11 march 2014

Falgun 26, 1420 Jamadiul Awal 9, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 347

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

T-MAG | CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?

7 | THE AAM AADMI PHENOMENON

800 Sonali Bank branches prone to burglary

20 pages plus 16-page T-Mag tabloid | Price: Tk10

8 | CONFLICT CRIPPLES SYRIA HEALTHCARE

13 | KEEP CALM, DON’T GET EXCITED: SHAKIB

Editors seek intervention from chief justice

A GROWING CESSPOOL GOING UNNOTICED

n Tribune Report

collected in October last year and preserved at the BMT unit, while the patient was prepared for the procedure over the last few months.

Several BMT specialists told the Dhaka Tribune that the transplant was a five-stage process. The stages were: physical examination – to assess general level of health, harvesting – the process of obtaining the stem cells,

Editors of the country’s leading dailies have urged the chief justice to intervene and take necessary steps to ease the situation as attempts have been made to force the newspapers and the judiciary to assume confronting positions.

In a statement yesterday, editors of several Bangla and English-language dailies termed the attempts harmful for the freedom of the press and the reputation of the judiciary.

Acknowledging the role of the judiciary in developing democracy in the country, they pointed out that freedom of the press was also essential for upholding democracy.

The editors mentioned the example of an observation made by the Appellate Division comprising then Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman and Justice ATM Afzal in the 1993 case of Salim Ullah versus the state.The court had stated that freedom of the press was recognised in the country’s constitution, and the court must accept any constructive criticism made against it (source: 44 DLR (AD) (1992) 309).

The editors also said the media believed that the Supreme Court as the guardian of the constitution would be active in upholding section 39 (2) (b) of the constitution, which ensured freedom of the press.

Expressing concerns, the editors pointed out a recent ruling that asked

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3-month road map made for security; four suspended over Bogra heist managers of all banks had been asked n Asif Showkat Kallol to enhance social connection with the The government has prepared a threemonth road map to reinforcement of security system at all state-owned banks to prevent further bank robbery, especially at Sonali Banks as 800 of its branches have been found risky.

A number of officials at the Bank and Financial Institutions Division (BFID) yesterday said these risky branches were housed in rented buildings.

BFID Secretary Dr M Aslam Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they could not provide security to the risky Sonali Bank branches for the next three months when the road map would be executed.

However, the execution of the road map could not be completed unless the government took policy decisions on three major issues – insurance of the money kept in a branch, purchase of land for banks, and building strong iron vaults, he said.

Rest of the measures, including arrangement of security guards for the Sonali Bank branches, would be implemented on short-term basis, he said.

The BFID secretary also said branch

owners of the buildings that housed their branches and the business entities around and inform the local police of this.

He was speaking to the Dhaka Tribune after a meeting with the CEOs of the eight state-owned banks, including Sonali, Rupali, Janata and Agrani.

The meeting discussed security of bank vault rooms as the government is concerned over the heists at two Sonali Bank branches in Bogra and Kishoreganj through underground tunnels.

Later, Aslam Alam told reporters that the meeting had formed a committee headed by BFID’s Additional Secretary Amalendu Mukherjee for recommending measures to prevent burglary at banks. The committee was asked to submit its recommendations within two months.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, a meeting source alleged that lower rank officials of Sonali Bank had not followed the directives of their top brass which had created huge security and fraud risk in the bank’s branches.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Hazardous waste materials from local tanneries dumped next to the Beribadh road in the capital’s Hazaribagh yesterday

First ever bone marrow transplant carried out in the country n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The country’s first ever bone marrow transplant procedure was successfully carried out yesterday on a 52-year-old cancer patient at the BMT unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital-2.

Almost five months after the inauguration of the bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit and several delays for the procedure, a group of trained

High Court hears argument over existence of contempt law n Tribune Report The High Court bench led by Justice Naima Haider thinks that the Contempt of Court Act, 1926 is in operation now following the scrapping of the new Contempt of Court Act, 2013 by another bench.

However, lawyer Shahdin Malik, who stood for Mizanur Rahman Khan, the joint editor of the daily Prothom Alo, in a contempt case, argued that there was no existence of a law on the matter.

He said: “After the enactment of Fourth Amendment to the Constitution [in January 1975], Baksal was established and freedom of press was throt-

tled. The Fourth Amendment was annulled through the Fifth Amendment.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has scrapped the Fifth Amendment but the Fourth Amendment was not revived automatically. The Act of 2013 repealed the law of 1926. So, annulment of the 2013 law on September 26 means there is no law on contempt of court.”

Shahdin cited the General Clauses Act, 1897 and said the parliament had not yet said the law of 1926 was in operation.

He told the court that Mizanur could not be punished as there was no law on contempt now.

Opposing his view, lawyer Rokanuddin Mahmud said: “The Act of 2013 had a provision that the act of 1926 was repealed. This provision was also cancelled by the High Court. So the Contempt of Court Act, 1926 is revived.”

After about three-hour-long hearing, the bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed ordered Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman to appear before the court at 10:30am today to ascertain that the affidavit placed at the court was of his own.

The bench issued a suo moto rule on March 2 and summoned the daily’s joint editor for writing a column  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

CHT district councils’ expansion approved

59 crude bombs recovered from Banglabazar n Kailash Sarkar At least 59 crude bombs along with huge number of publications of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir were recovered from a book store in the capital’s Banglabazar last night.

Sutrapur police made the seizure at “Imaniyat.” Owner Abul Hasan was also arrested, OC Khalilur Rahman Paywary told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said: “Acting on a tip-off, we raided the store on Brookline Road in Banglabazar around 8pm and found the crude bombs, huge number of leaflets, posters and banners.”

Khalilur said the book store was run by pro-Jamaat people, who preserved the explosives for carrying out subversive activities, the OC said adding that the detainee was an active member of the Jamaat. l

n Mohosinul Karim The government has decided to increase the number of members in the three interim district councils under the Chittagong Hill Tracts – from four to 10 – with a view to ease pressure and ensure greater participation by hill people.

Of the 10 members, seven would be appointed from among indigenous people while the others will be from non-indigenous communities.

The government will appoint the new 11-strong interim councils, headed by a chairman, from among names proposed by the communities.

The councils will continue discharging responsibilities until elected representatives take their places. However, elections for hill district councils have never taken place since the enactment

of a law requiring them in 1989, and appointed councils have prevailed throughout.

As per the law, all the chairmen and the members of the district councils must be elected by direct votes. But a provision for forming interim councils was included in the law in case of an inability to hold the elections in time.

The cabinet yesterday approved the amendment proposals on expanding the councils of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts on condition of vetting by the law ministry.

Later the proposals will be placed in parliament for passage.

The regular meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan briefed the media about the decisions.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

INSIDE Business

Op-Ed

News

Sport

B1 Apparel companies have become dominant in the country’s initial public offering (IPO) market seeking funds to increase their production capacity and sales network.

5 Illegal establishments around river banks in and around the capital have been on the rise due to lack of coordination between the concerned government authorities.

RAJIB DHAR

11 “But the past is just the same – and War’s a bloody game…/Have you forgotten yet?.../Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you’ll never forget.”

14 Brazil striker Neymar, despite his young age, has what it takes to handle the pressure of a World Cup finals on home soil, according to soccer great Pele.

Bangladeshi doctors, nurses and technologists, with assistance of BMT specialists from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the US, have implanted pre-collected stem cells into the body of the patient.

The patient, who has been suffering from a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma since 2009, received the treatment free of cost.

The stem cells of the patient were

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

‘Protocol mismatch’ cancels Speakers: No cuts in women-friendly to raise Padma bridge funds meeting between Khaleda budgets n and OIC chief Syed Samiul Basher Anik

Shahariar Zaman and n Sheikh Mohammad Al-Masum Molla A meeting that was supposed to be held yesterday between BNP Chairperson Khaldea Zia and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani could not take place, reportedly because of a “protocol mismatch.”

However, BNP officially said the meeting could not take place because of a “schedule mismatch.”

Saying the OIC secretary general on Sunday had expressed wishes to meet the BNP chief, Khaleda Zia’s Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan told the Dhaka Tribune: “We told the OIC delegation that we must be informed one hour before the meeting for our prepa-

ration; but there was a schedule mismatch.”

Initially, the journalists were informally informed that the meeting would take place at 3pm at Khaleda’s Gulshan residence; but when the journalists went there, they were told that the meeting had shifted to 5pm.

However, at 4pm, officials of the BNP chief’s press section said the meeting had become uncertain because of a “schedule problem.”

Meanwhile, a senior BNP leader, on condition of anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that the meeting could not take place because of “protocol mismatch.”

An official of the foreign ministry said under the existing protocol, Khaldea Zia, officially three times former

prime minister, did not currently hold any official post.

“She is nothing but a politician, as there is no protocol provision for any former prime minister,” he said. The OIC secretary general, on the other hand, holds the status of a minister.

When contacted, the BNP chief’s adviser Sabihuddin Ahmed, however, said: “I am not aware of any such meeting between the BNP chairperson and OIC secretary general.”

Madani arrived in Dhaka on Sunday and held meetings with President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Finance Minister AMA Muhith and other senior officials of the government. l

Participants at a discussion yesterday urged the government not to cut back funds allocated for women-related projects in order to raise money for the proposed Padma multipurpose bridge.

The seminar on “budget for women empowerment” was jointly organised

by Shomunnoy, USAID, The Asia Foundation and UK Aid at the Cirdap auditorium in the capital.

Khondker Ibrahim Khaled, former chairman of Bangladesh Krishi Bank, said: “A society cannot make itself better by depriving 50% of its members. In our society, women are forced to stay back in the name of religion, and to fight this situation, we need to improve our education system. We need to formulate a single education system for madrassas as well as Bangla and English medium schools to overcome darkness which will eventually help us to empower women."

Mahfuz Kabir, team leader of

Prodip, a USAID-funded programme, said although the country had limited resources, the government should not slash the budget from any women-friendly projects.

The speakers said while the gov-

Injured BCL man dies in hospital n Tribune Report

Khaleda renews call for Gibson urges government dialogue, demands JS poll to recognise gay rights

A Chhatra League leader, who was hit by a bullet on Saturday during a clash between the supporters of Awami League-backed chairman candidate and its rebel candidate in Gazipur, died at Apollo Hospitals yesterday.

Al-Amin Sheikh, 21, was the assistant secretary of Chhatra League's Sreepur upazila unit.

Sources said supporters of AL-backed chairman aspirant Iqbal Hossain Sabuj brought out a procession for the upazila election, scheduled for March 15, and gathered at the upazila AL office around 10:45am. Later, supporters of rebel candidate Abdul Jalil also brought out a procession and tried to take position in front of the AL office, triggering the clash between the two sides.

At least 50 people including Al-Amin were injured and eight vehicles were torched during the clash. l

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla Alleging that the Awami League-led government wanted to stay in power “forcibly,” BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday asked it to initiate dialogue for holding a fresh election immediately.

She also announced that after the completion of the upazila polls, she would visit different districts across the country.

“Come to dialogue leaving the gun.

The consequences will be dire if you think you can stay in office killing people. If you want to stay in power forcefully, people will be compelled to take to the street,” she said while addressing a group of Thakurgaon Jatiya Party activists who joined the BNP at her Gulshan office.

Khaleda asked them to work togeth-

er to ensure victory of the party-backed candidates in the upazila elections.

She said the only way out of the “current crisis” was an election. “People did not vote in the January 5 election. The people of the country as well as the whole world are talking about an inclusive election.”

The former premier claimed that the opposition men had been “killed and abducted” and human rights was violated in every step.

Khaleda alleged that the ruling party-backed candidates had won in some upazilas forcefully.

The BNP-supported candidates would have won in more upazilas if their agents had not been evicted from the polling centres.

She said: “Now I will visit Thakurgaon and hold a rally there. This way, I will visit all the districts.” l

800 Sonali Bank branches prone to burglary  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

At the meeting Rupali Bank Managing Director M Farid Uddin suggested purchasing strong iron vaults from international market. He informed the meeting that he had already bought three iron vaults for his bank.

The source said the meeting had seen a long discussion on the 800 vulnerable branches of Sonali Bank and how security at these branches could be beefed up. A bank official suggested renting the first floor of a building for a branch if necessary and having the bank’s vault in the middle of the floor.

After the meeting, Sonali Bank CEO Pradip Kumar Dutta told reporters that it was not possible to ensure security to its 1,201 branches overnight and that it needed a long time.

He said a total of 25 chest branches of the bank were situated in rented houses and ran the risk of being broken in.

In reply to a question, the BFID sec-

retary said the incumbent Sonali Bank CEO had been performing well in his duties and there had been no big scams like that of Hallmark during the past one and a half years.

Four officials of the bank including manager, deputy general manager and general manager (controller) of Adamdighi branch and one of the Dhaka office were suspended

ali Bank in Bogra by digging a 30 feet tunnel from a nearby furniture shop to the bank’s vault room. In a similar fashion, robbers had looted Tk16.4 crore from the vault room of Sonali Bank’s main branch in Kishoreganj on January 24.

Four Sonali Bank officials suspended

The burglary incidents at Sonali Bank branches were due to some long-term problems, Aslam Alam said.

On Saturday, robbers looted Tk30.8 lakh from the Adamdighi branch of Son-

The Sonali Bank authorities yesterday suspended four of its officials following an order from the BFID. The decision had come at a board meeting of the bank, said the BFID Director Zaid Bakht.

“We suspended four officials – the manager, deputy general manager and general manager (controller) of Adamdighi branch of Sonali Bank in Bogra, and also an official of our Dhaka office who was in charge of supervising that branch,” he said.

In the wake of the latest burglary at Sonali Bank’s Adamdighi branch, the BFID asked the bank’s CEO Pradip Kumar Dutta on Sunday to immediately order the suspensions. l

tients would otherwise have to spend at hospitals abroad, Bimolanshu said.

The BMT unit at DMCH would reportedly be able to bring down the cost of the transplant to Tk5 lakh, compared to BMT costs of around Tk1 crore in the US, over Tk50 lakh in Singapore, and over Tk40 lakh in India.

The MGH had been assisting Bangladesh to set up the BMT unit for the last three years, while several doctors, nurses and technologists had taken specialised training on BMT at home and abroad, said Bimolanshu.

He said continuous training and education was mandatory for operating the BMT unit smoothly, with even the cleaner of the unit needing special training. The government should take a longterm plan to sustain the unit, he said.

Dr Bayezid Khurshed Riaz, project director of the DMCH-2, told reporters that the BMT unit would try to carry out at least 20 procedures within the next six months.

Asked how long the unit would offer services free of cost, he said the authorities concerned had adequate budget for the next three months, after which the health ministry would decide on the future step. The unit would run un-

der public private partnership (PPP) if needed in the future, Riaz added.

He also said work on registering and compiling a list of bone marrow samples has begun, as BMT has the potential to cure thalassaemia (major and minor), several types of bone cancers, and other non-malignant and non-cancerous diseases.

A recent study found that around 11.04% of the total cancer patients in Bangladesh were suffering from blood cancer.

On October 20 last year, former health minister Dr AFM Ruhal Hoque inaugurated the five-bed BMT unit and a high-tech BMT laboratory, which cost Tk200m to build. Although it was then announced that the first transplant procedure would take place on October 26, it was postponed.

Among others, State Minister for Health Zahed Malek, health directorate Director General Professor Dr Din Md Nurul Hoque, DMC Principal Professor Dr Ismail Khan, DMCH Director Brig Gen Mustafizur Rahman, DMCH Deputy Director Dr Musfiqur Rahman, and DGHS Coordinator for foreign training Ruhul Forkan Siddique were present at the press conference. l

First ever bone marrow transplant carried out in the country  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

conditioning – preparing the patient’s body for the procedure, transplanting the stem cells, and recovery – during which patients are monitored for any complications or side effects.

Professor Dr MA Khan, head of haematology department and programme director of the BMT unit, said the BMT procedure had been a success so far.

He expressed hope that the patient would recover within two or three weeks. However, he said no surgeon could dismiss possibilities of post-procedure risks for the patient.

He made the comments at a press conference at the DMCH following the BMT procedure yesterday.

Present there, Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said: “It is a historic moment for Bangladesh, as the country’s first ever bone marrow transplant procedure has been successfully done and Bangladesh has set a milestone in the history of medical science.”

Dr Bimolanshu Dey, a blood cancer specialist at the MGH in Boston, said the BMT unit of the DMCH was now an international-standard unit.

If the BMT unit works successfully, it would save a lot of money that pa-

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman British High Commissioner Robert Gibson has strongly urged the Bangladesh government to recognise the rights of the country’s gay community.

“Penal Code 377 criminalises same sex activity. This code remains on the books from the British colonial era. In today’s world, it is an anachronism. Yet, whenever I raise the rights of this community privately with the government, I am told that Bangladesh is not yet ready to address this issue. I disagree,” Gibson said at a seminar to celebrate the Commonwealth Day in the capital yesterday.

The programme was attended by Commerce Minister Tofael Ahmed and Commonwealth Society of Bangladesh President Enam A Chaurdhury, where Professor Selina Mohsin was the key note speaker.

He termed Bangladesh as an open and tolerant society and said: “It prides itself on the empowerment of all members of society. I hope that the government of Bangladesh can take further pride by showing leadership on this issue.”

The repeal of the respective Penal Code would be a significant step towards upholding the values of the Commonwealth Charter and would reinforce Bangladesh’s international leadership on issues of tolerance and respect, he added.

On extra judicial killings in Bangladesh, he said it would be truly alarming and a cause for concern if the number of extra judicial killings quoted by local human rights bodies and in the media is true.

“I have been reassured by the personal assurances given to me by members of the government that these will be investigated,” he said. l

ernment was gradually increasing allocations for women-related budgets, the number of unemployed women was increasing at a rate faster than the number of women eligible for work as job creation was slow. l

Bangladeshi peacekeeper in Congo dies n BSS Md Amir Hossain, a Bangladesh peacekeeper stationed in the UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo, died of a heart attack on Saturday.

He was 29.

He breathed his last around 7:45 am on Saturday (DR Congo local time), an ISPR release said yesterday.

A soldier of Bangladesh Army, Amir joined the MONUSCO peacekeeping mission in DR Congo on October 29 last year.

He joined Bangladesh Army on January 16, 2003. He left behind his wife, one son and a host of relatives and well wishers to mourn his death.

Bangladesh Army expressed deep shock at the sudden demise of Amir and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family members. l

High Court hears argument  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

criticising the anticipatory bails granted by the bench. Mizanur had to stand in the dock from 2:20pm to 5:15pm yesterday.

At the onset of the third day hearing at 2:20pm, Justice Zafar asked Shahdin whether accused in other countries also had to come to the dock on criminal matters. The lawyer replied in the affirmative.

Supreme Court lawyer ABM Waliur Rahman Khan argued that the bench and the members of the bar, not the journalists, had the exclusive right to criticise anticipatory bails.

When Shahdin submitted the written replies of Mizanur and Matiur, the bench asked the lawyer to bring the documents today after correction.

The defence lawyer told the court that it would not have been possible for the media to flourish, if the Supreme Court had not protected freedom of expression and press.

Justice Naima, after going through the written reply of Mizanur, said he had challenged the rule with an allega-

tion that the bench had not specified the alleged contemptuous words. “But we underlined those parts which were contemptuous,” she said.

Rokan termed the reply “sickly drafted by a person having a sick mind.”

Mizanur, in his written reply, said there was no law for granting anticipatory bail but the Supreme Court had earlier granted this type of bails on special circumstances.

On this point, Justice Zafar said: “No law is needed to give anticipatory bail since the judgement of the Supreme Court is a law.”

The journalist in the reply also said the bench led by Justice Naima had violated the guidelines issued by the Appellate Division in the landmark case of State vs Zakaria Pintoo.

At one stage, Justice Naima said: “From his reply, it is assumed that we have to learn how to write a verdict from Mizanur Rahman Khan.” Then Rokan said all the newly-appointed judges of the High Court must attend the class of Mizanur.

Rokan also labelled Mizanur as “in-

Editors seek intervention from chief justice  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

why charges of contempt of court should not be brought against the editor and joint editor of daily Prothom Alo for publishing a post-editorial. On Sunday, contempt of court rulings were issued against two dailies –Somokaland Naya Diganta– forpublishing reports regarding the court proceedings, while the president and general secretary of Dhaka Reporters Unity, which issued a press release in this regard, were also directed to appear before the court on Wednesday.

The editors observed that several senior lawyers had slammedthe media by raising false allegations against journalists during the hearing of the contempt petition at the High Court.

They urged the lawyers to refrain from making provocative and confusing statements.

“We believe that the role of the judiciary is important for flourishing democracy in this country. The journalist community is conscious about that. The media of Bangladesh believe in the independence of the judiciary.

At the same time freedom of media is also essential for democracy. Media is determined to uphold that freedom,”

the statement said.

The editors of the Samakal, The Daily Star, Manabzamin, Kaler Kantho, Bangladesh Protidin, Dhaka Tribune, Alochito Bangladesh, Amader Shomoy, Independent, Financial Express, New Age, News Today, Naya Diganta, Sangbad, Karotoa, and Purbokon signed the statement.

Meanwhile, leaders of several journalists’ unions yesterday expressed concern over summoning of two of their leaders to court and comments made by a few lawyers about journalists and the media in general.

The two factions of Bangladesh Federal Journalists Union and the Dhaka Union of Journalists in a statement said journalists, like all citizens, were not above law and there would not be any difference of opinion if there was any specific allegation against any journalist.

“But the media in Bangladesh have not yet received any specific instructions on contempt of court. Specific instructions on the media’s jurisdiction of reporting on and analysis of the judiciary and activities of the respected judges could be a solution to many problems,” the statement reads. l

sane.” The lawyer said: “The present time journalists who are not lawyers do not report correctly for their lack of knowledge on law. When lawyers were the reporters, they did not make mistakes.”

Justice Naima at one point read out the pertinent portion of the Code of Conduct of 1993 for journalists which states that they cannot write anything that may influence the verdict of a case. l

CHT district councils’ expansion approved  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

He said the district councils were having trouble expanding their activities, especially after the transfer of 33 government offices. “The participation of ethnic minorities [adivasis] is also being ignored.”

In the Rangamati interim council, representatives from among the Chakma people will have three seats, the Marma will have one, Tanchangya one, Tripura one, while the Khiang and Lusai people will share one.

In Khagrachhari, the council would be comprised of three Chakma representatives, and two each from the Marma and Tripura communities.

In Bandarban, the Marma community will get two seats, the Murang one, Tripura one, while Tanchangya and Chakma will share one. The Chak, Khwai and Khumi will also share one, as will the Bome, Lusai and Pankho.

The number of members from different small ethnic groups has been decided according to their population.

According to the Hill District Council Act, enacted in 1989, each council would comprise of 34 members – one chairman, 30 general members and three women members. Among the general members, 20 would be from among ethnic minorities while two of the three women members would be from the among the hill people.

‘Elected district councils soon’ Asked about holding the elections for district councils, including those in the CHT, Mosharraf said it was not discussed in the meeting.

“But, the government has no plan to run the district councils with selected administrators permanently. The election will be held soon as the government wants to strengthen local government institutes.”

The Awami League-led government in December 2011 appointed administrators to 61 district councils with a view to hold elections to the important local government body. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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3

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Several Hefazat leaders contesting the third phase upazila polls

62% people getting electricity now as there is no load shedding: Nasrul tells JS

n Manik Miazee

n Tribune Report

A section of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh leaders are vying for the posts of chairman and vice-chairman in over 10 upazilas in the third phase of upazila parishad polls.

One of the contestants, however, is said to have allegation of militancy against him.

The chairman candidates are Altaf Hossain from Meghna upazila in Comilla and Mehedi Hasan from Nabinagar upazila in Brahmanbaria.

Meanwhile, the vice-chairman candidates, among others, are Hafez Kawser Mullah from Brahmanbaria, Mawlana Nasir Al Faridi from Monohardi upazila, Mawlana Mozammel Haque from Rangunia upazila in Chittagong, Mawlana Shafkat Hossain from Bashkhali and Ashraf Bin Yakub from Fatikchhari.

Hefazat central leader and one of the conveners of its Dhaka unit Mufti Altaf Hossain is a chairman candidate

in Meghna upazila of Comilla.

Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ) sources say Altaf’s followers are campaigning for him in the upazila under the banner of Hefazat.

They are requesting voters to vote for Altaf to protest against the harassment Hefazat faced centring the May 5 rally in Motijheel, sources say.

Hefazat leader Mawlana Mozammel Haque has submitted his nomination paper as a vice-chairman candidate in Rangunia upazila of Chittagong, though the Election Commission in Chittagong did not allocate him any symbol till Sunday.

Contacted, Chittagong district assistant returning officer and Rangunia upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Md Saiful Islam Majumdar said: “There are allegations of terrorist activities against him. He is also alleged to be an Afghan passport holder.”

Mozammel, however, denied both the allegations.

“Since I am an active activist of He-

Publish probe report on 2001 post-poll violence, orders HC n Tribune Report The High Court yesterday ordered the home secretary to publish within seven days the judicial probe report on the attacks carried out on minorities and then opposition members following eighth parliamentary election on October 1, 2001 by issuing a gazette.

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

Supreme Court lawyer Manzill Murshid pleaded for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Biswojit Roy represented the government.

On January 22, the same bench ordered the home secretary to submit the report to the bench by February 2. The government followed the order.

In light with the High Court verdict of 2009, the government formed a three-member commission led by former district judge Md Shahabuddin to investigate the incidents. Later, the commission handed over a probe report on April 25, 2011 to then home minister Shahara Khatun.

According to the report, during the regime of the BNP-Jamaat government, more than 18,000 violent incidents including murder, rape, arson, and looting occurred in different areas of the country.

Then ministers Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, Abdus Salam Pintu, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Tariqul Islam and Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed were among the 26,352 people who were found responsible for the atrocities. l

fazat, the government has not allocated me any poll symbol in a planned way.

One of the Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders has made allegation against me with the Election Commission which is baseless and was made for spreading propaganda,” he claimed.

Mahedi Hassan, vice-president of Nabinagar thana Hefazat, meanwhile, is a chairman candidate and is contesting from the 19-party alliance. He said: “People will vote for me in response to their protest against the harassment of the government inflicted on Hefazat activists.”

Monohardi Alia Madrasa principal Nasir Al-Faridi, chief of Monohardi thana Hefazat is contesting the polls in Monohardi upazila. Locals claimed that his followers were campaigning for him as Hefazat leaders, though he was contesting from the IOJ. IOJ-backed Brahmanbaria Sadar vice-chairman candidate Hafez Kawsar Molla said he was a candidate from the 19-party alliance. “A BNP candidate is

vying for the post of chairman and I am the vice-chairman candidate.”

However, Hefazat-e-Islam central secretary general Junaid Babunagari yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that Hefazat was a non-political organisation and they did not have any candidate in the upazila polls.

Interestingly, on February 17 this year, Babunagari himself campaigned for the Hefazat-backed candidate Anwar Hossain Rabbani, treasurer of Hefazat Chittagong Metropolitan unit, and asked people to vote for Rabbani.

Earlier in the first and second phases of upazila polls, two Hefazat-backed candidates contested. One contested from Hathazari, a stronghold of Hefazat, and won the post of vice-chairman. Candidates of BNP, Jamaat and Hefazat formed alliance and contested the polls. The BNP candidate won the post of chairman while the woman vice-chairman post was won by the Jamaat candidate. l

Nasrul Hamid Bipu, state minister for power and energy, yesterday claimed in parliament that there was not a single second of power outage in the country at present.

“There is no load-shedding, even for a second. We have to disrupt electricity supply sometimes for maintenance, which should not be called load-shedding,” Nasrul said in reply to a supplementary question from Awami League lawmaker Talukdar Mohammad Yunus.

Responding to another question from Didarul Alam, the state minister said the government had outlined various measures to free the country from load-shedding and ensure power facilities for all over the next seven years.

“At present, some 34 power plants, with 884mw capacity, are under construction and these plants will start (operation) in phases between 2014 and 2018,” Nasrul said.

1996 share scam case stayed n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

NOW IT’S TITUMIR COLLEGE

A Dhaka court yesterday stayed the proceedings of 1996 share scam case after defence counsels filed a stay order from the High Court in this regard.

Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions’ Judge Ruhul Amin earlier in the day ordered defence lawyers to submit the certified copy of the stay order within two working days. It also said the accused would be considered as “fugitive” from now on but the trial would continue in their absence.

Later, defense counsel Mosharraf Hossain Kajal submitted the High Court order at the end of the day.

The court also recorded the deposition of plaintiff MA Rashid Khan, then executive director of the SEC. The accused are Beximco Pharmaceuticals Chairman ASF Rahman, Vice-Chairman Salman F Rahman and Managing Director DH Khan.

The case was filed on April 2, 1997. l Students of Titumir College demonstate on their campus yesterday, demanding the institution be declared a university. Earlier, students of Eden College and Dhaka College held similar demostrations for their institutions DHAKA TRIBUNE

Progress report on Rehearing of closing arguments in Nizami case begins Sagar-Runi murder Yesterday the prosecution placed lectual killing. formed on the spirit of “Badr Bahini” n Udisa Islam Referring to “Sectarianism and Po(a team of 313 Muslims against the documents and evidences. After a halfprobe submitted Top war crimes suspect Motiur Rah- Quraish in the Battle of Badr). The day session, the three-member tribunal litico Religious Terrorism in Pakistan,” man Nizami had masterminded the al-Badr consisted many such teams headed by Justice M Enayetur Rahim the prosecutor said Jamaat had directly n Tribune Report formation of para militia group al-Badr who used to target and abduct pro- adjourned the proceedings until today. been involved with the military govThe High Court yesterday rejected the bail petitions of three suspects after RAB submitted progress report on the investigation of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi murder case.

The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed said the report would not be disclosed as the matter was at investigation stage.

Investigation Officer Zafar Ullah, who placed the report, hoped that the inquiry might be concluded within six months. l

during the Liberation War with the members of Jamaat-e-Islami’s then student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, the prosecution said yesterday.

On the first day of fresh hearing on the closing arguments, prosecutor Mohammad Ali said Nizami was the chief of al-Badr force that had sided with the Pakistani occupation army and committed crimes against humanity including the systematic killing of intellectuals.

Ali said the al-Badr force had been

liberation people and kill them.

As the chief of Chhatra Sangha, Nizami had travelled across the country and gave inciting speeches. “So he is the responsible for all the atrocities that happened during the Liberation War,” prosecutor Ali said.

The hearing started afresh as the former chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal 1 retired on December 31 before pronouncing verdict in the case. The case was kept for verdict on November 13.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nizami, condemned recently in the 10-truck arms haul case, was present in the dock. He faces 16 counts of crimes against humanity including genocide, murder, confinement, torture, arson attacks and incitement committed in Pabna and Dhaka in 1971.

The prosecutor said citing a book that the al-Badr members had begun killing the intellectuals from November 15. Two prosecution witnesses including wife of a martyr Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury also testified on the intel-

Couple describes brutality of Freedom fighter describes Khokon Razakar genocide by Qaisar n Udisa Islam

Two new prosecution witnesses in the war crimes case against fugitive accused Zahid Hossain Khokon alias Khokon Razakar yesterday described how their family members had been gunned down by the accused and his accomplices in Faridpur during the 1971 Liberation War. The testimonies of the couple – Manjuara Begum and Botu Mia – were similar as they spoke on the atrocities at Baghat village in Nagarkanda. After their cross-examination, the tribunal adjourned the proceedings until March 18.

The 21st witness, Manjuara said: “Khokon and other razakars along with the Pakistani troops dragged four of my

neighbours out of their houses and made them to stand in a queue. Then Khokon dragged my maternal grandfather out of the mosque, where he was reciting the holy Qur’an, to stand in the line with them and opened fire. Four of them died on spot and one wounded person died after suffering for couple of hours.”

She said from a bush she had witnessed the whole incident that took place on a day of Bengali month Jyoishtha. “Later Khokon and his accomplices went towards the west side of our village and killed 12-13 people there.” The villagers had been buried a day later.

Manjuara was followed by her husband Botu Miah, 59, who had witnessed the killing of his father, cousin and a neighbour. l

However, the government had no plan to set up new rental power plants, he said in reply to Kazi Feroz Rashid.

According to government estimations, the demand for electricity peaks during the Boro (rice) irrigation and summer seasons from March to May. The power demand during this period is estimated to be around 7,500MW. The state minister claimed that there was no increase in electricity production in the last 42 years, but production had now surged to 11,000MW, from only 3,000MW decades ago.

Replying to Morshed Alam, Nasrul said 62% of the country’s population had access to electricity supply.

“Of the total population, 62% has been brought under power facilities,” he said.

The junior minister said the government was working towards providing electricity to the rest of the country and hoped to ensure power for all by 2021. l

n Udisa Islam Kazi Kabiruddin, 72, a freedom fighter and first prosecution witness in the case against Syed Mohammad Qaisar, ended his deposition by telling the war crimes tribunal about many brutalities of the accused and “Qaisar Bahini” in Habiganj during the 1971 Liberation War. After his deposition for the second day, the defence counsel grilled him. The International Crimes Tribunal 2 then adjourned the session until today keeping the cross-examination incomplete.

The accused and his accomplices had formed and razakar groups and peace committees in May of 1971 in every union and started committing massacres. They attacked Nasirnagar, Chunarughat, Madhabpur, Bijoynagar and killed many unarmed people.

On November 15, the “Qaisar Bahini” attacked Nasirnagar police station along with the Pakistani occupation army and other razakars. They had also looted the houses of 22 Hindu-dominated villages. There they killed at

least 108 unarmed civilians, the witness said.

“In the month of May, our S-force freed Qaisar’s father who was in confinement thinking that Qaisar may refrain from committing atrocities but it did not happen. He became more ferocious.

“On my return from India after training in October, I came to know that Qaisar and the Pakistani army on September 29 killed four freedom fighters including Sattar, Razzaq Wahed Ali beside Sonai River.”

He said they had named a dormitory of Habiganj Brindaban College after freedom fighter Nazim but Qaisar renamed it after he became a lawmaker.

On Sunday, the witness told the tribunal that Qaisar had been a founding member of the Peace Committee in Habiganj. The accused took part in 1970 election from Basic Democracy which was part of Muslim League under the leadership of Fazlul Quader Chowdhury.

He said “Qaisar Bahini” had killed 15-20 unarmed people in Madhabpur Bazar and three more including Wohid Hossain in Krishnanagar village. l

ernment in 1971 and that they aimed at destroying the Bangalee nationalism.

During his submission, Ali made some silly mistakes that made the defence laugh. The tribunal asked him to be calm as he began reading some factual information loudly.

His arguments were incomplete as the tribunal adjourned the proceedings. Today he will resume submitting his arguments and after his session, prosecutor Tureen Afroz will argue on the legal part. l

Court summons Prothom Alo editor n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday summoned Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and two other journalists of the Bengali daily in connection with a Tk200 crore defamation case filed against them.

The two others are chief news editor of the daily and its Comilla correspondent. The defendants have to respond to the notice on July 13. Dhaka’s Fourth Joint District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Abu Taher passed the order after taking the case into its cognisance.

On March 3, MA Rashid, owner of Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited and a director of the capital’s South Point School and College, lodged the defamation suit with the court for publishing “untrue and baseless” reports. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Government finalises packages for Hajj 2014 n Mohosinul Karim The government has formulated a fresh policy, finalising two different packages for pilgrims wishing to perform Hajj this year.

The first package will cost Tk 354,316 while the second will cost Tk 295,776.

The decision was made in line with recommendations of the religious affairs ministry tabled during yesterday’s cabinet meeting held at the secretariat.

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan briefed the media following the meeting.

He said that all the expenditures of the pilgrims, including residence and banquet facilities, would be spent from the package money. However, an additional charge of Tk 10,500, equivalent to SR 500, would be applicable for Kurbani purposes.

A total of 101,758 Bangladeshi hajis are expected to perform hajj this year as the Saudi Arabian authorities allowed Bangladesh to send pilgrims equivalent to this number.

The government will provide 10,000

13 candidates and supporters penalised for code violation in upazila polls

n Mohammad Zakaria A mobile court has penalised 13 candidates and supporters for violating electoral code of conduct during third phase of the upazila polls.

It handed out fines worth Tk150030,000 and sentenced candidates and supporters to two years of imprisonment, according to Election Commission officials.

According to the commission’s report compiled yesterday, the court fined Tk5000 to Subash Pal, a supporter of the chairman candidate of Jamalganj upazila in Sunamganj.

The court also fined Tk30,000 each to chairman candidates, ASM Nurun Nabi Dulal and Alamgir Hossain of Dagonbhuiyan upazila of Feni, Tk15000 and Tk3000 to chairman candidates of Burichong upazila of Comilla, Sazzad Hossain and ATM Mizanur Rahman respectively.

The court also fined five vice chairman candidates of Burichong upazila - Tk5000 to Saiful Islam, Tk4000 to Jalal Uddin, Tk1500 to Jasim Uddin, Tk4000 to Matiar Rahman, and Tk8000 to Shah Alam.

The court awarded two year imprisonment to Altaf Hossain for unleashing violence in Kaliganj upazila in Satkhira and one year imprisonment to Sheikh Salauddin for carrying psychoactive drugs. l

WEATHER

Dry weather likely

n UNB

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

Day and night temperatures might remain nearly unchanged over the country and night temperature might rise slightly over the country, Met Office said.

The sun sets in the capital at 6:06pm today and rises at 6:11am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 32.8 degree Celsius was recorded in Sylhet and lowest 09.7 degrees in Srimangal yesterday.

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

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

29.7 30.5 29.7 29.2 31.0 30.4 32.8 32.4

16.6 17.5 14.0 15.0 15.7 15.5 15.5 19.0

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:56am 6:11am 12:09am 4:26pm 6:06pm 7:21pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

pilgrims with state facilities under two separate packages while arrangements for 91,758 pilgrims will be made under private agreements.

In the case of private arrangements, however, pilgrims must pay Tk 295,776, the minimum cost of the second package, said the cabinet secretary.

Earlier, Jahangir Alam, deputy secretary of the religious affairs ministry, confirmed the Dhaka Tribune that information on the new hajj packages would be made public by March 15.

The government introduced two separate hajj packages, Tk 347,027 for package-1 and Tk 278,742 for package-2, last year.

The Cabinet Secretary said the Saudi Arabian authorities had introduced new provision for supplying foods to the pilgrims by their registered catering service company and opening bank accounts of the hajj agencies in the realm. The accounts will be used for residence and banquets cost transactions of the hajis.

A high-level delegation led by the Religious Affairs Minister signed several agreements with the Saudi authorities during a visit to the kingdom from February 14 to 22. l

A woman lights a candle at the Central Sheheed Minar in the capital yesterday in rememberance of the victims of the tsunami that hit Japan in 2011

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

MoU signed to train disaster ACC seeks documents against management volunteers Petrobangla chairman n Tribune Report

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) and the DeSHARI Consortium on February 3, 2014 to build and strengthen the capacity of 250 volunteers in four locations of Patuakhali, Khulna, Satkhira and Netrokona on first aid, search and rescue, and early warning.

The training will help the volunteers – Union Disaster Management Committee and School Management Committee members - to respond, prevent, or mitigate the impact of disaster-related damages, injuries, or disabilities.

The DeSHARI Consortium works with communities and children in

raising awareness about disasters and risk reduction measures. This focus with children provides us a unique opportunity to impart knowledge to children who will grow up as informed adults to mitigate the adverse affects of natural disasters and worsening climate change scenarios.

A total of 30 participants attended the MoU signing ceremony, including Towhidur Rahman, treasurer of the BDRCS, BMM Mozharul Huq, secretary general of the BDRCS, MA Halim, director (training) of the BDRCS, Tshehayou Seyoum, HOD of the IFRC, Hasina Inam, country manager of DanChurch Aid, Ram Kishan, country director of Christian Aid, Nayyar Iqbal, deputy country director of Save the Children. l

n Tribune Report The Anti Corruption Commission yesterday sought some documents and information from the staterun Bangladesh Mineral Oil & Gas Corporation (BMOGC), also called Petrobangla, in connection with its inquiry against Petrobangla Chairman Md Hossain Monsur on charge of acquiring wealth through irregular appointments.

The ACC Deputy Director Ahsan Ali asked the Petrobangla to submit lists of appointments during the last four years, officials said.

The notice sought the documents from Petrobangla and also its subsid-

Illegal gas connection of two factories severed in Sirajganj n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj Officials of Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited (PGCL) finally severed the connection to Shah Mokdum Calender and Mercerising Mills for illegal consumption at Shahzadpur upazila in Sirajganj yesterday evening.

A team of the PGCL went to the factories and cut the illegal gas connections with the help of an executive magistrate and police personnel.

Earlier, on Thursday afternoon,

workers of a factory assaulted several employees of the PGCL when they went to the factories in a bid to cut illegal gas connections.

The factory workers also confined seven employees of the PGCL for about two hours. They were later released after they had reconnected the illegal gas connection.

Johurul Islam, manager of Baghabari area of the PGCL, lodged a case against Mohammad Alhaz Haider Ali, owner of a factory, on that night with Shahzadpur police

Student beaten for not helping in cheating n Our correspondent, Barguna A first girl of a school in Barguna received serious injuries on Sunday as she was beaten by two classmates for not telling answer of a question during an examination.

The injured is Bithi, student of class VII at Chalitatoli Secondary School. She said two of her classmates, Mimi and Sagar, had asked her answer to an exam question during a weekly exam which she had refused to answer.

Outraged over the matter, the

two started beating her outside the exam hall after the examination was over.

According to Bithi, the two pushed her head towards a wall and beat her indiscriminately, leaving her bleeding. At one stage she fell down on the floor. Later, an assistant teacher of the school and other classmates rescued her and admitted her to Barguna General Hospital.

OC of Barguna police station Azam Khan said: "Legal action will be taken after receiving written complaint.” l

station.

Managing Director of the PGCL Mohammad Ali Hossain said the two factories were consuming overloaded gas for a long time.

“We have severed the illegal gas connection after filing a case with a local police station and informing the Deputy Commissioner and police superintendent about the matter.”

Officer-in-Charge of Shahzadpur police station Hassan Shamim Iqbal said the drive to arrest the mill owners was ongoing. l

12 RMG workers injured

The salvage operation of the cargo vessel MV Karnaphuli-5, capsized in Kirtankhola River on Sunday night with 860-tonne raw materials after being hit by the triple-decker launch Sundarban-7 carrying more than 800 Dhaka-bound passengers, is yet to begin, putting navigability at risk.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), meanwhile, has formed a two-member probe

committee and recorded statements of the cargo crew. Master of the capsized cargo lodged a general diary with Barisal Kotwali Police Station in this connection on Monday.

Awami League leader and sadar upazila chairman-elect Saidur Rahman Rintu, who owns the passenger launch fleet of Sundarban Navigation Company, alleged that the cargo was overloaded and was running ignoring restrictions on night movement.

“It then hit Sundarban-7, endan-

Monsur with some of his associates appointed a good number of employees violating the rules of the company Gas Fields Company Ltd, Gas Transmission Company Ltd, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Dis-

tribution System Ltd, Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Ltd, Paschimanchal Gas Company Ltd, Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd, Sundarban Gas Company Ltd, Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd, Barapukuria Coal Mine Company and Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Ltd. Over the specific allegations against the Petrobangla chairman, the ACC asked its deputy director Ahsan Ali to inquiry into the alleged involvement of the Petrobangla chairman in accumulating illegal wealth.

The allegation said the chairman, in association with some of his associates, appointed a good number of employees violating the rules of the company. l

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Local Government Engineering Department Office of the Executive Engineer District : Rajshahi Tel:0721-775553 Fax: 0721-77028

Email: egp.xen.raj@lged.gov.bd xen.rajshahi@lged.gov.bd

Memo No. LGED/XEN/RAJ/2014/795

Date: 10.03.2014

e-Tender Notice Number: 28/2013-14 e-Tender is invited in the National e-GP System Portal (http:// www.erpocure.gov.bd) for the procurement of the below Packages.

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong At least 12 people were injured in a clash between hijras and workers of a factory in Chittagong city’s Dewanhat yesterday afternoon, after the hijras demanded toll of Tk20,000.

The injured RMG workers received treatment at CMCH, said Sub-Inspector Jahirul Islam, incharge of CMCH police camp.

OC Matiul Islamof Double Mooring police station, said the clash broke out as the authorities refused to pay the toll. l

Salvaging capsized cargo yet to begin Rahman Swapan, n Anisur Barisal

iary companies -Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd, Sylhet Gas Fields Ltd, Bangladesh

gering lives of hundreds of passengers. There were also losses worth lakhs,” he said.

Md Salahuddin, owner of Karnaphuli-5, said that the vessel carrying 860-tonne raw materials to make cement, left Chittagong Port on Saturday night for Olympic Cement Factory in Barisal.

The vessel valued worth Tk5 crore, with the cargo worth Tk30.1 lakh, capsized after Sundarban-7 hit it near Charmonai at 09:20pm on Saturday, he alleged. l

SL No. 1 01

ID Number 2 6969

Tender Document last Tender Closing selling Date & Time Date & Time 3 4 30-03-2014 Time: 16.00 31-03-2014 Time: 13.00

These are an online Tender, where only e-Tender will be accepted in the National e-GP Portal and no offline/hard copies will be accepted.

To submit e-Tender, registration in the National e-GP System Portal (http://www.eprocure.gov.bd) is required.

Further information and guidelines are available in the National e-GP System Portal and from help desk (helpdesk@eprocure. gov.bd).

GC-26/14 (9"×3)

(Md. Akhter Hossain) Executive Engineer LGED, Rajshahi.

Ph: 0721-775553

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Lack of coordination spurs illegal structures Rajuk eviction repeatedly hampered for other government agencies’ illegal approval Soon after the Rajuk team began n Abu Hayat Mahmud its eviction drive in the area, Anontex

15 injured in Mohakhali clash n Kailash Sarkar

Illegal establishments around river bank, wetlands and flood-flow zones in and around the capital have been on the rise due to lack of coordination between the concerned government authorities.

The authorities of different municipalities and union parishads around Dhaka, which were also included in the Detailed Area Plan (DAP), had been violating rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) by giving permissions to such illegal establishments.

For this reason, residents of these areas mostly in Savar, Keraniganj, Tongi, Rupganj are illegally building structures by filling riverbank areas and flood-flow zones.

A Rajuk team yesterday went to Bhadam Mouza area of Tongi in Gazipur to demolish illegal establishments of Anontex Group on flood-flow zone of river Turag, but could not take proper steps as Tongi Municipality and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority has already approved the building to be constructed on the area.

According to the law, Rajuk is the only authority to approve the design and usage of land under the designated DAP area.

authorities challenged the demolition drive with documents showing approval of building design by Tongi Municipality, a deal paper and a no-objection certificate from the BIWTA, both received in 2013.

However, the Rajuk team argued that the approvals were not valid as the area had been designated as a flood-flow zone and any establishment was not acceptable. They also added that Rajuk was the only designated authority to approve designs within the DAP area.

Later, Rajuk officials stopped the demolition drive after Anontex authorities pleaded for a 15-day grace period.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Rajuk officials said most eviction drives face similar obstructions as local government bodies illegally approve design and constructions without consulting Rajuk. They also said many eviction drives were also thwarted by locals.

The drive was led by Rajuk Authorised Officer (2A) Parvez Khadem, deputy director for town planning Morsheda Banu and Executive Magistrate AKM Maruf Hasan. A few other officials were also present. A team from Tongi police station also accompanied the eviction drive. l

Chased by police, AL leader ‘drowns’ n Our Correspondent,

Extension work on JnU Illegal establishments evicted academic building in front of Dhaka medical college n inaugurated

Brahmanbaria

A local Awami League leader drowned after being chased by police in Charislampur area under Bijoynagar upazila in Brahmanbaria in the early hours of yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Hasan Ullah Sardar, 65, president of ward no 1 of AL under Charislampur union.

Local people said a team of police had conducted a drive in the area to arrest the accused in a case filed in connection with an attack on madrasa teachers and students and members of Tablighi Jamaat by some miscreants at a local mosque on Thursday evening.

Being chased by police personnel, Hasan fell into a water boy and died.

Later, locals found his floating body.

But family members of the victim claimed that police beat Hasan to death during the drive.

Hundreds of Sunni Tablighi Jamaat leaders and activists blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Chandura area from noon to 2pm, protesting the death.

The blockade created a 15km-long tailback on the highway from Shahbazpur to Madhobpur, causing sufferings for people.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Bashirul Haque and Additional Police Super of Ashuganj Sadar Circle Shah Alam rushed to the spot and tried to withdraw the blockade, but failed.

The agitators withdrew the blockade with a demand of unconditional release of 17 Sunni Tablighi Jamaat leaders and trial of the killers of Hasan.

Bijoynagar Chandura Union Parishad Chairman Shamim Chowdhury said, “All locals demanded punishment of the killers of Hasan.”

Upazila Sunni Jamaat General Secretary Nurul Mustafa and Vice-President Sayed Naim Uddin said the protesters had threatened to wage tougher movement if their demands were not met.

Officer-in-charge of Bijoynagar police station Rasul Ahmed Nizami said, “They withdrew blockade after getting assurance that their demand would be fulfilled.” l

The photo taken yesterday shows Rajuk employees demolish a portion of an illegal establishment of Anontex Group situated on flood flow zone, but they could not complete the demolition because of legal complications ABU HAYAT MAHMUD

Mohammad Jamil Khan

n

Mohammad Jamil Khan

In the face of strong protest by the students of Jagannath University (JnU), university authorities inaugurated the academic building extension work yesterday.

The decision was made after the contractor company was finalised during the previous three working days although the project was approved in 2010.

The seven-storied academic building will be extended up to 16 storeys at an expense of Tk45 crore.

JnU Vice-Chancellor Mizanur Rahman inaugurated the extension.

The education ministry, after holding a steering committee meeting with the university last Thursday finalised the procedure and gave the tender to B Builders Limited and Desh Development Limited.

Speaking at the ceremony, the VC said the academic building would solve the crisis of limited classroom and office space, and expressed hope that the work would be started by May. He further said they had two others projects – building another high-rise academic building and two male dormitories, and added that they had been authorised to buy new land for the university.

In response, JnU students and teachers postponed their protest and agitation for two days, celebrating the inauguration of the academic building extension work. When asked, JnU unit Bangladesh Chhatra League President Shariful Islam said their peaceful demonstration to recover the halls would continue and the next grand rally would be held on March 16. l

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the third day of continuous eviction drives has evicted illegal establishments in front of the emergency gate of Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday.

The drive was carried out in presence of Executive Magistrate of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mohammad Atul Mondol, top officials of the health ministry, Directorate General of Health Services and the DMCH, and law enforcers as well.

The businessmen, especially makeshift hotel owners, removed their shops on their own before the evection team removed them. The evection team also removed five illegally established permanent shops at the emergency gate footpath.

Mohammad Atul Mandal told the

Dhaka Tribune that during the eviction, they also seized some instruments and handed over to the law enforcers.

A day before the drive, the DSCC authorities had issued a notice asking the owners of illegal establishments to leave the area unoccupied.

Brig Gen Mostafizur Rahman, director of the DMCH, told the Dhaka Tribune the illegal establishments had been polluting the hospital’s entrance environment.

Earlier on the first day of the continuous drive, the Dhaka North City Corporation evicted around 300 illegal establishments at Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital, National Heart Institute, National Institute of Traumatology and National Institute of Eye Science Hospital were evicted. On the second day, the drive was carried out in Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital area.

Directed by Health Minister Moham-

At least 15 people, including six Ansar members, were injured as the Korail slum dwellers clashed with the Ansar members in city’s Mohakhali area yesterday.

“Some local criminals and influential people are making money by constructing makeshift structures and renting them to the slum dwellers on BTCL land,” platoon commander Saiful Islam said.

He said the slum dwellers attacked the Ansar members with brick chips, leaving six injured as they tried to prevent the dwellers from making some illegal rooms in the BTCL colony.

Some influential persons led the attack, he added.

The slum dwellers alleged the ansar members launched an eviction drive through vandalism and attacked the slum dwellers leaving 10 injured.

On information, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Injured Ansar members Saiful Islam, 30, platoon commander, Azizur Rahman, 25, Firoz Ahmed, 24, Shahidul Islam, 40, Tariqul Islam, 26, and Shimul Chanda, 25, were admitted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. l

med Nasim, the ministry made the decision to conduct the eviction drive at public hospitals on March 3.

Meanwhile, at a meeting earlier among the health minister, the FBCCI and Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industry, businessmen leaders had assured the government that they would provide maximum support to enrich the beauty of all the government hospitals in Dhaka.

Addressing the meeting, Nasim said they had already started evection to take possessions back on government lands from grabbers and they would make gardens or other beautification works to give it a permanent look.

Nasim also urged the private organisations to come forward to bring back quality based hospital atmosphere by increasing its beautification which would be extended to district levels after the capital. l

PUST students boycott classes to protest attack on teacher n Our Correspondent, Pabna

Students of Pabna University of Science and Technology put up barricade on the Dhaka-Pabna highway yesterday, protesting attack on a teacher of the university by unidentified miscreants DHAKA TRIBUNE

GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER HEALTH ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT (HED) MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE 105-106, MOTIHJHEEL C/A, DHAKA-1000 Memo No. HED/HPNSDP/GOB/10Bed/Tender-127/2014/559

Date: 10.03.2014

Amendment Notice 1. The Invitation for Tender (IFT) for Construction of 10 bed Mother & Child Welfare Centres {Shekherhat (P/No.WP-579/SDP), Kakordha (P/No.WP-586/SDP), Dakhin Digoldi (Banglabazar) (P/No.WP-616/SDP), Baherchar (P/No.WP-621/SDP) & Kunjerhat (P/ No.WP-622/SDP)} circulated vide this office Memo No. HED/HPNSDP/GOB/10 Bed/ Tender-127/2014/435, Dated: 06.02.2014 is hereby amended as under: a. b. c. d.

Tender Last Selling Date and Time : 29.04.2014 instead of 10.03.2014 up to 16.00 Hrs Tender Closing Date and Time : 30.04.2014 instead of 11.03.2014 up to 13.00 Hrs Tender Opening Date and Time : 30.04.2014 instead of 11.03.2014 up to 13.30 Hrs Tender Shall also be Received in the following office in addition to the offices as mention in the original IFT sl. no. 21. (iv) Office of the Metro Politan Police Commissioner, Ramna, Dhaka.

2 All other terms and conditions will remain unchanged. This Amendment Notice will also form a part of the Tender Documents and shall be binding upon the Tenderers.

DG-47/14(4"×3)

S M Hyder Faruque Executive engineer Health Engineering Department Dated: 10.03.2014

Pabna University of Science and Technology students boycotted classes on Monday, protesting attack on Dr Mushfiqur Rahman, president of Teachers’ Association and dean of Business Education Faculty of the university.

They also confined the vice chancellor of the university and blocked the Dhaka-Pabna highway in Rajapur area demanding the arrest of the culprits.

According to sources, unidentified miscreants hit Mushfiqur indiscriminately with lethal weapons on the PUST campus on March 5, leaving him critically injured.

Mahadi Hassan, a fourth year student of the university said: “Our teacher was attacked inside the campus but police could not arrest the attackers

even after five days of the incident.”

“If the attackers are not arrested immediately, we will go for tougher movement,” he said.

Vice Chancelor Dr AL Nakib Chowdhury said: “The university authority filed a case and also asked the ministry of home to arrest the culprits immediately.”

About the movement of the students, he said: “Someone might influence the students to foil peaceful environment of the university.”

“Law enforcers are trying to nab the culprits,” said the VC. Kazi Haniful Islam, officer-in-charge of Pabna Sadar police station said: “Police are investigating the matter.”

When asked about the reason behind the attack, the OC said Mushfiqur might be attacked over internal conflict. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Advertisement

GOVT. OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER EDUCATION ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT RANGPUR ZONE, RANGPUR.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Chittagong Export Processing Zone South Halishahar, Chittagong-4223

No. 03.324.018.02.01.257.2013-265

Invitation for Tender (I.F.T)

Date: March 04, 2014

Invitation for Tender No. 13/2013-2014

01

Ministry/Division

Ministry of Education

02

Agency

Education Engineering Department

03

Procuring Entity Name

Executive Engineer, Education Engineering Department, Rangpur Zone, Rangpur.

04

Procuring Entity Code

2571

1

Ministry/ Division

Prime Minister’s Office

05

Procuring Entity District

Rangpur District

2

Agency

Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA)

3

Procuring Entity Name

Chittagong Export Processing Zone

4

Procuring Entity District

Chittagong

5

Invitation for

Works

Invitation Ref. No and Date

13/2013-2014 Date: March 04, 2014

06

Invitation for

07

Invitation Ref No.

EED/Revenue/Desk01/583(38)

08

Date

11/11/2013

6

KEY INFORMATION 09

Procurement Method

Sealed Tenders are hereby invited from the eligible contractors for the following works as per terms & conditions stated below:-

KEY INFORMATION

Open Tendering Method (O.T.M)

7

FUNDING INFORMATION 10

Budget and Source of funds

Government of Bangladesh (GOB)

11

Development Partner

Not applicable

Procurement Method

Open Tendering Method (OTM)

KEY INFORMATION 8

Budget and source of Funds

Self finance of BEPZA.

9

Development Partners (If applicable)

Not applicable

PARTICULAR INFORMATION

PARTICULAR INFORMATION

10

Project/Programme Code (If applicable)

Not applicable

11

Project/Programme Name (If applicable)

Not applicable Not applicable

12

Project Code

6821

13

Project Name

Revenune

14

Tender Package No.

12/XEN/EED/RANG/FURNITURE/2013-2014, DATE-09/03/2014

15

Tender publication Date

16/03/2014

12

Tender Package No.

13

Tender Package Name

Not Applicable

Tender Publication Date

On before March 12, 2014

16

Tender Last Selling Date

30/03/2014 During Office hours.

17

Tender Closing Date & Time

31/03/2014 at 1.00PM

14 15

Tender Last Selling Date

April 01, 2014 During Office Hour

31/03/2014 at 4.00PM

16

Tender Submission Date & Time

April 02, 2014 at 12.00 PM

17

Tender Opening Date & Time

April 02, 2014 at 2.30 PM

18

Name & Address of the Office(s)

18

Tender Opening date

19

Name & Address of the Office(s) -Selling Tender Document (Principal) -Selling Tender Document (Others)

(i) Office of the Executive Engineer, Education Engineering Department, Rangpur Zone, Rangpur. (ii) Office of the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rangpur/Gaibandha District. (iii) Office of the Superintendent of Police (SP), Rangpur/ Gaibandha District.

-Receiving Tender Document

(i) Office of the Executive Engineer, Education Engineering Department, Rangpur Zone, Rangpur (ii) Office of the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rangpur/Gaibandha District. (iii) Office of the Superintendent of Police (SP), Rangpur/ Gaibandha District.

-Opening Tender Document (i) Office of the Executive Engineer, Education Engineering Department, Rangpur Zone, Rangpur.

20

Place/Date/Time of PreTender Meeting (Optional)

19

Selling of Tender Document (Prinicipal)

Accounts Section, Chittagong EPZ, Chittagong.

Selling of Tender Document (Others)

1. Accounts Deptt. BEPZA Complex, House No. 19/D Road no. 6, Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1205 2. Accounts Deptt. Karnaphuli EPZ, North Patenga, Chittagong.

3. Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Cort Building Chittatgong

Receiving of Tender Document

1. Superintending Engineer, Chittagong EPZ, South Halishahar, Chittagong.

2. Executive Enginner (C), Karnaphuli EPZ, North Patenga, Chittagong.

3. Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Court Building Chittagong.

Opening of Tender Document

Superintending Engineer, Chittagong EPZ, Chittagong.

Place/Date/Time of Pre-Tender Meeting (Optional)

Not applicable

INFORMATION FOR Tenderer

Not applicable

20

Eligibility of Tenderer

The invitation for Tender is open to all eligible tenderers who satisfy the following (a) Tenderer must have successful completion experience of at least 01 (one) civil construction work for lot no. 23(i) tk. 7.50 lac & 23 (ii) Tk. 31.50 lac a single work of the quoted price during last 5(five) years in Govt./Semi-Govt/Automomous Bodies. The work completion certificates shall have to be issued by the Officer not below the rank of Executive Engineer or equivalent Officer of concern Department/ Organization. (b) The required minimum average annual construction turnover shall be Tk. 23.00 lac for Sl. No. 23(i) & Tk. 95.00 lac for Sl. No. 23 (ii) over the berst 03(three) years in the last 05 (five) years. All work completion certificates must be enclosed with the tender. (c) The required minimum liquid asset for SL. No. 23(i) Tk. 3.75 lac & SL. No. 23(ii) Tk. 16.00 lac. (d) Black listed/ debarred bidders form any Govt./ Seim-Govt./ Autonomous organization will be treated as ineligible to participate in the Tender. (e) Up-to-date trade license, Income Tax clearance certificate, VAT registration certificate. (f) Other required condition and documents of the tenderer are shown in Tender Data Sheet (TDS) of Tender Documents Must be fulfilled. (g) All other criteria will be taken according to the Public Procurement Act-2006 and its amendment.

21

Brief description of related works

(i)

22

Price of Tender Documents

Tk. 500.00 for lot no. 23(i) & Tk. 1,000.00 for lot no. 23(ii).

INFORMATION FOR TENDERER 21

Eligibility of Tenderer

a) Bonafied Supplier/A-1 contractors who have successfully completed the similar nature of work valued 3.50 (Three lakh fifty thousand) lakh in a single work order in last 5 years in any Govt./Semi-Govt. Department in Bangladesh for each lot. b) Who have minimum tender capacity not less than respective tender price. c) Who have average annual turn over of Tk. 10.00 (Ten lakh) in the last 5 (Five) years. (2009-2010,2010-2011,20112012,2012-2013,2013-2014). d) Who have minimum liquid assets of Tk. 3.00 (Three lakh) only.

(Bank certificate or enjoying credit facilities certificate with statement to submitted within 09/03/14 to 31/03/14. e) Up to date Trade Licence, VAT Registration & I.T. Certificates. f) Satisfying the other criteria laid down in the Tender Schedule. g) The Provisions laid down in the P.P.A-2006 & the Public Procurement Regulation-2008 shall be strictly compliance.

22

Brief Description of works

Manufacturing & Supplying of New Furniture.

23

Brief Description of Related Not applicable services

24

Tender Document Price

25

PARTICULAR OF LOTS

Lot Manufacturing & supplying Nos of Furniture for Academic Building under Rangpur & Gaibandha District.

Tk. 500/= (Taka Five hundred) only (Non-refundable) for each Lot. Location Upazila

01.

Taluk Jamira High School

02.

Rangpur Govt. Girls High School

Sadar

03.

Rangpur Govt College

Sadar

04.

Patnitola High School

District

Palashbari Gaibandha

Pirganj

Tender Security (In lakh) Taka.

Liquid Asset Time for Tk. 3.00 Completion of (In lakh) in work (days) between 09/03/14 to 31/03/14

9,000/00

3.00Lakh.

04(Four) Months

Rangpur

9,000/00

3.00Lakh.

04(Four) Months

Rangpur

9,000/00

3.00Lakh.

04(Four) Months

Rangpur

9,000/00

3.00Lakh.

04(Four) Months

PROCURING ENTITY DETAILS 26.

Name of Official Inviting Tender

Arun Kumar Sinha

27.

Designation of Official Inviting Tender

Executive Engineer

28.

Address of Official Inviting Tender

Education Engineering Department, Rangpur Zone, Rangpur.

29.

Contract details of Official Inviting Tender

Executive Engineer, Education Engineering Department, Rangpur Zone, Rangpur. Tel. No. 62816

30.

In case of any unavoidable circumstances the above mentioned Lot may be changed or dropped, for this reason on claim will be accepted also if the date of dropping is changed then the tender will be dropped in the next office day.

31

The Procuring entity reserves the right to accept or reject any or all tenders.

Memo No.XEN/EED/RANG/2012-13/358(8) Date: 04/03/14 GC-25/14 (20"×4)

(Arun Kumar Sinha) Executive Engineer Education Engineering Department Rangpur Zone, Rangpur

23

Sl. No.

Identification of Lot

Earth work, R.C.C work, MS Rod, Plaster etc., (ii) Brick work, RCC work, Plaster, MS rod etc.

Location

Tender Security Amount (Tk.)

Completion Time

i.

Construction of one watch tower & two sentry post, at sector-1/A, sector 02 & sector-6/A in Chittagong EPZ

Chittagong EPZ

41500.00

90 (Ninety) days

ii.

Construction of RCC drain in front of T&T office to plot no. 11 at sector-6/A in CEPZ.

Chittagong EPZ

1,75,000.00

150 (One hundred fifty) days

PROCURING ENTITY DETAILS 24

Name of Official Inviting Tender

Md. Nurul Islam

25

Designation of Official Inviting Tender

Superintending Engineer

26

Address of Official Inviting Tender

Chittagong EPZ, Chittagong.

27

Contract Details of Official Inviting Tender

Phone: 031-741441

28

Special Instruction:

29

(a)

Eligible firms/ Authorised representative may purchase tender documents form the offices mentioned in SN-18 on submitting written request in their letter head pad.

(b)

Any false, forged and miss leading documents furnished by Tenderer shall result in rejection of the Tender.

(c)

In case of any confusion arises due to printing mistake or other reason, the Public Procurement Rules-2008 will govern.

(d)

Tender should be submitted original along with one duplicate copy and it should be mentioned on the cover sheet.

The Procuring Entity reserves the right to accept any or reject all the Tenders or annual the Tender Proceedings.

DG-46/14 (20"×4)

(Md. Nurul Islam) Superintending Engineer Chittagong EPZ. Tel: 031-741441

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

7

The Aam Aadmi phenomenon

W

n Garga Chatterjee hile the big winner of the forthcoming general elections of the Indian Union may be the Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the newly formed Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) will have achieved something grander – a shift in the political discourse around people’s everyday issues.

With Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal taking the fight against the “Gujarat model” straight to the Aam Gujaratis, the party has raised the stakes in what is now clearly a very dangerous game. The AAP may or may not be successful in stemming the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in urban areas of the North and the West of the Indian Union.

But in taking the fight against Modi to the Hindu-Chhote-Sardar’s hometurf, he has managed to do what the party of babalogs and dole-funded Delhi-based “secular” talk shops have never been able to do. Perhaps it is conviction, perhaps it is spontaneity, perhaps it is calculation and most probably it is all of the above and much more. But the AAP has made the BJP nervous and it is showing.

The way it also has clashed with the AAP in Delhi and attacked them elsewhere shows that they care deeply. The established political class fears one thing more than the present AAP organisation – its potential contagion effect. Politics of the poor and the deprived thrives on hope. AAP peddles that as if on steroids.

Kejriwal spoke against the Bhartiya Janta Party and the Congress Party at a public meeting in Ahmedabad on March 8 and denied that AAP is B Team of Congress Party

civil society wallahs, media-wallahs, suppliers, contractors, importers, lobbyists and pimps always win. There is a tiny bit of possibility that the AAP may not be easily incorportable in this way of life.

Since this way of life and loot is not negotiable, the AAP is a headache – small now, but potentially a recurrent migraine. Big corporates, including foreign corporates, and Delhi-Mumbai elute interests would ideally want to coopt AAP into their model of business-as-usual. The AAP is not totally immune to this threat from the grand-daddies of vested interests of the subcontinent. Even the powerful want to sleep in peace.

It is in parts of its line-up that one sees a possibility that such co-option, even if it is being tried at this moment, will not be a cakewalk. While many suspiciously looks at AAP as a motley crowd of over-ambitious jholawalas, the reality that the party is pitching a big tent in which there are a spectrum of forces and interests jostling for space do represent a curious collection.

These include victims of police brutalities to RTI activists to single-gener-

Any political formation that wants/claims to be different in this age has to ponder deeply what is it beyond “personal honesty” that will sustain politics

Hence a politics centred on the issues of the excluded majority always has an “escape velocity” potential under those who are both clever and honest.

And there are many of them in the subcontinent. This is the thrust that AAP potentially represents for many and those, whose reliance on the corporate-bania emperor of India called Reliance is crucial for their business, do not underestimate the AAP’s potential threat.

The AAP by its evolution has not been effectively contained by the deep-state. It surely wants to make it one of these others – whose periodic musical chair games makes sure it does not matter who loses, but the Delhi-Mumbai based elite illuminati and their retinue of policy wonks, security apparatchiks, immobile scions of upwardly mobile politicians, bureaucrats, professors, defence folks, hanger-ons, childhood friends,

ation knowledge-industry millionaires to veterans of people’s struggles to aam aadmi, who are actually very khaas in being veterans of quotidian aam existence but distinguish themselves by their outspokenness and conviction in the AAP experiment.

The AAP Lok Sabha candidate list includes Medha Patkar, the grand dame of non-party people’s movements, leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, honest to the core and deeply committed to issues of the poor and the marginalised. And incorruptible. Dayamani Barla, the indefatigable fighter from Jharkhand who led the movement for preservation of the adivasi forest rights against the mining giant Arcelor-Mittal, had joined AAP and might contest too.

SP Udayakumar of the Koodankulam anti-nuclear movement has joined. In all their “anti-ness,” they collectively represent a humane

approach to politics that has been altogether missing for a long time in the electoral arena. The people’s right to knowledge and governmental transparency has bloomed many RTI activists, many of whom have joined AAP. Among them, Raja Muzaffar Bhat is their candidate from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

In the subcontinent, forgotten atrocities form the underbelly of this apparently calm land. This is the land of 1984, Delhi and Bhopal. HS Phoolka, the tireless warrior for 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims’ justice is an AAP candidate. So is Rachna Dhingra, a person who gave up a luxurious life in the USA to start working among the victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and fights for their rights to this date, living in Bhopal.

Today the parliament has more supporters of Dow Chemicals/Union Carbide in its power corridors than those who want justice for the Bhopal gas victims. AAP represents a threat to this state of affairs. The list of illustrious people in the AAP candidate list goes on – Mukul Tripathi, Jiyalal, Lingraj, Baba Hardev Singh, Sarah Joseph.

Typically the state has co-opted such people by felicitations, with politicians standing beside them to be seen as patrons of such people. Just as they patronise goons. Different charades for different stages. It has attracted a fairly impressive set of tycoons and technocrats to its fold, especially those who fit the bill of being “self-made” single generation millionaires.

This class is averse to dynasticism and might have a certain kind of idealism that makes them resonate with AAP’s staunch anti-dynastic stance. If one suspends cynicism at some risk, one cannot also discount that some of them may be looking for redemption, at some point of their careers.

Everyone wants redemption, at some level. Some of these types used to flock to the BJP before that “party with a difference” simply introduced different dynasties, big and small.

They also perceive themselves as non-receivers of the special favours from the political establishment, which makes them stand for clean and “fair” business practices as opposed to crony capitalism and outright loot of state resources.

There are civil society activists, academics, grassroots workers and quite a few aam aadmis and aurats.

There is however a serious concern that its candidate list does not reflect the caste demographics of the land.

While numerical representativeness is not enough, it is a start. A move away from that to faces more-oftenthan-not from urban and higher caste backgrounds is a point of concern.

Many from the left have pilloried the AAP for not coming clean on structural issues. If any group is most seriously concerned about AAP, it is the left of all hues, as the AAP seems to have struck an emotive cord with the people around pet issues that the left-wingers thought was their home ground.

The AAP is clearly pushing the envelope on common people’s issues and that is broadly reflected in its choice of candidates. The AAP has learned from the past that small, localised movements, however spirited and however much they enjoy people’s support, ultimately suffer from a problem of failing to be scaled up to a size that matters, in an electoral and hence legislative sense.

Part of the AAP leadership clearly wants to wed the politics of people’s movements to a pragmatic large-scale alternative that cannot be wished away. They have partially succeeded.

The AAP is also limited by its perception of being a North-India party, with the name itself being distinctly Hindustani. A comprehensive commitment to making the Union into a truly federal one, which also is in line with the party’s focus on decentralisation, should go a long way in clearing some air on that front.

At one level, AAP is like Gandhi’s Swaraj or Jinnah’s Pakistan. In the imagination of the people, it is whatever one thinks it to be, the harbinger of good rule. But what is good for one sector of the population may not be so for other sectors.

It cannot be all things to all people at the same time. The long-term future of AAP, if it has one at all, will depend on which of these collective fantasies it will ally itself most closely to. Given its big tent character, there will be tussles and splits for sure. And that is not necessarily bad.

Like any populist political formation, the AAP has a demagoguish potential. The only real insurance against that is democratic control of a political formation. Similarly a state that runs rogue can only be restrained by democratic control. Some of AAP’s Lok Sabha candidates have been at the receiving end of some of the most brutal acts by rogue state.

The politics of changing the nature of politics is a means to changing the nature of the state – initially to convert a rogue state into a state having some rogue sections. This is no easy job as rogueness is not simply a character fault. It comes with wielding unaccountable and undemocratic power at any level.

Unaccountable power that is beyond democratic control is the mother of all corruptions. One does not need to abuse this power. It is

abusive to the people by its very existence. Many faces of the present AAP Lok Sabha line up understand that only too well. But they are not alone in understanding that. Those in power, including those who were victims of extraordinary abuse during Indira’s emergency regime are also aware of this.

The established political class fears one thing more than the present AAP organisation – its potential contagion effect. Politics of the poor and the deprived thrives on hope

Awareness of abuse is not enough.

Conviction is equally important.

There is a difference between pimps and anti-trafficking activists. Both are “aware” of the abuse. One thrives because of abuse, the other wants to end it. One can transform into the other – as the trajectories of many of those from the JP movement shows.

Any political formation that wants/ claims to be different in this age has to ponder deeply what is it beyond “personal honesty” that will sustain politics, what is it beyond leadership that will sustain such politics. After all, the Patna University Student Union leader who later went to jail for the fodder scam was the same man who the Indira Congress locked up during the emergency.

The AAP’s fielding of a few good men and women can be a start but not a long-term solution. If times can change people, what is it that will ensure that gains from one-time idealism are not wasted. The AAP has pointed to greater and greater democratic control of political institutions at all levels, with an eye towards decentralisation.

If it is serious about this democratic decentralisation, which in the political scene translates into a call for true federalism in the Indian Union and greater non-alienable powers to the bottom of the pyramid, then it may be onto something. Even if the AAP experiment fails, if it is successful in making democratic decentralisation a key issue, just like it has done successfully with corruption, it would have made a greatly positive contribution to this Union.

Garga Chatterjee is a freelance contributor.

He can be followed on twitter @gargac.

AFP

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Conflict cripples Syria healthcare Obama refuses to recognise a Russian Crimea, but is secession illegal?

n Agencies Syria’s civil conflict has left the country’s health system so severely crippled that some patients are “opting to be knocked out with metal bars for lack of anaesthesia,” a new report by the Save the Children charity says.

The report, A Devastating Toll, looks at the impact of three years of war on the health of the country’s children, reports Aljazeera.

“We received a little girl with critical injuries; we could do nothing but wait for her to die because we didn’t have the equipment or the medicines. Till now I can’t remove her face from my mind,” said one health worker identified in the report only as Anas.

Save the Children said all the names of health workers, children and parents had been changed to protect their identities. The charity said more than 10,000 young lives had been lost as a direct result of the violence.

Syrian officials were not immediately available to comment.

“The extent of the decline in Syria’s health system is demonstrated in many horrific ways, including children having limbs amputated because the clinics they present to don’t have necessary equipment to treat them,” the report said.

It added: “Newborn babies [are] dying in their incubators due to power cuts; in some cases, patients [are] opting to be knocked out with metal bars for lack of anaesthesia; parents [are] arriving at hospital to find no medical staff and hooking up children themselves to intravenous drips.”

Children’s lives in Syria are on the line before they are even born, the report said, with about 4.3 million children in need of humanitarian assistance.

‘More than a crisis’

The conflict, which has killed over 140,000 people and forced at least 1.2 million children to flee their country, began in March 2011 as a protest movement against President Bashar al Assad’s government. It has since degenerated into a civil war, sucking in neighbouring

n Agencies

An injured Syrian woman waits with a child to receive medical assistance following a reported air strike by government forces on March 8 AFP countries that oppose or support the regime and the rebels fighting it.

“Since the outbreak of war three years ago, it is probable that several thousands of children have already died as a result of greatly reduced access to treatment for life-threatening chronic diseases like cancer, epilepsy, asthma, diabetes, hypertension and kidney failure,” it said.

“This is more than a crisis. It is the threatened collapse of an entire health system, which endangers the lives and well-being of millions of children.”

Vaccine programmes in Syria have collapsed, with a peacetime coverage rate of 91 percent falling to 68 percent just a year after the conflict began, said the charity.

It said this rate was likely to be far lower today, adding that deadly diseases like measles and meningitis, practically unheard of in the years before the conflict, were on the rise.

Even polio, which was eradicated across Syria in 1995, the report adds, is now being carried by up to 80,000 children across the country. l

An Obama administration adviser said Sunday that the United States will not recognise a March 16 referendum in Crimea if it leads to the region’s annexation into Russia. The comments further clarify statements made by President Obama Thursday, which claimed that the vote would “violate international law.” But would it?

Both sides, it would seem, have compelling arguments. Russians and Crimeans can argue that the people of Crimea are overwhelmingly Russian and want to be a part of Russia, and other ethnic enclaves such as Kosovo have broken off to form independent nations in the recent past. Western nations including the US argue that Russia has forced the issue by intervening militarily in Ukrainian territory.

The debate boils down to a simple question: Does a region’s right to self-determination include a fundamental right to secede? Western legal scholars suggest that the answer is “no.”

International law is necessarily flexible on this point. If parts of a nation decide mutually to break apart, international law generally recognises this as a fait accompli. “Under international law, a secession is neither a right nor necessarily illegal. It is treated as a fact: a secession either was successful, it was not, or it is still being contested,” writes Chris Borgen on the “Opinio Juris” blog.

But international law recognises a nation’s right to exist without being involuntarily dismembered from within.

In other words, Texas can’t just decide to secede from the United States. If it wishes to secede, it must do so through negotiations with the US and the international community.

“According to international precedent,” writes University of Cambridge law professor Marc Weller on the BBC website, Crimea “cannot simply secede unilaterally, even if that wish is supported

by the local population in a referendum.”

The preference is for regions within nations to work with their central governments to gain more autonomy and greater rights without seceding. “International practice generally seeks to accommodate separatist demands within the existing territorial boundaries,” writes Professor Weller.

In a case like Kosovo’s, where the local ethnic population was subject to significant repression from the Yugoslavian state, the path to independence took years and remains disputed.

Though NATO intervened on humanitarian grounds, it “did not occupy the territory in consequence of its humanitarian intervention,” Weller adds. “Instead, the UN administered Kosovo for some eight years, creating a neutral environment in which its future could be addressed.”

The fact is, nothing remotely approaching a humanitarian crisis has ever been reported in Crimea, and Russia has repeatedly recognised Crimea to be a part of Ukraine: in the 1991 Alma Ata Declaration that dissolved the Soviet Union, in the 1994 Budapest nuclear weapons memorandum, and a 1997 agreement that allows Russia to station its Black Sea fleet in Crimean ports.

Russia’s current intervention appears to be something from its post-Soviet playbook, pitting ethnic Russian enclaves against former Soviet states.

Russia sought to drive a wedge between the thin, Russian-majority strip of Moldova called Transnistria, which Monitor contributor Dylan Robertson referred to as “a Moscow-backed puppet state.” The same narrative has played out in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh (claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan), as well as in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Russia invaded in 2008.

Crimea seems likely to be added to the list, with Crimea set to join Russia in a move that the international community rejects. l

Syrian rebels free kidnapped nuns

Protests and talks widen rifts in Venezuela opposition

n Reuters, Syria/Beirut

n Reuters

About a dozen nuns held by rebels in Syria for more than three months were released on Sunday and arrived back in Syria Monday morning after traveling through Lebanon, officials and witnesses said. Witnesses at the Syrian border with Lebanon said the nuns arrived at the crossing late on Sunday night and headed toward Damascus in a minibus.

One witness counted 13 nuns and three other workers from their convent.

“I’m in good health, thank God,” one of the nuns said by phone, leaving before she could give her name or further details.

The nuns went missing in December last year after Islamist fighters took the ancient quarter of the Christian town of Maaloula north of Damascus.

After being held in the Greek Orthodox monastery of Mar Thecla in Maaloula, they were reportedly moved to the rebel-held town of Yabroud, about 20 km (13 miles) to the north, which is now the focus of a government military operation.

Speaking to reporters at the border, Syrian Greek Orthodox Bishop Louka al-Khoury welcomed the reported release of the nuns. “What the Syrian army achieved in Yabroud facilitated this process,” he said. Shortly after the nuns disappeared, Islamist rebels said they had taken them as their “guests” and that they would release them soon.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group identified the rebels who took the nuns as militants from the Nusra Front. l

Mexico confirms killing of ‘dead’ drug lord n Agencies Mexico’s government says it has confirmed that a man killed in an early morning shoot-out with marines in the west of the country was the leader of the Knights Templar Cartel, who officials reported slain in 2010.

Federal prosecutor Tomas Zeron said the identity of Nazario Moreno Gonzalez had been confirmed by fingerprints, but added that further tests will take place, the AP news agency reported.

Zeron said the government is 100 percent sure that Moreno, also known as “El Chayo” or “The Craziest One,” was killed this time.

Authorities were awaiting DNA tests for final confirmation that they had the body of Moreno, said an official in the federal government and one with the Attorney General’s office.

Moreno’s death would be one of the more bizarre twists in Mexico’s assault on drug cartels, in which two other senior members of the country’s most powerful cartels have been captured in the last year without a shot fired.

One of the officials said Sunday’s shoot-out happened near the farming hub of Apaztingan in the heart of western Michoacan state, where the Knights Templar have ruled through stealing, killing and extortion.

As violent protests in Venezuela alienate moderates in the opposition and show no signs of toppling President Nicolas Maduro, the socialist leader’s call for talks is deepening divisions between his rivals.

The country’s worst civil unrest in a decade has killed at least 20 people, including supporters of both sides and members of the security forces, since early last month. The violence is fueling tensions inside the opposition, with moderates scared it could spin further out of control and tarnish the cause of peaceful political change in the future.

Maduro appears to have weathered the worst of the demonstrations on the streets for now and is repeatedly offer-

ing talks, creating a new dilemma for opposition leaders.

So far, they have put tough conditions on any discussions, saying they refuse to be part of a “photo opportunity” and that they fear the government has no intention of addressing issues such as corruption, impunity and political prisoners.

The Democratic Unity opposition coalition said on Friday it would only sit down for dialogue with Maduro if the meeting were mediated by someone “of good faith” - and broadcast live.

“We’re sick of violence. Everyone is being attacked,” it said in a statement.

“We’re showing our hand to the public ... (We want) true dialogue, a clear agenda, and equal conditions.”

But with pleas for talks coming from as far afield as the White House, UN Sec-

retary General Ban Ki-moon and Pope Francis, the refusal to attend any discussions to date has drawn criticism, including from within the coalition’s ranks.

Opposition lawmaker Hiram Gaviria quit his party Un Nuevo Tiempo (A New Time) and the coalition on Friday over its ban on attending talks at the Miraflores presidential palace. “How many more deaths must there be before we talk and find understanding?” asked the legislator from central Aragua state. The current protests, however, have reopened old rifts between those who advocate street action to force the president from power, and others with a slow-boil strategy of building support in the cities and states they govern while letting the dysfunctional economy weaken the government. l

German reliance on Russian gas ‘threatens’ Europe n AFP, Warsaw Germany’s reliance on Russian natural gas poses a threat to European sovereignty, Polish Prime Minister Doland Tusk warned Monday amid rising EastWest tensions over Ukraine.

“Germany’s reliance on Russian gas can effectively limit European sovereignty. I have no doubt,” Tusk told reporters, days ahead of a Warsaw visit

by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The top European economy buys around one third of its oil and gas from Russia and has extensive trade and investment links with the vast country to the east.

Germany has tried to defuse the Western standoff with Moscow over Ukraine, but analysts say its voice is muted by fears of endangering its economic ties with Russia.

“The Ukraine issue is a matter of the future security of the European Union,” Tusk said on a visit to a military base in northern Poland to mark 15 years since his ex-communist nation joined the NATO defence alliance.

The 28-member EU needs to review its energy policy, he added, ahead of Merkel’s Wednesday visit.

“I’ll be speaking very openly with Merkel, making it clear that the existing climate and natural gas policies risk posing a threat to the security and sovereignty of Europe as a whole,” he said.

“I’ll present our views on the political threats tied to dependence on Russian gas and money,” Tusk said.

“This, of course, applies not just to Germany, but in recent years Germany has been a strong example of this phenomenon,” he added.

Tusk said talks with Merkel would also focus on “how Germany could revise certain economic decisions, to avoid the paralysis of Europe at a time when it must act quickly and adopt a clear stance.” Washington on Friday played down the risk posed to the European economy by Russia’s threat to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, insisting the region had adequate stocks. l

Scores of African migrants drown off Yemen n Agencies At least 42 African migrants have drowned after their boat overturned off Yemen’s southern coast, the defence ministry has said.

The boat smuggling dozens of migrants overturned off the coast of Beer Ali, in the southern Shabwah province, late on Sunday the ministry said in a brief statement on its news website 26sep.net.

A Yemeni naval patrol in the Arabian Sea saved at least 30 others who were taken to a refugee camp in the town of Mayfaa, it said.

African migrants, especially Ethiopians and Somalis fleeing poverty and unrest at home, generally slip into southern Yemen by boat before heading north towards the Saudi frontier. l

SOUTH SUDAN INTERCEPTS UN WEAPON-SUPPLIES

Moreno would have turned 44 on Saturday, according to a government birthdate.

He led the La Familia Michoacana cartel when he supposedly perished in a two-day gun battle with federal police in December 2010 in Michoacan, his home state. No corpse was found then, however.

The government of the President Felipe Calderon officially declared him dead, saying it had proof, but some residents of Michoacan had reported seeing Moreno since then.

Since the earlier death report, his former cartel morphed into the more vicious and powerful Knights Templar.

‘Folk hero’

The cartel under both names preached Moreno’s quasi-religious doctrine and moral code even as it became a major trafficker of methamphetamine to the US. When federal attorney general Jesus Murillo Karam was recently asked about the rumour that Moreno was still alive, he said: “We can’t confirm or deny it officially as long as we have no concrete evidence, and I can tell you that we have nothing.”

After the 2010 death report, Moreno reportedly helped build himself up as folk hero, erecting shrines to himself and to the Knights Templar, which adopted the Maltese cross as a symbol. l

South Sudanese security forces stand next to weapons intercepted from a UN peacekeeping mission in Rumbek. South Sudan’s army has intercepted weapons from a UN peacekeeping mission, a military spokesman said March 7, raising tensions between the government and international agencies as violence continued in the world’s newest nation. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is supposed to carry weapons for its contingent by air, not by the road AFP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Vanished Malaysia plane an ‘aviation mystery’ n Agencies The disappearance of a Malaysian jetliner is an “unprecedented aviation mystery,” a senior official said on Monday, with a massive air and sea search now in its third day failing to find any confirmed trace of the plane or the 239 people aboard, reports Aljazeera.

The head of Malaysia’s Civil Aviation Authority, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said a hijacking attempt could not be ruled out as investigators explore all theories for the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 en route to Beijing.

“Unfortunately we have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft,” he told a news conference.

As dozens of ships and aircraft from seven countries scour the seas around Malaysia and south of Vietnam, questions mounted over possible security lapses and whether a bomb or hijacking attempt could have brought down the Boeing 777-200ER airliner.

The passenger manifest issued by the airline included the names of two Europeans - Austrian Christian Kozel and Italian Luigi Maraldi - who were not on the plane.

Their passports had been stolen in Thailand during the past two years.

An Interpol spokeswoman said a check of all documents used to board the plane had revealed more “suspect passports,” which were being investigated.

“Whilst it is too soon to speculate about any connection between these stolen passports and the missing plane, it is clearly of great concern that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in Interpol’s databases,” Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble said.

Thailand exposed as crime hub over stolen passports n AFP, Bangkok

Hopes for a breakthrough rose briefly when Vietnam scrambled helicopters to investigate a floating yellow object it was thought could have been a life raft.

But the country’s Civil Aviation Authority said on its website that the object turned out to be a “moss-covered cap of a cable reel.”

Flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens in the early hours of Saturday, about an hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur, after climbing to a cruising altitude of 35,000ft.

No signs

A US Navy P-3 aircraft capable of covering 1,500 sq miles every hour was sweeping the northern part of the Strait of Malacca, on the other side of the Malaysian peninsula from where the last contact with MH370 was made.

“Our aircraft are able to clearly detect small debris in the water, but so far it has all been trash or wood,” said US 7th Fleet spokesman Commander William Marks in an emailed statement.

No distress signal was sent from the lost plane, which experts said suggested a sudden catastrophic failure or explosion, but Malaysia’s air force chief said radar tracking showed it may have turned back from its scheduled route before it disappeared.

A senior source involved in preliminary investigations in Malaysia told Reuters news agency the failure to quickly find any debris indicated the plane may have broken up mid-flight, which could disperse wreckage over a very wide area.

“The fact that we are unable to find any debris so far appears to indicate that the aircraft is likely to have disintegrated at around 35,000 feet,” said the source. l

Indian sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik applies the final touches to a sand art sculpture he created wishing for the well being of the passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, on a beach in Puri, in the eastern Indian state of Odisha REUTERS

Q&A: What actually happened? n AFP, Singapore Following are some questions surrounding the disappearance and the search, and answers by industry experts who spoke to AFP:

Could the plane have disintegrated in mid-air?

The failure of the plane’s pilots to send a distress signal has given rise to speculation there was a sudden catastrophe – possibly caused by a mechanical failure or an explosion. The lack of wreckage recovered so far also suggests a high-altitude disaster which spread debris across an area too wide to be easily detected.

However, sudden, accidental structural failures are considered extremely unlikely in today’s passenger aircraft. This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200, which has one of the best safety records of any jet..

What are the theories on what happened to MH370?

“One possibility is a mid-air explosion,”

Who is funding Rahul’s nationwide campaigns, asks Modi n Agencies

Mahatma’s great grandson asks Rahul not to use Gandhi’s name

Narendra Modi, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, on Monday addressed a rally in Purnia where he took on his rival in the fight, Rahul Gandhi. He said the Centre must come clean on who is funding his nationwide campaigns.

“Shehzada is going to the country holding rallies. The government at the Centre must give account for every spending. They are talking as if they came from Mars,” Modi said.

He also lashed out at the Third Front again, calling them a bunch of leaders hankering for the PM’s chair.

“All the leaders of the Third Front have got clothes made for the post of PM. Some people in the Third Front are former PMs and some want to be the PM in future. But where were these leaders when Kosi was flooded and Purnia was crying? Where were they when there were 150 riots in Uttar Pradesh? They were all sleeping. These Third Front leaders sleep after elections. They are awake only during the polls.” l

n Agencies What does Mahatma Gandhi have to do with this election, asked Mahatma Gandhi’s great grandson during an interview with CNN-IBN, questioning Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s misusing brand Gandhi.

“It was not needed. Gandhi was killed in 1948. Many enquiry commissions were done. Nobody indicted any particular orgnisation. There are a couple of people involved in his killing, yes. But the fact is he is dead and is not going to come back.

“To bring up the Gandhi name is not needed. We must stop fanning these flames,” Shrikrishna Kulkarni, who is also an Aam Aadmi Party member, said.

Rahul Gandhi had last week blamed the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. “RSS people killed Gandhiji and today their people (BJP) talk of him...They opposed

9

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Sardar Patel and Gandhiji,” Rahul had said while addressing a public rally in Thane district.

In this regard, Kulkarni said: “I wrote to Rahul Gandhi. I’m not a public face. I have views on many issues.

But I have realised over the years that the Gandhi name is rampantly misused.

“Wherever I go, if people come to know I am related to Bapu, people ask how I am related to Sonia or Rahul Gandhi. I’m at odds on telling we are not related. Rahul is not related to Gandhiji at all. I tell them you go to Gujarat, it’s a common surname. But at national level, the name refers to Mahatma Gandhi.

“So to use the name in a subtle manner and then rampantly misuse is not good. Media calls them Nehru Gandhi dynasty. I am wondering what the real Gandhi family has to do with this at all. We should bring this sham to an end.” l

said Gerry Soejatman, an Indonesia-based independent aviation analyst.

“The other is when there is a simple problem and then the crew tries to diagnose it, gets caught up in it and then they don’t realise what’s happening and the plane crashes. That’s what happened with the Air France case. At the moment, until we find anything, it has to be one of these two scenarios.”

Why is it so hard to find evidence?

The region being searched, including the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, are busy shipping lanes with large amounts of flotsam that will complicate the search for any wreckage. “When they see something, it is not blatantly obvious that it is a wing or tail. They have to go and examine what it is, it takes time,” Soejatman said.

Why have authorities not picked up any signals?

Aircraft have an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) which is designed mainly for

when the plane crashes on land and pilots are still trying to control it. In the event of a major crash, it may not work.

“Basically what this beacon does is simply say ‘I’ve been activated, find me!’” Soejatman said. “It is not fool-proof but it is the best thing that we have at the moment.”

The plane also has a “black box” consisting of the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. If immersed in water they should activate a “pinger” that can draw investigators to the location.

However, the sound cannot be heard over long distances.

Is security at Kuala Lumpur International Airport questionable?

Revelations that at least two people aboard the plane were using stolen European passports have heightened fears about a security breach.

Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the passport issue could indicate a “glaring flaw” in the airport’s immigration clearance. l

No votes cast against Kim Jong-un in poll n Agencies North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has won every ballot cast by voters in his district, where he ran uncontested during the first elections to the Supreme People’s Assembly legislature under his rule, reports Aljazeera.

According to state media, Kim’s district, which is located on the symbolic Mount Paekdu, recorded 100 percent turnout during Sunday’s elections, without a single dissenting ballot.

“This is an expression of all the service personnel and people’s absolute support and profound trust in supreme leader Kim Jong Un as they single-mindedly remain loyal to him,’’ the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, according to an Associated Press news agency report.

Kim can now add MP to his many titles that include Supreme Commander of the armed forces and chairman of the powerful National Defence Commission.

Participation in the vote, although deemed ritualistic by external observers, is obligatory. Mobile ballot boxes

have been created to cater to those who were ill and could not travel to balloting stations, the KCNA had reported.

A number of poems were produced to celebrate voting under titles including “The Billows of Emotion and Happiness” and “We Go To Polling Station.”

Voting in public But while electors get to approve 687 deputies, they do not get to choose who represents them in the rubber-stamp legislature. Voters could only say either yes or no to a single candidate running in each district.

“If you vote no, you need to - very publicly - enter a separate booth, and that is something very few here are willing to risk,” Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker said.

The last elections were held in 2009 under the late leader Kim Jong Il. He received 100 percent of the votes and turnout was reported to be 99.98 percent, she said.

Analysts will be closely watching to see if the deputies this time around reflect a generational change as Kim looks to solidify his power and replace older cadres with younger, more loyal ones. l

Thailand’s role as a hub for criminal networks using false documents is in the spotlight after two unknown passengers on vanished flight MH370 used passports stolen in the kingdom, sparking fears of a terror attack. Two European names were on the passenger list for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, which disappeared in the early hours of Saturday en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

But neither Christian Kozel, an Austrian, nor Luigi Maraldi from Italy, ever boarded the plane – instead two mystery passengers used their passports, which had been stolen from the men in separate incidents in Thailand.

The revelation has triggered a terror probe by Malaysian authorities, who are working with other intelligence agencies including the FBI. “Thailand has been used by some international terrorist groups as a zone of operation, to raise funds or to plan attacks,” said Rommel Banlaoi, an analyst on terrorism in South-East Asia.

In 2010, two Pakistanis and a Thai woman were arrested in Thailand on suspicion of making false passports for Al-Qaeda linked groups, as part of an international operation linked to the 2008 attacks in Mumbai and the Madrid train bombings in 2004.

But Banlaoi stressed that the false passports used on the Malaysia flight “could also be linked to other criminal activities, like illegal immigration.”

“Thailand is a destination for international crime organisations who use it to secure travel documents, financial documents,” a Thai intelligence source told AFP. Thai police have announced an investigation into a possible passport racket on the resort island of Phuket – Maraldi’s passport was stolen there in 2013 and Kozel’s on a flight from Phuket to Bangkok, according to authorities in Vienna. So far little has emerged about the passengers who used the stolen passports to board the vanished flight, who have been identified by Malaysian airport video surveillance. l

Afghan Taliban vow to disrupt ‘sham’ poll n Reuters, Kabul The Afghan Taliban yesterday said next month’s presidential election was being manipulated by the United States, which had already chosen the winner, and threatened to use “full force” in attacking anyone taking part.

Two campaign workers have already been killed and at least one presidential candidate has been assaulted during campaigning for the April 5 poll, the first democratic transition of power in the country’s history.

The Taliban said the proceedings were being stage-managed by the United States.

“The people should realise that the election will bear no result because the real elections have taken place in CIA and Pentagon offices and their favourite candidate has already been chosen,” the Taliban said in a statement.

Dozens of Afghan security forces and civilians were killed on the day of the 2009 presidential election, which saw the return of incumbent Hamid Karzai to power. He is barred from running for a third term. l

The children of Japan’s Fukushima battle an invisible enemy n Reuters Some of the smallest children in Koriyama, a short drive from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, barely know what it’s like to play outside - fear of radiation has kept them indoors for much of their short lives.

Though the strict safety limits for outdoor activity set after multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in 2011 have now been eased, parental worries and ingrained habit mean many children still stay inside.

And the impact, three years on, is now starting to show, with children experiencing falling strength, lack of coordination - some cannot even ride a bicycle - and emotional issues like shorter tempers, officials and educators say.

“There are children who are very fearful. They ask before they eat anything, ‘does this have radiation in it?’ and we have to tell them it’s okay to eat,” said Mitsuhiro Hiraguri, director of the Emporium Kindergarten in Ko-

riyama, some 55 km (35 miles) west of the Fukushima nuclear plant.

“But some really, really want to play outside. They say they want to play in the sandbox and make mud pies. We have to tell them no, I’m sorry. Play in the sandbox inside instead.”

Following the March 11, 2011, quake and tsunami, a series of explosions and meltdowns caused the world’s worst nuclear accident for 25 years, spewing radiation over a swathe of Fukushima, an agricultural area long known for its rice, beef and peaches. A 30-km radius around the plant was declared a nogo zone, forcing 160,000 people from homes where some had lived for generations. Other areas, where the radiation was not so critically high, took steps such as replacing the earth in parks and school playgrounds, decontaminating public spaces like sidewalks, and limiting children’s outdoor play time.

“There are children in the disaster-stricken areas who are going to turn three tomorrow,” Prime Minister

Shinzo Abe said on Monday. He told a nationally televised news conference he wanted to invite as many of them as possible to the 2020 Olympics, when they will be fourth-graders, as a “symbol of reconstruction.”

Koriyama recommended shortly after the disaster that children up to two years old not spend more than 15 minutes outside each day. Those aged 3 to 5 should limit their outdoor time to 30 minutes or less.

These limits were lifted last October, but many kindergartens and nursery schools continue to adhere to the limits, in line with the wishes of worried parents.

Radiation levels around the Emporium Kindergarten in Koriyama were now down around 0.12-0.14 microsieverts per hour, from 3.1 to 3.7 right after the quake, said Hiraguri.

This works out to be lower than Japan’s safety level of 1,000 microsieverts a year, but levels can vary widely and at random, keeping many parents nervous about any outdoor play. l

People demonstrate in front of Fessenheim nuclear power plant to mark the third anniversary of the Fukushima powerplant explosion, on March 9. Some 3,500 French, German and Swiss anti-nuclear activists demonstrated to mark the third anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and to demand the immediate closure of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant AFP

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Accountability needed to overcome lax security

J

ust one month after burglars looted Tk16.4 crore from a Sonali Bank branch in Kishoreganj, Tk32.51 lakh was stolen from another branch in Bogra on Saturday.

Two probe committees have been formed and a number of officials have been transferred.

It is unlikely this will be an adequate response to the problems afflicting the state-owned bank.

While criminals may be ever devious, there are well-established protocols and measures to guard against common burglars and it is clear these have not been followed.

The Bangladesh Bank’s inspections of Sonali Bank branches, after the burglary at Kishoreganj on January 26, found widespread inadequacies in security measures.

Deficiencies noted included inadequate buildings, run-down and faulty equipment. Most worryingly however, they also found a disregard for the basic security measures which are the cornerstone of banking rules.

In many cases, limits for the amount of cash stored in bank vaults were found to be breached, often without proper insurance on being taken out.

It is unacceptable that such lack of compliance with the central bank’s security directives is being found at all. It is doubly concerning that failures were found to be occurring at key chest branches, which handle government transactions.

State banks have become notorious for poor management as has been seen in many banking scandals.

The failure of Sonali Bank to manage even the most basic security mechanisms to protect depositor’s money suggests a systemic failure in its management. The Bangladesh Bank needs to act to ensure accountability.

Ensure accountability for systemic failures in Sonali Bank’s management

Fair share of Teesta waters a must

I

t is welcome that the water resources secretary has announced that the foreign secretary will visit New Delhi to address the issue of the distribution of waters from the Teesta river.

Despite various diplomatic efforts over the years, the issue of sharing common river waters between Bangladesh and India remains unresolved, not least because the Joint River Commission has failed to hold a ministerial level meeting for the last four years.

The obstruction of Teesta waters by the Gazaldoba Barrage and their further diversion through a link canal to the Mahananda-Mechi-Fulhar Rivers are highly detrimental to Bangladesh.

Minimum historical flows of water are not being maintained causing serious hardship to farmers, who rely on it for irrigation. Border districts also face added difficulties in protecting river banks from erosion whenever there are seasonal increases in water flow.

India’s unilateral actions in upstream changes to river flow are in breach of the International Convention on Non-navigational Uses of Watercourses. As well as going against international conventions, they undermine the spirit of Bangladesh’s Ganges water treaty with India.

As neighbours with 54 common rivers between them, Bangladesh and India have an obligation to work together further through diplomatic channels to resolve common water issues.

It is high time that efforts are revived to reach a fair consensus. We hope diplomatic efforts will ensure the Joint Rivers Commission revives talks to ensure progress.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Cadre for rural medical doctors March 4

The unauthorised absence of on-duty physicians from rural government hospitals remains a major challenge to the government’s objective to ensure healthcare services for area residents. In such a situation, community clinics and union health and family welfare centers become useless. To address this problem, it is necessary to set up medical colleges in the 45 new district towns and create a Rural Medical Service Cadre for the qualified doctors.

Under-graduate doctors from these institutions should be required to serve in government-run rural health centres and hospitals from the very beginning of their study. After a few years of service, interested under-graduate doctors may be allowed to go abroad for employment. This will open up new opportunities and help reduce the acute unemployment situation.

Seven medical colleges may be set up at the seven divisional cities to provide graduate-level courses in order to provide the rural doctors an opportunity to pursue higher studies. These institutions should also impart special courses and training to help doctors upgrade their skills and knowledge. The government should take up a five-year action plan to set up such medical colleges in phases and later set up the graduate-level medical colleges.

Md Ashraf Hossain

Let’s stop the bashing March 6

Omar Shehab The article is not rigorous. There are lots of counter examples of Bangladeshi intelligentsia nurturing the culture of self-criticism in different fields.

Calling for not letting opportunists take the chance to misguide the youth and convert them into militants is a service to the nation. There are quite a number of people who are doing this with absolute clarity without creating a confusing negative image.

We don’t have to care about that. We will thrive as a secular nation, they way we defined ourselves through the great war of liberation, no matter how they interpret us. Intrinsically the people (of any faith) of Bangladesh are secular. They are not fond of mixing religion with politics. The sooner the geo-political analysts of other countries find it the better. Wrong vocabulary is the first step towards building a flawed narrative. nds This author appears to me the refined embodiment of contradictions. He starts his article with severe bashing of the ruling party and ends with pristine advice to the media people, talk show participants, intellectuals, and self-claimed (according to him) civil society members to stop bashing others with immediate effect. His completely myopic outlook gets well revealed by the fact that he finds only the ruling party members engaged in depicting the negative image of Bangladesh. He possibly never came across any opposition party stalwarts with the contemptuous character of projecting the image of this country in a negative way by any means.

‘Tarique concerns about home while away’ March 6

EU survey: 1 in 20 women raped in Europe March 5

Mia Dodson What are the figures for Bangladesh and India?

Ruhela Sharmin Choudhury I thank Allah for my hijab. There is wisdom behind all of Allah’s commandments whether we perceive it or not.

Sayeeda Ahmad While I respect women for wearing hijab, I believe that it should be a choice whether or not to wear one.

No woman should have to be forced to wear a hijab to be safe, and even if she does wear one, that is no guarantee that she will be safe.

Attackers are attackers, with that perverse mentality, no matter who they attack.

Tarique is still hiding in the UK. It is a big mistake for the UK to allow him to stay there.

VK

Rail links crucial to regional growth March 7

This will have economic benefits for India, most certainly. But don’t know about Bangladesh. Does our government really care to know our opinion? They are only happy to serve their own needs.

Sakhawat Husain

Should buses have reserved seats for women?

Be Heard

March 6

How about reserving seats for all? 50% for women, 50% for men. Front rows can be reserved for disabled, elderly and children.

Guest

Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207

Officials beaten for cutting illegal gas line March 7

Do you need “prior notice” if you know that you’re involved in something illegal?!

Vikram Khan

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

Bangladesh and India must work together to resolve water issues

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU Across 1 Spanish dance (6) 4 Passing craze (3) 7 Tranquillity (5) 8 Be eager (6) 11 Clamour (3) 12 Faculty head (4) 13 Require (4) 15 Satisfies fully (5) 16 Conceals (5) 20 Rodents (4) 23 Venture (4) 24 In favour of (3) 25 Followed orders (6) 26 Fact of being elsewhere (5) 27 Colour (3) 28 Brasslike alloy (6)

Down 1 Fasteners (5) 2 Distinguished (7) 3 Frank (4) 4 Lose colour (4) 5 Sour (4) 6 Lair (3) 9 Briny (3) 10 Light blow (3) 14 Obvious (7) 17 Period of time (3) 18 Before (poet) (3) 19 Saloon car (5)S 20 Acting part (4) 21 Dry (4) 22 Earth (4) 24 Distant (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

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The deserving champions n Mohammad Ali Sattar

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The voices of protest in Ukraine may get drowned

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Familiarity breeds contempt

“B n Ikhtisad Ahmed

ut the past is just the same – and War’s a bloody game…/Have you forgotten yet?.../ Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you’ll never forget.”

They did not heed Siegfried Sassoon’s words from “aftermath.” They did not look down and swear, and hence they forgot, willingly, criminally easily.

That is why the people, whose will is enshrined in the ordinary citizen’s call that “all the politicians in power during the last ten years must go,” do not form part of their careful calculations.

In 1853, it was religion that was used as a political tool to wage an anachronistic crusade that concealed the real intentions of the global superpowers of the time. In 2014, it is democracy, that 20th century panacea, in the foreground of a tactless battle between two superpowers in their twilight years still desperate to remain relevant and keep independent nations from getting on with their own affairs.

The former saw the Western alliance use any means necessary, including indulging corrupt regimes and encouraging corruption, to prevent the emergence of a Russian super-state in the Crimean War that claimed at least as many lives as the American Civil War. The death toll will hopefully remain incomparable in the case of the latter, but it does little to mask the fact that a country that has had an artificial independence for 23 years is having

a promising chance of real independence being thwarted by the self-serving agendas of those masquerading as saviours.

That foreign policy and world politics dictated by self-indulgent, self-congratulatory realpolitik cannot be altruistic is a fact that seems to be known by all, but acknowledged by few when discussing global events.

demands, are also those that have for long been, and continue to be, particular favourites of the US. It ought to worry the world that there is evidence to suggest that the sniper murders were carried out under the directives of these extremist groups after an accord had been reached that could have paved the way to peace and prosperity.

The protesters of a country of overly tolerant people had unanimously said that they had, finally, had enough

For instance, the US cannot simultaneously stand for democracy and endorse a government that, by the definitions expounded by itself, is the product of a coup. This, however, is precisely what it is doing in its self-appointed role of the adulterated knight in a comparatively unadulterated armour.

Without arguing the merits and the necessity of said coup – and there are reasons aplenty for the people to have risen up, though very little, if any, of what they represent is being served at present – it cannot, unfortunately, be called anything else. The right-wing groups that threaten to pick up where the previous regimes left off, thus subverting the people’s

The US that pretends to care so much woke up to Ukraine’s potential as a buffer between Europe and Russia only after the Orange Revolution put it on its radar, and the oil disputes with Russia affirmed it. Prior to that, it was indifferent to the country, save for viewing it as a newly open marketplace for obsolete products.

Russia’s display of machismo cannot be excused either. Ukraine has been treated as the abused, subservient spouse while the bully continued its dalliances with multiple mistresses.

The kernel of truth in Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s statement about the crisis being “created artifi-

cially for purely geopolitical reasons” owes to his knowledge of Russia’s culpability.

Ukraine has a reputation for being a country where money obtains university places, jobs, licences, planning decisions, and judicial verdicts. It is also, infamously, the world leader in political “accidents,” with powerful politicians regularly taking leave of their senses to shoot themselves and swerve off roads to drive into heavy vehicles. The political class is known by its people to be amongst the most self-seeking in the world, driven by nepotism, cronyism, and a boundless supply of money that benefits from the corrupt and illegal machinery it feeds.

Examples come in the shape of the oligarch Akhmetov, Yanukovych’s kingmaker, securing 31% of all state tenders in January – second only to the former president’s son, Oleksandr, who procured 50% – and the hope of honesty embodied by the Orange Revolution being dashed by its leader, Viktor Yushchenko, enriching members of his family.

The protesters in Maidan Nezalezhnosti of a country of overly tolerant people had unanimously said that they had, finally, had enough. That voice is now at risk of being drowned out by pious realpolitik. Ukraine is every single country in the world that is not a superpower: A mere pawn. l Ikhtisad Ahmed is a writer and an erstwhile lawyer. He can be contacted on Twitter via @Ikhtisad.

From the ashes of war, seeds of peace n Ban Ki-moon

N

ot long ago, the West African nation of Sierra Leone was home to the world’s biggest peacekeeping mission. Today, troops from that country are donning blue helmets and serving the UN in other hotspots around the globe. This is just one of the remarkable stories to emerge as the United Nations now winds down the political mission that has operated in the country over the past six years to ensure that the hardwon peace would hold.

Sierra Leone used to be synonymous with brutality. The savage, decade-long war there was marked by appalling atrocities against civilians.

Shocked into action, the world responded by backing a series of United Nations peacekeeping and political missions. In the process, the international community paved the way for breakthroughs that will resonate far beyond Sierra Leone for years to come.

We must give full credit where it is due: The peace I witnessed at the closing ceremony in Freetown this month is first and foremost an accomplishment of the Sierra Leonean people, who showed tremendous resolve to heal and rebuild. The UN is proud to have supported them – and we thank

them for proving our value.

Sierra Leone saw many UN “firsts”, hosting the UN’s first multi-dimensional peacekeeping operation with political, security, humanitarian, and national recovery mandates. The UN Peacebuilding Commission made its first-ever visit to Sierra Leone. Our final mission there was led by the first senior UN official heading a unified political and development presence.

The peace I witnessed at the closing ceremony in Freetown is an accomplishment of the Sierra Leonean people

The United Nations was proud to help set up the Special Court for Sierra Leone – making it the first country in Africa to establish, with UN participation, a tribunal on its own territory to address the most serious international crimes.

When the Special Court closed last year, it was the first of the UN and UN-backed tribunals to successfully complete its mandate. The Special Court’s sentencing of former Liberian President Charles Taylor was the first conviction of a former head of state since Nuremberg – sending a stern warning that even top leaders must pay for their crimes. Other trials saw first-ever convictions for attacks against UN peacekeepers, forced marriage as a crime against humanity, and the use of child soldiers.

These breakthrough accomplishments added to a solid record of achievements. UN blue helmets disarmed more than 75,000 ex-fighters, including hundreds of child soldiers, and destroyed more than 42,000 weapons and 1.2 million rounds of ammunition.

The UN assisted more than half a million Sierra Leonean refugees and internally displaced persons to return home and supported training for thousands of local police.

The UN helped the government to combat illicit diamond mining that fuelled the conflict, and to establish control over the affected areas. With the UN’s help, Sierra Leone’s citizens voted in successive free and fair elections for the first time in their history.

Since its establishment six years

ago as a civilian political mission, the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office helped Sierra Leone to consolidate progress, addressing tensions that could have caused a relapse into conflict while strengthening institutions and promoting human rights.

It helped the government to bolster the political process, emphasising dialogue and tolerance, and further strengthened the national police, even supporting the establishment of the first Transnational Organised Crime Unit in West Africa.

Our final mission is departing Sierra Leone, but a United Nations country team will remain until long-term development takes root, supporting good governance, quality education, health services, and other essential conditions for progress.

Other countries now mired in fighting, divided by hatred and wounded by atrocities, can draw hope from Sierra Leone. Its resilient people have given peacekeeping their greatest possible vote of confidence by sending troops to serve where the UN flag flies today. They understand that national goodwill backed by international support can enable even the most devastated areas to enjoy lasting peace. l Ban Ki-moon is the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

inally, the curtains over the Asia Cup cricket tournament have been drawn. Sri Lanka, as the deserving team, came out victorious and lifted the prestigious Cup. Pakistan, as usual, has been the unpredictable and inconsistent side, with no match plans in sight.

It was not a dream final, but it was certainly expected to be a great game of cricket going down the wires – a real battle between two Asian giants.

Both the teams had a fairly good chance of winning, and also of losing.

Although Pakistan, riding on Afridi’s swashbuckling innings in the previous two matches, was seen as likely favorites, nobody wrote off Sri Lanka as the possible winners.

When a team falters in all departments, it naturally gifts the opposition the advantage and makes things easy for them.

The mighty Pakistanis, with their in-form batsmen and battery of seasoned bowlers, came out seemingly a laid back side. Not once had it appeared that they were serious in trying to retain the title.

Pakistan faltered on many counts.

After winning a crucial toss, they definitely faltered in deciding to bat first.

Historically, they are supposedly not good chasers. Stats show that when the target is anything more than 250 runs, Pakistan fails to chase and ends up on the losing side. But if the team management sticks to the weaknesses of the past, they do more harm than good for the team morale.

How did Pakistan reach the final?

They reached the final by chasing a reasonably good target set by India and a mammoth 300 plus set up by Bangladesh. Almost all the batsmen put in their contribution, and it was Shahid Afridi who showed his inherent mental and physical dexterity in overpowering both India and Bangladesh. His ferocity of hitting sixes will be sweet memories that the cricketing world will cherish. Pakistan did chase the runs and landed in the final.

Sri Lanka never seemed to struggle. They rather won the match with ease and confidence

This should have been considered seriously by the Pakistan coach and skipper, and Pakistan should have sent Sri Lanka in to bat first.

Even if Sri Lanka had put up a score of 270 plus runs on the board, it wouldn’t have mattered to the Pakistan batsmen as they were in high spirits and totally in form.

When they decided to bat first, they should have kept in mind the fearsome bowling of Lasith Malinga and planned properly to see him off in the initial overs.

The first three batsmen failed to

negotiate Malinga’s opening spell and were back to the pavilion in no time, with the score tottering at 18 for three.

Pakistan actually looked like the losing side right then.

However, Misbah and Fawad played a face-saving knock and salvaged the team to help put up a respectable score on the board. They were assisted by the subsequent venture of Umar Akmal and Fawad. Against all odds, frail and tired Fawad scored a much needed century.

With a little bit of finetuning, our boys will fare well in the future

But as Fawad and Umar Akmal struggled to get boundaries, one kept wondering why Afridi wasn’t sent in before Akmal. Since the runs had been coming in slowly, Afridi with his prolific nick could have had a few overs to play and knocked some big shots to reach close to 300. In the end, Pakistan was at least 30 runs short.

Sri Lanka made a good start, thanks to some wayward bowling by Umar Gul and other quickies. Only Ajmal and Hafeez showed some authority. It was Ajmal who raised some hope by taking two prized wickets of Perara and Sangakkara in two consecutive deliveries. Much later, he took another in his 10th over. Wicket-keeping by Umar Akmal was below par.

Sri Lanka never seemed to struggle.

They rather won the match with ease and confidence. Sri Lanka is making a comeback to be a force once again.

Young ones in the teams are taking over the responsibly with Angelo Mathews leading from the front.

Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistan speedster, remarked that win or lose, for Pakistan, all depends on Pakistan themselves.

All said and done, it was an entertaining tournament that we witnessed – ten days of gruelling battle between the teams. Although the host, Bangladesh, could not win a match, we did show signs of our potential in the game. With a little bit of fine-tuning, our boys will fare well in the future and come out with much better colours, God willing.

Afghans created much hype. They shone at times. They are also expected make their mark sooner rather than later in global cricket.

Bangladesh will once again be in the spotlight. The T20 World Cup is just around the corner, and we wait with baited breaths for another round of the battle of the bests.

Remember, T20 is the latest, fastest, and a genuine bashing duel of modern cricket. And Bangladesh is the proud host of this edition of the blockbuster contest. l Moammad Ali Sattar is a journalist and DT columnist.

MUMIT M

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment TODAY IN DHAKA

Experimental play Ashchorjo Sundor Ei Beche Thaka to stage soon n Entertainment Desk The Tareque Masud Cultural Centre will stage a technical show of their first production Ashchorjo Sundor Ei Beche Thaka, a play adapted from The Game by Louise Bryant, at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy today. The play is adapted and directed by Rubayet Ahmed.

A young poet and a young female dancer come to a certain place to commit suicide as they are frustrated with life.

Two fictional characters Death and Life engross themselves in a

rusty game making the boy and girl pawns.

At end of the game, Life wins

Drama series Naari will air tonight at 8pm on Maasranga TV, featuring Sumaiya Shimu in the lead role. The talented actress will be seen as a rebellious character who fights back against the oppressors in a male dominated society.

Written and directed by Mostafa Monon, the drama also features Shotabdi Wadud, Shamima Tusty and Pori Moni in significant roles.

The drama will air every Tuesday and Wednesday.

The story is about the struggle of women in a patriarchal society.

Enders Game Avatar 3D Aakash Koto Dure Thor: The Dark World 3D The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 3D Frozen in 3D Agnee Time: 10am - 10pm Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City Robocop, Gravity Captain Phillips, Elysium Time: 12:30pm – 9:30pm Blockbuster Cinemas Jamuna Future Park Ka- 244, Pragati Avenue, Kuril

and the young duo find desired personality in themselves.

They fall in love with each other and let go of their suicidal plans. Key roles of the play are donned

by Ehsan Ponir, Chinmoyee Gupta, Chandan Bose, Luna Masud and others.

The play is developed with an anti-suicide theme adapted from the American journalist Louise Bryant’s belief.

Tareque Masud Cultural Centre is a cultural organisation in the memory of late ace filmmaker of the country Tareque Masud. l

Exhibition

Conspiratual

By Ra Kajol Shilpangan Gallery House 47, Road 13 ,Dhanmondi Life Time: 5:30pm (inauguration) Gallery Cosmos-2, Villa de Anjuman, Road No 6, House No 115, New DOHS

Double bonanza for Zahid Hasan fans n Entertainment Desk Renowned actor-director Zahid Hasan will be enacting a double role in an upcoming drama series titled Bhai. Written

by Golam Rabbani, Zahid himself is the director. Zahid Hasan’s fans will be able to see him in different attires at different times in the series.

About the drama, Zahid said: “I always urge to establish myself in different roles. I want to break the conventional image I have acquired in the industry, you know the usual character of actor Zahid. Bhai provides me with such a platform where I can work on creating a new image of Zahid Hasan. Work on the script is already underway and we are on the lookout for casts and location for shooting. As soon as the sites are pinned, the

shooting of the drama will begin in various locations of Dhaka.”

A story of two brothers, the drama encompasses emotions, comedy and thriller, all jam-packed together in one big package of entertainment. l

8 films to be screened today at International Women Film Festival

Naari airs tonight n Entertainment Desk

Film

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

In the capital city, Ronti and his husband Azad live in an apartment. Suddenly, Azad gets arrested by the police and Ronti has no clue as to why it happened. The police do not allow her to talk to her husband and a helpless Ronti seeks legal help from her neighbour, who happens to be an advocate.

However, the neighbour plays a dirty game with Ronti and she understands that he will be of no help. She becomes alone in the apartment and the male characters of her surroundings make her uncomfortable through different approaches. Hence, Ronti begins a new journey where she struggles to protect herself from the stalkers. l

A scene from Adomya by filmmaker Bobby Sarma Baruah

n Entertainment Desk Eight films, including three films by Bangladeshi women filmmakers, will be screened today, the second day of the International Women Film Festival 2014. Organised by Women’s Film Society Bangladesh, the screening will take place at two different venues across the capital today.

Five films will be screened today at the Public Library Auditorium from 11am to 9pm, Shilalipi- The In-

scription by Bangladeshi filmmaker Shamim Akther, Hajar Bochor Dhore by Kohinoor Akhter Suchanda, Temps D’Amour (Love In Time)

by Anne Jacqueline, Meghla Akash

by Nargis Akter, Demi Ucok by Sammaria Simanjuntak and Kabul Sea by Afghan filmmaker Alka Sadat.

Two films will be screened today at the National Museum auditorium from 11 am, Assamese language film Adomya

by Bobby Sarma Baruah and Kayan by Iranian filmmaker Maryam Najapi.

Adomya is a story of a simple village girl, Juri, who gets married to an engineer from her village. After a few months, Juri’s husband dies of AIDS. At that time, she was pregnant and medical tests confirm that she, too, is HIV-positive. When her inlaws ask her to leave the house, she returns to her parents’ home where she receives the same treatment.

Juri starts living in a small roadside hut and one day gives birth to a baby girl. After a few months she

leaves for Guwahati to carry on with her struggle for survival.

Women’s Film Society Bangladesh started its journey with a mandate to promote women in film with the consideration of learning the cultures of the society in Bangladesh.

Its focus is on women as writers, directors, actors, and producers, to explore the aesthetic values of film and to develop interest in the technical skills of film video and media arts. l

300: Rise of an Empire tells the Athenian side of the story

AJ fans set to welcome Most Welcome 2

n Entertainment Desk The first 300, director Zack Snyder’s 2006 take on the legendary showdown between Persians and Spartans at Thermopylae in 480 BC, was all about the guys and their abs.

The sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, is more about the women. Specifically, seafaring Greek-born Persian warrior Artemisia, a figure who - if this movie is to be believed - ruled the ancient world through a combination of cunning, cruelty and the ability to look great while waging war on the high seas.

It’s Artemesia, played with a mixture of cool and camp by Eva Green (Dark Shadows, Casino Royale), who gives this CGI-saturated sequel a jolt of energy, as her male Athenian adversaries are as flavorless as week-old hummus. If not for Artemesia, Empire would be just a retread of its predecessor.

Directed by Israeli commercials director Noam Murro and produced by Snyder, Empire has the same heavily stylized, blood-splattered comic-book visuals as the first film. The battle scenes are well-staged, even if the 3-D is totally unnecessary. l

n Entertainment Desk Ananta Jalil fans are delighted as the actor cum director is set for a return to the silver screen. Fans will get a glimpse of his new action movie Most Welcome 2 in an upcoming advertisement by a beverage and chips company.

The 30-second long Ifad Wavy Chips advertisement, a production of Red Dot Multimedia, is directed by Gazi N Ahmed Shubhro and features Borsha, Misha Showdagar, Diti and Ananta Jalil.

Dhallywood superstar Ananta Jalil will play a police officer in his upcoming action-packed movie Most Welcome 2.

The movie claims to have the biggest budget in the history of Bangladeshi cinema. Bollywood diva Bipasha Basu, one of the most appealing actresses in the Indian film industry in recent times, will also be seen dancing in an item song in the movie. l

ON TV COMEDY

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12:30pm Star World Two Broke Girls 10:30pm Comedy Central

9:00pm Sony

Anger Management

Ek Nayi Pehchaan

10:00pm Star Plus

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hain

Did you know?

India’s Yuvraj Singh hit six sixes in a Stuart Broad over and scored fastest T20I fifty (in 12 balls) in 2007 T20 World Cup against England

Sport

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

0 0 5

14 Real Madrid back

to La Liga summit

DAYS TO GO

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Djokovic advances,

Tsonga crashes out

Ireland and Nepal ready to fire n

The T20 World Championship’s countdown has started and most of the teams have started to reach Bangladesh including the Ireland and Nepal, who will be making their T20 World Cup debut in the qualifying stage.

Ireland are capable of making upsets in the bigger events but skipper William Porterfield said at a press conference yesterday that Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are the favourites to qualify, though he was also hopeful about his team’s prospects.

“As you know, T20 is a different format of the game where anything is possible but our main focus would be to qualify for the main round but we have to play to our potentials and we are keeping our chances and looking forward to play good cricket,” said Porterfield, adding that although the two Test playing nations were the favourites, anything could happen on a given day.

Meanwhile, Irish all-rounder Paul Stirling said, “Our focus would be the match against Zimbabwe next week and then against the associate members UAE and Holland so three big matches down the line, so look forward to that.”

Stirling informed that they had enough preparations before coming on to the mega event and their big hitter Kevin O’Brian and captain William Porterfield will be the key players for their side.

On the other hand Nepal are the newest addition to the T20 Championship, becoming the sixth team to qualify for the tournament in the Qualifier tournament held in UAE. Captain Paras Khadka informed that they have been trying to reach such a big event for a long time.

“I think we are here to present Nepal cricket in front of the whole world, it is a great opportunity for us. It is not like we have only qualified for this tournament and worked for three months. We have been playing for 10-12 years with hard work and playing continuous cricket. We are here to compete and play to the best of our ability. If we play to our potential, things should be good for us,” he said.

He informed that Nepal’s participation will boost the country’s cricket, “I think we have been playing cricket since 1996. We have been part of the ACC since then. CAN (Cricket Association of Nepal) is one of the oldest sporting associations back home. We are getting there.

“Football and cricket are the two most popular sports. Everybody follows us. Kids love the game. The game is really growing big time. It is very exciting.

We have an amazing fan following back home. The number of cricket fans that we have matches any Test-playing country,” he added. l

Bangladesh players take part in a training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday

Keep calm, don’t get excited: Shakib

Nasir, Razzak have more to give

n Reazur Rahman Rohan

The dip in form of both Nasir Hossain and Abdur Razzak is a partial reason behind Bangladesh’s losing streak and after the arrows of criticism were directed towards them in the recent past, both defended their form and said they always give their best out on the field.

Nasir has made just 140 runs in seven innings this year, and is going through his longest streak without a fifty in ODIs, while Razzak managed just two wickets in the last three games.

“I am trying on my own to perform.

It wasn’t happening for some reason.

I hope to overcome all these things,” said Nasir while Razzak echoed in the same tune and said, “I don’t want to give excuses. I just recovered from an injury and played in the Asia Cup. I wouldn’t say it was really bad, but not everything went in my favour. It will be fine from this tournament.”

Since his debut in 2011, the 22-yearold Nasir, who usually bats at number six or seven, has grown into a dependable name in the Tigers batting unit which also earned him many names like “Mr. Consistent.”

“From where I bat, I don’t get chance to bat long. My strike-rate has to be more than 100. If I am 10 off 20 balls, it brings pressure. These things happen to everyone. I have made 30 or 40 odd in the last game, but it is okay. I can’t set a goal. I have to think of being in the middle when 20-25 balls are left, so I have to keep focusing on that.

“I think I am having a good time.

You may think like that. I think it can happen, not scoring runs in a few matches. I am trying to get out of this,” he said.

Nasir admitted to the responsibility on him and despite being criticised for his fielding he said, “Responsibility goes up as we get more experienced

There is no other alternative but to gear up and improve their performance on the field, said the country’s leading all-rounder Shakib al Hasan at the ICC World T20 open media session yesterday. Bangladesh have not tasted an international victory in 2014 so far, which has already built enough pressure ahead of their crucial first round games and Shakib believes they should calm down and start fresh.

“We should not look too far back, but try to correct mistakes from the recent past. We have six days, enough time to improve ourselves. What we have to do in T20 is to keep a calm head and give our best. We become too excited in T20s. Almost everyone has played enough T20s. They have an idea how to play in this format, and win a game. It is not something to be said or discussed.

I think everyone is responsible enough to understand these things, and do the right thing for the team,” he said.

Bangladesh’s frustration grew bigger after going down against associate member Afghanistan in the Asia Cup and the two sides will meet again in the World T20 opener on March 16. It’s needless to say with Nepal and Hong Kong the other teams in Group A, the chances are huge for either the home side or the Afghans to progress further.

However, Shakib, who has played 120 T20s other than the 28 T20Is and is vastly experience in the format, said the defeat against Afghanistan should be left behind and they need to take every team seriously.

“I don’t think we should think of Afghanistan much. We have to improve ourselves, and plan to beat bigger teams. Nepal is a big team to us, and we are a big team to Pakistan, India and Australia. An over or a ball can change a T20 game. On paper there can be a

Dutch, Afghans eye 2nd round berth n Reazur Rahman Rohan

The build up for the ICC World Twenty20 have been different for the two associate members Afghanistan and Netherlands. While the Afghans got hold of the Bangladeshi conditions playing the Asia Cup, the Dutch side spent training at UAE. Pitted in different groups for the first round of the mega event, they will meet for a warm-up game tomorrow at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

“We have spent nine to ten days in Dubai. We came from there. We

DHAKA TRIBUNE

played 5 games and trained hard physically. Boys are in physical shape.

NZ was quite disappointing for us.

We couldn’t qualify for the 2015 WC. We are looking forward to the second round, if we can play three good games of cricket,” said the New Zealanderborn Dutch captain Peter Borren during the open media session yesterday in Chittagong.

“We are playing Zimbabwe, UAE and Ireland in the first round. We will try to replicate how it happened in 2009, so we are excited about the opportunity,” said Borren who first got the taste of international cricket when he played for New Zealand Under-19s alongside Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder

at the Under-19 World Cup in 2001-02.

He made his ODI debut for the Oranges in 2006 and has played 58 limited over games along with 20 T20Is. The Afghan camp is looking upbeat after their Asia Cup win against Bangladesh while their captain also said they are getting used to the conditions which will be a help.

“It is a good experience playing against Test-nations. We got a good win against Bangladesh. It is good preparation for T20 World Cup. We are getting used to pitches and ground.

Our first match is against Bangladesh, it is a tough match. If we win three games in qualifying, we go to second round,” said Mohammad Nabi. l

favorite but on the day, I don’t think there isn’t any.

“I don’t think about it too much. We should fear everyone because we don’t know much about Nepal and Hong Kong. Say, we score 160, but someone from the other side scores a hundred.

Scotland has done that to us. We have to be careful in all the games. It is hard to recover from a mistake in a T20,” he said.

The all-rounder also reminded that too much expectation ruins plans and what they need is just the backing from the home crowd.

“It is played at home, so we have the support. There shouldn’t be too much expectation. They say, ‘The cup is here, we won’t let it go,’ but I think we have to tone that down a bit. Support us, the team will do better. Too much expectation does put pressure. Everyone has to take the result sportingly,” explained the all-rounder, who turns 27 in two weeks. l

Anwar wins gold in Marcel bodybuilding n Raihan Mahmood Anwar Hossain won the first gold medal of the Marcel Refrigerator Club Cup Open Bodybuilding by winning 65kg category at the NSC Tower auditorium yesterday.

Shakib al Hasan won the silver medal while Mohammad Nazmul Hasan bagged the bronze. State minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder inaugurated the twoday meet. Additional director of Walton FM Iqbal Bin Anwar was also present as special guest. A total of 250 bodybuilders from 55 clubs are taking part in the seven weight categories — 55kg, 60kg, 65kg, 70kg, 75kg, 80kg and +80kg. l

n Reazur Rahman Rohan

in the team. Everyone in the team has that. Jonty Rhodes has dropped a catch in his life. I don’t think much about fielding, I have taken good catches in my life. It can happen.”

Left-arm spinner Razzak strongly believed in himself as he thinks he has more to give to the national team, “I will try to make sure I am there to help the team whenever I am needed. It can be by taking wickets, cutting out the runs. I haven’t slowed down. If I feel like that, I will leave the game. As long as I don’t think like that, I don’t care what others think,” he said.

He has been the go-to bowler for Mushfiqur Rahim, be that in the powerplay or the death overs. Though he hasn’t been as sharp as he was a year ago, Razzak took criticisms positively and said, “Most of the time in my career I have bowled in the first, second powerplays and in the last four overs.

Fingers were pointed at me when I have done badly, which I think is a good thing in a way. I can understand that I am not doing it well.

“Luck can be a thing. I can get a topedge and it can go for four, off a good ball. Shots can go over the top. There’s no end to improvement, in every aspect. I enjoy bowling in these times.

They believe in me to bowl in those times, so I want to keep that belief.

“Our only place to talk is to do well in the field,” added the 31-year-old Khulna player.

However, both Nasir and Razzak also thought that the fingers have been pointed at them too early by the media. Nasir said,“I think the media talks more than the people. I thought I have to perform, people are talking, so probably that weighed on me.”Razzak said, “If you see my past, I have given five to seven runs. Have you ever thought we have won games because of such overs? Maybe at some point, someone could have noticed and written on it.” l

ASIAN GAMES HOCKEY QUALIFIERS

Bangladesh rely on young shoulders n Raihan Mahmood

Peter Borren (L) captain of the Netherlands and Mohammad Nabi, captain of Afghanistan at the captains arrival press conference at the Peninsula Hotel ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 yesterday in Chittagong INTERNET

Bangladesh will be looking forward to the young bloods to fill the vacuum of the big names missing from their line up in the Asian Games Hockey Qualifiers scheduled to start at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium from March 15.

With the experienced forward Russell Mahmud Jimmy, goalkeeper Zahid Hossain, defender Imran Hasan Pintu and midfielder Quamruzzman Rana suspended, the coach Naveed Alam will rely on his young brigade to provide the required firepower against the opponents who were regarded weaker in strength against the hosts in the recent past. In the group phase Ban-

gladesh will play against Hong Kong, Singapore and Iran. The other group consists of Oman, Sri Lanka, Taipei and Qatar.

Former national skipper and current selector Mamunur Rashid watched the team play a practice match at BKSP on Saturday and he said, “I will say that the team will not miss the skills of the players who are suspended, however the experience will be missed, the fitness level of the team is good and I am hopeful of winning the title.”

Mamun said it is a golden opportunity for the youngsters to establish themselves in the national fold. “We have asked them to be on their best, the target is winning the title, they will enjoy the home advan-

tage and will be playing in front of home crowd and most importantly they will be playing against the opponents who are ranked under Bangladesh.

“The young players I feel will be motivated enough to show their best and establish themselves in the national fold,” said Mamun.

Meanwhile Bangladesh is likely to miss any international warm-up match as all of the teams will arrive on March 13 and it would be difficult to arrange a game just one day before the scheduled start of the meet.

Six of the eight teams will qualify for the Asian Games and join the six elites South Korea, India, Pakistan, Japan, Malaysia and China. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Injured Strootman to miss World Cup

Murray “shocked” at Baltacha cancer

Broad to sit out Windies T20 deciders

AS Roma’s Dutch international midfielder Kevin Strootman will miss the World Cup after being ruled out for the rest of the season with ruptured knee ligaments, the Serie A Club said on Monday. The 24-year-old will undergo surgery and could take between four and six months to recover. Strootman was in Roma’s starting line-up against Napoli on Sunday but collapsed in the 12th minute and was carried off on a stretcher. Strootman had reportedly been a target of English Premier League side Manchester United for next season.

–AFP

Andy Murray has expressed his shock over the news that newly-retired tennis star Elena Baltacha has cancer, but believes she can beat the disease. The Wimbledon champion has known Baltacha since they were young children in Scotland, and she remains very close to his mother Judy. A long-time British number one who retired in November, 30-year-old Baltacha announced on Friday that she had been diagnosed with liver cancer. “I heard about it from my mum a couple of weeks ago, she’d gone in to see her in the hospital.

–AFP

England Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad admitted Sunday that he will sit out the rest of the West Indies tour to rest a knee injury. After his side lost Sunday’s opening game of a three-match T20 series by 27 runs, Broad said he wanted to be fully recovered in time for the World Twenty in Bangladesh later this month. “No panic with the knee, had it a long time,” tweeted Broad. “The workload over the winter has got it to a point it needs treatment. 7 days should be fine.” The second and third matches between West Indies and England are on Tuesday and Thursday.

–AFP

Real Madrid back to La Liga summit n AFP, Madrid Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga with a comfortable 3-0 win over Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with his 38th goal of the season when he headed Angel di Maria’s corner low past Keylor Navas after just 11 minutes.

Navas then kept his side in the game with a string of fine saves, but there was nothing the Costa Rican could do when Ronaldo teed up Marcelo to curl in the second four minutes after half-time.

Levante were reduced to 10 men on 63 minutes when David Navarro was shown a straight red card for a foul on Ronaldo.

And the visitors’ miserable evening was summed up when Nikos Karabelas’ scored a spectacular own goal nine minutes from time to make it 3-0.

Victory means Real now lead second-placed Atletico Madrid by three points with Barcelona a further point back in third.

Seemingly buoyed by Barca’s latest setback in losing to lowly Valladolid on Saturday, Real started very brightly and Ronaldo forced Navas into his first stop after five minutes with a nicely cushioned volley that the ‘keeper collected at the second attempt.

The Portuguese wasn’t to be denied six minutes later, though, as he rose

Simeone wary of Milan quality n AFP, Madrid

highest to meet Di Maria’s cross and power his header low into the corner.

Navas then had to be quick off his line to smother efforts from Di Maria and Karim Benzema as Madrid continued to press. The pick of the saves from the Levante goalkeeper came in firsthalf stoppage time as he leapt to his right to turn Benzema’s header from close range onto the post.

RESULTS Espanyol Lopez 2, Colotto 21, Pizzi 58

Almeria Vidal 85

Real Madrid

3 1 1 3

Elche Fuentes 88-og

Sevilla Bacca 31, Carrico 51, Gameiro 77

3 0

Levante

1 1

Athletic Bilbao

Ronaldo 11, Marcelo 49, Karabelas 81-og

Valencia Alcacer 23

Aduriz 53-pen

Ancelotti’s men did eventually get the all-important second goal four minutes after the restart when a lovely one-two between Ronaldo and Marcelo freed the Brazilian inside the area and he curled the ball into the far corner on his weaker right foot.

Levante were reduced to 10 men just after the hour mark when Navarro’s reckless challenge from behind on Ronaldo was deemed to be worthy of a straight red card by referee. l

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (L) jumps over Levante's goalkeeper Keylor Navas during their Spanish first division match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Sunday REUTERS

Wenger hoping for deja vu n AFP, Munich Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hoping for deja vu when the Gunners face Bayern Munich away in Tuesday’s Champions League last 16, second-leg clash.

Wenger’s side go to Munich’s Allianz Arena needing to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg at the Emirates Stadium three weeks ago.

Arsenal bowed out of Europe to the same opponents at the same stage last season, but not before enjoying a shock 2-0 win in Munich’s after losing 3-1 at home to Bayern.

The Bavarian giants only went through on away goals before going on to win the Wembley final and Wenger said it’s all about belief again for his

Kehl seals Dortmund’s win n

AFP, Berlin

Borussia Dortmund consolidated second place in the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Freiburg as veteran captain Sebastian Kehl netted the winner.

Dortmund came to Freiburg without top-scorer and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, who has a knee strain, but still enjoyed their third straight win.

Jurgen Klopp’s side grabbed the winner on 58 minutes when 34-yearold skipper Kehl curled home a 25-metre shot which gave Freiburg goalkeeper Oliver Baumann little chance.

RESULTS Freiburg

0 1

Borussia Dortmund

Mainz 05

1 1

Hertha Berlin

Choupo-Moting 65-pen

side in Bavaria.

“We have to go out there and go for it,” said Wenger.

“I am confident we can produce a stunning result. It is down to scoring the first goal. After that, anything is possible. This time last year we went there and won 2-0, so we can take confidence from that. It is never over in this game. We will go there with belief that we can do it.”

In 14 matches since the start of 2014, they have won nine, drawn two and lost three, including a humiliating 5-1 league defeat at Liverpool on February 8.

Wenger has a few injury concerns with Laurent Koscielny doubtful after missing the victory over Everton due to a hamstring injury sustained on international duty with France.

Aaron Ramsey (thigh) and Kim Kall-

strom (back) are not likely to return until next weekend’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Buoyant Bayern have no such worries and welcomed back France winger Franck Ribery, Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri and Germany’s Thomas Mueller in Saturday’s 6-1 rout of Wolfsburg.

FIXTURES Atletico Madrid v AC Milan Bayern Munich v Arsenal Having become the first side to win the treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup titles last season, Bayern are again sending records tumbling.

The Wolfsburg win was Bayern’s 16th Bundesliga victory in a row, bettering their own league record of 15 straight wins in 2005, and left them 20

Wigan stun Man City again n AFP, Manchester Manchester City cult hero Uwe Rosler enjoyed an unlikely winning return to the club on Sunday as his Wigan Athletic side triumphed 2-1 in an FA Cup quarter-final upset.

The Championship team, who stunned City 1-0 in last season’s final, will now face Arsenal in a Wembley semi-final, having endured an anxious final 25 minutes after Samir Nasri reduced the arrears.

The pre-game consensus may have been that there was little danger of history repeating itself, but it took Wigan less than half an hour to raise that possibility at the Etihad Stadium.

City conceded an unnecessary pen-

alty, courtesy of the latest in a series of errors from centre-back Martin Demichelis, who was beaten by Marc-Antoine Fortune and compounded the error with a blatant trip.

The home side offered little protest and Gomez, one of four survivors from last year’s final in Wigan’s line-up, showed impressive poise by sending goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon the wrong way from the penalty spot.

The lead was just about a deserved one for the visitors, superbly organised by their manager Rosler, the former City striker, who patrolled the touchline barking instructions.

Prior to Gomez’s goal, City had seemed to be asserting a degree of control, with Jesus Navas particularly threatening from the right wing. l

Neymar can handle World Cup pressure, says Pele n Reuters, Paris Brazil striker Neymar, despite his young age, has what it takes to handle the pressure of a World Cup finals on home soil, according to soccer great Pele.

The 22-year-old forward joined Barcelona from Santos last year on a fiveyear deal, scoring his first La Liga goal in late September as he slowly bulked up for the demands of European football.

“He is a great player,” Pele, a triple World Cup winner, told a news conference at the Paris City Hall on Monday as the World Cup trophy was displayed in the French capital.

“He is gaining experience in Europe, where the game is tougher than in Brazil.

“For him (Barca) is a good opportunity. He will come back to Brazil with some experience.”

Ramos 51

n AFP, London

Burnley tightened their grip on an automatic Championship promotion place by winning 2-1 at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday to record a first win over their derby rivals since 1979.

Jordan Rhodes gave Blackburn the lead in the 24th minute at Ewood Park, drilling a low shot into the bottom-left corner to notch his second goal of 2014.

Shackell equalised with a header in the 73rd minute before Danny Ings pounced on a loose ball to stroke home the winning goal. Victory extended Burnley’s unbeaten league run to 12 games and left them eight points clear of third-place Derby County in the race for the two automatic promotion berths. l

n AFP, Milan

Wigan Athletic's James Perch (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Manchester City during their FA Cup quarter final at the Etihad stadium on Sunday REUTERS

“It will be a big pressure. It will be our revenge. The idea is to wipe away that memory, hopefully this year,” he said.

Brazil were drawn in Group A with Mexico, Cameroon and Croatia, against whom they will open proceedings on June 12 in Sao Paulo.

Pele, a special advisor of the World Cup organising committee, now hopes nothing will disturb the football extravaganza from June 12-July 13.

“My concern is what could happen during the World Cup,” said Pele.

“The Confederations Cup was an important event, as will the World Cup and the (2016 Summer) Olympic Games be, for Brazil to attract tourists.

“It is not a good idea to stage demonstrations because the Brazilian national team promotes Brazil. It’s not their fault if there is corruption in the country.” l

Burnley boost promotion bid

Brazilian football legend Pele delivers a speech as he stands by the FIFA World Cup trophy during the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour in Paris on Sunday AFP

Callejon strike sinks Roma

Kehl 58

“I told him he’s a scumbag,” Baumann joked to Sky Sports, while Kehl admitted he was “very, very happy” after his speculative shot dipped under the bar.

The result leaves Freiburg second from bottom while Dortmund are fourpoints clear in second, but remain 20 points behind runaway leaders Bayern Munich.

Mainz 05 and Hertha Berlin later shared a point in a 1-1 draw as Colombia striker Adrian Ramos’s goal was cancelled out by Eric Choupo-Moting’s second-half penalty for hosts Mainz.

The result leaves both sides within three points of the top six. l

points clear in the league table.

They also extended their record unbeaten league run to 49 matches, equalling Arsenal’s Premier League record of 49 games without defeat set in 2004 and Juventus’s marker in 20112012.

Only AC Milan’s record of 58 unbeaten Serie A matches, set between 1991-1993, is a better mark in Europe’s top leagues.

Bayern have only dropped four points with 22 wins in 24 league games, but Manchester City showed Arsenal the way with a shock 3-2 win in last December’s group stage game in Munich.

Despite their Wolves romp, Bayern boss Pep Guardiola has said his team can ill afford to allow Arsenal the same first-half chances which Wolfsburg enjoyed. l

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has warned his side to take nothing for granted as they look to seal their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against AC Milan on Tuesday.

The Spanish side haven’t reached the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition since Simeone played for the club back in 1997.

However, they are stong favourites to progress as they hold a 1-0 advantage from the first leg thanks to Costa’s late winner in the San Siro three weeks ago.

“Milan is a strong institution. They are accustomed to playing in this competition and they have players with a lot of talent,” said Simeone.

“It is a definitive match, but it is very dangerous despite the result in the first leg.”

Milan have had a dreadful domestic season as they lie in 11th in Serie A with winning the Champions League their last realistic hope of qualifying for the competition next season.

However, Simeone is wary that star players such as Mario Balotelli and Kaka still have the class to make it a long night for his side at the Vicente Calderon.

“Their form doesn’t complicate anything because I expect the best Milan. It will be a very difficult match, as we saw in the first leg, because there is so much at stake. In these games the big players show up no matter what they are going through at the present moment.” l

Napoli forward Jose Callejon headed a late winner to hand Roma only their second defeat of the season on Sunday and dent the capital city side’s scudetto challenge.

Roma travelled to the San Paolo hoping to reduce the arrears on Juventus after Antonio Conte’s side had stretched their lead to 14 points with an earlier 1-0 win over fourth-placed Fiorentina.

However Rudi Garcia’s men missed a host of chances and were punished in the 81st minute when Callejon rose

to meet Faouzi Ghoulam’s cross from deep on the left to beat Morgan De Sanctis with a precision header.

Juve sit top of the pile with a 14-point lead although Roma, who remain second, have a game in hand after a recent fixture at home to Parma was rained off.

Napoli coach Rafael Benitez said in midweek their title bid was virtually over, but their 16th win of the campaign has put them back in the fight for the runners-up spot which offers an automatic Champions League place.

Callejon was less effusive about the significance of the win: “Now, our aim is second place. l

RESULTS Bologna Chievo Paloschi 5-pen, 90+3-pen

Inter Milan Palacio 30

Lazio Parma Biabiany 20, Schelotto 90+2

Sampdoria

0 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 4 2

Krsticic 49, Ceccherini 53-og, Okaka 68, Gabbiadini 75

Napoli Callejon 81

1 0

Sassuolo Genoa Gilardino 88

Torino Atalanta Moralez 60

Verona

Livorno Mbaye 19, 27

Roma

DHAKA TRIBUNE

QUICK BYTES

Pistorius vomits in court as girlfriend’s autopsy discussed

An emotional Oscar Pistorius became physically sick in court on Monday as he listened to harrowing testimony about the autopsy of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he is accused of murdering.

Sitting in the dock, the visibly shaken Paralympian retched and heaved into a blue bucket as a pathologist gave a detailed post-mortem account of the multiple bullet wounds Pistorius admits inflicting. University of Pretoria pathologist Gert Saayman said the double-amputee sprinter shot Steenkamp with “Black Talon” hollowpoint bullets, which mushroom open like a jagged flower on contact to cause maximum tissue damage. Pistorius, 27, says he fired four shots at Steenkamp on February 14, 2013 through a locked toilet door, believing her to be an intruder. He denies intentionally killing her. Saayman -- whose testimony the media has been banned from directly reporting -- told the court how Steenkamp was struck four times with three bullets from Pistorius’s nine millimetre pistol. Steenkamp was hit once in the top right of her head, once in the right elbow and once in the right hip. She was also struck in the webbing of her left hand.

–AFP

Bayern boss Hoeness admits to tax cheating The boss of German football giants Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeness, told a high-profile tax trial Monday that he hid millions of euros more than authorities thought but denied being a “social parasite”. In a surprise twist, defence lawyer Hanns Feigen said that Hoeness cheated the taxman out of 18.5 million euros ($25.5 million) -- vastly more than the 3.5 million euros listed in the prosecution brief. Vowing he wants to come clean on his fiscal wrong-doing, Hoeness told the Munich court that he stashed away the money in a secret Swiss bank account during years of obsessive stock “gambling”. “I am glad that everything is now transparent and on the table,” the 62-year-old former pro player and businessman, who now faces a possible jail term, said on the first day of his trial. “I deeply regret my misbehaviour. I will do everything to ensure that this distressing chapter closes.”

–AFP

Gladbach confirm Ter Stegen to move abroad Borussia Moenchengladbach confirmed on Monday that their Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has been linked to Barcelona, will join a foreign club at the end of the season. Ter Stegen, who has won three caps for Germany, has a Gladbach contract until 2015, but has told Borussia he wants to leave in June. He has long been linked to Barcelona, whose goalkeeper Victor Valdes stands down at the end of the season after more than a decade.

Gladbach’s director of sport Max Eberl revealed they had agreed terms with Ter Stegen’s new club -- whom he did not name -- but confirmed it is based abroad. The club are hoping to get a double-digit figure in the millions of euros for Ter Stegen and on Monday announced Swiss shot-stopper Yann Sommer as his replacement.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six NBA 2013-14 5:30AM Miami v Washington 8:30AM La Clippers v Phoenix

Sport

15

The amateurs of UAE n Minhaz Uddin Khan

United Arab Emirates national cricket team, one of the six associate members trying their luck in the first round of the ICC World Twenty20 this year, played their first ICC World Cup in 1996 three years before Bangladesh appeared in their first World Cup in 1999.

But Bangladesh, being blessed with the Test status in 2000, drew a vast difference between the two cricket playing nations. A reason that was found common while in conversation with the three members the side – captain Khurram Khan, middle-order batsman Vikrant Shetty and coach Aaqib Javed in the ICC World Twenty20 open media session held yesterday - was cricket is yet to be taken professionally.

For 30-year-old Vikrant Shetty, cricket is a passion that he picked up as a youngster in India and carried on with it while being brought up in UAE. “I have a full time job. I am a media planner in advertising industry. So I have a full time job where I work during the day and in the evening we manage the time to play cricket.

We are actually amateur cricketers so in terms of time, it is very difficult for us to manage. So on that basis and concerning the other teams who have professional cricketers, it is a big

achievement for us to qualify and play in the world event,” informed Vikrant.

Interestingly Vikrant informed that he is spending his annual leave for attending the World event. “In a year I get one month leave and I am managing that to play cricket. But the office considering World Twenty20 has been very lenient this time. They have given me leave beyond the annual leave but other than that I have to use the 30 days leave annually to play cricket,” said Vikrant.

According to captain Khurram, one cannot seriously take cricket as a career in UAE at the moment and almost everyone in his team have different full time jobs and play cricket in thier spare time in the evening – after office hours. Khurram is a fulltime employee for the Emirates Airlines.

“Qualifying for the World Cup is a huge achievement for a team which is not professional. But the time is changing and there are lots of young ones coming into the game who can look at cricket as a career,” said Khurram.

Pakistan, since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore, have been using grounds across UAE as their home. Khurram believes the presence of an international team in the country for most of a year is having its positive effects. “It does help us a lot for Pakistan being there. Almost every tournament they play in UAE encourages youngsters to play cricket there. The

Brothers’ night out n Reazur Rahman Rohan

The Ireland team arrived in the capital Sunday night for the World Twenty20 and though their game is still a few days away, it didn’t take long for the O’Brien brothers to take a tour of the night Dhaka city. The Irish brothers, Kevin O’Brien and Niall O’Brien, have been a strong force behind their team’s success over a long time. Though many people know their capability on the field, only a handful people know how they like to explore the cities they go to.

Speaking of his elder brother during the open media session yesterday, Niall said, “We get along quite well. On the field we are very competitive while

off the field we do hang around a lot.

Back home we have get-togethers with friends and family and when we are at a new place we go out to see the city.”

The Irish brothers earlier represented Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League T20’s second edition and due to their long stay that time they also know a few hangout spots.

Soon after checking in at their team hotel, the O’Brien brothers set their foot at Gulshan where they spent a relaxed time along with few other expats. “Yesterday (Sunday) night we went to Gulshan Club, met few people from Ireland there. It felt good, we had a good time,” the younger brother Niall said. l

side (UAE) has got the ODI status and hope in future can play with Test playing teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh,” said Khurram.

Cricket is indeed gaining some pace in the middle-eastern country according the side’s head coach Aaqib Javed.

The former Pakistan national cricketer was criticized for being too ambitious when taking charge of the team two years ago. “It was not easy when I joined two years back. Playing in the international level, coaching players at that level and then come to work for team like UAE, is quite a difficult job. I looked into the few opportunities that I saw in the UAE cricket when I joined but media said I was too ambitious. I agreed to the fact then and see what happens. And today we are playing all the three worlds cup (U19, Twenty20 and 50 overs) which for a fact, was my ambition,” said Aaqib.

Aaqib informed that there is at least around 100 teams playing cricket around UAE and across three tiers – Div 1, Div 2 and Div 3.

“Things are going well there after qualifying for all the world cups and getting the ODI status. We hope to move forward but the next step - performance in the world events - is really tough. We qualified for the world cup but now we will need to show our potential against the best teams from around the world,” said Aaqib. l

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning the first set against Victor Hanescu of Romania during the BNP Parabas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Sunday AFP

Djokovic advances, Tsonga crashes out n Reuters

Novak Djokovic remained on course for his first title of the season with a second round victory over Victor Hanescu 7-6 6-2 at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday.

Djokovic, the second ranked player in the world, is off to a slow 2014 and has only defeats at the Australian Open and the Dubai Duty Free Championship to show for thus far.

He failed to reach the final in either event, but does bring positive vibes to Indian Wells, California where he is a two-time champion.

Facing the Romanian Hanescu, Djokovic fended off five break points

during the competitive opening set before dominating the tiebreaker and taking complete control of the match from there.

“I didn’t make any returns in the first set. (In the) Second set I also struggled with the return, which is one of my better sides in the game generally speaking,” Djokovic told reporters after registering his 550th career win, the sixth active player to do so.

“It’s the first match and it takes a little bit of time to get used to the center court. I haven’t played on it this year.”

Djokovic will next face Alejandro Gonzalez who made the third round by defeating Ivan Dodig 6-4 2-6 7-6.

Elsewhere in the draw, a couple of

high seeds were sent home packing early. Fourth seed Tomas Berdych was upset by Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 4-6 6-2 6-4.

Berdych had been in strong form, winning 11 matches in a row in February, but slipped up in the early loss.

Sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro withdrew because of a left wrist injury that had also forced him out of the Dubai tourney last week.

Ninth seed Jo-Willfried Tsonga, of France, also bowed out in a 6-4 6-4 loss to fellow countryman Julien Benneteau.

Eighth seed Richard Gasquet and 12th seed John Isner advanced after surviving a volatile day. l

Smith quit to spend time with family Fashion passion thaws out n AFP, Johannesburg

South Africa captain Graeme Smith, who last week announced his retirement from international cricket, was influenced by his family in taking the decision, media reported on Sunday.

Smith, 33, told the Sunday Times newspaper that he knew he had made the right decision while at the hospital bedside of his 18-month-old daughter, who had suffered burns from hot water.

He says the toddler reached out to him and touched his Proteas badge.

“That’s all she’s known of me really.”

“She sees me on the TV and that was a moment where I realised I’m pretty happy with the decision I’ve made,” he said.

The Proteas captian stunned the cricketing world on Monday when he announced he would quit international cricket at the end of the Test series against Australia. “I’ll have more time to see my children grow and I’ll be mentally more there.”

Smith is the most capped Test captain in the history of the game with 9,262 Test runs at an average of 48.49 with 27 hundreds and 38 half-centuries.

He has captained the Proteas for 12

years since the age of 22.

“As a captain, even when you are at home your brain is still elsewhere a lot of the time,” he said.

The batsman, who married Irish pop singer Morgan Deane in 2011 also has an Irish citizenship, but says he has no plans of playing for his second country.

“I won’t be picking up a bat for that country. I won’t be playing for Ireland.”

“If am going to play for anyone, it would be the Proteas,” he said.

He said breaking the news of his decision to his team was difficult, and he struggled to get his words out. l

Samuels spurs Windies to T20 win n Reuters

Marlon Samuels blasted an unbeaten 69 off just 46 balls to spur West Indies to an easy 27-run victory over England in their first Twenty20 international at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday.

Samuels helped West Indies compile an impressive total of 170 for three after Chris Gayle got the innings off to a flying start with a quickfire 43.

“I’ve been working hard, but the hard work is paying off,” Samuels said in a post-match interview.

“I love to play cricket in Barbados, the pitch was one you could play your shots on, so we had to back ourselves.”

England, who beat the West Indies 2-1 in their three match one-day series, could only muster 143 for nine in reply

and never really looked like getting to their target.

All-rounder Tim Bresnan top scored for England with 47 not out off 29 deliveries but his late blast counted for little after the tourists had slumped to 73-6 in the 12th over.

Spinner Samuel Badree was the pick of the West Indian bowlers, taking 3-17 off four overs, including the stumpings of Alex Hales and Luke Wright in successive balls after Sunil Narine only managed two overs because of injury.

“We didn’t get going today, but that can happen in T20 when you a chasing a good score,” said England captain Stuart Broad, who also struggled with a sore knee.

“I’ve got a touch of patellar tendonitis and may not play the next two games to get ready for the World T20.” l

Star Sports 4 AFC Champions League 2:30PM CC Mariners v San Hiroshima 5:00PM Buriram United v Pohang Steelers Ten Cricket 12:15AM West Indies v England 2nd T20 Ten Action 1:00AM UEFA Champions League, R16-Leg2 Bayern Munich v Arsenal Ten Sports 1:00AM UEFA Champions League, R16-Leg2 Atlético Madrid v Milan

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels plays a shot during the first T20 match against England at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on Sunday AFP

SCORECARD West Indies D. Smith b Bopara 27 C. Gayle lbw b Tredwell 43 M. Samuels not out 69 L. Simmons c Lumb b Bopara 3 A. Russell not out 24 Extras (lb3, nb1) 4 Total (3 wickets, 20 overs) 170 Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Smith), 2-87 (Gayle), 3-112 (Simmons).

Did not bat: Dwayne Bravo, D. Sammy, D. Ramdin, S. Narine, R. Rampaul, S. Badree.

Bowling: Broad 2-0-26-0 (1nb), Dernbach 4-0-36-0, Bresnan 4-0-360, Stokes 2-0-30-0, Bopara 4-0-23-2, Tredwell 4-0-16-1.

England M. Lumb c Rampaul b Badree 18 A. Hales st Ramdin b Badree 3 L. Wright st Ramdin b Badree 0 E. Morgan c (sub) Charles b Samuels 19 J. Buttler c (sub) Charles b Narine 0 R. Bopara c and b Dwayne Bravo 42 B. Stokes st Ramdin b Samuels 4 T. Bresnan not out 47 S. Broad run out 5 J. Tredwell run out 1 J. Dernbach not out 1 Extras (b1, lb2) 3 Total (9 wickets, 20 overs) 143 Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Hales), 2-13 (Morgan), 3-36 (Lumb), 4-40 (Buttler), 5-55 (Morgan), 6-73 (Stokes), 7-101 (Bopara), 8-123 (Broad), 9-133 (Tredwell).

Bowling: Badree 4-0-17-3, Rampaul 3-0-31-0, Narine 2-0-8-1, Dwayne Bravo 4-0-30-1, Samuels 4-0-21-2, Sammy 1-0-12-0, Russell 2-0-21-0.

Result: West Indies won by 27 runs West Indies lead 3-match series 1-0

Sharapova, Serena cold war n AFP, Indian Wells The sometimes tense relationship between tennis superstars Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams may be taking a turn for the better over their shared love of fashion.

After winning her opening match at the Indian Wells hardcourt tournament, Sharapova seemed delighted to learn that Williams had tweeted that she thought the Russian’s outfit was “totally cute”.

“Really? Are those her exact words, ‘totally cute?’” Sharapova said.

Williams, who hasn’t played Indian Wells since 2001, concluded her tweet with “#approved”.

Sharapova and Williams were caught up in a war of words before Wimbledon last year, after the American took a dig at Sharapova’s romance with Bulgarian ATP player Grigor Dimitrov.

Sharapova hit back with comments on the American’s romance with her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

The two have since tried to smooth things over publicly, and Sharapova seemed intrigued by Williams’ tweet.

“I think we have to exchange designs,” Sharapova said. “We have to design an outfit for each other, without knowing -- that would be fun to do, without telling each other what it is, just unveiling it.”

But Sharapova would draw the line at

some designs -- such as the kind of catsuit Williams famously modeled at the 2002 US Open.

“Well, I have to put an end to the idea of the catsuit on me,” she said. “I’m 26 already, so I think those days are over.”

The four-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one, who has collaborated with apparel maker Nike on designs for tennis clothing, offered insight into her fashion philosophy.

“I like to push the envelope a little bit but still maintain an elegant and classy look and appeal to girls that are playing Under 14s and junior tournaments, and appeal to ladies that are playing in a doubles league,” she said.

“There’s always a thin line because you have to create for different body shapes. It’s fun. I really enjoy it.”

She also keeps a keen eye on what her WTA rivals are wearing.

“I think it’s fun to compare and critique -- and gossip about it!” l

Coca-Cola to support Mong’s football coaching n Raihan Mahmood Coca-Cola Bangladesh stepped up to support football coach Suelha Mong Marma to ensure a healthy active lifestyles amongst underprivileged girls in Bangladesh.

Suelha Mong Marma, a football lover and a coach, runs football schools at Mogachori, Rangamati and Kalisindur, Mymenshing with his own funds and trains underprivileged girls to play football. Coca-Cola will be supporting Mong’s football schools and provide the girls with equipment and football gear for better practice. Coca-Cola first partnered with Mr. Mong during the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-

Cola that came to Dhaka for the first time ever for two days in December 2013.

Coca-Cola also revealed that they have produced a documentary on Mong’s, work how he trained the girls to play and be athletic and made them such good players, that many of them were selected to play for the Bangladesh National Team.

The facts were presented to the press at a program yesterday by Debasish Deb, Coca-Cola’s Country Manager for Bangladesh. Mahfuza Akhter, Deputy Chairperson of the Women’s Committee of Bangladesh Football Federation and coach Mong were also present on the occasion. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

UPAZILA POLLS

EC: Maximum violence occured in ministers’ areas n Mohammad Zakaria The areas belonging to the constituencies of ministers and state ministers are the ones experienced the higest incidents of violence during the first two phases of upazila parishad polls, the Election Commission has observed.

Analysing the first two phases of the election, the commission observed that these areas saw different violent incidents that included snatching of ballot papers, casting fake votes and capturing polling centres.

Commission might suspend voting at places where local MPs violate electoral code The commission has asked the returning officers and the district election officers to send their reports immediately, in a bid to stop a repeat of such violence in the next phases of the upazila parishad poll, EC sources said.

They added that the commission feared that violence would increase if necessary steps were not taken.

Farhad Hossain, senior assistant secretary of the EC, yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that ministers and state ministers were trying to influence the local body polls to ensure wins for the candidates of their choice. The cabinet members were violating the electoral code of conduct by staying in the polling areas and engaging in election campaign, the official said, adding that the returning officers were not taking actions against the influential ministers and state ministers.

During the first two phases, most of the violent incidents took place at upa-

zilas in Sirajganj, Noakhali, Chandpur, Madaripur, Barisal, Jessore, Satkhira, Kushtia and Bhola, the EC officials said.

The commission suspended election in the entire Noakhali sadar upazila and different polling centres in the above-mentioned districts because of violence.

Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz said the EC has asked the authorities concerned to take actions if any MP was engaged in election campaigning, in violation of the electoral code of conduct.

The commission is thinking of suspending voting at places where the local MPs violate the electoral code, he said, adding that MPs could only go to the polling area for casting votes.

The commissioner urged the political parties not to hold any political campaigning in the election areas.

In Jhalokati’s Kathalia upazila, at least 12 people were injured yesterday in a clash between supporters of an Awami League-backed candidate and a rebel candidate of the ruling party.

On Sunday, the EC received information that an election rally was being held in the guise of a party meeting at Barisal’s Hizla upazila. The commission immediately asked the district election officer to stop the rally, and is now investigating the matter.

On Saturday, supporters of an Awami League-backed candidate and a rebel candidate of the ruling party engaged in violent clashes in Gazipur’s Sreepur. The commission asked the returning officer and home ministry to take immediate legal actions against the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, 1,153 candidates backed by the Awami League, the BNP, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jatiya Party are contesting in 83 upazilas in the third phase of election. The High Court has stayed polls at the Fenchuganj upazila. l

Back Page

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

COLOURS OF SPRING

Narsingdi residents enjoying the first bloom of spring. This picture was taken recently

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Poppy cultivation near border area foiled n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

A recent drive by local authority in Dinajpur’s Nawabganj upazila has managed to foil the cultivation of opium poppy plants on about eight bighas of no man’s land on the border.

Farmers living on both sides of the border near Kushdoho union have allegedly been active in cultivating opium poppy plants, the production of which is banned in the country.

On March 3, an upazila taskforce committee – comprising officials from the Department of Narcotics Control, Border Guard Bangladesh and local

administration – conducted the drive to detain the perpetrators and destroy poppy fields in the area.

Nawabganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sayed Farhad Hossain, who led the drive, said: “The land owners escaped during the eviction drive.”

The locals have been warned against the further cultivation of opium poppy plants, the UNO said, and alleged that field officers of the Agriculture Department did not take the matter seriously.

Md Shah Newaz, assistant director of Department of Narcotics Control, said: “The farmers were not aware about the ban and downsides of poppy cultivation.”

“They cultivated the fruit to use poppy seeds as spices. They collected poppy seeds from the field, while the rest of the product was utilised as fuel.

We will investigate the involvement of the businesspeople in this regard,” he said.

The farmers were issued warnings while no case has been filed in this regard, the assistant director added.

Poppy plants were reportedly cultivated near the police outpost in Aftabganj village of the upazila, as most of the locals were unaware about the plant.

Local union parishad Chairman

CJ: Onus on judges to clear case backlog n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Preparations for an event centring the upcoming T20 World Cup going on at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka yesterday

PM: Clear local development works bills n Mohosinul Karim Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday directed the finance and local government minister to clear arrear bills of local government development works immediately to keep contractors out of financial hardship.

The premier also gave instructions to respective ministries to prepare a master plan for building a well-planned road network and testing the sustainability of concretes instead of bitumen for constructing.

She gave the instructions during a discussion with senior cabinet members after the agenda-based discussion of weekly cabinet meeting ended at the Secretariat in the capital.

A senior cabinet member told the Dhaka Tribune that Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan discussed the issue of arrear bills of local government development activities.

Citing the sufferings, the minister said: “Most contractors had stopped continuing their works as their bills were put on hold due to the indecision of concerned ministries. A huge

number of requests had been received in this regard from different ends. It should be solved soon to put an end to their sufferings and complete the development works.”

Agreeing with the minister, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju and Communication Minister Obaidul Quader also took part

PM also gives a directive for protecting wetlands, water bodies and on the proper use of land in the discussion. The ministers also requested the local government minister to solve the problem immediately.

Hearing the requests, the local government minister, however, did not make any comment in this regard.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith raised the issue of overlapping development works in rural areas and the misuse of financial allocations by the local government engineering department

and the roads and highway department.

He also requested his colleagues to stop such activities for availing fresh and additional allocation for the local development works.

The minister said: “After heading the requests from the cabinet members, the premier asked the finance minister and local government minister to take steps of releasing funds for the pending bills immediately.”

The prime minister also asked the ministers concerned to prepare a master plan for constructing a wellplanned roads network and preventing unplanned construction.

A directive for protecting wetlands, water bodies and on the proper use of lands was also given at the discussion.

Earlier, the cabinet meeting approved the proposals for expanding the interim councils of three Hill Tracts zila parishads in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban and two hajj packages for next hajj season in the regular meeting.

Though the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts placed a proposal of expanding the council to 15 members, the cabinet agreed to expand it to 11 members. l

Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain has said the overall responsibility of case management lies with the judges who, he believes, can reduce delay in disposal of cases through devotion to work and dedication.

“We have many useful provisions of the procedural laws and practices but those are not properly utilised,” he said while addressing a programme at the Dhaka District Court yesterday.

The chief justice said: “There is no provision for granting adjournment in session cases. As far as the civil cases are concerned, at peremptory hearing stage adjournment can be allowed only three times and also on payment of costs. I have been told that non-service of summons in civil cases and non-attendance of witnesses in session cases are principal causes for delay.

“The new provision of the Code of Civil Procedure provides for issuance of summons through registered post and the same is accepted as duly served on expiry of 30 days. If the judges are mindful to this provision, then there is no reason of causing delay in the service of summons. The police officer concerned is responsible for ensuring attendance of witnesses in cases pending before the sessions courts, special courts, tribunals and magistrate courts and this is an important duty of the police for the administration of criminal justice.”

The chief justice said: “The judges and magistrates should at the very outset ensure that processes issued upon the witnesses actually reach to the police officer well ahead of time. Those

are not piled up in his nezarat [an office in a court that dispatches summon letters]. If the judges are vigilant, then the police officer shall have no option but to produce the witness or explain his non-availability.”

Terming mediation an important tool to reduce backlog of civil cases, he said it was “neither feasible nor desirable that all civil cases shall go through trial processes and be ended with a judicial verdict.”

He said: “We shall have to find out the ways and means to fully utilise the provision of mediation in civil cases and appeals so that the court may be relieved of unnecessary civil cases and concentrate to the trial of cases involving complex legal issues. This will also help us to substantially reduce the backlog of cases.”

The Judicial Strengthening Project (JUST) organised the programme.

Dhaka District and Sessions Judge Md Abdul Majid presided over the programme. Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Jahrul Haque, Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Ismail Hossein, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Bikash Kumar Saha, Dhaka Bar President Md Mohsin Miah, Secretary Moslemuddin Jasim and court judges were present at the event.

The chief justice said: “One of the key constraints faced by the judiciary is the large case backlog which is creating considerable pressure on the court system and hindering access to justice. This, in fact, is not an isolated malady rather symptomatic of a number of other issues, including complex procedures and deficiency in the case management mechanism.” l

Azizul Haque said: “There is no poppy plant in the villages after the eviction drive.”

Poppies are used for producing opium and other drugs like heroin, morphine and codeine.

Anyone found illegally cultivating poppy plants could face jail time between two and 13 years, while the customs law has also imposed a ban on the import of poppy seeds.

Despite bans by many countries against poppy cultivation, criminal groups grow the plant in different countries including India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. l

Fight over ducks gets schoolboy expelled n Our correspondent, Gaibandha A schoolboy is not being able to attend classes in Sadullahpur upazila of Gaibandha district for last seven days as the headmaster of the school expelled him following family conflicts.

The boy is Russel, student of fifth grade and son of a local Ful Babu.

The clash broke out on March 3 when Headmaster of Sadipara Primary School Kaiyum Mia sprayed pesticides on his paddy field, said union parishad member of ward no 6 Aiyub Ali. In the morning that day, two ducks owned by Ful Babu entered the field and died because of pesticides. Following the incident, Ful Babu’s wife Manju Rani seized two ducks owned by Kaiyum Ali around 11am. Kaiyum’s wife Anzuara Begum informed him of the incident.

In retaliation, Kaiyum threw out Russel from the school and threatened that he would not be allowed to enter the school until the ducks were returned.

Manju Rani informed the matter to Union Parishad chairman Shahidul Islam Shipon and sought justice in this regard.

UP member Aiyub Ali said: “When we went to the school the headmaster was not present. Therefore, we requested an assistant teacher to allow Russel to join class saying that the conflict could be resolved later. But Russel was not allowed to enter school yesterday.”

When contacted, Kaiyum Ali said: “I did not oust him. I told him to bring back the ducks from his mom. But, Russel did not return to school.”

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ahsan Habib said: “Steps would be taken soon in this regard.” l

High Court orders for women-only prison vans n Tribune Report The High Court yesterday ordered the authorities concerned to carry female prisoners on separate vans for bringing them to court to prevent sexual harassment.

Disposing a writ petition, the court also issued a ruling seeking explanations as to why female prisoners should not be transported on separate vans. The home secretary, the inspector general of police, and the inspector general of prison were asked to respond to the ruling within four weeks. l

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B3 Adidas, Nike battle for soccer supremacy in world cup year

B4 French FM Moscovici:

Competitiveness matters more than euro strength

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Textile firms reign in IPO market n Kayes Sohel Apparel companies have become dominant in the country’s initial public offering (IPO) market seeking funds to increase their production capacity and sales network.

Lower cost of fund and growing global presence of the sector have been mentioned by the analysts as reasons of the rising trend.

Of seven companies which has received IPO approval so far this year, three were textile, said Bangladesh Securities Exchange Commission (BSEC).

Last year there were three textile companies entering the IPO market while the number was four in 2012, one in 2011 and one in 2010.

Around 40 more IPO proposals have been submitted to the BSEC, of which, 10 are textile.

They include Keya Cotton Mills, Far East Knitting and Dyeing, Hamid Fabrics, MP Spinning Mills, Keya Spinning Mills, Dragon Sweater and Spinning, Fiber Shine, Royal Denim, Shasha Denims and Aman Cotton Fibrous.

Tung Hai Knitting and Dyeing Ltd is the latest textile company receiving BSEC approval and waiting to open its subscription soon.

The proceeds from its IPO will be spent to expand its production and financial capacities buying more machinery and strengthening capital base, among others.

There are more textile companies waiting to make debut in the bourses, which include Matin Spinning Mills, Mozaffar Hossain Spinning Mills and Hwa Well Textiles (BD). They are also planning to use their IPO proceeds in the enhancement of capacities.

“It is the lower cost of fund, the main reason why the textile firms feel attracted to enter the stock market instead of banks,” said Md Moniruzzaman, managing director of IDLC Investments Ltd. “Most of IPO proposals were made two years ago when bank interest rate was much higher than now, and the companies opted for the cheapest way of having funds offered by the stock market.”

Md Moniruzzaman cited the increase of textile companies as another possible reason for the IPO proposals influx from sector.

“Despite many odds, Bangladesh’s apparel industry which accounts for 80% of the country’s total exports has been growing faster than any other sector. It requires funds to expand.”

According to Anwar-ul-Alam Chow-

dhury Parvez, former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), banks’ higher interest rate has forced apparel companies to seek funds from the stock market for expansion.

About 36 lakh people work in the country’s clothing industry which is the world’s second-largest supplier of garment products after China. Destination of nearly 60% of the exports is Europe while 23% goes to the United States.

Of total 257 listed companies presently, the textile sector firms are 32.

The number is the third largest of companies coming from a single sector.

The textile companies are the tenth in terms of market capitalisation.

As of February this year, the textile companies’ market cap stood at about Tk950 crore, which was 4% more than the previous session. l

Safko Spinnins stock surge on disclosure n Tahmidur Rahman Safko Spinning (SAFKOSPINN) stocks yesterday saw a price hike of 13% each at Dhaka Stock Exchange as the company recommended stock dividend of 10% and expressed intention to issue rights shares.

The recommendation came at the company’s board meeting on Sunday, considering the financial statements of last year.

Having no price limit on the trading of the stock following the corporate disclosure, investors took opportunity to make the best of the company’s strategic moves, which resulted in trade value of Tk5.6 crore for the spinning mill at the bourse.

The “A” category stock, aside from the stock dividend, also decided to issue rights shares (3R:2) that will allow an investor to issue three of the company’s shares at its face value of Tk10 each against holdings of every 2 shares.

The issue of bonus shares having record date fixed on March 20 is subject to approval by the shareholders and the regulatory authorities while the record date for entitlement of the proposed rights shares to be notified later after obtaining approval from BSEC, according to DSE disclosure.

The company earlier reported its unaudited third quarterly (July-Sept) profit to be Tk75.8 lakh after tax while it was Tk54.1 lakh during the same period a year earlier.

Latest third quarterly report showed the fall in financial expense drove up profitability with the company seeing a slight rise in sales.

The company is yet to make its last year’s financial reports available online. However, the DSE disclosures show yearly earnings per share is Tk1.14 while it was Tk1.05 a year ago, registering a rise of 8.6% yearly.

As of end September last year, the company had an accumulated loss of Tk10.1 crore. l

A bird's eye view of Kamalapur Inland Container Depot in Dhaka

Export earning rises by 14% in 8 months riding on RMG products n Tribune Report

Employees work in a textile mill in Dhaka

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

BB relaxes business travel quota in forex spending n Tribune Report Bangladesh Bank has relaxed its rules doubling business travel quota in foreign exchange by exporters, manufac-

tures and importers.

Under the new provisions, resident Bangladesh nationals and foreign nationals working in business organizations in Bangladesh will be able

to spend $10,000 instead of existing $5000 per year for traveling to the foreign countries.

The central bank issued a circular in this connection yesterday and asked all commercial banks to follow the latest instruction on releasing annual travel quota in foreign exchange to resident Bangladesh nationals and senior level expatriate foreign nationals employed in business organisations in Bangladesh with valid visas and work permits.

“Exporters, importers and producers for the local market would be able to spend $400 in a day and spend the highest $4,000 in a single trip and $10,000 annually in a foreign country,” the circular said.

Besides, exporters will also be entitled to use balances in their foreign currency retention quota account for their business visits abroad, it said.

It said genuine requirements beyond the entitlements enumerated above will be accommodated by the BB upon submission of application supported by documents establishing bonafides of the additional requirements. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bangladesh’s export earnings stood at US$19.82bn, up nearly by 14% in the first eight-month of the current fiscal, compared to the same period of the last year, thanks to increased RMG export despite political turmoil centering 5 January national polls.

The exports earning of July-February in 2012-13 financial year was $17.40bn.

Bangladesh had fetched $2.39bn only in February this year, which was 6.36% higher than same period of last fiscal year.

In July-February 2013-14, apparel export went up by 16.69% to $16.13bn compared to $13.83bn of the last fiscal.

Only RMG exports went up by 9.74% to $1.96bn in February, 2014.

The knitwear and woven garments, the two largest export earners, registered 17.5% and 16% moderate growth respectively in the same period. The knitwear export volume amounted nearly $8bn while woven garments $8.22bn.

Frozen foods export registered a 24.23% rise to $458m followed by shrimps 29% to $396m, tea 10.37% to $1.81m, vegetables 35.17% to $86m, pharmaceutical 23.57% to $48.18m, leather 44.33% to $333m, footwear 32% to $377m in the period, according

to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

On the other hand, jute and jute products export dropped by 20.71% to $535m, specialised textiles 7.37% to $76.34m, frozen fish 12.17% to $36m and ships, boats and floating structures 93% to only .08m.

“Though year to year, more specifically an initial 8 months’ export earnings rose but the last three-month value showed us a negative trend as we had to count higher airfreight and discount rates, Shahidullah Azim, vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) told the Dhaka Tribune.

To avoid order cancellations, the manufacturers had to give discount rates and also to pay more for airfreights, said Azim.

Plastic products have also seen a 5% decline to $52.64m due to the suspension of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facilities of Bangladeshi products to the US market.

“GSP suspension in the US market has cast a shadow on the export of plastic products as we are now unable to get trade facilities in the US market following GSP suspension,” said KM Iqbal Hossain, General Secretary of Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA). l

BB to hold women entrepreneurs’ conference Thursday n Tribune Report A day-long Women Entrepreneurs’ Conference and Product Display-2014 will be held on Thursday to encourage the women entrepreneurs across the country.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Atiur Rahman will formally inaugurate the day-long conference, said the officials of the central bank while addressing a press conference held yesterday at its headquarters in the city.

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and Special Programmes Department of BB will jointly organise the programme at a city hotel in association with banks and non-bank financial

institutions, JICA and CARE, Bangladesh.

The press conference was attended, among others, by Executive Director of BB Nirmal Chandra Bhakta, President of Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB) Ali Reza Iftekhar, Managing Director of Pubali Bank Helal Ahmed Chowdhury and Managing Director of Islami Bank Mohammad Abdul Mannan.

“Around 1,000 women entrepreneurs across the country, financed by banks and non-bank financial institutions, will take part at the conference,” said BB director Nirmal Chandra Bhakta while addressing the press conference. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

DSEX slips to 6-week low n Tribune Report

DSE Broad Index :

(-) 0.46%

▼

DSE Shariah Index :

1012.75312

(-) 0.67%

▼

DSE - 30 Index :

1681.25355

(-) 0.24%

▼

CSE All Share Index:

14487.6901

(-) 0.27%

CSE - 30 Index :

12287.1603 9139.0739

Company Al-Haj Textile -A Eastern Lubricants -A Usmania Glass -Z Zeal Bangla Sugar -Z Rahim Textile -A Desh Garments -B Mithun Knitting -A Renwick Jajneswar-A Monno Ceramic -B

Bangladesh Lamps -A

Closing (% change) -7.91 -6.97 -5.82 -5.75 -5.55 -5.34 -5.33 -5.23 -4.80

-4.32

CSE LOSERS Company I P D C -A Northern G Insur-A Rahima Food -Z Mithun Knitting -A CVO PetroChem RL-Z Al Arafa Islami B-A Square Textile -A Reliance1 M.F.-A Eastern Cables-Z

National Polymer -A

Closing (% change) -8.37 -5.99 -5.49 -5.23 -4.82 -4.76 -4.17 -4.08 -3.69

-3.52

Average (% change) -7.23 -6.98 -2.71 0.00 -3.46 -3.70 -4.80 -2.61 -1.48

-4.70

Average (% change) -2.60 -6.36 -4.03 -5.26 -3.97 -2.18 -1.65 -3.88 -4.36

-4.88

ANALYST

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 342.84 142.44 68.00 245.27 243.91 462.69 4.02 566.12 557.54 0.24 15.13 92.30 22.72 445.48 36.27 40.58 229.73 239.37 57.86 204.10 1.04

95,432

Traded Issues

291

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

103

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

180

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

8

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,290.53

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.76

Closing average

Turnover (Million Taka)

419.86

Turnover (Volume)

9,243,527

119.26 395.00 167.44 8.75 310.43 97.49 97.58 244.85 34.56

146.24

Closing average 18.73 45.32 53.37 97.61 842.50 18.40 116.70 9.42 126.60

63.54

14,742

Traded Issues

218

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

89

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

125 3

▼

(-) 0.18%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,197.44

(-) 0.23%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.64

Closing

Daily high

116.40 395.00 161.90 8.20 304.60 95.70 95.90 239.10 33.70

126.40 395.00 174.00 8.80 322.10 101.60 102.20 260.00 36.00

144.00

Closing

114.50 395.00 159.00 8.10 300.00 95.10 92.00 235.00 33.60

150.10

Daily high

18.60 45.50 53.40 96.10 830.00 18.00 114.90 9.40 128.00

137.00

64.50

47.335 0.079 4.705 0.007 5.355 7.624 24.906 8.631 2.440

3.550

Turnover in million

Daily low

18.80 46.00 54.00 99.50 865.00 18.90 120.90 9.50 128.00

63.10

Turnover in million

Daily low

18.50 45.00 53.00 100.00 830.00 17.70 114.40 9.30 125.20

62.50

0.066 0.162 0.480 2.229 0.506 1.050 7.150 0.104 0.025

0.216

Safko Spinning-A Midas Financing-Z Samata LeatheR -Z Kay & Que (BD) -Z BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Beximco Syn.-A Meghna PET Ind. -Z MutualTrust Bank-A Shinepukur Ceramics-A Imam Button -Z

Latest EPS 2.06 6.02 5.10 -25.08 11.56 1.18 2.42 5.32 0.38

-0.77

Latest EPS 0.91 3.04 -1.00 2.42 -4.06 2.46 6.40 1.86 1.40

1.70

Latest PE 57.9 65.6 32.8 -ve 26.9 82.6 40.3 46.0 90.9

CSE GAINERS Company Safko Spinning-A Beximco Syn.-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Continental Insur. -A Fu-wang Ceramic-A Daffodil Computers -Z Shinepukur Ceramics-A Anlima Yarn -A Central Pharm-A Bank Asia -A

% change 8.53 3.55 1.69 6.10 6.07 11.52 0.10 14.09 13.88 0.01 0.38 2.30 0.57 11.09 0.90 1.01 5.72 5.96 1.44 5.08 0.03

Million Taka 36.97 19.27 4.04 21.41 29.14 45.11 51.28 60.74 21.95 2.41 40.96 6.09 25.96 4.20 1.73 11.24 35.66 12.79 54.10 0.03

% change 7.62 3.97 0.83 4.41 6.01 9.30 0.00 10.57 12.52 4.52 0.50 8.44 1.26 5.35 0.87 0.36 2.32 7.35 2.64 11.15 0.01

Million Taka 379.80 161.71 72.03 266.68 273.04 507.79 4.02 617.40 618.28 22.19 17.54 133.26 28.81 471.44 40.47 42.30 240.97 275.03 70.65 258.21 1.07

Closing (% change) 9.85 8.28 7.07 6.76 3.95 3.91 3.91 3.67 3.56 3.31

Average (% change) 10.66 9.20 7.75 6.41 4.30 1.92 7.41 3.67 3.30 3.31

MTBL The Board of Directors has recommended 10% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 10.04.2014, Time: 10:00 AM, Venue: Bashundhara Convention Centre 2, Block C, Umme Kulsum Road, Bashundhara R/A, Baridhara, Dhaka 1229. Record date: 20.03.2014. The Company has also reported net profit after tax of Tk. 573.25 million, EPS of Tk. 2.05, NAV per share of Tk. 19.48 and NOCFPS of Tk. 15.47 for the year ended on December 31, 2013 as against Tk. 327.87 million, Tk. 1.17, Tk. 17.28 and Tk. 13.79 respectively for the year ended on December 31, 2012.

GBBPOWER As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on March 12, 2014 at 2:30 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

NBL The Company has informed that it has purchased floor space measuring 5,405 sft. at the 1st and 2nd floor with 2 Car Parkings

Closing average 29.89 30.79 28.94 19.83 33.51 17.11 7.04 17.11 18.86 8.30

Closing average 29.90 17.10 33.50 29.90 18.43 13.25 19.13 25.40 43.77 18.70

Closing 30.50 30.70 28.90 19.80 33.20 16.80 7.00 17.00 18.40 8.30

Closing 30.10 17.00 33.30 30.00 18.40 13.30 18.60 25.40 43.60 18.70

Daily high 30.80 31.10 29.40 19.90 34.30 17.30 7.20 17.60 19.30 8.30

Daily high 30.60 17.20 34.20 30.00 18.70 13.40 19.60 25.50 44.30 18.70

at the basement of the ‘KB Aman Ali Tower’, situated at 947 (30 old), Anderkilla, Chittagong at a price of Tk. 9,53,87,500.00 only.

BDWELDING Emerging Credit Rating Limited (ECRL) has rated the Company as “BBB+” in the long term and ECRL-3 in the Short term along with a stable outlook to the Company based on audited financials of the Company up to December 31, 2012, half yearly published report of FY 2013, field visit, bank information and other qualitative and quantitative information up to the date of rating.

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.

GENNEXT: Subscription 18.03.2014 to 09.04.2014, Record date: 25.02.2014.

Daily low 27.00 29.80 27.00 19.80 28.50 14.50 6.70 15.00 16.50 8.30

Daily low 28.30 16.10 31.40 30.00 18.10 13.20 16.20 25.30 43.00 18.50

Turnover in million 56.380 0.508 1.360 0.119 88.694 16.871 0.095 6.940 8.501 0.008

Turnover in million 2.901 6.422 32.081 0.016 0.618 0.027 3.900 0.114 0.970 0.010

Latest EPS 1.14 -5.96 -0.04 -0.89 1.03 0.29 -1.30 2.05 0.56 -2.58

Latest EPS 1.14 0.29 1.03 2.35 0.56 0.60 0.56 0.80 1.74 1.92

Latest PE 26.2 -ve -ve -ve 32.5 59.0 -ve 8.3 33.7 -ve

Latest PE 26.2 59.0 32.5 12.7 32.9 22.1 34.2 31.8 25.2 9.7

Bengal Poly to go public n Tribune Report Bengal Poly and Paper Sack Limited, a concern of Bengal Group of Industries, would go public subject to permission by the securities regulator.

To this effect, the company has recently signed an agreement with IDLC Investments Limited, an issue manger, to raise capital through Initial Public Offering (IPO), says a press release IDLC issued yesterday. Director of Bengal Poly Jashim Uddin and Managing Director of IDLC Investments Md Moniruzzaman signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Incorporated in 2001, the company is a manufacturer of PP woven bags and kraft paper bags for the cement, food grain and poultry feed industries. The factory is located at Gazipur and has a production capacity of 5.9 crore bags per year.

Chairman of Bengal Poly Humayun Kabir, CEO and managing director of IDLC Finance Selim RF Hussain, chief operating officer of IDLC Investments Rubayet-E-Ferdous and high officials of both the companies were present at the agreement signing ceremony. l

Latest PE 20.6 14.9 -ve 40.3 -ve 7.5 18.2 5.1 90.4

37.4

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z Square Pharma -A BD Submarine Cable-A Olympic Ind. -A Beximco Pharma -A Jamuna Oil -A Square Textile -A

Total

12.96 8.48 7.84 7.61 6.41 6.33 6.06 5.59 4.55 3.75

Average (% change) 11.49 8.76 7.74 6.79 7.82 8.43 5.55 4.27 6.49 2.98

-ve

Even after continues declaration of the companies, the Dhaka bourse fails to show any improvement and remains downbeat for a prolonged period CSE

Closing (% change)

News from trade server

CSE key features March 10, 2014

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

76,573,051

Number of Contract

4665.56523

DSE LOSERS

4,017.63

Number of Contract

Daily capital market highlights

CSE Selected Index :

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features March 9, 2014

ment in its daily market analysis.

“Since market remained flat, investors seemed to be indecisive for fresh positioning, reflecting in low turnover.”

A few large cap scrips that dominated activity in the last several sessions faced marginal corrections and micro cap scrips declined much ahead of profit booking.

Lanka Bangla Securities said market was directionless. Index heavyweights stocks like Beximco Pharma, Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd, Beximco and Mutual Trust Bank Ltd (MTBL) made some gains with large amount of volume while some other major stocks of banking and textile sectors took the hit of the day, it said.

On the flipside, it said, recent consolidation in the market led to a formation of flat pattern on daily charts. Bangladesh Bank’s new rule on loan rescheduling has brought positive bearing in the corporate earnings, thus on the corporate declaration date, MTBL gained 6.9% on a single day trading.

Zenith Investment said it seems that the momentum is with the bears, as investors negative sentiment weighs heavily on the market. “Even after continues declaration of the companies, the Dhaka bourse fails to show any improvement and remains downbeat for a prolonged period.” l

Stocks fell in volatile trading yesterday, with the benchmark index DSEX slipping to more than sixweek low.

The market was in positive territory during almost the entire trading session, but the selling pressure mainly on telecommunications, financial institutions and pharmaceuticals sent it to the negative territory in the wee hour.

After rising more than 45 points, the benchmark DSEX was down 21 points or 0.5% to close at 4,665, extending losses for three consecutive sessions to plunge its lowest since January 22 this year.

Shariah Index, DSES, dropped marginally almost 6 points or 0.7% to 1,012.

The blue-chip comprising DS30 ended at 1,681, shedding 4 points or 0.3%. Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, dropped 20 points to close at 9,139.

Losers took marginal lead over the gainers as out of 291 issues traded at the DSE, 115 advanced, 136 declined and 40 remained unchanged.

Trading activities remained poor, leading turnover to stand at Tk400 crore. The turnover figure is over 20% lower over the previous session.

“Flat endings extended to the sixth session as market outlook stayed gloomy,” said IDLC Invest-

Stock

% change 8.43 3.59 1.60 5.92 6.06 11.28 0.09 13.71 13.73 0.49 0.39 2.96 0.64 10.47 0.90 0.94 5.35 6.11 1.57 5.73 0.02

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

Meghna Petroleum -A Grameenphone-A Padma Oil Co. -A

BSC-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Delta Life Insu. -A HeidelbergCement -A Safko Spinning-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A

BD Submarine Cable-A Beximco Pharma -A BSC-A Square Pharma -A LafargeS Cement-Z Grameenphone-A Titas Gas TDCLA UCBL - A UNITED AIR-A Appollo Ispat CL -N Bata Shoe Ltd. -A Apex Footwear-A Olympic Ind. -A Southeast Bank-A

Volume shares 5,873,000 817,011 643,190 624,288 2,318,327 477,074 924,303 362,900 453,800 290,925

147,245 2,646,602 335,650 173,130 1,886,465

Volume shares

957,638 109,767 417,509 33,635 68,074 383,000 53,000 132,577 383,990 663,099 286,200 8,820 15,000 37,500 352,025

Value in million 285.90 234.25 141.32 136.70 125.53 109.59 107.66 102.75 98.05 96.68

89.49 88.69 87.72 80.22 56.38

Value in million

32.08 24.21 22.88 20.45 19.49 18.60 11.45 10.73 10.61 10.14 8.38 8.29 8.25 8.19 7.86

% of total turnover 7.12 5.83 3.52 3.40 3.12 2.73 2.68 2.56 2.44 2.41

2.23 2.21 2.18 2.00 1.40

% of total turnover

7.84 5.92 5.59 5.00 4.76 4.55 2.80 2.62 2.59 2.48 2.05 2.03 2.02 2.00 1.92

Daily closing 47.20 285.80 217.40 219.40 52.80 231.40 114.80 284.50 214.40 333.50

597.00 33.20 260.30 459.70 30.50

Daily closing

33.30 217.50 53.00 596.80 284.70 47.20 214.50 79.90 27.60 15.10 29.00 949.30 576.00 218.60 22.30

Price change 0.43 -1.31 -2.29 0.23 1.93 0.48 -3.77 1.14 -1.79 1.89

Daily opening 47.00 289.60 222.50 218.90 51.80 230.30 119.30 281.30 218.30 327.30

Price change

Daily opening

-3.44 6.41 -0.72 -1.42 12.96

7.07 -2.64 2.51 -3.47 -1.56 0.00 -1.52 0.25 -1.08 1.34 1.05 1.53 0.00 -0.05 -2.62

618.25 31.20 262.20 466.30 27.00

31.10 223.40 51.70 618.25 289.20 47.20 217.80 79.70 27.90 14.90 28.70 935.00 576.00 218.70 22.90

Daily high 49.60 293.00 224.90 222.00 56.00 233.00 120.00 285.60 219.50 350.00

624.00 34.30 264.00 469.70 30.80

Daily low 47.00 265.00 210.10 210.00 49.00 218.00 108.10 257.00 214.00 306.00

595.00 28.50 260.10 458.60 27.00

Daily average 48.68 286.72 219.71 218.96 54.15 229.71 116.48 283.14 216.06 332.33

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

34.20 225.00 55.90 620.80 295.00 49.60 219.90 80.00 28.00 16.00 30.10 975.00 576.00 221.00 22.70

31.40 216.60 52.60 593.00 283.00 46.80 214.10 79.50 26.50 13.50 28.60 935.00 576.00 217.20 21.90

607.76 33.51 261.33 463.35 29.89

33.50 220.59 54.79 608.12 286.24 48.57 215.98 80.97 27.62 15.29 29.29 940.27 550.00 218.48 22.32

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Japanese growth slows as sales tax hike looms

Yen gains in Asia as Ukraine crisis flares

n AFP, Tokyo

The yen rose in Asia yesterday as tensions in Ukraine flared and as the Bank of Japan (BoJ) starts a two-day meeting, with investors looking for signs of further monetary easing.

In Tokyo morning trade, the dollar fetched 103.06 yen, down from 103.24 yen in New York Friday afternoon.

The euro, which rose last week on the European Central Bank’s upbeat outlook for the eurozone, fell to 143.11 yen from 143.31 yen, while it firmed to $1.3885 from $1.3874.

Traders moved into the yen, seen as a safe-haven currency in times of turmoil, as fresh tensions erupted in the Ukraine crisis.

While further BoJ easing measures would tend to weaken the Japanese unit, few analysts expect the central bank to act after its meeting wraps up Tuesday.

“Since expectations among foreign investors are also low, it’s unlikely that the dollar will fall wildly even if the bank stands pat on its policy,” a senior Tokyo bank dealer told Dow Jones Newswires.

But there is growing speculation that an April sales tax rise will force the BoJ to act later this year to counter a slowdown in consumer spending and the economy as a whole.

“The Bank of Japan will almost cer-

Japan’s economy grew at a slower pace than initially thought in the last quarter of 2013, revised data showed yesterday, underscoring concerns about the pace of recovery under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s policy blitz.

The fresh figures will turn the focus on to Bank of Japan policymakers as they start a two-day meeting, with speculation they could unveil further monetary easing measures to counter a possible slowdown from a sales tax rise next month.

There are fears the rate hike - seen as crucial to bringing down Japan’s massive national debt - will hit consumer spending and in turn dent the country’s nascent recovery.

The world’s number-three economy expanded 0.2% in the quarter to December and 1.5% through 2013, the latest data showed. That compared with earlier results showing gross domestic product grew 0.3% for the October-December period and 1.6% in 2013.

However, the new figures still mark Japan’s best annual performance in three years, as Abe’s growth blitz of big spending and monetary easing dubbed Abenomics - rippled through the economy. The economy grew 1.4% in 2012 and contracted 0.5% in 2011

owing to the March 11 quake-tsunami disaster and subsequent nuclear crisis.

“The recovery ... lost pace in the second half of the year,” said Londonbased Capital Economics.

“Nonetheless, it would be premature to conclude that Abenomics has failed based on these figures alone.

“After all, private consumption and business investment were stalling before PM Abe’s election, but have picked up speed since then. The problem instead lies on the external side.”

the January current account - Japan’s broadest measure of trade with the rest of the world - more than quadrupled to another record figure of 1.589tn yen ($15.4bn).

The growing imbalance was driven by the soaring costs of imported energy - made pricier by a weak yen - and lacklustre growth in shipments of Japanese goods abroad.

Critics fear that the controversial tax rise to 8% from 5% will curtail the budding recovery in an economy beset

The growing imbalance was driven by the soaring costs of imported energy - made pricier by a weak yen - and lacklustre growth in shipments of Japanese goods abroad A key reason for the downward revision was weak exports, as Japan’s trade imbalance balloons on the back of surging energy bills, aggravated by the shutdown of its nuclear reactors in 2011 in response to the Fukushima crisis.

Atomic power once supplied about a third of the resource-poor nation’s energy.

Ballooning trade imbalance

In separate data Monday, the deficit in

by years of falling prices, which curbed spending and business investment.

Still, Abe’s efforts to stoke the economy have been bearing fruit.

Since the conservative swept national elections in late 2012, the has yen lost about a quarter of its value against the dollar - giving a boost to Japanese exporters.

The dollar bought 103.05 yen in midday Tokyo trading yesterday.

The weaker currency helped the

Nikkei shares index soar 57% in 2013, its best performance in more than four decades, while Japan’s growth led G7 nations in the first half of last year.

Abe has called on firms to hike wages as consumers face higher prices for ordinary goods, while many complain they have yet to reap the benefits of the growth campaign.

Tokyo also launched a special $50bn stimulus package to counter any downturn from the nation’s first sales tax hike since the late Nineties, which shortly preceded years of tepid growth.

While Tokyo has also made some headway on its bid to stoke lasting inflation, consumer and corporate spending in the latter half of the year failed to take off, underscoring a stillcautious mood among households and in the country’s boardrooms.

The tax rise is perhaps the biggest threat to Abe’s efforts and has led to speculation the BoJ will be forced to expand its already unprecedented stimulus programme.

The multi-billion-dollar scheme launched by the central bank is a cornerstone of Abe’s policy.

It also calls for deeper reforms, most yet-to-be-seen, including free-trade deals, more flexible labour markets and bringing more women into the workforce. l

n AFP, Tokyo

tainly maintain its current policy settings at the conclusion of the two-day March board meeting,” Capital Economics said.

“It will be interesting to see whether geopolitics is added to the list of risks to Japan in the light of events in Ukraine. But overall, nothing has happened since the last meeting just three weeks ago to justify a policy re-think.”

On Sunday, pro-Russian activists with clubs and whips clashed with proKiev supporters as tens of thousands rallied across Ukraine in rival protests, and Russian President Vladimir Putin dug in his heels in the standoff with the West.

Diplomatic talks to solve the worst post-Cold War crisis between Russia and the West have brought little except mutual accusations and grave warnings.

The crisis flared when Russian lawmakers agreed to send troops into the mainly Russian-speaking Crimean peninsula after the ousting of Ukraine’s pro-Moscow government.

An improvement in US job creation in February reassured analysts that the economy is on track to recovery, but the impact was insufficient to drive a dollar rebound.

The US jobs report endorsed the view that the Federal Reserve will continue cutting its stimulus back slowly, which is a plus for the greenback.l

Adidas, Nike battle for soccer supremacy in world cup year n Reuters, London With the soccer World Cup only three months away, Adidas and Nike are squaring up for a marketing battle to match the fierce on-field rivalry of nations like Brazil and Argentina.

The sportswear giants dominate a soccer kit industry worth more than $5bn annually. They vie for the title of market leader in the supply of hi-tech boots and jerseys to fans inspired by Argentine Lionel Messi, who wears Adidas, or new Brazilian idol Neymar, who is in the Nike camp.

A bootmaker since the 1950s and a World Cup sponsor, Germany’s Adidas regards soccer as its territory and wants to avoid being overtaken by younger but larger American rival Nike, as has happened in other sports.

“Forget all you may have heard or written about a weak Adidas performance in football in 2013. We are leading this category that is so close to the Adidas DNA,” Chief Executive Herbert Hainer said last week.

“2014 is a football year and it will be an Adidas football year,” he added, targeting record annual soccer-related sales of 2bn euros ($2.8bn).

However, Hainer conceded that competition is fierce, with the top two brands sharing upwards of 80% of the market for many soccer products.

Nike has built its business swiftly, having got heavily involved in soccer only 20 years ago when the World Cup was played in the United States. It generates revenues of $2bn from the sport and calls itself the leading soccer brand.

It will provide kit for hosts Brazil and a total of 10 of the 32 finalists this year - outscoring Adidas and Puma in that regard.

Nike Brand President Trevor Edwards said sales should get an extra boost from the fact the World Cup is in Brazil, the spiritual home of stylish soccer.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the World Cup being in Brazil. It will resonate around the world,” he told Reuters.

wants the World Cup to underline a shift back to performance sports and away from fashion.

To that end, it has already launched a snug-fitting bright orange “evoPOWER” boot with yellow laces offset to one side.

“It inspired by barefoot beach soccer in Brazil,” Torsten Hochstetter, Puma global creative director, told Reuters.

Knitted boots, barefoot feel

Held every four years, the World Cup is a showcase for innovation in design of boots which the manufacturers claims will give players the edge in the big matches and hopefully go on to be big sellers throughout the rest of the year.

“With replica kits, you will suddenly see an uptick in terms of sales during a tournament but with boots it’s more continual,” said Nike’s Edwards.

Nike last week launched its new Magista boot, based on the company’s Flyknit technology in which the upper is made from knitted synthetic strands of material.

The technology has been used for Nike’s running and basketball shoes and the aim is to create a lightweight product which is also durable. Spanish international Andres Iniesta and German Mario Goetze were involved in developing the boot and Edwards said players wanted a “barefoot with studs” feel.

Park players who want to emulate their World Cup heroes will have to dig deep into their wallets as the boot will cost $275.

There are only so many ways a soccer boot can be remade and new products from Adidas and Puma draw on technologies and ideas that don’t appear to differ radically from what Nike is doing.

The ball that tweets

People walks past a Nike shop under the company logo at the Sanlitun shopping area in central Beijing Adidas has already launched colourful “Samba” versions of its four main boots and will present its first “knit-

ted” boot in mid-March. Hainer said the technology had the potential to revolutionise how and where Adidas

REUTERS

produces shoes.

Puma, based in the same small southern German town as Adidas,

Technology is also being used in shirt design.

Adidas says its World Cup shirts are 50% lighter than previous ones. Eight teams will wear Adidas at the tournament in June, including world champions Spain, Germany and Argentina.

Puma launched shirts last week for the eight sides it is outfitting at the World Cup, including Italy, Switzerland and four teams from Africa. The tightfitting jerseys feature built-in tapes designed to stimulate players’ muscles.

“This is based on taping used by physios to provide compression and stimulation,” Hochstetter said.

Just like team coaches, the big brands are deploying a variety of tactics to try to gain an advantage.

Nike used a Brazil friendly match against South Africa last week to model two kits, playing in the traditional yellow in the first half before switching to a new blue outfit for the second half.

Adidas has stressed the importance of social media to its marketing campaigns.

In a sign of the times, its Brazuca official World Cup match ball has its own Twitter account offering its thoughts in English and Portuguese. Unlikely as it sounds, the ball already has over 100,000 followers. l

Oil prices ease on weak Chinese trade data n AFP, Singapore

Student participants of the Global Money Week-2014 demanded removal of VAT only for the students imposed on different hotel, restaurants and first food shops and also demanded quota provision of share in DSE and CSE at the inaugural ceremony of the week. Justice Siddikur Rahman, chair of Dhaka Stock Exchange addressing as chief guest at the Global Money Week-2014 on Saturday at Daffodil International University

Pubali Bank Limited holds its first Managers’ Conference-2014 at bank’s head office recently. The bank’s MD and CEO Helal Ahmed Chowdhury attended the conference as chief guest while additional managing director MA Halim Chowdhury was present as special guest

Eastern Bank Limited (EBL) has launched a host of banking solution and services for the Platinum Plus STAR Customers of Grameenphone. Under the campaign, Grameenphone Platinum Plus STAR customers can open a special Savings Account that comes with Cobranded International VISA Platinum Debit and Credit Cards and special privileges on personal loans, locker services, student banking services plus added lifestyle benefits

Jiban Bima Corp (JBC) held a meeting recently at the conference room of its head office building in Dhaka. The meeting was presided over by the corporation’s MD Parikshit Datta Choudhury while chair of the board of directors, Dr Mohammad Sohrab Uddin was present as chief guest

Oil prices eased in Asian trade yesterday as weak Chinese trade data stoked concerns over demand in the world’s top energy consumer, analysts said.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for April delivery, was down 23 cents at $102.35 in afternoon trade. Brent North Sea crude for April was down 55 cents at $108.45.

Asian markets are digesting Chinese official figures released Saturday that showed the world’s second biggest economy recorded an unexpected $22.98 billion trade deficit in February.

The figure compared with a surplus of $14.8bn in the same month last year, and a median forecast of an $11.9bn surplus in a poll of 13 economists by Dow Jones Newswires.

“Any time there are concerns about China’s growth and the numbers point that way, that will obviously put downward pressure on oil prices, especially Brent prices,” David Lennox, resource analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney, told AFP.

The Chinese government said the weak trade figures were a result of “sharp fluctuations in the monthly growth rate as well as the monthly deficit” during the country’s holiday season.

Investors continue to keep a close watch on the geopolitical crisis in Ukraine, as pro-Russian activists clashed with pro-Kiev supporters in mass rallies across the ex-Soviet state Sunday.

The former Soviet state is in danger of breaking apart as its autonomous Crimean region inches closer towards joining Russia, in a sharp escalation of the worst East-West security crisis since the Cold War. Fears of an immediate armed conflict due to Russia’s incursion into the Crimean peninsula have receded but oil prices remain supported over concerns US and European sanctions on Moscow could wreak turmoil in markets.

Russia is a crucial global energy producer and exporter of natural gas to Western Europe, and more than 70% of its gas and oil exports to Europe pass through Ukraine. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

German IT market eyes 2014 growth but lags global pace n AFP, Hanover The German IT and communications sector is set to return to growth in 2014 driven by smartphones and tablet computers but still trail a booming global market, an industry lobby said Sunday.

On the eve of the world's biggest hi-tech fair, Germany's BITKOM said sales in IT, telecommunications and consumer electronics were due to increase 1.7% this year after a fall of 0.5% in 2013.

"The bottom line will see a plus again in 2014 but we see a divergence within the branch," said BITKOM president Dieter Kempf.

Europe's top economy is set for sales in the overall sector to reach 153.4bn euros ($212.8bn) in 2014, with smartphones, tablets, software and services driving business, he said.

Globally, the IT and telecommunications sector is expected to jump 4.5% this year compared to 2013, to nearly 3tn euros, the German lobby group has said.

While the IT sector worldwide is set for 3.8-percent growth, in Germany it will lag slightly behind, weighed down by business in desktop computers and

laptops, BITKOM said.

Tablet computers however are booming but "for many people will remain rather the second or third device and will not completely oust the PC and Notebook", Kempf said.

Within the telecommunications branch, Germany is eyeing only 0.4% growth with sinking revenues in data and other services, compared to 5% forecast globally, the lobby said.

The US is expected to continue to boast the biggest share of the global IT and telecommunications market at 27%, with the European Union at 21%, according to BITKOM figures.

Brazil, Russia, India and China known as the BRIC nations - are set to grow the fastest, with India leading the way, followed by China and Brazil.

The publication of the BITKOM forecasts is traditionally the first event of the CeBIT high-tech fair which will be inaugurated by Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron later Sunday.

Britain is the CeBIT's partner country this year at the five-day event, focused on the theme of "datability", the ability to use vast amounts of data quickly and responsibly. l

Back Page

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

ROBOTS ON THE DANCE FLOOR

Robots perform a pole dance at the booth of the Tobit Software company on the eve of the start of the 2014 CeBIT technology trade fair in Hanover, central Germany

AFP

China exports heighten slowdown fears ‘Social news’ no panacea n Reuters, Beijing China's exports unexpectedly tumbled in February, swinging the trade balance into deficit and adding to fears of a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy despite the Lunar New Year holidays being blamed for the slide.

The sharp drop in exports follows a series of factory surveys since the start of 2014 that point to weakness in economic activity as demand falters at home and abroad.

Exports in February fell 18.1% from a year earlier, following a 10.6% jump in January, the General Administration of Customs said on Saturday.

Imports rose 10.1%, yielding a trade deficit of $23bn for the month versus a surplus of $32bn in January.

That compares with market expectations in a Reuters poll of a rise of 6.8% in exports, an 8% rise in imports and a trade surplus of $14.5bn.

Analysts cautioned against reading too much into single-month figures for January or February, given possible distortions caused by the long Lunar New Year holiday, which began on January 31 and covered early February. Many plants and offices shut for extended periods during the festival.

Still, combined exports in January and February fell 1.6% from the same period a year earlier, versus a 7.9% full-year rise in 2013. Imports rose 10% year-on-year in the first two months,

compared with a 7.3% rise in 2013.

"February export numbers were a surprise on the downside, and even combined January-February numbers were below market expectations," said Li Heng, an economist at Minsheng Securities in Beijing.

"The data shows that the economy faces relatively big downward pressures and macro-policies need to be loosened a bit."

The government may step up fiscal spending to support some investment projects if growth slows further, given there is limited room for the central bank to loosen policy, Li said.

Exports to the United States edged up 1.3% in the first two months from a year earlier, while sales to the European Union rose 4.6%, according to official data.

Confident on outlook

China's trade outlook is widely expected to be rosier this year in line with a recovery in developed countries. Minsheng Securities' Li said he expected exports to pick up in March.

Ting Lu, an economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong, said that inflated export data in January-February 2013 means that a direct year-on-year comparison can be misleading.

Fake trade deals to sneak cash into China past the country's strict capital controls were rampant early last year be-

fore Chinese regulators cracked down.

After adjusting for such distortions, export growth in the first two months of this year could actually be up about 8%, he calculated.

Recent weakness in the yuan is seen as orchestrated by the central bank to squeeze out speculators and deter hot money inflows.

China is fully confident of achieving its 7.5% growth target in total trade this year, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said on Friday, citing an improving global economic environment.

China's combined exports and imports grew 7.6% in 2013, just short of the official target of 8%.

1990s.

A resilient Chinese economy is good news for the world, particularly for major commodity exporters such as Australia.

China's crude oil imports in the first two months of the year rose 11.5% from a year earlier, while imports of copper jumped 41.2% and iron ore shipments rose 21.8%, data from the customs administration showed.

The statistical bureau is due to release combined data on January-February retail sales, industrial output and investment for January and February on Thursday. The figures are expected to show a slightly slower rate of growth

'The data shows that the economy faces relatively big downward pressures and macro-policies need to be loosened a bit' China's goods trade in 2013 hit $4.16yn, overtaking the United States for the first time to become the world's largest goods trading nation, Gao said on Friday.

China aims for annual economic growth of 7.5% in 2014, after the economy expanded 7.7% in 2013, which hovered near the weakest pace since late

than in December.

February inflation data will be published on Sunday.

China's annual economic growth slowed to 7.7% in the fourth quarter from 7.8% in the previous quarter, and economists polled by Reuters expected growth to slow further to 7.6% in the first quarter of 2014. l

for ailing media n AFP, Washington News organizations get the most engaged readers by working on their own to build brand loyalty, not through referrals from social media or search engines, a study showed yesterday.

The Pew Research Centre found that “direct visitors” who use the news outlet’s specific address or have it bookmarked stay about three times as long as those who come from a search engine or Facebook.

“Facebook and search are critical for bringing added views to individual stories, but, the data suggest it is hard to build relationships with those users,” said Amy Mitchell, Pew’s director of journalism research.

“For news outlets operating under the traditional model and hoping to build a loyal, paying audience, it is critical for users to think of that outlet as the first place they should turn.”

The study underscores the challenges of news organizations trying to make a transition from print to digital - and keep revenues flowing.

It also suggests limits to the idea of “social news” helping traditional media organisations.

The study, in collaboration with the Knight Foundation, found a higher level of engagement from direct visitors across the full mix of sites studied.

Even sites such as Buzzfeed and NPR, which have an unusually high level of Facebook traffic, saw greater engagement from those who sought them out directly, the researchers said.

The study found it is difficult for news outlets to convert a “social” referral to a permanent direct visitor.

Of the sites examined, the percentage of direct visitors who also came to the site via Facebook was extremely small, ranging from 0.9 to 2.3%, with the exception of Buzzfeed at 11.3%.

Similarly, the percentage of direct visitors who came to a site through a search engine ranged from 1.3% to 4.1%, with one notable exception - examiner.com at 8.6%.

The researchers studied traffic using comScore data from April to June 2013 at 26 major news sites including CNN, BBC, The New York Times, Huffington Post and others.

Most people accessed the news on their computers using three methods - direct access, search or social media. But a small percentage came from other sources including email, message boards and other websites.

For mobile news, Pew found the browser was used more than a dedicated mobile app, although it noted that only half of the news sites studied had such an app. l

GSK pays $1bn to lift French FM Moscovici: Competitiveness Indian unit stake to 75% matters more than euro strength n Reuters, London

GlaxoSmithKline said yesterday it had paid 64bn rupees to increase its stake in its Indian pharmaceuticals unit to 75%, as it banks on rising demand for medicines in emerging markets.

Britain’s biggest drugmaker first announced plans to lift the holding in GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals from 50.7% in December. It held an open offer to buy the extra shares at 3,100 rupees each from February 18 to March 5.

Final payment for shares tendered and accepted will be completed by March 20, GSK added.

David Redfern, GSK’s chief strategy officer, said the decision to increase exposure to the Indian market was “a significant vote of confidence” in growth prospects for its business in India.

GSK, which has had a presence in India for 90 years, is keen to secure a bigger share of India’s growing $14bn-

DILBERT

n Reuters, Paris

a-year market, which it views as promising despite recent moves to impose price cuts and limit patents on some medicines.

The open offer was managed by HSBC. l

Competitiveness in France and Europe must be improved regardless of how strong the euro is, France’s finance minister said on Sunday, in a rebuttal to critics who blame the currency’s rise for French firms’ export woes.

Several French politicians and companies including carmaker Renault and energy management firm Schneider Electric have in recent months raised flags over the impact of the euro’s strength on profits.

“The euro is at a high level ... (But) we must not make a scapegoat out of currency,” French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici told BFM TV. “What we must first restore is the health of our companies, their competitiveness...The euro’s strength must not be a scapegoat or a pretext to avoid reforming Europe and France.”

France’s trade deficit, which hit a record of 74bn euros in 2011, is one of the signs of French firms’ loss of competitiveness on international markets.

Although it has got smaller since then, figures suggest this is mainly due to exports falling less quickly than imports.

French Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg has called for a more aggressive push from Europe and the European Central Bank to bring down the euro’s value in order to boost exports. l

French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici speaks to media after an official meeting with Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf in Bern REUTERS