The investment scenario in the EPZs is good news at a time when our business sector is facing catastrophic losses all over

CROSSWORD

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YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Stop this mockery n Abdullah Zobair

A

Ensuring a free and fair election?

FOCUS BANGLA

Where did the caretaker debate go?

C

n Mridul Chowdhury ivil society leaders have called for the postponement of the January 5 elections – something that I wholeheartedly agree with. However, I also expected them to bring back to the table the debate over what form of an election-time government this country should ideally have.

When Sheikh Hasina made the announcement that the caretaker government (CTG), as we knew it, would be abolished in the 15th amendment, many in the society flared up as if heresy had been committed. The many negative reactions that I heard from different quarters can be summarised in the following 3 points: Firstly, the AL itself fought for the CTG system – how can they themselves now get rid of it? Secondly, politicians cannot be trusted with something as important as an election. Thirdly, polls suggest that people want the CTG – how can AL overturn what is clearly a strong preference of the masses?

I would like to throw a counternarrative to each of the above seemingly “popular” viewpoints.

Is it hypocritical of the AL to get rid the CTG system?

It is true that the AL itself campaigned for it in 1996 and got its way – credit has to be given to BNP for agreeing, and saving the country from further violence and damage.

After winning the elections in 1996, AL largely played by the rules of the CTG system in 2001.

Then comes 2006. BNP tries to abuse the system through a controversial chief adviser, then a military-backed CTG overstays its term by 2 years. If, after all that, AL feels that

the CTG itself is a system that needs to be re-thought, given the history of its abuse, can we really blame them, no matter which side of the fence we are on?

However, what we can blame AL for is to give a formula for an election-time government during a late stage in the run-up to the election, thereby not giving enough time for the society to debate this matter constructively.

composition of this government be, and how should important ministries, such as Home and Establishment, that controls the posting of bureaucrats, be divided up?

It should also be noted that rigging of elections is not easy in this age of digital media, with about a dozen private TV channels, several national and local newspapers and a number of international election observer

So why continue with yet another undemocratic instrument to fix a broken democratic system, and not try to strengthen democratic institutions?

Can politicians be trusted with conducting a free and fair election?

This is a fair question. That is why we need some kind of a level-playing field so that we can ensure an election-time government with equal representation and power from major parties (given that our Election Commission still has significant scope for improvement in being able to exert its independent authority).

That is a discussion I feel has not yet got much traction in the media and in the civil society circuits, since we have already thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

It is true that the head of this election-time government, given the powers vested under the current rules, can over-shadow any other cabinet post. Hence, the discussion that should have been raised much more strongly by the civil society force was: How can there be a way to neutralise a head of this electiontime government by placing certain restrictions, what should the ideal

bodies, some equipped to engage the youth from different corners of the country for mobile phone-based reporting.

Yes, it is an age when citizens all over can rise up to the occasion, but only if we have an election worth rising up for.

How can the AL get rid of the CTG when polls clearly show its popularity?

It is true that multiple poll results have suggested that people do want an election to be held under the CTG. However, the implicit choice given to respondents of these polls was a CTG comprised of civil society members versus the incumbent in charge during the election.

And the result was as one would expect. But it is important to realise that the polls did not give people an option to choose between a traditional CTG and an election-time government with equal representation and division of control among major parties. So, we don’t honestly know what people really want.

I believe that it is time to put this issue of appropriate election-time government back on the table. Why don’t we as citizens, or civil society members, campaign for an electiontime government comprised of elected representatives accountable to the people?

Why don’t we push the major parties to come to a decision about the composition and division of power in this government? We know that a government comprised of unelected officials, even if it is for a few months, is somewhat undemocratic in its very nature.

So why continue with yet another undemocratic instrument to fix a broken democratic system, and not try to strengthen democratic institutions accountable to the people, and the citizens themselves, empowered by new technologies?

Mahfuz Anam, the editor of The Daily Star and a noted political analyst, has stated in his recent commentary on December 27: “Sheikh Hasina ... does not have to replicate the former CTG concept and can reflect much of the PM’s own ideas of an all party government. The only hurdle remaining is: Who will head it?”

Along the lines of Mr Anam, I believe that it is a critical need to re-surface this debate and put more directed pressure on the political parties to end this impasse.

Instead of just calling to the AL for a postponement of elections, or to BNP for an end to the strikes, let us direct our demands to more specific and achievable terms.

I am sure that our civil society leaders can rise above the allegations that they are unwilling to vouch for an electiontime government system, which they themselves are not a part of. l Mridul Chowdhury is co-founder of Jagoree, and CEO of a social enterprise.

mockery scheduled for January 5 is at the threshold of the country amidst the ongoing country-wide violence, the house arrest of BNP chief Khaleda Zia, and the capturing of the opposition’s top leaders. The constitutional but illegitimate national election is a great travesty in which 153 MPs out of 300 have been elected unopposed.

The unethical general election will not bring any positive change to the country’s governance and democracy, nor will it add any new feather on the ruling Awami League’s cap. The election, where major political parties including BNP, won’t be participatory at all since both the Election Commission and the ruling party have failed to ensure a level playing field for all.

The country’s politics has already witnessed bloodshed, prolonged violence, and numerous killings centering the caretaker government system (CTG).

On June 30, 2011, the ruling party trashed the caretaker government provision by amending the constitution through a verdict of the Supreme Court. The court deemed the CTG provision void, adding a suggestion to the government that they hold the next two general elections under the provision. But the ruling party and its allies, who secured two-thirds of the votes in the ninth parliament, banned the provision without consulting the constitution experts and opposition lawmakers, or arranging any referendum.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s stubbornness to hold the 10th parliamentary election under her regime left her and her government alienated at home and abroad, though she said the AL government amended the constitution to uphold people’s right to vote.

Over 300 opposition activists, including law enforcers, children, and women, were killed within a year while demanding the restoration of the CTG, and the death toll is increasing. The opposition imposed several bouts of blockades and hartals, carried out rampage, and engaged in arson and violence. And it hasn’t stopped.

If the PM does not stop the January 5 elections, surely it will cause more death and violence

Now comes the question of who will be benefited from the election. Who will be served by the polls? Is it Bangladesh, is it democracy, or is it Awami League itself? Maybe no one will be benefited. And the aftermath of the polls – an unelected parliament – will never have the legitimacy that comes from a fully contested election.

If Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not stop the January 5 elections, surely

it will cause more death and violence in the coming days and further hurt an already damaged economy. It will damage the image and reputation of Bangladesh. The violence will significantly affect our RMG sector. The continued unrest will create social instability and prolong people’s agony, bringing us closer to becoming a failed state.

The incumbent government has lost all of its foreign friends, except India

Through this election, we will get an autocratic regime where no opposition party will stay, no power can challenge the government’s vendetta. In short, we will have a regime that represses democracy despite the PM’s terming the polls a “restoration of people’s voting rights.”

Moreover, 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 153 candidates have been elected uncontested, people’s faith in democracy goes astray.

After the 1991 election, the CTG was applauded by the people as an election-time government, but the ninth parliament banned the provision causing the on-going political bickering. The task of deciding which type of democracy or representative system is best for this country is yet to be set.

Despite repeated urging from the country’s eminent citizens, teachers, lawyers and the country’s development partners, including World Bank, EU, and Japan, to ensure a participatory national election, the AL-led government paid no attention to them, thereby alienating the country internationally.

News reports, editorials, and op-eds published in local and international dailies, periodicals, magazines, and wires expressed their concerns about the country’s future. The US based magazine, Foreign Policy, put our country’s name under the banner “Next year’s War” whereas The Economist used the sub-heading, “The ruling party will win Bangladesh’s election. The country will lose,” to illustrate the country’s fate.

However, the incumbent government has lost all of its foreign friends, except India, for its oppression of the opposition, continuous human rights violations, forced disappearances, judicial killings, and dividing the people into pro and anti-liberation forces.

The spirit of our liberation war will be dishonoured by such one-sided polls. We urge the prime minister to stop this mockery which disregards the people’s voting rights and the fate of millions. l Abdullah Zobair is Executive Director, Bangladesh Initiative for Political Development.

What will this election achieve? n MH Bari

M

uch has been said and written about our upcoming 10th parliamentary election. This election is boycotted by the BNPled 18-party opposition alliance and many other parties. Our civil society members and political parties opposing this election will not bring any good results.

Our friend states, development partners, and even the UN are not accepting this “one party” election. They want a free and fair election, but the government is determined to go ahead with the national election at any cost, where 153 candidates have already been elected unopposed.

About 52% of the voters have been denied their right to elect their representatives to parliament, and the other half has been left with no choice but to vote for the one or two candidates left in the race. Is this not a mockery of democracy?

The whole country is under siege from opposition parties, police, BGB and RAB. Our economy is hit hard by strikes and blockades. This continued unrest will create social instability and break down the law and order situation further.

Ordinary people can understand easily that the January 5 voterless election will not solve any of the

existing problems. It will not stop the strikes, blockades, street violence or the destruction of property. It will not stop the killings and the burning. But the government is going ahead with the election.

The AL is already alienated at home and abroad for this clever trick. No major political party faced these situations before in Bangladesh’s political history. The situation is bizarre, dangerous, and inexplicable. The AL has successfully left the BNP and the other major parties out of the election.

Is the AL realising that the oldest political party of the country is becoming isolated from its own arena?

They also failed to rope in the “thirdin-line” Jatiya Party (JP), which it thought would be its partner in the political gambit. The AL becomes even

more alienated as 153 candidates are elected without a single vote.

So, we are going to have a non-representative parliament. Our people love to vote because it is the only opportunity they get to have some say in state affairs. Now they know they don’t even have that right. In the international arena, the situation is no better.

All countries except India have already made it known that they have no reason to consider this election a free, fair, and participatory one. The US, Russia, and EU have declared that they will not send any election observers to the upcoming election in Bangladesh.

Diplomats of western countries feel the election is nonsense. They are moving to break the deadlock, but it seems that no one is hearing them.

Many diplomats wonder on what level their governments would engage with the new government if formed through such a farcical election. This will have grave implications for the country’s development.

In this tumultuous situation, our eminent citizens, on December 29, called on the government to defer the January 5 parliamentary election to make it participatory and credible.

Deferral of such an election is the main task now in order to hold dialogue among the major political parties and resolve the ongoing crisis.

Renowned jurist Rafiqul Haque said the January 5 polls could be deferred up to 90 days even after the dissolution of the ninth parliament within the constitutional framework. As per the constitution, parliament members must be directly elected by the people, he pointed out, but 153 candidates have already been elected uncontested to the tenth parliament.

There is no constitutional bar to holding the election within 90 days after the dissolution of the current parliament, said Asif Nazrul, professor of law at Dhaka University. Elections have to be inclusive for the legitimacy of a democratic government, said Rehman Sobhan, chairman of CPD. Deferment of such a meaningless election is now a demand of the majority of the people, said former adviser to a caretaker government Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman. Prof Anisuzzaman, a supernumerary professor at Dhaka University, said bloody violence, arson, and sabotage in the name of political programs have devastated public life. But our PM blasted them in her response.

She said: “The election process has reached such a stage when it can be stopped only by adopting unconstitutional means. I don’t know why the eminent citizens are calling for taking the abnormal and unconstitutional path.”

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Is the AL realising that the oldest political party of the country with a long tradition of struggle for democracy is becoming isolated from its own arena? Is that not going to put a permanent blemish on them?

The question is: How long will this government last, and at what cost? What will they achieve with this election? l MH Bari works in the global marketing of seafood from Bangladesh.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Bangladesh’s first sci-fi film to premiere in France

Bindu: You may hear my wedding bell ringing this year n Limana Solaiman The glamorous and witty starlet Bindu came into the limelight through the beauty pageant Lux Channel i Superstar. After that, it was a rapid rise to stardom for the talented and beautiful actor. Her first movie Daruchini Dwip gained significant audience appreciation and her last silver-screen project Ei Toh Prem is on the pipeline for release. Dhaka Tribune got to know the actor on a personal basis in an exclusive interview.

n Afrose Jahan Chaity Bangladesh Space Researchers Association (BSRA) sends out a message to the space. Surprisingly, after 37 years, they receive a response! Upon recording a narrow band radio signal for 110 seconds, BSRA announces that a giant alien spaceship is on its way to earth.

This is the plot of the first ever scifi made in Bangladesh “Porobashinee” (maiden of distant land). The film is going to be released worldwide with a premiere in France in June next year.

The film casts Mamnun Hasan Emon, Nirob, and Mehazabien Chowdhury in lead roles. Daud Hossain Roni, Sohail Khan Promukh, Shoumitro Chottopodhay and Shobbosachi Chokroborty will also be seen in different roles.

Currently in its post-production phase, Porobashinee has been shot in a number of countries other than Bangladesh including Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, Netherlands and 14 other countries.

About releasing the film worldwide, director of the film Swapan Ahmed said: “We plan to hold the premier in the first week of June, and have arranged for the commercial release of the movie outside of Bangladesh already. Porobashinee is an international film where artists from 16 countries including India and Bangladesh have worked, and it is a fairly big budget film.”

“I hope that our audience will go to the cinema to watch the film. I have been devotedly working on it for the

Tell us about your film Ei Toh Prem.

last two years. I want to do some business and capture the international market through my film,” he added.

Lead actor of the film Emon shared with Dhaka Tribune: “Hopefully, my audience will love to watch me in the challenging different character. This is

Saturday, January 4, 2014

I don’t know where to start, it was one of the most difficult yet enjoyable periods of my life. The shooting continued for well over three years. My role in the film demanded that I keep the same hairstyle, weight and maintain a steady appearance. Therefore, I could not change my hairstyle for three years straight.

It was demanding to say the least.

The storyline is touching as it recalls the glorious Liberation War of our country. It portrays the struggle and determination of our freedom fighters.

Shohel Rahman is amazing, as a person and also as a director. I gave my best possible performance in the film, tried hard to be realistic and believable, in the end, I hope we will be able to give the audience a good movie. I am thankful for the opportunity of working in a film of this magnitude.

a different story, and is the first sci-fi film of our country which will be internationally premiered.”

Ibrar Tipu, Nancy, Dilshad Nahar Kona, Porshi, Elita, Tishma, Harim Faysal and Arif Rana have composed music for the film. l

How was Shakib Khan as a co-worker?

Shakib Khan is a star for a reason, he is humble, talented, good-looking, and hardworking. He is everything

that you expect from a successful person and more. I learned a lot about acting in the silver screen from him. He is very organised and refuses to work until everything is the way it is suppose to be. He keeps sharp tab on sequences during shooting and tries his level best to give an authentic performance every time.

Which medium do you prefer, film or TV?

I am a TV person, it is more my type of work. I enjoyed working in films, but my comfort zone lies in the work related to television.

Tell us about your dream role.

It keeps on changing. Right now, I would love to play the role Deepika Padukone played in the film Cocktail.

What about your love-life?

There is no love life, I am opting for arranged marriage. My parents are on the lookout to find a suitable man for me. You may hear my wedding bell ringing this year.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

I am a simple person; and I like the traditional simple lifestyle.

Ten years from now, I see myself as a mother, taking my children to school. I see myself as a homemaker, like my mother and her mother before her. I see myself looking after my family

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Shilpacharya and his Outer World of Art Time: 12pm-8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, House 42 Road 16 (New) / 27 (old), Dhanmondi City of Rhythm Second phase of Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed

Time: 12-8pm Shilpangan, House 7 Road 13 (New) Dhanmondi Zainul Quamrul Exhibition Time: 10am – 8pm Nalini Kanta Bhattasali Gallery, National Museum Shahbagh, Dhaka

Film

Theatre

Gravity Blockbuster Cinemas, Jamuna Future Park

Baramkhana Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm

By Troupe: Theatre, Shilpakala National Theatre, Shilpakala Academy

Pacific Rim in 3D Escape Plan The Conjuring The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Star Cineplex, Bashundhara Cityd

‘Enter: MUSIC’ – new digital album by Animatix Records

Mim to debut on silver screen

n Entertainment Desk

Animatix Records marked the arrival of the new year by releasing its first ever digital album titled “Enter: MUSIC” on January 1. Artistes from different countries like Argentina, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are featured in 18 different songs in the album.

Abrar Rahman (Bangladesh), Avnas (Bangladesh), Fallen (Bangladesh), Koffee, Guitar & Biswajit (India), Leechmaster (Argentina), Mellow Trip (India), Naive(Bangladesh), Oboyob (Bangladesh), Overlord (Bangladesh), MasterStroke (Bangladesh), Shehara Jayatilaka (Sri Lanka),Stigmata (Sri Lanka) and Zero-Burn (Bangladesh) contributed their musical talent on the album.

Samir, the coordinator of the album, and the bassist of band Hash, said: “I have tried to collaborate with different musicians from different countries. This is an initiative to save our music industry as we are fighting with audio piracy for a long time. I think it can help our artistes to get their remuneration properly and will also stop pirating music.”

The album will be available on the websites of Incursion Music, amaderGaan.com, iTunes, Amazon. com, Google Play, Spotify (by ME Label) and Shurjorajjo & Dugdugi. l

n Entertainment Desk

Swagata in a scene from Chupkhotha

Chupkotha airs on SA TV n Entertainment Desk Drama series Chupkotha airs on SA TV at 9:30pm. Directed

by Nazrul Islam Razu, the drama series features Nisha, Azad Abul Kalam, Sweety, Joyraj, Swagata, Saberi Alam, Mahmood Sazzad and many more.

The story of the drama series revolves around a girl named Nodi who has been rescued from a tropical cyclone, which was one of the worst natural disasters in Bangladesh. After being rescued she was named Nodi by Tahmina’s daughter.

Nodi possesses the supernatural power of soothsaying, which becomes a problem for Tahmina’s family.

On the other hand, Rawnak – a psychiatrist who is very close to Tahmina’s family – is surprised after observing Nodi’s prediction power, and takes on her case for treatment. l

The first runner-up of Mangoli Nacho Bangladesh Nacho, Mim Chowdhury, is set to make her silver screen debut in Safi Uddin directed film Red Colour of Love, where she pairs up with Dhallywood king Shakib Khan. Mim will be playing the role of Tamanna and Shakib plays Turjo.

Embarking on her new journey, the potential actor said: “This is a new experience for me to work on a bigger canvas. Also, to work with a big star like Opu Biswas is an amazing feeling. The cast and crew are friendly towards me, so it is being an easy journey for me. I hope the audience will appreciate my effort.” The team of Red Colour of Love will finish making the movie soon.

Mim’s first commercial for Chocoberry Chocolate is also being aired on various satellite channels.

Promising actor Mim was first seen on screen with the popular actor and director Mahfuz Ahmed in the telefilm Shorisrip, where her role as Raha was applauded by the audience. Mim also impressed the viewers in Jochona Aloi Chaad. After that, she worked in numerous ventures such as Kebole Raat Hoye Jai, Ural Pankhi and Timirey Fotai Phul.

Mim – who will pursue her SSC exams this year – has completed a dance diploma course from Nrityanchal Performing Arts Academy. l

ON TV

Catherine Zeta-Jones reunites with Michael Douglas n Entertainment Desk The Behind the Candelabra star Michael Douglas and his 44-year-old actress wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, who took a temporary “break’’ from their 13-year marriage in August, flew to Quebec, Canada, to celebrate the arrival of 2014 with their daughter, Carys, 10, and son, Dylan, 13.

The 69-year-old star shared a picture of his happy family with their ski poles raised in the air on Facebook on January 1 with the caption: “Happy New Year from Quebec, Canada ... where it is minus 10F.’’ He couldn’t resist posting another picture of himself hitting the slopes with his children and wrote: “One more Happy New Year picture from Quebec, Canada.”

A source recently revealed that Michael was desperately trying to convince ‘Chicago’ star Catherine to give their marriage another chance.

The pair was spotted wearing their wedding bands while leaving their apartment in New York City to enjoy lunch and a cinema date with their children a few weeks ago.

Michael also previously said: “I hope to resolve my marriage in a positive fashion.

Sometimes people take a little bit of a break, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the end. I’m very hopeful.” l

MOVIE 8:50pm Fox Movies Premium The Expendables 2

9:30pm HBO

The Dark Knight Rises

COMEDY 12:00pm Z Cafe

The Big Bang Theory

9:30pm Comedy Central The Exes

MISC 10:30am FTV F Men

8:30pm TLC

Ayna Bibir Pala

By Natyadhara Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm Studio Theatre Hall, BSA

Gordon’s Great Escape

John Abraham marries Priya Runchal n Entertainment Desk Actor John Abraham has married girlfriend Priya Runchal in a private ceremony recently, with only important guests in attendance. “Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed 2014! May this year bring you love, good fortune and joy.

Love, John and Priya Abraham,’ his message on Twitter reads.

As media reports suggest, actor John and Priya, an investment banker, met each other through common friends in Mumbai.

Before John met Priya in 2010, he was in a relationship with actress Bipasha Basu.

The celebrity couple called it quits in 2011. l

Did you know?

Australia name the same team for all Tests of the fivematch Ashes series

Sport

Saturday, January 4, 2014

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

0 7 1 DAYS TO GO

14 Arsenal-Spurs tops bill in FA Cup third round

15 Smith rescues Australia with home ton

Muktis coach blames referee after draw n Mo h a m m e d a n’s Portuguese coach Rui Capela said he needed more time to organise his team into a until after yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Muktijoddha in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Muktijoddha coach Shafikul Islam Manik, however thought unbalanced refereeing hampered his side and Muktijoddha should have won the match.

In his first appearance as the coach of Mohammedan, Rui Capela was just minutes away from conceding a defeat but his players managed to level the match in the game’s last minute.

“I need more time to gel the team as a total unit. I found the players all right and they played well, however the opponent was strong also and they provided strong resistance. I look forward to see Mohammedan as a formidable force, “said the Portuguese.

Mohammedan skipper Emily termed his team as the better outfit in terms of creating chances. “We opened the opposition defence a number of times but it was unfortunate that we

could not score goals off it. However when we conceded the goal the message was clear, we have to save the match. We tried and pulled the equaliser out,” said Emily.

However Emily pointed out that he thinks that the foreign players of Muktijoddha are better than his foreign recruits.

Muktijoddha coach Manik pointed out that the refereeing again went against his team “I don’t want to lodge any complaint but it is evident that the refereeing in the most crucial time of the match was not up to the mark.

When a team is leading by a solitary goal, it is more than natural that the trailing team will create pressure using all the tricks in the dying minutes.

In this part of match, the local referees were short of composure, they provide unfair decisions,” said Manik, who thought the penalty awarded against him was not appropriate.

“The same thing happened to Muktijoddha against BJMC in the Federation Cup. If this kind of thing continues, the players will get frustrated and overall, the football will suffer. We need fair decisions, not tilted one,” he added. l

Asia Cup venue on the line at ACC meeting n

The all important Asian Cricket Council ACC’s meeting will take place today in Sri Lanka, Colombo where the fate of hosting the Asia Cup for Bangladesh will be confirmed after issues about security were raised in the international media.

Bangladesh was earlier scheduled to host the 12th Asia Cup tournament in March this year after successfully hosting the previous Asia Cup in 2012, where Bangladesh lost to Pakistan in the final.

Bangladesh hosted the Asia Cup three times in 1988, 2002 and 2012 successfully but this time it will be a big challenge as the political unrest in the country have raised security concerns. A West Indies Under-19 side withdrew from their tour of Bangladesh after a bomb went off close to their hotel in Chittagong.

Meanwhile, the Indian media has reported that Pakistan may back out of the Asia Cup for security reasons, while according to the ACC rules. Sri Lanka have been selected as the alternative host for the event. Sri Lanka Cricket’s secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said

yesterday that they are ready to host the Asia Cup if the ACC wants another venue. The meeting today will decide on the matter and Sri Lanka have also expressed their willingness to host the T20 World Championship if needed.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan and the CEO of the board are already in Colombo to attend the important meeting and the CEO of the BCB Nizamuddin Chowdhury is confident of hosting the event.

“We have already sent our security plans to the ACC and the boards of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and we are going to present our plans in the meeting. I don’t think there is any reason for Bangladesh not to host the Asia Cup and our plan is to give every team topsecurity,” he said.

Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka in a home series before the Asia Cup. The series comprises two Tests, three ODI and two T20 internationals. Sri Lanka are expected to arrive on January 24 after the high commission of Sri Lanka assured the BCB CEO and gave the green signal for the tour on December 31. l

Mohammedan forward Wahed Ahmed (L) vies for the ball with a Muktijoddha player during their Bangladesh Premier League match at the BNS yesterday

Controversial goals as Muktis hold MSC n A very late controversial 93rd minute penalty by Zahid Hasan Emily rescued Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited from defeat in their opening Bangladesh Premier League match when they played out a 1-1 draw with Muktijoddha SKC at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

After a goalless opening half, Nigerian forward Nkwocha Kingsley put Muktijoddha ahead in the 86th minute which was cancelled out by Emily in the last minute of the added time.

Both the goals created controversy.

Nkwocha Kingsley pushed his marker Baybeck inside the penalty area to score the opener, which Mohammedan claimed should be a foul. On the other hand, Muktijoddha claimed that Jahid Hossain dived after being tackled bt Eleta Benjamin to earn the penalty.

Despite plenty of attacks from both

sides throughout the game, the goal finally came just four minutes before the stipulated time. Maruf Ahmed provided a long ball from the half-way line that fell inside the d-box. Nigerian forward Nkwocha Kingsley outmuscled Mohammedan’s Cameroonian defender Baybeck Fombagne to take control of the ball and placed the ball past the keeper into the net. Mohammedan players appealed for a foul but referee Mizanur Rahman was unmoved.

The Federation Cup runners-up Muktis could not have the last laugh as a controversial penalty in injury time evened the score. Jahid broke into the penalty area and before his final touch, Nigerian defender Eleta Benjamin brought him down. Emily stepped up and equalized the margin for the Black and Whites.

Earlier, Mohammedan fielded an attacking line-up, with forwards Emily, Wahed, Mostafa Seddik all in the starting 11. Muktijoddha, however, put on

Former national captains’ reactions Faruk Ahmed Javed was always totally committed to his job. His commitment was exemplary.

Aminul Islam Bulbul His hunger to excel with hard work should be followed by the upcoming cricketers.

Habibul Bashar He raised his standards through hard work; his hard working philosophy can be the role model of the youngsters.

Former national cricketers along with journalists pose for a photo during an exhibition match in honour of Javed Omar Belim in his retirement between Legend XI and BSJA XI at the Sahara BCB Academy field yesterday COURTESY

Javed Omar bits final adieu n Javed Omar Belim in his playing career of 59 ODIs and 40 Tests received many a match fee, but the match fee he received yesterday at the Sahara BCB Academy field will remain a special one.

The reason is it will be the last match fee of his playing career and its uniqueness was it was collected by national pacer Mashrafe bin Moratza to honour Javed Omar in his retirement match.

Javed called it a day in a match between the Legends of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association XI. To soak Javed with the warmth of

their heart, former national stars Mehrab Hossain Opee, Habibul Bahsar Shumon, Sanwar Hossain, Enamul Haque Moni, Khaled Masud Pilot, Khaled Mahmud Shujon, Aminul Islam Bulbul, Hasibul Hossain Shanto, Niamur Rashid Rahul, Morshed Ali Khan Shumon, Mizanur Rahman Babul and Hasanuzzaman Jhoru and Mashrafe bin Mortaza featured in the Legends of Bangladesh.

Chief selector Faruk Ahmed, current national opener Tamim Iqbal, BCB director Jalal Yunus, former national pacer Monjurul Islam were also present on the occasion.

Javed was overwhelmed by the oc-

casion. “I thought that I would retire for a premier cricket club but for some complications, it did not happen. To be frank I was frustrated with it. But today I think I have found all the love from my fellow players and to be frank from the media - it was unbelievable to obtain such compliments from all the media,” said Javed.

Javed, a fitness fanatic, showed that he still possesses the hunger with a 40 run innings as the opener. He may also enjoying his fitness level as current selector Habibul Bashar and Sanwar Hossain showed a lack of touch as they got out cheaply. Powered by

a solid defence to see the first half out without conceding a goal.

In the 34th minute, Muktijoddha keeper Rasel Mahmud Liton produced a decent save to a Jahid Hossain cross before it reached Seddik. Four minutes later, Zahid Hasan Emily volleyed the ball over the bar from the box after Eleta Benjamin’s cleared Jahid’s cross.

Muktijoddha probably had the best opportunity to take the lead in the first half. Just two minutes before the break, Egyptian forward Mostafa Md Seddik elegantly turned to dodge past a Muktis defender but his weak shot went straight into the gloves of the keeper.

Two minutes later, former national forward Enamul Hoque wasted a chance as he fired the ball over the crossbar from the top of the box.

Mohammedan posted more attacking threats after the resumption. They made several attacks between 60 and 70 minute mark, but none of them ended with a shot on target. l

MUMIT M

RESULT Mohammedan Emily 90+

1-1

Muktijoddha

Kingsley 86

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS keeper Rasel 34”Muktijoddha Mahmud Liton produced a

decent save from a Jahid Hossain cross before it reached to Seddik.

Zahid Hasan Emily volleyed the ball over the bar from the box after Eleta Benjamin’s cleared Jahid’s cross.

Egyptian forward Mostafa Md Seddik did a lovely turn to doze a Muktis defender but his weak shot went straight to the lap of the keeper.

After receiving a square pass from Biplob, Enamul fired a shot over the bar from the top of the box.

Mintu Sk made a brilliant clearance after Nochowach Kingsley square-pass allowed Eleta Kingsley to put the ball in the middle.

GOAL! Maruf’s long ball from halfway fell inside the box. Nkwocha Kingsley outmuscled Baybeck to take control of the ball and sent the ball past the keeper. ” GOAL! Eleta Benjamin brought down Jahid inside the penalty area. Emily stepped up and equalized the margin.

38”

43” 45” 77”

86”

90+

Bangladesh U-19 players return n Seven members of the Bangladesh U-19 team returned from UAE yesterday after competing in the U-19 Asia Cup and the remaining members of side will arrive today after Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka and were eliminated from the tournament despite winning their first two matches against Malaysia and Afghanistan.

The young tigers looked a strong contender for the semi-finals but failed

to reach the last four as three teams had the same number of points and Afghanistan went through on the basis of net run rate.

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 16 runs and Malaysia by nine wickets but lost to Sri Lanka by two wickets, while Afghanistan beat the Lankans and thrashed Malaysia by ten wickets.

Meanwhile, India will face Pakistan today it the final of the youth Asia Cup as both teams were the joint champions in the previous Asia Cup. l

Khaled Mahmud Determination was the key word for Javed. He was always determined to put his best and perfect team man.

Khaled Mahmud Shujon’s 67, Khaled Masud’s 53, Aminul Islam Bulbul’s 27 and Mashrafe’s 41, Javed’s team posted 281/6 in the stipulated 20 overs. Md Isam grabbed two wickets while Raihan Mahmood, Reazur Rahman Rohan and Saeeduzzman all grabbed one wicket each.

BSJA responded well, riding on a fighting 106 by Reazur Rahman Rohan, but the score was too big to acquire and the efforts of Mazharuddin who scored 20, Asif Iqbal’s 21 and Tarek Mahmud’s 12 took the score to 188/6. Khaled Mahmud, Habibul Bashar, Sanwar Hossain and Mashrafe all captured one wicket each. l

A winners meet and greet was held in the city yesterday for Robi’s “Play with Shakib” contest.. Robi users were able to answer questions regarding the national all-rounder and enter into the quiz via SMS. The winners received an opportunity to meet Shakib Al Hasan, play with him and get signed merchandise COURTESY

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Arsenal-Spurs tops bill in FA Cup third round

Atletico jostle for position n After a short winter break, Spain’s topflight clubs are back in action today with Atletico Madrid jostling for position at the top of the table.

Reigning champions Barcelona and Diego Simeone’s Atletico are level on points at the top and are due to face each other in a mouthwatering fixture in Madrid next weekend.

Prior to that, though, Atletico go to Malaga on Saturday and Barcelona entertain Elche on Sunday before both sides have Copa del Rey ties to think about in midweek.

n England’s frenetic festive period gives way to the romance of the FA Cup this weekend, with Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to north London rivals Arsenal the pick of the third-round ties.

Manchester United will once again look to the cups for consolation when they host Swansea City, while Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City will all be seeking to avoid embarrassment at the hands of lower-league teams.

It is now nine years since Arsenal beat United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup final to claim their last piece of silverware, but as Premier League leaders their star is in the ascendant once again.

However, in old foes Spurs they face a side bolstered by the arrival of new manager Tim Sherwood and bubbling with renewed self-belief after a 2-1 success at United on New Year’s Day. Frozen out under former manager Andre Villas-Boas, Emmanuel Adebayor continued his impressive recent form with the opening goal at Old Trafford and team-mate Danny Rose has backed him to shine against his former club Arsenal on Saturday.

“He has been like a new signing,” said the Spurs left-back.

Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Cardiff City on Wednesday was tempered by an ankle injury to goal-scorer Nicklas Bendtner, but French striker Olivier Giroud could be fit to face Spurs after an ankle problem of his own.

The two sides last met in the FA Cup in April 2001, when a Robert Pires tapin earned Arsenal a 2-1 semi-final victory at Old Trafford.

Centre-back Jonny Evans says that the players are only slowly coming to terms with the impact of former manager Alex Ferguson’s retirement in May. Apart from Manchester City

FIXTURES Malaga Valladolid Valencia Almeria

v v v v

At Madrid Real Betis Levante Granada

Atletico, who have signed Argentine midfielder Jose Ernesto Sosa on loan from Metalist Kharkiv until the end of the season, will face a Malaga side who won their last two league games of 2013 to climb up into mid-table.

Brazilian full-back Filipe Luis insists that the Rojiblancos are fully focused on their trip to La Rosaleda as they look to keep the pressure on Barcelona.

“Knowing the coach and the squad, nobody is thinking about the Barcelona game. Maybe the supporters are, but we all know that the Malaga match is vital,” he said.

“We have not won there in two or three years and it is a difficult venue for us.”

Both Atletico and Barca have enjoyed stunning starts to the campaign, winning 15 and drawing one of 17 games in La Liga, but the Catalans have not always performed convincingly since Gerardo Martino took over as coach in the summer.

Meanwhile, Pizzi, who led San Lorenzo to the Argentine Torneo Inicial title last month, has replaced the sacked Miroslav Djukic in charge of Los Che, who sit level on points with Levante coming into their firstgame of 2014. l

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (L) talks with teammate Neymar da Silva Santos Junior during an open training session at the Mini Stadium in Barcelona yesterday. Barcelona face Elche tomorrow AFP

Qatar ready to host World Cup ‘whatever the date’ n Qatar will be ready to host the 2022 World Cup finals whether the competition is played in summer or winter, Nasser Al-Khater from the organising committee told AFP on Thursday.

Football’s world governing body FIFA have launched a consultation process over whether the tournament should be moved from its habitual June and July dates to the winter to avoid the unbearable heat in the Gulf.

However, Al-Khater says the uncertainty has had no impact on Qatar 2022’s work thus far.

“Our plans are still to deliver the World Cup in the summer as we have bid and as we have promised,” he said.

“And I think it’s only right that if there will be a change that the international football community agrees amongst themselves and decides. For us we will be ready regardless of the

Martinez says it’s time to stop the diving n

Diving or “simulation” is becoming a growing problem and everyone involved in football has a responsibility to make it stop, Everton manager Roberto Martinez said yesterday.

Martinez’s comments coincided with Fifa president Sepp Blatter slating players for what he described as “incredibly unfair and preposterous” simulation and feigning injury.

“It is our fault,” the 40-yerar-old Spaniard told reporters ahead of Everton’s FA Cup third round tie with Queens Park Rangers at Goodison Park.

“It has been creeping in and has been happening for a couple of seasons now. It is down to all of us to try to eradicate that.”

The latest and most blatant example of the increasingly growing trend came at Southampton on New Year’s Day when Chelsea’s Brazilian midfielder Oscar dragged his leg into the onrushing goalkeeper then launched himself through the air as soon as he made contact. l

date that they choose.”

With that in mind, work is underway on the first stadium to be built for the tournament and Al-Khater said that construction will accelerate in 2014.

“We will be announcing five more stadiums in 2014 and five stadiums will be in different sorts of levels of work in 2014,” he stated. So this is the year where real progress will be showing on the ground.”

Plans to cool the air inside the stadiums - one of the most eye-catching elements of Qatar’s World Cup bid will go ahead even with the doubt surrounding when the tournament will be played, with Al-Khater emphasising the need to improve conditions for domestic competitions too.

Al-Khater also insisted that reports in foreign media highlighting the difficult conditions faced by immigrant workers in the tiny country, while creating negative publicity, could turn out to be a positive thing. l

Fans of Michael Schumacher gathered yesterday for a silent vigil for the Formula One legend’s 45th birthday as he lay in a coma in a French hospital after a weekend skiing accident.

Ferrari, which is bussing in scores of fans from Italy and France to the hospital in the Alpine city of Grenoble, put a special message on its website, saying “Forza Michael,” or “Go Michael” in Italian.

“He is tackling the most important fight of his life and therefore we want to send him very special wishes,” said Schumacher’s old team, as similar messages poured in from around the world.

German former tennis ace Boris Becker wished his compatriot “Happy Birthday” on Twitter, adding “Fight Schumi” in a German hashtag.

The retired seven-time world champion slammed his head against a rock on Sunday while skiing in the French Alps and has had two operations to remove bleeding and pressure on his brain.

KEY FIXTURES Arsenal Aston Villa Blackburn Everton Middlesbrough Newcastle Norwich City Southampton Stoke City West Brom

v v v v v v v v v v

Tottenham Sheffield Man City QPR Hull City Cardiff City Fulham Burnley Leicester City Crystal Palace

Adebayor inspires Spurs revival

n AFP, London

Emmanuel Adebayor’s return to form has ensured Tottenham head into their FA Cup third round clash at Arsenal with renewed confidence they can overcome their north London rivals tomorrow.

Adebayor has scored four times in five appearances since being restored to the team by new manager Tim Sherwood after a spell in exile under previous boss Andre Villas-Boas.

The Togo striker continued his impressive revival with the opening goal in Tottenham’s 2-1 win at Manchester United on Wednesday.

And Spurs left-back Danny Rose believes the strike partnership between Adebayor and Roberto Soldado is one of the reasons behind the side’s recent renaissance. l

Wenger guarded Berbatov interest

Southampton complain about ref Clattenburg’s insult n Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has n maintained that Fulham striker Dimitar Southampton have accused controversial referee Mark Clattenburg of “abusing and insulting” their captain Adam Lallana during the recent 2-1 defeat at Everton.

The Premier League club have lodged a complaint with the Professional Game Match Officials board and requested that Clattenburg not take charge of any of their fixtures until the investigation by referees’ chief Mike Riley is complete.

Clattenburg’s alleged insult was directed at Lallana after he had turned down late penalty appeals for handball at Goodison Park.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino complained that Southampton should have been awarded two penalties - including the one where Lallana’s cross hit Antolin Alcaraz’s hand, leading to Clattenburg’s confrontation with the England international. l

Fans hold birthday vigil as Schumacher turns 45 n

travel to Blackburn Rovers, the biggest mismatch sees non-league Macclesfield Town host Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, who sit 63 places above them in the English league system, while Bolton Wanderers play Blackpool in a repeat of the 1953 final. l

The accident shocked legions of fans used to seeing Schumacher cheat death on the race track.

He is being kept in an induced coma and in the latest health update given by his manager on Wednesday, his condition was described as stable but still critical.

His family is at his side, including his wife Corinna, his two teenage children, his father Rolf and brother Ralph, who is also a racing driver.

“Following Michael’s skiing accident, we would like to thank the people from all around the world who have expressed their sympathy and sent their best wishes for his recovery,” the family said in a statement. “We all know he is a fighter and will not give up.”

Fans left a poster outside the Grenoble hospital saying “Schumi, All our Thoughts for You and Your Family.”

“Schumi has given us a lot in the past,” said 47-year-old accountant Stefano Pini, who arrived from Milan to pay tribute.

“The least we could do is to come here and support him and his family on his birthday.” l

Berbatov is not currently on his wish list for the January transfer window.

Wenger added that he will wait to discover the extent of Nicklas Bendtner’s ankle injury before deciding whether to bring in another striker during the window.

The Premier League leaders host north London rivals Tottenham in the FA Cup third round on Saturday with a selection headache in attack.

Lead frontman Olivier Giroud missed the 2-0 win over Cardiff on New Year’s Day because of an ankle problem and has also now been hit by a sickness bug.

Bendtner came off the bench to score with just two minutes left, but suffered a sprained ankle when putting the ball past goalkeeper David Marshall and the club are awaiting results of a scan for a more detailed diagnosis.

Wenger openly admits Arsenal will

not rule out a move for a top-calibre player should the opportunity arise this month, but he was guarded on 32-yearold Bulgarian Berbatov.

“He (Berbatov) is not a name that we have considered at the moment. We have not even been out on the transfer market, we have not contacted anybody,” Wenger said.

“We are just analysing the situation, being very cautious until we are well informed about Bendtner and (Yaya) Sanogo as well, because he is back in

Michael Schumacher 1991 F1 debut

1994 Benetton-Ford 1995 Benetton-Renault

1991 Suzuka, Japan Cervical fracture

1996 Spa, Belgium Damaged knee

F1 world champion Injury

7

1999 Silverstone, England Shin and calfbone injury F1 championship titles

308

2000 Ferrari 2001 Ferrari

Grand Prix races

2002 Ferrari

155

2003 Ferrari

podium places

91

2004 Ferrari

wins

69 pole positions Jan 3, 2014 45th birthday Dec 29, 2013 Life-threatening ski accident

2012 Retired from F1 racing

2009 Cartagena, Spain Fractured skull, spinal trauma and broken ribs (motorcycle race)

training now. We will make a decision after that.”

Wenger continued: “It depends on how long he (Bendtner) will be out for.

“But I don’t want to go into any speculation on any specific name because that would not help where the player plays at the moment and would be disrespectful to the player’s club.

“At the moment we are just considering our options.

“I must confess they are quite restricted; in the way that the players available can strengthen our squad are not on the road, they are all under contract, most of the clubs are in competitions where they need their best players.

Press reports in Britain have also strongly linked Arsenal with a move for Atletico Madrid’s Brazilian-born striker Diego Costa, scorer of 19 goals in 17 games this season, and are said to be ready to trigger the £32 million ($52 million, 38 million euros) buy-out clause in his contract. l

Most top-tier clubs could do without FA Cup: Lambert n The majority of Premier League clubs would prefer not to have the distraction of playing in the FA Cup, according to Paul Lambert, the manager of seventimes winners Aston Villa.

Speaking to the BBC before Villa’s third-round tie at home to Sheffield United on Saturday, Lambert was asked whether the FA Cup was something the top flight clubs could do without.

“I think if you asked the majority of them, if they were being honest, they probably would do,” he said. “Not just because of the money but survival in the league is vital.

“It is realistic. That is the nature of it. If anyone says any differently then I am not so sure they will be telling the truth because the Premier League is the most vital thing that anyone wants to get into and we are no different.”

Lambert’s side are in 11th place in the league, six points above the relegation zone, and the Scot made it clear that his priority is staying up and not the visit of third tier United. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

QUICK BYTES

Zia loses again Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman suffered yet another defeat as he went down to Fide Master Peter J Sowray of England in the 6th round of the Masters event of the 89th Hasting International Chess Congress-2013 in Horntye Park, Hastings, East Sussex, England. Zia has 3.5 points at the end of the 6th round.

–Tribune Desk

Barcelona’s Valdes declared fit to play Doctors have declared Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes fit and ready to play after 44 days on the sidelines with a right calf strain, the Spanish club said on Thursday. “It is a day of good news for Barcelona’s first team.

After a training session on Thursday afternoon, doctors gave keeper Victor Valdes the all clear,” the club said in a statement. The 31-year-old could be part of coach Gerardo Martino’s side for Barcelona’s league match at home to Elche on Sunday. Valdes sustained the injury during Spain’s 1-0 defeat to South Africa in a friendly on November 19 in Johannesburg, the site of their 2010 World Cup final victory.

–AFP

Bayern set for Qatar training camp European and club world champions Bayern Munich head for Qatar on Sunday for a nine-day winter training camp in the Gulf state. “When we get there, we have everything we need to prepare for the forthcoming challenges,” commented Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Thursday. The Bavarians have not trained since beating Raja Casablanca in Marrakech to win the Club World Cup on December 21, completing a remarkable haul of five trophies in 2013, following their triumphs in the Champions League, Bundesliga, German Cup and European Super Cup. Pep Guardiola’s side will take on Sudanese champions Al-Merrikh in Doha on January 9 and, on their way home, will stop off in Kuwait for a friendly against local champions Kuwait SC on January 13.

–AFP

Injured Pakistan stumper Akmal ruled out of Sri Lanka tests

Pakistan wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka with a finger injury, the country’s cricket board said on Friday. Akmal hurt himself while taking a catch to dismiss Sri Lanka opener Kaushal Silva on the third day of the ongoing first Test in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. “Adnan Akmal got injured while taking a catch ... and has fractured his left hand index finger,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement. “He has been ruled out for rest of the series.

On the request of team management for replacement the national selection committee has decided to send Sarfraz Ahmed to join the test squad in UAE.” Sarfraz, 26, has played four tests for Pakistan, the last against South Africa in February, 2013. Experienced batsman Younus Khan took over the gloves for Pakistan on day four of the first Test.

–Reuters

Sport

Smith rescues Australia with home ton n AFP, Sydney Steve Smith savoured an Ashes Test century on his home Sydney Cricket Ground Friday to put Australia in a strong position for a 5-0 series clean sweep over beleaguered England.

It was the 24-year-old’s second hundred of the series and his third in Ashes cricket as he combined with the irrepressible Brad Haddin to shift the momentum Australia’s way after the home side was tottering at 97 for five.

Smith, who hit 115 off 154 balls, shared in an innings-turning stand of 128 with Haddin, 75 off 90 balls, to push Australia to 326 and have the tourists reeling at eight for one at first day stumps.

“It’s my favourite place to play so I’m absolutely delighted to have got a hundred out here in tough circumstances and get the team in a good position,” Smith said.

“I haven’t played with too many nerves in this series. I’ve felt quite good every time I’ve gone to the crease.

“Obviously I haven’t converted into big scores as much as I would have liked, but I’ve certainly felt good at the crease and today, I guess, was my day.”

It was Smith’s first game at the SCG in 14 months and he relished reaching triple figures with a six and a four off leg-spinner Scott Borthwick to be acclaimed by the 45,352 Sydney crowd.

“It’s nice to be back at the SCG, I haven’t really seen a wicket like that before out here,” he said. “So it was certainly tough work early and you certainly felt one of those balls had

your name on them if they got it in the right areas.

“That was the most pleasing thing, being able to get through those periods and be able to get those runs at the end.”

Smith reserved special praise for wicketkeeper Haddin, who at 36 is playing some of the best cricket of his career and has been a highly-influential figure in this series.

Haddin, the bane of the English bowlers, went for his sixth score over 50 in the series and has accumulated 465 runs at 66.42 and has played a crucial role in rescuing Australia on a number of occasions in the one-sided Ashes.

“We dug in. Brad was great out there. He was great to bat with,” Smith said.

“I sort of took a back seat and just watched him go and the way he played his shots today was brilliant to form a partnership with him and get us in the position we are now.

“It was great to stand at the other end and form a partnership and get us over the line.

“Brad has been absolutely outstanding.

Being in tough circumstances he tries to come in and tries to switch the momentum of the game and he’s done it on numerous occasions in this series and credit to him, he’s played beautifully.

“It’s always tough to bowl at someone when he’s coming at you the way he is and the way he’s striking the ball this whole series, they don’t really know where to bowl.” l

3:00PM WTA Brisbane International Finals Star Sports 1 2:15PM Big Bash T20 Melbourne Renegades v Melbourne Stars 5:30AM Australia v England 5th Test, Day 3 (Sunday)

SCORECARD, DAY 1 Australia 1st innings Chris Rogers b Stokes 11 David Warner b Broad 16 Shane Watson lbw b Anderson 43 Michael Clarke c Bell b Stokes 10 Steve Smith c Root (sub) b Stokes 115 George Bailey c Cook b Broad 1 Brad Haddin c Cook b Stokes 75 Johnson c Root (sub) b Borthwick 12 Ryan Harris c Anderson b Stokes 22 Peter Siddle c Bairstow b Stokes 0 Nathan Lyon not out 1 Extras (b10, lb2, w2, nb6) 20 Total (all out; 76 overs) 326 Fall of wickets 1-22 (Warner), 2-51 (Rogers), 3-78 (Clarke), 4-94 (Watson), 5-97 (Bailey), 6-225 (Haddin), 7-269 (Johnson), 8-325 (Harris), 9-325 (Siddle), 10-326 (Smith) Bowling Anderson 21-3-67-1, Broad 19.5-5-65-2 (2w), Stokes 19.5-1-99-6 (5nb), Rankin 8.2-0-34-0 (1nb), Borthwick 7-0-49-1 England 1st innings Alastair Cook not out 7 Michael Carberry c Lyon b Johnson 0 Jimmy Anderson not out 1 Extras 0 Total (1 wicket; 6 overs) 8 Fall of wicket: 1-6 (Carberry) Bowling Harris 3-1-5-0, Johnson 3-1-3-1

Australian batsman Steve Smith raises his bat after reaching his century on the first day of the fifth Ashes Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday AFP

Federer gives tennis masterclass

France into Hopman Cup final

n AFP, Brisbane

n AFP, Perth

Roger Federer gave a tennis masterclass during his Brisbane International quarter-final on Friday, taking under an hour to demolish Australian Marinko Matosevic for the loss of just two games.

The top seeded Federer booked a semi-final against France’s Jeremy Chardy with his imperious 57-minute 6-1, 6-1 win over an outclassed Matosevic.

Eighth seed Chardy had earlier downed another Australian, wildcard Sam Groth, 7-5, 6-4.

The second semi-final will be between second seed Kei Nishikori

of Japan and crowd favourite Lleyton Hewitt.

Nishikori outlasted big-serving Croat Marin Cilic 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, while Hewitt was too good for Romanian qualifier Marius Copil, beating him 6-4, 6-2.

But all eyes were on Federer, who is playing in Brisbane for the first time in his career.

The unheralded Matosevic actually started the better of the two, quickly opening up three break points on Federer’s opening serve.

However, the Swiss great saved all three and raced away to a 5-0 lead before the Australian finally held serve to get on the scoreboard.

Matosevic won his opening serve

of the second set but that was as good as it was to get, as Federer eased away against an increasingly demoralised opponent.

“Tonight I felt very good against Matosevic who can play very dangerously,” Federer said.

“He’s got a good enough serve and return as well.

“But I was able to control most of the match except the very beginning.”

Nishikori and Cilic had to play in the heat of the day, but the Japanese world number 17 tamed the big-serving Croat in temperatures approaching 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit), winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in two hours, 37 minutes.

SCORECARD, DAY 4 Sri Lanka 1st innings 204 A. Mathews 91; Junaid Khan 5-58, Bilawal Bhatti 3-65 Pakistan 1st innings 383 Younis Khan 136, Misbah-ul Haq 135; S. Eranga 3-80, R. Herath 3-90

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six NBA 2013-14 6:30AM Atlanta v Golden State 9:30AM LA Lakers v Utah 12:00AM Sri Lanka Tour of Pakistan 1st Test, Day 5 Star Sports 4 FA CUP 6:45PM Blackburn v Man City 11:15PM Arsenal v Tottenham 9:00PM La Liga Malaga v Atletico Madrid Star Sports HD2 La Liga 1:00AM Valencia v Levante 3:00AM Almeria v Granada Ten Sports

15

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Sri Lanka 2nd innings (overnight 186-4) D. Karunaratne b Junaid K. Silva c Akmal b Junaid K. Sangakkara c Younis b Bhatti M. Jayawardene c Shafiq b Bhatti D. Chandimal c Ali b Junaid A. Mathews not out P. Jayawardene not out Extras: (lb7) Total: (five wickets; 148 overs)

24 81 55 0 89 116 48 7 420

Fall of wickets 1-47 (Karunaratne), 2-146 (Sangakkara), 3-150 (Jayawardene), 4-186 (Silva), 5-324 (Chandimal)

Sri Lankan cricket captain Angelo Mathews (R) celebrates his century as Pakistan wicketkeeper Younis Khan looks on during the fourth day of their first Test match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday AFP

Bowling Junaid 31-2-81-3, Ali 33-8-82-0, Bhatti 33-8-131-2, Ajmal 42-10-96-0, Hafeez 9-1-23-0

“It was hot – it was tough conditions, especially playing a one hour (first) set and almost two hours and 40 minutes,” he said. “It was not easy, but I’m happy to finish strong in third set.

“He was a little bit dropping his level (in the third) I think, yeah, I’m very happy today.”

Nishikori said he expected a tough battle against Hewitt.

“He’s always tough to play – he doesn’t miss much,” Nishikori said of Hewitt.

“It’s not easy (to play him) because he has decent serves and a good return and good backhand – very solid on groundstrokes.” l

France will play in their third Hopman Cup final after Alize Cornet and JoWilfried Tsonga beat defending champions Spain 3-0 at the mixed teams tournament on Friday.

The French will face the top-seeded Polish pairing of Agnieszka Radwanska and Grzegorz Panfil in Saturday’s final.

France previously reached the title decider in Perth in 1998 and 2012.

Two years ago, the team of Richard Gasquet and Marion Bartoli lost the final to the Czech Republic pairing of Tomas Berdych and Petra Kvitova.

In 1998, Mary Pierce and Cedric Pioline were beaten by the Slovaks. l

Williams, Azarenka to meet in Brisbane final n AFP, Brisbane World number one Serena Williams will meet the second ranked Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Brisbane International after she downed Maria Sharapova in an enthralling semi-final yesterday.

Williams, the defending champion, beat Sharapova 6-2, 7-6 (9/7) in one hour, 43 minutes on Pat Rafter Arena.

Earlier, Azarenka recovered from a disastrous first set to beat Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Williams and Sharapova have a fierce rivalry on the court, which is matched by an at times bitter relationship off it. They didn’t hold back during their semi-final, thrilling the packed stadium with the power and depth of their groundstrokes.

Both women struggled to hold their serves throughout, although Williams

was slightly more consistent, breaking Sharapova three times in the first set while losing hers only once, despite making only 40 percent of her first serves.

“I think we are both very strong returners, and personally I couldn’t get a first serve in today,” Williams said.

“My first serve percentage was extremely low. I didn’t serve nearly as well as I served in my first two matches. “(I was) a little disappointed because that’s what I’ve been working on, being consistent with my serve.”

The serving struggles continued into the second set, with three breaks apiece, but both held when it mattered to send the set into a tiebreak.

Williams had match points at 6/5 and 7/6 in the tiebreak, which Sharapova saved, but at 8/7 and on her own serve she blasted an ace down the centre line for her 14th consecutive win over the Russian.l

Mathews ton gives SL upper hand n Reuters Angelo Mathews made amends for missing a century in the first innings with a gritty unbeaten 116 in the second as Sri Lanka racked up a solid lead in the opening test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Starting the penultimate day of the match with a slender lead of seven runs, Sri Lanka lost just a single wicket during the entire day to reach 420 for five at stumps, a second-innings lead of 241 runs.

The wicket of Dinesh Chandimal (89) was the lone success for the Paki-

stan bowlers as their hard work proved futile on an unresponsive surface.

Left-arm seamer Junaid Khan, who took five wickets in the first innings, picked up his third scalp in the second when Chandimal hooked him straight to Rahat Ali at deep fine leg.

Chandimal, unbeaten on 24 overnight, added 138 runs for the fifth wicket with captain Mathews and put paid to Pakistan’s hopes of making early inroads.

Mathews, who hit 12 fours and a six on his way to his second test hundred, then added 96 for the unbroken sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Prasanna

Jayawardene (48 not out) to deny Pakistan any further success.

Ace off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was wicketless after sending down 42 overs in the second innings and his lack of success on a fourth-day pitch underlined the misery for the Pakistan bowlers.

There was more heartbreak for Pakistan on Friday as they lost wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal for the remainder of the series due to a fracture in his lefthand index finger.

First-innings top-scorer Younus Khan took over the gloves for Pakistan during the day’s play. l

Serena Williams

Victoria Azarenka

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Saturday, January 4, 2014

FALLOUTS OF POLITICAL TURMOIL

A dozen companies turn junk in 2013 n Kayes Sohel About a dozen companies have turned junk in 2013 – a trend never been seen before in the history of the country’s stock market.

Analysts say the ongoing political unrest has pushed up the production costs, eventually hitting the profitability of small-cap companies.

They warned that the list of junk companies might get longer if such political chaos continued for another two or three months.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) has sent 11 companies to the Z-category and one to the B-category last year for poor performance.

According to the DSE rules, if a company fails to pay dividend or hold annual general meetings or is not in operation for more than six months, it is placed in the Z-category.

“For the first time, so many companies have come under the Z-category in one year,” said a DSE official. He said some companies performed poorly last year because of the political unrest, while some

others had not been in operation for a long time and some were in legal tangles.

Akter H Sannamat, managing director of Union Capital, said political turmoil cut profits of some companies which was reflected in their dividend declarations.

“If political turmoil lasts long, the list of junk companies will be longer.

That would be bad news for the investors as well as the economy,” he said.

The 11 companies placed in the Z-category are: Daffodil Computers Limited, Usmania Glass Sheet Factory Limited, RN Spinning Mills Limited,

Gemini Sea Food, Bangladesh Autocars Limited, Modern Dyeing & Screen Printing Limited, Rahima Food Corporation Limited, CVO Petrochemical and Refinery Limited, Jute Spinning Mills and Deshbandhu Polymer Limited.

Fine Foods BD Ltd was demoted to the B-category from the A-category as the company managed to approve only 2% stock dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2013.

Among those placed in the Z-category, RN Spinning failed to hold its AGM over the last two years because of legal

tangles related to rights share issue.

Presently, companies listed with the DSE are being traded under five categories – A, B, G, N and Z. Companies that pay 10% or more dividend and regularly hold AGMs, feature the A-category. Those who pay less than 10% dividend and hold regular AGMs are marked “B.” The Green Field Company that is yet to start commercial operation, is placed in the ‘G’ category.

The ‘N’ category is represented by the newly listed companies. l

Dhaka women uncertain about casting votes n Udisa Islam Many female Dhaka residents, including working women and homemakers from various social spheres, have decided not to vote in tomorrow’s 10th Parliamentary Elections because of a sense of insecurity and also because there is not much to choose from.

“Nobody knows what will be the situation in Dhaka on the Election Day. Moreover, we have nothing to do in this election because there is nothing much to choose from,” said Nadia Afroz, who works for a private company.

Her mother Romiza Huq, who lives Uttara, said: “We are feeling really insecure. At first we decided to go to the poll centres to cast vote. But, last night [Thursday] we heard that only one candidate is left in the Dhaka 18 constituency [Uttara] because the BNF candidate decided not to run for the polls.”

The Dhaka 15 and 16 constituencies comprise a total of eight wards in the capital’s Mirpur area. The area is heavily populated by garment workers, most of whom are women – more than three lakh out of a total of six and half lakh voters.

“The Awami League and the independent candidates – both are from the ruling party. So, there is no alternative,” said Sumi Khatun, a garment worker.

‘I do not know Mr Molla, the independent candidate. And I do not want Mr Majumdar because he is a selfish person’ Among the more than three lakh voters in the Dhaka 15 seat, many are first time voters. NGO worker Razaia Akhtar Hossain, a first time voter, said: “While casting votes, I think women consider a candidate’s educational background and qualifications. We want to select someone who can fulfill our demands. But [in this year’s election], we have no option.

“I do not know Mr Molla, the independent candidate. And I do not want Mr Majumdar because he is a selfish person,” Razaia said.

Many women from the Dhaka 7 constituency have expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that there was no option to choose from.

Seeking anonymity, a government official said: “As a government official, it is my duty to cast vote. But who will ensure my security at the polling centre.

Hazi Selim and Mr Jalal are both Awami League leaders. So, personally I have decided not to go to the polling centre.”

Saila Mahbub, a first time voter, said she was very surprised with the pollstime environment. “I want fair polls in which all major parties will participate.

Only then will I be able to choose my candidate.”

Farzana Parvin, a homemaker from the Dhaka 5 constituency comprising Demra and Shyampur area, said: “I will see who has the ability to do development work and also whether he is educated or not. But in our area nobody knows the men contesting from Tarikot [Bangladesh Tarikot Federation], Jatiya Party and National Awami Party.” l

Family members of Farid, 60, stand anxiously by his bed at the burn unit at the DMCH. Farid received burn injuries in a petrol bomb attack on a public bus in front of the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

The ballot battle in Faridpur 4 constituency has gathered pace, with candidates gearing up for tomorrow’s polls.

Independent candidate Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury, alias Nixon Chowdhury, and Awami League nominee Qazi Zafarullah are competing.

Most of the electorate said the constituency saw a rare battle this year amid the boycotts.

Mojibur’s affidavit tells how he, once with only 0.38 decimal of cultivatable land, rose from rags to riches.

Nineteen year old Salma sat quietly by her father’s bed. Her father, 60-yearold Farid, had been burnt when the bus carrying him came under attack in the capital’s Paribagh area early yesterday morning.

Farid is a fruit vendor who, according to Salma, was travelling to pick up fruits for his Friday sale. He was admitted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital with burns covering 48% of his body.

Salma had been catering to his father since she and her brothers arrived at the hospital after hearing the news.

When asked if she was aware of the reasons behind the ongoing political violence, she expressed her annoyance: “What are we to say or think? We have nothing to do in this whole mess.”

Farid is one of the two victims of the Paribagh attack moved to the intensive care unit of DMCH because of the severity of their injuries. The other, Shahina Aktar, a MetLife employee, suffered 68% burns.

Shahina, 40, was on her way back to Khulna, where she worked, when she came under attack.

Her brother, Ruhul Amin, said she had been staying at his Cantonment residence since December 27. “She couldn’t go back because of the existing situation in the country. After about a week of being stuck at home, she couldn’t wait any longer and took off this morning.”

Although Shahina’s extent of burns is categorised as a major one, she was lucky to have survived an attack on her respiratory system, which many burn victims in recent months were found to be suffering from.

Shahina’s son, a marine engineer, lives in the United States while her husband, a reporter for Khulna-based Kalpotro, was on his way to Dhaka when this correspondent visited her.

Another of the victims, 35-year-old Babul, driver of the bus, suffered a minor 8% burn and was released from hospital in the evening.

According to sources, unidentified assailants hurled petrol bombs at the Gulistan-bound passenger bus in front of Borak Tower near Paribagh’s footover-bridge around 7:30am, injuring the three. l

KSA extend amnesty period by two months

Hospitals asked to have emergency services ready on election day

n Rabiul Islam

n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

The Saudi government extended a twomonth grace period for the expatriates who could not correct their status during the seven-month amnesty period.

The new system came into effect on January 2, 2014.

The expatriates have been asked to complete the rectification procedures at the Passport Department.

Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif has ordered the department to complete correction procedures of expatriates whose papers were being processed by the labour ministry during the amnesty, before March 1, Arab News reported on Friday.

Under the latest offer, the interior minister issued the order in view of the various circumstances under which many expatriates could not complete their residency correction procedures during the amnesty that ended on November 3.

“We have learnt the news but we have not yet received any official letter in this regard,” Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Md Shahidul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

Welcoming the latest offer several

thousand Bangladeshis would be benefited, the ambassador hoped.

“I have recently met the Saudi interior minister, labour minister and foreign minister and they have assured that they would open labour market for Bangladeshis soon,” Shahidul said.

For various crimes by Bangladeshi migrants in 2004, 2005, and 2006, the Saudi government stopped recruitment from Bangladesh in 2008.

During the seven-month amnesty period which ended on Nov 3, a total of 7, 99,186 Bangladeshis have been benefited, the ambassador said quoting the Saudi government figure.

Out of 7, 99,186, around 31,000 Bangladeshis who have been staying there for about 10 to 15 years and those who overstayed returned home without any punishment, the diplomat said. “Rest of the migrants were legalised in various ways including iqama transfer and changing professions”.

The original three-month deadline for the amnesty announced in April, 2013, was extended from July after it became evident that thousands of applications would not be processed in time. l

All public medical colleges, as well as specialized, district and upazila hospitals across the country have been asked to stay alert and take all-out preparations to ensure emergency healthcare service and tackle any potential untoward situation during tomorrow’s 10th parliamentary elections.

All the medical facilities have also been advised to keep their emergency departments ready with special teams.

Director (administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Shah Newaz – on behalf of the health directorate DG – issued a letter of request to all directors, civil surgeons, upazila health and family planning officers and others in this regard on Thursday.

In a separate letter dated December 17 last year, the deputy secretary of health ministry also issued directives for taking necessary preparation to ensure healthcare and treatment for foreign observers and journalists who were coming to Bangladesh for covering the national elections. All civil surgeons and large hospitals of Dhaka city

Ballot battle peaks in Faridpur 4 constituency Zahidul Islam n Muhammad from Bhanga, Faridpur

Fruit vendor, insurance worker among Paribagh burn victims n Syeda Samira Sadeque

He earned more than Tk2 crore in a single fiscal from farming.

His opponent Zafarullah has been on the trail with Tk5.5crore cash in hand.

Mojibur alias Nixon’s name also surfaced in the Padma bridge scam.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently asked voters to not vote for those whose names came up in the graft.

A banner in the Bhanga bazar area shows that Nixon Chowdhury calls himself as Bangabandhu’s grandson.

Some local opposition leaders were also seen working for Nixon. “A majority of Awami League leaders are with me and they want change,” Nixon

claimed The opposition also fully supports Nixon.

Abu Zafar Munsi, city BNP president, told the Dhaka Tribune that some of their leaders and activists were campaigning for Nixon. “It will be our reply to the government if the independent candidate wins.”

Voters said although the opposition had not been taking part in the polls, their support was an important factor.

Nixon expressed concerns about fair polls and sought media’s cooperation.

On the other hand Zafarullah said everything was fine.

Zafarullah’s family members became lawmakers six times with Awami League ticket since independence.

His wife Nilufar is the incumbent lawmaker of this constituency.

The two-time MP could not run in ninth elections because of a corruption case.

“I am enjoying the election. People are in a festive mode and they are working for me,” said Zafarullah.

Friday was the last day for publicity, and former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries AK Azad was seen campaigning for Zafarullah. l

have been told to ensure the presence of specialist doctors.

Seeking anonymity, several senior officials of the ministry and the DGHS told the Dhaka Tribune that emergency surgical or other operations might be needed, as there was potential for violence during the polls, which was taking place in a volatile situation.

Sources said senior DGHS officials would monitor the health activities of the hospitals across the country.

There are also fears that apart from violence by the opposition activists, supporters of Awami League and its rebel candidates might also clash across the country, including the capital.

As per the wishes of the Election Commission, the DGHS has reportedly appointed 48 of its officers and employees at different polling centres of Dhaka city.

Preferring to stay unnamed, several DGHS employees said they were worried and feeling insecure as no one was safe from violence.

Dr Mushfiqur Rahman, deputy director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), however said no such let-

ter from the DGHS has been received, but added that preparations have been made to ensure emergency service for the patients.

He also said the DMCH had to provide emergency services to a lot of burn patients of arson attacks in recent times.

However, emergency services might be disrupted as the DGHS had also asked different hospitals in Dhaka to provide 28 ambulances to the police stations, which would use the vehicles for patrolling during election day.

Asked about the letter from the DGHS, Dr Shah Newaz said there was no such directive from the EC, but the request for emergency preparations was part of the directorate’s routine activities.

Like the past elections, all health institutes across the country have been asked to stay prepared to ensure emergency healthcare services, the DGHS director said.

Asked if the present situation was different from previous polls, he said: “In a sense you are right, but our preparation is to ensure emergency service for all.” l

Expatriate beaten to death by ‘AL men’ in Comilla

n Our Correspondent, Comilla

An expatriate was beaten to death allegedly by Awami League men in Gakulnagar village under Muradnagar upazila of Comilla district on Friday after his refusal to pay them toll.

The deceased was identified as Oman expatriate Jasim Uddin, 40, son of Abdul Khaleque of the village.

According to sources, ruling party leaders demanded Tk 5 lakh to Jasim as he was filling his pond by earth.

As Jasim refused to concede to their

demand, the Awami League men, led by upazila unit joint general secretary Masudul Islam and organising secretary Abul Kalam Azad, beat him mercilessly leaving critically injured.

Later he was rushed to Debidwar Upazila Health Complex where on-duty doctors declared him dead. Police sent the body for autopsy.

Muradnagar Police Station officer-in-charge Nazim Uddin said Jasim had been killed in beating by miscreants.

Victim’s brother Abdul Mannaf filed a case against the ruling party leaders. l

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