12 march 2014

Falgun 27, 1420 Jamadiul Awal 10, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 348

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

T-MAG | MEENA BAZAR’S ART COMPETITION 7 | THE SEVEN-YEAR ITCH

This time AL, BNP rebels more aggressive

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DANGLING DANGEROUSLY

Malaysia’s military believes it tracked a missing jetliner by radar over the Strait of Malacca, far from where it last made contact with civilian air traffic control off the country’s east coast, a military source told Reuters.

In one of the most baffling mysteries in recent aviation history, a massive search operation for the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER, now in its fourth day, has so far found no trace of the aircraft or the 239 passengers and crew.

“It changed course after Kota Bharu and took a lower altitude. It made it into the Malacca Strait,” the military official, who has been briefed on investigations, told Reuters.

In one upazila eight AL and in another seven BNP rebel candidates challenging party-backed aspirants MM Jalal Uddin is vying in the elecn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla tion with the blessing of Awami League In the third spell of Upazila Parishad elections in Alfadanga upazila of Faridpur a total of nine Awami League leaders including eight rebel candidates are contesting for the chairman post.

Six of them, however, quit the race under pressure from the candidate sponsored by the Awami League central committee. The BNP in this upazila filed only one candidate.

Awami League and BNP have failed to ensure single candidates in around half of the upazilas out of 81 “Our lawmaker Abdur Rahman has put pressure on us to backpedal from the race and six contenders have withdrawn their candidatures,” an Awami League rebel who quit the race told the Dhaka Tribune in exchange for anonymity.

Those who were forced to give up are now campaigning against the party-backed candidate stealthily.

When contacted SM Akram Hossain, upazila Awami league president, however said he withdrew his candidature through a press conference. “No one has put pressure on me.”

INSIDE News

4 The government has not proposed increasing the price of electricity, but would like it adjusted to meet the cost of imported fuels used to generate power, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said yesterday.

Nation

6 People living in rural areas of Magura are being deprived of the benefits of Open Market Sale, as the sale is only going on in municipal areas of the district, leaving low-income groups of people in a miserable condition.

International

9 The international police agency Interpol does not believe the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane was the result of a terrorist attack, its head said yesterday.

Op-Ed

11 We’ve had a busy start to the year all over Asia. We have ambitious targets, and most BUs have come off to a great start. Wherever I go, I see passion and energy.

Entertainment

12 Seven courageous women from seven countries around the world worked against all form violence and corruption towards women.

Sport

14 Sergio Aguero has a proven scoring record against Barcelona and the Manchester City forward may have a crucial role to play if his side are to upset the odds and reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

while Mokibul Hasan alias Putu Mia is contesting on BNP ticket.

The same picture of rebel candidates vying against their party-sponsored man in Ghior upazila of Manikganj is more interesting. Eight BNP leaders including seven rebel candidates are contesting the polls while the number in Awami League is three.

The polls drama began to unfold since the filing of nomination paper and continued till Sunday. BNP extended its support to Khandakar Liakat Hossain as 19-party candidate but seven others from the party are hell-bent on contesting the polls.

On Monday last week all seven rebel candidates of the BNP sat together where they decided to extend their support to Abdul Alim Khan Monowar. But Abdul Hasem Biswas, another rebel candidate, did not accept the voting result and announced to stay in the race.

However, on Sunday all the rebel candidates except Hasem Biswas extended support to party-backed candidate Liakat and announced to quit the race.

The Awami League too here failed to manage its rebel candidates. BNPbacked candidates won all the upazila chairman posts in the last two phases.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

P9

With no personal protective equipment excepting ropes tied to their waists two cleaning workers are scrubbing the glasses clean on the exterior of a high rise balancing themselves precariously.

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

EC urges ministers and MPs not to go to Upazila polls areas n Mohammad Zakaria The Election Commission yesterday postponed the upazila parishad elections in Sreepur, Gazipur citing an absence of a conducive atmosphere to hold the polls in the area. The election was scheduled to be held on March 15.

“The Election Commission has decided to postpone the Sreepur upazila election due to the absence of a conducive atmosphere and election-related violence in the upazila,” Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz told reporters after a meeting at the EC secretariat in the capital.

Meanwhile, the commission has also urged ministers and parliamentarians not to attend any development project inaugurations or prize-giving cere-

monies in poll areas as the EC received complaints about their participation in election campaigns.

“We urged ministers and MPs not to inaugurate or participate in prize-giving ceremony in the election areas.

Those who violate the electoral code of conducts would face stern action against them by the commission,” Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz told the Dhaka Tribune.

The commission also added that returning officers and magistrates have been asked to take legal action against anyone violating the electoral code of conduct.

Earlier on Sunday, a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader, who was shot during a clash between the supporters  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Meeting held bypassing tribunal’s chief prosecutor n Udisa Islam More than half of the members of the war crimes tribunal’s prosecution team attended a meeting on Monday in spite of the fact that the chief prosecutor, who claimed the meeting was not announced according to proper procedure, ordered that it be called off.

At least 14 prosecutors out of 22 were present in the meeting including the chief coordinator of the team, MK Rahman. The absent prosecutors called it a “command failure” and feared that the meeting would undermine the integrity of the whole team.

On Monday, prosecutor Hrishikesh Saha issued a notice to all prosecutors including the chief prosecutor to be present at a meeting at 5pm. The agenda of the meeting included the controversy surrounding certain prosecutors as well as the status of the case.

Malaysia military ‘tracked’ missing plane to west coast n Reuters

He said: “I called the meeting with the consent of the chief coordinator. I can do it. If the chief prosecutor is not working and not sincere about his daily tasks then the team may not work in a proper way. The command may fail.”

He, however, admitted that the chief prosecutor, in a counter letter the same day, cancelled out the letter through which the meeting was called.

The prosecution has been in an awkward position for the last two weeks after Mohammad Ali, conducting lawyer in the case against Motiur Rahman Nizami, made negative comments about the whole team, particularly prosecutor Tureen Afroz, in a recent TV interview.

To resolve the situation, Chief Prosecutor Golam Arif Tipoo in a letter on Sunday said five senior members – Zead al Malum, Syed Haider Ali, Sultan  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

MORE STORIES

The Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, runs along Malaysia’s west coast. The airline said on Saturday that radio and radar contact with Flight MH370 was lost off the east coast Malaysian town of Kota Bharu.

Police had earlier said they were investigating whether any passengers or crew on the plane had personal or psychological problems that might explain its disappearance, along with the possibility of a hijack, sabotage or mechanical failure.

The plane left Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early on Saturday morning, vanishing from civilian radar screens about an hour after take-off over the sea separating eastern Malaysia from the southern tip of Vietnam.

There was no distress signal or radio contact indicating a problem and, in the absence of any wreckage or flight data, police have been left trawling through passenger and crew lists for potential leads.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

NBR man returns Tk24lakh bribe n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj An audit official of the National Board of Revenue yesterday paid back Tk24.28lakh to four garment businessmen which he had taken from them last week forcibly.

The official did not appear in person but sent the money to the businessmen through Assistant General Manager Ruhul Amin of Agrani Bank’s Court Road Branch in Narayanganj. A leader of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) was present there.

On Monday, the BKMEA leaders went to the bank and sat in a meeting where the bank officials admitted to the incident and assured them of returning the money from the audit team.

On March 5, an audit team led by

local official M Sharif went to the bank for investigation and found that the four garment factories – Krishanachura Fashion, Nit Garden Limited, Al-round Knit Limited and Next Design – got Tk2.05 crore as incentive money on exports but failed to apply for the process within the stipulated time.

They sat with the factory authorities along with the bank officials and asked for the bribe threatening them of taking back the incentive. The bank officials collected the bribe money and handed over to the NBR officials.

BKMEA leader Mohammad Hatem claimed that the audit officials had been harassing exporters not only in the Agrani Bank, rather at many banks of Dhaka and Narayanganj. NBR official Sharif could not be contacted over phone despite several attempts. l

Oscar-winning Indian musician AR Rahman calls on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban yesterday. Rahman is in Bangladesh to perform at a concert tomorrow on the occasion of the upcoming T20 World Cup PMO

Bangladesh to sign PSC with Santos- MP, minister concerned absent from JS Q-A session Kris for offshore exploration n n Aminur Rahman Rasel

The government is set to sign a deal today with a joint venture firm of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to start oil and gas exploration at one offshore shallow block in the Bay of Bengal under the fourth round of model PSC. “The government and Petrobangla will jointly sign a production sharing contract [PSC] for one block with the joint venture of Australia-based Santos and Singapore-based Kris Energy Limited tomorrow [today],” Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur told the Dhaka tribune yesterday.

“We will also sign PSC for one shallow block with the US-based ConocoPhillips soon,” he added.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith is

Certificates FF children to be verified n Rabiul Islam The government has decided to examine the certificates of freedom fighters’ sons and daughters during the process of application for recruitment.

Currently, the certificates are scrutinised just before recruitment, which ultimately causes delay for the applicants to join work.

On February 19, the Liberation War affairs ministry issued a circular in this regard.

“We have faced various problems during recruitment because of examining the certificates just before recruitment,” State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara Sadique told the Dhaka Tribune at her Secretariat office yesterday.

She said applicants most often submitted certificates at the last moment.

The circular of the Liberation War affairs ministry says it receives the certificates for verification at the eleventh hour which delays the recruitment. The recruits cannot also join work timely and ultimately become juniors to others from the same recruitment process.

Neither the minister nor the secretary of the Liberation War affairs ministry was available for comment.

Sons and daughters of freedom fighters enjoy a 30% quota in government jobs in Bangladesh. l

SP ordered to surrender n Tribune Report The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday canceled a High Court order that granted bail to a police official who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court in a bribery case, filed in 2003.

According to sources, the High Court cancelled the life imprisonment of Mostafa Kamal, a superintendent of police (SP) in the case of demanding Tk50lakh in bribe from Salah Uddin Ahmed , SA Paribahan proprietor.

The top court also cancelled his bail, granted by the HC, and ordered the convict to surrender before the Special Judge’s Court-3 in Dhaka by two weeks.

The five-member apex court bench led by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain passed the order following two petitions by the Anti-Corruption Commission and Salah Uddin.

SA Paribahan proprietors’ lawyer Ziauddin Quasem told the Dhaka Tribune that the apex court also said if the convict’s appeal was disposed of in six months, he could seek bail. l

expected to be present at the signing ceremony as the chief guest, while prime minister’s Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid would be present as special guests.

Government and Petrobangla will jointly sign a PSC with Australiabased Santos and Singapore-based Kris Energy Limited today After participating in an international tender, Santos and Kris Energy obtained the exploration rights to block 11 and ConocoPhillips got block 7.

Santos and Kris Energy have offered to invest $32m to conduct 2D seismic survey of 870-line km, 3D seismic survey of 300sq-km and drill one well. The profit share ratio of the government would be 55%-85% for both gas and oil.

Meanwhile, ConocoPhillips has offered to invest $23.5m to conduct 2D-seismic survey of 2,347 line-km, 3D-seismic survey of a 500sq-km area and drill one exploration well in block 7. The profit-sharing ratio for the government would be 55%-80% for both gas and oil.

On February 17, Bangladesh signed two deals with India’s state-owned ONGC Videsh Limited and Oil India Limited to start oil and gas exploration in offshore shallow blocks 4 and 9.

Earlier, international biddings were called under the PSC in 1993, 1997 and 2008. l

Tribune Report

The Jatiya Sagsad yesterday saw a question-answer session with both the lawmaker, who was supposed to place a question, and the disaster management and relief minister, who was supposed to answer it, absent from the House.

The speaker had to request Chittagong 11 lawmaker M Abdul Latif to table the question for Chittagong 4 MP Didarul Alam and Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed to answer it on behalf of Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.

Tofail, however, conveyed his reluctance to answer the question. “According to the gazette, Food Minister Quamrul Islam is authorised to answer MPs’ questions in the absence of the disaster management minister,” he said.

At this, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury recited two lines from a well-known poem, meaning “all for one, one for all,” and requested Tofail

again to reply to the question. She also reminded him that he had to answer four more questions related to his own ministry.

Earlier in the session, independent lawmaker M Salim Uddin Tarafder was also unavailable to table his question.

Awami League’s Rajshahi 4 MP Enamul Haque placed the question.

In reply to a query from Awami League lawmaker Suhrab Uddin, the commerce minister told parliament that the government had not yet taken any initiative to ban import of Pakistani goods as the two countries had diplomatic relations.

Minister Tofail Ahmed said Bangladeshi goods such as garment, knitwear, jute, textile and bicycle were exported to 37 countries, including 27 EU destinations, without tariff. He said government initiatives were continuing to export Bangladeshi commodities without tariff to several other counties, including Russia, Turkey and Malaysia. l

Court issues arrest warrants against Proshika CEO, two others AL, BNP rebels this time in case filed by ex-employee n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants against Kazi Khaje Alam, chief executive officer of Proshika, and two others in connection with a case filed by an ex-employee over severance pay and alleged death threats.

Metropolitan Magistrate Hasibul Haque issued the order after police submitted a probe report before the court in connection with the case.

The other two accused include the non-government organisation’s director Altaf Hosssain Talukder and deputy director Alamgir Hossain.

On September 11, 2013, Kamrul Islam, a former computer operator of Proshika, filed a case with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate against Proshika chairman Kazi Faruk Ahmed and five other officials.

According to the case statements,

Kamrul Islam said he had resigned from his job after losing a leg in a road accident on October 20, 2008. The plaintiff claimed that he was owed Tk135, 386 from provident and welfare funds and gratuity, but Proshika gave him only Tk 50,000.

Kamrul also alleged that when he went to the Proshika office in Mirpur to claim his dues on July 29 last year, the accused men threatened him with “dire consequences” if he asked for money again.

The court took the case into cognizance and ordered the officer in charge of Rupnagar police station to investigate the matter and submit a report.

After an investigation, Md Nuruzzaman, sub-inspector of Rupnagar police, submitted a report before the court on January 23 this year.

The plaintiff, meanwhile, sent a legal notice to Proshika on January 13, but did not get any reply. l

‘Ershad playing new drama with party leaders’ n Manik Miazee

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, who created much drama surrounding his party’s participation in the recently held national election, created further friction within his party ranks yesterday, by holding meetings on the same day with the leaders who withdrew nominations on Ershad’s orders, as well as the party MPs who defied his directives.

A presidium member of the party told the Dhaka Tribune: “Ershad yesterday again played a new drama with party leaders, as is his character. He met with leaders who had withdrawn their nomination and said he will try to provide different facilities for them.

However, in the evening, he [Ershad] met with leaders who had defied his order. It is a great farce played against party leaders.”

During the meeting at his Banani office in the morning, Ershad said he would reward the leaders who followed his directive to withdraw nomination papers in the January 5 polls.

A JaPa leader, who had withdrawn nomination for the national poll, said Ershad had assured that the leaders who followed his directive would be preferred for nominations in future elections.

“You have shown great respect to me by withdrawing the nomination pa-

pers from the polls [January 5] that had proved that my position in the party is strong enough,” the leader also quoted Ershad as saying.

Belal Hossain, secretary general of Jatiya Jubo Shanghati, told the Dhaka Tribune that JaPa Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader assured leaders at the meeting that Ershad, also a special envoy to the premier, would provide different facilities to those who had withdrawn their nomination.

Sources said around 150 leaders who had withdrawn their nominations were present at the meeting, where the JaPa chief also directed them to take preparations for a mid-term election.

Meanwhile, at his son’s birthday programme in the capital’s Gulshan Club later in the evening, Ershad met with JaPa MPs and other leaders of the party who had defied his orders during the national poll.

Earlier in December last year, former military dictator Ershad made dramatic shifts in his decision to participate in the poll. Following a sudden announcement of boycotting the poll, many JaPa leaders led by Ershad’s wife Rawshan Ershad, defied the former autocrat’s directives and participated in the poll to win 34 seats in parliament.

According the party’s official, 65 candidates of the party contested in the polls, but many of them were absent in the election campaigning. l

more aggressive  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

In Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam’s paternal cousin Syed Ashfuqul Islam Titu was blessed with party support. But still there are three more Awami League candidates challenging the party-backed candidate.

The major political camps – Awami League and BNP – have failed to ensure single candidates in around half of the upazilas out of 81 and expulsion of the rebel candidates also widely reported compared to the previous phases of polls.

The highest number of candidates is contesting in Sreebardi Upazila of Sherpur where 20 candidates from different parties are contesting, according to election commission official record.

In the last two phases of upazi-

la elections both the major political camps – the Awami League and BNP – have failed to rein in rebel candidates.

The rebel candidates, however, did not fare well in the polls but the party-backed candidates had to pay the prices in many cases.

In the second phase of elections, the trend of expulsion in both camps was lower but after the completion of the second phase both the parties adopted hard line on the rebel candidates and started expelling them, the moves that have angered the grassroots.

The influence of central leaders and local MPs in many places have surfaced in the third phase of upazila elections.

Election in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur district was postponed following reports of clashes between party-backed and rebels candidates. l

AR Rahman meets Hasina n BSS Celebrated music composer of the subcontinent AR Rahman paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Ganobhaban yesterday evening.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, PM’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil said they discussed issues related to the music of the subcontinent.

The prime minister highly appreciated the talent of AR Rahman and said the Oscar-winning artiste had successfully projected the rich music of the subcontinent before the world people afresh.

Sajib Wazed Joy, eminent computer scientist and son of the premier, and Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, son of Sheikh Rehana, sister of the premier, and Radwan’s wife Peppi Siddiq and Nazmul Hasan Papon, lawmaker and president of Bangladesh Cricket Board were present on the occasion.

AR Rahman reached Dhaka yesterday to participate in a concert at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on the occasion of the upcoming T20 World Cup. l

EC urges ministers  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

of an AL-backed chairman candidate and a rebel AL candidate in Gazipur on Saturday, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in the capital.

On March 7, activists of local Awami League and its affiliates laid a blockade on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Sreepur after RAB personnel had picked up upazila parishad chairman candidate Abdul Jalil.

A senior EC official said the commission had sent a letter to the deputy commissioner of Gazipur and the home ministry to take legal action against the violence that occurred in Sreepur.

This is the first time the commission has postponed an upazilla election after the fourth phase of the upazila parishads began.

The official also said elections for 81 upazilas would be held on March 15 as the High Court stayed the polls of Fenchuganj upazila. l

Malaysia military ‘tracked’ missing plane  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

“Maybe somebody on the flight has bought a huge sum of insurance, who wants family to gain from it or somebody who has owed somebody so much money, you know, we are looking at all possibilities,” Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told a news conference.

“We are looking very closely at the video footage taken at the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), we are studying the behavioral pattern of all the passengers.”

Stolen passports

The fact that at least two passengers on board had used stolen passports, confirmed by Interpol, has raised suspicions of foul play. But Southeast

Asia is known as a hub for false documents that are also used by smugglers, illegal migrants and asylum seekers.

Police chief Khalid said one of the men had been identified as a 19-yearold Iranian, PouriaNour Mohammad Mehrdad, who appeared to be an illegal immigrant. The identity of the other was still being checked.

“We believe he is not likely to be a member of any terrorist group, and we believe he was trying to migrate to Germany,” Khalid said of the teenager. His mother was waiting for him in Frankfurt and had been in contact with authorities, he said.

Asked if that meant he ruled out a hijack, Khalid said: “(We are giving) same weightage to all (possibilities) un-

til we complete our investigations.”

Both men entered Malaysia on Feb 28, at least one from Phuket, in Thailand, eight days before boarding the flight to Beijing, Malaysian immigration chief AloyahMamat told the news conference. Both held onward reservations to Western Europe.

Police in Thailand, where the passports were stolen and the tickets used by the two men were booked, said they did not think they were linked to the disappearance of the plane.

“We haven’t ruled it out, but the weight of evidence we’re getting swings against the idea that these men are or were involved in terrorism,” SupachaiPuikaewcome, chief of police in the Thai resort city of Pattaya, told Reuters. l

Meeting held bypassing chief prosecutor  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Mahmud, Mokhlesur Rahman Badal and Rana Das Gupta – would assist Ali and Tureen during the closing arguments that began on Monday.

But during the last two days, Ali continued making the arguments alone when MK Rahman, Mir Iqbal, Abul Kalam and Altaf Hossain were seated at the first row on the prosecution’s side.

None of the five senior prosecutors who were required to assist were present during the proceedings, except for Malum who went to the tribunal yesterday for just a few minutes.

Tureen was present during the argument sessions. The tribunal yesterday asked her to be present at the court to-

day if she wanted to argue in the case.

However, when the tribunal asked Ali whether any other prosecutor wanted to take part in the arguments, he mentioned Haider Ali and not Tureen.

Citing a section of the International Crimes Tribunal Act, Chief Prosecutor Tipoo told the Dhaka Tribune that the post of the prosecution’s chief coordinator was illegal. “Presence of the official has created divisions within the prosecution team.”

He was appointed through a special circular in January 2013, but Tipoo termed the appointment “unacceptable.”

Chief Coordinator MK Rahman, who is also an additional attorney general, re-

fused to comment on the matter. He, however, said everything would be put right.

Tureen, who attended the meeting said, “I came to know about the chief prosecutor’s calling off the meeting when I already joined it.”

She refused to disclose the meeting details saying that it was an “internal issue.” She said the chief coordinator had asked her, like the chief prosecutor, to argue some legal points in the Nizami case.

Another prosecutor seeking anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are sad to observe that this type of command failure has occurred for the first time. Some 12 prosecutors have been engaged in grouping and lobbying.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

BNP unlikely to go for vigorous movement soon n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP’s recent call to launch agitation after the upazila polls was not practical, party insiders said, as series of events would make it apparently impossible for them to go for any street demonstration.

Moreover, the high command’s plan to reorganise the party would also take time.

After the upazila parishad elections, which is scheduled to be completed by March 31, there are a series of events, including the HSC examinations. Moreover, a movement during the rainy season and the month of Ramadan lost momentum, said a Standing Committee member.

BNP’s plan for agitation demanding

election under non-party administration might gradually take shape from October just after Eid-ul-Azha, said the old guard of the party.

He said the party in the meantime might place a formal proposal to the government to hold dialogues to resolve the crisis mainly focusing on the polltime government system.

A joint secretary general of the party said before the reorganisation of the party there was little possibility of waging any tough programme.

“Now one of the main priorities of the party is to reorganise it, which will take a few months. But in the meantime the party chairperson will visit some districts and the top leaders will also visit the 75 organisational districts. So, the

tough programmes will not come very soon,” he said, seeking anonymity.

Addressing a rally on March 1, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said if the government did not pay heed to their demand of election under a non-party administration, the party would wage a movement after the upazila parishad elections.

By the time they would reorganise the party, she said.

The reconstitution initiatives of the BNP and its front and associated bodies have already started.

Khaleda held meetings with the Dhaka city unit BNP and Dhaka University Chhatra Dal leaders and reportedly bashed them for their “failed roles” in the movement aimed at foiling the election.

Khaleda also held a meeting of the Standing Committee on Sunday night where they reportedly decided to form the convener committee of Dhaka city unit to bring changes in the leadership, especially youths.

The meeting also reportedly decided to hold its national council after the completion of the upazila parishad elections and forming the incomplete upazila and district BNP committees.

A number of senior leaders said as there are some national occasions the movement would not get any pace before mid-October, after Eid-ul-Azha.

However, issue-based programmes, public rallies and mass contact programmes to mobilise public opinion in favour of the demand for election under

a non-partisan government will get going.

The BNP-led 18-party alliance waged a non-stop movement from October 25 and continued until the second week of January but they failed to prevent the Awami League from holding the national election and forming the new government.

On Thursday night, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury advised the BNP chairperson to take initiatives to hold a dialogue to reach a consensus over the poll-time government.

Bikalpadhara Joint Secretary General Mahi B Chowdhury claimed that Khaleda had taken the proposal positively and might take an initiative soon. l

Twoki murder accused freed on parole n Tribune Report

One of the prime accused of the Tanvir Mohammad Twoki killing, who had given confessional statement before a court was freed on parole to see his mother’s body yesterday.

The accused Yusuf Hossain Liton’s mother Oliza Begum Lakshmi died yesterday morning. Liton was freed for two hours to see her body, reports our correspondent.

Liton was taken to Masdair Municipality Grave from Narayanganj District Jail with police escort, where he took part in his mother’s namaz-e-janaza.

Liton was arrested in the Twoki murder case on April 29 last year at Kotowali of Mymensingh by a team of Detective Brach (DB). On July 29, he gave confessional statement before the Senior Judicial Magistrate court of Narayanganj.

According to his statements, Twoki, an A-level student and son of cultural activist Rafiur Rabbi, was killed at the office of Azmeri Osman in College Road area of Narayanganj. His body was put in a sack and dumped in the Shitalakhya river at Charargope.

Twoki was found dead on the banks of the Shitalakhya in Narayanganj on March 8 last year, two days after he went missing. l

Top war crimes accused Motiur Rahman Nizami had misinterpreted Qur’an and Islam to incite his followers to commit crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, the prosecution said yesterday.

They demanded capital punishment for the incumbent Jamaat-e-Islami chief for his role during the war in Dhaka and Pabna.

Nizami had directed and instructed his fellows to commit the atrocities and in some of the incidents he was present in person, the prosecution told the International Crimes Tribunal 1 during the rehearing of closing arguments in

A city corporation worker replaces old street lights yesterday as part of the beautification ahead of the T20 World Cup

the case.

The accused was the chief of notorious al-Badr force and Islami Chhatra Sangha – then student wing of Jamaat – who carried out systematic killing of intellectuals.

Though it was second time the prosecution placed arguments, they seemed unprepared while making submissions.

The tribunal commented: “You are trying to cook chicken using the recipe of Halua.” When prosecutor Mohammad Ali submitted arguments on “incitement” under charge number 11 to 14, he made some mistakes mentioning about the evidence.

Ali claimed that Nizami had incited his followers to take revenge of the mur-

Trawler capsized in Gazipur, one dies n Our Correspondent, Gazipur One worker died while a trawler carrying over 50 workers of PRAN Company drowned into Shitalakkya River in Kaliganj upazila of Gazipur district yesterday morning.

The deceased was identified as Limon, 19, son of Kazol Mia of Basair Bazar Ghat village under Bahadursadi Union of the district. Locals claimed the trawler capsized due to excessive numbers of passengers and still four to five labours remained missing.

Locals said workers were going to the company located in Palash Upazila of Narsingdi district by crossing the river.

Liton, assistant operator of line label machine of PRAN informed that the company owned three trawlers and one of them went out of service. So, the two small trawlers took extra passengers and became overloaded. The capsized trawler started its journey from Jamalpur Bazar launch station in Gazipur at 6am. It got drowned under 15 feet deep into of the river.

After hearing the screams of the workers, locals rescued some labours.

On information, rescue team rushed to the spot and recovered Limon’s body.

Many workers lost their valuables due to trawler capsize.

As a result, confusion created over the total number of missing workers.

n Mohammad Zakaria

Upon receiving assurance from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Election Commission has decided to hold polls in the 22 upazilas during the month of May, where earlier it had hold polls because of demarcation related complications.

The schedule of elections to these 22 upazilas would be announced next month.

EC Acting Secretary Sirajul Islam said: “We could not hold polls in those 22 upazila parishads because of uncertain demarcation and other complexities. The commission is planning to hold elections there in sixth phase in middle of May.” The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development yesterday had informed the commission that they had resolved the complexities over demarcation in the 22 upazilas, he said.

The fourth phase of the polls will be held on March 23 while the fifth phase on March 31. l

EC cancels nominations of two AL and JaPa women MP aspirants n Mohammad Zakaria

RAJIB DHAR

Prosecution: Nizami should get capital punishment n Udisa Islam

EC to hold 22 upazila polls in sixth phase

Primarily, the number of missing workers reduced after contacting their families. The rescue team had been trying to recover the trawler.

Assistant General Manager Of PRAN Industrial Park, Sheikh Abdul Quader said: “Some workers managed to swim after the trawler drowned into water.

Locals rescued some of them. All of the workers came to the factory except the deceased worker, Limon.”

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kamrul Ahsan Talukder said: “We tried to collect the information of missing workers through loudspeakers on behalf of the local administration. But, we didn’t get any name in this regard.” The local administration gave Tk10,000 to the deceased’s family as immediate relief. l

der of Madani. At that stage, when the tribunal asked him about Madani, Ali failed to answer.

Prosecutor Tureen Afroz argued on the “incitement” part during the first phase of closing arguments in November. She referred to Nizami’s speech at a meeting organised in remembrance of Al Madani at the Islamic Academy Hall on August 22, 1971. “Nizami stated that taking revenge for Al Madani’s blood would only prove their respect for Al Madani.

By saying this, Nizami incited the minds of innocent people and members of Chhatra Sangha to go after and eliminate those who are struggling to free Bangladesh from Pakistani occupation, terming them enemies of Pakistan.”

Prosecutor Ali referring to an article published in Jamaat mouthpiece the daily Sangram showed how the Jamaat leader had urged his followers to defend Pakistan and attack the people, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion, who stood against them.

“He [Nizami] not only incited his cronies in Islami Chhatra Sangha and later al-Badr, to commit crimes against humanity, but also tried to wage war against India,” Ali claimed.

In the whole day session, the prosecution argued on 10 out of total 16 charges.

After the lunch break when the tribunal started its second session, no related prosecutor was present. As Ali appeared

before the court after 10 minutes, the tribunal said: “The practice was to wait for judge at the courtroom and now the judges have to wait for the lawyers.”

At the end, the tribunal asked the prosecution to conclude their part of arguments by the first session today. The tribunal also asked prosecutor Tureen to be present as she had submitted some legal arguments last time.

Meanwhile, the tribunal 2 yesterday deferred the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness in the trial of Syed Md Qaisar until today. Kazi Kabiruddin, 72, a freedom fighter from Madhabpur of Habiganj started testifying against Qaisar on March 9 and concluded the next day. l

Following the scrutiny of nomination papers for the women reserved seats in the 10th parliament, the Election Commission has cancelled the nominations of Awami League nominated Sabiha Nahar Begum and Jatiya Party nominated Khorshed Ara Haque for defaulting telephone bills.

Returning Officer of the polls and Joint Secretary Jesmin Tuli confirmed the reporters yesterday, adding that the rest 48 candidates’ nominations remained valid.

Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) will get Tk223,488 from Khorshed Ara and Tk11,835 from Sabiha Nahar.

However, these two candidates could appeal to the commission on Wednesday [today] and the EC would decide following a hearing in this regard, Tuli added.

According to the laws, the candidates have to clear their bills and loans before seven days of filing nomination papers.

The returning officer also said if the decision about the matter remained the same after the hearing, the commission would announce reschedule of the polls for these two reserved seats after 21 days of publishing gazette of the rest 48 MPs. EC officials said the commission would announce the rest 48 candidates as winners on March 18 the last date for withdrawing nomination papers, as there was no contestant in the polls.

Earlier, the commission asked the Bangladesh Bank for information on loan defaulters, as well as on bill defaulters from the BTCL, Wasa and other utility authorities.

Meanwhile, the AL led alliance submitted 41 nominations, Jatiya Party six and independent alliance three. l

AUGUST 2004 GRENADE ATTACK

Attackers termed grenades ‘snacks’ for Hasina n Tribune Report The militants while distributing grenades among themselves at a house in the city’s Badda area before the attack on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004, termed those “snacks for Hasina,” a witness said yesterday.

“I saw around 15 people in the house [of accused Maulana Liton] disbursing some round-shaped things among themselves, after taking them out from black bags. I asked what they were. They smiled and one accused Ovi replied that those were snacks for Hasina,” said Maulana Mosaddek Billah while testifying in August 21 grenade attack case as the 74th prosecution witness.

Now a Narsingdi madrasa teacher,

the witness said he was well acquainted with accused Maulana Liton alias Zubair alias Delwar and went to the house on a routine visit.

Through Liton, he also got introduced with accused Mufti Hannan, Ahsanullah, Morsalin, Muttakim, and some other people at his house.

“I went to the house around noon and came out after an hour. In the evening, I heard that the Awami League rally was attacked with grenades killing many people. Then I understood that the round shaped things were grenades,” he told the Speedy Trial Tribunal 1 of Dhaka.

After his deposition, Mosaddek identified two accused in the dock.

He said they knew some of the other

attackers who are now in jail. “They [two accused] now have long beards but before the attack they were cleanshaved.”

The court later fixed March 18 for cross-examination of the witness.

Mosaddek in his deposition said he had been introduced with accused Maulana Liton couple of years before the attack in a Dhaka-bound bus from Gazipur. The witness was then a teacher of a madrasa in Sreepur.

“We got to know each other well and Liton asked me to visit his house at Badda. I often visited the place. Liton too visited my Sreepur house,” he said.

In 2004, Mosaddek started living at Badda and opened a phone-fax shop.

The attack was carried out while the then opposition leader was addressing

a rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004. Hasina narrowly escaped death with an ear injury, but 24 leaders and workers including late president Zillur Rahman’s wife Ivy Rahman were killed and over 300 others injured.

Two cases were filed in this connection – one for murder and the other under Explosive Substances Act. Later, the CID pressed charges accusing 52 people including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman and some other leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and outlawed militant group Huji.

Thirty-three accused including BNP leader Lutfozzaman Babar and Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and three former police chiefs are now in jail. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Government wants power tariff adjusted with production cost n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government has not proposed increasing the price of electricity, but would like it adjusted to meet the cost of imported fuels used to generate power, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said yesterday.

“The government is giving financial support, but not subsidy for the power sector. The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission will take the decision on increasing the price of electricity,” Nasrul said while talking to energy reporters at the National Press Club yesterday.

The state minister said due to scarcity of primary fuels like natural gas, the country had to depend on imported oil or coal to produce electricity.

“So, we have to spend extra money for that. As a result, the electricity bill will slightly increase,” Nasrul said.

The five state-owned electricity distribution companies have recently proposed to increase retail power tariffs by 8.59% to 23.50% per unit (each kilowatt-hour).

Nasrul said in neighbouring India, the rate of electricity was 4.4 rupees (Tk5.6), which is higher than our average tariff.

Admitting that the country’s natural gas reserves were depleting fast, the state minister said, “We are trying to explore new gas fields and strengthen Bapex (the state-run petroleum exploration and production company).”

Nasrul said state-owned Petrobangla had started producing fuel oil on a limited scale, and hoped that Bangladesh would become an oil-producing country in the future.

“Petrobangla is going to explore for oil in one field, but the transportation of this

DU professor sent on compulsory leave

n DU correspondent Dhaka University authority sent a professor of psychology on a compulsory leave for allegedly misbehaving with a female student.

The university Syndicate took the decision against Professor Ayesha Mahmuda, who will be on leave until a probe committee submits its report.

Sources said the master’s student was consulting with a lecturer on February 18 when Ayesha entered the room which she shared with the lecturer.

After bumping into the student, Ayesha became angry with the student and allegedly kicked her.

Students later locked Ayesha in her room and submitted a memorandum to the VC, the department chairman and the proctor, demanding punishment. l

fuel needs proper planning,” he said.

“The government will build coalfired power plants, which will bring new dimension to the sector. The projects will cost $3bn, but the country will earn $9bn,” he added.

The state minister also said old power stations, like the 210-megawatt Ghorashal plant, would be modified to consume less gas and produce more power.

The World Bank has already agreed to fund a PDB (Power Development Board) project to renovate unit 4 of the Ghorashal power plant.

Nasrul further said he would work to eradicate bribery and corruption from the power sector, especially when it comes to giving new electricity connections.

Meanwhile, the state minister said Bangladesh was interested in joining the $7.5bn Turkmenistan-AfghanistanPakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, which enjoys the backing of the United States and the Asian Development Bank.

The TAPI project is geopolitically significant, but still has some challenges to be worked out, experts say. A gas pipeline framework agreement, signed by representatives of the four nations in April 2008 in Islamabad, had envisaged construction to start in 2010, supplying gas by 2015.

Nasrul also claimed that: “During the tenure of the BNP-led alliance, the country was supposed to connect with a Myanmar gas line, but the then government failed to do that.”

Power Secretary Monwar Islam, power cell director general Mohammad Hossai and PDB chairman Md Abduhu Ruhulla also addressed the “meet the press” programme, organised by the Forum for Energy Reporters Bangladesh. l

Students of Dhaka College demonstrate occupying the road in front of the institution yesterday, demanding its transformation into a university

DGHS sets recruitment test date for 1,800 vacancies n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

However, the publication of the result was put on hold following a High Court stay order based on a writ petition alleging massive corruption in the recruitment process; the stay order was lifted recently.

The nine districts were Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Faridpur, Naogaon, Narail, Jessore, Satkhira, Barisal and Noakhali.

Seeking anonymity, senior officials of the health ministry and the health directorate told the Dhaka Tribune that the whole recruitment process for the nine districts would be cancelled and fresh advertisements for recruitment would be published.

Health Minister Mohammed Nasim was against publishing the results of the controversial recruitment, the sources said, but added that further discussion will be held before making

CAB: Reduce existing power price

Tk10 lakh, laptop stolen from IBBL n Our Correspondent, Brahmanbaria

SC verdict on Justice Faizees’ law certificate on March 13

n Mohammad Atiqur Rahman

A group of three youths stole Tk10 lakh and a laptop from a branch of Islami Bank in Brahmanbaria yesterday.

“The incident took place in Court Road area in the afternoon,” said AFM Mizanur Rahman, manager of the bank.

The manager also said: “Owner of Arman Soap Factory and Arshi Metal Industries Solaiman Miah withdrew Tk10 lakh as bank loan in the morning.

After receiving the money, he placed the money into his laptop bag in front of the cash counter and went to a nearby table to finish some paperwork.

“The bank branch’s surveillance camera recorded three youths stealing the bag from the cash counter and fleeing.”

Contacted, Md Abdur Rob, Brahmanbaria police station OC, said an investigation was underway. l

n Tribune Report

The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has urged authorities concerned to reduce the existing price of electricity by coordinating bulk and retail prices.

At a press briefing at the Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday, CAB Energy Advisor Dr M Shamsul Alam said: “Around Tk2,000 crore can be saved by producing electricity using gas instead of purchasing gas and electricity from quick rental plants. It will reduce the current price of bulk electricity. The retail price will also come down.”

In a written statement, he elaborated 12-charter demands of the organisation for reducing electricity price.

The demands include not keeping

Following several rounds of postponements, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has finally set March 28 for holding recruitment test to fill up 1,808 vacant posts of third and fourth-class employees in 26 districts.

Sources said a five-member central recruitment committee, headed by DGHS Additional Director General Subash Kumar Saha, met on Sunday to fix the date.

More than one lakh candidates will appear for the hour-long test, which will be on 100 marks of multiple-choice questions.

The DGHS has received 81,944 applications against 1,260 vacancies for third-class posts, and 22,170 applications for 548 vacant posts of fourthclass employees.

profit margin for distribution companies and to stop giving new gas connections to residential and CNG filling stations until the required gas supply is ensured for electricity production.

In addition, Alam questioned the quality of plants, including Barapukuria Power Plant. He said the plants were established in an unplanned system.

He further criticised the policy of public power sector, which he termed as “no loss, no profit”, and the subsidy being provided to private power plants which had hiked the power prices.

“Earlier in 2012, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) hiked power prices by around 3.75 percent in order to meet the deficit of around Tk725 crore, which was not implemented thereby,” claimed CAB. l

n UNB

City

High

Low

31.0 31.0 32.0 30.3 31.5 31.1 31.9 33.0

18.8 18.0 14.5 14.5 18.3 17.5 16.8 20.5

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

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

Source: IslamicFinder.org

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has set March 13 [tomorrow] for delivering verdict regarding punishment imposed on editors, publishers and reporters of the Prothom Alo and the Bhorer Kagoj by the High Court for publishing report which said LLB certificate of Justice Faisal Mahmud Faizee was forged.

The four-member apex court bench headed by Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana yesterday fixed the date after concluding the hearing over the appeals that challenged the HC verdict.

On March 21, 2005, the HC fined Tk1000 Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, publisher Mahfuz Anam [now the editor and publisher of the Daily Star],

reporters Ekramul Haque Bulbul and Musud Milad as well as the then Bhorer Kagoj editor Abed Khan and publisher Saber Hossain Chowdhury for contempt of court by publishing the reports.

The court also gave two month imprisonment and Tk1,000 fine to the Bhorer Kagoj reporter Shamresh Baidya. The convicts later filed appeals against the verdict.

Dr Kamal Hossain pleaded for the appellants, while Ajmalul Hossan QC represented Faizee.

On October 30, 2004, the two dailies published reports saying the law certificate of Justice Faizee was fake. Later in 2007, Supreme Judicial council was formed to probe into the allegation.

Faizee resigned from the judgeship on July 12 the same year. l

Court rejects bail, jails 11 BCL leaders

Dry weather likely

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

a final decision.

In 2013, the DGHS invited applications for vacant third and fourthclass posts in Rajbari, Gazipur, Barguna, Madaripur, Kurigram, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Panchagarh, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Jamalpur, Faridpur, Natore, Chapainawabganj, Pirojpur and Bhola.

Fresh applications were also invited in January this year for seven more districts: Shariatpur, Gopalganj, Maulvibazar, Manikganj, Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria and Joypurhat.

Kabir Chowdhury, administrative officer of the DGHS, told the Dhaka Tribune that samples of the exam admit cards have been sent to all 26 civil surgeon’s offices, which would issue the cards to the applicants and conduct the test on March 28. l

Dr Shah Newaz, DGHS director (administration) and member secretary of the central recruitment committee, told the Dhaka Tribune that authorities had twice before scheduled dates to hold written exams for hiring 1,185 third and fourth-class employees in 19 districts, but had to postpone because of political unrest.

The latest date, however, would see written tests for vacant posts in 26 districts, which include vacancies at seven districts that were not scheduled to see tests before.

The committee, on the other hand, could not decide on publishing the results of 915 vacant posts for third and fourth-class employees at nine more districts, the written tests for which was held on April 26 last year, and the viva voce on August 26.

WEATHER

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

Day temperature 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 6:10am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 33.0 degree Celsius was recorded in Cox’s Bazar and lowest 14.0 degrees in Rangamati and Sitakunda yesterday.

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

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

n Our Correspondent, Chuadanga

A mobile court set fire to boats and demolished the dredging machine used by sand traders for illegal sand lifting in the Padma River at Nabaganga in Poba upazila yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

A Chuadanga court yesterday rejected bail for 11 local leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League in a bomb explosion case and sent them to jail.

The activists of the ruling party’s student wing are accused of exploding handmade bombs in front of Impact Hospital in the town during a procession on January 23. Khaledur Rahman, sub-inspector of Chuadanga detective branch of police, filed a case accusing 12 suspects on January 24.

The suspects include Chuadanga BCL president Sharif Hossain Dudu, former general secretary Jipu Chow-

dhury, municipality BCL head Zavid Hossain and student leaders Sadi, Tapu, Devid, Janib, Zia, Hafizur Rahman, Imran Ahmed and Bulbul.

All of the accused were earlier released on bail, but the bail period ended yesterday.

When they appealed for extension of bail yesterday, Aminul Islam, senior judicial magistrate of the district court, denied their pleas and ordered 11 of them to jail.

Following the court order, BCL supporters protested at the court premises, chanting slogans. Jipu Chowdhury, meanwhile, claimed that he was named as an accused in a false case. l

JaPa demands Teesta deal ACC quizzes former Jamuna Bank manager n Tribune Report Opposition Chief Whip Tajul Islam Chowdhury yesterday said the Teesta agreement could not be signed because of the “dual role” of India putting Bangladesh’s north region into the process of desertification.

Taking part in an unscheduled discussion, the Jatiya Party lawmaker urged the government to sign the deal on sharing Teesta water as thousands of farmers of Rangpur and Dinajpur

depended on the river heavily for irrigation.

“The riverbed can be seen in the Teesta as all sluice gates of the Gazoldoba [in the upstream India] have been shut,” Tajul said.

He said the Teesta should have 3,000 cusec water now, but it ranged between 400 and 450, which was hampering Boro cultivation.

“I urge the government to sign the Teesta deal as soon as possible,” the opposition chief whip said. l

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to investigate the alleged embezzlement of around Tk1.26 crore by a former manager of Jamuna Bank Limited.

The anti-graft body in a meeting yesterday decided to begin the probe into the allegation that former manager of Jamuna Bank Rajshahi branch M Abrar Hossain in association with some other people had embezzled Tk1.26crore from

the bank through forged documents.

In the same meeting, the ACC also decided to sue three people, including a commandant of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP, on charge of swindling over Tk47000 through forgery.

The ACC Deputy Assistant Director M Shahidul Islam Morol will file a case within a day or two.

The accused are Bangladesh Ansar and VDP Jessore district Commandant KM Monirul Islam, Thana instructor M Nurul Islam and owner of Tokon Mo-

tors Repairing Workshop at Chuadanga M Tokon Ali. ACC officials said the accused in connivance with each other had made forged documents and swindled the money valued over Tk47000 in the name of repairing vehicles.

Meanwhile, the ACC also decided to issue a submission of wealth statement notice to Office Super of Chittagong Customs House MM Jahangir Alam on charge of amassing illegal wealth beyond any known source of his income. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Bir Shreshta Memorial being erected in city Seven rust-coloured conical towers near the Radisson Hotel

would represent the seven war heroes Officials of the Special Workers Orn Abu Hayat Mahmud ganisation (SWO) said the towers rep-

Victory Day or Mother Language Day, lighting will be used to highlight the day’s importance, Gaffar added.

Saying the computer-controlled lighting system would not need an operator, he added that the lights would automatically turn on in the evening and turn off again in the morning. The lights would stay on during cloudy days, the lighting specialist added.

Gaffar also said the lighting process is expected to be completed by March 15 and start operating from March 16, on the opening day of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup. Seeking anonymity, an SWO official told the Dhaka Tribune: “We will mostly try to start the lighting show from the opening day of the T20 World Cup. “The towers were made to represent our seven Bir Shreshtas to the nation and also for foreigners who visit Bangladesh,” he said.

The army official added that foreigners would be able to learn about the history of the Liberation War and the war heroes when they travel on the Airport Road or stay at the Radisson Hotel.

The official, however, declined to comment on the cost of the project. l

A memorial for the seven Bir Shreshtas, Liberation War martyrs who were awarded the highest military honours for valour during the war, is being erected by the side of the capital’s Airport Road.

Authorities concerned said seven rust-coloured conical towers, the construction of which began May last year near the Radisson Hotel, would represent the seven war heroes.

Named Bir Shaptak Towers, the structure is being made with steel bars and net, with the heights of the separate conical towers ranging between 45 to 100 feet.

Different types of climbing plants are also being used at the site of the towers, which would also have a computer-operated digital multiplex (DMX) lighting system.

Special Workers Organisation (west) of Bangladesh Army is constructing the towers, designed by EK Architects Chairman Ehsan Khan, while Abdul Gaffar, chief lighting consultant of Ambiance Limited, will provide the lighting system.

resent the Bir Shreshtas – who are the base and consciousness of the nation, while the climbing plants would represent the new generation who are going ahead with the inspiration of the Bir Shreshta.

Teen drowns in Chandrima Udyan Lake n Tribune Report

JnU teachers join students Barisal banks intensify security in hall-recovery demo measures for vaults

A teenage boy drowned and another sustained injuries while bathing in the Chandrima Udyan Lake behind the Jatiya Sangsad in the capital yesterday.

The victim was identified as Nahidul Islam, 14, a student of class VII of Tejgaon Community School while the injured was Monir Hossian, his friend.

Both Nahid and Monir lived with their parents at Begunbari in the capital.

Family members of the victim said Nahid and their friends went to the lake for swimming after returning home from school around 3pm. Both Nahid and Monir almost drowned at one stage during bathing.

Monir was rescued alive by people around them hearing their scream for help. Around 4:15pm, divers recovered Nahid’s body.

Md Humayun Kabir, diver of Sadarghat Fire Service unit confirmed the incident.

Officer-in-Charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station Md Abdul Mumin said they sent a team hearing the news.

With the help of locals they rescued Monir. But as the other youth (Nahid) was missing, they asked help from the fire service divers.

Kabir said they searched for the boy around 20 minutes and found his body stuck with the electric wires of a water fountain on the East side of the lake.

The wire was dead, though.

Family members of the victim said Nahid did not know how to swim. But he jumped off the bridge on the lake with friends on a whim. l

Agitated students of Jagannath University (JnU) locked up the university main gate yesterday as part of their ongoing demonstration to retrieve their grabbed halls, which entered into day 25.

The demonstration got additional support as the teachers of the university formed a human chain and observed a sit-in programme yesterday.

A procession was brought out around 10am that ended in front of JnU Liberation War Sculpture, followed by a protest rally there. The main gate of the campus was locked at 11am and the teachers started their demonstration at the same time. The joint demonstration continued until 2pm.

Contacted, Shariful Islam, president

‘The towers were made to represent our seven Bir Shreshtas to the nation and also for foreigners who visit Bangladesh’ Abdul Gaffar, in-charge of the lighting, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The DMX-controlled lighting system will be the first to be installed in any establishment in Bangladesh.”

He said different coloured lights would illuminate the memorial every evening on weekdays, while special colours would be used for weekends.

On special days like Independence Day,

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

of JnU Bangladesh Chhatra League unit, told the Dhaka Tribune that they would hold a protest rally and sit in programme in front of Bangladesh Bank, Sadarghat Branch to press home their demands.

Meanwhile, the hall recovery committee formed with local lawmaker Kazi Firoz Rashid as convener held a meeting at university vice-chancellor’s office yesterday.

At the meeting, Dhaka Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Yousuf Harun presented a report about the present condition of university’s halls.

The members of the committee also decided to hold a meeting with Attorney General Mahbubey Alam to solve the legal crisis in this regard, a release issued by the JnU authorities said. l

A memorial for the seven Bir Shreshtas is being erected by the side of the capital’s Airport Road

n Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal

Branches of different banks in the district have intensified the security measures of the vaults.

According to sources, the banks have increased the number of security guards, installed close circuit cameras and set up electronic alarm systems.

Nurul Amin Kazi, general manager, Bangladesh Bank, said special instructions were given to all branches in the region about the safety and security during the transactions and deposited collections at the vaults after the recent incidents of looting bank-vaults.

Big and old branches of nationalised banks on ground floors, upstairs and downstairs markets, residential hotels, houses and rented premises are more

Guests are seen at the press conference of the 2014 Bangladesh Francophonie Week held at the Alliance Française de Dhaka announced yesterday RAJIB DHAR

ence held at the Alliance Française de Dhaka announced yesterday.

The event aims at celebrating the French language and facilitating exchange of cultural values between Bangladesh and the Francophone community.

Seven Francophone countries, France, Canada, Egypt, Morocco, Qatar, Switzerland and Vietnam, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) and Alliance Française de Chittagong (AFC) are organising the events in Dhaka and Chittagong.

Egypt’s Ambassador to Bangladesh

Mahmoud Ezzat said: “Celebrating the week in Bangladesh has a special meaning as Bangladesh is a country like Egypt, very proud of its own identity, language, culture and history.”

The celebration is first time being held in Chittagong. Although Bangladesh has at least 10,000 French speakers, it is not a member of the International Organisation of ‘La Francophonie’ (OIF), noted the speakers.

Michel Trinquier, French Ambassador to Bangladesh said thousands of Bangladeshis join AFD and AFC every year to discover the new language and culture.

“The festival is a chance for people to learn and speak the language and share common thoughts,” said Nguyen

Quang Thuc, Ambassador of Vietnam in Bangladesh.

Nadia’s Journey, a Canadian film on women’s lives in Algeria, will be screened at AFD tomorrow and on March 20.

On Friday, French courses will be offered and eight AFD students would participate in a French debate. The winner of the debate would be awarded with a trip to France.

On Saturday, a cartoon exhibition titled illustrating 10 innovative French words will be held at AFC. Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Heather Cruden and Said Kasmi, deputy head of Mission, Morocco Embassy in Bangladesh was present at the conference among others. l

Youth’s role stressed in eliminating corruption Speakers at a programme urged the young generation to play a vital role to fight against corruption and upholding good governance with human rights and justice in the country.

They made the observation while addressing the daylong Active Citizens Regional Achievers’ Summit 2014 in Barisal city yesterday.

Society could progress as well as the country could advance positively if the

Vault of the Bangladesh Bank Barisal branch is also well secured on its own building, he added.

Nasiruddin, assistant general manager of state owned Sonali Bank cor-

n Abu Bakar Siddique

Francophonie week starts tomorrow

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

The banks have increased the number of security guards and installed close circuit cameras

porate branch Barisal, said vault of this branch was used for transaction and deposits of average Tk10-30 crore and other local branches for Tk5lakh, upazila level branches for Tk10lakh.

Vaults of Sonali Bank corporate branch Barisal were also often used by Bangladesh Bank Barisal branch to deposit excess cash, the Sonali Bank AGM said.

Soikat Biswas, manager of South East Bank Bank Ltd Barisal branch, said the branch situated on first floor on the top of the Premier Bank branch was fully safe with special security measures and technologies.

Shahidul Islam, manager of Prime Bank Barisal, said although the bank was situated on the first floor of a market, security measures including CCTV were installed for safety. l

Flood forecasting stressed

9 BNP men sent to jail in bomb n Tazlina Zamila Khan blast case 2014 Bangladesh Francophonie n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj The Week starts tomorrow, a press conferA Narayanganj court yesterday sent nine leaders of BNP and its student wing Chhatra Dal to jail, scraping their bail petitions in a cocktail blast case in front of the district and sessions court judge’s residence.

On December 1, 2013, miscreants blasted cocktails in front of the judge’s house and a case was filed by police in that connection.

The accused were granted bail from the High Court and after the bail period was over they appeared before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Zabeed Hossain seeking bail again. l

risk-prone for burglary.

Most of the new branches of private banks are well equipped with modern security measures and infrastructural quality.

ABU HAYAT MAHMUD

youths would be motivated with social development activities for playing positive role in building a happy and prosperous Bangladesh by taking oaths to fulfil the dreams of Liberation War, they said.

The programme styled “Locally Engaged and Globally Connected” was organised by The Hunger Project-Bangladesh and Supported by The Hunger project and British Council at Barisal Ladies Club Auditorium.

A good number of young people from different parts of Barisal took part

in the event.

The inaugural session was presided over by Awlad Raqib, convener of the programme organising committee.

Shohidul Alam, deputy commissioner, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, country director and global vice-president of The Hunger Project-Bangladesh, Toufiq Hasan, programme manager, Society, British Council-Bangladesh, Tazila Hossain Mazumdar, development activists, Akkas Hossain, president of district unit Shujan, Prof M Moazzem

Hossain addressed morning’s session.

The afternoon session was conducted by Tanvir Kaisar, associate professor of English department of Barisal University.

Prof Harunor Rashid Khan, vice-chancellor of Barisal University as chief guest, Prof Shah Sajeda , head of BM College Marketing Department, Zakir Hossain, deputy director divisional information office, Ranjit Datta, development activists, as panel discussants, attended the event. l

Speakers at a national consultation workshop on Flood Early Warning Dissemination Process, held at city’s Spectra Convention Centre yesterday, expressed the need for developing the early warning dissemination system for floods in the country.

“The country is yet to develop a strong flood forecasting capacity,” said Dr Monowar Hossain, executive director of Institute of Water Modeling.

Regarding the limitations of Bangladesh Water Development Board, he said that it usually produced flood related information.

Monowar said out of around 300 danger points, the WDB measured the water level at only 78 danger points which proved its weakness.

Bangladesh is facing high risks of floods every year and most of the floods happen due to overflow of its 57 transboundary rivers during the monsoon.

Anwar Ali Miyan, additional director general (planning) of WDB said: “The WDB is trying to improve the early warning systems in different ways

including strengthening a long range forecast.”

He said: “The WDB has taken initiative to strengthen the flood early warning range from 72 hours to 120 hours.”

Regarding to reduce the damages, Mesbah ul Alam, secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, said: “There are a huge numbers of volunteers for cyclone but there are not adequate numbers of volunteers for floods.”

In addition to forecast, the level of vulnerability should be disseminated among the people in different places as per the National Vulnerability Index for Flood and Cyclone, he added while addressing the discussion, jointly organised by ActionAid Bangladesh and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Bangladesh.

Regarding ensuring the lowest possible damages by natural disasters, Dinesh Kumar Mishra, convener of Barh Mukti Abhyan, a social movement of Bihar, India expressed the need for ensuring local people’s participation in the process. l

Academics call for strict law to ensure gender parity at work n Du Correspondent Laws have to be strictly implemented against all types of violence against of women to ensure safety and equality for them at work place, observed speakers at a seminar yesterday.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Department of International Business of Dhaka University (DU) organised a seminar on problems faced by women at their workstations, and their solutions.

They emphasised on adopting strict laws to ensure women’s basic human

rights. They also urged the government to immediately address the problems commonly faced by women at work place to sustain a congenial atmosphere for them.

Chairman of Department of International Business of DU Chowdhury Saima Ferdous presided over the seminar.

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) of DU Professor Nasrin Ahmed, Dean of Asian University for Women Jini Gareet, Dean of Faculty of Business of DU Professor Shibli Roubayatul Islam were present among others. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Rural Magura deprived of OMS n Our Correspondent, Magura People living in rural areas of Magura are being deprived of the benefits of Open Market Sale (OMS), as the sale is only going on in municipal areas of the district, leaving low-income groups of people in a miserable condition.

The district food office started selling rice on February 2 with a view to providing essential items to distressed people at lower price.

Currently, the district food office is running this programme through nine dealers. Under the programme, every

customer is allowed to purchase 5kg rice a day at Tk24 per kg.

People living in municipality area are happy as they are getting the opportunity to buy rice at Tk24 per kilogram under OMS as against Tk35 in the local market, but rural people are not getting the same facilities.

Noim Miah, a shopkeeper at Bariala village under Magura Sadar upazila, said: “We are being compelled to buy rice at Tk35 in local market, but the townspeople are purchasing the same quantity at Tk24, which is discriminatory against us.

“My family needs 5kg rice every day.

In want of the OMS rice I am compelled to spend more than Tk50 a day, which I could have used to buy some more essential commodities for my family.”

Abdul Karim, a van puller at Jagla village under Sadar upazila, said comparatively more people from low-income group were living in rural areas, but the Food Department was giving the facilities only to municipality people.

Khalek Biswas a day labourer at Dhorla village under Magura Sadar upazila, said: “We have been demanding OMS rice since the price of rice has marked a sharp rise in the district. With the start

of OMS rice we were initially delighted, but when we came to know that the programme is confined within municipality area, we got shocked.” When contacted, Abdul Kadir, food controller of Magura sadar upazila, acknowledged the fact.

He said: “We have started OMS for rice in municipality area on experimental basis. If we get good response, we will start OMS of rice in union level to serve the rural people of the district.”

The Open Market Sale had been commenced by the government in early 1980s, but the recent seasonal OMS was first introduced in April 2008. l

Four killed in road accidents across country n Our Correspondent, Barisal Two people have been killed as a motorcycle collided head-on with a roadside tree at at Razar Char area on Bishwaser Hut-Razar Char road under Barisal Sadar upazila on Tuesday morning The death victims were identified as Badal Hossain Nowshad, 40, son of Nazrul Islam of Charmonai and Bashirul Islam, 26, son of Md Ibrahim hailed from Razar Char.

Sub-Inspector Abu Taher of Barisal Kotwali police station said: “The motorcycle driver lost control over the vehicle fall into ditch after hitting a roadside tree near Molla Bari on the route around 10:20 am Tuesday leaving Nowshad died on the spot.”

Later, critically injured Bashir was rushed to Barisal Sher E Bangla Medical College Hospital where on duty doctor declared him dead.

Meanwhile, a motorcycle rider was killed in a road accident at Shibbari under Ulipur upazila in Kurigram.

The deceased was identified as Habibur Rahman, 55, a government employee and son of late Hesar Uddin of Kumarpara village of the upazila.

Police said when a truck had hit a motorcycle in the area, leaving motorcycle rider Habibur critically injured.

Habibur was rushed to Ulipur hospital, where he died. A man was killed and two others were injured in a road accident at Jogarchar on the TangailBangabandhu Bridge Highway under Kalihati upazila in Tangail yesterday.

The deceased was identified as pick up van driver Salim, 28.

Police said when a pickup van had fallen into a roadside ditch as its driver lost control over the steering in the area, leaving van driver Salim dead on the spot and injured to others. l

n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat Following a High Court order, Lalmonirhat police yesterday arrested two Awami League men for grabbing land of a poor Hindu family in Rasulpur village of Patgram upazila, Lalmonirhat.

Police were yet to demolish the illegal structure and recover the blank stamp paper, said Bhobani Kanta Sen The two – Anar Khan, 55, and his elder brother Sultan Khan, 58, both activists of the Awami League Bawra union unit – were arrested around 9:45am.

Three other accused in the case – President of the unit Rabiul Islam Miron, Vice-President Nazrul Islam and President of Jubo League unit in the union Mukul Hossain – are yet to be arrested.

The Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh had filed a writ petition with the High Court following the publication of a report on the grabbing in a national English newspaper on March 2.

Upon hearing the petition on March 9, a High Court bench comprising Justice Kazi Reza-ul Haque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain ordered police to arrest the land grabbers within 48 hours.

Police said the 32 decimals of land belonging to the Hindu family had been grabbed by the Awami League men on February 9 and the grabbers had started constructing structures on the land immediately after taking over.

The owner of the land Bhobani Kanta Sen lodged a case with Patgram police station on February 16 in this connection, saying he along with his two sons had been forced to sign a blank nonjudicial stamp paper.

Police were yet to demolish the illegal structure and recover the blank stamp paper, said Bhobani Kanta Sen. Some Awami League men had been threatening him and his family members to withdraw the case, he added.

Confirming the arrest of the two, Patgram police station Officer-inCharge for investigation Prodip Kumar Roy said they had been trying to arrest all the land grabbers as per the High Court order and also recover the blank stamp paper. l

7 JMB men produced before court n Our Correspondent, Natore

Blocking water flow, a vested interest group has built a dam in the Someswari River at Balijuri under Shribardi upazila in Sherpur. The photo was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Two jailed for abortion attempt without consent n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

A Dinajpur court yesterday sentenced a man and a gynecology consultant to eight years of imprisonment for taking an attempt to carry out abortion on a pregnant girl without her consent.

Additional District Sessions Judge Mahmudul Karim also fined the convicts Tk10,000 each, in default, or serve one year more in jail.

According to the prosecution, Mostafizur Rahman Pintu, son of Hakimuddin, of Islampur village under Bochaganj upazila of the district had persuaded a girl of Muraripur village under the same upazila to make physical relationship with him with the

promise that he would marry the girl.

In the meantime, the girl got pregnant.

Being informed about the pregnancy, Pintu tactfully took her to Dr Hazrat Ali, a consultant of gynecology at Dinajpur Sadar Hospital on April 22, 1999 with an intention to abort the child.

Sensing their ill motives, the girl filed a case with Bochaganj police station on April 30 against Pintu and the doctor. Later, police submitted chargesheet again the duo.

Later, the girl gave birth to a dead child as she was given medicine for abortion.

The court gave the verdict after cross examining eight witnesses and examining relevant documents. l

Demand for safer roads in Bhola n Our Correspondent, Bhola

Thousands of teachers, students and guardians formed a human chain to press home their three-point demands to ensure safer roads in Burhanuddin upazila of Bhola district yesterday.

The teachers and students of five educational institutions including Burhanuddin Kindergarten School, Matrichaya Kindergarten School, Mohila Madrasah, School, Burhanuddin Girls’ Secondary School held the human chain on Burhanuddin -Joya highway at Burhanuddin Municipality Bazar area around 10:30am yesterday.

The protesters threatened to wage tougher movement if their demands were not met in the shortest possible time. A memorandum was submitted to the local Member of Parliament through the hand of Upazila Nirbahi Officer in this regard.

Sources said two brilliant students were crushed under the wheels of two goods-laden trucks on Burhanuddin -Joya highway within the last one week.

The mentioned schools are situated just beside the highway. Students cross the

Two AL men held for grabbing land of Hindu

Teachers and students form a human chain at Burhanuddin upazila in Bhola yesterday, demanding measures to ensure road safety DHAKA TRIBUNE road everyday risking their lives.

Anam Abdullah, headmaster of Burhanuddin Girls’ Secondary School, said: “Illegal nosimon, korimon and other goods-laden vehicles have been plying the road recklessly and posing a great threat to the lives of local people, including teachers and students.”

UPDF man held for realising extortionist n Our correspondent, Khagrachari A United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) activist was detained allegedly for extortion by locals at Dashnumber Alutila under Matiranga upazila in Khagrachari district yesterday afternoon.

The detainee was identified as Alin Chakma, 28, an active member of Matiranga Upazila UPDF unit.

Officer-in-Charge of Matiranga police station, Mohammad Mainuddin said locals tried to detain them when Alin along with his four cohorts went to a brick field for realising the extortion. Four UPDF men managed to escape but Alin was detained with two locally made hand guns and seven rounds of ammunitions. Later he was handed over to Matiranga police, he added.

During primary interrogation by police, the arrestee claimed himself as UPDF man, the OC said adding that process was going on to file a case in this connection.

Meanwhile, Khagrachhari district unit UPDF Press Secretary Niron Chakma denied their involvement with the incident. l

He demanded that these vehicles should use Culvert- Fire Service roads from 6am to 2pm as an alternative route to avoid road accident during school time. Local Reporters’ Unity President MH Shipon, Secretary Moniruzzaman also spoke at the programme, among others. l

LEGAL NOTICE

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF BANGLADESH HIGH COURT DIVISION (STATUTORY ORIGINAL JURISDICTION) COMPANY MATTER NO.85 OF 2014

IN THE MATTER OF: An application under section 12 read with section 13 of the Companies Act, 1994.

IN THE MATTER OF: TOPCLEAN BANGLADESH LIMITED

-AND-

Private Limited Company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1994 and having its Registered Office at 27, East Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka. Represented by its Managing Director, Mohammad Jahangir Alam.

---------Petitioner.

-VERSUS-

The Registrar Joint Stock Companies and Firms, 1, Kawran Bazar, TCB Bhaban, Dhaka.

------Respondent.

Notice is hereby given that an application under Section 12 read with Section 13 of the Companies Act, 1994 was moved in the High Court Division of Supreme Court of Bangladesh by the petitioner for addition of sub-clause of the Memorandum of association of “TOPCLEAN BANGLADESH LIMITED”, Hon’ble Company Judge Mr. Justice Md. Rezaul Hasan has admitted the said application on 04.03.2014 and fixed on 06.04.2014 for appearance. Any person interested in the said application may appear before Hon’ble Court. A copy of the said application may be obtained from the undersigned on payment of charges.

(Jashimuddin Ahmed) Advocate Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

Ga-165/1, Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212

Seven members of the outlawed Islamist outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were produced before the Additional District and Sessions Judge’s Court in a case of countrywide bomb blasts on 17

August, 2005.

The convicts are Abdur Rashid, Shihab Uddin, Shahidul Islam, Delwar Hossain, Hafizur Rahman, Abdul Matin and Shafiul alias Tarek.

All are accused in different cases, including the bomb blast case, at eight spots in the district. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

7

The seven-year itch

If the AL intends to return to the people for their verdict at the end of governing for another five years, they are likely to find themselves at the receiving end of what will have been a seven-year itch by then RAJIB DHAR

W

n Shayan S Khan hether you put it down to an inherent anti-incumbency amongst the electorate, or successive governments’ failure to meet their expectations, it’s a good bet that Bangladeshis were preparing to get rid of the Awami League this winter, if only the opportunity presented itself in the form of a proper election.

A “proper” election doesn’t necessarily mean one under the deposed caretaker system that Bangladeshis had come to rely on in the post-Ershad period, and other countries have since adopted. In the absence of the neutral caretaker administration, a strong, independent Election Commission (something the current one led by Rakibuddin Ahmed has never quite resembled), an atmosphere where opposition parties had the opportunity to pursue their activities freely (remember that a ban on political rallies was in place right up to election day, while joint forces were out hunting opposition activists), and viable alternatives on the ballot (when was the last time anyone took Jatiya Party seriously?)

would have sufficed.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be. And to make matters worse, what we got in the end was beyond a farce, what with the 154 seats elected unopposed, the direct denial of franchise rights faced by over half the electorate, the unnecessary stuffing of ballot boxes, etc. It was Orwellian, Machiavellian and Kafkaesque all at once.

Whoever wrote the script displayed a penchant for borrowing elements from varied sources worthy of Bollywood. It’s not the only thing that lent itself to the suspicion that it was in fact written not very far from the citadel of Indian cinema.

Be that as it may. What we’re left with now is a government without a mandate, but a highly dubious intention to govern for five years. This of course flies in the face of what most people were led to understand in the days leading up to the election on January 5, with all the talk of it being a “constitutional necessity.”

It also makes a mockery of the calls made upon the BNP to renounce violence – an inevitable outcome of their movement on the streets – in the days following the election, in return for a dialogue process leading to fresh

It was Orwellian, Machiavellian and Kafkaesque all at once. Whoever wrote the script displayed a penchant for borrowing elements from varied sources worthy of Bollywood

elections within a year or two.

As part of this deal, they were also asked to ditch their principal alliance partners, the Jamaat-e-Islami. An extraordinary demand when you consider that if Jamaat is truly as nasty as they claim, surely the onus should lie with the government to have them prosecuted in court?

In any case the BNP has fully complied with the former, and in refraining from announcing any joint programmes with Jamaat, could be said to have met the government at least halfways with the latter.

In return, they have received nothing. Except gleeful exclamations over their supposed demise from the prime minister, unseemly threats from the likes of Amir Hossain Amu, and not-quite-nuanced dissections of their decision to boycott the elections from Obaidul Quader. It has all served to

demonstrate that you cannot negotiate in good faith with the current administration.

To be sure, the BNP does appear in a hapless state. Left without a platform to make itself heard following their decision to boycott the January 5 election (if one may call it that, in the interest of simplicity), it is now faced with the strong challenge posed by social and economic realities, to define itself anew for the new era in Bangladesh politics - like the League as the upholder of the “Spirit of 1971,” Jamaat the vanguards of Islam, JP a surrealist’s fantasy.

Yet, that is a task the party looks distinctly incapable of at the moment, with the party’s future leadership exiled in London, and Khaleda Zia’s admirable turn at carrying on the legacy of her husband, looking increasingly tired and bereft of ideas.

Yet, despite those issues, they have come out on top in both phases of the staggered-out upazila elections completed so far – comfortably, and despite the government’s use of the state machinery as well as parts of the security apparatus to ensure success for AL-backed candidates.

They have all come a cropper against the expression of the people’s will, for which all that has been necessary is that the vote be held in their respective upazilas with viable options on the ballot.

Even more stunning than the BNP’s revival, to some, will have been the performance of Jamaat, whose candidates have seemingly poured cold water on the government’s designs to have them recognised as a band of terrorist outlaws to bag a tenth of the chairman posts decided so far, comfortably outperforming everyone except the big two. It all begs the very serious question: how out of touch with the people of Bangladesh must this government be?

The answer, unfortunately, is very.

And with the passage of time, this gap is only likely to widen, not close.

Indeed, it has been this way for some time now.

Recall the meeting between JP president HM Ershad and visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh in December, when the disgraced ex-president stated his principal reason for not joining the elections being concocted by the government as: “Their (the government’s) popularity has dropped to zero.”

If not quite as dire as that, a slew of opinion polls around the same time by various sources also predicted a blowout for the AL and its allies. No wonder Ershad, whose entire political career in the post-1991 period has been premised upon backing the right horse in each race to avoid spending his last days in jail, wanted out.

You can go further back, to the summer of 2013, when mayoral elections were held in five municipalities spread across five of the country’s seven divisions, for indications of voters’ intent with regard to the upcoming national election.

All had sitting mayors backed by the Awami League. All suffered resounding defeats, including in Gazipur, regarded as second only to Gopalganj as a stronghold for the party that led Bangladesh’s struggle for independence. The stage was set, it seemed, for the BNP-Jamaat alliance to return to power even in their bedraggled state.

Of course, the roots of the League’s unpopularity lay even further back.

We may trace it most faithfully to their decision in 2011 to scrap the 13th amendment to the constitution of Bangladesh, and with it, the settled issue of how to conduct national elections acceptable to all amidst a polity marked by such distrust and disharmony.

Opinion polls at the end of 2011 conducted by the Daily Star and ProthomAlo showed the first big closing of the gap in the public’s estimation of the government and the BNP, since the two publications started conducting their series of periodic surveys in 2009.

In the DS poll, although at 39% the AL had managed to more or less hold on to the percentage they had recorded in a previous poll at the end of 2010, the BNP’s share had jumped by no less than 15 percentage points to 37%, rendering the AL’s lead statistically insignificant. The same poll also showed a big drop in the popularity of the prime minister, whose approval rating had fallen from 54% a year ago to 39% at the end of 2011.

The government of course, brushed off these results with characteristic disdain, questioning methodology that has come to be accepted worldwide as well as the motives of the two publications. I suppose they couldn’t really come out and say they had no plan to bother with what the people wanted, which is how it turned out in the end. But how long can they actually hope to bypass the people and govern a country where the population is traditionally known to be politically conscious?

The answer may be: as long as they can. For as the upazila elections show, and will continue to show over the course of the three remaining phases, the public has no intention to forgive the AL for the way in which everyone have been hoodwinked with the 10th parliamentary election.

It’s like an itch that began setting in over the last two years of their previous term, and it won’t go away till fully vented by voting them out. Currently, every day that the AL is seen presiding over Bangladesh, is a day

that the itch to remove them grows more pronounced within the electorate. Even fringe parties like Jamaat are set to benefit, as long as they stand in opposition to the League.

Indeed, on the point of Jamaat, the government’s crass strategy behind shutting them out of the political process looks likely to boomerang with untold circumstances. Long-term ambitions of establishing Shariah law notwithstanding, there can be no denying that the Islamists had successfully integrated into the democratic frame-

As the upazila elections show, and will continue to show over the course of the three remaining phases, the public has no intention to forgive the AL for the way in which everyone have been hoodwinked with the 10th parliamentary election

work of Bangladesh, and that remained the best avenue for moderating some of the extremist views they espoused.

Countless studies exist to show this. Quoting from one, we find that “the democratic commitment of an Islamist party is not only determined by its ideological orientations, but also - and perhaps more significantly - by the degree of stability of the existing democratic institutions. If the institutions are weak and unstable, the party tends to act ideologically. If, however, the institutions are strong and stable, the party tends to act pragmatically.”

Needless to stay, the AL’s engineering of the electoral process to their favour has inflicted perhaps irreparable harm on all Bangladeshis’ faith in the democratic paradigm. And each day that they are seen to govern Bangladesh through the rubber-stamp parliament they have granted themselves, this faith suffers a little bit more. While the itch to remove them grows and grows. If the AL intends to return to the people for their verdict at the end of governing for another five years, they are likely to find themselves at the receiving end of what will have been a seven-year itch by then.

And the consequences of that are likely to be far more unpleasant for Sheikh Hasina and co, than anything that may come before. l Shayan S Khan is executive editor of the Dhaka Courier, and senior editor at UNB.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Israel: No deal unless Palestine accepts Jewish state n AFP, Jerusalem Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday ruled out any deal with the Palestinians unless they recognise Israel as the Jewish state and give up their refugees’ right of return.

And he said Israel and the Palestinians were getting further away from reaching a peace deal which would end the decades-long conflict, with US-led peace talks bogged down in a bitter dispute over the question of Israel as a Jewish state.

“They (Palestinians) say they will never recognise a Jewish state and that they will never give up on the right of return,” Netanyahu said in remarks broadcast on Israeli public radio.

“I want to make clear that I will not accept an agreement that does not cancel the (refugees’) right of return and which does not include Palestinian recognition of the Jewish state,” he said

Ukraine forms new defence force, seeks Western help n Reuters, Kiev

Ukraine’s interim leaders established a new National Guard yesterday and appealed to the United States and Britain for assistance against what they called Russian aggression in Crimea under a post-Cold War treaty.

Blaming their ousted predecessors for the weakness of their own armed forces, acting ministers told parliament Ukraine had as few as 6,000 combat-ready infantry and that the air force was outnumbered nearly 100 to 1

by Moscow’s superpower forces.

There was no let-up in the war of words, with the pro-Russian regional parliament in Crimea approving a declaration of independence that will take effect if people on the Black Sea peninsula vote to unite with Russia in a referendum on Sunday.

The national parliament in Kiev said it would dissolve the Crimean assembly if it did not cancel the plebiscite.

Acting Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, who will visit the White House and United Nations Security Council this week, said a 1994 treaty under which Ukraine agreed to give up its Soviet nuclear weapons obliged Russia to remove troops from Crimea and also obliged Western powers to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty. l

in an address to the ruling rightwing Likud-Beitenu faction.

Netanyahu’s remarks touched on one of the most thorny questions of the current talks, and one which looks likely to derail intensive US efforts to extend the negotiations beyond a looming April deadline.

The Palestinians have refused to recognise Israel as the Jewish state, saying this would deny their historical narrative and effectively cancel out the right of their refugees to return to homes they fled from or were forced out of during the 1948 war which accompanied Israel’s creation.

Last week, on a visit to Washington, Netanyahu publicly called on Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas accept the Jewish state.

The Palestinians denounced the call as effectively putting the final nail in the coffin of the peace talks.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry is facing an uphill struggle to get the two sides to agree on a framework which would guide the talks past an April 29 deadline and allow them to continue to the end of the year, with a clause relating to the issue of the Jewish state reportedly included in the proposal.

But the Palestinians have flatly refused the request, prompting Netanyahu to accuse them of blocking the negotiations. Netanyahu insists that only when the Palestinians acknowledge Israel as the homeland of the Jewish nation will the conflict be finally over.

This demand has only recently come to prominence, taking centre stage in the dispute between the sides.

For the Palestinians, the issue is intimately entwined with the fate of their refugees who were forced out of their homes or fled in 1948 when Israel became a state. l

Flowers and a plaque adorn a fence along Tellez street in remembrance of victims of the Madrid train bombings on March 11, 2014 marking the10th year anniversary of the attacks that claimed 191 lives and injured more than 1900 others. On March 11, 2004 at 7:40 am, 10 bombs exploded on board four packed commuter trains in Madrid in an attack claimed by the Al-Qaeda terror network AFP

Crimea moves towards Snowden: Proposed NSA reforms vindicate my data leaks independence n Agencies Pro-Moscow assembly members in Crimea have voted for independence from Ukraine in a precursor to a referendum this weekend for the region to become part of Russia, reports Aljazeera.

The local assembly approved a “declaration on the independence of the autonomous republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol” with 78 out of 81 lawmakers present voting in favour.

The move by the parliament, which has been declared illegal by the new government in Kiev, appeared to be aimed at creating a legal framework for joining Russia as a sovereign state.

The parliament’s press service said in a statement that independence would come into force after the referendum if the result is in favour of Crimea becoming part of the Russian Federation.

Western nations have said they will not recognise the referendum as legitimate.

If Crimea votes to join Russia it will be the first country to do so since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Speaking on Tuesday, Ukraine’s ousted President Viktor Yanukovich accused his country’s new government of creating a civil war and criticised the West for supporting it.

Speaking in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Yanukovich repeated the Russian claim that the new Ukrainian authorities allowing far-right factions to take over the country, describing the new government as a “bandit regime” and said that their claim to power was illegitimate.

“I would like to ask those from the West, are you blind, have you forgotten fascism?” Yanukovich said. He also reiterated that he was still the legitimate leader of Ukraine and hoped to return.

“I remain not just the sole legitimate president of Ukraine but also commander-in-chief,” he said, appealing to the armed forces to defy any “criminal orders” handed down by his foes. l

n Reuters, Austin Former security contractor Edward Snowden, addressing a sympathetic crowd at a tech-heavy event in Austin, Texas, on Monday from a secret location in Russia, said proposed reforms at the National Security Agency show that he was vindicated in leaking classified material.

Snowden, who faces arrest if he steps foot on US soil, spoke via a video link to a packed house at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) gathering of tech industry experts, filmmakers and musicians. He said the US government still has no idea what material he has provided to journalists.

“I saw that the Constitution was violated on a massive scale,” Snowden said to applause, adding that his revelations of government spying on private communications have resulted in protections that have benefited the public and global society.

NSA officials declined to comment on the Snowden remarks.

Last year, Snowden, who had been

changed their verbiage away from public interest to national interest,” he said, adding that this poses the risk of losing control of representative democracy.

He said the government’s priority has been an expansive and ill-executed system of massive information collection instead of protecting the vast amounts of intellectual property that support the US economy.

“We’ve got the most to lose from being hacked,” Snowden said.

US Representative Mike Pompeo, a Republican from Kansas, wrote to SXSW organizers, calling on them to withdraw the invitation to Snowden, who he said deceived his employer and his country.

“Rewarding Mr. Snowden’s behavior in this way encourages the very lawlessness he exhibited,” Pompeo wrote.

To many in government and at the NSA, Snowden is a traitor who compromised the security of the United States. But for many at the conference he is a hero who protected privacy and civil liberties. l

Syria among ‘most dangerous places on earth’ for children

Egypt moves to take control of independent mosques n AFP, Cairo Egyptian authorities decided yesterday to take control of independent mosques, state news agency MENA reported, in a move aimed at curbing Islamist dissent.

The measure aims to further tighten the state’s grip on all mosques in the country, deeply polarised since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Morsi’s supporters and his Muslim Brotherhood have been targets of a brutal government crackdown since the army ousted him last July.

The military-installed government accuses Islamist groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, of using mosques to spread their ideology and enrol new recruits.

Religious Endowments Minister Mohamed Mokhtar tasked his office with bringing all independent mosques under the ministry’s control within a month, MENA said.

Egypt has around 130,000 mosques, of which 10,000 are not under the government supervision, ministry official Sabry Ebada told AFP last month.

Morsi’s supporters often stage protests after the weekly Friday prayers.

In January, the ministry decided to set a theme topic sent to preachers around the country for the Friday sermon.

Scuffles have often erupted between Morsi’s supporters and opponents during the Friday prayers, particularly when the sermon appears to favour one side over the other.

In late 2013, the ministry dismissed 55,000 imams (prayer leaders) who did not graduate from Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, the most prestigious institution in Sunni Islam.

The ministry requires imams to receive permission to lead prayers at mosques. l

working at a NSA facility as an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton, leaked a raft of secret documents that revealed a vast US government system for monitoring phone and Internet data.

View galleryA picture of Snowden, a contractor at the NSA, is seen … A picture of Edward Snowden, a contractor at the National Security Agency (NSA), is seen on a comput …

The leaks deeply embarrassed the Obama administration, which in January banned US eavesdropping on the leaders of friendly countries and allies and began reining in the sweeping collection of Americans’ phone data in a series of limited reforms triggered by Snowden’s revelations.

Major companies also tightened up safeguards. But Snowden said the efforts are still not enough to protect privacy properly, calling for stepped-up encryption that would make mass government surveillance too costly to conduct.

“The government has gone and changed their talking points. They have

n Reuters

The grandson of Gavrilo Princip’s brother, Miljkan Princip poses with a photo of Princip’s house in front it

REUTERS

An assassin divides his native Bosnia 100 years on n Reuters, Sarajevo The woman paused before a photograph of a young man with dark eyes and a tightly trimmed moustache.

“That’s that Serb terrorist those Chetniks (Serb nationalists) are praising,” she said to a journalist inspecting the image. “He started that war. They started all the wars.”

Gavrilo Princip stared down from the outer wall of a museum at the riverside spot in Sarajevo where on a summer’s morning in 1914 he opened fire on the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.

The killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, lit the fuse for World War One, turning out the lights on an age of European peace and progress.

Empires crumbled and more than 10 million soldiers died. The world order was rewritten. Yet 100 years on, in Princip’s native Bosnia, time, in many ways, has stood still.

A hero to some, a harbinger of destruction to others, the assassin is being fought over anew as Sarajevo prepares to mark the

June 28 centenary of his act.

Two rival sets of events are being planned, and accusations of ‘revisionism’ are flying at a time of renewed Cold Warstyle tensions between East and West.

The row goes to the heart of Bosnia today, a country still affected by big-power divisions and still arguing about the past, divided by the present and uncertain about the future.

“We haven’t moved on,” said Bosnian historian Vera Katz. “It’s like we’re 100 years before 1914, not 100 years after.”

Sarajevo bookended the 20th century, opening with Princip’s Browning revolver and closing with the sniper rifles and mortars of his ethnic kin besieging the city from the hills during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war.

To some, like the woman at the museum, the two events were part of the same arc of Serb nationalism.

According to that narrative, Princip was a ‘terrorist’ bent on uniting Orthodox Serb lands at the expense of Bosnia’s Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats.

Bosnian Serb forces under Ratko Mladic attempted just that eight decades later.

Sarajevo mayor Ivo Komsic, a Bosnian Croat, noted the city’s role in the two wars that framed the last century when unveiling plans for the centenary last month.

“The eyes of the world will be focused on Sarajevo once more and it is important that we send messages completely different from the messages of war sent in 1914 and 1992,” he said.

Such comparisons have riled Serbs in Bosnia and neighbouring Serbia, for whom Princip is a pan-Slavic hero, the shot he fired marking the death knell for centuries of foreign occupation over Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks alike.

This was the official narrative for decades in socialist Yugoslavia, when Princip was venerated as a freedom fighter for all the nations and faiths gathered together by Josip Broz Tito.

Schools and roads took the assassin’s name. His footprints were enshrined in the pavement at the spot from which he fired. l

The number of children affected by the civil war in Syria has more than doubled over the past year, with hundreds of thousands of young Syrians trapped in besieged parts of the country, the United Nations Children’s Fund said on Monday.

“After three years of conflict and turmoil, Syria is now one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a child,” said the UNICEF report. “In their thousands, children have lost lives and limbs, along with virtually every aspect of their childhood.”

“They have lost classrooms and teachers, brothers and sisters, friends, caregivers, homes and stability,” it said.

“Instead of learning and playing, many have been forced into the workplace, are being recruited to fight, or subjected to enforced idleness.”

UNICEF said the child casualty rates were the highest recorded in any recent conflict in the region. It cited UN. fig-

ures that at least 10,000 children have been killed in the Syrian war but noted that the real number is probably higher.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that more than 136,000 have been killed since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.

“The dangers for children go beyond death and injury,” UNICEF said. “Boys as young as 12 have been recruited to support the fighting, some in actual combat, others to work as informers, guards, or arms smugglers.”

The UNICEF report said 2 million children needed some form of psychological support or treatment while a total of 5.5 million children were affected by the conflict - some of them inside Syria and others living abroad as refugees.

This is more than twice the number of children affected by the conflict in March 2013, when UNICEF estimated it had impacted 2.3 million young Syrians. l

25 freed by Syria in exchange for nuns n Agencies Syria freed only 25 prisoners, not 150 as had been reported, in exchange for a group of kidnapped nuns, the country’s information minister Omran al-Zoubi has said.

The statement came despite mediators and the opposition saying 150 female detainees had been freed in exchange for the nuns, who were kidnapped from the town of Maalula by rebels fighters last year.

“The number of people released in exchange for the Maalula nuns is not more than 25 people, whose hands had not been stained by the blood of the Syrian people,” state news agency

SANA quoted Zoubi as saying.

“Everything that has been said on this issue is not accurate and has been exaggerated.”

His remarks directly contradicted comments made by Lebanon’s General Security chief Ibrahim Abbas, who mediated the exchange and said more than 150 prisoners were freed under the deal.

Opponents close to the exchange operation also told the AFP news agency on Monday that 141 women detainees and an unspecified “small” number of men had been released in exchange for the 13 nuns and three maids kidnapped from the ancient Christian town in December. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Interpol: Malaysia missing plane unlikely to be terrorist event

No idea where to look n AFP, Phu Quoc

n Reuters, Lyon The international police agency Interpol does not believe the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane was the result of a terrorist attack, its head said yesterday.

Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble also suggested that two men who boarded using stolen passports and had aroused suspicion may have been smuggled by traffickers.

The plane, with 239 people on board, has been missing for four days and a search involving crews from 10 countries widened on Tuesday to a larger swathe of the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea. “The more information we get, the more we are inclined to conclude it is not a terrorist incident,” Noble said.

Two Iranian passport holders aged 18 and 29, who started their trip in Doha, had swapped their passports in Kuala Lumpur and used stolen Italian and Austrian passports to board the airliner, he told reporters at Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon.

“We know that once these individuals arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the 28th of February they boarded flight 370 using different identities, a stolen Austrian and a stolen Italian passport,” he said.

Neither of the Iranian passports were reported stolen or lost.

Interpol is working with member countries to follow all leads including

A Vietnamese coast guard ship is seen anchored at a Navy base on the southern island of Phu Quoc

9

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

AFP

Helicopters and planes criss-cross the sky as scores of boats search below -- but officials say the multi-national hunt for missing flight MH370 is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Malaysia on Monday doubled the search radius to 100 nautical miles (equivalent to 185 kilometres) around the point where Malaysia Airlines MH370 disappeared from radar over the South China Sea early Saturday.

“The biggest problem is just knowing where to look -- especially at night,” Vo Van Tuan, a top Vietnamese military officer who is leading Vietnam’s search effort, told AFP. The vastness of the search zone reflects authorities’ bafflement over the plane’s disappearance. On the fourth day of searching, the operation had grown to involve 42 ships and 35 aircraft from Southeast Asian countries, Australia, China, New Zealand and the United States. Japan said Tuesday it was sending a plane to join the search efforts.

Vietnam has mobilised its first major search and rescue operation, deploying aircraft, boats and its commercial fishing fleet to help Malaysia search for the jet -- even as relatives of the 239 people aboard said their hopes for a miracle were ebbing away.

The hunt to discover the plane’s fate will likely be “a long mission that requires patience,” Vietnamese Major General Do Minh Tuan told AFP as he flew on a military helicopter near the country’s southern Tho Chu island.

“If the plane crashed and sank, some debris will surface, and if we find that we will be able to pinpoint the location of the plane,” he said.

But multiple reports of “suspicious floating objects” have revealed nothing but flotsam, tired Vietnamese rescue officials, putting in 20-hour days, concede.

“In terms of our assessments and predictions - we have little hope of a positive outcome,” Pham Quy Tieu, deputy minister of transport, said Tuesday.

In southern Phu Quoc, normally a sleepy tourist town, hundreds of foreign journalists -- who usually face strict visa restrictions -- have arrived after the government set up a search and rescue base at the airport.

Officials have taken over rooms in the air traffic control tower at the new Phu Quoc international airport, where the atmosphere is calm and organised, but sparsely furnished rooms hint at Vietnam’s limited resources.

The communist country “has minimal capabilities for search and rescue at sea,” said Vietnam expert Carl Thayer, adding it was geared more towards dealing with natural disasters such as typhoons.

“The longer the search continues (Vietnam) will have problems sustaining its commitment,” he said.

The total search sphere now includes land on the Malaysian peninsula itself, the waters off its west coast, and an area to the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Vietnam has said it will search on land if needed. l

ports - Pouri Nourmohammadi and Delavar Seyed Mohammadreza - might compel family and friends to offer tips that could allow authorities to exclude terrorism theories, Noble said.

“By doing this, eventually, with

more and more evidence, we’ll able to exclude they were involved in conduct that might have involved the plane to disappear and focus on eliminating the human trafficking ring that allowed them to travel.” l

Indian Maoists kill 16 in attack on police

Rahul compares Modi to Hitler

Thailand to lift state of emergency

n

Indian Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in his strongest attack on BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on his home turf yesterday compared the Gujarat chief minister to Adolf Hitler, saying the German dictator believed whatever decisions he took and executed were the best.

“There are two types of leaders. One who meets with people, visits their homes like Gandhiji did and understands them and their problems. Such a leader is humble and has no arrogance, like Gandhiji,” he said.

“There is another type of leader: Hitler, who believed there was no need to learn from the people. Whatever happened in Germany was done by Hitler and the people had nothing to do with it,” he said, adding that such leaders only talk and claim credit for everything.

Rahul did not take Modi’s name, but left no room for doubt when he raked up the Gujarat CM’s bid to project himself as the people’s “watchman” in New Delhi. l

Reuters, Bhubaneswar

Maoist rebels ambushed police and killed 16 involved in a mine clearing operation in a remote part of eastern India region yesterday, police said, as the insurgents demonstrated their strength ahead of a general election next month.

The victims were clearing mines laid by rebels on a road through a densely forested area in resource-rich Chhattisgarh state when the rebels attacked from all sides, according to a senior home ministry official.

The head of anti-Maoist operations in the state police force told Reuters one civilian was among the dead.

“Total death 16 ... including one civilian,” R.K. Vij said in a text message sent from a helicopter after the attack.

However, there were conflicting accounts of the death toll, with other officers telling local media at least 20 died.

Television images from the site showed a heavy truck smouldering with its tires burning.

The rebels have operated for decades across a wide swathe of central

“terrorism, organised crime, illegal movement of people, whether in the form of human trafficking or smuggling,” Noble said.

Making public the names of the two individuals listed on the Iranian pass-

and eastern India, and grew in strength during recent times in areas where poor, tribal villagers came into conflict with mining companies seeking resources for industralisation.

The Maoists seek the violent overthrow of the Indian state but have so far not managed to spread significantly into urban areas. Attacks picked up slightly for the first time last year peaking in 2010.

“They attack us to demoralise us, they attack us to loot our weapons,” said the ministry official, who asked not to be named.

The ambush was just a few miles from where rebels killed 27 people, including many senior political leaders, before state elections last year. The attacks seek to disrupt the electoral process, the official said.

“This time they know if we succeed in elections it will dent their reputation,” he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has previously described the Maoist insurgency as India’s biggest internal security challenge. l

UN: Front companies, embassies mask N Korean weapons trade n Reuters, Seoul North Korea has developed sophisticated ways to circumvent UN. sanctions, including the suspected use of its embassies to facilitate an illegal trade in weapons, a United Nations report issued yesterday said.

It said North Korea was also making use of more complicated financial countermeasures and techniques “pioneered by drug-trafficking organisations” that made tracking the isolated state’s purchase of prohibited goods more difficult.

The report, compiled by a panel of eight UN. experts, is part of an annual accounting of North Korea’s compliance with layers of UN. sanctions imposed in response to Pyongyang’s banned nuclear weapons and missile programmes. The panel reports to the UN. Security Council.

“From the incidents analysed in the period under review, the panel has found that (North Korea) makes increasing use of multiple and tiered circumvention techniques,” a summary of the 127-page report said.

China, North Korea’s main trading partner and diplomatic ally, appeared to have complied with most of the panel’s requests for information.

Some independent experts and Western countries question how far Beijing has gone in implementing sanctions, although the report did not specifically address that issue. China has said it wants sanctions enforced.

Much of the report focused on North Korea’s overseas trade networks, rather than its relationship with China.

Indeed, the panel said it found a relatively complex “corporate ecosystem” of foreign-based firms and individuals that helped North Korea evade scrutiny of its assets as well as its financial and trade dealings.

Embassies under scrutiny

North Korea’s embassies abroad play a key role in aiding and abetting these shadowy companies, the report said, confirming long-held suspicions by the international community.

In some of the most comprehensive evidence presented publicly against Pyongyang’s embassies, the report said the missions in Cuba and Singapore were suspected of organising an illegal shipment of Cuban fighter jets and missile parts that were seized on a North Korean container ship in Panama last July.

It included secret North Korean documents addressed to the ship’s captain which offered detailed instructions on how to load and conceal the illegal weapons shipment, and make a false declaration to customs officers in Panama.

Panama seized the Chong Chon Gang ship for smuggling Soviet-era arms, including two MiG-21 jet fighters, under thousands of tonnes of sugar. After the discovery, Cuba acknowledged it was sending “obsolete” Soviet-era weapons to be repaired in North Korea and returned to Cuba. l

n Agencies

n Reuters, Bangkok Thailand is expected to lift a state of emergency in Bangkok, almost two months after it was imposed to quell anti-government protests, because of pressure from businesses and in light of improving security, a top official said on Tuesday.

Protesters trying to bring down Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and end what they see as the pervasive influence of her brother, ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have been on the streets for four months.

The instability is unnerving consumers, with confidence at a 12-year low, and automakers, property firms and hotels in Southeast Asia’s second-big-

gest economy are feeling the pinch.

Twenty-three people have been killed, most in shootings and grenade blasts, since late November and the bloodshed is scaring tourists away from Bangkok.

National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr said there was a “very high chance” the emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas would be lifted soon.

“Business organizations have asked that it be lifted and the overall situation is easing,” Paradorn told reporters.

The protests are the latest turmoil to rattle a country broadly divided between urban, middle-class supporters of the royalist establishment and the rural supporters of former telecoms ty-

coon Thaksin, mostly in the north and northeast.

Thaksin’s supporters say he was the first Thai political leader to keep campaign promises to help the poor.

His critics, who say he is the real power behind his sister’s government, say he used his wealth and taxpayers’ money on wasteful populist policies that have allowed him to commandeer a fragile democracy.

In their bid to bring Yingluck down, the demonstrators tried to occupy ministries and other state offices and later blocked major Bangkok intersections.

Early this month, with numbers dwindling, they withdrew to a city park.

Despite the easing tension, however, the violence has not ended. l

‘Pakistan Taliban committee to remain intact’ n Agencies A member of the Pakistan Taliban’s mediating committee, Maulana Yousuf Shah said yesterday the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had decided to maintain its existing team for the dialogue process with

the government, DawnNews reported.

Shah, after holding a telephonic conversation with Taliban leaders, announced that the existing committee would remain intact.

He further said the Taliban were serious about talks and no demands were

put forward from either sides as yet.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss matters related to internal security and the names of persons to be included in the government and Taliban mediations. l

Misery mounts in drought-hit southeast Pakistan n AFP, Mithi

Two-month-old Mangal succumbed to pneumonia on Tuesday in Mithi, southeast Pakistan, the latest victim of a drought that has led to malnutrition and disease in one of the country’s poorest regions.

Her father Buru had held a plastic tube supplying oxygen into her tiny nostrils all night, but his silent prayers were not enough.

She died in a government hospital in Mithi, the main town of Tharparkar district, becoming one of at least 67 children to die of poverty-driven disease in the area since December.

“She was in a very serious condition and we had advised her father to get her to a bigger hospital in Hyderabad city,” doctor Mohanlal Khatri told AFP at the Mithi hospital.

“Most of the children are brought here with pneumonia, diarrhoea, low birth weight and neonatal sepsis.”

The unfolding tragedy has grabbed the attention of the national media but aid remains scarce, a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, son of the late premier Benazir Bhutto, visited the area.

Thar desert, which begins around 300 kilometres (200 miles) east of Karachi and runs up to the border with India, is dominated by subsistence farmers who depend on beans, wheat, and sesame seeds for survival, bartering surplus in exchange for livestock.

It has been hit by a rain fall deficit of roughly 30 percent between March 2013 and February this year, according to government data, with the worst-hit towns of Diplo, Chacro and Islamkot barely touched by a drop of water for months.

Pakistani villagers wait to receive relief supplies outside a military camp in Mithi, the capital of Tharparkar district, some 300 kilometres from Karachi AFP At an army-run camp in Mithi, women dressed in the yellow, red and blue dress typical of the region’s Hindu community, waited in a line for relief which many said was hard to come by.

“Please get me a food permit, I have been coming here since yesterday but in vain,” one woman pleaded.

The burden of providing aid has instead fallen to the charity wing of banned Islamist outfit Jamaat-ud-Da-

wa, whose head Hafiz Saeed is wanted

by India for allegedly masterminding the Mumbai attacks.

Hafiz Abdul Rauf, who heads the organisation in the area, said that the primary cause of the deaths was the grinding poverty that has afflicted the area for decades.

An outbreak of sheep pox has aggravated the situation, according to residents who depend on livestock as a

form of saving, selling an animal when money is needed for a special occasions such as weddings.

“We had 300 sheep and because of ‘Mata’ (sheep pox) and drought 150 of them died over the past two months,” said Bheer Lal, 30, from one of the affected villages.

“Our life depends on the livestock and they have gone and now our life is at stake.” l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

The real problem with American Apparel

A

merican Apparel is known for using sexual imagery in its advertising. A risky choice perhaps, given lawsuits against it for sexual harassment and the fact that its 2013 annual report states all eight of its directors are men, but hardly a concern unique to one company.

The company’s real problem is the same as the strength it proclaims on its website. Namely, that it is an integrated clothing manufacturer as well as retailer, which produces all its products in the United States.

For this reason, it boasts of being “sweatshop free” and highlights the claim that “A garment worker in Bangladesh earns an average of $600 a year.

An experienced American Apparel garment worker can earn $30,000+ and receive benefits.”

Leaving aside the implicit protectionism and recent improvements to the minimum wage, this statement does beg many further questions. How experienced for instance?

Also, California’s minimum wage rate, which is due to go up to $9 an hour, falls short of a living wage for Los Angeles county where AA’s manufacturing workers are based.

LA city councillors recently proposed making $15/hr ($32,000), a benchmark. And MIT’s living wage calculator suggests that for one adult supporting one child resident in LA, the living wage should be $23/hr (or $48,000 a year.)

However much the company may take pride in its worker benefits, the facts suggest its wages are not dramatically higher than market rates.

For it to use its branding to imply otherwise is bad enough.

To go further and explicitly denigrate retailers who source from Bangladesh, many of whom are working to raise standards and all of whom collectively employ millions of women, is not just cynical but actually harms the interests of Bangladeshi workers.

The facts suggest its wages are not dramatically higher than market rates

Aviation safety a higher priority than Biman

T

he government needs a more strategic approach to the funding it provides to the aviation sector.

Less than two years after Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) was removed from the “Significant Safety Concern” list of regulators ranked by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), CAAB is once again at risk of falling on this list.

Current monitoring reports show that CAAB is yet to meet all the conditions set by the international authority to stay off its blacklist. CAAB has a good performance in flight operations, achieving 81.15% in the ICAO’s report against a global standard which requires 66.04%.

However, in the other seven of the eight aviation functions audited by the ICAO in its safety reports, it is not meeting the global standard.

It is imperative to ensure that Bangladesh stays off the black list, which would adversely affect the country’s status with individual authorities such as the US Federal Aviation Administration.

No good is served in putting the cart before the horse by the government bankrolling Biman Bangladesh Airlines to buy new aircraft, if there is a risk that they won’t be allowed to fly all routes.

While some of the areas of improvement needed relate to legislation and buying equipment, it is clear that meeting the biggest needs requires having more locally trained staff and flight engineers. This should be the priority for government funds and action.

Tax receipts will be better spent ensuring CAAB delivers world class infrastructure to encourage all airlines, rather than subsidising the state airline’s losses.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Annual human rights reports on Bangladesh March 8

On February 28, in America’s 42-page annual human rights report, Secretary of State John Kerry disclosed the condition of Bangladesh. In it, many facts were mentioned including the continuing political violence, human rights violations by law enforcement agents, arrests on flimsy grounds and indeterminate custody before being produced in court.

In the first nine months of 2013, at least 146 people were killed by law enforcement agents including RAB. The government claims they died in crossfire killings, encounters, and gunfights. In 2012, 70 people were killed. On February 24, 2012, during a hartal, police opened fire on demonstrators. As a result, 5 died, but the dead did not belong to any political party. The government has also been accused of wrongdoings on many other issues.

The DMP Commissioner and State Minister for Home Affairs declared these facts to be untrue. But, we know better as our eyes and ears are not closed. All the facts disclosed in the aforementioned report are correct. Instead of denying this, the government must face facts and make amends.

Nur Jahan

A hidden feminist agenda March 7

luna amin You call yourself a feminist? You couldn’t even start the article without mentioning your husband or his whims. Does he make his own tea? nn luna amin: Being a feminist doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to mention your husband’s actions as a form of humour, or that you are against men. I thought the piece was written very well. nds luna amin: Definitely husbands do their part in making tea. Tea making is a process that needs many things, including a lot of instruments, fuel, utensils, a burner, pots, raw materials like milk, tea dust, sugar, water and a whole lot of things. To get these things in place, all husbands have a lot of contributions to make.

Laila nds: I don’t think Bangali husbands in Bangladesh make their own tea. If the wife doesn’t make it then buas do it. In Japan, tea-making is an art form. They

follow some sort of ritual and it takes a long time to make, but not in BD. r,s,s You seem to have a very unrealistic and idealistic view of leadership. May be you should try out being a leader first to understand the difficulties a leader faces.

Ronnie I can assure Ms Nishmin that she should feel free to call the BNP the “Opposition” party because that party remains, for whatever it’s worth, the bona fide major opposition party in Bangladesh, regardless of events prior and subsequent to January 5. Her mock reticence on this issue is only faintly amusing.

I’m assuming she speaks only for herself when she wistfully entertains the notion of a one-party state, after all. I, for one, am not remotely mulling the prospects of an AL-forever scenario.

The remainder of the article reads like a scattershot, somewhat kitschy appeal to us all to strive toward more enlightened, empowered, activist citizenship.

Terrible traffic-causing drivers March 10

Between careless drivers and the drivers) of VIPs, I pity the poor traffic cop who is sandwiched between the two. Many drivers ignore traffic rules, while VIPs just drive along in full freedom, and the traffic police let them be. This is absurd, and it’s high time they change their ways.

The drivers of VIPs, in fact, all drivers, should sensibly follow the traffic signals. It doesn’t bode well for anyone to clog up traffic for their own benefit, at the disadvantage of everyone else on the road, and put them at risk.

An Un-important person (UIP)

Khaleda: Poll boycott was right March 8

Zahed Khan We don’t want to see her in the Parliament. We have had enough of BNP. Mohammed Hoque Zahed Khan: We have had enough of BNP? Brother, what do you mean??

Sami Khan Definitely it was the right decision.

Joseph Mak Zahed Khan: Haven’t we had enough of BAL already?

Ruhela Sharmin Choudhury Agreed. The current government is very corrupt, not to mention obtuse. It’s a slippery slope downhill for the nation.

Shakib Rahman I disagree. She should have realised by now what a wrong decision that was.

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Tax receipts will be better spent ensuring CAAB delivers world class infrastructure

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Copied (4) 5 Mechanical man (5) 9 Well-mannered (6) 10 Fuss (3) 11 Paradise (4) 12 Flaxen cloth (5) 14 Tree (5) 16 Article (4) 19 Seasoning plant (4) 21 Saloon car (5) 24 Lets fall (5) 27 Stare open-mouthed (4) 29 Vast age (3) 30 Bird with enormous Beak (6) 31 Slender supports (5) 32 Slippery catches (4)

DOWN 1 Summit (4) 2 School of whales (3) 3 Chooses by vote (6) 4 Have dinner (4) 5 Connected (7) 6 Prohibit (3) 7 Lyric poem (3) 8 Strengthening Medicine (5) 13 Anger (3) 15 Abstracts (7) 17 Threat (6) 18 Abode of the dead (myth) (5) 20 Snake (3) 22 Malarial fever (4) 23 Female birds (4) 25 Decay (3) 26 United (3) 28 Close friend (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

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Maladjusted in America n Sujan E Bin Wadud

A

A leader must paint the big picture

BIGSTOCK

Leaders are chief storytellers

W n Sigve Brekke

e’ve had a busy start to the year all over Asia. We have ambitious targets, and most BUs have come off to a great start. Wherever I go, I see passion and energy. 2014 is going to be a year of high performance!

Two events last week got me thinking about what makes Telenor Group sustain its success. One was when we met a group of senior Norwegian business leaders in Yangon last week.

I think this group came to us thinking they would be presented with a set of technical strategies, numbers, and estimated growth curves for Myanmar, along with historical performance data for Telenor in Asia. Instead, Petter Børre, the CEO-designate of Telenor Myanmar, and I told them how Telenor Group has built a culture of passion and high performance into a competitive advantage.

I shared my experiences from working across all our Asian markets over nearly two decades. Some of you will have heard it before: We came here with a fundamental belief that mobile communication is for everyone. Our experiences to date are what will enable us to bring Internet for All, both in Asia and Europe. (Of course, we did share some numbers. We talked about our size: Our 143 million subscriptions in Asia, the fact that almost 50% of Group revenues and 60% of our workforce are in the region. We also talked about our contribution to the societies we operate in: Massive infrastructure investments, employment, opportunities, accelerated growth, along with

R

A

taxes and fees.)

Petter Børre, on the other hand, told them about a trip he recently took to a small, secluded village in northern Myanmar together with his company’s employee no 1, Mr Min. After nine hours by night bus, three hours by local buses, 30 minutes by motorcycle, and a short boat trip, they reached his village: An idyllic place where his parents and his family have lived all their lives. A place completely cut off from modern communication – including roads and telecoms. Min is responsible for the travel desk in Telenor Myanmar, and the company he works in will soon bring a communication revolution to villages like this across his country. A great story that really gets you thinking about the impact of our services.

experienced Grameenphone over the past year. Propelled by a newfound energy and a war cry – “Let’s Win!” – our Bengali tiger got up and started moving – fast. In 2014, I see GP become an agile and lean tiger, competing fiercely for market share in the internet space.

Telling stories is an incredibly powerful communication tool. Theories are debated, stories are shared. Stories unite. That’s why I maintain that for leaders, storytelling is not optional. It’s a necessity. Leaders are the Chief Storytellers of any workplace.

Stories need to be visual, visceral, and illuminating. You need to paint the big picture, but don’t talk about big visions without making it relevant, in an everyday context: What does it mean to you and me?

Storytelling is not optional. It’s a necessity. Stories need to be visual, visceral, and illuminating

The second instance that got me thinking about the power of storytelling, was when I visited Dhaka for the celebration of the bestperforming region in Grameenphone last quarter. 1,000 sales staff were gathered at GP House, and CEO Vivek Sood delivered a strong and personal account of what Telenor’s new vision, “Empower Societies,” means to him and to the people of GP. I followed up recounting how I have

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Just think about the young guy in Gorakhpur in India, the guy smilingly holding a gulak – a piggy bank – with Uninor’s tagline “Sabse Sasta” (“the cheapest”), whom we profiled at the launch of our Internet for All program.

Remember him? He had just gotten his first mobile phone, and with Uninor’s competitive prices he was able to afford talktime and a data package that enabled him to go online for the first time.

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He could go on Facebook, connect with friends and surf Wikipedia. We enabled him to connect with the rest of the world. This isn’t just a story about one guy. It’s a story about millions of people and all of us as well. It’s about the work we do to empower the millions like him. To me, this picture says a lot about our ambition and leadership in Asia: leading the way in bringing Internet for All. I still spend three days a week in my “Chief Storyteller” role. Going out into the field to tell the stories of our company – like this one. To learn who we are, what we do, and whom we serve – directly from the leaders of this company and directly from the leaders of your teams is a powerful thing.

Over the past two decades in Asia, I have learnt a lot from working in different cultures and with different people. Today, we have 20,000 employees in the region, and I continue learning from and with you every day. I’ve gathered my experiences into seven rules that I try to follow in my work as a leader, and that I encourage leaders at all levels in Telenor to consider.

My rule about storytelling is the first one, and over the next weeks I will share a total of seven such rules that I live by. I believe they have become a part of our culture and of who we are as a company. And our culture is essential in sustaining our success.

Help us tell the stories that make us proud to be who we are. What stories do you tell your team mates and colleagues to motivate and drive performance? l

new controversy: American Apparel, a clothing manufacturer, has a new advertisement in which the picture of a topless model of Bangladeshi origin has the phrase “Made in Bangladesh” printed across her chest. The timing of this ad is quite interesting: In the same week that celebrated International Women’s Day with the theme “Equality for women is progress for all.” By shunning societal norms with this ad, perhaps American Apparel is suggesting that “Equality for women is pornography for all!”

AA was kind enough to provide a text to accompany the photo. It could be summarised in the following manner: The model named Maks was born in Bangladesh and, at the age of four, moved with her conservative Islam-adhering family to Los Angeles, where she subsequently found her true self by distancing from Islam and embracing elements of the “Southern California culture” of America, thereby, having no reservations about publicising her nudity. If AA thought that their short essay would assuage our sense of shock by providing some context and reasoning, they have failed on so many levels that I’m quite lost about where to begin.

Let me start with the basics. I’d imagine that it’s true for everyone that we buy clothing based on how they look and how we may look in them.

For that reason, catalogues print and couture parade their clothing designs with models who wear them. In the AA photo, Maks is wearing nothing for a top, and what little is still visible from the cropped picture, her blue jeans is unbuttoned, revealing only the inner side of the jeans. Clearly, there is no intention from AA to project the excellence of their designs, if any.

AA makes a righteous-sounding assertion that the clothing is manufactured on American soil, by people who are “paid a fair wage and have access to basic benefits such as healthcare.”

What is lost on AA is the reality that the Bangladeshi garments industry hires a strikingly all-women workforce, and is a symbol of women’s emancipation and empowerment.

Fair wage is a relative thing – if a woman can work and support her family with her wages in Bangladesh then why would that be unfair? Simply because her wage doesn’t apparently amount to much when converted to US dollars? After all, isn’t it the lure of globalisation that goods be manufactured in places where labor is relatively inexpensive?

What is lost on AA is the reality that the Bangladeshi garments industry is a symbol of women’s empowerment

There are quite a number of other disturbing messages that could be inferred from this ad. While the “Made in Bangladesh” is supposed to refer to Maks’ place of origin, is the missing top supposed to be a jab at the Bangladeshi garments industry’s inability to deliver the goods, given the country’s instabilities, political and other?

By juxtaposing Islamic values against American ones, is AA suggesting that one would have to shun the Islamic faith and its tenets in order to assimilate into the American society? “Sure, she was born in backwards Bangladesh, but now she basks in the American Light of Progress – just look at her so liberated and happy” – is that it? Should one infer that it is the American culture to unreservedly flaunt one’s nudity in public, that it is deemed normal in American society?

In thinking it through, I can only surmise that this ad was a feckless, reckless design by AA to utilise a photograph of somewhat pornographic nature, with a half-baked story to pass it off as sublime art ... made in Bangladesh, but maladjusted in America. l Sujan E Bin Wadud is a music composer.

WIKIMEDIA

Sigve Brekke is Head of Telenor Asia.

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Compulsory national anthems, no thanks n Niaz Alam

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ometimes there may be less to a story than meets the eye.

When the education minister recently said the government will act against madrasas which do not perform the national anthem and hoist the national flag, relatively few people expressed disagreement.

As all public schools perform the national anthem at assemblies and it is a longstanding feature of cinema screenings, it seems natural to want to include pupils who attend madrasas.

With Bangladeshis a short while ago setting the world record for the largest flag and an inspiring attempt forthcoming for the largest number of people to sing a national anthem, there are plenty of reasons to believe the ministers statement is not overly controversial.

For a start, the government has an active say in the matter as it regulates Aliya madrasas and gives funding to over 1,500 religious based schools around the country. On a broader note, particularly in relation to the many non-state regulated Qawmi madrasas, governments over the centuries have sought to standardise and regulate the education delivered by the madrasa sector.

Moreover, few madrasas themselves have been heard to complain. Why would they? Add up their students and parents and they represent millions of citizens, who are as likely to be as patriotic and happy to drape themselves in the national flag as any similarly large number of Bangladeshis.

But allow me to differ. This story matters more than it appears.

It is not as if I haven’t stood up for Amar Sonar Bangla lately. I cheered for it at the end of a lively concert barely two weeks ago. Having been brought up in England, where many affect embarrassment with displays of patriotism because of associations with empire, it is refreshing to be in a land where the lyrics of the national anthem are rooted in love of place rather than outdated expressions of militarism and conquest. And where the flag, unequivocally, represents liberation from colonialism.

No, my reluctance is in principle down to being against the idea of making it compulsory.

It is also influenced by some of the factors underlying the government’s interest in regulating madrasas. These reasons are often worthwhile. Many if not most madrasas serve students poorly by delivering narrow curricula

and obscurantist attitudes. Qawmi institutions in particular largely exclude girls and their emphasis on rote memorisation is a poor preparation for life and the workplace.

I do not doubt also, that the government has sound reason to allege that some madrasas teach students to stand against the spirit of the liberation war or be hostile to the governing party.

But this is not seeing the woods for the trees. What the government should be more concerned about is asking why millions of parents actually send their children to madrasas. Clearly for some there will always be a spiritual calling, but for a majority it is simply because they have no choice.

For all the strides made by successive governments towards achieving universal access to primary education, many children are left out by the school system. This is a failure of society. The large number of school students in madrasas is not due to their education quality or funding, but because the state is neglecting to ensure equal access for all. Throw in that some madrasas provide welfare and food for the poor and orphaned, which is not delivered by the state, and the numbers become easier to explain.

Even in big cities where schools

are plentiful, children are left out. It is only via the efforts of NGOs and volunteers for instance that many street children in the middle of Dhaka receive any lessons at all. There are also still reports of some state schools making illegal charges which deter poorer children.

A madrasa ought to be free to follow its own path. After all, it’s a free country, isn’t it?

Seeking to reform madrasas may well bring societal benefits, but it would be far better for the government to concentrate on improving its delivery of universal education, so that fewer children are dependent on madrasas, for any semblance of education in the first place.

It is not as if there is any possibil-

ity of closing down madrasas. The freedoms of thought, conscience, and speech are too important to most people and protected by the constitution to contemplate such a misguided policy. In any case, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions.

This is why matters are made worse when sometimes the language used to talk about madrasas smacks of class snobbery, or stirs up moral panics about militant Islamist indoctrination.

As the latter can and does occur in any country, and is not limited to one type of cultural or educational background, such talk hinders rather than helps reform.

To return to my inherent objection to making national anthems compulsory however, this is probably a reflection of British attitudes to patriotism. Regardless of political views and whether or not people like singing “God save the Queen” (either the official or Sex Pistols version) in my experience most people in the UK adopt a mixture of amusement, incredulity, and pity when they hear Americans telling tales of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in school.

This is not down to any scarcity of

patriotism in Britain. Any international sporting event involving British teams or players will tell you that. A land where historians are television superstars is hardly suffering a shortage of patriotic pride, probably the opposite.

It’s just that more people are likely to share it in welcoming displays of individuality and non-conformity, as was seen by the joyous national embrace of Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics.

Bangladesh too is home to similar traditions. To take one example, Lalon’s lyrics and philosophy transcend mere borders and nationalism. They are part of a universal utopian ideal which sees mankind as brothers and sisters. Whatever people choose to believe, from the teachings of the Qur’an to the utopian lyrics of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” the image of planet Earth as an infinitesimal blue dot in the vastness of space, is a humbling reminder of the limits of nationalism.

Should a madrasa not wish to make singing the national anthem compulsory, it ought to be free to follow its own path. After all, it’s a free country, isn’t it? l Niaz Alam has worked on ethical business issues since 1992 and is a former vice-chair of War on Want.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Warda Rihab to lead 90 dancers in the opening of ICC T20 World Cup

SUBRIN AL AZAD

n Entertainment Desk

Seven, the play of courageous women staged n Hasan Mansoor Chatak Seven courageous women from seven countries around the world worked against all form violence and corruption towards women. Throughout the entire period of their campaign, they maintained peace. Instead of being stopped by the intolerable torture, inadvertence and discrimination, they fearlessly carried their struggle. Seven is a documentary play about these courageous women.

Based on interviews of seven female activists, Seven was staged on Monday, March 10 at the Chhayanaut Auditorium. Ambassadors and high commissioner of five countries along with two representatives of the UN organisation in Dhaka, took part in the play representing the seven women.

Highlighting the importance and the urgency of addressing the violation of women’s rights, the play is assembled based on seven women’s struggle.

The women whose stories were presented are from Nigeria, Cambodia, Guatemala, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan. The play unfolds with dialogue among the seven participants onstage and the rest of the performance was read out of their biographies. Swedish playwright and pro-

ducer Hedda Krausz Sjogren developed the idea of staging the play with the help of the National Touring Theatre and the Swedish Institute.

Seven tells the stories of Hafsat Abiola from Nigeria who started advocacy for human rights and democracy following the murder of her activist parents. Mu Sochua of Combodia was co-nominated in 2005 for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work against sex trafficking of women in Cambodia and neighboring Thailand. Annabella de Leon fought against corruption and for the rights of the poor, particularly women and indigenous peoples in Guatemala. Inez McCormack played a critical role in the 1998 Good Friday Peace Accords and continues to advocate for equal rights and fair labor practices for women and minorities in Northern Ireland. Farida Azizi fought against the marginalisation of women under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Marina Pisklakova-Parker founded the first hotline for victims of domestic violence that provide crisis and counseling services for Russian women. Mukhtar Mai of Pakistan, comparatively more known to people by headlines across the world, was gang raped by four men and she brought her rapists to justice. She also built

Lux Showbiz World celebrates 100th episode n

Entertainment Desk

With the latest news on show business, popular lifestyle programme Lux Showbiz World will celebrate its 100th episode at 4:20 pm on ATN Bangla today. To mark the day, the show will feature performance of the popular band Miles. On the other hand, a video will be telecast, where Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu’s congratulates Lux Showbiz World for their outstanding journey in the glamour world. Other celebs congratutaling the show via video clips includes, Razzak, Sohel Rana, actor- director Afzal Hossain, Shakib Khan, Bappa Raj and Borsha. In this special episode, another attractive piece will be the biography of Nayok Raj Razzak.

Directed and hosted by Rumana Afroz, Lux Showbiz World features media related information, upcoming films, information about worldwide music, news of celebrities, top charts and many more. l

International Women Film Festival in full swing n Entertainment Desk With the theme Films in Women’s Eyes, the 1st International Women’s Film Festival commenced on March 10, organised by Bangladesh Women’s Film Society in the capital. Meher Afroz, the minister of women and children affairs inaugurated the festival as the chief guest while Shamim Akther, renowed women filmmaker was graced as special guest.

In the opening day, Bangladesh Women’s Film Society honored six celebrated women filmmakers of the country including Shanewaj Cacoly, Shamim Akther, Kohinoor Akhter Suchanda, Nargis Akter, Arifa Parvin Moushumi and Samia Jaman.

Today is the last day of the event and fourteen films will be screened at the two venues.

Salma by Kim Loninotto and Princess56 by Ya Ting Hsu at 11am, Kokhono Megh, Kokhono Bristi

by Mousumi and The Dark Outside by Darin J Sallam at 2pm and Rani Kuthir Baki Itihash by Samia Jaman at 5pm, will be screened at the Public Library Auditorium.

At the National Museum Auditorium, A Life Suspended by Kazuyo Minamide, Haraka Haraka by Elena Allesia Negriolli, Scattered Windows, Connected Doors by Ziba Bhagwagar & Rohi Dixit will be screened at 11am, Afghan Women behind The Wheel by Sahraa Karimi and Hush…Girls Don’t Scream by Pouran Derakhshandeh at 2pm, Island Home Country by Jeni Thornley, The Mirror Never Lies by Kamila Andini, The Bare-foot Leader

by Zohreh Zamani and Playing The Taar by Roya Sadat at 5pm.

The story of Hush…Girls Don’t Scream, an internationally acclaimed Iranian film follows an eight year old girl named Shirin who faces ne-

glect and indifference from her parents as she is abused and ravaged by an event that marks her for years. The story unravels as the characters are faced with their own battles with justice, retribution and morality.

International Women Film Festival is the country’s first event which aims to promote women as writers, directors, actors, and producers exploring the aesthetic values of films and developing interest in the technical skills of film video and media arts. l

schools to improve the living condition of women.

The play has been performed all over the world since 2007 and in different places, the characters of the play have been brought to life by different individuals who are involved in significant fields such as politics, mass-media and social works.

Seven characters of the play staged in Dhaka were enacted by Hanne Fugl Eskjaer, Ambassador of Denmark, Anneli Lindahl Kenny, Ambassador of Sweden, Merete Lundemo, Ambassador of Norway, Christine Hunter, country representative of UN Women Bnagladesh, Argentinga Matavel Piccin, Representative of UNFPA Bangladesh, Heather Cruden, High Commisssioner of Canada and Wanja Campos da Nobrega Ambassador of Brazil.

A panel discussion was held after the staging, with the participation of Matiur Rahman, the editor of Prothom Alo, Sara Hossain, the executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, Najma Akter, the president of United Garments Workers Association and Ejaz Ahmed, president of Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center. The discussion was conducted by Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

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

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 Inter-University Art Exhibition Time: 3pm – 8pm Dhaka Art Centre, Dhanmondi

Celebrated dancer Warda Rihab is to bring 90 dancers under her choreography to perform the welcome song at the grand opening of ICC T20 World Cup to be held on March 13.

A colourful and multidimensional number will be performed on the welcome song “Urchhe Shantir Payra,” sang by Fuad Al Muktadir and Konal.

The 90 dancers will also perform on four more tracks– Shader Lau by Runa Laila, O majhi Nao Chhaira De by Sabina Yasmin, Ektara Bajaiyo Na by Kumar Bishwajit and Morar Kokile by Momtaz.

Organised by Bangladesh Cricket Board

the celebration Concert will be held at capital’s Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Most of the dances were being choreographed in manipuri, contemporary, Bangladeshi folk, Egyptian folk tanoura, classical and other forms, said Warda, director of Dhriti Nartanalaya.

She said: “The rich heritage of Bangladesh will be reflected throughout the performances on one stage. I have used rickshaw, different dimensions in costumes and colours. Fire spinning and stilt walkers will also be there.”

The rehearsals were going on in full swing, she said. Tanjil and his dance group Eagle will also perform at the celebration concert. l

Rehearsal for the performance of the welcome song at the grand opening of ICC T20 World Cup SUBRIN AL AZAD

Nrityajog’s daylong dance workshop in Dhaka n Entertainment Desk Bangladesh chapter of World Dance Alliance-Asia Pacific (WDA-AP) - ‘Nrityajog’ is organising a daylong event for dancers of Bangladesh on the occasion of its annual general meeting at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital today.

The programme includes work-

shops, a general meeting and dance presentations. Participants will be trained on Manipuri and Bharatnatyam in the workshop by Sharmila Banerjee and Belayet Hossain Khan.

Starting at 9am, the programme will continue until 8pm. More than a hundred dancers and over 12 organisations will participate in the programme. l

Seven singers lend voice in a patriotic song

n Entertainment Desk In the highly competitive industry, where entertainment has reached a new level, more and more entertainers are opting for “out of the box” approaches to keep the audience hooked. Such an initiative is seen in a patriotic song for the T20 World Cup 2014.

Seven celebrity and promising singers of the music industry including Belal Khan, Lopa Hossain, Aurin, Mahmud Sunny, Ayon Chaklader, Kornia and Bandhan lends their voice in the unique song written by director Ziauddin Alam.

The song is a celebration of the fact that

the World Cup is being hosted in Bangladesh and has the title Khelbe Khela T20, Jege Uthbe Bir Bangali.

A music video also has been prepared, where the seven singers will be seen together rendering their song. About the song, the lyricist said: “It’s a basic patriotic song. For me, this is one of the best piece of work and marks a milestone in my life. The opportunity to write something that honours my motherland has brought out the patriot in me and I am very grateful for the chance. Everyone’s presence made me more obliged to them.”

From March 16, the T20 World Cup 2014 is going to take place in Bangladesh. l

David Beckham reveals anxiety ahead of Only Fools and Horses debut n Entertainment Desk David Beckham has described how he struggled to sleep the night before making his Only Fools And Horses debut because he was so nervous.

The star instigated the TV special, which will reunite market trader Del Boy (Sir David Jason) and Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) for the first time in a decade.

Beckham said he went to bed so keen on perfecting his lines on the eve of his guest appearance, that he woke up the next morning with the script still on his chest.

The retired football star, 38, was surprised to have been given so much dialogue in the BBC One Sport Relief special.

He told Radio Times magazine: “The day of filming started off with a

slightly sleepless night, going over my script.

“The thought of being on set with Nicholas and David was obvious- ly very nerve-racking. I woke u p that morning with my script on my chest.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, especially with two people I’m really in awe of and have been for many years.

“It wasn’t just about learning the script, it was about delivering it; saying the right things at the right time.”

Beckham, who has been pictured on set, in the market, wearing a baseball cap and glasses, said that he could “die a happy man” after filming the Peckham-set sketch.

He added: “I’m a huge fan of the show. I h a v e been for many years, as far back as I can remember. Being from the East End of London, it’s what I was brought up on.”l

Did you know?

In his ODI career, Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar was adjudged Man of the Match 62 times which is a record

Sport

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

DHAKA TRIBUNE

14 Kun the potential

15 Dolgopolov

key to City’s salvation

DAYS TO GO

Mashrafe ready to go

stuns Nadal at Indian Wells

BCB’s ‘expensive’ celebration

Bangladesh fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza is ready take a risk and play in the T20 World Championship as the 30 year old, who is still recovering from the side strain injury which ruled him out of the recent Asia Cup, but the veteran bowler informed that even if he is 70-80%, he is ready to play the Sher-eBangla National Stadium yesterday.

“It’s not just the T20 world cup. If I want to play for the Bangladesh cricket team I can take even a 100 per cent risk.

Not just the T20 world cup. But yes because of the T20 world cup, everyone has expectation, even I have a desire.

I want to play with everything,” said Mashrafe.

The Narail Express added that he is ready to play all the matches of the tournament if required and said that he is getting mentally ready for that. “If I am required I will have to play. I am getting mentally ready that any moment they may need me to play, I will play,” he said.

The speedster added that his condition is now better than before and he bowled ten overs in the last three days in the nets and also underwent a fitness test, “It’s better than before. In the last three days I bowled 10 overs in the nets.

“I’m feeling good, much better than the first day when I got hurt.

Pain has decreased a lot. And I also had the fitness test with Stuart last day, bowled 5 overs. Today (yesterday) I bowled at 80 per cent. Next day I will bowl again.”

Bangladesh will play their first warm up match of the tournament

today against UAE at the Fatullah Stadium and the fast bowler informed that he is ready to play today if the management wish so.

The 30-year old veteran went on to talk about how he regretted missing the 2011 World Cup. “Honestly speaking, that I could not play 2011 world cup, which feels worse. It was a bigger world cup. T20 has no similarity to the 50 over world cup. But it’s happening in such a place that 20 crore people have expectation. If I play I will play my best. Just because everyone expects me to play I want to play well. I have a separate pride. I will give in my 100 per cent,” he said.

Mashrafe, who could only watch as Bangladesh went down to Afghanistan in the recent Asia Cup, was looking to reverse that result in the T20 qualifiers and move into the final stages.

“Our first goal will be the 16th to win that. Then after that the two matches are important to us. We can’t lose that.

The biggest aim is to go to the second round. To go to the second round, we will have to win three matches and our confidence level will be higher and we will be playing much better in the second round,” he said.

The fast bowler who took 23 wickets in same number of matches in the shortest format of the game informed that they are not thinking about their last match against Afghanistan and looking forward to giving their best shot.

Mashrafe has been working hard and looks fitter than ever. He said that at the moment he is not gaining extra weight which is good for him as he had several surgeries on his knees. l

Indian women seal series

Shakib speaks on HIV awareness

Visiting India national women’s cricket team secured the Twenty20 series by defeating Bangladesh by eight wickets at Cox’s Bazar Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium yesterday. India are 2-0 up in the three-match series.

Hosts Bangladesh won the toss and went to bat first and made 65/9.

Four wickets fell to run-outs and only four players reached double figures.

Farzana Haque top scored with 18 off 36 balls, while Poonam Yadav and Jhulan Goswami took two wickets each for India.

In reply, India chased the target down in 12 overs for the loss of two wickets. Openers Madhuri Mehta and Shikha Pandey put on 45, with Madhuri scoring 23 off 30 balls and Shikha 16.. Rumana Ahmed and Panna Ghosh took two wickets each for Bangladesh. l

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Shakib al Hasan pledged to continue his fight to save generations by inspiring them to “think wise” and to take

Bangladesh pacer Mashrafe bin Mortaza (R) shares a light moment with pacer Al-Amin at the SBNS yesterday

An opening ceremony was not in the International Cricket Council’s World Twenty20 wish list, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board, in between all the rush of hosting the biggest 26-day world event in terms of teams, took the pain of organising a mega concert which they named “BCB Celebration Concert”. Featuring the Indian legend AR Rahman and Senegalese American R&B artist Akon the concert is dated tomorrow at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, but instead of fetching praises the programme has raised eyebrows.

According the reports in the media the total project cost of the event is between Tk14-18 crores and it is fully funded by the BCB. Questions have been raised regarding the financial benefit as a huge amount of money is spent on the concert. Moreover, there are members from within the BCB who have questioned if the event is financially benefitting few of those involved with the event.

Meanwhile, the event has also jeopardized Bangladesh Football Federation’s (BFF) domestic calendar. The BFF was never up for providing the venue as it will hamper their scheduled games. But the football body was helpless after the National Sports Council thumped their decision of handing over BNS to the BCB for five days.

It was reported that few of the BCB officials also criticised the decision to bring foreign artists, more so because the board had earlier turned down of using the DRS during the Tests against Sri Lanka to cut costs.

The most surprising part of the event is even the board is unaware of what’s happening. The board till yesterday failed to answer the journalists of their media accreditation as most of the local journalists were handed a “Special Enclosure” ticket which was stamped Tk5000. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bangladesh warm-up against UAE Hosts Bangladesh will begin their ICC World Twenty20 2014 campaign facing UAE in the first warm-up game at Fatullah’s Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium today.

It is of no doubt that Bangladesh is way ahead when it comes to comparing the on-field with UAE, an associate member of the ICC (International Cricket Council). But the recent lows for Bangladesh are likely to keep captain Mushfiqur Rahim and his players on their toes when they face a weaker opponent today.

This will be the first time in the last two months that Bangladesh will be at full strength with the return of open-

right decision about HIV while talking at a press conference as Think Wise campaign spokesperson yesterday.

The Bangladesh all-rounder, along with other Bangladesh national cricket

Bangladesh allrounder Shakib al Hasan speaks at the HIV awareness presser at the Hotel Sonargaon yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

ing batsman Tamim Iqbal, off-spinner Sohag Gazi and veteran pacer Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.

On the other the hand, the side is also joined by middle-order batsman Sabbir Rahman and all-rounder Farhad Reza. The duo were members of the team in the month long home series against Sri Lanka but were left out from the squad in the Asia Cup. Opening batter Tamim, who was out of the field due to a neck injury picked up during the Sri Lanka Series, will play in the game. Gazi, who was forced out of the Asia Cup after he picked up an injury during the Afghanistan game, is likely to make his return as well.

Bangladesh will play their second and the final warm-up game with Ireland

players, spent some time with HIV positive victim children at the SHer-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium yesterday and played cricket with them.

A total of 16 matches of the upcoming ICC World Twenty20, including two semi-finals and the final, will be dedicated to the Think Wise campaign, the worldwide initiative of raising awareness against HIV and AIDS. The players and officials will wear red ribbons during those games where players will also take HIV victim children to the field before the game starts. Shakib will also spread the messages regarding HIV and AIDS awareness during the prize giving ceremonies at the world T20 starting from March 16 to April 6.

“I feel privileged to be a part of the Think Wise campaign. As a sportsperson I know how far-reaching an impact we can make in addressing key issues like HIV and AIDS,

at the same venue on Friday. The two games are important for the hosts to regain confidence after a series of defeats.

The Tigers will face Afghanistan in the tournament opener on March 16 at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The other two teams in the group are Hong Kong and Nepal. Only the group champion will be promoted to the Super 10 round of the tournament.

In the second warm-up game, Ireland will face Nepal at the same venue in the evening fixture.

At Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Afghanistan will take on the Netherlands in the afternoon game, while Hong Kong will square off against Zimbabwe in the evening game. l

Fifa friendly on the cards

especially in developing countries like Bangladesh,” said Shakib.

“We know that HIV and AIDS is present in every continent and that cricket can be a very powerful force

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is planning to host a Fifa friendly match with India in September after national team’s Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif expressed his desire to get his boys involved in more international friendlies.

The Dutch coach discussed with BFF president Kazi Salahuddin and national team committee member Tabith Awal regarding the issue.

“Kruif wants to play more friendly matches on a regular basis in order to boost up the national team and players. There is an opportunity to play Fifa friendly in September and the coach wants to make the proper use of it. We also talked about this with the president (Salahuddin),” said Tabith Awal after the meeting, who is also the vice president of BFF. l

I feel privileged to be a part of the Think Wise campaign. As a sportsperson I know how far-reaching an impact we can make in addressing key issues like HIV and AIDS against social stigma, ignorance and discrimination- factors that contribute to increased vulnerability to HIV infection,” he added.

UNICEF representative Pascal Villeneuve and UNAIDS country director Leo Kenny also spoke on the occasion. l

STALWARTS QUEST OF OVERCOMING DILEMMA

There will be a different mindset for the top Bangladeshi cricketers when they move on to the World T20 after their roller coaster ride recently, in which every cricketer had different things playing on their mind.

Bangladesh cricket team has been going through the toughest time after the Tigers displayed brilliant cricket as a team in the last two years. However, in 2014 the home side did not manage to win a single match in the Sri Lanka series and the Asia Cup, where they faced the humiliating defeat against Afghanistan.

However the Tigers started to regroup as a unit after the disaster but will have to face the hurdle of Afghanistan in their first match of the qualifying round.

MUSHFIQUR RAHIM

All eyes will be on skipper Mushfiqur Rahim as the 25 year old, who has been in the limelight for his bold statements and also by his impressive performances despite the Tigers’ disastrous time. The right hander smashed a magnificent hundred against India in a losing cause. He will be looking to prove his leadership quality and cement team spirit, after some of his recent off-field actions have been called into question recently. Mushfiq will be looking to improve his T20 average, which is below twenty with only one half century while he will also return behind the wickets with the keeping gloves.

SHAKIB AL HASAN

The most experienced player in the Bangladesh team, especially in the shortest format of the game, Shakib has played all over the world in the top T20 leagues and has an average of over twenty from his 28 match and taken 36 wickets at an average of 19.13. He is surely the main player for Bangladesh. However the all-rounder has gone through some off the field trouble which eventually resulted in a three match ban during the Asia Cup encounters against Afghanistan and India and the 26-year old will definitely be looking to deliver the goods in the middle.

TAMIM IQBAL

The dashing opener Tamim Iqbal has been in the news mostly for his injury issues where the left hander missed the Asia Cup due to a neck problem. However, the 24year old has also been quiet with the bat before that and he will be looking to prove why he is rated one of the most experienced cricketers in the Bangladesh side. The exciting left hander has scored 608 runs from 28 matches at the strike rate of 109.54 and Bangladesh will look to him to give the team a fast start.

NASIR HOSSAIN

“Mr. Consistent” is the name that was given to the youngster for his great ability of finishing games with great maturity Nasir Hossain will be looking to regain his firm position in the team after the 22-year old was no way near to that during the Sri Lanka series and the Asia Cup. Questions were also raised about his poor body language while fielding as well as with the bat in hand. The young sensation lost his momentum recently which really affected the home side. However his T20 average of over 23 at a staggering strike rate of 119. 14 with two fifties, makes him a man to watch.

MASHRAFE MORTAZA

The veteran fast bowler, who has suffered many an injury during his career, will be looking to give his hundred percent after missing the Asia Cup with a side strain.

However the 30-year old is not fully fit yet but his hunger to do something for Bangladesh showed when he informed that he is ready to risk injury at the mega event. Mashrafe will be leading the fast bowling attack and his presence in the side has always given an extra boost to the other members of the side, especially the younger pace men.

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bayern's Lahm to donate to Red Cross Bayern Munich’s German international Philipp Lahm will on Tuesday present a cheque for EUR100,000 ($138,000) on behalf of UEFA to the International Committee of the Red Cross. “The donation traditionally supports the Red Cross’s physical rehabilitation programme for landmine victims and other persons with disabilities in Afghanistan,” European football’s governing body said in a statement. Lahm, who received the most votes of any player in a UEFA.com users’ Team of the Year poll in 2013, will present the cheque in Munich.

–AFP

Sport

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Injured Woods may miss Masters World number one Tiger Woods arrived at the WGC-Cadillac Championship with concerns over his fitness and gingerly walked off the Blue Monster Course on Sunday with new questions about his ailing back. With the year’s first major just a month away, Woods’ Masters preparations may have to be quickly reworked as he deals with back spasms that have plagued him through his last two events. “It is back spasms, so we’ve done all the protocols and it’s just a matter of keeping everything aligned so I don’t go into that,” said Woods.

–Reuters

Bopara, Samuels and Sammy fined England all-rounder Ravi Bopara and West Indian duo Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels were all fined for their on-field confrontation on Sunday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday. The three players were found to have breached the ICC’s Code of Conduct during Sunday’s first Twenty20 International in Barbados, won by the West Indies. Bopara was fined 25 per cent of his match fee while Sammy and Samuels were fined 20 and 10 per cent respectively. The ICC said no formal hearing was required after all three players pled guilty to the charges.

–Reuters

Concentration the key for PSG coach Blanc

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (C) looks at team mates Neymar, Jordi Alba (L) and Dani Alves (R) during a training session at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi ahead of the Champions League last 16 second leg against Manchester City in Barcelona yesterday REUTERS

Paris Saint-Germain cannot afford to let their concentration slip as they prepare for their Champions League last 16 second leg tie at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, their coach Laurent Blanc believes.

The French champions stormed to a 4-0 success in Germany, leaving the tie as good as over ahead of the Parc des Princes clash.

Added to that, PSG are on a run of five straight victories, having plundered 16 goals in that period, while Leverkusen only ended a five-match losing streak in drawing 1-1 at Hanover 96 on Saturday.

If form and precedence were taken into account, there would be no doubt this tie was already done and dusted -- no team has ever overturned a 4-0 first leg deficit in a Champions League knock-out tie -- but Blanc is not one to rest on his laurels.

“You always have to be demanding with your team,” said Blanc.

“In the Champions League, qualifi-

Kun the potential key to City’s salvation Sergio Aguero has a proven scoring record against Barcelona and the Manchester City forward may have a crucial role to play if his side are to upset the odds and reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

City trail 2-0 ahead of Wednesday’s last 16, second leg at the Nou Camp, a Lionel Messi penalty and a late Daniel Alves goal in Manchester last month putting the Spanish champions on the brink of their seventh consecutive appearance in the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition.

Aguero, who missed the first leg through injury but returned for City’s

English Capital One (League) Cup final victory on March 2, scored five goals in 10 La Liga games against Barca for Atletico Madrid between 2006 and 2011.

They included a dramatic winner, his second of the match, in a 4-3 success at the Calderon in the 2008-09 season that prompted the kind of wild celebrations he unleashed with the goal that sealed the Premier League title for City in 2012.

The player, known as “Kun” after a Japanese cartoon character, also netted a double in the same La Liga fixture a year earlier, a 4-2 win for Atletico.

He has never tasted victory at the Nou Camp though in six visits but did score in a 1-1 draw in 2006-07.

“As always in important games the individual performance of players is key,” City coach Manuel Pellegrini, who

has labelled Aguero the third best player in the world behind his Argentina team mate Messi and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, said on the club’s website (www.mcfc.co.uk) on Monday.

“Of course it’s difficult,” added the Chilean, in his first season in charge following stints in Spain with Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga.

FIXTURES Barcelona v Manchester City PSG v Leverkusen “But I don’t have any doubt that we are going to Barcelona thinking that we can do it, that we can beat them in Camp Nou and we will try to have our revenge there.”

Pellegrini also has experience of

Barca’s daunting arena, Europe’s biggest stadium. He faced them 22 times during his La Liga coaching career but only managed four victories, most recently a 2-1 win for Villarreal at the Nou Camp in March 2008.

He lost both “Clasicos” against Barca as Real coach in the 2009-10 season, 1-0 away and 2-0 at home.

“It’s difficult because they are a very good team with great players and that’s the most important thing,” Pellegrini said.

“We will try to get the tempo we need to score goals. If we can score a goal early Barcelona may be more nervous.

“There are so many things affecting the outcome of big games that it is very difficult to know what will be the key factor. If we have a good day I am abso-

lutely sure we can do it.”

Pellegrini’s players will take heart from a fine performance in Germany in their last European away game when they came from two goals down to beat Group D rivals and defending champions Bayern Munich 3-2 with both teams already through to the last 16.

History is against them, however.

Only twice in Champions League history has a team recovered from a first-leg defeat at home to go through, Ajax Amsterdam achieving the feat in 1995-96 and Inter Milan following suit in 2010-11.

Both City and Barca are coming into the match after surprise defeats, Barca going down at lowly Real Valladolid and slipping to third in La Liga and City losing to second tier Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup quarter-finals. l

Balotelli reference in missing plane drama draws scorn A Malaysian aviation official came under fire on social media Tuesday for evoking black Italian footballer Mario Balotelli when discussing two passengers who boarded a missing jet with stolen European passports.

Civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman had been asked to confirm another official’s assertion that the two men who boarded missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 looked “Asian”.

The plane vanished early Saturday with 239 people aboard while en route from Malaysia to China.

Azharuddin denied they looked Asian, but he sought to emphasise that skin colour does not indicate nationality by using a reference to Balotelli – a

Ghanaian-born striker with AC Milan and Italian international.

“Do you know a footballer by the name of Bartoli (sic)? He’s an Italian.

Do you know what he looks like? Balotelli,” he told reporters late on Monday.

“I don’t want to dwell about this but they (nationality and race) are not the same thing.”

Malaysian officials later clarified that there was no suggestion either of the suspect passengers was black, but Twitter users commented that Azharuddin’s strained comparison had not helped matters. One said: “Nice work in looking for the least obvious cause for an airplane crash.”

“The case of the missing airplane, somehow, just got weirder,” another said. l

With Chelsea seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table, manager Jose Mourinho’s insistence that his side cannot be considered title favourites is beginning to ring hollow.

Exits from the FA Cup and the League Cup mean that the league is the only domestic silverware that Chelsea can win, but the vagaries of the fixture schedule mean that those prematurely curtailed cup runs now look like blessings in disguise.

It was thanks to Arsenal’s involvement in the FA Cup that Chelsea were able to pull seven points clear at the weekend, while Manchester City’s cup commitments have seen them fall nine points below Mourinho’s side.

City triumphed over Sunderland in the League Cup final, but crashed to a

'Barca have done nothing wrong in Neymar transfer' The controversy surrounding the transfer of Brazilian Neymar to Barcelona is “unfair” because the Spanish champions have done nothing wrong, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said on Monday.

Barcelona have been accused of tax fraud by Spanish authorities after it came to light the striker’s transfer fee, initially disclosed as 57.1 million euros, was in fact closer to 90 million euros.

“Barca is a very well known brand name in the world and we have to take care of Barca of the club and doing this is prudent situation to keep the good image of our club,” Bartomeu told the BBC.l

Kroos hints at EPL future

Players from Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima lay on the ground after scoring against the Central Coast Mariners of Australia in their AFC Champions League football match in Gosford, some 100 kms north of Sydney yesterday. Central Coast Mariners won 2-1 AFP

Stars align for Chelsea, Mourinho 2-1 loss against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Sunday and visit Barcelona in the Champions League this week.

Their return to league action will not be straightforward either, with a trip to a Hull City side buoyed by having reached the FA Cup semi-finals followed by consecutive away games at Manchester United and Arsenal.

Mourinho continues to assert that he would rather have three games in hand than a nine-point lead, but even accounting for City’s superior goal difference, their three unfulfilled fixtures will not simply win themselves.

City’s games in hand – away to United, and at home to Sunderland and Aston Villa – will also be complicated by the pressure of knowing that Chelsea have already bagged the points that Manuel Pellegrini’s side are trying to make up.

cation is decided in the second match.

For now, we don’t have it yet so we have to see through qualification.

“Whoever plays, we have the desire to win. That’s important because the biggest teams, even when going through difficult periods, they need to concentrate.”

The question of who plays will be an interesting one for PSG, for whom record-signing Edinson Cavani is available again having missed Saturday’s 3-0 win at Bastia after going back to Uruguay for personal reasons.

But in his absence, young Brazilian Lucas Moura has put in a couple of impressive performances after a largely disappointing season.

If Cavani comes back into the side, it will be either Lucas or Argentine Ezequiel Lavezzi, who bagged a brace in Corsica, who sits it out.

And it is perhaps Lucas’s lack of goals that will count against him -- he has managed just three in 33 appearances this season.

“His all-round play is a lot better but for a forward statistics are important and you can’t say a forward is having a great season if he’s not scoring,” said Blanc. l

Furthermore, whereas only half of City’s remaining 12 league games are against teams currently in the bottom half of the table, Chelsea will face teams in the bottom 10 in seven of their last nine fixtures.

For both Arsenal and second-place Liverpool, meanwhile, only four of their 10 remaining opponents are in the bottom half.

Liverpool, at least, are free of cup distractions, but with Arsenal the only remaining heavyweights in the FA Cup, manager Arsene Wenger will have to take his eye off the league again in the near future.

While Mourinho doggedly maintains that City are the title favourites, he is aware that Liverpool – who, like Arsenal, have one game in hand – could yet emerge as his side’s most serious rivals. l

Zenit sack Spalletti over European failure Zenit St Petersburg, owned by statecontrolled gas giant Gazprom, have sacked their Italian manager Luciano Spalletti, the Russian club confirmed on Tuesday.

Spalletti achieved domestic success with the three-time national champions but their hugely ambitious owners have lost patience with his failure to make a breakthrough in the Champions League after several big money signings.

“The club governing body have decided to sack Spalletti,” Zenit said in a statement. “The head coach’s assistant Sergei Semak will serve as the club interim manager.” l

Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has hinted at a future in England’s Premier League as his contract extension talks continue to stall at Bayern Munich, ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Arsenal.

Bayern host the Gunners in the Champions League’s last 16, secondleg clash at Munich’s Allianz Arena holding a 2-0 lead following their Emirates Stadium victory three weeks ago.

Kroos, 24, has a Bayern contract until June 2015, but extension talks have faltered amidst reports he wants to boost his salary to become one of the European champions’ top earners.

“There is nothing much new and there is still no decision,” said Kroos, who scored Bayern’s first goal in last month’s first-leg clash. l

Fulham eye miracle survival, plan extra defending session Fulham need a miracle to survive relegation from the English Premier League but defender Johnny Heitinga still believes they can avoid the drop as manager Felix Magath plans extra sessions to plug the team’s leaky backline.

A 3-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Cardiff City on Saturday left Fulham rooted to the bottom of the table on 21 points, four away from safety, and without a win in nine games.

“It was not good enough. We have to take a look in the mirror now because there are only nine games left,” Heitinga, signed in January from Everton until the end of the season, was quoted

as saying by British media on Monday.

“It’s not difficult to see what went wrong, we conceded too many goals.

At the moment, this is a team that plays without confidence and concedes goals too easily. I still believe in the miracle.

There are still 27 points to fight for, and we play some of the teams around us, but to stay in the Premier League now would be like winning the Champions League for us.

“It does not matter how we survive, but we have to find a solution to stay up and it needs to be quick, because it is already five past midnight now.”

Cardiff went ahead through Steven Caulker on the stroke of halftime after the visitors failed to clear a long ball into the box then left the defender to slot home a cross from close range. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

QUICK BYTES

Vettel ready to attack, despite problems

Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel has said he plans to go on the attack in Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, despite problems with his Red Bull car.

“We have been very successful in the last few years, but now things are a bit more difficult, we will start the season at a bit of a disadvantage,” Vettel told broadcaster Servus TV. “That means we have to fight, charge forward and take everything we can get.” Vettel endured a frustrating four days of testing in Bahrain 10 days ago due to electrical issues and problems with the car’s new Renault engine. Vettel said the problems were caused partly by the car’s new drivetrain, the components which supply power to the wheels. “It’s down to the changes in the regulations.

We have a completely new drivetrain that has given us a lot of worry so far,” he said.

–AFP

Nigeria on $100,000-a-man bonus to win WC

Nigeria’s footballers stand to gain more than $100,000 each, should the African champions win every game at the World Cup and win the tournament, according to figures submitted to parliament. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is requesting that lawmakers approve a 1.2 billion-naira ($7.2 million) war chest for the Super Eagles’ bid to become the competition’s first African winners. Each player will pocket $10,000 for every group stage victory, according to the budget, which was submitted on Monday. Wins in the round of 16 carry a $12,000 bonus, $15,000 in the quarterfinal; $20,000 in the semi-final; and $30,000 in the final itself. In addition, every one of the 23-man squad will get a daily allowance of $200, taking the potential total amount of win bonuses and allowances for the 32-day competition to $2.6 million. The remaining cash will go towards the fees of coaches and backroom staff, the cost of accommodation, business class air travel and the team’s training camps in both the United States and Brazil.

–AFP

Pardew banned for 7 games over headbutt Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has been given a seven-match suspension and a £60,000 ($100,000, 72,000 euros) fine for headbutting Hull City midfielder David Meyler, the Football Association announced on Tuesday. The 52-year-old will be banned from attending Newcastle’s games for the first three matches of the ban, with the remaining four matches to be served as a touchline ban. “Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew will serve a seven-match suspension with immediate effect, subject to any appeal, after he admitted an FA misconduct charge,” read a statement on the FA website. “An Independent Regulatory Commission today (Tuesday 11 March 2014) ruled the first three matches imposed are a stadium ban with the remaining four a touchline ban.

“Pardew was also fined £60,000 and warned as to his future conduct.” Pardew learnt of his suspension after appearing before an FA disciplinary commission at Wembley Stadium in London on Tuesday and subsequently released a statement expressing regret for his behaviour.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six NBA 2013-14 6:00AM Oklahoma City V Houston 7:30AM Golden State v Dallas Star Sports 4

Sport

Dolgopolov stuns Nadal

Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine celebrates a point against Rafael Nadal of Spain during the BNP Parabas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California on Monday AFP

Alexandr Dolgopolov toppled world number one and defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) Monday in the third round of the Indian Wells ATP Masters.

Ukraine’s Dolgopolov, ranked 31st in the world and seeded 28th in the first Masters tournament of the year, notched his first victory over the Spanish superstar after five prior defeats.

The most recent of those was in the claycourt final at Rio de Janeiro two

weeks ago.

Nadal had reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells every year since 2006, winning the title in 2007, 2009 and last year.

Down a break at 5-3 in the third, Nadal broke Dolgopolov to get the set back on serve and from there they went to the tiebreaker.

Dolgopolov kept his composure on the first match point, when he initially thought he had won the contest with an ace only to see that call overturned on a challenge from Nadal.

I’m not done yet, says Australia quick Harris Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris, who bowled his country to a series victory in South Africa last week, is hoping knee surgery will prolong his test career through the 2015 Ashes at least.

The 34-year-old has been plagued by injuries since his debut in 2010 but was able to put together a run of 12 consecutive tests over the last seven months to help Australia wrest back the Ashes and beat South Africa 2-1 in an away series.

Harris played through the pain to give Australia the victory on a dramatic final day of the third test against South Africa at Newlands last week before returning home for surgery.

“The 2015 Ashes and the series after that back in Australia are the goals for me if I’m bowling well enough and still in form,” Harris told Melbourne’s SEN radio.

“There’s World Cup in between and I’d love to force my way back into that team as well.

“I’ve read a few little comments here and there in papers that it could

be the end of me, but I’m not done yet.

I’ll be back.”

While noone has doubted Harris’s ability as a bowler, his injuries had restricted him to just 12 tests in three years until he got on the plane for the opening Ashes series of 2013.

He played four of five tests in that series in England, all five tests in the 5-0 triumph in the return Ashes series and all three tests against the Proteas.

Harris took 56 wickets at 21.66 in the three series but his most decisive intervention came in Cape Town last week when he removed Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in one over to clinch a 245-run victory and the series triumph.

Having delayed surgery until after the South Africa tour, Harris will finally go under the knife this week.

“It was obviously tough getting through those last two days but it’s a job you just have to do,” he said.

“I can tell you now, the flight home has ruined (the knee) even more - it’s sort of locked up.

“I really hope having this done and cleaned out, it gives me a bit more time.” l

He put his second serve in play, and sealed the win with a blistering forehand that Nadal couldn’t get back.

“I feel great, I mean, as after every win, of course,” Dolgopolov said. “This one was bigger, and I beat the defending champion, number one in the world.

“I guess I just need to enjoy this evening and forget about it tomorrow and try to compete the rest of the tournament. I’m still in.”

It was Dolgopolov’s second victory over a top-five foe in less than a month.

He upset Spain’s David Ferrer en route

Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi stunned defending champion and fourth seed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 on Monday to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.

The 79th-ranked Giorgi needed two hours and 36 minutes to notch her third career win against a top-10 player, aided by an error-strewn performance from Sharapova.

The Russian superstar hit only 16 winners and 58 unforced errors. Giorgi’s stats weren’t impressive either, and they combined for 15 breaks of serve.

“I did not play a good match at all,” Sharapova said.

“I started very poorly. Never played against her, but she’s someone that doesn’t give you much rhythm.

“She’s quite aggressive, but some shots she hit incredible for a long period of time.

“Sometimes they go off a bit.

Sharapova, who endured an injuryplagued 2013, has had a mixed start to the new season, reaching two semifinals but crashing out in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

She said she expected to head quickly to Miami to begin preparing for

England batsman Joe Root will miss the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh after fracturing his thumb, with Ian Bell replacing him, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Monday.

Root suffered the injury during England’s one-day series clincher in the West Indies and the ICC said in a statement that it has approved Bell as his replacement ahead of the tournament, which begins on March 16.

Root scored his first international limited-overs century during the threematch series in the West Indies, which England won 2-1.

He played all three games and was injured in the series decider after being struck on the thumb by a Ravi Rampaul delivery.

Test veteran Bell has represented England in seven T20 matches, in which he scored 175 runs, and will join up with the squad ahead of their first match of the tournament against New Zealand on March 22.

The news comes as another injury blow for England after captain Stuart Broad was ruled out for the remainder of their T20 series against the West Indies, which began with a 27-run defeat in Barbados on Sunday.

Broad is suffering from an ongoing knee injury, but hopes to be fit for the World T20 opener.

West Indies are the defending World T20 champions and the three-game series against England, who won the title in 2010, is a precursor for the fifth edition of the tournament. l

the hardcourt tournament there that follows on the heels of Indian Wells.

“Losses motivate me a lot, because as a competitor you don’t want to lose these types of matches,” she said. “It’s individual matches that really fire you up, and I hope that these last few losses will do that for me.”

Giorgi shocked Caroline Wozniacki at the US Open last year for her second win against a top-10 player. She had beaten compatriot Sara Errani – then ranked seventh – in Beijing in 2012.

Sharapova said that if Giorgi could find more consistency she has the game to raise her ranking.

“I think if she played at this level for a consistent period of time I don’t think she’d be a qualifier here,” Sharapova said. “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

Giorgi’s upset of Wozniacki at Flushing Meadows last year came after a lengthy injury break because of a right shoulder injury.

The diminutive Italian is hoping with her injury trouble behind her she can gain the consistency Sharapova spoke of.

“I think it’s more important to play many matches and get to be in these kind of matches – that will help my game a lot,” she said. l

Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts to a lost point while playing Camila Giorgi of Italy during the BNP Parabas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Monday AFP

Marcel Bodybuilding concludes The Marcel Refrigerator Club Cup Open Bodybuilding, organized by Bangladesh Bodybuilding Federation concluded at the National Sports Council gymnasium yesterday.

The winners were as follows-55 Kg1st--Shukur,2nd- Tajmul Haque,3rdRazzak Hossain. 60 Kg- 1st- Sad Obaid, 2nd- Sanchaoy Das, 3rd-Ranjit Chandra Sarker. 70 Kg-Titu Das, 2nd- Ari-

ful Islam, 3rd- Zobayer Hossain. 75 Kg- Abu Saeed Molla, 2nd-Sohel Rana, 3rd- SM Latifuzzaman. 80 Kg- Nahid Reza Khan,2nd- Anisullah Kennedy, 3rd –Atik. 80+ Kg- 1st- Quamruzzaman, 2nd-Apurba Kumar Royu, 3rd-Raihanur Rahman.

The additional director of Walton A.F.M. Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn distributed the prizes as the chief guest. The general secretary of the BBF Nazrul Islam was also present on the occasion. l

State minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder inaugurates the Runner Independence Day Tennis at the NTC yesterday COURTESY

2:30PM AFC Champions League Melbourne Victory v Jeonbuk Hyundai 6:00PM AFC Cup Kitchee v Pune FC

Army beat Air Force in Independence Day V’ball

Ten Cricket

Bangladesh Army opened their Minister Independence Day Volleyball with a 25-19, 25-14, 30-28 win over Bangladesh Air Force at the volleyball stadium yesterday.

In the other match of the day, Titas Gas outplayed Bangladesh Navy 29-27, 25-16 and 25-19.

Managing Director of Minister Electronics Ltd. Abdur Razzzaque Khan inaugurated the meet as the chief guest.

General secretary of Bangladesh Volleyball Federation Ashikur Rahman Miku and joint secretary Fazley Rabbi Babul, were also present on the occasion. l

10:00PM South Africa v Australia 2nd T20 Ten Sports 1:00AM UEFA Champions League, R16-Leg2 PSG v Bayer Leverkusen Ten Action 1:00AM UEFA Champions League, R16-Leg2 Barcelona v Man City

to the final in Rio. “He played great,” Nadal said. “He had good tournaments in Rio, in Acapulco, so it’s great what he is doing.

“At the end I have to analyze my part. I had enough breaks to win the match, but I didn’t play well enough from the baseline then to be solid with my serve.

“It’s not a problem with my serve, it was more a problem with my baseline shots. I didn’t go for the points. I played with too many mistakes.”

Nadal broke Dogopolov to open the match -- but they ended up trading breaks in the first four games and it was the Ukrainian who gained the decisive break for a 5-4 lead then withstood two break points to pocket the set.

After Nadal had knotted the contest at one set each, Dolgopolov took control with a break for 4-2 in the third.

But he was broken at love when he served for the match at 5-3 and Nadal then held at love for 5-5.

Leading 6-5 in the tiebreaker, Dolgopolov had to survive one last hiccup when his apparent ace was ruled out after a challenge by Nadal.

He calmly put his second serve in play, and sealed the match with a forehand winner.

“It’s not a drama,” Nadal said. “It’s a loss. I accept that, try to rest a few days and be fresh mentally and I hope to be ready for Miami.”

Dolgopolov, meanwhile, will take on Italy’s Fabio Fognini in a rematch of their quarter-final in Rio. Fognini beat Gael Monfils 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, surviving two match points when the Frenchman double-faulted on both. l

Root out of World T20, Bell comes in

Giorgi stuns Sharapova at Indian Wells

Runner Independence Day Tennis The Runner Group Independence Day Open Tennis comprising 267 players of 30 clubs and teams across the country started at the National Tennis Complex yesterday.

State minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder inaugurated the meet as the chief guest. Hafizur Rahman Khan, the managing director of Runner Group was present as the special guest. The players will be playing in the events of men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles, club’s team event, mini tennis (boy’s and girl’s age levels of 8, 10 and 12). The meet will conclude on March 16. l

15

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Abdur Razzque Khan, the MD of Minister Electronics inaugurates the Independence Volleyball at the volleyball stadium yesterday COURTESY

Winner of the Marcel Bodybuilding pose with the chief guest at the NSC gymnasium yesterday COURTESY

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

WB report: MPO policy failed to reap benefit n Mushfique Wadud A recent World Bank report says the government policy to award Monthly Pay Order (MPO) facility to schools to improve the quality of education has largely failed.

There has been no strong impetus for improvement in the schools under MPO system and under-performing schools are hardly penalised, says the report.

The World Bank’s report Seeding Fertile Ground: Education That Works for Bangladesh was released last week.

The report says that political support rather than adherence to quality criteria appears to be more important for the continuation of MPOs. “In the urban areas a secondary school must have at least 50 students and half of them must pass the termi-

nal public examination. Once a school is recognised for subvention the government is hardly able to enforce the criteria mainly for political reasons,” the report observed.

The MPO system is a subvention that the government provides to secondary school teachers. Earlier the teachers under the MPO system used to draw 50% of the basic salary of a government school teachers in 1980.

But since 2006 they have been given 100% of the basic salary of a government school teacher. At present 98% of the secondary schools are run under the MPO scheme.

Though the system helped to expand secondary education, educationists often raise questions about the accountability of the system.

Teachers often allege that those who deserve are not awarded MPOs

but very often undeserving schools are given MPO in exchange for bribe.

In August last year, a probe report found 10 employees of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) guilty of illegally awarding Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme to 287 teachers of a number of schools and madrasas who were not eligible.

The probe report said 287 teachers could have never been able to get the MPO facility if proper legal process had been followed. The report further said those teachers bribed 10 employees to get the facilities.

Even policy makers often criticise MPO system On October 6 last year, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith told parliament that the monthly payment order (MPO) for educational institu-

tions had led to slide in the quality of education.

Muhith came up with the anti-MPO statement in response to a question of Awami League lawmaker Abdul Matin Khasru who asked him whether he would release the Tk10b as MPO for 900 teachers.

“Time has come for the government to rethink about the MPO system,” Power and Participation Research Centre Executive Chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman said while speaking at the launching of the World Bank report.

Former Director of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research Siddiqur Rahman also said that in some cases MPO system is misused.

“In some cases, a non government school is built in the name of a late father or mother of a local politician at a place where there is no need of school

and the school apply for MPO,” he said.

He, however, said that MPO system is a good tool to support teachers particularly those in the rural areas.

“What government can do is enhance monitoring and set some conditions and be strict that MPO facility is not given without fulfilling those conditions,” Siddiqur, who was a member of the committee that formulated education policy 2010, said.

He said that in MPO system teacher’s salary scale is often upgraded automatically and proposed that it could be done on the basis of assessing performance and a departmental examination.

The World Bank report proposed that one way of enhancing accountability is to publicise the performance of schools, set up conditions necessary for obtaining and retaining MPOs so as

Judgment on Prothom Alo’s contempt tomorrow n Nazmus Sakib

A train rams a human hauler at Jalalihat in Chittagong killing four female garment workers on the spot yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

4 killed as train rams human hauler As human hauler driver was listening to music with headphones stuffed into his ears he could not hear train whistle Akhter, 30, of Barguna and an unknown took the vehicle on the track assuming n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong female. Most of the victims were work- that he would be able to cross the levAt least four female workers of a readymade garment (RMG) factory were killed and seven others injured when a human hauler collided with a train at Jalalihat area of Chittagong yesterday morning.

The injured RMG workers, who were in the human hauler, said the driver of the vehicle could not hear the whistle of the approaching train, as he was listening to music with headphones.

Police said a Chittagong-bound passenger train from Dohazari of Chandanaish hit the human hauler, which was carrying at least 30 passangers, when it came on the level crossing at Bahir Signal area at around 8:00am.

Md Shahidullah, additional deputy commissioner (north) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, told the Dhaka Tribune that four female workers were killed on the spot while seven others sustained injuries.

The deceased are Yasmin Akhter, 22, of Cox’s Bazar, Ria Akhter, 20, of Chittagong city’s Chandgaon area, Julia

ers of Base Textiles in Chittagong city’s Chadgaon Industrial Area.

“Soon after the incident, police nabbed the human hauler driver, Didarul Alam, 25, while agitated workers from different RMG factories gathered around the area and laid siege on the railway tracks,” said Shahidullah.

Later, police rushed to the spot and calmed down the agitated workers. The dead bodies and injured workers were sent to CMCH, he added.

“Of injured seven, five are admitted into Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH),” said CMCH Police Camp In-Charge SI Jahirul Islam.

One of the injured, Sweety Akhter, 16, told the Dhaka Tribune: “When our vehicle got on the rail link, the train was whistling but the driver could not hear as he was listening music with headphones.”

However, ADC Shahidullah, said they had not received such allegation.

He quoted the driver, who was also injured in the collision, as saying Didarul

el-crossing before the train arrived, but failed as two auto-rickshaws suddenly came in front of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Railway (BR) has formed two probe committees, one headed by BR (East) Chief Engineer Mahbubul Alam and another headed by BR (East) Divisional Traffic Officer Firoz Ifterkhar, to investigate into the incident.

“The committees were asked to submit their reports within three days,” said Jobeda Akhter, public relation officer of BR (East).

“Station Master of Jalalihat Railway Station Nezam Uddin and Titu Kanti Das, points-man of transport department, were suspended as they were not present at their workplaces during the incident,” said Mohammad Makbul Ahmad, general manager of BR (East).

Yasin Faruk, officer-in-charge of Government Railway Police (GRP) Station in Chittagong, said a case has been lodged in connection with the incident. l

The High Court is set to deliver verdict tomorrow on the contempt of court charge against Bengali daily the Prothom Alo for publishing column criticising anticipatory bails.

The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed fixed the day ending the hearing when Mizanur Rahman Khan, joint editor of the daily, said he apologised if the judges had been hurt by his column, which criticised the anticipatory bails granted by the bench.

Editor Matiur Rahman said he could not evade the responsibility of publishing a column on his newspaper though it was an opinion, not a news report.

“As we have to publish 24-32 page paper every day, it is not possible to analyse each and every word. So, mistakes can be seen in the paper which does not mean that we intend to demean the court,” he said.

After reading Matiur’s written reply, the judge said: “You got anticipatory bail from the High Court earlier. So what is your opinion on that type of bail for which Mizanur criticised us?”

Matiur said anticipatory bail was very much essential as there was apprehension that the lower court might not grant bail whereas the High Court had the right to give bail.

Following a plea by Prothom Alo counsel Shahdin Malik the court provided Mizanur a chair in the dock. He had to remain standing in the dock during the half-day hearing on Monday.

Shahdin made submission on the legal points. The bench then asked Matiur Rahman to place his arguments on some points.

Justice Naima asked Matiur whether he read the column of Mizanur. The editor said he read the article before and after its publication. “Mistakes can be there in the paper but it was not intentional and not to demean the court.”

Justice Naima said: “As many international dailies specify that they will not be liable for any views, then who is the responsible for the column?” In reply, Matiur said as the editor of the daily, he incurred the responsibility for its publication.

Then the judge said it was clear that the article was written against this specific bench. “We also say judges are like wives of Julius Caesar, the king of Rome, so not above suspicion. So we may be criticised but that should not be based on distorted facts which was done in the column of Mizanur.”

Matiur then said they had no intention to debase the court. Justice Naima said: “You should have been very cautious about publishing such article.”

The journalist in reply to another question of the bench said: “We have Press Council for regulating the press but the institution should be made stronger. We also have Press Act and code of conduct.”

In reply to a question of the court, Shahdin said if the journalists had revealed the source of their news, they would not do journalism since nobody would talk to them. He termed media “the fourth pillar of the state.”

At one point of his submission, proBNP lawyer Zainul Abedin requested him to clear whether Mizanur contested the case or sought apology.

Justice Naima conceded with Zainul. Then Shahdin consulted with Mizanur who told the court that he did not have any intention to demean the court rather he had the objective to reform the institution.

“Even after that, if the court thinks that any word or any portion has any indication to hurt the court, I apologise,” Mizanur told the bench.

Then Rokanuddin Mahmud, who argued against Mizanur, said as the newspaper’s editor made his position clear the charge against him could be dropped and the hearing could be closed for judgement.

He pleaded that as the High Court had directives in appointing judges, the bench could give guidelines on how to report on the matters of the Supreme Court.

Justice Naima asked Shahdin to assist the court regarding formulation of guidelines for journalists. Later, the bench fixed Thursday for judgement and said those who gave statement against Rokan for his comments during hearing would have to appear in person today. l

to raise public awareness and involvement in using this extremely important resource to support the achievement of learning outcomes.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told the Dhaka Tribune that government was working to make the MPO system effective.

He admitted that there are some complexities in MPO system though the system is helping to expand secondary education.

“Sometimes eligible institutions might not get MPOs for fund constraint and sometimes institutions that are supposed to get MPOs do not get it,” he said.

“We are trying to make a balance so that the deserving schools can get MPO and schools that are already enjoying the facility can perform to the expected level,” he said. l

‘E-filing’ launched at ICT Division n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The government yesterday launched an initiative to ensure online-filing of documents to increase efficiency and transparency at public offices.

The “e-filing” initiative was formally inaugurated at the ICT Division under the Ministry of Post, Telecommunication and Information.

The launching programme at the city’s ICT Division office was attended by prime minister’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who was addressed as the adviser to the prime minister at the programme, along with Telecom Minister Abdul Latif Siddique and State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak.

Ministry officials said the e-filing initiative has been introduced as the government wants to bring transparency and efficiency to the public service.

“It will at the same time reduce the use of paper, creating an environment-friendly situation in offices,” State Minister Palak said.

He claimed that at least 90% work could be done through this initiative to create a paperless office, adding that anyone located outside their working station or even outside the country would be able to release files through the network.

The ICT Division has already given the required passwords to all the secretaries, who would now be able to use the facility.

The government has already delivered some service on the district-level through e-filing, while all ministries would also provide e-filing services soon, a senior official of the ICT Division informed.

In the program, ICT Division officials also presented their projects and different initiatives.

Speaking on the World Bank’s intervention and monitoring of the delay in the Hi-tech park project, which started on 2001 on World Bank’s loan, Joy said: “We only take loans from them and pay it back with interests. We never beg. So we are not bound to obey their decision.”

He added that money could be arranged from other sources if the World Bank was not willing to provide the loan.

“During the last five years, our economy has become stronger and we are not a beggar county at all; so we will establish our projects the way we want to do it,” he added.

Joy also claimed that e-filing would reduce corruption and allow the government to work faster than before. l

5-year-old girl raped by Mysterious gases pose threat to ozone layer Arabic teacher in capital n

Johannes Laube. The scientists discovered the gases by analysing polar firn, perennial snow pack. Air extracted from this snow is a natural archive of what was in the atmosphere up to 100 years ago.

BBC News

n

Mohammad Jamil Khan

A five-year-old girl has been allegedly raped by her Arabic teacher inside a school compound on the capital’s Mirpur area yesterday. The victim is now undergoing treatment at the One Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

“The accused Minhaz Uddin, an Arabic teacher of Mirpur’s Holy Crescent School and College, is now in police custody,” Mohammad Enamul, sub-inspector of Mirpur police station and also the investigation officer of the case, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Kazi Sumon, an uncle of the victim, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Like always, my brother-in-law [the victim’s father] took her to school at 10.00am and then went to his office. Later at noon, my mother [the victim’s grandmother] went to the school to bring her back to home.

“On the way home, my niece was crying constantly but did not mention anything.” He also added that his sister found blood on her trousers when she tried to change her clothes.

“Later, I took her to Al Helal Hospital in Mirpur where doctors told us that it is a police case and advised us to take her at DMCH,” he added.

Contacted, Bilkis Akter, coordinator of OCC of DMCH, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had received the girl at around 2.30pm at hospital and the girl was undergoing treatment. “We would send samples for forensic test on Wednesday,” she added.

Meanwhile, SI Enamul said the detainee was identified by the victim and a case has been filed against him by the victim’s family.

The detained teacher is also the younger brother of school’s Principal Mesbah Uddin, who is also the owner of the educational institute. l

Scientists have identified four new man-made gases that are contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer.

Two of the gases are accumulating at a rate that is causing concern among researchers. Worries over the growing ozone hole have seen the production of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases restricted since the mid 1980s. But the precise origin of these new, similar substances remains a mystery, say scientists.

Lying in the atmosphere, between 15 and 30km above the surface of the Earth, the ozone layer plays a critical role in blocking harmful UV rays, which cause cancers in humans and reproductive problems in animals.

Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey were the first to discover a huge “hole” in the ozone over Antarctica in 1985.

The evidence quickly pointed to CFC gases, which were invented in the 1920s, and were widely used in refrigeration and as aerosol propellants in products like hairsprays and deodorants.

Remarkably, global action was rapidly agreed to tackle CFCs and the Montreal Protocol to limit these substances came into being in 1987. A total global ban on production came into force in 2010.

Now, researchers from the University of East Anglia have discovered evidence of four new gases that can

Grim discovery

INTERNET

destroy ozone and are getting into the atmosphere from as yet unidentified sources.

Three of the gases are CFCs and one is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), which can also damage ozone.

“Our research has shown four gases that were not around in the atmosphere at all until the 1960s which suggests they are man-made,” said lead researcher Dr

The researchers also looked at modern air samples, collected at remote Cape Grim in Tasmania. They estimate that about 74,000 tonnes of these gases have been released into the atmosphere. Two of the gases are accumulating at significant rates.

“The identification of these four new gases is very worrying as they will contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer,” said Dr Laube. “We don’t know where the new gases are being emitted from and this should be investigated. Possible sources include feedstock chemicals for insecticide production and solvents for cleaning electronic components.”

“What’s more, the three CFCs are being destroyed very slowly in the atmosphere - so even if emissions were to stop immediately, they will still be around for many decades to come,” he added.

Other scientists acknowledged that while the current concentrations of these gases are small and they don’t present an immediate concern, work would have to be done to identify their origin. l

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B4 Hyundai Motor to launch first battery-powered electric car in 2016

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Accord finds obstacles to RMG workers safety n Tribune Report Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh has detected “uncontrolled” heavy storage load on the floors, locked fire escapes and unsupported wires as major safety and security threatto the RMG workers.

During the initial inspection, the Accord has found locks on fire exits, inadequate fire alarms and sprinkler systems, chaotic electric wiring, insufficient exit capacity and over load on buildings’ floor, said chief safety inspector of Accord Brad Loewen at a press conference held yesterday in the city.

The conference was organised to brief the media about their findings on their factory inspection, which has been conducted on 10 RMG factories as a pilot project, which began at the end of the last year.

For ensuring electrical safety, the Accord suggested installing cables with supports and protection and proper route as it found that wires were not supported and cable identification was not provided, while routes are not defined, according to the inspection report.

“In assessing the fire safety, the Accord also found that the exit stairs were not separated from the work areas on each floor by fire-rated construction.”

For ensuring fire safety, the retailer’s platform suggested to install one and a half hour fire rated doors with self-closing and seal all unprotected openings to separate the exit stairs on all floor levels, reads the report.

Regarding the structural safety, the report directed the factory owners to remove all the storage loading from the buildings at all levels and to review design, loads, columns stresses for all floors and confirm suitability for applied loads.

“Two factories had been tempo-

rarily closed since last week as the inspection team found serious structural problem although they were allowed to continue production after reducing the overload,” said Brad.

“The Accord with its engineering firms and 25 local engineers will inspect around 1,500 factories, from where Accord brands sourced their RMG products. The inspection will begin with the high-risk buildings having more than five floors.”

Apart from the pilot project, the Accord,in its main inspection,had so far inspected 78 factories over fire, electrical and structural integrity, which started on February 20, this year.

As asked to make a comparison between the findings of 78 factories and the pilot project, Brad categorically replied: The findings are very similar with the pilot one.

Although he termed the target of inspecting 250 factories in a month an aggressive one, he, however, confidently said it is very much achievable.

“We have received complains of withdrawing orders from the shared-building factories and we are always ready to welcome to receive any complaints,” said Rob Wayss, Executive Director of Accord Bangladesh Operation.

To ensure long term understanding of safety issues, the Accord will provide advice and training to owners, brands, and workers to ensure building remediation is done correctly.

The issue of fire and building safety came under the spotlight last year, following the catastrophic incident at the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed over 1,100 workers.

After the factory disaster, the retailers’ platform made a commitment to provide financial and technical supports to improve fire and building safety standard of RMG factories, from which they source products. l

Local credit market opened for foreign companies n Tribune Report Bangladesh Bank has allowed foreign companies in Bangladesh to get loans from the local market, which is for some time now awash with liquidity amid poor demand for loans.

The foreign owned companies engaged in manufacturing or services output activities for three years or longer in Bangladesh can access term loan in Taka from the domestic market subject to all applicable credit norms, said a Bangladesh Bank circular issued yesterday.

The country’s commercial banks are awash with excess liquidity due to less than expected investment amid lower credit demand with almost all kinds of business expansion remained suspended due to political uncertainty ahead of the general election held on January 5.

The excess liquidity has increased

by Tk29,000 crore or 48% to stand at Tk89,000 crore in January 2014 from Tk60,000 crore in the same month last year.

It resulted in an average interest rate in the call money market of around 7.78% during the last year as compared to an average of above 12% in the previous year.

As a result, banks increased their investment in the government securities instead of keeping the money idle, said a Bangladesh Bank senior executive. As a result, the central bank opened the credit market for foreign companies.

Local companies might suffer from loan availability in the future due to the decision and the existing lending rate would rise, economists said however.

“We hope it will not create a loan crisis for the local companies as foreign companies would not be so interested in taking loan in Taka at high lending rate,” said Jagannath Chandra Ghosh, Deputy General Manager of Foreign Exchange Policy Department of Bangladesh Bank.

He said the central bank opened up the market for foreign companies following the international norms, which in return would facilitate local companies to get access to the international credit market.

Foreign companies get loans from their countries at a very lower rate. By contrast, opening the credit market for foreign companies is not so lucrative offer for them. So, there is no risk of loan crisis for local companies, said the central bank executive. l

RMG owners must pay wages during development works n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Officials of Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh speak at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday. It was held to present factory inspection findings

FIRST-PHASE INSPECTION

25% factories in lack of fire sprinklers n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi European retailers’ inspection team has found some 25% of recently inspected garment factories from which they source products will need to install fire sprinklers.

A number of 1,750 factories were inspected.

“Approximately 25% factories will need sprinklers,” said Brad Loewen, chief safety inspector of Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

He was addressing a press confer-

ence held in Dhaka yesterday to present the findings of recent factory inspection.

“For a 150-square feet space, one sprinkler will be needed and the building is over 23-metre tall, all floors will require it,” Brad told the Dhaka Tribune on the sidelines of the press conference.

A fire sprinkler is an active fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flow rate to a water distribution piping system.

The device is used to douse fire from spreading across the building.

The Accord, a platform of 150 European retailers, will inspect 1,500 factories by the end of August this year.

There are around 3,600 active factories under Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and nearly 2,000 under Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector employs over 4m workers of which 80% are women. l

The country’s apparel factory owners will have to pay monthly wages to the workers as per Accord agreement in cases of production suspension for retrofitting or upgrading to help improve the fire safety and structural integrity of the factories.

The Accord signatories, however, would provide funds for remediation or retrofitting if the factory owners fail to manage funds but it still depends on the pattern of the factory.

“If the production of a factory is suspended or temporality closed for remediation, the obligation is the factory owners will pay the wages of workers for six months,” said Rob Wayss, Executive Director of Accord Bangladesh operation, quoting the Accord’s article no 13.

He was addressing a press conference on the occasion of the launching of an Accord report on factory inspection held at a city hotel yesterday.

According to article 13, signatory companies shall require their supplier factories that are inspected under the program to maintain workers’ employment relationship and regular income during any period that a factory (or portion of a factory) is closed for renovations necessary to complete such Corrective Actions for a period of no longer than six months.

“Failure to do so may trigger a notice, warning and ultimately termination of the business relationship.”

For remediation, the expectation is that the factory owners will pay his or  B3 COLUMN 1

Indo-Bangla joint secretary level meet today n Asif Showkat Kallol

A two-day ninth joint working group on trade between Bangladesh and India begins today at the commerce ministry at the secretariat in the city.

The joint secretary of commerce ministry M Shahabuddin Patwary will lead the Bangladesh team while joint secretary of Indian department of commerce Shri Arvind Mehta will lead the visiting Indian delegation at the meeting.

The Indian counterpart in the joint-secretary level meeting is likely to come up with three major pending issues such as lifting ban on Hilsha fish,

transit and introducing of the coast shipping between the two countries.

An official of the commerce ministry said, “Indian counterpart may raise those issues strongly while the Bangladeshi counterpart won’t be able to place any issues of their own strongly as the local exporters and manufactures had earlier failed to explain their problems on non -tariff barriers on their export to Indian.

The government had put a ban on the export of Hisla fish to India on July 31, 2012.

In May 2012 two neighboring countries inaugurated a Car Pass System in presence of the both finance ministers of the two countries at Pe-

trapole-Benapole for easy movement of cargo vehicles to the Land Custom Station of each other’s countries.

As per the agreement, the two countries have commenced a bus service on the Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati route. It was agreed to expeditiously conclude the Motor Vehicles Agreement for regulation of passenger and cargo traffic.

The local exporter have raised question why Bangladeshis exporters are giving the state to state import tax to the Indian state government although Indian local businessmen are giving state to state import tax only.

Agro-based industries specially Pran

group have demanded accept BSTI certificate by the Indian authority and although commerce ministry official also want to know why US authority canceled shipment of Pran group export products in US market , sources said .

The local manufacturers especially Walton group has demanded the credit from Indian commercial banks to export their cheap motor cycle although they have admitted the fact they could not export to the seven sisters during last one year. In 2009, the Indian authority allowed to export Bangladeshi motor cycle in the Indian market through Agarotala and Petrapol land ports. l

ADB wants FRA in 2 months to release final part of stock development programme n Tribune Report Asian Development Bank has asked Bangladesh’s government to enact Financial Reporting Act (FRA), which is one of major conditions to get final tranche of $150m under the ongoing second capital market development programme, officials said.

Director General of ADB Joan Miranda in a recent letter to finance Minister AMA Muhith requested to implement

the FRA within next two months to release of second and final tranche.

The letter also revealed the second capital market development programme would end in the second half of 2014.

Meanwhile, the government, after a demand from ICAB, decided to amend the draft of the FRA in accordance with the Sri Lankan model. Sources said the debate on FRA model between the government and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) has

been delaying the enactment of the law.

At a recent meeting with Finance Secretary Fazle Kabir, ex-chairman and member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) Abdul Salam urged the government to make FRA following the Sri Lankan model.

ICAB’s ex-chairman told other members that the secretary had assured of considering their demand.

ICAB has always been against the

proposed FRA as it is claiming there would be duel standards among the accountants and the auditors if the government enacts any such law.

It will also hamper the existing independency of the chartered accountants, it believes.

As ICAB currently regulates such job, there will be a conflict in the overseeing of the overall work if the proposed law is passed, according to the body. l

8 new silos to be built to ensure food security WB releases $512m till February in FY14 n Tribune Report The government will build eight new silos in eight districts by 2020 at an investment of Tk1,919 crore to increase the country’s storage capacity for ensuring food security.

Of the silos, six will be used for rice storage and two for wheat – with a combined capacity of 40 lakh metric tonnes.

It would enhance raising the country’s food grain storage capacity to 2.20 crore tonnes from existing 1.8 crore tonnes. The country is now producing a total of 3.8 crore metric tonnes of food grains.

With this silo project, a total of seven development projects worth Tk3,190 crore were approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at NEC conference room yesterday, with Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Of the amount, Tk631 crore will come from the government fund and Tk2,559 crore as project assistance.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said the government will contribute Tk3.35 crore to the silos project and the remaining amount will come as project assistance.

He said the silos will be constructed using modern galvanised steel, which will ensure the quality of the food grains for 4-5 years. “If we store 2.2 crore metric tonnes of food grains, we will be able to tackle any kind of situation.”

Construction of the silos will be completed by June, 2020, according to the minister. The silos will be constructed in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Modhupur, Ashuganj, Mymensingh, Chittagong, Barisal and Bhairab.

Replying to a question on a possible

cut in the revised annual development programme in the current fiscal year, the Planning Minister said: “We’ll try our best to utilise the full ADP as there is no such fund constraints.”

The meeting approved another project titled “expansion of ambulance services for the Fire Service and Civil Defense” at a cost of Tk34.82 crore to be entirely borne by the national exchequer.

Under the project, some 60 ambulances will be provided for 54 fire stations to upgrade their services. Such ambulances would be given to other fire service stations gradually.

Another project titled “Establishment of Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and Integrated Maritime Navigation System (EGIMNS)” at a cost of Tk370.89 crore under which six new light houses would be built in the coastal areas, each having height of 60 meters. l

n Tribune Report The World Bank’s disbursement stood at US$512m in the first eight months of the current financial year, which is higher compared to previous years, says a press release yesterday.

Its disbursement financing for Annual Development Program witnessed an upward trend in the last four years.

Since independence, the World Bank has provided more than $17bn support to Bangladesh and helped the country to significantly reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity.

To further enhance the pace of project implementation and accelerate disbursements, the government and the WB jointly completed a two-day portfolio review of WB’s selected operations in Bangladesh yesterday.

The WB’s current portfolio in Ban-

gladesh consists of 31 IDA (International Development Association) projects and 12 Trust Fund projects with a total commitment of $7bn.

The government and the WB concluded review of 22 projects, including a mix of IDA supported projects as well as Trust Funded operations, a diverse group of sectors and performance trends.

The review highlighted the successes of high performing projects, monitored lessons learned from projects nearing completion, addressed implementation arrangements for projects that have been recently restructured, reviewed key implementation challenges for slow moving projects, and agreed time-bound action plans with a view to improve performance and accelerate disbursements.

“The World Bank is proud to partner with the government of Bangladesh over the last 40 years. We are encouraged to see results in many areas that have transformed the lives of millions of people in the country,” said Christine E. Kimes, operations Adviser, World Bank Bangladesh.

“At the same time, the speed and quality of implementation needs to be improved in others to achieve results.

During the joint review, we highlighted the successes of well performing projects and came up with pragmatic solutions for speeding up implementation of slow moving projects.”

The meeting discussions brought together project directors, line ministry representatives, Economic Relations Division officers and World Bank staff including Bangladesh Country Director Johannes Zutt. l

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Traded Issues

288

n Tribune Report

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

111

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

172

DSE Broad Index :

4672.63628

(+) 0.15%

▲

DSE Shariah Index :

1011.70448

(-) 0.10%

▼

DSE - 30 Index :

1681.23769

(-) 0.001%

▼

CSE All Share Index:

14475.5822

(-) 0.08%

▼

CSE - 30 Index :

12275.0086

(-) 0.10%

▼

9136.7708

(-) 0.03%

▼

DSE LOSERS Company Singer BD -A Pubali Bank - A AramitCementA Eastern InsurA Samata LeatheR -Z Kay & Que (BD) -Z LafargeS Cement-Z Meghna PET Ind. -Z Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N

Popular Life Insu. -A

Closing (% change) -17.42 -10.03 -3.82 -3.23 -3.11 -3.03 -2.97 -2.86 -2.82

-2.65

CSE LOSERS Company

Closing (% change)

Singer BD -A Pubali Bank - A Apex Footwear-A Monno Ceramic -B GreenDeltaInsu -A Berger Paints-A Phoenix Insur -A Union Capital -A IFIC 1st MF-A

-17.19 -12.89 -6.23 -5.87 -4.29 -4.00 -3.83 -3.56 -2.82

National Housing Fin.-B

-2.81

Average (% change) -19.25 -11.28 -3.42 -3.20 -3.25 -3.08 -5.34 -3.41 -2.73

-2.27

Average (% change) -19.31 -12.78 -1.35 -5.75 -2.62 -4.90 -3.06 -3.41 -1.28

-2.81

ANALYST

Closing average 209.66 30.36 60.97 39.05 28.00 19.22 46.08 6.80 62.75

268.90

Closing average 209.51 30.45 542.55 33.76 73.70 960.00 45.56 27.20 6.95

31.10

Closing 214.30 30.50 60.40 39.00 28.00 19.20 45.80 6.80 62.00

267.80

Closing 214.80 30.40 540.10 33.70 73.70 960.00 45.20 27.10 6.90

31.10

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

Daily high

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,294.32

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.81

314.99

Turnover (Volume)

6,399,868

Number of Contract

218

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

78

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

133

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,194.09

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.59

Turnover in million

190.00 27.80 59.00 38.70 27.40 18.40 45.50 6.80 61.50

283.00

266.40

31.10

Latest EPS

142.872 10.768 11.887 0.660 0.168 0.124 107.825 0.010 35.296

6.23 2.64 2.56 2.60 -0.04 -0.89 2.19 -1.30 8.29

4.646

17.00

Turnover in million

Daily low

216.00 31.00 545.00 34.00 73.70 960.00 46.00 27.80 7.00

11,170

Traded Issues

Daily low

200.00 30.20 540.10 33.50 73.70 960.00 45.10 27.10 6.80

31.10

Latest EPS

14.090 0.594 0.217 0.113 0.022 0.048 0.064 0.125 0.368

6.23 2.64 28.27 0.38 3.21 41.85 3.81 0.28 0.42

0.062

Desh Garments -B Al-Haj Textile -A Renwick Jajneswar-A Apex SpinningA Apex Foods -A National Tubes -A Mithun Knitting -A Eastern Cables-Z EBL NRB M.F.-A CVO PetroChem RL-Z

1.39

% 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

Total

9.82 9.28 8.74 7.18 6.44 6.18 5.94 5.45 5.33 4.55

CSE GAINERS Company Apex Foods -A Eastern Cables-Z Apex SpinningA Mithun Knitting -A Samata LeatheR -Z Quasem Drycells -A Standard Ceramic -A Eastern Housing -A One Bank -A Rangpur Foundry -A

Closing (% change) 7.13 6.09 6.01 5.20 4.09 3.33 3.33 3.23 3.18 3.15

Latest PE 33.7 11.5 23.8 15.0 -ve -ve 21.0 -ve 7.6

From TradeServers:

Average (% change) 5.47 4.55 5.33 2.86 3.13 1.83 2.67 3.66 5.33 2.17 Average (% change) 4.85 6.33 4.80 3.73 4.17 2.02 2.56 3.10 2.36 1.88

ARAMITCEM: The Board of Directors has recommended 10% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 10.04.2014, Time: 12:00 Noon, Venue: Hotel Saint Martin Limited, 25 Sheikh Mujib Road, Chittagong. Record Date: 20.03.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 2.56, NAV per share of Tk. 16.22 and NOCFPS of Tk. 4.21 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

NBL: The Company has informed that Mr. A K M Shafiqur Rahman has been appointed as Managing Director of the Company with effect from 06.03.2014.

MTBL: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has elected Mr. Rashed Ahmed Chowdhury (representing Associated Builders Corporation Ltd.) as the Chairman and Mr. M. A. Rouf, JP as the Vice Chairman of the Company with immediate effect.

GREENDELT: The Company has further informed that due to unavoidable circumstances, the 28th AGM of the Company will now be held on March 15, 2014 at 11:00 AM at Spectra Convention Centre Ltd., House # 19, Road # 7, Gulshan-1, Dhaka-1212 instead

Closing average 102.82 124.69 257.89 94.70 126.88 137.76 100.19 134.70 7.90 875.02

Closing average 128.93 134.61 96.28 101.25 28.00 43.01 46.15 47.96 16.06 119.59

Closing 105.10 127.20 260.00 95.50 128.90 140.80 101.60 137.40 7.90 880.60

Closing 129.20 135.80 97.00 101.10 28.00 43.40 46.50 48.00 16.20 121.10

Daily high 105.20 128.00 260.00 96.90 132.20 143.00 102.80 138.00 7.90 884.00

Daily high 132.60 136.00 99.00 99.90 28.00 43.70 46.50 48.60 16.30 122.00

Daily low 97.50 109.70 245.00 88.20 119.10 120.00 87.00 120.00 7.90 820.00

Daily low 122.00 132.00 92.00 100.00 28.00 41.90 45.90 47.10 15.90 117.00

Turnover in million 9.850 19.297 12.598 7.879 31.397 72.771 29.633 7.679 0.079 18.309

Turnover in million 2.546 0.256 0.616 2.062 0.014 0.194 0.092 1.289 0.901 0.957

Latest EPS

Latest PE

1.18 2.06 5.32 1.85 3.56 2.26 2.42 1.40 0.44 -4.06

87.1 60.5 48.5 51.2 35.6 61.0 41.4 96.2 18.0 -ve

Latest EPS

Latest PE

3.56 1.40 1.85 2.42 -0.04 2.28 1.06 1.56 0.97 3.03

36.2 96.2 52.0 41.8 -ve 18.9 43.5 30.7 16.6 39.5

of Hotel Purbani International Ltd., 1, Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka-1000. Other information of the AGM will remain unchanged.

Board of Director Meeting: LINDEBD on March 13, 2014 at 3:30 PM. BERGERPBL on March 16, 2014 at 3:00 PM. FIRSTSBANK on March 12, 2014 at 5:00 PM. PIONEERINS on March 18, 2014 at 4:00 PM. SAPORTL on March 16, 2014 at 3:30 PM. ABBANK: on March 12, 2014 at 3:00 PM. Refund Warrants & Allotment Letters of Matin Spinning Mills Ltd: All concerned are hereby informed that the Refund Warrants & Allotment Letters of the shares of Matin Spinning Mills Ltd. have been distributed as follows: 655,049 no. of application through online distribution (32 Banks), 441,228 no. of applications through Hand Delivery and 26,769 no. of applications through Courier Service. The undelivered Refund Warrants & Allotment Letters of shares have been dispatched on 6 March 2014 through Speed Express, Vision Express, Bangla Courier Service, Modhuban Courier Service, Bosumoti Express, Faith Courier Service, Somoy Express Ltd., Ekushey Express, Delta Courier Service, Continent Express, Extra Care Courier

Service, World Runner Express Ltd., R.M Courier Service and Top Express for delivery to the respective applicants.

From BIASL Desk:

Impact after declaration: ARAMITCEM price dropped up by 3.82%, close at taka 60.40 with PE 23.59.

Price Correction after Record Day: SINGERBD’s price correction was 17.42% (taka 45.20) against 100% cash and 25% stock Dividend (10+64.88=taka 74.88 per share approx.). After record day restated EPS is taka 6.23 and NAV per share is taka 34.40. PUBALIBANK price correction was 10.03% (taka 3.40) against 10% stock Dividend (taka 3.39 per share approx.). After record day restated EPS is taka 2.64 and NAV per share is taka 21.15.

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.

15.8

Latest PE 33.6 11.5 19.2 88.8 23.0 22.9 12.0 97.1 16.5

22.4

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Padma Oil Co. -A Square Pharma -A Singer BD -A Meghna Petroleum -A LafargeS Cement-Z BSC-A Square Textile -A

CSE

Closing (% change)

News, analysis and recent disclosers

Turnover (Million Taka)

215.70 33.00 65.00 40.00 28.70 20.00 47.80 6.80 64.50

Daily high

81,602

Offbeat market sentiment and cyclicality prolonged further, yielding another flat session

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

56,221,196

CSE key features March 11, 2014

Daily capital market highlights

CSE Selected Index :

3,361.00

Number of Contract

analysis.

However, market ended positive on flat note as cautious participation of investors confined market turnover close to two months low, it said.

Zenith Investment said it seemed the market was hostage to tremendous volatility and sector-wise rotation, leaving investors perplexed about making rational decisions.

It said after riding on a bumpy ride, the main index somehow managed to hit a positive zone at the end, but the concentration on Shariah stocks and blue chip stocks remained narrow.

IDLC Investment said offbeat market sentiment and cyclicality prolonged further, yielding another flat session.

It said since market shed-off 91 points in last nine sessions, a mild level of natural buy pressure in some micro cap scrips assisted DSEX closing marginally higher.

“Some heavy-weight scrips faced marginal correction during the session, too. In addition, investors’ indecisiveness prevailed amid the extended level of market volatility.”

Food and allied gained the most 1.3%, followed by non-banking financial institutions 1% and banks 0.6%. Pharmaceuticals closed almost flat with no significant movement. Telecommunication and power went down by 0.7% and 0.2% respectively. l

Stocks continued to end flat yesterday with volume of trade dipping further, despite pouring of dividend declarations.

The market witnessed see-saw trading throughout the session as investors failed to gauge the market direction due to high volatility, analysts say.

The benchmark DSEX was marginally up 7 points or 0.2% to close at 4,672, recovering from its six-week low in the previous session and pulled largely backed by banks, food and allied, textile and engineering sectors. Shariah Index DSES was down only 1 points or 0.2% to 1,011.The blue-chip comprising DS30 ended at 1,681 with a fractional losses of 0.01 points.

Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, was down 2 points to close at 9,136.

Turnover continued to decline with going below Tk400 crore after two months. It stood at Tk336 crore, a sharpest fall of over 16% over the previous session.

Fuel and power sector accounted for over 16% of the total turnover at DSE. “Market remained range-bound hitting the day’s close just above the support level as investors may be looking for corporate declarations as a trigger,” said Lanka Bangla Securities in its daily market

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

% 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

BD Submarine Cable-A Olympic Ind. -A Grameenphone-A

National Tubes -A Jamuna Oil -A Southeast Bank-A ConfidenceCement A Delta Life Insu. -A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BSC-A

BD Submarine Cable-A Prime Textile -A LafargeS Cement-Z Square Pharma -A Padma Oil Co. -A Singer BD -A Grameenphone-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Square Textile -A Appollo Ispat CL -N Olympic Ind. -A Delta Life Insu. -A BSRM Steels-A Beximco Pharma -A

Volume shares 685,192 654,122 681,461 399,975 2,340,060 175,825 850,046 432,385 376,744 379,877

528,252 262,289 2,528,239 345,727 191,300

Volume shares

41,730 104,902 850,000 348,500 54,313 43,939 67,250 47,800 288,615 73,900 209,400 25,500 21,250 64,130 71,762

Value in million 231.73 185.93 142.87 114.52 107.82 107.71 98.52 94.60 82.67 81.14

72.77 61.14 56.37 52.16 49.72

Value in million

25.52 22.98 19.98 15.93 15.47 14.88 14.09 10.20 9.47 8.59 6.06 5.60 5.55 4.74 3.84

% of total turnover 6.89 5.53 4.25 3.41 3.21 3.20 2.93 2.81 2.46 2.41

2.17 1.82 1.68 1.55 1.48

% of total turnover

8.12 7.31 6.36 5.07 4.92 4.74 4.49 3.25 3.02 2.73 1.93 1.78 1.77 1.51 1.22

Daily closing 337.40 285.10 214.30 285.60 45.80 622.75 116.20 218.00 219.90 212.80

140.80 232.90 22.50 151.40 258.70

Daily closing

620.80 218.50 23.20 45.90 285.60 337.30 214.80 212.90 32.50 116.00 28.80 219.60 259.70 70.30 52.90

Price change 1.17 -0.24 -17.42 0.39 -2.97 4.31 1.22 0.28 0.23 -0.75

Daily opening 333.50 285.80 259.50 284.50 47.20 597.00 114.80 217.40 219.40 214.40

Daily high 340.00 290.00 215.70 288.30 47.80 626.75 119.80 221.00 221.50 215.80

Daily low 305.00 270.00 190.00 270.00 45.50 592.50 104.00 198.90 212.00 208.00

Daily average 338.20 284.25 209.66 286.32 46.08 612.61 115.89 218.78 219.44 213.61

Price change

Daily opening

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

6.18 0.65 2.74 -0.07 -0.61

4.02 0.46 0.00 -2.75 0.32 1.29 -17.19 -0.75 -2.40 0.96 -0.69 0.46 -0.15 1.88 -0.19

132.60 231.40 21.90 151.50 260.30

596.80 217.50 23.20 47.20 284.70 333.00 259.40 214.50 33.30 114.90 29.00 218.60 260.10 69.00 53.00

143.00 235.40 22.70 152.40 262.70

627.00 221.20 23.20 47.00 287.00 340.50 216.00 216.00 33.60 118.10 29.30 223.00 264.40 75.00 54.70

120.00 219.00 20.00 145.00 258.10

591.00 216.80 23.20 45.00 280.60 336.00 200.00 212.50 32.30 114.00 28.60 218.00 258.30 69.90 52.80

137.76 233.12 22.29 150.88 259.91

611.43 219.02 23.50 45.70 284.77 338.62 209.51 213.35 32.82 116.20 28.93 219.69 261.32 73.92 53.47

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Banglalink’s revenue hit by political unrest n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Business

White House has optimistic growth forecast for 2014, 2015 n Reuters, Washington The White House on Monday forecast more robust economic growth in 2014 than last year and a further pickup in the economy for 2015.

Under a White House projection, the U.S. economy is expected to expand by 3.1% this year, faster than last year’s 1.7%. Growth would pick up to 3.4% in 2015, the White House said.

The administration also forecast that unemployment would ease to an average of 6.9% in 2014. The jobless rate, which reached a high of 10% in 2009, fell to a five-year low of 6.6% in January.

Many economists say that the unemployment rate has dropped in part because many people have stopped looking for work. The US labour force participation rate has fallen from over 66% before the start of the recession to 63%.

The administration’s 2014 growth projection was more optimistic than the 2.9% forecast of “Blue Chip” forecasters, and the 2.7% projection of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

In contrast, the White House jobless rate forecast for the current year was more pessimistic than the 6.6% Blue Chip view and the 6.8% CBO projection.

Almost five years after the end of the recession, the economy is still growing modestly and the unemployment rate, while declining, has remained

Mobile phone operator Banglalink has suffered revenue drop for the first time since its launch in 2008.

Until 2013, the operator’s revenue had been growing steadily. But last year it slipped by 13% to generate Tk3,900 crore while the figure was Tk4,536 crore in 2012.

Banglalink blamed political unrest and deactivation of illegally terminated SIM cards or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) subscribers.

The drive against the operator’s VoIP connections was conducted from first quarter 2012 to first quarter 2013.

VimpelCom, parent company of Banglalink, said VoIP deactivation had affected its business.

Before this time, the company never admitted their involvement with the VoIP, even though the telecom regulator fined it Tk1.68bn in 2008 for the business.

“Revenue was negatively impacted by the unstable macro environment, evidenced by 32 days of national strikes,” states a report of the company released last week.

Revenues of two other operators Grameenphone and Robi – were also

affected by last year’s political unrest, especially in the fourth quarter.

They however managed to register positive revenue growths in the year.

Annual reports show that the company’s revenue was Tk1,994 crore in 2008 and increased to Tk2,437 crore in 2009, Tk 3,181 crore in 2010 and Tk3,787 crore in 2011.

Banglalink, the country’s second largest mobile phone operator in terms of subscribers, added 30 lakh active subscribers in 2013 with 11% growth, which was the highest in VimpelCom Group.

In 2013, Banglalink witnessed 14% decrease in EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) year-on-year basis.

The company generated 86% annual growth in mobile data revenue, driven by attractive customer acquisition and OTT partnerships such as Facebook Zero, Facebook pack, Wikipedia Zero and the Whatsapp campaign.

The operator’s monthly per subscriber earning dropped by 20% to Tk111 in 2013 from Tk138 in 2012.

Per unit use also decreased by nearly 4% as the per user monthly use declined by eight minutes last year from 191 minutes in 2012. l

Paris still top tourist destination n AFP, Paris

Emerging economies likely to hold back global growth

Some 32.3 million tourists say France’s city of light and romance can’t be beat.

Paris was once again last year the world’s top tourist destination, the regional tourism body said on Monday, citing hotel occupancies.

Despite some tough global economic conditions, it said 2013 was a very good year for tourism in Paris and the surrounding Ile-de-France region, with foreign visitors at “the highest level in 10 years”.

The nearly 15.5 million foreign visitors to the French capital represented an 8.2% increase from 2012. The largest number (2.1 million) came across the Channel from Britain, followed by the Americans, Germans, Italians and Chinese. l

n AFP, Paris Emerging economies are expected to hold down global growth with their “sub-par” performance, the OECD forecast yesterday, warning that the risk of recent turmoil hitting developing markets could intensify.

But advanced economies are expected to post strengthening growth, although at a slower pace in the first half of 2014 than in the second half of last year.

“The pick-up in growth in major advanced economies has been reflected in an acceleration of world trade volumes, after an extended period of unusually sluggish growth,” the organisation said.

“This may signal a rebound in business investment, which has also been weak in recent years, as investment is relatively trade-intensive,” it added.

However, the good news from the developed world is being offset by a slowdown in emerging economies, some of which have seen massive capital outflows as the United States began to “taper” its $85bn a month stimulus programme.

“Given that emerging economies now account for over half the world economy, continued sub-par economic performance for several of the major emerging market economies is likely to mean that global growth remains only moderate in the near term,” said the OECD. l

RMG owners must pay wages during devt works  PAGE B1 COLUMN 6

her factory workers, in cases of failure the brand will work to find resources for the remediation,” said Rob. As per the accord agreement, the signatory companies shall also assume responsibility for funding the activities of the SC, Safety Inspector and Training Coordinator as set forth in this Agreement, with each company contributing its equitable share of the funding in accordance with a formula to be established in the Implementation Plan.

To pay the workers by the factory owners even during production suspension owing to the renovation work or retrofitting is not at a realistic approach,

Abdus Salam Murshedy, former BGMEA president, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“This issue should be handled jointly,’’ opined Salam who also questioned as to how a factory owner alone will pay if he/she is out of production.

The prime liabilities lies with the owners but if the owners are not sound enough to pay salary for the workers, the retailers who source from the factory, should also come forward to support the owners to make sure that the workers are getting salary, Roy Ramesh Chandra, secretary general of IndustriAll Bangladesh Council told the Dhaka Tribune.

All the stakeholders should make a permanent mechanism to address the

Jamuna Bank Foundation in collaboration with Dokters Van De Wereld (MdM, Netherlans) along the assistance of Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital & Barisal Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a plastic surgery camp at Barisal for 13 days starting last Sunday. Kanutosh Majumder, the bank’s chairperson inaugurated the camp as chief guest

Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort hosted a variety of unique events and promotions on International Women’s Day, March 8

issue, when it is needed, otherwise we will see RMG unrest as like as Mirpur in the coming days.

Following Accord inspection’s recommendation, the review panel of factory inspections asked Softex and Fame Sweater to suspend production and asked to retrofit before going for further production. It also directed Jeans Care, a RMG factory located in the Tejgaon area, to take immediate steps to improve safety standards.

The issue of fire and building safety came under the spotlight last year, following the catastrophic incident at the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed over 1,100 workers. l

B3

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

persistently high. The administration, mindful that President Barack Obama’s popularity has slipped in opinion polls and worried that Democrats could lose ground to Republicans in November elections, has emphasized an agenda focused on jobs and growth.

The White House pointed to the declining budget deficit and the improved housing market, as among factors pointing to the likelihood of stronger growth. White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason

Furman said ramped up US energy production, slowing health care costs, and advances in technology would also drive stronger economic performance.

But Obama, who has vowed to narrow the gap between the rich and poor, wants Congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25 and spend more to help speed the economy. Last week he proposed a budget for fiscal 2015 that would spend $56 billion above the $1.014tn Congress agreed to in January. l

Dollar rangebound in Asia after BoJ keeps policy n AFP, Tokyo The dollar moved in a tight range in Asian trade yesterday after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) held off launching fresh monetary easing measures.

In Tokyo trade, the dollar fetched 103.27 yen, compared with 103.26 yen in New York Monday afternoon. The euro fell to 143.26 yen from 143.28 yen, while it also eased slightly to $1.3867 from $1.3875.

Policymakers kept in place the central bank’s asset-purchasing scheme - which aims to stoke growth by pumping huge amounts of money into the financial system - saying the economy was picking up.

That came despite slowing growth in the last quarter of 2013 and fears that a looming tax hike will dent the recovery.

“Japan’s economy has continued to recover moderately, and a front-loaded increase in demand prior to the consumption tax hike has been observed,” the BoJ said in a statement.

The decision was in line with the market consensus, “thus the limited (dollar-yen exchange rate) movements”, Masashi Murata, senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman in Tokyo, told Dow Jones Newswires.

He said the focus will be on BoJ governor Kuroda’s news conference later in the day. l

Microsoft hopes ‘Titanfall’ can boost Xbox One n AFP, Washington Tech titan Microsoft - which has struggled to keep pace with Sony and its PlayStation 4 - is pinning its hopes on a new action video game, ironically named “Titanfall.”

The highly anticipated game for the new generation Xbox One console lands this week in a major global release, with Microsoft is betting it will keep the company in the forefront of the battle for the living room and home entertainment.

“The challenge is finding the ‘killer game,’” says Avi Greengart of research firm Current Analysis.

“Titanfall appears to be the first must-have, first-person mutliplayer game that takes real advantage of the Xbox One’s additional horsepower.”

Technology analyst Rob Enderle at Enderle Group said the new game - featuring elite assault pilots and heavilyarmored, 24-foot (six-meter) titans will be a critical test for Microsoft.

“Titanfall is really the big title for Xbox One,” he said. “Game consoles live and die on blockbusters, so it is really important that the audience likes this game.”

The game is produced by Respawn Entertainment, using designers of the “Call of Duty” blockbuster series, and distributed by Electronic Arts exclusively for Microsoft’s Xbox and PC platforms. It carries a US price tag of $60.

Set in the near future on a distant war-torn part of space called “the

frontier,” Titanfall drops players in the middle of a conflict between the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation and the Frontier Militia.

The main characters are the titans, described as “descendants of presentday fledgling military exoskeletons,” and the pilots, who have varying degrees of certification.

Despite the growth of mobile games, a tremendous number of consumers are willing to spend serious money on the hardware and the gaming experience Players can shift back and forth between pilot and titan, change tactics on the fly and attack or escape depending on the situation, according to the producers.

The release comes with Microsoft’s Xbox One in intense battle with Sony and Nintendo’s Wii U to be at the heart of digital home entertainment and consoles under pressure to prove their worth as people increasingly turn to smartphones or tablets for games and videos.

Microsoft and Sony both had strong holiday sales after the release of their new-generation consoles last year. But so far in 2014 PS4 has been leading, according to the research firm NPD.

Empire strikes back

Greengart said Microsoft is trying to show Xbox One has momentum, and Titanfall may help.

“It’s not available on Sony, so this gives Microsoft a much-needed shot in the arm just as Sony has announced a nice spike in sales after PS4 went on sale in Japan,” Greengart told AFP. Microsoft doesn’t want to be seen as left behind, he explained. “If consumers think one platform that has legs, sometimes it becomes so. Right now it looks like Sony has pulled ahead.”

Titanfall is being released Tuesday in the Americas, Russia and parts of Asia, and on Thursday in India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe. The release will be Friday in Britain, Ireland and Portugal.

Even with challenges facing the console games sector, there have been notable recent successes including “Grand Theft Auto V,” “Battlefield 4” “Just Dance 2014” and the latest installment of the “Call of Duty” franchise.

“Despite the growth of mobile games, a tremendous number of consumers are willing to spend serious money on the hardware and the gaming experience,” Greengart said.

“But is this the last generation of consoles? That’s the big question.”

Greengart said Microsoft and others have failed so far to bring gaming into the “ecosystem” that will encourage consumers to use the full range of products including phones and tablets. l

India’s one of the leading corporate conglomerates, Rohit Surfactants Private Limited (RSPL) has appointed Top of Mind as AOR agency for its corporate affairs in Bangladesh yesterday. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Top of Mind, Ziauddin Adil and Head of Marketing of RSPL Health Bangladesh Limited, Raqibul Matin signed the agreement in favour of the respective parties

Southeast Bank Limited (SEBL) and The Farmers Bank Limited have signed an agreement on Product and Network Sharing at SEBL’s Head Office to facilitate beneficiaries (receivers) of foreign inward remittances in Bangladesh

Modhumoti Bank Limited recently signed an agreement with Credit Rating Agency (CRAB) under which CRAB will provide credit rating service to Modhumoti Bank Limited.

The bank’s MD and CEO Md Mizanur Rahman and MD of CRAB Hamidul Huq signed the agreement for the respective organisations

Syed Mohammad Bariqullah has recently been promoted as the deputy managing director of the National Bank Limited. He joined the bank in 2008 as senior executive vice president. He is the chief risk officer and supervises the segment of risk management, credit risk management and green banking unit in the bank. He did his Honours and Masters in Management from University of Dhaka in 1978 batch, where he was also a teacher afterwards

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Azevedo: WTO technology deal still stuck on some points n Reuters, Washington Sticking points remain in an attempt by World Trade Organisation members to eliminate duties on billions of dollars of technology products, the head of the global body said on Monday.

WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo said it was hard to tell whether talks could be wrapped up by the time of an Asia-Pacific trade ministers meeting in China in mid-May. The United States, China, the European Union and nearly two dozen other countries are negotiating an expansion of the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA), a 16-year-old pact that eliminated duties on a long list of technology products including personal computers, laptops and telephones.

Azevedo said he had spoken to major stakeholders, including China, and there was still a way to go.

“I think there is a positive attitude but ... like in every other negotiation, there are difficulties, and these difficulties are trying to be overcome as quickly as possible,” he told reporters during a visit to Washington.

The United States and Europe have blamed China, the world’s biggest exporter of IT products, for derailing ITA talks by asking for too many exemptions from the deal.

China has in turn said US demands far exceeded what was acceptable to Chinese companies.

Azevedo, who said he discussed progress on the ITA at a Monday meeting with US Trade Representative Michael Froman, was cautious on

signing up for the May deadline suggested by US businesses.

“It’s difficult to tell at this point in time how quickly and how far we can get from where we are at this point in time so it would not be wise for me to try to point to an arrival point,” he said at a US Chamber of Commerce lunch.

He said the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers’ meeting was one option, noting that the right people would be there. “So to the extent that I can help make that possible, I will,” he said.

The US administration estimates expanding the ITA to drop duties on additional technology products could liberalize roughly $1tn in global IT and communications trade and increase annual global economic output by $190bn. l

Photo shows a specimen of ìTicket Restaurantî smart card of French prepaid corporate services group Edenred. Starting on April 2, 2014, traditional meal vouchers will be replaced by refillable smart cards AFP

China to experiment Hyundai Motor to launch first battery-powered electric car in 2016 with private banks

Lenovo says China strike an IBM matter, but it won’t cut wages n Reuters, Hwaseong Hyundai Motor Co plans to start selling n Reuters, Shanghai its first battery-powered electric vehiChinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd said it was up to IBM to resolve a wildcat strike at a China-based factory, as a deal to buy the US company’s server business had yet to be finalised.

More than 1,000 workers went on strike last week to protest over the terms of their potential transfer to Lenovo, which said in January it would buy one of the server businesses of International Business Machine (IBM) for $2.3bn.

In a statement posted on its website late on Monday, Lenovo said the strike was an internal matter for IBM but it also pledged to maintain the salaries and benefits of all workers that chose to stay with the company after the deal is completed.

“Lenovo and IBM are two independent companies. Any integration between Lenovo and IBM’s x86 server department will not be conducted until the deal is closed,” the statement said.

“To ensure a smooth transition, Lenovo is committed to provide opportunity for all employees from IBM’s x86 server department who transfer to Lenovo, without any reduction of their wages and benefits,” it added.

More than 7,500 IBM employees in more than 60 countries were expected to transfer to Lenovo once the deal is completed, Lenovo said. The workforce was a “great asset” and part of the reason for the acquisition, it added.

The striking workers also had expressed concern about their severance package if they decided to leave after the deal, which is awaiting regulatory and government approval.

The IBM strike fits a growing pattern of industrial activism that has emerged as China’s economy has slowed.

A shortage of workers has shifted the balance of power in labour relations, while smartphones and social media have helped labourers organise and made them more aware than ever of the changing environment, experts say. l

cle (EV) in 2016 as South Korea’s champion of fuel-cell cars hedges its bets in next-generation green technology.

Hyundai has leant toward engines which turn hydrogen into electricity in response to stricter emissions regulations in markets such as the United States. Research and development partner Kia Motors Corp has focused on rechargeable batteries.

But the division of labor is blurring at a time when the number of batterypowered EVs is on the rise. BMW’s i3 and Nissan Motor Co Ltd’s Leaf are widely expected to reach Korea this year - as will Kia’s Soul EV.

n

Google Inc will pay Finance Chief Patrick Pichette a $3m annual bonus, and Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora a $3.5m bonus, a slight increase from the previous year, following a year in which the Internet company’s stock surged nearly 60%.

Google Chief Executive Larry Page and co-founder Sergey Brin will receive no bonus, the company said Monday in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, continuing the founders’ practice of not taking a bonus. Page and Brin, who are each paid a $1 a year in salary, have a large portion

DILBERT

vice president of Kia’s Domestic Marketing Group.

In Korea, the Soul EV will cost about half of its 42 million won ($39,400) price tag after government subsidies, similar to the higher-end model of the gasoline version.

The car can run up to 148 kilometers (92 miles) per 24 to 33 minute fast charge or four hours on slow charge.

Relatively short driving ranges and a lack of charging stations, as well as the high cost of batteries, has kept the battery-powered EV market niche.

Korean sales of Kia’s Ray EV, Renault SA’s SM3 EV and General Motors Co’s Spark EV totaled just 713 vehicles last year, industry data showed. Hyundai’s BlueOn is only used by government agencies. l

n AFP, Beijing China will launch a trial programme for private firms to set up banks, the country’s banking regulator said yesterday, with Internet giants Tencent and Alibaba reportedly among the first applicants.

Most Chinese lenders are state-controlled and banks founded by private companies are extremely rare, while access to lending is a key element of the Communist authorities’ control of the economy.

At a key meeting in November the ruling party listed opening the banking industry to private investors as one of its major reform policies for the financial sector to introduce competition and help small enterprises obtain loans.

“We have selected a few private capital (investors) to jointly participate in the trial programme of (the setup of) five banks in the first batch,” Shang Fulin, chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, told reporters.

He was speaking at a briefing on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s Communist-controlled legislature.

Alibaba and Tencent, which have been expanding their online finance business in recent years, Shanghai-based conglomerate Fosun, auto parts maker Wanxiang Group and six other private owned companies have been chosen to be the investors, the People’s Daily quoted Shang as saying in an interview.

Each bank will have at least two “founders”, Shang said at the briefing.

The banks will operate “independently”, he said, and will assume responsibility for risks and losses as well as profits.

Billion-dollar bailouts

A Tesla Roadster is electrically charged at Tesla Motors Inc in San Carlos, California

Google finance, business chiefs get millions in bonuses Reuters, San Francisco

“There is no clear direction about which eco-friendly cars will win. We are dividing roles of Hyundai and Kia, with Hyundai launching fuel cell cars and Kia focusing on electric cars,” Senior Vice President Lee Ki-sang told reporters yesterday.

“But the time will come when Kia will introduce a fuel-cell car. Hyundai is also preparing to launch a (batterypowered) electric car in 2016,” Lee said at the Korean launch of the Soul EV. Kia, 34% owned by Hyundai, yesterday said it will start building the Soul EV compact in Korea next month. The car will be the pair’s first battery-powered EV export, with destinations including the United States and Europe.

For this year, the global sales target is 5,000 Soul EVs, said Cho Yong-won,

of their personal wealth tied directly to Google’s stock. Google’s shares shot up 58% in 2013, breaking the $1,000 mark for the first time and outpacing the Nasdaq’s 38% gain for the year.

Google Chief Legal Officer and head of Corporate Development David Drummond will receive a $3m bonus, Google said. Drummond’s bonus last year was $3.3m.

Pichette and Arora each collected bonuses of $2.8m last year.

In February, Google said it would pay Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt a $6m discretionary cash bonus and awarded him $100m in restricted stock units. l

REUTERS

China’s big state-owned lenders tend to channel the bulk of their lending to state enterprises, often at the urging of local officials, which can lead to the build-up of bad loans.

There is a widespread assumption that the government would not let a state bank fail.

The government previously recapitalised the four major banks - Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and

Agricultural Bank of China - to the tune of tens of billions of dollars and carved out their bad loan portfolios before they listed minority stakes on the stock market.

Shang said the privately invested banks will focus on “serving small and micro-sized companies and the community”. Analysts welcomed the news as a step forward.

“A big problem of China’s banking sector is that state-owned banks extend most of their lendings to state-owned companies,” Shen Jianguang, a Hong Kong-based analyst with Mizuho Securities, told AFP. “It is very difficult for small and microsized companies and private firms to get a loan. “There was no good solution to the problem and so now they are trying to open up (the sector),” he said.

“This also will increase competition in the sector that has long been criticised as monopolised.”

Shang did not give a timetable for the new banks to start operations.

“We will push forward the trial of the five banks in a prudent manner, approving one only after it is ready to go,” he said.

“That means the timing of their launch of operation mainly depends on themselves.”

Another key item on Chinese authorities’ reform agenda is allowing banks to decide on the interest rates they pay depositors, after they loosened controls on lending rates last year.

China’s central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan said at the same briefing that was expected within two years.

“The liberalisation of deposit rates is definitely within our plan. I personally think it is very likely to be realised in the next one to two years,” he told reporters. l

LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2014

Harnessing the forces of positive change n Tribune Business Desk Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson, Brac, was born in 1936 in Bangladesh. He was educated both at Dhaka and Glasgow universities. He was a professional accountant in his thirties, working as a senior corporate executive at Shell Oil, when the 1971 Liberation War had a profound effect on him, dramatically changing the direction of his life. He left his job, moved to London and devoted himself to Bangladesh’s war of independence.

There, he helped initiate a fundraising and awareness campaign called Help Bangladesh.

When the war was over, he returned to the newly independent Bangladesh, finding the economy in ruins. Millions of refugees, who had sought shelter in India during the war, started returning to the country and their relief and rehabilitation called for urgent efforts. It was then that he established BRAC to rehabilitate the returning refugees in a remote area in north-eastern Bangladesh. He directed his policy towards helping the poor develop their capacity to better manage their lives. Thus, BRAC’s primary objectives emerged as alleviation of poverty and empow-

erment of the poor. Under his leadership, in the span of only four decades, BRAC grew to become the largest development organisation in the world in terms of the scale and diversity of its interventions.

BRAC University, founded in 2001, is integral to BRAC’s work to create a more just and peaceful world by providing relevant, high-quality education and equipping its students with the knowledge and skills to address contemporary and future challenges.

BRAC University is the embodiment of

BRAC’s fundamental conviction that education and training are forces for positive change.

Sir Fazle has received numerous national and international awards for his achievements in leading BRAC, including the Open Society Prize (2013),the WISE Prize (2011), the Conrad Hilton Foundation Humanitarian Award (2009), the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2008), the Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award (2007), the Henry R Kravis Prize in Leadership (2007), the Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Award for lifetime achievement in social development and poverty alleviation (2007), the Gates Award for Global Health (2004), the UNDP Mahbubul Haq Award for outstanding contribution in human development (2004), the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Award (2002), the Olof Palme Award (2001), UNICEF’s Maurice Pate Award (1992) and the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1980).

He is also recognised by Ashoka as one of the ‘global greats’ and is a founding member of its prestigious Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship.

In 2010, he was appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the Emi-

nent Persons Group for the Least Developed Countries. Sir Fazle has received several honorary degrees including Doctor of Humane Letters from Yale University (2007); Doctor of Laws from Columbia University (2008); Doctor of Letters from the University of Oxford; Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, Rikkyo University, Japan (2009), Doctor of Laws from the University of Bath (2010) and from the University of Manchester (2012). In February 2010, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) by the British crown in recognition of his services to reducing poverty in Bangladesh and internationally.

In the Leadership Summit 2014, Sir Abed will look at the key leadership component required to start an organisation in a hostile and challenging environment and turning it into the world’s largest and one of the most successful NGOs based on effectiveness, innovation and sustainability.

The discussion would look at the power of vision, inspiration and delivery which have helped Sir Abed to evolve into one of the most respected NGOs and Development world personalities of the world. l