February 05, 2014

Magh 23, 1420 Rabius Saani 4, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 312

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Khaleda seeks UN intervention to Court finds Khaleda’s stop ‘forced disappearance, killings‘ role mysterious in Says 300 opposition activists were either abducted or murdered n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday alleged that 300 activists of the opposition had either been abducted or killed in between December 26 and January 27.

She urged the right bodies including the United Nations to intervene to stop such “enforced disappearance and killings.”

Issuing a note of warning she said they cannot go on urging the government for talks and compromise for an indefinite period. However, she said they would take some time to reorganise the party as many leaders and activists were either in jail or on the run while many were killed.

The former premier said the figure of 300 “killed or disappeared” activists were collected by the BNP office. She mentioned another figure of “killed” activists quoting media reports.

“According to different media statistics, since the start of the opposition movement against the farcical election, 276 opposition leaders and activists were killed, 34 fell victim to extrajudicial killings after they were detained and 29,262 were arrested,” she claimed.

“I am drawing the attention of all

the human rights organisations including the United Nations to the poor state of human rights and also urging them to take effective steps,” she said.

Addressing a press conference at a city hotel Khaleda reiterated her call to the government to initiate a dialogue immediately to find out an amicable way out of the political standoff.

On the movement strategy Khaleda said BNP knows when to take a decision. “There is no reason to think that we will urge for dialogue and compro-

10-TRUCK ARMS SMUGGLING

Government to probe Khaleda’s role n

Kamran Reza Chowdhury and Emran Hossain Shaikh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday told parliament that her government would carry out a fresh investigation to unearth whether BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman had been involved in the conspiracy for smuggling 10-truckload arms through Bangladesh territory, mainly to try them, if proved.

“None will be spared,” she said during an unscheduled discussion initiated by her cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, the prime minister said her government must not allow anyone to use Bangladesh territory against other countries.

Taking part in the same discussion, Sheikh Selim, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Matia Chowdhury, Mayeen Uddin Khan, Abdul Mannan and Jahangir Kabir Nanak demanded trial of Khaleda for her alleged involvement in the arms smuggling case.

INSIDE Business

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Nation

6 Crops on about 2,500 bighas of land have been damaged for lack of irrigation as an influential leader of the ruling party has built a dam on a canal at Potibari village in Barisal.

Op-Ed

11 The unifying thread running through Bangladesh’s 65-year existence is the frustrated aspiration to establish a democracy of the people, by the people, for the people.

Hasina took floor and said the trial of the 10-truck arms haul cases had been done, but there could be fresh investigation on the conspiracy on this issue.

“In the reference of witnesses, the involvement of the BNP leader and the Hawa Bhaban has come. The trial is over. This is necessary to investigate whether the BNP leader and her son were involved in the conspiracy for the smuggling,” the premier told the unscheduled discussion that went on for around one and a half hours, with deputy speaker Fazle Rabbi in the chair.

“It must be done.”

Hasina in the last part of her speech said: “We will carry out a fresh investigation to find out whether the BNP leader and the Hawa Bhaban are involved in the conspiracy. We will hand down punishment; none will be spared.”

Earlier, Latif Siddiqui said Khaleda had known about the arms smuggling beforehand. He said the BNP chief  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

‘The illegal government has resorted to the path of political repression, killing, abduction and arrest’ mise for an indefinite period. So take necessary steps keeping time in hand,” she warned.

Accusing the government of “re-

sorting to various conspiracy” to prolong its “autocratic tenure” Khaleda said people of the country would not accept and tolerate the “autocracy and authoritarianism” for a long time.

The BNP chief alleged that not only the law enforcers or “state sponsored terrorism”, Awami League’s associated bodies have also been resorting to armed attack publicly in the country.

“The illegal government has resorted to the path of political repression, killing, abduction and arrest,” she observed.

Terming the January 5 election farcical the former premier alleged 153 were elected uncontested through “distribution” and they also wanted to give a share to the BNP. “We did not want seat sharing rather wanted a free, fair, neutral and competitive elections.”

Khaleda said they formed the Rapid Action Battalion to curb militancy and criminal activities but (the government) ruined its image and turned it into a dreadful force.

Soon after the formation of the RAB the then ruling BNP launched “Operation Clean Heart” drive in which many opposition men were killed drawing flak from both home and abroad.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

10-truck arms haul n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

HIGHLIGHTS

The role of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia in the sensational 10-truck arms haul in April, 2004 in Chittagong was found mysterious by the court which delivered the verdict on the two cases in the incident on January 30.

SM Mojibur Rahman, judge of Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal 1, who pronounced a short version of the verdict in the cases on January 30 gave this observation in the full copy of the judgment that was released yesterday.

The judge observed that it was a conspiracy to destroy the good relations of brotherly countries Bangladesh and India.

In the arms case, the court released a 214-page judgment that awarded life term imprisonment to 14 accused and 260-page judgment in the smuggling case that awarded death sentence to the same 14 including two former ministers, some military officials in intelligence agencies and a leader of Indian separatist group Ulfa.

The judge in his judgment observed that convicted officials of National Security Intelligence (NSI) and Directorate of General Forces Intelligence (DGFI) involved themselves with the arms smuggling incident maintaining

• Plot to destroy good relation with neighboring country • Smuggling arms for Ulfa as a ‘national interest’ is unintelligible • 10-truck arms case not comparable with ordinary arms case • Seized arms’ value was several thousand crore taka • A mini cantonment can be operated by the seized arms • Smuggling of huge weaponries was impossible without government backing • Convicted Intelligence officials got lucrative benefit from Ulfa

None of the Chhatra League activists, who openly toted guns during Sunday’s skirmish on the Rajshahi University campus, has been made accused in any of the cases filed so far.

Police on Sunday arrested a protester named Sajeeb Ahmed, fourth year student of the Finance and Banking Department. He was sent to jail following a court order.

On Sunday, Chhatra League activists and police attacked a group of agitating students in front of Prolay Chisym, deputy commissioner of police of Rajshahi east region, on the university campus. The attack left at least 100 injured including 20 bullet hit.

Prolay Chisym told the Dhaka Tribune that police had gone on action just to take the situation under control as the students went on rampage.

When asked why police opened fire on the students, proctor Prof Tariqul

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Commissioner Shahid arrested with arms n Mohammad Jamil Khan

TWO SIDES TO THE STORY

RAB personnel early yesterday arrested notorious criminal Saidur Rahman Shahid alias Shahid Commissioner from his Gandaria residence in the capital.

Shahid, a former ward commissioner from Gandaria area, contested the January 5 parliament election as an independent candidate from the same constituency.

The elite force on information raided his house on Satish Sarker Lane between 3am and 4am and arrested him, Sharif Mohammad Farhad Hossain, executive magistrate of RAB 10 told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Three pistols, a revolver and 62 rounds of ammunition were recovered from his house,” he said adding that Shahid Commissioner was handed over to Gandaria police. Later he was shown arrested in an arms case filed against him with the same police station.

P2 PROFILE

manding reduction of fees and other issues. Chhatra League brought out a victory procession when the authorities met the demands; they were attacked,” Hasina said.

“Then they protested and resisted [the attacks]. All of the cadres seen with arms were not activists of Chhatra League. We have already expelled the Chhatra League activists involved. Legal actions will follow,” said Hasina.

The prime minister said she had already instructed the home minister and the inspector general of police to investigate the incident to find out those involved in the attacks.

She urged the left-leaning student bodies at Rajshahi University to remain alert so that Shibir cadres could not intrude their agitation.

“It is not acceptable that Shibir will infiltrate into their agitation programme, occupy the campus and carry out criminal activities; we have to see to it,” said Hasina.

Khandokar Golam Sarowar, commander of Rab 10, said they had information that Shahid had been conspiring with seven other associates at his residence to “carry out sabotage.” “But sensing presence of the RAB members, others fled the building through the back door climbing down a rope.”

He said they had to face obstacles at the main gate and the staircase of the five-storey building. During that time, Shahid Commissioner who was on the second floor also tried to escape but the RAB members caught him.

“We did not find any of his family members at the house,” said Sarowar.

“Only security guards and some criminals of the area used to live in the house,” he added.

Shahid has over a dozen cases of murder and extortion against him with different police stations.

The group of Shahid Commissioner, largely known as Shahid Bahini, used to commit different criminal activities in the area including murder, extortion, snatching and grabbing. Shahid, who sometimes identified himself as an Awami League supporter and sometime Jatiya Party, did not use any mobile phone by his own.

On January 2, three days before the national election, law enforcers arrested Shahid’s accomplice Hafizur Rahman from the same house with a revolver, a pistol and a shotgun. Shahid,

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

A man dips dried fish, a traditional Bangalee delicacy known as shutki, in phenyl, a household cleaning stuff considered hazardous to health, at Shutkipolli in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday. He does this to wash the fish and also to keep insects away DHAKA TRIBUNE

Rajshahi University gun Hasina: Not all of them wielders given immunity were Chhatra League n RU Correspondent

relations with Indian separatist group Ulfa.

The convicted NSI and DGFI officials along with Indian separatist group Ulfa, Pakistani intelligence ISI and Dubai-based company ARY hatched a conspiracy to destroy the diplomatic and friendly relations between Bangladesh and India.

Indian separatist group United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) was the intended recipient of the illicit arms

Hasan said the law enforcers had done exactly what was needed.

Some six cases were filed against 964 students, but no Chhatra League men were included in the list of 224 students whose names were mentioned in the statements of the cases filed with the Motihar police station.

Police and university authorities have not filed any case against the gun-toting Chhatra League activists The university authority and police filed four cases in total, each naming accusing 400 and mentioning the names of 100.

The university unit Chhatra League files two cases against 140 students, naming 24.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Reza Chowdhury and n Kamran Emran Hossain Shaikh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said in parliament that not all of the cadres seen carrying firearms on Rajshahi University campus were activists of her party’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League.

She announced that legal actions would be taken against the attackers of students and warned that her government would not allow the Islami Chhatra Shibir to occupy the campus and carry out violence there.

During an unscheduled discussion initiated by Opposition Chief Whip Tajul Islam Chowdhury, the premier said the Chhatra League leaders under attack had the right to defend themselves.

Tajul had demanded tough actions against the armed persons carrying out the attack on general students.

“The students of Rajshahi University had been waging an agitation, de-

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

In 30 years, Shahid vies for MP post n Ashif Islam Shaon Saidur Rahman Shahid alias Shahid Commissioner had been a porter at CSB warehouse of Mill Barrack in the capital’s Gendaria in mid 1980s. Occasionally, he also worked as a small fish trader that time.

He could not complete primary education because of financial crisis. But his children now study abroad. Shahid gradually earned huge property using arms. He owns several residential houses in the capital; and bars and hotels abroad, say police.

Once a ward-level leader of the Awami League, he was accused in a number of cases filed for murder, extortion, abduction and conspiracy against him Shahid operated several criminal gangs in Sutrapur, Gendaria and Shyampur areas. During the late 90’s, he become godfather of the gangs. Rumours are there that listed criminals Kala Jahangir and Pichchi Hannan were patronised by Shahid Commissioner.

Once a ward-level leader of the Awami League, he was accused in a number of cases filed for murder, extortion, abduction and conspiracy against him. He was convicted in some of the cases and later secured bail from the High Court against the verdicts.

He had been a councillor for the DCC South’s ward 47 (ward 84 of the undivided DCC).

After 2001, he went into hiding; and resumed his activities around five years ago.

Shahid was sentenced to death on May 29, 2003 on charges of shooting lawyer Habibur Rahman Mandal on Chandra Mohan Basak Lane at Banogram of Old Dhaka on August 20, 2000.

A speedy trial tribunal in Dhaka also awarded death sentence to Kala Jahangir and life imprisonment to 10 other accused including Tanoy Mollah in the murder case. But after serving 10 years

in prison, Shahid was acquitted by the High Court. Verdict against the other accused were upheld.

Shahid was also made accused in the murder of Shahadat Hossain Sikder, commissioner of ward 90, on September 29, 2003, and Jubo Dal leader Sujan in Sutrapur on May 4, 1999.

Verdict in the two cases have been pending with the High Court, police said.

Shahid was also accused in the killing of Dhalka Nagar’s Selim, Mahbub of Bhattikhana, Bunga Babu of Mill Barrack, Anu and Sentu of Faridabad, Sumon and Mikel of Mill Barrack and Selim from KB Road of Old Dhaka. He served several years in jail in these cases.

There are six murder cases against Shahid and many other cases filed with several police stations of Old Dhaka.

Besides the allegations, top listed terrors Kala Jahangir, Dakat Shahid, and Pichchi Hannan, who was killed in a RAB crossfire, and a number of listed criminals are the co-accused of the Shahid in various cases.

But there has been no murder cases against Shahid after 2003.

In the January 5 general election, Shahid Commissioner contested as an independent candidate from Dhaka 6 constituency even though he is a convicted criminal. He also tried to manage ticket of the Awami League, but failed.

In this constituency, Awami League nominated candidate Mizanur Rahman Dipu died of cardiac arrest a week before the election. HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party leader Kazi Feroz Rashid was a contestant in the same constituency.

However, Shahid lost to Feroz by around 38,000 votes though, earlier he had rejected the election only an hour after the voting started alleging rigging against his rival candidate.

Asked, how a listed criminal could take part in the national poll, Golam Sarwar, commanding officer of RAB 10 said: “The Election Commission decides on this. We could not arrest him as RAB has no authority to nab an aspirant.”

“We will examine exactly how many cases he has currently been facing. He will be show arrested in the cases,” he said. l

Saarc ministers to discuss strengthening regional body n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Members of Rapid Action Battalion arrested Saidur Rahman alias Shahid Commissioner with firearms and ammunition after conducting drive at his Gendaria residence in the early hours of yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

5 including a minor killed in two days n Tribune Report

A man was killed allegedly by his neighbours in Papua village under Sonaimuri upazila of Noakhali on Monday following a feud over cable connection.

The victim Abul Khair 45, hailed from the same village.

Abdus Samad, OC of Sonaimuri police station said cable operators cut off cable connection of Sahid and Tanvir, neighbours of the deceased. In the move, cable connection of Abul Khair also went off.

Around 9pm they engaged in a quarrel. At one stage, Sahid and Tanvir started beating Khair leaving him unconscious. He was admitted to the Sonaimuri upazila health complex where the on-duty doctor announced him dead.

Police recovered body of a truck driver from Gaoarier area under Dakhinkhan police station in the capital in the early hours of yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Anowar Hossain, 30, hailing from Ara-

ihazar, Narayanganj.

The body was recovered from a house located in Miabox road, said Sayed Ali, sub-inspector of Dakhinkhan police station.

Abu Bakkar Siddique, deceased’s paternal uncle, said Anowar had committed suicide by hanging himself.

Limi Akhter, a class five student died in a mysterious manner while sleeping beside her father on Monday at Baranagar village of Shahjahanpur upazila under Bogra. Limi’s father Md Shahin said some miscreants entered the house at night and strangulated Limi.

However, police suspected that Shahin might have killed his daughter.

Shahabar Ali, 45 was stabbed to death over a land dispute in Charshitai village under Kurigram sadar upazila on Monday.

Locals and police sources said he was in a state of rivalry with Khalilur Rahman of the same village over a piece of land that he had acquired through inheritance. On Thursday morning when he went to plough the land, seven men of Khalilur attacked him with lethal

After the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, she said: “Bangladesh turned into a sanctuary of the Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. “Why should we allow our land to be used in the fight between India and Pakistan? Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign nation. Why should it be a route for arms smuggling?”

The premier said the previous governments used to nurture the separatist groups in the neighbouring countries by providing them with trainings and arms.

She said Khaleda in the past had termed the separatism in India’s north-eastern states “freedom struggle.” Her party MPs in parliament too spoke supporting the separatists. l

Government to probe Khaleda’s role  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

could be tried in the case, if parliament adopted a resolution on her trial.

Kazi Feroz Rashid of the Jatiya Party opposed the idea of going against Khaleda since the court had already given judgement in the two cases filed over the incident of April 2, 2004.

Feroz termed Selim’s statement

“cheap speech” and urged the prime minister to remain vigilant so that parliament did not turn into a “sanctuary of the sycophants.”

Hasina reiterated her stance on separatist groups. “This is [my] final position; we will in no way tolerate terrorist activities in any of its form on the soil of Bangladesh.”

Rajshahi University gun wielders given immunity  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

In the cases, the leaders of the leftleaning students’ organisations, namely Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Somajtantrik Chhatra Front, Chhatra Federation and Biplobi Chhatra Moitree, were made accused.

The leftist student leaders were the first to raise a number of demands on behalf of the students and initiated the movement.

In all the cases, Ashraful Alam Emon, a final year student of history and president of the university unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student front of Jamaat-e-Islami, was made accused, Motihar police station sources said.

In a press release, RU unit Shibir Press Secretary Labib Abdullah protested the filing of cases against

their leader and claimed that they had nothing to do with Sunday’s incidents.

However, police and university authorities have not filed any case against the gun-toting Chhatra League activists. The photographs and identities of the armed men were published in the newspapers on yesterday and the day before.

During Sunday’s attack, RU unit Chhatra League organising secretaries Shamsuzzaman Emon and Faisal Ahmed Runu, joint secretaries Nasim Ahmed Setu and Mahbubur Rahman Polash, environment affairs secretary Mustakim Billah, Sudipta Salam, former joint-secretary and another outsider were seen brandishing funs at the students.

The law enforcers have not managed to arrest any of those Chhatra League men until yesterday evening, although a day before, State Minster for Home Asaduzzamn Khan told media that law enforcers had been directed to round them up.

On the same day, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said in a briefing: “None of the terrorists seen brandishing guns during the violence on RU campus will be spared.”

Motihar police station OC Shamsur Nur told reporters that drives were being conducted to arrest them.

On Monday night, Chhatra League central committee expelled RU unit joint secretary Nasim Ahmed Setu and organising secretary Shamsuzzaman Emon.

Neither of the vice-chancellor nor the pro-vice-chancellor nor the proctor could be reached for comments on legal actions being taken against the gun-toting Chhatra League men.

Acting registrar Prof Entajul Haque refused to make any comment on the issue when contacted.

Left leaning students’ platform “Progressive Students Union” held a rally at the Shaheb Bazar Zero point in Rajshahi city demanding exemplary punishment for the attackers, who they said belonged to Chhatra League.

Students had been staging a movement since January 16 under the banner of “Teachers-Students against increased fees and evening courses.” l

weapons leaving him critically injured.

He was admitted to Kurigram sadar hospital and later transferred to Rangpur Doctor’s Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday night.

The deceased’s brother Shamsur Rahman had filed case against sevenKhalil, Atikur, Bacchu, Amrul, Lokman, Ayub and Aminul-in this connection with Kurigram sadar police station, of whom, police had detained Atikur, said Investigation Officer Azibur Rahman.

Idris Ali, 35, a sanitary mechanic was killed in Dighirchala area of Gazipur town yesterday.

He was son of a local resident Ramiz Uddin.

Police recovered his body with marks of injury on head and broken hands from a lane behind City Model School in the area, being tipped off by locals.

Officer-in-Charge of Joydebpur thana S M Kamruzzaman said Idris did not return to his home after getting out on Monday evening. His body was sent to Gazipur sadar hospital morgue. l

Foreign ministers of Saarc countries are set to discuss strengthening the mechanisms and the secretariat of the regional body at a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

The new Saarc secretary general is also likely to be formally endorsed in the meeting, said a diplomat.

The Maldives, the current chair, will host the meeting on February 20 and also foreign secretary-level meetings on February 18-19.

“The tenure of the current secretary general, Ahmed Saleem, will expire on February 28 and he will be replaced by former Nepali foreign secretary Arjun Bahadur Thapa,” the diplomat said.

Nepal is likely to announce the date of the 18th summit at the meeting, which will also discuss making the Saarc observers more involved in the mechanism of the regional body, the diplomat said. l

Commonwealth calls for ‘purposeful dialogue’ n Tribune Report The Commonwealth has called upon the political parties in Bangladesh to hold a purposeful dialogue towards future elections.

“The Commonwealth remains ready to support a purposeful dialogue towards a framework for future elections that fully reflect the will of the people and respect the principle of democratic constitutionalism,” said Commonwealth Secretariat spokesperson Richard Uku in a statement yesterday.

He said the Commonwealth was also willing to assist the Election Commission of Bangladesh in further strengthening its functions and effectiveness.

He added that the politically motivated violence and loss of life and injuries incurred during the run-up to the elections was a matter of profound concern and a threat to the orderly conduct of democratic elections. l

Not all of them were Chhatra League  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Referring to the trial of the Biswasjit murder, the prime minister said her government had not endorsed criminal activities. “We took actions against 22 Chhatra League activists in connection with Biswasjit’s murder.”

Hasina said at least 16 activists of the Chhatra League had been murdered on Rajshahi University campus.

“Are the lives of our boys not important? Are they not the children of their parents? Who stands by them when our boys are attacked? Why will we tolerate this? Criminals are criminals, but everybody has the right to defend themselves.”

Hasina said her government would try the criminals, no matter which party they belonged to. l

Commissioner Shahid arrested  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

however, was not arrested at that time, though he was at home during the raid.

After 10 years in prison, the High Court acquitted Shahid in the lawyer Habibur Rahman Mandal murder case around five years ago. He had been sentenced to death by a lower court.

Five other murder charges against him are currently pending with the High Court.

Shahid went into hiding since his release but he came out again from hideout recently and took part as independent candidate in the 10th parliamentary election. l

Khaleda seeks UN intervention  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

The BNP chief said the BGB was being misused to uproot political opponents keeping the border insecure.

Replying to a query she said the party’s decision to boycott the January 5 poll was right. Asked why they were

contesting the upazila polls now, Khaleda said: “Upazila election is a local body election and anyone can participate in the polls.”

On the ruling party’s call to quit the Jamaat, Khaleda said: “We will decide on it ourselves. Who are they to dictate us?”l

with the seized weapons,” the court said, adding that the consignment was brought when Matiur Rahman Nizami was the industries minister and Lutfuzzaman Babar was the state minister for home.

It can be said without any evidence or proof that bringing in such a huge consignment of arms and ammunition from abroad is not possible without the help of the government, the court added.

The court also said the NSI and DGFI officials committed a big crime by providing shelter to a foreignseparatist leader.

International smugglers and terrorists choose those countries for their terrorism and criminal activities in which they can convince the country’s high-ups by giving different kinds of unethical facilities, said the court.

Ulfaleader Paresh also used the technique while the NSI and DGFI officials took the illegal facilities with the collaboration of embassies of some other countries.

The NSI and DGFI officials also travelled abroad more than once and sat

in meeting with Ulfa, ISI and ARY, said the court.

All the activities of the accused proved that they had committed a severe crime by bringing 10truckloads of weapons with the collaboration of politicians, government officials and local and international smuggling gangs.

They were involved with the conspiracy to destroy the whole nation and to threatenthe existence of the country. So the court decided to award the highest punishment to the accused. Otherwise it was not impossible that such incidentswould be repeated, the court observed.

On April 2, 2004, the police seized 4,930 types of sophisticated firearms, 27,020 grenades, 840 rocket launchers, 300 rockets, 2,000 grenade launching tubes, 6,392 magazines and 11,40,520 bullets when they were being loaded on to 10 trucks from two engine-boats at the jetty of the CUFL. A total 50 persons were sued in arms case and 52 persons in smuggling case lodged over the incident while the court acquitted a total 36 accused in arms case and 38 in smuggling case. l

Court finds Khaleda’s role mysterious in 10-truck arms haul  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

that landed at the jetty of state-owned Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) that night.

The court found that the convicted Bangladeshi intelligence officials had not only been benefitted by Ulfa,but also took thousands of dollars and lucrative gifts from some foreign missions, agencies and business groups including Pakistani Inter-service Intelligence (ISI) and Dubai-based company ARY. Omar Fuad, bench assistant of the court, told the Dhaka Tribune that the judge had signed the full text of the verdict and it would be forwarded to the High Court as early as possible.

In another observation, the judge said the arms were being smuggled through land and water territory of Bangladesh to strengthen Ulfa.

“The accused put no importance on the apprehension that such incident will hamper the friendly and helpful relation with the neighbouring county,” the court said.

This kind of conduct ascertained that the accused had ill-motive to destroy the relation between the two

countries; the court said adding that the accused had done it in collaboration with the Ulfa leader.

“The involved defence officials defamed our foreign policy by implicating themselves with the incident,” the court said.

“They also defamed our defence forces which achieved pride and honour in the world by working in peacekeeping missions of the United Nations,” the court added.

About Lutfozzaman Babar, former state minister from home affairs, the court said that he had tried to hide the misdeed using different tricks instead of taking any legislative measure.

“It was proved that the accused and the government high-ups were informed about the matter and called it a matter of ‘national interest,’ but I cannot understand how an arms consignment in our country for Ulfa leader Paresh Barua can be of national interest,” the court said.

It had been proved that the entire incident was pre-planned and they played an active role in collaboration with each other in this connection, the

court said.

When prosecution witness Maj Gen (retd) Sadik Hasan Rumi informed the matter to the then premier Khaleda Zia over the phone, she had no reaction and said she was aware of it and a probe committee would be formed.

“Such a silent role by the head of the government instead of expressing stern reaction after knowing about this very big incident seems mysterious,” the judge added.

In the same way, it was proved to the court that the then state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar had tortured the eye witnesses of the incident. Prosecution witnesses police Sergeant Alauddin and Sergeant Helal Uddin were mentally and physically tortured as Babar implicated them in a fake arms case a year after the incident.

It was also proved that Babar was involved with the incident directly as he ordered to release five persons who were detained from the spot and had ordered the CMP commissioner and DC (Port) not to talk about the incident to journalists or to mention NSI’s involvement with the incident.

It was proved that the convicts had much knowledge and control over the arms and ammunition and no one could have brought such a large consignment of weapons working alone.

“So the logic of the defence that the accused had no idea about the weapons is not acceptable,” the court observation said.

Quoting section 197 of Criminal Procedure Code, counsel for the accused Field Officer Akbar Hossain Khan said his client could not be indicted in the cases while he was a government employee.

In reply, the judge said in his observation that it was not necessary to take prior permission from the government to take action against any public servant when they were involved with any misdeed.

The weapons were made in China, said PW 55 Brig Gen Hasan Mahmud Taiyebur Rahman’s deposition.

The arms and ammunition seizure is not only the biggest ever in Bangladesh, the judge said, the court could not find an incident of such a largescale arms smuggling in the world.

“A small cantonment can be set up

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Jatiya Sangsad starts business n Kamran Reza Chowdhury The second day of the 10th Jatiya Sangsad, in practice the first day for parliamentary business, saw the absence of opposition leader Rawshan Ershad and front bench government ministers.

In the absence of Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, who was scheduled to answer MPs’ questions, his deputy Mashiur Rahman Ranga told lawmakers: “Please, come to my office to have some tea; we will take the necessary measures.”

In reply Shamim Osman, an Awami League MP, offered Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam and Moshiur Rahman tea and coffee in his constituency in Narayanganj, to witness the poor condition of the roads there.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the

Deputy Leader of the house Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, and Begum Matia Chowdhury turned up in time for the House to start its business.

Two independent MPs spoke, praising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for holding the January 5 poll. The House started its business at 4.37pm, with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

Independent MP Rustom Ali Farazi was the first to raise a question for Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam. State Minister Mashiur Rahman Ranga took to the floor to answer to the question on his behalf.

Instead of reading out the printed script, the state minister appealed to accept the script as “read out.” Speaker Chaudhury asked him to read it out.

As per the parliamentary rules, Farazi got a chance to ask a supplementary

question. He asked the minister whether local government would take measures to improve the roads in his constituency, Mothbaria, Pirojpur.

Awami League MPs Enamul Haque, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury, Moslem Uddin, AKM Jahangir Hossain, Hazi Selim, Shawkat Chowdhury, Yeasin Ali, Habibur Rahman Mollah and Shamim Osman also posed questions for the Local Government ministry.

Ranga answered most questions by urging the MPs to come to his office with letters, and to have tea or coffee, so that he could take any necessary measures, in consultation with the minister.

Sitting just two metres away from Ranga, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon of the Workers’ Party started laughing at the way the state minister was answering the questions.

Ranga was also seen laughing.

Before posing his question on the poor condition of roads in his constituency of Ranga, Shamim Osman said: “I hope the (state) minister will not request me to have a coffee at his office… rather I request the honourable minister and him [Ranga] to come to my area to have tea or coffee, or lunch, and witness the condition of the roads.”

Ranga then said: “Maybe the honourable member does not like tea or coffee; I could instead entertain him with lachchhi. I will go to his area.”

Absence of senior MPs

At the beginning, out of the total 29 seats, 11 MPs, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, were present the front row. Kazi Feroz Rashid was the

only MP on the opposition benches.

Anisul Islam Mahmud, Ziauddin Ahmed, Rashed Khan Menon, Anwar Hossain Manju, Tofail Ahmed, Rahmat Ali, AMA Muhith, Mohammad Nasim and Ruhul Amin Hawlader joined the House.

After the Maghrib prayer recess, many of the senior MPs left the House.

Twelve MPs including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stayed at the assembly until the end of the sitting.

The House had a more than one-andhalf-hour-long unscheduled discussion on the 10-truck arms case. The chair, Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi, suspended the scheduled notice of public importance. At the direction of Chief Whip ASM Feroz, the House started the discussion on the president’s parliamentary address.

The House will resume at 4.30pm today. l

First witness to give deposition in Yusuf case today n Udisa Islam The war crimes tribunal will record the deposition of first defence witness in Jamaat-e-Islami leader AKM Yusuf case today.

Yesterday was fixed for pacing the witness, but the defence sought an adjournment. The International Crimes Tribunal 2 allowed them one day.

Earlier, the tribunal accepted three defence witnesses out of a list of 56.

The prosecution placed 27 witnesses.

Yusuf, Jamaat’s senior nayeb-eameer, was indicted on August 1, 2012 on 13 charges of crimes against humanity. The investigators have found Yusuf’s involvement in the murder of eight people and mass killing of 700 others, looting 300 houses and 400 shops, and forcing 200 Hindus to convert to Islam.

The Jamaat leader, who allegedly formed razakar and peace committees in Khulna region during the war, was reportedly arrested after the Collaborator Order 1972 was formulated but released after cancellation of the law on December 31, 1975. l

n Muktasree Chakma Sathi

Ruling alliances lawmakers, indigenous peoples’ leaders and rights activists yesterday urged the government to implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts accord in this tenure.

Speaking at the reception programme of Rangamati lawmaker Ushatan Talukder at the Liberation War Museum premises in the capital, the speakers also observed that though the Awami League-led alliance was in power when the accord was signed, it failed to fulfil its promises.

Speaking at the programme, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon of the ruling alliance said the indigenous people’s rights had not been established.

‘I will work for people irrespective of caste, community and religion’

Moudud, Mahbub, Rafiqul released on bail n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Senior BNP leaders Moudud Ahmed, Khandker Mahbub Hossain and Rafiqul Islam Miah were released on bail yesterday from Kashimpur Central Jail.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Khandker Mahbub Hossain, also vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Bar Council, and BNP standing committee member Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah were released from Kashimpur Central Jail-2, confirmed Jail Superintendent Jahangir Alam.

Meanwhile, BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed was freed from Kashimpur Central Jail1, as confirmed by Jailor Abdul Kuddus.

Family members and party leaders greeted the senior leaders at the jail gates.

Khandker Mahbub received bail from the High Court on Monday, while the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court Sunday upheld the bail order of Rafiqul Islam Miah and Moudud Ahmed along with two other BNP leaders by dismissing the appeal by the state on January 21.

Rafiqul and Moudud were detained from in front of the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel on November 8 last year, while Mahbub was arrested from the capital’s National Press Club on January 7. l

‘Implement CHT accord at least this time’

People try to rescue a wheat-laden truck which fell off a pontoon into the river at Jailkhana Ghat in Khulna yesterday

Stricter verification likely to bar Rohingyas from getting passports n Rabiul Islam The home ministry is likely to issue an order for ensuring better verification during the issuance of passports, in a bid to prevent Rohingya refugees from getting passports through illegal means.

The decision may come from a ministry meeting, chaired by Senior Secretary CQK Mustaq Ahmed today, on Myanmar refugees and illegal intruders.

“It is our duty to protect the interest of the country and we would discuss various issues including checking illegal entrance of Rohingyas,” home ministry Additional Secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune.

Seeking anonymity, a senior home ministry official also said: “It may be decided that the agencies concerned would verify closely so that the Rohingyas do not get passports illegally.”

Although there is no official figure, a large number of Rohingyas are reported to have secured Bangladeshi passports through different methods.

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner

Mohammad Nurul Amin told the Dhaka Tribune that Rohingyas pretend to be relatives of local residents and marry local women to get a permanent address. Through such techniques, they get passports, he admitted.

“Still we remain strict and try to check while issuing passports,” the deputy commissioner said, adding that very few such passports are issued from the district.

He also said Rohingyas get passports from Dinajpur and Panchagar.

Police Superintendent (immigration) Nafiul Islam at Shahajalal International Airport said: “We detect at least five passports of Rohingyas every day.”

He, however, said the number of such passports has decreased recently.

“We remain alert so that Rohingyas do not get passports,” Director General of Department of Immigration and Passports Abdul Mabud told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

Passports are not given to anyone other than Bangladeshi citizens, he added.

Meanwhile, officials claimed that many Rohingyas had stained the image of Bangladesh by going to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports and committing crimes there.

Lt Col Abu Jar Al Zahid, commanding officer of BGB 42 Battalion in Teknaf, said Rohingyas continue their attempts to intrude into Bangladesh.

“We have pushed back over 300 Rohingyas in January,” he said, adding that there was an influx of Rohingyas following recent violence in Myanmar.

Officials of Border Guard Bangladesh said the country faced multifarious problems because of illegal intrusion of the Rohingyas.

“The Rohingyas commit serious crimes in Bangladesh which create social problems,” a senior BGB official said, seeking anonymity.

Bangladesh currently has 30,000 registered refugees in two official camps, while more than three lakh unregistered refugees from Myanmar reportedly live in makeshift camps and in villages in Cox’s Bazar. l

CrPC ‘ignored’ in councillor arrest n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Members of the Jatiya Garments Sramik Federation form a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding compensation for the victims of Rana Plaza disaster DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bangladesh Minority Watch President and Supreme Court lawyer Rabindra Gosh yesterday alleged, that the Code of Criminal Procedure was violated in the arrest of Councillor Diba Rani Dey of Sylhet City Corporation by male police members.

In a press briefing, the Supreme Court lawyer made the allegation.

While addressing the press briefing, Diba Rani Dey said police produced her before the court in a hurry, adding that some procedures needed to be maintained in arresting her. Diba also alleged that she was arrested in a false case.

Kotwali police station OC Ataur Rahman Babul said there were two female police officers present at the arrest.

Diba was arrested on February 2, and was produced before the court on the same day; she received bail on February 3, sources said. l

FOCUS BANGLA

“I hope the government will take necessary steps regarding formation and effectiveness of land commission which is a part of the promises made in the CHT Accord [of 1997],” Menon, chief of Workers Party of Bangladesh, added.

Echoing Menon’s observation, Ushatan Talukder expressed hopes: “This time the government will be in a good sense to implement the CHT Accord and help establish peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.”

“As a lawmaker, I will work for people irrespective of caste, community and religion,” Ushatan added.

Pointing at previous indigenous lawmakers who was elected under the banner of the country’s major political parties, right activists Khushi Kabir said they could not hold on to their voices because of their affiliation with the major political parties. She also expressed hopes that Ushatan would not lose his voice like the other indigenous lawmakers.

Ushatan is the third indigenous leader in the 43-year history of the country, who is elected from the CHT region as a representative of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS).

Earlier, Manabendra Narayan Larma, founder of the PCJSS, and Chai Thwai Roaza both won in the 1973 elections as independent candidates. l

PROBE INTO WEALTH OF MPS & MINISTERS

ACC seeks Cox’s Bazar MP Bodi’s statement Raids conducted in Patuakhali to collect info on Mahbubur Rahman’s wealth

n Tribune Report The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday served a notice to Cox’s Bazar lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi, asking him to provide his wealth statements in connection with an inquiry into the accumulation of “illegal wealth.”

MP Bodi’s earnings rose by an astronomical 500 times over the last five years. The lawmaker’s annual income was only Tk3.01 lakh in 2008 Signed by Deputy Director Ahsan Ali, the notice asked the lawmaker to be present at the commission headquarters at Segunbagicha in the capital on February 16, in order to give his statements related to the inquiry, confirmed an official.

Last week, Ahsan Ali, also the investigating officer in the inquiry, went to Cox’s Bazar to collect documents and information. He visited a number of administrative offices to know more about the MP’s wealth, ACC sources said.

The officer took statements from various people, seized the lawmaker’s wealth and income tax return statements. The investigator also seized the income tax return statements of the lawmaker’s wife Shahina Akhter.

Cox’s Bazar MP Bodi’s earnings rose by an astronomical 500 times over the last five years. The lawmaker’s annual income was only Tk3.01 lakh in 2008.

According to his affidavits placed at the EC, his income rose to Tk15.46 crore in 2013.

Meanwhile, another ACC Deputy Director Khairul Huda yesterday conducted drives at several field offices in Patuakhali, in order to collect documents and information related to the inquiry into the wealth of former state minister for water resources, and Awami League lawmaker from Patuakhali, Mahbubur Rahman.

Mahbubur Rahman now owns Tk5.25 crore in immovable property, which was worth Tk36.33 lakh in 2008.

Five years ago, his annual income was Tk2.15 lakh. He now earns Tk1.50 crore.

The ACC, on January 22, initiated an inquiry against seven ruling party lawmakers, including two former ministers, a state minister and four MPs – in a bid to trace the source of their phenomenal wealth increases. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Sunamganj boat fire death toll rises to 11 Most passengers burnt inside the boat, says fire service

n Our Correspondent, Sylhet The death toll from a boat that capsized after it caught fire in the Surma River in Sunamganj rose to 11 as five more bodies were recovered yesterday morning.

Most of the victims were stone quarry workers. Of them, four were women and two children. The police could identify four of them as Rokeya, 30, Kohinur Mia, 12, Rahman Mia, 12 and Sakib, 7, of Panchhata area in Khaliajuri upazila, Netrakona.

Superintendent of Police in Sunamganj Harunur Rashid told the Dhaka Tribune: “The fire service stopped rescue drives temporarily on 1.30pm after recovering bodies of 11 persons.”

He also said 10 other deceased could not be identified as they were completely burnt. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) called in a rescue team from Dhaka but it had not reached the place till the report was written.

An engine-run boat carrying over 150 labourers was heading towards Mithamain and Khaliajuri from Keraniganj upazila, Sylhet when its engine caught fire and sank in Surma River on Monday evening.

Around 50-60 passengers managed to swim ashore but the rest could not. On information, locals and police rushed to the spot to start rescue drives.

In the beginning, locals and police recovered three bodies including one woman and later fire fighters recovered three more bodies.

The fire fighters are conducting rescue operation. About 60 persons have

Upazila AL joint secretary, two others sent to jail n Our Correspondent, Barisal A Barguna court yesterday rejected the bail prayers of Patharghata upazila Awami League Joint Secretary Akon Mohammad Shaid, his brother and a school headmaster in a criminal case filed against them, and sent them to jail.Barguna District and Session Judges Court Judge Nazrul Islam gave the order after the accused surrendered before the court and filed a bail petition.

According to the case filed, the ruling party leader, his brother and secretary of Natunbazar Merchants Association Nasiruddin Akon, and Patharghata model primary school headmaster Anwar Hossain assaulted one, Shahin Molla, during an arbitration meeting. l

been rescued so far, said the SP. Senior Station Officer of Sylhet Fire Service Station Jabed Ahmed Mohammad Tarek said: “Among the 11 bodies recovered, five were children aged between 3-8 years and the rest were adults.”

He said the bodies were burnt completely so they were impossible to identify. Around 10 fire-fighters and locals have been conducting the rescue drive. Police have been making inquest reports and the identities might be known through DNA tests.

The team delayed the rescue drive due to dense fog in the morning but some hours later they resumed the rescue operation, the station officer said.

The operation was stopped temporarily as BIWTA divers would conduct a joint operation with fire-fighters, he added.

Jahed Mia, a passenger who survived the accident, said: “I was sitting on the boat when the fire raged through the boat with a big explosion.

The boat sank as passengers were moving around in panic.”

He added that passengers who were sitting over the boat managed to save their lives but the rest of the travellers including women and children could not manage to get out of the boat.

Another passenger Amena Begum said: “Cooks were preparing meals for passengers on gas stoves and the passengers were sleeping at that time.

Suddenly the gas stove exploded and fire spread through the boat.”

“I saved my life but could not find my younger sister,” she said. Amena

could not identify his sister as the recovered bodies were burnt completely.

Yet other witnesses said the silencer of the boat had caught fire around 8:30pm and the fire had quickly engulfed the entire boat.

About 50 remained missing, said witnesses.

Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Yamin Chowdhury and Police Super Harunur Rashid visited the spot on yesterday noon. The administrative officers have announced that a Tk25,000 grant would be given to the families of the deceased and Tk10,000 to other victims.

Assistant Manager of Chatak Fire Service Jahirul Islam said: “Most of the passengers died inside the boat.”

Yamin Chowdhury said: “Administration has been providing financial assistance to the victim’s family. We will investigate the matter.”

No one could give an accurate number for the missing people. Chatak Upazila Executive Officer Ainur Akter Panna said: “Many were sent to the hospitals and others went home, so it is hard to find out the total number of missing people. We have informed BIWTA in this regard.”

Doarabazar police station Officer-inCharge Selim Newaz said: “Fire burnt the boat completely. It was recovered in the morning.”

Chatak Thana Officer-in-chargeShahjalal Munshi said they would file an unnatural death case with the police station. No one could give the exact figure of missing people, he added. l

Firefighters search for victims who went missing after jumping off a trawler which caught fire in the Surma river Monday evening. At least 11 people have died in the fire incident DHAKA TRIBUNE

SONALI BANK HEIST

3-day remand for Sohel’s wife, truck helper n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj A Kishoreganj court yesterday granted a three-day remand for Mahima Akter, the second wife of Sohel, the mastermind of the Sonali Bank burglary, and truck helper Alamgir in a case filed for burgling Tk16.40 crore from the bank.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Hamidul Islam of Judicial Court 1 of Kishoreganj granted the remand.

On Saturday, police arrested Mahima in the capital’s Jatrabari area with Tk2.5 lakh. Mahima Aktar, 27, wife of

Saraswati Puja celebrated n Mohammad Jamil Khan With traditional gaiety and zeal, Saraswati Puja, one of the main religious festivals of the Hindu community, was celebrated across the country yesterday. The puja is performed on Vasant Panchami every year with believers seeking blessings of Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge.

“According to Hindu myth, Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and learning, rides a swan or a peacock, or is seated on a lotus,” Sadhan Chakrabarty, priest at the Ramna Kali temple, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“This year the puja is being celebrated at over 100,000 mondops across the country at the temples and educational institutions,” Puja Udjapan Parishad President Sunil Chandra Majumder said.

The puja was celebrated at Dhakeswari temple, Siddheswari temple, Ram-Krishna Mission, Supreme Court premises, Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University (DU), Jagannath University (JnU), Dhaka College, Eden Girls’ College and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology inside the capital. Like previous years, the Jagannath Hall premises became the centre of attraction with a number of idols being placed by different departments of DU. Students from 52 departments of the university put up colourful canopies giving the whole area a festive look.

The puja was also celebrated in Kuwait Moitri Hall, Rokeya Hall, Shamsun Nahar Hall and Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall inside the campus. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Traffic Department took special steps to control the traffic situation. No vehicles were allowed to

enter the road along Jagannath Hall to facilitate easy movement of visitors in the area.

Nowadays, Jagannath University has become another favorite spot of the devotees in Saraswati. Students from more than 28 departments of JnU put up mondops at the science faculty, and arts faculty playground this year.

Dr Ashok Kumar Saha, proctor of the university, said students had put up nearly 26 mondops on the university premises. He said the puja started at 1am yesterday while the “Bani Archana” was performed at 8.30am.

At 9am “pushpanjali” was offered while Prasad (food offered to the goddess) was distributed at 11am. “Arati (special prayer) was held at 6.30 pm and a cultural programme started at 7pm which continued until 10pm,” Dr Ashok said. l

WEATHER

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

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

Mild cold wave is sweeping over Rangpur division and the regions of Faridpur, Madaripur, Srimangal, Sitakunda, Rajshahi, Pabna, Jessore and Kushtia and it may continue. Night and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:47pm today and rises at 6:37am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 29.2 degree Celsius was recorded in Cox’s Bazar and lowest 07.9 degrees in Srimangal yesterday.

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

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

21.5 26.3 22.7 20.4 25.5 24.8 25.6 29.2

11.6 13.9 09.4 08.8 11.6 10.6 13.0 16.3

5:20am 6:37am 12:12am 4:11pm 5:47pm 7:05pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

between his rented house and the main branch of Sonali Bank in Kishoreganj town to commit the burglary that he had been planning for two years.

On the other hand, on Sunday a truck which was used during the burglary was confiscated along with two helpers including Alamgir from Atharobari of Ishwarganj upazila, Mymensingh. The court granted a three-day remand for Alamgir yesterday.

A covered van was also recovered from Shyampur in Dhaka which was also used in the same criminal operation. l

Hearing in Parag abduction case deferred n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu The Kashimpur jail superintendent yesterday appeared before a tribunal to submit his written reply to a show cause notice issued on Monday in Parag Mandal abduction case.

Judge Sadikul Islam Talukdar of the Women and Children Repression (prevention) Tribunal 1 issued the notice asking why the jail authorities had not produced Mokter Hossain Amir, the main accused in the case, before the tribunal on Monday.

One of the accused Mamun Miah’s counsel Emanur Rahman yesterday filed a petition before the tribunal seeking time. In the petition, the counsel said the accused had appealed before the High Court against the charge framing, and that it was pending for hearing.

So the tribunal yesterday adjourned all proceedings in the case until the hearing takes place. Yesterday was fixed for producing the first prosecution witness in this case.

Three prosecution witnesses including Parag’s father Bimal Chandra Mandal and his grandmother Sabittri Mondol were present before the tribunal.

On October 23 last year, the tribunal indicted the accused for their alleged

involvement in the incident. During yesterday’s hearing, all the accused were present before the tribunal. The key accused are Moktar Hossain Amir alias Lengra Amir, his wife Beauty Akhter, nephew Md Akash, brother-inlaw Abul Kashem, and Md Kala Chand, Mohammad Ali Rifat, Zahidul Islam, Al Amin, Mamun Miah, Md Sakil, Md Sultan and Md Wasim.

Of them, accused Abul Kashem and Mohammed Akash got bail from this tribunal while Sultan and Wasim are on the run.

The investigation officer of the case submitted the charge sheet on March 23 last year, dropping the names of Jubo League leader Aminul Haque alias Jewel Mollah, the prime accused in the case, Alfas Hossain and Rizvi Ahmed Anik, as the charges brought against them were not proven.

Parag, a six-year-old KG I student of Heed International School in the capital’s Sadarghat, was picked up by a gang of four gunmen on the morning of November 11, 2012 in Keraniganj.

The kidnapers set Parag free reportedly after taking ransom worth Tk50 lakh on November 13. Parag’s grandmother Sabitri Mandal filed a case with Dakkhin Keraniganj police station the same day accusing 10 people. l

Local BNP leader injured in ‘gunfight’ n Tribune Report A local BNP leader received bullet injury in a “gunfight” with police in Satkhira yesterday.

Motshojibi Dal leader of Shamnagar upazila Jamal Hossain Faruk, 32, was shot during a gunfight between police and his followers at Joynagar area yesterday morning, said Sagar Mia, officerin-charge of Shamnagar police station.

Rapid Action Battalion recovers 16 crude bombs and 4 petrol bombs in the capital’s Mohammadpur area

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

Sohel alias Yusuf Munshi, was detained by a team of police led by Abdul Malek, the case’s investigation officer and the officer-in-charge of Kishoreganj police station and a Dhaka detective branch team around 4:45pm.

Abdul Malek said they picked up Mahima Akter for interrogation. The OC said Mahima had been with him during the heist and helped him for two years.

He said they had recovered the money from a house on the fifth floor of a building in Kadamtoli.

The 37-year-old Yusuf dug a tunnel

A priest introduces a boy to alphabets through ‘Hate Khori’ ceremony, a tradition way of staring education, during the Saraswati Puja at Jagannah Hall of Dhaka University yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Jamal’s followers attacked the law enforcers when he was arrested and was taken to custody, the OC said, adding that police also opened fire in retaliation. During the clash, a bullet fired by his followers hit Jamal and he was undergoing treatment at Satkhira Hospital, he said.

OC Sagar also said eight cases were filed against Jamal, and he was arrested

for his alleged involvement in recent violence in the district.

Meanwhile, in a special raid in Shirajganj’s Ullapara area, police detained 10 activists of the BNP and Jamaat-eIslami, including BNP leader Azizul Islam and Jamaat leader Shirajul Islam, yesterday afternoon.

Moktar Hossain, additional police super of Shirajganj, said there had allegations of subversive, criminal and terrorists activists against the detainees.

He, however, refused to provide details of the detainees.

On the other hand, members of Rapid Action Battalion recovered 16 crude bombs and 4 petrol bombs in the capital’s Mohammadpur area.

Senior Additional Superintendent of Police and operation officer of RAB 2 Raihanuddin Khan told the Dhaka Tribune: “Being tipped off, a team of RAB 2 raided the Dhaka Udyan Housing and recovered the explosives at an abandoned plot around 3pm.”

He also said: “Primarily we are suspecting that Jamaat-Shibir men might have brought the bombs and keep those at the abandoned plot to use it in the upcoming country wide hartal on Thursday.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Renamed city streets slip under radar DSCC efforts to establish new names for roads and avenues go unheeded n Abu Hayat Mahmud The name of different streets in the capital was changed a decade ago but the new name is used hardly by the city dwellers.

The government took steps to rename of 85 roads and 12 establishments in 2004.

According to locals, people ignore the names as the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) did not take enough steps of publicity.

It is difficult to find out the exact location as many organisations, shops owners and holding owners use both names and numbers.

At the time of giving trade license and holding numbers, the two city corporations give direction to the markets, shopping malls, shops owners and holding owners to use the new name.

But the new names are still unknown to the city dwellers as most of the residential and commercial building owners are not using the name properly.

According to the DSCC sources, the new name of Elephant Road is Dr Kudrat-e Khuda but city dwellers do not know it.

Ahad Rahaman, a resident of Elephant Road said; “I never have been informed of the new name of the road.”

Afroza Chowdhury, a resident of of Bir Uttam Shamsul Alam Sarak, which was previously called New Circular road, said; “I know this road’s name as New Circular road,” adding that there was no sign for the new name of the road.

However, it was found that the name plaque of the road, which was inaugurated in 2010, has gone obscure.

Besides, the new name of Gulshan-1

road is AK Khandokar road, Gulshan-2 road is Bir Uttam Mir Shawkat Ali road, New Air Port road is Shahid Ziaur Rahaman road, Phulbaria road is Major MM Jalil road, Green road is Shahid Minir Chowdhury road, Purana Paltan is Comrade Moni Shingh road, Dainik Bangla road is Bir Uttam Ashfakus Samad road, Shantinagar road is Shilpacharja Joynul Abedin road, Shyamoli road is Bir Uttam ANM Nuruzzaman road, Pragati Sarani is Bir Uttam Rafiqul Islam Avenue, Mogbazar road is Rashed Khan Menon road, RK Mishon road is Muktijoddha Sadek Hossain Khoka road.

While visiting different areas, it was found that the business organisations and holding owners have not yet used the new names.

Mahbub Alam, a shop owner of Purana Paltan, said; “I have never heard the new name of Purana Paltan.

5

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

For this reason I have used the old name.”

“The city corporation should take steps to publicise the new names, otherwise there’s no point,” he added.

Contacted Mohammad Sirajul Islam, chief urban planner of the DSCC, who was also the chief of the same post of the DNCC told the Dhaka Tribune that he was not the responsible person to talk about the matter.

Md Eusuf Ali, revenue officer of the DSCC, said; “I have not heard about the matter. The five tax officers of five zonal officers can say more about this.”

Md Fasi Ullah, acting chief revenue officer of the DNCC, said; “We have asked the businessmen and holding owners to use the new name.”

Fasi Ullah also admitted to the allegation of the city corporation’s negligence and said; “In our next meeting I will place the matter.” l

Kolkata Book Fair launches biography of Bangabandhu n Tribune Report A biography on the life and career of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was launched at the Kolkata Book Fair on Monday.

The book, “From Rebel to Founding Father: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” features historic events associated with the political birth of Bangladesh under Bangabandhu’s leadership.

Written by Syed Badrul Ahsan, the book has been published by leading Indian Publisher Niyogi Books.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Education Minister of West Bengal Bratya Basu said the book on the life and career of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is a crucial document to enlighten today’s generation about Bangabandhu’s contribution in the

politics of South Asia.

Renowned author and actor Barun Chanda said the book not only reflected on the rise of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but also the history of Bangladesh that he led towards freedom.

The story of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Shakespearean tragedy, he said.

The book highlights the journey of father of the nation from a fervent worker of the All-India Muslim League before the partition in 1947 to a far-sighted secular politician and eventually statesman by the mid1960s.

Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata Abida Islam, scholar Krishna Bose and writer and historian Sugata Bose also attended the launching ceremony among others. l

Ganajagaran Mancha to celebrate first anniversary n Arif Ahmed The youth led platform “Ganajagaran Mancha” that commenced its movement at Shahbagh intersection on February 5 in 2013, protesting an International Crimes Tribunal verdict that sentenced war criminal Quader Molla life term imprisonment, is set to celebrate its first anniversary today.

The Mancha Convener Dr Imran H Sarkar yesterday read out a written statement containing the programme details at Shahbagh intersection, known as “Shahbagh Projonmo Chattar.”

The platform announced February 5 as “Ganajagaran Day” and decided to stage several programmes on February 5, 6 and 7 across the country.

Imran said: “With a view to generating our movement to the next generation, we have declared the three-day programme.”

The Mancha will pay homage at the Central Shaheed Minar in the morning, all Ganajagaran Mancha activists will

take oath at 3:30pm, a procession titled “Jagaran Jatra” will be brought out at 4pm, “Open Reminisce” at 6pm-7pm and a cultural programme from 7pm10pm will also be held today.

On the second day, a cultural programme from 3-6pm will be held with participation of famous cultural organisations of the country, reminisce for the media workers at 6pm-8pm and liberations poetry recitation at 8pm-10pm.

And on February 7, a drawing competition would be held in the morning, a mass rally titled “Jagaran Rally” will be held at 3pm at Projonmo Chattar and a cultural programme at a later part of the day.

The Mancha also arranged an essay completion on “Shahbagh Andolon and Bhabishyat Bangladesh” marking the first anniversary.

Imran H Sarkar also thanked the journalists for covering their programmes from the beginning, and urged them to be with them in coming days too. l

BCC ward councilor sent to jail n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Election Commission to make affidavit of upazila polls public

Nomination papers scrutinised

A Barisal court rejecting bail prayer in a case of explosion yesterday ordered to send a ward councilor of Barisal City Corporation to jail.

Court sources said Ward Councilor Rafikul Islam Tipu, who is also joint secretary of the city unit BNP, was arrested with seven crude bombs on November 9. On the same day, a case was filed against him under explosive act.

During interrogation, Tipu has disclosed that Ziauddin Shikdar, city unit BNP joint convener, also councilor of ward 25, and Syed Akbar Hossain, councilor of ward 7, supplied the hand-made bombs for exploding them during political programmes.

Police arrested Syed Akbar, who granted bail after some days, the following day.

However, Zia Shikdar had remained absconding for some days after the arrest.

He had recently returned to the city and become active in party programmes.

Surrendering before Metropolitan Magistrate Court yesterday, Zia Shikdar also appealed for bail.

Rafikul Islam, magistrate of the court, rejecting bail prayer also ordered police to send him to jail. l

n Mohammad Zakaria

n Tribune Report

The Election Commission has asked concerned officials to make public the affidavits of the candidates in the upazila parishad polls.

The EC yesterday issued a circular signed by Deputy Secretary of the commission Mihir Sarwar Morshed asking the returning officers and district election officers to take steps in this regard.

According to the circular, the commission asked the returning officers to send the affidavit copies of candidates through its content management system as soon as possible. The EC also asked them to make the affidavits available to anyone.

A photocopy of the affidavit will be given to anyone who asks for it.

When asked whether the commission would upload the affidavits to the EC’s website, a senior assistant secre-

The Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and the Rajshahi Raksha Sangram Parishad form a human chain at Saheb Bazar Zero point in Rajshahi city yesterday, protesting the move of the Rajshahi Unnayan Kartripakkha to establish a residential project in Raipara area after cutting a large number of mango trees DHAKA TRIBUNE

tary of EC told the Dhaka Tribune that the commission did not upload the affidavits in the last upazila polls.

A photocopy of the affidavit will be given to anyone who asks for it “Right now the commission has no plan to upload the affidavits from upazila parishad polls to its website,” he said.

However, the senior official said the affidavits would be made public from the returning officer’s office at the respective upazilas. The commission had asked the returning officers to send the affidavits through the CMS for preservation, he added.

The EC started publishing the affidavits from ninth parliamentary poll in 2008. The commission also published

the affidavits of third upazila parishad polls held in 2009.

But in the 10th parliament poll, the commission published the candidates’ affidavits which included their wealth statements. Several reports were published in the media on the unnatural increases in the wealth of cabinet members and ruling party MPs by comparing the affidavits of ninth and 10th parliamentary polls.

Now the Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating six Awami League candidates’ wealth statements in 10th parliament. It has sought the copies of their affidavits from the EC. The commission has asked the concerned returning officers to send two certified copies of each candidate’s affidavit by February 5. Before the 10th parliamentary poll, Awami League had requested the commission to stop publishing the affidavits. l

Abducted boy rescued in Chittagong, four held

Muggers snatch Tk17 lakh n Tribune Report A gang muggers snatched Tk17 lakh from a staff of a private business house in Gabtoli area under the capital yesterday afternoon.

Trader manager, accountant and a peon of the business house Erphan were going to deposit Tk17 lakh to IFIC bank in Baghbari area.

Four unidentified youths snatched the money at gunpoint when the staffs reached near the bank at 12:30pm.

Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Darus Salam police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were interrogating the officials of the business house and trying to recover the money.

A case was filed in this connection. l

Scrutiny of nomination papers and allocating symbols for February 27 Upazila Parishad Polls were completed yesterday.

Our Chandpur correspondent reports, the election commission cancelled five chairmen and two vice chairmen’s nomination form for some irregularities. Among the cancelled candidates, there was Faridganj’s outgoing Chairman Hazi Mozammel.

The nomination papers were declared illegal as the candidates could not submit necessary papers and documents.

These candidates were asked to appeal against the decision by February 10 to get their candidature back.

Meanwhile, to select candidate for the upcoming upazila polls grassroots leaders and activists of Gazipur Awami League voted yesterday.

The voting was arranged to select single candidate for the polls.

At least 33 candidates withdrew nomination papers in six upazilas in Khagrachhari district.

Among 33 candidates, 14 were chairman aspirants, 7 were vice chairman aspirants and 2 were vice chairman (female) aspirants.

In Kurigram, the district returning officer distributed symbols to 19 chairman spirants, 11 vice chairmen (male) and 10 vice chairmen (female) for polls in three upazila to be held on February 19. Ten aspirants withdrew their candidature.

Local Awami League of at Kalkini of Madaripur district expelled its joint general secretary Towfiquzzaman as he violated party discipline for the chairman post.

Two leaders of the AL in Jhenaidah were expelled as they participated in the scheduled upazila polls violating party discipline.

The expelled activists are-AL Sailkupa upazila unit member and joint convener of the Juba League Jahidunnabi Kalu and Upazila Mahila AL president Sultana Bulbul.

Symbols were distributed among the candidates at Ashashuni upazila in Satkhira and Kishoreganj districts.

In Sylhet, symbols were allocated among the aspirants in four upazilas. l

n CU Correspondent

The Work for Better Bangladesh and anti-narcotics organisation the Prattasha form a human chain in front of the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, yesterday with a call to stop usages of tobacco DHAKA TRIBUNE

Police rescued a small boy nearly 12 hours after his abduction and arrested four suspected kidnappers from Ambagan in Chittagong city’s Tiger Pass area early yesterday.

The boy, two-and-half-year-old Tazwar Moktasin Tasbi, son of businessman Mosarraf Hossen, was picked up by two men from his Halishahar residence around 3pm on Monday.

Later, the abductors called his family and demanded Tk five lakh as ransom, Shahjahan Kabir, officer in charge (OC) of Halishahar police station, said quoting family sources.

Police arrested four people, including a cousin sister of the abducted child,

in connection with the kidnapping.

Police identified the suspects as Faria Tasnim Shuchona, 19, Parvin Aktar, 30, Al Amin, 21, and Md Al Mamun, 22.

“After receiving a complaint from the victim’s family, police detained the boy’s cousin, Faria, and confirmed her involvement in the kidnapping after interrogation,” OC Kabir said.

Based on Faria’s confession, police conducted a drive at the Ambagan railway colony and rescued the boy from Parvin’s house around 3am yesterday.

Faria was allegedly having an affair with Al Amin, and the couple planned the kidnapping, the police officer said.

A case was filed with Halishahar police station, he added. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

AL leader muscles his way over farmland Illegally built dam encroaching on canal at minority-dominated Potibari village in Barisal n Our Correspondent, Barisal Crops on about 2,500 bighas of land have been damaged for lack of irrigation as an influential leader of the ruling party has built a dam on a canal at Potibari village under Satla union of Ujirpur upazila in Barisal.

Moreover, local people could not net fish in the canal fearing retaliation by musclemen of the leader.

Local people said Abdul Khalek Azad, former president of the Awami League, union unit, had built the dam on Muribari-Potibari canal to make a portion of the canal as a shrimp enclosure which is not only hampering irrigation, but also barring normal flow of water.

Talking with locals, it was learnt that saplings of boro paddy have already dried for want of water, putting farmers in grave concern.

Inhabitants of Satla-Bagdha, a Hindu-dominated area, depend on fishing and farming to maintain their livelihood.

Locals alleged that if anyone raises voice against the Awami League, his musclemen assault them and ultimately force them to leave the area.

Mahendra Mandal, a farmer of the area, said: “Crops on 600 bighas of my land have been damaged after

Jamaat relaxes hartal for Chapainawabganj

n Manik Miazee

The Jamaat-e-Islami has announced to keep Chapainawabganj district out of their nationwide hartal scheduled Thursday due to a religious festival of the Hindu community.

In a statement released yesterday, Jamaat said the general strike would be relaxed in the district as members of the Hindu community will be making a pilgrimage to the Ganges to bathe in its holy waters. Issues by Jamaat-e-Islami acting Secretary General Shafiqur Rahman and signed by its Publicity Secretary Mohammad Ibrahim, the statement also noted the decision came upon a request from the community.

However, the shutdown will continue in other parts of the country, the statement added.

Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami’s nationwide hartal, protesting the death verdict of their chief Motiur Rahman Nizami in the 10-truck arms haul case, was deferred a day for Saraswati Puja of the country’s Hindu community. l

Khalek’s men built the dam.

“We do not have enough courage to raise voice against Khalek,” said Rani Biswas, who is also a farm labourer.

Joymala Mandal alleged that cadres of Khalek had beaten her son Nitai and damaged his boats as he tried to net fish on the canal.

Later, Nitai was forced to leave his native area and he is now working as a farm labour in Noakhali, said Joymala breaking down into tears.

Manindra Mandal, another resident of the area, said he had cultivated boro on his 30 bighas of land.

“Now my paddy land dried up and saplings of paddy have started turning reddish for lack of water,” he said.

Md Nipun Sardar, a local youth, told the Dhaka Tribune that Khalek using the name of the ruling party had created panic among minority people of the locality.

Khairul Bashar, upazila Jubo League organising secretary, acknowledging the facts said all should be vocal against the activities of Khalek.

Faruk Sardar, former UP member of the area, said Khalek should be punished for his misdeed.

Ujirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sohrab Hossain said Khalek could not build dam on government canal.

Action will be taken if anyone file allegation against him, said the UNO.

A local Awami League leader has built a dam on a canal, which is hampering irrigation and breeding of fish resources However, Khalek denied the allegation and said all allegations brought against him were baseless.

“I am farming fish on 1,000 bighas of my own land collecting water from the canal and it would also give

n Our Correspondent, Natore

Police yesterday arrested an arms dealer from a Dhaka-bound bus at Banbelghoria bypass in Sadar upazila and recovered a pistol, five bullets and two magazines from his person.

The arrestee was Tohidul Islam, 22, hailing from the village of Barkalupur in Rajshahi’s Shibgonj upazila.

“Acting on a tip-off, a sadar police team raided the bypass area at noon and arrested an arms dealer with arms and ammunitions from the spot,” said Sadar police station Officer-in-charge Aslam Uddin.

An arms case has been filed with sadar police in connection to the arrest. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

benefits to the local people.”

After netting the cultivated fishes, water will be released soon, he said. l

Sirajganj district unit of Secchwasebok League Vice-President Abdul Halim Dulal, who was accused of slapping the headmaster of a school, was released on bail yesterday.

According to sources, on Monday, Dulal slapped the headmaster of Chandaikona Bohumukhi High School in Raiganj upazila of the district in presence of hundreds of students and teachers.

Dulal is also president of Raiganj Upazila Bazar Banik Committee and president of the school’s managing committee.

After the incident, teachers and students of the school brought out a procession and blocked the house of Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) protesting the incident. They gave an ultimatum to the UNO for the punishment of Dulal. Police arrested Dulal as AL men blocked the police station.

Later, the accused was sent to the Sadar police station and later to Sirajganj district jail. According to court sources, Dulal was released on bail after staying one night inside the lockup and jail.

Anis Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Raiganj police station said Dulal had slapped the headmaster due to delays in holding a meeting of managing committee. The headmaster filed a case in this connection.

ASI Nizam Uddin said Senior Judicial Magistrate-Supria Rahman had granted the bail as the defense lawyer Din Amin Dinu applied for bail. l

Professors play hooky at DjMCH

n Tribune Report

Dinajpur Medical College Hospital (DjMCH) authorities have decided to take immediate actions against 12 faculty members for negligence on duty.

According to the hospital sources, the accused teachers have remained absent from work for several days.

Although authorities of the hospital had issued a notice to them, asking them to attend work without any delay, they did not pay heed to the directive.

Principal of the hospital Dr Kamrul Ahsan said they would take stern actions against the teachers soon.

“The managing committee members have decided to take disciplinary actions against the teachers to maintain discipline at the hospital.”

Of the faculties, Assistant Professor Jasim Uddin of biochemistry department has been staying in Dhaka for long. He visits the hospital once in every two months just for putting attendance signatures on register book,

The rivers of Narsingdi are facing potential threat of their existence as most of the rivers have lost their normal flow and navigability.

Once there were boats, launches and steamers in the rivers carrying goods and passengers from one district to another district.

Continuing dumping of garbage, waste of local industries and absence of dredging operation are responsible for filling river beds with silt day by day which obstruct movement of water transports.

Besides, a group of land grabbers occupied the wet beds of the rivers by building unauthorised structures, reports BSS. During the winter season the water of the rivers fall drastically and some places of the rivers turn into dead canal.

Once the river of the Kalagasia at

n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

Shibpur upazila, the old Brahamapurtra in Madhobdi area of Sadar upazila, Haridoa river at Shibpur upazilas, Arial Kha river at Raipura and Belabo upazila were very busy with water transports.

Now those rivers have lost their existence.

Particularly in the winter season, movements of boats and launches become totally stopped due to lack of navigability of the rivers.

The rivers have also lost their fishing resources because of scarcity of water flow for continuous dumping of the waste of local factories.

The river sides are now under the possession of land grabbers in the name of markets, schools and madrasas.

Local people demanded of the government to save those rivers for greater interest of the people by recovering the occupied lands from grabbers as well as massive dredging operation. l

hospital sources said.

Similarly, pharmacology Professor Abul Hasnat Khan has been residing in Dhaka and he comes to the hospital four times a month to take classes.

Continued absence of key faculty members draw ire of authorities Respiratory department professor Atiqur Rahman, medicine department Assistant Professor Abdul Latif and assistant professor Amiruzzaman, urology department Assistant Professor Jabid Hassan also remain absent in the hospital.

Moreover, Assistant Professor AKM Samsuddin and Assistant Professor Dr Md Safiullah have been staying elsewhere.

As they have not been seen at the hospital for couple of weeks, hospital

authorities issued a show-cause notice against them.

The committee members will send a letter to Health Ministry and Directorate General of Health Services seeking appropriate measures against the 12 teachers, said the sources.

The 250-bed hospital was established in 1992. But, it only went into operation on Mach 17, 2010. A total of 53 posts out of 152 are lying vacant.

Now, the hospital is providing treatment to around 500 patients.

The medical college hospital has all the major branches of medical including, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, community medicine, pharmacology, forensic medicine, pathology, microbiology, medicine, surgery, cardiology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, dentistry, blood transfusion, radiology, obstetrics, gynecology, radiotherapy and neuromedicine.

The hospital is equipped with modern technologies for different units. l

Office of the Executive Engineer Jhalakathi W.D. Division BWDB, Jhalakathi.

Phone: 0498-63440 e-mail: xen.jhalakathi@gmail.com

n Our correspondent, Dinajpur

Arms dealer arrested from Natore

n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

Rivers lost navigability in Narsingdi

Three arrested for rape and murder

Three was arrested in connection with rape and murder of a woman in Birampur upazila of Dinajpur.

The arrested are Rayhan, Uzzal and Babu. Police arrested them from Fulbari town in connection with the murder on Monday. Earlier on January 30, police recovered body of the victim, Asmani Begum, 25, from a Shal tree garden in Dhanjuri Mission Hospital area. The next day police filed a case in this connection.

Upon being produced before the court, Rayhan and Uzzal gave confessional statements. Magistrate of Judicial Court 5 granted three days remand for Babu.

Quoting the detainees, Investigative Officer (IO) of the case Bazlur Rashid, also Deputy Inspector of Birampur police station said the killers were hired by Asmani’s former husband Ziaur Rahman.

Resident of Kalupara in Parbotipur, Zia had recently divorced Asmani for lack of understanding between them by giving Tk150,000 as alimony. After divorcing Asmani he got married again.

However, for unknown reasons he wanted to kill Asmani and he hired them with Tk8000 each, said the IO. l

AL leader accused of slapping teacher gets bail

Invitation for e-Tender

Labourers take care of wooded hives boxes at a village under Gopalganj Sadar upazila

Farmers in Gopalganj are busy in oil-seed fields as apiculture has become a lucrative occupation for many people in the district.

Aiming to collect honey that could generate a Tk2 crore business, hundreds of farmers of the district have set up wooden hives in oil seeds fields.

Farmers of Gopalganj sadar, Kashiani, Muksudpur, Tungipara and Kotalipara upazilas of the district have been collecting honey since January 1 by setting up 2,000 wooden hives in mustard, sunflower and other oil seeds fields.

The farmers said they had collected honey worth Tk1 crore so far.

“We have to stay in fields till the end of the month to collect more honey,” said a farmer.

Usually, farmers of the district collect honeybunch for two months (January to February) in a year.

Farmers of the district have been collecting honey for almost 20 years, said SM Zakirul Hasan Titu of Gopinathpur village under Gopalganj sadar, adding: “As apiculture is profitable, most of the people of our locality have become self-reliant through beekeeping.

“A determined entrepreneur can make profit in the first year of apiculture by little investment through hard work.”

Md Ilias, who works as a farm la-

Invitation Ref. No.

:

Tender No. 6/2013-2014 Memo No.: EE/Jhal/Da-1/e-GP/894(100) Date: 03/02/2014

2.

Tender ID (from e-GP portal)

:

i) 6128 ii) 6134 & iii) 6136

3.

Name of the Works

:

i) ID-6128 (Package No.: e-TENDER:JKWD/BWDB/W 18) – Construction of Dogonar Hat Closure at KM. 16.300 over Talgachia Khal under Project for construction of Embankment and infrastructure in Bishkhali Project: Polder-5 in upazilla Kathalia of district Jhalakathi under Jhalakathi WD Division, BWDB, Jhalakathi During th FY 2013-2014 ii) ID-6134 (Package No.: e-TENDER:JKWD/Emb/W-07) – Re-sectioning/Repair of embankment from km. 25.000 to km. 26.000 = 1.000 km. in BIP Polder No-13 for mitigation of adverse impact of Climate Change under Jhalakathi Sadar upazila of Jhalakathi District under Jhalakathi WD Division, BWDB, Jhalakathi during FY 2013-2014

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Beekeeping creating a buzz in Gopalganj n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

1.

bourer, said he had suffered a lot as he could not get job in agriculture fields round the year.

“Sometimes I even had to starve for couple of days with my family.”

He said: “I am working in oilseed fields and getting Tk5,000 monthly.”

The number of apiculturists is increasing day by day in the district as it is profitable.

Apiculturist Md Redwan Hossain said 100 tonnes of honey will be produced this year and it’s market price would exceed Tk2 crore.

“We sell one kilogram of honey at Tk200,” he said.

It was also learnt that 10,000 workers are directly and indirectly involved with beekeeping. l

iii) ID-6136 (Package No.: e_TENDER:JKWD/Emb/W-08) – Re-sectioning/Repair of embankment from km. 26.000 to km. 27.000 = 1.500 km. in BIP Polder No-13 for mitigation of adverse impact of Climate Change under Jhalakathi Sadar upazila of Jhalakathi District under Jhalakathi WD Division, BWDB, Jhalakathi during FY 2013-2014 4.

This is an online tender where only e-tenders will be accepted in e-GP portal and no offline and hard copy will be accepted. To submit e-tender please resister on e-GP system (http://www.eprocure.gov.bd). For more details please contract Support Desk contract number (01762625528-31) from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

5.

Last Selling Date

:

26/02/2014

6.

Closing Date

:

27/02/2014 Time: 03:00 PM

7.

Publication Date

:

03/02/2014

8.

Tender Document price (nonrefundable)

:

i) Tk.-1000 (for e-TENDER:JKWD/BWDB/W 18) ii) Tk.-1000 (for e-TENDER:JKWD/Emb/W-07) iIi) Tk.-2000 (for e-TENDER:JKWD/Emb/W-08)

9.

a. The Procuring Entity reserves the right to accept or reject all or any tenders without assigning any reason. b. NOA will be issued after getting Approval from the Competent Authority. For this no claim will be accepted. c. The corrigendum (if any) will be the part of this tender.

Pani – 495/13-14 DG – 13/14 (8 inch x 3 cols)

(Md. Harunur Rashid) Executive Engineer Jhalakathi W.D. Division BWDB, Jhalakathi

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Obama to face blunt talk in Saudi Arabia American president likely to face questions over Iran n AFP, Washington Blunt talk over the US opening to Iran and reticence in Syria will be on the menu when President Barack Obama travels to Saudi Arabia next month to meet King Abdullah.

Obama’s White House years have caused frustration and incomprehension in Riyadh and a rocky ride for Washington’s key strategic relationship with the Gulf kingdom.

His nuclear diplomacy with Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia’s Shiite-led foe in a swirling regional proxy war, and his last gasp reversal on striking Syria last year infuriated the Saudi court.

Since then, Saudi princes, mouthpieces for the aged monarch, have vented in opinion pieces for US newspapers, comparing Washington to a “big bear” reluctant to show its claws and branding an interim nuclear deal with Iran a “dangerous gamble. ”Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, is said to have discovered in recent audiences that the king’s wits and tongue are as sharp as ever, despite

his approaching 90th birthday.

Obama’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia was first reported Saturday by the Wall Street Journal quoting Arab officials — who appeared to catch Washington off guard.

The White House waited until Monday to confirm that Obama would indeed add an unexpected stop in Saudi Arabia onto a previously announced

tour of the Netherlands, Brussels and Vatican City in March.

US officials would not say which partner in the tempestuous marriage of political convenience initiated the summit.

Simon Henderson, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that while the Saudis did not want to humiliate Obama, they would not hide their frustration. l

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Jail terms for Saudis who join foreign fights n Agencies Citizens of Saudi Arabia who fight in conflicts outside the kingdom could receive prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years in jail.

Saudi king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz issued a royal decree on Monday, which says that any Saudi citizen who joins extremist terrorist groups or supports them materially or through incitement would face the punishment.

The decree appeared aimed at stemming the flow of Saudi fighters going to Syria, which is believed to have drawn hundreds of young Saudis, and has worried some in the kingdom that fighters could return radicalised.

The decree said it is the Saudi government’s duty to block actions and language that harm public security and stability by exposing the nation to danger and “damaging the status of the kingdom” Islamically, internationally and among Arabs.

The jail terms increase to five to 30 years for members of militaries who serve as officers.

Many young Saudi men appear to have been encouraged to join the fight

in Syria. The uprising against President Bashar al-Assad has transformed into a regional proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which support opposing sides. Foreign fighters have infiltrated the opposition, triggering infighting that has undermined the rebellion.

The decree said it is the Saudi government’s duty to block actions and language that harm public security and stability by exposing the nation to danger Saudi officials and key high-level Muslim leaders have largely spoken out against young Saudis joining the fight.

While the Saudi government backs some rebel opposition groups in Syria with weapons and aid, officials say Riyadh does not fund al-Qaida-linked groups.

The royal decree was issued only two days after a sweeping new anti-terrorism law went into effect. l

Most Americans see war in Afghanistan as failure n Agencies Winning the Afghan war depended on getting at least two foreign governments “to play ball,” those of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the United States failed to do so, says a Foreign Policy magazine report published on Monday.

Also, an opinion poll released on Monday, showed that for the first time, the majority of people in the United States view war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan as failures.

The survey by the Pew Research Centre, Washington, found that, in all, 52 per cent of Americans feel the nation’s military has “mostly failed” in achieving their goals in both embattled nations. Less than 40 per cent felt either mission had been successful.

The FP report observed that US leaders never fully appreciated that the war could not be won if they didn’t get more cooperation from the two allies, and that they wouldn’t get that support as long as Islamabad and Kabul were convinced that Washington “would never call their bluff.” l

Landmark Rwanda genocide trial opens in France n AFP, Paris

Georgia’s march towards EU ‘irreversible’: PM

The landmark trial of a former Rwandan army captain charged with complicity in the 1994 genocide that left 800,000 dead opened Tuesday in Paris, the first of its kind in France.

Pascal Simbikangwa, who denies the accusations against him, appeared in court in a wheelchair after a 1986 car accident that left him paraplegic. He faces life in prison.

The 54-year-old was arrested in 2008 on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, where he had been living in hiding for three years.

“I was a captain in the Rwandan army then in the intelligence services,” Simbikangwa, a small, bald man wearing a brown jacket and white tracksuit bottoms, told the court in an opening statement.

He is accused of inciting, organising and aiding massacres during the genocide, particularly by supplying arms, instructions and encouragement to Interahamwe Hutu militia who were manning road blocks and killing Tutsi men, women and children.

He is being tried under laws adopted

Georgia’s march towards the European Union is “irreversible” and “the only way forward” for the ex-Soviet state, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told AFP in an interview Tuesday.

Unlike Ukraine, which under Russian pressure walked away from a key trade and political pact with the EU, sparking mass protests, Georgia is keen to sign an Association Agreement with the EU by August this year, he said.

Garibashvili said that by agreeing to initial the EU pact late November just as Ukraine reneged on its deal years in the making, “we made this European integration process irreversible.”

n AFP, Brussels

“Europe is the only way forwards for our country,” he said, adding that he had received assurance from the EU’s top officials in talks in Brussels that the bloc would not let Georgia down.

While he admitted he could not exclude pressure from Moscow to stop Tbilisi strengthening its ties with the West, Garibashvili said his country was less reliant on Russia than Ukraine as the Russians “don’t have too much political or economic leverage” in Georgia.

“Ukraine is a different story. It is more dependent on Russia, therefore we can’t compare the two.” Georgia is one of six former Soviet states on Europe’s eastern flank to be offered an EU agreement that includes a major free trade deal. l

Court sketch made on February 4, 2014 in Paris of Pascal Simbikangwa , a former Rwandan army captain charged with complicity in the genocide that left 800,000 dead AFP in 1996 and 2010 that allow French courts to consider cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Rwanda and other countries.

The historic case is being watched closely in France, which was accused of failing to rein in the Rwandan regime at the time of the genocide and of later

dragging its feet over the repatriation or prosecution of individuals suspected of involvement in crimes against humanity. l

Rwanda says genocide trial in France ‘late’ but a ‘good sign’ n AFP, Kigali The trial in France of a former Rwandan army captain charged with complicity in the 1994 genocide was greeted inRwanda as a belated but “good sign”.

“It is history being made. We have

always wondered why it has taken 20 years... it is late, but it is a good sign,” Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Busingye said of the trial of Pascal Simbikangwa, a former army captain who went on trial in Paris Tuesday.

“It is not time to celebrate, it is still the beginning, the first in 20

Ugandan army winning hearts, minds and foreskins n AFP, Kampala Ugandan troops have been marking national army week celebrations with a public health drive that includes distributing condoms and circumcising men as part of efforts to battle AIDS. “There are several activities that we are doing. Among them is medical outreach. The UPDF (Uganda People’s Defence Force) is a unique army. It is unique is many respects,” army spokesman Paddy Ankunda said on Tuesday.

“Circumcision is a proven method to reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS and we think that by doing that our people will reduce the risk of infection,” he told AFP, adding that army doctors have in recent days carried out 330 circumcisions, 630 HIV tests and distributed 43,500 condoms.

Scientists have found that male circumcision can significantly reduce the chances of HIV infection because the foreskin has a higher concentration of HIV-receptors than the rest of the penis and is prone to tears during intercourse, providing for a HIV entry point.

“We are taking care of the entire procedure. We have installed ourselves in already existing health centres and constructed appropriate facilities,” Ankunda said.

“But that is just one activity. We are distributing mosquito nets, we are treating malaria, treating eye infections, dental complications, all sorts of things,” he added.

Ugandan army week leads up to the February 6 anniversary of a 1981 attack against an army barracks by rebel forces fighting then-president Apolo Milton Obote, which heralded the start of a war that ended in 1986 with current President Yoweri Museveni taking office.

Each year the army marks the anniversary with public service activities in designated areas of the country. This year operations are taking place in the west of the country, although Ankunda said Ugandan troops across the country and those based in South Sudan and Somalia were also active.

“We do so many things. We do medical outreach, we work with other agencies, we redo roads that are broken in the countryside of the region we select. We do mobilisation for the people against disease and poverty,” he said.

Uganda was once heralded as a success story in the fight against HIV, with Museveni among the first African leaders to speak openly about AIDS and the government mounting a highly successful public awareness campaign in the late 1980s and 1990s. l

years. We will watch it with a lot of interest, we will be very supportive of the process, we will cooperate,” the minister said.

But he added that “France has a big amount of suspects in its territory” who should be either extradited back to Rwanda or tried in France.

The landmark case is being closely watched, with France long accused of failing to rein in the Rwandan regime at the time of the genocide and of later dragging its feet over the repatriation or prosecution of individuals suspected of involvement in crimes against humanity. l

Lost at sea for 13 months! n AP, Wellington It’s a story that almost defies belief: A man leaves Mexico in December 2012 for a day of shark fishing and ends up surviving 13 months on fish, birds and turtles before washing ashore on the remote Marshall Islands thousands of miles (kilometres) away.

But that’s what a man identifying himself as 37-year-old Jose Salvador Alvarenga told the US ambassador in the Marshall Islands and the nation’s officials during a 30-minute meeting Monday before he was taken to a local hospital for monitoring.

Alvarenga washed ashore on the tiny atoll of Ebon in the Pacific Ocean last week before being taken to the capital, Majuro, on Monday. “It’s hard for me to imagine someone surviving 13 months at sea,” said Ambassador Tom Armbruster in Majuro.

“But it’s also hard to imagine how someone might arrive on Ebon out of the blue.

Certainly this guy has had an ordeal, and has been at sea for some time.”

Other officials were reacting cautiously to the Spanish-speaking man’s story while they try to piece together more information.

If true, the man’s ordeal would rank among the greatest tales ever of survival at sea. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department says the man told Mexico’s ambassador to the Philippines, Julio Camarena, that he set out from an area near the coastal town of Tonala in southern Chiapas state, which would mean his journey covered a distance of more than 6,500 miles (10,460 kilometers), if he drifted in a straight line.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili speaks during a press conference with the European Commission President AFP

South African police disperse 3,000 ‘violent’ miners n AFP, Johannesburg

Armbruster said the soft-spoken man complained of joint pain Monday and had a limp but was able to walk. He had long hair and a beard, the ambassador said, and rather than appearing emaciated he looked puffy in places, including around his ankles. Otherwise, he added, Alvarenga seemed in reasonable health. Armbruster, who speaks Spanish, said the survivor told the following story: He’s a native of El Salvador but had lived in Mexico for 15 years and fishes for a man he knows as Willie, catching sharks for 25 pesos ($1.90) per pound. On Dec. 21, 2012, Alvarenga left Mexico in his 23-foot (7-meter) fiberglass boat for a day’s fishing, accompanied by a teen he knew only as Ezekiel, who was between 15 and 18. A storm blew the fishermen off course, and soon they were lost and adrift. After about a month, Ezekiel died, the survivor told officials.

“He thanked God, initially, that he had survived,” the ambassador said. “He’s very anxious to get back in touch with his employer, and also with the family of Ezekiel. That’s his driving motivation at the moment.” l

South African police said they used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse about 3,000 “violent” striking miners Tuesday in the country’s restive platinum belt.

Strikers “carrying dangerous weapons, such as knobkerries and sticks, blocked the road and were threatening to remove non-striking workers at the shaft,” police said in a statement.

The incident occurred at Anglo American Platinum’s Khuseleka 1 facility in the country’s north. It marks the first instance of major unrest in the sector-wide strike, now in its second week.

“Police were forced to use stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd,” the force said, adding that two protesters aged 52 and 47 were arrested.

They face charges of public violence.

The incident will raise fears of a return to violent strikes that have seen dozens of workers killed at the hands of rival unions and the police.

Around 80,000 members of the radical Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) downed tools on January 23 calling for a min-

imum monthly wage of 12,500-rand ($1,100) -- almost double their current pay.

Last Thursday the union rejected a three-year deal from Anglo American Platinum, Impala Platinum and Lonmin that offered a roughly seven percent annual increase.

South Africa produces 80 percent of the world’s platinum and around 134,000 people are employed in the sector.

Platinum group metals are vital in products such as catalytic converters, computer hard disks and dental fillings.

Government-brokered talks to end the strike -- which firms say is costing them as much as $36 million a day -- restarted on Tuesday.

But AMCU has threatened the strike could go on for a month if no agreement is reached.

Companies, which have seen their revenues plummet in recent years, are looking for a long-term agreement in the hope of preventing what have become regular stoppages.

But they insist drastic wage increases are impossible and claim that the current pay package is more than a basic entry-level wage. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

UK admits role in Golden Temple assault

Sri Lanka bars US women’s rights envoy: official n AFP, Colombo

Foreign Secretary insists British advice had only a ‘limited impact’ With the approval of then prime n AFP, London minister Margaret Thatcher, an officer British military advice had a “very limited” impact on India’s 1984 Amritsar Golden Temple assault that left 500 dead, a government investigation found on Tuesday.

Foreign Secretary William Hague told parliament that the probe, ordered after newly-released documents revealed an elite British officer had advised New Delhi on plans for the raid, had concluded that the British advice had “limited impact on the tragic events that unfolded at the temple three months later”.

The probe was ordered after previously top secret documents showed British elite forces played an advisory role following a request from New Delhi over a plan to flush out militants who had occupied the temple in northwest India -- considered Sikhdom’s holiest shrine.

“The UK’s assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage,” Hague said as he presented the report to parliament.

The report says that three months before the June 1984 assault, the officer from Britain’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) advised the Indian military to launch a surprise helicopter attack to flush out militants who had occupied the temple in northwest India -- considered Sikhdom’s holiest shrine.

from the elite Special Air Service (SAS) travelled to India and drew up a plan which was approved by India’s prime minister Indira Gandhi.

But the eventual assault, codenamed Operation Blue Star, “was a ground assault without the element of surprise and without a helicopter-borne element”, Hague told parliament.

British advice therefore had only a “limited impact on Operation Blue Star”, Hague said.

The raid on the militants, who were demanding an independent Sikh homeland, left at least 500 people dead and triggered a cycle of bloody revenge attacks.

India’s then-prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated four months later by two Sikh bodyguards, sparking anti-Sikh riots in which thousands of people were killed, mostly in New Delhi.

Two letters, both marked “top secret and personal”, reveal details about the SAS advice.

One of the documents, a letter from foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe’s private secretary to his counterpart in the Home Office interior ministry, warned that the operation could trigger tensions in Britain’s Indian community, “particularly if knowledge of the SAS involvement were to become public”. l

In this June 6, 1984 file photo, Indian troops take up positions around the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, India

Pakistan-Taliban peace talks delayed n Agencies

Negotiators representing the Pakistani government and Taliban will not meet for preliminary peace talks that were meant to be taking place following a spate of killings.

Two teams, nominated by the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were due to gather in Islamabad at 2:00pm (0900 GMT) to chart a preliminary “roadmap” for the talks on Tuesday. This was meant to pave the way for the beginnings of the peace talks.

However, Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the meeting was unlikely to go ahead as

scheduled.

“This morning it was a done deal but now we are told the government committee wants clarification from the Taliban committee on certain issues so the formal meeting is not going to happen today,” he said.

Irfan Siddiqui, the co-ordinator of the government’s committee on peace talks, told Al Jazeera that his group was seeking clarification from the TTP’s own committee regarding that body’s role and mandate.

Specifically, the government wants to know the nature of the relationship between the TTP-appointed committee and the TTP’s own leadership council.

The Taliban responded to the gov-

9

ernment’s request for clarification by saying its committee will have the three members all of whom are ready for the talks. It is now up to the government to respond.

Last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif named a team to begin dialogue with the Taliban, who have been waging a violent campaign against the state since 2007.

Many observers had been anticipating a military offensive against TTP strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal areas, following a bloody start to the year on both sides, with the government responding to Taliban violence with raids on Waziristan strongholds.

More than 110 people were killed in

attacks in January, many of them military personnel.

Critics have accused Sharif’s government of dithering in response to the violence.

The TTP has said in the past that it opposes democracy and wants Islamic sharia imposed throughout Pakistan, while the government has stressed the country’s constitution must remain paramount.

The TTP had asked cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan to be part of their team but he declined.

The two sides held separate meetings in Islamabad on Monday and later decided to talk each other on Tuesday, Khan said. l

AP

Sri Lanka has refused a top US women’s rights official entry to the country, just days after another senior envoy alleged Colombo’s rights record was deteriorating, the US embassy said Tuesday.

US ambassador at large for women’s issues Catherine Russell was due to visit Sri Lanka ahead of a UN Human Rights Council meeting next month at which Colombo is due to face fresh censure.

A US embassy spokesman said it was “regrettable” Colombo had refused to grant Russell a visa for the planned visit this month.

“Ambassador Russell’s mandate is to promote stability, peace, and development by empowering women politically, socially, and economically around the world,” the spokesman said.

The refusal came after Nisha Biswal, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, told reporters on Saturday the US was concerned about the worsening human rights situation, during her visit to the island.

At the end of the two-day trip, Biswal also said the US was worried about a weakening of the rule of law and an increase in corruption levels and impunity in Sri Lanka since a 37year conflict ended in May 2009.

Sri Lanka rejected the comments as “patently unfair” and accused Biswal of wanting to believe the worst about the island.

Another US envoy, war crimes investigator Stephen Rapp, stirred controversy in Sri Lanka last month by visiting a former battleground.

There was no immediate comment from Colombo over the refusal to grant Russell a visa. l

Sindh seeks return of Moenjodaro’s Dancing Girl from India

Thai opposition seeks to challenge polls results in court n AP, Bangkok Thailand’s main opposition party petitioned a court Tuesday to annul last weekend’s disrupted national election, launching a legal challenge that could prolong the deeply divided country’s political paralysis.

The Democrat Party’s petition to the Constitutional Court also urges the dissolution of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ruling party, which called Sunday’s elections in a bid to defuse anti-government protests that started three months ago.

Wiratana Kalayasiri, a former opposition lawmaker and head of the Democrat Party’s legal team, said the petition argues the polls violated the constitution on several grounds, including that they were not completed in one day.

Critics call the Democrats’ argument counterintuitive, saying the reason the election could not be finished in one day is because anti-government protesters backed by the party sabotaged the vote.

The Democrat Party boycotted the election, and the protesters aligned with it forced the closure of hundreds of polling stations in Bangkok and the south, preventing millions of people from voting.

As a result, a series of special elections are required to complete the balloting. Election results cannot be announced until all areas have successfully voted.

“This election has violated the constitution on several counts, but mainly it was not a fair one,” Wiratana said.

“The election was not held on the same

day ... that is why we are seeking to nullify it.”

Prompong Nopparit, spokesman for Yingluck’s Pheu Thai party, said the Democrats “are initiating another front of attack to help the street protesters.”

“They are the ones who did not even participate in the election. They are more likely the ones who are trying to overthrow democracy through unconstitutional means,” he said.

Despite fears of violence, the voting proceeded peacefully in 90 percent of polling stations.

The struggle to hold the balloting was part of a 3-month-old conflict that has split the country between supporters of Yingluck and opponents, who allege her government is too corrupt to rule, and that she is a puppet of her brother, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin

Shinawatra.

Thaksin, a billionaire businessman who is the most divisive figure in modern Thai history, fled into exile to avoid a corruption conviction after being deposed in a 2006 military coup.

The demonstrators have occupied major intersections in Bangkok and forced government ministries to shut down and work elsewhere.

The protesters are demanding the elected government be replaced by an unelected “people’s council” to enact reforms ahead of new elections and remove the Shinawatra family’s influence from politics.

Yingluck has refused to step down, arguing she was elected by a large majority and is open to reform, but that such a council would be unconstitutional and undemocratic. l

US regrets many Thais prevented from voting n AP, Washington The US has expressed regret that many Thais were prevented from voting at the weekend but says it isn’t taking sides in the nation’s political disputes.

Anti-government protesters prevented millions of people from voting in elections Sunday that were boycotted by the main opposition party. Special elections will be required to complete the balloting.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday the US remains concerned that political tensions in Thailand are posing challenges to its democratic institutions and processes.

She told reporters the US doesn’t want to see a military coup or recourse to violence, and is urging all sides to commit to dialogue and “resolve political differences peacefully and democratically.” l

Anti-government protesters raise their hands to show that they have no weapons during a rally outside the office of the permanent secretary for defense AP

As Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s Sindh Festival has turned people’s attention towards the culture and civilisation of Sindh, the provincial government is sending a request to Islamabad for asking India to return the famous statue of the Dancing Girl, which is in possession of the Indian authorities since 1946.

“We are writing to the federal government to help us repatriate our exiled heroine back to us from India,” a member of the Sindh cabinet told Dawn Newspaper.

The two most famous artefacts belonging to Moenjodaro, regarded as one of the world’s most ancient planned cities, are the King Priest and the Dancing Girl.

Officials said the two relics had been transported by British archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler to Delhi in 1946 to be put in an exhibition and had remained there since then.

In 1947 after the partition of the subcontinent, the Pakistani authorities asked New Delhi to return the two relics along with several others including the Fasting Buddha.

A Pakistani official had visited Delhi and succeeded in getting hold of the King Priest and the Fasting Buddha. But the Indians refused to hand over the 10.8cm dark bronze statuette of the Dancing Girl. It has inspired many explorers to write over the decades dossiers on the history it was a witness to and reflections it offered about the role of women in the society millennia ago when it was not under patriarchal dominance.

There is a popular legend which said the Indian authorities had refused to hand over both the Moenjodaro relics and offered the

Pakistani authorities to choose from the King Priest and the Dancing Girl.

“The Pakistanis chose the King Priest made up of soapstone. Perhaps they were hesitant to get hold of a naked teenager to avoid a possible backlash from religious quarters,” an official observed.

The King Priest — a bearded man wearing an Ajrak-like cloth with hair neatly combed back — is widely speculated to be the ruler of the city.

Experts said they had repeatedly requested previous governments to try to take possession of the Dancing Girl, but no one took any interest.

“It is good to see the government is seriously pursuing this matter,” said a provincial government official who previously worked in the archaeology division.

Archaeologists said under the UNESCO Convention of 1972, the original owner of any artefact is the country where the relic was found.

Qasim Ali Qasim, director of the provincial archaeology department, said since the federal government was a signatory to the UNESCO convention, the Sindh government would have to ask Islamabad, which could send a request to the world cultural organisation to get the things rolling.

He said Islamabad’s efforts in 2009 brought back 13 artefacts belonging to the Gandhara civilization from several countries and same could be done for the figurine wearing bangles all the way up in one of her arms, which is still a common sight in Thar Desert.

“The Dancing Girl belongs to us and everyone knows it.” l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Bring new life to our rivers

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Last word

R

February 3

ivers are an integral part of Bangladesh’s culture, commerce and transportation. We must do more to protect them from the environmental neglect which threaten their well being.

Over the years, the navigability of many rivers, which are a key part of the country’s inland transport system, has been dramatically reduced by changes in water flow. These changes have been greatly exacerbated by barrages and dams upstream and by authorities doing little to control sand extraction and land-grabbing.

Encroachments on rivers, such as the Turag, not only create eyesores but add to the problem of reduced navigability. They not only affect their immediate riverbanks but increase the risk of erosion elsewhere, potentially impacting thousands of others people by displacing them from their homes and destroying livelihoods.

We hope that the prime minister’s call on the shipping minister to restore navigability of silted rivers by increasing regular dredging and maintenance can have some positive impact.

The government must also do more to stop rivers being polluted. The water itself and life within it are also under severe threat from the unregulated disposal of industrial and municipal waste. It is the responsibility of all citizens and municipalities to work together on reducing waste dumping as everyone will benefit from creating a better river environment.

It is high time for progress to speeded up in protecting and preserving this most vital resource. Ensuring proper maintenance of riverbeds and punishing culprits who illegally grab or pollute rivers is the right way to start.

Ensure proper maintenance of riverbeds and punish culprits who illegally grab or pollute rivers

Saif Kamal’s account in the Weekend Tribune on January 17 was of a long, tension-filled but luckily safe journey. It ended with two very pertinent questions: “Is this civil war? How will we ever undo this?” I frankly do not know the answers, but one thing is sure. It is an evil war, and the root of it is the new breed of wrongly-motivated terrorists, tagged on to the “uncivil” opposition, who burnt to death well over 50 innocent people, and shattered their families too.

Suffering citizen

T

he High Court is currently considering proposed compensation schemes for victims of the catastrophic fire at Tazreen garments in November 2012.

As there is inevitably legal debate about the extent of liability, it is right for the government and courts to take all necessary steps to ensure that compensation agreements are in line with international standards.

However, it is important that debate on issues not be prolonged. The sooner they can be settled, the quicker focus can be given to ensuring payments are delivered to victims and their families.

Recent research conducted by the CPD shows that the delivery of timely financial compensation can be hampered by many practical factors, including a lack of availability of concrete data and agreed lists of the names of all the victims.

The disbursement of financial assistance would be greatly helped if information sharing between the various stakeholders was enabled.

We hope the ongoing compensation case can proceed smoothly in swiftly delivering much-needed recompense and support to victims and their families.

All parties involved should also look to the Rana Plaza Arrangement established last year by four of the brands sourcing from the site. The compensation agreement brings together Bangladeshi stakeholders and the ILO to provide a framework for making payments, which are due to start this month. Its structure is commendable as it is built on a concrete timetable for making payments to victims, so that assistance can be given sooner rather than being delayed by legal complications.

January 29

Probir Bidhan Thanks to God! That we are not the first!

Adriano Zahid New Delhi is the #1 polluted city in the world.

Bangladesh needs to place more importance on environmental issues.

Is Awami League the answer?

January 28

Sam It is a well written piece of commentary, perhaps the best argued one in favour of the ruling regime so far. The comedy in this, however, is that the author claims that the AL is less corrupt when it is the AL which (in October 2013) destroyed the independence of the Anti Corruption Commission so that its ministers could be shielded and pro-AL civil servants could be protected. The result is on a front-page photo of the Tribune: an AL minister, knowing his impunity from the law of the land, is smoking at a public event in full view of the police, army, BGB, and young children.

And before you pro-AL types go berserk, here is my challenge to you: Stick to the issue at hand which is the ACC’s destruction by the AL regime in October 2013 rather than bring up the “they did it too,” or some trope about all non-AL people being razakars or that kind BS. Rage Sam: And ACC has also received a directive from the EC that the EC won’t share the details of corrupt AL politicians with the ACC!! Besides, it was during

Smoking minister on stage January 28

Ensure speedy compensation for victims

Bangladesh ninth-most polluted country

kabdullah This bloke, whatever his name is, looks more like a thug than a minister!

Moshe Who does he think he is?!? Absurd! Nonsense.

WaliulHaqueKhondker The best anti-smoking campaign would be to relieve the minister of his portfolio.

Binodbangali Unbelievable. The PM must admonish him. An unconditional apology is warranted.

Hasina’s rule, when Bangladesh had become labeled as TIB’s number 1 corrupt country. So, AL is as corrupt as anyone else, if not more.

M Ali Great points. However, why is there no mention of Awami League’s violence against the people of Bangladesh? People have been killed by police without any judicial prosecution. and how about all the ministers that stole national wealth while in power? How about corruption, murder, destruction of democracy, one party rule, dictatorial approach to politics, no opposition party in parliament?

The AL is the best option (in the author’s opinion) because they have acted like bullies, not because they are a political party. They will have to face punishment, sooner or later.

Ehsan Abdullah Excellent article!! If only people would wake up without their prejudged, preconceived support, if only they would independently look at the current situation and the road we took to come here. This article is a must read!!

BNP: Fears over ‘crossfire’ killing have come true January 29

How can you tell apart a crossfire killing from others? Are these only cases where an opposition party member died? I disagree with this. It is nothing more than a planning game.

Md Habibur Rahman

Two siblings sentenced to death for murder January 29

Are they mad? Can anyone kill their own sister and nieces just for property??

Sheikh Jinat Mahmid

Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize January 29

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

He should be awarded with the Nobel prize.

Farid Md Nasir

Flying with broken wings January 28 Dhaka Tribune does its best when it publishes works of individuals who we are less familiar with but whose creations are worth publishing.

When we see the word blogger as the identity of a writer, well, it signals a change in Bangladeshi media.

Mahmudul Islam

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Focus must be given to ensuring timely financial compensation payments are delivered to victims and their families

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Exhibit (4) 3 Absent (4) 7 Beverage (3) 8 Ward off (5) 11 Periods of time (4) 12 Long for (5) 13 Wedge (5) 15 Precious stones (4) 18 Brick carriers (4) 19 Primary (5) 20 Sheeplike (5) 21 Caution (4) 23 Happen again (5) 24 Greek letter (3) 25 Curve (4) 26 Enquires (4)

DOWN 1 Laundry item (6) 2 Followed orders (6) 4 Armed conflict (3) 5 Danger signals (6) 6 Word of acceptance (3) 9 Sanity (6) 10 Make lace (3) 11 Locomotive (6) 14 Find the place of (6) 16 Builds (6) 17 Commences (6) 19 Tree (3) 21 Fly trap (3) 22 Moved quickly (3)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

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

Code-Cracker

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Rethinking democratic practice in Bangladesh

T

n Rehman Sobhan he unifying thread running through Bangladesh’s 65-year existence since the end of British rule in India is the frustrated aspiration to establish a democracy of the people, by the people, for the people. This aspiration of the Bengalis remained frustrated during the entire tenure of Pakistani rule because its ruling elite recognised that democracy would relocate the balance of power in the hands of the people, of whom Bengalis constituted the electoral majority.

The consequential exposure to a decade of martial rule under Ayub Khan was purposely built to frustrate rule by and hence for the people which accounts for the widening economic divide between the East and West Wings of Pakistan. When after 22 years Pakistan’s first national election held out prospect of rule by the people, the rulers could not come to terms with the possibility that a regime of the people may pursue an agenda for the people which would prejudice the monopoly of resources captured by the elite.

The people of Bangladesh paid a heavy price for their democratic aspirations which could only be realised outside the state of Pakistan through a bloody war of national liberation with a massive cost in lives.

Tragically, after 42 years as an independent nation state, our democratic aspirations still remain frustrated. I will identify, rather synoptically, the principal sources of our frustration and conclude with some suggestions about where both political scientists and our political leaders may engage in some rethinking about our democratic practices and prospects:

government has ever been displaced through an election overseen by an incumbent regime. l This suggests that no precedents have emerged on how the integrity of the electoral process can be assured under a regime whose continuation in office is at stake. l Our melancholy experience from the 1960s up to the end of 1990 inspired the quest for elections supervised by a non-partisan caretaker regime which, by definition, was unelected. By chance, coincidence, or perhaps design, four such elections held in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2008 under a non-partisan caretaker government resulted in the incumbent regime being displaced by a party previously in opposition. l Regrettably, revealed experience could not be reconciled with the interpretation of our constitution by the judiciary so we returned to square one through enacting the 15th amendment to the constitution, abolishing the caretaker system of supervising national elections. Unsurprisingly, on January 5 of this year, the electoral outcome of the national elections remained consistent with the pre-1990 historical experience by once again returning an incumbent regime to office. l Today, 65 years after British rule and 43 years after independence, we remain compelled to rethink an appropriate format for overseeing elections which can reconcile constitutional law with historical experience. Any such rethinking will also have to take cognisance of our practice of caretaker governance and the various ways in which our fertile political minds can misuse the system for political gain.

2. Ensuring a government “by the people” through a system of free and

Tragically, after 42 years as an independent nation state, our democratic aspirations still remain frustrated

1. We have yet to work out a universally acceptable arrangement for the conduct of elections. l Whilst our constitution mandates that we must always be ruled by elected people we have established, right down to the present day, a consistent record where no incumbent

fair elections does not ensure that the elected government will be made up “of the people.” We have much research evidence emerging from Rounaq Jahan’s recent work at CPD on the state of democracy in Bangladesh and indeed by other political scientists, that our parliaments are increas-

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

ingly dominated by business people who buy their way into parliament or use their tenure in parliament to transform themselves into business persons. Consequently, parliamentary politics has assumed an instrumental character where government for the people is superseded by government by and for the few as was the practice under Pakistan rule. l Within such an exclusionary political landscape the weak, whether defined by income, gender, religion, or ethnicity who constitute the numerical voting majority, remain severely underrepresented in parliament which, by definition, can no longer ensure government by the people. A government of the elite can therefore hardly be expected to prioritise policies “for the people.” l What political scientists may therefore attempt to rethink is how, even where we can ensure a genuinely fair and participatory electoral process, a parliament which is more representative of the democratic majority can be established through the electoral process. This quest will not

be unique to Bangladesh but may extend across South Asia and even into the United States where government of the affluent, by the affluent, in the name of the people, remains alive and protected by its Supreme Court.

3. We need to rethink the implications of constructing a democratic society where our principal political parties remain undemocratic in their representation, leadership, and practices. While it is convenient to fault the leaders for their undemocratic practices, the critical issue to be investigated is why and how second tier political leaders, party workers, many with long exposure to politics so readily abdicate their democratic responsibilities and remain slavishly bonded within an elective monarchy.

4. We finally need to rethink one of the more unique features of Bangladesh politics, the tribalisation of our political society where the fissures run as deep as the divide between the Hutus and Tutsis of Rwanda. This divide has led to the breakdown of normal dialogue between the parties. The perpetuation of the culture of boycott

by the parliamentary opposition, has rendered parliament dysfunctional over the life of four elected parliaments. Above all it has established and sustained the winner take all culture where winning and losing elections has become an existential concern in terms of livelihood, personal security, and even life and death. The exponential increase in violence in our political life is the immediate manifestation of this form of tribalised politics.

5. Finally we need to address a question which has surfaced more recently in Bangladesh but which has bedeviled most of the countries of South Asia, the emergence of violence as an instrument of political expression, particularly in the service of party, identity, religion, and ideology. Here we need to learn not just from regional experience but from the experiences around the world as to whether such violence can be ameliorated through a more inclusive political process or has to be fought to a bloody end.

None of the fundamental problems which have compromised the practices of democracy and are now emerging as

Chhatra League once again

Fix the upazila system

n Syed Ishtiaque Reza

n M Abdul Latif Mondal

V

iolent images from Rajshahi University filled television screens and newspapers’ front pages on Sunday and Monday. Around 100 students of the university and eight journalists were wounded, as armed Bangladesh Chhatra League men backed by police attacked the students protesting fee hikes and evening shift master’s courses on the campus.

The BCL activists opened fire on the agitating students, while police discharged tear shells and rubber bullets.

Conditions of some of the bullet-hit students are reportedly critical.

This is not the first time BCL has gone against a popular student movement. All the TV channels and newspapers aired and published the picture of the BCL goons brandishing firearms on the campus.

Questions come to mind: What’s going on? Where will all this lead to?

And, what can be done about it?

The answer to the first question can be the same cynical response: This is what student politics is in Bangladesh.

The party in power becomes the owner of everything. Everybody knows what’s going on, but the reaction is: “Who cares?”

After the Bishwajit murder by Dhaka’s Jagannath College BCL cadres, one of the senior leaders of the AL said a surgical operation was required to control BCL. But how can they go for surgery without a diagnosis of the problem?

The party high-ups must take a closer look into the Chhatra League activities. The AL leadership must think of doing a thorough diagnosis to make the student wing really pro-student.

The nation has to care.

The fact is, BCL activists have been found involved in campus violence, intra-group fighting, the admission business, forcible occupation of student dormitories, vandalising academic institutions, tender-snatching, and extortion since the AL-led alliance was elected to power in January, 2009.

The unruly BCL members some-

times even assaulted senior Juba League and AL leaders. They even vandalised police stations to force the release of their comrades.

The Rajshahi University incident is the first one since the AL came to power through the January 5 elections for a consecutive second term. But during the previous five years, almost every day, BCL captured media headlines because of unruly actions.

There were hundreds of incidents of intra-group clashes in different educational institutions including the Dhaka, Chittgaong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Jahangirnagar, and Jagannath Universities.

Bangladesh has a long and often proud history of student politics.

But now, in the public universities, everything from getting a dorm bed to enrolling in a decent course is controlled by student political bodies.

Until the major political parties stop using their student wings as musclemen, the violence will not stop

Student politics has become so polluted in Bangladesh that it is working against the students’ interests. There is no idealism, everything is about greed. Student political leaders make money from extortion, and from selling tenders. They control student accommodation, the canteen, and have shops on the campuses.

All three of Bangladesh’s main political parties have strong student wings, which they fund and allegedly arm with guns and other lethal weapons.

In return for providing a ready reserve of young rioters when needed, the political parties allow their respective student wings to make money from their control of the university

education system.

Ruling party student organisations, especially the armed cadres, act like gangsters on campuses. They eat at campus canteens for free, keep the best student accommodations for themselves, and harass professors or students who oppose them.

Civil society members debate endlessly on whether the police are adequate to the fight the thugs on campuses. It is clear as daylight that until the major political parties stop using their student wings as musclemen to do their dirty work, the violence will not stop.

The ugly incidents by BCL are frequently happening due to factional infighting and inaction on part of the government. A group of fortune seekers are also allegedly using BCL leaders and activists for their own interests.

The last question – what can be done about it? – is what the government needs to spend most of their time on. The AL top brass must answer why, with each passing day, BCL cadres are wrecking the educational institutions.

Despite repeated warnings and threats from the prime minister and other influential AL leaders, no effective action was taken during the last five years to contain the unruly activities of the student wing of the party, which has emerged as the main factor for widespread violence and unrest in different educational institutions across the country.

Seeing inaction in the face of growing misdeeds of errant students, the public is sure to suspect that feuding politicians are themselves nurturing support groups among students.

Already, there are widespread allegations that a section of former student leaders who are not inducted in AL key positions are patronising factions in BCL. No one knows where the solution lies. But these activities will take the government’s credibility to a new low, and some of its good work will get overshadowed in the process. l Syed Ishtiaque Reza is Director, News and Current Affairs, Ekattor Television.

T

he Election Commission has decided for the first time to hold polls to upazila parishads (sub-district councils) in phases. Media reports suggest that the EC will hold polls to more than 480 upazila parishads (UP) across the country in six phases. The EC has so far announced the schedule for the first and second phases.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has explained the reason for holding polls to UPs in phases. He has said that the current UPs have different expiry dates and so, they will have to hold the elections in phases.

Section 7 of the amended Upazila Parishad Act 1998 says the five-year tenure of a UP begins from the day the first meeting of the UP is held after the election. Although the last UP election was held on January 22, 2009, first meetings were held on different dates.

That is why they have different expiry dates.

The upazila system has a chequered history. Created in the early 80s during the rule of HM Ershad, the UP had their first election in 1985. Headed by a directly elected chairman, a UP soon became the focal point of a local administration.

With various government offices, courts, and other establishments, the upazila headquarters also became the hub of economic activities. The second election to the UPs was held in 1990. Out of political animosity, the BNP government that came to power in 1991 with the reintroduction of parliamentary democracy abolished the UPs. It is not that the upazila system was flawless, but the system was abolished before its teething troubles were over.

The functions and responsibilities of a UP include maintenance of law and order, communicational and infrastructural development, development of agriculture, fisheries, livestock and irrigation, rural development and cooperatives, education, upgradation

and expansion of health and family planning activities, monitoring and controlling market prices, and matters relating to finance, budget, planning and local revenue collection.

Past experience shows that UPs have not been able to discharge their responsibilities successfully due to a number of factors, the most important of which is the MPs’ interference and control over the activities of the UPs. The conflict between upazila chairmen and local MPs was noticed to some extent even during the time of Ershad.

profound structural weaknesses which threaten the very foundations of our democratic order, are unique to Bangladesh and infect the political cultures of most of our South Asian neighbours. A regional conversation on the rethinking of democracy across South Asia may prove to be an educational experience for scholars as well as practitioners.

However, as a Bangladeshi who has invested five decades of my life participating in the elusive quest for a more democratic political order, my primary concern is to seek redress to the malfunction of politics in my own country.

I, or my generation, have obviously not been overly successful in establishing a government of the people, for the people, by the people. I hope that within your dialogue, you could contribute serviceable answers to the unresolved questions of our generation, which could ensure that Bangladesh’s imperiled democracy should not perish from our soil which has been fertilised with the blood of the many who have already perished in its quest. l Rehman Sobhan is the Chairman of CPD.

matters, developmental or otherwise.

Constitutional experts have said that granting power to MPs to control the activities of the UPs goes against Article 59 of the constitution.

It says that local government in every administrative unit of the republic shall be entrusted to bodies composed of persons elected in accordance with law, and it will perform such functions as shall be prescribed by law.

Besides the undue influence of the MPs, bureaucratic control is equally

Ensuring elections will not be enough. The need of the hour is to fully empower the UPs, so that they can determine their own course of action

The abolition of the UPs by the BNP government, in particular the exit of the directly elected chairmen, paved the way for the entry of the MPs to the stage. Section 25 of the act made the MPs advisers to UPs and made it obligatory for them to accept the advice of the MPs. The Upazila Parishad Ordinance 2008 abolished the advisory role of the MPs. In April 2009, the AL-led grand alliance government reintroduced the Upazila Parishad Act 1998 by superseding the Upazila Parishad Ordinance 2008.

Some amendments to the 1998 act were also made. The amendment to section 25 of the act not only reintroduced the advisory role of the local MP, but made it obligatory for a UP to keep the local MP informed of each and every correspondence it made with the government.

As a result, the UPs have come under the full control of the MPs. An MP must have the last say in all

responsible for making UPs ineffective. Available reports suggest that the relationship between the chairmen and upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) is far from satisfactory. The Upazila Parishad Association has called on the government to free UPs from interference of MPs and UNOs to make them effective.

All this suggests that the ensuring elections will not be enough to make the UPs effective. The need of the hour is to fully empower the UPs, so that they can determine their own course of action. The advisory role of the MPs must come to an end.

The local bureaucracy should be made fully answerable to the UPs. Emphasis has to be made on the maximum mobilisation of funds from local sources. The UP laws have to be appropriately amended to meet these requirements. l M Abdul Latif Mondal is a former government secretary.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

PHOTO BY JULIAN TENANT

Open Enquiry on display at Drik n Shadma Malik A group photography exhibition titled Open Enquiry is on at the Drik gallery and will continue until February 7. The display showcases photographs of the students of Pathshala and Edith Cowan University (ECW) and is the outcome of a one month long workshop of Pathshala-ECU students, which was held in Bangladesh. Rajib Matin coordinated the workshop. As many as thirty five Bangladeshi and Australian students took photos in Sylhet, Old Dhaka and Cox’s Bazaar.

Moreover, these diverse group represented the lifestyle of Bangladesh through their lens.

Participant Kaisar Ahmed’s Little Conqueror reflects the story of a young boy. Kaisar said: “The photo is of a twelve years old boy named Mejba, who I met in Cox’s Bazaar. I was curious and enthusiastic to capture his life, as he is fascinated by the horses living in the beach. Everyday, he pretends to go to school, but instead, he tries to earn some money from the tourist and spends his days with the horses.”

Dipta Prakash Das’s Stateless Community address the crises issues of the Rahingya community. His portrait of mother and children depicts the harsh reality and lack of protection from their host country, Bangladesh. About his photographs Dipta said: “ I wanted to convey the message to the people that Rahingyas residing in this country are living a cruel life in the refugee camps. My photo shows that the deprived community wants to return to Arakan, when they feel that it is safe for them.”

PHOTO BY SHAH M AZHARUL HAQUE SYMON

Julian Tennant from Australia perceives the exoticness of Bangladeshi life and culture. He said: “I set out to explore the art and artworks that adorned these unique vehicles, Rickshaw. I discovered that this rapid growing city, Dhaka, is struggling to cope up with the changes and so are the rickshaw artists and the rickshaw pullers.”

Samantha Dillon captured the girls from the orphanage ShishuPoribar located in Sylhet. “The girls from the orphanage have hopes and dreams for their future. In the orphanage, the girls are living as a family, treating each other like siblings, facing struggles and triumphs together, instead of being alone.” l

Symon and Bobby pair up again n Entertainment Desk Dhallywood heartthrob Bobby and new comer Symon are paired up again for Debashish Biswas’s new film Mon Jole.

Shooting of the film will start from May 10 this year.

Recently, the dynamic duo was

busy shooting for Iftakar Chowdhury’s Action Jasmin. About the film Symon said: “I am working with Debashish for the first time. I hope my fans will continue to accept my work and bestow their love and best wishes to me.”

Bobby said: “I love to work in this kind of films. I am happy for the opportunity to work in a romantic mov-

Rituparna in Bollywood once again n Entertainment Desk

QUAMRUL ABEDIN

National Street Theatre Festival continues to entertain n

Hasan Mansoor Chatak

The current political situation of the country is perhaps the reason why the assembly of street plays is a hit with the audience, not to mention the free source of entertainment by highly acclaimed theatre troupes.

The schedule of today’s National Street Theatre Festival is comprised of five plays, Padmo Parer Gadya Kotha, Dewal, Chharpatro, Pocketmarer Panchali and Khabishnama will be staged at the Shaheed Minar premises.

On February 3, the third day of the festival, five plays were staged that portrayed contemporary socio-political issues like the injustice in society, war criminals’ turning into powerful entities, religious fallacy and despoiled socio-political norms.

The show began with a play named Sunagorik-er Sandhaney, staged by the troupe Ensemble Theatre (Mymensingh). Written by Malay Bhoumik and directed by Shybal Das Bappi, the storyline of the play highlights the value of high moral standards.

The play was followed by Janoni Janmobhumi, written and directed

by Asma Akter Liza and was staged

by Nat Nandan. The mono-drama symbolically portrayed a woman as the mother of the nation, who urges the civilian to stop injustice. She cries and puts forward a heart-

felt plea to her nation to stop the despicable people who are enviously trying to destroy her pride and reputation.

Shadhinota Tumi Phirey Esho is a play written by eminent playwright Abdullah Al-Mamun. Directed by Said Ahmed, Nagorik Natyangan Ensemble brought the play to the stage.

The story showcased how a war criminal becomes a powerful leader in the aftermath of the war and then tries to halt the progressive advancement and growing of liberalism in the society.

Theatre troupe Padatik Natya Sangshad (TSC) staged eminent playwright Mamotazuddin Ahmed’s Shadhinotar Sangram directed by Hamidur Rahman Pappu. Then, Jege Otho, written and directed by Faisal Ahmed was brought to the stage by Natyajoddha.

Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation has organised the National Street-theatre Festival 2014, to mark the International Mother Language Day and Martyrs’ Day. The programme began on February 1 and will continue until February 7. The slogan of the festival is “Culture against violence.” Around 35 theatre troupes from all over the country including Udichi, Dhaka Sanskritic Dol, Mahakal Natya Sampraday, Opera, Muktangan Natyalay, Brahmanbaria Shahitya Academy, Drishtipat, Bonolota and others are taking part at the seven-day long festival. l

Rituparna Sengupta, who is currently busy shooting for Sunanda Shyamal Mitra’s Extraordi-Naari, is already part of another Hindi film.

It is an urban thriller directed by Hasnain Hyderabadwala, who made The Train with Emraan Hashmi and Sayali Bhagat.

The film is titled Dannk. It revolves around a handful of people involved in a game of money. Apart from Rituparna, the cast also includes Evelyn Sharma, Ronit Roy and Amit Purohit.

A source close to the unit said: “It is a racy thriller,

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Agun Khela airs from today

they are in. There’s no character that can be defined as black or white. All those involved in the game have a facet to them which the world isn’t aware of. Shooting will begin in April.”

Rituparna, on her part, said: “Abhishek Mishra from the production house has approached me with a role that has loads of shades. I had worked with him in Aalaap.

The script is interesting and I’m thinking of doing this movie.”

Previously she worked in a number of Bollywood films such as Akrosh, Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji, Main Meri Patni Aur Woh and others. l

Cultural organisation Lokrong perform on the second day of the three-day Comilla Sangskritik Utshab which ended recently

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which has everyone trying to dupe the other to gain some benefit out of the situation

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ie. I really like the storyline and hope that the audience will accept and enjoy our on-screen chemistry.”

About the film, director Debashish said: “Both of my previous films have stories set against an urban backdrop.

In this film, I am working on a rural story. I have tried my best to add different dimensions to the film.” l

A scene from Agun Khela

n Entertainment Desk A new drama series titles Agun Khela will start airing from today 7:50pm on Channel i. Written by Sharifur Rahman Shantanu, the drama is directed by Imran Halder. One of the most popular soap actors of the country, Zahid Hasan, plays a leading role in the drama, along with Mir Sabbir, Abid Rehan, Tariq Swapan, Mitanur, Bonna Mirza, Ali Raj, Tofa Ahsan and many others. The drama will be showcased every Wednesday and Thursday.

Fatu is a simple rural man. The villagers call him Kufa (bad omen) Fatu. Anyone who starts his/her day by seeing Fatu’s face is bound to come across bad luck. One bad thing or another must happen if one meets him. One day, the agitated villagers throw him out of the village after a through beating. Fatu has no family and he starts an aimless journey, determined to move away from place where he is unwanted to such an extent. On the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, he is hit by a car whose owner is an affluent businessman. The distressed businessman on the brink of an attack from passerby’s promise to get Fatu medical help. The story of the drama begins as the businessman takes Fatu in his car and heads towards Dhaka. l

Hasee Toh Phasee is a middle class Bombay story: Sidharth n Entertainment Desk Sidharth who made a successful debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year will be next seen in Hasee Toh Phasee with Parineeti Chopra.

Encapsulating the idea of the title he says: “It is not easy to impress any girl in any field. For boys there is a lot of work. If a girl smiles, that does not mean she is impressed, need to do other things as well. The trick is for the guy to know what the girl likes and dislikes.”

“It is up to you how you gauge that.

Some boys have good instincts, while some are dumb and stupid. Every girl is different, there is no one formula for it,” he said.

The model-actor was flooded with lot of offers, post his debut, but he

chose Hasee Toh Phasee as his second film as he found it quirky.

“I found this film interesting because of its quirkiness, there is not much glitz and glamour. It is a middle class Bombay story. It is a dark, intense and edgy film. It has action but it is emotionally driven. I read the script and found it very quirky and funny.

Vinil Mathew (director) is technically sound,” Siddharth said.

For the film, Siddharth had to work on his look – he had to gain some weight and colour his hair.

“The character is aggressive. It requires some amount of conviction to play this role. It is a risk, as the role that I play in the film is that of an older man,” the 29-year-old adds.

The film produced by Johar and Anurag Kashyap releases on February 7. l

Did you know?

Man City’s run of scoring in consecutive Premier League home games ends at 61, five short of Man United’s record

Sport

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

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14 The Special One

DAYS TO GO

is back, Chelsea close gap

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Tendulkar receives

India’s highest civilian award

Late blows keep hosts in the hunt n Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong

Sri Lanka pair Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene run for a single while Bangladesh’s Mominul Haque looks on during the 1st day of their second Test at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

‘We have to bowl better line and length’ n Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong

Sohag Gazi jumps on Mahmudullah’s back after a Sri Lankan wicket at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

A couple more wickets on the day would have suited them thought Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah who returned to the playing eleven for the second Test that began yesterday.

The home side bowlers strayed down the leg-side while they also bowled half trackers which made runs come easy for the Sri Lankans.

The birthday boy claimed the important wicket of Mahela Jayawardene or else the total score could have gone higher, but despite that the former Tigers vice-captain thinks they still need to pick quick wickets today.

“I would have been happier if two more wickets had fallen. We have to bowl better line and length,” said Mahmudullah after the first day at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

“There were times when we did miss the length. Sometimes when the ball

A chat with Tony Sanneh n Raihan Mahmood

Tony Sanneh would be a wonderful role model for budding footballers, as the former US international player showed how determination and hard work can make a man turn his dreams into reality.

The former Hertha Berlin and Nuremberg midfielder, whose precise cross from the right flank paved the way to Brian McBride’s goal in USA’s stunning 3-2 win over Portugal in the 2002 World Cup, shared his feelings with the Dhaka Tribune (DT) at the BFF House yesterday.

What drove you to be a footballer?

Sanneh- In America as the sports are made, a player has to give up all to attain success, it needs devotion. I loved football, you see in football the stars have come from the lower social economic class. When I took up football it was not as prizing as nowadays but it has changed now, I loved football and it drove me to be a footballer.

What was the most memorable moment in your career?

Sanneh-The World Cup of 1994 in US inspired me to set a target and I realized it in 2002. The 2002 World Cup was a special one, the World Cup is such an occasion that is watched around the world and when a player represents his country at the top of the world, he should feel proud. I thought we were a little unlucky there and I hope US team will do well in the future.

It was the most memorable moment for me, when the national anthem was finished I started to run in the field against Portugal I thought it was the moment you live your life. You know an injury can ruin all the dreams and it was important to remain fit ahead of the meet.

Who was your favourite player?

Sanneh- I grew up admiring Maradona and Ruud Gullit. Gullit’s figure was similar to me and he played in various positions and I also followed it in my playing career, Maradona was the best ever and he is a phenomenon.

Whose company in the field you recall most?

Sanneh- In my club career I relish the memory of playing alongside Sebastian Diesler in Hertha Berlin, he was a thoroughly brilliant player but did not fulfil the promise he possessed and I also relish the recall playing with Cacau, the Brazil born forward who made his way through to German team during my stay at Nuremberg. I also played beside David Beckham. l

doesn’t turn, spinners get frustrated.

We did bowl a few bad balls but when we regrouped, the discussion was to contain the runs. We came back well at the end of the day,” said Mahmudullah.

The decision of playing three fast bolwers in the first Test was heavily criticised while taking the field with just one fast bowler this time also raised questions. Mahmudullah defended the decision and said, “I think the team management – coach and captain – did what they thought would be good for the team. There is no swing or bounce so rather we thought we should use an extra spinner.

“We have thought about the match.

There was a lot of talk on why we picked three seamers, and now it is about one seamer. We have to execute how we planned,” he added.

The off-spinner hoped for turn in the wicket and said it was hard to predict the behaviour. “This morning

it spun for a while with the new ball while it didn’t during the middle period and then later with the new ball. We have to work hard tomorrow (today) so we have to start well. If we can take two early wickets, we can capitalise on that,” he said while he also informed they will get an update on Abdur Razzak’s injury today.

Mahmudullah was honest in admitting the batting approach of Sri Lanka’s Mahela and Sangakkara and said they should be positive but careful when they come on to bat.

“Our batting approach should be positive but we have to choose carefully. We played some expensive shots in the last game, there were mistakes.

If we can cross the crunch moments, our batsmen can get big scores.

“We always talk about their (Mahela and Sangakkara) controlled batting. We keep an eye on their approach, and how they control their shots,” he said. l

Bangladesh should be content with the way they ended the first day of their second Test match though Sri Lanka are still looking to pile up a massive first innings total at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. The home team selection was once again a surprise to all as the Tigers, for the first time in their 81-match Test history, opted just one fast bowler in the side leaving out both Robiul Islam and Rubel Hossain from the previous match.

Spinners Abdur Razzak and Mahmudullah’s return to the playing eleven indicated they planned their attack around spinners, but the plan failed to break the Sri Lankan wall made up of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

Though Mahela, who scored 200 in the first Test, was out on 72 Sangakkara carried on in rock slid form and remained unbeaten on 160. The classy left-hander on his way to his 34th Test ton dispatched the bad balls with immense power and smashed 19 fours and three sixes.

The start was positive from the hosts as Sohag Gazi trapped Kaushal Silva to produce the first breakthrough

SCORECARD, DAY 1 Sri Lanka 1st innings Karunaratne c Mahmudullah b Al-Amin 31 Silva lbw b Gazi 11 Sangakkara not out 160 Jayawardene lbw b Mahmudullah 72 Chandimal c Kayes b Shakib 27 Mathews b Shakib 5 Vithanage not out 0 Extras: (b5, lb2, nb1) 8 Total (for five wickets, 92 overs)

314

Fall of wickets 1-39 (Silva), 2-49 (Karunaratne), 3-227 (Jayawardene), 4-294 (Chandimal), 5-312 (Mathews).

Bowling Al-Amin 19-4-56-1 (nb1), Gazi 30-498-1, Razzak 4-1-6-0, Shakib 15-1-70-2, Mahmudullah 22-2-70-1, Nasir 1-0-2-0, Shamsur 1-0-5-0

before his new ball partner Al Amin had Dimuth Karunaratne caught at point leaving the score on 49 for two. Razzak’s return to the Test fold was short lived as the left-arm spinner pulled up a muscle strain on his left leg and could bowl just four overs before heading back to the dressing room.

However, the familiar pair of the experienced Mahela and Sangakkara simply eased through the sessions as they dominated most of the day’s play in their 178-run third wicket stand. Once they both settled in it was easy pickings and the boundaries started flowing as the home side spinners continuously bowled short and wide.

Mahela was heading towards another hundred before a soft dismissal ended his innings. Trying to glide the ball to the leg side, the former Sri Lankan captain was struck on the pads, plumb in front, off a low delivery from Mahmudullah. But it hardly made any impact on Sangakkara as he continued to dominate and this time he added 67 runs with Dinesh Candimal.

The bowlers looked tired while the painful gestures of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim, who picked niggles during fielding, also did not leave a good mark on the field until Shakib al Hasan struck twice with the second new ball.

It was late in the day with only six overs left when Mushfiq took the new ball and handed it to Shakib and the leading all-rounder struck immediately to bring some relief in the Bangladesh tent. Chandimal, who earlier survived a catch at long leg as Gazi caught him on the boundary but went off-balance to end up behind the ropes, tried to heave it over long-on but only ended up edging a dolly to point.

It was the 90th over of the day and with couple balls left visiting skipper Angelo Mathews decided to take on Shakib and fell in the same trap as Chandimal, only Mathews did not connect at all and was clean bowled.

The three wickets in the last session summed up the day and kept the home side in the game, but Bangladesh need to dismiss Sangakkara as early today or else the visitors, at 314 for five, might anchor another massive total. l

Mohammedan drop points n Shishir Hoque Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited continued their struggle in the Bangladesh Premier League as the traditional Black and Whites were held to a 1-1 draw by Brothers Union at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Zahid Hasan Emily scored in his third consecutive start as his spectacular goal put Mohammedan ahead two minutes before the first-half ended before Ghanaian defender Issah Yousuf cancelled out the lead from a penalty in the second-half.

With their fifth draw in their eighth league appearance, more than any other club, Mohammedan sit at fourth place with 11 points, six behind table toppers Abahani Limited. Brothers remained at sixth with nine points.

Mohammedan was close to open the scoring with nine minutes on the clock but Egyptian forward Mostafa Seddik’s close-range header on a Jahid Hossain cross flew wide.

The Black and Whites drew the first blood in the 43rd minute. The national striker Emily showed great technique and control to receive Towhidul Alam Sabuj’s lobbed pass on his chest before chipping it over the onrushing goalkeeper for a cool finish.

Meanwhile the Orange outfits had their first attempt wasted six minutes into the second-half. Breaking into the penalty area, Faisal Mahmud used all his power to take an angular shot which was fisted away for a corner by Mohammedan goalkeeper Titumir Titu.

Yousuf restored the parity for Brothers in the 77th minute from the spot after Tapu Barman brought down Nigerian striker Kester Akon at the right corner inside the penalty area.

Mohammedan’s Portuguese coach Rui Capela Batista blamed the refereeing once again for their draw while Brothers coach Syeed Naeemuddin remained content with his side’s progress. l

Mohammedan’s Zahid Hasan celebrates a goal at BNS yesterday

Emily

Mahela, Sangakkara are wily old foxes: Chandimal n Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong Sri Lanka vicecaptain Dinesh Chandimal besides expressing their shock over the selection of one pace bowler in the Bangladesh line-up informed yesterday that they are looking forward to add another couple hundred runs to their first innings total when they resume today.

“Yes we were all surprised with one seamer. Normally in Test cricket, in any conditions, any team will bowl two seamers,” said Chandimal at the

Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

“It was not easy to bat in these conditions. The ball came on to the bat really slow. When you get set, you definitely have to bat throughout the innings. Sangakkara did that.

Now we are at 314 for 5, so we’ll have to take runs as much as possible. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for that. Difficult to bat in these conditions, but we’ll hope for 200 runs – that might be a good total,” said Chandimal.

Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother when they were reduced to 49 for two

but the deputy hailed the partnership of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in the team and said they, “They are wily old foxes. We have to learn a lot from them. They work hard in the practices and they always talk about cricket even when they are off the field.”

He was disappointed over his dismissal from a rash shot while his captain Angelo Mathews also did the same, but he had faith in Kithuruwan and Dilruwan and said, “They are going to get more runs tomorrow.”

The 24-year-old struck his last Test hundred against Bangladesh last year

but hasn’t been amongst the runs since then. “I’m disappointed. As a cricketer, we have some bad patches in our career, but at practices I’m working hard. I’m waiting for a big one,” he said.

The visitors are playing the Test without their spin wizard Rangana Herath and spearhead Shaminda Eranga, but Chandimal informed, “Mendis and Dilruwan are the spinners we have, but we also have two seamers. As a player, I feel that it’s hard to get runs off the seamers. So we’re looking forward to doing the basics with the ball.” l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Saint-Etienne coach KO by goal frame

'Fulham need 7 wins to stay up'

Gomez back for Fiorentina

Saint-Etienne manager Christophe Galtier was knocked out in a freak accident on Tuesday when he slipped carrying a goal net at the end of a training session. The 47-year-old banged his head on the goal frame, briefly losing consciousness and suffering a deep cut to his right cheek bone. He was taken to hospital where tests detected no serious damage. The former Marseille defender is due to return to work on Wednesday to supervise his side’s next training session, a club spokesman indicated.

–AFP

Fulham will likely have to win half of their remaining Premier League games to survive in the top flight this season, manager Rene Meulensteen told a news conference on Monday. “I think from the 14 games, we should probably have to win half of them,” he said, with Fulham four points from the safety zone ahead of Tuesday’s FA Cup fourth round replay at home to Sheffield United before a visit to Manchester United on Sunday. A depressing 3-0 home league defeat by Southampton on Saturday left them bottom of the table. –Reuters

Germany striker Mario Gomez is returning to first team training with Serie A side Fiorentina five months after injuring his right knee, the club announced on Monday. “Mario Gomez has completed his rehabilitation and can resume training on Wednesday with the rest of the team,” Fiorentina announced on their official website. Gomez suffered his injury in mid-September in only his third game for the club with initial predictions suggesting he would only be out for a matter of weeks.

–AFP

Mourinho talks down ‘little horse’ Chelsea n AFP, Manchester

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho described his side as “the little horse” in the Premier League title race despite their impressive success over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Chelsea travelled to Manchester on Monday knowing that defeat would leave them six points behind City, but they won 1-0 through Branislav Ivanovic’s first-half strike to draw level on points with their rivals.

The two clubs now trail leaders Arsenal by two points with 14 matches of the season remaining, but Mourinho is insistent that his team remain a work in progress.

Asked if the duel for the title was a three-horse race, he replied: “Two horses and a little horse, that still needs milk and to learn how to jump. A horse that next season can race.”

When it was put to him that Chelsea at the very least stood a chance of winning the league, he replied: “I don’t agree.

“We lost points at home against West Brom, against West Ham, we lost at Stoke, we lost at Newcastle.

“We are a team in evolution, but this is the kind of performance that helps the team to grow up a lot. Tactically, mentally, I think it was fantastic.”

City’s preparations were upset by the loss of Brazilian holding midfielder Fernandinho to injury, with Argentine centre-back Martin Demichelis proving an unsteady replacement.

The hosts were also without midfielders Samir Nasri and Javi Garcia and top scorer Sergio Aguero due to injury, and manager Manuel Pellegrini felt that their absences were telling.

“Of course, (Fernandinho) is a very important player for us,” he said.

“Not only Fernandinho; you must add Samir Nasri, Aguero, Javi Garcia, because (if) Fernandinho can’t play, Javi Garcia can play in his position. “(James) Milner was not 100 percent, neither was Alvaro Negredo. And it’s too much advantage for a team as important as Chelsea.” l

Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, left, celebrates after scoring the winning goal during their EPL match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, on Monday

The Special One is back

British pubs should open late for World Cup: Cameron Ivanovic blasts open title race as Chelsea rob City of home comforts AFP, London n Mourinho’s Chelsea were left to cel- and crossing for Samuel Eto’o, who POINTS TABLE n AFP, Manchester ebrate a home-and-away double, hav- could only slam against the crossbar British pubs should stay open late to screen matches in the upcoming football World Cup finals in Brazil, Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday.

“I have ordered a rethink on pub opening times for England’s World Cup games -- will consult with pub trade, police and councils,” Cameron wrote on his Twitter account.

The British Beer and Pubs Association (BBPA) had asked the interior ministry to push back closing time from 11.00pm to 01.00am to take account of the time difference for England’s opening game against Italy on June 14.

It also asked for an extra two hours on July 11 and 12, the weekend of the final.

But the department rejected the request, instead leaving individual pubs to apply for a one-off late licence at a cost of £21 (26 euros, $35 dollars). l

Team 1 Arsenal 2 Man City

P 24 24

W 17 17

D 4 2

L 3 5

GD PTS 26 55 41 53

3 Chelsea 4 Liverpool 5 Everton 6 Tottenham 7 Man United 8 Newcastle 9 Southampton

24 24 24 24 24 24 24

16 14 12 13 12 11 9

5 5 9 5 4 4 8

3 5 3 6 8 9 7

24 29 12 -1 10 1 7

53 47 45 44 40 37 35

10 Aston Villa 11 Stoke City 12 Swansea City 13 Hull City 14 Sunderland

24 24 24 24 24

7 6 6 6 6

6 7 6 6 6

11 11 12 12 12

-7 -14 -6 -7 -11

27 25 24 24 24

15 Norwich City 16 West Brom 17 Crystal Palace 18 West Ham 19 Cardiff City 20 Fulham

24 24 24 24 24 24

6 4 7 5 5 6

6 11 2 7 6 1

12 9 15 12 13 17

-18 -6 -18 -9 -22 -31

24 23 23 22 21 19

Chelsea defied Manchester City’s scintillating home form with a superb 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Monday that injected fresh intrigue into the Premier League title race.

Imperious in recent weeks, City were looking to reclaim top spot from Arsenal and move six points above Chelsea, but it was the visitors who prevailed thanks to a 32nd-minute bullet by Branislav Ivanovic.

City had won all 11 of their previous home league games this season, losing only to European champions Bayern Munich on home turf, while it was the first time they had failed to score at the Etihad in the league since November 2010.

The hosts had been seeking a ninth successive league win, but instead Jose

Atletico riding high before Cup derby n Reuters, Madrid Three points clear at the top of La Liga, a shrewd-looking signing in the bag and soaring optimism among their fans, Atletico Madrid are on could nine ahead of Wednesday’s King’s Cup semi-final clash against Real.

One of Spanish soccer’s poorer relations, under inspirational coach Diego Simeone, Atletico are mounting a genuine challenge this term to bitter city rivals Real and Barcelona, the world’s two richest clubs by income.

A former Argentina midfielder who played for Atletico when they won a La Liga and Cup double in 1996, Simeone

has moulded his unpretentious but talented and hard-working squad into a formidable unit.

They were further boosted on Friday by the return of Diego on loan until the end of the season.

The stage is set for Atletico to inflict more Cup pain on their detested neighbours, who they beat 2-1 in last year’s final held at Real’s own Bernabeu stadium.

It was the first time they had got the better of Real in 14 years in any competition and they built on that success with a 1-0 La Liga win, again at the Bernabeu, at the end of September.

“We have the players to compete,” Simeone told a news conference after the Sociedad game.

“Diego’s arrival will give us what you saw tonight,” added the 43-year-old.

“A player with attacking ability, personality, aggression in his play. Whenever he gets the ball dangerous things can happen.”

One of the doubts surrounding Atletico was that possibly they did not have enough depth in their squad to challenge on three fronts.

They are also through to the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will play struggling Italian side AC Milan.

Ronaldo should be available to face Atletico in the Cup as he will serve the suspension that comes with his red card in La Liga, while coach Carlo Ancelotti also hopes to have record signing Gareth Bale back from injury. l

Mexico forward Vela rules himself out of World Cup n Reuters Mexico forward Carlos Vela has said he is “not mentally and emotionally” ready to play in this year’s World Cup and has told the Mexican FA not to select him for the tournament in Brazil.

Vela’s statement was carried on the Mexico FA’s website (www.femexfut. org.mx) on Tuesday after the 24-yearold, who plays for Real Sociedad in Spain, told them he would not be available for selection.

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera, national team director Hector Gonzalez Inarritu and other FA officials met with the player in Madrid on Monday to discuss his availability but he was adamant he would not change his mind.

Vela, who has played for Arsenal and West Brom in England as well as Salamanca and Osasuna in Spain, has scored nine times in 35 internationals.l

ing beaten City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in October’s reverse fixture.

City were without top scorer Sergio Aguero due to injury, while Martin Demichelis had to fill in for the injured Fernandinho in central midfield, but the hosts attacked with their usual abandon nonetheless.

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was obliged to race to the edge of his area to clear inside the first minute, before Alvaro Negredo rolled Gary Cahill and shot over.

Aleksandar Kolarov whipped in a cross that narrowly eluded Yaya Toure, who then clipped a shot just over from the edge of the box before striding to the byline and teeing up David Silva to sweep an effort narrowly wide.

With City rattled, the irrepressible Hazard worked Hart with a low strike before skipping past Pablo Zabaleta

from a narrow angle.

An exchange of chances saw both sides go close early in the second half, with Toure drilling a shot a whisker wide at one end before Nemanja Matic clipped the post with a 30-yard thunderbolt at the other.

Pellegrini sent on Stevan Jovetic for Negredo in the 56th minute, but Chelsea continued to threaten, with Cahill heading against the post from an inswinging Willian corner. Forced deeper and deeper as the game wore on, Chelsea were incensed when City defender Matija Nastasic was only shown a yellow card for a last-man foul on substitute Oscar on the halfway line.

Jovetic then forced Cech into another eye-catching save with a shot from range in injury time, but Chelsea were to have the last laugh. l

Bologna suspend staff after new signing left at airport

Lopez marks return to Sampdoria with derby winner

n Reuters

Serie A strugglers Bologna have suspended four members of their technical staff after they apparently forgot to collect new signing Ibson from the airport, Italian media said on Monday.

Club president Albano Guaraldi was reportedly furious after the Brazilian arrived on Sunday, only to find there was nobody to greet him or pick up him.

Bologna are 17th in Serie A with 18 points, one point and one place above the relegation zone.

Former Porto and Spartak Moscow midfielder Ibson, 30, has joined Bologna from Brazilian club Corinthians. l

n AFP, Genoa

Argentinian Maxi Lopez made a stunning return to the colours of Serie A side Sampdoria on Monday by scoring a super goal to secure his side a 1-0 victory over city rivals Genoa.

The 29-year-old’s goal – his first since returning from a disappointing spell with Serie A rivals Catania – saw the victors move further away from the relegation zone and towards mid-table security.

They are eight points clear of third from bottom Livorno and the win continued their revival since Serbian Sinisa

Mihailovic took over as coach in late November. Lopez’ goal helped Sampdoria avenge the 3-0 defeat in the first Genoa derby earlier in the season and moved them to within two points of the losers.

Lopez, who has found it hard to settle at the one club since he moved to Europe after leaving River Plate, scored the only goal of the encounter in the 24th minute, playing a delightful 1-2 with Eder before firing the ball home.

Lopez, who has also played for Barcelona, Mallorca, FC Moscow, Gremio and Catania in the past nine years, celebrated his goal in front of the fanatical section of fans the ‘Doriani’ pointing his two index fingers to the ground to say ‘I am here’. l

IFAB to discuss sin bins, replays

Lazio president received over 50 death threats! n Reuters Lazio president Claudio Lotito has received more than 50 death threats since the club sold midfielder Hernanes to Inter Milan at the end of the January transfer window, he said on Monday.

“Yesterday, I received between 50 to 70 to 80 telephone calls from pseudofans, in which they asked me to leave Lazio and made death threats against me,” he told reporters.

“I live under escort,” he added. “The supporters are part of the club but now they have overstepped the mark.”

During the news conference, Lotito took a phone call which he said was from another angry Lazio supporter. Lotito said there was nothing Lazio could have done to hold on to Brazil’s Hernanes, a gifted but inconsistent midfielder. l

AP

n Reuters, Berne

Villarreal's forward Jonathan Pereira (L) vies with Osasuna defender Jordan Loties during their La Liga match at El Madrigal stadium in Villareal on Monday. Villareal won 3-1 AFP

Soccer’s rule-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), is to hold preliminary discussions at its next meeting on the use of sin bins and video replays to help referees, FIFA said on Monday.

FIFA emphasised that both proposals were included for discussion only and could be submitted for further examinations to IFAB’s two new advisory panels. The items were “not yet at the stage of being considered...for decision in terms of alterations to the existing laws of the game,” world soccer’s governing body said.

The controversial “triple punishment”, where a player concedes a penalty, is sent off and then has to serve an automatic suspension, will also be on the agenda as a discussion item at the meeting in Zurich on March 1.

IFAB will also decide whether to al-

low male players to use headgear on religious grounds and permit so-called “rolling substitutions” in amateur and recreational football.

These would allow players who had been substituted to return to the pitch later in the match, a move designed to bring greater flexibility and maintain interest in grass-roots football.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini have both advocated the use of sin bins, in which players would sit out for five to ten minutes for certain offences.

SURPRISE INCLUSION The inclusion of video replays, which are used in other sports such as rugby and cricket, on the agenda is something of a surprise, however, as football has in general been wary of using any form of technology to help match officials.

It took years of debate for the sport to accept the use of goal-line technology, which was finally approved in 2012 af-

ter a series of controversies where goals were shown to have been wrongly disallowed because officials had not seen the ball cross the line.

Platini remained opposed to goalline technology all along, saying it would open the way for the use of other technology, and said in August that FIFA had opened a “Pandora’s box” of technology by allowing it.

IFAB has recently been reformed and two new advisory panels, one representing players and coaches and the other representing referees, will now examine proposed changes and provide suggestions to the eight-man board.

The new structure is expected to give IFAB more freedom to experiment with proposed changes.

The use of headgear for men appears set to be approved following a two-year trial period. Women Muslim players were given permission to wear headscarves two years ago. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Woods arrives in India for exhibition round

QUICK BYTES

Zia draws again Bangladesh Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman drew with Norwegian GM Agdestein Simen in the 7th round in the Masters event of the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in British Island Gibraltar, UK on Monday. Zia now has 4.5 points. He played with black pieces against Irregular opening of Agdestein and drew after 53 moves.

–Tribune Desk

n AFP, New Delhi

Sk Jamal face United Sikkim today Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will fight for their survival in the 118th IFA Shield when they take on United Sikkim in their second match of the tournament at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata today at 7pm. After losing to Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting Club 2-1 in their first game, it is a must-win game for the Bangladesh Premier League side as they currently sit behind Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan in the Group B points table. Two teams out of four will qualify for the semifinals.

The Dhanmondi outfits will be looking forward to their Haitian international striker Sony Norde to shine against a side who lost both their games against Mohammedan and Mohun Bagan.

–Tribune Desk

Vettel’s dominance turns off TV viewers German Formula One superstar Sebastian Vettel’s coasting to a fourth successive world drivers title last year had an adverse effect on global TV audiences according to figures revealed by the Autosport website on Monday. The 26-year-old Red Bull driver won 13 of the 19 races in easing to the title. However, it wasn’t to television spectators liking as the total slumped from 500million in 2012 – when Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso battled it out to the final race – to 450million according to Global Media Report which was published by Formula One Management, who hold the commercial rights to Formula One and produce the images used by broadcasters. While Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone put the reason for the fall partly down to last season having one race less than the previous year he conceded that Vettel’s dominance, especially in the second part of the season when he won nine successive races, as also turning people off.

–AFP

India's cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar (L) receives the "Bharat Ratna" award from President Pranab Mukherjee during an awards ceremony at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India yesterday AP

DAY’S WATCH BTV & Maasranga TV 9:30AM Bangladesh v Sri Lanka 2nd Test, Day 2 Sony Six NBA 2013-14 7:00AM Minnesota v LA Lakers 9:30AM Golden State v Charlotte 3:30AM (Thursday) India’s Tour of New Zealand 1st Test, Day 1 Star Sports HD1 2:40PM Big Bash T20 Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers 8:30PM Hockey India League Ten HD 10:00PM Ram Slam T20 Challenge 2014 Semi: Dolphins v Titans 02:30AM Copa del Rey 2013/14 Semi-final, 1st Leg Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid Ten Sports 01:10 AM Coppa Italia 2013/14 Semifinal 2: Roma v Napoli

Tiger Woods arrived in New Delhi on Monday for his first visit to India, where he will play a round with special guests at a private event organised by a motorcycle company.

The world number one arrived from the United Arab Emirates where he had competed in the Dubai Desert Classic, and was whisked from the VIP area at the airport under tight security.

Woods is expected to play an 18-hole round with special invitees at the heavily guarded Delhi Golf Club on Tuesday morning, an event that is closed to the public and the media.

“I am afraid this is a strictly private affair,” a club official told AFP. “Even regular members will not be allowed in unless they have been invited.”

The 14-time Major winner will play alongside Hero Motors boss Pawan Munjal and his guests that include two renowned Indian golfers, Shiv Kapur and Arjun Atwal.

Kapur, a member of the upscale Delhi Golf Club, is a regular on the European and Asian tour. Atwal is a long-time friend and PGA Tour colleague of Woods.

Media reports speculated that Woods could be earning an appearance fee worth a seven-figure dollar sum for his short trip.

Despite the public and media being excluded from the event, Kapur said Woods’s presence would boost golf’s image in the cricket-mad nation.

“Tiger’s visit to India is going to make a huge impact and there is a big buzz already not only in Delhi but the whole country,” Kapur said on the sidelines of the Dubai Desert Classic last week.

“I know the members at my club are very excited and there is going to be people climbing all over the walls just to get a glimpse of Tiger.

“As everyone knows, cricket dominates sport in India. So for at least one day the world’s top golfer is going to steal all the attention away from the Sachin Tendulkars and Virender Sehwags.” l

Sohail’s appointment is the first major decision by Zaka Ashraf who was reinstated as PCB chairman in January, eight months after being suspended by the court over dubious elections.

Sohail, an attacking left-handed batsman who played 47 Tests and 156 one-day internationals for Pakistan and was a major part of the World Cup winning team in 1992 said he will do his best to lift the team.

“Pakistan team is doing well in oneday matches and Twenty20 and I will try to further lift that as well as our showings in the Test matches,” Sohail told reporters.

Aamir’s first task will be to select the national squad for the Asia Cup to be held in Bangladesh from February 25 - March 8. Sohail backed Test and

one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq. “Misbah has led the team well and I don’t need to defend him,” said Sohail of the 39-year-old Misbah. “We have to work together and powers matter much less to me than solving problems.”

This will be Aamir’s second tenure as chief selector, having held the post in 2003. l

Tendulkar receives India’s PCB appoints Aamir Sohail as chief selector highest civilian award n AFP, Lahore

n AFP, New Delhi Retired cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was awarded India’s highest civilian award on Tuesday, the Bharat Ratna, making him the first Indian sportsperson to receive the honour.

Tendulkar, who at 40 is the youngest-ever recipient, was congratulated

by President Pranab Mukherjee during a brief ceremony that saw thunderous applause at the presidential palace.

The cricketer announced his retirement from the game in November, ending his 24-year career during which he became the world’s leading scorer in both Test and one-day cricket.

In retirement, he has begun promot-

ing social causes such as sanitation and has been named a member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament, leading to speculation he might one day enter active politics. In 2008, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.

At the ceremony Tuesday, he walked up to the dais with folded hands, greeted the president and accepted the award amid a din of camera flashlights and applause from the audience, which included his family.

C.N.R. Rao, 79, who heads the prime minister’s scientific advisory council, was the other civilian who received the Bharat Ratna this year for his contribution in the field of science. l

Former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail was Tuesday appointed chief selector of the national cricket team and also tasked with developing the game in the country.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the 47-year-old will act as the head of a four-man selection panel besides being the director of game development. The director role encompasses everything from grassroots to first-class cricket.

Pakistan has not had a chief selector since the Islamabad high court last month suspended all decisions taken by interim cricket board chief Najam Sethi, whose tenure began in July 2013.Sethi had appointed former captain and wicketkeeper Moin Khan as chief selector.

New Zealand favourites for India Tests: Hadlee

Federer to play in Davis Cup quarter-final tie

Former tennis men’s world number one Roger Federer tweeted on Monday he would play for Switzerland in their Davis Cup quarter-final with Kazakhstan in early April. The 32-year-old, for whom the Davis Cup remains one of the few major titles to elude him, played in last weekend’s 3-2 victory over last year’s finalists Serbia. “I will line up with my friends, captain Seve and STAN against KazakhSTAN in April,” tweeted Federer, referring to non-playing skipper Severin Lüthi and his team-mate and recent Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka. Federer, ranked eighth in the world, and Wawrinka, ranked third, should have more than enough firepower to beat Kazakhstan, who edged Belgium in their first round tie, in the quarter-final.

–AFP

15

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

n AFP, Wellington

Pakistani cricket fans shout slogans during a protest against the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its decision to restructure and hand power to India, Australia and England, in Karachi on Monday AFP

New Zealand legend Richard Hadlee has declared the Black Caps slight favourites for the two-Test series against India beginning this week, despite the gulf in the teams’ world rankings.

Hadlee, New Zealand’s best-ever cricketer with 431 Test wickets and 3,124 runs, said the home side would take enormous confidence from their shock 4-0 one-day series win over India.

He said while India, second in the Test rankings, could not be underestimated, the eighth-ranked New Zea-

landers had all the momentum heading into the series.

“Let’s face it, they’re a very, very good side, but at the moment we might go in a little bit as favourites because we’ve got a roll on at the moment,” he told Radio Sport.

New Zealand have already defied the rankings with their one-day series win, in the process sending India from first to second in the ODI standings and lifting their own ranking from eighth to seventh. Hadlee said replicating that success in the Test arena would be a difficult feat for the Black Caps. l

Test of character and determination

US stars advise local booters

n Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong

Tonny Sanneh and Linda Hamilton, two renowned United States players who represented their country in the World Cup will share give tips and share their experience with local players in a four day program at the BFF artificial turf.

The two former professional footballers arrived in the country under the Sports United program, run by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational Cultural Affairs. Bangladesh Football Federation welcomed the renowned footballers at a presser held at the BFF House yesterday.

Test cricket is all about mental approach, patience and temperament which the Bangladesh batsmen are yet to adapt.

The hosts fielded the whole first day yesterday while they were also on the field majority of the first Test – all courtesy to some calm and composed batting from Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara.

The Sri Lankan pair showed great composure and their approach towards the game is something that the Bangladeshis can learn from a very close range.

Bangladesh batsmen often fails to cope in difficult conditions. Mahela and Sangakkara, who have achieved so many milestones in their career, are still cautious whenever they came out to bat. The best example would be yes-

terday’s partnership between the two Sri Lankans. After the loss of two wickets on 49 the experienced duo kept their heads down until they found themselves in their comfort zone. Despite several attempts the Bangladesh bowlers weren’t able to pull a rash shot out of these two instead they lashed out to score from loose deliveries.

Bangladesh batting depends a lot on Tamim Iqbal, Shakib al Hasan, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim. These top order batsmen must keep their head calm and bat throughout the sessions in order to take Bangladesh to a safe position. Irresponsible shots have earlier caused their downfall and with the expectations rising day by day, it’s high time for the Bangladesh batters to buckle up and show maturity in the Test level. l

n Raihan Mahmood

Sanneh played in the 2002 World Cup and played club football for Hertha Berlin and Los Angeles Galaxy.

He played 43 internationals. Linda Hamilton played for the United States women’s national soccer team from 1987-1995. In 1991, she was part of the team that won the first Women’s World Cup in China.

Sanneh hoped the youngsters would be benefit from the program.

“Throughout the world football has one language and it is the same all over the world, apart from the skill and tactics and technics the basics are same, we will try to share our experiences towards growing leadership qualities

and the to inspire them to put the best in the field. We hope Bangladesh football grows and reaches the top,” said Sanneh.

Linda Hamilton said football has provided her a lot and it was time for her to give something back. “As a footballer I have been to places that I have never anticipated and I feel a football can take a girl to a higher position and we will try to inspire the girls to take an inspirational role in society,” she said.

Viraj M. Lebailly, the director of Public Affairs US Embassy, Dhaka hoped these kind of programs would help strengthen the relationship between the two countries. l

ULAB FAIR PLAY T20 CUP

ULAB, Manarat final today n Raihan Mahmood University for Liberal Arts will face Manarat International University in the final of the ULAB Fair Play T20 Cup at 1:00 pm at the ULAB play ground at Ramchandrapur, Mohammadpur today.

In the morning, North South University will face Independent University Bangladesh in the third

place decider at 9:30am.

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh earlier cruised to the final beating Independent University Bangladesh by 10 wickets while Manarat overpowered North South University by six wickets in the second semi.

Mahbub Anam Director, Bangladesh Cricket Board will be the chief guest on the day and will distribute the prizes. l

Tonny Sanneh (2L) and Linda Hamilton (L) attend a press conference at the BFF House yesterday

COURTESY

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

DPDC to buy power Saraswati Puja adds to festivities n from private solar project Ahmed Zayeef

Signs agreement with Rahimafrooz, at higher rate ers, addressed the ceremony. n Aminur Rahman Rasel At present, generation of a unit of Considering environmental issues and primary fuel crisis, the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) is going to buy electricity from a private solar project at a higher price.

It signed an agreement with the Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd yesterday for the installation of the 50kilowatt-peak (kWp) Grid Tied Solar Project on the rooftop of Bangladesh Secretariat.

This is the first power purchase contract through a solar plant and a milestone for rooftop solar applications in the country.

According to the agreement, under the project 50kWp will be directly added to the national grid through an inverter.

The DPDC will buy a unit for Tk19.95 for 20 years from the project.

Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd MD Munawar Misbah Moin said: “We will design, install, operate and maintain the project with world class photovoltaic materials and technology.

“The system will generate 75Megawatt-hours of electricity a year and reduce carbon emission of approximately 50 tonnes annually, and in 20 years 1,000 tonnes will be reduced.”

The company aims at implementing the project in six months from the date of contract signing.

DPDC’s Superintending Engineer of Contracts and Procurement Sanjit Kumar Ghose and Rahimafrooz’s Munawar Misbah Moin signed the contract.

DPDC Chairman and Additional Secretary Tapos Kumar Roy, DPDC MD Nazrul Hasan, Power Cell Director General Mohammad Hossain, among oth-

electricity at a gas-based plant costs an independent power producer less than Tk2 whereas the cost at a diesel- or furnace oil-run plant is Tk15.

On the other hand, generation of a unit of electricity costs a gas-based rental power plant less than average Tk2, whereas the cost at a diesel- or furnace oil-run rental plant is Tk17-Tk20.

On November 14 last year, the government approved a proposal for purchasing electricity from the consortium of PIA Group LCC and Bangladesh Alternative Energy Systems Limited, which will set up a wind-based project with a capacity of 100MW at Anwara in Chittagong.

The Power Development Board will buy a unit of electricity for $0.12 (Tk9.87) for 20 years from the plant.

The demand for electricity in the country has been forecast 24,000MW in 2021 and 40,000MW in 2030. Of the demands, the government has a plan to generate 10% of electricity from renewable energy sources.

“Renewable energy generation should be encouraged but it should not go beyond 2-3% of the total generation. The rate of Tk19.95 per unit is very high – it should be below Tk15,” Prof Ijaz Hossain of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The contract has been signed according to the government policy. The energy mix is essential to create diversity in the electricity generation. Purchasing electricity from private companies should be monitored,” Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission member Md Delwar Hossain said. l

Visitors glance through books displayed at the fair yesterday

RAJIB DHAR

In the wake of Saraswati Puja, the Ekushey book fair gained momentum yesterday with a houseful of AMAR EKUSHEY B O O K FA I R 2 0 1 4 visitors on its fourth day.

The publishers expressed content as they racked up more sales. People from all religions poured in the fair as it was a public holiday as well.

Both the Bangla Academy and Suhrawardi Udyan premises were swarmed with visitors clad in traditional Bengali outfit creating a festive milieu.

Dhaka University professor and columnist Dr Kaberi Gayen said: “It seems most people coming to the fair had just finished offering prayer to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge.”

“The presence of people of other religions marks a non-communal spirit of the Bangalees. This cultural bonding is the real power of our country,” she added.

Clad in a red sari and vermillion on forehead, Bijeta Bijen Shaha, a private university student, came to the fair with friends. She said: “I think these two events have synced perfectly as both resonate with knowledge.”

“We had planned to come here on this day to attend both the puja and the boi mela. It is a wonderful opportunity to get together with friends,” said Tofael Ahad, another visitor at the fair.

Milan Kanti Nath, proprietor of Anupam Prokashani, said: “I am happy because the sale has grown higher today from last three days.”

Fifty-seven new books came in yesterday, including Muhammed Zafar Iqbal’s “Tuntuni o chutachchu,” Anisul Haque’s “Hashte hashte khun,” Nirmalendu Goon’s “Ekusher ekush kobita” and “Roktojhora November, 1975.”

A discussion and a cultural programme were held at the central stage with the presence of Professor Syed Anwar Hossain, noted Rabindra Sangeet singer Lily Islam, among others. l

Dhaka Art Summit: Putting Bangladesh on the arts map n By James Saville

Anyone who made it to the last Dhaka Art Summit will be stunned by the scale of this year’s expansion.

Whereas the last event was fairly low-key, with only a single floor of exhibition space, this time DAS is taking

over the entire four floors of Shilpakala, the National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, which boasts a total area of 120,000sqft.

There will be five exhibitions curated by local and international curators, 14 solo art projects, screenings of experimental films, performances, and

presentations by 33 local and international galleries, including over 250 artists from across South Asia. More than 75,000 visitors are expected to attend over the three days.

Showing me around the venue is Diana Betancourt, one of the two senior co-curators of the festival.

Workers prepare a display of bamboo baskets by a British-born Bangladeshi at the art summit venue

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

“It’s a government building, so we can’t paint on or drill holes in any of the structural walls ... so wherever we want to paint, hang works or add lights, we have to install stud-walls and false ceilings,” Diana explains.

The preparation of the building is a huge project in itself; looking about the cavernous space one week before the event, everything is still covered in dust as workmen toil away.

The entire venue is to be re-painted and carpeted, with windows and balconies being blocked off to provide for more wall space.

From a gallery we look down into a room where men sit cross-legged on rugs, drinking tea as they sift through papers.

“An architects’ meeting,” Diana explains. The nature of some of the artworks is such that they require air conditioning, so we’ve had to bring in a whole load of ACs. Of course we don’t like the way they look, and so we’ve had to custom build boxes to hide them in.”

“If there are a certain type of light we want, we can’t rent them here, so we’ve had to go from market to market searching.”

Diana takes me through to a central atrium, where a room-sized box is encased in scaffolding; laborers hang perilously off the side, as they put the finishing touches to the structure’s roof.

“This is for Rashid Rana’s installation.

Inside, it’s going to be wallpapered to look like an exhibition room at the Tate in London, but the thousands of pixels which comprise the image are actually

tiny photos of Pakistani road signs.”

We step into another vast room that has been painted entirely grey-black, for Shazia Sikhander’s Parallax. “This is another insane project. It’s going to be a 60ft long, three-channel HD video projection. The projectors are ridiculously expensive and being lent to us by the Sheikh of Sharjah, and the tech team to install and operate them are coming from Germany.”

On my way out, I cross a room where baskets lie strewn around the floor. I spot Rana Begum, the Bangladeshi-British artist. Apparently her installation consists of 1,600 had woven baskets that will hang from the ceiling like clusters of petals, “referencing light in the Quran, and immersing the viewer in an innovative play between light and shadow.”

Diana, who spends much time in Hyderabad working for the Creative India Foundation, says the space is one of the best she’s worked in South Aisa, “The space is so much better than anywhere I’ve had access to in India, and the team is great. There’s no one like Rajeeb [Samdani] in India either, not only in terms of financing but also with regard to his willingness to get involved in the organising; without Rajeeb, none of this would be possible.”

Given the sheer inventiveness – not to mention scale – of some of these projects, I’m sure the overall effect will be awe-inspiring. The summit looks set to be a hugely important step for Bangladesh’s standing in the international arts scene. Not one to be missed. l

Dhaka plans to rewrite Guinness record on national anthem n Muhammad Zahidul Islam Bangladesh is planning to rewrite another Guinness world record by attempting to organise the largest number of people to simultaneously sing the national anthem to mark Independence Day on March 26, sources at different wings of the government have said.

Bangladesh Army will be coordinating the world record attempt, with assistance from the government.

According to the organisers, an attempt will be made to gather at least three lakh people at the National Parade Ground in Agargaon on Independence Day. Earlier on December 16, Bangladesh entered the record books by forming the largest human flag made by 27,000 participants.

The existing record for the largest ensemble to sing a national or regional anthem is 121,653 participants, a record set by the Sahara India Pariwar in India’s Lucknow on May 6, 2013.

Sahara India Pariwar is considered the second largest employer in India with over 1,100,000 employees.

The number was verified by professional audit firms, with two Guinness World Record adjudicators present.

Before that, the record was held by Pakistan who set it on October 2012 with only 44,200 participants.

The Guinness World Records media committee held a meeting in this regard yesterday, confirmed a senior official of the information ministry who was also present at the meeting.

Seeking anonymity, the official added that the plan was to make a new record that would bring pride to the country.

Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) Director Shahinul Islam acknowledged the plans but declined to comment further on the issue.

Although telecom operator Robi had sponsored the human flag record attempt in December, sources said no sponsor has been fixed so far for the latest attempt.

Another source said: “It needs a huge investment and mobile operators are also interested in funding it.”

Bangladesh Army will coordinate the world record attempt, with assistance from the government. According to the organisers, an attempt will be made to gather at least three lakh people at the National Parade Ground on Independence Day If achieved, it will be the seventh Guinness World Record from Bangladesh.

Zobera Rahman Linu, a table tennis player, became the first Bangladeshi to enter the Guinness Book of World Records in 2002.

Mak Yuree, a Bangladeshi martial artist, holds the world record for breaking three wooden baseball bats with a single shin-kick.

Wasik Farhan Roopkotha, a 7-year old Bangladeshi child, was recently named the world’s youngest IT expert.

Singer Momtaz Begum, also a lawmaker, holds the record for the largest number of published music albums, with over 700 albums released so far. l

Families of Rana Plaza victims find solace in new school n Probir K Sarker Razia Begum, who lost her daughter and son-in-law in the disastrous Rana Plaza collapse, seemed somewhat happy yesterday when she along with her grandson, Bijoy, came to the newly-built premises of Songkolon Primary School, a charitable initiative, at Anandapur of Savar.

Bijoy was admitted to the specialised school in class I early January when the Songkolon Bangladesh Trust authorities launched academic activities under the open sky as the school had only one small room.

But yesterday, Bijoy and over hundred others were overwhelmed to see their new school building with five well-furnished class rooms. The preliminary facilities also include play-

ground and computer education.

Jotsna Begum was relieved as she was asked to enrol her two children – Siam and Sima–in the school where the children are offered education in non-traditional method under the supervision of teachers having university degrees. The headmaster is a doctorate from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. Shahidul Islam Khokan, father of the two children who lost his fingers and had severe injuries to his head and legs during the fall of Rana Plaza, has been unable to work now. He was rescued on the fourth day of rescue operation.

Selina Akhter, mother of class I student Helal, said she had been rescued from under the rubbles two days after the collapse of Rana Plaza on April 24

last year.The three-member family is too poor to manage three meals a day as her day labourer husband earns very little money let alone has the ability to bear the cost of education for their child. After she survived, her husband and parents have been asking her not to join any other garment factory.

The multi-purpose school currently has classes from I-IV and seven teachers. The total number of students is 132, said Kazi Monir Hossain Rintu, secretary and executive director of the trust.

“We have started a huge task; now all of us will have to carry it forward through individual and other contributions. We ask for donations and sponsorship of the children to bear the operational costs every month.”

He said most of the families had

not paid Tk100 as admission fee or the monthly fee of Tk25. “But still, we have been providing the children with maximum possible stationary items they need, and computer and internet facilities.”

Currently the school is being operated in a single shift while adult education programme along with other activities would be held in the evening. The governing body has plans to expand the operation up to secondary level.

The initial cost of the establishment was around Tk14 lakh while the authorities would need Tk1.5 lakh every month to bear the operational costs.

During the informal inauguration of the school compound yesterday, several donors and aid agency representatives were present. Members of voluntary organisation Amra, which

works in collaboration with MuktoTarunnofounded by Rintu himself after the man-made disaster,and the teachers’ panel were also there.

The premises got a festive look in the morning because of their presence as well as the painters’ giving final touch on the walls. All the children and parents were served sweets.

Oporajeo expanded

The second project of Songkolon Bangladesh Trust is Oporajeo (undefeated), an export-oriented jute and cotton bag factory where around 35 men and women work. All of them are either victims of the deadly incident or represent families that lost the only earning members.

Yesterday, the factory was shifted to a new building in Anandapur area with

improved working environment and having more machines. It would create more jobs for the vulnerable families.

The factory having unique features was founded in mid 2013 and the authorities have plans to expand it into a 200-member factory soon – with the help of individual and organisational contributors – as part of the Trust’s rehabilitation programmes.

The workers of the factory own it and are given profit share, medical care and educational assistance by the Trust.

Five percent of the total profit of Oporajeo is meant for the school, said Rintu.

Trustee Board Chairman Sami Al Islam, Vice-Chairman Akku Chowdhury, Executive Member and also a worker of the factory Helena Parvin were present at the function. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

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Business

82 80 78

Corruption in the EU

Perceptions and attitudes in selected countries If you want to get something from the public sector/ administration is it acceptable to give a gift? + 45% EU average de 31 - 45% 23% de 16 - 30% - 16%

68 66

United 64% Kingdom

B3 Stock gains on H2 profit

Finland 6% 29% Denmark

Estonia

20%

67% Latvia

29-01-14

Netherlands

Belgium Luxembourg

30-01-14

Ireland 27-01-14

23-01-14

26-01-14

21-01-14

22-01-14

19-01-14

20-01-14

16-01-14

13-01-14

15-01-14

12-01-14

09-01-14

07-01-14

08-01-14

62

28-01-14

64

Sweden

60% Lithuania 95%

Poland

Germany 59%

47% Czech Rep. 95% 50% Slovakia

Austria 61% Hungary B4 ‘Breathtaking’ EU corrup-

68% France 14% 95% Spain

03-02-14

70

02-02-14

72

04-02-14

74

06-01-14

Closing Price

76

tion Italy costs €120bn a year Romania Croatia 97%

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Bulgaria

Slovenia

Portugal

Greece 99%

Fitch Ratings to rate Bangladesh Cyprus

How widespread do you think corruption is in your country?

(Selected countries)

EU 76% average

Malta

Source: Eurobarometer, AFP

API Park project cost rises 55% due to delays

Government approves BB proposal to go for agreement with the global rating agency n Tribune Report n Asif Showkat Kallol The revised cost of the API (active Fitch Ratings would provide sovereign credit rating of Bangladesh as the government yesterday allowed the central bank to sign agreement with the New York-based global rating agency.

They would work on the ratings for the country besides existing two agencies – Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s – which are providing the ratings since 2010.

“We’ve given permission to Bangladesh Bank to go for the agreement with Fitch Ratings yesterday,” said a senior official of the Banking and Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance.

It would facilitate the country to be rated by three different agencies and thus increasing the credibility to make it easy getting foreign capital and credit, he said. Fitch Ratings would rate the country for the years 2014 and 2015 subject to signing of the agreement.

The ratings would be free of initial cost as proposed by the agency, but fees would be required if the country issues any bond rated by the company during the two-year period, according to a Bangladesh Bank letter to the banking division seeking permission for the agreement.

Expressing the interest, Fitch Ratings argued that 92% of the countries having GDP over US$50bn are rated by

pharmaceutical ingredients) Park project has increased substantially from its original estimate due to extension of project duration owing to delay in land acquisition, re-estimation following new rate schedule and adding new component.

API Park to accommodate units on 42 plots to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients A flag is reflected on the window of the Fitch Ratings headquarters in New York three agencies.

Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Abu Hena Mohammed Raji Hasan said the company had earlier showed interest to rate Bangladesh.

Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s in their latest reviews on Bangladesh rated the BB- and Ba3 respectively and kept its “stable outlook” for the fourth consecutive year.

Fitch Ratings is dual-headquartered in New York, USA and London, UK. It was one of the three nationally rec-

ognised statistical rating organisations (NRSRO) designated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in 1975, together with Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. The three are commonly known as the “Big Three credit rating agencies.”

Sources in the finance division said the government revived its plan to issue a sovereign bond for raising funds from the international money market in less than 10 months into shelving a previous attempt in the face of criticisms.

REUTERS

Officials, however, said the government revived the plan for taking loans from the international money market against the backdrop of a shrinking amount of soft loans handed out by multilateral lending agencies and a lower-than-expected foreign direct investment.

Besides, the government failed to get released soft loans with US$3bn freezing in the pipeline because of stringent conditions by the donors. l

The cost now stands at Tk332 crore, an increase of more than 55% from original outlay of Tk213 crore. Its first revision project cost was TK233 crore. The work on the project was scheduled to commence in January 2008 and complete by December 2012.

With this second revision of the industrial park dedicated for pharmaceutical products, a total of five development projects worth Tk640 crore were approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at NEC conference room yesterday, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

RMG safety standards hard to implement Private TV stations want their tax problems n be removed Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

n

Tribune Report

Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) yesterday sought the government’s intervention to avoid taxation problems for them to help flourish the media industry.

The ATCO leaders yesterday met with Finance Minister AMA Muhith at his Secretariat office in Dhaka and demanded the government’s help relieve from various problems the country’s electronic media is now facing.

“We are suffering from taxation problem in various ways,” said Shaikh Siraj, general secretary of the ATCO. ATCO president Mosaddek Ali along with representatives from all private TV channels were also present.

Shaikh Siraj, also Channel i director, said the country’s electronic media has become an industry but it did not get any tangible facilities from the government.

BSEC relaxes restriction on selling placement shares n Tribune Report Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has lifted restriction on general shareholders to sell shares within 30 working days of allotment through private placement.

But the restriction will remain in force for the sponsor shareholders, directors and shareholders holding 5% or above shares allotted through private placement, said a statement issued yesterday.

Moreover, general shareholders who have already taken permission from the regulator, but failed to sell the private placement shares within the stipulated 30 days with declaration will also enjoy the facility.

Former finance adviser and chairman of the BSEC Mirza Azizul Islam said the exemption has both negative and positive sides.

“Positive side is that share supply will increase in the market. But the negative side might be that institutional investors or high networking individuals might feel discouraged to subscribe private placement shares.”

According to the securities rules, the lock-in-period for shares allotted for general shareholders through private placement of a listed company is one year. And for sponsor shareholders, directors and shareholders holding 5% or above shares, it is three years. l

“It is also fact that we never asked for facilities from the government.”

He said the revenue body considered that the TV channel owners were making hefty profit and the customs department had imposed value added tax (VAT) at different levels.

“TV channels are increasing facing discrimination in levying as the Indian TV channels are enjoying no-fee facility in Bangladesh.”

“But Bangladeshi channels are not allowed in India,” he argued.

Mosaddek Ali, also the owner of NTV, said despite being of Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU), TV channels are paying VAT at different levels for different programmes.

Managing Director of Channel 24 AK Azad said double taxation for programmes of the TV channels is a “major obstacle to the growth of media industry” in Bangladesh. l

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said the draft building safety standards set by Accord and Alliance for the country’s readymade garment sector are “impractical and hard to be implemented.”

At a meeting with global retailers of Bangladesh’ RMG products in Dhaka yesterday, BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said the standards looked pretty similar with that of National Action Plan (NAP).

“But Accord and Alliance standards are more complex than the NAP. They will be very difficult to implement in Bangladesh context.”

BGMEA organised the meeting to present current state of the country’s business, also attended by the representatives from Accord and Alliance and buyers.

As per Alliance and Accord safety standards, the RMG factory buildings shall have sprinklers, fire escapes, fire walls, fire windows and setting worker hotlines etc.

According to Bangladesh National Building Code, sprinkler in factory building is not mandatory.

But the draft standards require factory buildings of more than two floors with 22,000 square feet and above area setting sprinkler in every floor and every part of a building.

“This will be a hard thing for the factories in terms of cost and installation.

It is linked with possible post-installation hazards also,” said Atiqul Islam.

Besides, if there will be a large number of fire escapes, workers can confuse them with regular exits, he said.

“Clarification is needed on the number of fire escapes required in a building.”

On fire walls, he said fire walls can be set up in the buildings to be built in future, “but it is not practical to fulfill the requirement in the case of already-constructed building.

The concept of workers’ empowerment through introduction of hotline has a positive spirit, but this is also true that it may be misused in terms of making false reporting, BGMEA chief stated.

DSE proposes 14 individuals to select 7 independent directors n Tribune Report Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday submitted a list of 14 individuals to the securities regulator as candidates for the seven independent directors of the demutualised bourse.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) will select seven of them to be independent directors of the premier bourse, said a DSE official.

After necessary regulatory approval, the independent directors will be inducted into the bourse through the DSE’s annual general meeting scheduled for February 13.

Earlier, DSE shortlisted the individuals from around 50 people, including university teachers, former and incumbent chief executives of different institutions, former Bangladesh Bank governors, former BSEC chairmen and leaders of chambers and associations.

After the AGM, a 13-member new board will take charge as per a demutualisation scheme, which was approved by BSEC on September 26 last year.

The new board would consist of seven independent directors, five from DSE shareholders and the bourse’s chief executive officer, who would have voting rights. The tenure for each director and the chief executive officer will be three years.

Demutualisation is a way of separat-

“One false call is good enough to destroy the business of a factory and it may cause severe harm to the business and reputation of a factory as the information will be quickly shared with Accord and Alliance networks,” ” said BGMEA president quoting the incident of Liberty and Patriot Garments.

“Is there any assurance that the hotline would not be misused against factories considering the labor intensity of the industry and any measures to prevent the misuse?” he questioned the buyers.

In the recent time some buyers are pulling out themselves from the shared building factories on the ground that the buildings have not been made for industrial purpose.

Atiqul Islam urged Alliance and Accord members, and buyers to take a realistic approach on the shared building factories and refrain from withdrawing orders from the factories.

“Since ensuring safety is the ultimate goal of all of us, the issue of financing is vital to carry out the remediation plan,” said Atiqul Islam. l

University Grants Commission Member Professor Abul Hashem

Former Bangladesh Bank Governor Mohammad Farash Uddin

Additional Secretary of Law Ministry Nasrin Begum

MCCI Executive Member Habibullah N Karim

Additional Secretary of Commerce Ministry Ruhul Amin

CPD Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman

BUET Professor M Kaikobad

Brig General M Mujibur Rahman

FBCCI Director Asif Ibrahim

FBCCI First Vice President Monowara Hakim Ali

Justice (retd) Siddiqur Rahman Mian Ashraf Udddin Ahmed

FBCCI Vice President Helal Uddin

Former Secretary Waliul Islam ing management of the bourses from ownership. It transforms a stock exchange into a profit-oriented company owned by shareholders, and ensures alternative business models and operational efficiency.

A law on demutualisation was

passed in parliament on April 29 last year with a promise to bring transparency to the stock market.

Bangladesh’s stock exchanges were non-profit cooperative organizations, owned by the exchange members who are usually stockbrokers. l

FBCCI urges to call off hartal tomorrow n Tribune Report Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has urged Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to withdraw the dawn-to-dusk general strike called for tomorrow.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami called the nationwide daylong hartal protesting the capital punishment against its ameer Moulana Matiur Rahman Nizami in the Chittagong 10-truck arms smuggling case.

“As the country’s economy is now under pressure due to political violence before and after the 10th general polls, calling fresh countrywide strike will lead the economy to further crisis,” said the FBCCI in a press statement yesterday.

“The fresh general strike is nothing but an attempt to destabilise the country,” said the statement of the apex business body. “The general strike against the verdict of a lower court on the 10-truck arms haul case is contemptuous,” it argued. l

New IPOs, rights issue to hit market soon n Tribune Report

LIST OF CANDIDATES

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said of the total expenditure, Tk558 crore will come from the government fund and the remaining Tk82 crore from own funds of the organisations.

The revision of the pharmaceutical park project was due to project time extension, delay in land acquisition, re-estimation following new rate schedule and adding new component to the project, officials sources said.

Under this project, an API Park would be set up on a 200-acre area at Gazaria, Munshiganj district, with a capacity to accommodate industrial units on 42 plots to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Replying to a question on possible cut in the revised development budget for the current fiscal year, the Planning Minister said they are trying to increase the allocation, not curtailing it. He said the ministry would work on keeping close monitoring with the line ministries to increase implementation of the ADP. So far, some 157 projects in the current fiscal year were approved at the Ecnec meeting, including 97 new projects and 60 ongoing projects with an outlay of Tk95,829 crore.

Of the amount, Tk54,817 crore will come from the government fund and Tk38,237 crore as project assistance, apart from Tk2,775 crore from the organisations. l

The Peninsula Chittagong, a luxurious hotel in the port city, got green signal from the securities regulator to go public to expand its services.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) approved the initial public offering of the hotel, said a statement yesterday.

It proposed to raise Tk165 crore by issuing 5.5 crore ordinary shares with an offer value of Tk30, including a premium of Tk20. The fund will be used to extend existing building and to build a new hotel near the Chittagong international airport.

Its earnings per share is Tk2.49 and net asset value, including revaluation, Tk32.73 each, according to the financial statement ended on June 30, 2013.

The regulator also approved the draft prospectus of an open-end mutual fund titled CAPM Unit Fund. The size of the fund is Tk10 crore with a face value of Tk100 a share.

Of the fund, Tk1 core has been kept for sponsors and rest amount for the

unit holders. This is the first open-end fund that will be traded through electronic trading as electronic certificates will be given to the unit holders.

The BSEC also gave consent to the rights offer of Generation Next Fashions Limited for its BMRE and loan repayment.

The company will issue two rights shares for three existing shares by floating more than 11.3 crore ordinary shares of Tk10 each totaling over Tk112 crore.

The BSEC also approved the bidding procedure of 3.3 crore of United Power Generation and Distribution Company under the book building method.

The book building method came since 2010 under which many issues hit the market overvalued.

Indicative price of the company has already been fixed at Tk60, including Tk50 premium. After the bidding, the company will file an IPO prospectus to the commission. Its earnings per share is Tk10.21, according to the financial statement ended on December 31, 2012. l

STOCKS DSEX

4809.55

-0.35%

▼

DSES

979.71

-0.18%

▼

DS30

1663.69

-0.46%

▼

B2

n Tribune Report

'Positivity of the index got disrupted clearly due to some profit taking tendency of traders and hence distracting the course of the bourse direction' Non-banking financial institutions lost the most declining 1.6%, followed by power, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and banks.

Three mutual funds featured in the top ten gainers list with the overall sector going up by over 1%.

Out of 292 issues traded, 112 closed higher, 163 declined and 17 remained unchanged. l

(-) 0.35%

▲

979.71249

(-) 0.18%

▲

DSE - 30 Index :

1663.69363

(-) 0.46%

▲

CSE All Share Index:

14927.3897

(-) 0.37%

CSE - 30 Index :

12505.8851 9454.5124

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS

GSP Finance-A Zeal Bangla Sugar -Z Libra Infusions-A Samata LeatheR -Z Argon Denims Limited-A Intl. Leasing-B Bay Leasing.-A Fareast Finance-N Appollo Ispat CL -N Apex Tannery -A

Closing (% change) -14.76 -7.69 -5.77 -4.58 -4.58 -4.37 -4.08 -4.07 -4.03 -3.81

CSE LOSERS Company 7th ICB M F-A GSP Finance-A Brac B.C. Bond-A B I F C -A Argon Denims Limited-A Asia Insur. Ltd.-A Islamic Finance-A Appollo Ispat CL -N Mercantile Insur -A Ambee Pharma -A

Closing (% change) -27.31 -14.44 -6.23 -5.53 -4.67 -4.56 -4.39 -4.32 -4.15 -4.12

Average (% change) -11.77 -12.09 -5.72 -4.17 -2.25 -2.84 -2.50 -2.22 -1.37 -5.12 Average (% change) -27.29 -11.46 -6.23 -4.92 -2.16 -4.46 -3.41 -1.60 -3.74 -4.95

159,958

Traded Issues

292

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

132

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

158

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,289.31

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.75

Turnover (Million Taka)

690.41

Turnover (Volume)

Closing average

23,665,419

31.57 8.00 511.79 23.00 72.40 17.81 41.02 16.76 33.79 153.92

Closing average 73.20 31.74 1,031.50 20.69 72.81 31.50 22.12 33.72 30.10 290.20

26,735

Traded Issues

234

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

111

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

122 1

▲

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

(-) 0.26%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,182.32

(-) 0.41%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.45

Closing

Daily high

30.60 8.40 511.60 22.90 70.90 17.50 40.00 16.50 33.30 153.80

Closing 73.20 30.80 1,031.50 20.50 71.40 31.40 21.80 33.20 30.00 286.00

34.00 8.50 550.00 23.00 76.40 18.50 42.40 17.20 34.50 160.00

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low 29.90 8.40 502.20 22.90 68.00 17.50 39.60 16.40 33.20 151.40

1.34 -25.08 3.04 -0.04 3.33 -0.21 1.56 -0.97 1.52 4.86

Turnover in million

Daily low

73.20 33.40 1,031.50 21.00 76.00 32.50 23.10 34.40 31.00 300.00

Latest EPS

45.016 0.008 1.433 0.023 49.997 12.451 26.387 15.201 145.315 19.224

73.20 30.50 1,031.50 20.50 71.00 31.00 21.60 33.00 30.00 280.00

Latest EPS

0.037 2.540 0.005 0.189 3.014 1.041 2.478 44.805 0.166 0.842

Desh Garments -B RAK Ceramics-A 7th ICB M F-A Safko Spinning-A AMCL 2nd MF-A 1st Janata Bank MF-A Al-Haj Textile -A National Bank - B Golden Son -A Saiham Tex.A

Company Pragati Gen. I -A RAK Ceramics-A PragatiLife Insu. -A Standard Insurance-A Aziz PipesZ Nitol Insurance -A PHP 1st M. F.-A AMCL 2nd MF-A 1st Janata Bank MF-A IFIC 1st MF-A

Sector Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 1904.16 504.90 272.48 571.46 290.40 986.64 3.51 753.21 533.89 0.77 52.48 67.76 128.28 280.40 178.19 332.48 350.37 192.34 207.21 105.76 0.24

13.84 1.34 0.00 0.13 3.33 1.56 0.87 1.52 1.49 5.01

Latest PE 23.6 -ve 168.4 -ve 21.7 -ve 26.3 -ve 22.2 31.7

Million Taka 212.54 45.63 19.04 88.42 22.09 39.40 68.57 47.48 6.41 3.05 17.20 12.25 14.22 11.75 15.08 17.40 31.91 17.93 0.03

CSE

% change 30.79 6.61 2.76 12.81 3.20 5.71 0.00 9.93 6.88 0.00 0.93 0.44 2.49 1.77 2.06 1.70 2.18 2.52 4.62 2.60 0.00

Million Taka 2116.70 550.52 291.52 659.88 312.49 1026.04 3.51 821.78 581.37 0.77 58.89 70.81 145.49 292.65 192.41 344.23 365.45 209.74 239.12 123.69 0.27

Total

7.93 7.14 5.17 5.16 5.00 4.75 4.69 4.41 4.41 4.17

Average (% change) 7.94 5.02 5.17 15.22 5.00 4.65 3.45 4.42 3.84 3.61

Closing average 81.11 59.48 94.00 30.47 7.09 7.04 84.33 14.66 61.32 33.97

Closing average 70.85 59.46 250.30 42.63 23.10 41.86 6.60 7.08 7.03 7.46

Closing 82.60 60.00 94.00 30.70 7.10 7.10 85.20 14.60 62.20 34.10

Closing 70.80 60.00 250.30 42.80 23.10 41.90 6.70 7.10 7.10 7.50

Daily high 82.90 61.30 94.00 31.00 7.20 7.20 87.40 15.00 62.60 34.70

Daily high 72.10 61.20 258.00 44.70 23.20 42.00 6.70 7.30 7.10 7.50

Daily low 74.50 51.00 94.00 28.00 6.90 6.90 78.00 12.70 58.90 32.70

Daily low 68.00 55.00 235.00 42.50 23.00 41.50 6.50 7.00 6.90 7.20

Turnover in million 12.953 102.333 0.047 30.800 1.390 8.204 20.088 120.026 66.366 52.056

Turnover in million 0.106 13.543 0.375 0.244 0.005 0.293 2.937 0.092 0.882 0.176

Latest EPS 1.18 2.23 13.84 1.12 0.88 0.60 2.06 -3.63 3.35 3.04

Latest EPS 4.19 2.23 2.38 2.96 0.59 2.75 0.40 0.88 0.60 0.42

Latest PE 68.7 26.7 6.8 27.2 8.1 11.7 40.9 -ve 18.3 11.2

Latest PE 16.9 26.7 105.2 14.4 39.2 15.2 16.5 8.0 11.7 17.8

million, EPS of Tk. 2.23, NAV per share of Tk. 18.99 and NOCFPS of Tk. 2.92 for the year ended on December 31, 2013 as against Tk. 608.12 million, Tk. 1.99 (restated), Tk. 19.94 and Tk. 2.38 (restated) respectively for the year ended on December 31, 2012.

HRTEX: The Company has further informed that the 29th AGM of the Company will now be held on April 21, 2014 instead of June 09, 2014. Other information of the AGM will remain unchanged.

RIGHT SHARE: ARAMITCEM: Subscription 23.03.2014 to 17.04.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 09.01.2014.

RUPALILIFE- Subscription 06.04.2014 to 05.05.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 16.01.2014. BRACBANK: Subscription 20.04.2014 to 15.05.2014.

Record date for entitlement of rights share: 10.02.2014.

IPO Subscription: Matin Spinning Mills Limited subscription date 26-30 January 2014, NRB upto 08 Feburay 2014. @ Tk. 37/-, face

value taka 10 and market lot 200. Hwa Well Textiles (BD) Limited subscription date 17-23 February 2014, NRB upto 04 March 2014. At per, face value taka 10 and market lot 500.

Dividend/AGM

SALAMCRST: 13% cash, AGM: 29.03.2014, Record date: 11.02.2014.

1STPRIMFMF: 10% cash, Record date: 11.02.2014.

HRTEX: 15% cash, AGM: 21.04.2014, Record date: 20.02.2014.

MAKSONSPIN: 5% stock, AGM: 13.03.2014, RD: 16.02.2014.

GSPFINANCE: 12% stock, AGM: 20.02.2014, RD: 03.02.2014.

ECABLES: 10% cash, AGM: 01.03.2014, RD: 29.12.2013.

USMANIAGL: 11% Cash & 10% Stock, AGM: postponed, RD: 07.11.2013.

SAVAREFR: No dividend, AGM: 30.01.2014, RD: 19.12.2013.

PADMAOIL: 90% Cash, 10% Stock, AGM: 15.02.2014, RD: 23.12.2013.

Latest PE 5.3 23.7 159.2 21.9 20.2 25.4 22.2 20.2 57.9

Meghna Petroleum -A Mercantile Bank -A UCBL - A Jamuna Oil -A IFIC Bank - A Appollo Ispat CL -N

Investors witnessed a cautious trading after crossing 4,800-mark for the first time in the history of the benchmark index

% change 24.68 6.54 3.53 7.41 3.76 12.79 0.05 9.76 6.92 0.01 0.68 0.88 1.66 3.63 2.31 4.31 4.54 2.49 2.69 1.37 0.00

Closing (% change)

Average (% change) 8.54 5.55 6.82 3.32 3.05 2.33 5.12 3.82 1.05 3.92

ARGONDENIM: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has recommended for raising paid up capital by issuing Rights Share @ 3R:10 (i.e. 3 Rights shares for every 10 shares) of Tk. 10.00 each at an issue price of Tk. 22.00 each (including premium of Tk. 12.00 each) on paid up capital subject to approval of EGM and the Regulatory Authorities. Date of EGM: 15.04.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue of the EGM will be notified later. Record Date for EGM: 27.03.2014.

Another record date for entitlement of the proposed rights shares to be notified later after obtaining approval from BSEC. RAKCERAMIC: The Board of Directors has recommended 15% cash dividend and 10% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 02.04.2014, Time: 10:00 AM, Venue: Bashundhara Convention Center, Block # C, Umme Kulsum Road, Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka-1229. Record date: 13.02.2014. The Company has also reported net profit after tax of Tk. 682.41

Company

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

9.55 7.33 6.82 4.78 4.41 4.41 3.78 3.55 3.49 3.33

CSE GAINERS

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

ANALYST

Closing (% change)

News from trade server

Number of Contract

4809.54555

DSE Shariah Index :

212,696,667

CSE key features February 4, 2014

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

7,716.94

Number of Contract

tendency of traders and hence distracting the course of the bourse direction.

All the major sectors ended in red except food and allied that gained over 1%, driven by large cap BATBC that rose almost 2%.

Stocks edged lower yesterday as investors went for booking profits after four-day rally.

After rising more than 40 points, the benchmark DSEX index shed 17 points or 0.4% to end at 4,809.

Shariah-based DSES index edged almost 2 points or 0.2% higher to 980.The blue-chip comprising DS30 index, however, lost 7 points to 1,663.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, declined 39 points to close at 9,454.

The total turnover at DSE was Tk771 crore, a drop of 4% from the previous session.

After posting a four-day long uptrend, the market went for a natural correction, said Lanka Bangla Securities in its market analysis.

It said following the daily momentum, the market’s closing below the 10 days of moving average is an indication of the short-term trend remaining positive.

“Investors witnessed a cautious trading after crossing 4,800-mark for the first time in the history of the benchmark index.”

Zenith Investment said the positivity of the index got disrupted clearly due to some profit taking

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features February 4, 2014

Profit booking edges stocks lower

Company

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

UNITED AIR-A

Padma Oil Co. -A Delta Life Insu. -A National Bank - B

% change 25.18 6.55 3.47 7.85 3.72 12.20 0.04 9.77 6.92 0.01 0.70 0.84 1.73 3.48 2.29 4.09 4.35 2.49 2.84 1.47 0.00

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

One Bank -A Olympic Ind. -A Grameenphone-A LankaBangla Fin. -A ConfidenceCement A City Bank - A RAK Ceramics-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Appollo Ispat CL -N

UNITED AIR-A UCBL - A National Bank - B IFIC Bank - A Mercantile Bank -A Shahjalal Islami -A One Bank -A RAK Ceramics-A Keya Cosmetics -A Paramount Textile Ltd.-A LankaBangla Fin. -A N C C Bank -A Premier Bank -A Orion Pharma-N City Bank - A Southeast Bank-A AB Bank - A BD Submarine Cable-A

Volume shares 1,069,496 10,453,016 5,492,743 754,708 3,983,970 4,300,400 8,894,961 370,175 454,200 8,185,976

6,101,547 640,925 529,200 1,445,542 695,906 4,589,758 1,720,324

Volume shares

1,328,800 1,727,759 813,187 1,361,382 432,900 766,686 798,766 787,259 227,773 447,847 241,980 152,500 759,660 895,221 162,260 460,530 450,663 297,117 59,339

Value in million 298.53 216.90 171.29 166.14 154.08 145.32 143.56 124.99 123.25 120.03

117.82 116.17 111.42 110.16 106.20 104.97 102.33

Value in million

44.80 27.99 25.43 19.90 16.80 15.91 15.79 15.19 13.54 12.89 12.65 11.66 11.61 11.44 10.55 10.55 10.39 10.23 10.07

% of total turnover 3.87 2.81 2.22 2.15 2.00 1.88 1.86 1.62 1.60 1.56

1.53 1.51 1.44 1.43 1.38 1.36 1.33

% of total turnover

6.49 4.05 3.68 2.88 2.43 2.30 2.29 2.20 1.96 1.87 1.83 1.69 1.68 1.66 1.53 1.53 1.51 1.48 1.46

Daily closing 276.80 20.50 30.50 219.90 38.00 33.30 16.10 332.70 269.20 14.60

18.70 181.40 210.10 75.90 150.80 22.20 60.00

Daily closing

33.20 16.20 30.70 14.60 38.10 20.40 19.40 18.90 60.00 28.70 52.40 76.00 15.00 12.60 64.90 22.30 22.70 33.60 170.10

Price change 1.35 1.49 -2.56 0.50 1.60 -4.03 -1.83 -1.95 -0.37 3.55

Daily opening 273.10 20.20 31.30 218.80 37.40 34.70 16.40 339.30 270.20 14.10

Daily high 284.30 22.20 32.00 222.40 39.30 34.50 17.10 345.00 274.80 15.00

Price change

Daily opening

Daily high

-0.53 -0.38 -0.99 -1.04 -0.46 0.00 7.33

-4.32 -1.82 -1.92 3.55 1.60 0.99 -1.52 0.53 7.14 1.06 1.16 -1.04 0.00 1.61 -0.31 0.00 -1.30 -2.33 2.29

18.80 182.10 212.20 76.70 151.50 22.20 55.90

34.70 16.50 31.30 14.10 37.50 20.20 19.70 18.80 56.00 28.40 51.80 76.80 15.00 12.40 65.10 22.30 23.00 34.40 166.30

20.00 183.90 211.90 77.20 154.40 23.50 61.30

34.40 16.50 32.00 14.90 39.50 21.20 20.10 19.70 61.20 29.40 53.00 78.00 15.50 13.10 65.50 23.50 23.50 35.30 171.90

Daily low 250.00 18.50 29.00 210.00 35.00 33.20 15.00 325.00 268.20 12.70

Daily average 279.13 20.75 31.18 220.13 38.67 33.79 16.14 337.65 271.35 14.66

Daily low

Daily average

17.00 175.00 209.80 70.00 145.00 20.00 51.00

33.00 16.00 30.60 14.20 37.50 20.20 19.20 18.80 55.00 25.60 51.50 75.80 13.50 12.50 64.80 22.20 22.60 33.30 165.30

19.31 181.25 210.55 76.20 152.61 22.87 59.48

33.72 16.20 31.27 14.62 38.81 20.75 19.77 19.29 59.46 28.79 52.30 76.47 15.28 12.78 65.04 22.92 23.07 34.43 169.69

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

India hopes to raise $1.8bn in mobile spectrum sale

DESH GARMENTS

Stock gains on H2 profit

Oil prices rebound in Asian trade n AFP, Singapore

Oil prices rebounded in Asian trade yesterday, clawing back some losses after weak manufacturing data in the United States and China fuelled concerns about demand in the world’s two biggest oil consumers.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in March gained 16 cents in afternoon trade to $96.59 after falling more than one dollar in US closing deals Monday.

Brent North Sea crude for March was up three cents to $106.07 after shedding 36 cents a day earlier.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) on Monday reported a sharp slowdown in US manufacturing activity in January.

The ISM’s purchasing managers index (PMI) sank to 51.3 from 56.5 in December, with the new orders component almost stalling.

Any figure above the 50 mark indicates expansion of manufacturing activity while anything below that signals contraction.

China said Saturday that manufacturing activity slipped to a five-month low in January, confirming a slowdown in the factory sector in the world’s top energy consumer.

Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC markets in Sydney, said WTI prices are now “fairly steady” after the initial reaction to the ISM reading.

Investors will also be keeping an eye on upcoming US jobs data for January, which is due out on Friday.

The US Labor Department last month said the economy added just 74,000 jobs in December, well below the 197,000 expected by analysts. l

n AFP, New Delhi

DESH GARMENTS 84 82 80 78 76 74 72 70 68 66 64

03-02-14

04-02-14

30-01-14

02-02-14

29-01-14

27-01-14

28-01-14

26-01-14

23-01-14

21-01-14

22-01-14

19-01-14

20-01-14

15-01-14

16-01-14

13-01-14

12-01-14

09-01-14

08-01-14

07-01-14

62 06-01-14

Stocks of Desh Garments Limited registered highest gains of 9.5% at Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday, with a traded value totalling Tk1.3 crore.

The stock price ranged between Tk74.5 and Tk82.9 each during the trading session. Brokers said better profitability drove up the price to its high in the recent times.

On January 30, the company announced its unaudited half yearly profit of Tk19.7 lakh after tax during the second half of 2013 against a profit of Tk5 lakh during the same period of 2012.

Most portion of the revenue was generated during the last three months of the period, as the management said profit after tax was Tk15.7 lakh during Q2 (Oct to Dec) 2013 while it was only Tk4.6 lakh during Q2 (Oct to Dec) 2012.

The garment factory previously reported annual profit after tax of Tk30

lakh on June 2013 while it was Tk24 lakh in 2012.

The increase in the annual profits was the result of increased sales which was around Tk26 crore in 2013 against Tk24 crore in 2012. Direct cost of the goods sold roughly makes up 93% of the sales value.

However, the export-oriented company still has an accumulated loss of Tk5.1 crore as of last year.

The loss was due to exceptional incident of a devastating cyclone on April 29, 1991, said the company’s audited annual report.

The company exports woven shirts to countries including USA, Canada along with European Union.

The “B” category stock has been giving out cash dividends as high as 7% consistently in the past years.

As on 2013 the stocks have a net asset value of Tk12.16 each, according to Dhaka Stock Exchange. l

Closing Price

n Tahmidur Rahman

India’s cash-strapped government hoped Monday it would be third time lucky as it began an auction of mobile licences to try to raise money and increase investment in the struggling sector.

Authorities were obliged to hold the auction after the Supreme Court in February 2012 cancelled 122 mobile licences due to a scandal-tainted bidding process, creating turmoil in the sector and a major political scandal for the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The court order that the licences be resold prompted many players to exit the sector, nursing hefty losses.

The auction, which the government hopes will raise at least 113bn rupees ($1.8bn) to help bridge its fiscal deficit, marked the third attempt in 18 months to sell second-generation or 2G spectrum which is used to provide basic voice and data services.

“We’re very confident these auc-

Internet titans shine light on secret US requests n AFP, San Francisco

Internet titans eager to regain the trust of users for the first time on Monday provided insight into numbers of secret requests for user data made by the US government.

Disclosures from Google, Facebook and others came a week after US authorities agreed to give technology firms the ability to publish broad details of how their customer data has been targeted by US spy agencies.

The agreement came amid litigation from tech giants Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft and Yahoo.

The companies have been seeking the right to release figures on vast surveillance of online and phone communications, in the wake of leaked documents from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden US officials used the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to ask for information from between 9,000 and 10,000 Google user accounts in the first six months of 2013, and between 12,000 to 13,000 accounts in the six months prior to that, according to a blog post by Google.

Release of such data was subject to a six-month delay under the terms of an arrangement with the US Department of Justice letting Internet firms be slightly more open about how much information is sought under authority of FISA court orders.

“Publishing these numbers is a step in the right direction, and speaks to the principles for reform that we announced with other companies last December,” Google law enforcement and information security legal director Richard Salgado said in a blog post.

“But we still believe more transparency is needed so everyone can better understand how surveillance laws work and decide whether or not they

Grameenphone recently launched a combined promotion with RANGS Limited, Eastern Bank Limited and Intraco CNG limited offering special car scheme for its star subscribers.

Ahmed Saquib, general manager, marketing of Grameenphone Ltd, Sabrina Chowdhury, director of RANGS Limited, M Khorshed Anowar, head of cards of Eastern Bank Limited and Mohammed Irad Ali, deputy managing director of Intraco CNG Limited signed an agreement in this regard on behalf of their respective organisations at a ceremony held at GP house

B3

serve the public interest.”

Google included the FISA request numbers in a routinely released Transparency Report about efforts by governments to legally obtain data from the California-based Internet titan.

Facebook on Monday disclosed it received FISA requests for information from accounts of 5,000 to 6,000 of its

looking for information from 30,000 to 31,000 accounts.

The Sunnyvale, California-based company was quick to stress that while in the tens of thousands, the number of accounts targeted with FISA requests made up less than one-hundredth of one percent of its global user base.

Apple last week disclosed that in

ers promised to routinely update the FISA request figures, and to continue pressing for legal reform to share more information with users.

Currently, Internet firms are allowed only to provide ranges of FISA request numbers and barred from disclosing details regarding what was asked for or from whom.

more than one billion members in the first six months of last year, and from the accounts of 4,000 to 6,000 of its users in the prior six months.

Meanwhile, Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said in a blog post that FISA orders were used to demand information from between 15,000 to 16,000 accounts of users in the first six months of last year.

Yahoo, meanwhile, revealed that in the same time period US officials wielding FISA court authority came

the first half of last year it received 249 or fewer FISA or National Security Letter requests for information about users of services provided by the maker of iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macintosh computers.

Cupertino, California-based Apple said in a written post that information targeted in National Security Letters involved transactional data such as people’s contact information and not content.

Yahoo, Facebook, Google and oth-

“As we have said before, we believe that while governments have an important responsibility to keep people safe, it is possible to do so while also being transparent,” Facebook legal counsel Colin Stretch said in a blog post.

“We will continue to advocate for reform of government surveillance practices around the world, and for greater transparency about the degree to which governments seek access to data in connection with their efforts to keep people safe.” l

tions are going to be successful and we’re very confident all the spectrum to be auctioned will be sold,” Telecom Secretary MF Farooqui said before the auction opened.

Among the eight operators taking part were market leaders Bharti Airtel, the Indian unit of Britain’s Vodafone, the Indian arm of Norway-based Telenor and Reliance Jio, the mobile unit of Reliance Industries controlled by India’s wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani.

The government was forced to scrap two earlier auctions - in March 2013 and in November 2012 - to sell the two frequency bands of 900 MHz and 1800 MHz - after companies boycotted the sales, complaining opening prices were too costly.

To stage this sale, the government cut the floor price by 53% for the 900 MHz band from the March price and by 26% for the 1800 MHz band.

It also later said the annual spectrum usage charge should be capped at five percent of revenue, abandoning a previous three-to-eight percent range. l

Dollar rebounds from Wall St losses n AFP, Tokyo The dollar rose in Asian trade yesterday after suffering a sell-off in New York in response to unexpectedly weak US manufacturing data that raised concerns about the world’s number one economy.

The greenback bought 101.24 yen, up from 100.94 yen late in New York but well down from 102.31 yen in Tokyo earlier Monday. The euro was mixed at $1.3507 and 136.75 yen, from $1.3529 and 136.58 yen in US trade.

US currency markets were jolted after the Institute for Supply Management’s purchasing managers index sank to 51.3 in January from 56.5 in December. A figure above 50 indicates growth and anything below points to contraction.

The latest figures throw the focus on US employment figures due this week as investors look to gauge the state of the economy as the Federal Reserve winds down its stimulus, citing a firming recovery.

The Fed announcement rattled emerging markets such as India, South Africa and Russia on fears of a capital flight, which in turn sent their currencies diving.

Poor China data has also dampened investors’ spirits, dealers said.

“Investors should steer clear of risk assets over the short term as the turmoil does not look like it will be over anytime soon,” Credit Agricole said.

The dollar has suffered selling pressure after hitting a five-year high above 105 yen earlier this year.

“I don’t think the (dollar/yen) trend is downward for this year, but the 105 yen level looks far off now,” Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp foreign-exchange trading head Masaru Ishibashi told Dow Jones Newswires. l

First Security Islami Bank Limited inaugurated school mobile banking and school banking at Dr Khastagir Government Girls’ High School in Chittagong on Monday. Quazi Osman Ali, deputy managing director of FSIBLwas present on the occasion among others Deputy managing director of Social Islami Bank Ltd (SIBL) AMM Farhad handed over books to the head master of Galimpur Sonaban Girls High School for its students as a part of the bank’s ongoing campaign 'AlorThikana'

Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited held its 564th meeting of its executive committee recently at the bank’s head office. The meeting was presided over by Alhaj Mohammad Younus, chairperson of the committee

Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director of BRAC bank has been given Citi Distinguished Alumni award on Monday in an event held at Citi’s corporate office in Bangladesh. Rashed Maqsood, managing director and Citi country officer for Bangladesh handed over the award for Syed Mahbubur’s special leadership last year

PRAN Dairy provided agri loans to its contractual dairy farmers setting up and developing dairy farms. Maj Gen Amjad Khan Chowdhury (retd), CEO of PRAN-RFL group recently handed over the loan amount to the dairy farmers at Chatmohor PRAN Dairy hub in Pabna

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

‘Breathtaking’ EU corruption costs €120bn a year Corruption across the European Union’s 28 countries costs about 120bn euros ($162bn) per year - a “breathtaking” sum equal to the EU’s entire annual budget, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said Monday.

Malmstroem said the actual figure could be even higher, despite the estimate amounting to a little less than one percent of the bloc’s total economic output.

“The extent of the problem in the EU is breathtaking,” Malmstroem wrote in an op-ed piece in Swedish newspaper Goeteborgs-Posten.

“Corruption undermines faith in democratic institutions, drains the legal economy of resources and is a breeding ground for organised crime.”

Presenting the European Commission report, the bloc’s first, Malmstroem emphasised the figure was “an estimation” and said the actual amount is “probably ... much higher.”

She called on member states to do more to stamp out the problem, saying: “The price of not acting is simply too high.”

The report does not rank the countries as to the seriousness of the problem nor suggest legal remedies, with Malmstroem saying that could follow after talks with member states.

But “one thing is very clear - there is no ‘corruption-free’ zone in Europe,” she said.

While Malmstroem refused to point the finger at any particular country, the EU has had longstanding concerns about corruption in Bulgaria and Romania, especially over their use of EU funds, and both were put under a special monitoring mechanism when they joined the bloc in 2007.

The report said that “fighting corruption has long been a priority for Bulgaria” but despite best efforts, the problem “remains widespread”.

A poll found 84% of Bulgarians agreed corruption is prevalent while last year there were large demonstrations against the government’s ties with wealthy oligarchs.

Among possible steps, the Commission “suggests that Bulgaria should shield anti-corruption institutions from political influence and appoint their management in a transparent, merit-based procedure”, it said.

In addition, the Commission “is suggesting that a code of ethics is adopted for members of the National Assembly”.

“In Romania, both petty and political corruption remains a significant problem,” the report said, adding that efforts to address the issue have been inconsistent.

The Commission suggested Romania should ensure truly independent corruption investigations and develop “comprehensive codes of conduct for elected officials”.

A poll showed “a full 93% of Romanians agree that corruption is widespread,” it said.

Finland, Denmark top of class Among the other member states, the report named Denmark and Finland as top performers, while in France it said that “corruption-related risks in the public procurement sector and in international business transactions have not been addressed.”

Germany, the bloc’s largest economy, “is amongst the best countries of the EU. However, more can be done,” it said, suggesting it “would benefit from the introduction of strict penalties for corruption of elected officials.”

Picking up on an issue attracting a

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Corruption in the EU

Perceptions and attitudes in selected countries If you want to get something from the public sector/ administration is it acceptable to give a gift? + 45% EU average de 31 - 45% 23% de 16 - 30% - 16% United 64% Kingdom

Sweden Finland 6% 29% Denmark

Estonia

20%

67% Latvia

Netherlands

60% Lithuania 95%

Poland

Germany 59%

Ireland Belgium Luxembourg

47% Czech Rep. 95% 50% Slovakia

Austria

68% France 14% 95% Spain

Italy

61% Hungary Romania Bulgaria

Croatia Slovenia

97%

Portugal

Greece 99% Cyprus

How widespread do you think corruption is in your country?

(Selected countries) lot of domestic attention, it also suggested Germany should develop a policy to deal with the “revolving door” phenomenon, where officials leave office to work for companies they may have recently helped.

In her Swedish op-ed, Malmstroem said Sweden “is among the countries

Malta

EU 76% average

with the least problems”.

She said research showed that one in 12 EU citizens had experienced corruption in the past year, while four out of 10 companies regard it as “an obstacle for doing business within the EU”.

The report reviews how existing laws and policies work and suggests

Source: Eurobarometer, AFP what further effort could be made.

Malmstroem singled out public procurement, notably tenders for construction projects, as a major cause of concern. Graft watchdog Transparency International welcomed the report, saying it marks “an important step in the EU’s collective effort to scale up its

anti-corruption efforts”.

“It is a stark warning against complacency about corruption in any EU country,” it added.

The report did not cover corruption in the EU’s own institutions, with the bloc’s finances reviewed by the separate Court of Auditors. l

Chart showing inflation and repo rates

NEWS IN BRIEF

In ation (YoY)

Repo rate

9.00% 8.00%

Global stocks sell-off accelerates

7.00% 6.00%

The fierce fall in global stocks showed no sign of abating on yesterday, with Europe slipping after falls on Wall Street and in Asia, as weak US data compounded worries about emerging markets. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.39% to 6,440.85 points in late morning deals, hit also by downbeat results from energy firms BP and BG Group.

– AFP

5.00% 4.00% 3.00% 2.00% 1.00%

Asian shares follow Wall Street down after poor US data

Asian markets slumped yesterday – led by a 4% fall in Tokyo – following a huge sell-off on Wall Street as disappointing US manufacturing data compounded already deep fears about emerging markets.

– AFP

Hong Kong stocks end 2.89% lower Hong Kong shares plunged 2.89% on yesterday, in line with a regional selloff after heavy losses on Wall Street sparked by weaker-than-expected US manufacturing data. The benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 637.65 points to end at 21,397.77 on turnover of HK$75.69bn ($9.75bn).

– AFP

Euro recovers slightly after last week’s losses The euro rebounded slightly against the dollar Monday after sharp losses last week, helped by fresh data showing some unexpected weakness in the US economy. But the yen gained on both as continued global turbulence pushed traders to that safe haven.

– AFP

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n12

Ju

OPINION

A well balanced MPS

Toyota in high gear as it forecasts record profit Toyota has shifted into high gear, with the world’s largest automaker tipping a record annual profit after more than doubling its nine-month earnings to $15bn thanks to the yen’s sharp decline and surging sedan sales. The buoyant results underscore a recovery not only for the Camry and Corolla maker but also for rival Japanese auto giants including Nissan and Honda.

– AFP

Ju

ay -12

0.00% M

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AFP, Brussels

Business

n Asif Khan, CFA US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew testifies before a Senate Banking hearing on ''The Financial Stability Oversight Council Annual Report to Congress'' on Capitol Hill in Washington last year REUTERS

UNITED STATES

‘Time is short’ for Congress to raise debt limit: Lew n AFP, Washington US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Monday that the United States will exhaust its borrowing authority on Friday without action by Congress to lift the debt limit.

“Time is short. Congress needs to act to extend the nation’s borrowing authority, and it needs to act now,” Lew said in prepared remarks at the Bipartisan Policy Centre, a Washington think tank.

“In just a matter of days, the temporary suspension of the debt limit will end, and the Treasury Department will have to start using extraordinary measures so the government can continue to meet its obligations,” he said.

Lew noted that the automatic reinstatement of the cap on borrowing after February 7 comes at the beginning of tax filing season, when tax refunds cause net cash outflows “that deplete borrowing capacity very quickly.”

“We now forecast that we are likely to exhaust these measures by the end of this month.”

On the February 7 deadline the borrowing cap will be locked at the total amount borrowed at that date. US debt currently stands at $17.3tn.

The Treasury chief welcomed recent congressional compromises that finally

delivered a government budget after political stalemate over the issue forced a 16-day partial government shutdown in October.

But he warned Congress against waiting to raise the debt limit at the 11th hour, highlighting that a delay can jeopardize the credibility of the world’s largest economy and roil financial markets.

'It is important to remember that increasing the debt limit is Congress’s responsibility, and Congress’s alone.

That is because only Congress has the power to extend the nation’s borrowing authority' He noted that in last year’s political gridlock, consumer and business confidence dropped and investors “publicly questioned whether it was too risky to hold certain types of US government debt.”

“It is important to remember that increasing the debt limit is Congress’s responsibility, and Congress’s alone.

That is because only Congress has the power to extend the nation’s borrowing authority. No Congress in the history of the United States has failed to meet this responsibility.”

The Treasury chief criticized a push by some lawmakers to tie spending cuts to increasing the Treasury’s borrowing authority, noting that “raising the debt limit has nothing to do with new spending.

“It is about fulfilling spending obligations that Congress has already made and paying bills that have already been incurred.”

Opposition Republican lawmakers are considering policy riders to a debt ceiling bill that would help reduce the debt. President Barack Obama’s Democratic administration has stood steadfastly against the attachment of any conditions to the debt action.

Lew pressed Congress to avoid a selfinflicted wound to the US economy as it enters 2014 with momentum from robust strength in the 2013 fourth quarter.

“This can and should be a breakthrough year for our economy,” he said.

“Congress should act quickly to resolve the debt limit without unnecessary delays or political posturing that could snowball into a manufactured crisis that the American people so clearly want us to avoid.” l

On January 27, the Bangladesh Bank announced monetary policy for January-June 2014. It decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 7.25%, and saw no reason to change the reserve requirements either. The broad based monetary targets (M2, private sector credit growth, etc) did not see any major changes.

Before delving into the actually analysis of the monetary policy statement, I would first like to point out that the central bank has made remarkable improvements to the quality of the Monetary Policy statements. The articulation, use of data, and logic behind the monetary policy has improved to considerable length. It is now a real treat to read the monetary policy statement. Even though I don’t have any concrete information, I am inclined to believe that the addition of Mr Hasan Zaman as the Chief Economist had a lot to do with it.

Now, let me go back to the analysis of the monetary policy. The MPS clearly highlights the central bank’s relatively cautious stance, as they feel that there are risks to inflation (7.35% YoY at December 2013). The economic activity can revive on its own without any monetary stimulus, as there is more than enough liquidity in the economy, and some of the political noise (strikes and blockades) have actually dissipated. Furthermore, the Items 1.

2.

3.

4.

Net Foreign Assets Net Domestic Assets Domestic Credit Credit to the public sector (incld. Govt.)

Credit to the private sector Broad Money Reserve Money

central bank has highlighted that they are proponents of more targeted incentives instead of broader monetary stimulus) to industries that were hurt by the political troubles.

Prior to the announcement of the monetary policy, when the political outlook was a little uncertain, I was under the impression that Bangladesh Bank could go for a modest policy rate cut of 25bps. While I completely agree that the rate cut would not have any marginally incremental affect on credit growth, my call was that it would have a signalling effect.

With the central bank having a more dovish stance investor confidence might go up just a bit. However, given that the probability of continuous strikes and blockades has come down and EU has also cleared up their present position on the GSP facility it seems to me that maintenance of the status quo in the monetary policy tools was the perfect decision.

I continue to reiterate that the central bank’s decision on monetary policy post 2010 was quite prudent, in my opinion. What is holding Bangladesh back cannot be solved by expansionary monetary policy (which would only create asset bubbles). The solution lies in solving the energy and infrastructural bottlenecks. l The writer is deputy head of equity research at BRAC EPL Stock Brokerage who writes on finance and economics at www.asifkhan.info

FY11 6.2 24.7 27.5 34.6

FY12 7.2 19.3 19.2 17.4

FY13 50.4 11 10.9 11.1

Jul'13 MPS Prog Jun 14 8.4 19 17.2 19.5

25.8 21.4 21

19.7 17.4 9

10.8 16.7 15

16.5 17 16.5

Actual

Jan'14 MPS Prog Jun 14 10 18.6 17.8 22.9 16.5 17 16.2