January 24, 2014

Magh 11, 1420 Rabiul Awal 22, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 300

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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7 | HOW THE ‘MEDIA HAS FAILED WOMEN 8 | UN ENVOY TO MEET SYRIA RIVALS

Judge acquitting Tarique now in Malaysia

13 | JAMAL SENDS ABAHANI TOP

WHEN WILL THEIR WAIT END

ACC tracks him after verifying travel papers The inquiry officer briefed the ren Syed Samiul Basher Anik porters yesterday after completion of Recently retired special judge Motaher Hossain who acquitted BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman from a money laundering case is now staying in Malaysia, an ACC official said.

The anti-graft body had launched a probe against Motaher Hossain following a “specific allegation” scrutinised by three-member ACC team that found evidences of irregularity.

“The commission came to know that the judge left the country after 53 days of delivering the judgement on the money laundering case. He left the country for Malaysia on January 8,” ACC Deputy Director and Inquiry Officer of the case Harun-ur-Rashid told reporters yesterday.

The judgment said Tarique was acquitted from charges because he had mentioned the amount in his wealth submitted to the ACC ACC sources said the commission got the information on his current position after scrutinising his travel documents.

The allegations against the judge are amassing illegal wealth, abusing judicial power, earning huge wealth contradictory to his known source of income and amassing movable and immovable property in his and others’ names, the ACC Commissioner M Shahabuddin said.

The ACC imposed a bar on foreign trips of the former judge. But the judge had left the country before the ACC restricted his departure from the country.

According to ACC document, the judge’s son studies in London. Motahar bought a house in London. He also bought two apartments in Dhanmondi and has a lot of land in his village Natore.

INSIDE News

3 A Dhaka court yesterday deferred for the eighth time the proceedings in a case filed for attempted murder of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the prosecution could not produce the last witness before the court.

Business

B1 Import expenditure grew marginally in the political unrest-hit year of 2013, bouncing back from a negative growth in the previous year, due to increased imports of capital machinery and food items.

Nation

6 At least 300 bighas of land are losing topsoil every year, which is being used to manufacture bricks at 31 brick kiln fields in five upazilas under the district.

International

9 Indian police have arrested 13 people over the gang-rape of a 20-year-old woman, who was allegedly assaulted on the orders of tribal elders, police said Thursday.

Op-Ed

11 Something must be seriously wrong in our understanding of our nation.

Entertainment

12 Suchitra Sen in her own words: I had a good friendship with Uttam Kumar, a deep one.

questioning two of the stenographers from the speedy trial tribunal 4 and Special Judge’s Court 3 in connection with the inquiry into the “illegal” wealth of the retired judge.

The commission has taken statements from the two stenographers - M Abu Hasan of speedy trial tribunal 4 and M Nurul Islam of Special Judge’s Court 3.

Meanwhile, the commission yesterday served notices to the driver and bodyguard of the former judge to question them in connection with the alleged irregularity.

ACC Deputy Director Harun-ur-Rashid served notices to the judge’s bodyguard Badal Dewan and driver Shohrab Hossain to appear before the commission on January 27 to give statements related to the inquiry.

Judge Motaher Hossain, on November 17 acquitted Tarique Rahman and sentenced his friend Giasuddin Al Mamun to seven years imprisonment and fined him Tk40crore in a money laundering case involving Tk20.41 crore.

The judgment said Tarique was acquitted from charges because he had mentioned the amount in his wealth submitted to the ACC. The ACC filed the money laundering case on October 26, 2009 on charge of siphoning off Tk204.1m to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.

The High Court on Sunday ordered BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman to surrender to the trial court in the money laundering case.

The High Court accepted the petition lodged by the ACC that appealed against the lower court verdict that acquitted Tarique in the money laundering case. l

A year has passed since the Tazreen Fashions blaze. A victim brings her seven-month-old son to join a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding compensation for the affected families MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

New ‘opposition’ ahead of JS sitting n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

Sixteen newly-elected independent MPs yesterday formed an alliance with an aim to make “constructive criticism” of the treasury bench as the 10th Jatiya Sangsad goes into session on January 29.

Awami League’s renegade candidate Hazi Md Selim (Dhaka 7 constituency) is the president of the new group.

Jatiya Party (JaPa) Senior Presidium member Rawshan Ershad has already become the opposition leader, but her party has three representatives in the cabinet, raising criticism about its role as the opposition in parliament.

In parliamentary practices, a party ceases its opposition status if any

Hasina assures safety to minority communities Hossain Shaikh, n Emran from Jessore Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday assured security to the minority communities and warned of stern actions against the perpetrators of postpoll violence.

Addressing a rally at the Shongkorpasha High School grounds in Jessore, she said: “You [the minorities] are the sons of this land; you have full rights to live here. If someone tries to attack you, we will protect you. The government is always by your side.”

“We have amended the constitution so that people of every religion can live in the country with equal rights,” she added.

Hasina also claimed that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has “turned into the ameer of Jamaat” and had been conspiring against the people of Bangladesh.

The premier alleged that Jamaat-e-Islam, backed by Khaleda, was carrying out anti-Islamic activities in the name of Islam.

She said Jamaat had previously been banned in Pakistan, after the organisation carried out attacks on the country’s minority communities.

Hasina also claimed that 40-45% voters cast their ballots by ignoring Khaleda’s calls to stop the election.

“The only thing she [Khaleda] could do was to burn people in the name of her party’s movement just to protest  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

2001 POST-POLL ATTACKS ON MINORITIES

Judicial commission finds BNP, Jamaat involved n Rabiul Islam The judicial commission formed to probe the 2001 post-poll violence on minorities and Awami League men found involvement of several leaders of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in the incidents.

A senior official at the home ministry said nothing had so far been done following submission of the report by the judicial commission.

If the recommendations of the report were implemented properly recurrence of such attacks on minority people just after an election might scale down, the official said.

As a result, after the election on January 5 the minority people came under

attacks in various districts including Jessore, Dinajpur and Gaibandha, the official added.

Following the 2001 post-poll violence, a three-member judicial commission comprising M Shahabuddin (president), former deputy secretary of home ministry Monowar Hossain Akhand and former additional DIG Mir Shahidul Islam (now DIG police), was formed on December 27, 2009 to probe the violence.

Although three months were given to complete the investigation, the commission worked on it for one year and three months.

“We handed over the probe report to the then former home minister Sahara  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

of its MPs takes part in the cabinet.

The new alliance will now nominate candidates for the elections to women’s reserve seats.

Quamrul Ashraf Khan (Narsingdi 2) and Rustom Ali Forazi (Pirojpur 3) are the two vice-presidents while Razi Mohammad Fakhrul (Comilla 4) is the member secretary of the awlliance.

Thirteen MPs yesterday had a meeting with Abdus Shahid, chief whip of the ninth parliament, and informed him about the decision on formation of the group.

Three other MPs – Yousuf Abdullah Haroon (Comilla 3), Abul Kalam Azad (Gaibandha 4) and Swapan Bhattachariya (Jessore 5) – have also consented to joining the group, its leaders say.

Hazi Selim told the Dhaka Tribune that the alliance would tell “white is white and black is black.”

But several MPs having no link with the Awami League politics told the Dhaka Tribune that they would praise the government for its actions while vehemently oppose the treasury bench’s “anti-people” decisions.

“Primarily, we have constituted the group to nominate candidates for the elections to women’s reserve seats,” said Hazi Selim. “It will continue in parliament.”

According to the law on election of the reserved seats, each of the political parties will get share of the 50 women MPs according to the party strength.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Field admin in acute crisis of manpower n Mohosinul Karim and Rabiul Islam Field administration in the districts across the country has been struggling hard for a long time to serve people due to severe shortage of senior officials.

Many posts of senior assistant commissioner and assistant commissioner (land) at the deputy commissioners’ (DC) offices have been lying vacant for a long time.

Officials say they cannot conduct drives against adulteration and illegal establishments because of the lack of adequate manpower.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, January 24, 2014

TEN-TRUCK ARMS HAUL CASE

Order on petitions for changing trial court on Monday n Nazmus Sakib The High Court has set Monday for passing an order on the defence’s petitions that had earlier sought the changing of the trial court that had fixed January 30 for delivering verdict in two cases related to the recovery of ten-truck arms and ammunition.

The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed fixed the date yesterday after hearing arguments from both sides over the pleas – filed under the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 – which also sought for completing the cross-examination of a prosecution witness.

Supreme Court lawyers AJ Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Ahsan represented the petitioners – Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim, Major (retd) Liakat Hossain, and Akbar Hossain, all of whom were accused in the case.

Attorney General Mahbubey

Alam and Deputy Attorney General Khandaker Diliruzzaman argued for the state.

Those accused in the cases and currently in jail, include former industries minister Motiur Rahman Nizami, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, former directors general of the National Security Intelligence (NSI) Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury and Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim, former NSI directors Wing Commander (retd) Shahabuddin Ahmed and Maj (retd) Liakat Hossain, and field officer Akbar Hossain.

Ahadur Rahman, the then officer-in-charge of Karnaphuli police station of Chittagong, lodged two cases on April 3, 2004 in connection with the incident of April 2, 2004, when the police seized a huge cache of arms while it was being loaded on to 10 trucks from two engine-boats at the jetty of the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited. l

A man is being treated at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital yesterday. The man, who is a gateman at Rajshahi University, received the injuries after miscreants blasted crude bombs near the university’s Binotpur gate during first year admission tests in the morning DHAKA TRIBUNE

HC grants interim bail to Mahbub

38 Bangladeshis killed along border Nazmus Sakib in 2013: BGB chief nThe High Court yesterday granted bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adn Our Correspondent, Jessore viser and Vice-Chairman of Bangladesh The director general of Border Guard Bangladesh yesterday said at least 38 Bangladeshis were killed last year along the country’s frontier with India.

Major General Aziz Ahmed revealed the information at a press conference held at the Jessore headquarters of 26 BGB Battalion.

The border chief also said the BGB was constructing around 65 tin-shed buildings at Malopara in Abhaynagar, including two in Monirampur, where two women were raped recently.

The structures are expected to be completed by mid-March, he added. l

Bar Council Khandker Mahbub Hossain in a case for instigating violence and obstructing police in performing their duties.

In response to a bail plea, an HC bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed passed the order.

The bench issued a rule asking the

n

Unidentified miscreants damaged seven idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Barisal and Sylhet yesterday.

In Barisal, four idols of a Hindu temple located at the Maddhya Rajarchar area of Charmonai union was damaged sometime before the dawn.

Bijoy Krishna Haldar, president of Maddhya Rajarchar Durga-Kali Mandir, said he found the idols of Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh partially damaged when he went to the temple early in the morning.

Police were informed of the matter but no case was filed until yesterday evening.

Meanwhile, miscreants vandalised three Hindu idols in two temples in Sylhet, the first temple located in the divisional city while the second in Dakshin Surma upazila. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Md Ayub said police were trying to nab the individuals responsible for the attacks. l

New ‘opposition’ ahead of JS sitting  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

The independent candidates can also get shares in case of forming an alliance.

“We have formed the group to maintain a discipline in the House. We will collectively push issues of public importance,” Rustom Ali Forazi, a former BNP lawmaker, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The independent MPs have freedom to praise or condemn the government. So, we will support the government for good works and oppose for bad decisions,” he said.

Quamrul Ashraf, having no significant political background, said the group would put its efforts to serve as an opposition in parliament. But, he said, it would praise the government, too, for its people-oriented moves.

In the first parliament of 1973, at least five MPs tried to form an opposition group against the Awami League government that won 287 seats out of the total 300 seats.

Its leader Ataur Rahman Khan of Bangladesh Jatiya League demanded recognition as the opposition leader.

But according to the announcement of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made on April 12, 1973, at least 10 MPs, be it independent or belonging to any party, could constitute an opposition grouping in parliament. l

Substances Act. On January 7, plainclothes police arrested Mahbub as soon as he came out of the National Press Club after attending a discussion meeting on the January 5 parliamentary polls.

Meanwhile, upon a separate writ petition, another HC bench comprising Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Habibul Gani has directed the law enforcers to refrain from further harassing Mahbub or showing him arrested in cases where he was not an accused. l

Secretaries propose creating 709 new posts

Hindu idols damaged n Mohosinul Karim in Barisal, Sylhet Tribune Report

government to explain why the accused-petitioner should not be granted permanent bail in the case.

The interim bail granted to Mahbub would remain in force until disposal of the rule, as per the court order.

On January 4, a day before the 10th parliamentary election, miscreants hurled 10-12 crude bombs targeting the office of Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Ramna Division) Maruf Hossain and the next day police filed the case with Ramna police station under the Explosive

Different government offices are going to recruit at least 709 new officials and employees shortly.

The secretaries committee on administrative development yesterday decided to recommend the government for creation of 709 posts of officers.

The decision came at the committee meeting held yesterday at the secretariat’s cabinet conference room.

Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, who is also chief of the committee, chaired the meeting while members of the committee and senior officials of the cabinet division and ministries attended.

Cabinet Division’s Additional Sec-

retary Nazrul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune the committee approved all proposals placed at the meeting from separate ministries and divisions.

Only one proposal was deferred for the next meeting.

The proposals have already got clearance from the Public Administration Ministry and Finance Division.

The cabinet division will send recommendations to the Prime Minister’s Office for approval, he added.

According to the cabinet division officials, the proposal of Finance Division suggested creating 600 posts of auditor for upazila Accounts offices, Chief Accountant offices, Divisional Controller of Accounts offices and District Accounts offices under Controller General

Judicial commission finds BNP, Jamaat involved  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Khatun on April 24, 2011,” Member Secretary AKM Monowar Hossain Akhand told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The complete report comprises five pieces having a total of 1100 pages. “We prepared the report visiting around 35 to 40 districts.”

The judicial body during its probe into the 2001 post-poll violence received 5,571 allegations of killing, rape, arson and looting by activists of the then ruling BNP-Jamaat alliance and it took into account 3,125 allegations, Chief of the Commission M Shahabuddin Chuppu said.

“During the probe, we found a total of 355 politically motivated murders while 3,270 incidents of rape, arson, looting and other atrocities,” he said.

The commission also found the involvement of some BNP and Jamaat leaders in the attacks on minorities and oppression on Awami League workers after the parliamentary polls in 2001.

Shahabuddin said the names of BNP leaders Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, former home minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Abdul Wadud, Joynal Abedin (known as VP Joynal of Feni), Nadim Mostafa, HM Selim of Bagerhat, Maulana Shakhawat Hossain of Keshabpur in Jessore, Abdus Sobhan of Pabna, Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu, Hafiz Ibrahim and Zahir Uddin Swapan were mentioned in the report.

Jamaat leaders Matiur Rahman Nizami, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher of Comilla and Delwar Hossain Sayedee were among the leaders who

led the atrocities on minority people and AL workers, he added.

“We recommended bringing the people involved in post-poll violence in 2001 under trial, filling cases against the accused and restoring the cases withdrawn on political consideration, and providing compensation to the victims of political attacks,” the member secretary said.

He also said the judicial commission also suggested forming short-term investigation committees or investigation commissions at district level involving additional district magistrate, additional police and an executive magistrate to probe the incidents of political violence and attacks on minority, and setting up a monitoring cell at the home ministry to coordinator the tasks of the probe bodies.

If the recommendation of the report was implemented, the incidents of attacks on minority might decrease, the chief of the commission noted.

Asked about the steps by the home ministry, additional secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that the law ministry was taking steps.

Meanwhile, the High Court on Wednesday ordered the home secretary to submit within February 2 the judicial probe report into the attacks that were carried out on the minorities and the then opposition members following the eighth parliamentary elections on October 1, 2001.

The court also issued a rule seeking an explanation by two weeks as to why it should not direct the government to make public the inquiry report. l

of Accounts office.

Of them, there will be 408 auditors for 408 upazila Accounts offices, 106 for new 31 Chief Accountant offices, 23 for six Divisional Controller of Accounts offices and 63 for 42 District Accounts offices.

According to the Finance Division’s proposal, they have now 800 posts of auditors approved for 400 upazila Account offices. The government established eight new offices recently.

The other proposals approved in the meeting include 12 new posts for Rangpur divisional office of BRTA, 42 posts for Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunals, 47 for Brahmanbaria deputy commissioner’s office, 12 for the Education Ministry and 11 for Madrasa Teachers Training Institute. l

JP (Manju) candidate wins Kurigram 4 poll n Our Correspondent, Kurigram Jatiya Party (Manju) candidate Md Ruhul Amin has won from Kurigram 4 constituency.

According to unofficial results, Ruhul Amin has bagged 32,607 votes while his nearest Awami League candidate Md Jakir Hossain got 24,939 votes in all 106 centres.

Assistant Returning Officer of Kurigram 4 Abdul Hannan confirmed the results to the Dhaka Tribune.

He said: “The average turnout was about 31%.”

The reelections in two postponed centres -- Roumari Keramotia Fazil Madra-

sah and Char Bandaber Government Primary School in Roumari upazila – ended 4pm yesterday amid tight security.

The voting started at 8am and continued without any break.

Earlier, the commission wanted to hold the voting at the two centres on January 16 but failed to do so when the High Court issued a stay-order regarding the re-poll.

In the Kurigram 4 seat, Awami League candidate Jakir Hossain pleaded the Election Commission to hold a re-polling in some centres. JP candidate Ruhul Amin bagged 30,544 votes and Awami League candidate Jakir Hossain bagged 23,946 in the last poll. l

Ershad expresses gratitude to Hasina for new job n Manik Miazee

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for appointing him as her special envoy, while volunteering to forgo the perks of the job.

“We have to move forward leaving behind the disgraceful events of the past. The prime minister has taken me along for the journey. I will try my best to uphold that honour,” Ershad said in a statement yesterday.

The former president also stated

that he did not want any personal facilities as the PM’s special envoy.

“I do not need a government residence and vehicle. I want to discharge my duties with the facilities I am getting as an MP,” the newly elected lawmaker said.

Ershad said he would try to work wholeheartedly to uphold the country’s image.

“I want to place the democratic mentality and liberal outlook of the people of Bangladesh to the world,” the erstwhile dictator said. l

Field admin in acute crisis of manpower  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Usually, the officials have to spend a lot of time to provide protocol to ministers, state ministers and persons with equal status visiting the areas.

According to the officials at DC offices, people suffer the most on the issues related to land.

The public administration ministry says against 1,800 posts of senior assistant secretaries, as many as 1,434 are working now.

In the field administration, more 700 to 800 assistant secretaries (assistant commissioners) are required to deliver services properly as only 1,091 have been working, said officials.

“We deliver various services including mutation of land, settlement of fallow land and other land-related problems,” an assistant commissioner (land), known as AC Land, under Bari-

sal division said yesterday seeking anonymity.

“A huge number of posts of AC Land have been lying vacant for long all over the country. As a result, the people are deceived a lot,” the official told the Dhaka Tribune over phone.

For example, a senior official at the field administration explains, every DC office has an allocation of five to six senior assistant commissioners. Unfortunately, a single officer has to do everything now, which is very difficult.

According to the ministry, a total of 146 posts of AC Land out of 487 are now lying vacant.

Out of the 146 posts, 11 are vacant in Dhaka division, 38 in Chittagong, 15 in Rajshahi, 28 in Rangpur, 22 in Barisal, 11 in Sylhet and 21 in Khulna division.

The land ministry gives appointment in the AC Land post.

In Narail DC office, there are nine posts of assistant commissioners. Now seven assistant commissioners are working there. But three officers would leave the office soon for training. As a result, four officers will have to do the day-to-day jobs of nine.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Deputy Commissioner Abdul Gaffar Khan said: “We are working hard to deliver services to the people.”

A UNO from Kishoreganj district said they could not conduct drives because of the shortage of officers.

Senior Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder of public administration ministry is aware of the situation. “We have nothing to do unless new officers are appointed. We are working on it,” he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. Things would change when the officers, currently in training, join work, he said. l

Hasina assures safety to minority communities  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

the election,” Hasina said, adding that BNP-Jamaat people had attacked citizens including the minorities simply because they had dared to vote.

She added: “The BNP leader had said the people did not cast their votes, but why did she attack those who went to polling centre?”

Hasina warned of stern actions against the perpetrators of the postpoll violence, saying: “The government will not allow any kind of killing, violence or militancy. Necessary measures will be taken against those who engage in such activities.”

She added: “The government will ensure the security of the people.”

She also accused Khaleda of “telling lies” and claimed that after changing her own and her husband’s birthdays, the BNP chief had also changed the date of the poll to May 5 from January 5.

The prime minister further criticized Khaleda for her controversial comments about Gopalgonj district.

“She is angry at Gopalgonj being the birth place of the father of the nation Bangabangdhu,” she said.

Apparently hinting at Khaleda, Hasina also said the BNP chairperson had missed the ‘election train.’

“Golapi re Golapi, you have missed the train; Golapi is now not in the train,” she said.

State Ministers Narayan Chandra

Chando, Asaduzzaman Khan, Biren Sikder, local MP Ranjit Kumar Roy, MP of Jessore 3 constituency Kazi Nabil Ahmed also addressed the rally, which was presided over by Ali Reza Razu, president of the AL’s Jessore district unit.

During her visit to the district yesterday, the premier also met with the victims of the attacks on the minority community in Malopara of Obhoynagar upazila, and handed Tk20,000 to Tk1 lakh to each of the victimised families.

She also gave a cheque of Tk10 lakh to the family of Jubo League leader Alamgir Hossain Shimul, who was killed during the blockade by the opposition alliance. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Friday, January 24, 2014

ATTEMPT TO MURDER HASINA

Prosecution fails to produce lone witness again n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday deferred for the eighth time the proceedings in a case filed for attempted murder of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the prosecution could not produce the last witness before the court.

Dhaka’s Fourth Additional Metropolitan and Session’s Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan deferred the date until February 26.

Additional public prosecutor of the court ABM Bashir Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that the witness, former metropolitan magistrate M Afzalur Rahman, had been sick.

The trial proceedings have been delayed because of his non appearance for long.

According to the case, some Freedom Party leaders and activists had tried to kill Sheikh Hasina at her residence in Dhanmondi by throwing grenades on August 11, 1989.

Then security guard Habilder Md Jahirul Haque of the Awami League president filed the case against some unknown accused with Dhanmondi police station the same day.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) pressed charge sheet on February 20, 1997. Investigation Officer Md Khalequzzaman, also assistant superintend of police, pressed the charges against Freedom Party chief Let Col (retd) Farooq Rahman, Maj Bazlul Huda and 16 others.

Of the accused, Humayun Kabir, Mizanur Rahman, Khondoker Amirul Islam and Md Shajahan alias Balu were present before the court yesterday.

The IO made 13 witnesses in the case. Of them, 12 witnesses have already given their depositions. But

the deposition of then metropolitan magistrate Afzalur, who had recorded confessional statements of three accused, has been pending as he is sick.

The court on July 11 last year sent a warrant of arrest for his appearance, but he did not comply with the order.

Of the accused, Sohel alias Freedom Sohel, Md Golam Sarwar alias Mamun and Joj Miah are now in jail.

Five other accused absconding from the beginning are Lt Col (retd) Khondoker Rashid, Jafor Ahmed alias Manik, Syed Nazmul Maksud, Gazi Imam Hossain and Md Humayun Kabir.

Main accused of the case, Let Col Syed Farooq Rahman and Maj Bazlul Huda, were hanged in Bangabandhu murder case on January 28, 2010. Two other accused – Gazi Liakat Hossain and Rezaul Islam Khan – have died.

Of the accused, Humayun, Rezaul and Liakat made confessional statement on September 23, 1996 before the court. Judge Afzalur recorded the confessional statements.

According to the case details, on the night of on August 11, 1989 some militants who are also leaders of the Freedom Party attacked the Dhanmondi 32 residence of the Awami League president to kill her.

They chanted slogans in the name of Freedom Party. Hasina, now the prime minister, was at her house during the incident. At that time, the security guard of her house opened fire.

At first, police submitted final report in 1996 during the first tenure of the Awami League government. After reinvestigation, the CID submitted the charge sheet. The court framed the charges against the accused on July 16, 1997. l

Members of the Alliance against bT Brinjal form a human chain at the capital’s Shahbagh yesterday, demanding a stop to the production of the genetically engineered vegetable as it poses risk to public health and the environment RAJIB DHAR

ACC seeks affidavits of seven MPs from EC n Tribune Report The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday served letters to the Election Commission, seeking affidavits and information from seven ruling party lawmakers who are now on the ACC’s radar.

The letters were served to Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, and sought the 9th and 10th parliamentary election affidavits of the seven lawmakers, an ACC official said.

On Wednesday the ACC assigned seven of its officials to inquire into the

phenomenal rise in wealth and assets of three former ministers, a state minister, and four MPs. It requested the information from former health minister AFM Ruhal Haq, former state minister for housing and public works Abdul Mannan Khan, former state minister for water resources Mahbubur Rahman, and MPs Abdur Rahman Badi of Cox’s Bazar 4, Aslamul Haque of Dhaka 14, Enamul Haque of Rajshahi 4 and Abdul Jabbar of Satkhira 2.

Meanwhile Dhaka 14 constituency lawmaker, Aslamul Haque, has sent a

n Kailash Sarkar

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Police stand guard outside the gates of Baitul Mukarram Mosque in the capital yesterday afternoon, following Jamaat-e-Islami’s announcement to bring out processions RAJIB DHAR

EC decides to deploy army in upazila polls Intelligence sees no possibility of violence

n Mohammad Zakaria The Election Commission has decided to deploy army Border Guard Bangladesh, Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police as striking and mobile forces in the upazila poll.

However, officials of different intelligence agencies told the EC that they saw no possibility of violence in the upazila parishad polls as candidates of all political parties will join the election race.

Army was deployed for five days in the third upazila parishads polls.

The commission will this time

deploy 14 security personnel at each polling centre. But 15 lawmen will be posted at each vulnerable centre while 17 at each centre of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Haor areas.

The EC held a meeting with principle staff officer of the Armed Forced Division, representatives of law enforcing agencies, intelligence agencies yesterday on the upazila parishads polls.

A senior EC official who was present at the meeting said members of intelligence agencies assured of violence-free upazila polls.

The armed forces (Army and Navy) will remain deployed for five days from February 17 to 21 as striking force as the first phase of the polls to 102 upazila parishads will be held on February 19, the official said.

117 upazila polls on February 27

The second phase polls to 117 upazila parishads will be held on February 27, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddih Ahmad yesterday announced.

Electorates will elect their chairmen, vice-chairmen and vice-chairmen for the reserved seats for women in the upazila parishad polls.

The last date of filing nomination is February 2 and the nomination will be scrutinised on February 4 while the last day of withdrawing nomination is February 11.

“As the commission has a bad experience with the violence-infested parliamentary polls it has decided to deploy army in the upazila polls,” he said.

When asked about whether union parishad chairman, mayor of municipality and upazila parishads could participate in the polls without resigning their posts the CEC said they could but they could not use any facilities of local administration during the polls.

However, EC officials said the commission had decided to hold polls to 74 upazila parishads on March 15, 72 upazilas on March 25, 65 upazilas on March 31 and 57 upazila parishads on May 3.

Polls to four upazila parishads were postponed as the local government and rural development ministry decided to re-fix the demarcation of Rangpur sadar, Kaunia, Gangachar and Pirgacha upazila parishads. l

Third witness in Mir Kashem case on February 2 n Udisa Islam

The defence yesterday ended cross-examination of the prosecution’s second witness who said war crimes suspect Mir Kashem and his cohorts had tortured pro-liberation people at Daleem Hotel in Chittagong City.

Md Sanaullah Chowdhury, 67, gave his deposition at the International Crimes Tribunal 2 on January 16.

After the end of the grilling by Mizanul

prominent Awami League men and their family members over the past five years, the ACC started collecting newspaper clippings and analysing the relevant documents, ACC officials said.

The officials said the ACC had started inquiries into the seven lawmakers, and would also eventually conduct inquiries into the dozens of other candidates and relatives who are suspected of accumulating riches illegally.

Meanwhile a senior official from the Election Commission said they were taking initiatives to provide information to the ACC investigating officers. l

Swechchhasebak League leader hacked to death in capital

Khaleda’s adviser Mintoo freed

Abdul Awal Mintoo, an adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, was freed from Dhaka Central Jail in Kashimpur yesterday.

Kashimpur Jail part-1 Superintendent Abdul Kuddus said the BNP leader was freed around 7pm after verification of court paperwork.

Family, relatives and party leaders greeted the BNP leader at the jail gate, witnesses said.

Law enforcers held Mintoo on November 9 and later showed him arrested in a case filed over arson and explosion during recent agitation.

Earlier, BNP Joint Secretary Mahbub Uddin Khokan and former lawmaker Sakhawat Hossain Bokul were freed from Kashimpur Central Jail on Wednesday. l

formal letter to the ACC deputy director, and investigating officer in his case, Sheikh Faiyaz Alam, requesting to meet him at the ACC headquarters on January 27.

After the Election Commission published the wealth statements, submitted by candidates last month ahead of the 10th parliamentary polls, the media reported large discrepancies between the information they had provided and their previous submissions for the 9th general election in 2008.

Following news reports of huge increases in the fortunes of several

Islam, the prosecution sought time for placing further witness. Later the tribunal adjourned the proceeding until February 2.

The witness said he had been freed after a week of confinement as he signed a bond mentioning that he would inform Kashem, the alleged al-Badr commander of Chittagong district, about the freedom fighters of the area.

Following his deposition, the tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan with members Justice Md Mozibur Rahman

Miah and Justice Md Shahinur Islam adjourned the trial until yesterday upon a defence plea.

Sanaullah during the questioning yesterday said it was not true that Kashem had not had control over the members of razakar and al-Badr forces – collaborators of the Pakistani occupation forces. Defence counsel Mizanul suggested that from November 7, 1971 to the victory of Bangladesh, the accused had not been in Chittagong. The witness said it was not true.

Justice Shahinur Islam then asked the defence counsel whether he admitted that Kashem had been in Chittagong until November 6. The defence counsel replied in the affirmative.

On November 18, formal trial against the Jamaat executive council member, also key financier of the party, began with the prosecution’s opening statement.

Kashem is facing 14 counts of crimes against humanity committed in Chittagong during the 1971 Liberation War. l

The general secretary of Ramna Thana unit of Swechchhasebak League, the volunteer wing of the ruling Awami League, has been hacked to death by unidentified criminals in the capital’s Moghbazar last night.

The victim, Mahbubur Rahman Rana, 32, was attacked by a gang in front of a mosque at Moghbazar intersection around 7:00pm.

The criminals first created a panic in the area by exploding several bombs, after hacking Rana with sharp weapons they fled the scene whilst firing blanks.

Locals rushed him to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead at around 7:30pm.

According to witnesses, a gang of four criminals on two motorbikes intercepted Rana while he was passing

through the area on a motorcycle along with one of his associates named Ripon.

The attack was carried out very quickly by the criminals, said the witnesses.

Meanwhile, Ramna Police Station Officer-In-Charge Mashiur Rahman confirmed the death and said police were now trying to ascertain the reason behind the killing, and arrest the killers.

Police also said they recovered a sharp weapon and two unexploded bombs at the scene after the killers left.

Rana, a former Chhatra League leader and resident of Chairman Goli of Moghbazar, was involved with underground politics, said local and police sources.

Police and locals suspect the killing might be a result of an intra-party feud over control of the area. l

AL men’s houses burnt down after sermon n Tribune Report Alleged activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir launched an “inspired” attack on the houses of three Awami League men in Kurigram yesterday, following a sermon (mahfil) by a local Jamaat leader lambasting the present government.

Miscreants also cut down about 250 trees belonging to one of the victims. The incident took place at the Sarodob village of Holokhana union around 1:30am.

Locals said Jamaat had orchestrated the attack by organising a religious gathering and calling upon its supporters to wage jihad against what it called the “atheist” government.

The gathering was organised at the village’s Chhatkalua Government Primary School, in which Bhurungumari Jamaat leader Abdur Bari was the main speaker.

In his speech, he said: “The current government is a collaborator of India, an atheist. They burnt down the holy Quran.

So it’s our religious duty to fight a jihad against them.”

One of the victims, Soljar Hossain, joint convenor of the union unit of Awami League, said the attack was led by local Member Mokter Hossain, joined by more than a hundred Jamaat-Shibir men.

“We ran for safety as soon as they launched the attack. They torched my two houses and cut down more than 250 of my trees,” he said. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, January 24, 2014

Bishwa Ijtema begins under five-tier security n Mohammad Jamil Khan The first phase of Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest Muslim congregation after the Hajj, begins today on the eastern bank of Turag under an intensive, five-tier security arrangement.

Lakhs of Muslim devotees from around the world have already arrived at the venue to participate in the threeday event which will conclude with a Final Prayer (Akheri Munajat) on Sunday, only to follow another three days of preaching starting on January 31.

Like previous years, the event will feature sermons on fundamental issues of Islam, group supplications and recitations from the holy Quran. Devotees from 32 districts are joining the first phase of Ijtema while those from the remaining 32 districts will join the concluding phase.

Organisers say all preparations have been taken to ensure that the event is held smoothly and without any disruption, with the help of 5,000 volunteers working for the past few weeks to prepare the ground for the accommodation of the devotees.

All utilities and safety matters have been taken care of, they said, with the assistance of public service organisations and law enforcement agencies.

The whole 160-acre land will be kept under 24-hour surveillance by over 12,000 security officials – both uniformed and plainclothes – prepared with helicopters, closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) and aerials.

Each tier of security will be supervised by an assistant superintendent of police. “Security officials have been monitoring the ground since January 18 and they will remain in operation till February 3,” said Abdul Baten, Gazipur’s superintendent of police.

Besides, 12 mobile courts will examine the quality of food sold and 50 medical camps will provide emergency

A Dhaka court yesterday rejected bail prayer of BNP Vice-Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka in four cases filed with Ramna, Mohammadpur and Shahbagh police stations.

Metropolitan Session Judge Md Jahurul Haque passed the order after hearing the petitions.

Defence Counsel Md Sanaullah Miah said they would appeal in the High Court against the order.

Earlier, a Metropolitan Magistrate court rejected bail petitions of Khoka in the cases.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel arrested the former Dhaka City Corporation mayor from a residence in the capital’s Uttara area on December 4.

On November 12 last year, police filed a case against 26 opposition activists, including Khoka, for an arson attack on a human haulier. l

Jubo Dal leader dies in RAB ‘gunfight’ n Our Correspondent, Laxmipur

Scores of devotees gather at the banks of Turag River yesterday to take part in the Biswa Ijtema which is set to start today medical services.

In order to expand the medical coverage of the 50-bed Tongi general hospital, 50 more beds have been added while regular leaves of all doctors, joined by doctors from 17 districts of the Dhaka division, have been cancelled.

The organisers have built 4,000

makeshift toilets across the ground as well as a two-storey lavatory for foreign nationals, with arrangements for regular electricity and water supply.

In this regard, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, director of water supply division of Tongi, said about 70 gallons of water would be provided through 13

deep tube-wells installed in the ground.

This year, organisers are expecting a large turnout of participants from as many as 100 countries including China, USA, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UK. MA Mannan, mayor of Gazipur city corporation, told the Dhaka Tribune

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

that he had given necessary instructions to all departments involved to perform their tasks properly.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority have arranged special train and bus services to carry the visitors to and from the venue. l

Police constable on remand for murder

Foreigners involved in illegal VoIP remanded afresh

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday placed police Constable Shawkat Ali on a three-day remand in a case filed against him for his alleged involvement with the murder of a man whose decapitated body was found at the city’s Rajarbagh Police Lines barrack on Tuesday Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzman Noor passed the order after Tofael Ahmed, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Paltan police station, produced Shawkat before the court seeking a 10-day remand in the case.

Police detained Shawkat from the Rajarbagh Police Lines barrack early Wednesday, following information from the family members of the victim.

Earlier on Tuesday, the police found

a beheaded body from the roof of a five-storey building at Rajarbagh traffic police barracks, while the severed head was later recovered from a nearby pond on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Nannu Munshi, a village quack (kobiraj) from Bakkhana village in Jhikargachha upazila of Jessore.

Police sources said Nannu had allegedly collected around Tk1 lakh 70 thousand from Shawkat in phases, with the promise of resolving marital disputes between the constable and his wife.

On Monday, Nannu came to Shawkat and demanded more money, prompting an altercation on the rooftop that eventually led to the murder of Nannu by Shawkat. l

A Dhaka court yesterday granted police four more days of remand to question 37 foreigners and five Bangladeshis accused of running an illegal VoIP business in a case filed with Uttara West police station last month.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Anwar Sadat passed the order when Md Kajemur Rashid of Rab 1, who is also the investigation officer (IO), produced the suspects before the court and requested seven days fresh remand for further interrogation in the case filed under a telecommunication act.

At the same time, defence counsel Md Sanaullah Miah filed a petition against the remand and sought bail for all the detained accused.

After hearing both sides, the court ordered four days remand for each of the accused and rejected their bail pleas.

According to the case statement, law enforcers detained 43 suspects, including eight women, with a large quantity of illegal VoIP (voice over internet protocol) equipment from a house in the capital’s Uttara area on December 22.

The detained foreigners include five Chinese and 32 Taiwanese nationals who do not have any permit to work in this country.

On December 24, another Dhaka court placed 42 of the detainees on two days’ police remand, while one Bangladeshi suspect was granted bail.

In his petition yesterday, the IO mentioned further remand was needed as three Taiwanese police officials were

now in Dhaka to jointly interrogate the foreigners over the illegal business providing phone services over the internet.

The Taiwanese officers, who arrived in the city on January 17, were named as Huang Wen Chin, Lin Chun Hsien and Huang Chun Chein.

On December 23, Abu Reza Mustafa Kamal of Rab 1 filed a case against 45 suspects under section 35(2) of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act 2001 (amended 2006). Two of the accused, Faruk Hossein and Latifunnessa Shamsuddin, are on the run.

According to the telecommunication act, anyone operating any telecom equipment without a licence faces a maximum of 10 years in jail or a fine up to Tk300 crore, or both. l

A Jubo Dal leader was killed in a “gunfight” with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at the village of Dharnapur in Charshahi union, Lakshmipur yesterday.

The deceased was one Didarul Alam, 40, general secretary of Jubo Dal’s Charshahi unit.

Sources said the gunfight took place at the village sometime around 1:30am.

Major Shahed of RAB 11 said: “The criminals opened fire while we were conducting a drive to detain some local hoodlums.”

In retaliation, RAB personnel fired back. The gunfight left Didar Bahini Chief Didarul Alam dead on the spot, he added.

Major Shahed said they had fired close to 60 rounds of ammunition while the criminals fired 40.

Lakshmipur sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Iqbal Hossain said various cases, including ones pertaining to murder and extortion, were filed against Didarul in numerous police stations. l

National Labour Policy 2012 handed over

n Tribune Report

Manusher Jonno Foundation, in cooperation with the government, published the National Labour Policy 2012.

Copy of the policy along with the English version was handed over to the government yesterday.

Executive Director of the foundation Shaheen Anam handed over a copy of the policy to State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque (Chunnu) at the conference room of the ministry at the secretariat yesterday, says a press release. l

Jamaat observes protest programme

WEATHER

Weather to remain dry n UNB

n Tribune Report

Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today.

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

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

The sun sets in the capital at 5:39pm today and rises at 6:42am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 30.2 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday in Sylhet and Sandwip and lowest 10.5 degrees in Srimangal.

Highest and lowest temperature recorded in some major cities yesyterday were: City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

28.5 29.6 27.5 27.8 27.0 28.8 30.2 30.0

15.0 15.2 13.7 14.3 13.0 14.2 14.9 16.5

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

BNP Vice-Chairman Khoka denied bail n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

5:24am 6:42am 12:10am 4:02pm 5:38pm 6:57pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday observed processions in few districts as per announcement to protest across the country against the “state terrorism, killing, disappearance and attack on houses.”

A key ally of the 18-party combine, Jamaat, and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir held processions in Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Comilla, Pabna and Cox’s Bazar, party sources told the Dhaka Tribune.

In the capital, the city unit held a procession in Gopibagh area at 2pm.

PKSF Chairman Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad speaks at a discussion meeting at the National Press Club yesterday

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Muhith: Metro rail work to speed up n Asif Showkat

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said the progress of the work of metro rail will be sped up as the scheme has been marked as a fast-track project.

The minister was speaking to journalists yesterday after a meeting with the outgoing chief representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency Takao Toda. The new Jica Representative Mikio Hateada arrived in Dhaka on November 18.

Dr Takao Toda, however, said the progress of the work on metro rail was sluggish due to a lack of Bangladeshi engineers in the project.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Oc-

tober 30 laid the foundation stone for the country’s first-ever metro rail project.

Of the total cost of Tk22,000 crore taka (around $2.8bn), Jica, a governmental agency of Japan, will provide about Tk16,500 crore, while the Bangladesh Government will provide the rest.

In the first phase, 11km would be completed by 2019, 4.4km more by 2020, and the remaining 4.7km by 2022.

On Wednesday, a meeting of the Fast Track Project Monitoring Committee at the Prime Minister’s Office decided that six projects including the Padma bridge, a deep sea port and the metro rail, with a total cost of $15.5bn, would be marked as fast-track. The projects are expected to remake the country’s

economic outlook, improve communications and accelerate GDP growth.

Minister also said, “We are comfortable working with Jica because the Japanese development agency has enhanced financial and technical support in the last ten years.”

He also said Asian Development Bank was also a good development partner of Bangladesh.

“We have taken concession loans from ADB but in the near future we will take non-concession loans from them,” he said.

Muhith also hoped that new government’s development would be visible in the next five years “just as in the last five years.” l

Earlier, the party announced that a rally would be held at 2pm at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. But no party activist or leader was seen at the venue.

However, a large number of policemen were seen guarding the area.

On Wednesday, party’s acting secretary general Shafiqur Rahman in a statement asked party men to observe the protest programme “peacefully.”

He claimed that in the last two weeks, the joint forces – comprising members of BGB, police and RAB – had killed 26 Jamaat-Shibir activists. l

Four people killed n Tribune Report

Four people were killed in separate incidents in Lalmonirhat, Narayanganj, Jhenaidah and Faridpur yesterday. Of the victims, two were school students and one was an infant, report our correspondents.

In Lalmonirhat, a schoolboy was found dead in Char Kurul of Dharla River in village Mogholhat yesterday.

The deceased was Rayhan Islam, 13, of Rowmari para area in Kurigram town, he was a student of class eight at Kurigram Govt High School.

Rayhan was kidnapped from Rowmari para area in Kurigram town on January 18, said the police.

In Narayanganj, a school student named Jahidur Rahman was killed in Sonargaon upazila. Jahidur was student of class seven of Kachpur Omor

Ali High School. Police recovered the body of Jahidur at 11am. The throat of the boy was slit and packed up in a sack from an embankment of Sadipur union under Sonargaon upazila.

In Jhenaidah, a two years old girl was strangled to death allegedly by her mother at Solaimanpur village under Kotchandpur upazila.

The kid was Sumaya Khatun, 2, and the mother was Rafeza Khatun. A case was filed with Kotchandpur police station. The body was sent to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital morgue for post mortem examination.

In Faridpur, a driver was found dead at his rented house at village Algi under Bhanga upazila early yesterday.

The dead was Rubel Sheik, 25, of village Heraldi. Sub-inspector Lyakot of Bhanga police station said they arrested Pinki, wife of the deceased. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Friday, January 24, 2014

Poor facilities at city corporation libraries irk readers Lack of manpower, funds cited as hurdles to development ians and failed to offer adequate books, n Abu Hayat Mahmud journals or IT facilities.

Dhaka residents are being denied proper library facilities, as authorities of the bifurcated city corporation have failed to ensure the supply of new books, journals or build proper infrastructure for the city’s public libraries.

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is in charge of 16 public libraries, while Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) runs seven more libraries, all of which have been set up in small rooms that are mostly in the corporations’ zonal offices or community centres.

During recent visits to public libraries of both city corporations, the Dhaka Tribune found that all the libraries contained only a handful of books, while some of the libraries did not even have any chair or table.

No reader was found using the facilities of the libraries, which lacked librar-

The DSCC-run Paltan Community Centre Public Library, located in a small room on the second floor of the community centre building, contained only a handful of books on a single showcase.

The library – which was also used as the prayer room – had no other furniture in the room.

Seeking anonymity, a couple of employees of the community centre told the Dhaka Tribune that although former councilors had carried out some development work for the libraries in the past, no development had been carried out since the splitting of the city corporation.

Elsewhere at the DNCC’s zonal office near Mogbazar’s Nayatola Park, the Wahab Memorial Public Library offered a couple of showcases full of books

A public library inside Paltan Community Centre

Titas detects 1.5 lakh feet illegal gas pipeline n Aminur Rahman Rasel Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited has removed over 11,000 feet of illegal gas pipeline in Dhaka and its adjacent districts.

It has also detected around 2 lakh feet more of illegal pipeline.

“We have so far dismantled 11,597 feet of illegal distribution pipelines of diameters ranging from one inch to three inches since September 2013,” Titas Managing Director Md Nowshad Islam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“We have disconnected gas connections to 48 households in Gazipur permanently. The remaining pipelines will be dismantled soon,” he said.

Different zone offices of Titas detected more illegal pipelines in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Narsingdi and Gazipur.

A Titas official said: “Not getting gas connections, many consumers are

Area Dhaka city, adjacent Gazipur Narayanganj Narsingdi

HC summons DoE, DG on Buriganga pollution

Pipeline diameter

Illegal pipeline detected

Pipeline disconnected

One-three inch

146,960 feet

5,272 feet

One-two inch

18,600feet

6,325feet

One-three inch

11,200 feet

-

One-two inch

22,400 feet

Total setting up illegal connections and risky gas distribution networks in different areas in the capital with the help of the members of certain syndicates comprising Titas officials and contractors.”

On May 7 last year, the government lifted the embargo on new gas connections after three years. It then said gas distribution companies could not set up new connections to households if they did not have distribution networks in the areas concerned.

Nowshad said Titas officials had faced hurdles during their drive to re-

19,9160 feet

NASHIRUL ISLAM

and some tables and chairs; but had no newspapers, journals or collection of new books.

Saidur, caretaker of the library, said the corporation authority had stopped its subscription to newspapers and journals but was unable to explain the reason behind the suspension of the subscription.

Arifuzzaman, a resident of Noyatola, said: “Earlier, I used to go to the library to read newspaper, journals and books on different topics. But I have lost the interest because of the lack of newspapers, journals and new collection of books.”

Meanwhile, the DNCC had reportedly been using two of its public libraries – Mirpur Public Library and Commissioner Saidur Rahman Newton Memorial Public Library – for conducting departmental works of the corporation’s zonal offices.

11,597 feet

move illegal distribution networks.

“Even sometimes my officials were assaulted,” he said.

He said the company had filed cases and GDs with relevant police stations against households with illegal distribution lines. All the stations have been asked to conduct drives to spot and dismantle illegal distribution networks in different city areas, he said. The Titas MD said he had transferred several employees for their suspected involvement in laying out of illegal networks and setting up illegal connections to households. l

n Nazmus Sakib The High Court yesterday summoned the director general and director of enforcement of the Department of Environment, to appear before it on February 5, over a writ petition lodged to stop the pollution of the Buriganga River.

It also issued a rule seeking an explanation, within two weeks, as to why inaction of the administration in tackling the river pollution should not be held illegal.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Haque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain passed the order in response to the plea of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

Manzil Murshid, the counsel for the petitioner, told the journalists the court also ordered all concerned authorities to take measures to cease the dumping

of garbage at Shampur point of the river within 48 hours and submit a report to the court, within ten days, in this regard.

The bench also ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka District to conduct a mobile court drive every month to take action against the owner and staff of industries responsible for dumping rubbish on the river.

The court further directed the Officer in Charges of Shampur and Ramna police station to regularly monitor the situation. In addition, the High Court ordered the shipping secretary to form a committee comprising officials of BIWTA, environment and industries ministry for an industrial waste management system.

Shipping secretary, Industry secretary, BIWTA chairman and seven others have been made respondents in the writ petition. l

Environmentalists demand reduction in dust pollution levels

n Tribune Report Environmental activists have demanded immediate steps from the government to reduce dust and air pollution across the country. The demands came from a human chain, jointly organised

by Poribesh Bachao Andolon and Bangladesh Centre for Human Rights and Development, in front of the National Press Club in the capital yesterday.

Speakers at the human chain claimed dust particles in the air have been causing various types of diseases, such as lung cancer, bronchitis, breathing problem, asthma and tuberculosis by entering into human bodies through the nostrils.

“The worst victims of the dust pollution are children, patients and senior citizens,” they added.

Apart from reducing dust pollution, the activists also demanded regular cleaning of roads and footpaths, removal of soil deposits after digging up roads for repairing utility services and an end to dumping construction materials on public places. They emphasised on proper waste management in the city and urged city corporations to be more careful while collecting and transporting garbage. l

Activists of Poribesh Bachao Andolan, wearing dust masks, form a human chain in front of Institute of Fine Arts in Shahbagh yesterday, demanding mandatory steps in curbing dust pollution RAJIB DHAR

Petition filed for cancelling bails of accused The tribunal dealing with Jahangirnagar University student Zubair Ahmed murder case would give order on the appeal for cancelling bails of six accused Chhatra League activists on Sunday.

Public Prosecutor SM Rafiqul Islam of the Speedy Trial Tribunal 4 submitted the application yesterday.

The move came after a general diary was lodged by a student of Jahangirnagar University on January 19 with Kotwali police against six of the accused who had attacked and gave death threats to Syed Nazmul Hossain and Rajibul Islam – friends of Zubair outside the Judge’s Court the same day.

The accused threatened them in presence of Estate Officer of the university Azim Uddin, a former Chhatra League leader of the unit. l

Registration opens for IT talent contest n Tribune Report The online registration process for participating in Bangladesh IT Talent Contest 2014 is currently going on.

Twenty contestants will get employment opportunities in Japan and gradually, the qualified IT professionals will get opportunities in different Japanese companies operating in USA, Canada and other countries by rotation.

The selected talents would be given training on Japanese language as well as on Japanese standard professional IT training free of cost.

Final year students of different computer science and engineering programmes of the country, graduates or software professionals will be eligible to participate in the IT talent contest.

The contest will be held in four phases.

In the first phase, preliminary selection will be completed through online MCQ and IQ test. In the second phase, a problem solving contest will be conducted, judged by local IT experts. In the third phase, contestants will be selected through interviews by local experts, and in the final phase, Japanese employers will finalise the candidates by taking further interviews. The first and second phases will be held on February 22 and February 28 consequently.

In the selection process, former Google Vice-President and current Chairman of Bangla Business Partner (BBP), Japan Norio Morakami, will be present as the guest judge.

For details, please visit http://itcontest.diit.info or http://banglait.biz. l

30 KU teachers resign from administrative posts n Tribune Report

ZUBAIR MURDER

n Tribune Report

Khandker Millatul Islam, social welfare and cultural officer of the DSCC, said: “We are trying to develop the public libraries to make it special and unique. For this reason, we have recently bought many new books for the libraries.”

He, however, said the public libraries were not being developed for manpower shortage.

Admitting that most libraries did not have any librarian, Millatul said: “We are trying to appoint librarians for each library, and hope that it will be possible immediately.” He added that furniture and other necessary materials would also be bought once the librarians are appointed.

DNCC Social Welfare and Cultural Officer Md Abdul Bari said: “After the division of the city corporation into two parts, both corporations are facing major manpower shortages.” l

The two students are batch mates of Zubair, who was brutally beaten and hacked on January 8, 2012 on the campus. He died the following day. They have been involved with “Shontrasher Biruddhe Jahangirnagar” – a platform carrying out demonstrations to end violence on campus, since the killing.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned the proceedings until January 29 as the prosecution failed to produce the seventh witness in the case yesterday.

Outside the premises, around 30 activists of the platform formed a human chain for an hour at noon demanding cancellation of bails of the all the accused as they have been threatening the activists demanding justice for Zubair.

All the 13 accused, who are leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League – ruling Awami League’s student wing, are now on bail. l

CU recovers occupied land n CU Correspondent

Talented teenagers making short films

Chittagong University authorities yesterday evicted an occupier from the campus as he had been illegally possesing two acres of land of the university.

Mohammed Samsuzzaman, assistant commissioner for land, said the eviction drive was jointly carried out around 1pm by the university administration, Hathazari land office and police.

The occupier Mansur Shah, alias Lal Bhandari, had built different establishments including residential house, hatchery and dairy farm.

Zaker Ahmed, deputy registrar of CU, said the establishments of the grabber will be used as a camp for the Ansar members on the campus.

University officials said about 495 acres land worth around Tk2000 crore of CU have been illegally occupied for a long time, and the authorities will continue the drive to get back the land from grabbers. l

n Maria Salam Green arrow production of Rajshahi commenced its journey four years ago.

Some inspired school going teenagers were inspired by a musical film made by a Dhaka based production house in Rajshahi. After having passed many obstacles they formulated the house ‘green arrow’.

Arif and Joy started it as the name of A.R.J film production to make films oriented in Rajshahi. Later Ayon and Naem joined them along with Ashiq, Fahim, Nimon, Shaon. Ayon led the pack and they made a ground breaking video called ‘ Bhalobasha hoini bola’ that created a lot of hype around the city. They used personal digital cameras for the production.

Their journey continued with some other good productions. They were inspired and started making music videos with own artists. ‘Priyare oh priya’,

a music video was made with the song of local artist Fardin. He was also the composer and lyricist of that piece.

The encouragement pushed them further and they started making short films. They did not look back since.

Shamimul Alam Shaon said a short film of their house ‘Oghoton’ is going to be released on the Valentine’s day of 2014. They are also working with another short named ‘Shohanubhuti’.

They have also made a drama on awareness named ‘Cholo bodlai’. It is written by Sheuly , directed by Fahim and edited by Ashikul Alam. Some children including Imon, Ariyan, Ahasan Habib and Samiul Alam acted brilliantly on it.

Green Arrow production said, they are not receiving the kind of media support which goes with their quality and passion, hence they are falling behind. They urge all the electronic and print media to support them. l

Some 30 teachers of Khulna University have resigned en masse from 33 administrative posts, including head of department and hall provost, protesting the insult of one of their fellows.

The teachers submitted their resignation letters to the office of the university’s registrar on Thursday, university sources said.

Asked why they resigned en masse, Dr Anirban Mostafa, one of the teachers, said Prof Dr Afroza Parveen, acting director of the Fine Arts Institute, was insulted at the academic council meeting held on January 18 over her continuation as the director of the institute.

He said they resigned from different administrative posts protesting insult of the Dr Afroza and three to four other reasons.

University sources said acting head of the Development Studies Discipline Prof Dr Mostafa Sarwar questioned the validity of Dr Afroza’s continuation as the acting director of the institute whereas a senior professor joined the institute two months ago.

He said as per the rules, the senior profession should be made director of the Fine Arts Institute and Dr Afroza had no rights to attend the academic council meeting as acting director.

Following the incident, Dr Afroza rendered her resignation letter to the vice-chancellor on Wednesday.

Contacted, KU Vice-chancellor Prof Dr M Fayekuzzaman said he heard about the resignation of several teachers and was trying to resolve the problem.

Registrar Dr Amir Hossain, however, said he was yet to get the resignation letters. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Two ‘robbers’ lynched in Noakhali

Nation

Friday, January 24, 2014

BRICK KILNS HIT CROP PRODUCTION IN LALMONIRHAT

n Our Correspondent, Noakhali Two suspected robbers were killed by a mob at Sonadia under Hatiya upazila, Noakhali in the early hours of yesterday.

The deceased were Haque Saheb, 32, and Mahabubul Alam Madhu, 30.

Syed Md Fazle Rabbi, officer-incharge of Hatiya police station, said a gang of robbers had come by the area known as Hilton Market.

Sensing their presence, locals surrounded the robbers and managed to catch two of them.

The locals subjected them to battery, in which both Haque and Mahbub died on the spot.

Upon being informed, police came by the spot and recovered the bodies before sending them to Noakhali Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

The OC said Haque Saheb had been accused in seven cases, which include murder, rape and robbery, while Mahabubul Alam Madhu was accused in two.

A case was filed in this connection with Hatiya police station. l

Industrial usage wearing away fertility, authorities look the other way n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat At least 300 bighas of land are losing topsoil every year, which is being used to manufacture bricks at 31 brick kiln fields in five upazilas under the district.

Farmers are sometimes lured by the brick kiln owners into selling the surface layer of their farmland’s soil which ultimately hits production.

The Agriculture Department in the district is yet to take any steps to save the farmland from the clutches of brick kilns owners.

Many agriculture officials alleged that they ceased to take action against the owners because of their political and economic power.

Agriculture officials, brick-manufacturing labourers and local farmers said the topsoil of nine to 10 bighas of land were necessary to manufacture about 10 to 12 lakh bricks.

They said at first, the brick kiln own-

ers collected topsoil from the neighbouring farmland surrounding the brick kiln areas in the locality by tempting them into selling the upper layer of their land; sometimes they even used force.

Jibon Chandra Saha, manager of a local brick kiln at Madonerchak village in Lalmonirhat Sadar, said the owners purchased the topsoil of onebigha farmland between Tk6,000 and Tk12,000 from the farmers.

A brick kiln owner bought topsoil of nine to 10 bighas of farmland every year, he said.

Kashem Ali, 60, a farmer at Bamonerbasa village of Kaliganj upazila, said he was forced to sell topsoil of his two bighas of farmland to a local brick kiln owner this year.

“Like me, all other farmers in the village are losing topsoil of their farmland every year, he said, adding that he sold topsoil of one-bigha

farmland for Tk8,000 only.

Another farmer Nazrul Islam said: “I know topsoil is very important for cropland, but I had no way but comply with their demands to save my land.”

Farmers Jamal Uddin, Mansur Ali, Abdul Jabbar, Meher Ali, Sultan Miah and others in the village in Lalmonirhat Sadar said the brick kiln owners cashed in on the topsoil purchase by digging out the surface layer of soil at least two feet in depth.

It was not possible for us now to get 50% output, and ultimately the fertility of farmland is being lost, they said.

“I got about 40 maunds of paddy from two bighas of farmland three years ago, but the production has declined by 50% as I sold the topsoil to a local brick kiln owner,” said farmer Farhadul Islam in Doljor village under Aditmari upazila.

Contacted, ASB Brick Kiln owner Sahidul Islam at Bamonerbasa village

under Kaliganj upazila said they knew the topsoil was very fertile for producing crops, but the farmers sold that to them.

“We never face any protest from the Agriculture Department for using the topsoil in our brick kilns,” he said, denying the allegations that the farmers were forced to sell the topsoil of their land.

Agriculture and Environment Coordinator Mamunur Rashid of an NGO, RDRS, said the use of topsoil for brick manufacturing badly hit crop output.

He called upon the authorities concerned for immediate steps to stop digging out the surface layer of soil.

Admitting that the topsoil is used in the kilns, Deputy Director Abdul Mazid of the Agriculture Extension Department said he would take necessary steps with the help of district administration to save the farmland from being barren. l

Police yet to recover snatched revolver n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj Two months have passed by but the revolver that pickets managed to snatch from a member of the Detective Branch of Police, during a general strike in Sirajganj in November 2013, has not yet been recovered.

Police said pickets of the BNP-led 18-party alliance grabbed the revolver, which was loaded with 7 rounds of bullets, from Sub-Inspector Rejaul Karim while he was performing his duties in the town’s Khedon Sarder Square on November 27 of last year.

The police later recovered a magazine and the bullets, but the revolver is yet to be found, said officer-in-charge of DB police, Nasir Uddin.

A case was filed accusing 45 of the pickets while 9 other individuals, including the district Jubo Dal president, were detained in connection to the case.

The detainees are Jubo Dal President Abu Said Sweet, Shahjamal Hossain Bhuttu, Ashraful Islam Roni, Md Hashu Sheikh, Ringku Sheikh, Alamgir Alam, Lutfur Bhuiya and Ashraful Islam Dipu. l

Poor road conditions derail Birganj business n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur The people in Birganj upazila of Dinajpur district have been suffering long as a 180km connecting road is lying in a sorry state.

According to sources, of the road, 30km stretching from Shibrampur, Polashbari, Shotogram, Paltapur, Sujalpur, Nijpara, Vognagar, Sator, Mohonpur, Kabirrajhat, Goplaganja to Laterhat area, 40km from Tajmohol Cinema square of Birganj municipality to Kalimela, 15km from Muktijoddha Nam-Folok square to Baliahat and 40km from Birganj Degree College square to Goerahat area, are in bad shape.

Passengers and drivers of several vehicles find it difficult to ply across

the road because of potholes. Many accidents occur due to this poor condition.

Engineering Department officials were seen conducting surveys a few days ago but the road hasn’t seen any renovation yet.

Upazila chairman, vice-chairman, women vice-chairmen and 11 union parishad chairmen said that they were aware of the matter and demanded authorities’ help to repair the road.

Upazila Enginner of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) Md Musa said; “The survey was done and we applied for allocation to the government to repair the road.”

Locasl also demanded immediate repair to the road. l

Man to die for killing wife n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Farmers collect salt at Rangikhali village in Cox’s Bazar yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Water crisis hits irrigation in Khagrachhari Correspondent, n Our Khagrachari

Around 70,000 acres of land have remained uncultivated at eight upazilas in Khagrachhari this year due to shortage of irrigation facilities.

According to District Agriculture Extension (DAE) Office, although Khagrachhari is covered with hills, mountains and rocky soil, there are over 1 lakh acres of cultivable land.

Most of the land is located on the bank of three rivers Chengi, Feni and Mainee.

Of the total cultivable land, only 25,000 acres of land were bought under boro cultivation, 5,000 acres under vegetables and 5,000 acres of land under winter crops cultivation this year.

Farmer Sauprue Marma, 45, of Apar Perachhara under sadar upazila in the district said over 1,000 acres of land at his village had remained uncultivated because of water crisis.

“We cultivate all the land during rainy season and sit idle rest of the year as there are no irrigation facilities,” he said.

Rupananda Chakma, 42, a farmer of Dullatali village under Lakshmichhari upazila in the district, said more than 1,500 acres of land at his village remain uncultivated during dry season for acute water crisis.

“We cannot set up tube-wells to meet our daily requirement of water, let alone cultivating Boro, he said, adding no initiatives were taken from the government’s end to solve the water crisis so that farmers

can bring their land under cultivation of different types of crops.

Environmental activist Abu Daud Muhammad said farmers in Khagrachhari are usually depended on three rivers that are filling up with siltation.

“Rivers remain waterless as these are filled with soil and have not been dredged for even a single time,” he said.

Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer of district DAE Ranjit Chakrobory said there was no deep tube-well in the district for irrigation facilities.

The three rivers which farmers mostly depend on are going to die because of siltation, random hill cutting and deforestation.

“There are 525 diesel operated small pumps in the district used by

hill farmers during boro cultivation, but these remain useless as there is no water in the river,” he added.

Deputy Director of Khagrachhari DAE Abdul Matin said most of the land remained fallow for lack of irrigation facilities. But the production chart of the district can be changed if we are able to bring the uncultivable land under boro cultivation through setting up some barrage, embankment and creek barrages.

Replying to another query, Abdul Matin said Khagrachhari Hill District Council had set up over 100 creek barrages aiming to change boro cultivation, but most of the time targets are not fulfilled because of corruption of constructors and shortage of DAE officials monitoring. l

Friends for punishment of Rayhan’s kidnappers n Our Correspondent, Kurigram

The students of Kurigram Government High School staged demonastrations and blocked KurigramChilmari and Kurigram-Rangpur highways at Zero Point Shapla Chattar for one hour yesterday.

The classmates of Rayhan held the demonstration demanding the punishment of those who kidnapped killed him after kidnap.

Later, agitated students and the inhabitants of Hashpatalpara area submitted two memorandums to the deputy commissioner and police super demanding punishment of the culprits.

Police recovered the body of the

13-year-old boy from Moghol Haat Char area in Lalmonirhat on Monday.

It was alleged that the kidnapping was conducted by Nazrul’s wife Jhorna, tenant of the victim’s house and her son Sagar, an SSC candidate from Kurigram Collectorate School & Collage.

Police said Sagar called Rayhan outside the house to play on Saturday. On the next day, the kidnappers demanded ransom and the victim’s father Ershadul Haque provided the money but the abductors demanded more money. As the victim’s family failed to manage the extra money, the abductors killed Rayhan. Police detained Jhorna and Sagor. l

Students form a human chain in Kurigram town yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

A Chittagong court issued the death penalty to a man for killing his wife for dowry.

Women and Children Repression Tribunal-1 Judge Md Rezaul Karim pronounced the verdict yesterday.

The convict was identified as Abdul Hannan, 25, hailing from Jafrabad village of Chandnaish upazila of Chittagong while another accused Rabeya Khatun, mother of Hannan, was acquitted from the case.

On April 19, 2001, Hannan strangulated his wife Nargis Akter for dowry

of TK50,000. Nargis was five months pregnant at the time.

Her body was found lying in a cane field the following day. Akter’s father Dudu Miah filed a case with Chandnaish police station later on the same day. On July 25, 2001, police submitted the charge sheet and it was framed on January 31, 2002.

Out of 19, a total of eight persons testified in the case. Hannan has been absconding since August of last year.

Hannan and Nargis, both hailing from Charpara village under Jafarabad union of Chnadnaish, were married in 2000.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Friday, January 24, 2014

How the ‘Media Has Failed Women’ has failed

Apparently, in case of women, certain articles of clothing pose a bigger threat than firearms. This sign was outside the entrance of a church in Georgia

R

n Niyonta Nahia Chowdhury

ise and shine. Feminism is the air. Body positivity, body image, female empowerment, sexism, objectification, and misogyny are some words that seem to be continually flung around on laminated gold papers, like fiery shuriken hurling through the air. All these terms and their meanings are nicely lumped into one video that has been stampeding the Internet since the beginning of December last year – How the Media Has Failed Women in 2013.

Here, we see glimpses of female figures ranging from Malala Yousafzai to Sandra Bullock to Hillary Clinton to Miley Cyrus to Rachel Maddow to Rihanna, some portraying positive representation and some negative,

What is questionable is the indication that the media directors are the sole perpetuators of certain social constructs in the media

with the common themes of positivity being intelligence, talent, leadership and achievement, and the common themes of negativity being body exposure, sexualisation, rape culture perpetuation, and methodic snide mocking, which is in effect bullying, from male peers.

No one will argue the intentionality of the media in presenting information in such ways as to create and inculcate in viewers certain social constructs, and no one will argue the collective failure of eliminating rape culture and the societal disadvantages of women, but what is questionable is the indication that the media directors are the sole perpetuators of these constructs in the media.

Such an indication, when extended to include women exposing their bodies or sexualising themselves, assumes a lack of agency on the woman’s part and adopts the view that she is an unknowing victim of exploitation, or assumes a lack of intelligence on her part and adopts the view that she is an unknowing victim of societal indoctrination, catering to hegemonic cis-male privilege.

How is this sheep-like view of women any better than however the

media is portraying them? Women, like the pop artists referenced in the video, are highly successful in their careers and are talented musicians as well as creative performers, irrespective of whether or not their style can be reconciled with one’s artistic preferences. So are they really being exploited or are they turning it around and exploiting that very exploitation of women, to their own advantage?

A huge issue is the dated notion of correlating self-respect and dignity with attire (or lack thereof).

If self-presentation is the issue, and if pop artists like Rihanna and Miley Cyrus are coerced products of a culture that fetishizes hyper-sexualization, who will reasonably argue that those women who wear a hijab or burkha are any less coerced into their decision by the cultures relevant to them?

Women face presentational pressures from both sides of the spectrum.

Today, if I go out wearing a niqab, I’m a product of religious oppression. The day after, if I go out wearing a short skirt, I’m a “slut.” There is no escape.

On a clothing-style scale of 1 to 10, we have to shrink and squeeze ourselves somewhere in the range of 4 to 6; trespassing beyond that in either direction would put us women in dangerous territory.

Also, by definition a “slut” is a female who engages in sexual relations indiscriminately. Even if we were to naively assume that one’s wardrobe spells out one’s sexual lifestyle, so what if a woman did have multiple sexual relations? Since which stage of evolution is sexuality exclusively male domain?

Sociologically speaking, and in the words of Anthony Giddens, sexuality and relationships in the post-modern world are apparently governed by confluent love, a liberal and contingent romantic construct that had come to be under “pressures of female sexual emancipation and autonomy.”

Why is it then that when a man has many sexual experiences, those are seen as conquests and he is perceived as a “player,” and a woman with similar tendencies still gets the label of “slut” or some other derogatory term, not only by men but also by other women.

To give a little personal anecdote, I have been schooled in supposedly the best private school in Dhaka and the tasteless sexism I have witnessed, and also personally experienced from both the authorities and my peers, in the latter years of my time there, had generated in me a raging disgust that had entirely masked the earlier happy memories and left me with avoidant tendencies.

I was called in and shamed, my parents were called in and blatantly lied to. Two of the least caustic (and filtered) examples of two different authorities’ dialogues: “You’re the girl. You’re the one society will always point to. You’re a very intelligent lady and we have high expectations of you, and not just academically. I hope you will not disappoint us,” and “If there

weren’t these distractions like yourself, he could have done something very big by now.”

The former person’s approach focuses on me and eloquently informs me that if I don’t conform to their idea of standard female behaviour, there can be repercussions. The latter person’s approach, skilfully and wonderfully articulates her view that I am holding back “Da Man.” Technically, we were both students of the school, but I had been dehumanised and reduced to a mere object, an object of distraction for the male student.

There is good reason I limited the second quotation to just one sentence, and don’t feel comfortable sharing the rest of what was said. Needless to say, these were references to a relationship I was in at the time. Needless to say, I was the villain. Needless to say, the boy was never called in. No I did not sexually assault him whenever I saw him. I did not otherwise “distract” him with my rampant sexuality whenever I saw him either.

All I did was talk to him – that too conversations I don’t recall ever initiating myself, considering I was very aware that every little nuance in my movements and sneezes were being observed.

In other words, all I did was exist and that was criminal enough to warrant systematic humiliation. It wasn’t just me, although with lesser frequency and vigor, there were also other girls who were monitored and, when the perceived need be, spoken to. Such is the hypocrisy of elitist private schools that claim themselves to be liberal and progressive.

I have grown up in a culture that religiously and systematically teaches

BIGSTOCK

All I did was exist and that was criminal enough to warrant systematic humiliation

only difference is that one is fighting against it and rejecting it (but is denounced as encouraging it), and the other is hiding from it as protection (and is denounced as accommodating to it).

Like many others, all my life, I had the constant awareness of this condition at the back of my head, this condition of being female, and once and for all I would like to start dressing and behaving according to my own set of ideals and my own aesthetic sense without thinking of how male-dominated the world is and how my choice of dressing will be perceived to relate to that.

What is it about the sight of the female body that sets off so many cues of threat? Why is it that one form of exposure is acceptable but another isn’t? It is clearly not that the very idea of exposure is unacceptable. Here is

While one half of the feminist world is screaming about body positivity and denouncing obligatory covering up, the other half is equating being classy to not exposing our bodies

women to keep themselves in check; a fitted top, gym shorts, or even the slightest slip of my dupatta would attract the gaze of five hundred rickshawalas and condemnation by five hundred relatives.

While one half of the feminist world is screaming about body positivity and denouncing obligatory covering up, the other half is equating being classy to not exposing our bodies. The irony lies in that both have male objectification in mind; the

where the wild hypocrisy lies, the hypocrisy of art, the hypocrisy of being.

Nudity and sexuality are acceptable only when presented within a certain framework, authenticated by a certain context, therefore only when it appeals to a certain kind of aesthetic.

Brooke Candy’s partial nudity is inacceptable, but Kate Winslet’s nudity in Titanic is beautiful. Silk Smitha’s semi-nudity is profane, but Vidya Balan’s semi-nudity while depicting that same Silk Smitha merits her multiple

international awards. Anne Hathway’s nudity in Havoc is acting, but Rihanna’s raunchiness is classless. Natalie Portman’s nudity in Hotel Chevalier is art, but Miley Cyrus’ bawdiness means she is letting the music industry pimp her into the world of stylised pornography and glamorous prostitution.

Then there are classic nude portraits that have been hailed throughout history – Albert Moore’s A Summer Night, Albrecht Drurer’s Adam and Eve, and of course Michael Angelo’s David. By virtue of the fact that nudity and sexuality are represented in art form, they must have some sort of perceived beauty. But that beauty is criminalised when it is those very things of which those art forms are a representation, us, our bodies, that are presented similarly.

What is it about dynamic visual representation that threatens people’s sense of social structure? It is socially acceptable to talk about nudity and sex (but then again only in conditioned settings), to write about nudity and sex (but then again only in moderated language), to privately engage in sexual activities (but then again only in traditionally accepted styles and circumstances), but it is not at all acceptable to be publicly sexual or claim sexuality.

My disapproval of this schism between action and representation, and the double standard of propriety is valid only in so far as the action isn’t inherently nasty or ugly. I am not saying, for example, that just because we defecate, we should also celebrate feces and glorify them in visual representations. But there is nothing inherently nasty about the human body and sexuality.

So yes, we have talked about the double standard of the media, we have talked about how it has failed women. Now let’s talk about the double standard of feminist groups and the double standard of every woman, every man and everyone else of all other gender identities that perpetuate body-shaming and sexuality-shaming culture. l The author is a student of Clinical Psychology and Literary Arts at Sarah Lawrence College and Bristol University.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Friday, January 24, 2014

AFRICA

UN expert: CAR risks spiralling into genocide S Sudan seeks peace deal Adama Dieng warns of ‘high risk of crimes against humanity and of genocide’ n Agencies The UN chief’s special adviser on genocide prevention has warned of a “high risk of crimes against humanity and of genocide” in the Central African Republic.

Adama Dieng and other UN officials briefed the Security Council on Wednesday on the continuing and unprecedented violence between Christians and Muslims in the country.

More than half the country’s 4.6m people need assistance, according to the UN, and nearly onem have fled their homes after mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in a March coup d’etat that ousted former President Francois Bozize.

Christian self-defence groups known as “anti-balaka” (anti-machete) have taken up arms against them, and the UN estimates that retaliatory violence has claimed thousands of lives.

The officials spoke of children being beheaded, entire villages burned and a complete breakdown of law and order, and they urged the deployment of more peacekeepers as soon as possible.

“The level of hatred between these communities shocked me,” Dieng said, listing widespread reports of summary executions, mutilation and sexual violence among the “widespread and massive” human rights violations.

Restoring peace will be difficult “without addressing the current culture of impunity,” he added.

Dieng and the other officials spoke

n Agencies A woman reacts as red cross workers retrieve the bodies of people killed on January 22, following an attack by Anti-Balaka Chrisitan militiamen in the majority Muslim PK 13 district of Bangui AFP after a visit last month as violence spiralled.

Despite the dark outlook for the country, they expressed hope at this week’s election of Catherine Samba-Panza as interim president, and at the $496m in humanitarian assistance newly pledged by international donors.

They also welcomed the approval by European Union foreign ministers this

Ukraine opposition sets 24-hour deadline Ukrainian protesters will go “on the attack” if President Viktor Yanukovych does not swiftly offer concessions, opposition leader Vitali Klitschko has pledged.

After fierce clashes on Wednesday, Klitschko told tens of thousands of protesters crammed into Kiev’s Independence Square that Yanukovych could resolve the situation without bloodshed by calling early elections.

“If Yanukovych does not make concessions, then yesterday we will go on the attack,” Klitschko said.

His comments came as at least three demonstrators were killed - the first fatalities in two months of anti-government protests. Pitched battles raged in the centre of the Ukrainian capital as protesters hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at police and security forces responded with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Ukraine’s prime minister has taken a hard line against demonstrators flouting anti-protest laws, saying “terrorists” had taken to the streets of Kiev and that opposition leaders should be held responsible for the deaths.

“I am officially stating that these are criminals who must answer for their

action,” Mykola Azarov said.

He said the police did not have live ammunition.

The country has been gripped by protests since Yanukovych rejected a deal with the European Union and instead signed a pact with Russia.

For the past two nights, demonstrators and police have been clashing in Kiev’s city centre. Two of the victims on Wednesday died from gunshot wounds. The third died in a fall from the top of a football stadium.

The bodies were found before police moved to tear down protesters’ barricades near official buildings in central Kiev and chase demonstrators away.

Helmeted riot police moved in on hundreds of protesters, dismantling barricades, beating many with truncheons and firing shots at some.

The police drove demonstrators down a hill towards the main protest site on Independence Square, where protesters have set up an extensive tent camp and rallied around the clock since November 21.

But the protesters soon returned, building barricades from giant sacks of snow and hurling stones and firebombs at police lines. There was no immediate police move on the main camp. l

week of a potential joint military force of about 500 troops to assist the roughly 1,600 French troops and about 4,600 African troops trying to restore order.

Samba-Panza pledged after her election to hold talks with armed groups.

“I want to meet with the armed groups and listen to them,” she told reporters. “If they took up arms, then there is a reason for that.”

The statements came as the Red Cross said it had found 11 corpses, most burnt beyond recognition, dumped in the capital Bangui.

Antoine Mbao Bogo, president of the Central African Red Cross Society, said nine of 11 bodies collected from Bangui’s mostly Muslim northern neighbourhood of PK11 earlier this week had been set alight. l

UN envoy to meet Syria rivals to mend splits n Agencies UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is set to meet both Syrian delegations separately on Thursday, a day before their first negotiations when he will try to bring them into the same room.

“Tomorrow I am going to meet them separately and see how best we can move forward,” Brahimi, speaking to a news conference after all-day ministerial talks in the Swiss resort of Montreux on Wednesday, said.

“We will try to see if we meet Friday morning separately and hopefully by Friday afternoon both sides will sit in one room,” he said later.

Describing the challenge ahead, Brahimi said: “We have no illusion that it is going to be easy but we are going to try very hard.”

With no one ready for serious concessions, world powers will be looking for short-term deals to keep the process moving forward, including on localised ceasefires, freer humanitarian access and prisoner exchanges.

Brahimi said he had indications from both sides that they were willing to discuss these issues.

After a day of formal speeches, UN leader Ban Ki-moon urged Syria’s regime and opposition to finally work together at the table.

“The world wants an urgent end to the conflict,” Ban said in a closing

UN-Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi (L) walks behind UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon prior to a press conference closing the Geneva II peace talks AFP press conference at the talks in the Swiss town of Montreux on Wednesday. “Enough is enough, the time has to come to negotiate.”

Ban also told reporters that he had urged the Syrian government to release detainees as a confidence-building measure.

Even if the sides are willing to talk about limited confidence-building measures, expectations for the peace process remain low, with an overall solution to the three-year war still far off.

Berlusconi, ex-prostitute US eases uniforms for investigated religious observance Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is being investigated for tampering with witnesses in a trial that saw him sentenced to jail for having sex with an underage prostitute, a court said Thursday. Berlusconi, his lawyers and several young women including the ex-prostitute nicknamed “Ruby the Heart Stealer,” are being investigated in the wake of the July verdict, which the media magnate has appealed.

Thebnaire has denied having sex with Ruby at what prosecutors had described as erotic parties held at his luxury residence outside Milan.

The scandal-tainted 77-year-old is now being investigated for having corrupted witnesses, including by paying the women at the parties monthly sums to testify that the gatherings were just innocent dinners. Judges at the case had said that it “is proven” that Berlusconi had sex with Ruby, a then 17-yearold exotic dancer whose real name is Karima El-Mahroug, “in exchange for money or valuable objects.”

The three-time premier – no stranger to the courts during his political career – was also sentenced to a year in prison for tax fraud last year which led to his ouster from parliament and stripped of his protection from the law. l

n Agencies The US military has eased restrictions on religious tattoos, hairstyles or apparel that troops can display while in uniform, as long as they do not jeopardise “unit cohesion.”

The Pentagon said on Wednesday the rules it unveiled marked the first time the agency had laid out a general policy on the issue.

“The new policy states that military departments will accommodate religious requests of service members unless they have an adverse effect on military readiness, mission accomplishment, unit cohesion, and good

order and discipline,” spokesman Lieutenant Commander Nate Christensen said in a statement. As long as a unit’s mission is not put at risk or its safety jeopardised, the regulations would allow an exception to standard “cleancut” grooming standards on religious grounds, including facial hair or other hairstyles, tattoos and piercings that reflect a soldier’s spiritual faith.

However, certain apparel or other expressions of religious faith would not be permitted if it “interferes with the wear or proper function of special or protective clothing or equipment,” such as helmets, flak jackets or flight suits, Christensen said. l

Rouhani: Possible to end US-Iran animosity

Three dead, 30 missing in Canadian fire

n Reuters

n AFP, Montreal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said it was possible to turn more than three decades of enmity with the United States into friendship if both sides made an effort. He was speaking in a Swiss television interview on Wednesday after arriving at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he will court the global

business community and meet a series of oil company executives on Thursday.

Asked whether there could one day be a US embassy again in Tehran instead of the Swiss embassy representing US interests in Iran, the president told public RTS television: “No animosity lasts eternally, no friendship either lasts eternally. So we have to transform animosities into friendship.” l

Morocco’s parliament has unanimously amended an article in the penal code that allowed a rapist to escape prosecution if he married his underage victim.

The amendment to Article 475 of the penal code, first proposed by the country’s Islamist-led government a year ago, was amended by lawmakers on Wednesday, parliamentary sources said.

The article in question made international headlines in March 2012 when Amina al-Filali, 16, was forced to marry a man who had allegedly raped her.

After seven months of marriage to the 23-year-old man, she committed

MID-EAST

AMERICAS

n AFP, Rome

South Sudan’s government and rebels are expected to sign a peace deal later Thursday aimed at ending the monthold conflict in the world’s newest nation, mediators said.

“There is going to be a signing ceremony... by the South Sudanese parties at 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) today,” mediators from the regional bloc IGAD said in a statement.

Fighting broke out between rival army units in the capital Juba on December 15, with President Salva Kiir accusing his sacked deputy Riek

Machar of attempting a coup.

The conflict quickly deteriorated into all-out war between the regular army, who are being backed by Ugandan troops, and defectors and ethnic militia, with the violence also pitting Kiir’s Dinka tribe against Machar’s Nuer group.

The peace deal presented by IGAD mediators is expected to cover a ceasefire agreement and address the issue of 11 detainees close to Machar who were arrested after the fighting started.

Aid workers and analysts say the conflict has left up to 10,000 dead, while around half am people have fled their homes. l

Morocco repeals ‘rape marriage law’

EUROPE

n Agencies

n AFP, Addis Ababa

A fire at a Quebec residence for elderly people has killed three people, with 30 more missing, police said Thursday.

The fire at the residence, which housed some 50 to 60 elderly people, broke out shortly after midnight.

The home is located in the small town of L’Isle Verte, which has a popu-

lation of about 1,400 people.

Authorities said at least nine people were injured, one seriously, and were being treated at nearby hospitals.

The Red Cross created a makeshift shelter at a local school where 16 people rescued from the inferno spent the night, according to a representative, Myriam Marotte, who spoke to local television. l

Russia, which co-sponsored the Montreux meeting with the United States, said the rival Syrian delegations had promised to sit down on Friday for talks which were expected to last about seven days.

About 40 nations and international bodies were gathered, but no direct talks are expected until possibly Friday – when opposition and regime delegations will meet in Geneva for negotiations that officials have said could last seven to 10 days. l

suicide in 2012. Her parents and a judge had forced the marriage to protect the family honour.

The incident sparked calls for the law to be changed. The traditional practise of forced marriage can be found across the Middle East and in countries such as India and Afghanistan, where the loss of a woman’s virginity out of wedlock puts a stain on a family’s honour.

Right activists hailed the amendment, while stressing that much more remained to be done to promote gender equality, outlaw child marriage and protect women from violence in the North African country. l

Iran president says elections ‘best solution’ for Syria n AFP, Davos Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday that elections would be the best way of ending the civil war in Syria and warned the West it could not impose a political solution on Tehran’s neighbour and ally.

Speaking as fledgling Syrian peace talks entered a second day on the other side of Switzerland, Rouhani told the World Economic Forum that the Syrian people should be allowed to decide their own destiny. “The best solution is to organise free and fair elections inside Syria,” Rouhani told the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“No outside party or power should decide for the Syrian people and Syria as a country.” Describing a conflict that has been raging for nearly three years as a “major catastrophe,” Rouhani said Iran was deeply concerned by the influx of foreign fighters he described as “terrorists” into Syria. “Millions of innocent people have been killed, maimed or made homeless - it is a miserable situation and very sad,” Rouhani said. “All of us should work together to push terrorists out of Syria and advise the countries who support them that this is not their own best interests - their next stop will be their own countries.” l

IN OTHER NEWS HK tycoon doubles bounty to marry off gay daughter

A Hong Kong tycoon may double a “marriage bounty” to find a male suitor for his gay daughter to US$130m, despite his initial offer attracting 20,000 candidates, a report said. Two years ago, wealthy property developer Cecil Chao made global headlines by offering a reward of HK$500m ($65m) to any man who could persuade daughter Gigi to marry. He is now considering increasing his offer, a report in a Malaysian financial publication said. The 77-year-old tycoon “hinted this figure could be doubled (to HK $1bn) if someone could capture her heart,” The Edge said. “I don’t want to interfere with my daughter’s private life. I only hope for her to have a good marriage and children as well as inherit my business,” Chao told the publication. But this fresh attempt at a financial sweetener for any man who can win Gigi’s heart has left her upset and her female partner of nine years Sean Eav “distraught,” the South China Morning Post said. “I don’t think my dad’s offering of any amount of money would be able to attract a man I would find attractive,” the 33-year-old daughter told the Hong Kong newspaper. “I would be happy to befriend any man willing to donate huge amounts of money to my charity Faith in Love, provided they don’t mind that I already have a wife. “Third and lastly, thank you Daddy, I love you too,” she said.

Gigi is reported to have married Eav in a ceremony in France in 2012, though samesex marriages are not recognised in Hong Kong. Chao’s initial dowry offer issued the same year attracted 20,000 responses from around the world but failed to change Gigi’s mind.

Azeri gay rights leader commits suicide

A leading Azerbaijani gays rights activist killed himself after writing in an online suicide note that he could not go on living in “this country and this world,” police said on Thursday. Isa Shakhmarli, 20, chairman of Azerbaijan Free LGBT, a Baku-based gay rights advocacy group, was found dead on Wednesday after reportedly hanging himself using the rainbow-coloured flag of the gay pride movement. “We received a call from his loved ones reporting a suicide,” a police spokesman for the Yasamal district of Baku told AFP. “Police officers found his body at the scene. An investigation into the suicide is being carried out,” the police said.

Homosexuality is stigmatised in the mainly Muslim but officially secular former Soviet country. Many gays and lesbians say they experience routine harassment and attacks and are shunned by friends and family after coming out. In an emotional farewell note, Shakhmarli asked friends to let his mother know he loved her and said that he had left the door to his flat open. “I am leaving.

Forgive me for everything. This country and this world are not for me,” Shakhmarli wrote in a message to friends on the social networking site Facebook. “You are all guilty for my death. This world cannot handle my true colours. Goodbye,” the message said. A video posted onto an Internet news site showed medics at the scene trying, and failing to resuscitate Shakhmarli as friends wept in the background. A torn rainbow flag can be seen hanging from the ceiling.

Vugar Adigozalov, a close friend and former colleague of Shakhmarli at the gay rights organisation, told AFP that his family had difficulty accepting his sexuality.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

ASIA

9

Friday, January 24, 2014

Elders in India order gang-rape The unmarried Santhal victim was suspected of having an affair with a Muslim man in West Bengal the complaint before the police, were Subalpur village, about 240 kilometres n AFP, Kolkata (149 miles) west of state capital Kolkata, arrested,” Sudhakar said.

Suspects in a gang-rape case are led by police to a district courthouse in Birdhum district near the village of Subalpur, some 240 kilometres west of Kolkata AFP

Pakistan Shias protest over bus bombing

n AFP, Quetta Thousands demonstrated in cities across Pakistan on Thursday against the killing of 24 Shia Muslim pilgrims in a bomb attack, as their relatives refused to bury their bodies in a powerful gesture of protest. The roadside blast on Tuesday hit a bus around 60 kilometres (40 miles) west of Quetta, the capital of south-western Baluchistan province, which has been the focus of growing sectarian violence in Pakistan.Up to 2,000 people, most of them Shias, demonstrated on Quetta’s busy Alamdar Road with the bodies of the bombing victims, refusing to bury them until action is taken against militants.

There were also demonstrations in Karachi and the Punjab cities of Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi, against what protesters called the “genocide” of Pakistani Shias. Members of Quetta’s Hazara ethnic community, which is largely Shia, began their protest on Wednesday and braved freezing temperatures to spend the night in the open. They say they will not bury the victims’ bodies until a military operation wipes out militants and their sanctuaries from the outskirts of Quetta and nearby Mastung district, where Tuesday’s attack happened. l

Abe sees World War One echoes in Japan-China tensions n Reuters, Tokyo Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said Japan and China should avoid repeating the past mistakes of Britain and Germany, which fought in World War One despite their deep economic ties, according to his main government spokesman in Tokyo.

Abe was speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday.

His comments were provided by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga after the Financial Times said Abe had told reporters that China and Japan were in a “similar situation” to Britain and Germany before 1914, whose close economic ties had not prevented the conflict.

He also said China’s steady rise in military spending was a major source of regional instability, the newspaper reported. Suga said earlier in the day that Abe’s comments should by no means be interpreted to mean that war between the two Asian giants was possible, noting that Abe had said dialogue and the rule of law, not armed forces and threats, were needed for peace and prosperity in Asia. Sino-Japanese ties, long plagued by what Beijing sees as Japan’s failure to atone for its occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 1940s, have worsened recently due to a territorial row, Tokyo’s mistrust of Beijing’s military buildup and Abe’s December visit to a shrine that critics say glorifies Japan’s wartime past.

Suga told a news conference that Abe - noting that this year is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One - said Britain and Germany clashed despite their deep economic ties.

Asked if China and Japan might clash militarily, Abe replied that such a conflict “would be a great loss not only for Japan and China but for the world and we need to make sure such a thing would not happen,” according to Suga. l

Indian police have arrested 13 people over the gang-rape of a 20-year-old woman, who was allegedly assaulted on the orders of tribal elders, police said Thursday.

The attack on Tuesday took place in a remote village in West Bengal state where the unmarried woman from the Santhal tribal group was suspected of a relationship with a Muslim man from a neighbouring village.

The elders, who comprise the informal village council, initially imposed a fine of 25,000 rupees (400 dollars) on her family, but they were unable to pay, district police superintendent C. Sudhakar told AFP. “The girl was gang-raped for having an affair with a youth of another community and failing to pay the fine which was imposed by the village council,” he said.

“All 13 men, including the chief of the village council, who were named in

Tribal or caste-based village councils composed of elders exert enormous influence over rural life, particularly in northern India, often issuing diktats and punishments for moral and other perceived offences.

The attack again casts India’s record on sexual violence into the spotlight after national outrage over the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi in December 2012.

The incident also echoes an attack on a woman in neighbouring Pakistan in 2002 on orders of a village council to avenge her 12-year-old brother’s alleged impropriety with a woman from a rival clan.

Six men were sentenced to death for the rape of the illiterate Pakistani woman Mukhtar Maiher in a landmark ruling there. But five were later acquitted and the main culprit had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment.

The incident in India took place in

after the couple were discovered together. “The head of the village council held an urgent meeting in the village square on Tuesday when the girl and her lover were called,” Sudhakar said.

“The girl and her lover were tied to two separate trees and fined 25,000 rupees each as a fine for having an affair,” he said. “As the parents of the girl, who were also present at the meeting, expressed their inability to pay the fine, the head of the village council ordered that she should be raped by the villagers as punishment,” he said.

The man was freed after he agreed to pay the fine within a week, but the woman was taken to a shed where the attack was carried out, he said. The woman, who was recovering in a local hospital in Birbhum district, identified to police all 13 attackers. They are expected to appear in a district session court in the nearby town of Bolpur later Thursday, Sudhakar said. l

Nepal takes step towards new constitution n Agencies Leaders from across Nepal’s political divide have pledged to draw up a constitution for the Himalayan nation within a year as the new parliament convened for the first time.

More than two months after an election which was marred by fraud accusations from the defeated Maoist party, the assembly tasked with agreeing on the constitution held its first meeting in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

While there were threats from the Maoists of street protests if they end up feeling marginalised in the constituent assembly, they did join the other parties in promising to reach an agreement within the next 12 months.

“There should be no doubt that we will be able to complete the new constitution within one year and at the same time we want to assure that we will soon agree on a coalition government,” said Sushil Koirala, leader of the Nepali Congress party.

Koirala’s party has the most seats but is short of a majority. The assem-

bly is likely to choose him as the next prime minister.

His words were echoed by Baburam Bhattarai, a former Maoist prime minister who is also a member of the new 601-member assembly.

“On the occasion of the first meeting of another constituent assembly today... let us commit to deliver a progressive constitution within a year,” he said on Twitter. The pledges lent an air of optimism to the new assembly - which will also double up as a parliament - nearly two years after lawmakers last met.

The Maoists only reluctantly agreed to take part in the assembly last month after initially threatening to boycott it over accusations of vote-rigging in the November 19 polls.

They were soundly beaten by both the Congress and the Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) parties, which are still locked in negotiations over forming a new coalition government.

The former rebels won Nepal’s first post-war elections in 2008 by a landslide, two years after signing an agree-

ment to end a 10-year uprising against the monarchy. As part of the deal, King Gyanendra agreed to stand down.

But the ensuing four years were marked by a series of short-term coalition governments, mainly led by the Maoists, and the first assembly broke up amid rancour in May 2012.

Koirala said his party would strive to reach a consensus but warned that a parliamentary minority would not be allowed to scupper an agreement.

Hours before the meeting, a senior member of the Maoists warned that his party’s resolve should not be underestimated despite its reduced presence in the assembly. “We will have to be vigilant and may resort to street protests to ensure that our agendas are addressed by the constituent assembly,” Ganesh Man Pun told AFP. In a scene underlining the divisions within the war-torn nation, about three dozen members of a Maoist splinter group, which boycotted the November election, held a sit-in protest, waving black flags outside the assembly. l

China conducts long-range nuclear missile drill: military n AFP, Beijing China’s military has released images of an intercontinental ballistic missile with enough range to reach the United States, as Beijing is involved in a series of rows threatening to embroil Washington.

The pictures of Chinese soldiers test-firing a Dongfeng-31 missile, which is said by experts to be able to carry nuclear warheads 8,000 kilometres (4,960 miles), appeared in the Peo-

ple’s Liberation Army Daily newspaper on Tuesday.

Further images showing soldiers dressed in protective suits, suggesting that the drill was simulating the launch of an armed warhead, were also posted on the sohu.com news portal, attributed to the newspaper.

Sohu.com said it was the first time that images of such an exercise had been released.

The images could not be found on

the PLA Daily’s website when checked

by AFP on Thursday.

China is embroiled in a series of territorial disputes with its neighbours in the South China Sea, and is locked in a row with Japan in the East China Sea over islands administered by Tokyo and claimed by Beijing.

The US has a security alliance with Japan and Vice President Joe Biden said last month that a strategic shift to Asia would continue. l

Marrying outside the caste often brings deadly retribution in parts of India

Father sues son for lowcaste India marriage n Agencies A father in the eastern Indian state of Bihar is suing his only son for defamation after he married a woman from what is still perceived by some as a lower caste, saying he had damaged the family’s reputation and social standing.

A court is scheduled to hear the case soon on the petition filed by Sidhnath Sharma who is seeking damages amounting to Rs 100,000 ($1613) and a ban on his son Sushant Jasu from using the family surname, reports said on Thursday.

“For ages, it has been an accepted tradition of arranged marriages within your own caste,” Sharma, a lawyer from the upper-case Bhumihar group told the AFP news agency from Danapur town, near the provincial capital Patna.

“But when my only son ended that, it not only stunned me, it also affected my social status,” reports quoting Sharma said.

The son, a tax official works in the western state of Gujarat. He married the purportedly lower caste bank officer from Danapur, last November.

Sharma, who filed his case in De-

Thai court defers election date ruling, capital calm n Reuters, Bangkok Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Thursday deferred a ruling on whether a general election scheduled for February 2 can be postponed, as protesters who say they will boycott the vote kept up pressure on the government to step down.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra declared a 60-day state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas from Wednesday, hoping to prevent an escalation in the protests now in their third month.

The Election Commission says the country is too volatile to hold a general election now and that technicalities mean it is anyway bound to result in a parliament with too few lawmakers to form a quorum.

The government says the decree to hold the election on that date has been signed by the king and cannot be changed.

“The Constitutional Court has accepted this case and we will look at the legal issues involved. If there is enough evidence, we may hand down a decision tomorrow,” said court spokesman Pimol Thampithakpong.

The protests are the latest eruption in a political conflict that has gripped the country for eight years. The emergency decree failed to clear the dem-

Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra gestures as she leaves the Royal Thai Air Force Headquarters, after a cabinet meeting in Bangkok REUTERS onstrators, though the capital has been relatively calm this week.

Broadly, the conflict pits the Bangkok middle class and royalist establishment against the mainly poorer supporters of Yingluck and her brother, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by the military in 2006.

Nine people have been killed in outbursts of violence, including two grenade attacks in Bangkok last weekend.

A leading pro-government activist was shot and wounded on Wednesday in Thailand’s northeast, a stronghold of the Shinawatra family, in what police said may have been a political attack, adding to fears the violence could spread.

A ruling in favour of the Election Commission would deepen Thailand’s political quagmire, already weighing on investor enthusiasm for Southeast

REUTERS

Asia’s second-biggest economy.

The main opposition Democrat Party says it will boycott the vote. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a former Democrat minister, wants democracy suspended so that a “people’s council” can push through electoral and political changes.

Thais living overseas have already voted and some advance voting takes place around the country on Sunday.

The protesters have said they would try to disrupt the election.

On Wednesday, an unidentified gunman opened fire on Kwanchai Praipana, a leader of Thailand’s pro-government “red shirt” movement and a popular radio DJ. The attack in Udon Thani, about 450 km (280 miles) northeast of Bangkok, was the most significant violence outside the capital and illustrates the risk that the turbulence could spread to other parts of Thailand.

Just a day before, Kwanchai had warned of a nationwide fight if the military launched a coup, as widely feared.

So far the military, which has been involved in 18 actual or attempted coups in the past 81 years, has kept out of the fray. Police are charged with enforcing the state of emergency and are under orders from Yingluck to show restraint. l

cember 2013, reportedly warned that if his son continued to use the surname, he would ask for Rs. 10,000 ($161) in copyright fees each time he was seen using it.

Interestingly, the son’s mother supports his marriage. “If my son is happy with his marriage, I should openly back him. Time has changed now, one should understand it,” said reports, quoting her.

India’s caste system has one of its strongest votaries in the eastern state of Bihar, considered one of the poorest in the country.

The centuries-old caste system plays a major role in people’s social relations and can determine marriage, education, employment and land ownership.

Officially, caste discrimination is illegal and violators can be sent to jail. Several couples have been killed by enraged relatives for defying the caste system and marrying outside their own caste.

The government on the other hand publicly encourages inter-caste marriages and in Bihar state even hands out a bonus to the extent of Rs 50000 ($800) for those marrying across caste barriers. l

Indonesia jails bomb maker in Myanmar embassy plot n AFP, Jakarta An Indonesian court Thursday jailed an Islamic extremist bomb-maker for seven-and-a-half years for his role in a plot to attack the Myanmar embassy to avenge the killing of Rohingya Muslims.

Separiano is the fourth person to be jailed over the failed plot to bomb the mission in Jakarta, which came amid rising anger in Muslim-majority Indonesia at the plight of the Rohingya in mainly Buddhist Myanmar.

The 29-year-old was arrested in May the night before the attack was due to take place, carrying a backpack full of pipe-bombs as he rode a motorbike with another alleged plotter in Jakarta.

At a previous hearing the court heard he had plotted with other militants over Facebook and had attended sermons by firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of the terror network behind the 2002 Bali bombings. Bashir is now in jail.

The South Jakarta District Court Thursday found Separiano, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, guilty of charges under anti-terror laws. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Friday, January 24, 2014

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Careless rhetoric harms hopes for dialogue

I

n her address to BNP supporters on Monday, Khaleda Zia made some inflammatory comments about the recent joint forces’ drive against militant activity.

We deplore those of her remarks that question the professionalism of the armed services and law enforcers. It is wrong to portray legal law enforcement actions as an “attack” on the people.

The BNP chairperson has every right to criticise the government and question its decisions. However, it was poor judgment on her part if she had meant to imply some truth in the strongly denied reports of the “involvement of foreign forces” on Bangladeshi territory.

As a former prime minister and respected political leader, we would expect the BNP leader to take more care when referring to disputed rumors in her political rhetoric. She should have at the very least acknowledged the tenuous nature of these rumours and the fact that the Inquilab newspaper has apologised for the way in which it reported on them.

Hence, while we are very clear in our view that the government is wrong to have closed Inquilab and that journalists should not be locked up for mistaken reports, we are critical of Khaleda Zia’s choice of words. They draw attention away from recent positive moves by the BNP to proffer an olive branch and encourage those in the government that clamour for punitive action against political views with which they disagree.

We hope that a return to calmer words by all sides will help ensure a healthy atmosphere for dialogue.

We would expect the BNP leader to take more care when referring to disputed rumors

Vigilante justice is not the answer

I

t is a deeply troubling sign for law and order that two accused in the attack against Awami League MP Asaduzzaman Noor have by now been found dead.

The attack on Asaduzzaman Noor on December 14, which left five people dead, including four local AL men, was an outrageous act of aggression by Jamaat activists and its student wing, Islami Chattra Shibir, which was carried out with the tacit support of the BNP. The incident sparked widespread outrage from the local community and local politicians of both AL and BNP denounced the attack.

Unfortunately, it seems that BNP activists who were accused of the attack on Asaduzzaman Noor are now being murdered in retribution, almost certainly either by law enforcement or those affiliated with the ruling party.

Every person accused of a crime deserves to have his day in court and be punished according to the due process of law. Extrajudicial killings of this sort only satisfy short-term desire for revenge at the cost of long-term deterioration of the rule of law.

Action is now needed from the government to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack on Noor are brought to justice instead of facing assassinations outside of the purview of the law. Similarly, the people responsible for these assassinations should be also held responsible and punished according to the law.

The AL leadership also has the duty to denounce these criminal acts, deter their cadres from further acts of violence, and to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies to ensure that justice is served.

Muslim-Hindu relations

January 21 During the liberation war, I was a child, and have very few memories of that time. We lived in a village near Padma River, not far from Kushtia town. Some family members, including Hindus from Kushtia town, stayed in our house for a number of days. We also helped many members of Hindu families in our village and in adjacent villages, including holding goods for them. My father gained their faith by doing honest business and other activities with them. Many of them went to India, and when they came back, got back their goods from my father.

After the war, my father felt insecure staying in the village, so he bought a house in Kushtia town from a Hindu family. That family went to India but whenever they returned, they met with our family. Our house was close to the main road, and many of our neighbours were Hindus. All of us lived there for a long time, like one family.

Times for our neighbours have gone downhill since, which is why I find recent events extremely disturbing. For instance, several incidents of mayhem occurred during the AL-led government, in which many of the victims were Hindus and minorities. Locals said they had called police, ruling Awami League leaders, and the administration, on their mobile phones but nobody came to help. Police were seen after 9:00pm, when it was all over.

Mawduda Hasnin

Bengali screen goddess Suchitra Sen January 17

Atiq Rahman We will never forget you.

Tareen Khan My favourite actress!

Be Heard

Solar power brings bliss in remote villages

Laila Shabeer Ahmed Masha’allah! A very pretty lady!

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

January 15

If solar projects are running so successfully in these remote areas, then why aren’t such programs replicated in urban areas? This environment-friendly technology will go a long way in reducing the energy shortage of the country.

Lunik

Rakib Uddin I love Suchitra Sen. We lost an invaluable talent and a world-class actress. It’s a great loss for us. We mourn for her and wish her a heavenly peaceful life.

Hasina Rahman Rest in peace, Suchitra Sen.

Dialogue if BNP leaves Jamaat, says minister January 17

Ronnie Mr Shahriar Alam only confirms that his “government” is not the least interested in any “dialogue” with the BNP-led opposition alliance.

By trotting out this lame new line about BNP having to sever its alliance with Jamaat being a prerequisite for dialogue with the party is untenable. Notwithstanding my own strong advocacy for BNP’s abandoning Jamaat, I’d insist it’s the sole prerogative of BNP to decide who to link with, and who to leave, in its political alliances.

BNP has not demanded of the AL to, say, delink with the ridiculous JP ensemble, as a condition to start dialogue. If the incumbent government sticks to this recalcitrant line, few people would need convincing anymore about which party is deliberately scuttling dialogue and a negotiated settlement to the prevailing political crisis in Bangladesh.

WaliulHaqueKhondker Jamat-e-Islami has been declared by the High Court as a party involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity. No political party who pursues politics of constitutional democracy and welfare of the state and its people cannot and should not keep any relationship with a party like Jamaat on its own accord.

It is unfortunate that a large and democratic party like BNP insists on retaining its alliance with Jamaat, thus bringing disgrace to itself and its supporters. As BNP is a pro-liberation war party, its alliance with an anti-liberation party ought to cease forthwith. It is in the best interest of BNP to act soon and proceed with meaningful dialogue for an inclusive election as early as possible.

Ronnie WaliulHaqueKhondker: I will always agree, in principle, with your arguments about BNP’s tragic embedding with a vile entity like Jamaat-e-Islami. I will also

continue to stridently advocate the cessation of this ultimately unnecessary and harmful (to BNP) alliance.

It’s fatuous and disingenuous, though, to wrongly conflate the ideologies of BNP and Jamaat and Co, as many people do.

That said, I also resent and reject the Awami League, of all people, to be righteously demanding BNP’s immediate severance with Jamaat as a starting condition for any negotiated settlement between the two parties regarding holding new elections and related issues. This is staggering hypocrisy. Given AL’s own multiple and sordid dalliances with religious obscurantists, including an unrepentant anti-liberation Jamaat, they should quit harping on this issue for cheap political points.

I maintain that it remains the prerogative of the BNP to decide its future with Jamaat. I believe they should snap links as soon as possible, not because the new AL “regime” demands it, but because BNP makes a vital course correction of its own choice.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Every person accused of a crime deserves to have his day in court and be punished according to the due process of law

CROSSWORD

PEANUTS

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

ACROSS 1 Condiment (6) 5 Edge (3) 7 Of the kidneys (5) 8 Tallies (6) 10 Thickness (3) 12 Agreement (4) 13 Newt (3) 14 Connection (4) 16 Separate (4) 17 Male sheep (3) 18 Slope between levels (4) 20 Vigour (3) 23 Standards of perfection (6) 24 Sports enclosure (5) 25 Parched (3) 26 Free (6)

DOWN 1 Small bouquet (4) 2 Appropriate (6) 3 Build (5) 4 Repose (4) 5 Sharp blow (3) 6 Unwell (3) 9 Floating structure (4) 11 Tibetan ox (3) 14 Crippled (4) 15 Strong effect (6) 16 Mild explosion (3) 17 Tracking system (5) 18 Circle (4) 19 Employs (4) 21 Corn spike (3) 22 Snoop (3)

How to solve Sudoku: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

Code-Cracker

Op-Ed

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Friday, January 24, 2014

11

Enough water to drink n Mohammad Alamgir

H

Are we doing enough to save our rivers?

L

A

R

G

E

R

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

T

H

A

Dooming ourselves?

S

n Ekram Kabir

omething must be seriously wrong in our understanding of our nation. We always seem to fail to realise our own good. Otherwise, why are we so passionately involved in destroying ourselves and our surroundings?

A survey on the water quality of Buriganga showed inadequate presence of dissolved oxygen to support the existence of fish and other living organisms. The study also revealed that the presence of intoxicants in its water is higher than the level suitable for living organisms. The study came up with dreadful results.

This, again, as we have been warned about this river several times in the past, is alarming news for us.

If we look at other rivers, almost all of them are dying, and several of them are being grabbed. Recently, the parliament was told that about a third of the country’s rivers are almost dead. One of our 310 rivers is completely dead, while 97 are drying up.

This piece of information is unbearable. The remaining 212 rivers are still navigable. The reasons behind the sorry state of the rivers are already known to us. Illegal filling, and the dumping of industrial, human, and other types of waste, often with tacit approval of the authorities, resulted in narrowing rivers, canals, and other water bodies.

A Buet survey on Dhaka’s wetland says if the encroachment continues

at the current pace, all wetlands will disappear by 2035. The picture would be quite similar in all the towns and cities of the country.

This shows that we’re failing to save ourselves in terms of our surroundings. We’re also failing to realise that we humans won’t survive if the environment doesn’t. We couldn’t stop river-grabbing as well as the destruction of the remaining trees and forests.

N

On its part, there’s a clear lack of political commitment about this issue.

The government has ceased to remain persistent on this greater national issue.

Then came the news of the felling of trees across the country during the recent political crisis. Felling trees in the name of raising political movement hasn’t been taken care of. Apart from that, reports in the media said

There will be a time, when we come to our senses, when we won’t be able to rectify the damage we are committing now

Yes, there is a reason why rivers are drying up – the lack of water flow from the upper stream. But that doesn’t mean we must build human settlements whenever there are dry land surfaces on the rivers.

The government’s announcement to save the rivers following the High Court’s directives did create some hype, but at the end of the day, no one followed the directives. The government officials, according to reports, are also not shouldering their responsibility in order to either implement the law, or bring the culprits to justice.

at least 1,100 trees were felled in one night, the illegal felling of trees continued unabated in Bhawal Shal forest in Gazipur, and the administration in Kuakata was failing to prevent burglars from felling trees from the reserve forest.

A year ago, the deputy commissioner of Kurigram and three others had to unconditionally apologise to the High Court for not taking action against those responsible for cutting trees on Char Bhurungamari High School premises.

In 2011, the Netrakona Zila Pari-

L

I

F

E

shad and the forest department had reportedly defied a High Court order, chopping down century-old trees beside a road near the Baptist church in Birishiri.

Well, these are just a few – the tip of the iceberg – incidents of tree-felling that we may have come to know about when the media was talking about them. And when the media talks about the suicidal acts of destroying trees, some weak actions are taken against these shocking feats.

Sometimes, the court of law gives its verdict in order to prevent this self-destruction, but the process of implementation of the verdicts loses its way, mainly due to the lack of monitoring and sincerity.

These show how our own greed has led us to our own impending downfall.

There will be a time, when we come to our senses, when we won’t be able to rectify the damage we are committing now. There’ll be a point of no return.

Isn’t it time to think about the issue, and be serious about protecting the environment? The government as well as we citizens need to ask ourselves: What are we actually doing for saving the future – the trees and the rivers?

The dearth of trees and rivers would lead to the most dangerous crisis – the food crisis.

Remember, we have a big population in a tiny piece of land. l Ekram Kabir is Executive Editor of Natunbarta.com.

ome to approximately 160 million people, Bangladesh is struggling to sustain an adequate level of quality freshwater for the people. Unlike other waterscarce countries, Bangladesh is generously endowed with freshwater tributaries and distributaries that generally make for a healthy water ecosystem.

However, flooding and coastal deterioration caused from climate change and water contaminations have resulted in a water crisis for the people, particularly for women and children of southwest Bangladesh.

Salinity intrusion in coastal areas results in water getting contaminated.

Worsening weather extremes that bring floods, storm surges and cyclones are also contributive to increased salinity.

After the devastating cyclone Aila, which struck the Bangladesh southwestern coastal belt in May 2009, locals faced difficulties and suffered from insufficient drinking water, since the cyclone damaged most of the sources of fresh water.

In the cyclone-affected areas, installation of tube wells turned out to be a tough job due to the alarming presence of salinity. An Oxfam report illustrates that approximately 34% of households still do not have access to safe drinking water in the cyclone-affected areas of southwest Bangladesh.

Climate scientist Dr Ainun Nishat says salinity in the water of coastal areas has now reached over 20 parts per thousand. The human body can only tolerate five parts per thousand.

People of the locality are suffering the most, particularly the women and children in collecting and utilising water. Women in coastal areas need to go miles to collect a pitcher of safe drinking water, which has been a nightmare for them in most cases. The acute scarcity of safe drinking water results in poor health, social stigma, and financial implications.

People in this region suffer from various diseases caused by drinking water with a high level of salinity, impurity, or arsenic. Various skin diseases, intestinal diseases, dysentery, fever, and diarrhea are part of their life.

Other health concerns linked to a lack of safe drinking water include malnutrition amongst women and children, reproductive problems for pregnant women, skin turning black, physical weakness, and anxiety.

Women can be particularly susceptible to diseases (eg rickets), as they often drink less water than men.

Several social crises associated with poor access to safe drinking water are resulting in the education of children being compromised. They are often left unattended when their mothers go to fetch water. A most alarming factor is that women are teased and harassed on their way to fetch water.

Considering the acute scarcity, and in order to ensure safe drinking water as well as reduce the suffering of the

people, women and children in particular of southwestern Bangladesh, a joint and collective effort both from the government and NGOs is urgently needed .

Governments through Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) and Directorate of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) can play a catalyst role, and should understand their roles and responsibilities in ensuring safe drinking water in this locality.

Through a collective effort, people can hope to get the amount of safe drinking water they need

The Union Parishad (UP), the lowest tier of Bangladesh’s local government, should also be held responsible, since the local government representatives are mandated to work for the betterment of locals. But in reality, this institution lacks the capacity, appropriate knowledge, latest technology, and the ability to mobilise local resources to effectively deal with the problem.

NGOs and other institutions should come forward for enhanced knowledge-sharing and active participation to hold the bearers of this duty accountable. They can increase and reinforce knowledge on climatic hazards on safe drinking water.

Mass media can also play a vital role, and can help to create an enabling environment for behavioural changes, community mobilization, and social dialogue to heighten the sustainability of these changes at the grassroots.

But this problem will not be addressed properly until the people who suffer most and are facing many odds, are involved with the initiative.

They can help those responsible to be a hub of local knowledge and practices, as well as ensure that their voices are considered and being heard.

A stronger and solid partnership can be of great help for the effective implementation of safe drinking water campaigns across government, media, and civil society organisations. Local organisations can play the role of a pressure group, and could facilitate local level dialogue and create awareness among locals.

Through a collective effort and active involvement of all stakeholders, particularly the government, people can hope to get the amount of safe drinking water they need to live a peaceful and dignified life. l Mohammad Alamgir is a development communications professional.

A preferred future for Bangladesh n Maximilian Martin

T

he Awami League developed its Vision 2021 five years ago for Bangladesh as a middle-income country. This helped win the election.

In 2012, the government then published a road map for how to get there.

Over the past year, disquieting news has kept accumulating, however.

An unopposed election on January 5 returned Sheikh Hasina to power – the AL received more than two-thirds of the seats – and was criticised as illegitimate by the BNP. No easing of the crisis is currently in sight.

It is time to find ways to revive past optimism. The viability of the country’s key development asset and leading export earner, namely the textile and garment industry, will be instrumental. The Bangladesh economy has grown at nearly 6% per year in the past decade, and human development went hand-in-hand with economic growth.

Coupled with increased life expectancy, literacy, and per capita food intake, poverty dropped by nearly a third and more than 15 million Bangladeshis have graduated from poverty since 1992.

Multiple futures are possible for the country – futures that matter to all of us, inside and outside of Bangladesh.

We live in a highly interdependent globalised economy with interlaced information systems and security. At a time when al-Qaeda is reasserting itself in

the Iraq-Syrian borderlands, pressure on strategic yet fragile states such as Bangladesh can have serious repercussions also for its neighbours and other states halfway across the globe.

The views on Bangladesh’s potential vary widely. Some see it as a country whose developmental potential is blocked by political infighting and overstretched infrastructure, with business hindered by red tape, corruption, energy shortages and the ever-present risk of social unrest.

Sustained growth in recent years has generated higher demand for electricity, transport, and telecommunication services. Insufficient planning and investment have now resulted in severe infrastructure deficits.

Others, such as Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill, have argued that the densely populated and youthful country has the potential to become one of the world’s most vibrant economies. He includes Bangladesh in his “Next Eleven” group of countries that he expects to lead the next wave of high-growth economies.

For Bangladesh to aspire to a bestcase scenario, it will need to increase GDP growth to 7.5 or 8% per year, via accelerated export and remittance growth with a corresponding increase in both public and private investment, and substantial efforts on many fronts.

These include promoting inclusive growth, maintaining macroeconomic stability, strengthening revenue mobilisation, tackling urbanisation

challenges such as energy and infrastructure deficits, deepening financial-sector and external trade reforms, improving labour skills, economic governance, and urban management, and adapting to climate change.

Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world, with 1,174 people per sq km according to the World Bank. A declining population growth rate combined with a rapidly growing labour force could be turned into a significant demographic dividend in the coming years if more and better jobs can be created for the growing number of job seekers.

Improving labour force participation and productivity would help to further release the potential of the economy.

The preferred future is reachable.

For it to materialise, though, two things need to happen: Political risk needs to be managed, and the country’s key assets leveraged.

Bangladesh’s critical economic asset is its $22bn readymade garment export sector that accounts for 80% of exports. Further political unrest could do damage to the country’s economic growth engine, which is facing problems of its own.

The dire working and safety conditions in Bangladesh’s garment and textile industry were brought to global public attention in April 2013 when a garment factory collapsed in Dhaka, killing more than 1,100 workers. The apparel industry creates 4 million direct

jobs, but working conditions and environmental footprints are often terrible.

Attempts to address the social and environmental issues plaguing the apparel industry in Bangladesh are being made – the European buyer-funded Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and the US buyer led Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety are just two highly visible efforts underway that have now become operational.

Through its booming apparel industry, Bangladesh is directly connected to Western and Asian consumer markets. How the industry’s future plays out will help decide whether Bangladesh can seize the potential of its youthful population and move onto a BRIC-like country trajectory, or whether the country will stagnate and even risk becoming a failed state.

The growth projections for the apparel industry in Bangladesh are impressive: It is expected to double in turnover by 2015 from 2010 levels, and triple by 2020. But labour rights, wage levels, and health and safety are the leading social issues that need to be sorted out.

Today, there are more than 5,600 factories producing for export. If we simply extrapolate on the trend, there could be more than 10 million workers and over 10,000 factories by 2020, unless significant factory consolidation takes place. If nothing happens, we could see Rana Plaza type accidents happen more often.

This tragic scenario must be avoided. Attaining greater productivity and achieving better in-country value added will be essential to rendering enhanced social and environmental conditions. Upgrading the supply chain is the way forward, with greater supply chain transparency and higher total resource productivity as a result.

use, including water and energy, nor on their end-of-pipe treatment of used air and water waste. They often lack in-house knowledge and capacity to manage all relevant data dimensions.

But the effort is worth it. Improving the economic competitiveness and environmental and social performance of the country’s apparel industry can

The stakes have never been higher. The goal is to get Bangladesh back on the best-case track. The political parties now have to do their share

To show how this can be done, Impact Economy – a global impact investment and strategy firm – has just issued my report, Creating Sustainable Apparel Value Chains, so industry stakeholders can begin to build toward a preferred future.

Redesigning production processes, improving infrastructure, and training can save up to 20% of chemical inputs, up to 40% of energy, and up to 50% of water. The report offers a framework that links greater resource productivity with an ambitious agenda to improve working conditions and environmental footprints.

A challenge is that companies often have no reliable data on their resource

play an enabling role in creating the context on which a middle-income future can be built.

The stakes have never been higher.

The goal is to get Bangladesh back on the best-case track. The political parties now have to do their share to provide a stable and legitimate operating environment so that a more competitive, and socially and environmentally sounder, garment sector can make its contribution to development. l Maximilian Martin is the Founder and Global Managing Director of Impact Economy.

He served as Founding Global Head and Managing Director of UBS Philanthropy Services.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

I had a good friendship with Uttam Kumar, a deep one Suchitra Sen in her own words

n Entertainment Desk As told to Amitabha Choudhury, described in his book, Aamar Bondhu Suchitra Sen, Suchitra’s own words have been recently published in the Times of India. Excerpts are presented here for the readers of Dhaka Tribune: I’m obstinate. I never asked for help from anyone. Acting in the film Bhagaban Sri Krishna Chaitanya (1953) changed my life. I played the role of Bishnupriya. Since then, I’ve been fearless. Someone drives me from within. I just love to spend time with myself.

I’ve never accepted any proposal for acting since I decided to retire.

I spend the morning watching the sky, the trees and the flowers in the garden. In the evening I watch the

ON TV MOVIE 9:30pm Star Movies Jurassic Park

11:34pm HBO Argo

MISC 10:30am MTV Jump

9:30pm AXN Top Gear

COMEDY 10:30am FX

The Simpsons

8:00pm Comedy Central Anger Management

Prisoners hits Star Cineplex

twilight sky, and I like talking to my granddaughters whenever they visit.

I had a strong desire to act in the role of Damini in Rabindranath Tagore’s Chaturanga but it never happened. I’m really fond of this novel.

Of all the Tagore novels, I like this one the most.

I truly loved acting in Neelachale Mahaprabhu, opposite Basanta Choudhury. I also liked acting in Harano Sur, Uttar Falguni and Saptapadi, opposite Uttam Kumar, and Saat Pakey Bandha opposite Soumitra Chatterjee.

I was paired with Uttam Kumar in so many films, and yet, I told my producers to keep my name ahead of the actor in the advertisements. I had a good friendship with Uttam Kumar, a deep one.

Among actors, I respect Dilip Ku-

mar the most. I acted opposite him in in Devdas. A great actor! I had a good friendship with Sanjeev Kumar, who was a wonderful person. And he was a good actor as well. He used to contact me every time he visited Kolkata and came to my place.

I was quite close to Kanan Devi.

She helped me in my bad times.

During the time of my marital discord, I left home and lived at her place for some time.

In men, I don’t look for beauty. I look for intelligence and sharp conversations. I refused Raj Kapoor’s offer almost immediately. He came to my residence offering a lead role and, as I took my seat, he suddenly sat near my foot and offered me a bouquet of roses while offering the role. I rejected the offer. I did not like his personality. The way he behaved – sitting near my foot – did not befit a man.

I refused to work with Satyajit Ray for a different reason. He wanted me to act exclusively for his film, Devi Chaudhurani. But I had two other commitments that time and I could not have refused people who made me Suchitra Sen. I assured him that I would give my best in his film, too, but he did not agree. So, I said no to Ray. Why should I agree to such a proposal?

God has given me everything and I do not desire anything else. He gave me everything that I wanted. But now, I do not find interest in anything at all. I’m completely indifferent about liking or disliking, getting or not getting anything.

I do not care about anything written or discussed about me in the media. I don’t read them at all. l

Socrates-er Jobanbondi to score 100 n Entertainment Desk Theatre troupe Drishyapat is set to make the 100th staging of its acclaimed production Socrates-er Jobanbondi at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy tomorrow. Marking the occasion, the troupe has arranged a three-day festival which began yesterday.

The 99th staging will be held today at the same venue. Prachyanat presented its celebrated play Gondar on the opening day.

Based on Plato’s Defense of Socrates, Socrates-er Jobanbondi has been adapted by Shishirkumar Das

and directed by Ali Mahmud.

The play is set on the trial in which three members of the Greek elite class – Anytus, Melenus and Policrates – falsely accuse the great philosopher, Socrates for misleading the younger generation through his philosophy.

After a mockery of trial, Socrates was forced to commit suicide by drinking hemlock. Plato, a direct disciple of Socrates, witnesses the trial and indexes the proceedings.

Through the conflict between an individual and state, Socrates-er Jobanbondi, depicts the misuse of democracy. l

TOP 10 SONGS OF THE WEEK

10. Ajob – Tore Dekhe 9.

Jachchetai – Brishtir Ishara

8.

Shunno – Bhaago

7.

Arbovirus – Hariye Jao

6.

Chirkutt – Jadur Shohor

5.

Aronno – Aaj Dhaner Khete

4.

Palbasha – Kuhok

3.

Fuadft James – Bhola Mon

2.

Elita – Landphone Er Dingulote Prem

1.

Shuvo – Ashbe Fire

Richi Solaiman plays a lead role in Tumi

New series Tumi begins today n Entertainment Desk Nagar Baul James will perform live at a concert marking the occasion of SATV’s first anniversary. Fakir Shahabuddin, Shahnaz Beli, Kona and Rupom will also perform at the concert named Utsobe Ronge Amar which will be broadcast live from 3pm to 1am on SATV.

Payer Awaj Pawa Jay resonates voice of today’s generation

Star studded new drama series Tumi will begin airing today at 8:15pm on Banglavision. Directed and written by Animesh Aich, the drama series features populer soap actors, such as, Abul Hayat, Layla Hasan, Richi Solaiman, Dipanbita Halder, Faruq Ahmed, Bhabna, Shakil Ahmed, Dilara Jaman, Hasan Imam, Dipak Sumon and many more.

The story of the drama series revolves around a family where a newlywed couple lives with their in laws.

The new bride faces a psychological problem. She begins to see her dead younger sister which other persons of the family cannot. She does whatever her younger sister says her to do. The family members try to help her out.

The series continues with many twists and turns. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

Andhi Time: 6:30pm Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, Gulshan-1

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak While the young generation of the country is repeatedly protesting against religious bigotry and calling for the trial of the war criminals of the Liberation War in 1971, Theatre’s (Bailey Road) Payer Awaj Pawa Jay creates the same resonance in an artistic way.

The play, which is strongly vocal against religious fanaticism, had its debut in 1976. It earned much acclaim at home and abroad over the years. After a pause of ten years, Theatre decided to resurrect the play, since several political and religious circles have recently been trying to save the criminals being tried for war crimes.

Syed Shamsul Haq’s magnum opus on 1971, Payer Awaj Pawa Jay was previously directed by late theatre icon Abdullah Al-Mamun. Young theatre activist Sudip Chakroborthy has redesigned and redirected the play, which was staged on Wednesday evening at Experimental Theatre Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital.

The reproduced play seemed to add fresh touches to light designing, set and also to script, but kept the storyline intact.

Sudip Chakroborthy said “I tried my level best to reproduce the thrilling play once again. We followed Abdullah Al Mamun’s directorial lines and views for the new version, but we focused on the adaptation of the actors with the very new set and stage lights.”

The one and a quarter hour long play delves into the tragic story of a rural woman during the Liberation War, whose father is the chief of the village.

Friday, January 24, 2014

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Thor: The Dark World Pacific Rim in 3D Time: 10am – 10pm Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City

Theatre

Chitrangada

Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm Chhayanaut Auditorium, Dhanmondi

Mime

Life is Beautiful Time: 6:30pm Studio Theatre Hall, BSA

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay poster revealed n Entertainment Desk

After a pause of ten years, Theatre feels to resurrect the play recently as trial of war criminals initiated and several political and religious vicious circles are trying to save them He bestows shelter to the Pakistani Army for the sake of religion and patriotism, in his point of view. The play appropriately articulates the ignorance, superstitions and misuse of religion prevailed upon in rural society. Apart from sketching the victory of Bangladesh, the play also urges the need to be free from superstition, domination and discrimination to build a secular society.

Veteran actress Ferdausi Majum-

dar used to play the protagonist in Mamun’s Payer Awaj Pawa Jay; in this version, Tropa Majumder enacts that role. Ferdousi did the costume design for the play, apart from acting in a significant role, and did a tremendous job as a member of the chorus.

Ferdousi Majumdar, Keramat Maola, Paresh Acharya, Tropa Majumdar, Khurshid Alam, Maruf Kabir, Tofa Hossain and Atikur Rahman donned the important roles in the play.

The play is country’s first production which got chance to celebrate its fiftieth staging and the play is staged more than one hundred fifteen times till today. The play also staged outside of the country in India and South Korea. l

The symbolic bird takes pride of place on promo for this year’s movie.

Movie studio Lionsgate has unveiled the first poster for this year’s eagerly awaited The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.

The new poster follows the pattern established by the first two installments in the young adult franchise, The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Rather than debut a poster with star Jennifer Lawrence front and centre, or a preview of the bloody teen action to come in the movie, the promo mirrors the cover of the Suzanne Collins books that the movies are based on. A flaming mockingjay blazes against a plain black background with its wings lifted.

The mockingjay isn’t just an image on a movie poster or book cover. It’s an integral part of the plot. The series follows the travails of Katniss Everdeen (J-Law) as she’s first sent off to compete as a tribute in the Hunger Games.

After she wins and competes in a second Hunger Games, she becomes a poster child for a revolution, an up-

rising of the districts against the government that rules and starves them.

Throughout, the mockingjay pin Katniss wears serves as a sort of logo, and she is known to the public as their mockingjay. Lawrence, alongside Josh Hutcherson and other cast members, returns for the third of four installments in the series - which is due for release in November. l

n Entertainment Desk

Star Cineplex brings 2013 American thriller film Prisoners, directed by Denis Villeneuve.

The film has an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, and Paul Dano.

The film revolves around the question: How far would you go to protect your family?

Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-yearold daughter Anna is missing, together with her young friend Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in.

As the police pursue multiple leads, and pressure mounts. Knowing his child’s life is at stake the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. l

The band Aushruto receives the MTV Chart Attack Silver Disc award on Wednesday. Creinse Limited, the official program syndication partner of Viacom International Media Networks Asia for initiating MTV Program Syndication in Bangladesh, awarded the band for their single Aulikhito Dukkho, which topped the Airtel presents MTV Chart Attack for three consecutive weeks.

After tremendous response from Season One, Dettol Shera Ami Shonge Maa embarked into its second season in search for the best mom-child pair of the country. The finale of show, sponsored by Reckitt Benckiser’s flagship brand Dettol, was shown recently on RTV. The winners’ prizes were handed over by Reazul Chowdhury, GM of RB Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Cluster and CEO of RTV Ashik Rahman. The winners, organisers, guests and jury members are captured in the photograph.

Did you know?

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has been involved in 454 goals in his 400 games for Barcelona

Sport

Friday, January 24, 2014

0 5 1 DAYS TO GO

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named opening batsman Tamim Iqbal as the national vice-captain for the home series against Sri Lanka due next week. Jalal Younus, chairman of media and communication of the BCB, confirmed the board’s decision to the media after the executive meeting yesterday.

This is the second time that the left-handed batsman has been named as the Tigers deputy since his international debut in 2007.

“I am thankful to BCB for the opportunity. I hope I will be able to live up to the expectation of the board and be a good support to the team,” said Tamim to the Dhaka Tribune.

Following the side’s dismal performance in the tour of Zimbabwe in 2011 Tamim and his then captain Shakib al Hasan were relieved from their respective posts. The BCB while going hard line on the duo had also mentioned of discipline concerns against Shakib and in certain areas of Tamim too.

“Yes there were ups and downs when I was given the charge the last.

But personally I think I am more responsible now and look forward to the

CONTRACTED CRICKETERS

duty. I believe the time ahead assisting Mushfiq (Mushfiqur Rahim, captain) will be exciting,” said Tamim.

The 24-year old believes they are well prepared for the coming series and said, “The two four-day games we played in BCL (Bangladesh Cricket League) have helped everyone to stay in touch.

Our home ground will definitely be an advantage. If we play up to our ability, then I am sure we can cause a surprise.

The BCB also named former Bangladesh fielding coach Mohammad Salah Uddin as the assistant coach of the national team for the series against Sri Lanka. The board also named 12 cricketers who received a one year contract starting from January 1. Jahurul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Elias Sunny and Abul Hasan’s contract were not renewed. l

Abahani thrash Shadharan Bima n Shishir Hoque Abahani Limited thrashed Shadharan Bima 7-0 to continue their winning spree in the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Puskar Khuso Mimo, Hasan Jubayer Niloy and Sheikh Nannu netted two goals apiece as the Sky Blues led the first-half by 4-0.

National forward Mimo started the scoring in the 8th minute before Ashraful Islam doubled the lead in the 20th minute. Niloy added his first one three minutes later before Mimo scored his second in the 29th minute. Nannu scored his goals in the 40th and 58th minute while Niloy’s second goal came in the 53rd minute. l

United in League Cup semi

13

15 Wawrinka

squeezes into first Slam final

Kamal downplays Big 3 proposal

Tamim named vice-captain again

Shakib al Hasan, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Abdur Razzak, Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Mominul Hoque, Robiul Islam, Anamul Hoque

14 Black Cats stun

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Abahani’s Ghanaian forward Osie Morrison ponders what went wrong after missing the side post against Team BJMC at the BNS yesterday MUMIT M

Jamal sends Abahani to top n Shishir Hoque An early strike from Jamal Hossain was enough to secure full points for Abahani Limited as they Sky Blues edged past Team BJMC by 1-0 to join Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at the top of the Bangladesh Premier League table yesterday.

The final score however does not explain the series of missed opportunities by both teams after Abahani took the lead inside four minutes at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Though BJMC initiated the first real attack of the game when Aminur Rahman Shojib broke into the box to receive a through pass from Ismael Bangoura only to see his delicate shot saved by the onrushing goalkeeper Sohel, it was Abahani who took the lead through a soft goal.

Jamal gathered the ball just outside the box and was lucky to score from the weak shot at the far corner as BJMC

goalkeeper Arifuzzaman Hemel made hash out of the regular save.

Abahani, who are enjoying a fine defensive form with four clean sheets out of five matches, the most in the league, however should consider them lucky for not conceding as Sajib squandered two glorious scoring chances in the 28th and 36th minute. In the first instance it was Sajib’s header that inched over the open net while later he missed a sitter inside the box after Ismael Bangoura paved the route for an easy strike.

Abahani also had their moments, but Osei Morrison was not able to capitalise on the half-chances that fell his way. In the 71st minute the striker missed the target on a chipped cross from Meshu while later he created his own chance, by stealing the ball from BJMC defender Amit Khan, but failed to convert it again. The Dhanmondi based traditional giants sit beside Sheikh Jamal at the top with 13points from five matches while after the same number of matches BJMC remain fifth with six points. l

The whole of the cricket world has been shaken up by the International Cricket Council (ICC) proposal which cedes power to the “Big Three” nations – India, England and Australia and also threatens the financial future of all the other cricketing bodies.

Many of the cricket boards around the world, including the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), who stand to lose revenue if the proposal comes into effect, have met to discuss the matter which is likely to be discussed at the three-day ICC meeting later this month.

However, ICC vice-president AHM Mustafa Kamal ruled out the possibility of any discussion on the “Big Three” proposal at the ICC meeting in Dubai on 27, 28 and 29 of this month. Kamal during a conversation with Dhaka Tribune over the phone yesterday, said that the proposal is not even an agenda in the working papers for the meeting.

“This ‘proposal’ which was flashed by the media is no where mentioned in the working papers of the ICC meeting scheduled next week.

“I learnt from the media that this agenda was discussed in the sub-committee meeting where the BCB board president (Nazmul Hasan) was present, but not me, as that was not an ICC board meeting. So I can’t actually say much about it unless it comes as an agenda to me. I don’t think this issue is coming as an agenda in the meeting

next week and a decision cannot be made if this is not raised in the meeting,” he said.

The former BCB president further informed that he and acquaintances from other cricket boards were surprised that the proposal had been released to the public. “Everyone got to know about this (proposal) from a website from Cricket Australia. I don’t think it would be right to discuss the issue which came from a website. I personally don’t have any idea of it, as this is totally a new happening. I have talked to members of different boards from around the globe and they are surprised too. No one has any idea of this proposal,” he said.

The proposal from three dominating cricket board will hamper the globalization of the game, but before it can be implemented at least eight full members of the ICC will have to support it.

“Anything which will affect world cricket shouldn’t be done. World cricket has progressed a lot in the last 10 years in popularity, revenue and as an organization. I think it won’t be right to bring changes. There are clauses that one will have to follow for making amendment to the constitution. They will need an extraordinary majority to make the amendments, so many discussions will have to take place before any such thing happens,” said Kamal.

“I don’t even regard this as a proposal at this stage. Until it comes to me as a proposal in official form, I have no further comments to make,” he added. l

Nazmul keeping an open mind n Mazhar Uddin The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will adopt a wait and watch strategy regarding the Big 3’s draft proposal until the next ICC meeting in Dubai on 28 and 29 January and the BCB president said that there are some questions to be answered by the ICC in the draft proposal which are not clear said after the board meeting yesterday at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

“We have discussed the ICC’s proposal, which we did not go into any details on at the 9th January meeting but this time, we received it with details.

There are some questions regarding the draft and we need to know those answers,” said Nazmul.

The ICC’s next meeting will take place on 28 January but the BCB president will fly to Dubai on the 25th to discuss the issue with the other countries. Nazmul said that the BCB will not

make a decision before the meeting.

“We have decided that whatever we think at the moment, we are not going to say anything before discussing with the other countries,” he explained.

We have discussed the ICC’s proposal, which we did not go into any details on at the 9th January meeting but this time, we received it with details.

There are some questions regarding the draft and we need to know those answers Nazmul added that he heard about the protest against the proposed plan by the South African Board and the sports minister of Sri Lanka in the media, adding that apart from Pakistan, no country made any comment on the proposal at the last ICC meeting.

“Who is saying what outside the meeting and what they are thinking

is not important if they don’t say anything in the meeting. I will talk to those who made this proposal and ask for more details about it and also, I have to sit with the other countries. Then we will decide what to do, but everything will depend on how the other countries reacts,” said Nazmul.

He also said that India, England and Australia had done their homework before presenting the proposal and that the issue will not have any effect on Bangladesh hosting the Asia Cup and the World T20.

Nazmul admitted that giving any decision against the proposal will backfire for Bangladesh if the draft is approved, “If we go against the proposal and it gets the go-ahead, then it will be bad for Bangladesh which we don’t want.”

Afterwards, 20 BCB directors voted for the proposal while just three voted against it. l

Returning Imrul excited n Mazhar Uddin After almost two and a half years, opening batsman Imrul Kayes is back in the Test squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka and the left hander said he was overjoyed at the Mirpur Sher-eBangla National Stadium yesterday.

“I am as happy as I was after being selected to play for Bangladesh for the first time. It feels great when you make a comeback, I hope to repay the faith the

selectors have shown in me,” said Imrul.

The left hander played his last Test against West Indies in October 2011.

Though in the squad, he will face competition from Shamsur Rahman for a place in the playing eleven, but Imrul insisted he was not thinking in such terms, “I don’t think of him as my rival as we all are playing for Bangladesh and whoever gets the opportunity will try to give his best, which eventually brings positive result for the team.”

Suspended cricketer Mohammad Ashraful attended the hearing of the BCB anti corruption tribunal for the first time, where he was questioned by lawyers yesterday COURTESY

Champions in troubled waters n Raihan Mahmood

Abahani forward Pushkor Khisha Mimo invades Shadharan Bima defence at the hockey stadium yesterday MUMIT M

The 26-year old, who has played sixteen Tests for Bangladesh, said he has been working on his technique in consultation with former cricketer and divisional manager of the BCB game development Nazmul Abedeen Fahim since being dropped from the national team. “I have worked with Fahim, sir after I was left out from the Bangladesh team. We worked on my technique, it’s helped a lot,” said Imrul. The national team’s practice sessions begin today. l

Last season treble winners Sheikh Russell KC are going through a rough patch with players and management standing at odds over payment issues.

However, club president Nurul Alam Chowdhury, though shocked over the attitude of the players and the coach, guaranteed that the situation will improve very soon.

Disappointment over payment is a very common problem in the Dhaka football arena, but in recent times Russell has kept a relatively clean sheet on the matter. Last season, the club won three of the four available titles and the players and coach never com-

plained about any disorder regarding payments. However, this season things have changed and most of the star players left the club which resulted in Russell getting knocked out of the Federation Cup in the quarter-finals. At present, they are in third position with nine points in the league and losses to Feni Soccer (0-2) and Muktijoddha (1-2) indicate that things are not going well for the defending champions.

Russell’s problems came to the surface when Pasacal Millien, the Haitian international forward arrived to play for the club on January 16 but flew back allegedly over payment dispute.

It was also learnt that the players had not gone through full-fledged practice

sessions and the coach Maruful Haque, who guided the team to three titles last year, is also frustrated with the situation. The players have not received any money for two months and the frustration may have contributed to the team’s sliding performances. It was also alleged that a fierce fight broke out between a local and a foreign player at the end of a practice session a few days ago.

However, club president Nurul Alam Chowdhury urged more commitment from his player and the coach. “It is true that the club is struggling regarding the payment of the players but it is also true that 70% of the payments are cleared though the promise was to clear 95%.

Due to political instability, we have

failed to generate the money for the club. I can say that many of the clubs are yet to clear the money that we have cleared. At the same time, I also want to say the club paid 100% before the season finished and we will do it again. I am shocked to see that the players have forgotten the recent past,” he said.

He also expressed his disappointment over the coach. “I believed that Maruf is our very own coach. For the last two years, we have fulfilled all his dues. This time, I admit he was not paid duly but we thought to pay the players first and then the coach. We expected full professionalism from him, but we will talk with him today and look forward to resolving the problems.” l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Friday, January 24, 2014

United’s Mata bid accepted

by Chelsea n Reuters, London

Sunderland's Craig Gardner (L) and Adam Johnson celebrate after winning their penalty shootout against Manchester United in their English League Cup semi-final second leg match at Old Trafford on Wednesday

Black Cats stun United n AFP, Manchester

Manchester United’s desperate season met with fresh degradation on Wednesday as they sensationally lost on penalties to Sunderland in the League Cup semifinals at Old Trafford.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, United levelled the tie through Jonny Evans’s 37th-minute header, only for Phil Bardsley to net a dramatic equaliser late in extra time with a low shot that squirmed past David de Gea. Improbably, United promptly went straight up to the other end and equalised through Javier Hernandez, for a 3-3 aggregate scoreline that sent the tie to penalties, but it was to prove a false dawn.

An appalling shoot-out saw only three of the 10 penalty-takers score, but United full-back Rafael da Silva proved the fall guy, with Vito Mannone saving his spot-kick to give

Sunderland a 2-1 win.

Having already seen his side beaten

by Swansea City in the FA Cup and relegated to 14 points below leaders Arsenal in the league this month, it was another night of misery for United’s beleaguered manager David Moyes.

“We did not play well enough,” Moyes said. “I was disappointed, but we did not play well enough in the end. That’s football. We’ll get on with it, pick ourselves up, and go again.”

Sunderland, second from bottom in the Premier League, can now look forward to a clash with Manchester City in the final on March 2, in what will be their first major final since 1992.

United’s fans arrived at Old Trafford to reports that their side have made a club-record bid for Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata, and the continued absence of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie due to injury underlined the need for reinforcements.

There was an early chance for Her-

nandez, whose downward header from Adnan Januzaj’s free-kick was parried by visiting goalkeeper Mannone, but the hosts initially struggled to make inroads.

Nine thousand Sunderland fans travelled from the northeast and the hordes of away supporters almost had a memorable goal to cheer when Fabio Borini chested down a raking pass from

RESULT Man United

2-1

Sunderland

Evans 37, Bardsley 119 Hernandez 120+1 After extra-time; 3-3 on aggregate Sunderland win 2-1 on penalties

Adam Johnson and drilled a half-volley inches over the bar from 25 yards.

As Sunderland grew bolder in the second half, Moyes introduced Antonio Valencia in place of Kagawa and the Ecuadorian quickly created a chance for Januzaj, only for the teenager to slice wide.

It was Sunderland who continued to force the issue, though. Only a flying

United drop out of top three in ‘rich list’

Seedorf’s Milan suffer Cup KO n AFP, Milan

n AFP, London

Clarence Seedorf’s second match in charge of AC Milan ended in a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Udinese in the Italian Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Mario Balotelli gave Milan a sixth minute lead before they were pegged back by a 41st minute penalty converted by Colombian Luis Muriel.

Udinese dominated the second half and grabbed the winner in the 77th minute through Uruguayan star Nico Lopez.

Udinese will face either Fiorentina or Siena in the semi-finals.

The defeat also severed a potential European route for AC Milan who are already 30 points behind leaders Juventus in Serie A. Their last hope of playing in Europe next season will depend on their progress in this season’s Champions League where they face Atletico Madrid in the last-16 next month. l

Manchester United’s on-field problems were compounded yesterday when the faltering English champions dropped out of the top three of the world’s topearning clubs for the first time.

International financial services firm Deloitte have been compiling the table since 1997 and for the first eight years United were the biggest-earning club in the world.

However, they’ve since been overtaken by Spanish giants Real and Barcelona and now Bayern following the German club’s impressive treble-winning season.

But Deloitte forecast United, owned by the US-based Glazer family, would reclaim third place from Bayern next year, although a failure to qualify for the lucrative European Champions League could have a damaging effect on the club’s long-term finances.

RICHEST CLUBS (2012-13) Club

1. Real Madrid (Spain) 2. Barcelona (Spain) 3. Bayern Munich (Germany) 4. Man United (England) 5. Paris St Germain (France) 6. Man City (England) 7. Chelsea (England) 8. Arsenal (England) 9. Juventus (Italy) 10. AC Milan (Italy)

Revenue (£)

519m 483m 431m 424m 399m 316m 303m 284m 272m 264m

This year’s table also records the financial rise of Qatari-owned Paris St Germain, who have seen their earnings increase by a remarkable 81 percent, the French club rising to fifth in the standings ahead of English giants Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. l

block from Alexander Buttner thwarted Johnson, while Marcos Alonso almost found the net with an audacious volley that zipped just past the post.

Chris Smalling, meanwhile, was fortunate to avoid punishment when he dragged Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher down after misjudging a bouncing ball.

United sustained a blow early in extra time when Michael Carrick had to go off after twisting his ankle, and they wasted a chance to increase their lead when Hernandez shot wide after Januzaj put him clean through.

The game appeared up for Moyes’s men when goalkeeper De Gea somehow allowed a low daisy-cutter from former United player Bardsley to squirm through his grasp and into the net in the 119th minute. United were stunned, and although Januzaj then crossed for Hernandez to slam home an even more dramatic goal, the night would belong to Sunderland. l

REUTERS

Manchester United’s 37 million-pound ($61.4 million) bid for playmaker Juan Mata has been accepted by Premier League rivals Chelsea, Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday.

The paper said Mata had agreed personal terms with the English champions and will undergo a medical on Thursday.

The Spain international has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge after struggling to cement a regular starting spot under manager Jose Mourinho.

The 25-year-old has found game time hard to come by this season, with Mourinho favouring Brazil internationals Oscar and Willian and Belgium’s Eden Hazard.

The fee would break United’s transfer record paid for striker Dimitar Berbatov, who joined in 2008 from Tottenham Hotspur for 30.75 million pounds.

Mourinho has consistently maintained that Mata still has a role to play at Chelsea, but his determination to keep hold of the player is now likely to be tested.

Chelsea paid 23.5 million pounds to sign Mata from Valencia in 2011 and he has been voted the London club’s player of the year two seasons in a row. l

Tello hat-trick puts Barca on brink of Cup semis n AFP, Madrid Lionel Messi marked his 400th appearance for Barcelona by setting up three goals for Cristian Tello as the Catalans moved towards the Copa del Rey semifinals with a 4-1 win away to Levante on Wednesday.

Nabil El Zhar had fired the hosts into a shock lead midway through the first-half.

However, after an unfortunate Juanfran own goal had levelled matters just after half-time, Tello then sped onto Messi’s through ball to fire home on the hour mark.

The two combined once more 10 minutes from time and another lovely Messi pass allowed the 22-year-old to volley home his hat-trick five minutes later to leave the second-leg at the Camp Nou next Wednesday a formality.

However, just as at the weekend, it

start positively for the visitors as Levante took the lead from a set-piece when El Zhar prodded home from close range after Jose Manuel Pinto had parried his first effort.

Barca were handed a huge slice of luck to equalise eight minutes after half-time when Loukas Vyntra fired

RESULTS Real Sociedad

3-1

Levante

1-4

Mikel Gonzalez 4, 33, Vela 62 El Zhar 31

Santander

Kone 83

Barcelona

Juanfran 53-og, Tello 60, 80, 85

the ball off teammate Juanfran and the ball rebounded past the helpless Javi Jimenez into the net.

Barca will most likely face Real Sociedad in the last four after they beat third-tier side Racing Santander 3-1 at home in their quarter-final, first-leg. l

Barcelona's forward Cristian Tello (R) celebrates his goal with teammates Sergi Roberto and Pedro Rodriguez (R) during their Spanish Copa del Rey quarterfinal first-leg match against Levante UD at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium in Valencia on Wednesday AFP

'PSG set to offer 70m for Pogba' n AFP, Milan

PSG suffer Cup shock, Falcao hurt in Monaco win

Wenger desperate to fill FA Cup void n AFP, London

Paris Saint Germain are set to up the ante in a bid to sign Paul Pogba by offering the Serie A champions 70 million euros for the sought-after Juventus midfielder, according to a report yesterday.

Pogba joined the Italian giants at the start of last season on a free transfer from Manchester United and has blossomed into one of the league’s most creative and effective midfielders both in attack and defence.

Now PSG, according to a report in Thursday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, have offered Juve 70m euros ($95m) in a bid to stave off interest from Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid. The report also said Juventus were determined to hold on to Pogba. l

n AFP, Paris

Arsene Wenger expects the nine-year gap since Arsenal’s last FA Cup triumph will drive the Gunners’ bid to experience fresh Wembley success in May. The Gunners face third tier Coventry in the fourth round at the Emirates Stadium today.

Victory will move the Gunners one step closer to a trophy they last won in 2005 – Wenger’s fourth success in the FA Cup. Wenger said it was far too soon to be thinking about ‘the road to Wembley’.

“I would say when you get to the quarter-finals then you think there are only two games to go before you’re in the final and until then you just want to get through each game.” l

Monaco forward Falcao (C) is lifted away from the pitch after being injured during their French Cup match against Chasselay at the Gerland stadium in Lyon, on Wednesday AFP

Paris Saint-Germain were surprisingly beaten 2-1 by Montpellier in the round of 32 of the French Cup on Wednesday, while an injury to star striker Radamel Falcao overshadowed Monaco’s win against minnows Chasselay.

Unbeaten at home since November 2012 and flying high at the top of Ligue 1, PSG were expected to see off a struggling Montpellier side at the Parc des Princes.

While Montpellier had their Colombian striker to thank for taking them through, an injury to his compatriot Radamel Falcao overshadowed Monaco’s 3-0 victory at Chasselay earlier.

Falcao crumbled to the ground

following a challenge by Soner Ertek inside the Chasselay area – for which no penalty was given – just before the interval and needed lengthy treatment before being carried away on a stretcher. He had given the principality club the lead just before the half-hour mark. l

RESULTS Chasselay L’Ile-Rousse

0-3 0-0

Monaco Bordeaux

Ile-Rousse win 4-3 on penalties

Yzeure Moulins PSG

1-3 2-1 1-2

Lyon Toulouse Montpellier

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Friday, January 24, 2014

Sri Lanka recall Mendis for Bangladesh Tests

QUICK BYTES

Prosecutor asks Ribery and Benzema be cleared in sex trial

n AFP, Colombo

A prosecutor asked on Wednesday that French soccer internationals Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema be discharged of solicitation of an underage prostiture.

“It is impossible for the accusation to prove that Franck Ribery was aware” that Zahia Dehar, a prostitute-turnedfashion model, was under 18 -- the age of majority in France, prosecutor JeanJulien Xavier-Rolai told the Correctional Court of Paris. Xavier-Rolin added that Benzema should also be discharged.

Real Madrid striker Benzema and Bayern Munich forward Ribery, who were not attending the four-day trial, were being tried on charges of paying Dehar when she was aged 16 and 17. Ribery has admitted paying her for sex but said he did not know how hold she was.

Benzema has denied having any sexual relations with Dehar.

–Reuters

Sri Lanka’s selectors on Thursday recalled unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis for two Test matches in Bangladesh starting next week after keeping him out of the recent series against Pakistan.

Mendis, 28, who bowls both off-spin and leg-breaks with an unusual fingerflicking action, last played a Test during his team’s home series against Bangladesh in March 2013.

Mendis, with 64 wickets in 17 Tests, replaces off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake from the side that earlier this week drew against Pakistan 1-1 in the United Arab Emirates.

The 15-man squad, released by Sri Lanka Cricket, does not feature batsman Lahiru Thirimanne and seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, who were both injured during the Pakistan matches.

Sri Lanka, who are due to reach Bangladesh on Friday, will play two Tests, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games during the monthlong tour. l

Southampton suspend record signing Dani Osvaldo

Southampton suspended their club record signing Dani Osvaldo for two weeks on Thursday following an incident at the club’s training ground. Southampton did not reveal what had happened but in a statement on their website (www. saintsfc.co.uk) said: “The club has taken swift and proper action for what it considers a breach of the conduct expected of its players.” It added it would be making no further comment. The Argentineborn Italy international striker joined Southampton for a club record fee of 15.0 million pounds ($24.88 million) from AS Roma at the start of the season but he has only scored three times in 12 appearances so far.

–Reuters

Man City buy basement A-Leaguers Melbourne Heart

Big-spending Premier League giants Manchester City have acquired struggling Australian A-League side Melbourne Heart, Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced Thursday.

City, owned by Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have big plans for the Melbourne outfit which languishes at the bottom of the A-League table. The new owners, who include a consortium led by City that features the ownership group of the Melbourne Storm rugby league team, paid about Aus$11 million (US$9.7 million), Australian Associated Press reported.

–AFP

Uruguay star Forlan heads to Japan Uruguay’s international striker Diego Forlan is to leave Brazilian club Internacional of Porto Alegre to join Japanese side Cerezo Osaka, he wrote on his Twitter account. “In the process of signing for Cerezo Ozaka until December 2014,” the 34-year-old former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid player said. Internacional confirmed the deal for Forlan who played 55 times and scored 22 goals for the Brazilian side he joined in July 2012.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six NBA 2013-14 7:00AM Miami v LA Lakers 9:30AM Portland v Denver Star Sports HD1 9:30AM Australia v England 3rd ODI 2:00AM La Liga Celta Vigo v Real Betis

SQUAD

Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates defeating Berdych of the Czech Republic in their men's singles semi-final at the Australian Open 2014 in Melbourne yesterday

Wawrinka squeezes Set to gain from ICC overhaul, into first Slam final BCCI backs revamp plan n AFP, Melbourne

Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka reached his first Grand Slam final after edging out Tomas Berdych in four tight sets at the Australian Open on Thursday.

The eighth seed beat the Czech 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4) in three hours 31 minutes and will play either Rafael Nadal or fellow Swiss Roger Federer in Sunday’s final.

Wawrinka, who upset three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, supplants Federer as the Swiss number one by making the final. Federer has held the top Swiss ranking since 2001.

“I’m speechless, it’s amazing. I am

so happy to win that match to make my first final here,” Wawrinka said.

“I am working every day to try and win matches. I didn’t expect to make a final in a Grand Slam and tonight it’s happened, so tonight I’m really happy.”

Wawrinka didn’t lose serve and only had one break point against him as bigserving Berdych dished up seven double faults, four of them, crucially, in the third and fourth set tiebreakers. Berdych’s serve was only broken once and Wawrinka shaded the Czech by just one point (143-142) throughout the whole match.

It will be Wawrinka’s first major final after he lost to Djokovic in five sets in the semi-finals at last year’s US Open.

Wawrinka reaches a major final at his 36th Grand Slam appearance, and becomes only the second Swiss man behind Federer to play in a slam final. l

n Agencies Set to benefit immensely from the structural overhaul of the ICC, the BCCI on Thursday unanimously backed the plan which would cede executive decision-making in world cricket to India, Australia and England.

In an emergent meeting, the Indian board reviewed the proposals of the ICC Commercial Rights Working Group, which have created quite a flutter in international cricket.

“The committee discussed at length the proposals of the ICC Working Group and felt that this proposal was in the interest of cricket at large,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement after the meeting.

The meeting was chaired by board vice-president Shivlal Yadav after president N Srinivasan had to skip it because of his mother’s death this morning.

The BCCI unanimously agreed to approve the proposal of the Working Group of the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee in which the Indian board, Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board are key members.

The BCCI also “authorised its officebearers to discuss bilateral matches with other Full Members (including Pakistan) and sign formal Future Tours Programme agreements”.

In the lead-up to negotiations for the next ICC commercial rights cycle

Cibulkova stands tall to set up Li final n Reuters, Melbourne China’s Li Na swept past teenager Genie Bouchard into her third Australian Open final and dynamo Dominika Cibulkova joined her by humbling Agnieszka Radwanska as Melbourne Park served up two lopsided semi-finals on Thursday.

Li, who has lost two of the last three finals, got off to a flier in her match against Bouchard but the Canadian stalled her progress in the second set before succumbing 6-2 6-4.

Even Li’s electric start was put in the shade by Cibulkova’s energetic performance against fifth seed Radwanska, who barely got going before she was ushered off Rod Laver Arena a 6-1 6-2 loser.

Slovakian Cibulkova has never been so far at a grand slam before and will be joined as a first time finalist by Tomas Berdych or Stanislas Wawrinka after the

first men’s semi-final later on Friday.

With top three seeds - Serena Williams, defending champion Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova - all victims of upsets, Li knows she will rarely have a better chance of adding another grand slam title to her 2011 French Open crown.

“I think is the third time, so I’m pretty close to the trophy,” Li said. “I’ll try and enjoy it and stay healthy.”

The 31-year-old, who blessed her luck after facing match point against Lucie Safarova in the third round, set off at a blistering pace by winning 20 of the first 23 points to take a 5-0 lead in just 14 minutes.

“I think beginning of the match I played very well,” said Li. “The second set was a little bit tighter because I was feeling that I already had one foot in the final.”

Bouchard, the world number 31, paid tribute to Li’s performance and again reiterated that she had not been surprised to reach her first grand slam semi-final.l

Li Na of China hits a return to Eugenie Bouchard of Canada during their women's singles semi-final match at the Australian Open 2014 in Melbourne yesterday REUTERS

NSU, IUB post wins n Tribune Desk

Star Sports 4 10:00AM & 2:30AM Australian Open 1:45AM FA Cup 2013/14 Arsenal v Coventry City Ten Golf 03:30PM European Tour 2014 Qatar Masters, Day 3 Ten HD 10:00PM Ram Slam T20 Challenge Lions v Knights Ten Action 1:30AM French Ligue 1 2013/14 Lille v Stade Rennais

REUTERS

Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Ajantha Mendis.

Mullar (R) of North South University receives the man of the match award for his performance against NUB in the 7th ULAB Fair Play Cup yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Defending champions North South University and Independent University Bangladesh won their respective matches in the 7th ULAB Fair Play Cup at the ULAB ground at Ramchandrapur, Mohammadpur, yesterday.

In the day’s first match NSU cruised to a six-wicket win over Northern University of Bangladesh (NUB). Rimon made 40 runs as NUB batted first and posted 116 for six in 20 overs. However, a blistering 27-ball 42 from Mullar secured an easy win for NSU as they reached 117 for four in 17.3 overs.

In a close encounter IUB beat Eastern University by 13 runs at the same venue. IUB, despite registering a low total of 115 for six, went on to restrict EU to 102 for eight in their 20 overs. Rafat Waliullah of NSU scored 47 off 49 balls and was later adjudged man of the match. l

– covering the period from 2015 to 2023 – India apparently wants its share of the global game’s money to reflect the proportion of revenue the country generates.

The planned overhaul of the ICC would also see a new executive committee formed by India, England and Australia that would decide most of the key issues in cricket, and a relegation system, from which they would be protected.

Other changes would include a twotier system for Test cricket in which India, Australia and England would be exempt from relegation and removal of control over scheduling from the ICC to allow countries to essentially pick and choose who they play. l

India down but not out, insists Dhoni n AFP, Wellington India may have been knocked off their one-day international pedestal by lowranked New Zealand, but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni insisted morale remains high.

After going 0-2 down in the fivematch series against New Zealand after a 15-run loss, India dropped to number two behind Australia in the ODI rankings.

But Dhoni, speaking after the game, said that was not something they would dwell on. As far as the morale is concerned, it’s a fantastic, lively dressing room. And what we always emphasise is that cricket is not something that should have a lot of effect on the dressing room,” he said.

“Yes, they are linked, but at the same time it should not be like when you’re performing well you have a different dressing room and when you’re not the entire scenario changes.” l

Renewed Federer eyes chance against Nadal n AFP, Melbourne A rejuvenated Roger Federer may get his best chance to end his Grand Slam torment against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open with the top seed plagued by a blister on his hand.

The Swiss all-time Grand Slam champion has not beaten Nadal in five Slam encounters since his 2007 Wimbledon final triumph, in a period of dominance by the Spanish world number one.

But a combination of Federer’s resurgence under Swedish mentor Stefan Edberg, and Nadal’s blister-induced weakened serve, has thrown open the outcome

of Friday’s blockbuster semi-final.

Nadal was clearly discomfited by the ugly blister in the palm of his serving hand as he spluttered with seven double-faults, two on break points, in his battling four-set win over Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion, 27, complained that a lack of confidence in his weakened serve made him vulnerable against the rising Bulgarian star.

“I served slower. I served bad,” said Nadal, who is on a 10-match winning run. “I felt my biggest problem was the serve because serving like this gives me a problem with everything else,” he added.

“So I’m going to try to improve that, because I’ll need it in the semi-final if I’m going to have the chance to be in the final.” l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Friday, January 24, 2014

ACC okays charges against 8 former Biman men n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

TARIQUE RAHMAN’S MONEY LAUNDERING CASE

HC cancels Tk40cr fine for Giasuddin Al Mamun n Nazmus Sakib

BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman’s close business associate Giasuddin-Al-Mamun has been acquitted from the Tk40crore fine awarded for complicity in a money laundering case.

The High Court bench of Justice Md Rais Uddin yesterday withdrew the fine charged against Mamun after hearing his appeal against a lower court’s verdict.

On November 17 last year, a lower court acquitted Rahman of money laundering charges, however, sentenced Mamun seven years imprisonment and fined Tk40crore for involvement in the case.

The High Court bench led by Justice Nizamul Huq ordered BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s elder son Tarique Rahman to surrender before the trial court on January 19.

Yesterday Barrister Rafique-Ul Huq argued on behalf of Mamun while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state and Supreme Court lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission. l

A woman scans through clothes in a stall at the Dhaka International Trade Fair at Shere-e-Bangla Nagar in the city yesterday

Professors unwilling to leave capital Some public universities outside Dhaka have one professor, some none n Mushfique Wadud Public universities outside Dhaka are struggling because of a dearth of experienced and qualified teachers, as most teachers want to remain in the capital or adjacent areas.

University Grants Commission officials said that in many universities outside Dhaka, except for top posts such as vice-chancellor, registrars or treasurers, most teachers are mainly lecturer-rank, as experienced and qualified professors are unwilling to teach in universities based outside Dhaka.

UGC officials said despite some of the steps that it had taken to encourage teachers to venture outside the capital, they were left unable to convince the qualified and experienced professors.

They said many teachers first get appointments in universities outside Dhaka and then lobby hard for a job in universities here.

Former whip Wahab absent during PM’s visit to Malopara n Emran Hossain Shaikh, Jessore Former MP and whip Sheikh Abdul Wahab was not present while the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the violence-torn area of Malopara in Abaynogor upazila of Jessore district yesterday.

Local MPs of several constituencies including, Ranjit Kumar Ray, Kazi Nabil Ahmed and leaders of local AL were present during the visit.

Wahab was not present at the time of rally while the president of the district AL presided over the function.

Several leaders of Abhoynogoy upazila and Jessore district unit AL told the Dhaka Tribune that Abdul Wahab was not allowed in the law enforcement agencies meeting on the occasion of Premier’s visit.

Wahab was accused of having encouraged attacks on Hindu minority communities on January 5, in the 10th parliamentary elections The meeting arranged by the district administration was held in Abhoynogor upazila headquarters. Wahab was invited to the meeting.

Local AL leaders said Wahab went to the meeting venue but he was turned back.

Wahab, also the president of Abhoynogor upazila Awami League was accused of having encouraged attacks on Hindu minority communities on January 5, in the 10th parliamentary elections.

He was an independent candidate as AL did not nominate him. l

“I can show you some examples in which you will see that a teacher first manages a job in Jahangirnagar University and then lobbies hard to get a job in the capital. The teachers even dislike the hassle of going to Savar, which is very close to the capital,” said a high official at UGC. UGC data shows that there is only one professor and one associate professor in Barisal University. Most of the 56 teachers of this university are mainly lecturers.

Pabna Science and Technology University does not have any professor or associate professor. Most of its 74 teachers are mainly lecturers.

Comilla University has one professor and six associate professors. Most of its 113 teachers are mainly lecturers.

Noakhali Science and Technology University has one professor and one associate professor. Most of its 68 teachers are mainly Lecturers.

Mawlana Bhashani Science and

Technology University in Tangail has one professor and three associate professors, and like the others, most of its 56 teachers are mainly lecturers.

On the other hand, public universities in the capital have a disproportionate number of experienced teachers.

Dhaka University has 790 professors and a total of 1,057 teachers who have PhD or equivalent degrees.

A teacher who was previously with Khulna University of Engineering and Science but then managed to net a job at a university in Dhaka, told the Dhaka Tribune that teachers were trying their best to remain in the capital for a better opportunity.

“I got a consultancy job with a good remuneration and that I would never have gotten if I was outside Dhaka,” he said.

He also said, other than better career opportunities, there is also the question of the quality of lifestyle.

“Two things are crucial, your child’s

education and medical facilities. You will never get the same facilities outside Dhaka that you get here,” he said.

UGC chairman AK Azad Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune that a lack of experienced teachers is a major problem for universities outside Dhaka.

“We are worried that universities outside Dhaka are not receiving experienced and qualified teachers. If this continues, we will be unable to get any quality graduates from these universities,” he said.

He said UGC had taken some initiatives, including offering special incentives and housing facilities, to the experienced teachers who want to teach at universities outside Dhaka, but confessed that the process did not make much progress.

“We must find a solution to this problem in order to create better graduates,” he said adding that UGC is currently working to find a solution. l

JU Chhatra League leader suspended for assaulting teacher n JU Correspondent A leader of Jahangirnagar University unit Bangladesh Chhatra League was suspended for assaulting a teacher yesterday.

Procedures were underway to lodge a case on this matter, Proctor Muzibur Rahman said after a disciplinary committee meeting last night.

Accused Mamun Khan, press and publicity secretary, will be given two working days to respond to a showcause notice, he said. “Permanent ac-

tion will be later decided in a Syndicate meeting.”

Mamun assaulted urban and regional planning (URP) department Chairman Golam Moinuddin near the social sciences faculty in the afternoon.

Another URP teacher, Sajedur Rahman, said he had witnessed the incident and informed other teachers about it.

Prof Moinuddin said he had submitted a written complaint against Mamun to the proctor.

After the news spread, around a hundred teachers led by Jahangir-

nagar University Teachers’ Association staged a demonstration on the campus.

JUTA President Prof Ajit Kumar Mazumder blamed former VC Prof Anwar Hossain for the assault. “We will move against all irregularities and misrule.”

Campus unit Chhatra League President Mahmudur Rahman said the university authorities would take action against Mamun if was found guilty.

“We will comply with the measures in that case,” he added.

However, the accused denied having assaulted the teacher. l

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

The Anti-Corruption Commission has approved filing charges against eight former officials of Biman Bangladesh Limited of who have been accused of misappropriating Tk1.49 crore government money through fake brochures, an official said.

The officials who will face charges are Biman Bangladesh Limited former accounts managers (suspended) Harun-ur-Rashid and M Golam Mostafa, former managers (retired) Mohammad Jinnah and Abdul Malek, former assistant manager Nur Mohammad, cash and banking department former accounts manager (suspended) MAST Chowdhury, former accounts officer (retired) Mir Azizur Rahman and former assistant manager (accounts) MA Rob. ACC sources said the accused people, in collusion with each other, had embezzled Tk3.24 crore of government money between December, 2000 and October, 2005 through 1,013 fake brochures.

ACC Deputy Director Benzir Ahmed on September 5, 2010 filed five cases against 10 Biman officials with the Airport police station. So far the ACC has filed charge sheets in two of the cases with a court.

The charges will be pressed under several sections of the penal code and section 5 (2) of Corruption Prevention Act 1947 with a court soon. l

Jan 24, a grim reminder of Ershad regime n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Slow progress of the trial of the Chittagong massacre case has frustrated family members of the victims killed on January 24, 1988 during the regime of military ruler HM Ershad.

Today is the 26th anniversary of the bloodbath in which at least 30 people were killed and 300 others injured in police firing.

Kalpita: I think Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has forgotten the incident as she has formed the government thrice but the trial is yet to be finished Police opened fire on agitating people as they proceeded in a procession to attend a rally on Laldighi Maidan.

An eye-witness advocate Ibrahim Hossain Babul, joint secretary of the city unit of the Awami League, said Shiekh Hasina was scheduled to attend the rally after a meeting with lawyers in court building in the port city.

Advocate Shahidul Huda lodged a case with the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate under section 302/34 under Criminal Procedure Code in 1993 after five years of the incident.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Hafiz Uddin of Criminal Investigation Department in Chittagong zone submitted the charge sheet before the court on December 12, 1997 based on the investigation report given by another CID ASP Kader Khan, first investigation officer of the case.

The court framed charges on May 9, 2000 against then commissioner Mirza Raqibul Huda of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, constables Pradip Barua, Momtaz Uddin, Mostafizur Rahman, Shah Abdullah, Gobinda Chandra Mondol, Bashiruddin and Abdus Salam.

The case is under trial at the Metro-

politan Sessions’ Judge Court. A total of 35 prosecution witnesses out of 164 were testified before the court, said Kamal Uddin, public prosecutor of Chittagong Metropolitan.

Accused constable Gobinda Chandra Mondol has been on the run while two other constables Bashiruddin and Abdus Salam died.

Prosecution witnesses and the doctor who carried out autopsies have long been missing while CID ASP Kader died, said the public prosecutor.

The PP, however, is hopeful about completion of the trial in a short time.

But the hope of the PP cannot assure the family members of the victims.

Kalpita Bishwash, daughter of Swapan Kumar Bishwash who was killed in police firing on that fateful day, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The memorial is uncared for. The names of the deceased are illegible. I urge the authorities concerned to treat the memorial with due respect.”

“I was an infant when my father was killed. I have no memory of him,” she said.

About the trial, she said the trial process had almost come to a stop.

“I think Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has forgotten the incident as she has formed the government for three times but the trial is yet to be finished,” added Kalpita, an intern at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

In memory of those killed in the police attack a memorial with the names of victims carved on it was built in the court building where Sheikh Hasina-led procession came under police attack.

During a visit to the memorial this correspondent found the memorial uncared. People use its rear side as an alternative to a toilet. It is now a meeting place of gamblers, drug addicts and muggers. l

Bangladesh reclaims 110 acres after 40 years n Our Correspondent, Feni Bangladesh has reclaimed 110 acres of land from India, 40 years after the Mujib-Indira Land Boundary Agreement was signed in 1974.

The land, known as Muhuri Char, on the bank of river Muhuri in Feni, has already been handed over to the Bangladesh border authorities.

Abul Kashem, an official of the Survey of Bangladesh, said the settlement was reached after a five-day joint survey conducted by the surveyors of the two countries.

Prior to the survey, settlement officers from Bangladesh visited the land and held a meeting with their Indian counterparts.

Temporary pillars have already been erected around the area to mark the dividing line. The construction of a permanent pillars is likely to start

next month.

Sources said the land belonged to Bangladesh under the bilateral land treaty, but remained abandoned as a no man’s land.

It was declared a no man’s land after the border security force of India established blocks on the Indian part and stopped Bangladeshis from establishing blocks on their side of the river, resulting in riverbank erosion.

In this regard, Lt Col Khaled Mahmud, captain of BGB 19 battalion, said a lot of conflicts had occurred centring around the possession of the land, which ultimately led to its being declared a no man’s land after a bilateral meeting between the two countries.

He also said all formalities necessary for an official land handover would be complete within the next two months. l

Cattle graze in Muhuri Char, Feni. Indian authorities recently handed over the 110-acre land by the Muhuri River to Bangladesh – after 40 years of a land boundary agreement between the two countries DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

Continue to the Business section...

Business

Advanced vs emerging economies growth 10

Real GDP Y/Y growth -percent

Emerging & developing economies

Advanced economies

8 6 4 2 0 -2 -4 94

95

96

97

98

99

00

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Spread between emerging and advanced economies growth - percent 8 6 4 2 0 -2 94

95

96

97

98

99

00

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Source: Thomson reuters data stream, IMF

B3 Independent luxury

B4 Davos bosses tread

watchmakers expect growth this year

warily in rocky emerging markets

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Imports bounce back despite unrest Tofail: trade mission BB investigation stalled after primary data collection that raises suspicion over money laundering n Jebun Nesa Alo

n Tribune Report

Import expenditure grew marginally in the political unrest-hit year of 2013, bouncing back from a negative growth in the previous year, due to increased imports of capital machinery and food items.

It rose more than 3% to $34bn during the January-December period of last year, recovering from 5% negative growth or $33bn in 2012 when businessmen stayed off from importing capital machinery due to embargo on new gas and electricity connections.

Import $34bn in 2013 $33bn in 2012 $35bn in 2011 In the year before (2011), the country’s total import was $35bn.

An increase in import of capital machinery and food items had led the expenditure to go up during the year of political turmoil, said a Bangladesh Bank senior executive.

The central bank executives would not, however, speak about the reasons why the imports increased during the political unrest-hit year.

Earlier, Bangladesh Bank had raised concern over the rising trend of capital machinery imports last year and had launched an investigation whether

councillors to have extended work areas

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

there were cases of money laundering in the name of imports.

The efforts, however, made hardly any progress after collecting some primary data that raised suspicion over possibilities of money laundering, an executive told Dhaka Tribune, on condition of anonymity.

In case of increased food import, an executive said, it increased last year as the government could not procure cereals from the domestic market as per target.

According to settlement of letter of credit (LCs), rice import rose 729% during July-November period of last year as compared to same period of previous year while wheat increased 81% and Onion 85% as the major items of food.

The December 2013 imports registered 5.28% growth to $3bn from November 2013 and grew 20% from the same month last year. In November, import registered about 3% higher to $2.89bn.

Import of rice declined to $12.41m in December from $16m in November.

“Import increased, but it is not significant. We need investment environment for substantial growth in import,” said former Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed.

“We have enough foreign exchange reserve. So, we have to keep attention on import growth. GDP growth and employment generation will be hampered if capital machinery imports do not increase.” l

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said the government will take step to enhance skills and the areas of works of commercial councillors in the foreign missions of Bangladesh.

At a meeting with the leaders of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) in Dhaka yesterday, the minister announced the plan to raise export volume.

He assured that the problems of doing business in Bangladesh will also be resolved in consultation with other ministries.

Tofail Ahmed claimed the government was providing all-out cooperation to the business community.

The MCCI delegation led by the chamber’s president Rokia Afzal Rahman met the commerce minister at his office.

They demanded formulating a time-befitting tea policy, establishing a high-tech park for the development of information technology, increasing the use of jute products, creating investment-friendly environment, developing infrastructures and introducing high-tech testing method to assess quality of export goods.

Commerce minister said the government would expedite the construction of the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway.

Besides, necessary steps will be taken to ensure the best use of the Bali package made by the World Trade Organisation.

At a meeting with Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu earlier in the

day, MCCI leaders called for holding political programmes on holidays.

The minister urged the businessmen to raise public awareness about the importance of introducing Fridays as working days They also met Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu at his office yesterday and placed nine-point recommendations to let economy grow.

Connection of electricity and gas supplies in the industries would be given priority While meeting with industries minister, MCCI leaders put stress on the uninterrupted electricity and gas supplies to the factories.

The chamber praised government for including the construction of deep sea port on its priority list.

It also reiterated the demand of a political unrest-free environment for the business and economy.

Strengthening of macroeconomic situation, improvement of investment situation, allowing businessmen to invest in foreign countries and improving the country’s image in abroad also got focus.

Amir Hossain Amu assured the industrialist that connection of electricity and gas supplies in the industries would be given priority.

He said the government would work to create an industry-friendly environment to expand industrialisation. l

VSPA now wants license fees back with compensation

Committee sets compensation for Rana Plaza victims n n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The committee on compensation for the victims of Rana Plaza has proposed over Tk14.5 lakh to help each of the families of workers who have died and persons who became permanently disable.

The decision was taken at the committee’s fourth meeting held yesterday at Savar Cantonment, presided over by Maj Gen Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy, general officer commanding of the ninth infantry division.

The proposal would soon be placed to the High Court to take a final decision on the compensation amount, said a meeting source preferred not to be named.

As per the recommendation, workers who lost one limb would get Tk7.5 lakh while ones needing long time treatment Tk4.5 lakh and mentally sick ones Tk1.5 lakh.

On April 30, the High Court ordered formation of a committee to determine adequate compensation for the victims of the country’s deadliest clothing factory accident that killed over 1,100 workers and injured more than 2,500.

The committee had earlier proposed a minimum of Tk20 lakh (around $26,000) for each of the dead or missing person, Tk10 lakh each of those lost one limb, Tk15 lakh for those lost two limbs and Tk20 lakh each of the ones lost more than two limbs.

An amount of Tk600,000 was also proposed for each of injured workers who was undergoing long-term treatment.

“We have given note of decent to the committee, urging them to set the compensation amount for the victims as per the Bangladesh Labour Law of 2006,” said Shahidullah Azim, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

“We demanded compensation for victims as per the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention of article 121 and it would not be less than Tk28 lakh,” said Roy Romesh Chandra, secretary general of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council. l

Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Deprived service providers of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), whose are yet to be connected with international gateways to terminate their incoming international phone calls, have asked the authority concerned to immediately pay back their respective license fess along with proper compensation.

A section of the VoIP Service Provider Association (VSPA) came up with such a claim while addressing a press conference held at the auditorium of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity yesterday.

“We want facility-based connection right now, otherwise, we want to get back our license fess immediately along with proper compensations,” said Rabiul Karim, convener of the VSPA, while addressing the press conference. The press conference was also attended by other leaders of the association.

He also informed that they have already deposited Tk50 core as license

fees while another Tk10 crore as VAT. Addressing the press conference VSPA leaders claimed that although most of the operators, out of 881 VSP operators, can’t do any business, some International

“Being a regulator how can BTRC go ahead with such a recommendation with a yearly loss of Tk1,100 crore from incoming international telephone calls generated by IGW companies?” asked the operators.

'Being a regulator how can BTRC go ahead with such a recommendation with a yearly loss of Tk1,100 crore from incoming international telephone calls generated by IGW companies?'

Gateways (IGW), however, owe Tk1,200 crore to Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC), which is a great loss for the government.

The regulator gives such opportunities to 7-8 IGW’s to pile up their outstanding dues, which already raised questions as the government’s image is now at stake following such acts committed by a state-run commission, they alleged.

Earlier, VSPA leaders had also alleged that some high officials of the BTRC, who are supposed to protect the interest of the government, have played the role of predators in collaboration with some corrupt businessmen.

“Some of the officials, who are working for BTRC for quite a long time, are now busy for their own interests, sacrificing the interest of the government,’’ they said. l

Biman’s DC-10 to operate last passenger flight on February 20 n Tribune Business Desk DC-10 aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines will make its last passenger flight on its Dhaka-Kuwait-Birmingham route on February 20.

Some forty-three years ago, the legendary workhorse logged its maiden voyage for passengers on 05 August, 1971, the year of Bangladesh Liberation, on an American Airlines round trip between Los Angeles and Chicago. And now the finalflight honour goes to Biman Bangladesh Airlines, said a press release yesterday.

The legendary workhorse will make some fanfare flights in the skies of Birmingham for the following three days too as it flies nine scenic tour flights.

The aircraft, after its last flight on the afternoon of Feb 24th will then get prepped for its delivery to a museum.

MAHMUD OPU

The first DC-10 joined Biman fleet in August 1983 and the last one (S2-ACR) was purchased new in 1989. DC-10s have been the backbone of the Biman fleet for nearly a quarter century and at one time the fleet numbered six aircraft.

The legendary workhorse will make some fanfare flights in the skies of Birmingham for the following three days too as it flies nine scenic tour flights With the advent of 4th generation Boeing 777s, the DC-10s began phasing out gradually from the fleet and the last one, S2-ACR makes the final passenger flight on 20 February.

Biman will operate 03 scenic tours every day in the skies of in and around Birmingham. Every scenic tour flight will make rooms for 144 flyers (Window 72, Aisle 72).

The last passenger flight on Dhaka-Kuwait-Birmingham has 314 seats on sale.

Passengers are welcomed to book either the last flight from Dhaka or to book the scenic flights online via the Biman website: www.biman-airlines.com ‘Tickets will only be sold via our website, so do not buy tickets elsewhere, we want these tickets to go to genuine aviation enthusiasts ‘ said Kevin Steel, the Managing Director and the CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

The first wide-bodied tri-jet, the Douglas DC-10 had a checkered beginning in the 1970s, but became a mainstay of medium and long-haul routes of many airlines around the world. l

DSEX strikes best single-day gain n Tribune Report Stocks continued to surge yesterday, buoyed by long positive mood and relatively calm political front.

The rally was led by mainly financials – non-banking financial institutions gained 3.6% and banks 2.6%.

The benchmark DSEX index rose sharply 62 points or 1.4% to end at 4,702, extending its gaining streak for the third consecutive sessions.

Shariah-based DSES index rose 15 points or 1.6% higher to 976.The bluechip comprising DS30 index was up 24 points or 1.5% to 1,664.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, rallied 118 points to close at 9,234.

Trading at DSE remained buoyant as the total turnover stood at Tk833 crore, which was slightly lower from previous session’s 2-month high.

Investors, who have so far been on the sidelines, joined the rally as the long positive sentiment and unperturbed political field attracted them, said a leading stock broker.

Investors’ confidence grew even stronger and kept on supporting the market in this uptrend, said IDLC Investment in its market analysis.

Lanka Bangla Securities said DSEX recorded its best single-day gain by

over 62 points, though some investors lured by profit booking at attractive prices.

Throughout the week, the market continued to break its record high levels creating sector specific momentum in bank at the beginning of week and mutual funds at the end, it said.

“Market outlook reflects the investors view that economic growth will revive on account of divesting performance during political unrest.”

Mutual fund showed the highest return with market capitalisation up 3.6% as investors prompted to trade mutual units at around 40% discount, which indicates upside in future raising the NAV of units at the year-end, according to Lanka Bangla.

All the mutual funds one rallied, with five of them dominating the top ten gainers chart. The sector posted an overall gain of 3.7%.

All the major sectors saw hefty gains. Besides financial sectors, power, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals rose 2%, 1.6% and 1.5% respectively.

Lanka Bangla Finance was the most traded stocks with a turnover of Tk30 crore, followed by Padma Oil, Square Pharmaceuticals, Olympic Industries, Meghan Petroleum, United Commercial Bank and Grameenphone. l

80

8,336.07

76

Turnover (Volume)

74

No. of Contract

72

Traded Issues

295

70

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

162

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

128

68 66

Date

Rupali Bank shares hit 6-month high

THU 16-Jan

Meghna Con. Milk -Z Meghna PET Ind. -Z Imam Button -Z National Tubes -A PragatiLife Insu. -A Shampur Sugar -Z Sandhani Life -A Miracle Industries -B Fareast Islami Life -A

-9.79 -8.99 -7.00 -5.38 -4.74 -4.44 -4.31 -4.07 -3.70

Average (% change) -9.27 -9.22 -4.70 -1.39 -4.98 -4.43 -3.34 -5.25 -3.90

Progressive Life-A

-3.60

-3.68

Company

Closing (% change)

Number of Contract

Miracle Industries -B GreenDeltaInsu -A Apex Foods -A Alltex Industries -Z Rupali Life Insur.-A Sandhani Life -A Nitol Insurance -A Eastern Cables-Z PragatiLife Insu. -A

-5.71 -5.25 -5.12 -4.44 -4.36 -3.87 -3.83 -3.40 -3.23

Average (% change) -6.88 -5.20 -3.88 -3.77 -3.69 -3.65 -3.90 -6.31 -4.08

Meghna Life Ins. -A

-3.02

-5.16

Company

Closing

Closing (% change)

ANALYST

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

Traded Issues

241

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

137

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

103

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

-

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,158.85

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.17

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

13.11 8.17 9.53 111.54 225.12 8.62 90.87 24.01 110.04

12.90 8.10 9.30 107.20 219.10 8.60 88.70 23.60 109.40

14.20 8.50 9.90 119.00 235.00 8.90 92.40 25.00 115.00

12.90 8.10 9.00 104.00 215.00 8.50 86.00 22.20 106.00

1.849 0.543 0.243 59.216 36.748 0.025 14.833 11.071 26.230

-4.60 -0.52 -2.20 2.26 2.38 -45.28 2.39 0.12 4.60

-ve -ve -ve 49.4 94.6 -ve 38.0 200.1 23.9

145.48

144.50

148.00

140.00

3.075

2.30

63.3

Closing average

Closing

DSE Million Taka 797.25 1037.86 470.59 1002.35 235.52 1212.66 1.98 822.17 857.68 1.02 49.45 136.94 43.17 498.86 96.90 222.29 323.34 212.67 172.02 140.21 1.17

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

23.55 95.68 112.58 8.68 97.14 90.39 35.20 99.50 225.00

23.10 95.60 111.10 8.60 96.50 89.50 35.20 99.50 225.00

24.00 97.00 115.00 9.00 98.90 92.50 35.20 97.00 225.00

23.00 94.00 110.00 8.60 96.50 88.00 35.20 102.00 225.00

1.498 0.077 0.737 0.339 1.069 0.849 0.035 0.020 0.113

0.12 5.34 3.96 -1.56 5.33 2.39 2.75 1.40 2.38

196.3 17.9 28.4 -ve 18.2 37.8 12.8 71.1 94.5

141.95

144.30

147.50

140.00

0.752

6.45

22.0

Investors’ confidence grew even stronger and kept on supporting the market in this uptrend

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

26,668

% change 9.56 12.45 5.65 12.02 2.83 14.55 0.02 9.86 10.29 0.01 0.59 1.64 0.52 5.98 1.16 2.67 3.88 2.55 2.06 1.68 0.01

Million Taka 96.04 89.99 37.58 83.54 20.59 62.46 89.99 56.05 0.53 4.02 7.27 6.46 31.98 13.34 13.98 14.60 18.76 21.59 26.84 0.21

CSE

Latest PE

0.52 0.66 8.29 2.24 2.00 5.89 0.64 0.80 0.87 1.04

14.5 10.0 7.6 45.3 5.7 13.1 10.7 8.6 23.3 6.5

23-Jan

% change 13.80 12.93 5.40 12.01 2.96 8.98 0.00 12.93 8.06 0.08 0.58 1.04 0.93 4.60 1.92 2.01 2.10 2.70 3.10 3.86 0.03

Million Taka 893.29 1127.84 508.17 1085.89 256.12 1275.11 1.98 912.16 913.74 1.54 53.46 144.21 49.63 530.84 110.24 236.26 337.94 231.43 193.61 167.05 1.38

Total

% change 9.89 12.49 5.63 12.02 2.84 14.12 0.02 10.10 10.12 0.02 0.59 1.60 0.55 5.88 1.22 2.62 3.74 2.56 2.14 1.85 0.02

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

31.12.2013 as against Tk. (18.13) million and Tk. (0.15) respectively for the same period of the previous year.

GREENDELMF: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Fund has reported net profit of Tk. 33.75 million with earnings per unit of Tk. 0.23 as against Tk. 44.07 million and Tk. 0.29 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas net profit/(loss) was Tk. 43.98 million with earnings per unit of Tk. 0.29 for the period of 3 months (Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. (36.85) million and Tk. (0.25) respectively for the same period of the previous year.

MEGHNAPET: A team of DSE has visited the factory premises of Meghna PET Ind. Ltd. on January 22, 2014. During the visit the team found the following: The production of the company has been found closed. As per annual report of the Company for the year 2012-2013 the factory operation has been suspended for a period of 9 years and Retained Earnings was Tk. (157,737,182).

Change of DSE Broad Index vs Sectoral Index Food_Index

10%

DSE BroadIndex

5%

0%

03

CSE LOSERS

Closing average

14.2

22

DSE LOSERS

Latest EPS

20

▲

13.2 7.6 44.4 61.5 5.3 8.2 9.9 10.8 23.4

0.52

18

(+)1.29%

21,319,638

(Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. 0.36 million and Tk. 0.02 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

NTLTUBES: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Company has reported net profit/ (loss) after tax of Tk. 20.31 million with EPS of Tk. 1.13 as against Tk. (39.90) million and Tk. (2.21) respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas net profit/(loss) after tax was Tk. 11.94 million with EPS of Tk. 0.66 for the period of 3 months (Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. (22.70) million and Tk. (1.26) respectively for the same period of the previous year.

DBH1STMF: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Fund has reported net profit of Tk. 39.00 million with earnings per unit of Tk. 0.33 as against Tk. 17.07 million and Tk. 0.14 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas net profit/(loss) was Tk. 36.68 million with earnings per unit of Tk. 0.31 for the period of 3 months (Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on

16

9234.14620

CSE Selected Index :

1.101 1.723 2.715 0.741 0.320 0.963 0.732 1.612 9.052 0.199

14

Turnover (Volume)

GSPFINANCE: The Board of Directors has recommended 12% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 20.02.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, IDEB Bhaban, 160/A, Kakrail, Dhaka-1000.

Record Date: 03.02.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 1.50, NAV per share of Tk. 23.72 and NOCFPS of Tk. 12.32 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

BENGALWTL: The Company will be placed in "A" category from existing "N" category with effect from January 23, 2014 as the Company reported disbursement of 14% cash dividend (except Sponsor Directors) and 8% stock dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2013.

MONNOCERA: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Company has reported net profit after tax of Tk. 4.61 million with EPS of Tk. 0.19 as against Tk. 4.93 million and Tk. 0.21 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Whereas net profit after tax was Tk. 0.74 million with EPS of Tk. 0.03 for the period of 3 months

12

▲

695.22

10

(+)2.01%

7.00 6.30 60.00 101.00 11.10 75.00 6.40 6.60 19.30 6.60

08

Turnover (Million Taka)

06

12189.37210

5.89 8.29 2.24 5.25 4.16 0.76 0.66 0.64 0.87

21.375

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest PE

WED 22-Jan

04

CSE - 30 Index :

33.014 60.047 19.952 1.551 7.330 8.262 19.544 7.307 38.904

6.50

7.70 6.70 63.90 98.50 11.60 77.40 7.00 7.10 20.80 6.90

02

▲

70.00 59.40 95.10 307.00 21.00 6.00 6.10 6.40 17.30

Latest EPS

News from trade server

CSE key features January 23, 2014

31

(+)1.42%

Turnover in million

Daily low

SUN 19-Jan

29

14588.39340

7.70 6.70 63.80 103.40 11.60 77.00 7.00 7.10 20.60 6.80

27

CSE All Share Index:

Daily high

21-Jan

TUE

25

▲

DSE SHARIAH Index :

7.60

Closing

7.52 6.57 63.13 101.47 11.44 77.01 6.84 6.90 20.23 6.73

23

(+)1.59%

78.10 64.10 102.40 330.30 23.20 6.60 6.70 7.00 20.70

7.50

Closing average

MON 20-Jan

21

▲

976.33729

27.43

19

(+)1.47%

Market Cap. Equity (Billion US$)

17

1664.10488

2,262.63

Daily high

78.10 64.00 102.10 330.10 23.00 6.50 6.60 6.90 20.60

7.37

Average (% change) 6.52 7.18 10.85 7.57 7.42 9.50 7.72 7.31 5.42 7.00

10.00 9.84 9.81 9.53 9.43 9.38 9.38 9.23 8.42 7.94

15

DSE - 30 Index :

Market Cap. Equity (Billion. Tk.)

IFIC 1st MF-A DBH 1st MF-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Samorita Hospital -A ICB AMCL 2nd NRB -A Rupali Bank - A ICB Emp. PMF-A 1st Janata Bank MF-A Islamic Finance-A AMCL 2nd MF-A

13

▲

5

77.91 62.68 99.51 323.13 22.25 6.25 6.54 6.91 20.32

4.69

Closing (% change)

Company

11

(+)1.22%

7.14

CSE GAINERS

09

4702.66260

IFIC 1st MF-A

Closing

Capital Market Highlights

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

10.00 9.78 9.67 8.66 8.49 8.33 8.20 7.81 7.29

Closing average

THU

higher profit in the first nine months of 2013 than a year earlier due to higher provision in 2012.

Bank’s consolidated net profit was Tk80.2 crore after tax during the first nine months of 2013, which is higher than Tk45 crore profit after tax same period in 2012.

In November 24 last year, the bank informed that it has signed a trust deed on November 21, 2013 regarding “vanguard AML Rupali Bank balanced fund” with ICB. “It may be mentioned that Rupali Bank Limited approved a proposal to invest in a Mutual fund totalling Tk200 crore. Rupali Bank will provide an amount of 40 crore as sponsor,” added the disclosure posted on the DSE website.

As of 2012 year-end, the stocks had a restated net asset value of Tk64.27 each whereas the current closing of the stocks price is Tk78.1 each. l

Shares of state-owned Rupali Bank Limited saw a price hike of 10% at Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday.

Investors exchanged the stock valued Tk3.3 crore at the last trading session of the week.

Brokers attributed the price hike with the bank’s better performance and strong fundamentals.

The management disclosed a profit of Tk5.64 crore in its unaudited third quarterly report ending in September last year against a loss of Tk26.7 crore in the same period of 2012. Negative net interest income during the third quarter of 2012 is the reason for the downfall of the bank.

Nevertheless, the bank showed higher net interest income during the first nine months of 2012 than the same period of 2013.

The management failed to book

Rupali Bank - A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Samorita Hospital -A Monno Stafllers -A ICB AMCL IslamicMF-A Prime Bank 1st MF-A DBH 1st MF-A ICB Emp. PMF-A Islamic Finance-A

07

n Tahmidur Rahman

166,067

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

23-01-14

21-01-14

22-01-14

19-01-14

20-01-14

15-01-14

16-01-14

12-01-14

13-01-14

09-01-14

07-01-14

08-01-14

06-01-14

01-12-13

02-01-14

30-12-13

26-12-13

29-12-13

23-12-13

24-12-13

64

201,005,808

Average (% change) 10.45 9.71 6.93 6.03 4.22 3.99 6.86 9.34 5.28

Closing (% change)

Company

Turnover (Million Taka)

78

Friday, January 24, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features January 23, 2014

Recent stock price movement of Rupali Bank (in Taka)

Closing Price

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

05

B2

- 5%

- 10%

- 15%

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LankaBangla Fin. -A Padma Oil Co. -A Square Pharma -A Olympic Ind. -A Meghna Petroleum -A UCBL - A Grameenphone-A

ConfidenceCement A Summit Purbanchol Power-N LafargeS Cement-Z

Active Fine Chem.-A Titas Gas TDCLA UNITED AIR-A Appollo Ispat CL -N Orion Pharma-N Jamuna Oil -A Delta Life Insu. -A Bengal Windsor-N HeidelbergCement -A

Generation Next Fashions-A

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company UCBL - A Mozaffar H.Spinning-N Appollo Ispat CL -N UNITED AIR-A LankaBangla Fin. -A Padma Oil Co. -A LafargeS Cement-Z Grameenphone-A Square Pharma -A

Bengal Windsor-N

BSC-A Orion Pharma-N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A People`s Leasing-A Summit Purbanchol Power-N aamra technologies-A Paramount Textile Ltd.-A Active Fine Chem.-A Maksons Spinning-A City Bank - A

Volume shares 3,783,545 774,597 1,027,549 1,330,437 769,384 5,781,209 778,514 1,081,276 2,095,120 3,530,100

1,411,875 1,706,052 8,014,053 3,208,200 1,708,020 476,730 373,850 1,413,800 211,160 2,604,960

Volume shares 1,066,839 608,000 637,600 1,028,424 199,932 41,760 353,500 62,800 52,288 170,600

24,835 175,720 299,973 359,330 130,730 257,600 184,670 92,436 477,911 450,588

Value in million 301.08 273.92 242.16 230.02 200.59 172.86 163.87 158.18 157.72 147.28

146.43 142.86 139.95 118.39 112.23 104.50 100.85 99.23 94.32 94.31

Value in million 31.91 24.99 23.59 18.00 15.97 14.76 14.70 13.24 12.32 12.01

11.69 11.54 10.65 9.98 9.85 9.75 9.67 9.59 9.50 9.14

% of total turnover 3.61 3.29 2.91 2.76 2.41 2.07 1.97 1.90 1.89 1.77

1.76 1.71 1.68 1.42 1.35 1.25 1.21 1.19 1.13 1.13

% of total turnover 4.59 3.60 3.39 2.59 2.30 2.12 2.11 1.91 1.77 1.73

1.68 1.66 1.53 1.44 1.42 1.40 1.39 1.38 1.37 1.32

Daily closing 80.90 355.10 235.90 173.00 260.60 30.20 212.10 147.40 75.90 42.00

103.00 84.30 17.40 36.80 66.00 218.90 268.10 69.30 445.70 35.80

Daily closing 30.30 41.30 36.90 17.50 81.30 355.50 42.20 212.00 234.70 70.00

469.30 66.00 35.60 28.00 75.90 37.90 52.20 103.70 19.90 20.20

Price change 4.52 2.45 2.88 0.23 0.23 4.14 1.63 4.24 2.43 4.22

Daily opening 77.40 346.60 229.30 172.60 260.00 29.00 208.70 141.40 74.10 40.30

102.50 81.10 17.60 37.00 65.40 217.80 272.00 70.70 443.60 36.10

Price change 4.12 -1.90 -0.54 -0.57 4.50 2.69 4.71 1.34 2.18 -1.41

Daily opening 29.10 42.10 37.10 17.60 77.80 346.20 40.30 209.20 229.70 71.00

0.49 3.95 -1.14 -0.54 0.92 0.51 -1.43 -1.98 0.47 -0.83

-1.10 0.46 -0.28 1.82 2.29 2.71 -1.69 1.07 -1.49 0.00

474.50 65.70 35.70 27.50 74.20 36.90 53.10 102.60 20.20 20.20

Daily high 82.90 358.00 240.00 175.40 264.80 30.50 213.00 148.30 76.40 42.30

105.50 85.00 19.00 37.60 66.20 221.60 274.90 71.80 452.30 36.80

Daily low 70.00 340.00 220.00 164.00 250.00 26.10 205.00 140.00 68.00 40.00

95.00 73.00 15.90 36.60 59.00 215.00 267.80 65.00 439.00 33.00

Daily average 79.58 353.63 235.67 172.89 260.72 29.90 210.49 146.29 75.28 41.72

Daily high 30.50 42.90 37.60 17.80 81.60 357.40 42.40 213.00 238.80 71.50

Daily low 29.20 40.20 36.80 17.40 77.10 348.30 40.00 209.00 230.00 69.00

Daily average 29.91 41.11 37.00 17.50 79.87 353.46 41.58 210.89 235.70 70.42

477.00 66.20 35.80 28.20 76.30 38.50 54.00 105.50 20.50 20.70

465.00 65.00 35.20 25.00 74.10 36.90 52.00 100.20 19.50 19.90

103.71 83.74 17.46 36.90 65.71 219.20 269.77 70.18 446.67 36.20

470.54 65.69 35.50 27.78 75.35 37.84 52.38 103.73 19.89 20.30

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Banks remain open tomorrow in 40 dists n Tribune Report All the scheduled commercial banks will remain open tomorrow (Saturday) in 40 districts to facilitate the transactions of the aspirant candidates of Upazila election ahead of the polls slotted for 15 February.

The last date for the submission of the nomination papers is January, 25.

Braches of all the banks located in 102 upazilla in 40 districts of the country will remain open on Saturday to facilitate candidates in getting treasury invoice, bank drafts, pay orders or postal orders, said a circular Bangladesh Bank (BB) issued yesterday.

“All the banks have been asked to keep open all their branches in the electoral areas on Saturday with ensuring necessary security measures on the day,” said the BB circular. l

The loan was taken before Serbia broke up from Yugoslavia in 1992 n Asif Showkat Kallol Kapital Bank of Serbia has asked Bangladesh to repay US$2m loan which were taken before Serbia broke up from Yugoslavia in 1992.

Yugoslavia’s Jugo Bank was renamed as Kapital Bank of Serbia after the break-up.

Bangladesh’s government is now checking if the loan taken from Yugoslavia’s Jugo Bank is still valid after those long years and the secession.

“We have asked the authority of Agrani Bank to check if the loan is still valid,” said a senior official of Bank and Financial Institutions Division.

The dollar edged down in Asia yesterday ahead of closely watched US jobless claims and housing data which investors will look to for clues about the strength of the world’s largest economy.

Markets could gain more momentum amid a slightly heavier data slate scheduled for today, with eurozone PMI (purchasing managers’ index) set to improve further while US existing home sales growth will stabilise after three months of declining sales The greenback bought 104.35 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, down from 104.54 yen in New York Wednesday, while the euro inched higher on the dollar at $1.3546 from $1.3544.

The European single currency fetched 141.32 yen, from 141.59 yen in US trade.

“Markets could gain more momentum amid a slightly heavier data slate scheduled for today, with eurozone PMI (purchasing managers’ index) set to improve further while US existing home sales growth will stabilise after three months of declining sales,” Credit Agricole said.

Investors are keeping a close eye

on the US figures ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting next week, as speculation grows that the Fed will further reduce its stimulus drive.

Last month the central bank said it would trim its bond-buying scheme by $10bn a month to $75bn in January, citing a firming economy.

On Wednesday, the yen staged a short-lived rally after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) said its monetary easing programme was winning the war against deflation and held off unveiling any fresh stimulus measures, which tend to weigh on the currency.

The BoJ’s unanimous decision after a two-day meeting was widely expected, with analysts predicting the central bank would expand its asset-buying plan later this year to counter the effects of an April sales tax hike.

The greenback rose against other Asia-Pacific currencies.

It strengthened to 1,072.76 South Korean won from 1,068.23 won on Wednesday, to 12,168 Indonesian rupiah from 12,153 rupiah and to Tw$30.19 from Tw$30.17.

The dollar also rose to 45.30 Philippine pesos from 45.27 pesos, to 61.97 Indian rupees from 61.94 rupees, to 32.97 Thai baht from 32.88 baht and to Sg$1.2814 from Sg$1.2786.

The Australian dollar eased to 87.98 US cents from 88.64 cents, while the Chinese yuan bought 17.23 yen against 17.21 yen. l

The social welfare wings of BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT) arranged a progarmme of distributing warm cloth among the street children along with giving financial help to cancer affected children as on January 20. BUFT's Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Syed Masud Husain and Pro Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Engr Ayub Nabi Khan attended the event as special guests

Managing Director and CEO of Pubali Bank Ltd Helal Ahmed Chowdhury poses for photograph along with newly promoted assistant general managers. Pubali Bank promoted 59 senior principal officers to assistant general manager as recognition for their outstanding performance

Deputy Managing Director of Social Islami Bank Limited (SIBL) A M M Farhad handing over a cheque of donation to Dr Edric Baker, Medical Officer and In-charge of Kailakuri Health Care Project for construction of Chechua Diabetes Sub Centre at Mymensingh

The state-run Agrani Bank is part of the projects which have remained stalled since the break-up.

Economic Relations Division sent a letter to the banking division seeking information about the loans.

“The contract was signed between Bangladesh and former Yugoslavia for a development project, not with Serbia’s Kapital Bank,” Dr Khondoker Bazlul Hoque, chairman of Agrani Bank.

He said: “We won’t recognise legal entities of Serbia’s Kapital Bank and Serbian firms.”

In 1981, the government of Yugoslavia started a project titled “Dry dock and heavy steel structure” in Bangla-

desh. The contract of the project signed between two state-owned firms of former Yugoslavia - Milutionvicpimco and Brodimpeks - and Bangladesh’s stateowned firms Ship Building Corporation and Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC).

The total cost of the project was $4.1m which taken from Juga Bank as loan. Chalna port authority and former Ship Building Corporation and BCIC repaid $3m of the amount as of June 30, 1990.

Later in 1992, the United Nations imposed sanction on financial transactions in Yugoslavia as civil war erupted in the country. In 1996, the UN lifted the

sanction.

In 2012, Serbia’s Kaptial Bank sent a letter to Bangladesh’s Agrani Bank to repay rest of the loan.

Banking Division wanted to know from Agrani Bank that if Bangladesh’s government at that time gave any assurance to Yugoslavian government to repay the whole amount of the loans.

It also sought information about Ivn Milutionvic-Pimco whether the firm is the genuine successor of the Yugoslavia’s former state-owned firms Milutionvicpimco and Brodimpeks.

The division wanted to know when Jugo Bank was declared insolvent by commercial court of Belgrade. l

Independent luxury watchmakers expect growth this year n Reuters

Swiss luxury watchmakers predict the market will grow this year, expecting rising demand from North America and Europe to more than offset slowing sales to China.

Independent watchmakers Audemars Piguet, Parmigiani, Greubel Forsey and Richard Mille, told Reuters at an industry show they were expecting higher sales in 2014 than last year.

The Chinese government’s crackdown on the use of luxury goods as bribes and illegitimate gifts has hurt sales of luxury watches in mainland China, the third largest market for Swiss watch exports.

“The biggest dark cloud on the horizon is a potential Chinese bubble, we don’t know if it’s going to burst or not,” Jean-Marc Jacot, head of independent high-end watch brand Parmigiani told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

“We’ll all be hit terribly if something happens in China, let’s hope the Chinese government keeps things in check,” he said at the SIHH watch fair that unites Richemont brands and a handful of independents in Geneva this week.

Hong Kong and mainland China together accounted for about a quarter of Swiss watch exports. In the eleven months to November the total market was worth 20bn Swiss francs ($22bn).

Exports to these two markets fell 6% and 15%, respectively, in that period.

Exane BNP Paribas analyst Luca Solca said he estimated that the luxury watchmakers were vulnerable to a slowdown because sales in China, as well as to Chinese tourists overseas, generated half of their revenue.

Richemont, which owns the Cartier

B3

Friday, January 24, 2014

Serbia’s Kapital Bank asks Bangladesh to repay $2m

Dollar edges down in Asia ahead of US jobs, housing data n AFP, Tokyo

Business

A visitor looks at watches at the Parmigiani booth during the opening day of the ''Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie'' at Palexpo in Geneva REUTERS brand, said last week that its sales in China were still in negative territory in the three months to December, while Swatch Group was more optimistic, saying its Omega brand was about to recover in China.

Vacheron Constantin’s CEO, Juan-Carlos Torres, said many watchmakers took buoyant Chinese growth for granted.

“You have to go slowly in China and work for the long term. We did not only go to first-tier cities, but also to second- and third-tier cities with local retail partners,” Torres said, adding this would help the brand grow sales in China this year.

Watchmakers said the second biggest market for Swiss watches, the

United States, should see a tepid recovery gather momentum this year.

Exports rose 2.4% between January and November last year.

Jasmine Audemars, chairwoman of Audemars Piguet, the biggest independent watchmaker at the fair, said the brand was doing well in the US market and things should get better.

Parmigiani’s Jacot said: “The United States (is) coming back, this year we’ll see the real rebound.”

Overall, Audemars Piguet is expecting single-digit growth this year, while Parmigiani expects to grow about 15% after 17% last year. Richard Mille, another high-end player, is aiming for 150m Swiss francs ($165m) in 2014 sales after 132 million in 2013. l

Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi calls for gold import duty cut n Reuters

Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi has written to the government, to ask for a cut in the record import duty on gold and for other restrictions to be eased, television channel CNBC Awaaz said citing sources that it did not identify.

The coalition government, led by Congress, is considering easing restrictions, which include a 10% import duty and a rule that says 20% of all imports must leave the country as exports, government sources told Reuters earlier this month.

India used to be the world’s biggest buyer of bullion until the government introduced the curbs in order to contain a record current account deficit. l

Citi bank ranks top in Asia by FinanceAsia n Tribune Business Desk Citi, the leading global bank having around 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries, has been ranked top in Asia by the reputed financial magazine named FinanceAsia. This was the fifth year in a row Citi has picked up the award.

The editorial team at FinanceAsia magazine made the decision based on the performance of banks across institutional and retail banking during the year, said a press release issued by the bank yesterday.

The bank’s client work was also recognized with deal of the year, best sovereign bond, best Islamic bond, best leveraged loan and loan. Addition to the award, the bank’s client work was also recognised with deal of the year, best sovereign bond, best Islamic bond, best leveraged loan and loan.

In the editorial write up announcing the awards, the editors said: “Citi’s growth in Asia over recent years has been built on solid foundations…and the bank was an early mover in cross selling products between commercial and investment banking.”

“In a highly competitive market this independent recognition is greatly appreciated by all of us at Citi. I would also like to thank our clients who place their trust in us to meet their financial needs day in and day out and without whom this award would not be possible,” said Stephen Bird, CEO for Citi in Asia Pacific.

Managing Director and Citi country officer for Bangladesh, Rashed Maqsood in a statement said, “We are delighted to receive this recognition from FinanceAsia. Industry awards and polls are an important way Citi positions its leadership and demonstrates endorsement from clients and the industry.” l

Oil prices hit by profit-taking in Asian trade n AFP, Singapore

Euro zone business starts 2014 on a high, China falters

Oil prices eased in Asian trade yesterday as investors locked in profits after they hit their highest levels this year on forecasts of stronger demand.

Analysts said traders would be watching closely a meeting next week by the US Federal Reserve for more clues about its plans to wind down its massive stimulus for the world’s largest economy.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for March delivery, was down 21 cents at $96.52 a barrel in the afternoon after rising by $1.76 in closing US trade Wednesday.

Brent crude for March dipped 21 cents to $108.06 after gaining $1.54.

The International Energy Agency in its monthly report projected demand for crude would grow 1.3 million barrels per day in 2014, up from a previously forecast increase of 1.2 million. It said consumption accelerated at the end of 2013 as advanced economies, led by the United States, saw growth pick up.

That came as the International Monetary Fund raised its global growth forecast for the first time in nearly two years - predicting 3.7% expansion in 2014, up from its earlier 3.6% estimate. It grew three percent last year.

The optimistic outlook was fuelled by a solid recovery in the United States while other countries move away from austerity measures.

Eyes are now on the US Federal Reserve, which last month said it would cut its bond-buying scheme by $10bn a month to $75bn as of January. l

The global economy started 2014 on a disjointed note with the euro zone’s private sector in better shape than expected and China’s vast manufacturing industry contracting for the first time in six months.

Surveys yesterday showed stronger growth across the now 18-member euro zone was marred only by an ongoing contraction in France, although the pace of that slowed. Apart from that, the upturn appeared broad-based with decent growth in both the services and manufacturing industries.

But in the first indication of sentiment for the new year in China’s 56.9tn yuan ($9.4tn) economy - the world’s secondlargest - factories were hit by weaker domestic and export demand.

“Overall, the message from the euro zone PMIs (purchasing managers’ indexes) were a good, positive surprise.

It gives some support to the idea that we are going to get stronger activity growth in the earlier months of this year,” said Peter Dixon at Commerzbank. “(The Chinese PMI) is consistent with the idea that China has shifted to a lower growth path, which is exactly in line with what the government is calling for. Is it a concern? Not at this stage. It’s a bit of a warning signal but that’s it.”

Markit’s Flash Euro zone Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which gauges business activity across thousands of companies and is seen as a good guide to economic health, jumped to 53.2 in January from 52.1 last month.

n Reuters

That was well above the 50 mark that denotes growth and was its highest since mid-2011, beating all forecasts in a Reuters poll of 25 economists.

An earlier composite PMI from France, the bloc’s second-biggest economy, showed activity contracted for the third month running in January, although the downturn was less pronounced with both services and factory PMIs beating expectations.

In neighbouring Germany, the composite PMI rose to a 31-month high.

“The euro zone economy started 2014 on a positive footing, which is encouraging news and will reinforce hopes of a sustained recovery this year,” said Martin van Vliet at ING. Markit said if the data held near current levels, the bloc’s economy would grow around 0.3-0.4% in the first quarter, stronger than the 0.2% suggested in a Reuters poll last week.

New orders rose for the sixth month, indicating the PMIs might rise higher next month. That comes after Ireland and Spain drew strong demand for bonds in auctions this month, while European shares climbed to fresh 5-1/2 year peaks on Tuesday as investors become increasingly bullish.

A Markit manufacturing survey for the United States, comparable with the euro zone and Chinese ones, is due later on Thursday and is expected to show sustained growth.

Not so happy new year

A Reuters visit to southern China’s manufacturing heartlands this month

showed many factories have closed earlier than usual for the upcoming Lunar New Year, the nation’s biggest holiday, discouraged by weak orders and rising costs.

China’s Flash Markit/HSBC PMI fell to 49.6 in January from December’s 50.5, showing a faster rate of decrease in new export orders and employment.

“Such a reading highlights the deteriorating growth outlook as policymakers are tightening their monetary stance, pushing through with an austerity campaign, and withdrawing stimulus measures,” said Dariusz Kowalczyk, a senior economist and strategist for Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong.

Leaders in Beijing have pledged to push reforms to unleash new growth drivers as the economy loses steam, burdened by industrial overcapacity, piles of debt and soaring home prices.

China’s annual economic expansion slowed to 7.7% in the fourth quarter of 2013 from 7.8% in the previous quarter, putting full-year growth at 7.7%, slightly ahead of the government’s target of 7.5%.

While the economy narrowly missed expectations for full-year growth to fall to a 14-year low in 2013, some economists say a further cooling will be inevitable this year as officials hunker down for difficult reforms.

“Today’s PMI figure reinforces our expectation of growth momentum easing further this year. We expect GDP growth to progressively slow towards the pain threshold of 7% later this year,” said Nikolaus Keis at UniCredit. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Friday, January 24, 2014

Davos bosses tread warily in rocky emerging markets n Reuters Multinational companies are becoming more picky about emerging market investments as slowing growth in upstart economies and a recovery in the West takes the shine off a previous sure-fire strategic bet.

Executives in Davos said they remained committed to tapping into rising middle classes from Shanghai to Lagos, but some are pulling back and redeploying resources in particularly difficult, low-margin regions.

“It was a gold rush. Now the gold rush is over,” said Jeff Joerres, chief executive of staffing company Manpower Group, whose clients include many top international firms.

"In the past, regardless of industry and regardless of product, you just ran to those emerging markets because there was an arbitrage opportunity.

Now there's a much more sanguine decision-making process."

The new mood follows a marked shift in the balance between the world's main engines of economic growth that will see developed economies, led by the United States, regaining their role as the central driver of global output in 2014.

Emerging markets will still grow at a faster clip than developed markets this year but the difference in growth rates will be the lowest since 2002.

The World Bank last week raised its forecast for global growth for the first time in three years, to 3.2% in 2014 from 2.4% in 2013. But it cut forecasts for developing countries to 5.3% for 2014, from 5.6% predicted in June.

Midlife crisis?

The balance between emerging and developed economies is a central topic at this week's World Economic Forum annual meeting in the Swiss Alps, as highlighted by a session on Thursday entitled "BRICS in Midlife Crisis?"

Growth rates for Brazil, Russia, India and China are half their prefinancial crisis levels - and companies are taking a hard look at alternatives beyond the "big four".

The Middle East and Indonesia were highlighted as hot-spots for online growth by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, while Marriott International boss Arne Sorenson said his group was opening a new hotel in Rwanda.

However, a top executive at a US tech company, who did not want to be identified, said his firm was having an especially tough time in Brazil, with big uncertainties also in Russia, leading the company to look at deploying resources elsewhere.

In fact 60% of firms now expect to shift investment away from the BRICs towards other more rapidly growing markets, according to an Accenture survey of more than 1,000 executives.

"It's getting tougher and more competitive and some companies will find that they haven't got the right strategy in certain places," said Mark Spelman, Accenture's strategy head.

"There may be some that will pull out, but we will continue to see more investment at the same time."

From autos to soap to whisky, multinational companies have been increasing their exposure to emerging markets dramatically in recent years.

Europe's top 505 companies generated a third of their sales in emerging markets in 2013, or 2.8 times more than in 1997, according to Morgan Stanley. But the curve from here is set to flatten.

"You should expect that line to go sideways for a while, but I don't think it will fall materially," said Morgan Stanley strategist Graham Secker.

"Companies will perhaps focus a bit more on opportunities in developed markets - for example, a European chemical company might want to relocate some assets in the US to take advantage of low energy costs."

Mega-cities

In a few cases, companies are heading for the exit or scrapping certain product lines in some emerging markets.

Cosmetics maker Revlon said at the end of December it would leave China, where sales have been falling, and French rival L'Oreal has stopped selling its Garnier beauty products in the country.

In India, too, difficult market conditions have prompted frustrated foreign companies in sectors ranging from telecoms to retail to curb their ambitions.

The majority of firms, however, view current weakness in emerging markets as a strategic hazard that will not seriously derail planning

Advanced vs emerging economies growth 10

Real GDP Y/Y growth -percent

Top bosses and economists warned the global elite on Wednesday not to get over-excited by a gradual economic upturn in Europe, which one chief executive branded an "emerging country."

While the mood of impending doom surrounding the eurozone that stalked Davos at the height of the crisis has abated, staggering rates of youth unemployment and sluggish growth are still battering Europe, delegates heard.

Christophe de Margerie, head of French energy giant Total, said: "Don't take it as being provocative (but) I think Europe should be reclassified as an emerging country."

The continent needs to start from

scratch in terms of economic policy to overcome the twin evils of high unemployment and stagnant growth, he added.

Meanwhile, Axel Weber, head of Swiss banking group UBS and a former head of the powerful German Bundesbank, stressed: "The eurozone recovery is no reason to get excited.

"If you actually look at the recovery, it's lacklustre, it's uneven across European countries ... this is not enough to close output gaps, it's not enough to create jobs."

Speaking at the same panel, respected Harvard University economist Ken Rogoff said the youth unemployment situation in Europe was "really frightening."

Advanced economies

8 6 4 2 0 -2 -4 94

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Spread between emerging and advanced economies growth - percent 8 6 4 2 0 -2 94

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Source: Thomson reuters data stream, IMF assumptions based on solid long-term demographics.

"Since emerging markets are developing day by day, sometimes they may go down and sometimes they may go up. We should not be so much influenced by short-term trends or phenomena," said Toshiba chairman Atsutoshi Nishida.

Europe now an ‘emerging country’! n AFP, Davos

Emerging & developing economies

With more than one in two young Spaniards out of work, "you're losing part of a whole generation," he warned.

After years of recession caused by a crippling debt crisis, the eurozone economy is gradually beginning to recover, although concerns persist about certain countries, notably France.

Rogoff derided the creation of the single European currency, the euro, as a "giant historic mistake".

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the 18-member bloc had become more stable since last year's gathering of the world's elite at Davos.

"No one is talking about the eurozone falling apart. I don't think it's a small political achievement ... I think Europe deserves credit for that." l

A technician checks the light in the Congress Hall before the start of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2014 in Davos REUTERS

Consumer goods giant Unilever, which now generates well over half its sales in emerging markets, also says it not going to be deflected by tough times in Brazil, India and Indonesia.

That approach makes sound sense in the eyes of Martin Sorrell, head of advertising agency WPP, who is a longterm bull of emerging markets.

Kashmir trade stalls as India, Pakistan dispute drugs bust

n Reuters Efforts by India and Pakistan to increase trade and ease tension in disputed Kashmir have suffered a blow with police saying they had seized more than 100 kg (220 lb) of heroin concealed in a truck full of nuts coming from the Pakistan side.

Pakistan halted cross-border trade and bus travel across the Himalayan region after the seizure last week, and on Tuesday New Delhi summoned Pakistan's acting envoy in protest.

The two nuclear-armed countries have fought two wars over Kashmir but had sought to ease access and commerce in a region at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility.

The spat, which comes after the two sides agreed on Saturday to allow round-the-clock movement of trucks and containers through their main border crossing further south in Punjab, underlines the fragility of the peace process.

"It is indeed surprising that Pakistan chose to hold hostage trans-LoC trade and travel bringing immense humanitarian benefits to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, for the sake of persons indulging in drug trafficking," Foreign Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said, referring to the Line of Control dividing Kashmir.

Both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif, who took power last year, are keen to rebuild ties and diplomats say closer integration of Pakistan with India's giant economy could lay the ground for improving political relations.

The latest row erupted on Friday when police impounded a truck coming from Chakoti on the Pakistan side of Kashmir and arrested its driver saying they had found 114 packets of heroin concealed in a cargo of almonds.

Deputy Police Inspector General J P Singh said the seizure was the largest contraband haul since cross-border trade began across the heavily militarised Line of Control in 2008, and estimated that it could be worth 1bn rupees on the international market. l

"Having emerging markets exposure was an advantage with analysts and financial markets a year ago and now it's a disadvantage, which is ludicrous.

Whatever happens, these markets are the future," he said.

Indeed, a glance at the world's biggest cities suggests international companies ignore the mega-trend

towards developing nations at their peril.

Only one of the world's 10 biggest conurbations now lies in North America or Europe, according to consultancy Demographia - and New York's position at No 8 looks precarious given the far faster pace of growth of cities in Asia and Africa. l

Sullen in Singapore: Its workers are the unhappiest in Asia About 59% of Singaporeans had a pay increase in the last year and 67% expected a raise of at least 5% over the next year

n Reuters Workers in wealthy Singapore are the unhappiest in Asia and nearly two-thirds would like to quit their jobs in the next year, a regional survey by recruiting firm Randstad Group showed yesterday.

Indian workers were the happiest in Asia, with about 70% feeling challenged, motivated and mentored, according to the survey by the Netherlands-based firm of 14,000 employers and professionals in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand Tiny Singapore, a banking and trade centre with world-class amenities and high per capita income, has seen unprecedented public discontent in recent years over the rising cost of living and competition from foreign workers.

Randstad’s World of Work Report showed that 23% of Singaporean workers felt unmotivated and that their skills were not being used effectively, while 64% planned to leave their jobs in the next 12 months.

The top reasons for dissatisfaction were an unsuitable corporate culture, difficult bosses and being asked to do more with less.

Indian workers were the happiest in Asia, with about 70% feeling challenged, motivated and mentored, according to the survey by the Netherlands-based firm of

14,000 employers and professionals in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Singaporeans were now putting more emphasis on work/life balance, as shown by the 50% who ranked it as one of the main reasons to stay with a company, up from 15% in a 2012 survey.

But 55% of employers acknowledged their performance in creating flexible working options was average or poor. At 71%, the majority of employers also said that managing a workforce of various ages was one of the biggest challenges.

“There is no magic equation for retention but having career development opportunities readily available is a great start,” Michael Smith, the country director of Randstad Singapore, said in a statement.

The survey showed Singaporeans were motivated by knowing their contributions matter, but that salary expectations were also important. About 59% of Singaporeans had a pay increase in the last year and 67% expected a raise of at least 5% over the next year.

Singapore’s long-ruling government, its popular vote hit in elections by the public anger, has sought to rein in living costs and tighten the labour market for foreigners.

The steps include raising the minimum salary for foreigners seeking an employment pass to S$3,300 ($2,600) per month and obliging employers to advertise job vacancies to Singaporeans for 14 days before an overseas worker can be hired. l