February 06, 2014

Magh 24, 1420 Rabius Saani 5, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 313

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

Avenue T | HINTS OF SPRING

7 | RESPITE FOR CHILDREN

Labour groups cheating Rana Plaza victims

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9 | TALIBANS ENCOURAGE SHARIAH

B1 | ILLEGAL BETEL LEAVES EXPORT ATTACK ON STUDENTS IN RU

THE LITTLE RICKSHAW THAT COULD

One BCL leader held n RU Correspondent

Organisations defrauding them in the name of helping get compensation n Adil Sakhawat They luckily survived the building collapse but they have now fallen victims to fraudulent labour organisations and individuals who are allegedly pulling in big buck in the name of helping the victims of the Rana Plaza get compensation.

These organisations and people are also cheating the victims in the name of free medical treatment, complained several victims.

Neru Sarder, who worked on the 4th floor of the Rana Plaza, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Some workers’ organisations

‘It’s a complete violation of law. The OC would take action against those cheats.’ called us and told us to visit their offices. They said we would get compensation if we joined their processions and rally from time to time.”

“A few days back a leader of the National Garments workers Federation called me to join a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka. I went there with a hope to get some financial help. I delivered a speech at the conference in front of many journalists and political leaders. I saw many people give that organisation money and other assistance. But I got nothing.

They helped one or two victims in front of the camera.” he alleged.

Misty Akhter, who used to work on the 8th floor of Rana Plaza, said people of those organisations came to

them and took their names, photos, and identity card numbers and then demanded money for including their names on the list to make them eligible for compensation.

“Labour leader Sathi Akhter and Kamrul of Shadhin Bangla Garment workers Employees Federation (SBGWEF) came to me and demanded Tk150 for including my name on the compensation list. I along with other survivors gave them the money expecting to get some assistance. But we have got nothing so far.”

When contacted Sathi Akhter introduced herself as the President of the SBGWEF’s Savar and Ashulia units.

She confessed to taking money from the Rana Plaza victims but said: “I have taken money as membership fee to include them in our organisations. It is membership fee.”

When contacted SBGWEF’s President Shamima Nasrin said: “Our organisation has no rule to charge membership fees.”

Dipty Akhter and Shila Akhter of the National Garments Workers Federation, Jibon Ahmed of Garments Workers Trade Union, Babar Ali Shishir of Bangladesh Volunteer Force, Rafiqul Islam Sujan of Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, Emdadul Islam of Rana Plaza Garments Workers Union have also reportedly taken money from the victims.

However, everyone denied the allegation as the Dhaka Tribune contacted them. But all of them said they were taking money in exchange for giving them membership of their organisations.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

A rickshaw is caught between two buses as it flouts the law and boldly goes in the opposite direction on a one-way road. This picture was taken in front of Birdem yesterday afternoon SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Disparity in lawsuit records of upazila poll contenders n

Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

A clear disparity is becoming visible in the record of lawsuits against the Awami League and BNP leaders who are running for the upazila parishad poll the first phase of which is due in just a few days’ time.

According to the affidavits that the contenders have submitted to the Election Commission and the information sent by our district correspondents, in many upazilas, the Awami Leaguebacked aspirants have clean sheets while their BNP-backed rivals have multiple cases against them.

The Dhaka Tribune looked into the affidavits of at least forty upazila chairmen candidates to find out the present status of cases filed against the contenders.

While some of these cases were filed on criminal charges, the BNP have claimed that most of the cases against its grassroots leaders are politically motivated and filed during the previous term of the Awami League-led government.

During its previous tenure, the government, through a specialised committee, withdrew a few thousand cases against Awami League leaders and activists with the consideration that those cases were all “politically motivated” and filed during the previous tenures of the BNP-led government.

The BNP, however, have always alleged that the committee had never recommended any case against any of its leaders for withdrawal.

There are exceptions to this as well.

For example, in Gopalganj, known for

Police yesterday arrested a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader for his alleged involvement in the Sunday’s armed attacks on general students protesting hiked fees and evening courses in the university.

Motiher police station Officer-inCharge Shamsur Noor said police, on information, arrested Chhatra League RU unit Vice-President Delwar Hossain Dils from a house in Rajshahi city’s Beripara area around 4pm.

Delwar was shown arrested in four cases – two filed by the RU authorities and the other two by police, Nur also said.

Delowar was sent to jail after producing before a court, the OC said.

After the violence, the Rajshahi University syndicate at an emergency meeting on Sunday night declared the university closed for an indefinite period and asked all resident students to vacate the halls.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Sublime Kumar Sangakkara n Raihan Mahmood

being the stronghold of the Awami League, two upazilas are seeing elections in the first phase, slated for February 19.

Interestingly, all the chairman contenders – both from the Awami League and BNP tents – in these two upazilas have clean sheets.

On the other hand, in Khagrachari, elections will be held in six upazilas where 26 people are vying for the chairmen posts and among them criminal cases were found against six contenders. Among those six, four are affiliated with BNP and one with the Awami League and one is an independent candidate.

“The BNP-led alliance government filed a false case against me and it will be disposed of shortly:” KM Alimullah,

In the 136-year history of Test cricket only 27 triple hundreds have been scored and the latest one was accomplished by Sri Lankan star Kumar Sangakkara who made a career best 319 and joined the 11,000-run club in second Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong yesterday.

Left-handed Sangakkara’s maiden triple century was his ninth 200-plus knock, leaving him in second place behind Australian legend Don Bradman who had 12 scores of 200 or more. Sangakkara, a 36-year-old veteran playing in his 122nd Test match, also became the ninth Test batsmen to cross the 11,000-run mark. He now has 11,046 runs in the all-time list headed by India’s Sachin Tendulkar who retired on 15,921 runs.

The 36-year-old faced 482 balls,

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

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2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Jamaat’s hartal today

RAILWAY RECRUITMENT SCAM

Five including former GM Mridha indicted n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong A Chittagong court yesterday indicted five persons including Yousuf Ali Mridha, former general manager of Bangladesh Railway (East zone), in a case filed for recruitment irregularities in the rail sector.

The court of Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions’ Judge SM Mojibur Rahman framed the charges against the accused in their absentia and fixed February 24 for deposition, said Omar Fuad, bench assistant of the court.

Apart from Mridha, the other accused are Golam Kibria, former social welfare official, Hafizur Rahman, former additional chief mechanical engineer of the BR (east), two recruitment seekers Abul Kashem and Anisur Rahman who were allegedly involved in the scam of recruitment process for fuel checker post in BR (east), said court sources.

Hafizur was convenor and Kibria was member secretary of the recruitment committee respectively.

The charge against the three railway officials is that they, in collaboration with each other, approved and recommended the failed candidates instead of passed candidates for fuel checker post by adopting unfair means in examination papers and tabulation sheets.

Over the allegation, SM Rashidur Reza, assistant director of the ACC,

lodged a case with Kotwali Police Station accusing the five on September 13 in 2012.

On August 18 in 2013, the charge sheet was submitted before the court against the three railway officials and two waiting candidates for recruitment in an illegal way.

Earlier, on October 20, arrest warrant was issued against the five accused including GM Mridha in the case.

Mridha, Kibria and Hafizur were suspended temporarily after the scam.

Sources at the BR said the east zone issued seven advertisements in October and November, 2010 to fill up 3419 vacant posts in 38 categories.

It may be mentioned that, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel seized Tk70 lakh from a car of Assistant Personal Secretary (APS) Omar Faruk of the then Railway Minister Suranjit Sen Gupta on April 9, 2012.

The accused two railway officials and Railway Nirapatta Bahini Dhaka Divisional Commandant Enamul Haque were in the car.

The driver of the car, Ali Azam, has been missing mysteriously who took the car to the BGB Headquarters with the money and the officials on that day.

The then railway minister resigned following the incident and his APS was suspended. Mridha and Enamul were also suspended temporarily in this connection. l

n Tribune Report

Jamaat-e-Islami has called a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal for today, protesting the death penalty of its chief Motiur Rahman Nizami in a 10-truck arms haul case.

On January 30, a Chittagong court handed down death sentences to 14 people, including Nizami, for plotting the country’s biggest smuggling of weaponries in 2004.

Nizami was given life-term in an arms case filed in connection with the incident. l

34 Bangladeshis detained in Malaysia

n Rabiul Islam

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina consoles a patient at Pongu Hospital yesterday, who is a victim of Jamaat-Shibir terrorism across the country PMO

Former commissioner Shahid on five day remand

BNP Standing Committee to meet tonight

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

A Dhaka court yesterday placed Saidur Rahman Shahid, alias “Shahid Commissioner” on a five-day remand in connection with an arms case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate MA Salam passed the order yesterday afternoon, rejecting his bail plea filed by his counsel Shahadat Hossain.

Sub-Inspector of Gendaria police station Md Atiqur Rahman, who is investigating the case, produced Shahid before the court with a 10-day remand plea.

In the remand prayer, the investigation officer mentioned that the arrestee should be remanded for quizzing him about the illegal arms sources.

On the other hand, the defence

counsel pleaded that police arrested Shahid based on fake evidence.

The defence termed him a well-reputed politician. Shahid was the victim of circumstances and so his bail should be allowed, he added.

Five more murder charges against Shahid are pending with the HC Earlier on Tuesday, Rapid Action Battalion arrested “Shahid Commissioner”, who had been awarded death penalty for murder, from his Gendaria residence around 3am.

Ticfa talks on April 6 n

Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangladesh will push for getting duty-free access to the US market in the first meeting of the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (Ticfa) to be held on April 6 in Dhaka.

“A commitment has been adopted at the Bali Conference [WTO] that duty-free and quota-free market access will be given to the least developed countries. This will be discussed as the main agenda in the Ticfa meeting,” Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said after a meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena at his Secretariat office yesterday.

Bangladesh and the US signed Ticfa on November 25 last year and it became effective from January 30 this year.

“A delegation from the US will come to Dhaka on April 6 to discuss Ticfa; a group of private investors will also come,” the minister said.

About the GSP facility, he said he was hopeful to get it back.

“We have fulfilled many [of their]

conditions and we will try to fulfil the rest by April,” Tofail said.

US President Barack Obama suspended the GSP facility for Bangladesh in June last year on grounds of poor labour condition here. Later, Washington imposed a 16-step policy on Bangladesh to get it back.

The US ambassador said the next review of the GSP would be held in May and it would be based on information submitted by April 15.

“Between February 5, today, and April 15, a lot of things have to happen. A lot of things already have happened but more things have to happen,” he said.

Mozena said he was sure Bangladesh would raise the market access issue while the US side would raise issues of fire safety, factory structural soundness and workers’ right to freely associate and organise.

“The purpose of Ticfa is to create a place where each side can embrace whatever issues it has on mind and you can start to address those issues, start to resolve those issues,” he said. l

Five killed in 4 districts n Tribune Desk

At least five persons were killed in separate incidents in Bandarban, Faridpur, Habiganj and Jessore districts yesterday.

In Bandarban, a couple were killed in the district over land dispute.

The dead were identified as Francis Tripura, 45, and Hasmati Tripura, 41.

According to police sources, the incident took place at 8:30am as miscreants shot Hasmati dead while she was working in the field and stabbed Francis when he went to the spot.

In Faridpur, an unidentified man was killed in at Hajiganj Bazar under Charvadrasan upazila in the district.

According to sources, the man was aged about 35, wearing pant and shirt was tied with plastic ropes.

In Habiganj, a man was killed as robbers attacked him in Dakhin Sannaghat village under Bahubal upazila in the district. The dead was identified as Faridullah, 45, of the village.

According to sources, the robbers broke into the house and attacked Faridullah while he was trying to resist them from looting.

In Jessore, a Juba League man was killed in Churamankathi of the district.

The dead Jakir Hossain, 32, was the general secretary of ward no 4, in Churamankathi union unit Juba League. l

The elite force also seized three foreign pistols, three magazines and 62 rounds of ammunition from his possession.

Later, a RAB inspector filed an arms case with Gendaria police station against Shahid.

After 10 years in prison, the High Court acquitted Shahid in the lawyer Habibur Rahman Mandal murder case, which happened around five years back.

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 came out again from hideout recently and participated in the 10th parliamentary election as an independent candidate. l

After around two months off passing a crucial time, the BNP will hold its Standing Committee’s meeting tonight to devise the next course of action.

The party is going to hold the meeting at the chairperson’s Gulshan office at 8pm tonight, Shamimur Rahman, assistant office secretary of the BNP, said.

The last meeting of the BNP's highest policymaking body was held on November 13. The party could not hold any meeting of the committee as at least four of its members were behind bars while many were on the run to avoid getting arrested in cases filed against them.

Even BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was in hiding.

However, although the party could not hold any meeting, party Chairperson Khaleda Zia made a few major decisions during that period.

The BNP also passed a tough time during the period as its Nayapaltan office and the chairperson’s Gulshan office were cordoned off. Khaleda Zia was also confined to her residence for some time.

After apparently failing to resist the January 5 national poll, which the BNPled 18-party alliance boycotted, the party backtracked from its street movement and Khaleda on Tuesday said they would take some time to reorganise the party as many leaders and activists had been either in jail or on the run while many had been killed. l

Malaysian police yesterday detained 77 foreign workers including 34 Bangladeshi nationals from a hotel project site in the country’s Jalan Teluk Kumbar area over a clash between two Indonesians and a Bangladeshi on Tuesday.

Malaysian English daily (online) "The Star" reports, a Bangladeshi clashed with two Indonesians leaving each other critically injured. Later, the three foreign nationals were sent to Penang Hospital.

Lai Fah Hin said they had detained 28 Indonesians, including a woman, 34 Bangladeshi and 15 Myanmar nationals.

Malaysia is one of the labour recipient countries for Bangladesh. According to officials at Bangladeshi High Commission in Malaysia, around 4,00,000 Bangladeshis are working in the country.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian authorities are conducting drives to nab illegal foreigners and to send them back.

A total of 331 Bangladeshis have been arrested since the crackdown starting since January 20. l

HC: Clear playground for street children n Nazmus Sakib The High Court yesterday ordered the authorities concerned to remove construction materials and clear the playground of a school for street children in Barisal town within 48 hours.

The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain passed the order in a writ petition filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

Manzill Murshid, lawyer for the petitioner, said: “The court ordered local Commissioner Zainul Abedin to remove the construction materials...

It ordered the DC and police commissioner of Barisal district and Sadar UNO to ensure restoration of the street children’s playing facility.” l

Labour groups cheating Rana Plaza victims

Sangakkara

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 PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

But their statements are contrary to that of the Rana Plaza victims who said they joined the organisations only after they were assured of getting compensation or medical help. They are not aware of any political purpose of those organisations.

Nurun Nahar and Beauty Akhter of the 7th floor, Nazma Khanam of the 6th floor, Alam Hossain of the 4th floor, Asma Akhter of the 6th floor, Sukurani Begum of the 5th floor of the Rana Plaza told the Dhaka Tribune reporter that they joined those organisations with a hope to get compensation or some grants.

Taslima Akhter, Coordinator of the Bangladesh Garments Workers Solidarity, said such kind of cheating is really painful. “I am also working with an organisation. When I organise any procession or rally the victims who knows

me well just join the programmes on their own.”

Abdul Karim who claimed himself to be a freedom fighter took Tk620 from many Rana Plaza victims assuring them to help get compensation. He also asked for Tk4000- 5000 for a piece of land.

Mukta Begum who used to work on the 8th floor said: “Karim ‘Muktijoddha’ called me several times for the money. He has taken money from the families of my missing colleagues Hasna and Nazma. As I had no money I did not respond.”

When contacted, Karim refused to talk to any media.

This reporter found many medical care points in Savar and Ashulia that came into being after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building. Interestingly these medical centres have no trained doctors. They just provide patients

with paracetamol and gastric tablet in exchange for Tk150.

Mukta said: “A phone call came to me and instructed me to go to Hazi Mijan Market in Ashulia area for free medical treatment as I am suffering from backbone pain after the building collapse. But I found no doctor there.

They charged me Tk150 and I took those paracetamol and gastric tablets.

As I had no more money except my transportation cost I returned home.”

“I really feel flabbergasted. How come that people do business with us. We are now paralysed and may not work in the future,” she added.

Savar Upazilla Nirbahi Officer Kamrul Hasan Mollah told the Dhaka Tribune: “It’s a complete violation of law.”

He requested all to go to the Savar Police Station, if cheated, saying: “The OC [officer-in-charge] would take action against those cheats.” l

Disparity in lawsuit records  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

an Awami League leader and also an aspirant of Ramgarh Upazila, told the Dhaka Tribune.

However, Shahidul Islam, another aspirant for the chairman post of Ramgarh upazila and also a BNP leader, said: “As I do politics locally, the Awami League government has filed three false cases against me which are politically motivated. So, I do not bother about the cases.”

In Karimganj of Kishoreganj, four are contesting for chairman posts in this year’s upazila parishad elections. Among them, cases were found against two candidates, of whom one is BNP-backed and the other is a rebel BNP leader.

In Bajitpur upazila of the district, five contenders are running for the chairman post. Cases were found against three BNP-minded contenders while no case was found against the Awami League-backed candidate.

Among the BNP men, the highest of nine cases were counted against Moniruzzaman Monir, a local BNP leader.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of SUJAN, said it was normal for political parties to file cases against their opponents.

Whenever a party is in power, it would withdraw the “politically motivated” cases against its leaders and activists, not those against their opponents, he said.

“The number of cases against the BNP-backed candidates would be higher than the Awami League-backed candidates because many of those filed against the Awami League men [during the tenure of the BNP-led government] had been withdrawn. It only shows the emptiness of our political parties,” Badiul told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

There are also some upazilas where neither the Awami League-backed nor

the BNP-backed candidates have clean sheets.

In Barisal, voting will be held in two upazilas and 10 contenders are vying for the chairmen posts. Among them, cases were found against two – one each from the BNP and Awami League tents.

In Magura, where two upazilas will vote in the first phase, four contenders were found with lawsuits against their names. Of them two are supporters of BNP and two of the Awami League.

In Sylhet elections will be held in six upazilas and 26 candidates are vying for the chairmen posts. In six upazilas cases were found against two Awami League-minded contenders while BNPbacked candidates are facing cases in all the upazilas except Goainghat upazila.

In Bishwanath Upazila, BNP-backed candidate Sohel Ahmed Chowdhury is facing the highest 12 cases. l

hammering 32 fours and eight sixes in his mammoth innings before being caught by Sohag Gazi off the bowling of Nasir Hossain.

The approach of the Sri Lankan was such tha it made many wonder whether he is going to break the world record of Brian Lara. But his hopes of breaking Lara’s Test cricket world record innings were dashed as he ran out of partners, with four of Sri Lanka’s last six batsmen going for five runs or less apiece.

Yet Sangakkara did take one record off Lara: his knock made him the fastest man to reach 11,000 Test runs, doing so in 208 innings to better the West Indies great by five innings. l

One BCL leader  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

The syndicate meeting also formed a five-member probe body with Geology Professor Khalekuzzaman as head and acting registrar Professor Entajul Haque as member secretary.

The probe body was asked to submit its report within 15 working days.

Earlier on Monday night about six cases were filed against 964 students but no Chhatra League men were accused in the cases according to Ajahar at Motihar police station.

RU authorities filed two cases against a total of 400 students. Of them 100 were identified while the others were unnamed.

Police filed two more cases against a total 400 students naming 100 students while the RU unit BCL filed two cases against a total 140 students naming 24.

In the cases, the leaders of the left-leaning students’ organisations at the RU namely Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Chhatra Federation and Biplobi Chhatra Moitree were made accused.

Shamsur Noor told reporters that the investigation into all cases had started yesterday. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Hasina: International community positive about poll results n Emran Hossain Shaikh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the international community had accepted the results of the 10th national election as an optimistic achievement.

“The international community has accepted the results of the last general elections in Bangladesh in a positive way against the ill motive of BNP-Jamaat, which was out to foil the poll through violence,” she told parliament.

Replying to a question from Awami League lawmaker AKM Rahmatullah during her scheduled question-answer session, Hasina said a good number heads of states had hailed the government and sent messages to her upon becoming the prime minister for the third time.

“Ten countries, including the heads of the United Nations and other international organisations, also greeted me as the prime minister of the newly elected government,” she said. Hasina expressed hope that more greetings would come in.

The premier said numerous friendly countries and international organisa-

tions, including the USA and the European Union, had already expressed desires to continue work with newly formed government of Bangladesh.

She said the process of power transfer from an elected government to another according to the constituency had started through the 10th national election.

Replying to a question from independent MP Haji Mohammand Selim, Hasina said the government had introduced the “One house, one farm” project to free poor people from interest-mongers.

She said 1,038,000 families were getting benefits directly from the project.

Hasina said the government had taken an initiative to establish Palli Sanchay Bank to give the project a strong base. The bank will receive small amounts of deposits from poor people which would help create investment and self-employment opportunities for the depositors.

Replying to a supplementary question from Awami League MP Abdus Shahid, the prime minister said branches of the bank would be opened in phases. l

Activists of Ganajagaran Mancha organise a rally in the capital’s Shahbagh intersection yesterday, marking the first anniversary of the platform demanding capital punishment to the war criminals SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

FIRST ANNIVERSARY OBSERVED

10 Chhatra League men arrested for possessing arms Ganajagaran Mancha vows n Kailash Sarkar

Ten of the 42 leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League detained during a raid on a Bangla College dormitory Tuesday night were yesterday shown arrested on charge of possessing firearms, bullets and sharp weapons.

The 32 others were freed in yesterday afternoon.

Police had raided the Principal Abul Kashem Dormitory following clashes between two feuding groups of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, in the past few weeks over capturing college dorms and gathering of a large number of arms and weapons.

SCBA: Remove that minister n Nazmus Sakib The Supreme Court Bar Association yesterday urged the prime minister to remove the minister who had phoned the High Court to pass verdict in a bank loan-related case in favour of a particular party.

At a press briefing, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, secretary of the SCBA and joint secretary of the BNP, also demanded that the chief justice should lodge a contempt of court case and a criminal case against the minister through the Supreme Court registrar.

On Monday, the High Court bench of Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq said: “During the hearing on this matter, a minister called one of us. Therefore, we are not inclined to hear the matter. Let it be placed before the chief justice for appropriate order.”

The court, however, did not disclose the names of the minister and the party for which he had lobbied.

In reply to a question, Khokon told reporters that they had come to know through a reliable source that the minister in question had been in office since the formation of the Awami League-led government after the ninth parliamentary polls and that he was also in office now. l

HC issues rule against ACC act n Nazmus Sakib The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking as to why section 28 (C) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004 should not be declared illegal.

The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain passed the order following a writ petition lodged on Monday by Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond.

The court ordered the speaker, the cabinet secretary, the law secretary and the ACC chairman to give explanation within two weeks.

As per the article 28 (C) an individual including the personnel of ACC can be imprisoned for providing “false information” to the anti-graft watchdog for investigating or prosecuting a person for graft. The lawyer told the court that the provision would discourage public from giving information in fear of the punishment. l

A foreign-made pistol, 14 rounds of bullets, three magazines, 21 machetes and iron rods were seized from several rooms during the drive by a large contingent of forces led by the Darussalam police station personnel from 11pm Tuesday to 2am yesterday.

The police detained 42 youths and took them to the Darussalam police station and later to the Mirpur police station for primary interrogation, said Darussalam OC Rafiqul Islam.

He said a case had been filed against the 10 youths for possessing firearms, ammunition and weapons.

Imtiyaz Ahmed, deputy commissioner for Mirpur Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they had

received information on the collecting of firearms and weapons at the dormitory. “The raid was conducted as part of the precautionary measures to avert clashes and deterioration of law and order.”

The DC told the Dhaka Tribune: “All the 42 detained youths were students of Bangla College. A few of them were detained for possessing arms and weapons while the rest for staying in the dorm illegally – they could not show any evidence and documents on their studentships and had no permission to stay in the dormitory.

“At least 10 Chhatra League leaders and activists were shown arrested as they were found guilty of possess-

ing the weapons. The 32 others were handed over to the principal and senior teachers of the college.”

The DC said all of the 10 arrested Chhatra League men had previous criminal records.

He said the college campus had been tense following a clash between the two Chhatra League groups two days ago and they had been preparing for further clash over having control of power and establishment of supremacy.

A number of sources meanwhile told the Dhaka Tribune that most of the 42 detained youths were Chhatra League activists and some of them had been staying in the dormitory paying a section of party men. l

BNP: PM makes false statement n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The BNP alleged that 10-truck arms haul case was politically motivated and the prime minister had made a ‘false’ statement implicating party Chairperson Khaleda Zia to defame her.

“The entire trial process was political motivated. When questions were raised about the government’s legitimacy the prime minister in the illegal parliament made untrue and false statement implicating BNP chairperson in the case.

This is defamation with a political intention,” alleged Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Acting Secretary General of the party.

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 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 on Tuesday.

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

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government would probe whether Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman were involved in the smuggling.

Placing wreaths at the grave of BNP Founder Ziaur Rahman, Fakhrul condemned the ruling party for making such “defamatory statements” and also said if proper investigation

and trial were held then the real truth would surface.

When asked about the court verdict the spokesperson of the party said 10-truck arms were caught when the BNP was in power and the then prime minister asked the authorities concerned to take proper steps.

“The cases were filed and investigation and the trial began during the BNP government.”

Fakhrul also said: “We want to say firmly that people of the country know about,Begum Khaleda Zia’s patriotism and her role in the democratic movement . It would not be possible to mislead people through falsehood.”

About the change of judge in the Manjur killing case the acting secretary general said: “It is clear that the government has already snatched away the freedom of the judiciary.” l

Suranjit made chairman of JS body on law, 4 more committees formed n Tribune Report Senior Awami League MP Suranjit Sengupta has been once again made chairman of the parliamentary watchdog on law ministry.

The House yesterday formed the 10-member parliamentary standing committee on the law ministry as Chief Whip ASM Feroz proposed its formation.

In the ninth parliament, Suranjit was first elected chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the law ministry in early 2009. As chairman of the standing committee he was very critical of many of the government decisions putting the government in embarrassment.

He was then made the railway minister and later he had to resign following a scandal in 2012 when his assistant private secretary was caught with Tk70 lakh cash and was reportedly heading towards the Suranjit’s home. But then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made him a minister without portfolio until the end of the ninth parliament.

The law minister Anisul Hoque, Sahara Khatun, Abdul Matin Khasru, Shamsul Hoque Tuku, Abdul Majid Khan, Ziaul Haque Mridha, Talukder Md Yunus and Tajul Islam Chowdhury

were the other members members of the watchdog.

The House will co-opt another member after the election of the women MPs from the reserved seats.

The assembly also formed four more committees According to the Rules of Procedure, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury formed the business advisory committee considered to be the most powerful committee.

Chief Whip ASM Feroz chairs the parliament’s house committee that looks after the accommodation and other facilities of the MPs Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury is the ex-officio chairman of the business advisory committee. The other members are: Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Suranjit Sengupta, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Mayeen Uddin Khan Badal, Rashed Khan Menon,

Abdul Matin Khasru, Fazle Rabbi, ASM Feroz and Anisul Hoque.

Chief Whip ASM Feroz is the chair of the parliament’s house committee that looks after the accommodation and other facilities of the MPs. Abdus Shahid, Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury, Sagufta Yasmin, Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Fazle Hossain Badsha, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Aslamul Haque, Mahabud Ara Begum Gini, Nazmul Haque Prodhan, Talukder Md Yunus, and Panchanan Biswas are the other members of the house committee.

The speaker is the ex-officio chairman of the committee on Rules of Procedure.

The other members are HM Ershad, Suranjit Sengupta, Fazle Rabbi, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Prof Ali Ashraf, Abdus Shahid, Abdul Matin Khasru, ASM Feroz, Anisul Hoque, Rashed Khan Menon and Hasanul Haq Inu. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury is the ex-officio chairman of the committee on petition. The other members are Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, HM Ersahd, Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, Fazle Rabbi, Abdus Shahid, Sheikh Md Nurul Haque, Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu, Mayeen Uddin Khan Badal and Saber Hossain Chowdhury. l

to continue movement n Arif Ahmed The youth led platform “Ganajagaran Mancha” started their three-day celebration of the first anniversary of the Shahbagh movement yesterday.

On February 5 last year, the Mancha began demonstrating against an International Crimes Tribunal verdict that sentenced war criminal Quader Molla for life term.

To celebrate the first day, the Mancha decorated the Shahbagh intersection, known as “Projonmo Chattar,” as well as the adjacent roads with various photos of the initial stages of the movement. They also added colour paintings bearing various slogans and sang several Ganajagaran Songs.

Earlier on the day, they paid their tribute to the war martyrs at the National Martyrs’ Monument and central Shaheed Minar by placing wreaths.

The second part of the first day celebrations began at 3pm, as activists and visitors started to gather at the “Projonmo Chattar.” The session commenced with National Anthem, after which the activists took an oath to continue their movement until their sixpoint demand would be met.

Maruf Rasul, one of the organisers of the Mancha, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are taking an oath to continue our movement until we meet these issues which include ensuring the capital punishment of all war criminals, banning of Jamaat-Shibir, isolation of all war criminals from economic, political,

and social endeavours in our country, protesting the communal attacks and building Bangladesh with the spirits of the Liberation war.”

After the oath-taking, the “Jagaran Rally” began at 5pm and marched from Shahbagh to Karwan Bazaar and finished upon their return to the TSC at Dhaka University. This rally was led by Ganajagaran Mancha Convener Dr Imran H Sarkar.

The rally was addressed by, amongst others, educationist Kamal Lohani, Hasan Imam, JNU former VC Dr Anwar Hossain, prominent personality Abed Khan and cultural activists Nasir Uddin, Yousuf Bacchu and Fakir Alamgir.

Around 7pm, the activists started to share memoirs of their activities with the Mancha throughout the last year.

The first day’s event came to a close after a cultural program performed by Udichi.

Mancha Convener Dr Imran told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have fulfilled the purposes of our movement in one year, but we are still not totally successful as we have not been able to reach our six point demands yet. However, we have gained some success like hanging of Quader Molla.

“We will continue as until our demands are met and until Bangladesh turned into a non-communal and militancy free country.”

The second day of the program will recommence at 3pm today at Shahbagh. l

Nasim: Joint force operations only target criminals n Emran Hossain Shaikh The persons who were punished in recent joint-force operations are criminals.

AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim made the comment yesterday at a press conference in AL President Sheikh Hasina’s political office under Dhanmondi in the capital.

Nasim, also the health minister said; “ The BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, in a press conference on Tuesday, alleged that the government killed and disappeared 300 leaders and activists with the help of joint-forces. We want to say that all those who were punished or arrested in the operation of joint-forces are criminals.”

Nasim claimed that the joint-forces

carried out operations obeying law.

Nasim alleged that Khaleda Zia had given wrong information through her statement in the press conference.

AL leaders Motia Chowdhury, Nuh-ul-Alam Lenin, Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Dipu Moni, Hasan Mahmud, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud, Afzal Hossain, Asim Kumar Ukil, among others, were present at the function.

Matia Chowdhury called Khaleda Zia as mother of Chhatra Shibir.

“As their mother Khaleda will not be able to cut ties with Jamaat-Shibir,” she said.

She also said as Khaleda had lost her position of leader of the opposition, she had no platform for delivering her statement. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Shahriar: Triple crises hinders MDG target n Ashif Islam Shaon Any global community-sponsored new development goals must have a clear and strong support mechanism and if not, it will be a hard task to attain those, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said yesterday referring to the hurdle for attaining the MDGs. He said the efforts of much of the developing world got constrained as the world faced challenges midway through the last decade due to triple crises of fuel, food and finance.

The new state minister was addressing a seminar titled Contemporary development debate: Bangladesh in the global context.

Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised it at its auditorium in the city as global community is preparing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that replaces the UN’s Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

“The countries like Bangladesh want the goals to be framed on values and principles like equity, inclusion, and common but differentiated responsibility and respective capacities,” he said addressing the inaugural session as the chief guest.

Dr Shamsul Alam, member of the General Economic Division of the Planning Commission, said Bangladesh received on average only $1.32 billion annually from 1990 to 2011, though, it needed foreign assistance to the tune of $5 billion and $3 billion per year under the baseline and high growth scenarios respectively.

At the seminar both foreign and local experts said Bangladesh has made significant achievements in several sectors. But in some sectors it lacks behind.

They said, according to MDG progress report, the population living below the poverty line reduced from 56.7% in

1991-91 to 29% in 2012, while primary school enrolment rate reached 98.7%.

The rate of girl student enrolment is currently 99.4%.

Against the target of achieving 48 per 1,000 live births in 2015, Bangladesh has already achieved 44 per 1,000 live births in 2011.

Acknowledging the facts about the education system Neal Walker, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, said: “While school enrolment is high the challenge now is the quality of education,” He also emphasized on reducing “profound malnutrition” and environmental degradation, while also promoting decent work, ownership of land and productive assets for the poor and inclusive social policies.

“Inequality will only worsen without these,” Walker said.

Centre for Policy Dialogue Executive Director Dr Mustafizur Rahman said: “Trade cannot be free if it is not fair.”

He stressed on reforming global trade regime, mainly opening up of the labor marker of the developed countries.

He demanded that the developed countries support efficient energy development efforts that are very important for Bangladesh’s development.

He also suggested looking for increasing own financing by improving tax regimes at home, while also enhancing aid effectiveness, amid low overseas development assistance.

Brac University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ainun Nishat suggested imposing tax on the holidaymakers on travels, and withdrawing tax on the travel of the migrant workers as part of innovative resource mobilisation.

Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, BIISS Director General Maj Gen SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chairman Munshi Faiz Ahmad, DFID Bangladesh Head Sarah Cooke, among others spoke on the occasion. l

HC summons Toma Group MD n Tribune Report The High Court yesterday summoned managing director of Toma Group Limited to appear in person before it on February 12 in a case regarding construction on the Shidwesshari Boys School and College ground in the capital.

The court also ordered the law enforcers to ensure the appearance of Shoaib Chowdhury, president of the governing body of Shidwesshari Boys School and College, on the same day after arresting him.

The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul

Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain passed the order on a writ petition filed

by Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond. Toma Group had taken out a lease on the ground for two years from the institution.

Earlier, on June 19 last year, the same court gave an injunction on any kind of construction on the ground of the institution. However, Toma Group, defying the court’s order, built a twostory building for serving official purpose, Eunus said. The court had also issued a rule on why the lease should not be declared illegal. l

Two children play on the street on a busy afternoon in the capital's Shahbagh yesterday

CHT LAND COMMISSION REFORM LIKELY

Ministry looking for ‘efficient’ chairman n Mohosinul Karim The government has taken an initiative to reform the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission, around 18 months after the expiry of the fifth commission’s tenure.

The move aims at returning the “illegally leased and occupied land” in the three hill districts to the repatriated indigenous people. The CHT affairs ministry has already started searching for an “efficient” person for the post of the commission chairman.

The commission would be reformed in consultation with the stakeholders after the ministry finds an appropriate person for the post, State Minister Bir Bahadur U Shei Ching told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday at his secretariat office.

The fifth commission served out its tenure on July 19, 2012 without resolving a single case. Retired judge Khademul Islam, the outgoing chairman, was appointed on July 19, 2009 for three years.

The commission had held 24 meetings. But, the representatives of the indigenous communities boycotted the meetings since the fifth commission began working. The Khademul commission invited controversies by emphasising a cadastral survey of the hill districts ignoring traditional land rights in the place.

Bir Bahadur said the government was working to implement all the conditions of the 1997 CHT peace accord which was signed between the then Awami League government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) to end a decade-long spate of armed violence.

Some of the conditions have already been implemented. The initiative of implementing the rests would also be taken shortly, said the state minister.

The bill seeking amendment to the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act 2001 would also be placed in parliament soon after finishing all the legal procedures.

“It would reduce the complications to implement the accord fully as per the desire of the hill people,” he added.

The indigenous leaders say the land of the hill people, who had fled to India after August 1975 to evade the conflicts between armed group Shanti Bahini and the army and returned after 1997, was “illegally leased out and went to the grabbers.” They argue that the 2001 law had no mention of settlement of such land.

Resolving the crises regarding ownership and proper use of land, prioritising agriculture and ensuring peaceful atmosphere in the hill area would be his top priority as state minister, Bir Ba-

Dry weather likely n UNB

City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

26.8 27.8 27.5 22.5 28.5 27.9 24.5 29.0

12.5 14.2 10.7 08.6 12.0 12.4 12.9 15.4

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:20am 6:36am 12:13am 4:12pm 5:48pm 7:05pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

hadur said.

An inter-ministerial meeting on July 30, 2012 agreed to amend 10 of the 13 demands put forth by the CHT Accord Implementation Committee. The 13 points were proposed by the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council and the CHT affairs ministry.

The cabinet on June 3 last year approved the bill prepared in line with the decisions.

The bill was placed in parliament for passage on June 16 last year. But, it was stuck as the parliamentary standing committee on land ministry failed to reach a consensus regarding the proposed amendments.

According to the CHT affairs and land ministry, the proposal would be placed before the cabinet again to get its approval before placing in parliament again.

The CHT Commission in October last year expressed concern as the land commission remained non functioning and conflicts related to land grabbing continued to take place in the region. Citing some recent examples in which indigenous people were attacked, it said the allegations of grabbing indigenous peoples’ land could only be addressed once the commission started functioning fully and effectively. l

Youth drowns in pond, police blamed

n Our Correspondent, Madaripur The body of a youth was recovered yesterday from a pond at Master Colony in Madaripur town, five days after he was reported missing.

The victim, Shamim Sardar, 16, from Gouranadi upazila of Barisal, used to live with his family in the town’s Stadium Road area.

Witnesses said Shamim fell into the pond and drowned on Friday night as police chased after a group of suspected stalkers. However, police claimed Shamim was chased by some local people.

“Locals chased after a group of five to seven stalkers on January 31. Later, police arrested two of them,” said Assistant Police Superintendent of Madaripur (circle) Abu Bakar Siddique.

Shamim’s family searched the pond on Tuesday with fishing nets, but failed to find his body. But around dawn yesterday, residents of the colony saw a dead body floating on the pond and informed the Madaripur Sadar police station.

Police recovered the body and sent it to the Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Meanwhile, Shamim’s mother, Yeasmin Begum, yesterday accused police of killing her son.

“Police drowned my son by chasing after him, or they killed him through torture and then threw him in the pond,” Yeasmin alleged. “I want justice.” l

Charges against Limon yet to be withdrawn

WEATHER

Weather is likely to remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today.

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

Mild cold wave is sweeping over the regions of Mymensingh, Tangail, Srimangal, Pabna, Rangpur and Syedpur and it may abate. Night and day temperature may rise slightly over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:48pm today and rises at 6:37am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 29.5 degree Celsius was recorded in Patuakhali and lowest 07.6 degrees in Srimangal yesterday.

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

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

A bus lies overturned in a roadside ditch after it was hit by a truck near Turag Beribandh on Wednesday afternoon. The bus was carrying garment workers and 20 workers were hurt in the accident FOCUS BANGLA

6 die in separate incidents across Dhaka n Tribune Report At least six people, including a child, died in separate incidents in different parts of the capital yesterday.

Two people died after falling from the rooftops of multi-storied buildings, while two others were killed in traffic accidents. A woman allegedly committed suicide and a prisoner died from an undisclosed illness at a government hospital, police said.

A three-year-old boy named Fahim fell while playing on the roof of a twostorey at Uttarkhan. He was declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Fahim was the only son of Ali Hossain and Moni Begum.

Abdur Rashid, a 21-year-old construction worker from Chapainawab-

ganj, died in a fall from an eight-storey under-construction building at Mirpur Section 12 yesterday morning, said Johir Rayhan, sub-inspector of Pallabi police station.

Sukkur Ali, 45, a CNG auto-rickshaw driver, was badly injured when a speeding truck rammed his vehicle on Tuesday night in front of Chandrima Super Market. He was going to Babubazar from Keraniganj with three passengers.

Moinuddin Ahmed, officer-incharge of Keraniganj Model Police Station, said Sukkur died at the DMCH early yesterday. The passengers, Emdadul Haque, 60, his wife, Hosneara, 42, and their daughter, Nowshin Jahan Urmi, 26, are admitted to the hospital.

Another person, Abdul Kader, 60, from Mymensingh, was killed when a

passenger bus hit him at the Khilkhet flyover yesterday morning, the inspector at the DMCH police outpost said.

Meanwhile, police recovered the hanging body of a woman from a tinshed house at Dakhinkhan, said Azizur Rahman, sub-inspector of Dakhinkhan police station. Police suspect the woman, Sabita, 23, wife of Krishno Chandra Dhar of Habiganj, committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling following a family dispute.

Meantime, an ailing prisoner died as his condition deteriorated at the DMCH early yesterday.

Mohammad Mahbub, a jail official, said Ibrahim Khalil, 50, was moved to the DMCH from Narayanganj jail on Tuesday. He died yesterday while undergoing treatment at the hospital. l

Charges against Limon in one of the two cases lodged by RAB after maiming him were yet to be withdrawn, eight months after the Home Ministry’ order.

Of the two cases, one was filed under the arms act and another for obstructing the lawmen while carrying out the government duty, attempt to murder and injuring RAB personnel (GR-46).

The hearing on withdrawal of the case (GR-46) was yesterday deferred to April for the sixth time.

Advocate M Alam Khan Kalam, additional public prosecutor of Jhalakathi, and defence lawyer Akkas Shikdar explained that as the chief judicial magistrate of Jhalakathi had been transferred in August 2013, acting chief judicial magistrate and senior Judicial Magistrate Md Arifuzzaman had no jurisdiction to hear such appeal.

Limon Hossain, a college student who used to work in a brick kiln to bear

his educational expenses, was allegedly maimed by RAB shooting on March 23, 2011, just about fortnight before his HSC examination.

Limon’s left leg was amputated from the thigh on March 27 at Dhaka National Institute for Traumatolgy and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) Hospital. After shooting, RAB filed the two cases against Limon and seven others on the same day with Rajapur police station.

As the human rights activists protested the cases against Limon, the Home Ministry on July 9, 2013 issued an order to withdraw charges against Limon in both cases lodged by RAB. That order reached Jhalakathi district magistrate on July 16 and public prosecutor put forward the case to the court on July 21. After hearing, Kiran Sangkar Haldar, judge of the special tribunal 2, accepted the appeal and asked the authorities concerned to drop the charges against Limon. l

Youth urged to make country eco-friendly n Tribune Report Youth can play a vital role in creating a sustainable and eco-friendly Bangladesh by preserving wetland.

They were urged it by the environmentalists yesterday at a workshop held in the Department of Environmental Science at Stamford University, Dhanmondi campus.

The workshop titled as “Role of Youth in Climate Change Adaption through Revival and Conservation

of Wetlands” under Youth in Action: Green Youth Citizens project in association with European Union (EU) and Stamford University Bangladesh, was organized by Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO).

The speakers at the event said more than 60% of wetlands of Dhaka were lost in the last 30 years.

Around 40 students of Stamford University and Daffodil University took part in the workshop. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Preparation to rein back crime underway Intelligence agencies making police station-wise rolls of criminals a digitised era and the gangsters are making plans to contain terrorism. n Mohammad Jamil Khan Recently, a state-run intelligence capitalising on technologies to operate Members of intelligence agency have started preparing police station-wise lists of terrorists and godfathers across the capital to rein the ongoing criminal activities back.

The 49 police stations in the capital have come under the purview of the intelligence officials who are making the rolls in order to conduct raid.

According to intelligence agencies, the number of new generation criminals have increased in the capital and their activities and working areas have also changed. The gangsters of one area are trying to establish their supremacy in another area.

Over the last couple of months, police have been “very busy” conducting their operation to check political violence and acts of sabotage.

Nowadays, the situation has improved and the intelligence officials are

agency has prepared a list of 500 criminals of new generation that started dominating the criminal underworld after a gap of one year.

To have detailed information about the hoodlums, the law enforcers are preparing police station-wise list of them.

Contacted, Monirul Islam, joint commissioner, Detective Branch of police told the Dhaka Tribune the lawmen were working very hard to ensure safety and security of public and their property.

He also said they had information about some new generation terrorist groups who started dominating the criminal underworld and some of them already went to foreign countries.

A high official of a state-run intelligence agency on request of anonymity said: “We are now heading towards

UK education fair in Dhaka from next week n Tazlina Zamila Khan The 16th Education UK Exhibition will begin in the city on February 13 with a view to offer the best educational opportunities to Bangladeshi students.

Like previous years, the British Council will organise the event. This year, the exposition will be held in three cities – Dhaka, Chittagong, and for the first time, Sylhet.Robin Davies, director Partnership and Programmes of the British Council Bangladesh, made the announcement at a press conference held at a city yesterday.

“We are increasing our footprints in Bangladesh. Young people are the next generation of Bangladesh. They will play a leading role in the development of the country in next 20 30 years if quality education is ensured,” he added.

The two-day expo will be held at the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Sonargaon. On February 13, the fair will remain open from noon to 7pm while on February 14, from 11am-7pm.

In Sylhet, the expo will be held at Rose View Hotel on February 19 from noon to 7pm while in Chittagong the fair will be held at Zinnia Hall of Paninsula Hotel from 12 noon to 7pm on February 16.

In Dhaka, representatives from 40

renowned university of the UK will be present at the exhibition to answer the queries of Bangladeshi students.

Besides, representative from 12 UK universities will participate in the fair in Chittagong and Sylhet respectively.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid is expected to inaugurate the exhibition in Dhaka. British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert W Gibson will also be present at the fair.

Chittagong City Corporation Mayor Alhaj M Manjur Alam and Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury will inaugurate the exhibition in Chittagong and Sylhet respectively.

Project Manager for Services for International Education Marketing of British Council M Jahir Uddin said participants should register online to visit the exhibition for free. They have to bring registration confirmation and photocopies of their academic documents.

If anyone could not register online, an entry fee of Tk50 is applicable.

A UK Border Agency representative will be available at the British Council stall to answer queries related to the UK visa application process.

For further queries, anyone can visit- www.britishcouncil.org/bangladesh. l

their illegal business.”

Besides godfathers, criminals have a three-tier gang – big, middle and small, and a number of murder, mugging and criminal cases are filed against them.

In this regard, Jahangir Hossain Matubbor, deputy commissioner (West) of DB police, told the Dhaka Tribune while investigating into some recent murder cases, it was found that most murders took place centring establishing supremacy over other terrorist groups.

In the groups, most were new generation criminals who had once been followers of some godfathers, but now turned out to be gang leaders, he added.

“We are verifying information on different murders and terrorist acts and trying to trace the criminals to mete out punishment to them,” he added. l

One burnt to death, seven houses gutted in Chittagong n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong A fish seller was burnt to death and seven semi-pucca houses were gutted in a fire that broke out in Fishery Ghat area in the port city in the early hours of yesterday.

Firefighters’ sources said the fire had originated from an electric short circuit in a shanty of the slum of fishermen around 4am and soon spread to the adjoining six houses.

Shyamal Das, 38, son of Chandan Das, was burnt alive while he was asleep in his room, said Jhunu Das, sister of the deceased.

Jhunu also said they had found the body of Shyamal after the blaze was doused by the firefighters.

However, six firefighting units from Agrabad fire service and civil defence headquarters and Nandankanon fire station rushed to the spot and extinguished the flame after an hour’s effort, said Jashim Uddin, deputy assistant director of Agrabad fire service and civil defence headquarters.

The firefighters estimated the loss incurred due to the fire at Tk7 lakh. l

One killed, 2 injured falling from high-rise n Kailash Sarkar A construction worker was killed and two others sustained severe injuries in two separate incidents yesterday while they were working in the capital’s Pallabi and Gulshan areas.

According to sources, construction worker Md Abdur Rashid, 21, fell down at 11:00am from a multistoried building named Chowrangi at Section-12 in Mirpur under Pallabi police station where he was placing tiles at the outside walls of the building along with other workers.

He was sent to the DMCH where the doctors declared him dead.

SI Abu Raihan of Pallabi police

station said Rashid, hailing from Chapainawabganj district, died due to lack of safety measures.

The body was sent to the hospital morgue.

On the other hand, construction workers –Md Rashed, 18, and Lal Miah, 20, fell down from the 7th floor of under construction building at Khan Plaza on Road-11 in Gulshan-1 in the afternoon.

Immediately after Rashed and Lal fell down, other workers sent them to the DMCH at a critical condition.

The workers fell down after the safety ropes tore, said police and other workers.

Both the incidents happened due to working amid risk without safety measures, said police and witnesses. l

Freshers’ orientation held at Gono University n Tribune Report Freshers of BDS and physiotherapy courses under Gono University and the 19th batch of Gonoshasthya Samaj Vittik Medical College in Savar participated in an orientation programme held in the PHA auditorium of the Gonoshasthya Kendra, (Peoples Health Centre) on Wednesday.

Vice-Chancellor of Gono University - Professor Mesbahuddin Ahmed led the programme while former departmental head of Ear, Nose and Throat department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Medical University MN Amin was present as the chief guest.

Amin said, “Those who are going to contribute in the health sector have to play their individual roles to build a modern and healthy society.”

Professor Ahmed said that the Gono University is an individual and exceptional university among the private universities.

He called upon the students to keep the campus smoke and politics free in order to build themselves as true human beings.

Those who are going to contribute in the health sector have to play their individual roles to build a modern and healthy society The freshers brought out a rally from the university campus and reached the National Martyrs’ Memorial.

Among others, Dr Morshed Chowdhury, departmental head of the community medicine department of the Gonoshasthya Samaj vittik Medical College, Professor Johurul Maola Chowdhury, former principal of Dhaka Medical College and Mir Murtoza Ali Babu, Deputy Registrar of Gono University also spoke at the event. l

Hawkers occupy most of the space of the foot over-bridge at the Kamalapur Railway Station, making it difficult for pedestrians to cross.

The photo was taken yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Lalbagh Fort to open tomorrow with new look n Mohosinul Karim

The historic Lalbagh Fort (Fort Aurangabad) in the capital, popularly known as “Lalbagh Kella,” has been decorated with lighting and sound systems under a cultural affairs ministry project to attract more visitors from both home and abroad.

Lalbagh Fort is an incomplete 17th century Mughal fort complex in Dhaka.

Its construction began in 1678 by Mughal Subedar Prince Muhammad Azam Shah, son of Emperor Aurangzeb, who later became Emperor himself. His successor Shaista Khan, however, did not continue the work.

The Department of Archaeology authority has already completed the decorations and other equipments are also set to inform the visitor’s details about the fort. All the preparations of the project worth around Tk2.83crore have been completed.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the project on Friday at 6pm.

Director General of the Department of Archaeology Shirin Akhtar told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the fort would be opened for the visitors after the inauguration programme.

She also informed that the lighting

and sound system would remain open round the year except during the rainy season.

The Department of Archaeology authority has already completed the decorations and other equipments are also set to inform the visitor’s details about the fort The main script of the show, which will let the visitors know details about the fort, is written by eminent poet and writer Syed Shamsul Haq. Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor is expected to hold a press conference at 4pm today at PID conference room to present details about the project, she added.

According to officials concerned, around 40,000-50,000 visitors were visiting the fort daily and number of ticket sale was high during the weekends, adding that sale of tickets would be further increased following the inauguration of the new project.l

Accused flees Barisal courtroom before sentencing

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

A man accused of theft fled from a Barisal courtroom yesterday, moments before the announcement of a final verdict in his case.

Witnesses and court sources said Hasan Haoladar, from Chamta village in Bakerganj upazila, was charged with stealing six kilos of betel nuts from a wholesaler, Akbar Kha of Neamoti Bazar of the upazila. A case was filed with Bakerganj police station in 2011.

Hasan was convicted and sentenced to one year’s rigorous imprisonment in December 2012 by a senior judicial magistrate of Barisal. Hasan appealed against the verdict and was released on bail.

On the date fixed for his appeal ruling, Hasan presented himself before the second additional district and session judge court yesterday. But fearing that his appeal would be rejected, he fled the courtroom, said Abdul Aziz, bench clerk of the court. Md Sultan, a police constable on duty at the court, said before appearing on the dock, the accused paused to take off his shoes, but ran out of the court instead.

Nasim Reza, the presiding judge, then postponed announcing the verdict.

He also ordered police to nab the runaway accused and produce him before the court, the bench clerk said. l

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Nation

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Ecology of coastal belts under threat Shrimp spawn catchers affecting biodiversity of southern regional as well as fish resources n Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal Fish resources, biodiversity as well as ecological balances of the southern region are under threat as catching of spawn of lobsters and shrimp goes unabated in the coastal belts.

As wholesalers are offering good prices, hundreds of spawn catchers, irrespective of ages, are engaged in catching “Renu Pona” (spawns of shrimp and lobster).

Traders have fixed prices of per hundred pieces of spawns at Tk50 to Tk100, depending on size.

The spawn catchers use different types of thick waved nets such as mosquito nets and “current jal”.

A large quantity of roes and spawns of other fish are being destroyed every day as fishermen only keep spawn and roes of shrimp or lobsters, and throw or destroy other variety of spices.

The Kuakata coast of Bay of Bengal and rivers named Ramnabad, Tiakhali, Chakmaia, Sonatala, Andharmanik, Sagor Mohana of Patuakhali, Ilisha, Agunmukha, Tentulia of Bhola, Bishkhali of Barguna, Baleswar of Pirojpur and canals, channels and branches of those rivers are the main spots for this type of spawn catching.

Kalam Molla, 40, who is engaged in shorting spawn after catching at Alipur ferry ghat, said after two hours, he stopped neeting and found only 37 spawns of shrimps and lobsters after shorting some 1,500 spawns of 30 varieties of fishes.

“I just kept the shrimp spawn and threw away or dumped other species” said Rashid Ali, 40, another fisherman, who was sorting spawn near Kuakata beach.

A four-member family can easily earn Tk200 to Tk400 as extra income per day from their spawn catching, said another fish man.

An official of the divisional fisheries department said to collect one spawn of lobster or shrimp, about 200 spawns of other varieties and 1,096 feeding items of other aquatic animals are destroyed in average.

“Mahajans” (merchants) have invested lakhs of taka in this sector and given loan in advances to the spawn catchers, said Rahid Badsha, a wholesaler in Alipur area.

Use of finely waved net is illegal, said AKM Aminul Islam, Barisal divisional fishery officer.

Drives by the Coast Guard and the Navy against the spawn neeting could not be successful as catchers and businessmen hide their engine boats inside the narrow canal, channels or small rivers.

Representatives of Codec, a non-government organisation, said about four to six lakh people, mostly children and women, are engaged in spawn business.

Bankim Chandra, assistant director of Barisal divisional fishery department, told the Dhaka Tribune that as so many people are involved in this spawn-trade, it was tough to stop them through vigilance. l

The photo taken yesterday shows people catching spawn of fishes at Kuakata beach

Many physically challenged denied government aid in Rajbari n Our Correspondent, Rajbari In Bangladesh where at least Tk34 is needed to buy a kilogram of rice and the per capita income is boasted to be $1,044 (over Tk80,000), the government provides a meagre Tk350/month to a physically challenged person as financial aid.

According to a Department of Social Service survey in 2013, there are 15,201 registered physically challenged people in five upazilas of Rajbari but only 15%, which is about 2,280, comes under the coverage of the government allowance and the rest are still deprived.

The department works under the Ministry of Social Welfare.

These people, mostly belonging to poor families, are often treated as a burden in their households; neglected and deprived of education and other necessities.

Sultan Miah, a five-year-old, suffers from speech impairment. Though he is registered with the local social service department, he is still unsuccessful to

come under the financial aid coverage.

According Sultan’s mother Shakirun Begum, the boy was only five months old when he suffered from typhoid but he recovered after receiving treatment from an herbal practitioner locally known as kabiraj.

She said after Sultan had reached 10 months, he was unable to talk or walk and was taken to Rajbari Sadar Hospital but the doctor referred Dhaka’s Mitford Hospital for better treatment. “But we could not afford it,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Sultan’s father, a rickshaw-puller, said a certificate of disability was issued to the boy by a Rajbari Sadar Upazila Health and Family Planning officer after examination but it came of no use.

“We went to the local union parishad chairman and the social service department office for help several times but the efforts went in vain.’’ ‘’Often he wants to eat fish, meat and fruits but we cannot afford them,’’ added the father.

Selim Miah, 21, who has been physically challenged since birth, also do have a certificate but is deprived from the government’s education allowance.

Selim’s mother said: “We do not need just a certificate, we need an education allowance. I want to educate my son and I want the government or an NGO to help me.”

According to sources, such a situation persists because of shortage of allocated government fund for the physically challenged but the authorities are planning to broaden the coverage to beneficiaries.

On the issue, Zillur Rahman, an officer of Rajbari Department of Social Services, said: “Six disabled people will be selected for allowance this year and we hope Sultan Miah will be able to enrol in this list.”

Depok Kumer Pramanik, acting deputy director of Rajbari Department of Social Service, said: “The government has planned to bring more 10% physically challenged people under the allowance programme this year.” l

Potato farmers raise voice for fair prices

Jubo League leader escapes from custody

n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

A union parishad unit Jubo League leader escaped with handcuffs from law enforcers’ custody in Baburkaichail area under Nagarkanda upazila of the district yesterday.

According to witnesses, a team of RAB8 held Ashraf Hossain, 30, president of Kaichail union unit Jubo League and son of one Osman Matubber in the area with yaba and put him in handcuffs. l

Lying on a road, hundreds of potato farmers staged demonstration and demanded fair prices for their produce at Shaheed Minar intersection in Dinajpur yesterday.

The potato growers under the banner of “Alu Chasi Sangram Parishad” also kept 20 sacks of potatoes on road and blocked Dhaka-Dinajpur Highway for an hour. Convener of the organisation Faruk Hossain and farmers from adjacent areas spoke at the agitation programme.

After the demonstration, they handed over a memorandum to Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Jafar, demanding measures to fulfil their five-point demands.

Potato growers in the district are selling their agri-produce at lower prices incurring huge losses as prices of the cash crops have marked a sharp fall in the local markets.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, 198,352 tonnes of

Lakshmipur schools beset with problems

n Our Correspondent, Faridpur

potatoes were cultivated on 10,120 hectares of land this year while the target was 130,145 tonnes.

The DAE sources said that farmers had spent Tk 4.95 to Tk 6.00 on an average to produce a kg of the vegetable. But they are selling the product at Tk 40 to Tk 250 per 40kg in wholesale markets. They have to incur losses of Tk 3.00 per kg as production cost.

It was learnt that there are four cold storages at Beerganj to store potatoes.

Sahi Cold Storage situated at Habluhaat of Sujalpur union, has capacity of 8,000 tonnes, Himadri Cold Storage at Chakai village has capacity of 8,800 tonnes, Sahi Cold Storage at Dalua village under Sator union has the capacity of 7,500 tonnes and Rahbar Cold Storage of Vognagar union has capacity of 11,000 tonnes.

But the four cold storages are not sufficient to preserve potatoes of the district. Farmers said if they were provided with preservation facilities, they would preserve potatoes and sell those after a hike in potato prices. l

Woman held with fake currency

n Our Correspondent, Natore Police arrested a woman yesterday with fake currency worth about Tk 42,000 in Millat Market of Madrasha crossing area under the city. The arrested was identified as Selina Akter Sheli, 40, wife of Abdul Jalil of Baraigram Southpara area.

Akhratuzzaman Prodhan, officer-incharge of Natore DB police said Sheli gave a fake note of Tk1000 to the Jonaki Confectionary owner in the market while she was buying biscuit. The shop owner informed the incident to the police. l

GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH OFFICE OF THE DIVISIONAL RAILWAY MANAGER, BANGLADESH RAILWAY, PAKSEY, PABNA.

n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur Academic life of thousands of students are at risk as 216 government primary schools in Lakshmipur are beset with a variety problems, both with infrastructure and quality manpower.

The situation is not only hampering academic activities of students but also posing a threat to the lives of students as many of them are attending classes inside dilapidated school buildings.

Moreover, finding no alternatives, teachers are taking classes under open sky.

During a recent visit to Madhya Shakchar Government Primary School, Motobi Government Primary School and Balaispur Government Primary School, this correspondent found that several cracks have devolved on school buildings, and through these cracks, rainwater seeps into classrooms during rainy season.

Lack of classrooms, benches and blackboards have been creating hindrance to educational activities.

In many schools, sanitation system and deep tube wells have not been repaired for a long.

Headmistress of JM Haat Government Primary School Rina Begum said, “The school was built in 1995.

Later, the school was declared abandoned after some students were injured as some bricks from the roof fell on them.”

After the incident, teachers of the school are taking classes inside a room of Forkania Madrassash.

Students of the schools study in

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Ministry/Division Agency Procuring Entry Name Procuring Entry Code Procuring Entry District Invitation For

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Invitation reference No & date

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The building of JM Haat Government Primary School is seen empty as district education office has declared the school abandoned for its dilapidated condition DHAKA TRIBUNE a jam-packed room which is harmful for their health, she said, adding that consequently, students could not focus on their studies.

Many students of the school have stopped coming simply because they do not feel safe, and most complain they are not learning anything.

But many students are not as lucky as the students of JM Haat Government Primary School. These students face imminent danger to their lives every day simply by going to school.

Headmasters of the schools said they were compelled to hold classes inside dilapidated classrooms, as

they have no other alternatives.

According to District Primary Education Office, there are a total of 722 government primary schools at five upazila of the district.

According to a recent survey, of the total schools, 216 are beset with problems.

Last year, a total of 263,197 students were studying in these schools. But, 3,751 students have already dropped out.

A total of 300 posts of headmasters and 78 posts of assistant headmasters are lying vacant in the government primary schools, hampering education, management and

administrative works.

On the other hand, a total of 22 posts out of 33 remain vacant not only hindering activities of district education office but also cannot makes contribution to the education sector of the district.

District Primary Education Officer Md Nurul Islam said, “Primary school lacks teachers and manpower and infrastructure problems. We have made a list of 216 risky buildings and sent it to the ministry concerned.”

He hoped that the ministry would take measures to lessen the sufferings of children. l

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Pabna.

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Divisional Engineer/II, Paksey, Pabna. i) Divisional Engineer/Lalmonirhat. ii) Asst. Executive Engineer/Rajshahi. iii) Asst.Executive Engineer/In-charge/Saidpur office.

Divisional Engineer/II, Paksey, Pabna.

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Juris Respite for children DHAKA TRIBUNE

7

Thursday, February 6, 2014

JURIS QUOTE

The newly enacted Children Act, 2013 replaces the old Children Act, 1974

LAW CARTOON

BIG STOCK

I

n Talukdar Rasel Mahmud

n Bangladesh we had the Children Act, 1974 to ensure the rights of the children and to regulate the treatment towards them. With the passage of time the law became obsolete and society felt the need of an upto-date legislation. Moreover, Bangladesh signed the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989 and has become pledge bound to enact a national legislation to suit with the international convention.

With a view to implementing the CRC convention, Bangladesh has enacted The Children Act, 2013, in its 9th Parliament last year. The move was appreciated by all. However, due to lack of exposure and social awareness, the law is little known among the masses.

Here are some of the basic features of the newly enacted Children Act, 2013.

Age of a child

The new law defines a child as a person under the age of 18 years, which is internationally accepted age limit for a child. In the previous legislation a child was defined as a person under the age of 16 years. This is a very important development because discrepancy in the age of a child in different laws may entail many legal and judicial complications.

Child Welfare Board

According to the new law, a “Child Welfare Board” will be constituted at the national level with its chapter at district and upazila levels. The functions of the national and upazila child welfare boards are to reintegrate the children with the family and the society who are deprived of or tangled into judicial process.

Help desk for children in police stations

The new law requires that every police station of the country have a help desk for children under the supervision of an officer not lower than the rank of a sub-inspector.

This dedicated help desk will handle issues where children are involved.

Juvenile court in every district

According to the new law, a juvenile court will have to be established in every district or metropolitan area to deal with the cases in connection with children. While adjudicating a child, the court must take into account the age, sex, mental, and physical condition, family and life-style, economic condition etc of the child concerned.

Arrest of children

According to the law, whatever be the allegation against him/her, the police must not arrest a child who is under nine years of age. A child aged above nine may be arrested, but the law enforcers cannot use handcuffs or ropes.

Restriction on awarding certain punishments

If a child is proven to be guilty of an offence under any law, he/she must not be given death sentence or life imprisonment. Under exceptional circumstances, where the child is convicted of offence of any heinous nature, and the authority feels that the correction centres or safe homes are not appropriate for him/her, they may be given imprisonment which should not exceed the maximum period of imprisonment provided for the offence. l Talukder Rasel Mahmud is a lecturer of Law at Daffodil International University.

OFFENCES RELATED TO CHILDREN AND PUNISHMENTS Section

Offences

Maximum punishment

70

Cruelty towards children

5 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk1 lac or both.

71

Involving children in begging

5 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk1 lac or both.

72

Getting intoxicated while handling a child as custodian

1 year imprisonment or a fine of Tk50 thousands or both.

73

Using or compelling children to carry or transport intoxicating or dangerous drugs

3 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk1 lac or both.

74

Allowing entry of children in any place where intoxicating and dangerous drugs are sold

3 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk1 lac or both.

75

Instigating children in gambling or taking loan

2 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk50 thousands or both.

76

Taking mortgage or buying goods from children

1 year imprisonment or a fine of Tk25 thousands or both.

77

Allowing children at brothel

2 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk50 thousands or both.

78

Misleading children or instigating them to do unfair acts eg prostitution, etc

5 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk1 lac or both.

79

Involving children in carrying arms or illegal or prohibited objects and criminal acts

3 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk1 lac or both.

80(1)

Exploiting children for personal interest

2 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk50 thousands or both.

80(2)

Exploiting children by compelling them to do unfair acts or prostitution

5 years imprisonment or a fine of Tk1 lac or both.

81

Publishing any report, picture or any information about any proceeding of court by media which is against the interest of children

1 year imprisonment or a fine of Tk50 thousands or both.

That means if a “bandh” is observed peacefully without threat and use of force it comes within the scope of freedom of expression as well as constitutional validity.

After the elapsing of three years from the date of the Bharat Kumar case the Supreme Court of Bangladesh also faced the similar question whether hartal is a constitutional right, and falls within the scope of freedom of expression. The Honourable High Court Division in Khondaker Modarresh Elahi v Bangladesh (BLD, 2001) held that calling for hartal not accompanied by threat and use force is only an expression guaranteed as a fundamental right under the constitution.

Hartal: Freedom of expression or oppression?

Hartal creates a long term impact on savings, financial losses, and reduces productivity in agriculture and businesses. Hartal also imposes non-financial expenses on people, including anxiety and insecurity MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

n Md Nasir Shikder

T

he term “Hartal” is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh. Every one living in Bangladesh is well introduced to the facts and facets of hartal. The term has got so much momentum that some English dictionaries put the word in their dictionary though the word is a Gujrati one.

For example, as per Merriam-Webster dictionary hartal means a concerted cessation of work and business especially as a protest against a political situation or an act of government.

The Macmillan dictionary also defines it as an occasion when shops are closed and people stop working as a political protest.

From the historical point of view, hartal acquires an importance when the interest of the society at large come under attack of an autocrat. The early 1950s to 1970s remind us that

hartal was called because of the overriding united aspiration of the nation to send a message to the illegitimate dictatorial regime. It was an acceptable means of showing dissent when constitutional politics diminished, when illegitimacy was the basic component on which a group of people attempt to undermine the democratic environment of the republic.

It was a protest through nonviolence and non-cooperation by the masses. It was not reported anywhere in the history that any person was harassed or victimised by the party calling hartal in those days. In the year 1997 the term “bandh” (strike) for the very first time came into the Indian Court premises for identifying its constitutional validity. The Indian Supreme Court in Bharat Kumar v State of Kerala (AIR, 1997) held that “bandh”, which is accompanied by the threat and use of force has not been treated as a part of the freedom of expression.

The High Court Division, in the same case, also emphasised that any attempt to enforce the hartal interfering with an individual’s right would render the call illegal, and not protected under the constitution. The High Court Division also observed that it is a democratic right to call hartal, but it should be observed peacefully without resorting to any illegal activities by the pro-hartal activists, but at the same time, hartal should also be allowed to be observed peacefully without any provocation, instigation, intervention, and aggression of any kind by anti-hartal activists.”

However, the total hartal scenario in the present day cannot be termed as peaceful or without the threat or use of force. At present, any person can be a victim of hartal violence. After observing the recent hartals and its consequence, no one who has a minimum sense of humanity can justify hartal as a fundamental right or freedom of expression, rather it can be termed as freedom of oppression. Torching human beings

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in the name of hartal cannot be termed as a citizen protest against tyrants.

Recent violence during hartal is so precarious that the term threat or use of force is not enough to describe the actual situation. In Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan v the State (DLR, 2008) the Appellate Division observed that enforcing hartal by force leading to violence, death and damage to the life and property of other citizens, is not only illegal, but also liable to be punished as per law of the land.

Hartal is resorted to and supported by the parties in opposition while it is criticised and opposed by the party in power. But, people in general suffer rather than the parties in power and in the opposition. In the name of freedom of expression, the ordinary people are oppressed. Two parties are fighting for their own interests, resulting a dreadful consequence to ordinary people.

In the last two decades, political parties are calling and claiming hartal as their political right ignoring public interest, health, and life. All the sectors of economic development, ie transport, garment industry, are paralyzed due to the curse of hartal.

Hartal creates a long term impact on savings, financial losses, and reduces productivity in agriculture and businesses.

Hartal also imposes non-financial expenses on people, including anxiety and insecurity. The education sector is brought to a standstill due to the continuous hartal program.

Though the Supreme Court of Bangladesh declared hartal as a form of freedom of expression, but in reality it turns into freedom of oppression. However, we urge the political leaders to consider the negative effects of hartal in our national life.

We also hope that they will try to avoid hartal and look for alternative ways of protest.

We the citizens of Bangladesh want to see the development of a political culture where respect, civility and dialogue should get preference over hartal and violence. And above all, we hope to see a blissful and affluent Bangladesh where there is no place of hartal violence and a stable political culture will prevail in the country. l Md Nasir Shikder is a lecturer, Department of Law and Justice, Southeast University.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Blast at school in Libya’s Benghazi wounds 6 children n AFP, Benghazi

Bishops stroll through Saint Peter’ s Square on their way to take part in Pope John Paul II’ s weekly general audience

A blast rocked a primary school in Libya’s restive second city Benghazi during playtime on Wednesday, wounding six children, security and medical officials said.

The blast was caused by an explosive device thrown over the exterior wall of the school as the children were playing, said Fadia al-Barghathi, spokeswoman for Benghazi’s Al-Jala hospital.

“The injuries (of the children) range between light and moderate,” she said.

A security official described the REUTERS

UN condemns Vatican child abuse n Agencies

The UN has rejected the Vatican’s argument that it can not implement a children’s rights convention beyond its walls, saying the church has “placed the reputation of the church and the protection of the perpetrators above children’s interests.”

The Vatican was denounced on Wednesday by a UN human rights committee for adopting policies that allowed priests to rape and molest tens of thousands of children, and that these practices also allowed the abuse to continue once detected.

There was not, the committee said, adequate provision to ensure cases like Ireland’s Magdalene laundries scandal, where girls were arbitrarily placed in conditions of forced labour could not be repeated.

Offenders are moved around to new churches or locations, in order to protect them, while putting more children at risk of abuse, the report said while also condemning the “code of silence” imposed on child victims and the fact that those exposed almost always avoided prosecution.

“The Committee is gravely concerned that the Holy See has not ac-

knowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators,” the report said.

Compulsory reporting of cases to local law enforcement has consistently been rejected by the Church, something the UN body condemned, highlighting cases of priests and nuns being ostracised for speaking out.

The report recommended that a new commission, set up by Pope Francis, should ask for civil society help and share all its data in public, ending a culture of failing to provide information about private investigations. It also ordered a rehabilitation centre be set up and “full compensation” be paid to the victims and their families.

A claim by the Vatican that it can not implement the convention beyond its walls was flatly rejected. The UN said that signing the convention meant a responsibility to see it implemented “everywhere you have a priest or a school or a mission that comes under Catholic supervision.”

The UN demanded that all clergy

force of the explosion as “weak” and said a hunt was under way for those behind the attack.

“Witnesses saw an individual throw an explosive device over the school wall during recess,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Moamer Kadhafi, has seen near-daily attacks on security and other targets in recent months as the weak central government has tried to rein in former rebel brigades turned militias. l

known or suspected to be child abusers be removed immediately. The committee also said archives containing details of past abusers should be handed over so that culprits, as well as “those who concealed their crimes,” could be held accountable. The Holy See was also criticised for its attitudes towards homosexuality, contraception and abortion, with the report finding that its attitudes often increased the risks faced by gay or transgender children UN investigators subjected the Holy See to a daylong interrogation last month on its implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed by the Vatican in 1990, the main international treaty ensuring children’s rights.

It is one of 193 countries that have signed the UN convention, giving the international body the jurisdiction to investigate the Holy See’s standards of child protection.

The Vatican submitted a report in 1994 outlining how it intended to implement the convention, but a progress report was not seen until 2012 after a series of sexual abuse cases within the church and allegations of a cover-up.

The UN ended by saying all the recommendations should be completed

by September, 2017. l

Libya says all chemical weapons destroyed n AFP Libya has completely destroyed the chemical arsenal it inherited from Muammar Gaddafi, 10 years after the now slain leader signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz announced.

The completion of the disarmament process, begun under the ousted regime but was interrupted by the NATO-backed uprising that overthrew it, comes as the much bigger operation underway in Syria is seriously behind schedule to the mounting alarm of the West.

“Libya has become totally free of usable chemical weapons that might present a potential threat to the security of local communities, the environment and neighbouring areas,” the minister said on Tuesday.

“This achievement would not have been possible in such a short time, without concerted efforts within an international partnership, or without the logistical support and the technical assistance from Can-

ada, Germany and the USA, which provided the opportunity to use very advanced, safe and reliable technology.”

Abdelaziz was speaking at a ceremony to mark the milestone that was attended by Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) chief Ahmet Uzumcu, who hailed international support for the disarmament operation, which he said was now being mirrored in Syria.

It provided a “good example of international cooperation now emulated in Syria on a larger scale,” the OPCW chief said.

Uzumcu said he had visited the city of Al-Raogha, around 700 kilometres south of the capital Tripoli, earlier in the day to inspect the warehouse where Libya’s largest outstanding stockpile of mustard gas had been housed before its destruction.

The OPCW chief said Libya still held stocks of low-grade Category 2 precursor chemicals but that a programme had been put in place to destroy them by the end of 2016. l

Turkey lawmakers to debate Internet curbs

C Africa soldiers lynch ex-rebel at military ceremony

n AFP, Ankara

n AFP, Bangui

Turkish MPs were to debate Wednesday Internet legislation roundly criticised as a further attack by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on freedom of expression, access to information and investigative journalism.

The proposals come amid parallel moves by Erdogan to push through contentious judicial reforms as he fights to keep the lid on a deeply damaging corruption probe entangling some of his closest allies.

Turks’ ability to go online is already far from free, activists say, with a controversial 2007 Internet law used to block thousands of websites and authorities filing reams of requests to block content.

The OSCE says that the existing “Law 5651” is not in line with “international standards on freedom of expression, independence and pluralism of the media and the free flow of information.”

Websites including blogging tool Wordpress and video-sharing services DailyMotion and Vimeo have been blocked temporarily by court orders, while YouTube was off limits for two years until 2010, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said.

Some alternative news websites cannot be accessed and people have been fined and imprisoned for comments on social media.

In 2013 world-renowned pianist Fazil Say was given a suspended jail term for tweets insulting religious values. l

Syria misses chemical weapons deadline n Reuters, Amsterdam Syria on Wednesday missed a deadline to hand over all the toxic materials it declared to the world’s chemical weapons watchdog, putting the program several weeks behind schedule and jeopardizing a final June 30 deadline.

Under a deal reached in October between Russia and the United States, which helped avert a US-led missile strike against the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad, Syria agreed to give up its entire stockpile of chemical weapons by February 5.

Russia said on Tuesday its ally Damascus would ship more chemicals soon, but Western diplomats said they saw no indications that further shipments were pending.

Syria has said it would submit a handover timetable to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, but gave no indication of when that would happen.

There have been no additional shipments since January 27 and the latest deadline was missed, said OPCW spokesman Michael Luhan. “It’s a status quo until we get this plan.”

Syria had already missed a December 31 deadline to relinquish the most poisonous chemical agents, including mustard gas and sarin precursors.

So far, Syria has transported slightly more than 4% of the 1,300 metric tons it reported to the OPCW. The two small shipments of chemicals are being stored on a Danish vessel in the Mediterranean.

Under the US-Russian agreement, prompted by a sarin gas attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of civilians, Syria has until June 30, or another five months, to completely eliminate its chemical weapons program.

Washington blames the poison attacks on the Al-Assad regime and threatened military retaliation.

Damascus has blamed the delay on security problems and the threat of attacks by rebels on road transports to the northern port of Latakia. It has requested additional armour and communications equipment.

But the United States and the United Nations, which is jointly overseeing the destruction program with the OPCW, said last week Syria has all the equipment it needs to carry out the operation and should proceed as quickly as possible. l

A military ceremony in the Central African Republic ended in violence Wednesday after soldiers lynched a man to death who they suspected of being a former rebel, according to AFP journalists.

Minutes after the departure of officials from the ceremony in the capital Bangui, including interim president Catherine Samba Panza, the soldiers attacked a young man in civilian clothes, hitting, stabbing and throwing stones at him.

His body was then dragged though the streets as African Union troops looked on.

Pictures showed a soldier stamping on the bloodied head of the man

while another prepared to stab him in the side.

The lynching was carried out under the noses of soldiers from the African Union-led MISCA mission, which was providing security at the event.

Witnesses said the body was dismembered and burned before MISCA troops finally intervened to disperse the crowd with teargas and shots in the air.

Just moments before, Panza had told the crowd of around 4,000 troops and dignitaries gathered at the National School of Magistrates of her “pride in seeing so many elements of the Central African Republic Forces reunited.”

The ceremony was supposed to mark the reformation of troops dispersed since the coup in March 2013 that brought rebel Michel Djotodia to

power. He was forced to resign on January 10 under pressure from the international community, amid mounting violence between rival Muslim and Christian militants.

Panza assured the troops that talks were underway with international partners to secure their wages, unpaid for five months.

The ceremony was attended by senior members of the transitional government and armed forces, as well as General Francisco Soriano, commander of French forces in the country under Operation Sangaris, and General Atanase Kararuza, deputy commander of MISCA. No reaction could be immediately obtained from the government, MISCA or Sangaris forces. l

2013 sixth hottest year, confirms long-term warming: UN n AFP, Geneva Last year tied for the sixth hottest on record, confirming that Earth’s climate system is in the grip of warming that will affect generations to come, the UN’s weather agency said Wednesday.

“The global temperature for the year 2013 is consistent with the long-term warming trend,” World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief Michel Jarraud said in a statement. Last year equalled 2007 as the sixth warmest year since reliable records began in 1850, with a global land and ocean surface temperature that was 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-1990 average, the WMO said. Temperatures in both years were also 0.03 C (0.05 F) above the average from 2001-2010, which in turn was an extremely hot decade, with 2005 and 2010 topping the warming charts.

Those two years saw temperatures about 0.55 C (1 F) above the long term average. Thirteen of the 14 warmest years on record have occurred in the 21st century, said the agency.

Jarraud acknowledged that “the rate of warming is not uniform” in every country.

Last year, for instance, was the hottest year on record in Australia, while the Unit-

ed States measured record highs in 2012.

But, Jarraud stressed, “the underlying trend is undeniable.” “Given the record amounts of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, global temperatures will continue to rise for generations to come,” the WMO chief warned. “Our action, or inaction, to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases will shape the state of our planet for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

Oceans bear the brunt El Nino weather patterns, which warm surface temperatures, and their cooling La Nina counterparts are major drivers of natural variability in the climate. But the WMO noted that neither condition occurred in 2013, which was warmer than both 2011 and 2012, which were cooled down by La Nina.

El Nino occurs every two to seven years and last ended in May 2010, while the last La Nina faded away in April 2012. l

Four bombs hit central Baghdad, killing 13 n Reuters, Baghdad Four bombs struck near Baghdad’s heavily-fortified “Green Zone” and a busy square in the centre of the capital on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people, security sources said.

The blasts came a day after two rockets were fired into the Green Zone, home to the prime minister’s office and Western embassies, and are likely to heighten concerns about Iraq’s ability to protect strategic sites as security deteriorates.

On Wednesday, security sources said two parked car bombs were detonated opposite the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, killing five people. The Interior Ministry said in a statement the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who blew himself up as he was being searched.

The other car was driven by a suicide bomber who blew himself and the vehicle up outside a restaurant close to a checkpoint one street away from the Green Zone, killing four people, the security sources said.

Another explosion near Khullani Square in central Baghdad left four others dead.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni Islamist militants have been regaining ground in Iraq, particularly in Anbar province, where they overran two cities on January 1. l

Ashton meets Ukraine leader in push to resolve crisis n AFP, Kiev EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Wednesday in a fresh effort to resolve a two-month crisis as lawmakers battled over a deal to curb the president’s powers.

Buoyed by support from Western dignitaries including the EU’s Ashton, the opposition has accused Yanukovych of dragging his feet over proposals to end the worst standoff in Ukraine’s history since the fall of the Soviet Union.

“The political crisis continues,” boxer-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko said in parliament as it debated an opposition demand for a curb on presidential powers.

“People in the streets are waiting for a solution. If we don’t agree on it, there will be a new wave of escalating tensions,” he said.

The protest leaders want the president to reform the constitution to take away some of his powers in an effort to defuse a crisis that has pitted Ukraine’s former master Russia against the West.

“I hope that already today we will be able to agree on a blueprint according to which we will be changing the constitution,” the president’s representative in parliament, Yuriy Myroshnychenko, told reporters.

The embattled 63-year-old leader was expected to arrive in Sochi on Friday to discuss the crisis with Putin on the sidelines of the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympic Games. l

Saudi beheads drug smuggler, murderer n AFP, Riyadh Saudi authorities on Wednesday beheaded a Pakistani for smuggling drugs and a national for killing a compatriot, the interior ministry said, bringing the number of executions in the kingdom this year to nine.

Mohammed Asharaf Ramadan was caught attempting to smuggle into the kingdom an amount of heroin that he swallowed, the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

He was executed in Riyadh. In another case, Saudi national Turki Ahmed al-Salami, was executed in the southwestern Asir region after he was convicted of shooting dead Salman Subaykhi, the ministry said in a separate statement.

Saudi Arabia beheaded 78 people in 2013, according to an AFP count.

Last year, the UN High Commission for Human Rights denounced a “sharp increase in the use of capital punishment” since 2011 in the kingdom.

According to figures from Amnesty International, the number of executions in Saudi Arabia jumped from 27 in 2010, of whom five were foreigners, to 82 in 2011, including 28 foreigners.

In 2012, the number of executions slipped slightly to 79 people, among them 27 foreign nationals. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

9

Thursday, February 6, 2014

No peace until Pakistan embraces Shariah law: Taliban negotiators n AFP, Islamabad Negotiators representing Taliban insurgents said Wednesday there was no chance of peace in Pakistan until the government embraces Islamic Shariah law and US-led forces withdraw completely from neighbouring Afghanistan.

The tough conditions appear to deal a blow to hopes that talks with the Pakistani government could end the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) insurgency that has rocked the nuclear-armed country since 2007.

Initial peace talks failed to get under way Tuesday when the government delegation refused to meet the militants’ negotiators, citing confusion about the make-up of their team.

The two sides are expected to try to meet again on Thursday or Friday, though no definite arrangements have yet been made.

Washington and Kabul have been deadlocked over a pact known as the Bilateral Security Agreement, which would allow some US troops to stay on in Afghanistan beyond 2014, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai refusing to sign it.

Its supporters say the pact is crucial to Afghanistan’s stability after the bulk of NATO forces pull out.

But Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, the head of the TTP’s three-man talks team, told AFP there could be “no peace” in the region while there were still US troops across the border.

His comments were echoed by his fellow TTP negotiator Maulana Abdul Aziz, who also said the TTP’s long-held

commitment to imposing Shariah law across Pakistan was not open to debate.

“Without Shariah law, the Taliban won’t accept (the talks) even 1%,” he told AFP. “If some factions accept it, then the others won’t accept it. There has been scepticism about what the talks could achieve. Local peace deals reached with the militants in the past have quickly fallen apart. “Their real agenda is Shariah,” Aziz said, suggesting that all Pakistan’s secular courts based on the common law system be abolished.

“I don’t think the government will accept this but they should, because war isn’t the way forward.”

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s announcement last week that he wanted to give peace talks another try caught many observers by surprise.

The start of the year has seen a surge in militant violence, with more than 110 people killed, and many had expected the military to launch an offensive against TTP strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Aziz’s followers at Islamabad’s radical Red Mosque engaged in an armed confrontation with the Pakistan army in 2007 in which more than 100 people died.

The siege is regularly cited by Islamists as one of their main motivations for taking up arms and was also the catalyst for the creation of the umbrella TTP faction in 2007.

Despite the incident and his vocal backing for jihad, Aziz was cleared of all criminal charges against him last September. l

Sri Lanka war report ‘shows rights abuses’ n Agencies A report on Sri Lanka’s civil war shows new evidence that the government may have covered up proof of human rights violations.

A team of international lawyers on Tuesday said security forces systematically destroyed mass burial sites of civilians, and called on the UN to launch its own investigation into their findings.

NGos and the international media were prevented from witnessing the final months of Sri Lanka’s 25 year civil war as government forces defeated the Tamil Tigers in the north of the country, a battle in which the UN believes 40,000 people died.

The international team of investigators said it has found evidence that civilians were deliberately targeted by bombardment and subject to other war crimes between late 2008 and into 2009.

Violations of international law were committed by both sides, but the investigation found evidence that Sri Lankan Security Forces were responsible for the vast majority, including widespread torture, sexual violence and enforced disappearances.

Investigators also describe such es-

tablished command and control structures that charges of crimes against humanity could be levelled against senior military commanders, government officials and members of the Tamil Tigers.

The report - commissioned by an Australian law policy group and written by experts on international criminal law and war crimes - also found evidence that many of the crimes continue to this day, perpetrated by the Sri Lankan armed forces on the civilian population.

William Schabas, a professor of International Law at Middlesex University and one of the authors of the report, said a particular concern now is attempts to cover up the crimes committed.

“It makes it perhaps more difficult to prove the guilt because the evidence has been destroyed, but on the other hand when people destroy evidence it’s because they know they’ve done something wrong,” Schabas said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has refused a visa request for a US State Department official, the US Embassy has said after Washington signalled it would propose a UN resolution against the South Asian state over the alleged war crimes. l

Pakistan holds rallies on Kashmir solidarity day n AFP, Muzaffarabad Pakistanis staged rallies and demonstrations across the country on Wednesday to express solidarity with Kashmiris struggling for independence from India.

Kashmir, a picturesque Himalayan region, is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.

About a dozen rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 either for Kashmir’s independence or for its merger with Pakistan.

In Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, around 1,000 people formed a human chain to express solidarity with what they called freedom fighters in the Indian-administered sector.

In Islamabad around 2,000 people attended a rally organised by the religious-political party Jamaat-i-Islami in front of parliament.

A separate demonstration in the capital was led by religious scholar Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, who heads a committee set up by Taliban militants for peace talks with the government. l

Deadly cave collapse at India temple n Agencies Members of a committee from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which was set up to hold talks with the government of Pakistan

AFP

Stormy start to Indian parliament session n Agencies India’s parliament has been adjourned for the day amid heated debate over the creation of a new state, Telangana, after it convened for a last session before upcoming general elections.

The last session is seen as a final chance for the ruling Congress party to convince voters it is taking action on corruption and to showcase the resolve of leader Rahul Gandhi. As the parliament met on Wednesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, appealed to all parties to help push through legislation.

“I sincerely hope that parliament, in

its wisdom, will transact the essential business which is the primary concern of any legislature in a parliamentary democracy,” Singh said in a statement.

The world’s largest democracy must hold a parliamentary election by May and the date is expected to be announced around about the close of the session on February 21.

After 10 years in power, the popularity of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), led by Congress, has sagged in large part over a series of graft scandals as well as its inability to halt a sliding economy.

The main opposition Bharatiya Ja-

nata Party (BJP) calls it a lame duck government that is merely making a last-ditch attempt to shore up support.

It should leave decisions to the next government, BJP leaders say.

Opinion polls put BJP, a conservative Hindu nationalist party, and its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, ahead of the Congress and its chief poll campaigner Gandhi.

The bills due to come up for debate in the session cover issues that Gandhi, the fourth generation member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that leads Congress, has championed, including women’s empowerment and graft. l

US discusses Afghan troop levels; Kabul holds talks with Taliban n Reuters, Washington/Kabul US President Barack Obama met his senior military commanders to discuss the American presence in Afghanistan as officials in Kabul confirmed President Hamid Karzai’s government has been holding secret talks with Taliban insurgents.

The United States said it welcomed any talks that would bring peace to Afghanistan.

“It’s important to note here that we’ve long strongly supported an Afghan-led reconciliation, which would, of course, be Afghans talking to Afghans,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “So the notion that we wouldn’t support that dialogue is inaccurate.”

She added that the United States was not in discussions with the Taliban. In Kabul, Karzai’s spokesman confirmed a New York Times report that

the government was holding talks with the Taliban in the hope of persuading them to make peace.

“I can confirm that ... Taliban are willing more than ever to join the peace process,” Aimal Faizi said. “Contacts have been made and we are also in touch with them.”

A member of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council also confirmed that talks had taken place, but was measured in his assessment of their success. l

At least eight worshippers, including three young girls, have been killed after the wall of a cave leading to a popular Hindu temple in central India collapsed, police have said.

State Home Minister Ram Sewak Pekra said the accident at Bildwar Cave in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday may have been triggered by blasts in nearby coal mines.

“Frequent blasts are carried out in the nearby coal mines and that could be the reason for the cave-in. We have asked the rescue team to do a thorough combing of the site to ensure no one else is trapped,” Pekra told AFP news agency.

Senior police officer Manisha Thakur told AFP that eight bodies had been recovered - three were girls aged between 10 and 13, and five men. l

Philippine leader likens China’s rulers to Hitler

n AFP, Manila

Philippine President Benigno Aquino has warned China’s efforts to claim disputed territories are like Nazi Germany’s before World War II, drawing a fierce Chinese response on Wednesday branding him ignorant and amateurish. In an interview with the New York Times, Aquino called for world leaders not to make the mistake of appeasing China as it seeks to cement control over contested waters and islands in the strategically vital South China Sea. “At what point do you say: ‘Enough is enough’? Well, the world has to say it – remember that the Sudetenland was given in an attempt to appease Hitler to prevent World War II,” Aquino told the New York Times in Manila on Tuesday. l

North and South Korea to hold reunions in shadow of war drills

Thailand PM defends rice-buying scheme

n Reuters, Seoul

n Reuters, Bangkok

North and South Korea agreed on Wednesday to allow some families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War to hold brief reunions, despite a campaign by Pyongyang that Seoul cancel planned war games with the United States.

Any kind of agreement between the two rivals is rare, and in the past unpredictable North Korea has withdrawn permission for the event at the last minute.

A meeting of officials from North and South Korea agreed the reunions will take place on February 20 to 25 in Mount Kumgang, just north of the border, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said. At previous reunions, about 100 families have been allowed to meet relatives on the other side for fleeting moments before they are sent back to their respective homes.

Officially North Korea has not linked the reunions with its demand for the cancellation of the annual military exercises by the US and South Korean militaries scheduled to begin this month.

But officials in the South say the intention is clear, and that Seoul will not fall in line.

“The drills have been conducted annually and they simply cannot be an

Thailand’s fiery protest leader denounced the government’s battered rice-buying scheme as corrupt and the prime minister leapt to its defence on Wednesday, days after an election did nothing to restore stability in the divided country.

Suthep Thaugsuban and his supporters have been trying to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra since November, prompting the government to announce a state of emergency ahead of Sunday’s vote, which was boycotted by the opposition.

The rice program was among the populist policies pioneered by Yingluck’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister central to the conflict that has divided Thais for eight years. He was toppled by the military in 2006.

Generous subsidies for farmers were a centre piece of the platform that swept Yingluck to power in a landslide election win in 2011, but have left Thailand with vast stockpiles of rice and a bill it is struggling to fund.

Losses to the taxpayer, estimated at 200 billion baht ($6 billion) a year, have fuelled protests against Yingluck and payment problems risk alienating

Head of the North Korean delegation Park Yong-il shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Lee Duk-haeng issue for us as far as the reunions are concerned,” said a South Korean government official involved in dealings with the North, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In recent weeks, North Korean diplomats have given rare media inter-

views and press conferences that have reiterated calls from Pyongyang’s top ruling bodies to end the annual military drills.

It was unlike North Korea’s usual threats and aggressive tone used with the South but that does not mean

REUTERS

Pyongyang has changed, analysts said.

“There is no more seriousness behind this offer than others Pyongyang has advanced,” said Andrea Berger, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London who interacts regularly with North Korean officials. l

farmers at the heart of her support base in the poorer north and northeast.

“Yingluck took farmers’ rice more than seven months ago and hasn’t paid them,” Suthep told supporters on Wednesday, even as another warrant was issued for his arrest.

“Some of them have killed themselves and some of them are crying in front of the television because they don’t have a penny ... The government said the rice-purchasing policy was to help farmers but instead the policy became part of the government’s corruption machine.”

Yingluck and her government are being investigated by an anti-graft panel for alleged irregularities in the rice scheme. That and other cases going through the politicized courts could dissolve her Puea Thai Party and ban top officials.

The rice program is close to collapse after the commerce minister said China had cancelled an order for 1.2 million metric tons due to the corruption investigation.

State-run Krung Thai Bank has joined other lenders in saying it will not provide loans urgently needed to rescue a scheme that has at times been buying rice at prices up to two-thirds above the prevailing benchmark rates. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Investigate all allegations of extra-judicial killings

B

NP Chairperson Khaleda Zia claimed at her press conference on Tuesday that 300 activists of the BNPled alliance were victims of unlawful killings and disappearances between December 26 and January 27.

These claims must be properly and independently investigated. There should be no impunity for unlawful deaths at any time, whatever the context.

It is important both for the families of victims and the rule of law that any allegation of this serious nature is always subject to a credible and timely independent investigation. It is additionally important at this time because they come when human rights groups have expressed concern about the phenomenon of suspicious crossfire deaths.

According to Ain O Salish Kendra, at least 15 people were killed in what were alleged to be gun-fights with police, RAB and members of other law enforcing agencies between January 1 and January 27. It was reported that these people were largely activists of Jamaat-Shibir believed to have been involved in recent political violence and communal attacks.

The government should support independent enquiries into any and all allegations of this type.

Open and transparent investigation is necessary for justice.

It is the only way to both credibly test claims where they are disputed by the police, and to open the way to justice when they are proven.

In the light of the allegations made and the large number of BNP alliance related activists who have been arrested or detained recently, the government should guard against future incidents arising. It should support independent enquires into allegations and publicly order law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of all those taken into custody.

There should be no impunity for unlawful deaths at any time, whatever the context

Ganajagaran Mancha one year on

G

anajagaran Mancha is celebrating its first anniversary with a three day program of art and cultural celebrations.

One year after huge crowds started gathering at Shahbagh on February 5, 2013, the movement has a number of achievements to its credit.

Crucially, it has always demonstrated in a peaceful manner which brings people together in a patriotic spirit. From the start it has also sought to keep its demonstrations inclusive and participatory in nature, and by doing so, has gained wide appeal among young people beyond the main political parties.

The spontaneous manner in which it sprang up and the innovative way in which it used social media to attract supporters all across the country has been an inspiration to many.

Nationally, it has had considerable success in highlighting the scale of public support for the ICT prosecutions. Its call for the death penalty for convicted war criminals was heard by a change in the law last year which allowed Quader Mollah to be hanged. More recently, it has been marching in solidarity with victims of communal attacks and is now returning to highlight its core campaign on the war crimes tribunals.

Of course, the movement cannot be said to have succeeded in changing the minds of all its opponents. That is to be expected in any political debate. What is not acceptable is intimidation and violence in support of political aims. The most valuable lesson to draw from Ganajagaran Mancha’s campaigns in the past year is the value and importance of keeping protest peaceful.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Driving school in each district February 4

The AL-led government has a special responsibility to improve their economic conditions. Different measures can be taken to raise their income level. This includes properly setting up and running driving schools in the 64 district towns and cities across the nation. Once properly trained, skilled drivers will ensure safer transport, and help reduce fatal accidents that take place every day. A large number of such trained drivers can also get the opportunity to work abroad and earn valuable foreign exchange for our economy, and thus raise their standards of living.

Loads of money will not be required to set up and operate all the schools. I expect about Tk5n over the span of five years will be needed to equip them with proper facilities and vehicles. A school can be started with two mini-buses, two trucks and two double-cabin pick-up vans initially. And a joint venture involving traffic police, BRTA, the Technical Education Board and Bureau of Manpower can be useful in setting up and running at least one driving school in each town. The curricula should include (a) driving a vehicle, (b) learning traffic rules and regulations, (c) acquiring preliminary knowledge on automobile parts, (d) speaking in English and (e) analysing personal, family and social consequences of accidents.

Md Ashraf Hossain

Car heads wrong way on road January 31

Minorities beware January 28

Ehsan Abdullah This article is misleading. I have one question: If AL was also carrying out such attacks on minorities, then why do Jamaat and BNP feel so threatened by their vote bank that they need to be driven from the land? Which clearly proves that AL still enjoys the minority support, which wouldn’t have been the case if they would be committing atrocities against them!!

I admit there are crimes committed by AL, but one needs to look at this from a larger picture.

Awami League is a secular party, so if there are instances by anyone from their party committing such crimes, they are brought to the dock by their own party-men, but BNP/Jamaat does not even believe in secularism, so there is a big difference.

There are 160 million people in this country. Divided in two, there are good and bad in both parties. We will never solve our problems, or rectify them if we overlook these things. Crimes are crimes; they don’t have any justification or any party alliance. The law of the land shall be implied on them accordingly; that’s how we should be thinking. If the author thinks what has happened to the Hindus are wrong, if he believes in a secular Bangladesh, then he should be all out condemning it, not trying to play the blame-game.

And more importantly, blaming AL for BNP/ Jamaat’s historical ideology and record because of one incident of Biswajit Das is not right. It does help the cause to solve these problems. Usually BNP/ Jamaat blames AL for these attacks. Surely, do we expect them to admit it!?! Hence, I believe it is a misleading way of thinking.

Sabrina To Mr. Ehsan Abdullah: I do not think the writer is suggesting BNP and Jamaat are void of guilt. I think he

is simply pointing out that other parties also commit these crimes and, with AL, being a so-called “secular” party as you say, it is important for their complicity and their actions to be brought forward. Just because they do not commit the mass scale violence the other parties do, does not make them innocent of violence altogether. If anything, their voter blocs need to be made aware of who they are really voting for.

Nabira It is bad enough that minorities are being killed the way they are. It is far worse that these deaths have become normalized, and that they are being used as pawns in the political blame game. I hope this column, really, this implicit plea, is able to reach out to people that care because, at the moment, Bangladesh does not look like it does.

Azmain It chilled me to the bone to read an article that was not only truthful in its facts – including looking at who is really to blame here – but bleak in its outlook.

What is even more worrying is that reality is closer to this than it is to our protestations of hope.

Sreayaa What Mr Ahmed rightfully points out is that the minorities in peril are always the ones that parliamentarians easily ignore. And before anyone says that the Hindus in Bangladesh have a more direct right than Syrians in the UK, do not forget how easily successive administrations have thrown away the concerns of their constituents. Let us hope that the notion of a Bangladeshi refugee can be averted and that columns and reports such as these open up the eyes of the complicit and idle majorities.

Sayeed Sohag And once again, it’s clear that lawmakers believe they don’t need to know any laws.

Khosru Huda Very Bangladeshi, not surprised at all!

Tarik Chowdhury Hope we grow some unified common sense to get rid of these idiots for good.

Syed Jawad Quader Where’s his security protocol? This is odd! Plus, why are the back windows not tinted?

Sadia Ether This is a very common scene for Dhaka-city dwellers. I have always seen our government service-holders act in this careless way.

Zaidul Islam Hah! It’s a flag-mounted car. Therefore, it has no need to follow the traffic rules!!

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

The most valuable lesson to draw from its campaigns is the value and importance of keeping protest peaceful

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Gatherings of witches (6) 6 Uncooked (3) 9 Over (5) 10 Large volume (4) 11 African republic (5) 12 Monkey (3) 13 Laid bare (6) 15 Welsh national emblem (4) 18 Part of a castle (4) 21 Mode of standing (6) 24 Gratuity (3) 25 Misuse (5) 28 Region (4) 29 Flanks (5) 30 Colour (3) 31 Replenishes (6)

DOWN 1 Waterway (5) 2 Kimono sash (3) 3 Fashion (5) 4 First woman (3) 5 Wicked emperor (4) 6 Soft sheepskin leather (4) 7 Electrical unit (6) 8 Unwanted plant (4) 14 Large deer (3) 16 Whole (6) 17 Relatives (3) 19 Ooze out (5) 20 Newspapers (5) 21 Main actor (4) 22 Copied (4) 23 Comfort (4) 26 Container (3) 27 Ply the needle (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.

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Who, if not the BNP? is more of the same, a recognisable form of Bangladeshi politics, only more clever and taking cognisance of the new situation. The BNP will have to start working in earnest to gain positions where it can, including the upcoming upazilla elections.

It will have to work in all its organisations – student wing, women’s wing, labour wing. The task is clear: It will work to lessen and reveal the abuses of the AL state, and to be known to do so. It will have to work to educate its activists and leaders to avoid mishaps.

The BNP is a huge potential force, and its debacle has set it free to act, to reinvent itself, and think afresh

Does hailing a family count as an ideology?

T

n Arild Engelsen Ruud he situation today in Bangladesh is set for five years.

The government has carried out an election according to the constitution and with the implicit support of powers such as the administration, the army and the police. With its majority in parliament, the government and the Awami League are smugly looking forward to another full five-year period.

And why should it not? Civil society is impotent, Shahbagh is not an opposition, and the foreigners will eventually come around (Bangladesh is too unimportant for any foreign power to risk anything). The business society will want peace and calm in order to pursue business, the BNP is in tatters, and Jamaat is trapped.

The challenge facing Bangladesh is twofold, albeit we tend to mash them together: There is the challenge of

having had a one-sided election and a lopsided parliament for five years.

This is a problem because the country needs an effective opposition to check the autocratic tendencies that are already evident.

AFP

writers may wish, there is no force that can change anything. Except one.

This is a bit of a bold suggestion, but it appears that the only actor significant enough to create something new and face up to the country’s challenges

Today, the BNP is the party of people who for different reasons do not like the AL. It has no particular ideology

Another challenge faced by Bangladesh is its political culture. The general dissatisfaction with the AL might as well have been directed against the BNP. There is corruption in high and low places, nepotism, partisanship, and an unpleasant amount of violence. But in spite of what

is the BNP. The government will do nothing to rock the boat and the other forces are marginal or beaten down.

But the BNP is a huge potential force, and its debacle has set it free to act, to reinvent itself, and think afresh.

True, it lost the battle with a clear

margin and seems to be down with its back broken. But it has several sets of resources still.

It has a countrywide organisation of keenly energetic leaders, workers, and activists. As a former ruling party, it has a fair amount of legitimacy as a rightful claimant to power among voters.

And it has some credibility among foreign governments, among people in the civil society, and certainly among officers of the police, RAB, and the army. If it plays its cards right, it may even repair its relationship with India.

What it does not have is a program.

So far, there is little sign of reform, of any new thinking and adjustment to the disasterous situation it has ended in. But in the situation it finds itself right now, the party has two possibilities: The small road and the big road.

The small road looks at the next election. The big road looks beyond the next election. The small road

T

E

very reality check will tell us that our citizenry is overly temperamental. Not quite the culture, though. The culture, in and of itself, smacks of a complacent and endearing soft version that can, in fact, be misleading or treacherous.

Transpose all the elements that come out of that culture to carve out a personality trait – there isn’t an occasional red flag. It’s only that you have an eyebrow raiser that belies conventional wisdom. Why? It’s just not in the nature of a Bangali to be confrontational. Okay, granted, we’re rebellious and revolting, but not without rhyme or reason, and certainly not confrontational or spiteful just for the heck of it.

Among us, even the overly cynical have to struggle in assuming an extreme position. But that extreme position resulting in violence never seems probable. Yet, there is a sea of change for the worse in how we’ve transformed. A hideous gruesomeness seems to be in control of us.

of that intensity of betrayal only gained pace and momentum with the passage of time.

You’d think that with the passage of time, sentiments would have tapered, and not foment unrest or disharmony. In tracing back the history of such betrayals and lack of trust, the fierceness in the way it was pursued is both beguiling and deceptive.

When people took to the streets voicing both lack of trust and fierce opposition to dictators, instances of students’ deaths were so tragic.

For a nation and its citizenry, could this waywardness of a killer nation stem from a lack of practice of administration? In other words, is it the antithesis of “live and let live”?

The tradition of tolerance is hinged upon the background and practice of administration where imperfections are acceptable. In instances where the practice of administration is less than perfect for reasons of intended malpractice, tolerance runs thin.

How else can one explain the assassination of the father of the nation?

It is difficult to fully comprehend the

Treachery and betrayal too were batons handed over to newer generations, passed over from the previous generation with growing intensity

Forty-two years – too many years for the violence, murders, and mayhem to persist. You’d think by now the paradigm shift or the demeanor drift would prevail, and newer generations would by now see the light at the end of the tunnel. But not quite the battered baton handed over to posterity.

Inasmuch a relay race, treachery and betrayal too were batons handed over to newer generations. And they’ve passed over from the previous generation with growing intensity. It behooves us to know why the degree

ingratitude of the nation given that we benefited so much from this charismatic leader. Are we so blinded that recriminations are conspicuous with their absence when General Zia, our war hero, was also killed?

And there were so many others.

Valiant men who did our nation proud were not allowed to live the honour due to them. Many will argue that the kill culture was an inevitability after any war of independence.

Not one of the major players or parties showed restraint, lest tolerance

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R

D

Arild Engelsen Ruud is Professor of South Asia Studies, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental languages, University of Oslo, Norway.

E

Y

E

A silent migration?

Killer nation n Najmun Noor

H

It will work, as many of its cadres know how to, to assure future voters that the BNP and its activists will work alongside the people. This road will lead to hopes of winning the next election.

Beyond that, this road has no aim.

The big road is the ambitious road.

The BNP can establish an identity for itself which is clearer than now and one that is more appealing to voters.

Today, the BNP is the party of people who for different reasons do not like the AL. It has no particular ideology, unless one counts hailing Ziaur Rahman and his family as ideology – which one should not.

There is room, though, for a new kind of party in Bangladeshi politics.

In most democratic polities, there will be an ideological and real political difference between the main parties, especially between the two main parties. In much of the Euro-America, it is about being more or less pro-business or pro-state.

In India, it is about being more nationalist or more socialist. In Latin America, right vs left is an important dimension, but with a focus on values in addition to business. Thus there are three dimensions along which main parties locate themselves: Conservative vs radical values, business vs redistribution, and minimal state vs state intervention.

Often the difference is in rhetorics, but rhetorics and ideology do make

a difference: They give identity and purpose. They may also force the hand at certain choices.

In a country such as Bangladesh, which has a radical elite but a somewhat conservative rural population, one might imagine that a conservative party will do pretty well in elections.

An ideologically committed party in the country will have the added value of educating the voters, to make them understand that politics is about more than deciding which villain gets to pick the cherries this year.

In practice, the BNP is the conservative version of the AL, but not ideologically so, not committed to any sense of preservation of tradition for the sake of tradition itself, and hence rudderless, without a sense of purpose or direction beyond power – which may not hold the party together for another five years in the wilderness.

The choice the BNP may take is to represent itself as a clearly democratic non-radical party, conservative in social values, pro-business, and in favour of a limited but effective (value-for-money) state. Such a party would possibly argue against the government’s hijra initiative, which somehow comes across as a plump gesture to the radicals.

Can the BNP become a Bangladeshi conservative party? One rather doubts it. The party leadership is surprisingly weak and might not wish to venture any major recasting of the party. Besides, a lean state is not an attractive proposition to a party organisation manned to a considerable extent with people whose aim is to gain access to state resources.

The question also involves asking if there is room for a conservative party in Bangladesh, if indeed there is such a thing as Bangladeshi conservativism.

It does sound contrary to so much in the country’s history, which is one of upheavals, revolutions, and protest.

Another challenge will be to distinguish conservativism from backwardness, anti-progress, and fundamentalism.

And yet, if Bangladeshi political culture is the challenge to be addressed, then the moment might actually be here now. l

alone was perceived as weakness, and even a shred of conscientious behaviour was the equivalent of disallowing bold stewardship.

The kill culture we are in now prevails in a demonic form of hideous proportions. In the beginning, the people were dying in waging a war of independence. It started before 1952, and assumed a position that we felt as a nation was a reason to fight for in what we labelled as a “cause.”

Later, persecution, bias, discrimination, and economic manipulation also formed part and parcel of the cause.

So, when 1971 came along with the zenith of its monstrosity, the nation took little time to adapt.

The current zenith of monstrosity has also taken time to evolve. From the violent absurdity of leaders getting killed to the extermination of the nation’s valiant fighters, it is excruciating to see people, and in so many instances, those who are destitute, as the targets of these mindless killings.

The wayside farer, or daily labourer, or the ill-paid artisan, or school-going child end up dying for no discernible reason. Isn’t it time that we confront this madness and turn it by the head?

We are all perpetrators here. We may turn a blind eye or look the other way. It makes us no less at fault than the cold-blooded criminal on the street if we refuse to partake in any change, even in miniscule fashion or form.

Ours is a soft culture full of compassion and understanding. There’s a built-in kindness and consideration for others embedded in the lifestyle, literature, and religions that we practice.

For centuries, other cultures have marauded our land and wealth with minimal resistance from our side.

Our internal strife and infighting is a culmination of the treatment meted out to us. But being the amiable people that we are, it isn’t impossible to return to being empathetic. The goodness in our nature offers that chance and hope. l Najmun Noor is a freelancer contributor.

n Mamun Rashid

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week ago, we were in Kolkata to attend the wedding of a friend’s daughter. The friend was a gentleman who had retired from a stateowned bank in Dhaka just two or three years back, and was still on a visitor’s visa. His wife, son, and daughter had been staying at Barakpur in Kolkata since the mid-90s.

His son and daughter had attended college and university in India, and were now working in the private sector. I guess they all have obtained Indian passports too. Interestingly, I could see many known faces from Dhaka also attending the wedding ceremony.

Many of them had worked in banks, schools, and hospitals in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Chittagong.

They had all migrated to India during the 1992-1999 period. Most of them were working in state-owned banks here, had one parent, brother, or uncle in Kolkata or adjacent areas, and were now settled in Kolkata. I fondly remember most of them, because we were all engaged in cultural movements with Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, Sangskriti Sangsad, or Uttarayan.

A few of them were involved with the Bangladesh Chhatra Union or the Communist Party. All of them, Hindus from educated backgrounds, are now

Destination Kolkata

settled in the Kolkata area. They have bought property and have married off their sons and daughters in India.

Many also worked there, and are now retired and engaged in social work.

It was kind of a reunion for me. For many years, I had been missing all these friends who would always go the extra mile for me.

A silent migration seems to be taking place. This seems to have been going on since the communal riots of the 50s or mid-60s. The trend slowed down a bit for a while, but increased again in the early 90s. Economically disadvantaged Hindus don’t have too many options.

Analysts say, in 1941, Hindus were 28% of the population of this side of Bengal. In 1951, it came down to 22%, and in 1974 it was 14%. By 2011, the community was a mere 9% of the population. Many teachers and doctors of the country were gone. The environment may have become too hostile for them.

They may have waited as long as they could, without the state or surrounding community coming forward to help.

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was very concerned about the 10 million or so Bengalis from the then East Pakistan migrating to India, especially to West Bengal and Tripura in 1971.

Nobody knew better than her how this took a heavy toll on the day to day life

WIKIMEDIA

and economy of West Bengal.

She wanted them to be able to return home as soon as possible, and instructed her lieutenants to support them and make Bangladesh’s liberation struggle as short as possible. Her eventual successor Sonia Gandhi, and good friend Pranab Mukherjee, and more importantly Mamata Banerjee, want the same thing – peace in Bangladesh. They want any illegal migration to stop.

A silent migration seems to have been going on since the communal riots of the 50s or mid-60s Many in Kolkata asked me about the situation in Bangladesh in November, December, and early January. Many have parents or other family members still living in Bangladesh. Many visit Bangladesh every winter, but the situation this winter was pretty bad.

Some are planning visits in February or March.

It is interesting that many of my friends from state-owned banks kept their retirement benefits in high yielding fixed deposits in Bangladesh, but are arranging for the interest to be remitted to India. Some of my friends are buying cheap apartments in Kolkata suburbs. This has become even easier with the recent devaluation of the Indian rupee against the taka. In fact, there is great demand for Bangladeshi Tk500 and Tk1000 notes in Kolkata.

One could wonder, though, how all the bankers, teachers, doctors, and other professionals who move to India can be accommodated, or how the Indian economy manages to provide them with jobs. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment Fahim Hossain’s new album hits the market n Entertainment Desk

Hridoye Ekattor to release on Independence Day

Emon and Rumana in Hridoye Ekattor

n Limana Solaiman The Liberation War of 1971 is one of the biggest challenge faced by the Bangladeshis and at the end, they came out as the glorious victors after a lengthy struggle of nine months. Celebrating the famous victory, director Sadek Siddique will release his new movie Hridoye Ekattor on the Independence Day. Produced by Anandabazar Multimedia, Hridoye Ekattor portrays the mass devastation and destruction left by the war in its wake.

At the end of it all, Bangladesh emerged as an independent country on the world map in 1971. For the first time, Emon and Rumana will appear together in a movie based on the Liberation War. The shooting of the film is being conducted in various locations around

Thursday, February 6, 2014

the country and the cast includes Emon, Rumana, Anna, Shagor, Saif Khan, Rakhi, Shahidul Islam Sachchu, Hira Asraf Kobir, Abbas Ullah Maruf, Aamir, Udoy Khan, Nishu Rahman and others.

In an interview with the Dhaka Tribune, the director said: “Many movies have been made based on the Liberation War only. But, Hridoye Ekattor will portray the war as well as the launching of the Gonojagoron Moncho, that called for the trial of the war criminals. I have made this movie with the aim of educating our young generation about the horrors and struggle of our forefathers during the gruesome nine months of the Liberation War. It is crucial that the youth learns about the immense sacrifice of the freedom fighters for the liberated country, in which they now reside.” l

Noted Tagore singer Fahim Hossain Chowdhury’s new album Dokhin Hawa will be launched through a programme at the Bengal Shilpalaya this evening. The artiste will also perform a few songs from his newest album at the function.

To be released under the banner of Bengal Foundation, the new album features Tagore’s songs from the Nature section of the Geetabitan: Pub Hawate Daay Dola, Ebar Obogunthon Kholo, Aji Dokhin Duwar Khola, Hemonte Aj Boshonteri Bani, Emon Diney Tare Bola Jay and more.

Hossain received his initial training in music from Babu Pranbandhu Saha and Selim Majumdar and thereafter trained in Hindustani classical vocal music under Ustad Nitai Rai in Dhaka.

In the inauguration of the joint celebrations of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore between India and Bangladesh in May 2011, Fahim Hossain Chowdhury represented Bangladesh in New Delhi and Kolkata. l

Podmo Bibir Pala airs today n Entertainment Desk A telefilm Podmo Bibir Pala will air tonight at 7:50pm on Maasranga TV. Written by Tanvir Aman and directed by Oli Ahmed, the telefilm features Zakia Bari Momo, Iresh Zaker, Dr Ezaz, Munira Mithu, Arfan, Shahed Ali, Kochi Khondokaar and many more.

The story revolves around a young woman named Podmo Bibi. Interestingly, the plot of the story is set on a train station. Podmo Bibi’s

simple life and her philosophy change overnight as she meets with different unknown people in the train station where she waits for the train for quite long.

She gets herself introduced to the station master, a contemporary poet, a widower, an ignorant policeman and a few more. She discovers all of them are facing harsh realities in their lives. When she boards on the train, she becomes very upset and she fears that something bad might come to her path as well. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Thor: The Dark World, Pacific Rim in 3D, The Conjuring, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Escape Plan Time: 10am – 10pm Star Cineplex,

Level 8 Bashundhara City Panthapath

Exhibition

Life and Struggle of Padma

By Sumon Yusuf Time: 3pm – 9pm

Plays on Liberation War dominates 4th day’s schedule

QUAMRUL ABEDIN

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak Despite the commotion and the location of the staging, the National Street Theatre Festival garnered a galore of audience attention. It is because, the focus of the plays are on significant issues and the performance by the actors were commendable.

Today’s schedule is comprised of five plays, Juddho Ebong Juddho, Brishbrikkha, Joratali, Dushmon, Kal-er Sakkhi and Narai.

On February 4, the fourth day of the festival, four plays were staged at the Shaheed Minar premises, with the central

Reggae singer Bunny Rugs Clarke dies at 65 n Entertainment desk

Tisha and Niloy in Valentine’s Day play n Entertainment Desk After a period of three years, popular actors Tisha and Niloy have paired up for the small screen once again.

The tele-film Chokhe Chokhe is written by Faria Hossain and directed by Arif Khan. This is the second time the duo will appear together.

Tisha and Niloy are playing the characters of lovers. About casting the duo as a pair and the story of the telefilm, Arif Khan said: “The telefilm is a love story. But, it is not the typical ‘boy meets girl’ script, it is a bit different. I have tried to show that

Ranveer to play Deepika’s husband n Entertainment Desk

ON TV MOVIE

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COMEDY

MISC

7:00pmStar Movies

9:30pm Star Plus

Diya Aur Bati Hum

10:00am Comedy Central

10:45pm Travel XP

Shakespeare In Love

8:50pmZee Studio

10:00pm Sony

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10:30pm Vh1

Dragonfly

Jee Le Zara

with love comes sacrifice and that both the entities are two sides of the same coin. I am pleased that I have been able to cast Tisha and Niloy once again, I hope that the audience will enjoy seeing them together on the screen again.”

While talking about playing the character, Tisha said: “Niloy is a fabulous actor and I am hopeful about the telefilm. The role I played is quite challenging.”

Niloy said: “I am a fan of Tisha and she is very helpful. Hope people will accept our onscreen chemistry and appreciate the story of the telefilm.” l

After their sizzling chemistry in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, Bollywood’s hot couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh will be seen playing lovers once again.

Ranveer Singh will be seen in a cameo role in Deepika Padukone’s upcoming film Finding Fanny Fernandes, which also stars Ranveer’s ‘Gunday’ co-star Arjun Kapoor.

Ranveer recently revealed that he will be playing Deepika Padukone’s husband in the film which will be a small special appearance. Directed by Homi Adajania, majority of the film has been shot in Goa. Produced by Illuminati Films Finding Fanny Fernandes, also stars Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah. l

William Bunny Rugs Clarke, the husky-voiced singer of reggae band Third World has died of leukemia at the age of 65.

Close friend and ex-band mate Colin Leslie said that the singer died Sunday at his home in Orlando, Florida. He was released last week from a hospital after cancer treatment.

Clarke worked with band Inner Circle and top reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry in Jamaica before joining Third World in 1976.

The group was signed to Island Records and had hits in UK and US charts including Now That We Found Love, Always Around and Reggae Ambassador. Stevie Wonder wrote and produced the band’s 1982 song Try Jah Love.

Drummer Willie Stewart said Monday that the fun-loving Clarke always had a joke. l

World’s Craziest Fools The Middle

Ways of Seeing Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge, 60 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan 1

A Boat for Bangladesh selected in Ocean Film Festival n Entertainment Desk

NATIONAL STREET THEATRE FESTIVAL 2014

focus being the liberation war and how people use religion to serve their own purpose.

The show began with a play named Rifle, an adaptation of the legendary German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s work Señora Carrar’s Rifles, staged by Shabda Natyacharcha Kendra. The play’s storyline setting is re-located to the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

The play was followed by Aadom Test, written by Masum Reza and directed by Ayon Chaudhury and staged by Desh Natok. The story of the play revolves around a phony religious leader, who found a magnifying glass in his dream and mislead his followers by saying that the glass can identify a pure devout. His followers start to look for devout with the glass. When his wife learns about her husband’s forgery, she reveals that he is a fake.

Mrittika Kathon, written and directed by Kazi Delwar Hemanto was brought to the stage by Manos Natya Ongan.

The play symbolically portrayed a rural liberated and playful Bengal society, where everyone wholeheartedly tries to keep it light and secluded from the enemy’s hand, even at the cost of their own lives.

Theatre troupe Shabdaboli (Barisal) staged Boddhobhumite Shesh Drishya, a play written by Kazi Mahmudur Rahman and directed by Anowar Shamim. The story of the play illustrated the annihilating sight of a mass graveyard during the Liberation War, where a confined duo, a freedom fighter and a Bengali woman share their angst and optimism.

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 Sanskritik Dol, Mahakal Natya Sampraday, Opera, Muktangan Natyalay, Brahmanbaria Shahitya Academy, Drishtipat, Bonolota and others are taking part on the seven-day long festival. l

La Galerie, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka Dhanmondi

Landmarks

Two to Tango

A Boat for Bangladesh, depicting the healthcare services and other work of Friendship among some of the country’s most impoverished rural residents, is an official selection of the Ocean Film Festival taking place in San Francisco in March.

Written and produced by American filmmakers Lisa Genasci and David Conover, the 15-minute documentary focuses on Friendship’s floating hospitals along with its wide network of healthcare services. The film highlights the Rongdhonu Friendship Hospital, the most recent addition to the Friendship fleet.

Rongdhonu set sail in January 2013 in order to provide primary healthcare to those in dire need of medical aid in the Bay of Bengal region.

Friendship Bangladesh began operations in 2002 in providing healthcare, disaster management, infrastructure development, education and good governance and sustainable economic development services to some of the most overlooked and deprived people in the country. l

Did you know?

Kevin Pietersen is the only player to average 40+ (min. 6 inns) in each of his 1st 8 calendar years of Test cricket

Sport 319 35 1 47 0 4 35

Total (all out, 156.4 overs)

587

Bowling Al-Amin 25-5-81-1 (nb1), Gazi 48-4-1811, Razzak 4-1-6-0, Shakib 34-3-148-5 (w1), Mahmudullah 34-2-110-1 (w1), Nasir 6.4-0-16-2, Shamsur 1-0-5-0, Mominul 4-0-8-0 0 45 36 5

Total (for one wicket, 25 overs)

86

Bowling Lakmal 5-0-18-1, Pradeep 7-2-29-0 (nb3), Mendis 4-1-13-0 (nb2), Perera 7-2-22-0, Mathews 2-0-4-0 Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara celebrates his maiden triple hundred during the first innings of the second Test against Bangladesh at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

Bangladesh–India friendly on March 5 Bangladesh national football team is all set to play an international friendly against India at Goa on March 5.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) nodded positive over the proposal provided by the All India Football Federation.

Bangladesh last met India in the last edition of Saff Championship at Nepal in September last year and which ended in a 1-1 draw. According to Fifa statistics Bangladesh played India 23 times winning three, drawing nine and losing 11 matches.

BFF general secretary Abu Naeem Shohag admitted the development and said, “For the last few days we have

been working on the issue and now we can say that we are seriously considering it. We look forward to play India at Goa on March 5.”

BFF is also taking the initiative to bring back the two Dutch national coaches as soon as possible. “We will be sending the tickets of Lodewijk de Kruif and Rene Koster within a few days and hope they will start the preparation of the national team for the friendly,” revealed Shohag.

Bangladesh last visited India in 2011 in the Saff Championship and carries a bitter experience from the trip. They were eliminated from the group stage following a goalless draw against Pakistan and losing 0-1 and 1-3 against Nepal and Maldives respectively. l

118TH IFA SHIELD

Wedson keeps Jamal alive Haitian striker Wedson Anselme slammed a brace as Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club kept their hopes alive in the 118th IFA Shield after beating United Sikkim 3-1 in a dominating display in their second game at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata yesterday.

Nigerian forward Emeka Darlington and Wedson put the Bangladesh Premier League club at ease with a 2-0 lead inside 25 minutes before the Haitian added his second to seal the victory in the 82nd minute.

Sheikh Jamal now must beat Mohun Bagan in their third and final group match on Feb 8 to progress to the last four. Mohun Bagan drew with group leaders Mohammedan SC of Kolkata yesterday.

sack Laudrup as coach

Wedson opened the scoring with just five minutes on the clock stabbing home after Darlington slid the ball onto the path of the Haitian.

Darlington doubled the lead in the 25th minute thanks to Haitian striker Sony Norde’s unselfish effort to assist the goal. Sony broke into the left of the penalty area and could have attempted his own, but provided a pass to Darlington who tapped the ball inside the goal.

Enjoying greater possession, Sheikh Jamal missed plenty of chances to extend their lead in the opening half.

Wedson hit the woodwork in the 34th minute after chipping the ball over onrushing goalkeeper.

United Sikkim, the former I-League side, pulled one back after the resumption through Adeleja. l

with 12 points while BJMC moved up to sixth place with 10 points from seven games.

Muktijoddha initiated the first attack in the 8th minute through Jahed Parvez but his volley from the middle of the box went wide. The All Reds broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute through their Nigerian forward Agbulu Inalegwu. The Nigerian was lucky to head the ball home after Nkwocha Kingsley’s volley was punched away by Feni goalkeeper Md Nehal.

However, Muktis’ delight didn’t last long as the Feni outfits equalised within five minutes with forward Akbar Hossain Ridon’s header on Ali

hander completed his ninth double ton with back to back fours off Mahmudullah before the lunch and though couple wickets fell from the other end, Sangakkara showed no mercy in dispatching the bad balls for boundaries.

The Tigers had already given up on trying dismissing him and the fielding placement suggested they just wanted him to get off strike as Sangakkara made his last 116 runs in the company of number 9, 10 and 11.

Coming in at number nine, Ajantha Mendis, who was lucky to survive a LBW shout off Al Amin, played a crucial supporting role to Sangakkara and was unlucky to miss out a fifty for just three runs. The pair added exactly 100 runs for the eighth wicket which somewhat killed any chances the Bangladesh side had of bowling them out below 500.

Suranga Lakmal did not last much and with the ninth wicket down, Sangakkara knew he had to face as many balls possible to reach the triple figure.

Sangakkara batted almost the whole day one, and even yesterday there was no sign of any fatigue in his approach as he clobbered a four and two sixes consecutively off Shakib to reach 300.

His Sangakkara made his last 116 runs in the company of Nos.9, 10 and 11,

Still hungry for runs He may have had breakfast, lunch and dinner but Kumar Sangakkara is still hungry for runs. After equalling his favourite cricketer Brian Lara’s nine double centuries in Test cricket he expressed a desire to score bigger hundreds. This was said after he left with field with a mere 319 runs to name.

“Yeah you know you always look at scores as a batsman, 100s, 200s, 300s Brian Lara has got a 400. And those are always things you try and chase when you have an opportunity. So I was very happy to have got into the 300 club at least,” said Sangakkara.

The humble cricketer who became the fastest to eleven thousand runs yesterday said that he could never equal Lara who he claims is at a different level in comparison to most of the batsman he has seen.

“I don’t think you are ever really satisfied with things that you do as a cricketer, you always know that there is a bit more that you could have done, a couple more runs here and there. But you are right you know I grew up watching and idolising sir Vivian Richards and then Brian Lara came along and he was magical to watch so I am pretty happy to have equalled him in some kind of way, but I don’t think I will equal him

Kumar Sangakkara hit his first triplecentury and his highest score in Tests, bettering his 287, against South Africa in Colombo in 2006. Sangakkara has scored 1711 runs against Bangladesh the highest by any batsman against the team in Tests - at 95.05 from 20 innings.

Sangakkara’s 319 was his sixth century against Bangladesh and his third score of 200 or more runs against them. He also leads the list of century makers against Bangladesh in Tests. Mahela Jayawardene and Sachin Tendulkar are

as a batsman because I think he is on a completely different level to most of the batsman I have seen,” he said.

Averaging over 55 in 122 matches with 34 centuries, nine double centuries where the left hander had the only milestone left scoring a triple hundred in his career was finally fulfilled yesterday after he was dismissed on 319.

“Well two ways of looking at it, personally yeah I have achieved quite a bit as a batsman, but as a team’s point of view our aim is to win a lot more test matches especially away from home, I think we have a long way to try do that and climb up the Test rankings. Hopefully before I finish we will be able to beat some of the big countries in their own back yard. And keep playing really good test cricket and keep improving hopefully be on top of the rankings,” he said.

Sangakkara started the day on 160 and was running out of partners when the triple hundred was around the corner. “It was tough, it would have been much easier batting with Dilruwan or if Mednis had stayed. I had to shield Mendis from Shakib because he was getting that difficult angle for right handers. So other than that I was happy to rotate strike Mendis , but after that it was kind of tight so I had to take matters into my own hand and try and

next in this list with five hundreds each.

Sangakkara has now hit nine scores of 200 or more in Tests, equaling Brian Lara in the list of batsmen with most 200-plus scores in Tests. Including this innings, Sangakkara has hit four scores of 200 or more in away Tests. Bradman, Hammond and Lara, have all hit five such scores each in their Test careers.

When on 201, Sangakkara went past Steve Waugh to become the ninth-highest run scorer in Tests. He is the ninth batsman to score 11000 or more Test

Feni hold Muktijoddha, BJMC win Soccer Club Feni came from behind to hold Muktijoddha SKC to a 1-1 draw in the Bangladesh Premier League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

In the other match of the day, an injury time header from Guinean striker Ismael Bangoura helped Team BJMC salvage all three points against Chittagong Abahani with a 1-0 victory.

Federation Cup runners-up, Muktijoddha remained fourth in the league

14 Swansea

DAYS TO GO

History was written in Chittagong yesterday as Sri Lanka’s batting maestro Kumar Sangakkara landed his career’s first triple hundred in their first innings of the second Test match against the hosts at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Riding on the superb achievement the visitors, who are leading the two-match series 1-0, piled up a mammoth 587 in their first innings.

Bangladesh, however, took the field without their captain and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, who sustained a fracture on his left hand little finger the earlier day, as Shamsur Rahman replaced him behind the stumps. Abdur Razzak, the specialist left-arm spinner in the side, also missed out with hamstring.

Hoping to carry the momentum from their previous session on Tuesday, the efforts from the home side fell apart in front of some classy stroke play from Sangakkara who resumed the day on 160. Country’s leading allrounder Shakib al Hasan had little to celebrate his 11th Test five-wicket haul on the day as Sangakkara had already stolen the show with his 319. The left-

Fall of wickets 1-39 (Silva), 2-49 (Karunaratne), 3-227 (Jayawardene), 4-294 (Chandimal), 5-312 (Mathews), 6-402 (Vithanage), 7-405 (D. Perera), 8-505 (Mendis), 9-533 (Lakmal), 10-587 (Sangakkara).

angladesh 1st innings Tamim Iqbal b Lakmal Shamsur Rahman not out Imrul Kayes not out Extras: (nb5)

0 3 8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 ULAB clinch

Fair Play Cup cricket

Sangakkara 300 puts Sri Lanka in command

SCORECARD, DAY 2 Sri Lanka 1st innings (overnight 314-5): K Sangakkara c Gazi b Nasir K Vithanage lbw b Nasir D Perera lbw b Shakib A Mendis lbw b Shakib S Lakmal lbw b Shakib N Pradeep not out Extras: (b21, lb6, nb1, w2, pen5)

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Hasan’s corner.

Muktijoddha continued to pile up pressure in the second-half for the equaliser but their misfiring forwards cost them. In-form Nigerian striker Nkwocha Kingsley wasted two chances in the 67th and 73rd minutes.

In the 81st minute, Nkwocha went past the Feni defense but Nehal dived on his feet to stop the attack.

Meanwhile in the day’s second game, Ismael Bangoura scored one minute into the stoppage time to hand BJMC their 3rd league victory.

A precise Abdullah Al Parvez freekick caused trouble for the Chittagong Abahani goalkeeper Nahid Uddin

who missed the flight of the ball, but Bangoura made no mistake to head home into an open net.

Earlier, the Guinean squandered a glorious opportunity in the 28th minute, a one-on-one with Samson Iliasu, as Bangoura broke into the penalty area and shot inches over the cross bar.

Chittagong outfits had their only notable chance in the 44th minute, but forward Javed Khan’s shot was saved by BJMC keeper Arifuzzaman Hemel.

The draw sent Chittagong Abahani to the bottom of the table with only four points from eight games. l

after Sri Lanka lost their last recognised batsman midway through the first session. The innings that had all the right shots in it finally ended on 319 when Sangakkara was Sohag Gazi caught him at long-on off Nasir Hossain. Sangakkara also crossed 11 thousand runs during his batting and became the ninth cricketer to achieve the milestone in Test cricket with his fellow teammate Mahlea Jayawardene also in the list.

Coming on to bat in the last session with the mountain of runs to overcome, Bangladesh had a disastrous start to their innings as Tamim Iqbal was cleaned up by Lakmal in just the fourth ball. The local boy, Tamim, appeared surprised to the length that kept a bit low, but his footwork was also not good to the deliver.

However, returning to the side after two years Imrul Kayes came on to bat at three, the first time in that position in his 16-match career, and both he and Shamsur were lucky to survive the day.

Shamsur, on 36, was dropped by Jayawardene at slip while left-handed Kayes’ attacking approach almost cost him when he skied one off Mendis only to see Nuwan Pradeep spill the catch.

Bangladesh ended the day at 86/1 and still trail by 501 runs. l

Mushfiq out of T20s

score as many as quick as possible,” said Sangakkara.

“I think it’s mostly been a lot of hard work in the nets, trying to learn as much as I can every time I play, not losing my positive intent to score, trying to stay one step ahead of the opposition, so I don’t think there s a big secret, its just a lot of throw downs, lot of batting in the nets, thinking a bit about my own batting, also the environment that I had in our dressing room. We have had a lot of inspiration, form Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya, so I was lucky to grow up in that environment,” said Sangakkara.

With eight centuries against Bangladesh and a total of nine double centuries under his belt Sangakkara still ranks his 98 against South Africa on his first overseas tour highly, “Well, a really good innings doesn’t necessarily mean the number of runs you have scored, I always go back to my 98 in South Africa in my first ever away tour in centurion, that’s when I thought I could play Test cricket, until that time I wasn’t really sure if I could belong and compete, but that innings changed how I looked at myself and really taught me what it takes to be a test player. I think that innings set the foundation for what has happened since then,” he said. What a foundation indeed. l

runs and the fastest batsman, in terms of number of innings taken, to do so.

Sangakkara’s 319 in this innings is now the highest individual score against Bangladesh in Tests, beating Ramnaresh Sarwan’s unbeaten 261 against them in Kingston in 2004.

Sangakkara smashed six sixes during his innings - the most by a SL batsman in Tests.

Sangakkara added 54 runs for the tenth wicket with Nuwan Pradeep which is their highest 10th-wicket stand in Tests.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has been rested from the upcoming two-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka as Bangladesh Cricket Board named the 15-man squad yesterday.

However, the board is yet to name a captain for the matches.

Mushfiq sustained a fracture on his left hand little finger on the first day of the ongoing Test match and could not take the field. “We don’t want to take

SQUAD Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Mithun Ali, Mominul Hoque, Shakib al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Shabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Sohag Gazi, Arafat Sunny, Farhad Reza, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Al-Amin Hossain

any risk with Mushfiq as we have many important tournaments ahead like the Asia Cup and the ICC World Twenty20,” said chief of the selection panel Faruk Ahmed to the media yesterday.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mithun Ali replaced Mushfiq in the squad along with few other new names. Veteran left-arm spinner Abdur Razzal lost his place to Arafat Sunny while all-rounder Farhad Reza, after a fruitful domestic season, also returned to the Tigers fold after two years. Batsman cum leg-spinner Sabbir Rahman also made it to the Tigers squad for the first time.

“We have World Twenty20 in a month time for which we have considered couple new names this time.

Sabbir and Arafat both performed well in the domestic cricket and we want to see how well they cope in the international arena,” said Faruk.

The two Twenty20 internationals will be held on February 12 and 14 at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. l

Nasir calls for cool heads Captain Mushfiqur Rahim’s absence on the second day affected the Bangladesh side and though the hosts are still trailing by 501 runs in their first innings Nasir Hossain thinks a full day batting is needed to turn the game on its head.

“Bangladesh is not too much in the back foot. If we can bat all day, we will be in a good position,” said Nasir after the second day’s play yesterday. “The mentality was affected. He is our main wicket-keeper and captain. We missed a few chances behind the wicket, but Shuvo bhai is not a regular keeper, we have to keep that in mind. I hope Mushfiq bhai can bat well tomorrow, but it is

still a hope. Not confirmed,” he added.

Bangladesh had the worst possible start when they came out to bat as Tamim Iqbal could not reverse his fortunes from the first Test and failed once again. “The ball that got Tamim out, kept low which was also the case for all the leg-before decisions. We tried to do this when we bowled. We were not too defensive. We tried to bowl wicket-to-wicket,” said Nasir.

The 22-year old added, “We have to bat with cool heads. Personally I feel that we usually play too many shots, which we should not do in Test cricket.”

“We thought that he would score 300, and then it seemed to me he could make 400. I felt that I can’t let him do that.” l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, February 6, 2014

CR7 banned for three league games

Everton restore Umbro partnership

Bayern threaten stay-away fans

Recently crowned Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Real Madrid’s next three league games after being sent-off in his side’s 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. The score was already tied at 1-1 when Ronaldo was shown the eighth red card of his career after clashing with Athletic midfielder Ander Iturraspe 15 minutes from time. The Spanish Football Federation handed the Portuguese the normal one game ban for a straight red card, but also added an extra two games for a gesture of dissent Ronaldo made as he left the field. –AFP

English Premier League club Everton on Tuesday announced a new five-year kit manufacturing deal with British sportswear firm Umbro. It will be Everton’s fourth contract with Umbro, which first began making kits for the Merseyside club in 1974. Umbro will take over from Everton’s current kit manufacturers, American sportswear giant Nike, on June 1. “The club is delighted to be entering into this new and exciting partnership and looks forward to working alongside the Umbro team over the next five years,” said Everton chief executive Robert Elstone. –AFP

Bayern Munich are offering subsidised tickets for next month’s Champions League match at Arsenal, but the European champions have threatened to revoke the season tickets of stay-away supporters at home. Bayern have said they will withdraw any season tickets for holders who attend less than eight of the 17 home Bundesliga matches per year at Munich’s Allianz Arena. Munich have around 10,000 fans waiting for season tickets, but empty seats and spaces on the terraces for some home league games have annoyed Bayern’s bosses. –AFP

Giant-killing Blades punish Fulham in FA Cup n AFP, London

Third-tier Sheffield United scored in the last minute of extra time to dump sorry Premier League strugglers Fulham out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

The fourth-round replay at a rainsoaked Craven Cottage was almost completely devoid of goalmouth incident and looked destined for penalties until Shaun Miller snatched a dramatic winner in the 120th minute.

Miller’s close-range header, from Harry Maguire’s knock-down, gave United a second successive victory against top-flight opposition after a previous success against Aston Villa in the third round.

“It is unbelievable,” Miller told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I am delighted to get the goal for my little son, who was born a few weeks ago. I am made up for him.”

It was the latest indignity in a desperate recent run for Fulham, who have slipped to the foot of the Premier League table after a run of four consecutive league defeats.

“We know that we’ve only got ourselves to blame,” said manager Rene Meulensteen, who takes Fulham to his former club Manchester United in the league on Sunday.

“At the end of the day, that’s what we need to do. We need to look each other in the eye and say, ‘Let’s pick ourselves up and dig ourselves out of it.’

“If you talk about this game and you say, ‘Have we hit rock-bottom?’ We probably have. OK, fine, that’s it.

“And if we have hit rock-bottom, it can’t get any worse and it can only get better, so that’s what we need to work for.”

Sheffield United are themselves second from bottom in League One after a sequence of one win in seven games, but Nigel Clough’s side can now look forward to a home tie with either Preston North End or Nottingham Forest in round five.

“If you hang on in there at 0-0, you always have that opportunity,” said Blades manager Clough, who began his playing career at Forest under his late father, legendary manager Brian Clough. l

Sheffield United's Shaun Miller (C) celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Fulham during their 4th round replay English FA Cup match at Craven Cottage stadium on Tuesday

Swansea sack Laudrup n AFP, London

AP

MANAGERIAL DEPARTURES IN ENGLAND JULY '13

Kevin MacDonald (Swindon Town)

SEPTEMBER

on the club website. But it’s a decision made in the best interests of Swansea City Football Club and our supporters.

“It is the first time in nearly 10 years that the club has parted with a manager in this way, but we had to remove the constant uncertainty surrounding the club and Michael’s long-term future with us.”

Swansea said that former captain Garry Monk would work as head coach alongside current first-team coach Alan Curtis “for the foreseeable future”.

As well as winning the League Cup, Swansea finished in ninth place in the Premier League last season, but they have won only one of their last 10 league games in the current campaign.

Last weekend’s 2-0 loss at West Ham United left Swansea just two points above the relegation places and on Saturday they host fierce local rivals Car-

diff City in the south Wales derby.

Explaining the decision to part ways with Laudrup, Jenkins said: “I felt it was unlikely we would achieve a stable environment at the club to allow us to get back to basics and produce the performance levels that have served Swansea City so well over the last few years.

As a player, Laudrup was a lavishly gifted playmaker who made his name with Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid and the Danish national side.

He began his managerial career with Danish club Brondby in 2002 and subsequently worked at Getafe, Spartak Moscow and Real Mallorca.

His successor, 34-year-old Monk, was a key member of the Swansea team promoted from the Championship in 2011, but injuries have reduced him to a bit-part role in the two and a half seasons since. l

Manchester United confirm USA tour

Ibra double steers PSG into Cup final n AFP, Paris

Udinese edge towards first Cup final in over 90 years

Cricket fan in pig cruelty flap n AFP, Brisbane

n AFP, London

Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck early and late on Tuesday to keep Paris SaintGermain on course for a domestic double as the Ligue 1 leaders edged past Nantes 2-1 to reach the final of the League Cup. Ibrahimovic struck his first goal in this season’s competition to put PSG ahead after just five minutes at the Stade de la Beaujoire.

Olivier Veigneau responded with an equaliser nine minutes from the end but Ibrahimovic popped up with his second of the match, and 31st of the season, in the final minute to send the three-time winners through to April’s final at the Stade de France.

With PSG already eliminated from the French Cup, Blanc fielded a strong side that featured just three changes from the team that beat Bordeaux 2-0 on Friday evening. l

n AFP, Rome

An Australian cricket fan who disguised a pig as a baby for the Ashes Test at the Gabba ground was Wednesday ordered to attend mediation with the RSPCA. David Gunn, 33, was charged with animal cruelty after the pet pig, wrapped in a towel with its snout taped shut, was seen in the Brisbane stadium during the opening day of the first Australia-England Test in November.

In a statement to the court, the RSPCA said the pig, named Ash, was traumatised by the incident and dehydrated after being in direct sunlight on a hot day.

Gunn was ordered to attend mediation with the animal welfare charity, spokesman Michael Beatty saying in his experience this involved sitting the person down and trying to make them understand how their actions affected the pig. Ash has since made a full recovery. l

Swansea City announced on Tuesday that they have parted company with manager Michael Laudrup, almost a year after he led the Welsh club to their first ever major trophy.

The 49-year-old Dane steered Swansea to a 5-0 success over Bradford City in last season’s League Cup final, but the club said that they had been forced to act due to “constant uncertainty” surrounding his future.

Laudrup’s relationship with the club reportedly became strained during the close season and a poor run of recent form has seen Swansea slide towards the Premier League’s relegation zone.

“It is a decision we have taken reluctantly,” said Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins in a statement published

English football giants Manchester United have announced that they will return to the United States for a preseason tour ahead of the 2014-15 campaign in Europe.

The Premier League champions are due to compete in the International Champions Cup alongside fellow English heavyweights Manchester City and Liverpool.

The friendly tournament will also feature European powerhouses Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Roma and Olympiakos, organisers announced on Tuesday.

The eight teams will be split into two groups, with the winners of each pool facing off in the final at Florida’s Sun Life Stadium, home of NFL outfit the Miami Dolphins, on August 4.

It is set to be United’s fifth pre-sea-

son tour of the United States, long considered one of the great undeveloped markets for football.

Their most recent visit came in 2011, when the club played four American teams and Spanish side Barcelona across three cities.

However, plans for the tour may be altered if United have to take part in the early qualifying stages of the Champions League or the Europa League in August.

Now managed by David Moyes following the retirement of serial trophywinner Alex Ferguson, United are currently seventh in the Premier League table – seven points adrift of the Champions League places.

United managing director Richard Arnold welcomed the tour, saying: “I’m delighted to announce that the team will be returning to the USA for our 2014 Tour, presented by Aon. l

Malaysia fines 17 players for match-fixing n Reuters, Kuala Lumpur Malaysian soccer authorities have found an entire lower league team guilty of match-fixing in the latest scandal to blight the country’s corruption-riven competitions.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed a report in the Star that said 17 players from Kuala Lumpur FA, competing in the country’s third-tier FAM league, had been fined 5,000 Malaysian ringgit ($1,500) for match-fixing.

Another five players and three team officials from Kuala Lumpur were handed life bans and fined in December. l

Udinese moved to within one game of their first Italian Cup final since 1922 on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in their semi-final first leg clash.

Udinese captain Antonio di Natale opened the scoring for the hosts before Fiorentina levelled through Peruvian Juan Manuel Vargas a minute before half-time.

However, Udinese edged the contest when Colombian Luis Muriel scored with a fine effort eight minutes from time.

Fiorentina will still fancy their chances of overhauling the deficit in the second leg next Tuesday.

They will also be boosted by German international striker Mario Gomez, who missed the past five months because of injury, due to return to

I’m supporting Russia: Sharapova n AFP, Sochi

Russian tennis player Sharapova signs autographs for children while visiting her first court in Riviera Park yesterday in Sochi, Russia, prior to the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics AP

Russian tennis queen Maria Sharapova may live in Florida and talk with an American accent... but speaking in her home town of Sochi on Wednesday she made it clear her loyalties lie with the country of her birth.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, born in Siberia, spent several years as a young girl in the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics before moving to America to hone her skills. Speaking at a Samsung promotional event in the Olympic park, Sharapova – one of the world’s most recognisable sports stars – said it was great to be back in a place that held so many special memories for her. l

Greg Abbott (Carlisle United), Paolo Di Canio (Sunderland), Nigel Clough (Derby County)

OCTOBER

David Weir (Sheffield United), Martin Allen (Gillingham), Kevin Blackwell (Bury), Tony Mowbray (Middlesbrough), Ian Holloway (Crystal Palace), Chris Kiwomya (Notts County)

NOVEMBER

Brian Laws (Scunthorpe United), Guy Whittingham (Portsmouth), Richie Barker (Crawley Town), Sean O’Driscoll (Bristol City), David Flitcroft (Barnsley)

DECEMBER

Martin Jol (Fulham), Dave Jones (Sheffield Wednesday), Owen Coyle (Wigan Athletic), Steve Clarke (West Bromwich Albion), Andre Villas-Boas (Tottenham Hotspur), Gianfranco Zola (Watford), Aidy Boothroyd (Northampton Town), Steve Lomas (Millwall), Malky Mackay (Cardiff City)

JANUARY '14

Alan Knill (Torquay United), Paul Ince (Blackpool), Graham Turner (Shrewsbury Town), Chris Wilder (Oxford United)

FEBRUARY

Michael Laudrup (Swansea City)

training on Wednesday.

Di Natale, who has threatened to retire because of constant criticism from the fans, broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, rounding off a counter-attack begun by Swiss Silvan Widmer.

Di Natale was removed from the fray at half-time but not till after he had an altercation with the referee, pleading that the Fiorentina equaliser should not have been allowed as he was fouled at the beginning of the move.

Fiorentina looked the sharper side at the outset of the second-half but eventually they ran out of ideas and energy and were punished when Muriel fired home.

Wednesday sees the second semifinal first leg match take place with AS Roma, second in Serie A, hosting Napoli, who are third in the league but whose form has tailed off of late. l

Vettori eyes comeback n AFP, Auckland

Injured New Zealand cricket great Daniel Vettori has set a May target to resume his international career with captain Brendon McCullum saying he should be an automatic selection if fit.

Vettori, one of the world’s leading all rounders, has been plagued by Achilles and back injuries and last played Test cricket 18 months ago.

He has now ruled himself out of a comeback at the World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh in March but said he is targeting New Zealand’s tour of the West Indies in May as the series that will determine if he can revive his career.

“I want to commit to that tour otherwise it will be too hard to keep trying

to come back,” the left-arm spinner said following a meeting with McCullum and New Zealand coach Mike Hesson.

“Mike and Brendon made it clear that if I play for New Zealand again I’ve got to deliver in all three facets of the game, which is completely fair. I can’t just bowl 24 balls and then expect to be hidden in the outfield. He’s clearly a very well proven international cricketer and it will be nice if he was able to be part of the squad, but for him at the moment it’s a matter of making sure he tries to get himself fit,” McCullum said Wednesday.

“Hopefully if that’s the case we will see him in the West Indies. Obviously it’s the selectors who make those calls but from my point of view he comes straight in.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

REACTION TO END OF KP’S ENGLAND CAREER

INT'L BATTING RECORDS Tests ODIs T20s

M In NO Runs 104 181 8 8181 136 125 16 4440 37 36 5 1176

HS 227 130 79

Ave 100s 50s Catch 47.28 23 35 62 40.73 9 25 40 37.93 0 7 14

MICHAEL VAUGHAN (Former England captain) “I think the @ECB_cricket have to explain to everyone exactly what @KP24 has done so we can all have clarity and reasoning .. I think the @ECB_cricket have to explain to everyone exactly what @KP24 has done so we can all have clarity and reasoning .. I care about the England team and that’s why I want all the best players in the side. Its sad that we can’t manage someone like @KP24”

FACT FILE Name

SHANE WARNE (Former Australia leg-spinner)

Kevin Peter Pietersen

“I also just heard the sad news re KP that he has played his last game for England, to me it’s a disgrace & a joke ! The ECB is in a shambles”

Birthplace Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (to a South African father and English mother).

NASSER HUSSAIN (Former England captain) “There must have been things happening behind the scenes that Flower and Cook weren’t amused with and it would be nice to know from the ECB - if you’re going to axe one of your best players - what those things are.”

Birthdate June 27, 1980

1997/98

MICHAEL ATHERTON (Former England captain)

First-class debut for Natal as an offspinning all-rounder.

“It was coming, I think. There was a unanimity of views there from the people that count, so ultimately I think Kevin Pietersen found himself friendless. He had no allies amongst the management, the hierarchy and the senior players as well because Paul Downton would have been taking soundings from them at the end of the Ashes tour. It was a pretty horrific Ashes tour and there have been a few victims along the way, but I think he just found himself friendless and with no allies.”

2001 Joins Nottinghamshire with a view to qualifying for England, following frustrating with South Africa’s postapartheid ‘quota’ system.

ALEC STEWART (Former England captain)

2004 Following a series of disputes, leaves Nottinghamshire for county rivals Hampshire.

In November, makes England ODI debut against Zimbabwe in Harare, scoring 27 not out in a five-wicket win.

2005 In February scores three hundreds in an ODI series against South Africa, reaching three figures in the matches at Bloemfontein, East London and Centurion.

In July, scores 57 and 64 Test debut in 239-run defeat by Australia in the Ashes opener at Lord’s after England drop Graham Thorpe. In September, scores a breathtaking maiden Test hundred, making 158 to see England to a draw at The Oval that sees the Ashes regained from Australia.

2008 Replaces Michael Vaughan as Test captain and Paul Collingwood as one-day skipper, with England wanting a leader across all formats. In August, replaces Michael Vaughan as Test captain and Paul Collingwood as one-day skipper.

Scores hubndred in his first Test as captain, against South Africa at The Oval.

2009 In January, resigns as England captain following a rift with Peter Moores that sees the latter lose his job as England coach.

2010 In May, makes 41 as England beat Australia in the World Twenty20 final in Barbados – their first major limited overs international trophy. In June, announces he is not renewing Hampshire contract. In August, joins Surrey.

2010-11 Stars in England’s 3-1 Ashes series win in Australia, making a Test best 227 in Adelaide.

2011 Forced out of World Cup through injury.

2012 In August says “it’s tough being me in this dressing room” after making 149 against South Africa in a Test at Headingley. Dropped after admitting sending “provocative texts” to South African players. In October, added to Test squad for tour of India. In November, makes superb 186 in second Test.

2013 In August, his hundred against Australia in the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford sees him become England’s highest run-scorer across all formats.

2014 In January, with 294 runs at 29.40 is England’s highest scorer in 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia. Says he wants to continue England career. On February 4, declares his international career finished after it is announced he will not be in the England squads for either the ODI tour of the Caribbean or the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

DAY’S WATCH BTV & Maasranga TV 9:30AM Bangladesh v Sri Lanka 2nd Test, Day 3 Sony Six 3:30AM (Friday) India’s Tour of New Zealand 1st Test, Day 2 Ten Golf 4:30PM European Tour 2014 Joburg Open, Day1 Star Sports 1 8:30PM Hockey India League Ten Action 3:00AM Copa del Rey 2013/14 Semi-final 2, 1st Leg Barcelona v Real Sociedad

15

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Game over for KP ‘Rebuilding’ ECB end Pietersen’s England career

n Reuters, London Kevin Pietersen’s brilliant and controversial international career ended on Tuesday as the fallout from England’s woeful Ashes campaign claimed the scalp of one of the country’s most mercurial batting talents.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) brought the curtain down on Pietersen’s near 10-year spell at the top by leaving him out of the squad for this year’s World Twenty20 and limited overs tour of the Caribbean.

Paul Downton, the managing director of England cricket, cited a need “to rebuild not only the team but also team ethic and philosophy”, effectively closing the door on a player frequently labelled a disruptive dressing-room influence.

“Clearly this was a tough decision

because Kevin has been such an outstanding player for England, as the fact that he is the country’s leading run scorer in international cricket demonstrates,” Downton said.

“However everyone was aware that there was a need to begin the longterm planning after the Australia tour.

Therefore we have decided the time is right to look to the future and start to rebuild not only the team but also team ethic and philosophy.

“England cricket owes a debt of gratitude to Kevin who has proved to be one of the most talented and exciting players to ever represent the country and his 13,797 runs are a testimony to his immense skill.

“This decision brings some clarity now for the future of the England teams and we all wish Kevin the very best in the rest of his career.”

The 33-year-old South-African born Pietersen, who played in 104 test matches, 136 one-day internationals and 37 Twenty20 internationals for England, was left in little doubt that he would not grace the international stage again.

“Playing cricket for my country has been an honour. Every time I pulled on the England shirt was a moment of huge pride for me and that is something that will live with me forever,” he said in the statement.

“Although I am obviously very sad the incredible journey has come to an end, I’m also hugely proud of what we, as a team, have achieved over the past nine years.

“I believe I have a great deal still to give as a cricketer. I will continue to play but deeply regret that it won’t be for England.” l

“At times you could call him a maverick cricketer, but he’s a match-winner, a natural born winner and a game changer. I am sure there will be many England fans who see this as a shameful decision but it’s a decision he will have to accept and we within the game of cricket have to accept. I do not know the full facts but as an England fan I’d want my best players playing for England, to give us the best chance of winning.

Part of managing is not just coaching but creating a good environment and not letting these things get to a head.”

IAN BOTHAM (Former England all-rounder) “I think everyone needs to remember what a terrific player he has been and the entertainment he has given. I think it’s about time the ECB put out an official statement so we all know what is going on. There have been a lot of Chinese whispers, a lot of ex-players speculating. I don’t know what has happened. I don’t think anybody does. He is one of the best players the country has ever had. His career has been terminated. Well why not tell us why? And don’t give us the one-liner ‘we are moving on, we’re doing this, we’re doing that.’ He is 33, not 43”

DARREN GOUGH (Former England fast bowler) “What a joke leaving @KP24 out !! This is what you get when england keep employing yes men as men in charge, top player who would still be playing for any other team in world cricket EG GAYLE WEST INDIES WATSON AUSTRALIA a few examples”

CHRIS GAYLE (Former West Indies captain) “No @KP24 for the Caribbean tour later this month against W.I? That’s really sad for English/International cricket! Don’t let the fans suffer. Was really looking for the hype of having @KP24 in the caribbean, would be big tickets sales for us. #Sad Learn to MANAGE Big Names!!”

DAVID WARNER (Australia opening batsman) “I think he is (a loss to international cricket), he was their highest run-scorer, a worldclass player, but we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors and in their camp, so we can’t talk on their behalf. I know through playing with KP at Delhi (in the IPL), he likes to encourage the other guys coming through. His door’s always open if you want to ask him a question, or if you need to work out a plan for the next game.”

Strengthening integrity through Fair Play n Minhaz Uddin Khan Participated by 12 private universities the 7th ULAB Fair Play Inter-Private University T20 Cup ended in a festive mood at the ULAB Ground yesterday where hosts University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh clinched the title beating Manarat International University. It was the third title for ULAB in their fifth final appearance since the tournaments launch in 2006.

The Fair Play Cup was first participated by six universities back in 2006 and with the years passing by this was the first time the competition hosted 12 leading universities of the city. The objective of the ULAB Fair Play Cup is to establish good relationship among the private university students and give a taste of fair competition in sport.

There were approximately 2000 spectators present at the ground yesterday, mostly students supporting their respective university and witnessing the huge cheers and celebrations, one could easily say that the tournament lived up to its mission.

“I don’t understand much of cricket.

But I am here to support my university and besides that also have a good time.

The venue of the field being on the outskirts of the city gives you feel of picnic, so yes, I am enjoying,” said Samiha Huda, a ULAB student.

The organisers, ULAB, hoped that the initiative will contribute to the development of professional cricket

Jamal clinches Novo Air Open n Shishir Hoque Jamal Hossain Molla carded a brilliant five-under-par 72 in the ultimate round to emerge as champion in the Novo Air Open at the Kurmitola Gold Club yesterday. His total was 16-under-par 272.

Country’s leading golfer Siddikur Rahman, who was in the lead in the first two rounds, finished fourth after a disappointing display in the last two rounds. Siddikur played four-over-par in the third and one-under-par in the fourth round to finish the tournament at a total seven-under-par 281.

Amateur golfer Sajib Ali finished runners-up with 15-under-par 273 and Zakiruzzaman placed third playing 11-under-par. l

among the youth and so did the special guest of the ceremony, Mahbub Enam, director and former vice-president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

“I myself used to enjoy this kind of tournament when I was student. I enjoyed the game and hope that some from you will carry on with the game and someday play in the professional leagues and may be for the Bangladesh team too,” said the BCB director.

ULAB is the only private univer-

sity with a tournament-standard playground in Dhaka. Students of the university are availed with regular sports and exercise.

“We practice around the year except for the rainy season. I am glad that our university besides study pampers us to participate in sports. We have worked hard before coming into the tournament and thanks to Almighty that he been able to lift the title,” said Asif Pathan Sazzad, captain of ULAB cricket team.

While captain of Manarat University, Syed Imam Foyez, looks forward to the next edition of the tournament with the positives bagged from this season.

“Being able to play in the final will inspire us to do better next season. He had practiced for two months and came into the tournament this time with aim for the championship.

Hard luck that we went down fighting,” said Foyez. l

Brig Gen Hasan, Kala no more n Raihan Mahmood Brig. Gen. (rtd) Kazi Mahmudul Hasan, the national award winning footballer and the former DG of BKSP passed away at the age of 69 on Tuesday.

Mahmudul Hasan played for Pakistan football team before the independence and was the founding member of Sonali Otit club. He played club football for Victoria Sporting Club.

Haji Md. Salahuddin Kala, the former Rahmatganj, Dhaka Abahani and Sadharan Bima forward who played club football with dominance breathed his last yesterday. He was 58.

Bangladesh Football Federation, Sonali Otit Club, Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association, Bangladesh Sports Press Association expressed deep shock over the deaths of two prominent football personalities and prayed for salvation of the departed souls. l

Usha maintain winning streak n Shishir Hoque

ULAB players celebrate winning the 7th ULAB Fair Play T20 Cup at the ULAB playground yesterday

ULAB clinch Fair Play Cup cricket n Raihan Mahmood University of Liberal Arts emerged as the champions of the 7th ULAB Fair Play T20 Cup beating Manarat International University at the ULAB playground at Ramchandrapur, Mohammadpur yesterday.

Opting to field first ULAB restricted MIU on 105/9 in the stipulated 20 overs. Anjum Ahmed Jassy of ULAB spit fire grabbing three wickets for 22 runs in his four overs. ULAB scored 109 in 16.3 overs losing three wickets with Hasanuzzaman playing the anchor role with 50 runs off 45 balls. Along with the man of the final award Hasan

was also named as the man of the tournament.

Tanvir Haider of ULAB bagged the best bowler award while his teammate Chinmoy Roy became the best fielder.

Rushdi of IUB was named as the best batsman.

Earlier in the third Place decider Independent University Bangladesh riding on the brilliant ton of Rushdi beat North South University by 34 runs.

Winning the toss, IUB elected to bat first and posted 172/4. Rushdi’s unbeaten 106 came off only 67 balls and it was the only century of the competition. NSU managed to score 138/8 to concede the defeat. l

RAJIB DHAR

SCORECARD Manarat: 105/9 in 20 overs Ashis 21, Aditto 0, Khaled 0, Masumur 43, Foez 13, Faruq 0, Foysal 8, Imam 8*, Kajol 2, Shamim 1, Extras 9 Bowling Morsalin 11/1, Nayeem 14/1, Tanvir 16/0, Jassy 22/3 0, Asif 10/2, Tonmoy 26/1 FoW: 7, 8, 54, 76, 76, 83, 100, 103, 104 ULAB: 109/3 in 16.3 overs Hasanuzzaman 50*, Adi 3, Izal c Kajol 19, Jassy 2, Merin 29*, Extras 5 Bowling Kajol 18/1, Imam 24/0, Foysal 7/1, Faruq 19/1, Khaled 26/0, Foez 12/0 FoW: 4, 49, 58 Result ULAB won by 7 wickets Man of the match & series: Hasanuzzaman (ULAB)

Last-time runners-up Usha Krira Chakra inched closer to the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League title after a thumping 10-2 victory over Ajax Sporting Club in the first match of the super league at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Second placed Abahani Limited also registered a strong 6-0 win against Shadharan Bima in the day’s second game at the same venue.

Penalty corner specialist Mamunur Rahman Chayan netted three goals from his favourite area in the 4th, 19th and 64th minute while Moinul Islam Koushik scored twice in the 9th and 49th minute. Rimon Kumar Ghosh also scored two goals in the 28th and 34th minute while SafquatRasul, Sarowar Hossain and Fazley Hossain Rabbi added one apiece. Jahidul Islam Rajon and Sohanur Rahman scored the consolations for the losing side.

Pushkor Khisha Mimo and Naim Uddin scored two each for the Sky Blues in the day’s other match, all from penalty corners. Mimo scored in the 8th and 69th minute while Naim netted his in the 19th and 23rd minute. Md Tauseeq and Abdul Hashim Khan added the others in the 21st and 40th minute respectively.

Usha has 18 points from six matches while Abahani has 15. l

16

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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Resumption of Maddhapara rock extraction uncertain n Aminur Rahman Rasel Delays caused by a strike by Maddhapara granite miners have rendered resumption of rock extraction at the site uncertain for a few more months.

The new contractor – Germania-Trest Consortium (GTC) – could not start the recruitment process in time after the contract of its predecessor ended on December 31 last year as the miners had imposed a strike since November 25.

The miners discontinued the strike from January 23 in the face of a lawsuit.

They had been abstaining from work, demanding making their jobs permanent.

“We started fresh recruitment on January 27 to replace 308 miners of the MGMCL, as its contract with the outsourcing company Blue Star ended on December 31 last year,” GTC Chairman Serazul Islam Kazi said.

Asked when they could resume rock extraction, the GTC chairman expressed hope that the recruitment

A martyr’s wife identified 43 years after independence n Our Correspondent, Sylhet It is 43 years after the Liberation War, the identity of a martyr’s wife was yesterday revealed in Fenchuganj upazila of the district.

The identified woman is Josna Begum, 62, a widow who was leading a life of deprivation.

“Chetona ’71 Habiganj” – an organisation working for realisation of women freedom fighters’ right – recognised Josna as the wife of martyr Md Shoyeb Ali Khan, who was a schoolteacher, and went to war.

After her husband left the house, Josna became the target of the Pakistan army who picked her up from the house and put her to torture. Her right leg was severely injured.

She became alone with her only child Milad Hossain Khan after her husband went left the house for Liberation War. After getting release from the captivity of Pakistanis, she returned to her father’s village in Sylhet.

Josna said she did not get any treatment for her leg. Three years ago she got admitted to a private hospital for old age complications.

She added: “I cannot walk properly.

I am faced with many old-age complications. I never got any aid.”

She went on saying that Keya Chowdhury, secretary to “Chetona ’71 Habiganj” admitted her to hospital.

“I got respect. For the first time I got admitted into a government hospital.”

Mariyan Chowdhury, senior vice-president of Sector’s Commander’s Forum for Sylhet unit, has also been providing support to Josna.

Keya Chowdhury said after working with four freedom fighters in last year they came to know about Josna Begum.

“We admitted her to Osmani Medical Collage Hospital after being surprised that she never got any treatment for 43 years,” she added.

The organisation would take initiative to introduce her as a freedom fighter’s wife after completion of her treatment, Keya said.

Doctors said her right leg was severely injured, but she didn’t receive any treatment during that time.

A long-term medication would be necessary to get her cured, added the doctors. l

‘Sayedee’s name not mentioned to investigator’ n Nazmus Sakib The defence counsel, arguing in the appeals case against Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee’s death sentence, yesterday told the Appellate Division that Mofiz Uddin Pashari, the key prosecution witness, had not mentioned Sayedee’s name to the investigation officer for the killing of Ibrahim Kutti, for which the Jamaat leader was given the death penalty.

However, the witness implicated Sayedee for the murder committed on October 1, 1971, by giving deposition at the International Crimes Tribunal, said SM Shahjahan, the defence counsel.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will resume the hearing today on the war crimes appeals case. l

process would complete in two months after which rock extraction would resume.

“As we have no miner at present, extraction of rock at the mine depends on competition of the recruitment process.

The final stage [before resuming work] might need a couple more months,” Serazul told the Dhaka Tribune.

Extraction of hard rock at the mine has been suspended since the miners went on the strike, causing huge losses.

From January the Germania-Trest Consortium was supposed to start working at the mine operated by the Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Ltd (MGMCL), a concern of Petrobangla under the energy ministry.

The MGMCL – the country’s only hard rock company – has been mining rocks at the site since 1994.

A total of 308 workers of the MGMCL Workers-Employees’ Union staged a demonstration outside the company building as part of their indefinite strike, pressing home a five-point demand.

MGMCL Managing Director SAF Md Najmul Ahsan Haider yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that they had failed to start extracting hard rock from the mine because of the strike and this caused the company immense loss.

Najmul said they had directed the new contractor to start the work as early as possible.

He said: “The GTC will recruit both trained and untrained manpower.”

Khairul Islam, president of the miners’ union, claimed that the authority would not be able to start the extraction in three months as the new recruits would take from six months to a year to become well-trained.

Meanwhile, the union leaders have gone into hiding as they have been accused in a case filed by the MGMCL authorities on January 24.

On September 2 last year, the stateowned MGMCL signed a deal with the GTC to produce about 9.2m tonnes of hard rock worth more than Tk2,000 crore over six years. l

Policeman killed in gunfight with pirates n Tribune Report A police constable was killed and three others sustained injuries in a gunfight with pirates in the Meghna River at Gazaria upazila in Munshiganj in the early hours of yesterday.

Superintendent of Police, Munshiganj Md Habibur Rahman said the gunfight had ensued when a team of police had been patrolling the river riding on a trawler.

Then, the police noticed presence of robbers on two trawlers and chased the vessels, but sensing danger, the robbers opened fire at four law enforcers, prompting the law enforcers to retaliate with bullets.

Constable Abdul Malek fell into the river after being hit by a bullet, he said.

Around eight hours after the gunfight, divers from fire service and civil defence recovered the bullet-riddle body of Malek, he said, adding, a num-

ber of gang members might have received bullet wounds during the clash, but they managed to flee the scene with a trawler.

Police seized another trawler of the robbers with looted valuables and several sharp weapons.

Meanwhile, a group of Jamaat-Shibir activists attacked a police team and vandalised two private cars following the arrest of a Jammat leader at Ranibandar in Dinajpur yesterday.

Police said they had arrested a local Jamaat leader Abdur Rouf around 11am.

Hearing the news of his arrest, Jamaat-Shibir men hurled brick chips at police and put up barricade on the Dinajpur-Rangpur highway.

Later, additional police went to the spot and rescued them.

Meanwhile, Detective Branch of police arrested Cox’s Bazar district unit Jamaat Ameer Abu Taher Chowdhury in the afternoon. l

The cover of a book on Shahbagh movement written by Bidhan Riberu on display in a stall at Amar Ekushey Book Fair yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Readers interested in books on Shahbagh movement n Ahmed Zayeef On the first anniversary of Ganajagaran Mancha yesterday, most of the visitors of Amar Ekushey AMAR EKUSHEY B O O K FA I R 2 0 1 4 Book Fair 2014 showed interest in books written on the historic movement organised by the Mancha.

The young generation of the country roared against the war criminals at Shahbagh Projonmo Chattar last year on this day with a view to reviving the history of non-communal Bangladesh imbued with the spirit of liberation war. Many writers came up with their patient effort to write those events in their books and many books on this issue have been published in the book fair.

Visitors of all ages, especially young ones, were seen searching books on Ganajagaran Mancha movement in different stalls yesterday.

Historian Prof Muntassir Mamun

told Dhaka Tribune: “The movement has created a strong impact. Emanated from that movement, many writers are writing articles, poetries and novels, and these works holds special importance to preserve the history.

“Readers’ interest on these books reflects that the spirit of liberation war will never die.”

Tamanna Ahmed, a student of Siddeswary Girls College, who was skimming through a book titled “Shahbagh 2013,” written by Shahaduzzaman at Agami Prokashoni, said: “I could not attend the movement, but I watched on television: how young people demonstrated for capital punishment of war criminals. So, I want to go deep of the movement.”

Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee has published a book on this movement, which was launched by Shahriar Kabir and unveiled by the committee’s General Secretary Kazi Mukul, Columnist Burhanuddin Khan Jahangir, Muntassir Mamun and Barrister Tureen Afroz at the Nazrul Mancha yesterday.

The book has been published by Charulipi Prokashon.

About the book, Burhanuddin Khan said: “We took to the street, demanding ban on Jamaat’s politics 42 years ago. But our demand is yet to be fulfilled. These books reflect the real scenario of our movement.”

Visiting the book fair yesterday this correspondent found that different publication houses had published books on the Shahbagh movement.

Shikha Prokashoni has published a book titled “Projonmo Chattar” and “Juddhaporadhider Fashi Chai” edited by Advocate Salahuddin Ahmed and Provash Amin.

“Shahbagh: Rajniti, Dharma, Chetona,” written by Bidhan Reberu, was published

by Prokriti Prokashoni. Mawla Brothers brought out Mohon Rayhan’s poetry book “Shahbag Dekechhe Amay.” “Jiboner Shahbagh, Jibonjuddher Shahbagh” edited

by Abed Khan and Shuvo Rahman has been published by Anonna Prokashoni.

Bangla Academy authorities informed that on the fifth day of the fair 76 new books were published.

Meanwhile, a discussion on “Abu Mohammed Habibullah” was held at the central stage of the fair where Prof Akhtaruzzaman presented the key note paper. l

No punishment to health officials who quit foreign training halfway n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Reshma, 12, a domestic help in a home in the capital’s Mirpur area bears torture marks all over her body

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Housewife held for torturing maid Girl admitted to DMCH in critical condition Reshma came to Dhaka from her arrested Laizu from her residence. n Kailash Sarkar “The housewife often used to torvillage in Bhola three months ago with A woman was arrested yesterday for allegedly torturing a 12-year-old maid at her house in the capital’s Tolarbagh area.

Police also rescued the victim, identified as Reshma Akhter, in a critical condition and admitted her to the One Stop Crisis Centre at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

The detained housewife, Laizu Begum, 35, was taken to Darussalam police station, while a case was filed against her by the victim’s aunt.

Reshma bears severe wounds, including burn marks made with heated spoons, on different parts of her body, police said.

her aunt to get a job, as her impoverished father was unable to provide for the family.

Reshma then found work at the house of one Bulbul Ahmed, police and neighbours said. They added that Bulbul’s wife, Laizu, would often torture the girl.

“As part of continuous torture on the poor girl, Laizu Begum yesterday beat her mercilessly. Witnessing the brutality unleashed on the 12-year-old, the local people rescued her and informed the police,” said Rafiqul Islam, officer in charge of Darussalam police station.

Police then rushed to the area and took the girl to the hospital. They also

ture the girl in many ways on various excuses,” the officer said, adding, “Different parts of the girl’s body bore injury marks caused by the torture.”

Rafiqul said after her rescue, Reshma described how her employer used to torture her. He also claimed that during questioning, Laizu admitted to police that she would beat up Reshma for her various faults.

“The neighbours and local people also narrated how Laizu Begum had been torturing the poor girl,” Rafiqul said. “The locals also said Laizu did not pay any heed to their requests to stop beating the child.” l

Twelve health officials, who allegedly used millions in taxpayers’ money to go abroad for training but left without finishing the programme, have evaded any punitive measures for over a year.

The authorities concerned have failed to take any action since a probe report was filed in March last year against the accused doctors, nurses and technicians who returned to Bangladesh without completing the 90-day training on bone marrow transplant (BMT) in Thailand.

Sources said under the in-service training operation plan 2011-2012, a 14-member team traveled to Thailand’s Eastern Asia University on August 26, 2012, to receive training on flow cytometry, stem cell counting and viability, clinical BMT, procedure protocol and follow-up complications.

The team included Dr Ismat Ara Begum of National Chest Disease Institute and Hospital, Dr Md Sirajul Islam of Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dr Md Habibur Rahman of Mymensing Medical College Hospital, Dr Tasnim Ara of Dhaka Medical College, Dr Marufa Akhter (OSD) of the DGHS, medical technicians Ashraful Islam, Al Farid, Mukul Haldar, Ayesha Akter, and nurses Sara Mukta Das, Monjuara Afroz, Nargis Akhter, Ruzi Khatun, and Jahida Akhter.

All the trainees – except for Dr Tasnim Ara and Dr Marufa Akter – returned to Bangladesh on October 26, one month prior to the end of the training programme.

On December 2012, the health ministry formed a three-member probe committee, headed by the then deputy director (discipline) Dr Md Abdur Rakib of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), following a letter of allegation sent by the dean of School of Public Health in Eastern Asia Universi-

ty to the health secretary.

The committee submitted its report on March 10 last year before the ministry.

The Dhaka Tribune has acquired a copy of the report, which says those who returned early could not present any valid reason for their decision to quit the training prematurely.

However, the accused health officials told the probe committee that the Eastern Asia University lacked any BMT centre, or a hematology department or even a faculty of medicine.

The officials also claimed that they had to face poor accommodation arrangements and subpar behaviour by the training coordinator.

One of the two doctors who completed the training also told the probe committee that the overall training programme was substandard.

DGHS Director (administration) Dr Shah Newaz told the Dhaka Tribune that he did not know whether any action had been taken against the accused after the probe report was submitted to the ministry about a year ago.

Dr Ruhul Forkan Siddique, DGHS coordinator for foreign training, claimed that the arrangements of the training were proper, but the participants returned to Bangladesh without informing the authorities concerned.

Dr Bayezid Khurshed Riaz, project director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital-2, said the health officials in question had violated the rules of public job, as they could not quit the programme halfway without informing the ministry. The trainees returned early to spend Eid with their families, he added.

Seeking anonymity, a senior official of the health ministry told the Dhaka Tribune that the alleged doctors, nurses and technicians would have to return Tk20 lakh as compensation for wasting public money. l

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Business

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Budget deficit may EC warns Bangladesh of illegal betel leaves export Inaction may rise to 5% of GDP jeopardise EU n Asif Showkat Kallol The present government is going to revise key financial indicators at its first fiscal coordination council meeting today after the economy has suffered shocking losses due to political unrest.

The indicators are budget deficit, inflation and GDP growth.

Through the revision, the budget deficit will stand at 5% from 4.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) and inflation at 7.5% from 7%, said an official of Finance Division.

Sources in Planning Commission and National Board of Revenue said the current fiscal year budget will be slashed down by Tk18,000 crore to Tk204,000 crore from Tk222,000 crore.

The GDP growth will also be revised down to 6.5% from 7.2% and inflation target will be raised to 7.5% from 7%.

Annual Development Programme (ADP) will also be cut by Tk11,000 crore from Tk63,000 crore.

Of the amount, TK6,000 crore will be cut from the government fund, TK3,063 crore from foreign assistance and the rest is from the budget for the autonomous bodies.

Meanwhile, NBR plans to reduce revenue collection target by 11.82% or Tk16,000 crore to Tk120,000 crore from Tk136,000 crore.

Dr Shamsul Alam, member of the Planning Commission, said the main challenge of new government is speeding up GDP growth and encouraging investment after the economic losses due to 55 days of hartal and blockade in seven months since July 2013.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), an independent think-tank, estimated the economy would grow at 5.6-5.8% this fiscal as the four sectors lost over Tk49,000 crore due to continuous hartals and blockades.

The damages in terms of money were calculated taking into consideration the hartals and blockades in the seven months. l

Inflation jumps to 6-month high n Kayes Sohel The country’s rate of inflation jumped to 7.5% in January due to higher prices of non-food items owing to disruption in production and distribution during the hartals and blockades ahead of January 5 election.

Economists say the inflation rate might go through volatility because of prevailing economic uncertainty.

Official data released yesterday showed the overall inflation touches the fiscal’s target of 7.5% and rose above the previous month’s 7.35%, which is highest since July 2013.

Bangladesh Bank in its latest monetary policy apprehended it would be a challenge to reduce the average inflation from the fiscal target as aggregate demand is likely to pick up in the second half of current fiscal year.

The recent rise in Indian inflation is also a risk for Bangladesh as shown by historical long term trends, it said.

The food inflation marginally dropped to 8.81% from December’s 23-month high of 9%.

But non-food inflation stood at 5.53% from 4.88% in the previous month.

Bangladesh’s export to Turkey crosses $1bn n Tribune Report Bangladesh’s export to Turkey crossed US$1 billion in the last year.

The main export items were knit and non-knit products, and jute yarn, said a foreign ministry press release yesterday.

According to Turkish Statistical Institute, their export to Bangladesh was $196 million in the last year.

In 2012, the two-way trade was $980 million and Bangladesh’s export was $766 million.

Turkey imposed safeguard duty on readymade garments products in 2011 and Bangladesh’s export reduced for the year and the next year.

But due to efforts taken by Bangladesh embassy in Turkey, the export went up in last year.

As a non-traditional export market, Turkey emerged as an export destination for the country due to effort of the manufacturers as they individually tried to grab the market. l

“Food prices came out of pressure because of improved supply situation as last month faced no shutdowns,” said BBS Director General Golam Mostafa Kamal.

He said the food commodities remained stock during the shutdowns and are now in the market, leading to increase the supply.

But non-food inflation rose because imports of goods have been hampered due to the recent blockades and shutdowns. “Unloading of goods at the port suffered and the chain effect still continues,” he said.

According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the overall inflation in rural areas surged 7.24%, up from 7.22% in the previous month, while in urban areas it rose to 7.97% from 7.58%.

“The economy is going through political uncertainty, resulting volatility in many indicators,” said economist Mustfa K Mujeri.

Food and non-food inflations are not steady too, as production and distribution of products are not functioning smoothly due to political or many other reasons, he said.

“Under this volatile situation, it is hard to predict.” l

market

Reza Chowhury and n Kamran Asif Showkat Kallol European Commission (EC) has requested the foreign ministry of Bangladesh to take steps to stop sending illegal consignment of betel leaves (Paan) in guise of vegetables in the European countries.

Otherwise, it warns of taking tougher actions against Bangladeshi exporters for sending last year around 50 consignments of betel leaves which they detected having harmful Salmonella bacteria.

After the warning, officials feared, other Bangladeshi products, which are now enjoying easy access to the huge potential European market, might face various restrictions in the coming days if the issue is not addressed properly.

Expressing his grave concern over the illegal exports, Andrew Owen-Griffiths, head of Food of Plant Origin/ Plant Health, Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission, sent a letter to the foreign ministry, dated January 28, 2014.

He requested the authorities of Bangladesh to immediately take all the precautionary measures for stopping the “forceful’’ export of betel leaves to the European countries.

“Bangladeshi vegetable exporters have so far sent around 50 forceful consignments of betel leaves containing harmful Salmonella bacteria since the beginning of January 2013,’’ reveals the letter.

“If such trend in vegetable exports continue any further, the European Commission will obviously take harsh actions against the Bangladeshi exporters,’’ warns the letter.

Workers arrange betel leaves in baskets to supply across the country from a godown in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar The EC wanted to know what kind of measures the authorities will take against the exporters responsible.

In May last year, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of Bangladesh had imposed a ban on export of betel leaves to the European countries on a temporary basis, but the exporters continued sending the item in the name of vegetables, said an official of commerce ministry.

“I have already asked the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to take all the necessary measures to address the EC concern,” Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahemd said. “Our total exports to the European market may also face a serious setback if we don’t properly address the concern.’’

According to a commerce ministry

source, the NBR is now preparing a Harmonised System (HS) of coding to facilitate export of betel leaves. It said the real exporters never send the item in guise of vegetables.

A Director General of the European Commission had earlier expressed disappointments over the Salmonella bacteria, which was found in betel leaves exported from Bangladesh. In an e-mail, he also requested the commerce ministry to let him know about the steps so far taken or under process to produce bacteria-free betel leaves in Bangladesh.

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of United Kingdom (UK) had earlier detected Salmonella bacterium in Bangladesh’s betel leaf.

Afterwards, the agency requested

Palli Sanchay Bank bill to be tabled in this parliament session n Tribune Report The bill for Palli Sanchay Bank, a proposed specialised bank for the rural poor, will be placed in the current session of parliament for its speedy approval in the same sitting.

As per the bill, the new bank will emerge from the government’s “One House, One Farm” project, just as Grameen Bank, which was born in 1983 following the conversion of Chittagong University’s Muhammad Yunus-led project.

“The Palli Sanchay Bank bill will be placed in the current parliament session,” MA Mannan, state minister for finance, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Earlier, the cabinet on November 11, 2013 approved the draft of the Palli Sanchay Act 2013 following necessary vetting from the law ministry.

The “One House, One Farm” is a project under the Annual Development Programme (ADP), the first phase of which started in 1997. The second phase of the project started after the present government assumed power in 2009.

The government will hold 51 percent of the bank’s ownership and the remaining 49 percent would go to the 17,300 member cooperative societies of the “One House, One Farm” project.

However, the government will not take any dividends against its shares.

The draft law said the bank’s authorised capital would be Tk1,000 crore while paid-up capital Tk200 crore. The cooperative societies’ total fund of Tk1,342 crore would be transferred to the new bank.

Palli Sanchay Bank will not be governed under the Banking Companies Act, meaning it would remain mostly out of bounds of the central bank.

But like Grameen Bank, it would have to submit reports as per Bangladesh Bank’s demands and its audited reports would be presented via gazette notification and placed in the parliament.

The bank’s board of directors will consist of 15 members and the secretary of the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division will be its ex-officio chairman.

Under the “One house, One Farm’’

project, a total of 35,500 societies have already been formed across the country under the project which total capital stood at Tk1,402 crore including own savings of Tk390 crore.

The members of the existing societies continued to implement income generating activities such as poultry and fish cultivation by using this fund.

The number of such firms now stands at 705,000 with an investment worth Tk925 crore.

“The government has undertaken some promotional measures to create mass awareness about the project activities,’’ said an official of the “One House, One Farm” project.

The members of the societies, who would also be the member of the bank, would be eligible to get the collateral-free microcredit from the bank.

However, the borrowers who want to get huge amount of loans will have to provide collateral.

The initiatives have already been taken to deposit the savings of the rural societies and utilise it properly for the development of the rural areas across the country. l

EU-INDIA FTA UNDER NEGOTIATION

Dhaka to lose market if Delhi gets duty-free access n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman India is negotiating with European Union to get duty-free access to the market for apparel products.

The India-EU free trade area negotiation under which New Delhi might get the zero tariff access is likely to resume late this year and it is expected that it would be concluded by next year, diplomatic sources said.

If India gets the duty-free access for the readymade garment products, it would have a huge negative impact on Bangladesh exports.

Indian newspaper The Hindu on February 2 issue quoting Indian textiles minister KS RAO said, “We are negotiating government-to-government.

We want them (EU countries) to give us the same dispensation as Pakistan and Bangladesh.”

EU provides duty-free access facility to Bangladesh under ‘Everything but Arms’ initiative and Pakistan gets it under GSP-plus scheme while India

products are subject to about 12 percent duty.

When contacted, Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are aware of the possible free trade area between India and EU and we have already commissioned a study to analyse the impact of the FTA on Bangladesh. I can make comments when I have the study report.”

Bangladesh Ambassador to European Union Ismat Jahan told the Dhaka Tribune it is obvious the duty-free access for India would have negative impact on Bangladesh’s exports to EU. “Continuation of EBA initiative is our main aim.”

She said, in the FTA negotiation, both India and EU would compromise on several sectors. “It is not an open negotiation and we are yet to know the issues they are discussing.”

Anwar Parvez, former president of BGMEA and one of the leading garment manufacturers, said Bangladesh might lose competitiveness in basic

RMG products like t-shirts and home textiles. “No doubt it will be a big challenge for Bangladesh and there will be a lot of pressure.”

If new Delhi gets duty-free access, there would be production boom for t-shirts and home textiles as India produces cotton, yarn and fabric, he added.

A trade expert, seeking anonymity, said being a third party, it would be very difficult for Bangladesh to stop EU to provide duty-free access to India.

“But, through diplomatic means, we can always express our concern to the EU and pursue them informally that if it allows duty-free Indian products, it will have negative impact on our exports.”

In the World Trade Organisation negotiation, some least developed countries pursued developed countries, including the US, not to allow duty-free access to Bangladesh to their markets, he added.

“They made their case and Afri-

can LDCs enjoy duty-free access to US while Bangladeshi products are subject to an average of 15% duty for the market,” he explained.

Dhaka should immediately engage extensive diplomatic efforts with the EU and try to make them understand it would have negative impact on Bangladeshi RMG sector, which employs over four million women workers.

“Go to European Union and invite the top EU trade officials to Dhaka, if possible now, and explain Bangladesh’s position on the issue,” he suggested.

CPD Executive Director Mostafizur Rahman said availability of raw materials in Indian domestic market has already given New Delhi more competitiveness as it has less lead time.

“Massive depreciation of rupees in recent times is another factor which boosts Indian exports,” he said.

In this backdrop, if India gets the duty free facility, it would have a major negative impact, he said. l

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

the UK government to put a ban on the import of betel leaves from Bangladesh. Following the development, the Ministry of Commerce of Bangladesh had issued a public notification, saying it will impose a ban on the export of the betel leaves to the European countries since May 15, 2013.

The earnings from export of the item is around $135m annually, according to the EPB. Local exporters shipped betel leaves worth $52m or more than Tk4. bn per year to the markets of the EU, USA and the Middle-Eastern countries.

The value of betel leaves export to the European and Middle Eastern countries stood at over $31m in 2012, according to an official estimate. l

Alliance finds no ‘disastrous’ fault like Rana Plaza n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety has inspected over 34% of the readymade garment factories from where its members source products.

Of total 700 factories targeted to be inspected by July this year, the Alliance of the North American retailers so far inspected some 243.

“We already visited about 243 factories in first phase,” M Rabin, managing director of Alliance, told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The US retailer Walmart, an Alliance member, checked 200 factories by the help of a third party, he said, adding that “no factory was found disastrous.”

“The factories, of course, varied in the scale of safety arrangement, but none was found potentially dangerous, which could create disasters like the Rana Plaza incident.”

But BGMEA is unaware of the findings, said its vice president Shahidullah Azim who rather criticised some safety standards set by the Alliance.

The inspections are being carried out under a five-year project of the group.

Another group namely Accord on Fire and Building Safety will also inspect over 1,700 factories by July this year.

This is a platform 101 European retailers sourcing clothing products from Bangladesh. M Rabin said now the Alliance targets to inspect another 15-30 factories between last week of February and first week of March.

During inspection, priority is being given to the electrical safety as most of the accidents in the country’s clothing factories were fire accidents from electrical short circuits.

Most of the faults the team found during their inspection were also related to fire safety and electrical lines, said Rabin.

Raising workers’ awareness is another important issue, he said, adding that “enhancing workers’ knowledge on fire safety is also a focused area of the Alliance.”

“We will educate workers about how to exit safely during fire so that the casualties reduce to zero,” said the group’s MD. BGMEA vice president claimed that they had not got the Alliance findings.

He also some standards set by the Alliance are more than the requirements stated in the Bangladesh National Building Code.l

B2

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Stocks end flat amid volatility

DSE key features February 5, 2014

n Tribune Report

Number of Contract

the government interest payment through borrowing less from long term financing source and more from mid-term sources.

And they suggested focusing more on external debt which is cheaper. It may unfold a downward pressure on internal interest rates and bring down the yield rate. High liquidity in the banking system is also indicating downward moving interest rate. “This would benefit businesses those are experiencing higher interest expense and the equity market as investors search for higher yield,” it said.

Among the major sectors, food and allied sector continued to rally over the several sessions. The sector rose 3.6%, led by multinational company BATBC that continued to surge.

Pharmaceuticals and power went up marginally by 1.8% and 0.3% respectively. The gains posted by these sectors were offset by the correction in telecommunications, non-banking financial institutions and banks.

Out of 293 issues traded, 110 closed higher, 153 declined and 30 remained unchanged.

Jamuna Oil, the lone stateowned oil distribution company, was the most traded stocks with a turnover of almost Tk31 crore, followed by Meghna Petroleum , Generation Next, Square Pharmaceuticals, Grameenphone, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd, Padma Oil and Appollo Ispat. l

Stocks ended flat amid volatile trade yesterday, a day after marginal fall on profit booking.

The market moved between negative and positive with intra-day volatility hitting around 40 points, as investors switched off their portfolios.

The benchmark DSEX index rose nearly 2 points or 0.04% to end at 4,811, pulled up by mainly multi-national companies that shined on the day.

Shariah-based DSES index edged almost 3 points or 0.3% higher to 982.The blue-chip comprising DS30 index witnessed fractional gain of 0.06 points to 1,663.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, was down 11 points to close at 9,443.

The total turnover at DSE further dipped to Tk620 crore, which was almost 20% lower over the previous session.

“Market rebounded after a small correction in the previous session, but the trading pattern remained mixed,” said Lanka Bangla Securities in its market analysis.

In the mid-session, sellers rushed to book profit on large cap stocks, however, buyers exerted strong force in last hour, with the index reverting to green, it said.

It said finance division has expressed its intension to minimise

(+) 0.04%

▲

982.52150

(+) 0.29%

▲

DSE - 30 Index :

1663.75578

(+) 0.00%

▲

CSE All Share Index:

14912.5367

(-) 0.10%

CSE - 30 Index :

12508.9007

CSE Selected Index :

9443.47780

DSE LOSERS Company Savar Refractories-Z Stylecraft -A United Insur -A PragatiLife Insu. -A Samata LeatheR -Z Imam Button -Z Popular Life Insu. -A ICB Islamic Bank-Z Modern Dyeing -Z Progressive Life-A

Closing (% change) -6.53 -5.21 -4.89 -4.28 -3.93 -3.33 -3.18 -3.13 -3.00 -2.87

CSE LOSERS Company PragatiLife Insu. -A Apex Foods -A Imam Button -Z Dutch Ban. Bnk- A Prime Islami Life -A Eastern Cables-Z Standard Insurance-A Nitol Insurance -A Northern G Insur-A Sun Life Insurance-N

Closing (% change) -8.51 -6.14 -5.32 -5.03 -4.76 -4.44 -4.21 -4.06 -4.04 -3.52

Average (% change) -9.69 -5.20 -5.69 -3.09 -4.35 -2.44 -2.37 -2.33 -3.13 -2.48 Average (% change) -8.51 -6.28 -4.26 -2.43 -4.84 -4.44 -3.82 -3.49 -3.91 -3.92

ANALYST

6,205.82 132,126,638 127,511

Traded Issues

293

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

78

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

213

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,291.49

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.78

Turnover (Million Taka)

504.15

Turnover (Volume)

Closing average

14,167,328

58.70 1110.00 49.06 228.30 22.00 8.78 250.44 6.29 77.50 143.20

Closing average 229.00 106.84 9.00 120.05 121.44 94.60 41.00 40.40 52.30 74.25

19,349

Traded Issues

228

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

59

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

166 2

▼

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

(+) 0.02%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,173.82

(-) 0.12%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.35

Closing

Daily high

58.70 1110.00 48.60 223.90 22.00 8.70 249.30 6.20 77.50 142.30

Closing

58.70 1110.00 50.00 235.00 23.00 9.30 259.50 6.40 77.50 146.00

Daily high

229.00 107.00 8.90 117.10 120.00 94.60 41.00 40.20 52.30 73.90

Turnover in million

Daily low 58.70 1110.00 48.50 222.00 21.90 8.60 248.00 6.00 77.50 141.20

Turnover in million

Daily low

229.00 107.00 9.50 123.00 124.00 95.00 41.00 41.00 52.30 75.00

229.00 106.50 8.80 117.10 120.00 94.50 41.00 40.00 52.30 73.60

Latest EPS

0.003 0.111 0.417 9.018 0.154 0.101 6.188 0.772 0.012 2.864

0.60 47.83 2.55 2.38 -0.04 -2.58 17.00 -0.26 1.54 2.30

Latest EPS

0.229 0.171 0.018 0.120 0.431 0.047 0.041 0.162 0.026 0.535

Rahim Textile -A Rahima Food -Z ICB AMCL IslamicMF-A Shampur Sugar -Z Linde (BD) Ltd. -A GlaxoSK (BD) -A Mithun Knitting -A AMCL (Pran) -A BATBCL -A Renata Ltd. -A

Company Prime Insur -A AMCL (Pran) -A Mithun Knitting -A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A Eastern Housing -A RAK Ceramics-A Marico BD Ltd-A Jamuna Oil -A BATBCL -A Rahima Food -Z

6.15 5.78 5.44 5.33 4.99 4.17 4.13 3.74 3.49 3.38

Average (% change) 9.87 3.72 4.77 4.00 3.45 3.01 4.13 2.36 3.49 3.86

Closing average

Closing

328.69 67.26 23.73 8.40 739.90 1,079.71 83.16 228.62 2,059.68 818.18

337.50 69.70 23.90 8.40 752.80 1,090.30 83.30 231.90 2,061.30 846.40

Closing average

Closing

41.40 229.15 83.27 7.80 54.03 61.25 846.70 225.91 1971.43 67.52

41.40 232.50 83.40 7.90 54.70 62.50 846.70 227.30 1971.40 67.20

Daily high 338.30 70.40 24.10 8.40 762.90 1,093.60 85.00 234.90 2,061.60 855.00

Daily high 41.40 235.00 84.50 7.90 54.90 63.10 850.00 228.00 2000.00 70.00

Daily low 300.00 64.80 22.50 8.40 710.00 1,047.00 76.00 215.00 1,865.00 800.00

Daily low 41.40 224.70 80.00 7.50 52.60 58.60 840.10 222.00 1950.00 63.00

Turnover in million 7.391 4.607 7.997 0.001 14.539 3.671 25.112 35.742 216.046 103.254

Turnover in million 0.021 2.956 3.064 0.039 10.331 7.371 0.127 12.409 1.380 0.439

Latest EPS 11.56 -1.00 2.56 -50.84 43.13 46.69 2.42 6.06 76.51 41.39

Latest EPS 2.36 6.06 2.42 1.24 1.56 2.23 46.53 16.90 76.51 -1.00

Latest PE 28.4 -ve 9.3 -ve 17.2 23.1 34.4 37.7 26.9 19.8

Latest PE 17.5 37.8 34.4 6.3 34.6 27.5 18.2 13.4 25.8 -ve

2.38 3.56 -2.58 9.21 4.95 1.40 2.96 2.75 3.04 0.00

Latest PE 97.8 23.2 19.2 95.9 -ve -ve 14.7 -ve 50.3 62.3

Latest PE 96.2 30.0 -ve 13.0 24.5 67.6 13.9 14.7 17.2 -

by preventing the Exchange from carrying out its essential work to protect the greater interest of investors. A show-cause notice has also been served upon the Company by the Exchange to clarify their position in this regard.

KPCL: The Company has informed that the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) has approved the extension of the contract period of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and Khulna Power Company Ltd. (KPCL), 110 MW Barge Mounted Power Plant for another 5 years with effect from 12th October 2013.

GP: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on February 10, 2014 at 5:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

GREENDELT: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on February 05, 2014 at 3:15 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

IPO NEWS: Conduction of IPO lottery of Emerald Oil Industries Ltd.: All concerned are hereby informed that the IPO lottery program of Emerald Oil Industries Ltd. will be conducted on 6 February 2014 at 10:00 am at The Institution of Engineers Bangladesh, Ramna, Dhaka.

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

RAKCERAMIC: 15% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 02.04.2014, RD: 13.02.2014.

SALAMCRST: 13% cash, AGM: 29.03.2014, RD: 11.02.2014.

1STPRIMFMF: 10% cash, RD: 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.

Market rebounded after a small correction in the previous session, but the trading pattern remained mixed

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY 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

Closing (% change)

Average (% change) 3.59 3.22 5.98 6.33 4.16 4.83 4.64 3.54 5.67 0.98

BDTHAI: ARGUS Credit Rating Services Limited (ACRSL) has rated the Company as "BBB" for long term and "ST-3" for short term with stable outlook in consideration of audited financials of the Company up to 31st December 2012 and unaudited financials up to the period ending September 30, 2013 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

GENNEXT: Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has approved the Rights offer of Generation Next Fashions Limited for 112,478,400 ordinary shares of Tk. 10.00 each totaling Tk. 1,124,784,000.00 at a ratio of 2R:3, i.e. two Rights shares for three existing shares. The approval has been accorded subject to the condition that the Company shall comply with the requirements embodied in the Securities and Exchange Commission (Rights Issue) Rules, 2006 and other relevant laws and Regulatory Requirements, and shall also adhere to the conditions imposed by BSEC under Section-2CC of the Securities and Exchange Ordinance, 1969.

PHARMAID: Trading of shares of the Company has been suspended with effect from today (February 05, 2014) and shall remain suspended until further notice as the Company has created impediments for DSE in carrying out its normal activities in relation to listed Companies through not allowing DSE official to conduct an official factory premise inspection. The issuer has failed to comply with its continuing obligations in respect of listing regulations

Company

Sector

8.49 8.23 7.66 6.33 6.00 5.91 5.31 5.27 5.08 4.88

CSE GAINERS

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

DSE Million Taka 877.83 339.33 129.64 564.52 435.45 1086.53 0.83 646.66 667.73 0.50 105.30 51.31 108.11 236.08 111.95 166.77 178.28 310.03 112.06 76.03 0.88

Closing (% change)

News from trade server

Number of Contract

4811.49708

DSE Shariah Index :

Company

CSE key features February 5, 2014

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

DSE GAINERS

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Thursday, February 6, 2014

% change 14.15 5.47 2.09 9.10 7.02 17.51 0.01 10.42 10.76 0.01 1.70 0.83 1.74 3.80 1.80 2.69 2.87 5.00 1.81 1.23 0.01

Million Taka 97.88 31.89 5.61 79.76 18.57 48.48 58.44 28.56 0.52 11.07 3.49 8.66 9.87 19.33 8.80 7.90 30.32 21.37 15.16 0.03

CSE

% change 19.35 6.31 1.11 15.77 3.67 9.59 0.00 11.56 5.65 0.10 2.19 0.69 1.71 1.95 3.82 1.74 1.56 6.00 4.23 3.00 0.01

Million Taka 975.71 371.22 135.25 644.27 454.02 1135.00 0.83 705.10 696.29 1.02 116.37 54.80 116.76 245.95 131.28 175.58 186.18 340.35 133.43 91.19 0.91

Total

% change 14.54 5.53 2.02 9.60 6.76 16.91 0.01 10.51 10.37 0.02 1.73 0.82 1.74 3.66 1.96 2.62 2.77 5.07 1.99 1.36 0.01

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

Jamuna Oil -A Meghna Petroleum -A BATBCL -A Generation Next-A Square Pharma -A Grameenphone-A BD Submarine Cable-A

Padma Oil Co. -A Appollo Ispat CL -N Renata Ltd. -A

LafargeS Cement-Z RAK Ceramics-A S Purbanchol Power-N CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Generation Next-A

Appollo Ispat CL -N UNITED AIR-A Grameenphone-A BD Submarine Cable-A UCBL - A Golden Son -A Jamuna Oil -A Aftab Auto.-A aamra technologies-A

Volume shares 1,384,004 879,658 104,893 5,990,060 889,731 817,477 806,975 337,144 3,256,000 126,199

2,206,000 1,495,758 1,236,450

Volume shares

720,740 787,200 1,145,929 75,000 84,621 460,140 199,725 54,927 128,214 276,050

Value in million 312.97 244.51 216.05 214.68 211.62 169.94 140.10 112.30 106.15 103.25

96.51 91.57 90.14

Value in million

26.07 25.63 18.45 15.61 14.71 13.98 12.67 12.41 11.87 11.60

% of total turnover 5.04 3.94 3.48 3.46 3.41 2.74 2.26 1.81 1.71 1.66

1.56 1.48 1.45

% of total turnover

5.17 5.09 3.66 3.10 2.92 2.77 2.52 2.46 2.36 2.30

Daily closing 227.20 277.10 2061.30 35.20 239.30 205.40 174.00 330.60 32.80 846.40

43.40 62.60 72.70

Daily closing

35.40 32.60 16.10 205.90 174.20 30.40 63.00 227.30 92.80 41.50

Price change 3.32 0.11 5.08 -1.12 1.48 -2.24 2.05 -0.63 -1.50 4.88

Daily opening 219.90 276.80 1961.60 35.60 235.80 210.10 170.50 332.70 33.30 807.00

Price change

Daily opening

0.46 4.33 -0.82

-0.56 -1.81 -0.62 -2.28 2.41 -0.98 1.29 3.74 2.20 -0.95

43.20 60.00 73.30

35.60 33.20 16.20 210.70 170.10 30.70 62.20 219.10 90.80 41.90

Daily high 228.10 281.40 2061.60 37.00 240.10 211.80 175.00 350.00 33.20 855.00

Daily low 210.00 253.00 1865.00 34.00 220.00 205.00 153.50 320.00 32.00 800.00

Daily average 226.13 277.96 2059.68 35.84 237.85 207.88 173.61 333.09 32.60 818.18

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

44.40 63.50 74.20

38.00 33.00 16.40 213.00 175.90 30.90 64.20 228.00 93.30 42.90

43.00 54.00 66.00

35.20 32.10 16.00 205.00 171.40 30.00 62.40 222.00 90.60 41.20

43.75 61.22 72.90

36.17 32.56 16.10 208.08 173.86 30.38 63.46 225.91 92.57 42.04

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

DSE suspends Pharma Aids trade n Tahmidur Rahman Dhaka Stock Exchange has suspended share trading of Pharma Aids Limited as on yesterday, which will remain suspended until further order, due to noncompliance of securities rules.

The pharmaceutical company has created impediments to DSE in carrying out its normal activities in relation to listed companies by not allowing the bourse’s executives to conduct an official factory premise inspection, , said a circular posted on DSE website.

It added the company failed to comply with its continuing obligations in respect of listing regulations by preventing the exchange from carrying out its essential work to protect the greater interest of investors.

A show cause notice has also been served upon the company to clarify its

B3

Thursday, February 6, 2014

position in this regard.

The “A” category stock has registered a gain of 15% during last one month till it closed at Tk181.3 on Tuesday. On January 30, the company reported an unaudited half yearly (July to December) profit of Tk66.3 lakh after tax in 2013 against a profit of Tk49.9 lakh during the same period of 2012.

Most of the profit was made in the second quarter (October to December) as the profit stood at Tk38.9 lakh during the period in 2013 against Tk10.3 lakh in 2012. Latest audited annual report of the company shows a fall in sales in 2013 against 2012. Net annual sales of the company stood at Tk9.7 crore in 2013 while it was Tk10.8 crore in 2012.

On the contrary fixed asset has been increased by 82% with the addition of new plant and machinery worth Tk3.8 crore. l

Emerald Oil IPO lottery draw today n Tribune Report

The IPO has been oversubscribed by more than 39 times, according to the Chittagong Stock Exchange. Investors ordered shares worth over Tk784 crore against the offer of Tk20 crore.

The company would issue 20 crore ordinary shares of Tk10 each under the

fixed price method.

The company has been producing rice bran edible oil since 2011. Rice bran oil is extracted from the inner husk of rice plants.

The IPO proceeds will be used for repayment of term loan, IPO expenses and strengthening the capital base.

The company’s earnings per share was Tk2.85 and net asset value Tk14.06, according to its financial statement as of June 30, 2013.

Of the total IPO, 10% kept for nonresident Bangladeshis, 10% for mutual funds, 20% for the investors affected by the late 2010 market crash and 60% for resident Bangladeshis.

The subscription started from January 6, and ended on January 12 for general investors and January 21 for nonresident Bangladeshis. l

“The two big threats facing EM have turned upside down,” said Citi strategist David Lubin, adding that the dance between both influences could end up depressing world growth at the margins and make it increasingly difficult for many developing countries to export their way out of trouble.

“The growth model, once so reliable and impressive, is in flux,” Lubin said.

This is not going away easily. If there’s a rebound in growth in China after its new year celebrations, the likelihood is reduced global stress and repeated Fed tapering will lift Treasury yields again. If not, pressure may mount anyway.

To be sure, there appears to be little panic among long-term investors who still insist cheaper emerging market equity will pay off over time in economies with higher growth potential, better demographics and better balance sheets than much of the developed world.

“The long-term investment case hasn’t dramatically changed,” Franklin Templeton’s veteran emerging markets

investor Mark Mobius said last week.

There are good reasons at least why full-blown sovereign and systemic crises can be avoided, unlike the late 1990s of rigid exchange rates and modest hard cash reserves.

But the chillier international winds will expose any deeper structural and political flaws in capital-hungry emerging economies. And less patient mutual funds - where net $14bn of outflows last month alone exceeded 2013 as a whole - may not want to hang about for that long.

One choice may be to switch between interest-rate sensitive markets of the ‘Fragile Five’, Turkey, Brazil, India, Indonesia and South Africa, and those more hip to global growth at large, such as South Korea, Russia and China itself.

“I’d be more wary of the latter group right now,” said Deutsche Bank emerging equities strategist John Paul Smith.

“It may not be the time to turn incrementally more bearish but the outlook for the year ahead is just not positive.” l

The lottery draw of the initial public offering (IPO) of Emerald Oil Industries will be held today at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in Dhaka.

The company would issue 20 crore ordinary shares of Tk10 each

Emerging markets buffeted by bipolar world n Reuters Ailing emerging markets are caught between a rock and a hard place - Washington and Beijing to be more precise.

For much of 2013, the investor narrative was that currencies and stock markets from Mumbai to Moscow and Istanbul to Johannesburg were running aground as Federal Reserve largesse ebbed away.

As the Fed slows its printing presses and reins in global liquidity via higher US Treasury yields and a rising dollar, those markets that gained most from the swell of quantitative easing would suffer from its withdrawal, it was argued.

And so it played out. Many of the frothier and most exposed emerging markets shook as 10-year US yields surged more than 100 basis points last year to top 3% as 2014 dawned and the Fed, finally, embarked on its first “taper” in January.

Yet the odd thing about the stampede out of emerging markets this year - which sent Turkey’s lira, Argentina’s

peso, Russia’s rouble and South Africa’s rand all plunging last month - is that it’s happened just as Treasury yields went into reverse. They have dropped almost half a percentage point since January 1.

The burst of Treasury buying was all the more remarkable given that the Fed has been buying fewer bonds and foreign central banks - many needing hard cash reserves to intervene in defense of their currencies - were selling more than $20BN of Treasury securities in the week to last Wednesday.

The causality goes a little haywire at this point.

Did the start of the actual Fed bond taper last month feed such volatility on emerging and western equity markets as to prompt a counter-intuitive flight to safety in US Treasuries?

It makes sense if you watch parallel gains in gold and Swiss francs, for example, and a surge in seismographs such as Wall St’s equity volatility index, the Vix. Or has the financial shock and currency-supporting interest rate rises

in developing economies been bad enough to darken the economic outlook everywhere?

Many of the frothier and most exposed emerging markets shook as 10-year US yields surged more than 100 basis points last year to top 3% as 2014 dawned and the Fed, finally, embarked on its first 'taper' in January America’s rock, China’s hard place

That’s why attention turns from America’s rock to China’s hard place - or maybe China’s ‘hard landing’ more pertinently.

“Emerging markets should be much more concerned about the ‘China taper’ than the Fed taper,” said Crossborder Capital Managing Director Mike Howell.

While long-standing China slowdown fears eased somewhat late last year, business surveys in January indicate another stall as authorities push on toward a more consumption-driven model and aim to tame the recent credit boom by squeezing the lending activities of its ‘shadow banks’.

Apart from monthly data from Beijing, a halving last month of world shipping prices - often seen as a play on Chinese demand - reveals some considerable alarm on that front.

And to the extent that Chinese sovereign credit default swaps are any proxy for systemic and debt-related concerns, their resurgence over the past two months is also revealing.

So while the fall in U.S. Treasury yields this year so far could act as some automatic stabilizer of emerging markets, the return of China angst pops up to replace it.

Sony to sell PC business Insider to refresh Microsoft for mobile age n to investment fund: reports AFP, Washington

n AFP, Tokyo Sony is in talks to sell its personal computer business to a Japanese investment fund as part of the electronics giant’s wider restructuring, reports said yesterday.

The leading Nikkei business daily said Sony was looking to sell the division to Japan Industrial Partners for between 40bn yen and 50bn yen ($396m to $495m).

The fund would set up a new company that will continue selling PCs and laptops under the Vaio brand, in which Sony would retain a small stake, the Nikkei and other local media reported.

Sony had just a 1.9% share of the global PC market in the first nine months of last year, according to the Nikkei.

A Sony spokesman said the reports were “not based on anything we have announced so we decline to comment on them, but we are studying various options for our PC business”.

Sony shares rose 3.33% to 1,581 yen in Tokyo Wednesday morning, rebounding slightly from heavy losses the previous day.

The reports come after public broadcaster NHK said at the weekend that Sony was in talks with Chinese computer giant Lenovo to set up a joint venture for its overseas PC business.

That report added that Sony was doing a separate deal for its domestic business with an investment fund at home. Sony, which reports its latest financial results on Thursday, has called the NHK report “inaccurate”.

Last week, Moody’s cut its credit rating on Sony to junk, saying the oncedominant firm had more work to do in repairing its battered balance sheet.

Japan’s embattled electronics industry, including Sony rivals Panasonic and Sharp, has been undergoing painful restructuring to stem years of huge losses, largely tied to the low-margin TV business. l

Microsoft’s mission to find new glory in the mobile Internet age is now in the hands of long-time company insider Satya Nadella.

The Indian-born cricket lover on Tuesday became the third chief executive in the aging titan’s history.

He now faces the challenge of revitalizing Microsoft in a world shifting from desktop computers to smartphones, tablets and software offered as services in the Internet “cloud.”

The 46-year-old will have as an advisor Microsoft’s first chief, company cofounder Bill Gates, who shed his title of chairman for a more hands-on role.

“There is only one thing they can do, and that is lead,” analyst Merv Adrian said of Microsoft.

“There is an impression they have fallen behind,” Gartner’s research vice president added. “Satya’s challenge is to reverse that in perception and in action.”

Gates was an early advocate of tablet computers and smartphones, but Microsoft failed to effectively execute on his vision. Nadella has proven prowess at execution, based on his success-

es during is 22 years with Microsoft.

Nadella was most recently executive vice president of its “Cloud and Enterprise group.”

He marked his promotion by reaching out to employees, partners and customers with a vow to put the company’s software at the heart of changing Internet lifestyles.

“We are living in a cloud-first, mobile-first world,” Nadella said in a webcast.

“That is the world we are building for, and all of this is going to be mediated by software.”

His battle plan includes luring users to Microsoft’s Surface tablets, Xbox videogame consoles, and Windowspowered mobile phones from Nokia.

Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia is expected to be finalized in the coming months.

As people increasingly use the same smartphones or tablets at work and at home, Microsoft must bridge the two worlds with software that gives companies security they crave, Nadella said.

Gates called Nadella “a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together.”

“As the industry changes we have to innovate and move forward,” the 58-year-old said.

Gates stepped down as CEO in 2000 and left day-to-day operations in 2008 to devote more time to his multibillion-dollar Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Nadella takes over from the retiring Steve Ballmer.

Analysts enthused The shake-up at Microsoft drew positive responses from industry watchers.

“I think this is a terrific development for the company,” said Greg Sterling at Opus Research.

Nadella is a more humble and understated figure than Ballmer, which bodes well for Microsoft’s image, and has a strong mix of business and technology expertise, he added.

Frank Gillett at Forrester Research was encouraged by Nadella’s apparent willingness “to shake things up.”

By using Gates as a key advisor, Nadella is tapping into the Microsoft co-founders’ winning experiences while signalling a new era by keeping him in an informal role, he said.

Deutsche Bank’s Karl Keirstead called Nadella a “good choice.”

Yen gets a bump in Asia n AFP, Tokyo

The yen got a boost in Asian trade yesterday after a global stock market rout spooked investors ahead of key US jobs data.

At midday in Tokyo, the dollar bought 101.27 yen, weakening from 101.64 yen on Tuesday in New York.

The euro was mixed at $1.3516 and 136.87 yen, against $1.3515 and 137.36

Bbq Premium Café being inaugurated on Jan 27, 2014 by (from the left) film actor Ferdous, Ambassador to the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh, H E Lee Yun-young, Puro Foods Limited’s chairperson, Momin Ud Dowlah; CEO and MD, Brig Gen (retd.) Md Manzur Qader and director, A Baten.

MoneyGram to award its customers Rupali Bank gets new DMD

Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited inaugurated its campaign titled ‘School Banking Campaign - 2014’ yesterday at Kurmitola High School and College in Dhaka with the slogan ‘tomar haatei tomar vobisshot’(your future is in your hand). Deputy managing director of the bank Md Golam Rabbani inaugurated the campaign as chief guest

yen, as speculation grows that the European Central Bank might cut interest rates after its Thursday policy meeting.

Traders moved into the Japanese currency, seen as a safe haven in times of turmoil, after weak US data compounded worries about emerging markets and stoked a global equity market sell-off this week.

“The mood of cautiousness will likely linger,” Credit Agricole said. l

Rupali Bank Limited appointed Md Khalilur Rahman as its deputy managing director.

Ministry of Finance, Bank and Financial institutions division issued a circular on promotion as a Deputy Managing Director (DMD) on Monday Before his promotion he was the general manager of Bangladesh Development Bank Limited (BDBL). He joined as a senior manager in 1983 on first July of the then Shilpo Bank. l

MoneyGram, as a part of its ICC World Twenty20 sponsorship, has launched a promotion in Bangladesh that will allow some lucky MoneyGram customers to watch the March 16th game in person while few others will be awarded with gifts such as televisions

and radios.

MoneyGram signed a long-term sponsorship agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) according to which it will have a presence at all ICC cricket tournaments around the world until 2015. l

“Although Microsoft is a big ship to turn, in our view Nadella will push to make Microsoft more innovative and agile, more like Apple and less like IBM,” Keirstead wrote in a research note.

Matthew Hedberg at RBC Capital Markets deemed Nadella “a safe choice” and said his background “could mean a bigger emphasis on cloud and enterprise than Microsoft has had in the past.”

Nadella heads the team that runs the public, private and service provider clouds for Microsoft. Previously, he was president of Microsoft’s $19bn server and tools business.

He is a native of Hyderabad, India, and earned degrees from Mangalore University, the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the University of Chicago.

Growing up, Nadella so loved cricket that he played competitively on his school team.

Today, he says the sport taught him about teamwork and leadership.

A document filed with US stock market regulators said Nadella’s base salary would be $1.2m, plus cash incentives worth up to three times his salary depending on company performance. l

Oil prices extend gains in Asian trade n AFP, Singapore Oil prices extended gains in Asian trade yesterday as frigid weather in the United States bolstered demand for heating fuel, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for March delivery rose 44 cents to $97.63 in afternoon trade while Brent North Sea crude for March added 24 cents to $106.02. “The cold weather is probably the major cause of the rally,” said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC markets in Sydney.

“There was also a bit of recovery last night in equity markets, which helped support the oil prices,” he told AFP. Winter-weary Americans were Tuesday braced for another massive storm that is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow and a dangerous mix of freezing rain and sleet on a huge swath of the country. The storm was set to reach the east coast on Wednesday, weather officials said. Expectations of a decline in US crude stockpiles at its delivery port in Cushing, Oklahoma, also helped push prices higher as a drop would indicate stronger demand in the world’s biggest economy, analysts said. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Microsoft hopes new, old leaders can rekindle magic Gates: The new CEO, Satya, has got the right background to lead the company during this era n Reuters Microsoft Corp is betting a mix of old and young blood will revive the aging technology pioneer, but new Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella may find it tough to push change with co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer breathing down his neck.

The 46-year-old India native and former enterprise business chief takes on the monumental task of exploring new directions - but with Gates as his consigliere, and on a strategy that Ballmer orchestrated with the board.

That uphill endeavor helped sour other candidates on the job, including proven change agent Alan Mulally at Ford Motor Co, sources have said.

Gates is giving up the board chairmanship to fellow director John Thompson. That, plus Nadella’s promotion, marks a changing of the guard at a 39-year-old company that fueled the PC revolution, but is struggling with its longerterm identity after missing the boat on the mobile computing revolution.

“You’ve got a triumvirate running the company: Satya as the new CEO, Bill as the product adviser and John Thompson running the board. A lot depends on how the three of them get along,” said Bill George, Harvard Business School professor and former Medtronic Inc CEO. “The big question I have is, is Satya really going to be allowed to make the transformative changes that Microsoft needs to make, both at the product level and at the people level?”

Microsoft shares closed 0.4% lower at $36.35 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday.

The new Microsoft focuses on “devices and services” rather than licensing software, and seeks to emulate Apple’s success in marrying popular online services with attractive gadgets.

Set by the retiring Ballmer last year, that vision has proven unpopular with investors hoping either that Microsoft will stop plowing billions into mobile devices - as it is doing with its Nokia acquisition - or come up with new products to take on mobile leaders Apple Inc and Google Inc. “From a bigger-picture perspective, I don’t think much is going to change,” said Sid Parakh, an analyst at fund firm McAdams Wright Ragen. “The strategy that was put in place in 2013 is where the company is headed.”

On Tuesday, Gates - who may again become a regular sight around Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington, campus after pledging to spend

Indians cheer on homegrown new Microsoft chief n AFP, Mumbai India yesterday cheered the appointment of Satya Nadella as the new chief executive of Microsoft, the latest example of an Indian-born exec rising to the top of the US corporate world.

Nadella, who became the giant company’s third CEO on Tuesday, was born and grew up in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad and studied at Mangalore University before shifting to America to further his studies and career.

“India makes a power point,” said a proud front-page headline of the Times of India newspaper about the 46-yearold cricket lover’s appointment.

“India has clearly emerged as the talent machine that is consistently churning out global CEOs,” said the daily.

It said the move “further strengthens multinationals’ greater reliance on emerging markets like India”, with the region increasingly looked at for “cultivating leaders”.

Nadella, who has spent nearly half his life working for the technology titan, follows a string of Indianorigin men and women who have made it to chief executive positions globally.

They include Anshu Jain at the helm of Deutsche Bank, Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo and Ajay Banga at Mastercard.

Vibhor Singhal, vice president of IT research at PhillipCapital India, a brokerage, said a key ingredient to their success was the “openness of the US economy in terms of accepting and allowing talent from outside to rise to the top”.

He added that Indians often have an aptitude for software because “we tend to think on a logical basis”.

Vikram Dhawan, director of investments at Equentis Research, a financial research company, said that proficiency in the English language “also gives Indians an edge over the competition”.

Nadella is faced with the challenge of revitalising Microsoft as the world shifts to a mobile Internet era.

“One of the best that the East had to offer was embraced by the West on Tuesday, and back home there are great expectations that the winds of change will blow here as well,” said a story in The Economic Times.

Indian tech leaders also praised the appointment. l

The undated photo provided by Microsoft shows Satya Nadella a third of his time as the new CEO’s adviser stressed that Nadella’s cloud computing expertise qualified him to lead Microsoft into the new arena of mobile computing.

“Satya’s got the right background to lead the company during this era,” he said. “There’s a challenge in mobile computing. There’s an opportunity in the cloud.”

Nadella got a rich pay rise on his promotion, with a salary of $1.2m, a maximum annual cash bonus of three times that and a stock award of $13.2m for next fiscal year.

That is much more than the moderately paid Ballmer, who took home less than $1.3m last year, chiefly because of his refusal to take stock awards, which he deemed unnecessary given his ownership of $12bn worth of Micro-

AFP

soft shares.

Nadella’s pay is modest in comparison to tech superstar Marissa Mayer, who got a compensation package that could total more than $70 million when she took the helm at Yahoo Inc two years ago.

Pros, cons

The online element may play to the strengths of Nadella, who led the creation of Microsoft’s Internet, or cloud, services.

Nadella has pushed the company in the direction of an Internet-based future, using its network of vast data centers to host products such as Office 365, a subscription-based online version of its ubiquitous business software.

He “bashed heads together on the product

teams to get them to support cloud deployment in a consistent way,” said Ted Schadler, an analyst at tech research firm Forrester. “Every software company has to engineer this shift to software as a service, because 10 years from now there’ll be no such thing as a licensed piece of software.”

Nadella is only its third CEO in 39 years, taking over from Ballmer, who inherited the job from Gates in 2000. His appointment ends a fivemonth search process triggered by the August announcement of Ballmer’s decision to retire.

That was longer than many investors had expected.

“It’s a relief this process is over,” said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. “Many investors view it as the ‘safe pick’ as Mr. Nadella is a born-

and-bred Redmond insider. But the uphill battle continues for Microsoft on its path to growth.”

The move is also a significant shift for Gates, who along with Apple’s Steve Jobs was one of the key forces who shaped the personal computer revolution of the late 20th century, making him an icon of the new information economy and the world’s richest person in the process.

Gates, 58, left day-to-day work at Microsoft in 2008 to focus on philanthropy at his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which he says is still his main job. He owns 4.3 percent of Microsoft’s outstanding shares.

“Satya’s asked me to step up, substantially increasing the time that I spend at the company,” Gates said in a video statement. “I’ll have over a third of my time available to meet with product groups. It’ll be fun to define this next round of products, working together.”

Nadella, who describes himself as a cricket and poetry lover, called the appointment “humbling” in an email to employees. In a videotaped statement, he said he would focus on “ruthlessly” removing any obstacles to innovation.

Apart from Ford Motor’s Mulally, Nadella also beat out other candidates for the job. Several were close to the company, like Stephen Elop, set to rejoin Microsoft when its acquisition of Nokia’s handset business closes, and Tony Bates, the former Skype boss now in charge of business development.

Most agree that Nadella’s background makes him a safe pair of hands to take the company forward, but there remains a question over his ability to make Microsoft a hit with consumers or with impatient shareholders.

Even as Microsoft faces a slow erosion of its PC-centric Windows and Office franchises, some investors are campaigning for retrenchment and a bigger cut of the company’s cash pile.

ValueAct Capital, which led a shareholder revolt last year that culminated in Ballmer’s retirement, has pushed for the company to abandon ambitions to be a hardware maker, focus on its strengths with business software and return more capital.

That means refocusing on Office and Windows and distributing more of Microsoft’s $84bn in cash and short-term investments, though most of that is held overseas.

Nadella’s immediate task may be to balance the demands of long- and short-term investors.

“That’s a balance that John Thompson is going to provide,” said Parakh. l

FM: India keen on India-born Aiyengar: ‘Wrong gender, investment despite colour, country’ S Sudan unrest n JPMORGAN’S RISING STAR

Reuters

Fifteen years ago, when Anu Aiyengar went for an interview to become a mergers and acquisitions banker at a major Wall Street firm, she got a stark, disappointing message.

“You have three strikes against you,” Aiyengar, who was born in India, recalled the interviewer telling her. “How can I hire you? You are the wrong gender, wrong color and wrong country.” Aiyengar, now a managing director at JPMorgan Chase & Co, is seen as one of the rising stars within the largest US bank’s M&A group, advising clients in sectors ranging from retail to industrials.

Over the past 15 years at JPMorgan, she has worked on around $200bn worth of transactions. Last year, she advised on such deals as auto parts retailer Advance Auto Parts Inc’s $2bn purchase of General Parts International Inc, and office supply company Office Depot Inc’s $1bn acquisition of rival OfficeMax Inc. JPMorgan was ranked No 2 in M&A deals by value globally last year.

Being a woman, she said, has proven to be an advantage in connecting with clients, so much so that many become friends or mentors. “Maybe it’s stereo-

typical, but I do feel that listening skills are pretty important,” she said.

Former OfficeMax CEO Ravi Saligram said Aiyengar gained his trust with her analytical skills and because she spoke her mind.

“She’s not afraid to push back,” Saligram said. “She was not a ‘yes’ person.” Still, Aiyengar said she rarely comes across other women in her business, a reflection of how corporate America and Wall Street remain maledominated, even if the kind of overt prejudice that she experienced fifteen years ago has receded.

Women made up 15.6% of top executives and managers at US investment banks in 2012, compared with 17.7% in 2007, according to annual studies published by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Elizabeth Nesvold, a managing director at the women-owned M&A advisory firm Silver Lane Advisors, has a similar story to tell. Nesvold, who has been a banker for more than two decades, said it took 16 years until she sat across from another female senior banker during deal negotiations.

Nesvold said she also thinks being a woman helps at times. “Sometimes

A sign is seen on the Canary Wharf offices of JP Morgan in London

clients have told me things that I am 100% sure they would have not told a man,” Nesvold said. “The work-life balance is challenging, while we see a lot of young women come into the profession, we do not see that many senior women stay the course.”

Aiyengar said she makes an effort to find that balance. Married for 18 years with no children, Aiyengar, who remains an Indian citizen, said she finds relaxation through Indian classical dance and tries to stay in touch with friends and family outside of banking. She also tries to mentor younger women bankers. “I am very passionate about having more women in broader financial services, and especially banking, not just M&A,” she said.

Aiyengar herself benefited from mentors such as Eric Stein, JPMorgan’s head of investment banking coverage for North America, who helped her with everything from learning how to building deal models to the intricacies of American football.

“He spent six hours on a white board teaching me how to set up a model,” she said. “My basic checking models are still set up the way he originally taught me.” l

REUTERS

n AFP, Khartoum Damage to Indian-invested oil facilities in war-torn South Sudan will not deter New Delhi from future business opportunities in the region, its foreign minister said in Khartoum Tuesday.

State-owned ONGC Videsh Ltd, a partner in two joint oil production companies in South Sudan, announced on December 26 that the firms had temporarily halted operations because of deteriorating security.

The Indian firm has also invested in oil pipelines in Sudan.

“I will certainly persuade them that they must raise the level of their ambitions and their determination to continue with business here,” External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told AFP in an interview on the first day of an official visit to Khartoum.

The oil company’s facilities in South Sudan suffered “a bit of damage... nothing irreparable,” an Indian official said.

“This is part of life,” Khurshid told AFP. “I think ONGC are a determined lot of people, and they are very experienced, and the government supports them, so, whatever be the problems that they have suffered, I’m quite clear in my mind that they intend to move forward.”

Since mid-December, soldiers loyal to South Sudan President Salva Kiir have been battling rebel troops and militia who back his sacked vice president Riek Machar.

India’s demand for crude is growing India had about $2.3bn invested in Sudan’s petroleum sector before South Sudan’s independence in July 2011.

The exact value north of the border after the separation is difficult to determine.

South Sudan split with about 75% of united Sudan’s oil production but pipelines and the Red Sea export terminal remained in the north.

India is one of the world’s five biggest emerging economies and oil is its biggest import.

Its demand is expected to grow at 2.7% a year up to 2040 - well above the

global rate of 1.7%.

Last September, Khurshid said he had visited Iraq and Saudi Arabia to push energy ties, and he told energy firms to be more adventurous in searching for global oil supplies.

Sudan is the final stop on his regional tour that included Morocco and Tunisia.

In Khartoum, he told reporters that India is evaluating the petroleum potential of two blocs in Sudan.

He was to meet later with executives of the oil firm, followed by talks Wednesday with Sudan’s Oil Minister Makawi Mohammed Awad.

Khurshid praised the patience and wisdom which he said Sudan has shown in dealing with the South Sudan war. Khartoum belongs to an East African bloc which brokered a shaky ceasefire deal last month.

“Our concern mainly is that we don’t want uncertainty of any kind to become a question mark on the relationship that we have with Sudan,” he told AFP, adding that his visit will be a positive message to Indian industry.

“When I get back, we will certainly advocate the cause for investment in Sudan,” which offers potential for mineral exploration and can also be “a stepping stone” to the larger African market.

“We are here to stay. We are here to develop and grow and we are here to help our partner Sudan.”

India sees two-way trade with Sudan reaching $1bn (741m euros) by the end of the 2013-2014 financial year, Khurshid said during the first-ever visit to Sudan by an Indian foreign minister.

The two nations, both formerly ruled by Britain, have long-standing ties.

India is the second-largest exporter to Sudan after China, which is also a major investor in the Sudan-South Sudan oil sector and in Africa generally.

Asked whether his North African tour is part of an effort to counter-balance Beijing, he said China is in some places a partner, in others a competitor or complementary.

“We don’t see China as an adversary,” he said. l