16 May, 2014

Joishthya 2, 1421 Rajab 16, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 46

FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

B1 | ACCORD AND BUET CLOSE TO CONSENSUS

7 | THE SAME SIDE OF DIFFERENT COINS

20 pages plus 64-page tabloid anniversary special | Price: Tk10

9 | GANDHIS FACE MORE THAN JUST DEFEAT

11 | IS THERE HOPE?

RAB additional DG’s statement contemptuous High Court finds no important progress in seven reports submitted n Nazmus Sakib The High Court yesterday termed RAB additional DG’s recent statement contemptuous, saying the RAB official had also indirectly threatened Shahidul Islam, father-in-law of slain Narayanganj ward councillor Nazrul Islam.

In an interview with the media on May 11, RAB Additional DG Ziaul Ahsan said Nur Hossain, the prime suspect in the sensational seven-murder incident, had fled the country and gone to Kolkata, India and efforts were being made to bring him back. He said all mysteries would be resolved if Nur could be arrested.

Ziaul also said RAB would investigate if Shahidul had been involved in the gruesome murders.

The High Court bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore yesterday said it w as not the RAB official’s duty to unveil the mysteries since the court had clearly stated on May 5 that the force could not be engaged in the investigation into the abductions and killings.

The bench said Ziaul Ahsan’s statement was, first, contemptuous, and then threatening to Shahidul Islam.

“Who will dare to testify under the circumstances?” the court said, asking Attorney General Mahbubey Alam if it would pass an order or he would deal with the matter.

The attorney general said he would communicate the order and the court’s views with the government.

According to media reports, people

were afraid of giving depositions, the court observed, asking: “What is the problem if RAB personnel are not deployed in Narayanganj for the sake of the image of the government, RAB and other law enforcement agencies?

“If RAB members were not there, people could testify without any fear.”

The bench told the attorney general that it could pass an order in this regard but it would be better if he informed the government.

Justice Gobinda asked Mahbubey Alam if the investigation would be disrupted for the bench’s order. The top state counsel replied in the negative.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hinted at the recent High Court order on arresting three RAB officials in connection with the seven murders and said: “What can we [the executive] do if the job that is assigned for the executive division is being done by the judiciary?”

Addressing her party members at Ganabhaban, she said: “The over-enthusiastic activities of some people are making the investigation [into the Narayanganj killings] difficult.”

Arrest of three former RAB officials

Supreme Court lawyer Subrata Roy Chowdhury yesterday read out the order on arrest of three former RAB 11 officials – Lt Col Tarek Sayeed Mohammad, Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander SM Rana.

The attorney general became furious at this and said someone was  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Anxious relatives of the passengers of the launch that capsized in Meghna River and and inquisitive public wait on the banks of the river yesterday

Many feared dead in launch capsize Islam with Munshiganj n Rabiul Correspondent Passenger launch MV Miraj 4, with around 250 passengers on board, capsized on Meghna river near Daulatpur of Gajaria upazila in Munshiganj yesterday afternoon and 13 bodies were recovered till filing of the report.

The launch was heading towards Shureshwar of Shariatpur from Dhaka and capsized after being hit by a storm around 3pm, Deputy Commissioner of Munshiganj Md Saiful Hasan Badal told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said a total of 13 dead bodies were recovered from the capsized vessel while

BIWTA, Fire Service, Coast Guard divers and police joined the rescue operation.

The deputy commissioner claimed nearly 100 passengers were able to swim to the shore and 39 were ill when rescued. They were given first aid.

“The district administration had given Tk20,000 to families of each of the deceased passengers,” he added.

A three-member probe committee, headed by engineer and ship surveyor of the Mercantile and Marine Department Sirajul Islam, was formed following the accident. The committee was asked to submit report within seven working days.

Of the deceased, two were identified

as Jamal Sikder and Tumpa Begum.

The launch was carrying 200-250 passengers, said Coast Guard officials.

Gajaria police station Sub-inspector Makbul Hossain said the launch capsized at Daulatpur estuary.

“We learned about the accident around 3pm and a team of police set off for the spot right away,” he said.

“The exact death toll could be known when the sunken ship is rescued. We hope the vessel could be lifted up the water within 1-2 hours,” Badal said at 10:45pm.

Rescue ship Protyoy reached the spot at 6:30pm and Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan also visited the scene. l

“vikas” (development). The BJP has ridden that particular ride for far too long to hop off now. Irrespective of results, Modi will remain the BJP’s (and NDA’s) prime ministerial daavedaar (claimant).

The Congress may give outside support to a possible Third Front in case the NDA numbers do not add up.

The Congress has suffered a series of serious setbacks in the recent past everywhere it has gone to state assembly polls. The writing has been on the wall for them for over two years now, if not more. Sources close to the Congress leadership have made it explicitly clear that Rahul Gandhi has decided to focus on reviving the Congress Party and sit  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Indians discuss issues beyond vote counts

Father-in-law of slain Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam alleged that he was receiving threats from Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) as he has been continuously blaming the elite force for the seven murders.

“There is nobody except me in the country who is talking against the RAB. I fear that RAB can kill me,” he said adding that he is now 70 and suffering complications from old-age. “If they (RAB) decide to kill me in a crossfire I can’t not avoid my fate,” he said.

“Now, I am fearing for my life,” Shahidul Islam was talking with the reporters after giving his deposition before a government-formed probe body at Narayanganj Circuit House yesterday on the second day of the mass hearing.

Shahidul, however, did not elaborate the claim when reporters inquired about the threat.

He was asked if he was satisfied about the progress of the investigation, he replied with a smile: “I am happy.”

“If robbers storm into your house, loot everything and at gun-point ask you if you are happy, then you should smile and say yes to save life,” he explained.

Shahidul came to the limelight by alleging that RAB men abducted Nazrul and six others on April 27 in exchange for Tk6 crore. Since he made the

n Faiz Rehman, from India

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Police confiscate properties owned by Nur Hossain, main accused in the seven murder cases, from inside his house in Narayanganj yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Nur’s wealth seized n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj Police yesterday seized movable wealth of Nur Hossain from his Siddhirganj house in Narayanganj yesterday complying with a High Court order.

P3 DEFENCE WRITES TO HOME Police conducted the drive around 3:15pm after the copy of HC order reached them, confirmed Md Alauddin, officerin-charge of Siddhirganj Police station.

Narayanganj Executive Magistrate Abul Kashem Md Shaheen who led the

drive said a television, a refrigerator, sofa set, furniture and some pets were seized from Nur Hossain’s residence.

The pet animals and birds will be handed over to the forest ministry.

An unlicensed revolver with eight rounds of bullets was also recovered from there.

The law enforcers had to break open the lock of the main gate to enter the house. Seven neighbours of Nur Hossain were witness to the drive.

The drive was still in progress at the time of filing of this report around 7:30pm. l

On the eve of 2014 election results in India, political circles and armchair experts are abuzz with fevered speculation that is part fact, part fiction but totally reflective of the sort of electioneering that has taken place.

Exit polls have provided the people with a range of options, with some pegging the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as having bagged over 300 seats, whilst others, more conservative pollsters peg them at over 230 seats out of a total of 543.

And just to add a further dose of deliciousness to the feverish predictions, the exit polls have been found to be spectacularly off the mark in the two previous general elections in India. So looking towards the exit polls is an exercise in futility.

However, there are some central themes being discussed that should prove to be pivotal, no matter the amount of seats bagged by the Narendra Modi-led BJP or the rudderless Congress under the insipid command of the latest Nehru-Gandhi scion.

Should the NDA not bag enough seats to cross the 272 mark, they will need allies. In which case, allies loathe to be associated with Modi, but crucial to government formation shall force the BJP to offer up an alternative prime

ministerial candidate.

Tish and Fipsy. Tosh. Anybody who has even remotely followed the high decibel, energetic and demagogic BJP campaign understands that the BJP cannot even begin to entertain that thought. Across the nation, and in every major newspaper, are reports that make clear people are, in swathes of the Indian mainland, voting not for their local candidate but for Modi. He has managed to project himself through a series of inspired, if sometimes cynical, moves, as a harbinger of change and

P16 ELECTION OF NON-ISSUES

INSIDE News

3 Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, who has obstinately refused to provide any budgetary allocation for monthly pay order (MPO), softened his stance.

4 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the authorities concerned to ensure that central effluent treatment plants (CETP) are set up in industrial areas to prevent river water from being contaminated by chemical-mixed waste and water.

Entertainment

5 Although it has been a month since the government introduced free 3G Wifi internet facilities initially in at least eight ‘Wifi buses’ operating in the capital.

Nation

6 Connections of the Power Development Board (PDB) are again being illegally provided in the territory of Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) in Sirajganj. A PBS official said the PDB already set up a 200KV transformer at Kashiahata village in the PBS territory on May 8.

12 Joya paired up with Nurul Alam Atique in a single episode play titled “Dey Dour,” which will air on Channel 9 today at 10pm.

World

8 Loudspeakers broadcast the names of the dead and excavators dug mass graves in this close-knit Turkish mining town yesterday, while protesters gathered in major cities as grief turned to anger following the country’s deadliest industrial disaster.

Sport

13 World football governing body FIFA has assured the Bangladesh Football Federation about providing 228 World Cup tickets and the federation has already received around 600 applications for the elusive tickets of the greatest show on earth.

Block allocation may go up by 16% n Asif Showkat Kallol The government has planned to keep aside Tk5,000 crore as block allocation in the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2014-15.

A Finance Ministry official said the block allocation may increase by 16.31% compared to the amount of fund in the outgoing fiscal year, considering the possibility of natural calamities in the country after ten years.

The northern districts are now experiencing drought due to withdrawal of water from the rivers, he said, adding that the Planning Ministry will allocate some funds for the development in the areas.

Sources in the Finance Ministry said the total budget outlay for the next fiscal year and the block allocations are likely to be fixed at a meeting to be held at the Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith will place a proposal for an initial budget of Tk249,000 crore at the meeting.

But the amount of block allocations for ministries and divisions and the budget outlay for the next year will be changing till May 30.

Block allocation or emergency fund of Tk1,299 crore under the revenue budget was fully consumed in less than five months of the outgoing fiscal year for political purposes, prompting the government to make a new block allocation of Tk110 crore in the revised budget and it will be Tk2,000 crore in the next fiscal year, sources said.

A total of Tk3,000 crore was kept as block allocation in the outgoing year which had been used before the middle of the fiscal year. And, the Planning Ministry had decided to allocate Tk3,000 crore more.

As a result, the total block allocation for the next fiscal year will be Tk5,000 crore, up by 16.31% compared to the outgoing fiscal year outlay of Tk4,299 crore and 0.37% of total GDP of Tk1,339,500 crore for the next fiscal year, sources said.

They said during political unrest, the government had to meet additional expenditures on policing and used a chunk of the emergency fund.

Shahidul complains of RAB threat n Ashif Islam Shaon and Ahmed Zayeef, back from Narayanganj

DHAKA TRIBUNE

14 Soccer great Diego Maradona has urged fellow Argentine Pope Francis to move ahead with reforms and transform the Vatican from “a lie” into an institution that gives more to the people.

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, May 16, 2014

Deal penned for 60MW windturbine plant n Aminur Rahman Rasel The country is set to get its first 60MW-capacity wind turbine power plant in Cox’s Bazar, following the signing of a power purchase agreement yesterday.

Abdul Halim, acting secretary of Power Development Board (PDB), penned the agreement with Zahurul Islam khan, managing director of joint venture US-DK Green Energy Ltd, at the capital’s Bidyut Bhaban.

The US-DK Green Energy Ltd is a joint venture between US-based Taylor Engineering Group LLC, Denmark-based Ph-consulting Group and Bangladesh-based Multiplex Green Energy Ltd. Another deal was also penned for securing consultancy services for setting up the much-talked-about Rampal power plant in Bagerhat.

Prime Minister’s Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid, Power Secretary Monowar Islam, High Commissioner of Denmark in Bangladesh Hanne Fugl Eskjaer, US-DK Green Energy Ltd Chairman Jeremy Gathright and PDB Chairman Md Abduhu Ruhullah were present during the signing ceremony.

As per the agreement for the wind turbine plant, the PDB will buy electricity from the company for the next 18 years at the rate of $0.12 per unit (kilowatt-hour). The contract basis will be “no electricity, no payment.”

As per the deal, it will start commer-

cial operations within one year. The $120m project cost will be carried by different international and local lenders.

“This will be the first such large scale renewable energy plant and will mark the entry of power generation of Bangladesh in a new era,” State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid said.

“To find out the scope and formulate a ‘Wind Map,’ an international company is working in our country and will submit its report to the Power Division as early as possible,” he added.

The government plans to generate 10% of the electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. A source in the Power Division said 50MW-200MW of power could be generated from wind power in different sites.

Earlier, the PDB installed wind mills in Kutubdia and Feni to generate 1MW of power from each project, but the projects failed as 50 turbines under the Kutubdia project was hit by cyclone Aila.

On the other hand, Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt) Ltd signed a deal for rendering consultancy services with German-based Fichtner GmbH and co, KG; to implement the 1,320 megawatt Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant at Rampal of Bagerhat.

The deal was signed in a separate ceremony at the Bidyut Bhaban yesterday by VS Tamrakar, managing director of Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company, and Karl Peter Schleich, director (business development in Asia) of Fichtner. l

Rawshan: Narayanganj 7-murder a stray incident n Manik Miazee Opposition Leader in parliament Rawshan Ershad yesterday said the recent sensational incident of abduction and seven-murder in Narayanganj is a diverse happening.

“About 16 crore people live in Bangladesh. In a densely populated country, such type of abductions and killing are isolated occurrence and everyone cannot be blamed for it.”

She made the remarks while coming out ending a meeting with a delegation

of Chinese congress representatives at Hotel Sonargoan in the capital.

Rawshan continued that: “Abductions and murders should be stopped.

The government is trying its best to check those. I hope the criminals involved in the Narayanganj incident will be punished soon.”

During the meeting, Rawshan discussed about the country’s garment sector, scholarships and other relevant issues with the Chinese delegation.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jun was also present in the meeting. l

Indians discuss issues beyond  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

in the opposition for the next five years at least. In such morale sapping times, the Congress would do well to reach out to erstwhile allies and other parties who do not get a share in the ruling dispensation. The chances of a Third Front forming any sort of government are as fanciful as Rahul being anointed the prime minister of India when the results come out today.

Regional satraps such as Mayawati, Jayalalitha, Mamata Banerjee, Mulayam Singh and Mehbooba Mufti will play a decisive role in any new government.

Regional players will always have a part to play in any parliament formation in modern India. With Mayawati set to trounce arch enemy Mulayam Singh, and Jayalalitha to be the largest gainer in Tamil Nadu, regional parties should manage over a 100 seats between them. A significant number

that can help nudge the BJP over the 300-seat-mark it so desperately wants in order to demonstrate the strength of its mandate. Of the major regional players, there are perhaps just three – Mulayam Singh, the released from jail, reinvigorated Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Nitish Kumar, who cannot join any BJPled dispensation. Mayawati first came to power backed by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. Mamata Banerjee was a proud NDA-ite, Mehbooba Mufti has already made encouraging, if subtle, noises about joining the NDA and Jayalalitha is known to have a strong personal dynamic with Modi. So, regional strongmen (and women) will bring goodies to the parliamentary party. Just do not expect them to rub their hosts the wrong way and upset the apple cart.

Muslims have resorted to tactical voting to stop the rise of Modi and the politics he represents.

Fipsy and Tish. Tosh. No amount of

Shopkeepers at a building of Bangabazar demonstrate yesterday against snapping of power connection by its owner who demanded extra amount

Expecting NDA victory, allies begin to emerge in the scene n Agencies

With exit polls making the National Democratic Alliance a clear favourite to either win a majority in the LokSabha or come within striking distance, potential allies are beginning to peep out of the woodwork.

Though Tamil Nadu CM and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, expected to win a big chunk of seats in her state, maintained a studiedly non-committal stance, some of her leaders suggested support to the NDA was a distinct possibility.

“I am waiting eagerly for the results which will be declared on the 16th.

Nothing more I can say at this juncture.

I cannot make any remark on any other subject,” Jayalalithaa told reporters in Chennai.

Senior party leaders spoke positively about support and even joining the government, pointing out that Jaya is a personal friend of BJP PM candidate NarendraModi. The two did trade barbs during the campaign, but it was relatively mild compared to Modi’s bit-

“tactical voting” can negate the simple truth that Muslims, as India’s second largest religious grouping, only account for roughly 15% of the electorate.

That does not allow for anything more than swing votes in certain areas. Also, Indian Muslims are not as polarised as some commentators on the “secular” side of the divide will try and claim.

The road to Delhi is through the politically critical state of Uttar Pradesh.

True. And with 80 seats up for grabs, the BJP had begun its campaign with the intention of bagging at least 30 seats, and wished for 40, in this political cauldron of caste, kinship and political intrigue. The latest voices from Uttar Pradesh seem to give BJP more than it desired. If that turns out to be true today, then people should line up, and like the author, purchase Modi Masks and watch his coronation. From Chai-wallah to Chair wallah. A long way travelled. l

RAB additional DG’s statement contemptuous  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

intentionally trying to malign the government. The court told him that if he had anything to say, he should go to the bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider or the Appellate Division. The bench recorded the order of arrest.

On May 11, the bench of Justice Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar ordered arrests of the three former RAB 11 officials immediately, but the arrests have yet to be made.

Government fails to dispel horror The attorney general yesterday afternoon submitted seven progress reports to the court as per an order dated May 5.

The bench, however, observed that not much important progress had been made. In a report, the Criminal Investigation Department chief says Narayanganj residents were scared. The bench observed that the report did not have any mention on what measures were taken to dispel the horror.

The report also says it is natural that people would panic if such murders occur. The court said the government should ensure a safe atmosphere in the area so witnesses came to testify.

Inquiry committee report

The seven-member committee headed by the additional secretary of the Public Administration Ministry in its report sought four weeks’ time to complete the probe.

The committee was formed following an order of the High Court to find out if any of the law enforcement agencies had any involvement in the abductions and murders. The High Court also ordered the committee to look into negligence, if any, on part of any administrative officer or law enforcer in taking immediate action, upon receiving information, for rescuing the abducted people alive.

The High Court expressed its satisfaction at the committee’s activities.

RAB’s departmental probe

The RAB DG in his report said a committee had been formed with DIG Aftab Uddin Ahmed to investigate whether anyone from the agency had been involved in the murder and had deliberately neglected in taking prompt action soon after receiving the information of the abductions.

The committee interrogated 16 officers of RAB 11 and will interrogation a few more officers. The probe report would be placed to the court at proper time, said the report read out by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

The bench drew the attention of the state counsel on the reports of the IGP and RAB, saying although the court on May 5 ordered them to place their reports through the attorney general’s office, they did not mention for once about this and rather mentioned internal exchange of letters. The court said it was apparent from the reports what their mentalities were.

AG on journalists

Towards the end of the hearing, the attorney general requested the court to tell the bench officers to ensure that no journalists could access the progress reports. He said he would not give the documents to any journalist. The court fixed June 4 for submission of the progress reports.

Deputy Attorney General ASM Nazmul Haque assisted the attorney general at the hearing. l

ter jousts with Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

“Only Amma can take a decision but we are hopeful it will be good news,” said a senior AIADMK MP. Aligning with the BJP would give the AIADMK the upper hand in its perennial battle against state rival the DMK and lock the DMK out of any potential alliance with the Centre.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, who had earlier ruled out the possibility of a post-poll tie-up with the BJP, appeared to sing a slightly different tune on Wednesday.

He just said, “We have not thought about it (coalition with NDA, UPA or Third Front) yet… There has been no talk with anyone till now.”

Senior BJD leader PrabhatTripathy, considered close to Patnaik, told a local news channel on Tuesday that the BJD might extend support to NDA if it promised to declare Odisha a “special category state”.

According to sources, another southern party, the TelanganaRash-

traSamithi, which refused to ally with the Congress, is also keeping options open on supporting Modi.

YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy has already hinted that he is not averse to supporting the NDA government.

The one no-go zone for the NDA with Modi as its torchbearer appears to be Mamata’s Bengal. Sources said the Trinamool Congress was open to discussions only if the BJP dumped Modi, an eventuality that is looking like an impossibility.

The Congress leadership too, has silently reached out to some potential allies. Top sources said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had called Mamata last week. After that conversation, Congress deputy Rahul Gandhi went soft on the Trinamool government in his last rally in West Bengal.

The Left parties too, are waiting for the results before making their next moves. “We have not spoken to anyone. We will resume talks only after the results come out,” CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury told HT. l

Block allocation may go up by 16%  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

The law states that the funds can only be used to meet emergency expenditures during natural disasters and in case of policy change by the government. According to the Public Money and Budget Management Act 2009, the funds cannot be diverted to sectors which are not specified during the allocations.

Due to the use of funds in unspecified sectors, the money ran out so rapidly that the finance minister failed to get money to lease the land of Mongla port for establishing a special economic zone.

Finance Ministry officials said the block allocation for the next fiscal year, which is 2% of the proposed annual expenditure of Tk2.49 trillion, will be utilised to absorb economic woes, if any.

It will be used basically as a contingency fund, they said.

Financial analysts, however, raised a question on a large chunk of money as

block allocation, saying that such fund allocated for politically motivated projects was misappropriated in the past.

In his post-budget parley, Muhith announced that measures were taken for constant monitoring to deal with the lurking dangers on the economic fronts.

Donors and economists had raised question about block allocation, but it was too small compared to the budget and total GDP, he said, adding that two risks - economic and political -- may emerge to obstacle the target of 7% GDP growth for the new fiscal year.

The amount of block allocation was Tk3,243 crore in the budget for the fiscal year 2009-10 while the government kept aside Tk6,826 billion in the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2011-12.

Analysts pointed out that block allocation was contrary to transparency and it was politically motivated in many cases. l

Shahidul complains of RAB threat  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

statement he had been claiming to feel a deep sense of insecurity and panic.

Yesterday, he repeated the fear and said, as police is yet to arrest the prime accused Nur, locals are scared of giving depositions against him. He, however, threatened to wage a movement if the sacked three RAB officials are not arrested in two or three days.

“Till then we will remain calm as the prime minister assured us of proper investigation and justice,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abdus Salam, younger brother of Nazrul, said they would wait even for a month to see that the main accused has been arrested.

The seven-member probe body formed in line with a High Court order started recording the deposition around 10am and finished around 4pm.

Only six people went to give deposition on the first day of the mass hearing on May 12. That day probe committee members claimed that people were not coming because of media presence.

Yesterday no journalist was allowed to enter the Circuit House premises.

After giving deposition a broth-

er-in-law of Nazrul, Mohiuddin Mollah, said the committee asked two common questions – if the members of the RAB-11 were involved in the abduction and murder and how he knows about that and if Nur Hossain was involved.

“I told them that RAB was definitely involved,” Mohiuddin said.

On May 10, the committee headed

by MdShahjahan Ali Mollah recorded statements of family members and relatives of the seven victims.

On April 27, seven people – Nazrul Islam and his four associates and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver – were kidnapped from the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road. Six bodies were found in the Shitalakkhya River three days later and another the next day.

Meanwhile, the probe body has decided to hold another public hearing on the abduction and killing on May 17.

The hearing will be held at Shiddhirganj Power Plant in Narayanganj instead of the district’s Circuit House, the committee chief, MdShahjahan, announced at a press briefing. He said that 36 people gave deposition till 2pm and 20 were on the waiting list. l

NASHIRUL ISLAM

Tax-free treasury bill from coming budget n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

In a bid to rejuvenate the treasury and bond market, the government has decided to withdraw the rule for deducting tax at source on investments made through the 30-day Bangladesh Bank treasury bills.

A meeting of the Cash and Debt Management Committee (CDMC) of the Finance Ministry, held on April 24, decided to withdraw tax at source from the 30-days bill, rather than reintroducing the 28-day treasury bill, which was suspended in 2008.

“As there is no liquidity crisis, there is no rationality for reintroducing the tax-free 28-day treasury bill, although it has been a major demand from the scheduled banks,” said a senior ministry official, who attended the CDMC meeting.

Preferring to stay unnamed, the official also said: “Considering the income and interest, and the monetary and fiscal separation, the withdrawal of the requirement of source tax from 30-day treasury bills is more rational.”

Finance Division Secretary Fazle Kabir is the chairman of the CDMC, while senior officials of Finance Ministry and the central bank act as its members.

'As there is no liquidity crisis, there is no rationality for reintroducing the taxfree 28-day treasury bill, although it has been a major demand from the scheduled banks' The auction of treasury bills with 28 days’ validity remains suspended from July 1, 2008, to avoid overlapping with the 30 days’ bills that see taxes.

Currently, banks are reluctant to invest in the 30-day Bangladesh Bank treasury bills as they have to pay 25% to 45% tax at source against their investments, compared to no tax at source needed for the transaction of 28-day bills.

The CDMC meeting also decided that the National Board of Revenue and the Bangladesh Bank would hold a meeting to further discuss the issue for amending the Finance Act to make the issue effective from the budget for the 2014-15 fiscal.

As of March 2014, around Tk10,512 crore has been generated from the sales of treasury bills from commercial banks.

Currently, three treasury bills with tenures of 91 days, 182 days and 364 days are being traded in the market.

The bond market of the country plays limited role in the economy, compared to the neighbouring countries.

According to a World Bank report published in mid-2012, the bond market in Bangladeshis the smallest in South Asia, accounting for only 12% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

At $7.35bn, the size of the country’s bond market is far smaller than the banking assets, estimated at nearly $32bn – equivalent to more than 50% of the GDP – said the report titled “South Asian domestic debt market.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Muhith softens on MPO n Kamran Reza Chowdhury Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, who has obstinately refused to provide any budgetary allocation for monthly pay order (MPO), softened his stance and said yesterday he would grant fund for the under-MPO educational institutions.

He however said he would grant fund only if the education ministry streamlines the schools, colleges and madrasas.

In the face of strong demand of members of the parliamentary standing committees on finance ministry Muhith said the government had had a role in the expansion of the educational institutions across the country.

Ahead of every national budget, the lawmakers put pressure on the finance minister to bring more private educational institutes under the MPO privilege. Once granted, thoseinstitutions

get government fund.

“We have unanimously demanded that more educational institutes in the disadvantaged areas be brought under MPO facility,” Abdur Razzaque, the chairman of the standing committee, told reporters after the meeting.

The education ministry officials said the government needed an additional allocation of Tk1,600 crore for new under-MPO institutions “This time the minister has not outright rejected; he seemed softened,” he said.

Muhith over the last five years has outright rejected the MPO demand of lawmakers who allegedly make some

quick bucks from teachers and staff of the private educational institutes promising them MPO facility.

“Across the country some unemployed youths collect fund from local level and set up schools, colleges and madrasas. Then they demand MPO privilege. But most of such educational institutes are unnecessary,” the chairman quoted the finance minister as saying.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahidincurred the wrath of lawmakers in parliament for not granting MPOfacility and blamed the finance minister for not providing fund on this head.

The education ministry officials said the government needed an additional allocation of Tk1,600 crore for new under-MPO institutions.

However, the ministry through a survey assessed that at least 6,000 educational institutes had higher number of teachers than required. l

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Friday, May 16, 2014

ARREST OF EX-RAB OFFICIALS

Defence gives go ahead n Kailash Sarkar and Rabiul Islam

The state minister for home has said his ministry has received a letter regarding the arrest of the three ex-RAB officials in connection with the seven murder in Narayanganj.

Junior home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the Dhaka Tribune last night that: “The Defence Ministry has sent a letter in the evening regarding the High Court order as well as the arrest of three officials of the Bangladesh Army and the Bangladesh Navy.”

The move comes four days after the HC ordered for their arrest for their alleged involvement with the sensational murders.

When inquired about further details regarding the letter, the junior minister advised to contact the home secretary.

Additional Home Secretary Shawkat Mostofa told the Dhaka Tribune that in the letter, the Defence Ministry as well as the Armed Forces Division (AFD)

had said there was no bar to arresting the former RAB 11 officials.

“The Defence Ministry served the letter in response to the investigation officer of the case, who had sent a letter to the AFD through the Police Headquarters and Home Ministry seeking cooperation in arresting those former men,” he said.

Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Sarkar, along with five others, were abducted on April 27. The bodies of six of them were found in Sitalakkhya River on April 30 and another on May 1.

On May 4, Shahidul Islam, father-inlaw of Nazrul, alleged that Lt Col Tareq Sayeed Mohammad, former commanding officer of RAB 11, in cooperation with some other criminals abducted his son-in-law Nqazrul and six others and also killed them.

The HC on May 11 issued directives for the government and police to arrest those three officials. l

Petition challenging law ministers’ candidature rejected

n Nazmus Sakib

The High Court yesterday rejected an election petition which claimed that Law Minister Anisul Huq was holding a profitable position while submitting nomination paper from Brahmanbaria 4 constituency during the January 5 polls.

The bench of Justice Soumendra Sarker delivered the judgement saying Anisul was a panel lawyer of the Anti-Corruption Commission and that it was not a profitable post.

The plea was filed on February 11 by Khandaker Hebzur Rahman, a leader of Jatiya Party (Manju), whose candidature was cancelled by the EC. He alleged that as Anisul was a legal adviser to the ACC, which is a profitable post thus he could not contest the election as per the Representation of the People Order, 1972. l

Order on contempt against barrister Fakhrul June 30 n Udisa Islam The International Crimes Tribunal 1 has set June 30 for passing order upon a pending contempt charge issued against barrister Fakhrul Islam, the counsel for death row convict war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.

The three-member tribunal, headed

by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, set the date yesterday after the final hearing submitted by the contemnor’s lawyer, who sought unequivocal apology for the accused admitting his contemptuous act.

On January 14 last year, the tribunal in a rule asked Fakhrul to explain why contempt proceedings should not be drawn against him for seeking explanation from two other members of the tribunal whether they were privy to the alleged Skype scandal over conducting the trial.

The tribunal mentioned that the petition had been filed with a mala fide intention to slander the tribunal judges and create confusion about the judges in public mind.

The proceeding started when on December 11, 2012 first chairman of

the tribunal 1 Justice Nizamul Huq resigned as he had allegedly been receiving advice regularly through email and Skype conversations with Dr Ahmed Ziauddin, a Brussels-based Bangladeshi expert.

Fakhrul was arrested in November last year allegedly for his connection with the leak of a part of the draft verdict in Salauddin Quader case.

Appearing on behalf of Fakhrul, lawyer Tajul Islam said the contemnor had already sought unconditional apology before he had gone to jail in another allegation. Tajul said: “Fakhrul is now in jail. He has no counsel here to represent him at this moment. So he told me to appear on behalf of him.”

The tribunal then asked him to place any example of seeking unconditional apology at the early stage of the proceeding. Tajul then placed some examples from the Appellate Division.

Meanwhile, defence lawyer Mizanul Islam for Jamaat-e-Islami leader Maulana Abdus Subhan ended cross-examination of the fifth prosecution witness yesterday. Mohammad Israil testified on Wednesday.

The tribunal later set May 20 for placing further witness in the case. l

A high-voltage transformer is seen parked on the road beside Rajshahi Medical College Hospital yesterday, posing serious risk to commuters and pedestrians

Kamaruzzaman’s war crimes appeal hearing begins May 18 n Nazmus Sakib The top court yesterday fixed Sunday to begin hearing on the war crimes appeal registered by death row convict Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, an assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court passed the order though the defence had urged the apex court to commence the hearing in July.

Earlier, the defence filed concise statement (documents containing facts and arguments they will rely upon) of the appeal.

The al-Badr leader was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal 2 on May 9 last year. Kamaruzzaman appealed against the judgement on June 6.

The bench has so far disposed of two appeals cases including the one of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Molla, who was hanged on December 12 last year. The court on April 16 kept the verdict in death row convict Delawar Hossain Sayedee appeals case pending for verdict.

After the end of Kamaruzzaman’s case, the court will start hearing in the appeals case of Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam – the mastermind of collaborators – who was sentenced to 90 years’

imprisonment for committing war crimes.

Five out of seven charges pressed against Kamaruzzaman were proved at the tribunal. He was awarded death sentence in two charges – for killing 164 unarmed civilians and freedom fighter Golam Mostafa Talukder in Sherpur as he had incurred “superior responsibility” for leading al-Badr, a body formed

by Jamaat’s then student body Islami Chhatra Sangha, in Mymensingh and Sherpur in 1971.

Kamaruzzaman was also given life imprisonment on two charges while he received 10 years’ jail on another charge of torturing a teacher. l

BSF detains Bangladeshi cattle trader n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah Indian Border Security Force picked up a Bangladeshi cattle trader from Indian region close to Srinathpur area in Moheshpur upazila of Jhenaidah on Wednesday night.

The victim, identified as Sariful Islam, 26, son of late Khosbari Tarafder, of Shyamkur village of the upazila, is a cattle trader.

Lieutenant Colonel SM Maniruzzaman, commander of Chuadanga BGB said Sariful had entered Indian territory via Srinathpur border area in Moheshpur around 11pm to fetch his cattle herd.

At one stage, a patrol team of BSF caught him from Chhutipur area in Hashkhali police station of Nadia of India.

Being informed of the matter, BGB sent letter to its Indian counterpart demanding the return of the Bangladeshi national and urged for holding a commander-level flag meeting.

As of filing this report on Thursday afternoon, the BSF did not give any response to the letter, sources at Chuadanga BGB said. l

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia leaves Agargaon Passport Office after completing all procedures for a machine-readable passport in the capital yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Khaleda applies for MRP n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday applied for a Machine Readable Passport (MRP), surrendering her red passport to authorities.

“Madam surrendered her previous passport and completed the procedures for a new passport like an ordinary citizen,” said BNP Chairperson’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan to the Dhaka Tribune.

Khaleda Zia had been using the “red

passport” faculties since 1991 after assuming office as prime minister.

Red passports are issued for the presidents, prime ministers, leaders of the opposition in parliament, speakers, deputy speakers and cabinet members.

As Khaleda no more holds the post of prime minister nor the leader of the opposition, she deposited her special passport and applied for MRP passport like any other ordinary citizen. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

War victim’s family ‘CHT needs a functioning member testifies land commission’ against Qaisar The cabinet approved in principle n Hana Shams Ahmed from n Udisa Islam the draft of Chittagong Hill Tracts Land A new prosecution witness in the trial against former Jatiya Party state minister Syed Mohammad Qaisar placed his deposition yesterday saying that the accused and members of “Qaisar Bahini” had abducted his family members and tortured them.

Golam Noor, 65, testified against the accused on charge number 11 – abduction, confinement and torture of Golam Rasul and his family members at Haripur in Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria in the last part of June in 1971.

The family members had met Qaisar and requested him to free Rouf, the accused refused to do so. Rouf was freed after six to seven days Noor said he had heard from family members that his father died due to the torture. The witness said he had been in India at that time. He also said his brother’s body bore many torture marks.

The witness said he had joined the Bangladesh Army in November and took training in India. He later returned to Bangladesh and fought the war.

“Around 10:30am on June 23, 1971, Qaisar and his cohorts stormed into our house along with the members of the Pakistani occupation forces. They set the house on fire and tortured my father and brother,” Noor said quoting his mother, brother and sister-in-law.

“The collaborators were looking for me. As Qaisar failed to reach me, they abducted my brother Golam Rouf. He was taken away blindfolded and his hands tied from back.”

The witness said when the family members had met Qaisar and requested him to free Rouf, the accused refused to do so. Rouf was freed after six to seven days.

After his deposition, defence counsel SM Shahjahan cross examined him.

Later the International Crimes Tribunal 2 adjourned the trial until May 18. l

New York

The status of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission of Bangladesh was discussed on the third day of the UN conference on indigenous people.

The governments, indigenous peoples’ organisations and the UN agencies took part in the open dialogue on Wednesday during the 13th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York. The session will end on May 23.

The matter came to the fore during a discussion on the best practices and examples in respect of resolving land disputes and land claims in Bangladesh, the Philippines and Africa.

Devashish Roy, chief of Chakma Circle and member of the UNPFII, in the keynote paper compared two case studies from the Philippines and the CHT. He pointed out that although the Land Commission conceptually conforms to the contents of Articles 27 and 28 of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), there still remained a number of challenges to making the Land Commission functional – including transfer of authority to the Hill District Councils, cancellation of commercial leases, the allocating of “reserve forests.”

Bangladesh is among the 11 countries that have abstained from endorsing the UNDRIP.

Dispute Resolution (amendment) Bill 2013 on May 27 last year and it was placed in parliament on June 16. However, the bill has not been passed yet.

Ambassador Ib Petersen, the permanent representative of Denmark to the UN, made a joint statement on behalf of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland in support of making the Land Commission functional.

In the statement, Peterson expressed concern over the fact that the Land Commission had not been able to solve any land disputes until date.

The statement also urged the government to ratify ILO Convention 169, implement some important clauses of the CHT Accord including demilitarisation, rehabilitation of displaced persons, and ending the transmigration process.

Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), Asia Indigenous Peoples’ Pact (AIPP) and Shimin Gaikou Centre also gave a joint statement highlighting the need to pass a bill in parliament accepting the 13 amendments proposed by CHT Regional Council.

Kapaeeng Foundation and Maleya Foundation in a joint statement said about land grabbing by the army personnel for expansion of its garrisons and tourism, and establishment of camps by the Border Guard Bangladesh.

Secretary of the CHT Affairs Ministry Naba Bikram Kishore Tripura was expected to join the session yesterday. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, May 16, 2014

PM: Set up central ETP to save river water n Mohosinul Karim

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the authorities concerned to ensure that central effluent treatment plants (CETP) are set up in industrial areas to prevent river water from being contaminated by chemical-mixed waste and water.

The premier also ordered them to block the exit points of Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority’s (WASA) 28 storm water sewers through which polluted water and waste materials fall into the four rivers including the Buriganga and Turag.

The instructions were given in a meeting at the secretariat with the minister, deputy minister, high officials of the environment and forest ministry.

After the meeting Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Monju said the prime minister had given them some instructions to accelerate the activities of the ministry.

About the pollution of the Buriganga River water Monju said the water of the river is being polluted by industries and it should be stopped immediately.

The prime minister also analysed the annual development programmes (ADP) of the ministry. The premier was not satisfied with the progress of

High Court summons JU registrar for ‘contempt’ n Nazmus Sakib

The High Court yesterday summoned the Jahangirnagar University registrar to appear before it on May 28 for not taking action against its public relation director for issuing a press release.

The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain, on its own motion, also issued a rule asking why Registrar Abu Bakar Siddique should not be punished for contempt of court.

On April 25, the university’s public relation office issued a press release on the conversion into Islam of a fourth grade employee along with his family.

The court on April 30 issued rule on its own asking the university authorities to explain why they should not be directed to take legal action against the PRO director for issuing the press release.

The vice-chancellor, university Syndicate, the registrar and the PRO director were asked to explain their stance by yesterday.

However, instead of replying to the rule, the registrar published an advertisement in a daily newspaper mentioning withdrawal of the press release.

The same bench on May 11 summoned the editor, the publisher and a columnist of the daily Al-Ihsan, a newspaper that preaches the ideology of Rajarbagh “Pir,” for publishing a column condemning the court for issuing rule over the press release. It also issued a rule asking why the trio should not be punished for contempt of court and why the declaration of the newspaper should not be cancelled.

A column published in the newspaper said creating obstruction in publishing news of professing Islam was a grave conspiracy of the antagonist quarter. The Muslims of the country were shocked as the High Court issued rule for making the news public. l

Banks to remain closed on May 19 and 21 n Tribune Report Banks will stay closed in the upazilas that go into the sixth phase of upazila elections on May 19 and 21, according to a circular issued by Bangladesh Bank yesterday.

The government announced the two days public holiday in those areas for the election, the circular stated.

Banks in Basail upazila, Rangpur Sadar, Kaunia, Gangachara, Pirgachha, Kamarkhanda, Taltali, Kalukhali, Gazipur Sadar, Bijoynagar, Adarsha Sadar, Sadar Dakshin and Tarakanda will stay closed on May 19.

Meanwhile, banks located in Boalkhali municipal election area will stay closed on May 21. l

implementing the ADP, the minister added.

About the implementation and expense of climate change trust fund projects Monju said it was not discussed widely. Most of the officials working in those projects tried to defend themselves at the meeting.

Several officials of the ministry told the Dhaka Tribune that the prime minister asked them to prepare development plans putting the environment issues on priority agenda.

“No development work would be sustainable by damaging the environment. Everyone should come forward to prevent water contamination and save the environment for healthy life,” she noted.

Hasina stressed the need for a proper drainage system connected to the CETP in all industries to treat polluted water and waste before they are dropped into the rivers.

She said at the meeting that the government would provide money to initiate such projects in order to save the country, its rivers and people.

The prime minister also ordered the authorities to dredge and activate the second channel in Sundarbans area to save water and aquatic resources including dolphins. l

Pedestrians are left with no choice but to risk their lives to cross the Paltan intersection amid heavy traffic in the capital yesterday as there is no footover bridge in the area MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Ershad pleads not guilty in radar purchase graft case n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Jatiya Party Chairman and prime minister’s Special Envoy HM Ershad yesterdayclaimed innocence andsought justice in the radar purchase graft cased filed against him in 1992 by the now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAC).

The court read out charges brought against him by 12 witnesses.Two other accused former Air Force chiefs (retd) Sultan Ahmed and Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed also pleaded not guilty.

Judge of the Special Divisional Court, Dhaka, Md Abdur Rashid set the date for the next hearing on May 29.

On April 24, the court concluded recording statements made by the 12 wit-

nesses in the much-talked-about rader purchase corruption case.

The then anti-corruption officer and Assistant Superintendent of the BAC Md Ali Haider filed the case with the Cantonment police station in the capital on April 4, 1992.

After a long investigation, Investigation OfficerManjur Ahmed AbdusSattar Sarkar, an official of the then BAC, pressed charges against Ershad and four others on October 27, 1994mentioning 38 people as prosecution witnesses.

On August 12, 1995, a charge was filed against the accused. The proceedings of the case were adjourned from August 12, 1995 to 1998 on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The High Court cleared the way for trial on August 8, 2006 after proceedings had been stayed for a long time. The trial resurfaced on November 2, 2010 after the case was filed, 22 years ago.

In the case, the plaintiff stated that when Ershad was presidenthe,by misusing his power, purchased radars for Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) in collusion with four others thereby causing a loss of Tk640.4 million.

Another accused in the case is Director of the United Traders AKM Musa. He had been absconding since the case was filed.

Proprietor of the United TradersShazed Ali’sname was dropped from the charge sheet. l

2,000 entry-level doctors to be promoted n MoniruzzamanUzzal The government is planning to promote more than 2,000 entry-level doctors soon, in a bid to make room for a fresh batch of doctors from the eligible pool of BCS candidates.

Officials of the Health Ministry yesterday held a meeting, presided

by Joint Secretary Basu Deb Ganguly, to discuss the ways in which they can promote the entry-level doctors.

The move is being considered after the Public Service Commission (PSC) sent a list to the Public Administration Ministry recommending 6,000 new doctors, who had passed the 33rd BCS exam, be appointed as entry-level assistant surgeons or dental surgeons.

However, the public health sector currently has less than 4,000 vacancies at the entry-level, said sources at the ministry and the health directorate.

To remedy the situation and create additional vacancies, the ministry isnow reportedly considering the promotion of over 2,000 assistant surgeons to different posts including

medical officers, resident medical officers, and junior consultants.

When asked about the issue, DrMd Shah Newaz, director (administration) of the health directorate, confirmed the Health Ministry meeting, but refused to disclose any details.

Ministry sources said fresh recruits were needed to fulfil the shortage of doctors, especially at the entry-level.

The PSC had initially advertised for recruitment of 2,442 doctors from the 33rd BCS examination, but later decided to allow the Health Ministry to fill up over 4,000 additional posts that had been left vacant over the years under the freedom fighter quota.

Seeking anonymity, several health officials however expressed their disappointment, claiming that the new doctors would not be qualified enough as the additional candidates for the 4,000 posts were not properly vetted.

The public health sector currently has a total of 25,554 postsfor doctors, while 15,829 of those posts are for entry-level doctors. At the moment,3,902 vacancies exist for the entry-level jobs. l

Obaidul: Govt will have good ties with India’s new govt n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Police detain an alleged mugger yesterday after locals caught him when he tried to escape after mugging a person at the capital’s Karwan Bazar SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Unified Gonojagoron Moncho demanded n DU Correspondent

At least 13 progressive organisations representing groups of students, cultural and Liberation War activists have urged immediate unification of Gonojagoron Moncho with a view to strengthen its movement against war criminals.

They also urged two factions of the platform to stop using the banner of Gonojagoron Moncho as their separate programmes were tarnishing its image.

The demands came from a press conference at Shahbagh intersection yesterday where the activists of Jasad Chhatra League, Bangladesh Chhatra Moitri, Chhatra Andolon, Chhatra Samiti, Chhatra Oikya Forum, BOAN, and members of several cultural and pro-liberation groups were present.

Shamsul Islam Sumon, president of Jasad Chhatra league, said the two factions of Gonojagoron Moncho had been quarrelling and blaming against each other using the banner.

Chhatra Moitri President Bappaditya Basu said a split in the platform would benefit the anti-liberation forces.

He urged all the Moncho activists, who began the movement against razakars and Jamaat-e-Islami on February 5 last year, to be united with a view to make its future programmes success.

Among others, Chhatra Moitri General Secretary Tanvir Rusmat, Chhatra Samiti Convener Zahidul Islam Khan, Chhatra Andolon General Secretary Nazrul Islam Shikder, Chhatra Oikya Convener Shohan Sobhan and Boan member Animesh Rahman were present. l

The regime change in India will not affect the ties with Bangladesh, said Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday.

“The present government will have good ties with India, no matter which party comes to power in the neighbouring country,” he said, replying a reporters’ query in Sylhet.

India’s BJP, a major Hindu nationalist party, is believed to be coming to power this time, when Bangladesh government is led by the Awami League that is known to keep ties with

the Congress better than the BJP. Asked about Narayanganj’s sevenmurder incident, he said, “We cannot say for sure who are responsible for the incident, but a vested quarter has been trying to create the pre-1975 situation in the country.”

The Kazir Bazar Bridge over the Surma river in Sylhet, which he was visiting, said it would be opened for traffic movement in December next year.

Minister Obaidul also attended a meeting in memory of Awami League leader Iftekhar Hossain Shamim at the Zila Parishad Auditorium in the city. l

15 Bangladeshi officials to study in Japan under JDS grants n Tribune Report Japan will provide 206 million yen (Tk15.7 crore) in grant aid for human resource development scholarships aimed at capacity building for Bangladesh government officials.

At the start of a new four-year phase this year, 15 Bangladeshi civil servants will get the opportunity to study and do research at different universities in Japan in areas like public administration, economic planning and policy, urban and rural planning and policy, public finance and investment policy, and legal capacity and policy.

Mikio Hataeda, country representative of Japan International Cooper-

ation Agency (Jica), and Mohammad Mejbahuddin, secretary to the Economic Relations Division, signed the grant agreement on behalf of their respective governments in Dhaka yesterday, according to a press release.

Since 2002, 228 Bangladeshi officials have studied under JDS The scholarship programme, called JDS, is open to Bangladesh Civil Service cadre officers and Bangladesh Bank class-1 officers.

“To make the most of this JDS project, it is expected of the Bangladesh government to place the returning JDS fellows in appropriate positions to make use of what they have learnt in Japan,” Mikio Hataeda said.

Since 2002, 228 Bangladeshi officials have studied under JDS, and 196 of them successfully achieved Masters degrees.

“Human resource development is the base of socio-economic development.

JDS provides opportunities to study and learn how public administration is managed in Japan,” Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Shiro Sadoshima said at the signing ceremony. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

‘No internet’ in Wifi buses! n Tazlina Zamila Khan Although it has been a month since the government introduced free 3G Wifi internet facilities initially in at least eight ‘Wifi buses’ operating in the capital, passengers have complained that most of these buses shared no internet connection at all.

Under an initiative of the Access to Information (a2i) Programme of the Prime Minister’s Office, some 20 buses of state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTC) along the Motijheel-Uttara (double-deckers) and Motijheel-Balughat routes (articulated buses) were supposed to be transformed into Wifi buses; each containing at least four 3G wireless routers of state-owned mobile phone operator Teletalk.

However, most of these buses were yet to be fitted with the 3G wireless routers. As a result, passengers with

smart phones or laptops were not able to use the internet services while travelling through the buses.

“I could not find the 3G Wifi service of the bus. So, I use internet through my operator’s network,” said Sumaiya Mehzaben, a university student.

“I could not use the Wifi service through my laptop. So, I tried again with my smart phones, but nothing happened. My devices could not find the wifi network of the bus,” said Rajib Noor, an employee of a private company, while travelling on a WiFi bus (Dhaka-Gha 11-6536).

“When I asked the conductor, he had no idea about the service,” he added.

“I work in the bus and I do not know anything about this. The owners will be able to explain the issue,” said the bus conductor Jahangir.

When the driver of the vehicle was asked the same question, driver Mukul

said: “I heard that the routers were kept at Joar Shahara bus depot. But, it has not been installed yet.”

When asked, BRTC Joar Shahara Depot Manager Abu Bakar Siddique rejected the claims and said: “There are no routers here. All of the routers have been installed in the bus.”

However, this correspondent found out that some five out of eight “Wifi buses” had no 3G wireless routers installed in them. Such routers cost around Tk 3,300 in the local market.

“The routers were installed in double-deckers and articulated buses. We tried to provide routers to most of the buses. But, I will inform the matter to the managing director of the company.” said Kamal Uddin Ahmed, additional secretary of Information & Communication Technology Division under Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications & Information Technology and director of Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd.

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Friday, May 16, 2014

Teletalk Bangladesh Managing Director Gias Uddin Ahmed said: “We gave four routers. I do not know if any routers were distributed after that. I have to look into the matter as I am not aware of the matter properly.”

“We are trying to provide technology to the commuters. The plan to distribute more routers to more buses will depend on passenger’s demand and the success of the digital bus service.”

“We will sit with our officials to find out about the matter in this regard,” he further said.

BRTC Administration & Operation Director Nikhil Ranjan Roy told the Dhaka Tribune: “I have not yet received any complaint in this regard.

Routers have been installed to provide services to commuters. If routers were not installed in any of the buses, it will be sorted out soon,” he added. l

Female doctor among two die in road accident n CU Correspondent At least two people including a female doctor was killed and another four injured in separate road accidents on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Barabkunda and Banshbaria areas under Sitakundu upazila in Chittagong yesterday morning.

The deceased were identified as Sanchita Biswash, 28, a doctor and wife of Santanu Kar, a doctor of Dhaka Sishu Hospital and Barek, 40, said police sources.

Quoting family members, police said Sanchita passed MBBS from the Syhlet Medical College and was selected as a specialist doctor for the post of Major at the Medical Core of Bangladesh Army.

She was supposed to join the Army on May 17. She served as a pediatric doctor at Bangabandhu Shiekh Mujib Medical University in last year and

used to live with her husband Santanu in the capital, said family members.

Syed Jakir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Baro Awlia highway police outpost, said a passenger bus of Hanif Paribahan collided head-on with a truck on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Barabkunda area of the upazila at 6:30am, leaving the doctor dead on the spot and injuring four others.

The injured received primary treatment in different local hospitals, added the OC. Meanwhile, a person named Md Barek sustained critical injuries as an unknown vehicle ran over him on Dhaka-Chittagong highway’s Banshbaria area under Sitakunda upazila.

Nayek Jahangir Alam of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police outpost said Barek was rushed to the CMCH in a critical condition where the on duty doctors declared him dead. l

Youth commits suicide in Chittagong n CU Correspondent

BSF detains Bangladeshi cattle trader n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah

A mentally challenged youth committed suicide by hanging himself from aceiling at his residence in Chittagong city’s Halishahar area yesterday morning.

The deceased was identified as Asraful Islam, 28, a readymade garment (RMG) worker and son of late Tajul Islam, from Kotchandpur upazila of Jhenaidah, said police sources.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Jamir Uddin of Halishahar police station said Asraf committed suicide by hanging himself with a bed sheet from a ceiling fan in the drawing room of their residence at Sonali Residential area under Halishahar police station in the early hours, yesterday.

Asraf’s mother discovered the body while she was preparing for Fazar prayer at the dawn and informed police.

Police recovered the body and sent it to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) morgue for an autopsy, said the SI adding that the youth had been suffering mental illness for a long time.

An unnatural death case was filed with the police station. l

Indian Border Security Force picked up a Bangladeshi cattle trader from Indian region close to Srinathpur area in Moheshpur upazila of Jhenaidah on Wednesday night.

The victim, identified as Sariful Islam, 26, son of late Khosbari Tarafder, of Shyamkur village of the upazila, is a cattle trader.

Lieutenant Colonel SM Maniruzzaman, commander of Chuadanga BGB said Sariful had entered Indian territory via Srinathpur border area in Moheshpur around 11pm to fetch his cattle herd.

At one stage, a patrol team of BSF caught him from Chhutipur area in Hashkhali police station of Nadia of India.

Being informed of the matter, BGB sent letter to its Indian counterpart demanding the return of the Bangladeshi national and urged for holding a commander-level flag meeting. l

Elephants trample one to death n Our Correspondent, Rangamati A person was killed when attacked by wild elephants in Balukhali area under Raikhali union in Kaptai upazila of the district yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Abdus Sattar, 35. Md Iddrish Ali, 35 was injured during the attack.

Local sources said a group of wild elephants entered the village of Balukhali in search of food around 2:30am yesterday and attacked houses of village dwellers.

Then Abdus Sattar was trampled to death by the elephants on the spot; Officer-in-Charge of Chandraghona police confirmed the incident. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER

FRIDAY, MAY 16 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:34PM SUN RISES 5:15AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

38

27

Chittagong

34

27

Rajshahi

43

28

Rangpur

39

25

Khulna

40

26

Barisal

38

27

Sylhet

37

23

Cox’s Bazar

34

27

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

41.4ºC Jessore

21.0ºC Sylhet

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

3:52am 5:15am 11:55am 3:18pm 6:34pm 7:58pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

Man dies in police custody n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar Police officials remove the black cover on the glasses of a microbus in a drive in front of capital’s Ramna Park yesterday

Schoolgirl drowns in Sirajganj n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj A school girl drowned in Jamuna river in Sirajganj while she was with her out with her friends on a boat on Wednesday afternoon.

The missing girl is Soheli Fatema Tonni, daughter of Anisur Rahman, of Dhanbandi area in Sirajganj town and grade VIII student of Saleha Ishak Govt High School. Three of her friends were rescued by the local boatmen.

Sub-Inspector of Sirajganj Sadar police station said Soheli Fatema went to visit a nearby Char (strip of sandy land rising out of a river bed) with five of her friends on a boat.

At one stage she along with her friends named Jemee and Ami waded in the river and drowned in a sudden tide wave.

Later boatmen rescued two of the girls but failed to trace the body of Soheli. l

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Deadlock at Hili land port Export, import between Bangladesh, India halted for 2nd day at the port, which is the sec- dian trucks since April 27, but the local n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur ondSources largest land port in the country, importers identified it as a system loss.

All kinds of export-import orientated activities at Hili port were halted yesterday for a second consecutive day as four import organisations enforced a strike for an indefinite period of time, demanding their three-point demands be met.

Hundreds of employees along with owners of the organisations including C&F Agent Association formed a human chain in Panama court area of the district town in the morning, demanding removal of Lieutenant Colonel Abdur Razzak Tarafdar, commander of BGB battalion 3.

President of C&F Agent Association Abul Kashem Azad and General Secretary of the organisation Abdur Rahman Liton, among others, addressed the human chain.

said four organisations – the C&F Agent Association, Kuli Shramik Samannay Parishad, Truck Shramik Samannay Parishad and Malik Truck Group – went on the strike on Wednesday.

As a result, export and import between Bangladesh and India through the port have been closed down since then.

About 300 goods-laden trucks got stuck on the Indian side while trying to enter Bangladeshi territory yesterday because of the strike. Their demands include stopping the harassment that occurs during the process of importing.

Authorities of the BGB-3 battalion had fixed pass cards titled “Manifesto Card” (the card states production place and expiry date of products) for the In-

The association has been demanding that the battalion and port authorities stop using the cards to make import procure smooth.

But BGB sources said it was their regular duty to know about the goods that enter the country.

However, activities at the immigration department of the port remained normal during the strike period.

When Contacted, Ahmed Shamim Al Razi, deputy commissioner, said they were trying their best to ease the deadlock situation in the port.

“We have informed the National Board of Revenue and Ministry of Home Affairs about the demands of import organisations,” he said. l

Irregularity, corruption rule at RHMCH n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi

Longstanding irregularities and corruption have almost eaten away at Rajshahi Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital (RHMCH) allegedly with the involvement of the institution’s principal in some cases. Patients of homeopathy treatment have submitted a complaint about this to the Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner.

RHMCH Principal Dr Yasin Ali’s involvement in corruption allegedly ranges from admitting students to appointing teachers. He has appointed his wife, children, brother-in-law and even his housemaid at the hospital. He even allegedly pockets the monthly newspaper bill without keeping one.

A dynastic chapter

Soon after his appointment as the principal, Yasin has exhibited nepotistic tendencies, appointing his family members to key positions. His wife Sayera Banu is the Vice-principal of the institution while

his brother-in-law Jibon Kumar Barik and his son Guljar Hossain are working as teachers. He has also appointed his housekeeper Shawkat Ara Khatun as the hospital’s female attendant who draws a salary regularly without attending work.

Five to six of Yasin’s distant relatives have also secured jobs at the hospital because of him.

The pay discrimination

Of a total of 46 employees at the hospital, none makes more than Tk3,000 a month while many are given even less than that despite their documents showing otherwise. Yasin draws Tk19,200 in monthly pay while his wife draws Tk7,500 monthly. Dissatisfaction prevails at the institution because of the large difference in salary between the principal and the teachers.

Wrong information on teachers

Yasin has registered wrong descriptions of many of the teachers at the hospital’s information guide. In the guide,

Dr FMA Jahid has been mentioned as holding a single job at the hospital, though it was found that he also works at Rajshahi University Medical Centre.

Apart from Dr Jahid, Dr Fazlul Haque, Dr Shamsuddin, Obaidur Rahman, Dr Farida Akhter and Nilfuar Yasmin are teachers who all have a second job at state-run institutions but has not been mentioned in the guide. They are enjoying government allowances from two jobs simultaneously.

As for Yasin’s wife, the guide shows she was appointed on August 5, 1995, though the governing body appointed her in 2003.

Conflicting accounts of income and expense

Widespread anomaly has been alleged in the hospital’s account book as Yasin has been said to have put numbers whimsically to adjust an amount of Tk63,50,938. In the amount, inconsistencies were found in earnings from research works, practical classes, in-

ternships and testimonials while the principal manipulated the figures to adjust the total amount.

Yasin has also been alleged to have received a 2.5-katha land in bribe from a teacher named Shamim Chowdhury by promising him a job at the hospital.

Shamim also confessed to transferring ownership of the land, estimated to be worth over Tk70 lakh, to Yasin.

Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury, president of the RHMCH governing body and Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner, said he had received written complaints about the allegations by the Additional Deputy Commissioner at the latest meeting.

“We are looking into all of the allegations and nobody, after committing an offence, would go unpunished. If allegations are found to be true, we will take immediate action,” he said.

Yasin, however, denied his involvement in any wrongdoing and said all these were a quarter’s ill motive to discredit him. He said he was not involved in any corruption. l

A man arrested by police died in custody early morning yesterday in Kutubdia upazila in Cox’s Bazar. Police, however, claimed that he had committed suicide.

The deceased, Abul Kashem, 55, was from Piyarakata village under Lemsheekhali union in Kutubdia. He was working in a crop field near his residence when police arrested him on Wednesday afternoon, according to witnesses.

His family claimed that he was brutally tortured by the police on the night of the arrest, which resulted in his death the following morning.

Altaf Hossain, OC of Kutubdia police station, said Kashem, who was arrested in a case and held at the station, hung himself from a ceiling fan using a shirt at some point in the night.

Kashem’s body was sent to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for post-mortem later in the morning. l

Transport strike in Rajshahi on May 20, 21 n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Rajshahi Bus Truck Malik Shromik Oikya Parishad called a symbolic transport strike in the district from May 20 afternoon to May 21 night to bring attention to their six-point demands.

Rajshahi Bus Truck Malik Shromik Oikya Parishad announced the program at a press conference at its Seroil’s office in Rajshahi city yesterday, at noon.

Their demands include the stopping of all movement of three-wheelers (Nasimon, Karimon), cancellation of the road permit for CNG-run auto-rickshaws, reduction of the renewal fees of vehicles, stopping the extortion by highway police from trucks and discontinuation of the BRTC bus services in upazila levels.

In a written speech, Rajshahi Truck Owners’ Association General Secretary Sadrul Islam said in order to bring attention to their six-point demands they would hold a protest rally on May 21 at the Rajshahi bus terminal. No vehicles will be active in the district from 3pm on May 20 to 8pm on May 21.

If the authorities do not meet their demands, they will call a strike in Rajshahi for an indefinite period of time. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Friday, May 16, 2014

Illegal electricity links rampant in Sirajganj n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj Connections of the Power Development Board (PDB) are again being illegally provided in the territory of Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) in Sirajganj.

A PBS official said the PDB already set up a 200KV transformer at Kashiahata village in the PBS territory on May 8.

“I cannot imagine how they dare provide new illegal connections when for this, former PDB Executive Engineer Krishna Kanti Roy and Pabna Circle Caretaker Engineer Moazzemn Hossain stand-released.”

PBS consumers said they know it is illegal but they have nothing to do about it because of PBS’s erratic power supply, hampering IRRI-Boro paddy irrigation.

Besides, PBS officials take much time to restore power connections, snapped due to a storm or some other natural calamity, they say, adding that one has to suffer a lot to get a new PBS power connection.

Taking advantage of this, PDB middlemen are convincing PBS subscribers to take dual connections in some cases to get rid of frequent power outage.

Around 10,000 PDB power connections have been provided at Sadar upazila’s Kalia Haripur, Shialkol Khokshabrhi and Bahuli Union Pari-

30% increase in Nilphamari Aman cultivation n Our Correspondent, Nilphamari Aman paddy cultivation in the district has increased by 30 percent this year by suitable soil, favourable weather and timely supply of necessary agricultural seeds and materials have made this possible.

The information was disclosed by the authorities concerned of the local agriculture office.

SM Shirazul Islam, Deputy Director of Nilphamari Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), expressed to the Dhaka Tribune that: “Aman farmers under Domar, Jaldhaka, Dimla, Kishoriganj, Syedpur and Sadar upazila of the district have cultivated 79,695 hectare of land this year, which is 30 percent higher than last year. It has even crossed the bench mark of 79,443 targeted by us for the year.”

He also said: “The DAE arranged many training programmes and carried out campaign among the farmers to use organic fertilizer this season, which they followed meticulously. We are optimistic for a bumper production in Aman cultivation this year.” l

shad for the last eight to ten years.

Another PBS official says at least six power poles have been set up for new PDB power connections at the upazila’s Janpur area.

The process to collect 24 more poles for providing over 100 household and residential connections at Purbo Baoitara and Kadai villages is also going on, added the PDB official.

Besides this, the setting up of PDB poles and lines along around two kilometres past Sayedabad Union Parishad through Chhatiantali on the western side of Bangabandhu Bridge is under process, he says.

The PBS has already apprised PDB chairman, Rajshahi Zone Chief Engineer, Pabna Circle Chief Caretaker Engineer, among others, of setting up PDB transformer and providing connections in the PBS territory, they say.

Allegations have it that over 50 people, including Gasabari village’s Masur and Rahman are dealing with PDB’s CBA leaders over providing illegal power connections in the PBS territory.

About six months ago, over 100 illegal PDB connections were provided at Dhitpur Alal village in the PBS territory, when Tk 8,000 to 10,000 had to be given to a CBA leader for a connection.

About the erratic power supply, Sirajganj PBS Deputy General Man-

ager Md Nasimul Haq said, “We do not cause power outage just for no reason.

We have to do it for the proper management of power and that is too with the order of the high-ups.”

Asked about complaints against one or two PBS officials, he said, “The complaints are now with the head office.

After investigation, steps will soon be taken against them.”

Senior Deputy PBS General Manager Tushar Kanti Debnath said, “We have already written to the PDB chairman, Rajshahi Zone Chief Engineer, Pabna Circle Caretaker Engineer and Deputy Commissioner (Sirajganj) of their providing illegal power connections in the PBS territory.”

Sirajganj PDB Residential and Executive Engineer Dewan Md Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal, however, denied all the allegations brought against them there.

“We cannot be held responsible for what if anybody stores any electricity pole in front of their house. We did not give them any connection.”

About the setting up of the transformer, he said, “There have been PDB connections at Kashiahata village and its surroundings. To ease the transformer power load, this new one has been set up with the approval of the chief engineer here.” l

People process paddy after harvest in the dried up riverbed of the Padma in Rajshahi yesterday. A vast tract of the dried up riverbed has turned into crop fields as water level in the river falls during dry season DHAKA TRIBUNE

116 acres of land recovered from illegal occupation n Our Correspondent, Kushtia Kushtia district administration has recovered a huge quantity of government land which had been occupied by various extremist and vested interested groups.

Local sources said the district administration had launched a drive to recover the government land from illegal occupation on January this year.

The district authority has already recovered 116 acres of land worth about Tk206 crore and hung signboards on them.

But locals feared that the authority would not be able to keep the land under its control as many influential people have been annoyed by the drive.

Ziaul Haque, former councilor of Kushtia municipalty, said two sibling – Hamidul and Rashidul, who are the top two extremists in the district, had been occupying a large body of water for a long time.

“Locals are relieved that the

district authority has managed to recover the pond from their grip.”

He worries that they might grab the pond again soon, because of their links with high-up individuals, if the administration does not remain strict about their position.

‘Locals are relieved that the district authority has managed to recover the pond from their grip’ The authority has recovered 20 acres of land from Mirpur, Bheramara, Daulatpur and Kumarkhali under Khoksa upazila in the district last month.

Uttam Kumar Roy, assistant commissioner (land), said they would be vigilant about monitoring the land, making sure no one else grabs them.

According to the existing laws

there is no chance to reoccupy the land, he added.

ASM Kaderi, vice-president of Kushtia Chamber of Commerce, said the previous government [the BNP-led 18 party alliance] could not take any measure to recover the land from illegal occupation.

He also demanded that the government allocate the land to landless people for their betterment.

Officials of district administration said they had to face many obstacles, especially from political leaders, while recovering the land.

Former mayor of Barkhada union parishad Abdul said, “It was a great initiative and the land which had been recovered is huge, but I suspect whether the administration would be able to keep the land under their control or not.”

Asked about the fear of losing the land again, Mofiz Uddin Ahmed, police super of the district, said there was no chance to grab the land as law enforcers would be strict if anyone tried to seize the land. l

Police yet to ascertain reason behind murder of college girl n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj One-and-a-half month has passed since the murder of Mahmuda Khatun Liza, a college student in Sirajganj, but police are yet to solve the mystery behind the killing.

The investigating officer’s role in the case has also been questioned in view of the sluggish progress of probe. Liza’s friend Bannya, daughter of tile trader Jahedul Islam and also the prime suspect in the case, is still at large.

Meanwhile, Liza’s alleged lover Rajib Ghosh, owner of a medical hall in the city and once a notorious pethidine peddler, disappeared mysteriously following the girl’s death. The investigating officer has not considered a possible link between Rajib’s unexpected disappearance and the killing, which has produced mixed reactions among residents of the city.

The slow progress of the investigation has put Liza’s father Liakat Ali in a predicament.

Many have demanded the investigation be handed over to the Detective Branch of police or the Criminal Investigation Department or RAB. Dr Nurul Islam, who performed the autopsy at Sirajganj Sadar Hospital, mentioned in the report that the girl died from injuries.

Sirajganj Sadar police station Sub-inspector Nurul Islam, also investigating officer in the case, said Rajib could not be made a suspect in the case until Bannya’s arrest.

“Otherwise, the Hindu community will be infuriated,” he said.

Police Super SM Emran Hossain said there is a drive going on to arrest Bannya that could give police some clues.

Liza fell off a six-storey building in the city’s SS road on March 24. She died 10 days later at Enam Hospital while under treatment.

Police are yet to find out whether she jumped to commit suicide or if someone pushed her. l

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Office of the Chief Engineer/East

Bangladesh Railway CRB, Chittagong.

INVITATION FOR TENDERS 1

Ministry/Division

Ministry of Railways.

2

Agency

Bangladesh Railway.

3

Procuring Entity Name

Chief Engineer/East, Bangladesh Railway.

4

Procuring Entity District

Chittagong.

5

Invitation for

At PHT: Repairs to road leading from CTG-PHT main road near DEN-II/West corner to GRP Barrack gate No. 2 including guide wall.

6

Invitation Ref No

CE/E/Rev-180/2013-2014/W(1)

7

Date

10-5-2014

KEY INFORMATION 8

Procurement Method

Open Tendering Method (OTM)

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GoB (Revenue)

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Tender Publication Date

15-05-2014

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Tender Last Selling Date

01-06-2014

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Tender Closing Date & Time

Date: 02-06-2014 Time: 12.00 Hrs

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Tender Opening Date & Time

Date: 02-06-2014 Time: 12.30 Hrs

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Tender Validity Period

120 (One hundred twenty)days.

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Name & Address of the Office(s)

Address

-Selling Tender Document (Principal)

Office of the Chief Engineer/East, Bangladesh Railway, CRB, Chittagong.

-Selling Tender Document (Others)

(i) Office of the Divisional Engineer/3, Bangladesh Railway, Kamalapur, Dhaka. (ii) Office of the Divisional Engineer/2, Bangladesh Railway, Pahartali, Chittagong.

-Receiving Tender Document

Chamber of the Executive Engineer/P&D/East, Office of the Chief Engineer/East, Bangladesh Railway, CRB, Chittagong.

-Opening Tender Document

Chamber of the Executive Engineer/P&D/East, Office of the Chief Engineer/East, Bangladesh Railway, CRB, Chittagong.

The photo taken yesterday shows that gas which comes out of a tube well being used for cooking at a resident in Pirojpur DHAKA TRIBUNE

Natural gas coming out of tube well n

Our Correspondent, Pirojpur

Natural gas is coming out of a tube well at Kalikathi village in Shankarpasha union under Sadar upazila much to the surprise of the locals.

According to sources, the gas has been coming out from the pipeline of the tubewell continuously, for the past three months, which belongs to Amir Hossain, a resident of the village.

Amir said:” I had set up a tub-well at home three months ago when we discovered that there was blue water coming out from it.”

“I heard a mysterious sound coming out

along with the water from the pipeline.

Later, we were sure that it was natural gas because of the smell it emitted,” he said.

“Later, we set up a burner based elbow on top of the pipe and set fire to it just to be sure. Surprisingly, the gas caught fire and started burning,” said Amir.

“Now we are use the gas for cooking,” he added.

UP member Abdul Jalil said:”I have been informed of the matter.”

“Using gas this way may be risky,” he said.

Sadar upazila chairman Mujibar Rahman Khaleque said:”I have informed the deputy commissioner about the matter.” l

INFORMATION FOR TENDERER 16

Eligibility of Tenderer

As stated in the Tender Document.

17

Brief Description of Works

At PHT: Repairs to road leading from CTG-PHT main road near DEN-II/West corner to GRP Barrack gate No. 2 including guide wall.

18

Price of Tender document

Tk. 1000/- (One Thousand) Only (Non refundable).

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Tender Security

Tk. 20,000/- (Twenty Thousand) only.

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Time for Completion of the works

60 (Sixty) days from the date of start of the work.

In the form of Pay order/ Bank draft with MICR shall be submitted in favour of FA&CAO/East, Bangladesh Railway, Chittagong.

PROCURING ENTITY DETAILS A.K.M Mahbubul Alam

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Name of Official Inviting Tender

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Designation of Official Inviting Tender Chief Engineer (East), Bangladesh Railway.

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Address of Official Inviting Tender

Central Railway Building (CRB), Chittagong.

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Tel. No: 031-2863162

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The Procuring Entity reserves the right to reject all the Tenders or annual the Tender proceedings.

S(14) (238), Date: 14-05-2014 GC-62 (8×3)

e-mail: cee@railway.gov.bd

A.K.M Mahbbubul Alam Chief Engineer (East) Bangladesh Railway CRB, Chittagong

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Friday, May 16, 2014

The same side of different coins By attacking the religious orientation of their opponents, the AL and INC haven’t weakened them, they may have in fact strengthened them

T

n Zeeshan Khan

he Awami League’s (AL) orchestrated triumph over its rivals on the Bangladeshi political landscape may, on the surface, appear to be a win for secularism, but the machinations that put them there could have negative consequences far beyond the scope of what is immediately apparent.

As a party given to looking through lenses that are both retrofitted and narrow, it’s almost necessary that the AL will miss them, but an encroaching megalomania means they have also missed seeing how they have swung sharply away from liberalism and may be rapidly ceding what was once a comfortable moral high ground.

The AL’s second term was plagued by allegations of large-scale corruption, including stock market scams, the defrauding of state-owned banks and misappropriation of international development funding, all of which made them very unpopular with the voting public; in fact it may have cost them a third term had the elections been held under different circumstances.

Changing the circumstances therefore became particularly pressing for them, and the Ganajagaran Mancha provided them with a perfect opportunity to do so. Back in February 2013, when the demands for death to war criminals erupted over Shahbagh, the AL successfully turned an anti-establishment movement (against the government-sanctioned tribunal’s verdict) into a pro-government entity, manifest as the Ganajagaran Mancha, or platform for the people’s uprising.

Since then, the AL has undermined various institutions of the state, including the judiciary and the police force. They have also played divisive politics to the hilt, using the war crimes trials to alienate their opposition – accused of being either supporters or perpetrators of crimes against humanity in 1971. But their disregard for psychological, and indeed factual realities has produced results that are contrary to the ones they might have hoped to achieve.

While it’s true that members of the Jamaat-e-Islami party committed war crimes, the AL’s attempt to discredit and then disband the entire organisation as a party of war criminals has not gone down well with large sections of society that associate the party, not with war crimes at all, but with religion. The AL’s attrition against Jamaat has been perceived as an attack on Islam, and has caused it to lose its religion sanction – something that goes a long way towards legitimacy in South Asian political posturing.

Their attack on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been altogether more absurd. Terming it an anti-liberation party (even though it boasts a number of decorated war veterans among its ranks), the AL has proceeded to try and associate the BNP with treason because of its alliance with Jamaat, an alliance the AL

The AL may in fact be accelerating fundamentalism in Bangladesh, by denying Islam-oriented parties, like Jamaat, any space in the mainstream discourse. The photograph is of the burnt train taken early 2002 – the incident that triggered the anti-Muslim rioting in Gujarat AFP denying Islam-oriented parties, like Jamaat, any space in the mainstream discourse.

Their heavy handedness against the likes of Hefazat-e-Islam, a collection of Qawmi madrassa students and teachers, and their patronage of the Ganajagaran Mancha, which has become an affront to the religious right for its call to ban religious parties, only deepens the fissures between these two camps.

Attacks on minorities have increased and religious radicalism seems to be on the rise, but the AL’s habit of conveniently branding all political agitation and violence as terrorism, confounds the issue, since it becomes difficult to discern how much of the violence is inspired by religious sentiment, and how much of it is a reaction to democratic disenfranchisement.

It’s quite likely that most of it is the latter. A terrorist threat does not exist in Bangladesh the same way it exists in Pakistan, but manufacturing one has become politically expedient. Added to this, the AL’s own brand of “terrorism” in the form of student wings and party cadres who bully the public and operate above the law, makes searching for the political high ground a very difficult thing to do.

What does any of this have to do

While the mudslinging has not been as intense or aggressive in India, it certainly contains many of the same elements

itself entered into when the shoe was on the other foot.

The AL has resorted to manipulating and muzzling the media, amending the constitution, curtailing democratic rights and misusing the rule of law in its attempt to establish its own narrative – that they are a party of liberation and the only nationalistic platform on the scene. They have begun to appear more comfortable presiding over an authoritarian state in perpetual emergency, than an inclusive, plural democracy.

The AL’s more recent call to arms has been that they represent a counter-force to the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, which, according to their interpretation of reality, is just around the corner. But just as Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Yahya Khan inadvertently created Bangladesh by trying to deny Sheikh Mujibur Rahman his legitimate, democratic right in 1971, the AL may in fact be accelerating fundamentalism in Bangladesh, by

with the Indian elections? To begin with, there are clear parallels between the party-political rhetoric in both countries, and while the mudslinging has not been as intense or aggressive in India, it certainly contains many of the same elements.

Take for example the Congress party’s attempt to appropriate secular Indian nationalism by discrediting the BJ Pasa party of extremists. Congress has used the offensive expression “Saffron terror” on a number of occasions, nearly always to demonise their political opponent, and as early as 2010, Rahul Gandhi is on record telling the then US Ambassador to India that “radicalised Hindu groups” create religious tensions and pose a bigger threat to India than the likes of Muslim radical outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba.

While his reference to the BJP was oblique, the party took it upon themselves to respond, with at least one BJP leader terming it “crass communalism and [a] jaundiced world view.”

The BJP has since denounced claims of Hindu terrorism as the “vilification of Hindu saints and army officers in the name of Hindu terrorism,” a statement very similar, incidentally, to the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam’s preferred line of defence.

Congress and Rahul Gandhi have stepped up their offensive with Rahul’s recent statements against the RSS and the BJP in which he said: “The RSS shot and killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Now they (BJP) are adopting their (RSS) principles and speaking about them.” In the same speech, he went on to say: “Wherever the opposition goes, they create a rift between Hindus and Muslims, between one region and another. We believe in taking everyone together to take the country forward.”

By referencing Mahatma Gandhi, Rahul has attempted to do just what the Awami League has done in Bangladesh, which is to try and portray the BJP as a party diametrically opposed to the very foundations of India. He has also tried to take their totems from them, reclaiming Vallabhbhai Patel as a Congress leader and not, as Narendra Modi is trying to project, a source of BJP’s authenticity. Rahul also made inflammatory statements against Modi on his home turf of Gujarat, likening his leadership style to that of Hitler’s and alleging that the BJP’s problem was anger. “They are filled with anger, hatred. Congress is all about love,” was his parting shot.

But this strategy could easily backfire; in fact it has already begun to. Rahul’s statements about Mahatma Gandhi drew sharp criticism from one of Gandhiji’s descendants, who wrote a strongly worded letter to Rahul asking him to stop using Gandhiji’s name for political gains. He even went as far as to say: “To keep harping that the RSS killed Gandhi is akin to saying the Tamils killed your father ... which would be such a petty falsehood isn’t it?”

Others have quoted Sardar Patel’s letter to Nehru in 1948 as proof that the RSS had nothing to do with the assassination. The Congress’s hold on Gandhiji’s legacy has also become increasingly tenuous since the arrival of the Aam Admi Party, which is ideologically “Gandhian” and has managed to lure grandsons of both Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri into its fold.

Its anti-corruption platform goes head-to-head against the allegations of rampant corruption in the Congress party. As the AAP rises, it will become increasingly difficult for Congress to monopolise the nationalistic narrative and it may find itself resembling not Gandhi’s India, but the British Raj. The communal “divide and rule” strategy that Congress is subtly attempting to employ will also cost them allies. The Lok Janshakti Party, a decidedly secular party, has already

chosen to back the BJP, citing frustrations with Congress’s attempts at making communalism an election platform. LJP President Ramvilas Paswan made his motives abundantly clear when he said: “More than a decade has passed since the 2002 riots in Gujarat ... It’s development and not (the riot) which is a subject of debate in the country today.”

Even more damaging has been Rahul Gandhi’s attempt at juxtaposing the 1984 riots with the 2002 riots, by saying that in 1984 the government attempted to stop the riots as opposed to what happened in Gujarat. The leader of the opposition in India’s upper house hit him with a barrage of statistics, saying: “Rahul Gandhi is ill-informed. In 1984, police hardly fired at the rioters ... it was in collusion with the government. In Gujarat, 300 rioters died in police firing. Around 65,000 rioters were arrested in Gujarat ... more than 4,000 cases have been charge sheeted and hundreds have been convicted.”

Narendra Modi was also subsequently acquitted of all charges, a fact that Congress prefers to ignore.

The Indian National Congress and Rahul Gandhi are not really wrong about the BJP. There is a clear Hindutva streak in their politics, evident in Narendra Modi’s comments in Assam about Hindu Bangladeshis being welcome in India, while “other” Bangladeshis are not.

Aggressive, anti-Bangladesh and anti Pakistan posturing is also evident, and in a Hindustan Times report from January 28 this year, BJP cadres and Sangh pracharaks admitted that Modi’s appeal was linked to the perception that he would “keep minorities in their place.” “In UP, the government behaves as if Muslims are the only citizens. We will take advantage of the resentment,” a Sangh functionary is quoted as saying.

And that is the point that Congress is totally missing. The Hindutva agenda appeals to many more Indians than urban, educated, middle class India seems to give it credit for. In fact even middle and upper-middle class Indians are taken by it, as evidenced by some of the reactions to Modi’s refusal to wear a Muslim topi. “I like him because he refused the topi,” commented an upper-middle class professional quoted in the same Hindustan Times article. “Others wear the topi, and act only for that community. But Modiji showed he will not pander to them.”

Modi was also praised for this act by the Shiv Sena, the BJP’s oldest ally, and one that it (BJP) doesn’t seem to want to antagonise, as seen by the BJP’s reactions to their very public tiff over the Maharashtra alliance issue.

The Sena also expressed discontent at Modi’s recent secular overtures, and reminded him that his power depends on the Hindu vote bank,

which he should not disappoint with the “poison of secularism.” The topi incident occurred a few days after that reminder.

This then, is the crucial factor that both the Awami League and the Indian National Congress have failed to appreciate. By attacking the religious orientation of their opponents, they haven’t weakened them, they may have in fact strengthened them, since both the BJP and the Jamaat-e-Islami seek to empower sections of the population that feel, and have historically felt, disempowered.

They appeal to the conservative,

private gain also takes a lot of shine off their glow. And finally, Modi’s promises of economic growth spell progress and forward thinking, while Congress appears to be hankering for bygone eras. In Bangladesh as well, the BNP and Jamaat are seen, by many, as right-of-centre economically inclined alternatives to a lumbering and regressive Awami League, still harping on about 1971.

India’s next elections will be vitally important for Bangladesh. The past 5 years have been the closest the two countries have ever come to harmonising their policies. It is the first time

All of this has meant that India is seen mostly as a friend of the AL, more so than as a friend of Bangladesh

economically disadvantaged majority in both countries, to whom faith is sacrosanct and often their only form of fortitude. In countries where recourse to justice is scant, and exploitative economies still dominate, it’s only natural for parties claiming to represent “higher” realities to have popular support.

Another part of this equation is class dynamics. Narendra Modi represents possibility. He represents the aspiration of millions of ordinary Indians who believe that they too can one day become leaders of a country. In Bangladesh, Islamic organisations like both Jamaat-e-Islam and Hefazat-e-Islam, are invested in social welfare activities among the very poor, often running orphanages and providing them with employment. Both Jamaat and the BJP are more meritocratic than the Awami League and Congress, which derive their legitimacy from dynasty and cults of personality. This is by definition, exclusive.

Both the Awami League and Congress attempt to dispense a top-down worldview, cooked in a cauldron of enlightened idealism expecting it to trickle down into every home and heart until it becomes the established narrative. But they are contending with a bottom-up perspective that sees much of what they represent as vestiges of an imperial order, reinforced, in the case of the Awami League at least, by excessive policing and a force-fed “liberalism,” which appears anything but liberal at the best of times.

Their misappropriation of public funds and the use of public offices for

since 1975 that the AL and Congress are in power at the same time, and therefore old alliances have managed to prevail. However, this has benefitted India far more than it has Bangladesh, with a number of crucial Bangladeshi demands - water sharing, border killings, transit for trade - remaining unresolved. There are issues of maritime boundaries as well, along with the exchange of enclaves.

India’s hegemonic role is viewed suspiciously in Bangladesh, as is their outright patronage of the AL. India’s was virtually the only government globally that supported the last general elections in Bangladesh. It’s also a well-known fact that Bangladesh has lost many friends internationally over the last two years, both in the Western and Islamic spheres, due to misgivings about the war crimes tribunal.

All of this has meant that India is seen mostly as a friend of the AL, more so than as a friend of Bangladesh. As the AL consolidates its power it may become a source of embarrassment for India, specifically for the Congress party, which will be seen to be supporting autocracy on its doorstep, and propping up a government that does not have a popular mandate. It also means that it shares in the AL’s domestic unpopularity and also contributes to it, something that will make it difficult for India to have a foothold in Bangladesh should the Awami League fall from grace in the near future. l Zeeshan Khan is a journalist. This article was first published in the April edition of Seminar Magazine, India.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Friday, May 16, 2014

Mass funerals, anger as Turkey mourns mine workers At least 282 people have been confirmed dead so far, mostly from carbon monoxide poisoning

n Reuters, Turkey Loudspeakers broadcast the names of the dead and excavators dug mass graves in this close-knit Turkish mining town yesterday, while protesters gathered in major cities as grief turned to anger following the country’s deadliest industrial disaster.

Rescuers were still trying to reach parts of the coal mine in Soma, 480 km (300 miles) southwest of Istanbul, almost 48 hours after fire knocked out power and shut down the ventilation shafts and elevators, trapping hundreds underground.

At least 282 people have been confirmed dead, mostly from carbon monoxide poisoning, and hopes are fading of pulling out any more alive of the 100 or so still thought to be inside.

Anger has swept a country that has boasted a decade of rapid economic growth under Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted government but which still suffers from one of the world’s worst workplace safety standards.

Furious residents heckled Erdogan and jostled his entourage on Wednesday as he toured the town, angry at what they see as the government’s coziness with mining tycoons, its failure to ensure safety and a lack of information on the rescue effort.

Access to the mine entrance was blocked by paramilitary police roadblocks several kilometers away ahead of a visit by President Abdullah Gul on Thursday, as officers searched cars.

“We came here to share the grief and wait for our friends to come out but we were not allowed. Is the president’s pain greater than ours?” asked Emre, an 18-year-old trying to get to the mine who said friends from his village were still trapped.

Erdogan, who announced three days of national mourning from Tuesday, expressed regret for the disaster

but said such accidents were not uncommon, and turned defensive when asked if sufficient precautions had been in place.

Newspaper Radikal published an amateur video clip on its website appearing to show Erdogan saying “Come here and boo me” as he walked through a hostile crowd in the town on Wednesday.

A picture of one of his advisers appearing to kick a protester, doing the rounds on social media, did little to help his image. His office was not immediately available to comment.

Out of touch

Erdogan, who is expected to stand in a presidential election in August, has weathered mass protests and a corruption scandal over the past year, and his AK Party dominated local polls in March despite the political turbulence.

But his fractious handling of a disaster hitting the sort of working class, conservative community which makes up the core of his supporter base is further evidence, his opponents say, that he is a leader increasingly out of touch.

Four of Turkey’s labor unions called for a national one-day strike, furious at what they see as a sharp deterioration in working conditions since formerly state-run mines including the one in Soma were leased to private firms.

“Hundreds of our worker brothers in Soma have been left to die from the very start by being forced to work in brutal production processes in order to achieve maximum profits,” a statement from the unions said, calling on people to wear black.

Several thousand people staged a sit-down protest in front of police water cannon in Istanbul, holding banners with slogans including “It is not accident, It is not fate, it is murder” and “Our hearts are burning in Soma.”

Police fired water cannon to break

Turkish mine disaster 280+

confirmed dead most poisoned by carbon monoxide

Entrance blocked

May 13: An explosion collapses part of a coal mine at Soma

360+

200 km

rescued ANKARA

TURKEY

Fire and toxic gas hampering rescue

90 Illustration only, not to scale

miners still trapped 4 km from the entrance

Clockwise from top left: People take part in a demonstration gathering hundreds, in Ankara, after more than 280 people were killed in an explosion at a mine. People gather around empty graves during a funeral ceremony of miners who died in the mine explosion in the western town of Soma in Manisa. A woman cries after she lost relatives during a funeral ceremony for the dead miners. An AFP infographics on the Soma mine disaster AFP up a demonstration in Izmir, the nearest large city to Soma, and there were reports of protests in the southern cities of Mersin and Antalya.

Around a thousand people from various trade unions gathered in Ankara to march on the labor ministry, some wearing miners’ helmets and waving banners

showing the image of Che Guevara.

Close-knit community

Thousands of family members and co-workers have gathered outside the hospital in Soma, where much of the population either works in or has relatives employed by the mining industry,

seeking information on their loved ones.

Loudspeakers on street corners used by the local government to announce news, a hangover of the days when Internet connections and mobile phones were less common, broadcast the names of the dead and gave funeral details.

The rescue operation was hampered

US rebuked Norway on Obama Nobel Peace Prize!

PALESTINIANS MARKING ‘NAKBA DAY’

n AFP, Oslo

A Palestinian girl dons goggles in the shape of ì66î and a set of wings with an inscription in Arabic that reads, ‘Returning to Palestine’ as she stands in a field with others (unseen) near Gaza City on May 15, as Palestinians mark Nakba Day. Palestinians marked the day which means in Arabic ‘catastrophe’ in reference to the birth of the state of Israel 66-years-ago in British-mandate Palestine, which led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war over Israel’s creation AFP

Palestinians clash with Israeli forces on Nakba Day n AFP, Ramallah Palestinians in the West Bank clashed with Israeli forces yesterday, the 66th anniversary of the Nakba or “catastrophe” of the Jewish state’s creation when 760,000 Palestinians fled their homes.

About 150 people demanding the release of thousands of Palestinians held

by Israel protested near Ofer prison, outside Ramallah, and border policemen shot one in the chest.

Palestinian medics said the wounded man was undergoing surgery in a Ramallah hospital.

At the Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, protestors set fire to tyres and hurled stones at border police who responded with “riot dispersal means,” an army spokesman told AFP, using the term usually applied to the use of rubber bullets or tear gas.

In the Gaza Strip, hundreds of people, some carrying Palestinian flags or banners calling for refugees to be allowed to return to their former homes, marched near the Erez crossing with Israel. l

late on Wednesday as the fire inside the mine continued, making it extremely hazardous for crews to retrieve bodies.

Turkey’s safety record in coal mining has been poor for decades, with its previous worst accident in 1992, when a gas blast killed 263 workers in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak. l

Barack Obama’s administration rebuked Norway after he won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, saying it was an awkward honour for an as-yet untested leader, a Norwegian diplomat revealed yesterday.

“My most embarrassing day at the UN, at the time when I was Norway’s ambassador there, was when Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize was announced. Nobody was talking about it,” said Morten Wetland, who served at the UN from 2008 to 2012.

“My colleague in Washington received a reprimand from Obama’s chief of staff (Rahn Emmanuel, at the time). The word ‘fawning’ was used,” Wetland added in an article in Norwegian daily Dagens Naeringsliv.

The diplomat said that the prize put Obama, who was nominated for the prize just weeks after taking office, in a difficult position.

“An American president wants to set his own agenda. Here he was forced into a role that he hadn’t sought,” Wetland said.

“It could seem like somebody did this to make Obama visit the country.”

The Nobel was unexpectedly awarded

to the first African American president of the United States on October 9, 2009, “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

The announcement came as the US was engaged in two conflicts, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Norway’s ambassador to the US at the time, Wegger Stroemmen, could not be reached for comment.

Wetland’s words were published in the midst of a recurring debate on the independence and the make-up of the Nobel committee, whose five members make fully autonomous decisions but are appointed by the Norwegian parliament.

The committee’s choices are nevertheless sometimes considered to represent the country’s foreign policy.

When Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the prize in 2010, the Asian nation froze all high level diplomatic contact with Norway.

Several voices including Wetland are calling for the opening of the Nobel committee to foreign personalities in order to broaden its scope and highlight its independence. l

Resist or cooperate? Crimean Tatars Nigeria kidnap families for ‘unconditional’ release split over Russian rule n Reuters, Bakhchisaray, Crimea Seventy years after their families’ mass deportation under Soviet leader Josef Stalin, the Crimean Tatars are in a quandary: should they cooperate with their homeland’s new Russian authorities or resist them?

Some Tatars - Sunni Muslims of Turkic origin - fear a return to Stalinist repression despite official promises to respect their rights and freedoms; others say dealing with Russia is the best way of ensuring their people can flourish.

Less than two months into Moscow rule, tensions are running high before Sunday’s anniversary of the deportations in cattle wagons which began on May 18, 1944.

“It’s either war or compromise. That is the essence of the problem we face.

If we don’t adopt a unified approach, we risk splitting ourselves up and being marginalised,” said Nariman Dzhelyalov, deputy chairman of the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatars’ main representative body.

The Tatars, who make up more than 12 percent of Crimea’s largely ethnic Russian population of about 2 million, are among the most vociferous critics of Moscow’s annexation in March of the peninsula previously governed

by Ukraine.

Russia views the annexation as righting an historical injustice, describing it as “reunification” of a region which Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev handed to Ukraine only in 1954.

But the Tatars, whose historical capital of Bakhchisaray lies a short distance from the modern day regional centre of Simferopol, remind Moscow they ruled large parts of Crimea for centuries before Russian Empress Catherine the Great conquered the Black Sea peninsula in the late 18th century.

Stalin accused the Tatars of sympathising with Nazi Germany, and many of the estimated 200,000 deportees died on their way into exile in Central Asia and eastern Russia. Only in the last years of the Soviet Union were members of the community able to

start returning to Crimea in the 1980s.

Many Tatars boycotted a referendum on March 16 when local authorities say 97 percent of those who voted opted to join Russia. Kiev and the West derided the exercise as illegitimate.

The Tatars have continued to fly the Ukrainian flag at the Mejlis since the vote, despite a visit by armed pro-Russian “self-defense” units and threats to close their organisation by the region’s chief prosecutor. “We’re used to constant struggle. We don’t trust the Russian authorities, and why should we?

They have always opposed the Crimean Tatars,” Dzhelyalov said.

The Mejlis’ former leader, Soviet-era dissident Mustafa Dzhemilev, says he is banned from setting foot on Crimean soil.

While the Mejlis is the largest Crimean Tatar organisation, some smaller groups are happy Russia has taken the region under its wing. One such group, Milli Firka, says Kiev had done little to rehabilitate the Crimean Tatars in the 23 years since the Soviet Union collapsed. l

n AFP, Abuja

Relatives of more than 200 schoolgirls held hostage by Boko Haram yesterday called for their unconditional release, after Nigeria’s government ruled out a prisoner swap with the extremists.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau indicated in a video this week that he could release the 223 girls now held for more than a month in exchange for militant fighters in custody in Nigerian jails. But Britain’s Africa minister Mark Simmonds said after meeting President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday that the head of state was adamant there “will be no negotiation that involves a swap.”

Ayuba Chibok, whose niece is among the hostages, said the girls’ detention was taking its toll on parents and families in their remote town from where the teenagers were abducted on April 14.

“For me, I want these girls released without any negotiations. Even if Boko Haram wants to request something from the government, let them request something else,” he told AFP by telephone from Chibok.

“Let (Shekau) release these girls unconditionally,” he added.

Security chiefs quizzed

The mass abduction – and Boko Haram claims that the girls would be sold as slaves – has led to global outrage and galvanised the international community to help Nigeria end the crisis.

US drones and manned surveillance aircraft have been deployed, while Britain was sending a spy plane and a military team to Abuja to work alongside French and Israeli experts.

In parliament, seNators were quizzing security and military commanders before voting on a request by Jonathan for a six-month extension to a state of emergency in three northeast states.

Jonathan has called the security situation in the region “daunting” and said he was concerned by the mounting loss of life among civilians.

Boko Haram, which wants to create an Islamic state in Muslim-majority northern Nigeria, has been fighting an increasingly deadly insurgency since 2009 which has claimed thousands of lives. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Afghanistan: Abdullah-Ghani run-off confirmed n AFP, Kabul Afghanistan’s election will go to a runoff vote between former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani, results yesterday confirmed, as the country enters a new era without Nato combat troops.

The head-to-head election, scheduled for June 14, will choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power.

Whoever wins will have to oversee the fight against a resilient Taliban insurgency as 51,000 US-led troops depart this year, as well as try to strengthen an economy reliant on declining aid money.

“After a thorough review, it is clear that no candidate has been able to win more than 50% and the election goes to a second round,” said Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC).

Abdullah secured 45% of the vote on April 5, with his main rival Ghani on 31.6 percent, according to the final results, which came after weeks of deliberation over fraud allegations.

The 2009 election, when Karzai retained power, was marred by rigging in a chaotic process that shook confidence in the multinational effort to develop the country, and also marked a sharp decline in relations with the United States.

The run-off was originally scheduled for May 28, but ink and other material was damaged in an insurgent attack on the election authorities’ warehouses.

“Some sensitive materials that were stocked at IEC headquarters for the

second round were destroyed by the Taliban attack – providing those materials again needs time,” Nuristani said.

The UN mission in Afghanistan welcomed the results, but warned that the run-off would pose a test for candidates and election authorities.

“Candidates have a responsibility to call on their supporters to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric, intimidation, and threats,” said UNAMA chief Jan Kubis. “(They) must also instruct their supporters not to commit fraud on their behalf.”

Both candidates were due to hold press conferences later Thursday.

Building alliances

Abdullah this week received a major boost with the endorsement of thirdplaced Zalmai Rassoul, a close ally of Karzai, who has stayed publicly neutral in the election.

Rassoul’s support for Abdullah increased pressure on Ghani to concede, and another election could be avoided by deal-making in the coming weeks.

Abdullah had said on Wednesday that his campaign had evidence of fraudulent voting that would have a “significant impact on final results,” but the official results were closely in line with the preliminary figures released late last month.

Karzai, who has ruled since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, is constitutionally barred from a third term in office.

The first-round election last month was hailed as a success, with turnout far better than in 2009 and the Taliban failing to launch a major attack despite threats to disrupt the vote. l

World

July election unlikely as renewed unrest grips Bangkok n Reuters, Bangkok A Thai general election is unlikely to go ahead in July after renewed unrest, officials said yesterday, as the acting prime minister was forced by protesters to flee a meeting with electoral officers and gunmen killed three people in Bangkok.

The turmoil comes as a government loyal to ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra squares off with opponents backed by the royalist establishment over who should be prime minister in the latest phase of nearly a decade of rivalry.

Anti-government protesters broke into the grounds of an air force compound where acting Prime Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan was meeting the Election Commission to fix a date for new polls, which had been tentatively set for July 20.

Commission member Somchai Srisutthiyakorn later told Reuters that date now looked improbable. “We may have to push back the polls,” he said.

The government sees a general election as the best way out of a crisis that threatens to tip Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy into recession and has even raised fears of civil war.

Its enemies know the ruling party would be highly likely to win a poll and want electoral changes aimed at ending the influence of former telecommunications tycoon Thaksin before another vote is held.

The renewed tension on the streets raises the prospect that the military which has stayed out of the crisis so far - could intervene, with the army chief reiterating that an escalation in violence could force it to step in to avoid further bloodshed. l

9

Friday, May 16, 2014

Up to 21 dead as anti-China riots spread in Vietnam n Reuters, Hanoi More than 20 people were killed in Vietnam and a huge foreign steel project set ablaze as anti-China riots spread to the centre of the country a day after arson and looting in the south, a doctor and company officials said yesterday.

A doctor at a hospital in central Ha Tinh province said five Vietnamese workers and 16 other people described as Chinese were killed on Wednesday night in rioting, one of the worst breakdowns in Sino-Vietnamese relations since the neighbors fought a brief border war in 1979.

“There were about a hundred people sent to the hospital last night. Many were Chinese. More are being sent to the hospital this morning,” the doctor at Ha Tinh General Hospital told Reuters by phone.

Local media has, however, said only person was killed, while China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that at least two Chinese nationals had died and more than 100 hospitalised.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called on police and state and local authorities to restore order and ensure the safety of people and property in the affected areas.

“Appropriate measures should be taken immediately to help businesses stabilise quickly and return to normal production activities,” he said in a statement, without elaborating.

The Planning and Investment Ministry blamed the clashes on “extremists” and warned that they could seriously affect the investment environment in Vietnam.

Formosa Plastics Group, Taiwan’s biggest investor in Vietnam, said its upcoming steel plant in Ha Tinh was set on fire after fighting between its Viet-

Vietnam anti-China riots CHINA HANOI LAOS Ha Tinh

One Chinese worker killed, 100 injured in riot at Taiwanese steel plant, police said Thursday

THAILAND

CAMBODIA Binh Duong Ho Chi Minh

Riot police deployed on Wednesday after anti-China riots and arson attacks forced several factories to suspend operations temporarily

200 km

namese and Chinese workers. One Chinese worker was killed and 90 others injured, it said in a statement in Taipei.

It was not immediately clear if the casualties were among those admitted to the Ha Tinh hospital.

The plant is expected to be Southeast Asia’s largest steel making facility when it is completed in 2017. No details of fire damage or financial losses were immediately available, the company said.

The Ha Tinh industrial park, estimated to cost more than $20 billion, is more than half complete. When finished in 2020, it will have a port, a

2,100-MW power plant and six furnaces, Vietnamese media say.

Such industrial zones are the backbone of Vietnam’s $138bn economy.

The country has 190 registered industrial parks employing about 2.1 million people. They manufactured products worth $38bn in exports last year, or 30% of Vietnam’s total export revenue.

The anti-China riots erupted in industrial zones in the south of the country on Tuesday after protests against Beijing placing an oil rig in a part of the South China Sea claimed

by Hanoi. l

Gandhi dynasty faces more than just defeat No sign of breakthrough n Reuters, New Delhi The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has defined Indian politics for nearly a century faces more than humiliating election defeat when results come out on Friday.

An expected triumph for opposition leader Narendra Modi could condemn the family to political oblivion.

Often described as a mixture of a royal family with the tragic glamour of the Kennedys, the dynasty gave India its first prime minister, the empire-beating barrister Jawaharlal Nehru.

His daughter, Indira Gandhi, and grandson, Rajiv, both held the post subsequently, and both were assassinated.

By some measures, the family was in decline long before the parliamentary election; it has not won a majority in decades.

Shy scion Rahul Gandhi's bid to stay in power for a third consecutive term was called lacklustre even by allies, and his speeches at rallies up and down the country in recent months were a far cry from Nehru's legendary rhetoric.

Compare that with overwhelming favourite Modi's electrifying campaign, during which he repeatedly derided Rahul, 43, and his mother Sonia for keeping India poor, and the house of Gandhi looks vulnerable.

Few would write off the clan completely. Sonia, the power behind the prime ministerial throne occupied by Manmohan Singh, delivered Congress its worst result to date in 1999. She then led the party to victory in the next two elections.

Nonetheless, leaders of both the Gandhi's Congress party and Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said they believed Modi would seek to loosen the dynasty's grip on India if he wins.

They pointed to his home state of Gujarat, where he has systematically purged rivals from institutions and won three consecutive terms, capitalising on his pro-business policies.

"He will defang them politically. Look at what he did in Gujarat: he has just reduced the Congress to a non-player," said Kanchan Gupta, member of the BJP's national executive committee.

Modi has questioned Sonia's non-native roots - the widow of Rajiv was born in Italy. On Thursday, a BJP ally called Rahul a "foreigner,” even though he was born in New Delhi.

During the election, Modi contrasted his humble past as the low-caste son of a tea seller with Rahul's privileged and cloistered life in plush districts of the capital. In one recent newspaper interview, Modi said the family's leadership could come under threat if the party fails to win 100 of parliament's 543 seats, as some polls predict.

Congress sources said they were worried he planned to target their very existence in politics.

in Iran-UN nuclear probe

LADDU DATE IN DELHI

n Reuters, Vienna

Sweets makers wearing caps of India’s main opposition (BJP) prepare ‘Laddu,’ a ball-shaped sweet, to be distributed among the party leaders, supporters and workers on Friday, at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi yesterday REUTERS "We're assuming this will be one of his priorities," said a Congress strategist who is close to the Gandhi family. "The family is not worried, but the party is," he said.

Rewriting history

The scale of Modi's antipathy to the Gandhis was on display at the start of the campaign last year, when he launched the construction of the world's tallest statue, a $338 million, 182-metre tall homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Nehru's deputy and interior minister, who was often at odds with him.

Modi, a Hindu nationalist, sees Patel as a symbol of an India imagined without the dynasty, who would have led the country down a different, right-wing path if he had not been thwarted by the socialist and atheist Nehru.

"Every Indian regrets Sardar Patel did not become the first prime minister. Had he been the first prime minister, the country's fate and face would have been completely different," Modi said at the time.

The Congress party has lost power several times since Nehru's era. After his daughter Indira Gandhi led the party to a crushing defeat in 1977, the prime minister who replaced her humiliated the family with arrests and investigations.

But that caused a backlash of sympathy among the public that helped propel her back to power with a landslide majority three years later.

If elected, Modi is not expected to follow the same course of using tax and police agencies to harass the Gandhis. In a

campaign speech last month, Modi said he did not believe in "vendetta" politics or witch-hunts.

"The Janata Party government was in too much of a hurry," said Gupta. "Modi is too savvy to be seen to be openly persecuting the dynasty. He has made it very clear that he is not going to be vindictive in politics."

Going by his record in Gujarat, Modi prefers to move methodically against his opponents - often with the help of close aide Amit Shah, who held multiple posts in the Gujarat government and led Modi's campaign in Uttar Pradesh, politically the most important state, during the election.

After Modi took office in Gujarat in 2001, Shah, a former stockbroker, helped him consolidate power by squeezing Congress loyalists out of non-state institutions, such as the state's banking and dairy cooperatives, which are economically powerful and influence the lives of millions of voters.

He also helped the BJP wrest control of the Gujarat state cricket association from Congress after 16 years, getting Modi elected to head the organisation in 2009.

Cricket is closely tied with politics in India, where the sport is hugely popular and politicians revel in exposure to it.

Modi is now the longest-serving chief minister in Gujarat's history, a fact that has helped lure high profile defectors away from Congress ranks, another favoured tactic. In the last two years, hundreds of Congress workers have switched sides in the state, including some of its top leaders.

Survival instincts

While Modi may not press legal cases against the Gandhis or their associates for alleged corruption - a move some in his party would encourage - a resounding victory on Friday would help him make the BJP India's natural party of power, not Congress.

"We're looking at being out of power for 10 years," said the party strategist, when asked what the implication of a strong BJP majority would be for the Congress party.

Even so, Congress is unlikely to ditch the Gandhis any time soon, not least because the party has recovered from previous defeats.

In the hours after the exit polls came out, party leaders were quick to shift the blame for any potential loss away from Rahul Gandhi's handling of the campaign.

"There are no leadership changes, there are no nights of the long knives, there's no mindless recrimination, and as a political party that has known defeat before we work towards victory again," said Mani Shankar Aiyar, a former minister and family loyalist.

And for many in the party who might be looking for fresh blood, the search ends with Rahul's charismatic sister Priyanka, who had an important backroom role in the campaign.

"Party men would embrace her with both arms the moment she wants to join - in fact they'd grow a third arm to welcome her," Aiyar said. l

The UN nuclear watchdog declined to say whether Iran had met a deadline on Thursday for starting to address suspicions it may have carried out atomic weapons research, adding to signs of limited progress so far.

Under a cooperation pact agreed between the two sides in November, Iran was to implement seven transparency steps by May 15 to help allay international concern about its disputed nuclear programme, which the West fears may have military ends.

On the most sensitive of those - for Iran to provide information about detoNators that can, among other things, be used to set off an atomic explosive device - diplomats have said the UN atomic agency was seeking further clarification.

How Iran responds to questions about so-called Explosive Bridge Wire detoNators is seen as a litmus test of its readiness to begin cooperating with a long-stonewalled investigation into what the Vienna-based UN body calls the possible military dimensions (PMD) of the country’s nuclear programme.

Iran denies Western allegations that it has been seeking to develop the capability to make nuclear weapons but has offered to work with the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

to resolve its concerns.

The IAEA-Iran talks are separate from those between Tehran and six world powers - the United States, France,Germany, Britain, China and Russia - aimed at reaching a broader deal to settle the decade-old nuclear dispute by late July.

But they are complementary as both focus on fears that Iran may covertly be seeking the means and expertise to assemble nuclear weapons. Iran and the powers are holding a new round of negotiations this week, also in the Austrian capital.

US officials say it is central for Iran to resolve IAEA concerns for a successful outcome of the broader diplomacy.

But Iranian denials of any atomic bomb aspirations will make it difficult for Tehran to admit to any illicit work in the past.

According to an Iranian official, the US delegation at the Vienna meeting said on Wednesday it wanted to discuss the PMD issue, but the Iranian side had ignored the request.

A US official declined to comment, but referred to remarks earlier in the week by a senior US official that “every issue” related to Iran’s disputed atomic activities must be addressed in order for a final accord to be reached on curbing the country’s nuclear programme in exchange for an end to sanctions. l

Kashi astrologers say Modi must choose his ministry carefully n Agencies The “Raj Yog” in his natal charts, Kashi’s best known astrologers say, makes Narendra Modi unstoppable.

After rallying together to advice the BJP PM nominee against filing his nomination papers on April 24 as it was “inauspicious,” priests of the Bharatiya Vidvat Parishad now suggest Modi will form the government, but offer a word of caution.

They say Modi should choose his cabinet carefully, choosing well, the date and time of appointment.

Speaking to TOI, Acharya Kameshwar Upadhyay, said, “Bhadra was a specific time of the day which was regarded as inauspicious for filing Modi’s nomination. Though he did not heed our advice, Modi’s overall planetary positions are exceedingly favourable.

Modi will continue to do well, but he must guard against showing disrespect

to the astrological traditions that Kashi is known to have held in high regard.”

According to the practitioners of astrology in Varanasi, Modi’s disregarding the astrological advice has already cost him dear.

Sample this: On nomination day, he was kept waiting for 25 minutes by the district magistrate, the administration denied him permission to hold his campaign rally at the designated location and the BJP office was raided the day the constituency went to polls. Astrologers also said Modi’s winning margin - which he had projected as over 4 lakh - is also set to reduce drastically, all because of the ill effects of the “Bhadra.”

Professor of astrology at Benaras Hindu University, Chandramouli Upadhyay, another well-known practitioner of astrology who advised Modi against filing his nomination on April 24, however, said Modi’s growing stature would continue unhindered. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Friday, May 16, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Stop coddling the state-owned banks

A

ccording to recent reports, state-owned banks are still failing to comply with the conditions imposed by the Bangladesh Bank to get them back on track. This shows that, in spite of repeated efforts, the central bank is failing to manage the errant state banks and it is now time to think of alternatives that will stop this ongoing hemorrhage of the public coffers.

Four state-owned banks have failed to meet the conditions set for them by the Bangladesh Bank in a memorandum of understanding. Two banks have failed to recover cash from their defaulters and most of them are failing to operate within budget, demonstrating massive inefficiency.

What is even more concerning is that the banks are continuing the immensely risky practice of providing large portions of their capital to single clients or small groups of clients. Not only is this a gross violation of the MoU with the Bangladesh Bank, it also raises the specter of the Hallmark and Bismillah group scandals.

In March this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed dissatisfaction over the condition of the four state-owned banks and the failure of the central bank to bring them back on track. We can’t help but agree that the Bangladesh Bank’s efforts have repeatedly failed to instill good management and accountability in these banks, and continuing along this path is unlikely to bring different results.

We have previously editorialised that privatisation can be a solution to make the state banks more efficient and free from political influence and corruption. After the latest reports of non-performance from these banks we would argue that it is time now to finally cut the cord and privatise so they are no longer a drain on public resources.

It is time to privatise stateowned banks so they are no longer a drain on public resources

No excuse for visa delays

I

t is in the interest of the people and state authorities alike to make proceedures for the granting of visas as efficient as possible.

With more and more people travelling abroad and the availability of modern IT systems, there is no reason for application processes not to be more customer friendly.

Unfortunately, there have been many reports of public frustration with the long queues and poor service provided by the VFS Global Centre, to which the process for giving out Schengen visas has been outsourced.

Reports of incompetent and poorly-trained staff giving out confusing and sometimes downright contradictory instructions are rife. People have ended up queuing for indefinite amounts of time, with no certainty that their applications will be processed at all. Disputes have arisen in the offices and there are allegations of officials seeking favours and corruption.

Instead of simplifying this important process, the outsourcing appears to have not been competently implemented and this is causing much unnecessary suffering to legitimate visa-seekers.

This is not acceptable either for the public or the European states for whom these visas are issued as their services are held in high esteem worldwide as beacons of efficiency.

It is a breach of public trust for this vital and important task to be mishandled in this manner. The service provider must ensure adequate and properly trained officials who can be entrusted to judiciously give out visas properly. Travelers deserve respect and undue harassment of the public should not be tolerated.

Adequate and properly trained officials who can be entrusted to judiciously give out visas properly must be ensured

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

The party of Suhrawardy?

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 10 represents A so fill in A every time the figure 10 appears.

You them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

May 10

khanadil A brief but to the point analysis of AL. This is probably one of the finest and most truthful write-ups I have read so far on the subject. The sad part is this, that this great party’s degeneration is not only complete but, in the wake, it has also totally destroyed all vestiges of decent and positive politics in Bangladesh. Driven by self-interest of its leadership and protected by the self-seeking behaviour of geo-politics, a spectre of permanent doom seems to have descended upon the country.

Future is uncertain but a painful and prolonged present is there for all of us to see and go through.

Lalon Shah Hundred percent agreed. Now, tell us how we can get out of this morass. What you, me, all of us individually and collectively should, must do? The country is headed for implosion, with pervasive degeneration closing in on us from all fronts. khanadil Lalon Shah: Citizens must rise on their own. Don’t trust any of the political parties. They are all the same – lurking around to take advantage of tragic events. One good way to do this would simply be to connect with each other electronically, mobilise yourselves, walk out of your work, universities, schools, colleges etc as a mark of protest and dis-

gust. Gather yourselves into a huge mass of human bodies, walk to various media offices, TV stations and demand truthful and detailed reporting of events; walk to the courts and demand justice; walk to the police stations and remind them that they are paid servants of the people and, therefore, they must be on the side of the people, and not the “ruler’s mercenaries.”

But make sure, no violence. Change will come, in fact, is bound to come. As Barack Obama said recently: “Nothing would change if people do not demand change.”

Sam Let’s hope the author doesn’t come to Bangladesh anytime soon; he used the word “Mujib” instead of the required “our glorious Bangabandhu” and then dared to question the democratic credentials of the only allowed party in the country. He may meet the same fate as so many critics in Narayanganj have, unfortunately.

Fugstar “The 1972 constitution, largely put together by Dr Kamal Hossain, continues to be the envy of many a new country by dint of its speediness, liberality, and fealty to the principles of robust parliamentary democracy.”

Thanks, but I wonder if the author could educate us as to who envies the constitution of Bangladesh.

Fakhrul: Govt trying to cover Narayanganj killings

Before murder, Nazrul met state minister for home

Vikram Khan The crime cannot be horrible enough in Bangladesh; the official response is always “blame game.”

rutland waters This is a real-life “chronicle of a death foretold.”

Nazrul would have been safer on death row.

May 11

someone Mr Fakhrul has only clearly stated what apparently lots of people are already saying about the government’s complicity and/or outright insincerity and incompetence in initiating a determined investigation into the horrific killings in Narayanganj. The “blame game” cliché doesn’t really apply in this case. BNP’s statements only mirror widespread public sentiments.

Kamal: ‘Action against RAB officials after getting HC directives’ May 11

Akhtar Shah A reluctant horse can be taken to water; making him drink is another matter.

These multi murders seem to have exposed the core of a rotten apple!

Dr Ahsan Habib Is Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal ignorant of the history of events in Bangladesh? How many people have disappeared in the past, while kept under “surveillance” by the police? My advice to the minister: “Be realistic and get above party politics.”

CALVIN AND HOBBES

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Halt (4) 4 Thespian (5) 9 Poor actor (3) 11 Utter wildly (4) 12 Build (5) 13 Prayer ending (4) 14 Sell (4) 15 Entertain (5) 19 Make up for (5) 21 Rodents (4) 25 Burden (4) 26 Sharp (5) 28 Golfer’s warning (4) 29 Melody (3) 30 Yellow-flowering plant (5) 31 Ran away (4)

DOWN 1 Cast off (4) 2 Sailor (3) 3 Greek letter (5) 5 Cowardly (6) 6 Docile (4) 7 Baking chamber (4) 8 Tears (5) 10 Bulky in figure (5) 16 Church services (6) 17 Echo sounder (5) 18 Very small farm (sc) (5) 20 Matching (5) 22 Dwarf buffalo (4) 23 Revolve (4) 24 Drove (4) 27 Neckwear (3)

May 11

zahid hasan As abductions have increased in over the past three or four years, our government has failed to take necessary steps to stop them. According to a survey

by Ain o Salish Kendro, about 340 abductions took place, but the AL-led government couldn’t take necessary action to prevent them. This social and state anarchy we seem to be in needs to be controlled with a state hand, otherwise the nation will continue to see further damage, and the government will fall.

‘Ratify the UN convention on common rivers’ May 10

DispassionateObserver Like many government outfits, JRC seems to be manned by spineless humanoids. Soon we will have to send our kids to museums to teach them about the lost culture of riverine Bangladesh. The haunting bhatiali of river boatmen will be a thing of the past.

SUDOKU How to solve: 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.

Family: Chandan Sarkar quested peace his whole life May 10

Kazi Emdad Quite pathetic the way his life ended.

Modi fiction for a Modi-fication May 11

WaliulHaqueKhondker The author is spot on to re-emphasise the anti-Muslim mindset of Narendra Modi through the vivid representation of Arnab Goswami’s interview of Modi. But how on earth did he miss the most vital issue of Modi’s declaration of reviewing the agreement between India and Pakistan on the prohibition of attacks against nuclear installations and facilities (India-Pakistan Non-Attack Agreement)?? A mammoth omission indeed! :(

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

N’ganj killing: 2 more arrested from Noakhali May 11

vihan What disturbs me deeply are the hundreds of “disaster tourists” taking pictures on their mobile phones of corpses of the murdered people and, by doing so, destroying possible evidence at the murder scene.

From ‘Made in Bangladesh’ to ‘Designed in Bangladesh’ May 11

Samantha Hathay Bunano, through its brand Pebble, is already marketing the face of Bangladesh.

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Friday, May 16, 2014

Still lagging behind n Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique

I

Nobody should escape the law

BIGSTOCK

Is there hope?

O n MH Bari

ur respected home minister has said no abductions, disappearances, and extra-judicial killings were taking place in the country. On the contrary, he said the law and order situation in the country was actually improving. This bizarre statement was made following the kidnapping of seven men in Narayanganj in broad daylight from court premises whose bodies were later found in the Shitalakhya river. And the police didn’t have a clue.

A week had passed before the police raided the residence of the principal accused in the case. They found no one there, at least not who they were looking for. Why couldn’t our law enforcing agencies raid the place immediately? Is this not cause for concern?

One amusing aspect of this otherwise worrying matter is that, if nothing else, the minister can see the hands of BNP men behind the murders. He knows this, even though the wife of the deceased Nazrul Islam has charged a local AL leader and his men, and Islam’s father-in-law has blamed RAB for the killings.

As always, such tactics of blame game have not only backfired but have also destroyed whatever image they had as the spokesmen of their party or the government. And unlike the earlier cases of forced disappearances and murders, the Narayanganj killings have put the incumbent government in a very embarrassing position simply because it is the bloody fallout of an intra-party conflict.

Crimes like kidnapping and enforced disappearances have long

been in the news, and Narayanganj has earned a name for such unbridled open terrorism. The police cannot arrest the criminals and have no clue about the many incidents of crime being committed across the country.

Young Twoki was brutally murdered in Narayanganj two years ago and his killers are still roaming freely. But none could shake the foundation of the government like the seven abduction/murders in Narayanganj.

hended under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as an indication of their involvement in the incident was apparent from their retirement.

The court said the arrest order could be executed if they were not accused under the penal code or any other special law. Upon their arrest, the court said the trio must be handed over to the Detective Branch of police, which is investigating the case, for interrogation.

It is more important to free those organisations from political interference and allow them to run independently

The government could not make much headway in the investigation of the murders, and action from the highest court came only after a relative of one of the seven victims accused RAB of being involved in the killings in exchange for a huge sum of money. Thanks to the courage of that bereaved member of Nazrul’s family and the HC’s taking cognisance of it, the investigation in the murder case has had some development. Three RAB officials were forced to retire for their alleged involvement in the case and will have to face arrest as the High Court ordered the Home Ministry to take necessary steps immediately.

The bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar said the trio could be appre-

Now, if any member of a state agency were involved in the crime under review, as is alleged, the question arises whether they got into it on their own or followed the bidding of some unknown quarters. But who has the kind of clout to use a crime-busting state organ for criminal purposes unless they have high political connections? If RAB was complicit in it, then it is none but some politicians in power who should be blamed for such degeneration.

Different human rights bodies have long been pressing the government to look into the incidents of kidnappings, forced disappearances, and murders where an accusing finger is being increasingly pointed at the law enforcement agencies. Even as recently as March, the human rights watchdog

Ain O Salish Kendra published a report showing how the number of such incidents has increased at an alarming rate in recent months compared to what it was last year. According to the report, the number of forced disappearances had shot up to 41 within January and February this year. Compared to the rate of such disappearances in 2013 – around nine every two months – this is an increase of more than 455%. But the government ministers or the heads of the respective law enforcement bodies were not ready to take these figures seriously.

The solution does not lie in disbanding RAB or any other unit of the law enforcement agencies. While those organisations are certainly in need of radical reform, it is more important to free those organisations from political interference and allow them to run independently.

It is really unthinkable that in a civilised society, some 2,200 have been victims of extra-judicial killings since 2004 and no proper investigation has been made to find those involved in these killings. Public perception is that killings committed by law enforcement authorities tend to go unpunished.

We need to do a better job of bringing these people to book. Nobody should be above the law.

It is our irony of fate that our two major political parties have no principles, no ideology, no set policy, and no goal except retaining power or gaining power. There are no rules in the game except that we must win. In such darkness, who will shed a glimmer of hope? l MH Bari works in the global marketing of seafood from Bangladesh.

f Bangladesh really wants to move forward, one thing it has to do first is identify the fundamentals it is depriving women of, what they deserve as human beings, or the rights that an egalitarian society would ensure for them.

It is a responsibility that our war of liberation has endowed us with.

Moreover, no nation can progress by keeping half of its population lagging behind. So the overall development of Bangladesh has emerged as a matter that almost entirely depends on the empowerment of women. We know that women now have access to the part of the labour market that requires a low level of skill, but in the market of skilled labour, women are still being deprived of full access. It is necessary to remove all those hindrances that stand in the way of ensuring equal access for educated or qualified women into the market, to choose their profession according to their skills or qualifications. The state has to take the initiative.

Despite the rate of girls getting access to education being on the rise, women are not visible at the same ratio in the workplace. If the rights of women as individuals are not ensured, they can’t be protected from violence, harassment, and humiliation.

We know that several laws have been enacted in the last few years to enhance the security and rights of women, in addition to the discussions and debates regarding whether the laws were adequate or not in terms of what is needed according to context. At the same time, there are criticisms about the proper implementation of existing laws that could make the scenario better than it currently is.

We all know “empowerment” is a matter of economics as well, so ensuring the empowerment and rights of women would necessitate widening opportunities for their participation in the economy, which is not entirely about enhancing education and making new laws, but also eradicating barriers, both social and cultural, on our quest for the emancipation of women. The current socioeconomic, political, and cultural situation is stacked against the empowerment of women.

Why is it that women can’t move freely without fear in this country?

Women are the ones who are affected the most by all disasters, terrorism, and crimes that prevail in Bangladesh. We watch as the world around us strives for a more equal society, eradicating gender discrimination and marginalisation, but a society such as ours has quite a ways to go. We haven’t been able to move forward like many other societies which have already transformed their settings to show

strong commitment and possibilities towards equality in terms of rights, fundamentals, etc.

We have educational institutes where girls show an increasing rate of enrolment, and economic activities where they are participating in growing numbers, but how easy is it for them to move and walk in the streets? To make use of public transport? Can they get back home without fear? How protected are they from domestic violence, street bullies, organised repression? What remedies does the state offer them? What consolation have they been given for the humiliations they experience?

No nation can progress by keeping half of its population lagging behind

We need answers to all such questions, because they are all inextricably related to the well-being of women, our society, and our emancipation as a collective.

Bangladesh is no longer a territory disconnected from the world, at least in the current globalised scenario.

Bangladesh can’t walk alone, it has to comply. The private sector is expanding in the country, the government must remove the existing obstacles for women to enter the market, and at the same time the opportunities in the public sectors should be increased.

We know the character of the state is a mere reflection of what people think, so the first thing towards changing the scenario would be to change old beliefs, breaking down the chain of old thoughts, and ideas that drag us behind. We have to fight together to bring an end to the exploitation of women, because a society that makes a difference through an excuse to exploit or discriminate is a disgraceful one. A free society cannot be built by keeping its women chained.

Despite the progress of the world, Bangladesh remains one of the many societies where women, irrespective of class, remain the victims of this level of exploitation. The marginalisation of women has to be dealt with and they must be given equal footing in job markets, a precondition to building a just society. That would be a society of equal rights that we envisioned through our bloodstained struggle for liberation. l Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique is a Staff Writer at Dhaka Tribune.

A spectre on the World Cup n Sushovan Dhar

F

or a country plagued by a prolonged social and economic crisis, what is a better chance to lift its image than an international sporting event? Indeed, the FIFA World Cup offers the crisis-plagued Brazilian government an opportunity to showcase itself to billions around the world. For a country of 200 million, proud of the Seleção men - the national football team - dominating the world with its samba style of play and winning the world cup five times, nothing could be more joyous than hosting the World Cup on its own soil. Indeed, nothing could be more thrilling than to see its favourite boys in gold and green winning the much coveted FIFA World Cup at Rio’s iconic and extortionately refurbished Maracanã stadium on July 13.

The problem is that not all Brazilians, especially the poor and the youth, are happy in the ways things are turning around. The country has been rocked by incessant protests in the last one year, with crowds chanting “Não vai ter Copa!” (No World Cup) at every gathering. A few days ago, denouncing property speculations, hundreds of families demonstrated near the São Paulo stadium, staged to host the World Cup opener next month. The Arena Corinthians, venue of the inaugural match between the home team and Croatia, saw protesters blasting miserable housing conditions and growing home costs.

250,000 people are estimated to have been evicted from their homes in Brazil due to the World Cup and the Olympics construction works. It is often difficult to find the exact number of people evicted since the administration of the 12 host cities often denies or does not bother to have information about the evictions. If resistance is shown, the authorities resort to political and psychological pressure tactics, withdraw civic amenities, and finally remove people with brutal force. Such were the scale of violent evictions that the UN was forced to question this in its Universal Periodic Review.

It’s a shame that the most popular sporting event of this planet needs an army on the streets

A bigger debate that is making rounds is about who decides what ought to be done about the World Cup – the Brazilian people, their government, or supranational entities like the FIFA? People complain that to be eligible for the World Cup the Brazilian government decided to give up the sover-

eignty of its country, which in theory would be guaranteed in Article 1 of the constitution. It did this by offering, over time, a series of guarantees to FIFA in which it undertakes to comply with all requirements imposed by FIFA. Last September, plagued with growing criticism about its move to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, its supremo Sepp Blatter was forced to admit that FIFA’s decision was driven more by political and economic interests rather than footballing ones.

The Law gives FIFA the exclusive right to establish Fan Fest, an area within the radius of 2km of the stadiums where only official sponsors would sell products. While regular shops would not be prevented from opening doors, the hawkers and other street-vendors would be totally banned. A single city like São Paolo has almost 1.5 million street vendors.

FIFA has forced the Brazilian state to create new “criminal” stereotypes as the provisions of the Lei Geral da Copa Law could penalise anyone who uses symbols relating to the event improperly, ie for commercial purposes.

This means that words like “World Cup,” “FIFA,” “Brazil,” and “Canarinho” (another name for the Brazilian national squad) are in their exclusive domain and can only be used by their partner companies for exclusive commercial profiteering.

The law grants FIFA and their partner companies total exemption

from all taxes, whether in a municipal, state, or federal level. The Brazilian exchequer would lose an estimated $450m because of this tax relief. No wonder, the World Cup in Brazil must be the most lucrative in the history of FIFA, which in theory is not driven by theory but by sporting passion. This mega event would enrich their coffers with $10bn.

To be eligible for the World Cup, the governments and clubs were forced to build and renovate stadiums adhering to “FIFA quality standards.” These standards cheer us with news that stadiums would turn into “arenas,” giant screens to show the moves of the game and plush upholstered chairs for ultimate spectator comfort. There are attempts to create “consumer-spectators” instead of the traditional football fans, going to the arenas to watch a match, like going to a shopping mall with multiplexes. This will certainly cheer up real estate mafias and speculative capital while bringing tears to millions of Brazilians, and the poorest segments of society who are excluded and unable to watch games on the field, in a country where football is a way of life.

Finally, the most worrying concern has been the Brazilian state’s use of repression to persecute and discredit all those who criticise the cup. This can be used against social movements and demonstrators who resort to any sort of active protest. The federal government has spent nearly $50m

REUTERS

in weapons, including grenades of all types, electric shock weapons, and rubber bullets. Special shock troops with 10,000 men were also created to act nationally in the host cities. In São Paulo, the Policia Militar (Military police), created by the military junta, and infamous for its role during the period of dictatorship, warned that it would acquire trucks that fire water cannons to contain protesters.

The government has vowed to suppress persons, movements, or organisations that cause road blockades, or cause or instigate “radical”

and “violent” actions. These “opposing forces” would be strictly dealt with by armed forces who would be on the streets during the World Cup, as they were for the Confederations Cup. It’s a shame that the most popular sporting event of this planet needs an army on the streets to make it happen. Unfortunately, the spectre of state-terror looms large over a popular tournament known to evoke euphoria around the world. l Sushovan Dhar is an activist. He is based in Kolkata.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Friday, May 16, 2014

Joya and Nurul Alam Atique in Dey Dour n Entertainment Desk Prominent actor Joya Ahsan paired up with noted director/actor Nurul Alam Atique in a single episode play titled “Dey Dour,” which will air on Channel 9 today at 10pm.

The drama is written and directed by Ashutosh Sujon.

The plot revolves around a lonely writer, Nasir who follows a strict routine and lives a mundane life. Although his source of income is not stable, he is one of the bread-winners of his family and has many additional responsibilities. One day, an attractive neighbour catches his attention and although they never speak to one another, they start falling for each other. Almost overnight, Nasir’s priorities shift and he starts to take his profession seriously to bring about positive changes in life. Minhajul Islam, Kochi Khondokar, Rifat Chowdhury and others form the cast of the play. l

Joler Gaan will inaugurate a group exhibition of masks through their musical performance this evening at Galleri Kaya in Uttara. The art show titled Mukh O Mukhosh-5 will feature works of 12 contemporary artists of Bangladesh.

A selection of 84 masks in wood, metal, glass, fiber glass, terracotta, Papier-mâché, paper and mixed medium will be showcased in this exhibition. It will remain open everyday from 11am to 8pm untill May 30

Innate Identities portrays same-sex relationships

Now Showing: Loose Cannons and White Palms

n Shadma Malik The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community in Bangladesh is a very small one. Addressing their issues and marking the “International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014” (DAHO), Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in collaboration with Bandhu Social Welfare Society (BSWS) organised a week-long solo photography exhibition “Innate Identities” by Gazi Nafis Ahmed from May 10.

The exhibition is Gazi’s way of bringing the issue of LGBT rights out in the open and increase the tolerance of same sex relationships among the general people.

The photographs on display seek recognition, rights and respect for the discriminated group. They give a glimpse into the lives of these neglected individuals and show that their love is equally respectable as that of a conventional couple.

As a documentary photographer, Nafis feels responsible to document various social, political, economic and environmental challenges we come across.

For him, the identity crisis of LGBT people is a burning issue, thus, he chose to show their side of the story.

The exhibition was inaugurated on May 10 by the US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Dan Mozena. Other guests present at the programme include Gerben Sjoerd de Jong, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh and Leo Kenny, country coordinator of the UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Bangladesh.

According to surveys, one to 10 out of 100 people are sexually or romantically attracted to members of the same sex. Even if the lower end of this range is taken into consideration, approximately 1.5 million people in Bangladesh are bisexual or homosexual. Yet, LGBT people are facing discrimination, verbal/ physical abuse, and unique legal and social challenges. Same-sex sexual activity, whether in public or private, is illegal and punishable with fines and up to life imprisonment. Bangladesh does not recognise same-sex marriage, civil union or domestic partnership. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity has not been prohibited by law in Bangladesh. l

Cooking show Nostalgia airs today n Entertainment Desk “Nostalgia” is a new cooking show that premiered last week on ATN News at 9:30 pm and will run at the same time every Friday.

Directed by media personality Afsana Mimi, “Nostalgia” aims at reconnecting people with the rich and diverse heritage of Bangladeshi cuisine.

The show is much more than a mere cooking show; it aims to turn the urban viewers nostalgic by presenting dishes that our grandmothers used to cook in traditional utensils and clay stoves.

It incorporates the cooking segment within

simple village stories. The first episode showed two sisters visiting their cousin who resides in a village, on the day of Pahela Baishakh.

They prepare a meal for their brother and the all the details of the cooking process were presented through the story.

Noted designer Chandrashekhar Saha, Afroza Banu and Wareka Binte Wali Bably were the guest stars for the episode. The entire episode was filmed at Demorpara village in Pubail. “‘Nostalgia’ aims to go to different parts of the country and rediscover the recipes that have been passed down through generations,” ensured the director. l

n Entertainment Desk Italian film “Loose Cannons” and Hungarian film “White Palms” will be showcased today as part of the seven-day long “European Film Festival” which began May 13 at the Star Cineplex of Basundhara City shopping mall.

“Loose Cannons,” is a 2010 Italian comedy-drama directed by Ferzan Ozpetek. The story is centered on Tommaso, the youngest son of a large traditional southern Italian family operating a pasta-making business since the 1960s. On a trip home from Rome, where he studies literature and lives with his boyfriend, Tommaso decides to tell his parents the truth about himself. But when he is finally ready to come out in front of the entire family, his older brother Antonio ruins his plans. The film will be screened at 10:50am, 3:05pm and 7:30pm.

The other film, “White Palms,” is a 2006 Hungarian drama, written and directed by Szabolcs Hajdu. Having suffered as a boy under a brutal Communist-era coach, champion Hungarian

Nicole Kidman performs salsa at Cannes’ opening ceremony n Entertainment Desk Her latest movie Grace is being panned by critics but that hasn’t ruined Nicole Kidman’s experience at the Cannes Film Festival.

The 46-year-old actress was the centre of attention at the opening ceremony at Festival Palace where the much maligned movie was also screened as host and French actor Lambert Wilson asked her to dance.

Kidman, who stunned in a blue Armani gown with Harvey Winston jewels, then engaged in an improvised salsa to the delight of the crowd inside the festival hall.

The dance came about after all the guests had arrived and taken their seats and French actor Wilson kicked off proceedings with a speech, during which he referred to Nicole as Princess Nicole.

Later he recalled dancing with the actress at a party many years ago. “But was it a dream,” he wondered from the stage. l

Ranveer to play Priyanka’s sibling n Entertainment Desk

It seems that director Zoya Akhtar has started working on her next project “Dil Dhadkane Do” and that is why, actors Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar met at the latter’s place recently to discuss the movie. The three are playing important roles in the film. This family drama also features Anushka Sharma and Anil Kapoor.

Ranveer apparently headed to Farhan’s house straight from the gym as he was seen wearing T-shirt and shorts.

He did not talk to the reporters present outside the house but smiled at them.

Priyanka Chopra arrived wearing a pair of jeans and t-shirt. She also refused to pose for the cameras.

Ranveer and Priyanka will be playing siblings in this film, which is being produced by Farhan’s production house. The film is scheduled to release in June 2015. l

gymnast Miklos moves to Canada years later in search of a new start - only to find himself unwittingly perpetuating the very same cycle of abuse among his own pupils. The film will be shown at 1:05pm and 5:20pm. l

BDCyclists celebrate 3 years journey n Entertainment Desk BDCyclists is holding a photography exhibition marking the occasion of its 3rd birthday celebration with the slogan “3 years of a change.” Aly Zaker, noted theater actor and a passionate cyclist, inaugurated the opening ceremony of the show at the Drik Gallery.

In the inaugural speech Aly appreciated BDCyclists' effort and expressed hopes that the increasing number of cyclists in the city will make positive changes to the traffic condition within next few years. He promised to ride regularly and experience the outdoors with his own bike.

Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson in ‘Love Never Felt So Good’

n Entertainment Desk Justin Timberlake previously revealed that it was always a dream to work on a song with Michael Jackson. Now, not only is their song “Love Never Felt So Good” a reality, but so is a music video.

Four minutes long, the video is a homage to Jackson, complete with clips from his past music videos and dancers’ imitating his dance moves.

“Love Never Felt So Good” is part of the album “Xscape,” featuring Jackson singing along with some of the biggest singers today, including Timberlake and Mary J Blige.

“Even when Michael was alive, we never stopped working on the song “Xscape,” producer Rodney Jerkins said. “It was one of those songs where he specifically said to me, ‘It has to see the light of day one day.’” Jerkins said fans will be happy with the result.

“Everyone did a really great job on this project,” he said.

With acolyte Justin Timberlake joining MJ for a bonus track duet from the eight-song album, the clip is a celebration of all the iconic features of Michael Jackson. l

The exhibition showcases cyclists in different interesting action in beautiful and sometimes, in challenging locations.

BDCyclists believe that the exhibition will not only promote healthy living but also showcase the hidden beauty of Bangladesh that cyclists are able to discover through their rides in the past few years.

Today, all the members of the organisation will gather at Manik Mia Avenue at 7am with their cycles for a celebration ride. Around 3000 cyclists will join in the ride with their cycle in a festive mood with horse carriage, balloons, banner and festoons and share the joy. l

Did you know?

Despite never taking over at a reigning league champion, Louis van Gaal has managed to win the league with all 4 of his clubs

Sport

Friday, May 16, 2014

14 Sevilla stun

Benfica to clinch Europa glory

14 Maradona wants

Pope Francis to change the Vatican

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Vincent gives

information on ‘spot-fixing’

BCB media rights bidding today Virgo Media Ltd thrown out of race The open bidding for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Worldwide Marketing Agency Rights for the period of 01 May 2014-30 April 2020 will be held at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel today.

The ‘floor price’ of the media rights has been the focal point since the organisation floated the tender for the rights on April 28. Through several board meetings, the BCB tried to determine the floor price but failed and eventually hired professional chartered accounts from Australia to assess the ‘value’. Thus, a meeting with the Australian-based firm, Future Sports, yesterday helped the BCB to get an idea on a probable floor price.

“They gave us an idea of our market-price on the basis of what the broadcasters of Bangladesh cricket had earned in the past. They also provided an idea of the future value,” informed BCB marketing and commercial committee chief Kazi Inam Ahmed to the media yesterday.

“We later discussed on the things we learned and decided the floor value keeping the other sporting events in mind like the series against India next month will be affected by the 2014 FIFA World Cup,” Inam explained.

Inam, who is also the convener of the board’s five-member committee looking into the issue of the media rights,

chose not to reveal the floor price when queried. However, it was learned from BCB sources that the board directors agreed on $20m.

Although the BCB sold a total of seven tender papers, they ended up with four interested parties – Gazi TV, Media Com (Maasranga TV), Virgo Media Ltd. (Channel 9) and Sporty Solutionz from India – who have all submitted technical bids. However, the total number of participants for the open bidding decreased to three after Virgo Media Ltd. got disqualified.

It was learned that the BCB ruled out Virgo Media Ltd from the race for being a sister concern of Game On Sports Management, the firm that had managed the two editions of the Bangladesh Premier League. Till date, the organisation owes the board around Taka 190m.

The final bidders on the other hand will have to present a bank guarantee to the BCB to avoid ill-experiences the organisation encountered in the past.

“The bank guarantee will be yearby-year basis,” informed Inam. “We are taking it as protection money. We were in continuous discussion with the legal advisers and the contract that we have made is with consultancy from David Baker from the ICC (International Cricket Council). We wanted to make sure that we will not go through bad experiences that the board had faced in the past.’ l

Members of the Workers Without a Roof Movement (MTST) protest near the Arena Corinthians stadium in Sao Paulo against the upcoming FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 yesterday. The Arena Corinthians will host the opening match of the Fifa World Cup Brazil 2014 on June 12, between Brazil and Croatia AFP

BFF gets 228 Fifa 2014 WC tickets World football governing body FIFA has assured the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) about providing 228 World Cup tickets and the federation has already received around 600 applications for the elusive tickets of the greatest show on earth.

To select the eligible candidates for the tickets, the BFF has formed a

Siddikur, Kim in early Philippine open lead Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman sank a five-foot birdie on the last hole to share a six-under-par opening round lead with American Chan Kim at the Philippine Open on Thursday.

Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to play and win on the Asian Tour, and Kim both fired 66s at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club course. l

LEADING SCORES

66

Siddikur Rahman (BAN), Chan Kim (USA)

69

Rolando Marabe (PHI), Chawalit Plaphol (THA)

70

Park Byung-joo (KOR), Prayad Marksaeng (THA), Michael Tran (VIE), Settee Prakongvech (THA), Marcus Both (AUS)

committee led by senior vice president Abdus Salam Murshedy and it has finalised a list containing 140 names that include ministers, members of parliament, leading businessmen, members of the federation, journalists and welloff citizens of the country. “The BFF actually scrutinised the applicants’ capability and their football involvements.

After that we finalised the list,” said BFF general secretary Abu Naeem Shohag.

The total number of purchasable tickets is currently estimated at 29,89,608 (80.4% of gross capacity). The total number is calculated by deducting the complimentary tickets, VIP and media tickets from the seating capacity.

Among the 228 tickets the BFF has been assured of, 45 are first-round tickets, 81 belong to the second round, 80 for the quarterfinals, 18 for the semifinals and only four for the grand finale in Rio De Janeiro on July 13.

The cost of first-round tickets is priced at $495 and $330, second-round tickets are priced at $220 and $165, tickets of quarterfinals are priced at $330, semifinal tickets are set at $760 while each final ticket will cost the applicant $990. The BFF has imposed an additional 10 percent service charge on the tickets to meet the expenses of shipping.

A World Cup ticket does not necessarily assure the ticket-buyer of a visa for Brazil. The buyer will have to obtain a visa from the Brazilian Embassy in order to travel to Brazil. The BFF will not take any responsibility for the assistance in the process of obtaining the visa apart from acknowledging the ticket buyer as a genuine one. l

Kruif arrival delayed The arrival of Lodewijk de Kruif, who was scheduled to be in Dhaka yesterday, has been delayed as the Bangladesh national football team’s Dutch head coach is now expected to arrive in Dhaka later this month.

Kruif and his assistant Rene Koster left Dhaka for vacation on April 6 which generated rumors that the Dutch duo had left forever.

However, it was learned that the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was interested in keeping the Dutch coaches for at least one more year although it was BFF’s decision to delay his arrival so that the coach can stay longer with the team after his return.

“As there is no burning issue in national football right now, we are in no hurry to bring them back. The higher management had delayed their arrival one or two days ago so that they can stay for at least two months in Bangladesh once they arrive.

They will come back later this month,” said BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem

Shohag yesterday.

Kruif’s one-year contract with BFF which is due to expire on June 30 this year, has an option of renewal of the contract for one more year. BFF expects to have it enforced as soon as the coaches arrive in Dhaka and keep them till Saff 2015.

“There is more than one month to think about it (renewal of the contract). Both parties are yet to finalize the terms and conditions but we expect to renew the contract. The decision will be taken after their arrival,” added Shohag.

Kruif took charge of the Bangladesh national team in July last year. After last September’s debacle in the Saff Championship in Nepal, Bangladesh played a Fifa international friendly against India in Goa on March 5. The national team has had no assignment since then and there is no scheduled fixture for the team this year.

After the end of Bangladesh Premier League, Kruif is expected to work with under-23 national team in a training camp ahead of the Asian Games in September 2014. l

BGB, Bangladesh Army win wrestling titles

Windies tour pivotal for cricketers

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) won the title of the Walton 31st men’s national wrestling while Bangladesh Army emerged as the champions in the women’s section on the concluding day at the kabaddi stadium yesterday.

In the men’s section BGB won five gold medals and two bronzes to top the table. They were followed

by Bangladesh Ansar who finished runner-up with three gold medals, one silver and two bronzes. Jessore finished third winning three silvers and one bronze.

In the women’s section Bangladesh Army finished triumphant with four gold medals and two bronzes. They were followed by Bangladesh Police who won three gold medals, two silvers and two bronzes. Narail was third with one gold and two bronzes.

Dipu of Ansar and Rina Akter of Army were adjudged the best male and female wrestler respectively.

State minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder distributed the prizes among the winners as the chief guest.

Sirajul Islam - country’s sole agent of Walton Battery was the special guest on the occasion. Additional director of Walton F.M. Iqbal Bin Anwar Dawn and wrestling federation general secretary Tabiur Rahman were also present among others. l

The upcoming tour of West Indies will be a great opportunity for the Bangladesh A cricketers to perform well and pave their way for the national side which will be visiting the same country in few months.

Bangladesh A began their preparation under coach Corey Richards at the home of cricket, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

Richards has already submitted his resignation and the Caribbean assignment will be his last. He spoke about the opportunities up for grab for his charges and said, “It’s a great opportunity for them to get acclimatised as you know two of the cricketers from this side have been to West Indies before and we are expecting slightly different conditions over there.”

“You know playing in Barbados where the pitch is generally quick and bouncy and we have all seen the West Indians like to bowl fast and short. And it’s going to be a great opportunity for the young guys to experience different conditions and perform well to put their names forward for the August series,” said Corey.

Led by Nasir Hossain, the second string national side will leave Bangladesh on May 22 to play two fourday, three ODI and two T20 matches.

Though Corey will bid goodbye after the tour, his aim as a coach remains

BGB celebrate their national wrestling title yesterday

same as he wants to win every game and help display competitive cricket.

The selection panel named rising left-arm spinner Taijul Islam into the squad, who recently bagged the man of the series award in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), along with young left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman and opening batsman Abdul Majid who finished as the highest run getter in BCL. “I haven’t seen a lot of Majid and the young lefty but I have seen Taijul bowling quite a lot of overs in the past few weeks and they have always been in target for them to be the prospect for the national team in future. The selectors have chosen these young guys and given them the opportunity to get exposure of international cricket,” he said.

Meanwhile, the inconsistent member of the Tigers, Imrul Kayes said, “I have played in West Indies before and this time we have two four day matches in Barbados where I have played earlier and heard there will be new pitch this time. I am confident as I am going through good form and gained confidence after the double hundred in the BCL,” said Imrul.

Rookie fast bowler Mustafizur expressed his desire to continue bowling as he is and said, “I have learnt something about the conditions of West Indies from the senior players and I will try to bowl consistently as I bowled last season.” l

COURTESY

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Brazil faces strike as WC clock ticks Less than a month from the World Cup, Brazil faced a new series of potentially disruptive strikes Wednesday as Rio de Janeiro bus drivers refused to end their walkout and federal police weighed a nationwide strike. The striking Rio bus drivers ignored a court order to provide a minimum level of service, trashing buses and causing traffic chaos in the city for the second straight day. Federal police officers meanwhile said they were considering going on strike nationwide - expanding a three-day walkout that has affected several states - despite a court ruling forbidding them to strike during the World Cup, which opens June 12.

–AFP

Sport

Friday, May 16, 2014

Spurs polish off Blazers in five games Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and seven rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference final with a dominating 104-82 win over Portland on Wednesday. Danny Green scored 22 points and Tim Duncan added 16 points with eight rebounds to help the Spurs win the series over the Trail Blazers four games to one and reach their third straight conference final.

Duncan said the Spurs are starting to come together at the right time. “We got to the point now where we understand how we need to play for a longer period of time,” Duncan said.

–AFP

Marquez extends Honda contract World MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has extended his contract with Honda until the end of 2016, the team confirmed on Thursday. Marquez won the title in his first season in the MotoGP category and the Spaniard leads this year’s championship after winning the first four races. The 21-year-old has finished on the podium in 20 of his 22 MotoGP races, notching up ten victories to date. “I am very happy to announce my renewal with HRC,” said Marquez. “I had always dreamt about being part of the Repsol Honda Team, and thanks to Honda the dream came true a year and a half ago.

–AFP

Sevilla stun Benfica to clinch Europa glory Spanish side Sevilla sensationally claimed a third Europa League title after a dramatic penalty shootout in which Benfica pair Oscar Cardozo and Rodrigo missed from the spot to extend the Portuguese giants’ European final hoodoo in Turin on Wednesday.

Benfica’s fans, celebrating in Turin only weeks ago having knocked Juventus out of the competition during a scoreless second leg draw in their semi-final, had plenty of reason to feel aggrieved.

The Portuguese were solid throughout and although Sevilla, steered admirably by the surging runs and intelligent play of Croatian captain Ivan Rakitic, created chances of their own, Benfica should have had scored before the break.

Sevilla’s Portuguese ‘keeper Beto produced two crucial saves in succession, first denying Maxi Pereria from point-blank range as he ran on to volley

and then diving low to block Rodrigo’s angled drive.

Benfica had claims for a penalty waved away when Nicolas Gaitan tumbled under a challenge from Federico Fazio and Sevilla’s defence was tested again at the start of a busy second half when Nicolas Pareja cleared Lima’s goal-bound shot off the line and then two chances by Rodrigo were blocked by an astute Spanish defence.

Lima was then only denied by a superbly-timed challenge from Coke as he waited to pull the trigger on Pereira’s cross.Rodrigo’s first-time shot was then blocked by Fazio, and from virtually out of nowhere on 84 minutes Lima fired a curling drive which forced Beto to tip to safety.

The match remained scoreless after two 15-minute periods of extra time and when it came to penalties Sevilla - who claimed the second of their two titles from the Europa League’s predecessor, the Uefa Cup in 2007 - stepped up to the plate.

Sevilla coach Unai Emery admitted it had been “delicate” keeping his troops focused. l

Sevilla team pose with the trophy after winning the Uefa Europa league final against Benfica at the Juventus stadium in Turin on Wednesday

Benfica’s European jinx continues Sports fans are by nature a superstitious lot and are no strangers to their clubs being “cursed.”

It took the Boston Red Sox 86 years to break the Curse of the Bambino, while for the Chicago Cubs, it’s 104 years and counting. So in the annals of great sporting hoodoos, Portuguese football club Benfica has a way to go.

However, after eight defeats in European finals since 1962, it becomes harder to deny that the club’s Bela Guttman curse lives on.

The Portuguese club was arguably the better side over the 120 minutes of Wednesday’s Europa League final, but ultimately lost 4-2 to Sevilla on penalties after the match ended goalless.

It is the second successive year that Benfica players have had to console themselves with runner-up medals, af-

ter losing to Chelsea in the final of the same competition last season.

“The players fought but they lacked a bit of luck again,” Benfica captain Luisao said. “Once again, in a final, the ball just didn’t go in.”

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus and several of the players laughed off talk of the infamous curse in the buildup to the final, but it has now been 52 years since coach Guttman stormed out and the club has failed in every single one of its subsequent European title clashes.

Known as the Jose Mourinho of his era, Guttman had just led Benfica to back-to-back European Cup victories and the Portuguese club looked set to rule the international stage for years to come.

However, shortly after steering his side to victory over Real Madrid in 1962, Guttman quit when his request for a pay rise was turned down.

On leaving he allegedly cursed the

club, declaring “not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion.”

And so far it hasn’t. It has lost to AC Milan (twice), Inter Milan, Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven in the European Cup and Anderlecht, Chelsea and now Benfica in the Europa League or Uefa Cup as it was formerly known.

The last European Cup final it was involved in was held in Vienna, where Guttman is buried, and legend Eusebio even went to the grave of his former manager to pray for the curse to be lifted.

It had little effect and Benfica remains jinxed.

Jesus bullishly said in the pre-match press conference that he didn’t believe in any sort of hoodoo, adding: “most of the players don’t even know about these statistics. It’s folklore.”

However, after once again bemoan-

CURSED CUP FINALS European Cup 1962-63 : Milan 2 Benfica 1 1964-65 : Inter 1 Benfica 0 1967-68 : Benfica 1 Man United 4 1987-88 : PSV Eindhoven 0 Benfica 0 (PSV won 6-5 on penalties) 1989-90 : Milan 1 Benfica 0 UEFA Cup 1982-83 : Anderlecht 1 Benfica 0 Europa League (UEFA Cup) 2012-13 : Benfica 1 Chelsea 2 2013-14 : Sevilla 0 Benfica 0 (Sevilla won 4-2 on penalties)

United to wait on Van Gaal Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal will have to wait until next week before being appointed as Manchester United’s new manager, British media outlets claimed on Thursday.

Newspaper reports earlier in the day had suggested that the Dutchman’s appointment was imminent, but the Press Association said that although a “broad agreement” had been reached, “no deal has yet been signed”.

When contacted by AFP, a United press officer said that the club would not be commenting on the matter.

Van Gaal, 62, quickly emerged as the favourite to become United’s next manager after David Moyes was sacked last month and is reported to have held a meeting with player-coach Ryan Giggs in Holland on Wednesday.

Giggs, who was appointed interim

manager following Moyes’s dismissal, was pictured in Van Gaal’s hometown of Noordwijk and is thought to have been offered the chance to work as his assistant.

The Guardian newspaper reported that Giggs was invited to Van Gaal’s home, where the pair held a discussion “lasting around three hours”.

Van Gaal would not comment when approached by a reporter from British television station Sky Sports News as he left a book launch on Wednesday.

The straight-talking Dutchman, who has also previously coached Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich, is currently preparing the Netherlands squad for a friendly game against Ecuador on Saturday. His contract with Holland means that he would not be able to join up with United until after this year’s World Cup in Brazil, which would not be until mid-July if the team reached the latter stages of the tournament. l

Nasri ponders international future

Maradona wants Pope Francis to change the Vatican Soccer great Diego Maradona has urged fellow Argentine Pope Francis to move ahead with reforms and transform the Vatican from “a lie” into an institution that gives more to the people.

“He has to change a state like the Vatican so that it gets closer to the people,” Maradona told the Naplesarea television station Piuenne in a programme scheduled to air on Thursday night.

“The Vatican, for me, is a lie because instead of giving to people it takes away. All popes have done this and I don’t want him to do it,” Maradona said, according to partial footage of the interview made available by the broadcaster.

The interview was taped in Dubai, where the former Argentine World Cup-winning captain and striker for Napoli in the 1980s works as a sports ambassador.

“I am disappointed with the Vatican but I believe in you because you are making changes and pointing us towards more human things, things that I would like to see in the Church,” he said of his compatriot.

Addressing the pope as “Francisquito” (Little Francis), Maradona said: “Little Francis, I say to you, I want to meet you and talk to you and I want to say many things to you and tell you the things you have to do for the world.

This way we will have a pope”.

Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, has said he wants the Church to be closer to the poor. l

ing his team’s poor luck in a final and saying “the best team did not win the Europa League,” Jesus may be rethinking his opinion on the curse.

Benfica fans will be consoling themselves that there only 48 years to go. l

AFP

Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand (L) and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero take a “selfie” as they eat durians during a promotional event where they compete for the most popular “selfie” in Singapore yesterday REUTERS

Ferdinand sidesteps United exit questions Rio Ferdinand sidestepped questions about his abrupt departure from Manchester United Thursday and said he was still considering his next move.

The former England captain, taking questions in Singapore during a promotional visit, said he had already “settled” the matter with a statement on his website.

“My statement at the end settled what needed to be settled... I don’t want it to become a ‘Rio Ferdinand affair’,” Ferdinand told media.

In his statement, the 35-year-old admitted that “circumstances didn’t allow for me to say goodbye the way I

would have liked”, after a trophy-filled, 12-year career at Old Trafford.

Ferdinand was dropped for the last game of the season and on Monday, he revealed he would leave the club after his contract expires in July.

British media said Ferdinand was only told at the last minute that his contract would not be renewed, in what was interpreted as harsh treatment for a long-serving and successful player.

Ferdinand, appearing with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, said he was still mulling what do next. He looks likely to seek a new club after saying in his statement that he felt “fit and healthy, ready for a new challenge”. l

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri said Wednesday that he was considering his future in international football after being left out of the French World Cup squad for a second successive finals.

The 26-year-old -- who had an oustanding season as City won the English Premier League title -- said he respected France coach Didier Deschamps decision, ostensibly taken because he didn’t regard him as a team player, but it had prompted him to think about his future.

“It’s a little bit hard to accept,” Nasri told Sky Sports News from Abu Dhabi where City were showing off their Premier League trophy.

Spain’s Thiago ruled out of WC Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara has been ruled out of next month’s World Cup in Brazil after suffering a fresh knee injury, his club Bayern Munich confirmed on Thursday.

The 23-year-old will undergo more surgery after again tearing the medial ligament in his right knee - the same injury which has kept him out since March -- in club training on Monday.

He will miss the World Cup with holders Spain opening their defence against the Netherlands in Group B on June 13 in Salvador, Brazil, in a repeat of the 2010 final. On Tuesday, Spain boss Vicente del Bosque had included Thiago in his 30-man provisional squad for the World Cup.l

“I need to take some time now to think about the national team because it’s been twice now that they take away a World Cup from me,” he continued, referring to then-coach Raymond Domenech’s decision to leave him out of the 2010 World Cup. “I need to think a little bit during the holiday, what will be my future in the national team, because missing two World Cups is really hard for a player.”

Nasri, whose last match for France was in the first leg of the 2014 World Cup play-off with Ukraine which they lost 2-0 last November, said Deschamps decision hadn’t come as a shock.

“I respect his choice, which hasn’t been a surprise for me,” Nasri told.

“If he thinks my behaviour is bad, that’s his business. Me, I play for my team (Manchester City) and I have no problem,” said Nasri, who has 41 caps for his country.

Nasri, who started his career at Marseille before spending three years at Arsenal prior to joining City, was handed a three-match ban by the French Football Federation for poor behaviour during Euro 2012. He then returned to the national team in August 2013 but his performances failed to convince Deschamps.

Nasri’s club boss, Manuel Pellegrini, said the midfielder’s absence from the France set-up “is not good news for him. He deserves to play for France but each coach has his choices.” l

Sherwood planning next job after Spurs exit Tim Sherwood is already looking ahead to his next management job following his sacking by Tottenham Hotspur.

The 45-year-old left White Hart Lane on Tuesday, less than six months after he replaced Andre Villas-Boas in the Spurs dugout. Sherwood said he enjoyed the experience of managing in the top-flight and insisted he would not have done anything differently.

“I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to get back in. Perversely I like doing it - to want to do that job you must be crazy,” he told ITV4.

“But I knew what I was going into.

There’s a lot of tension and pressure oc-

cupies your mind totally. I was waking up in the night thinking of teams, who you should play.

“It was a massive learning curve, my first opportunity to manage.

“I’ve seen wins, defeats and draws and I’ve seen a few tantrums - and the sack, which I didn’t want to see. Would I do anything different? Probably not.”

Sherwood steered Spurs to a sixthplaced finish and a place in next season’s Europa League but had endured continued speculation over his future during his time in charge.

“Put it this way, I didn’t fall off my chair when they told me. Obviously I was disappointed to lose my job,” he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

QUICK BYTES

Puyol bids emotional farewell to Barcelona After winning 21 trophies and the respect of fans, team mates and opponents during a glittering career, Barcelona’s inspirational captain Carles Puyol bade an emotional farewell on Thursday. The shaggy-haired defender, a world and European champion with Spain and widely admired for his neversay-die attitude, announced in March he was leaving at the end of the season following a persistent battle with a knee injury. A product of the Barcelona youth system, La Masia, Puyol made his debut under former coach Louis van Gaal and helped the club win Champions League titles in 2006, 2009 and 2011. He was a key part of Pep Guardiola’s famed ‘six cups’ side of 2009 that won all the competitions they contested in that calendar year but has barely featured this season due to injury, making only five appearances in La Liga.

–Reuters

I have become better at Real, Ronaldo says Cristiano Ronaldo believes he has become a better player since joining Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009 and has thrived on the obsession the La Liga club have with winning a 10th European title. Real play city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on May 24 and are one step away from the record-extending continental crown that has eluded them since they last won Europe’s elite club competition exactly 12 years ago, on May 15, 2002. Ronaldo, 29, is the top scorer in this season’s competition with a record 16 goals, two more than the previous best set by Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and former AC Milan striker Jose Altafini.

–Reuters

Eto’o blasts Mourinho over age slur Chelsea’s Cameroonian international striker Samuel Eto’o on Thursday branded manager Jose Mourinho “a fool” after the Portuguese coach called his age into question. Mourinho made headlines two months ago when he suggested in a private conversation that the Cameroonian may be older than he claims. “I am 33 years old. And it is not because a fool called me an old man that you must believe it,” Eto’o told the Ivorian press on the sidelines of a youth football tournament in Bouake.

“And you may have noticed that the old man was better than the youngsters,” he added. Mourinho told a Swiss businessman before the Cameroonian celebrated his 33rd birthday in March.

–AFP

Injury-hit Ribery criticises Guardiola

Sport

Vincent gives information on ‘spot-fixing’ Lou Vincent, the former New Zealand batsman, has reportedly given information to the ICC’s anti-corruption unit detailing attempted spot-fixing in several competitions around the world - including county cricket in England and the Champions League.

New Zealand Cricket said on Thursday that some of Auckland Aces’ 2012 Champions League games were being reviewed but reiterated its statement that no matches played in the country or involving the national team were part of the investigation.

According to the Telegraph, Vincent has provided information on approaches made during his time with Sussex and Lancashire. Sussex have previously confirmed that a 40-over game against Kent, in which Vincent played, was subject to investigation by the anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU).

The reports comes at a time when the role of the ACSU, which acts as an independent watchdog, has been under discussion. Proposals during the April round of ICC meetings suggested that the ACSU may be reviewed by the game’s big three nations, with

the body potentially being asked to report directly to the chairman of the board rather than the chief executive of the ICC. Responding to reports of Vincent’s statements to anti-corruption police, David White, NZC’s CEO, stated that none of the current international New Zealand players were being investigated by the ACSU. The Telegraph had reported Vincent has provided information on what it called “widespread fixing across cricket”, involving matches in at least five countries.

“Firstly I want to make it clear that this is an ICC investigation and New Zealand Cricket is very limited in what it can say, but we can confirm the following. No games played in New Zealand are being investigated by the ICC. No current Black Caps are being investigated. No matches involving New Zealand national teams are being investigated,” White said.

White, however, stated that a few games played by Auckland Aces in the 2012 Champions League T20 in South Africa were under investigation. Vincent had also reportedly told officials of fixing when he played for the Auckland Aces in New Zealand and during the tournament in 2012. l

Asian dominated criminal groups are laundering more than $140 billion dollars of illegal sports betting, mainly on football, a watchdog group said Thursday.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICCS), in a report released less than a month before the World Cup starts, said illegal gambling is a growing threat especially to football and cricket.

But it added that tennis, basketball, badminton and motor racing are also affected.

Eighty percent of sports gambling is illegally carried out, according to the researchers from the Doha-based ICSS and Sorbonne University in Paris.

“Betting threatens all countries and regions, with football and cricket the sports most under siege,” said the report.

The ICCS estimated that wagers worth between $275 billion and $685 billion are made each year around the world with more than 80% made illegally.

Legal betting only provides about

$5.5 billion in tax revenues, it said.

Asia and Europe represent 85% of the total legal and illegal market and Asia accounts for 53% of the illegal market.

While the researchers estimated there are about 8,000 legal operators mainly operating in offshore low tax zones they said it was “impossible” to say how many illegal gambling operations exist.

Chris Eaton, ICSS director of sport integrity said: “The rapid evolution of the global sports betting market has seen an increased risk of infiltration by organised crime and money laundering.

“Alongside this, the transformation of the nature of betting, with more complex types of betting, such as live-betting, which according to this study is the most vulnerable, has made suspect activity even harder to detect,” he added.

With cases of match-fixing spreading, the report called for an international convention on the manipulation of sporting events.

The Vietnamese team rejoice with the Standard Chartered Trophy at Anfield, Liverpool on Tuesday COURTESY

4:00 PM ATP 1000 Rome Masters

The Vietnamese team emerged as the champions of the third annual Standard Chartered Trophy held at Anfield, home to English Premier League side Liverpool FC, on Tuesday.

The international five-a-side football competition, which recently won the Best International Marketing Campaign at the BT Sports Industry Awards, saw 98 participants from 14 countries take part in the finals of the Standard Chartered Trophy in Liverpool.

After winning domestic tournaments in their respective countries, teams which earned places in the final stage of the tournament came from Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Gambia, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. l

series against India Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday it had agreed to play six full series of cricket against India with official backing, the first since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks suspended play between the teams.

Pakistan is expected to host four of the matches over the next eight years, after its cricket board said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with India on the issue, and pending a legal agreement.

Reports had been circulating since last month that a full series would be played between the two nations as early as next year after the PCB conditionally agreed to a reorganisation of the game’s administration, the International Cricket Council (ICC), which will give India a bigger say in its governance.

India suspended all bilateral series with Pakistan in the wake of the 2008 attacks, which New Delhi blamed on militants based across the border.

The Pakistan team did tour India for a short limited over series in December 2012-January 2013 but a full series was not agreed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Ahmad said the six tours would involve “14 Tests, 30 one-days and 12 T20s”. The PCB expected the tours to be written into legally binding agreements “as soon as possible,” he added.

The PCB wanted the first of the series to be played on home ground but if the security situation was not conducive to it the match will be played in the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan have not hosted any international cricket since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009. If the series goes ahead it will mark the biggest success for Pakistan in recent years after a prolonged isolation at the international level due to security fears. Pakistan last played a full series in India in 2007 while India last toured Pakistan in 2006. l

Wawrinka loses as Murray takes clay victory Monte Carlo champion Stanislas Wawrinka joined fellow Swiss Roger Federer on the scrapheap at the ATP-WTA Rome Masters on Thursday as back pain resulted in a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 loss to 15th seed Tommy Haas.

The 36-year-old has now won both of his matches with Wawrinka, a 2008 finalist at the Foro Italico.

Andy Murray, who quit the event with back problems a year ago and eventually required surgery, closed out a welcome win over Jurgen Melzer with his sixth ace for a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 result which puts him into his second straight clay quarter-final after Madrid a week ago.

Murray now owns a perfect 7-0 record over Austrian Melzer, who is back on court after shoulder problems, Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic reached his first Rome quarter-fi-

nal with a defeat of French 11th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7/5), 6-4. Jeremy Chardy, who beat Federer 24 hours earlier, kept up his momentum by defeating Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-2.

In women’s play, Chinese second seed Li Na defeated Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals, turning the momentum in a long-running rivallry.

Third-seeded Pols Agnieszka Radwanska put out Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open winner, 6-4, 6-1.

Ana Ivanovic handed Maria Sharapova her first loss of the spring clay season as she beat the Russian eighth seed 6-1, 6-4. Ivanovic, the 2008 Roland Garros winner and world number one, had won just two of 10 previous meetings with the four-time grand slam champion, the last seven years ago at a Roland Garros semi-final. l

CUTE 1ST ARCHERY CLUB CUP

Omar Faruk, Nandini move into finals

DAY’S WATCH NBA Play-Off 2013-14, CONF SF 6:00AM Washington v Indiana 8:30AM LA Clippers v Oklahoma City Star Sports 4

“It is clear that current international instruments are insufficient and there is a desperate need for well-designed criminal laws specific to the manipulation of sport,” said Laurent Vidal, Chair of the Sorbonne-ICSS Research Programme.

“An international agreement on the manipulation of sport competition, coordinated by an overarching global platform, is now an urgent necessity,” he added. The cricket and football world governing bodies have both set up anti-corruption units. But police and experts say bribery is spreading.

Seven players from English lower-league clubs were arrested by British police in April for alleged spot-fixing, with six others re-arrested.

Vidal said that numerous Asian championships are “fixed”.

“The Chinese are not interested in local sport any more, that is why they bet on European sport.”

He told AFP there were certain provinces in the Philippines that do not check where money comes from. l

Vietnamese side win Stan-Chart Trophy at Anfield

Pakistan appoint Grant Flower batting coach

Sony Six

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol (L) and football director Andoni Zubizarreta (R) listen to President Josep Maria Bartomeu during a farewell press conference at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona yesterday. Puyol announced on March 4, 2014 that he will leave the club at the end of the season after a hugely successful 15-year career at the Camp Nou AFP

$140 billion lost in sports betting Pakistan line-up six Test

Franck Ribery has criticised Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola as he battles to be fit for Saturday’s German Cup final showdown against Borussia Dortmund amidst the Bavarians’ midfield injury concerns. Ribery, who is struggling with a back problem. But Ribery said Guardiola’s rotation sytem has not helped him with the Spaniard struggling to give his star-studded squad enough games during his first season in charge. “Sometimes you play, sometimes you sit on the bench, sometimes you stay at home and aren’t even in the squad,” Ribery, who was shortlisted for the 2013 Ballon d’Or award, told German magazine Kicker. “It was a new situation for everyone.

“Personally, I need a break after five or six games, not after just one.”

–AFP

Pakistan appointed former Zimbabwe opener Grant Flower as their batting coach Thursday in a comprehensive overhaul of the national team’s management in their bid to win next year’s World Cup. Grant, younger brother of former England coach Andy, will join in August during Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka. “We have completed the signing of Grant Flower as batting coach for two years starting from August,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman told reporters.

–AFP

15

Friday, May 16, 2014

Omar Faruk of Dhaka Army Archery Club and Shakil Molla of Mahashtan Archery Club moved into the final of the Bamboo Division of the Cute 1st Archery Club Cup Championship at the Army Stadium yesterday.

In the women’s section of the Bamboo Division, Nandini Khan Swapna of Dhaka Army Archery Club along with her teammate Israt Jahan qualified for the gold medal match. The matches

will take place today.

The finals of the Recurve Bow event will also take place today.

Jahid Ahsam Russell, the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee for the youth and sports ministry, inaugurated the meet as the chief guest. Lt. Gen. Md. Moinul Islam, the president of Bangladesh Archery Federation and general secretary of Bangladesh Archery Federation - Kazi Razivuddin Ahmed Chapal were also present on the occasion. l

Archers collect their arrows after the bamboo event at the Army Stadium yesterday

COURTESY

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Friday, May 16, 2014

Muhith: MPs will continue to get block allocation n Kayes Sohel Finance Minister AMA Muhith has taken back the remark that the upcoming budget will not allocate local development funds to the lawmakers.

Yesterday, in a pre-budget meeting, the chairmen of four parliamentary standing committees strongly opposed the earlier position.

In another pre-budget meeting last week, Muhith said funds for local development in the parliamentary constituencies would be channeled through the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED), instead of the respective lawmakers of those areas.

The chairmen of the parliamentary bodies, who are all lawmakers, said the LGED was plagued with corruption and hence should not be trusted with the funds.

“The bock allocations for each electoral constituency will remain. No fresh allocation is needed for building highways, but funds are needed for building roads in the rural areas,” the minister said in yesterday’s meeting.

In FY2009-10, the Awami Leagueled governmentapportioned Tk15 crore

as block allocation from the budget to each of the MPs. The funds were meant for carrying out infrastructural development work such as building small roads, bridges and culverts in each of the constituencies.

Confessing that the LGED had been beset with corruption, the minister said: “We have to admit that the LGED has a lot of contribution to rural development... We can think of reformation for improving its activities.”

Refuting the criticism that he always made ambitious budgets, Muhith said: “I always come up with ambitious budgetsbecause the 96% rate of implementation is better than any other previous time.”

He said the new budget would prioritise human resource development for exporting more skilled manpower and earning more remittance.

The government might also offer incentives to the industries in the form of tax rebates to encourage them to adopt green technologies, the minister said.

The heads on the parliamentary watchdogs on the Planning and Finance ministries, and the public accounts and public undertakings attended the meeting. l

Detective Branch personnel escort members of a human trafficking gang, arrested on Wednesday, to a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre yesterday

RAJIB DHAR

SC stays HC judgment on Human trafficking gang busted, 3 women rescued 2% sponsor-director rule n Mohammad Jamil Khan

n

Nazmus Sakib

The Appellate Division yesterday stayed the High Court judgement that scrapped the SEC stipulation that sponsor directors of a listed company must own at least 2% of shares for holding their board seats.

After hearing on a writ petition filed by a sponsor-director of the NCC Bank, the HC on Wednesday also annulled the requirement for shareholders to own at least 5% of shares for being able to fill in for a “casual vacancy” in the board of directors.

Yesterday, following a separate petition filed by the Securities and

Exchange Commission (SEC), the Appellate Division judge stayed that requirement as well.

The judge also sent the matter to the full bench of the division. It is likely to come up in the cause list on May 22.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam pleaded for the SEC while Supreme Court lawyer Shah Md Ahsanur Rahman represented NCC Bank Sponsor-Director Mustafizur Rahman.

On November 12, 2011, the SEC issued a notification specifying the 2% and 5% rules. The HC declared the stipulations illegal because it said it to have found the provisions “arbitrary and discriminatory.” l

Police rescued three female victims of trafficking from the capital’s Jatrabari on Wednesday and arrested eight members of a human trafficking gang that reportedly forced Bangladeshi girls into prostitution.

The suspects, including an Indian citizen, were arrested by Detective Branch personnel in front of the Malancha Community Centre after they tried to force the victims to come with them to India.

The rescued are Amena Begum, 20, Runa Begum, 23 and Shanta, 16.

The arrestees are Indian citizen Shree Nikhil Dash, Abdul Mazid, Ariful Islam, Nabi Hossain, Anowar Hossain, Shree Gopal Mandal, and two women: Monika, and Chanchala Rani.

Addressing a press briefing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Media Centre yesterday, DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said the gang trafficked

The gang mainly targeted young girls from poor families with false promises of highpay jobs Bangladeshi girls across the border through Jessore and Satkhira, before Nikhil handed them over to Indian buyers who forced the girls into prostitution.

The gang mainly targeted young girls from poor families with false promises

of high-pay jobs, Monirul said, adding that the arrested suspects had already confessed of trafficking around 20-25 girls so far.

During primary interrogation, the gang members said their Indian agents were located in Banga area of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, adding that Nikhil handled business across the border while Chanchala and Gopal controlled operations in Bangladesh. The other members of the gang lured women with false promises and collected Tk70,000 for each girl from Nikhil, who later sold the girls to Indian agents.

Runa, one of the rescued women, said Abdul Mazid, a tea stall owner and one of the arrestees, had promised her a job with good salary in India; but

The climax of an election of non-issues n Uday Sankar Das from Kolkata

In broad daylight, a drug addict is taking pethidine on the busy Babubazar Bridge, only a few yards from a police outpost, at the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Gauze inside abdomen, settled for Tk1 lakh n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj Doctors at a Sirajganj hospital allegedly left gauze bandage inside a patient’s abdomen before ending an operation.

The issue was later settled at Tk one

lakh as the patient got rid of it following an operation at another hospital.

Abdul Majid, 50, son of late Manser Ali of Chala Uttarpara village under Belkuchi Sadar upazila, got admitted to Belkuchi Modern Hospital on March 28 for undergoing a gallbladder operation. Lokman Hakim Juel, a doctor of Bogra Zia Medical College and Hospital, performed the operation but forgot to remove gauze bandage before stitching his belly.

Feeling uncomfortable after the operation,

Majid approached hospital authorities several times but to no avail. He later underwent operation at Avisina Hospital where doctors removed the bandage.

Senior Consultant of Avisina Hospital Professor Ashraful Islam yesterday said the patient was out of danger and fine.

Meanwhile, relatives of Majid arrived at Belkuchi Modern Hospital at night and demanded explanation from the authorities. Locals said the hospital authorities reached a compromise involving Tk one lakh with Majid’s son Jahurul Islam and nephew Kawsar Ali. Abdur Rahman, director of the hospital, denied there was any such compromise but said not removing gauze bandage from a patient’s abdomen before stitching came to his knowledge. l

About two-thirds of the voters out of an electorate of around 814 million in India have exercised their rights in the biggest democracy in the world.

The results of 16th Lok Sabha polls would be out within a few hours after the readers have gone through the morning papers.

In the meantime, exit polls and surveys predict that the BJP-led alliance NDA would be coming to power with Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister of India. The polls also show a dismal performance by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

However, no matter what the pollsters might say, Indian elections have always been extremely difficult to predict.

These elections have been different on many counts. This was an election where no issues or ideologies came up for any serious debate. It was all about personal attacks and mud-slinging; road shows aided by huge amounts of money spent on television advertisements and hoardings.

It was all a “Modi wave” sweeping through the country with, as many allege, millions of rupees pumped in by the big corporates.

The BJP/RSS exit polls give the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 226 seats. Together with others in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the BJP allies, the number would shoot up to 259.

Sujit Sanyal, a brand communications consultant and analyst from Kolkata, said looking at the trend it should not bother BJP as some regional parties had already been trying to warm up.

BBC World Service Radio veteran Sagar Chowdhury, who is now settled in the City of Joy, rubbished the exit polls and said firmly that these had never been very reliable and never would be.

He still believed that there would be “dramatic revelations” on the result day and frantic horse-trading would

start soon thereafter.

Debashish Roy Chowdhury, a businessman from Kolkata, said because of the party’s Hindutva stand, BJP would not get many Muslim vote, but the party might get a couple of seats in West Bengal.

Sanyal also thinks that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be pulling a lot of anti-incumbency votes and even if these do not translate into seats, it will surely help them to get the vote percentage at a countrywide level to be recognised as a National Party.

Although the multi-phased election in India went through quite peacefully and without major incidents, the same cannot be said about the state of West Bengal.

Sanyal thinks that the events in West Bengal during the polls clearly show that Trinamool Congess’ hold is slipping. Mamata Banerjee was never in governance and she will get into further mess due to the Sarada scam.

Her ambition to be a figure to reckon at the national stage may also be slipping, although her high-handedness may yield results and her party could bag as many as 26 seats. The opposition is also stronger this time in West Bengal due to BJP’s positive status.

Sharply criticising the polls violence in West Bengal, Sagar Chowdhury said Trinamool Congress achieved this notoriety in just three years that took the Left Front 34 years.

According to the Kolkatans, Modi ruled Gujarat surrounded by technocrats, ministers and advisers, who all promoted Hindutva. But, in India, there are about 115 million Muslims - the third largest in the world – and Modi would be the Prime Minister for all the citizens, a fact he would do well to remember.

They say, he should shun his “divide and rule” theory that he promulgated in Gujarat.

All in all, a stable government is the yearning, and after a “disastrous” UPA second term, nobody wants any spell of instability. l

asked her to recruit more girls for the job.

As per Mazid’s directives, Runa brought Amena and Shanta near Jatrabari’s Malancha Community Centre; however, they became suspicious after the gang members failed to give them satisfying answers regarding the promised job. The gang members then threatened to kill the three women if they refused to accompany the traffickers to India.

Police, along with locals, came to the rescue of the three women after they screamed for help, said Runa.

Joint Commissioner Monirul said a case has been filed with Jatrabari police station in this regard, adding that search was on for other members of the gang. l

Jayalalithaa suspends party man for suggesting Modi alliance n Agencies Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday expelled party leader K Malaisamy for hinting at a possible AIADMK support to the Bharatiya Janata Party after the Lok Sabha results are announced on Friday.

In a terse expulsion order, Jayalalithaa said Malaisamy was being expelled for talking out of turn and against the policy of the party.

Jayalalithaa, who is yet to disclose her political moves, had said on Wednesday she would reserve her comments until the election results are announced on Friday The former Indian Administrative Service officer described the BJP's prime ministerial candidateNarendra Modi as a 'good friend' of the Tamil Nadu CM on a television show.

Malaichamy had also said AIADMK would play a vital role in the Modi government after the results are announced. Jayalalithaa, who is yet to disclose her political moves, had said on Wednesday she would reserve her comments until the election results are announced on Friday.

A party statement said Malaichamy has been removed from the primary membership of AIADMK for violating party discipline and for bringing disrepute to its image.

Within minutes of Malaisamy's expulsion, AIADMK leaders clammed up and refused to divulge any information other than insisting "Amma will take a decision after election results are out tomorrow". l

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Euro zone first-quarter growth disappointed, puts pressure on ECB to act

B4 Japan Q1 growth hits 2-year high

FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Accord and Buet close to consensus Bank borrowing gets 'But we have not yet come to a consensus on core strength'

speed in third quarter

n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

n Asif Showkat Kallol

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh came to a consensus with Buet engineers on the required concrete strength of RMG factory buildings, apparently ending their dispute over the ongoing factory inspection.

The consensus emerged at meeting held in Dhaka yesterday among the technical experts from Bangladesh university of Engineering and Technology, Accord, Alliance and Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments.

As per the decision, the concrete strength of a factory building will be 2,370 pound per square inch (psi) for stone-made structure and 20,50 psi for brick-made ones.

International Labour Organisation (ILO) mediated the meeting to reach a consensus over the required concrete strength of a RMG factory building as a neutral body.

The meeting discussed some issues including core strength value for factory assessment, fact of safety (FoS) calculation, harmonising reporting formats of Accord, Alliance and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), thermographic inspection and technical differences of review panel decision.

“We have come to a consensus over the dispute of concrete strength and from now on all the parties would use the unified psi,” Sheikh Sekender Ali, Professor of Civil Engineering Department of BUET told the Dhaka Tribune.

“But we have not yet come to a consensus on core strength,” said Ali, a representative from the Buet.

He said Fact of Safety (FoS) also came to a unified stage, but making the report public has been left to the government and International Labour Orgainsation (ILO).

Earlier, the review panel stopped taking decision on apparel factories recommended either by Accord or Alliance over the dispute about concrete strength.

According to the Buet engineers, the concrete strength of a building is to be 2,270 psi for stone-made structure and 2,050 for brick-made structure while Accord considered the concrete strength should be 1,750 psi for brickmade structure. l

The government’s domestic borrowing increased substantially in the third quarter of the current fiscal year due to higher spending in the development programmes, officials said.

It was also contributed by the maturity of a good number of treasury bills, compelling the government to pay back.

The net domestic borrowing stood at Tk18,419 crore as on March 13, almost double from Tk9,881 crore the government borrowed till December last, according to a document the Dhaka Tribune obtained yesterday. The March figure is 54% of the total budgetary estimate for the current fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the external credit rose to equivalent Tk14,189 crore, which is 67.8 % of total expected assistance as estimated for the fiscal 2013-14, according the central bank statistics. It was only 46.9 % as of March last fiscal year.

The current budget had estimated domestic borrowing target of Tk33,964 crore and foreign loan of Tk23,729 crore to finance the budgetary expenditure.

The borrowing status was discussed at meeting of the Cash and Debt Management Committee of the finance division on April 24, with Finance Secretary Falze Kabir in the chair. The meeting decided to speed up the disbursement

Garment workers walking towards their work places in Dhaka

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Accord under fire for not paying jobless RMG workers n Tribune Report The RMG workers’ leaders yesterday came down heavily on the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh as it is yet to provide any compensation fund for the jobless workers during factory closures or suspension for remediation work.

Expressing their grave concern over the factory closures, which resulted in several thousand of workers jobless, the leaders also urged the Alliance officials to increase the workers’ compensation from the the existing two months to six months.

However, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety organised the meeting at its office in the city to share the progress report on the factory inspection.

The meeting, which aims at discussing about the possible paths for including the trade unions leaders in factory inspection, in workers training programme, in awareness building programmes for workers safety measures and also in maintaining the helpline.

The meeting also discussed on how to involve workers’ leaders in the remediation process and follow-ups and also to engage them in the decision making process of next course of action.

Accord is not paying the salaries to the jobless workers during factory closures for remediation work although it is shutting down factories one after another in the name of safety and security, Sirajul Islam Rony, President, Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League (BNGWEL) told the meeting.

“As around 10,000 workers have already become jobless since the inspection started, we will go for launching tougher movement if the Accord failed to pay the compensation for the jobless workers,” he warned.

The Alliance has so far inspected 508 or 80% factories out of 626, which is 8% of the total factories and found only five factories vulnerable. Only one factory has been closed as per the decision of the review panel in line with the findings of the Alliance, said M Rabin, managing director of Alliance.

“Out of these inspections, 5 facorties have been referred to the National Tripartite Committee Review Panel for its opnions and one was closed down while all of its workers were transferred to the same owner’s factory in the adjacent building,” said Rabin.

The Alliance has completed its preparation to launch help line in the

factories and it would launch a pilot project involving 50 factories in the first phase.

“It takes both time and money for improving the overall safety in the factories and we are committed to improving safety and security as we don’t want to see any more factory shutting down,” said Ian Spaulding, an advisor to the Alliance board.

The brand will pay soft loans for the remediation of the factories identified as vulnerable and needs remediation.

Around four to five brands have already agreed to pay the loan and the interest rate may vary from 4% to 5%, he added.

“We want both the inspection and the improvement of safety standard simultaneously while it should not be done just making the workers jobless, said Advocate Delwar Hossain Khan, General Secretary, Bangladesh Labor Federation (BLF).

He also urged the Alliance to increase compensation to six month from exiting two months.

Naimul Ahsan Jewel, general secretary of Jatio Sramik Jote, Bangladesh (JSJB) demanded the job security of the RMG workers and alternative jobs for the workers, who have became unemployed due to the factory closures. l

Hazaribagh tanneries relocation ‘begins next year’ n Tahmidur Rahman

The leather sector people said they will start shifting tanneries in the capital’s Hazaribagh to Savar from the first quarter of next year.

They said it at a press conference yesterday, which was held to announce a seminar on the leather export sector.

The relocation will be made in several phases and will take time before all the tanneries are shifted, according to them.

Meanwhile, some European buyers had stopped buying leather products from Bangladesh due to lack of environmental compliance.

They are, however, expected to resume sourcing from Bangladesh after

the central effluent treatment plant (CETP) for treating liquid waste is installed.

After introducing CETP, the old buyers along with new ones will get back to Bangladesh for leather products supply, said Shubhashish Bose, vice chairman of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

RMM Group chairman Mohiuddin Ahmed Mahin said they have adopted environment-friendly technologies in the production of ecological leather feathering hand weaving and hand painting that are ideal for fashion applications.

“Japan will be a lucrative market for exporting such products, which is 60% costlier to make than the normal ones,”

Aniruddha Roy, the company’s managing director, told the Dhaka Tribune on the slidelines of the press conference.

Leather products export to Japan saw a rise around 40% last year. Japan is likely to remain an attractive export destination for the industry with the increase of product diversification.

Seminar on Leather Export

EPB and RRM Leather Industries Ltd will jointly organise a seminar on leather export at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka on Sunday.

It is aimed at laying out a plan to make the existing sector more lucrative to foreign buyers using cheap labour and meeting necessary compliance.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain

Amu will be present at the seminar as chief guest while Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju, Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapos MP and FBCCI president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed, among others, will also attend the event.

They will contribute towards making the roadmap for development of the leather industry, said Shubhashish Bose.

“Such public-private initiatives must be taken for the greater good of leather industry which makes up 0.5% of global market,” Bose added.

The seminar will start at 10:30am at the hotel’s Ballroom and the interested participants would have to report by the beginning time. l

of budgetary allocation as the end of the current fiscal year came closer.

The meeting expressed satisfaction, however, as the domestic borrowing remains lower than the same period of previous fiscal year.

The Planning Commission officials said the project implementation agencies could spend only 43% between the months of July and March from the original ADP allocation of Tk65,872 crore for the current fiscal.

The rate of implementation was 6% lower than that of the same period of the last fiscal.

Earlier, the Cash and Debt Management Committee decided to borrow Tk4,000 crore from the banking system against the budgetary estimate of Tk25,993 crore.

The bank borrowing by the government would now stand at around Tk30,000 crore in outgoing fiscal year as the committee estimated.

The government received Tk7,461 crore from net sales of national savings certificates till March 13 this year. In the first six months of fiscal 2013-14, the government received Tk3,857 crore from net sales of national savings certificate, which was only Tk177 crore in the same period of fiscal 2012-13.

The government also received Tk10,512 crore from treasury bill and bond Tk11,977crore till March 14 this year. l

HBFC gets Tk50cr to resume lending n Asif Showkat Kallol Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation has got an amount of Tk50 core from the government to continue its lending programme.

Finance Division released the money Wednesday as last instalment under a Tk300 crore recapitalisation package being disbursed from 2008-2009 fiscal.

Currently, the corporation has suspended its lending programme for last three months due to fund shortage.

In March, the state-run corporation sought Tk500 crore as budgetary allocations so that the money could be used since the beginning of next fiscal year, said finance ministry sources.

Meanwhile a month ago, the HBFC sent another proposal to the finance division for allocating Tk300 crore in the upcoming Annual Development Programme (ADP).

But an official of the corporation alleged that the finance division has not yet forwarded the proposal to the Planning Commission although the national budget will be placed in parliament early next month.

“We are in financial crisis. The government is not interested to meet our demand,” alleged an official of the HBFC. When contacted, Banking Division Secretary said finance division is not willing to provide money to the corporation as “it is now unable to recover loans.”

Dr Aslam Alam said the finance division has so far disbursed money to the HBFC as promised earlier.

He added the sovereign guarantee could have been given to the corporation for borrowing fund from the development partners like World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other international lending agencies.

“But the finance ministry refused to give guarantee to the corporation,” the secretary said.

Finance ministry sources said the corporation received Tk40 crore as loan from the government in 2012-13 fiscal.

It could not mobilise any other fund for lending.

The HBFC provides housing loans in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan cities at a rate of 12% - lowest in the market.

For other cities and towns, the rate is 10%.

There are plans by the corporation to expand its activities through setting up offices in every district gradually.

The organisation is now operating 29 offices across the country.

During July-December period of 2013, the amounts of loan sanctioned, disbursed and recovered were Tk222 crore, Tk226 crore and Tk200 crore respectively.

The total loan balance was around Tk2,930 crore. During the same period, the amount of classified loans stood at Tk233 crore, only about 8% of the total disbursement.

The corporation has increased the individual loan ceiling to Tk50 lakh two years ago.

The corporation’s lending had earlier remained suspended from 1988 to 1992 due to fund shortage. l

Laptop fair kicks off, seeks increased investment n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Watchdog backs Muhith to widen tax net n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

The parliamentary watchdog on finance ministry yesterday fully backed the finance minister to compel more people to pay income tax, aimed at increasing revenue to meet the public expenditure and increasing demand for development activities across the country.

The 10-member parliamentary standing committee on finance ministry, assigned to ensure transparency and accountability of the executive, at its meeting observed that many rich people even in the semi-urban and rural areas evade income tax.

It recommended the finance ministry to form a high-powered technical committee or a national taskforce that would find out and recommend the government the ways to bring more people under the tax net, said committee chairman Abdur Raz-

zaque, after the meeting at the parliament building.

According to the finance ministry officials, over 8 lakh people pay income tax while 60 lakh people have tax identification numbers (TINs).

“This means, a huge number of capable people do not pay tax. Even in the rural areas, a huge number of people should come under the tax net,” the chairman told reporters at a press briefing.

Abdur Razzaque said around 25% of the country’s total revenue came from income tax. “This should cross at least 40%,” he added.

Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and his deputy MA Mannan also attended the meeting.

Before attending the meeting, the finance minister had a meeting with chairmen of four parliamentary standing

committees at the national economic council auditorium.

The national board of revenue has fixed the revenue target of Tk125,000 crore.

Upto the end of March, the revenue shortfall stood at Tk8,000 crore.

Razzaque said the tax-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio in Bangladesh was below 10% before the Awami League government taking office in 2009.

“Now it has crossed 13% and hopefully it would cross 14% in the next fiscal,” he said, referring that this ratio was lower than Nepal.

The committee expressed satisfaction over the economic performance of the Awami League government.

It suggested the ministry to be tougher on the question of curbing money laundering from Bangladesh to Malaysia and Canada. l

Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu has urged the country’s top businessmen to come up with investment in the Information and Communication Technology sector to remove the existing digital discrimination from the society.

The minister yesterday made the call while inaugurating a three-day laptop fair at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital.

The fair remains open for the visitors from 10am to 8pm till May 17. The entry fee is Tk20 per person.

Inaugurating the fair styled ‘www.techshohor. com laptop fair’ with a slogan of “Laptop for All,” Inu said: “No recognised businessmen are showing interests for investing in the country’s potential ICT sector although they are investing their money in oth-

er traditional business sectors.”

The minister, however, hoped that it would be good enough for the country to develop its ICT sector, only if fifty recognised businessmen were attracted in this sector.

Inu praised the young generation for their efforts to change their fates with the development of the country’s ICT sector.

15% VAT on internet uses also needs to be withdrawn as internet has not

only become a fundamental need of the day, but also become a significant part of the human rights, he added.

“I must raise this issue at the cabinet meeting and request the finance minister to cut 15% VAT from internet uses.’’

Expo maker, the organiser of the 14th laptop fair, informed that a total of 28 stalls and 19 pavilions are available in the fair where buyers can choice their preferable brands and the models available in the country. l

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.49

CSE key features May 15, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

243.54

Turnover (Volume)

7,118,563

Number of Contract

10,508

4416.95723

(-) 0.91%

▼

Traded Issues

211

984.84449

(-) 1.19%

▼

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

47

DSE - 30 Index :

1604.39147

(-) 1.12%

▼

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

161

CSE All Share Index:

13657.0914

(-) 0.72%

▼

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

CSE - 30 Index :

11204.3141

(-) 0.90%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,174.87

8508.8447

(-) 0.71%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.36

DSE Shariah Index :

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS Company

Closing (% change)

Wata Chemicals -A MBL 1st M. F.-A Rupali Bank - A B I F C -A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A Midas Financing-Z Apex Footwear-A Dhaka Ins. Ltd.-A

-79.85 -22.35 -14.69 -9.74 -9.64 -9.62 -8.62 -8.52

Average (% change) -79.85 -22.22 -12.70 -9.13 -7.85 -9.79 -9.71 -8.29

Jute SpinnersA Reliance Insur -A

-7.60 -6.54

-7.02 -6.58

CSE LOSERS Company

Closing (% change)

Emerald Oil Ind. -N MBL 1st M. F.-A Rupali Bank - A Marico BD Ltd-A City G Insu.-A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A Khulna Power-A Anlima Yarn -A

-78.48 -23.26 -11.32 -6.25 -6.17 -6.10 -5.93 -4.76

Average (% change) -2.76 -23.12 -11.35 -4.75 -5.68 -6.46 -6.45 -2.39

Hakkani P& Paper -B B I F C -A

-4.70 -4.64

-3.66 -7.06

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

54.40 6.72 61.46 14.13 7.63 21.65 397.60 33.40

54.40 6.60 60.40 13.90 7.50 21.60 397.60 33.30

54.40 7.50 65.00 15.40 8.50 21.70 397.60 33.80

54.40 6.50 60.20 13.90 7.40 21.60 397.60 33.10

0.011 28.749 2.490 5.301 11.446 0.184 3.101 1.002

9.80 1.44 3.96 0.24 1.49 -6.91 -11.44 2.24

5.6 4.7 15.5 58.9 5.1 -ve -ve 14.9

61.18 64.42

60.80 64.30

61.30 68.00

60.50 62.90

0.052 0.615

-43.81 5.84

-ve 11.0

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

231.07 6.65 60.28 1,110.00 21.41 7.67 50.32 22.50

51.00 6.60 60.30 1,110.00 21.30 7.70 50.80 22.00

52.10 6.80 60.40 1,110.00 21.70 7.70 51.40 23.00

50.40 6.50 60.00 1,110.00 21.00 7.50 48.00 22.00

1.502 1.769 0.030 0.056 0.032 0.180 2.431 0.068

2.92 1.44 3.96 43.99 1.84 1.49 5.35 0.80

79.1 4.6 15.2 25.2 11.6 5.1 9.4 28.1

28.71 14.36

28.40 14.40

29.90 15.00

27.90 14.00

0.230 0.065

0.28 0.24

102.5 59.8

8.68 54.35 44.03 44.36 22.94 55.97 28.99 10.91 30.28 84.07

8.70 55.50 44.00 44.40 22.90 56.10 28.60 11.10 30.00 84.70

8.70 56.50 44.10 47.30 23.20 57.00 30.00 11.20 30.70 85.50

Turnover in million

Daily low 8.60 53.00 44.00 42.20 22.70 54.00 27.90 9.80 29.70 83.00

0.035 0.625 0.066 0.311 0.241 2.323 3.739 0.300 0.074 0.738

0.56 4.20 -1.01 -1.33 0.64 0.52 0.28 0.20 2.45 4.23

Latest EPS -1.85 -1.01 1.32 6.40 5.00 2.32 0.20 0.64 0.28 4.23

Latest PE 16.6 96.4 -ve -ve 17.2 107.7 100.9 144.6 13.1 19.8

Latest PE -ve -ve 33.4 6.9 4.6 24.1 145.0 17.0 108.1 19.9

News from trade server MBL1STMF: 3% cash, Record date: 02.06.2014. Earnings per unit of Tk. 1.44 for the year ended on March 31, 2014.

AIBL1STIMF: 5.5% cash, Record date: 02.06.2014. Earnings per unit of Tk. 1.49 for the year ended on March 31, 2014.

GOLDENSON: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors has decided to issue Rights shares @ 1R:2 (i.e. 1 Rights share for every 2 existing shares) of Tk. 10 each at an issue price of Tk. 30.00 each (including a premium of Tk. 20.00 per share) after considering bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2013 for expansion of existing business of the Company subject to approval of the shareholders in the EGM and Regulatory Authorities. Date of EGM: 21.06.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Chittagong Boat Club Ltd. Ghat No. 11, East Patenga, Chittagong. Record Date for EGM: 27.05.2014.

Another record date for entitlement of the proposed rights shares to be notified later on after obtaining approval from BSEC. Unaudited Financials UTTARABANK: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 245.85 million with consolidated basic EPS of Tk. 0.68 (restated 0.61) as against Tk. 167.73 million

and Tk. 0.46 (0.42) respectively.

PRIMEBANK: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 1,288.68 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.25 as against Tk. -1,517.36 million and Tk. -1.47 respectively.

SOUTHEASTB: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 698.84 million with consolidated basic EPS of Tk. 0.80 (restated 0.76) as against Tk. 381.01 million and Tk. 0.44 (0.42) respectively.

NCCBANK: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 139.74 million with consolidated basic EPS of Tk. 0.18 (restated 0.17) as against Tk. 102.16 million and Tk. 0.13 (0.13) respectively.

BIFC: (Q1): NPAT=Tk. 3.71 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.06 (restated 0.06) as against Tk. -31.44 million and Tk. -0.49 (-0.47) respectively.

PRIMEFIN: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 63.22 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.23 as against Tk. 21.78 million and Tk. 0.08 respectively.

IPDC: (Q1): NPAT=Tk. 18.36 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.18 (restated 0.16) as against Tk. 14.20 million and Tk. 0.14 (0.12) respectively.

BAYLEASING: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 47.37 million with consolidated basic EPS of Tk. 0.42 (restated 0.36) as against Tk. 30.09 million and Tk. 0.26 (0.23) respectively.

GSPFINANCE: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 26.02 million with EPS of Tk. 0.39 as against Tk. 20.82 million and Tk. 0.31 respectively.

GOLDENSON: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 155.78 million with basic EPS of Tk. 1.28 ( restated 1.02) as against Tk. 100.81 million and Tk. 0.83 (0.66).

BSRMSTEEL: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 403.61 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.18 as against Tk. 427.81 million and Tk. 1.25 respectively.

GBBPOWER: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 30.32 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.41 (restated 0.36) as against Tk. 26.49 million and Tk. 0.36 (0.31) respectively.

ARGONDENIM: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 83.25 million with basic EPS of Tk. 1.16 ( restated 1.01) as against Tk. 45.16 million and Tk. 0.63 (0.55) respectively.

BXSYNTH: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 16.29 million with EPS of Tk. 0.19 as against Tk. 12.32 million and Tk. 0.14 respectively. Accumulated profit/(loss) of the Company was Tk. (9.84) million as on 31.03.2014.

SALVOCHEM: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 15.04 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.32 (restated 0.29) as against Tk. 11.39 million and Tk. 0.25 (0.22) respectively.

CHANGE OF DSE BROAD INDEX VS SECTORAL INDEX 3%

Pharma & Chemical Index

DSE BroadIndex

2%

1%

0%

15

2,267.63

8.75 6.53 4.76 3.26 3.15 3.13 2.88 2.78 2.74 2.54

Daily high

Latest EPS

08

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

Imam Button -Z Rahima Food -Z Standard Ceramic -A Northern G Insur-A Prime Bank-A AFC AgroBiotech-N Legacy Footwear -A Shinepukur Cera-Z Monno Ceramic -B M.I. Cement-A

Closing

0.005 0.405 7.559 0.087 3.566 0.020 0.692 9.089 2.219 20.291

01

2

Closing average

9.30 404.00 52.10 6.40 10.00 56.00 27.70 27.00 29.20 75.00

24

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

Average (% change) 8.50 4.32 4.86 3.16 2.27 3.25 5.27 0.46 3.88 2.42

Closing (% change)

Company

9.30 405.90 56.00 6.50 11.20 56.00 29.00 30.20 34.00 85.40

Turnover in million

Daily low

17

220

9.30 404.60 55.40 6.40 11.10 56.00 28.10 28.50 32.20 84.80

10

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

CSE GAINERS

Daily high

03

60

9.30 405.00 54.58 6.44 10.99 56.00 28.24 28.92 32.20 83.96

Closing

27

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

Closing average

20

282

13

Traded Issues

06

trading day, lost over 1% to Tk43.5 after rising 341% on its offer value of Tk10 a share in the previous session.

Wata Chemicals that was previously trading in the OTC market – continued to rally with a rise of almost 10% and hit upper limit of the circuit breaker as there were no sellers for the second consecutive session.

Lanka Bangla Securities, in its market analysis, said the benchmark index fell on the closing day of the week as concern over week corporate and quarterly earnings kept investors edgy.

“Throughout the week, quarterly declarations of multinational companies and financial stock were negative,” it said.

Throughout the week, market continued to show range-bound move since the index breached its support level of 4,500 as limit on bank’s exposure in the capital market instilled bearish tone in market sentiment, it said.

Square Pharmaceuticals was the most traded stock of the session with almost Tk17 crore changing hands.

It was followed by Grameenphone, Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd, Meghna Petroleum, Hwa Well and Matin Spinning. l

77,606

9.41 7.78 6.74 6.67 3.74 3.70 2.93 2.89 2.55 2.17

27

Number of Contract

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

78,487,059

BD Fixed Income MF-A Libra Infusions-A Rahima Food -Z Meghna PET Ind. -Z Shinepukur Cera-Z Savar Refractories-Z Hakkani P& Paper -B Legacy Footwear -A Republic Insu.-A M.I. Cement-A

20

Wata Chemicals sees no seller for the 2nd day Stocks extended losses for the fifth session in row yesterday with the benchmark DSEX sinking to 18week low.

Lower than expected quarterly earnings that poured throughout the week in the market accelerated selling pressure, analysts say.

The benchmark index DSEX lost over 40 points or 1% to close at 4,417 – its lowest since January 9 this year. Shariah Index DSES was down 12 points or 1% to 985. The blue-chip comprising DS30 fell 18 points or 1% to 1,604.

Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, shed 60 points to 8,509.

Participants in trading continued to decline as the DSE turnover standing at Tk305 crore, which is lowest since March 25 this year and more than 19% over the previous session’s turnover.

All the sectors continued to suffer with food and allied shedding highest of more than 2.4%. It was followed by pharmaceuticals that declined almost 2%, power 1.4%, non-banking financial institutions 1.2% and telecommunications 1%.

Market bellwether bank edged lower.

Hwa Well Textile, in its second

3,053.45

Average (% change) 9.41 7.84 6.73 7.33 1.29 3.70 3.22 5.36 2.48 1.49

Closing (% change)

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Friday, May 16, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features May 15, 2014

DSEX sinks to 18-week low n Tribune Report

Stock

13

DHAKA TRIBUNE

06

B2

-1%

-2%

-3%

ANALYST

Throughout the week, quarterly declarations of multinational companies and financial stock were negative

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 368.87 122.23 115.03 173.50 225.18 344.46 1.12 405.86 481.65 0.69 78.07 34.61 14.26 239.46 23.01 69.69 83.97 169.54 20.22 81.75 0.27

Company Square Pharma -A Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-Z Meghna Petroleum -A Hwa Well Textiles-N Matin Spinning-N Padma Oil Co. -A

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

% change 12.08 4.00 3.77 5.68 7.37 11.28 0.04 13.29 15.77 0.02 2.56 1.13 0.47 7.84 0.75 2.28 2.75 5.55 0.66 2.68 0.01

Million Taka 25.42 10.04 5.58 19.11 13.78 25.57 53.59 29.89 14.85 2.37 18.90 1.21 22.77 1.32 1.08 4.57 20.99 5.94 10.40 0.01

CSE

% change 8.85 3.49 1.94 6.65 4.80 8.90 0.00 18.65 10.40 5.17 0.82 6.58 0.42 7.92 0.46 0.38 1.59 7.30 2.07 3.62 0.00

Million Taka 394.29 132.28 120.62 192.61 238.96 370.03 1.12 459.45 511.55 15.54 80.44 53.51 15.47 262.23 24.33 70.77 88.53 190.54 26.16 92.15 0.29

Total

% change 11.80 3.96 3.61 5.77 7.15 11.08 0.03 13.75 15.31 0.47 2.41 1.60 0.46 7.85 0.73 2.12 2.65 5.70 0.78 2.76 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

Olympic Ind. -A Eastern Housing -A City Bank - A

HeidelbergCement -A Khulna Power-A Emerald Oil Ind. -N BD Submarine Cable-A Delta Life Insu. -A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Hwa Well Textiles-N

HeidelbergCement -A BD Submarine Cable-A Grameenphone-A Matin Spinning-N Appollo Ispat CL -N Square Pharma -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A LafargeS Cement-Z UNITED AIR-A Padma Oil Co. -A Delta Life Insu. -A JMI Syringes MDL-A Orion Pharma-N Meghna Petroleum -A

Volume shares 628,129 458,654 1,715,500 362,092 2,174,500 1,777,600 234,583 309,316 1,117,956 3,780,710

124,200 1,040,414 1,016,000 252,759 220,900

Volume shares

481,500 27,150 60,554 35,600 158,400 270,800 26,745 241,273 87,500 442,938 13,393 21,200 21,500 72,960 13,700

Value in million 169.37 121.05 114.95 100.62 96.19 84.53 76.20 71.71 71.40 64.31

63.38 53.19 52.05 48.50 43.71

Value in million

21.13 13.79 11.60 9.39 7.51 7.35 7.24 6.26 5.86 5.17 4.35 4.19 3.86 3.82 3.80

% of total turnover 5.55 3.96 3.76 3.30 3.15 2.77 2.50 2.35 2.34 2.11

2.08 1.74 1.70 1.59 1.43

% of total turnover

8.94 5.84 4.91 3.98 3.18 3.11 3.07 2.65 2.48 2.19 1.84 1.77 1.63 1.62 1.61

Daily closing 267.20 264.50 67.40 278.80 43.50 47.10 324.30 231.40 63.40 17.10

512.30 51.40 50.90 190.50 196.10

Daily closing

43.30 510.60 190.20 263.70 47.20 27.10 269.80 26.00 67.00 11.60 324.50 196.00 172.70 52.50 277.50

Price change -2.05 -0.94 -0.59 -0.68 -1.36 -1.88 -1.16 -1.78 -0.47 1.18

Daily opening 272.80 267.00 67.80 280.70 44.10 48.00 328.10 235.60 63.70 16.90

Price change

Daily opening

-1.02 -5.69 -1.55 -2.01 -2.39

-2.04 -1.18 -2.06 -1.24 -1.46 -2.17 -1.03 0.00 -1.33 -0.85 -0.92 -2.78 -2.92 0.57 -1.28

517.60 54.50 51.70 194.40 200.90

44.20 516.70 194.20 267.00 47.90 27.70 272.60 26.00 67.90 11.70 327.50 201.60 177.90 52.20 281.10

Daily high 280.00 268.00 67.70 280.70 45.50 48.60 333.30 234.50 64.70 17.30

518.00 52.00 52.30 195.00 200.00

Daily low 250.00 250.00 66.10 265.00 43.00 47.00 300.00 218.00 58.00 15.50

500.00 47.00 50.70 177.00 195.80

Daily average 269.64 263.91 67.01 277.87 44.24 47.55 324.83 231.83 63.87 17.01

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

45.30 519.90 195.00 267.00 48.50 27.90 273.70 26.10 67.50 11.90 328.90 200.50 184.00 53.00 279.50

42.50 501.20 189.00 261.70 46.60 26.80 268.00 23.40 66.10 11.60 322.00 195.10 170.00 51.00 275.00

510.32 51.12 51.23 191.87 197.85

43.88 508.08 191.56 263.84 47.39 27.16 270.73 25.93 66.95 11.66 324.69 197.42 179.53 52.38 277.29

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Euro zone first-quarter growth disappointed, puts pressure on ECB to act n Reuters, Brussels The euro zone economy grew much less than expected at the start of the year and inflation remained locked in the ‘danger zone’ below 1%, increasing pressure on the European Central Bank to ease monetary policy at its next meeting in June.

The 9.5 trillion euro economy expanded only 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of 2014, the same as the downwardly revised rate in the last quarter of 2013, while economists had expected 0.4% growth.

The first quarter figure stayed positive mainly thanks to strong growth in the biggest economy Germany, which compensated for stagnation in France and shrinking output in Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Finland.

“Today’s (yesterday) figure is a major disappointment, as it suggests that the euro zone is still far away from reaching the escape velocity required for a sustainable recovery,” said Peter Vanden Houte, chief euro zone economist with ING. With growth so weak and consumer price growth well below the ECB target, the bank is preparing a package of measures for its June meeting, including cuts in all its interest rates and steps to fight the risks of deflation.

“The package ... the ECB appears to be preparing is welcome ... but the overall steps are likely to be too small to make a real difference,” said Nick Kounis, economist at ABN AMRO.

A worker controls the cast at a blast furnace of German steel manufacturer Salzgitter AG in Salzgitter REUTERS “More aggressive easing than the ECB currently seems to be considering would help from that perspective,” he added.

German quarterly growth of 0.8% marginally exceeded forecasts and was double the pace at the end of 2013.

The zero growth in France was a disappointment compared with expectations of 0.2% growth.

Inventory changes and public spending were the only factors which kept the French economy from contracting while Germany’s performance was driven largely by domestic demand, French and German statistics

office data showed.

France will now need 0.5% growth each quarter to meet a government forecast for 1% growth in 2014, Natixis Asset Management chief economist Philippe Waechter said.

“France’s public finance plan has been built on the 1% growth forecast.

If we don’t achieve it, France will not meet its (debt and deficit) targets for 2014 and 2015,” Waechter said. Missing the deficit targets again is likely to put Paris on a collision course with European Union rules under which it has to cut its deficit below 3% of GDP by 2015.

France is not the only euro zone

B3

Friday, May 16, 2014

member in the doldrums.

Italy defied growth expectations and contracted 0.1%, denting a fragile recovery begun at the end of last year when the country finally put an end to its longest recession since World War Two. The euro zone growth outlook for the second quarter was poor too, which will not help reduce the risks of deflation.

“We believe GDP growth is unlikely to be stronger in Q2 than in Q1. This ‘recovery’ remains far too weak to halt deflationary pressures,” said ING’s Vanden Houte.

Germany expects domestic demand to drive growth of 1.8% this year and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that everything pointed to a broad economic pick-up.

Meanwhile France is facing a public sector strike by the hardline FO labour union over civil service pay freezes - a reminder of the difficulties of enacting reform and making the French economy more competitive.

Greece, after four years of tough reforms introduced in exchange for a 240 billion euro bailout, continued to shrink year-on-year in the first quarter, but at the slowest pace since early 2010, adding credibility to expectations that Athens will limp out of a sixyear recession this year.

The silver lining is the absence of pressure from the markets, with borrowing costs for many euro zone countries at record lows.

Don’t blame the euro

The ECB has said a strong euro is one of its concerns, given the downward pressure it puts on import prices and exports.

France wants euro zone governments to take action on the currency and has called for negotiations to weaken it after EU parliament elections next week.

But the head of France’s Medef national employers association said on Tuesday that Paris should not use its call for a weaker euro as a substitute for much-needed reforms.

Other euro zone countries which have taken strong medicine to improve competitiveness are starting to see the benefits.

Spain reported first quarter GDP growth of 0.4% two weeks ago, giving a year-on-year expansion of 0.6%, the strongest in three years. The Spanish government upped its 2014 growth forecast to 1.2% from a previous 0.7%.

In global terms, much depends on demand for European goods from China, but there are positive signs elsewhere.

Japan clocked its fastest pace of growth in more than two years in the first quarter, raising hopes the economy will have enough momentum to tide over an expected slump following an April 1 sales tax hike.

And the United States is expected to bounce back from a weather-ravaged start to the year. l

Barclays’ Asia investment bank head steps down amid global shake-up n Reuters, Hong Kong Barclays’ top investment banker in Asia Pacific has stepped down from his post, the bank said yesterday, the latest in a raft of regional management changes at the British lender as it shrinks its investment bank globally.

Matthew Ginsburg is the most senior banker to leave Barclays Asia Pacific this month as the lender scaled back its investment banking business to focus instead on U.S. and British clients as well as advising on deals and selling products such as government bonds.

Ginsburg, who is considering jobs at Barclays outside Asia, will be replaced in the interim by Andrew Jones, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. Jones was named co-chief executive for Asia Pacific alongside Eiji Nakai on May 2.

A spokesman for Barclays declined to comment.

Barclays had hired Ginsburg from Morgan Stanley in 2009 as it expanded its investment banking business in the region after the financial crisis. His exit comes a few days after top dealmaker Jason Rynbeck, who joined Barclays in 2008 from Royal Bank of Scotland Group, left.

Marc Benton, Barclays’ head of oil and gas coverage, also left last month, according to a filing with Hong Kong’s Securities regulator. l

Dollar weakens further as eyes turn to US, Europe data n AFP, Tokyo

Crude prices ease in Asian trade n AFP, Singapore Oil prices eased in Asian trade yesterday following a rally in the previous session, analysts said.

The US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate for June delivery, was down 27 cents at $102.10 a barrel in afternoon trade while Brent North Sea crude for June dropped 11 cents to $110.08.

Prices climbed in US trade Wednesday after a Department of Energy report showed a drawdown at the Cushing, Oklahoma, terminal that fuelled hopes demand had picked up in the world’s biggest oil consuming nation.

However, Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets, in Sydney told AFP: “There are concerns

that the spike is due to changes in the distribution structure rather than an increase in demand.”

He said the drop at Cushing was due to better distribution through the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, which transports oil to Gulf Coast refineries in Texas.

The overall US crude oil stockpiles data - which includes those outside Cushing - showed supplies rising 900,000 barrels in the week ending May 9.

However, the fall in prices has been tempered by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying on Wednesday that the former Soviet state was on the brink of civil war. l

Furniture maker, HATIL Complex Ltd recently opened its second international outlet in Toronto, Canada. The 6000 square feet store area will be used as both the display centre and warehouse of HATIL furniture. The company’s chair and managing director, Selim H Rahman was present at inauguration programme held on May 10

The CEO of Prometric Testing Service Maryland USA, Charles Kernan recently visited American Alumni Association (AAA). The president of AAA, Tahsin Aman hosted a reception and discussion session at AAA head office in Banani

The dollar extended the previous day’s losses against the yen and euro in Asia yesterday as traders await the release of key data from the United States and eurozone later in the day.

In the afternoon in Tokyo the dollar fetched 101.83 yen, down from 101.87 yen late in New York and well off the 102.20 yen in Tokyo earlier Wednesday.

The euro bought 139.64 yen compared with 139.70 yen while it rose to $1.3714 from $1.3701.

There appeared to be little impact from news that Japan’s economy grew at the fastest pace in more than two years in the first three months of the year.

The greenback sank in New York as a surprisingly high 0.6% jump in US producer price inflation for April tempered

hopes for an early hike in interest rates.

Analysts’ average estimate was for a 0.2% rise.

Attention now turns to the release of eurozone economic growth data and consumer inflation for April, which come at a time of growing fears of de-

main too low for too long,” ECB executive board member Peter Praet told the weekly newspaper Die Zeit.

Another weak reading will pile further pressure on the ECB to further ease monetary policy to kickstart spending.

“The important, global, theme is

The United States is also likely to be unusually sensitive to CPI (consumer price index) data at the present potential turning point of its easing policy flation in the currency bloc.

The chief economist at the European Central bank (ECB) said it cannot allow eurozone inflation to fall even more, adding that policymakers were preparing a range of measures to bring price rises back up to more acceptable levels.

“We mustn’t allow inflation to re-

Millennium Service Center Ltd yesterday inaugurated its after sales service center for Jaguar and Land Rover at Millennium Center in Dhaka. Mark Tennant, CEO of Guava International Ltd has graced the inaugural ceremony as chief guest. Guava International manages the authorised Jaguar and Land Rover vehicle business through a dealer network within the country

United Airways (BD) Limited, a private airline started its maiden Dhaka–Doha flight from Wednesday onwards. The airline’s chair and managing director Capt Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury inaugurated the first Doha flight as chief guest at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on May 14

Industrial Promotion and Development Company of Bangladesh Limited held its 32nd annual general meeting at Brac CDM in Gazipur. The meeting was presided by the company’s chair, SulaimanAjanee

likely to be one of inflation - or lack thereof,” National Australia Bank (NAB) said.

US consumer inflation data for April is due later in the business day.

The United States “is also likely to be unusually sensitive to CPI (consumer price index) data at the present potential turning point of its easing policy”,

NAB said, referring to the Fed’s tapering of its monetary easing measures.

Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen is also due to address the US Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, which investors will dissect for clues about the state of the world’s number one economy.

The dollar was mixed against AsiaPacific currencies.

It rose to Sg$1.2509 from Sg$1.2494, and to 43.70 Philippine pesos from 43.62 pesos.

However, it fell to 11,446.80 Indonesian rupiah from 11,470.00 rupiah, to 32.45 Thai baht from 32.49 baht, and to Tw$30.16 from Tw$30.17.

The dollar dipped to 1,026.44 South Korean won from 1,026.46 won.

The Australian dollar fell to 93.72 US cents from 93.96 cents while the Chinese yuan slipped to 16.30 yen from 16.37 yen. l

ONE Bank Limited yesterday held its 15th annual general meeting at Police Convention Centre in Dhaka. The bank’s chair Sayeed H Chowdhury was present at the meeting as the announcement of 10% stock and 9% cash dividend was made

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has recently organised an orientation programme at Mohammad Younus Auditorium of Islami Bank Tower for its 140 newly recruited probationary officers. The bank’s chair was present at the programme as chief guest

PRAN Foods UAE, sister concern of PRAN-RFL Group recently celebrated its 11th annual day programme at Ewan Hotel in UAE. The company managing director, Hasan Mahbub, Managing Director was present among others. The company also awarded best performing employees on the occasion for their performance in the last year

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Japan Q1 growth hits 2-year high Companies were making progress passing on the cost of tax rise to consumers, says BOJ

n Reuters, Tokyo Japan’s economy clocked its fastest pace of growth in more than two years in the first quarter as consumer spending jumped and business investment turned surprisingly strong in a sign of confidence in the prospects for future growth.

The upturn in capital spending long a weak spot in Japan - could raise hopes the economy will have enough momentum to tide over an expected slump following an April 1 sales tax hike, easing pressure on the Bank of Japan for further stimulus to support growth.

Still, analysts also say the economy faces the risks in coming quarters of consumer demand not bouncing back convincingly after the sales tax increase and exports staying weak.

“Corporate earnings have been improving and some facilities have been ageing, so some firms felt they could not delay capital expenditure any longer,” said Norio Miyagawa, a senior economist at Mizuho Securities Research & Consulting Co. “Nonmanufacturers are more confident about the economy. Capex will continue to grow, but without investment from manufacturers the pace will be gradual.”

Gross domestic product in the world’s third-biggest economy rose at an annualized rate of 5.9% in the January-March period, government data showed on Thursday, as consumers rushed to buy before the sales tax increase to 8% from 5%.

The result handily beat expectations of 4.2% growth in a Reuters poll of economists and marked the fastest expansion since the third quarter of 2011, when the country was recovering from a devastating earthquake and nuclear disaster.

Capital spending rose 4.9% on the quarter, more than double the median estimate for 2.1% growth and the fast-

A man holding a mobile phone rides an escalator in Tokyo est expansion since October-December 2011, as companies used increased profits to invest in factories and equipment.

A Cabinet Office official cited spending by firms to upgrade their Windows operating systems and strong demand for construction machinery.

The capital spending figure could be encouraging for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is keen for Japan Inc to spend more of its cash pile worth over 200tn yen ($2tn) and raise wages to help drive a sustainable economic recovery.

Temporary pullback

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, Japan’s economy expanded 1.5%, more than the median estimate for 1% growth. It was the sixth consecutive quarter of expansion.

Private consumption, which makes up about 60% of the economy, rose 2.1% from the previous quarter. That matched a high last seen in the first

quarter of 1997, just before the last increase in the sales tax.

Analysts and policymakers expect the economy to slump temporarily in the current quarter due to a pullback in consumer spending after the sales tax rise, before returning to moderate growth in the following quarters.

“We expect the economy will contract at an annualized rate of around 5% for April-June but will likely grow around the 2% level for July-September,” said Taro Saito, senior economist at NLI Research Institute.

“The economy is expected to return to moderate growth after a temporary pullback, which is largely in line with the Bank of Japan’s scenario. It is hard to consider the BOJ will ease judging from an economic growth and price increase perspective.”

Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Thursday that the weakness in consumption after the tax rise was within

REUTERS

expectations and temporary, adding that he hoped spending would recover as the job market improves.

Meanwhile, BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said companies were making progress passing on the cost of the tax rise to consumers.

Kuroda has repeatedly expressed confidence that the economy can withstand the impact from the tax rise and is on track to meet the central bank’s 2% inflation target, easing speculation that the BOJ may need to launch additional easing.

Still, some analysts have said that if exports remain feeble, the BOJ may be forced as soon as July to expand stimulus by ramping up its purchases of government bonds and other assets.

The GDP data showed that external demand shaved off 0.3 percentage point from quarterly growth, the third straight quarter of subtraction for the traditionally export-reliant economy. l

Friday, May 16, 2014

Google selling Glass Internet eyewear in US n AFP, San Francisco Google’s Internet-linked eyewear - hotly anticipated by some, feared by others - is now available to anyone in the United States with $1,500 to spare and a yen to become an “explorer.”

The decision to open the “Glass” test, or beta, program on Wednesday to anyone with enough money and curiosity came about a month after a oneday sale of the eyewear to the public.

“We learned a lot when we opened our site a few weeks ago, so we’ve decided to move to a more open beta,” said a post on the Glass page at Google+ online social network.

“We’re still in the Explorer Program while we continue to improve our hardware and software, but starting today anyone in the US can buy the Glass Explorer Edition, as long as we have it on hand.”

In a possible sign of interest in the eyewear, the Glass page on the Google+ network has more than 678,000 followers and has been viewed more than 107 million times.

Google in March said it is joining forces with the frame giant behind Ray-Ban and other high-end brands to create and sell Glass Internet-linked eyewear in the United States.

The partnership with Luxottica was portrayed as Google’s “biggest step yet into the emerging smart eyewear market.” Luxottica brands include Oakley, Alain Mikli, Ray-Ban and Vogue-Eyewear.

The first smart glasses by Luxottica for Google Glass will go on sale in 2015, the head of the Italian eyewear group said Tuesday.

No ‘Glassholes’

Google has been working to burnish the image of Glass, which has triggered concerns about privacy since the devices are capable of capturing pictures and video.

Google recently sent out a release to debunk what it claims are myths about Glass such as the ideas that it invades privacy, distracts wearers and is for

“technology-worshipping geeks.”

“If someone wants to secretly record you, there are much, much better cameras out there than one you wear conspicuously on your face and that lights up every time you give a voice command, or press a button,” Google said.

“If a company sought to design a secret spy device, they could do a better job than Glass.”

During the Explorer testing phase, developers are creating apps for Google Glass, which can range from getting weather reports to sharing videos to playing games. Google in February gave the early adopters a bit of advice: don’t be “Glassholes”.

It was the final suggestion in a recommended code of conduct posted online for the software developers and others taking part in the “explorer” program.

'If someone wants to secretly record you, there are much, much better cameras out there than one you wear conspicuously on your face and that lights up every time you give a voice command, or press a button' The Internet titan appeared intent on avoiding the kinds of caustic run-ins that have seen some Glass wearers tossed from eateries, pubs or other establishments due to concerns over camera capabilities built into devices.

Don’t be “creepy or rude (aka, a “Glasshole”),” Google said in a guide posted online for Explorer program members.

Glass connects to the Internet using Wi-Fi hot spots or, more typically, by being wirelessly tethered to mobile phones. Pictures or video are may be shared through the Google Plus social network. l

ANZ lands senior Citigroup exec for Asia expansion n Reuters, Sydney Australia and New Zealand Banking Corp pulled off a major coup on Wednesday by poaching a senior Citigroup executive with extensive experience in Asia, where it has been bolstering its presence in recent years.

Farhan Faruqui’s appointment to head up international banking from Hong Kong is the latest in a string of appointments by ANZ designed to boost growth in Asia at a time when it is reshuffling its organisational structure and exiting non-performing investments.

'We have seen returns inching lower in recent periods and this is a banking market which is well contested. So, certainly there is a growth-return trade-off ' Faruqui’s appointment follows that of Sameer Sahwney who became the head of global banking for international and institutional banking this April. Both report to Andrew Géczy who was appointed CEO of ANZ’s international and institutional banking late last year.

ANZ first announced its “super regional strategy” in 2007/08 to step up income from outside Australia, but made slower-than-expected progress, missing its own initial five-year targets.

The business has since grown, but driving revenues faster and improving investor returns remain key challenges in ANZ’s push to become a major regional player amid stringent capital rules and growing competition.

“We have seen returns inching lower in recent periods and this is a banking market which is well contested. So, certainly there is a growth-return tradeoff,” James Ellis, a banking analyst at

DILBERT

Credit Suisse said.

ANZ’s Asia business posted a 40% growth in net profit at $455m in the first half of the year ending in September. Its Asian share of institutional banking has risen to 27% from 14% four years ago.

It expects to see return on equity (ROE) at 16% by 2016 from 15.5% now, raising scepticism from both investors and analysts about its ability to achieve that target as margins shrink.

In a recent presentation, ANZ said it was focussed on geographies offering scale and increasing its product mix as it looks to leverage itself as a trade bank. At home, ANZ also has a retail presence.

Asia growth

ANZ exited a partnership in Vietnam in 2012 and may exit stakes in Cambodia and Indonesia as it looks to own 100% of the business rather than small stakes to improve investor returns.

The strategy, which aims to capture booming Asian growth, trade and investment flows, differentiates ANZ from its peers in Australia, although analysts say it was too soon to compare it with Standard Chartered, HSBC and Citi - who already derive most of their income from Asia.

Géczy told Reuters that the bank will take advantage of strong trade flows and foreign investments into Asia.

“What I aspire to do with the organization structure that I’ve created and the appointments that followed on is to derive on getting delivery of our strategy and to make it come alive,” Géczy said by phone.

ANZ shares have gained almost 13% since Géczy took over in September, better than its local rivals and outperforming the benchmark index, Citi, Standard Chartered and HSBC. “I think the business is progressing.

There is a concern that it’s capital intensive, it requires a lot of capital support, but the last results showed they are doing okay,” said John Buonaccorsi, banking analyst with CIMB. l

Titan, a robot created by England Cyberstein Robots, performs to mark Bal Rotov (Robot Ball) at Artplay Moscow exhibition center in Moscow. The interactive exhibition of the most recent advances in robotics in the Russian capital will be opened for visitors tomorrow AFP

Hip-hop businessmen on the rise in US n AFP, Washington

At Howard University’s graduation ceremony, students got advice from a guest speaker unlike most given that honor: Sean Combs, or “P. Diddy”, a leading symbol of hip-hop artists turned businessmen.

Facing a sea of young people wearing blue gowns, the magnate of rap spoke Saturday of the secret of his success.

“I decided to embrace the entrepreneur spirit of my dad but in a honest way, in a legal way,” said Combs, whose father died in a drug deal gone wrong.

Sitting atop a personal fortune of 700m dollars, “P Diddy” is among a coterie of rapper businessmen who have gone from inner city streets to the pages of the Wall Street Journal.

The king of West Coast rap, Dr. Dre, could soon become hip-hop’s first billionaire, if a proposed sale of his headphone and music streaming company Beats to Apple goes through.

“It’s a great landmark. After all, it’s a deal with, by some measures, the greatest company in the world,” said Dan Charnas, author of the book “The Big Payback. The History of the Business of Hip-Hop”.

“But that would also make sense in the context of the rise of the hip-hop entrepreneurs,” Charnas added, referring to the long years hip hop has spent knocking on the doors of US capitalism.

A deal reached nearly 30 years ago between the now legendary record label Def Jam and music giant Columbia paved the way.

But it did not immediately erase the wariness of the establishment toward this African-American urban culture.

It took until the mid 2000s to see the kings of hip-hop sign lucrative deals turning their personal brands into very big money.

“Why would the mainstream understand rock’n’roll so easily but then hip hop has to wait to have billion dollar deals” asked Steve Stoute, a former record label executive who founded

the marketing company “Translation”.

Changing times In a sign of the changing times the magazine Forbes now publishes a wealth ranking specifically for the fortunes of hip-hop artists, which do not stem only from music.

The richest of all of them is P. Diddy, who founded his own record label, Bad Boy Records, but also established a line of clothing (Sean John), signed a partnership with the vodka brand Ciroc and launched a music channel, Revolt TV. Following the success of his album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” rapper 50 Cent made a bundle by investing in Vitaminwater, which was bought out by Coca-Cola in 2007 for 4.1 billion dollars.

The seasoned businessman Jay-Z has also built an empire, including a clothing line and a stake in an NBA basketball team.

But he says having an entrepreneurial spirit was more a necessity than a choice for hip-hop performers.

“We went to every single label and every label shut their door on us. The genius thing that we did was that we didn’t give up,” he said in March 2013 at an event with investment guru Warren Buffett.

“We started selling our own CD, we built our own buzz and the record companies got back to us.”

Faced with plummeting revenues, the recording industry was no longer in a position to snub a commercial tidal wave.

“I think that the best thing that happened to hip hop was teenagers having posters of these artists on their wall. They wanted to dress like these guys, singing the song in the house. It forced everybody to pay attention,” said Stoute, who produced an album for Eminem.

As a big money heavy weight, the business of hip hop has set aside the angry social claims of pioneers like Public Enemy.

“Hip hop long ago made peace with commercialism. In America, political hip hop is nowhere,” said Charnas. l