19 May 2014

Joishthya 5, 1421 Rajab 19, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 49

MONDAY, MAY 19, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

7 | POLITICS CENTERED ON PERSONALITIES

9 | NARENDRA MODI’S CABINET

20 pages | Price: Tk10

11 | ANYONE FOR WATERWAY SAFETY?

13 | ABAHANI, SHIEKH JAMAL SHARE POINTS

Police asked why ex-RAB duo not shown arrested

Case filed against Tarek Sayeed, four others in Comilla n Our Correspondent, Comilla

Nazrul’s supporters attack Rana while he was being taken from court n Ahmed Zayeef A Narayanganj court yesterday ordered law enforcers to explain within four days why ex-RAB officers Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and Arif Hossain were not shown arrested on charges of killing seven people.

The court also granted police seven days to question former RAB 11 official Lt Commander (retd) SM Masud Rana.

A team of Narayanganj police arrested Rana, who had been on the run, at the capital’s cantonment area around 1:30am yesterday.

The three were shown arrested under section 54 as their names were not mentioned in the cases Mamunur Rashid Mandal, who is investigating two cases filed in connection with the seven murders, sought 10 days’ remand for Rana after producing him before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate KM Mohiuddin.

Tarek and Arif were put on a fiveday remand on Saturday.

The three were shown arrested under section 54 on suspicion of their involvement with the abductions and murders because their names were not mentioned in the cases.

Police yesterday appealed to the court to show them arrested in the cases.

The senior judicial magistrate sought the explanation after fellows of Chandan had moved a petition in this regard.

A large number of people had gathered outside the Senior Judicial Magistrate’s court. Around 5pm, two pickup vans reached the court premises. Wearing a helmet and a bulletproof jacket, Rana was sitting between two policemen inside the van.

As soon as the law enforcers brought Rana to the court, locals and lawyers of Narayanganj court chanted slogans, demanding death sentence for him.

When Rana entered the courtroom a few lawyers started shouting at him, calling him a murderer.

On behalf of the District Lawyers’ Association, its President Shakhawat Hossain Khan submitted to the court why the arrestee should be put on 10day remand.

He said: “Each of the victims was strangled and hit in the head. The killers also made holes in the abdomen [of the victims] before dumping them in the Shitalakkhya River. They also used bricks which proved that well-trained people committed the offence.”

The lawyer showed the court the ropes and sacks used to tie up the bodies, claiming that those were meant for the elite force. “RAB is also blamed for enforced disappearance, abduction and murder in Comilla, Laksam, Lakshmipur areas,” he said.

During the hearing, Rana claimed himself innocent.

Later, when the police were bringing him out of the court some supporters of ward councillor Nazrul attacked him. A supporter of Nazrul punched Rana on the back while a few others threw shoes at the police van which was carrying him. l

A supporter of slain Narayanganj ward councillor Nazrul Islam hurl a shoe at the car carrying ex-Rab officer Rana while being taken out of DHAKA TRIBUNE the court in the city yesterday

kar Ali Manik and Ahmed n Julfi Zayeef, back from Naryanganj

The under construction road at Chowdhurypara in Shiddhirganj

RAJIB DHAR

What Nur Hossain had been doing to Nazrul Islam since February was nothing short of a crime thriller.

Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul was abducted on April 27 in broad daylight, when he was returning home after attending a hearing on a case filed three months ago by a nephew of Nur, the prime accused in a case involving the abduction and killing of Nazrul and six others.

On February 1, work to widen an old narrow road in Mijmiji Chowdhury Para in Siddhirganj upazila of Narayanganj was going on as usual. Some structures beside the road had to be taken down for the work, a few residents told these correspondents.

AL nervous over BJP win, claims BNP

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Extortionists, muggers, dacoits and political cadres are now stockpiling their arms which are entering into the country through 48 points in the border areas largely.

The maximum illegal arms shipments are entering the capital through the borders of Chapainawabganj, Jessore, Satkhira, Comilla, Akhaura, Teknaf and Bandarban areas. Dodging the eyes of the law enforcers, these arms are now going to the hands of political cadres and underworld criminals active across the country including the capital.

Intelligence officials have come to know that such shipments started entering in the country three months ago

centring the upazila polls. At that time, due to the law enforcers’ vigilance, these smuggled arms could not enter the capital but now it started coming in through different routes.

Outlawed militant groups JMB, Huji suspected for the smuggling of deadly weapons The latest development has some explanation as the Railway Police recovered arms and ammos from “Subarna Express” train on Monday and yesterday. In the shipments, there were AK 22 rifles, powerful explosives, bullets and magazine.

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Nazrul’s abduction: Nothing short of a movie

Illegal arms entering Bangladesh through 48 border points Mohammad Jamil Khan and Ashif Islam Shaon

A case was filed against former RAB 11 commanding officer Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and four others for abducting and presumably murdering Comilla’s Laksam upazila BNP president Saiful Islam Hiru and municipality president Humayun Kabir Parvez.

Humayun’s father and Saiful’s cousin Rangu Mia of Fatehpur village filed the lawsuit against them with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Sabrina Nargis.

Magistrate Sabrina ordered the Laksam officer-in-charge to submit an investigative report on it. She also asked the police officer to secure the permission in advance to investigate the case against the suspended or expelled RAB officials among the accused.

Other than Tarek Sayeed, four RAB 11 members have been accused: Company Commander Major Shahed Raji, Deputy Assistant Director Shahjahan

The recovery has made the law enforcement agencies worried, as the US-made automated AK 22 rifles are not common. Even the law enforcers have this type of arms in limited scales.

These rifles have an effective range of around half a kilometre.

When asked, Sohrab Hossain, deputy inspector general of Railway Range police, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were yet to trace the masterminds behind the shipments. “Primarily, we are suspecting that these arms may be brought to the capital to carry out massive destruction,” he said.

However, he mentioned that they were conducting investigation suspecting two banned militant organisations – JMB and Huji – for being behind the shipments.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The BNP is not happy over the landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Indian election and claims that arch-rival Awami League is also nervous.

“The people of Bangladesh are not joyous about the Indian election results,” BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a discussion at the National Press Club yesterday.

“The Awami League has become nervous seeing the result and is making different comments. If you are not nervous then why are you talking so much?” he said.

Fakhrul said: “Ministers of the government have been saying people of Bangladesh and the BNP are happy over

BJP’s victory in the Lok Sabha election in India. Where did they see such joy?”

The BNP leader said there was no reason for expressing joy over BJP’s victory.

“Bangladesh is not only a victim to deprivation of water [in its cross-boundary rivers] but also to a multiphase expansionism – from cultural to political expansionism. And alleging India will not bring any benefit because it is working for its own interests.

“India is an independent country and is our neighbour. We expect friendly behaviour from it. It held an election in a democratic manner. We hope that the new government of India will realise the expectations of the people of Bangladesh and take initiatives to resolve outstanding problems.”  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

In the morning, workers went to demolish some shops in front of the house of a local resident named Mobarak Ali. An altercation broke out between Mobarak, 65, and Nazrul, 42. Although Nazrul was not the contractor, being the local ward councillor, he was overseeing the construction of the road under a city corporation project.

Witnesses said the altercation had soon turned into a scuffle and neighbours had to interfere to stop them.

But the matter did not end there.

Witnesses said it was rather the beginning of a showdown of local “gangster” led by “Mafia don” Nur Islam.

Nur was the vice-president of the local unit of the ruling Awami League, the party that has been in power since 2009.

Reportedly, Mobarak called up Nur  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Hasina, Khaleda call Modi n Tribune Report Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday called India’s prime minister-elect Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections.

Hasina made the phone call at 9am, her media adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune.

She invited the Indian leader to visit Bangladesh, Iqbal Sobhan said.

BNP chief Khaleda Zia called Modi at 10:15pm and talked for five minutes, said her Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel told the Dhaka Tribune.

Khaleda expressed hope that contentious issues between the two countries would be addressed under the strong leadership of the Indian leader.

Modi and Khaleda also expressed hopes to work together in the future. l

INSIDE Business

B1 The country’s industrial credit growth still remains slow due to lack of demand and increased inflow of foreign loans. The total industrial loan by the local banks and the non-bank financial institutions grew 12% in the first nine months of the current fiscal year as compared to 34% in the same period of the previous fiscal year (2012-13).

News

5 Sifat (not her real name) was an employee of a non-government organisation. When she conceived, her in-law’s family forced her to leave the job. She was not happy with the decision.

Nation

6 Health services at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital are seriously

hampered as two X-ray machines of the radiology department have been out of order for more than a year.

World

8 Flanked by half a dozen body guards, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan turns towards a crowd baying for his resignation in a mining town still shocked and grieving after the country’s worst industrial disaster.

Entertainment

12 Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand sculpture of movie director Satyajit Ray and a Taj Mahal on the Cannes beach

Sport

14 Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino announced he will leave the club after failing to win a major title in his one season in charge.

.com.bd

2 Nur Hossain’s alleged girlfriend released in 4 hours n Ahmed Zayeef Police yesterday released Narayanganj city ward Councillor Jannatul Ferdous Nila four hours after detaining her from Narayanganj Court premises in connection with the seven murders.

Nila is said to be a girlfriend of Nur Hossain, the prime suspect of the abduction and killing of the city’s panel mayor Nazrul Islam and six others.

After release, Nila told reporters that the Detective Branch of police had interrogated her.

Police detained Nila around 5:30pm from Hajiganj on her way from Narayanganj Circuit House where she attended a mass hearing on the seven killings.

Manjur Quader, officer-in-charge of Narayanganj Model police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that she had been handed over to the DB after detention.

Nila had gone to the Narayanganj Circuit House to testify in the seven-murder case. She, however, refused to talk to reporters about her deposition. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, May 19, 2014

17 more people, 36 organisations testify in Narayanganj murder n Ahmed Zayeef Another 17 people gave statements before the government’s probe body yesterday, the fourth day of public hearings, held at the Narayanganj Circuit House.

On the other hand, 36 organisations submitted a joint written deposition to the probe committee through their representatives.

The probe committee headed by Md Shahjahan Ali Mollah, additional secretary of the Public Administration Ministry, took the depositions from 3pm to 5:30pm.

After giving deposition, AB Siddique, president of Narayanganj District Citizens’ Committee, said the town had turned into a place of horror because of several incidents of murder and abduction.

“We need to put an end to this situation. We feel that the investigation into

the seven murders should be done with the highest priority,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Shahina Islam Mukti, daughter of former lawmaker Sirajul Islam, said the local administration and the law enforcement agencies had failed to control the hoodlums as they were corrupt too. “Otherwise such brutal and planned killings could not take place.”

Without mentioning a name, she blamed a lawmaker, who has been controlling everything in Narayanganj for years, for the seven murders.

Two bearers and three security guards of Rifles Club also gave depositions before the committee during the mass hearing. However, they did not speak to the media.

At the end of the mass hearing, a 36-member team of different financial and cultural organisations led by Senior Vice-President of Narayanganj Chamber of Commerce Manzurul

Haque went to the Circuit House and submitted a written statement to the committee.

Manzurul urged the probe body to quiz the officials of the local administration and the law enforcement agencies who have recently been withdrawn and transferred.

After recording all the depositions, the committee chief told reporters: “The process of mass hearing is not over. We will continue it. We will also talk with some selected people.”

The team earlier held hearings on May 12, 15 and 17.

Eyewitnesses testify before police Meanwhile, the businessman and his daughter who claimed that they had witnessed the abduction incident gave statements before the Narayanganj police under section 161.

Mizanur Rahman Khan Ripon, brother of slain Moniruzzaman Swapan, told the Dhaka Tribune that busi-

Two Shibir men arrested n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

nessman Md Shahidul Islam Khoka gave deposition on Saturday afternoon and his daughter Rabeya Akhter around 2pm yesterday at the police superintendent’s office.

Before going to the SP office, Shahidul on Saturday testified before the government’s probe committee at the rest house of Shiddhirganj Power Station. The Dhaka Tribune ran a report on his deposition yesterday.

He said some seven RAB members with arms and another man in plain clothes having a pistol had been pulling out people from two private cars near the garbage dumping station on Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road on April 27.

Shahidul stopped at the site and asked a RAB man about the happenings. But he was rebuked for the act and asked to leave the spot. He, however, failed to notice the nameplate of the RAB member. l

Bangladesh set for full CICA membership n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Bangladesh is going to become a full member of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

“The process is complete and we are going to sign formal documents to become a full member on May 20,” said Turkish Ambassador in Dhaka Huseyin Muftuoglu.

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali would fly to Shanghai today to complete the formalities, he said.

“As the formalities come to an end, Bangladesh will join the fourth summit of CICA to be held in Shanghai on May 21 as a full member,” the ambassador said.

Muftuoglu said Turkey had always encouraged Bangladesh to become a full member of CICA. CICA, an initiative of Kazakhstan, was established in 1999 and presently has 24 members, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Russia. The US and Japan have observer status in CICA. Bangladesh joined CICA in 2010 as an observer. CICA deals with issues related to security, economy, climate change and women as military-political dialogue is becoming an emerging issue. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

In August last year, the RAB personnel arrested three members of a new organisation – believed to be an offshoot of the JMB, and recovered huge cache of firearms including AK 22 rifles.

When contacted, Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan, additional director general of RAB, told the Dhaka Tribune that in investigation, they had been confirmed that these arms entered into the capital illegally through border points since those were not made inside the country.

“But we are yet to be sure about the importers. We suspect that there are

militant groups behind these. It can be confirmed after investigation.”

Not only AK rifles, but also some other deadly firearms including foreign-made pistols, revolvers and Chinese rifles, are coming into the capital.

However, the most popular arms in the capital’s underworld are sixinch-long pistols – made by the Indian Ordinance Factory, according to sources.

Use of firearms and explosives has been highly demanded these days as the maximum use of explosion took place last year during the BNP-led alliance’s anti-government movement.

The recent scenario also implies that

the use of firearms in criminal incidents rose sharply in the last two months.

Criminals now operate firearms even for a little offence.

According to sources, over 12 incidents related to firearms occurred last month in the capital, which is three times higher than any other times in the past.

Sanowar Hossain, the chief of Counter Terrorism Unit of the police, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The use of firearms often rises and sometimes goes down. However, we are suspecting that their use have risen up remarkably in the recent times.”

The police are keeping eye on some

criminals groups in the capital to know whether they were behind these illegal imports.

Intelligence sources say top criminal Rony’s associate Mithu is operating over 12 arms at Maghbazar area. The maximum stockpiling of arms takes place in Old Dhaka while the biggest shipments are going to the hand of Debashish Group in Kotwali area.

Moreover, Rahman Group, Boma Kamal Group, Saimon Group, Gol Taizu Group, Lomba Taizu Group and Zubair Group have some stocks of illegal arms.

In police directory, there are extortion, grabbing and mugging cases filed

DHAKA TRIBUNE

against these groups.

Shahadat Group of Mirpur has 15 to 20 firearms while Ishak Group possesses 12 firearms.

It is alleged that notorious criminal Kamal is importing the maximum number of arms through Chapainawabganj.

Among others, Shahin, Rashid and Dallas are also importing arms through the same border while Nasir, Jhunu and Shamim through Benapole border of Jessore.

The intelligence agencies have come to know that the maximum shipments of arms are made by the Indian Ordinance Company as the recovered arms

carry the name.

Asked about the illegal arms smuggling, Brig Gen Aziz Ahmed, director general of the Border Guard Bangladesh, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Smugglers take the opportunity of loopholes in the importing system. They often bring the arms inside fruit cartons, and onion, rice or potato sacks. Sometimes they bring arms through waterways and roads which are quite difficult to monitor.”

He said the BGB had seized some of the illegal shipments in the past. “However, our members are doing their best to find these criminals and seize such shipments,” he added. l

AL nervous over BJP win

Nazrul’s abduction: Nothing short of a movie

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 PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

On Saturday, Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said those who became joyous about the victory of the BJP were simply unintelligent.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had first congratulated Narendra Modi even before vote counting had ended, Ashraf said.

Fakhrul yesterday alleged that because of the Bangladesh government’s

subservient policy, it had failed to resolve the water-sharing problems with India and even protest border killings.

Blaming the government for killing and abduction, Fakhrul said: “People raised their voices after the Narayanganj killings. Such incidents took place not only in Narayanganj but across the country in the last three years. The government has used RAB to eradicate the opposition forces from the country.” l

Case filed against Tarek Sayeed, four others in Comilla  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Ali, and sub-inspectors Kazi Sultan Ahmed and Asit Kumar Roy. According to the case, Tarek and the four others stormed into the Bangladesh Flour Mills at Daulatganj, owned

by BNP leader Saiful, at 9pm on November 27 and stole Tk14 lakh.

They later detained Saiful, Humayun and Jasim Uddin, who witnessed the incident, on their way to Comilla in an ambulance.

Of the three, only Jasim has so far been found as he was later handed over to the Laksam police while Saiful and Humayun remain missing.

The case also stated that Saiful and Humayun had a feud with local businessman and BNP’s rebel leader Mojir Ahmed over the upazila elections.

Saiful’s sisters Selina Akter and

Mashrufa Islam and Humayun’s wife Shahnaj Akter were present during the filing of the case.

Tarek Sayeed is one of the three who have been withdrawn from RAB-11 and sent on retirement after the allegation surfaced against them for abducting and killing seven persons, including the Narayanganj City Panel Mayor Nazrul Islam in April.

Narayanganj Awami League activist Mohammad Ismail has been missing since February 7. His family claimed on Saturday that Tarek Sayeed has been involved in the abduction.

Lakshmipur Jubo Dal leader Iqbal Mahbub was murdered in Laskhmipur on Dec 12 and his body has yet not been found. On May 12, his family claimed that Tarek Sayeed had shot him in the head. l

and complained against Nazrul. Requesting anonymity, some local residents said Mobarak is Nur’s cousin.

Less than an hour or so later, more than a dozen large microbuses arrived at the locality. Nearly 100 men got off from the microbuses and started marching towards the Mijmiji Chowdhury Para road.

“They were carrying firearms, sharp weapons, hockey sticks, bamboo sticks and iron rods,” a witness said. “They shot a few blank rounds to spread panic in the area.”

However, the armed goons did not find Nazrul because some of his associates had informed him about them and helped him flee the area.

Having failed to get a hold of Nazrul, the goons indiscriminately ransacked a number of shops along the roadside.

Although some policemen were stationed in the area, witnesses said the gangsters did not care. A witness said: “The attackers were hurled abuse at the policemen and told them to go away.”

For about an hour, the entire neighbourhood remained panic-struck.

Many shopkeepers pulled down the shutters to save their belongings.

A number of residents said they knew those men. “We knew them.

They were all Nur Hossain’s men,” said a shopkeeper.

After the mob left the area, Nazrul Islam came back and saw the devastation.

The next day, Nur Hossain came to the area to visit the vandalised shops.

His motorcade consisted of more than a dozen microbuses and he was accompanied by a gang of more than 100 men, some of whom were carrying firearms and wooden sticks.

Suddenly, some of Nur’s armed bodyguards spotted a local photographer taking pictures. They assaulted the photographer and took away his camera.

Yasin Mia, a fugitive accused in the sensational seven murder cases, was with Nur. Nur announced that he would compensate the shopkeepers for their damage and gave the money to his close associate Yasin.

Some shop-owners, who were victims of the vandalism, told these correspondents that they had not taken Nur’s “dirty money.”

Meanwhile, behind all these visible developments, another plot against Nazrul was being cooked up.

On February 1, Mobarak Ali’s son Ali Hossain filed the criminal case with Siddhirganj police station against Nazrul and 24 others.

For a man with as little education as Ali, who is a local rickshaw renting agent, the computer-composed FIR was far too well written.

In the FIR, he termed Nazrul “a notorious local criminal” and gave a vivid description of how Nazrul had brutally beaten and injured him, his father and one of his aunts.

However, the account of the alleged beating had very little resemblance with the descriptions the witnesses

JS body seeks info on Communication Ministry’s cars n Muhammad Zahidul Islam A parliamentary watchdog has sought information from the Communication Ministry on the statuses of government cars used by various high officials and organisations.

The decision was made in the first meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Communication Ministry yesterday.

Nazmul Haque Prodhan, a member of the committee, told reporters that: “We have heard a lot of complaints about government officials flouting rules in using government vehicles. That is why, the parliamentary watchdog wants to remain well informed about the matter.”

Meeting sources said the committee had also sought information on the accounts and profitability status of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC).

Information about who are using the vehicles owned by the BRTC was also sought.

Akabbar Hossain, chairman of the parliamentary body, told reporters in a briefing that: “The [Communication] Ministry told us about adding more vehicles to the BRTC’s lot. But the committee told the ministry that it needed to provide a comprehensive picture of its vehicles first.” l

Members of a anti-adulteration team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police trample on litchis at Khilgaon market yesterday after finding the fruits contaminated with formalin

Illegal arms entering Bangladesh through 48 border points

Police detained two Islami Chhatra Shibir leaders from Colonelhat in Chittagong early yesterday.

The arrested – Ahsan Habib Rasel, 25, former president of Sitakunda upazila unit of Shibir, and Abu Jafor alias Bashar, 23 – are the masterminds of the violence unleashed on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Sitakunda before and after the national election, said police.

Abdul Majid, officer-in-charge of Akbar Shah police station, said acting on a tip-off, they raided a mess in the area around 2am and detained the two.

A total of 13 cases have been filed against Rasel for vandalism and arson attacks with Sitakunda police station while Bashar is accused in nine cases, he said.

The two were produced before the court in a vandalism case lodged with the Akbar Shah police station, he added. l

had given of the incidents on that day.

While witnesses said it was Nur’s men who did all the vandalism on that day, Ali Hossain, in his case statement, said the vandals had been Nazrul and his “gang members.”

The Dhaka Tribune correspondents went to Mobarak’s house on Friday.

Mobarak’s wife Aklima Begum told these correspondents that soon after Nazrul’s abduction and killing, her husband had left home without telling her anything and had not come back since.

She also said she was ill but her husband had not contacted her in all these days.

Ali Hossain, the eldest of their five sons, was not home either. According to Aklima, a few days before the abductions, Ali went to Bogra to hire rickshaw-pullers for his business.

“He [Ali] has not returned home yet because he got scared after he heard about Nazrul’s abduction and murder,” said Aklima, adding that her son had several cases filed against him. She, however, could not give any details about those cases.

Her other sons Ohid, 24, and Shahid, 26, run a truck owned by their father.

Two of their other brothers work in a local readymade garment factory.

When these correspondents were talking to Aklima, Ohid came home.

Both of them said none of the brothers had been in the area during the February 1 vandalism. They also could not say anything in favour of Ali’s claim that Nazrul had beaten them up.

When the reporters showed them a copy of the case file, both of them said they did not have any idea that Hossain had lodged such a case.

“Someone else must have filed the case using my son’s name,” Aklima said.

When asked about their connection to Nur Hossain, they reacted angrily.

“Just because of we are related with him, you cannot come and ask us so many questions!” Ohid said.

It was because of the case filed by Ali that Nazrul had kept away from Narayanganj for a few days.

Nazrul’s attorney Anisur Rahman Dipu said he had wanted to stay away from the area until securing an advance bail from the High Court in March. The High Court told him to surrender before the Narayanganj district court in six weeks, which was supposed to end on April 29.

On April 27 – the day he was abducted – Nazrul came to surrender before the court.

Dipu, who was not at work on that day, told the Dhaka Tribune that he had learnt from his apprentice that Nazrul had come to meet him before surrendering.

“When he came to me a few days before April 27, Nazrul told me that somebody had been following him in a car. He suspected that his rivals might harm him,” Dipu said.

Nazrul surrendered before the court and secured the bail he desired, but that was not enough to save him from the abductors who picked him up from in front of the court, killed him and six others, and dumped their bodies in the Shitalakkhya River. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

No upgrading of 5 BTV sub-stations PM asks state television authorities to improve quality

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Mohosinul Karim

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rejected a proposal by the Information Ministry to upgrade five sub-stations of Bangladesh Television into full transmission centres.

During a visit to the ministry yesterday, the prime minister also asked the information minister, high officials of the ministry and BTV to improve the standard of news and other programmes of the state-run broadcaster.

Hasina went to the Information Ministry as part of a plan to visit all the ministries and meet with ministers, secretaries and senior officials to accelerate the activities of her administration.

After yesterday’s meeting, several ministry officials told the Dhaka Tribune that the PMexpressed dissatis-

City Jamaat ameer, 20 others to be questioned

faction with the quality of BTV programmes, which, she said, were not acceptable to all the public.

Hasina told the BTV officials to work on improving the standard of programmes and news to make them more people-oriented.

She also rejected a proposal for upgrading Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Rangpur sub-stations into full TV or transmission centres.

The PM, however, agreed to establish a central database centre for public information that people can access through text messages.

In the meantime, Hasina directed the BTV authorities not to entertain any requests for broadcasting low-quality programmes to ensure standards.

“Do not allow any request to broadcast any low-standard programme on the state-owned media. Ensure proper

use of people’s money and stop misusing public funds,” she said.

Hasina also asked the authorities to take steps to popularize local movies and renovate cinema halls.

The PM agreed to establish a central database centre that people can access by text messages Meanwhile, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and Secretary Mortuza Ahmed refused to say anything officially about the meeting.

The officials who attended the meeting said the ministry had presented several proposals, but the prime min-

ister did not give her approval to most.

The proposals included elevating the Chittagong transmission centre toa fully fledged TV centre, establishing a film city at Kabirpur and a central film server at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, giving incentives for producing films and renovating cinema halls, setting up of a digital media exchange and media monitoring cell, and expansion of district information offices.

Earlier, Hasina visited the ministries of labour and employment, energy and power, water resources, science and technology, civil aviation, tourism and environment and forest.

She is also expected to visit the ministries of fisheries and livestock, health and family welfare as well as the banking and financial divisions of the finance ministry this week. l

No list of PM’s assurances to LGRD Ministry n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Government Assurance has expressed dissatisfaction at the inability of the Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives to provide a list of assurances made to it by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the ninth parliament.

At a meeting held in the House yesterday, members of the committee said they were discontented with the ministry’s inability to come up with such a list.

“The ministry is unable to provide any list of assurances made to it by the premier in the previous parliament.

This is unexpected,” said Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker, a member of the committee and also a whip of the parliament.

The committee also asked for the list of assurances made by the LGRD and Cooperatives Minister in the ninth

parliament and the list it received only contained five items.

“Did the minister make only five promises in the previous five-year tenure? It is certain that he made more.

Besides, I know there was an assurance concerning a project under my constituency but I cannot find it now on the list,” Shahiduzzaman said.

The committee said success of the government mostly depended upon keeping the promises made by a ministry.

“We asked the LGRD Ministry to come up with the full list. It is a very important ministry. This is why keeping its promises is also important,” said Shahiduzzaman.

Kazi Keramat Ali, chaimran of the committee, presided over the meeting while Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker, Md Abdul Quddus, AKM Shahjahan Kamal and several others attended it. l

Court seeks explanation from exCEC Shamsul Huda

THE LAST DAYS OF A DYING RIVER

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

A Chittagong court ordered an interrogation of Chittagong’s Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer ANM Shamsul Islam and 20 other leaders of the party at the jail, yesterday.

Earlier, the court had rejected the remand request made by the police and the request for bail made by the defence.

Metropolitan Magistrate Rahmat Ali passed the order when the 21 arrested, including the Jamaat Ameer and former lawmaker, were produced before the court, said Md Rezaul Masud, additional deputy commissioner of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

On the afternoon of May 12, police arrested the 21 Jamaat leaders from the party’s city office in the port city’s Dewanbazar area when they were holding a clandestine meeting. They were charged with possession of explosives.

The arrested were accused in different cases lodged with different police stations in connection with violence during the pre and post-national election periods, police said.

Police said they were holding a meeting in a bid to launch fresh agitation prior to the passing of a verdict on Delwar Hossain Sayedee.

A case was lodged with Kotwali police station under the Anti-Terrorism Act. l

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Monday, May 19, 2014

n Nazmus Sakib

When environmentalist groups are speaking out loud against river pollution, the Buriganga River in the capital’s Hajaribagh looks nearly dead from all kinds of garbage dumping and chemical contamination. The photo was taken yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM

The High Court yesterday summoned former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda to explain his comment that the judiciary was politicised.

The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain asked him to appear on June 3.

According to a media report, Huda said on Saturday: “All constitutional bodies, including the Election Commission and the Public Service Commission, as well as the judiciary have been politicised, and incompetent people are getting important posts there... the constitutional bodies have to be freed from politicisation. Otherwise, the country will go backwards.”

The former bureaucrat made the comment at a discussion on the findings of a study conducted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue on political parties and democracy in Bangladesh.

The bench also issued a rule seeking explanations in two weeks time as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be brought against him for maligning the dignity of the judiciary.

The home secretary, inspector general of police (IGP), Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, deputy commissioner of Dhaka and OC of Gulshan police station were made respondents to the rule. l

Mobarak was razakar commander, says prosecution Witness: Azhar aided n Udisa Islam Closing arguments in the trial against alleged collaborator Mobarak Hossain alias Mobarak Ali, from Brahmanbaria, began yesterday at the International Crimes Tribunal 1.

Prosecutor Shahedur Rahman made arguments on three out of five charges against the accused for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. He said Mobarak had been a razakar commander in Akhaura, Brahmanbaria.

He said they had proved the allegations with documents and evidence, and that they had strong legal arguments against Mobarak.

The charges against Mobarak include the killing of 33 people in Akhaura, the torturing of Ashuranjan Deb at a razakar camp, and abductions and killings in Shyampur committed between

August and December 1971.

Earlier, 12 prosecution witnesses testified in the case against Mobarak.

The accused and his eldest son made up the defence.

In his testimony on December 15 last year, Mobarak said he had not acted against the country’s independence. He also claimed that he still held the post of organising secretary of the Mogra Union unit of the Awami League. “My membership has not been cancelled yet. I was never sacked from the party,” he said.

However, the prosecution says Mobarak, the son of Sadat Ali of Nayadil from Akhaura in Brahmanbaria, had been a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami’s union unit after the war. Later, he joined the Awami League. He was expelled from the party three years ago.

Khodeja Begum, whose father was allegedly killed by Mobarak, filed a

case with a Brahmanbaria court on May 3, 2009. It was transferred to the International Crimes Tribunal in 2011. The tribunal then asked its investigation agency to look into the matter.

During the arguments, the prosecution claimed that the accused had occupied Anandamoye Kalibari, a Hindu temple, and had used it as a razakar training camp. In the presence of the accused, the collaborators confined many pro-liberation people and subsequently tortured and killed Ashuranjan.

When the tribunal asked the prosecutor whether occupying a temple can be labelled as crimes against humanity, Shahedur said they would give a reply to this during the arguments on the legal part.

Shahedur said: “A temple is prayer house of the Hindu community, and by occupying and changing the character

of a prayer home, the accused attacked the emotion of the community.”

The tribunal 1, led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, later adjourned the hearing until today, leaving the arguments incomplete. It asked the prosecution to close their arguments within the first half of the day’s session.

The prosecution submitted formal charges against the accused on February 25, last year. He was indicted on April 23.

Meanwhile, the tribunal 2 recorded the cross-examination of prosecution’s 13th witness yesterday. The witness had made his deposition on Thursday in the trial against Syed Mohammad Qaisar, a former Jatiya Party state minister.

Defence counsel SM Shajahan questioned the witness for one session and the tribunal adjourned the trial until Monday. Today the prosecution will call their next witness against Qaisar. l

Justice Sinha to lead hearing on war crimes appeal case n Nazmus Sakib

The Housing and Public Works Ministry evicts illegal shops from the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday

RAJIB DHAR

A four-member apex court bench headed by Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha will hear the war crimes appeal lodged by death row convict Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, an assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami.

The three other members of the bench are Justice Abdul Wahhab Miah, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury.

Kamaruzzaman, an al-Badr leader, was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal on May 9 last year. He appealed against the judgement on June 6, seeking acquittal.

The Appellate Division 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. On April 16, the court kept death row convict Delawar Hossain Sayedee’s appeals case pending. l

Pakistani Army in atrocities n Udisa Islam A new prosecution witness against Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam, the alleged al-Badr commander of Rangpur during the 1971 Liberation War, yesterday claimed that the accused had masterminded the atrocities in the district.

Lawyer Rathish Chandra Bhowmick told the International Crimes Tribunal 1 that his father Dinesh Chandra Bhowmick, a homeopathy physician, and an uncle had been abducted in front of his eyes. But they somehow managed to escape a firing squad.

The witness claimed that his father had seen 10 others at the Rangpur Cantonment including Moharram, Khurram, Dulal, Khitish Halder, income tax officer ABY Mahfuz Gorge, Durgadas Adhikari and his son Uttam Adhikari.

They were later killed at Dakhiganj Shashan (cremation ground).

“On March 27 of 1971, the Pakistani Army along with their local collaborators came to our house and asked for my father. I was 13 years’ old during the incident. The troops also took away my uncle Shanti Chaki,” Rathish said.

“On April 3, we heard sound of continuous firing from the cremation ground. Gopalbabu from Robertsonganj came to our house that night. He told us to leave the place immediately.

To ensure the security our family, we went to Ajanta village that night.

“Before that, we tried to get information about my father and uncle, but failed.”

The witness said he had met his father after a month when they were in Jalpaiguri in India.

According to Dinesh, the people confined in the cantonment had been brutally tortured every day from March 27 to April 3 by the troops and the accused, who was a leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, members of which formed the al-Badr force.

On April 3, the Pakistani Army men and their cohorts had taken 11 of them – blindfolded and hands tied to their backs to the Dakhiganj Shashan. “When they reached the spot, the army men started firing. Eight bullets hit my father through the body of Mahfuz Gorge.

And that wounded my father,without killing him, whereas the 10 others were killed on the spot,” the witness said.

When his father managed to escape the place, Zafar Ali, chief chemist at Albert Lab, gave him first aid. Later he left the country and was admitted to Koch Bihar Hospital.

After his deposition, the defence counsel started their questioning of the witness but the tribunal adjourned the trial until today rendering it incomplete.

The Jamaat leader was indicted on November 12 last year on six charges of crimes against humanity including genocide during the war. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, May 19, 2014

Study: Most workers at chest hospitals have latent TB n MoniruzzamanUzzal A study has found that more than 50% of the health workers in different chest disease hospitals are suffering from latent tuberculosis.

The overall prevalence of latent TB infection among healthcare workers in the four state-run chest disease hospitals in Dhaka, Khulna, Chittagong and Rajshahi is at 54%; the highest prevalence, at 65%, was found among laboratory staffs in these hospitals.

The highest rate of infection (67%) was found among those from the Chittagong hospital and the lowest (40%) was found in Khulna. Some 80% workers with latent TB reported no prior exposure to pulmonary patients at home.

The study was conducted by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDRB). It was officially published on the centre’s health and science bulletin in March.

The study was supported by the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) of the Health Ministry; USAID; and the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention of Atlanta, USA. The infection was determined by a two-step tuberculin skin test in the four hospitals. From March-December 2013, ICDDRB invited a total of 501 health workers to take part in the study. 449 workers completed the two-step test.

Doctors, nurses, administrative officers, laboratory staff, support staff and pharmacists were included.

A total of 229 of them were from the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital in Dhaka, 61 from the chest disease hospital in Chittagong, 81 from Khulna and 78 from Chittagong.

The largest group of participants were nurses accounting for 45%; some 60% of the subjects were female.

More than 80% of the workers reported receiving BCG (Bacille Calmettee Guerin) vaccine as a child. Active TB was not detected in any of the subjects.

Persons with latent TB are asymptomatic and are not infectious. They run approximately 10% chances of developing active TB during their lifetime, usually within the first two years after infection.

The ICDDRB bulletin said the study results shed a light on the need to improve TB infection control policies and procedures.

Dr Ashek Hosain, line director of the NTP, told the Dhaka Tribune that latent TB does not mean that the healthworker is a TB patient.

“But we suggested that all health workers should follow infection control procedures to keep safe,” he said.

Bangladesh has the sixth highest rate of tuberculosis infection in the world. l

Bazlu Mir, a patient of the capital’s Nitor hospital, is being taken out of the facility prior his full recovery as he was unable to afford the high treatment costs

Last phase of upazila polls today n Mohammad Zakaria

The Election Commission will hold the sixth and the final phase of the upazila parishad polls in thirteen upazilas today.

Voting will begin at 8am and continue till 4pm without any break. Restrictions on the movement of all types of vehicles have been placed in the polling areas.

A total of 182 candidates, including rebel candidates from the Awami League and BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and Jatiya Party, are contesting in these

Five ignore ACC notice on forged FF certificate issue n Tribune Report Five local inhabitants from Munshiganj and Meherpur did not appear before the Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters yesterday to give statements regarding the anti-graft body’s probe against six secretaries who had allegedly forged freedom fighter certificates to extend their retirement age.

“We were scheduled to record statements of nine people. But only four of them appeared today [yesterday] to testify in the inquiry against former liberation war affairs ministry joint secretary [now OSD] Abul Kashem Talukdar,” an ACC official told reporters.

Mahbub-Ul-Alam Bahar, M Ali Ak-

bar, Mir Mosharraf Hossain and Gazi Moniruzzaman testified yesterday. The five others who evaded the ACC questioning are Khandker Hedayetul Islam Kajol, Delowar Hossain, Abul Sarder, Abdur Rashid and Selim Khan.

They were scheduled to give statements on whether Kashem Talukder participated in the 1971 Liberation War or not.

The ACC is currently conducting inquiries on how the six secretaries obtained the freedom fighter certificates prior to their retirement. They did not mention it earlier.

The five others who are under scrutiny are Health Secretary Niaz Uddin, Liberation War Affairs Secretary KH

Masud Siddiqui, Science and Technology Affairs Secretary AKM Amir Hossain, Housing and Public Works Secretary Khandaker Shawkat Hossain and the Prime Minister’s former secretary Mollah Waheduzzaman.

According to a circular issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, one has to declare himself as a freedom fighter at the time of joining any service to avail the benefits allotted to the freedom fighters.

Such claims may not be considered later.

ACC officials said they have been analysing several documents collected from the ministries of Liberation War Affairs and the public administration.

Some other people will be questioned when the analysis is complete. l

Hundreds of men and women wait to get a piece of the huge haul of baby Hilsha confiscated at the Chowdhuryghat in Chandpur yesterday BANGLAR CHOKH

‘Revive DUCSU’ n Du Correspondent Former and current leaders of Jashad Chhatra League, student wing of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, have called for reviving Dhaka University Central Students Union (Ducsu) with a view to bringing back calm on the campus.

They voiced the demand at a rally held on the occasion of the Jashad Chhatra League’s freshers’ reception and Council 2014 at Dhaka University yesterday.

When the Ducsu was functional, it had created many famous leaders in the country. The student leadership could better flourish if it was made functional again, they said. l

thirteen upazilas.

Of them, 64 candidates are contesting for the chairman post, 69 for vice-chairman and 49 for the women vice-chairman posts.

Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz said the commission has taken all preparation needed to hold the polls in free and fair manner. The commission will also monitor the polls and if any untoward incident occurs, voting will be postponed at the respective centres.

The returning officers have also been asked to deploy additional num-

ber of members from law enforcement agencies at polling centres which were considered vulnerable.

EC acting secretary Sirajul Islam told reporters yesterday that the commission has taken an initiative to ensure a peaceful environment in polling areas so that the voter can cast their votes.

Around 20,000 police personnel are expected to be deployed at the 13 upazila parishads.

According to the Election Commission, of total 1,845,133 voters will cast their votes in the polls where 930,046

Woman, 3 grandchildren die as son-in-law sets house afire n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj An elderly woman and her three grandchildren were burnt to death when her son-in-law set her house on fire at Dumuria village in Gopalganj Sadar upazila yesterday.

The victims were identified as Furia Begum, 65, her daughter Rony’s children Tamim, 8, a class II student of Dumdia Government Primary School, Aminur Sardar, 13, a class VIII student of Manikhar High School and Tanima, 5.

The deceased Furia’s daughter Sharifa Begum said her sister Rony’s husband Azad Molla had perpetrated this gruesome crime because of a family feud. Locals also made the same allegation against Azad.

Police arrested Azad from Puthimari village in Narail’s Noragati police station area. He also confessed to have perpetrated this grisly crime.

Earlier on Saturday evening, Azad had threatened to burn alive his mother-in-law Furia on mobile phone on Saturday evening, said Sharifa. “Later around 11pm, he poured kerosene around the house and set it on fire.”

“I was able to get out of the window of the house soon after I got wind of the fire while my mother and sister along with my two nephews and one niece could not as their rooms was closed from outside by Azad.”

“Locals rushed to the scene, hearing their cry for help. They pulled out my mother, nephews Aminur and Tamim dead and rescued my sister Rony and niece Tonima alive.”

Rony and Tonima were rushed to hospital, but Tonima died soon after-

wards, she added.

Rony, who lost her three children, went into a state of extreme shock. She had been living with her mother after disagreements between her and her husband.

Gopalganj General Hospital’s Residential Medical Officer Asit Mallik said, “Rony has had extreme burns, but she is out of danger now. She is talking like a madman because she has broken down mentally, losing her mother and three children.”

Arsonist Azad said, “I wanted to kill my wife and mother-in-law because my wife had an extra-marital affair in which my mother-in-law used to support. I am sorry for those who were innocent but had to suffer. I would be happy if my wife had been killed” He also admitted that he had threatened to kill his wife and her mother in the fire.

The Fire Service and Civil Defense already formed a three-member committee, led by Assistant Director (Faridpur Zone, Shamsuddoha, to investigate the incident. The committee visited the scene and began investigating yesterday.

Gopalganj Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Md Zakir Hossain Molla said they had also detained eight others, including arsonist Azad’s father, brothers and nephews for interrogation over the incident.

Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman said, “This is a shocking incident. We have arrested arsonist Azad Molla. A case is underway against him. Justice will be ensured by putting him on trial.” l

One killed, 4 injured in Barisal road accident

Jamaat, Jubo Dal leaders arrested in Barisal

n

n

Our Correspondent, Barisal

A person was killed and 4 others were injured when a truck collided with another one from the side when attempting to overtake it on the Barisal-Dhaka highway in Atipara under the Wazirpur upazila, yesterday morning.

Idris Ali, 35, a worker with the Shikarpur toll collection post died on the spot.

Jasim Mridha, 35, Bakir Mridha, 20, Salam, 30, Mostafa, 40, who are workers of the cement laden truck, were all

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

injured in the collision.

Iqbal Hossain, Gournadi highway police station officer-in-charge, said the Anchor Cement truck driver collided with the side of another iron bar laden truck when he tried to overtake it.

The front side of the the truck was smashed in the accident, causing the death of one and injuries to five others.

A case was lodged after seizing both the trucks, the police official said.

The injured were admitted into the BMCH, he added. l

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Police arrested two local Jamaat-e-Islami and Jubo Dal leaders along with one Shibir activist from different places of the district, yesterday.

In a drive in the Gournadi upazila, police arrested Hossen Khalifa, 52, the secretary of the Nalchira union unit of Jamaat, and his son Alamin Khalifa, 26, a Chhatra Shibir activist, from the Kalabaria Bazaar area, before dawn.

Gournadi police station OC Abul Kalam

said the arrested are accused in several cases filed for vandalism and arson attacks and had been absconding for a long time.

In the afternoon, they were sent to a Barisal court that sent them to jail.

In another drive, police arrested Khwaja Md Iqbal, the president of Barisal district unit of Jubo Dal, from the Nadibandar area in the city.

Kotwali police station OC Shakawat Hossain said Iqbal has been accused in several cases filed for political violence.

Later, he was sent to jail by a court. l

are women. The commission has also set up 746 polling centres and 4,930 polling booths for holding the polls.

For maintaining law and order, the army, Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, police, Ansar and VDP have been stationed in the polling areas and 52 executive and 13 judicial magistrates will also be present.

Narayanganj Bandar Upazila Parishad election was postponed earlier following a High Court order. The election to newly-formed Patuakhali’s Rangabali upazila will be held on June 19. l

BNP leader Salauddin sent to jail n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu Three Dhaka courts sent BNP former lawmaker Salauddin Ahmed to jail yesterday, after rejecting his request for bail in the eight cases filed against him for violence in the capital during the BNP lead 18-party alliance enforced anti-government movement last year.

Metropolitan magistrates Tarique Mainul Islam Bhuyain, Md Tosruzzman and Rezaul Karim passed the order when the BNP leader surrendered before the courts to request further bail as his previous High Court bail had expired.

On February 11, Salauddin secured an eight-week bail from the HC in the cases. l

SCBA demands appointment of judges at top court n Tribune Report The Supreme Court Bar Association yesterday demanded that the government appoint three more judges at the apex court immediately so that the pending cases could be disposed of quickly.

SCBA President Khandker Mahbub Hossain, also an adviser to the BNP chairperson, said three posts of the Appellate Division had been lying vacant for several days and the government did not take any initiative in this regard.

Mahbub alleged that the government wanted to appoint junior judges at the top court. “For this reason, it has been waiting for retirement of senior judges.”

The senior lawyer was speaking at a press conference held at the organisation’s auditorium. l

One held with VoIP equipment n CU Correspondent Members of RAB 7 detained a person with a lot of VoIP equipment after conducting a drive in the Halishahar area of Chittagong city, yesterday.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Md Mofijul Islam said RAB had conducted a drive in the Halishahar G block area in the afternoon yesterday and detained Rashedul Alam.

The VoIP equipment, including mobile SIMs, gateway, channel banks, computers, and other objects amounting to about Tk26 lakh in worth, was seized from his possession added the ASP. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Monday, May 19, 2014

student Pregnant women need friendly home atmosphere JnU killed in cylinder

n Udisa Islam Sifat (not her real name) was an employee of a non-government organisation. When she conceived, her in-law’s family forced her to leave the job. She was not happy with the decision.

After three months of her pregnancy, the physician told her to continue regular life but the family took her sign on the resignation latter forcefully. She was too much depressed during the months, and for this, the physician told her and the family several times to change the home environment.

Unfortunately, she gave birth to an underweight premature baby after

seven months, and later suffered a lot during the first six months of the baby boy.

Births of unhealthy babies with malnutrition have been rising in Bangladesh. In most cases, mental stress and disorder of their mother in pregnant period is responsible for this. Physician and researchers have no idea about the number, but they say the situation is grave. It may go beyond control if domestic violence cannot be contained.

Depression and anxiety are the most commonest that affect about 15-20 out of every 100 pregnant women, said gynaecologist Dr Fatema Akter. Women also experience many other mental

health problems during pregnancy as they failed to get family support during the period, she added.

“Maternal Common Mental Disorder, which affects many pregnant women in Bangladesh, is an important determinant behind underweight child. Intervention to support maternal mental health is important for women’s own well-being and can contribute significantly to improving child health and nutrition,” she said.

About 87% of Bangladeshi married women are abused by their husband, according to a nationwide study conducted by the government, titled “Violence against Women Survey 2011” that in-

volved a sample of 12,600 women. Only 8% of the respondents said they had never been abused by their partners.

Researchers say since the number of victims is too high malnutrition in children is a major concern in the country.

Malnutrition passes from one generation to the next because malnourished mothers give birth to malnourished infants. If they are girls, these children often become malnourished mothers, and the vicious cycle continues.

Unfortunately, the conventional Bangladeshi society often labels psychological or emotional issues related to depression as “rich people’s disease” with a view to ignore the mothers’ concerns.

Mohammad Asif Khan, a psychotherapist, said: “Parents are still vastly unaware that the way they behave with each other during pregnancy can affect the child. It may hinder the child’s growth.”

Their psychological health would not only harm their own future but could also have a negative impact on the socioeconomic condition of the country, he added.

“Constant psychological pressure in the growing months of a child’s life can leave a strong sign on their minds, and it happens when a mother faces mental and physical pressure from her family,” he observed. l

Female students demand removal of house tutor at CU n CU Correspondent The residents of the Pritilata female dormitory of Chittagong University (CU) demanded the removal of their house tutor yesterday, because of his alleged rough behavior toward the students.

The protesters submitted a complaint against Aftab Hossen, assistant professor of the zoology department and the house tutor for the residential hall, with the provost’s office after collecting mass signatures from the students.

In their complaint lodged with the provost’s office on May 11, regarding poor hall facilities, they also alleged that their house tutor behaved in a rude manner with the students.

Seeking anonymity, a residential student of the dormitory said the teacher usually behaved roughly with the residential students.

Aftab Hossen claimed the allegation against him is baseless and fabricated, saying there have been some misunderstandings between him and the students.

Pritilata dormitory Provost Professor Dr Mahbubul Haque said he will sit with the teacher and the students to resolve the issue immediately.

Dormitory sources said the teacher joined as the house tutor at the hall just four months back. l

2 drown in Bogra n Our Correspondent, Bogra Two youths, including a Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology student, drowned in a river at Bhelabari village in Sariakandi upazila here yesterday.

The victims were Taj, a first year student of Buet, and Rifat. However, details could not be known.

Sariakandi police station SI Nayan said Taj and Rifat along with their three friends went to the Bangalee River around 12pm to bathe while they were visiting the house of Rifat’s grandmother.

At one stage, Rifat slipped into deep water and the rest four instantly proceeded to save him.

Hearing scream, locals rushed to the spot and rescued Taj, Babu, Shama and Nadia and admitted them to a Bogra clinics in a critical condition, where Taj died. l

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Pedestrians maneuvering themselves through a steel fence of a central reservation near New Market in the city although there is a foot over-bridge within 100 yards

River erosion destroying arable land

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

n Hasibur Rahman Bilu, Bogra

At least six people, including two physicians, were injured as relatives of a patient who died at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) yesterday locked in an altercation with doctors alleging negligence of treatment.

Because of the altercation which occurred around 9:30am, all medical services came to a halt for about three hours.

Sources at the hospital said Rezaul Karim, 31, a rental motorcycle driver, from Patuakhali was admitted to the Orthopaedics unit of the SBMCH on May 15 after an injury from a collision with a tractor.

Although Rezaul’s condition was improving, he died around 9:20am on May 17.

“When we wanted to know the reasons behind his death and made allegations of negligence in treatment, the on-duty doctors assaulted us” alleged Mahmud Al Azad, a family member of the deceased, Rezaul.

In retaliation, the family members attacked the physicians, leaving four people and SBMCH assistant register Dr Shahidul Islam and Dr Morsheduddin injured.

Upon information, police rushed to the scene, neutralized the situation and handed over the body to Rezaul’s family.

Another family member of Rezaul’s,

When we wanted to know the reasons for the death and alleged negligence in treatment, the on-duty doctors assaulted us Kona Begum who was also injured in the altercation said “the doctors beat us mercilessly with cricket stumps and nobody dared save us.”

Later, the doctors locked the entrance gate of the unit so that the relatives could not take the body out.

Dr Moniruzzaman Shahin, assistant register of the unit, demanded punishment for the attackers in a press conference there.

Denying any negligence in treatment to Rezaul, Moniruzzaman claimed that sudden problems in Rezaul’s lung and heart led to respiratory problems that caused his death. A medical board has been formed after the incident which also confirmed the aforesaid problems, the registrar continued.

However, the family members turned down the doctors claim, saying if problems had developed, then why was Rezaul not transferred to the concerned department.

Dr. Qamrul Islam Selim, director SBMCH, said action in this regard would be taken after an investigation.

Mahmud Hossain, assistant commissioner of Barisal Metropolitan police, said additional policemen were deployed on the SBMCH campus and no side lodged any case in this connection. l

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n DU Correspondent

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES 3:51am 5:14am 11:55am 3:18pm 6:36pm 8:00pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

At least 3,666 hectares of fertile land and 485 hectares of settlement on both sides of the bank of tJamuna, Ganges, Padma and lower Maghna rivers will disappear intro river water because of erosion.

The river erosion will also render as many as 35 thousand people landless.

In 2013 the Jamuna, Ganges and Padma eroded about 3190 hectare of cultivable land.

The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) have prepared a prediction report in April this year analysing satellite images.

The report says that around 137 establishments including 64 educational institutions, eight government offices and 41 mosques of 21 districts located on the banks of those four rivers will disappear.

Maximum 55 educational institutions of seven districts,including Bogra, will go under water from either side of Jamuna River bank.

The BWDB Bogra Circle Office sourc-

es said the department identified several vulnerable points including Chandanvaisha under Shariakand upazila in Bogra district and BahokaSimla in Sirajganj Sadar upazila.

AKM Momtaz Uddin, superintending Engineer of the BDWD, Bogra said Jamuna river erosion threatens around 4 kilometres of embankment along the right bank of Chandanvaisha area.

“We have invited tender for 25000 Geo-textile bags to protect river erosion in Bogra,” said Momtaz Uddin.

BWDB and CEGIES sources said at least 1,79,257 hectares of cultivable land was eroded between 1974 and 2014.

BWDB and CEGIES predicted that around 8,596 meters of road will be completely destroyed this year.

According to the previous publication of the CEGIS the rate of erosion by the Jamuna River was 5,000 hectares a year in the 1980s in areas of Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogra, Sirajgang, Tangail and Manikganj districts.

While erosion by the Padma River was 2,300 hectares a year in the 1990s in Faridpur,Shariatpur, Dhaka, Madaripur and Manikganj districts. l

Left students’ bodies calls strike at DU

21.7ºC Mymensingh

Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

The results of fourth year Honours exams of 2011 under National University were published yesterday.

A total of 1,02,468 students from 202 colleges attended the exams. Around 94.99 percent students got passed in the exams.

The results are available at NU website and i.e. www.nubd.info.

Students can also get their results through the mobile operators. To get one’s result, one has to type NU<space>H4<space>Roll No and send it to 16222. l

Death of patient sparks clash at SBMCH; six injured

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

41.8ºC Chuadanga

A Jagannath University student was killed in a gas cylinder explosion in the capital’s Kamrangirchar yesterday.

The incident took place around 3pm on a road in front of Roni Market at Madya Rasulpur in Kamrangirchar, police said.

The victim Al Amin, 25, was a MBA student of the university.

“He was on his way to work as a home tutor from his Rasulpur’s rented apartment,” said Officer-in-Charge of Kamrangirchar police station Sheikh Mohsin Alam.

“Sagar and Zakir, the two siblings and balloon traders used to pump balloons by the gas cylinder and sell those on the road. They went home to take lunch leaving the cylinder on the footpath in the afternoon yesterday. The cylinder exploded when Al Amin was passing by it, leaving him critically injured,” he said.

Locals rushed him to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where the on-duty doctors declared him dead around 5pm. The victim’s body was burnt and mutilated due to the explosion.

“We suspect that the cylinder got extra hot due to extreme weather causing sudden explosion,” the OC said.

Sagar and Zakir fled the area following the incident, he added.

Al-Amin, elder among his three siblings, hailed from Haimchar upazila of Chandpur. He came to the city for higher education. l

94.99% pass NU honours exams n Tribune Report

FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

explosion n Tribune Report

A man received injury as on-duty doctors attacked him when he protested alleged negligence of doctors that led to the death of his relative at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal DHAKA TRIBUNE

Left student bodies called a strike at the corridors of Arts Faculty and Social Science Faculty in Dhaka University on May 22 demanding cancellation of newly launched evening course program by political science department.

The announcement came from a press briefing held at the DU’s Madhur Canteen yesterday noon by representatives of left student bodies who have raised a platform to protest evening courses in the campus.

They also convened a student-teacher solidarity rally today at the campus and warned of announcing tougher programs in the future if their demands

were not met. Gobindra Chandra Dash, activists of Somajtantrik Chhatra Front read out the written statement.

“The government should enhance budget in the education sector and not take extra fees from the students,” he said.

Teachers are conspiring against us through running a mass signature campaign in favour of the night course. He urged the teachers to perform their actual duties instead of doing these, he added.

Among others, Sadiqul Islam from Somajtantrik Chhatra Front, Umme Habiba, an activist of Chhatra Federation, Mathews Chiran and Habiba Jannat were present. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Monday, May 19, 2014

X-ray machines at RMCH out of order Patients are getting through untold sufferings n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Health services at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital are seriously hampered as two X-ray machines of the radiology department have been out of order for more than a year.

The patients are forced to go to the city private clinics for medical tests which cost them a hefty sum of money.

Besides, the MRI cooling system at the hospital is also showing trouble for a long time, and it might cease to function anytime, said a source in the hospital.

According to sources, on an average some 20 patients visit the hospital for XRay at the radiology department but both the X-ray machines went out of order.

Zamal Uddin of Chapainawabganj told Dhaka Tribune that they obtained X-ray for his father at a city clinic spending Tk750 on Sunday, as RMCH authority failed to provide the service.

Like Zamal many are facing problems to get the services from the hospital every day, said hospital sources.

Acknowledging patients’ sufferings, RMCH Deputy Director Mohammad

ASM Barkatullah told to this correspondent over phone that they had already sent a letter to the higher authority for repair the machines.

“But we are yet to get any response about it,” he added.

He, however, claimed that RMCH director is now at the capital to push the matter forward.

Despite the assurance from the hospital authority that the services will be available soon, patients cannot build hope.

They alleged that it is a sheer irre-

sponsibility of RMCH authorities who seem reluctant to address the issue in no time. They demanded immediate steps to solve the problem.

On the other hand a source in the hospital said the more three machines have already crossed their expiration time one year ago. The hospital needs new machines for delivering smooth services to the patients, added sources.

When contacted, RMCH Director AKM Nasir Uddin said:”RMCH fails to repair these instruments due to a fund crisis.” l

Abducted man rescued n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Police rescued an abducted businessman from a jungle in the Hartakitala area under the Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur, on Saturday night. He had been kidnapped for ransom earlier on the same day.

The rescued businessman, Abdullah Al Kaiser, 36, is a contractor and the son of Abdullah Al Kafi from the Radhakanai village of Mymensingh.

The law enforcers arrested five persons, Shamon Mia, 25, Syed Munna Rizvi, 21, Arong Khan, 23, Habibur Rahman, 23, and Syed Rahat Hossain, 23, all from the Rasulpur area, while they

were collecting the ransom from the victim’s wife.

According to police sources, Shamon and four others abducted Kaiser from near his house and kept him tiedup in a jungle in the Rasulpur area.

They demanded Tk3 lakh as ransom from Tajnuba, victim’s wife, over the phone.

Kaliakoir police station Sub-Inspector Rajib Khan said: “On receiving this information, the police rushed to the Chandra and arrested Shamon while he was collecting the ransom from Tajnuba.”

“We rescued Kaiser and arrested the five involved with the incident,” the SI said. l

20,000 ethnic people get benefits cultivating fruits, vegetables n Tribune Desk Farming of vegetables and fruits has changed the lives of 20,000 ethnic people at Pharua, a small hamlet surrounded by hillocks and Kaptai Lake under Bilaichhari upazila of Rangamati district.

In the past, the people of this locality used to survive by cultivating jhum and planting teak for the forest department, reports BSS.

The government should pay attention soon to peoples’ demand to facilitate them to live a better life They could not produce any kind of vegetables and fruist because of the restriction imposed by the forest department on their production.

But cultivation of ginger, turmeric, banana and different varieties of fruits following lifting of the ban on their production has opened a window of new opportunities to improve their standard of living.

Vegetables and fruits they produce

now find ways to different markets at upazila and district headquarters as well as Kaptai.

Sale proceeds of these products help them to meet many demands of their life.

Some ethnic people of the apparent detached habitat said construction of two roads to link Pharua with Bilaichhari and Razasthali upazila headquarters would greatly expand the markets of their vegetables and fruits and fetch fair prices.

They pointed out that water route from Pharua to upwards remain navigable for six months a year. Former chairman of Rangamati Hill District Council, Rabindra Lal Chakma Suzan, also a traditional leader, and a resident of Bilaichhari echoed the same.

They said the government should pay attention soon to peoples’ demand to facilitate them to live a better life.

The villagers supply their products to the upazila headquarters and other places by water route during this period.

Pharua, located at the heart of the Raingkhiong reserved forests, can play a vital role in meeting the vegetable demand of the district, if communication network could be developed, demanded by the locals. l

A huge number of trees were uprooted yesterday as a nor’wester lashed different parts of Fulbaria upazila in Mymensingh district

30 hurt in clash in Rajshahi fishermen face insecure future Sunamganj Mainul Islam, 30, is one of 107 and Shiva, and many n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi onoi, Fokinnithroughout fishermen Godagari’s Pirijpur area the year. n Our Correspondent, Sunamganj Drying-up of the Padma and the otherIn canals those early better days, apart who started farming in a shoal that At least 30 people were injured when two villagers engaged in a fierce clash in the Patharia bazar area of the Sadar upazila here, yesterday, in an attempt to establish dominance in the locality.

Five of the injured were admitted to the Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital in critical conditions and the rest were taken to the Sunamganj Sadar hospital.

Witnesses said the accident took place at around 12pm when the residents of the Patharia village and the Gazinagar village engaged in a violent clash, using local weapons, in an attempt to establish supremacy in the area, leaving a total of 30 people from both sides injured.

On being informed, police and RAB members rushed to the spot and quelled the violence.

During the clash, most of the shops of Patharia bazar were vandalised and looted by the unruly villagers, claimed the affected shop owners.

Dakkhin Sunamganj police station OC Md Al-Amin said the villagers had been at loggerheads over establishing dominance in the area for a long time, and this is what had caused the clash.

The situation is under control and policemen were deployed in the area to prevent any further clashes from occurring, the OC continued. l

Abducted businessman found dead; 4 held n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar Police yesterday recovered the decomposed body of an abducted businessman from the slope of a hill near Pahartali police station in Cox’s Bazar.

The deceased was identified as Azizul Haque Arzu, 35, son of late Abdul Aziz. He was abducted on April 9 by a group of kidnappers.

Later, a case was filed in this connection. The police also arrested four people, including two women.

Cox’s Bazar police station Officer-inCharge Mahfur Rahman said acting on a tip-off, a team of police conducted a drive at Pahari area, the den of the kidnappers.

Sensing their presence, kidnappers opened fire at law enforcers. In retaliation, police also fired back, leaving four policemen injured. l

Mahananda rivers have been forcing more and more fishermen in Rajshahi district to leave their profession which they had maintained over generations.

Finding very few fish in the shallow rivers, most of these poor people now opt for working in croplands.

Earlier, these mighty rivers had less water only during the dry seasons. But now the Farakka Barrage, changes in climate condition and siltation have worsened water flow in Padma, its 12 branches including Bar-

from the fishermen, many others were benefited by the rivers, especially by transporting goods on trawlers or boats.

According to official sources at the Fisheries Department, there were around 35,000 professional fishermen in Rajshahi district some 30 years back. The number has come down to 3,000 while only 2,000 of them are engaged in fishing round the year.

Others go for farming in groups as they find it too hard to earn bread for their families through fishing.

became visible recently. He used to operate an engine-boat earlier and catch fish.

Since he cannot continue the profession due to lack of water as well as fish, he has opted for farming and has engaged his shallowengine in irrigation.

Shakhicharan, 45, of Shekherpara village of the area said he had been waiting for the monsoon when he might get some fish. Until then, he is carrying the cost of his family through working in the land of others. l

Villagers were locked in a clash yesterday at Patharia Bazar area in Sunamganj Sadar upazila over establishing supremacy in the locality DHAKA TRIBUNE

Man to walk gallows for murder in Cox’s Bazar n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar A court here yesterday sentenced a man to death for killing his wife in 2003.

The convict is Belal Uddin, 37, son of Jafar Ahmed, of Barbakia area in Pekua upazila of the district.

Cox’s Bazar Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal’s district and session judge Md Sajedul Ka-

rim handed down the verdict in presence of the convict.

According to the case statement, the body of Fatema Begum, wife of Belal, was recovered from a nearby pond of his house on July 27, 2003.

In the incident, Fatema’s father Akbar Ahmad filed a case accusing Belal.

After examining all witness and evidence, the court pronounced the verdict to him. l

Kali temple vandalised n Our Correspondent, Madaripur

Unidentified miscreants damaged several deities in a Hindu temple in Razoir of the district early yesterday.

Police said the culprits would be given exemplary punishment following an investigation. Devotees found several deities and a temporary establishment vandalised. l

FOCUS BANGLA

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Special

Monday, May 19, 2014

7

‘Politics everywhere is centered on personalities’

Glenn Cowan is a co–founder and principal of Democracy International (DI). One of DI’s surveys on the political situation of Bangladesh during the January 5 national polls has been widely discussed in various circles. The survey results were published on February 2.

Cowan is an expert on public opinion research, political organisation, advocacy, legislative processes, local government, election administration and monitoring, and vote count verification.

Cowan recently came to Bangladesh, and during his stay he sat for an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune’s Mohammad Al Masum Molla

Over the past three decades he has advised government agencies, legislatures, political parties, candidates, trade associations, and corporate and non-profit clients in the US and around the world including USAid, the US State Department, the UN, and the Asia Foundation.

Democracy International operates in nearly 60 countries around the world including Bangladesh. Cowan has designed, managed, evaluated, and advised on democracy and governance programmes in 40 countries.

In your professional journey, did you find anything that is unique to Bangladesh’s social context only?

The public opinion in Bangladesh can change quite dramatically within a very short period of time. We have done surveys that have been separated by perhaps as few as 90 days, and within that 90 day period, we found that the most important issue to a majority of the respondents had changed.

In one period it was the economy, and by the next period it was education.

This happened with such regularity that on one or two occasions we assumed that there may have been some errors in the way we conducted the surveys, and we had to go back and recheck the procedure.

separate constituencies, and the surveys usually do not show which parliamentary candidates are doing well in a certain district. So, these surveys don’t affect specific voting behaviour in that respect, but they may affect general public opinion to a degree.

In the cases of a United States or Mexico, where there are strong presidential systems, a survey may influence how people look upon singular candidates or political parties.

What is your view of the situation in Bangladesh after the January 5 poll?

We did a survey on it, you know. The most important thing it showed is: had that been a participatory election, it would have been competitive.

It has been argued that politics here is too centred on personalities. However, politics everywhere is centred on personalities. It can be argued that the problem with politics in Bangladesh is actually the personalities of the two leaders. The parties have political structures that go beyond the leaders, and those political structures have the ability to make political judgments about how they want to participate.

If you look at the history, until the most recent elections, the leadership has switched back and forth between the two political parties – this is a general sign of a very active and vibrant political scenario. So I don’t think there is reason now to feel that the competition between these parties has, or may come to an end; I think it will continue.

How can the DI impact the seemingly perpetual competition between the two major political parties?

We do not have a political agenda, nor do we favour one political party over another. The only issue we support is democratic practice over non– democratic practice

We discovered that events affect the public perception directly, and people are paying keen attention. For example, in one of the surveys when all of a sudden education was the most important topic, we realised that the timing of school exams happened to occur just as we were doing the survey, hence the exam was in the forefront of the public conscience, and the surveys reflected that. This is also true for politics in the sense that the people don’t have a fixed view on who they support, and for what reason they support them for; but that events in the economy, and the environment absolutely affects how they think about politics.

Whether or not one party or the other would have won is impossible to gauge from a post election survey – even though the survey happened right after the actual elections.

People are affected by what happened. What they told us in the survey perhaps had more to do with the political events in comparison to what people may have been thinking at the actual date of the election. Nevertheless, it still showed that there is a great deal of support for a competitive process, and had the opposition chosen to run, they certainly would have captured many seats. Whether they would have captured the majority – we do not know.

What in your opinion are the impacts of surveys? Do, and can they affect election results?

Do you think the current political situation is stable?

Opinion surveys can affect the various ways different people think in. For example, it is a general pattern that people like to take sides with the winners.

This is true globally. If a survey shows that a certain politician or political party is doing well, then there may be a tendency that people may vote for that certain individual or group.

However, this is less effective for parliamentary systems compared to the presidential system. In the parliamentary system, people vote in

The current political situation is as stable as the political players permit it to be. At the moment it appears so. But, both major political parties in the past have used instability as a weapon.

I think it is generally agreed that it is an unfortunate political choice, and that the right way to participate in politics is to compete at the polls – not on the streets.

What do you think are the problems with democracy in Bangladesh?

At the end of the day political parties receive votes for two reasons: because of the candidates that they put in front of the people, and because of the issues that they support. Both of those can be determined to some degree through public opinion research.

It is harder to use survey research to determine which candidates to put up for the parliamentary elections.

Issues, on the other hand, can be determined through surveys, and the political parties can listen to what people are telling them – in terms of what issues the parties should address. The parties can adopt policies that addresses the issues of public concern, and can run campaigns so that the population understands who approaches these issues in what way.

We will work on these sectors – try and determine what people think, what policies they support, what mechanisms they want, how parties can reach voters and engage them – all of these are not as much about elections as they are about establishing party platforms, party manifestos that get voters to think that this a party to support.

Does DI conduct purposive surveys?

Well, we could do that – you are right.

It is possible to manipulate questions, to manipulate the order in which the questions are asked. We can also manipulate the people the questions are asked to.

But, we do not have a political agenda, nor do we favour one political party over another. The only issue we support is democratic practice over non–democratic practice. So, we do not have a position on education or agriculture or industrial development. We support only democratic progress. So, it would not serve us, at all, to try and manipulate the integrity of the survey.

One of the questions in one of your surveys was: ‘Is the country heading towards the right direction?’ How does anyone answer that question?

This is a question asked everywhere in the world. It has a very particular meaning based on the political context in which the question is asked.

You would need to know about what right or wrong is for the people of that certain locale.

I am not entirely convinced that that question, here, had very much to do with the recent election; it had more to do with the state of the economy at that moment as well as other social factors. It is a very generalised question that is very easy to answer for the respondent – it does not require any forethought. It is basically like saying: “Hello, how are you?” It is just a nice and easy question.

There are allegations that not only the common people but also the civil society here in this country is politically divided. Do you have any plans to conduct a survey for unearthing people’s perception about the civil society groups?

Civil society can certainly act politically, but I think that they tend to act politically based on the particular issue they are organised around. For example, organised labour is a civil society organisation, and their political orientation hinges on how the political establishment affects the labour–force as a singular being, and what expectations the labour organisations have from the politicians.

Our work is much more politics–oriented. We look at democratic practice of political organisations – not of civil society organisations. Our concern is how the political organisations construct their own organogram, and how they implement it. Even then,

How would you evaluate our political parties as organisations?

There is no question that the political parties had a highly centralised decision making processes in the past.

However, in the last four or five years they have decentralised that process.

We have witnessed hundreds of district–level party conventions where literally tens of thousands of people have come from all over the country to speak with their party leaders about issues that are of concern to them.

We have found the parties to be very open to the idea of new membership, and younger people are getting engaged in politics. It is our continuous goal to increase the openness with which their parties determine their policies and pick their leaders.

What are your views about religion– based politics in Bangladesh?

The issue of religion–based politics is difficult to deal with not just here, or in Muslim majority countries, but everywhere where religion plays a significant role in the civic life. There can be a conflict between civic and religious experiences and civic and religious authorities. We do not have any opinion as to what the role of religion in politics ought to be. We think that these decisions should be reached democratically, by open, free discussion and voting, and should not be determined by religious organisations.

We are observing that same kind of conflict throughout the Middle East right now. As the Arab–spring–countries begin to grapple with exactly what it means to have a free and fair vote, what the countries want to

We have found the parties to be very open to the idea of new membership, and younger people are getting engaged in politics

we have no ability what–so–ever to insist that the political parties do anything in a certain way, what we can do is research how reinforced internal democracy might make them stronger political forces. Whether they take heed of our findings and suggestions is up to them.

We believe that the process through which political parties determine their policies ought to be an open process.

But the parties have to be convinced that an open process is more likely to result in political success. We use our surveys to show that.

try and avoid is what happened in Algeria a few decades ago where a religion–based party was able to prevail through the ballot boxes, but the Army decided and acted otherwise – 100,000 people died as a result of that conflict.

It is the conflict between civil and religious rule that we want to avoid at all costs. I think Bangladesh is a country where this is not a principal problem. To a degree, it is an underlying problem in the social context, but it is much less of a problem here than in many other countries. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Monday, May 19, 2014

Iran: Nuclear deal still possible n AFP, Tehran

People mourn their relatives at the cemetery where some of the 301 people killed after an explosion in a coal mine were buried

Erdogan fracas as Turkey mourns mine victims n Reuters, Turkey

Flanked by half a dozen body guards, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan turns towards a crowd baying for his resignation in a mining town still shocked and grieving after the country's worst industrial disaster.

Stern-faced and wagging his finger, he remonstrates with several men before leaning towards them over a police barricade and delivering a warning.

"Don't be rude," he says, according to mobile phone footage captured by a member of the public and broadcast by the Dogan news agency. "If you boo the prime minister of this country, you'll get a slap."

"Come here and jeer at me!" he dares another demonstrator before his entourage forces its way into a supermarket. Grainy footage from a second phone shows him apparently slapping

a man in a blue T-shirt, who then drops to the floor next to an ice cream freezer as he is punched and kicked by suited bodyguards.

The man, Taner Kurucan, later said Erdogan had been unable to control himself in the heat of the moment and had given him an "involuntary slap".

Erdogan's aides denied he struck anyone, but the fracas set in stark relief the impulsive tendencies of a man who has dominated Turkish politics for over a decade, and who takes criticism of his leadership as a deep personal affront.

The disaster has sparked small-scale protests in cities around the country from demonstrators angry at what they see as the cosiness of Erdogan's AK Party with tycoons, its failure to ensure the safety of workers, and his insensitivity.

Meanwhle, Turkish police have detained 18 people, including mining company executives and personnel, as

AFP

part of an investigation into the disaster, CNN Turk and other broadcasters reported yesterday.

The rescue operation at the coal mine, in the western town of Soma, ended on Saturday after the bodies of the last two workers were carried out, bringing the death toll in Turkey’s worst industrial accident to 301.

The disaster occurred on Tuesday when a fire sent deadly carbon monoxide coursing through the mine, operated by Soma Madencilik.

A police official told Reuters that local prosecutors were questioning the company employees at a Soma court house. He was unable to give further details.

Police put the town of Soma on virtual lockdown on Saturday, setting up checkpoints and detaining dozens of people to enforce a ban on protests. Security in the town remained tight on Sunday. l

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said yesterday that clinching a final nuclear deal with world powers is still “possible,” despite a tough round of talks this week.

“Agreement is possible. But illusions need to go. Opportunity shouldn’t be missed again like in 2005,” Zarif wrote on Twitter, referring to Iran’s longstalled dispute with world powers over its suspect nuclear programme.

Iran and six world powers ended a fourth round of nuclear talks in Vienna on Friday with “no tangible progress.”

Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany – known as the P5+1 group – want Iran to radically scale back its nuclear activities, making any dash for an atomic bomb virtually impossible and easily detectable.

The parties want to clinch an accord

by July 20, when a November interim deal expires, under which Iran froze certain activities in return for some relief from crippling Western sanctions.

In return for further concessions, the Islamic republic, which denies seeking an atomic weapon, wants the lifting of all UN and Western sanctions, which have badly damaged its economy.

The fourth round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 ended on Friday with both sides complaining that major gaps remained ahead of the July 20 deadline. “Huge gaps remain, there is really more realism needed on the other side,” a Western diplomat said. “We had expected a little more flexibility on their side.”

On Sunday, Iran’s English-language Press TV cited the country’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, as saying that the next round of talks were to be held in Vienna on June 16-20.

Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign policy adviser to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was upbeat about the prospects of an agreement being reached. “I am hopeful that the talks will yield positive results.” l

It's a bird, a plane...a car?

n Agencies The short list of possible gifts for the Man Who Has Everything now is a bit longer, as the PAL-V One, a three-wheeled car that doubles as a two-seat gyrocopter, heads for production, BBC reported.

The bullet-shaped PAL-V, which looks like it sprang fully formed from the head of Ian Fleming, is the latest attempt to breed a mythical mutt: the flying car.

Made by PAL-V Europe NV, based in Raamsdonksveer in the Netherlands, the PAL-V (which stands for Personal Air and Land Vehicle) uses an autogyro flight system, with a 230-horsepower gasoline engine spinning a rear-facing propeller and an auto-rotating, retractable main rotor to generate lift.

Two breakthroughs helped PAL-V Europe fulfill its James Bond-ian ambitions: the increased availability of cutting-edge composite materials, which enabled designers to fashion a craft light enough to fly yet strong enough for the rigors of road use; and a mechanical-hydraulic articulated rear suspension, which enables the craft to lean into turns like a motorcycle – boosting stability despite a high centre of gravity.

“Before this technology, a threewheeled car with a high centre of gravity couldn’t drive safely,” says Robert Dingemanse, chief executive officer of PAL-V Europe.

Israeli negotiator under Africa vows ‘total war’ on Boko Haram attack for meeting Abbas n Reuters, Paris

n AFP, Jerusalem Israel’s chief negotiator Tzipi Livni came under attack yesterday for talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, with senior officials insisting there was no intention to resume peace negotiations.

Thursday’s meeting in London was the first between the two sides since the collapse last month of the latest round of talks, and came after both held separate talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and ministers quickly moved to distance themselves from the Livni-Abbas meeting, insisting it was private and did not signal any official intention to resume talks with the Palestinians.

Israel pulled out of the talks in midApril, saying it would not negotiate with any Palestinian government supported by Hamas after the leadership in the West Bank signed a unity deal with the rival Islamist rulers of Gaza, who are committed to the destruction of the Jewish state.

Although Netanyahu was reportedly angered by the meeting, he knew about it in advance and communicated his

concerns to Livni, an official in his office said, the implication being that he had not moved to block the talks.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu made clear to Minister Livni even before her meeting with Abu Mazen (Abbas) that she would be representing only herself and not the government of Israel,” the official said.

“Netanyahu made it clear to Minister Livni that Israel’s position, as decided unanimously by the (security) cabinet, was that the Israeli government will not conduct negotiations with a Palestinian government supported by Hamas, a terror organisation whose declared intention is the destruction of Israel.”

Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz, a hardliner close to Netanyahu, was quick to criticise Livni.

“I don’t know of any civilised Western country where a minister would meet, on his own initiative, the head of an authority or state in a period of crisis and tension,” he said at the start of the cabinet meeting, in remarks broadcast on army radio. “It doesn’t look good and it isn’t right.”

Speaking on Channel 2’s Meet the Press on Saturday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also insisted the meeting had been private. l

West African leaders agreed to work together to wage “total war” on Boko Haram saying the Nigerian Islamist group had become a regional al Qaeda that threatened all of them.

Nigeria’s neighbors Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, and Western officials, met in Paris to flesh out a plan enabling them for the first time to share intelligence, coordinate action and monitor borders.

Although Boko Haram has been fighting for five years, carrying out bombings and attacks on civilians and the security forces, the kidnapping last month of more than 200 girls from a school in the northeast has focused world attention on them.

“Boko Haram is no longer a local terrorist group, it is operating clearly as an al Qaeda operation, it is an al Qaeda of West Africa,” Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan told a news conference in Paris following the meeting.

“We have shown our commitment for a regional approach. Without West African countries coming together we will not be able to crush these terrorists,” he said.

Outrage over the mass abduction has prompted Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan - criticized at home and abroad for his government’s slow response - to accept US, British and French intelligence help in the hunt for the girls.

British Foreign Minister William Hague, speaking before the start of a meeting, said the Nigerian military was

not organized in a way to deal effectively with the group, and offered military advisers to help structure them.

“There is determination to tackle this situation head on ... to launch a war, a total war on Boko Haram,” Chad’s President Idriss Deby said.

The countries agreed to launch coordinated patrols and rescue operations, share intelligence, put in place a mechanism to prevent weapons’ smuggling and monitor borders. Intelligence services and army heads would also meet soon to come up with a region-wide strategy to fight terrorism.

“The threat is serious and dangerous for the region, Africa and Europe,” French President Francois Hollande said, although no concrete operational measures were announced. l

Brazil prisoners take 122 hostages n Agencies Inmates have taken 122 hostages in a prison in Brazil’s northeastern state of Sergipe, AFP reported yesterday quoting a prison spokeswoman.

Sandra Melo, said on Sunday that negotiations had started for the release of the hostages, who were mainly visitors to the Advogado Jacinto Filho pris-

on, near Aracaju city.

The hostages were taken during a riot on Saturday that had later calmed, Melo added.

“The riot is only in one wing of the prison,” Melo said, adding that mostly visiting relatives of the inmates were among the hostages.

“We don’t believe that the inmates will hurt their own relatives,” Mauricio

Iunes, the head of military police in the state of Sergipe, told the G1 news website.

Four prison guards were also held captive. “They are being threatened inside there,” said Iunes.

Brazil’s prison population is 548,000, but the country has space for only 340,000, according to Conectas, an NGO specialising in inmate rights. l

The PAL-V’s top speed – in the air or on the ground – is 112mph. In car guise, the PAL-V returns a manufacturer-claimed 28mpg, with a cruising range of 750 miles; as an autogyro, consumption is 9.5 gallons per hour, with a flying range of up to 315 miles. Converting the vehicle from one mode to the other takes 10 minutes.

Alas, the PAL-V cannot magically fly out of a traffic jam; it requires 540ft of runway to take off and 100ft to land. But it flies below 4,000ft, so interfering with commercial air traffic is not an issue.

As for safety, the PAL-V cannot stall like fixed-wing aircraft (though it can’t hover or take off vertically like a helicopter, either).

If the engine fails, the craft still can land safely thanks to the lift generated by its auto-rotating main rotor.

Dingemanse says the company currently is taking orders only from customers in the Netherlands; he expects the company to accept international orders this fall.

While he wouldn’t disclose how many orders the company has received to date, Dingemanse says the first PAL-Vs will be delivered in 2016, with a maximum production capability of 150 units per year for the first two or three years.

As always, freedom isn’t free; the PAL-V One commands a cool $395,000. For that not-inconsiderable sum, you could fly a new Cessna 172 single-engine airplane or drive a Lamborghini Aventador. But the PAL-V does both. l

Egypt court jails 126 Morsi backers for 10 years n AFP, Cairo An Egyptian court yesterday sentenced 126 supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to 10 years in prison each over protest violence, judicial sources said.

They were found guilty of taking part in riots, attacking security forces and participating in violent clashes on August 16, two days after police killed hundreds of Morsi supporters in Cairo.

They were also charged of membership in a banned group, a reference to Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.

The army-installed government has rounded up thousands of Morsi supporters and put them on mass trials since his ouster in July last year.

The court in the Kafr El-Sheikh governorate north of Cairo also sentenced six other people to one year in prison each, although the charges against them were not immediately available.

But judicial sources said that the 132 people standing in Sunday’s trial were also fined 1,000 Egyptian pounds (about $143 and 111 euros) each.

A relentless crackdown on Morsi’s supporters have killed more than 1,400 people, while hundreds have also been sentenced to death after speedy trials. l

In taking Crimea, Putin gains a sea of fuel reserves n Agencies When Russia seized Crimea in March, it acquired not just the Crimean landmass but also a maritime zone more than three times its size with the rights to underwater resources potentially worth trillions of dollars.

Russia portrayed the takeover as reclamation of its rightful territory, drawing no attention to the oil and gas rush that had recently been heating up in the Black Sea. But the move also extended Russia’s maritime boundaries, quietly giving Russia dominion over vast oil and gas reserves while dealing a crippling blow to Ukraine’s hopes for energy independence.

Russia did so under an international accord that gives nations sovereignty over areas up to 230 miles from their shorelines. It had tried, unsuccessfully, to gain access to energy resources in the same territory in a pact with Ukraine less than two years earlier.

“It’s a big deal,” said Carol R Saivetz,

a Eurasian expert in the Security Studies Program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It deprives Ukraine of the possibility of developing these resources and gives them to Russia.”

In Moscow, a spokesman for President Vladimir V Putin said there was “no connection” between the annexation and energy resources, adding that Russia did not even care about the oil and gas. “Compared to all the potential Russia has got, there was no interest there,” the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Saturday.

Redividing the Black Sea

Russia’s annexation of Crimea also gives Russia control of a large swath of the Black Sea, including deep oil reserves. Oil analysts said that mounting economic sanctions could slow Russia’s exploitation of its Black and Azov Sea annexations by reducing access to Western financing and technology. But they noted that Russia had already taken over the Crimean arm of Ukraine’s

national gas company, instantly giving Russia exploratory gear on the Black Sea. “Russia’s in a mood to behave aggressively,” said Vladimir Socor, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, a research group in Washington that follows Eurasian affairs. “It’s already seized two drilling rigs.”

The global hunt for fossil fuels has increasingly gone offshore, to places like the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and the South China Sea. Hundreds of oil rigs dot the Caspian, a few hundred miles east of the Black Sea. Many nations have challenged Russia’s seizing of Crimea and thus the legality of its Black and Azov Sea claims.

But Romania Libera, a newspaper in Bucharest, quoted analysts as judging that the other countries bordering the Black Sea — Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania — would tacitly recognize the annexation “in order to avoid an open conflict.” l

A Crimean Tatar boy lights a candle during a memorial ceremony in Kiev on May 17, held on the 70th anniversary of the deportation of Tatars from Crimea. Crimea’s Tatars commemorate this weekend 70 years since their deportation by Soviet dictator Stalin with a major day of mourning that this year will be marked by tensions over Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula. Local authorities have not granted permission for the usual gathering on the main square in Simferopol AFP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

9

Monday, May 19, 2014

Modi’s cabinet: Home for Rajnath, finance for Jaitley? n Agencies Moments after BJP’s parliamentary meet was concluded, Narendra Modi urged Rajnath Singh to accompany him to Varanasi. The BJP President had other work lined up in the day. Nevertheless, he cancelled all plans and decided to go with Modi.

More than a symbolic gesture that of having his party’s president by his side while he performs the widely-watched Ganga aarti - Modi and Rajnath decided to do the Varanasi trip together to discuss the look of the Cabinet, say sources. Also, BJP’s PM nominee was keen on convincing Singh to take up a portfolio in the cabinet - possibly home.

A BJP leader told Firstpost on the condition of anonymity that the first person to take oath after Narendra Modi is sworn in as the Prime Minister, will be Rajnath Singh. By doing that, Modi will send out a strong message that Rajnath Singh will come second, only after him, in the power hierarchy.

The process that leads to Modi assuming office as the country’s Prime Minister will be set in motion on Tuesday. The 285 BJP MPs will then elect Modi as their Prime Minister. A meeting of allies who are part of the NDA, will be then held. Following that, a group

Congress: No support to AAP again in Delhi n Agencies Delhi Congress said yesterday it would prefer fresh election in the city to supporting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) again to form a government as favoured by a section of AAP MLAs following the drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls.

Chief spokesperson of Delhi Congress Mukesh Sharma said AAP has no moral right to talk about formation of a government in Delhi again after it went to the Supreme Court seeking dissolution of the assembly and demanding fresh election.

“There is no question of extending support to AAP to form a government again. Arvind Kejriwal had deserted people of Delhi by resorting to theatrics.

He had gone to the Supreme Court seeking dissolution of the House. We will not support the party again,” Sharma said.

After its spectacular performance in the assembly polls, the AAP drew a blank in the Lok Sabha polls though its candidate came second in all the seven constituencies, relegating all the sitting Congress MPs including Kapil Sibal, Ajay Maken and Krishna Tirath to the third position.

“Kejriwal quit the government and left the people of Delhi in a lurch to gain political mileage in the Lok Sabha polls.

As they did not succeed in the Lok Sabha polls, they are talking about forming government again,” said Sharma.

In the Lok Sabha polls, BJP not only won all the seven seats but also came first in 60 assembly segments out of 70 while AAP occupied top position only in 10 assembly segments. l

The Indian Parliament BJP

Indian National Congress

Hindu nationalists

282

217 other parties

543 Seats

44

Source: Election Commission of India

of NDA leaders led by Narendra Modi, LK Advani and Rajnath Singh will meet President Pranab Mukherjee and stake claim on the new government.

After a long time, Modi is trying to turn another political philosophy into a reality - the idea that forming the council of ministers is only the Prime Minister’s prerogative. Sources say that Modi has been consulting his confidantes Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari to decide on his cabinet, but no one knows for sure what he has in mind as of now.

Though there has been widespread speculations about the RSS’ involve-

ment and the leaders of the Hindutva outfit have also made their presence felt, they might not have a great say in the cabinet formation, if Modi’s style of functioning is anything to go by.

On the other hand, Arun Jaitley defeat in the polls will not affect his prospects within the BJP. Rajnath Singh has officially stated that the party will make the most of his expertise. Given that he is still a Rajya Sabha MP, he might still be a part of Modi’s cabinet.

Unless something completely unforeseen happens, Jaitley is all set to be the next Finance Minister of India.

Sources in the BJP have said that

More lawmakers charged with crime n Reuters, New Delhi More legislators charged with crimes will sit in India’s new parliament than previously, a democracy watchdog said yesterday, in a reminder that crime still pays in the world’s largest democracy.

Prime minister-elect Narendra Modi, who made fighting graft a central plank of his victorious campaign, won a stunning mandate to govern India by claiming the first clear majority in three decades. But many of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) colleagues elected to the new parliament faces serious criminal charges. Four out of the nine legislators who face murder cases come from his party.

Thirty-four percent of the winners in India’s election have criminal cases pending against them, four percentage points more than in 2009, analysis of the candidates affidavits by the Association for Democratic Reforms found.

Of that, 21 percent were charged

with serious crimes such as murder, kidnapping and sexual assault, up from 15 percent in the last election, the group said.

In India, political parties are more likely to field criminals who are able to pay their own way. Election expenses have soared, with as much as $5 billion estimated to have been spent in this election.

Moreover, criminals are often winners, with voters choosing candidates they think will take care of their parochial interests when the state isn’t able to, analysts say.

Criminals who have easy access to liquid forms of financing can see politics as a lucrative career.

“Many of these deep-pocketed candidates view the money they must spend on elections ... as a down payment on an investment that offers serious returns,” Milan Vaishnav of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote in a recent commentary. l

Indian prime-minister elect Narendra Modi (R) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader Lal Krishna Advani gesture to the press at Gujarat bhawan in New Delhi on May 18. Modi summoned senior party leaders yesterday for talks on building a new government AFP Sushma Swaraj wants to head the external affairs ministry. The foreign ministry is one of the most significant ministries of the country and is especially of great importance to Modi, given his history of discord with the West. The

external affairs minister also become a part of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). However, given Swaraj’s conflicted relationship with Modi, it is not clear what role she would get to play in the government, her expertise

West starts awkward embrace of Modi n AFP, Washington Narendra Modi’s crushing victory in India’s elections presents an awkward task for Western powers who shunned the Hindu nationalist leader for years but see New Delhi as a crucial partner.

US President Barack Obama and other Western leaders invited the incoming prime minister to visit in congratulatory telephone calls and stressed common interests with the world’s largest democracy after Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won India’s widest victory in three decades.

The same governments until recently treated Modi as a pariah due to accusations the Gujarat state leader turned a blind eye or worse to deadly anti-Muslim riots in 2002. The United States in 2005 refused him a visa on human rights grounds US officials “are painfully aware that they are at a real disadvantage by not having a relationship with Modi or really knowing him,” said Milan Vaishnav of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “They are going to try to remedy that as quickly as possible.”

Other Western nations moved more swiftly to court Modi, with the British and French ambassadors visiting him well before the elections.

Will Modi hold a grudge?

A confidential US diplomatic cable written during the 2005 visa row, released by the website WikiLeaks, warned that a BJP with Modi in charge would be “more anti-American and less cooperative with the US,” although it also predicted that Modi would bring electoral disaster. But the warming of the once-distant US-India relationship largely took place when the BJP was last in power during the 1998-2004 premiership of Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Modi, who has little foreign policy experience, recently stated that international relations should be based on interests rather than individuals – a comment that, US diplomats hope, indicates he will not hold a grudge.

His top campaign promise has been on the economy, and he courted Western investors in Gujarat even while governments shunned him.

Modi’s sweeping majority would al-

low the government to push through business-friendly changes, although the BJP has criticized the outgoing government’s key reform of opening India to foreign retailers such as Walmart.

Common interests

With the West boycotting him, Modi paid repeated visits to East Asia and became fixated on bringing India’s development to the level of neighboring giant China.

Diplomats predict Modi may pay an early visit to Japan, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – a fellow nationalist who won his country’s strongest political mandate in years through economic promises – could be a kindred spirit.

The United States would welcome India’s engagement to its east, which comes as Obama pursues a “pivot” strategy of shifting resources to Asia, where several nations are uneasy over China’s rise. However, whatever the common interests, it remains to be seen if Modi can forge a personal bond with foreign leaders. A first opportunity may be at the UN General Assembly in September in New York. l

Sri Lanka celebrates end of war, blocks commemorations n AFP, Matara

President Mahinda Rajapakse led celebrations at a major victory parade yesterday to mark the fifth anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka’s Tamil separatist war after commemorations for its victims were blocked.

Most top envoys of Western nations stayed away from the parade, but a

defiant Rajapakse insisted he would not bow to pressure from foreign critics who are pushing him to investigate claims that tens of thousands died in the final stages of the conflict.

“Some governments are blind, deaf and dumb. They are opposed to our celebrating this victory,” Rajapakse said in a televised speech from Matara, his birthplace in the Sinhalese heart-

land of the island’s south.

“We are not celebrating victory in a war, we are celebrating peace. Irrespective of who opposes this, or who stays away, we will always commemorate this day,” he added.

The 37-year conflict effectively ended on May 18, 2009, when troops killed the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels, Velupillai Prabhakaran, in a brutal assault

on the northern town of Mullaittivu.

The UN has estimated that at least 100,000 people died in the entire conflict, about 40,000 of them in the final months of fighting.

Rajapakse however has denied any civilians died in the finale and is resisting calls for an international inquiry into claims that troops killed thousands of civilians who had been herded

Vietnam stifles new demonstrations as China fumes n AFP, Hanoi

Vietnamese security forces stifled fresh protests yesterday over China’s plans to drill for oil in contested waters, as Beijing sent five ships to help evacuate its nationals from Vietnam following deadly mass riots last week.

China’s state media said more than 3,000 of its citizens had already returned home in recent days after the territorial tensions and riots sent relations between the frequently quarrelsome communist neighbours spiralling to their lowest point in decades.

Enraged mobs torched or otherwise damaged hundreds of foreign-owned businesses last week, killing two Chinese nationals and injuring about 140.

While China’s deployment of the giant rig is seen in Vietnam as a grave provocation, the ferocious public reaction appeared to catch authorities by surprise.

Fearing an impact on vital foreign investment, Vietnamese authorities took no chances Sunday as activist groups tried to stage further demonstrations, though they insisted they would be peaceful.

Hundreds of security personnel swarmed over streets leading to the sprawling Chinese embassy in Hanoi, restricting access to the neighbourhood and other suspected protest sites.

Blogs by civil society groups involved in the protest call said activists were detained in several areas around the country or prevented from leaving their homes.

notwithstanding.

Meanwhile, UP and Bihar are set to witness strong representation in the Cabinet, after all those are the states that literally handed the polls over to the BJP. l

Exchanges suspended

Policemen ask people to leave a street near to the Chinese embassy in Hanoi. A call for further anti-China protests appeared to have fizzled in the capital, with authorities deploying heavy security around the Chinese embassy and other protest sites AFP

China’s Xinhua news agency said the Chinese nationals brought home included 135 people hurt in the unrest last Tuesday and Wednesday including 16 who were “critically injured.”

China also said it was dispatching five ships to bring home even more of its nationals and would suspend some bilateral exchanges with its southern neighbour.

The recent violence was “damaging the atmosphere and conditions for exchanges and cooperation,” a foreign ministry statement said.

“The Chinese side as of today... suspended part of its bilateral exchange plans,” it said, without giving specifics of the plans.

“China will see how the situation develops and look into taking further steps.”

China had earlier warned its citizens against travel to Vietnam following what it called the “explosion of violence” and has urged its nationals still in the country to increase safety precautions.

The oil rig standoff has further poisoned relations between two countries that have fought territorial skirmishes in the past and are increasingly at odds over their South China Sea claims.

Workers demonstrated in 22 of Vietnam’s 63 provinces last week, according to the government, with furious mobs torching foreign-owned factories and enterprises believed to be linked to China or which employed Chinese personnel.

Hundreds of businesses were hit, Vietnam’s government has said.

China is widely accused in Vietnam of bullying behaviour stretching back more than 1,000 years, and Hanoi’s communist government occasionally allows protesters to vent anger.

Damage control

But the recent outbursts have sent the government scrambling to limit damage to a developing economy dependent on foreign investment.

“We will not allow any acts targeting foreign investors, businesses or individuals, to ensure that the regrettable incidents will not be repeated,” Dang Minh Khoi, assistant to Vietnam’s foreign minister, told reporters Saturday.

Vietnamese officials say more than 300 suspected perpetrators were being prosecuted.

Vietnam’s abundant, cheap labour market attracted $21.6 billion in foreign direct investment in 2013, up from $16.3 billion the year earlier, according to government figures.

The recent events could have a longterm impact on its image as a safe place for investment, said Edmund Malesky, an expert on Vietnam’s investment-fuelled development at Duke University.

China, which has refused Hanoi’s demands to remove the Haiyang Shiyou 981 rig, has been roundly criticised for deploying it given increasing tensions in the South China Sea, with Washington expressing deep concern over the potential for the row to escalate. l

into no-fire zones.

Around 7,500 troops took part in Sunday’s military parade which featured tanks, gunboats and military aircraft.

Canada, a strong critic of Sri Lanka’s war record, boycotted Sunday’s parade while the top diplomats from other Western powers, including the United States and former colonial power Britain, were conspicuous by their absence. l

Suu Kyi challenges Myanmar’s army n AP, Mandalay, Myanmar Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday challenged the powerful army to help amend the constitution that is barring her from running for president in next year’s elections.

The Nobel laureate said that that the army is duty-bound to safeguard the country and should not be involved in running the administration. Her comments during a rally in the second largest city of Mandalay drew loud cheers.

Myanmar started moving from a half century of dictatorship to democracy three years ago, but the army still lurks heavily in the shadows. The 2008 constitution drawn by the former military rulers gives the army 25 percent of all parliamentary seats, allows it to appoint three cabinet ministers and have veto power in changing the constitution.

Suu Kyi spent much of the last 20 years under house arrest, but she has been cozying up to the military since she was elected to parliament in 2012, in hopes of winning favors so the constitution could be changed before the 2015 polls.

An article in the constitution says anyone whose spouse or children owes allegiance to a foreign power cannot become president or vice president.

Suu Kyi’s sons are British nationals.

Several other provisions are also under scrutiny for revision, and some proposed changes would strengthen self-government in regions of the country dominated by ethnic minorities. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Monday, May 19, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

How many more deaths will it take?

T

he official death toll in the launch capsize near Munshiganj has now reached 55.

Enough is enough. The government and boat operators must change the shocking culture of neglect for safety which underlies launch accidents.

We have repeatedly called for passenger safety to be the top priority for riverboat operations. There have been over 550 passenger launch accidents in the last 38 years, killing 4,420 people.

Yet, despite hundreds of probe committees being formed, hardly anyone has been held accountable for wrongful deaths.

Every year needless deaths occur in launch disasters. The vast majority would be preventable if safety was properly prioritised. However, not only are outdated vessels and those which have suffered structural flaws in past accidents allowed to operate with impunity, but passenger and weight limits are routinely breached. Boat owners recklessly continue to employ incompetent and poorly trained staff.

It is shameful that authorities have failed to hold the system for protecting safety to account. The present government has had more than 5 years in power to address this issue. If it had made it a priority, then the litany of fatal accidents which saw the Patuakhali-bound MV Shathil 1 capsize just two weeks before Thursday’s tragedy at Munshiganj, would have been stopped.

Business as usual is not acceptable. The government must put resources into properly inspecting and monitoring vessels so safety rules can be properly implemented.

Human life is precious. Those who treat it as cheap should be punished.

Negligence and reckless disregard for safety must be prevented.

Operators who fail to put safety first should be put out of business.

Enough is enough.

Negligence and reckless disregard for safety must be prevented

Quality matters, not pass rates

R

esults in the recent SSC exams showed a dramatic improvement in pass rates and GPAs. While the hard work of pupils and teachers is something to be celebrated, we need to be sure the country is providing quality education for our children.

Improved test scores do not necessarily indicate actual improvements in education quality. Are students acquiring knowledge and skills with real value that prepare them for the future, or are they just being processed to pass tests, which decline in value as pass rates rise?

Academics and employers are right to question whether changes in the grading system may have artificially inflated pass rates and grades.

The proof of whether better pass rates indicate better quality will be seen in how successful these graduates are as they continue on to higher education and compete in the job market.

Far too much education in the country focuses on meaningless rote learning. And for all the country’s achievements in increasing primary enrollment, even our basic literacy rates are still very low.

In the globalised economy, Bangladesh desperately needs a globally competitive workforce.

Education is the most important strategic investment we have to make to ensure a better future for our country.

This means not only increasing investment, but improving quality at all levels and for all age groups.

We should take our cue from Brazil, which plans to double the proportion of its GDP spent on education from 5% of GDP to 10% by 2020.

Presently, Bangladesh spends under 2.5%. We must do better.

Test scores do not indicate quality.

Students need knowledge and skills with real value

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

Lawrence of Brunei

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 13

Osmania Good article, wrong conclusion. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good. Of course everyone’s a hypocrite, but so are we readers. Oil supplies some of the electricity we use either directly or in the products we consume. Activism has to start somewhere, and, for Bangladeshi readers, that means demanding an end to discriminatory laws in our own country. There is even less excuse for a supposedly secular society to outlaw homosexuality than pseudo-religious oil-subsidised tyrannies.

Fahad This reminds me of the recent #BringBackOurGirls hashtag and the reaction to that. With people like Michelle Obama jumping aboard, the immediate aftermath has been a renewed criticism of the US drone policy, rather than actually doing something about the situation. Raising awareness is an admirable thing and should continue. But when that takes over the actual cause, without having any impact on it whatsoever, it needs to be refined and channeled to its maximum potential.

Shabnaz Osmania: I do not think that the author is seriously suggesting a perfect solution, only pointing out that misguided and half-hearted commitments can be damaging in their own way. Like you, I think this is a really good article and particularly important given the illegality of homosexuality, as well as its outdated associated taboos, in our country.

Osmania Shabnaz: Right, but he didn’t mention Bangladesh, did he?

Where we have the unwarranted discriminatory law (thanks to the old colonials, but hey they’ve moved on), and we supposedly have a democracy that could change things for the better, shouldn’t we try?

Police yet to arrest 3 fired RAB officers May 14

Dr Ahsan Habib Police will come up with a report, or get testimonies through remand from the phony people they arrested. That testimony will show the three RAB officers are not at all involved in it.

So doesn’t it seem the real culprit is Judge Miah?

So, no need to arrest them, in which case, the High Court order was premature.

Akash These arrests are not going to happen, are they?

Even the courts in Bangladesh have zero jurisdiction, as far as blind party loyalty is concerned. A clear indication that the whole government machinery has been rendered impotent – for those three people, of course. In that case, what’s the point having statutes and courts? By default then, the parliament is also defunct (worth a reminder they make the laws in there!)

This is turning into a banana republic drama.

By closing with Jay Leno – who like most car drivers isn’t going to boycott oil any day soon – and using the phrase “overblown publicity stunt,” the article comes too close to we should not try. What good is served by believing something should change, but then arguing it would be hypocritical to target Brunei on it? That’s what I meant by perfection driving out the good.

Farzana What is particularly amusing is that homosexuality has always been illegal, even under the British penal code that Brunei had previously. That same penal code is why Section 377 in India exists.

Yet, India is celebrated to a ridiculous degree by the West. While it is commendable that notable names are taking a stand, they should be doing it for the right reasons. Want to boycott a brand that supports homophobia? Boycott brands from India and Saudi Arabia too, not bans that promote Sharia (which is effectively what is happening with the Brunei boycotts now). Better yet, introduce dialogue instead of short-term glamour projects.

It would be more productive, and is less likely to receive a backlash from less secular parts of the world. riazo The thing here is Saudi Arabia and the UAE have always been that way regarding the medieval Sharia Law. The last thing we want to see is more and more Muslim countries adopt such a system, since there is no Quranic basis for Sharia. Sharia is a self-serving, man-made, male interpretation of the Hadith, based on pre-Islamic Arab Bedouin culture. Hadith itself has been shown to be self-contradictory and the fact is it contradicts the Quran. The resultant Sharia Law is an amalgamation of barbarism totally unsuitable for all the cultures that Islam has spread to, like the Indian subcontinent, parts of Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Well-mannered (6) 6 Opening (3) 9 Accustom (5) 10 Eternal city (4) 11 Strikes with the beak (5) 12 Copy (3) 13 Dealer (6) 15 Narrow beams (4) 18 Encounter (4) 21 Well-matured (6) 24 Metal-bearing rock (3) 25 Fruit of the oak (5) 28 Former Russian ruler (4) 29 Tricks (5) 30 Female bird (3) 31 Obstruct (6)

DOWN 1 Scottish musician (5) 2 United (3) 3 Fortunate (5) 4 Annoy (3) 5 Examine (4) 6 Incite (4) 7 Electrical unit (6) 8 Look narrowly (4) 14 Limb (3) 16 Reluctant (6) 17 Sun personified (3) 19 Uneven as if gnawed away (5) 20 Time in grammar (5) 21 Destructive insect (4) 22 Incline (4) 23 Moderately hot (4) 26 Drinking vessel (3) 27 Colour (3)

Hindus attacked for disagreement over Tk5 May 13

VK Over the years, Bangladesh being a secular country has become a myth. This situation is a slap in the face to those who gave their lives in the struggle for an independent Bangladesh.

WaliulHaqueKhondker Why weren’t Sohan, Abu Taher, and Shahjahan arrested? No mention of that! A group of 100 people attacked and only two arrested excluding the main culprits? I think the police have got to improve their performance!

We have water-downed secularism in our constitution and its unfortunate results are visible!

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.

‘Implement Bangla in 15 days’ May 14

Is this really practical? While I support Bangla as it is part of our identity, it is important that we do not sideline English for practical reasons. bdguy82

CALVIN AND HOBBES Chittagong Jamaat Ameer, 20 others arrested May 13

khanadil How interesting – while the police are dilly-dallying on their decision to arrest the Narayanganj killers, they demonstrate a great deal of agility in arresting as many as 20 opposition leaders without any charge! This is law of the jungle at its worst!

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

Boko Haram offers to swap abducted girls for prisoners May 13

Why do we not hear one single Muslim country demanding the severe punishment of Boko Haram committing serious crimes in the name of Islam? Why are only non-Muslims demanding the release of the abducted girls? I hope I do not have to conclude that the majority of Muslims globally agree with religious extremists like Boko Haram.

Vihan

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Monday, May 19, 2014

Some are more equal than others n Syed Ishtiaque Reza

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Are we paying enough attention?

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Anyone for waterway safety?

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n Towheed Feroze hile several quarters in the country were more interested in election results in another country, some of us could not drive out the harrowing images of dead bodies, especially of young children, from the latest launch capsize on the Meghna river.

Sorry to say this, but when so many unnecessary deaths were hanging over a nation, with young children among the victims, certain media houses decided to give priority to the poll triumph in India – something I failed to comprehend.

Facing such a tragedy, no other news should become the top headline for at least three days. By the third day, the incident was quite low among priorities, though this would not have been the case if a socially established person had perished. But then, wealthy or influential people do not use public launches.

As the ill-fated vessel was salvaged from the water, it became evident that this was no boat to withstand seasonal storms, which reportedly caused it to capsize. For the record, launch disasters are not new in Bangladesh.

In fact, every year, between March and September, there is at least one such incident where either a collision or a storm results in horrendous loss of human lives.

Again, for the record, there has rarely been a single incident where a disaster-struck water vessel was saved in the last minute due to the timely intervention of rescue crafts, simply because we do not have enough

of these specialised boats that can avert tragedy. Those who survive either swim to safety or are saved by residents living on the shore coming to the rescue with their boats. In cases of heavy storms, chances of rescue by fishermen or others are also slim.

What is most reprehensible is the apathy that the authority shows in implementing rigid safety guidelines. The reaction to such accidents has become typecast – images of affected families are shown, the papers and the channels cover the rescue operations plus the heart-wrenching reactions of the distraught relatives, a certain amount of monetary compensation is handed out by officials sporting grim looks, and in a few months, all is forgotten.

That is until the next tragedy.

conditions of launches that are often in dire states. Reportedly, many parts of the Miraj were coming off during the salvage operation – a testament to its rickety state. It won’t be wrong to say passengers on water have to rely totally on fate because if there is a sudden emergency, immediate rescue facilities are also absent.

Obviously, securing all routes immediately involves huge costs, so the primary emphasis can be on major routes. Surely, if the government can be bold enough to declare that it can raise a substantial amount to construct the Padma Bridge, it can very well make waterways safer. We are also curious as to why development organisations, which have so many poverty eradication programs, hardly

If the government can raise a substantial amount to construct the Padma Bridge, it can very well make waterways safer

Time and again, papers have run editorials and op-eds asking for indigenously manufactured basic safety features in passenger-carrying vessels on water, but despite so many deaths, launches lack rudimentary life-saving equipment. Come to think of it, if the doomed launch MV Miraj 4 had enough rubber tires, the death toll would have been lower.

After the recent disaster, several experts have raised questions over the

ever engage in the improvement of communication systems, especially in the waterways that are plagued by accidents?

To be straightforward – we have too many foreign aid-funded programs for lifting people from poverty. It’s time to divert some development initiatives to sectors where support is needed. Obviously, nothing will happen unless the authority shows a keen interest. The tragedy of this disaster will also fall in

that stereotyped cycle, and soon, other events will take over.

The disaster is already “old” news.

What most civil society pundits are talking about is how BJP’s win in the Indian elections will impact bilateral relations in the future. We need to ask how many talk shows focused on safety on water after the latest launch disaster.

I am aghast to find that when bodies were being recovered with wails of grieving relatives filling the air, there were jubilant celebrations in certain quarters over the Indian poll results on the belief that a change in government in another country would trickle down to some political benefit locally. When a nation is faced with so many deaths, the collective clarion call should be: To hell with politics!

That woman who is holding the lifeless body of her daughter is on the verge of insanity; that man who swam ashore and is taking home the dead body of his brother travelling with him is speechless in anguish. Let’s try to understand their pain.

It’s funny that no one occupies major public intersections or brings out large rallies vocal with fiery slogans demanding immediate steps to improve safety on waterways. No one observes sit-in protests demanding an explanation for so many lives lost.

Spontaneous uprisings do not happen for common people dying.

Are we to understand that they happen solely for political causes with the pretense that it’s fuelled by the masses? l Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

olice have only recently arrested the three RAB officials who were sent on forced retirement from the armed forces for their alleged involvement in the sensational seven murders despite a High Court order and a strong demand from different quarters. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) did not say anything, and nothing was clarified by the Ministry of Defence. But the state minister for home and the police super of Narayanganj continuously assured people that the legal process to arrest the three Rab officials was underway.

It was visible that the police department was in a quandary about how to arrest these three accused, despite the order from the High Court. Amidst severe criticism from various quarters, the top officials of the government said necessary steps would be taken on completion of the process. No one was sure when the process would be completed.

George Orwell would recognise this symbolic episode in which the government had already signaled that some animals were more equal than others, straight out of Animal Farm.

The government’s attitude towards the case has once again reminded the nation that these three were not any ordinary citizen.

The entire process after the gruesome seven murders in Narayanganj made us recall of the famous Orwellian quote: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

We can imagine the implications of this sort of “deliberate procedural delay” in arresting the accused persons who have very strong “backgrounds” or “connections.” There seems to exist a two-tier legal system in the country: One system for the people of privilege, and another for every Tom, Dick, and Harry. But we can resolutely say that giving preferential treatment to a few will lead to chaos in the overall justice system.

The Narayanganj murders exposed the brutal characteristics of politics as well law enforcement. People expect drastic action against the culprits. But the drama so far played in nabbing the accused raised questions about faith in the overall legal system. The main accused, Nur Hossain, was not arrested immediately after the incident although the state minister for home, the inspector general of police, and Nayaranganj police boss assured that he would be taken into custody.

But now, the police are saying that Nur Hossain had left the country and may be staying in the Indian state of West Bengal. The next step was to arrest the three RAB officials, but they had been out of reach for a long time because of the so-called procedural system.

If the government tries to waste more time, people will start thinking differently. These sort of tricks also expose the arrogance and maneuverings of powerful people who are given protection at the expense of the government’s image and credibility.

If we scrutinise the seven murders in Narayanganj, we see, Panel Chairman and Councilor Nazrul Islam were murdered because of political enmity with Nur Hossain and others.

But advocate Chandan Sarkar, who had no enmity with anyone, was killed as he was fulfilling his responsibility as a lawyer and as a citizen to follow the abductors. He saw Nazrul being snatched along with some other people from the court area. He started following the abductors with his car and, at one stage, another vehicle of the killers hit his car from behind, and the lawyer along with his driver was taken into a microbus by the abductors and their bodies were seen floating on the Sitalakhya river along with the others.

Giving preferential treatment to a few will lead to chaos in the overall justice system

Those who met and assured the family members of Chandan Sarkar included the prime minister, the BNP chairperson, high government officials, and a number of journalists.

The message we got from the reporters was shocking. The lawyer’s family members believe that the killers will never get their punishment and the case will not see a normal ending.

Members of the families of the other victims are also of the same opinion – that justice is almost an impossibility in this country.

As the system either deliberately or due to procedural problems failed to try killers in many other incidents before, people are now fully derisive of justice. Extra-judicial killings, random abductions, murder, and violence are a sign that our hard-won democracy is becoming a spectre of the real thing: Bangladesh is increasingly turning into a place of lawlessness.

Another serious issue is the unashamed politicisation of the administration, judiciary, and other important organs of the state, for which people started believing that the system actually rules over those who cannot, or will not, fight. The implication of such an administrative and legal system is so serious that may dispirit people to retain sanity and courage at a time of the nation’s crisis.

Bangladesh has a youthful population, a free press, and a growing middle-class. The country is experiencing a rapid pace of urbanisation.

These mean that people are not ready to see backwardness and brutality.

But the problem is that those who are at the helm of power do not feel the confidence to rely on youthful and creative people. l Syed Ishtiaque Reza is Director of News, Ekattor Television.

How history was made n MJ Akbar

W

hat do we mean when we suggest that history has been made? History has to be something more than just another event; beyond a day’s or even a week’s headlines. History is a miser. It applauds only a pivotal moment that turns a nation’s course.

There has already been much comment on the fact that this is the first election since 1984 to deliver a simple majority for a single party. One might, in theory, go back further. If Mrs Indira Gandhi had not been assassinated in 1984, the subsequent parliament would have been woefully fractured, with Congress short of a majority, and non-Congress parties still in wild disarray after the searing implosion of Janata Party in 1979. We might well have seen the first UPA in 1985.

Be that as it may, Narendra Modi has inspired a mandate that is still beyond the belief of Delhi’s elite drawing room squads which led a motivated and nasty offensive against him.

Congress’ annihilation has been compared by its spokespersons to 1977, not to highlight the reasons for burial but to hold out the promise of resurrection. This argument is punc-

tured by facts. In 1977, Mrs Gandhi lost power in Delhi but won a handsome 150-odd seats in Lok Sabha from the South. She had a very firm base from where to construct her recovery. In 2014, Congress has been smashed everywhere, unable to achieve double digits in any state. No matter who won — Modi, Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee, or Naveen Patnaik — Congress lost.

Modi’s dialectic has made a return to the politics of identity almost impossible for a mainline political party

Which in turn brings us to the second deeply significant fact: This is the first since 1947 that a non-Congress party has won a simple majority. Nor is the BJP’s triumph geographically limited.

Its vote share has leapt up even in states where it did not get seats. Bengal is an obvious instance. BJP was less

than a marginal political fact before the Modi campaign. It established a lead in 40 Assembly constituencies, and even polled 185 votes more than Mamata Banerjee in her own seat, Bhowanipore. Where BJP is not in power, it is now in contention. It has become a national party in the true sense of the term.

The reason is Narendra Modi. He lifted electoral politics from a language generated in the 19th and 20th centuries, of vote banks capitalised through demographic fault lines, and placed it on the one platform that every Indian could share beyond the divisive breach of factional identity: A better economy that could end the curse of poverty through good, honest, accountable governance. He broke governance into component parts that the citizen, and particularly the voter mired in the worst poverty, understood: Electricity, water, jobs. An end to corruption. He snubbed any reference to the politics of the past, if it came from Congress and its explicit or implicit allies; and stopped it if it arose from his own ranks. He was absolutely focused from start to final polling day: This election was about the stomach, and about bringing light [literally] into areas of darkness.

Congress had nothing to offer as counterpoint except a fading dynasty, represented by Rahul Gandhi, who seemed to live in a planet of his own, and Robert Vadra, whose rapid accumulation of wealth could have become a case study in business schools if it had been done honestly. If anything, the voter was more tired of this dynasty than of Congress.

Mrs Indira Gandhi justified her right to sit in her father’s chair by promising, in 1971, to end poverty. A child born in 1971 is middle aged now, having outlived the dreams of youth.

The substantive majority of today’s voters are children of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, three lost decades in the annals of India’s economy. This year, Narendra Modi fused the negative undercurrent of anger against Congress with a positive power of hope to create an electrical storm.

The crowds are chanting “Modi” because for them it is synonymous with aspiration. The poor trust Modi because they know he comes from their background. For Modi, poverty is not a tourist’s destination. It is the mental anguish and physical deprivation from which he has emerged to become prime minister of India.

REUTERS

Understandably, such volatile aspirations come lined with impatience.

The young want Modi to shift into top gear from his first week in office.

They will not have much patience with politics as usual, because they have delivered an unusual mandate.

The BJP’s simple majority strengthens Modi immeasurably, but it also eliminates the comfort zone that is home to many an alibi.

This is the stuff of history because Modi’s dialectic has made a return to the politics of identity almost impossible for a mainline political party. Fringe parties might continue to feed from an old trough, but their diet will restrict them to the margins of India. l MJ Akbar is the Editorial Director of The Sunday Guardian. This article was first published in The Sunday Guardian.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Monday, May 19, 2014

Sand Sculpture of Satyajit Roy in Cannes

Dhaka Theatre to stage Binodini today n Entertainment Desk Dhaka Theatre, one of the leading theatre troupes in the country, will stage its acclaimed production “Binodini” at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy at 7pm today. Directed by Nasiruddin Yousuff, the one-act play features Shimul Yousuff as Binodini Dasi, the pioneering actress of the 19th century who had outstanding contributions to shaping the theatre scene of Bengal. Based on the autobiography of Binodini Dasi, Saymon Zakaria scripted the play under the guidance of late theatre icon Selim Al Deen. The play portrays the rise of Binodini Dasi as an actress, who emerged from the dark society. For over a century, she has inspired women to fight against all odds and break all barriers to make their mark on stage as actresses, despite the fact that her life was never smooth and happy. In the short span of her performing life, Binodini acted in 80 plays and portrayed 90 characters. “Binodini,” the 31st production of Dhaka Theatre, is a tribute to Binodini Dasi for her groundbreaking role establishing theatre as a profession for Bangali women theatre activists. l

n Entertainment Desk Indian artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand sculpture of the legendary movie director Satyajit Ray and a 6-foot-high Taj Mahal on the Cannes beach, during the ongoing International Film Festival in France.

Pattnaik created the sculpture to pay tribute to Ray at Beach Zamenhof in Cannes yesterday during the 67th Cannes Film festival.

The artist from Odisha was invited by the Indian Embassy of France to create sand art during the

festival. The event during which Pattnaik created the sculpture was inaugurated by the Indian ambassador in France.

Many eminent personalities including movie maker Ramesh Sippy and actor Kamal Hasan were present.

Pattnaik with the help of his student Bulu Mohantey created a long movie reel on the face of Satyajit Ray for which he used five tonnes of sand.

“I am very happy to come to Cannes for this festival. I have decided to give my tribute to legendary director Satyajit Ray,” Pattnaik said. l

Dhallywood’s new heartthrob Arefin Shuvo and popular TV actor Zakia Bari Momo on set of their new flick Chhuye Dile Mon. Filming has begun from May 1 in Sylhet and will continue throughout the whole month. Directed by Shihab Shaheen, the film also features Iresh Zaker and Ali Raj in leading roles

‘Trying to unite all humans with joy, sound, and love’ How were you involved to the Bangladeshi music scene?

In 2010, I met a beautiful Bangladeshi woman named Anusheh. She opened my mind and my heart. She allowed me into her family and her home. Music was just the excuse for us to meet. I am thankful to here participated in her life and for her in mine.

Tahsan-Urmila’s Shomporker Golpo n Entertainment Desk Tahsan and Urmila will be romancing on screen for the first time in “Shomporker Golpo,” directed by Mabrur Rashid Banna.

Tahsan plays Mushfiq and Urmila the role of Dihan in the drama.

About acting in the drama, Tahsan said: “It’s a well written script. I enjoyed working

for this drama and I hope the audience will feel the same while watching it.”

Lux Channel i Superstar 2009 celebrity Urmila said: “I acted with Tahsan as a guest actor before. But, now I am in the lead character and I feel honoured.” said Urmila. She added: “To be honest, it was tough for the cast and the crew to work in such scorching heat. But, we gave it our best with hopes to satisfy our audience.” l

From your experience of music in the Western part of the world, how do you see the jamming culture here?

Bangladeshis love music more than any people I know. Way more than me! I get tired of the music and they are still going! So Bangladesh is “way Jamming”!

You along with some musicians are working in popularising blues music, how is that working out?

Blues can be described with the Bangla word bhaab(attitude). And as the great Baul singer Shofi Mondol said to me many times, “Shudhu Bhaab” (only attitude)! Everything is feel. I do not care about music genre, its only the feel.

You conduct many workshops on music, how does that feel?

n Shadma Malik Seth Panduranga Blumberg popularly known as Pandu in the musicians circle, is the leading musician for jam sessions that take place every Monday at the Cuppa Coffee Club in Gulshan.

To interact with music lovers in the city and play music in a freewheeling environment, musicians from different corners of Dhaka gather at the venue.

An immensely talented guitarist Pandu is a frontrunner in popularising the jam culture in

the Bangladeshi music scene.

However, tracing his history, we discover that Pandu was more into theatre than music for a long time. After the death of his father, he felt to play the blues. He started to play the guitar and started feeling serious about music.

Musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Ron Schmoke, and Jeff Moore inspired his musical journey and his obsession with the world of music. The Michigan musician is currently living in Dhaka since 2011 and investigating the mystical music of the Bauls.

I enjoy learning very much. A workshop is when everyone is working. It is not a masterclass. Truth is everyone has insight and creativity so your skill level has little to no impact. We are all working to get better and feel free. It is important for everyone to feel like a band-leader.

Your plans for the future?

I go with the flow as much as possible. I am working on several albums right now: one with Anusheh’s new group “Bahok,” Shofi Mondol’s album, and another featuring Kangalini Sufia.

These albums are either finished or will be very soon. Other than that we are just trying to unite all humans with joy, sound, and love. l

Robert Pattinson’s music album on the cards! n Entertainment Desk Robert Pattinson is apparently preparing to launch his music career. The 28-year-old British star rose to fame as the broody vampire Edward Cullen from the “Twilight” film franchise.

But the actor’s purported pal Brady Corbet tells UK newspaper The Sun, fans will see Robert shift direction in his career in the not too distant future. “He’s been busy producing his first album, which will be coming out soon,” Brady said.

The album wouldn’t be Rob’s first time behind the mic.

He has previously recorded two songs for the Twilight soundtrack titled “Never Think and Let Me Sign.” As The Sun reports, Rob recently said that till now he never took his music very seriously.

Rumours of an album from the actor surfaced earlier this year. A source told HollywoodLife.com some big names were working on the project.

Robert had jetted into Nice for the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival on Friday, but his friend Brady Corbet has revealed that his Hollywood pal has been busy in the studio.

Last year, he started working with one of the top songwriters in the industry. They hope to produce and record a hit single when they are finished, along with an entire album. Rob has yet to comment on the latest claims. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Theatre

Ja Nei Bharote Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm Experimental Theatre, Shilpakala Academy, Shegun Bagicha

Music

Happy Hour Jazz Time: 7:30pm – 10:00pm

Sunny Leone to make Telegu debut n Entertainment Desk Sunny Leone is all set make her Telegu film debut with “Current Theega.” The film will be directed by G Nageswara Reddy and will also star Manchu Manoj and Rakul Preet.

Sunny Leone has had a successful stint in Bollywood with the latest flick “Ragini MMS 2” becoming a superhit. Moreover, her upcoming adult comedy “Mastizaade” too is attraching a lot of attention, which clearly indicates that Leone is the next big thing in Bollywood.

“Current Theega” is being produced by 24 Frames Factory, and is Vishnu Manchu’s first production without him acting in it.

"I am really excited about my role in “Current Theega”. It is an important character created to entertain you thoroughly," Sunny said in a statement.

"Sunny Leone is a big entertainment factor buzzing the cinema today and we wanted to introduce her in Telugu cinema in a role that will appeal every movie buff in this part of the world," the production house said. l

EMK Center, House 5, Road 27 (old) 9th floor, Midas Center, Dhanmondi

Exhibition

National Sculpture Exhibition Time: 11am-7pm National Art Gallery, Shilpakala Academy, Shegun Bagicha

Exhibition featuring Rabindranath Tagore Time: 11am-7pm National Art Gallery, BSA Mukh O Mukhosh 5 Time: 11am – 8pm Galleri Kaya, House no. 20, Road no. 16, Sector no. 4, Uttara

Chobi Mela invites entries for the latest expo n Entertainment Desk Chobi Mela, a biennial international festival of photography, called individuals to submit photographss on the theme for its VIII version which will be launched end of January in 2015. The key organisers are Drik Picture Library Ltd and Pathshala (The South Asian Institute of Photography) while Bangladeshi renowned photographer Shahidul Alam is served as the director of the festival.

As the theme of the festival is “intimacy,” photo practitioners are invited to submit work on the theme, and are encouraged to explore the boundaries of their medium probing into the depths of personal space and reaching out to the wider universe.

Apart from solo exhibitions, collective or curated based works are also appreciated in the queue of display while the festival will feature exhibitions in both print and digital form.

The last date for submissions is June 8, and the selected artists will be notified by email by 21 June 21.

Chobi Mela, considered as the largest festival of photography in Asia, was first held in 2000. l

Did you know?

No side have won the FA Cup on more occasions than Arsenal (11), level with Man Utd

Sport

Monday, May 19, 2014

14 Robben, Mueller

strike as Bayern win German Cup

DHAKA TRIBUNE

14 Martino steps

13

15 Djokovic stuns

down after blank season

Nadal to win Rome Masters

BCB signs best ever TV deal The six-year long international media rights deal of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) which was won by Gazi TV, a Bangladesh-based private satellite television channel on Friday through an open bid, will earn the board ‘ten times’ more than what the organisation had made within the years 2012-2014.

During these two years, Bangladesh played against the West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka at home, earning the BCB $250,000 in the process while the same three series in the next six-year cycle have been sold for over $2.4m. According to on-record documents, the agreement will also help the BCB get $4.52m more than what they had procured within the years 2000-2012.

At the beginning of each year we will get a bank guarantee which shall remain as we receive the full year’s payment The figures had appeared amazing in the past too. Cricket’s governing body had sold the rights for the years 20002006 to World Tel and ESPN Star Sports for $11m but had actually received $9.5m.

The Nimbus deal for the years 20062012 was sold for $56m including production costs. The deal was eventually quoted by the BCB to be $36m but the deal had only fetched the board $6m due to disputes. These combination of deals saw the BCB lose a total of $31.5m over the span of the last 12 years.

Concerns were also raised this time as to how secured the latest deal is given the fact that a local firm is involved.

When queried, BCB marketing and commercial committee chairman Kazi Inam Ahmed informed that the ‘yearly based bank guarantees’ will ensure everything is on track. “We took our legal and chartered accounting firm’s advice before making the contract,” Inam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“At the beginning of each year we will get a bank guarantee which shall remain as we receive the full year’s payment.

“The first year bank guarantee will only be released once the full payment and the second year’s bank guarantee is received. On top of this, we will hold the security deposit of $2.5m for six years,” Inam explained.

The ‘floor price’ of the media rights was the focal point since the BCB floated the tender 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’. The assessment given by the Australian firm was $49m but eyebrows were raised after the BCB set the floor price at $20m.

“First of all, that number [assessed value] includes $15m in production. So as far as the total rights value is concerned, we can say that it is 20 (base price) plus 15 (production costs) equaling $35m. Also, that number is the possible revenue for all global broadcasters/ cable TV from advertisements and sponsorships if all of Bangladesh’s games are shown in all the territories. So in reality, the biggest benefit for the BCB is that we have sold a long-term deal, which is always better,” said Inam. l

The referee separates the Sheikh Jamal and Abahani players involved in a scuffle after the conclusion of their Bangladesh Premier League match at BNS yesterday

MUMIT M

Abahani, Shiekh Jamal settle for a point Abahani failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage against a 10men Sheikh Jamal as the two giants occupying the top two spots of the Bangladesh Premier League points table played out a goalless draw at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The two sides produced the same result in their previous meeting in the first phase of the premier league. However, this time the draw proved to be a good result for Shiekh Jamal if one considers that they played the last half hour of the match with 10 men. The solitary point earned from this draw

now gives them a six point lead against Abahani to sit high and handsome at the top of the points table.

Yesterday’s draw also ensured the continuation of the Dhanmondi outfits’ unbeaten run in the league after playing a total 16 matches for an aggregate of 38 points. On the other hand, It was an ideal chance for Abahani to put an end to Jamal’s unbeaten run to minimize the gap with Jamal. Thanks to defender Nasirul Islam Nasir’s fantastic display, Iranian coach Ali Akbar Parmoslemi’s technical strategy to stop Haitian attacking duo Sony Norde and Wedson Anselme paid dividends. Jamal were without the services of their Nigerian striker Emeka Darlington who is the top scorer in the league with 16 goals.

The Sky Blues, however, put up a

solid defensive show after an initial blunder from defender Mofazzel Hossain Saikat which almost gifted Jamal a lead in the 15th minute. Saikat’s mistaken clearance was collected by Wedson Anselme and the Haitian forward burst through the right of the penalty area before Saikat made amends by blocking Wedson with a lovely tackle to spare himself from blushes.

Similarly, Abahani’s Ghanaian striker Osei Morrision failed to capitalize on a blunder from Jamal keeper Ziaur Rahman in the 29th minute after Zia failed to clear a Soares cross and the ball fell to Osei Morrison who also failed to connect as Linkon cleared the danger for a corner. Jamal could have taken the lead when Shahidul Alam Sohel produced a superb save after just four minutes into

the second half as he punched away Nigerian forward Wasio Ayoola’s header from a Linkon cross.

Wedson collected a mis-pass from Prantash and delivered it to Sony Norde down the left side who broke into the penalty area only to see his shot go wide. Sheikh Jamal were then reduced to 10-men when Linkon received his marching order for an unnecessary and clumsy lunge on Abahani’s Atiqur Rahman Meshu.

Abahani built some pressure on their opponents after Linkon’s dismissal as Suares fired over the bar in the 70th minute following a cutback from Morrison from the right flank and it turned out to be the last opportunity for them to get anything out of the game in their favor. l

Siddikur finishes second Will BCB reveal new coach today?

Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman finished the ICTSI Philippine Open on joint-second after carding a bogey-free three-under-par 69 in the third, fourth and final round while Marcus Both of Australia secured an emphatic victory to revive his career after thinking of quitting the game last year.

The towering Aussie, who lost his Asian Tour card last year for the first time since 2003, posted a two-under-par 70 for a winning total of six-under-par 282 at the US$300,000 Asian Tour event.

Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to play and win on the Asian Tour, birdied holes two, three and seven but struggled to keep pace as he returned with 11 straight pars to earn a prize-money of US$17,838.

“I’m very happy with my round because it was bogey-free. I’m not happy with my putting but I still managed to escape from making errors. I was confident I could win this event but I didn’t putt too well on the second and

third day. This is all part of golf and we learn from it,” said Siddikur, a two-time Asian Tour winner.

“I think I’m hitting it very well. If I can get my putter hot then I will get another good result. I’ll be going for the U.S. Open Qualifying. I have good

LEADER BOARD Player 1 Both (Aus) 2 Siddikur (Ban) 2 Holman (Aus) 2 Lascuna (Phi) 2 Vongvanij (Tha) 2 Bayron (Phi) 7 Tung-Shu (Tpe)

R1 70 66 71 74 74 71 77

R2 66 73 71 71 72 72 68

R3 76 76 72 69 68 69 70

R4 To Par Agg 70 -6 (282) 69 -4 (284) 70 -4 (284) 70 -4 (284) 70 -4 (284) 72 -4 (284) 70 -3 (285)

memory when I played on the same golf course in 2012. I’m really looking forward to it because it is my dream to play in the US Open,” added the 29-year-old.

Meanwhile, the other Bangladeshi Zamal Hossain finished the tournament on 62nd spot after posting another sixover-par 78 on the ultimate day. l

Robin Singh likely to take over Academy role The much awaited name of the new coach of the Bangladesh cricket team is likely to be announced today although Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan had earlier informed during the press conference of the media rights bidding on Friday that doubts still remained regarding the announcement of the new coach’s name today.

However, none of the BCB directors was interested to make any comment regarding this burning issue yesterday as the acting CEO of the board Nizamuddin Chowdhury was also uncertain about the announcement today, “It’s still not certain whether the name of the coach will be announced tomorrow (today) as we are still working on that process and if everything gets done by today (yesterday) then the announcement may come tomorrow (today),” said Nizam.

The most probable name which has been floating around for the past few days is former Sri Lankan cricketer Chandika Hathursingha and the BCB boss also admitted that the Sri Lankan along with another Australian coach has been shortlisted and according to the sources, it is none other than former Australian batsman Micheal Bevan. It was also learned that former Indian all-rounder Robin Singh is likely to be appointed as the Bangladesh National Cricket Academy coach while Mario Villavarayan will succeed David Dwyer as the strength and conditioning coach.

Meanwhile, BCB has also been looking for specialist coaches as former Zimbabwean fast bowler Heath Streak is most likely to become the bowling coach for the tigers while Bevan will be looking after the batting department.

However, BCB is likely to appoint these two for a short term till the next World Cup in 2015.

Muktis halt Brothers’ run 10-man Muktijoddha Sangsad halted the fourmatch winning spree of Brothers Union through a 1-1 draw in the second phase of the Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Haitian forward Augustine Walson continued his scoring streak to put Brothers ahead in the sixth minute with a clinical finish. Nigerian forward Kester Akon did all the hard work in the right flank before setting Walson free with a through pass as the wily Walson hit the back of the net with an angular shot.

Muktijoddha hit back with a series of attacks with Nigerian forward Nkwocha Kingsley cursing his luck in the 16th minute after he failed to head the ball into an empty net on a precise cross delivered by Md. Biplob from the left flank.

However, Sunday Chizoba rose on the occasion to restore parity in the 30th minute. Trying to surge through a gap in the left edge of the box, Sunday was brought down by Brothers defender Yusuf Issah which was consequentially called a penalty by the referee. Sunday

TOP 1 2 3 4 5

5

Teams Sk Jamal Abahani Mohammedan Brothers Muktijoddha

P 16 16 15 16 15

W 11 9 7 7 6

D 5 5 5 5 4

L 0 2 3 4 5

GD 28 11 5 4 10

Pts 38 32 26 26 22

duly sent Brothers goalie Sobuj Das Roghu the wrong way from the spot.

In the 36th minute, Sunday again made his way through the Brothers defence but his fierce drive was punched away for a corner by an acrobatic Sobuj Das Roghu, who had to fully stretch in order to parry away the effort.

After resumption, both the teams undertook a defensive approach con-

centrating upon not conceding more as the ball was stuck in midfield most of the time. Muktijoddha forward Md. Biplob, playing in the left wing, however, made some impressive runs through the opponent’s defence.

Muktijoddha were reduced to 10 men in the 81st minute when Cameroonian defender Gerard Ledoux was shown a second yellow card for his malicious tackle on Augustine Walson.

However, Brothers failed to capitalise their one-man superiority with Muktijoddha crowding their box with several defenders. The orange clads were left to rue a missed opportunity in the 85th minute when Kester Akon saw his grounder beat the onrushing Muktijoddha custodian Russell Mahmud Liton only for the ball to swerve away from the post in the last moment.

Brothers Union are in fourth position with 26 points from 16 matches while Muktijoddha a place behind in fifth with 22 points having played a match less. l

On last Friday BCB boss informed that they were yet to finalize the appointment of the next head coach of the cricket team as last minute negotiations regarding terms and conditions were going on with the most likely coach of Bangladesh.

Earlier Hathurusingha was furious after the news of his becoming the next coach of Bangladesh leaked out . The Sri Lankan then informed that he was happy with where he was working at the moment and declined to make any comment regarding his name being considered for the vacant head coach position of Bangladesh cricket team as he believed it could hamper his current job.

Former Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen resigned from his post earlier this month to later join Fiji cricket and since then there have been much speculations about who becomes the next coach of the Bangladesh cricket team. l

Serena crushes Errani in Rome defence

Serena Williams (L) of the US poses with the trophy after winning the WTA Rome’s Tennis Masters final against Sara Errani (R) of Italy at the Foro Italico in Rome yesterday AFP

World number one Serena Williams warmed up for the defence of her French Open crown by cruising to her second straight Italian Open title on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Sara Errani of Italy.

Errani had been looking to become the first Italian winner of the women’s event in 29 years.

“It’s a shame she got injured, but I thought she was playing really well before that,” said Williams who now has 60 career titles.

“I think she definitely improved since last year but I think I could have played a little bit better. I was a little slow and nervous at the start, I wasn’t hitting my shots as well as I should have been.”

A tearful Errani apologised to her home fans for her display. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Atletico fans join huge victory party Tens of thousands of Atletico Madrid fans poured into central Madrid on Saturday night in a giddy, red-and-white striped celebration of their first Spanish Liga victory in 18 years. In the warm evening, friends and families chanted “Atleti, Atleti” as they packed Neptuno square featuring a fountain with a statue of the god of the sea, their traditional victory party venue. Savouring a draw against Barcelona in the Camp Nou that delivered their first league victory in nearly two decades, fans beeped car horns, set off firecrackers, draped themselves in flags, drank beer and danced in the streets of the Spanish capital.

–AFP

Sport

Monday, May 19, 2014

Lampard named England vice-captain

Blake ponders CGames sprint double

England manager Roy Hodgson has announced that veteran Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard will be England’s vice-captain at this summer’s World Cup finals. “Frank Lampard is vice-captain,” Hodgson said. “Frank’s been the vice-captain all along in Steven [Gerrard]’s absences, which I think has been two, he’s stepped up quite brilliantly. “I’ve always thought that he was going to be a key member of this 23 (squad) because of his experience and what he brings to the team apart from pure footballing ability. “He brings a lot of other things to us in terms of his leadership qualities and characteristics.”

–AFP

Jamaica’s 2011 100 metres world champion Yohan Blake has said he could run in both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Blake failed to beat compatriot and training partner Usain Bolt’s world best for the rarely-raced 150 metres on a temporary track laid over Manchester’s Deansgate on Saturday but still won in 14.71 seconds. The 24-year-old blamed the lack of a proper warm-up area for failing to get closer to Bolt’s mark of 14.35secs or American Walter Dix’s 14.65secs, although Blake’s time was still the third quickest recorded over the distance.

–AFP

Bayern win German Cup

Bayern Munich’s players pose with the trophy as they celebrate winning their German Cup (DFB Pokal) final match against Borussia Dortmund in Berlin on Saturday

REUTERS

Arjen Robben and Thomas Mueller scored extra-time goals as Bayern Munich won the German Cup with a 2-0 victory over rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

After the first 90 minutes finished goalless, Robben broke the drought in the 107th-minute before Mueller added a second in time added-on.

Coach Pep Guardiola finishes his first season in charge of Bayern with four trophies having already won the Bundesliga title, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup. “When a team wins the German league title, it’s already been a good season,” said Guardiola.

“That was the most important title, but of course we are very happy that we have won the cup.”

Bayern lifted the German Cup for a record 17th time to claim the domestic league and cup double - the Champions League was the only title to evade the Bavarian giants this season.

But Guardiola admitted he deserved

criticism from the German media in the wake of their 4-0 home drubbing by Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, second-leg.

“The criticism was quite justified, I did things I shouldn’t have done,” said Guardiola.

“I made mistakes in our playing style and tactics against Real, but things like that can happen in big games against big clubs.”

Having also scored the late winner in the 2013 Champions League final against Borussia at Wembley, Netherlands winger Robben again broke Dortmund hearts.

“We were finished at the end,” admitted Dortmund’s coach Jurgen Klopp, who was left fuming after television replays showed a second-half Mats Hummels header crossed the line, but was not given.

“We tortured ourselves and gave everything. In the phase when we were stronger, we scored a goal, which wasn’t given.

“That should have been seen (by the referee) even without goal-line technology.” l

Martino steps down after blank season Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino announced he will leave the club after failing to win a major title in his one season in charge.

The Catalans’ hopes of retaining La Liga were ended on Saturday by a 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid which saw the side from the capital crowned champions for the first time in 18 years.

“I wanted to announce that I have reached an agreement with the club to no longer be the coach of Barcelona,” he said at his post-match press

conference.

“I congratulate Atletico Madrid. We have faced them six times in the Supercup, the Champions League and today and they have been a great opponent throughout the season.

“I would to thank absolutely everyone at the club for believing in me. I am sorry that we didn’t achieve the objectives that the club normally does.

“We have tried until the end with a lot of dignity, but in the end we came up against an opponent that was better than us.

“It was an honour to manage Barca.

I admired the club from afar and now from the inside. Great things and great moments will return to the club.”

Martino had been thrust into the Barca hotseat just two weeks before the start of the season after Tito Vilanova was forced to resign due to his battle with cancer, which he lost last month.

The Argentine made a fine start to his reign, winning his first eight league games and the Spanish Supercup against Atletico on away goals.

However, questions over his style of play turned to greater concerns in the second half of the season as they

The fighting spirit Atletico Madrid have shown all season meant coach Diego Simeone never doubted they would come from behind to draw 1-1 against Barcelona and claim a first La Liga title for 18 years, the Argentine said on Saturday.

Barca needed to beat Atletico in a final-day showdown to snatch the title away and Alexis Sanchez gave the hosts hope when he rifled home from an acute angle after 33 minutes at a packed Nou Camp.

But four minutes after the break Diego Godin powered in a header from a corner and Atletico defended robustly to earn the draw they needed and claim their first championship since 1995-96.

Dutch held by Ecuador despite superb RVP strike Captain Robin van Persie netted a superb volleyed goal as an under-strength Netherlands came from behind to draw 1-1 with visitors Ecuador in their World Cup warm-up match at the Amsterdam Arena on Saturday.

The Dutch fell behind after nine minutes but Van Persie extended his record number of goals for his country to 42 as he took down a long ball from Jordy Clasie, which was hit from the halfway line and straight down the middle of the field, onto his chest before allowing it to drop onto his left foot for an exquisite finish eight minutes before halftime.

Earlier Jefferson Montero had caught the inexperienced Dutch defence napping, getting in behind them and latching onto Felipe Caicedo’s pass, who went off not long afterwards with a suspected hip injury that leaves his World Cup participation in doubt.

The Dutch, whose emphatic form in the qualifiers meant they were the first European side to book their berth in Brazil, have failed to win their last four internationals. l

THIBAUT COURTOIS (BEL/goalkeeper) The base of Atletico’s incredible turnaround in fortunes under Diego Simeone has been built on a solid defence and that starts with the on-loan Chelsea ‘keeper in goal.

Courtois has spent the last three seasons in the Spanish capital and has improved every year to become one of the world’s best goalkeepers at just 22 years of age.

The Belgian number one has kept 28 clean sheets in all competitions this season and saved his side on countless occasions with stunning saves.

Atletico lost Diego Costa and Arda Turan to injury in the first half, but battled hard to grab the point they needed.

“We were calm at halftime as the team had started well although the injuries to Diego and Arda were a problem,” said Simeone.

“From there though we continued to be competitive and fight for each ball which is what I asked for. We looked comfortable.”

Simeone gave a special mention to former Spain coach Luis Aragones, who was a major figure at Atletico and died in February this year.

Aragones spent most of his playing career at the Calderon and then coached the club on several occasions.

“It is a strange feeling, I feel very emotional,” said Simeone. l

KOKE (ESP/midfielder) A product of the Atletico youth academy, the 22-year-old has had a stellar season which has seen him become not just a regular in Simeone’s setup but also in the Spanish national team.

On top of being Atletico’s top creator of goals with 18 assists this season, he has also shown an eye for important goals amongst his tally of seven for the season.

He scored the winner in vital away wins at Real Sociedad, Malaga and Athletic Bilbao as well as scoring at home to Real Madrid in the 2-2 draw at the Vicente Calderon in Match and the vital goal as Atletico eliminated Barcelona from the Champions League.

Lille reach CL, Sochaux go down Lille clinched a Champions League place after beating Lorient 4-1 on the final day of the French season, while Evian defeated Sochaux 3-0 to retain their Ligue 1 status at the expense of Saturday’s opponents.

Needing victory to assure themselves of a third-place finish and a spot

in next year’s Champions League third qualifying round, Lille fell behind at the Stade Moustoir after Jeremie Aliadiere’s 22nd-minute opener for the hosts.

However, Lille, who have occupied no lower than third position since October, replied through leading scorer Salomon Kalou 10 minutes later.

Having laid on the first goal Nolan Roux then put Rene Girard’s visiting

DIEGO COSTA (ESP/centre-forward)

side in front seven minutes after halftime, heading into an unguarded net after Lorient goalkeeper Fabien Audard flapped unsuccessfully at a Florent Balmont cross.

Another blunder from Audard presented Kalou with his second, Lille’s third, on 65 minutes as he bundled home from close range to take his season’s tally to 16. l

FRANCE LIGUE 1

PSG’s Thiago Silva (C), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (CL) and teammates hold their French Championship trophy at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Saturday REUTERS

project for many weeks now. There are many issues that are very advanced,” he told Canal Plus.

“There are a number of players that already know they may not continue next season and others will come in.

“In the end the players have worked and fought until the last minute. It is a team that is used to winning and always wants to win, but today it wasn’t to be.

“Our philosophy to keep the ball and control the play will continue to be the same. This is not the end of an era, but a continuation of that era with some profound changes.” l

FIVE KEY PLAYERS FOR ATLETICO

Simeone never doubted Atletico’s title win “I never thought for a moment that the team would not be able to do it.

They always have a response, the bigger the challenge is, the more determined they are to achieve it. From the first moment I walked into the dressing room here I noticed that,” Simeone told a news conference.

Simeone was an Atletico player when they last won the championship and he has passed on his determination to the team as a coach.

“The work and effort of this team is the key and nobody makes any compromises. The team understands this,” he said.

“Today will be one of the most important days in the history of the club.

To become champions against Barcelona is a great feeling.”

dropped 22 points in their final 20 league games and were also dumped out of the Champions League before the semi-finals for the first time in six years by Atletico.

Former Barca captain Luis Enrique is expected to be named as Martino’s successor after announcing on Friday that he will leave Celta Vigo at the end of the season.

And Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu said there would also be big changes in the playing staff between now and the start of next season.

“We have been preparing a new

Team

GP

W

D

L

GD PTS

1 Paris SG 2 Monaco 3 Lille

38 38 38

27 8 23 11 20 11

3 4 7

61 32 20

89 80 71

4 ASSE 5 Lyon 6 Marseille

38 38 38

20 9 9 17 10 11 16 12 10

22 12 13

69 61 60

7 Bordeaux 8 Lorient 9 Toulouse

38 38 38

13 14 11 13 10 15 12 13 13

6 -5 -7

53 49 49

10 Bastia 11 Stade Reims 12 Rennes

38 38 38

13 10 15 -14 12 12 14 -8 11 13 14 2

49 48 46

13 Nantes 14 Evian 15 Montpellier

38 38 38

12 10 16 -5 11 11 16 -12 8 18 12 -8

46 44 42

16 Guingamp 17 OGC Nice 18 Sochaux

38 38 38

11 9 18 -8 12 6 20 -14 10 10 18 -24

42 42 40

7 4

29 23

19 Valenciennes 38 20 Ajaccio 38

8 11

23 -28 23 -35

The side’s top scorer and talisman with 36 goals in all competitions, Costa have proved an unlikely hero in the absence of the departed Radamel Falcao.

Although he has been contracted to Atletico since 2007, Costa has only been handed a consistent run in the side by Simeone over the past two seasons after being farmed out on loan four times.

Costa’s energetic style has been symbolic of Atletico as a whole as he has not just provided goals but led the line to great effect and proved lethal on the counter-attack.

DIEGO GODIN (URU/centre-back) One of the unsung heroes of Atletico’s success, the 28-year-old Uruguayan has struck up a great partnership with Miranda at the heart of the Europe’s tightest defence.

One of many players that were seen as underachieving prior to Simeone’s arrival at the club, Godin has been transformed under Simeone and not only defended with great authority but also popped up with some vital goals including the one that sealed the title at the Camp Nou.

FILIPE LUIS (BRA/left-back) Just like Miranda, Filipe Luis can count himself incredibly unfortunate not to be representing his country on home soil at the World Cup next month after another exceptional season.

Just as important an outlet going forward from left-back as he is defensively, Luis has proved particularly important in the big games against Real Madrid and Barcelona as he snuffed out the threat posed by the nearly 200 million euro duo of Gareth Bale and Neymar.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Monday, May 19, 2014

Wenger hails Cup win as his most important success

QUICK BYTES

Nat’l women’s kabaddi team suffer defeat Bangladesh national women’s kabaddi team conceded a one-point defeat against the West Bengal State Union women’s kabaddi team at the kabaddi tent at the Guru Nanake Sarani in Kolkata yesterday. Bangladesh led the first half by 16-14 points but the hosts bounced back to winning rhythm to claim the match by 28-27 points.

Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation general secretary Nazrul Islam, additional director of sponsors Walton AFM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn and West Bengal State Kabaddi Union general secretary Radhesham Agarwal were present on the occasion.

–RM

Women cricketers’ registration today The two-day long player’s registration of the sixth Women’s Club Cup Tournament will get underway today. The registration process will be held from 3pm-6pm at the SAHARA-BCB National Cricket Academy in Mirpur. The 14 teams participating in the tournament this season are Mohammedan Sporting Club Ltd, Abahani Ltd, Kalabagan Krira Chakra, Khelaghar Samaj Kalyan Samity, Associates in Community and Rural Development, Rayer Bazar Athletic Club, Dhaka Cricketers, Indira Road KC, Jahurul Islam City Cricket Club, Dipali Jubo Sangha, BKSP, Gulshan Youth, Ansar & VDP and Orient Sporting Club.

The tournament is scheduled to begin on May 25.

–Tribune Desk

Japan, Australia book Women’s WC spots World champions Japan and Asian title-holders Australia booked their spots at next year’s Women’s World Cup with victories at the Asian Cup in Vietnam on Sunday. Japan’s Nadeshiko hammered seven unanswered goals past Jordan to reach the semi-finals alongside Australia, who beat hosts Vietnam 2-0 to also qualify from Group A. Five World Cup spots are up for grabs in the Asian tournament. In Group B, South Korea and eight-time Asian champions China have also booked their places by reaching the semi-finals. Any doubts harboured by Japan were settled by Kira Chinatsu’s opener on 26 minutes, and the 2012 Olympic silver-medallists pressed their advantage against outclassed Jordan.

–AFP

Arsenal players wave from an open-top bus as fans crowd the streets of Islington during a FA Cup victory parade in London yesterday

Djokovic downs Nadal to win third Italian Open title Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Rafael Nadal for the fourth time in a row and claim his third Italian Open title with an impressive 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory in Rome on Sunday.

World number two Djokovic was broken twice in the first set as Nadal moved towards an eighth Rome title but he came roaring back to dominate the defending champion after that.

Defeat for Nadal was his third on clay in a season for the first time in a decade and raised questions about his form ahead of the French Open which starts next Sunday.

Djokovic will arrive at Roland Garros on a high after collecting the 44th title of his career to draw level with former French Open champion Thomas Muster.

Rafael Nadal said he expects a tough battle with Novak Djokovic for his eighth Rome Masters title on Sunday after sweeping aside Bulgarian Grigor

Marquez makes it perfect five from five Spaniard Marc Marquez became the first rider since Italian great Giacomo Agostini in 1972 to win the first five races of the season as he eased to victory in the French MotoGP at Le Mans on Sunday. The 21-year-old Honda rider -- who also emulated Australia Mick Doohan in winning the five straight races from pole -- recovered from a poor start to take control with 16 laps remaining and came home ahead of Italian great Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) while Alvaro Bautista of Spain was third on a Honda Gresini. Victory on Sunday made the reigning world champion the youngest ever rider to win five successive races in the premier class, taking the record from late Englishman Mike Hailwood who was 22 years and 160 days old when he won five successive races in the 500cc class in 1962.

–AFP

State school kicks off sports for girls in Saudi first

In a first for ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, a state school has introduced sports for girls, after a call for the lifting of a ban on women in sports, a newspaper reported Sunday. Girls at Amal Institute in the Red Sea city of Jeddah competed in a volleyball tournament last week after the school built new sports facilities, also for basketball,tennis and hockey, Al-Hayat said. In April, the Muslim kingdom’s Shura Council, a consultative body, recommended after a heated debate that the longstanding ban, already relaxed in private schools last year, be scrapped. The appointed body, whose 150 members are overwhelmingly male, can only pass on its recommendation to the education ministry and has no powers to impose it.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six Indian Premier League 4:30PM Rajasthan v Mumbai 8:30PM Delhi v Punjab

Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-finals.

Nadal came through a tough clash with British number one Andy Murray late on Friday but the world number one had little trouble dispatching Dimitrov in what was an error-strewn performance from the 12th seed.

Nadal has won at Rome a record seven times and, going on statistics, will be tipped for an eighth on Sunday, as defending women’s champion Serena Williams meets Italian Sara Errani in a bid to defend her title.

Overall, Djokovic has won 18 of his 40 previous meetings with Nadal, including the last three although they came on hard courts.

But of the duo’s 16 meetings on clay, Nadal has won 13 including their last meeting on the surface at the semi-finals of the French Open in 2013. Nadal, however, said he expects a “complicated” match.

“Djokovic always plays unbelievable. He’s a complicated player to play against,” said Nadal. l

REUTERS

Arsenal’s dramatic Wembley win against Hull City was the most important victory of Arsene Wenger’s 18 years in charge, the five-times FA Cup winning manger said on Saturday.

Despite winning eight major trophies including three Premier League titles, during his long reign at the club, the Frenchman ranks their 3-2 FA Cup final win over Hull to end a nine-year trophy drought as their most important success.

An Aaron Ramsey goal in extra time capped an amazing comeback for Arsenal, who found themselves two goals down after eight minutes, and ensured the club’s name was etched on the trophy for the 11th time, equalling Manchester United’s all-time record.

“It was more important today than all the others,” said Wenger, who became the joint most successful manger in the history of the competition alongside former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.

“Twice we did the double (1998 and 2002), we had already won (a trophy) so we were not under the pressure we were today.

“I’ve won it now five times, it’s not too bad. I’m in good company (with Ferguson).” l

BCB Uni Cricket starts today The Walton Refrigerator University T20 Challenge 2014 will begin today with six matches taking place at BKSP. In Group A, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh will lock horns in the tournament opener with Islamic University Kushtia at BKSP 2. In their second game of the day, Islamic University will take on Jagannath University at the same ground.

Dhaka University will face Rajshahi

University in their first game followed by their second game against Chittagong University in Group B. In Group C, AIUB will take on Jahangirnagar University while in Group D, Bangladesh Agricultural University Mymensingh face Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board launched the five-day long tournament in order to restore the players’ quota in both public and private universities throughout the country. A total of 12 universities – 10 public and two private – are participating in the tournament this year. l

Sethi to appeal as PCB Bangalore edge past Chennai lurches into fresh crisis Pakistan’s suspended cricket chief Najam Sethi vowed on Sunday to appeal against a court judgement which reinstated his rival in the latest round of musical chairs in the game’s management.

The Islamabad high court on Saturday overturned a February 10 order by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointing Sethi as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and sacking Zaka Ashraf.

Saturday’s judgement reinstated Ashraf for the second time this year, after he was initially suspended by the

same court in in 2013 over “dubious elections”.

Sethi said the court judgement would be challenged “vigorously and swiftly.”

“The good steps we took to professionalise and invigorate cricket and clean up the PCB will not be allowed to go in vain,” Sethi told AFP. The Sethi-led PCB has initiated a complete overhaul of the Board since February, terminating surplus staff which the court ordered in May last year.

Sethi said he was in the process of giving the PCB a democratic constitution and was set to hold elections by next month. l

Royal Challengers Bangalore made a stunning late flourish after initial struggle with AB de Villiers playing a cameo of 14-ball 28 to pull off a five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in a thrilling IPL match here today.

Chasing 139 for a win, Bangalore found the going tough with the Chennai slow bowlers seemingly tying them into knots in the first half of their innings before exploding towards the end to overhaul the target with one ball to spare in a low-scoring match that went down the wire.

Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni used his four slow bowlers -- R Ashwin (2/16), Suresh Raina (0/20), Ravindra Jadeja (0/31) and Samuel

Badree (0/15) - for long spells and, as they were getting the turn on JSCA International Stadium, Bangalore struggled to reach 45 for one at the halfway mark.

BRIEF SCORE Chennai 138/4 (20ov) Raina 62, Hussey 25, Aaron 2/29 Bangalore 142/5 (19.5ov) Gayle 46, de Villiers 28, Ashwin 2/16 Bangalore won by 5 wickets Opener Chris Gayle, who top-scored for Bangalore with an uncharacteristic 50-ball 46, played and missed several times but to his credit he stayed at the crease. Bangalore, however, had wickets in their hands so that they can go all out in the last five overs.

That was exactly what they did as Bangalore scored 97 runs in 9.5 overs to reach 142 for five from 19.5 overs to win the match and stay afloat for a play-off berth.

With today’s win, Bangalore jumped to fifth place with 10 points from 11 matches while Chennai, who were virtually through to the play-off stage, remained on second spot with 16 points from 11 games.

The fightback began with Gayle and Virat Kohli (27) stitching 61 runs for the second wicket from 10.4 balls before the Bangalore captain was out in the 15th over.

Gayle and de Villiers then decided to have a go at the Chennai bowlers who were getting the odd ball turn. The duo hit some lusty blows to put pressure on the Chennai bowlers.l

Juve wrap up record 102-point scudetto A stunning Andrea Pirlo free-kick from 35 metres set Juventus up for a 3-0 win over Cagliari and a record 102-point finish in Serie A as the champions celebrated in style on Sunday.

Juve claimed the Serie A title with two games to spare two weeks ago when closest challengers Roma crashed 4-1 at Catania, a day before Juve celebrated at home with a 1-0 home win over Atalanta.

Now with 30 official titles - the club were stripped of ‘scudetti’ won in 2005 and 2006 due to their role in a match-fixing scandal - Juve went on to set two new records last week when a 1-0 win away to Roma gave them a 32nd win of the season and a 99-point tally.

Inter Milan had held the previous record of 97 points for a title-winning sea-

son under the current format in 2007.

Faced with the chance to become the first league champions to claim 100 points or more, Antonio Conte’s men did not disappoint a packed-out Juventus Stadium ahead of their celebratory parade around Turin.

SERIE A 1 2 3 4 5

Team Juventus Roma Napoli Fiorentina Inter Milan

GP W D 38 33 3 38 26 7 37 22 9 37 19 7 37 15 15

L 2 5 6 11 7

GD PTS 57 102 47 85 34 75 21 64 24 60

Pirlo helped the Bianconeri get off the mark when he launched a free-kick from distance which came off the post and bounced back into the net after coming off hapless ‘keeper Marco Silvestri, who was later credited with an own goal. l

Juventus’ players celebrates with team members after winning the Serie A championship at the end of their match against Cagliari at the Juventus stadium in Turin yesterday REUTERS

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, May 19, 2014

2 illegal structures on Dhanmondi ground dismantled n Abu Hayat Mahmud The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) yesterday conducted a drive at the Dhanmondi playground in the capital and demolished only two illegal establishments inside the public space.

The one-hour drive, led by DSCC Executive Magistrate Kabir Mahmood, used a bulldozer to sweep clean the car parking space in front of the two illegal tin-shed establishments of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Ltd. While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Mahmood said the drive was conducted as per an order of the city corporation.

“In 2011, the High Court directed the then city corporation to demolish all illegal establishments, which were not related with sporting activities, from the public playground. We have found the two establishments where labours and outsiders were living, and thus we demolished the structures,” he said.

He also claimed that the overall scenario of the full playground will be reported to the court on May 20.

Meanwhile, at the end of the demolition drive, a person associated with the Sheikh Jamal Club came to the spot and threatened DSCC magistrates and Dhanmondi police personnel, who accompanied the magistrates during the drive, of dire consequences.

“Do you know after whom this club has been named? The club is named after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s younger brother. Just wait and see what happens,” he threatened Magistrate Mahmood.

Left: DSCC officials use a bulldozer to demolish two illegal structures inside Dhanmondi playground. Right: An unidentified official of Sheikh Jamal Club threatens DSCC officials, policemen and journalists following the demolition RAJIB DHAR The individual also threatened the police officials at the scene: “Who told you to come here and demolish these structures… the officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi police station? I challenge him if he can manage to keep his posting at this station.”

Later, he phoned Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club President Manjur Kader and asked the magistrate to talk with the club chief.

On the phone, this correspondent

overheard the magistrate as saying: “I am just conducting the drive as per an order from higher authorities, please contact the administrator of the city corporation in this regard.”

The furious Sheikh Jamal official also threatened journalists at the spot of dire consequences when they inquired his name and his connection with the private club.

Contacted, Manjur Kader told the Dhaka Tribune: “I will not make any

comment before the media now, you can call me later.”

DSCC sources said the corporation found no support from any other government body, not even from the Prime Minister’s Office, for evicting illegal structures from the public playground.

The playground had been gradually losing its open spaces as the LGED and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club continued to construct concrete structures illegally on the public area.

Green activists and residents of the area have been long protesting against the illegal occupation of the public playground.

In 2004, following a petition filed by Bangladesh Poribesh Andalan and Institute of Architects Bangladesh, the High Court directed the then city corporation (now Dhaka South City Corporation) to free Dhanmondi playground from the illegal occupation of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.

On April 24, DSCC authorities re-

Doctors bribed to prescribe food supplements

Businessman rescued after 4 days n Moniruzzaman Uzzal n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong In an effort to market and sell food Police on Saturday night rescued a businessman from Sheikhpara point of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Sitakunda upazila, four days after the victim was abducted.

The victim was Saiful Islam, 24, a furniture businessman from the Uttar Banshbaria area of the upazila.

Sitakunda police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Iqbal Hossain, who is also the investigation officer on the case, told Dhaka Tribune that after being informed by locals, they rushed to the spot and found Saiful on the side of the highway with his hands and legs tied on Saturday at around 11:30pm.

“Later, he was taken to the police station for questioning regarding his abduction,” he said.

“On the evening of May 13, the abductors, posing as prospective clients, contacted Saiful and asked him to visit their house for a furniture order. They also sent someone to fetch him from his furniture shop at the upazila’s Kotta Bazar,” the IO said quoting the victim.

He further added that the abductors then took the victim on a CNG-run auto-rickshaw where he was forcefully made unconscious. Later, they took Saiful away and kept him confined in a house for four days. The abductors also demanded Tk2 lakh from the victim’s family as ransom.

Saiful’s family informed the police the next day.

“However, the victim could not confirm where he was held captive by his abductors. Saiful could not give us any idea about how many men were behind the abduction but said six to seven people were there when he was left tied on the highway,” he added.

After lodging a case in this connection, police detained a person on suspicion. Fearing identification and arrest, the abductors probably choose free Saiful without a ransom, said SI Iqbal. l

supplements, a section of dishonest traders has been alleged to be heavily bribing doctors as well as pharmacy and department store owners.

They are aggressively promoting a wide variety of food supplements, including vitamins, minerals and painkillers, as effective drugs. The promotion seems to be working as the market has not only been flooded with such products but sales have also risen.

During a mobile court drive in Khosairbagh of Keraniganj a few months ago, Shaikat Kumar Kar, a superintendent of drugs at the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), told the Dhaka Tribune they caught red-handed a group of people who were labelling packets of calcium tab-

lets as foreign food supplements.

The manufacturer said they buy a packet (100 tablets) from local pharmacies for Tk60, peel off the label, put new label of foreign brands and sell it for Tk1,000 to 1,200.

Health experts told the Dhaka Tribune that most of the food supplements were being sold to customers for no apparent reason. They said the business had become a machine for raking in large sums rapidly.

Referring to Annals of Internal Medicine, a renowned medical journal published by the American College of Physicians, a senior teacher of the Pharmacology Department at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) told the Dhaka Tribune that one of its editorials read: “Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements.”

The editorial also noted that supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful. These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention.

DGDA, in separate drives, had seized a range of food supplements from stores in Shahbagh, Dhanmondi, Gulshan and other parts of the country recently. During the drives, prescriptions of doctors who wrote the items were also seized and it was found that there were doctors from BSMMU, other public medicals and also private medicals and hospitals.

“We have also heard about some doctors prescribing patients food supplements. We will look into it,” a top official of BSMMU told the Dhaka Tribune.

DGDA Director-General Major Gen-

GOLD TRADER MISSING IN CHITTAGONG

Family demands safe return of ‘abducted’ gold trader n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong The family members of missing gold trader Palash Dhar sought the intervention of the prime minister and the home minister yesterday to ensure his safe return. Palash went missing from Noakhali on May 12.

Nipa Dhar, Palash’s wife, made this appeal at a press conference held at the Chittagong Press Club yesterday morning, organised by the Chittagong unit of the Bangladesh Jewellers’ Samity, six days after her husband’s alleged abduction.

Palash, 38, is a resident of the city’s Chawkbazar area, and the owner of NM Jewelers. He went to Noakhali in the afternoon of May 12 for both family and

business purposes.

On May 13, his mobile phone was found to be switched off. Palash was supposed to return home on May 13 but he did not and his family could not contact him.

Then, on May 14, Shimul Dhar, Palash’s younger brother, lodged a general dairy (GD) with the Chawkbazar police station.

“I request the prime minister and the home minister to take measures so that my husband is returned safely to me and my two innocent children,” said an emotional Nipa.

“I also urge the police administration to assist us. I want my husband alive,” she said repeatedly at the press conference.

Sujit Baran Dhar, general secretary (GS) of the association, read out a written speech where he demanded that the victim be rescued from the abductors. He added: “Palash’s abduction was pre-planned.”

The speakers also blamed the police for their negligence over the matter.

Officer-in-Charge of the Chawkbazar police station Atik Ahmed Chowdhury said they have not found any clues regarding the alleged abduction.

“Using mobile tracking technology, we traced Palash’s location to Feni and the police there are now looking into the matter,” he said, claiming that the family is not even sure whether he is missing or has been abducted. l

JS watchdog: Delhi never changes its foreign policy following change of government n Muhammad Zahidul Islam A parliamentary watchdog said yesterday that the government will not be uncomfortable with the new Indian regime as the latter never changes their foreign policy after a power changeover.

The first meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the foreign ministry yesterday discussed the recent Indian general election results and some related issues.

“For the last 62 years India has never changed its foreign policy overnight after a new government came to power

and that is why it will not create any problems for us; there is nothing to be scared of,” said Muhammad Faruk Khan, who is a committee member and also a commerce minister.

Emerging out of the meeting he said the committee had just discussed the Indian polls, and nothing else.

“The BNP thinks that the change in the regime of India will benefit them greatly but this notion is completely wrong,” Faruk quoted the other members as saying.

“The Awami League always maintains friendly relations with the neighbouring countries and their govern-

ments. It does not matter which party comes to power or which one goes out of power. It will never hamper relations with Bangladesh,” he observed.

“Geographically, Bangladesh is located in a more advantageous position and that is why India wants us as their best friend,” he added.

The meeting, referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s invitation to India’s prime minister-elect, the BJP old guard Narendra Modi, said Bangladesh will continue to have a warm relation with India.

Earlier, a BNP spokesperson said the Awami League was “at a loss”after the Indian National Congress, which had

ruled India for long ten years and built a warm relation with Dhaka, faced a humiliating loss to the BJP. It is feared that the relation between Bangladesh and India will suffer quite a jolt under the new BJP government, especially with Modi’s threat to push back those he described as “Muslim migrants from Bangladesh” during his election campaigns.

But both the BJP and the ruling Awami League have given assurances of smooth relations between India and Bangladesh.

Committee Chairman Dr Dipu Moni presided over the meeting. l

eral Zahangir Hossain Mollick told the Dhaka Tribune it was very unfortunate that many renowned doctors and experts had been prescribing patients unnecessary food supplements.

“We have seized some prescriptions of such doctors. We will officially write to the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) central leaders in this regard,” he said.

BMA ex-president Professor Dr Rashide Mahbub told the Dhaka Tribune there was no control over the socalled food supplement items in the market.

“It is true that because of the marketing hype, sales of food supplements have been growing day by day. Doctors are allegedly prescribing the products unnecessarily,” he said.

“We need a uniform food and drug authority to properly monitor and supervise the drug market,” he added. l

opened the public playground after almost two years following demonstrations by green activists, locals and sports personalities.

Earlier, a High Court bench dropped a petition filed by six green activists seeking directives to remove illegal structures built on the Dhanmondi playground from its cause list.

The petition was later accepted and sent to another bench, which felt “embarrassed” to hear it. l

Three gold smugglers placed on 4-day remand n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday granted fourday remand to three people arrested in connection with a gold smuggling case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Anowar Sadat passed the order after Airport police station Sub-Inspector Md Kabirul Islam placed a ten-day remand petition before the court.

The remanded three were Md Jaynal, Md Sabuj, and Md Roman Uddin.

According to case details, customs officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport seized 101 gold bars, weighing around 12 kilograms on Saturday, and arrested three passengers in connection. l

Qatar labour market threatened by unscrupulous brokers n Rabiul Islam A prospective job market for Bangladeshi workers in Qatar ahead of the 2022 soccer world cup is likely to be damaged by the fraudulent practices of some unscrupulous middlemen.

Defying regulations, brokers, who are mostly Bangladeshi nationals, are allegedly cheating aspiring job applicants with promises of lucrative jobs with overcharging recruitment fees and often, falsifying visas.

“An employer in Qatar said he had not demanded any money for hiring a number of Bangladeshi workers,” Shafiul Azim, labour counsellor at the Bangladesh embassy in Doha, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

“But later, we found that some middlemen had taken Tk400,000 from each of the migrant workers,” Shafiul added.

In another case, a broker, in collaboration with a local agent in Bangladesh, charged a migrant Tk600,000 for a job.

The counsellor, however, could not name the migrant who filed the complaint with the embassy’s labour wing.

Shafiul said a large number of brokers, who have no offices in the Gulf nation, were perpetrating such unethical practices.

“As the middlemen have no offices or addresses, it is difficult to locate them,” the embassy official said.

According to the labour wing, at least four Bangladeshi middlemen were arrested in Qatar recently for deceiving migrant workers.

The men, identified as Makbul,

Enamul, Babul and Darul Islam, worked as taxi drivers. But they also allegedly ran a scam procuring and reselling tourist visas to prospective migrants for hefty sums.

“They sold a visa for Tk300,000,” Shafiul said.

After a Bangladeshi worker arrived in Qatar on a three-month tourist visa, the brokers, after a while would ask the worker to get a medical checkup.

According to the labour wing, at least four Bangladeshi middlemen were arrested in Qatar recently for deceiving migrant workers “They would then claim that the worker had become medically unfit and had to return home,” Shafiul said.

“Unless such illegal activities are stopped, the government of Qatar will be annoyed and our prospective labour market might be affected,” the counsellor added.

Job opportunities for migrant workers, especially in the construction sector, look bright at present as Qatar is undertaking huge development projects for the FIFA World Cup 2022.

According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training,23,560 Bangladeshi workers have gone to Qatar in the first four months of this year, while a total of 57,584 went last year. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

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B3 Apple strikes a new

B4 Wealth of richest 1,000

chord in the future of music

Britons ‘rises 15% in year’

MONDAY, MAY 19, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Industrial credit yet to take pace n Jebun Nesa Alo

eign loans under soft conditions.

Foreign loans in the manufacturing sector increased by 180% to $141.64m in fiscal year 2013 compared to $50.50m in the previous fiscal year, according to the Bangladesh Bank data.

The industrial loan disbursement through state-owned banks decreased by 69% to Tk2,731 crore in July-March of the current fiscal year compared to Tk8,832.61 crore in the same period of the last fiscal year.

Private commercial banks disbursed industrial loan worth Tk97,298 crore during the nine months, which was 15.43% higher than Tk84,295 crore in the same period of the last year.

The industrial loan growth from the foreign banks had increased by the highest 65.39% during the first nine months of the current fiscal year.

The country’s non-bank financial institutions posted 24.14% industrial loan growth to Tk5,465 crore in the July-March period from Tk4,402 crore in the same period of the last fiscal year.

Banks put special focus on agriculture and consumer loans, instead of industrial loan, in the last one year to achieve the credit target as per monetary policy, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank Classified loans in the industrial sector decreased by 10.77% to Tk13,349 crore in July-March period of the current fiscal year from Tk14,960 crore in the same period of the last fiscal year due to the slow credit inflow to the sector. l

The country’s industrial credit growth still remains slow due to lack of demand and increased inflow of foreign loans.

The total industrial loan by the local banks and the non-bank financial institutions grew 12% in the first nine months of the current fiscal year as compared to 34% in the same period of the previous fiscal year (2012-13).

Term loan growth decreased by 3.64% to Tk30,848 crore in July-March period of the current fiscal year compared to Tk32,015 crore in the same period of the last fiscal year, according to Bangladesh Bank data released yesterday.

Term loan has been falling rapidly as big industries are now interested to take loan from the foreign sources because of lower lending rates, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank. The foreign loan inflow increased by 63% to US$324m in the fiscal year 2013 compared to $198m in the fiscal year 2012.

Industrial expansion in the country was almost shut during the last one year ahead of 5 January general polls. Though the political situation has become normal during the last two months, entrepreneurs are still skeptical about expansion of their business, said a senior executive of a private bank.

He further noted that the maximum clients of the term loan are now interested to take credit from the foreign sources as the central bank had earlier allowed many industries to take short-term for-

Workers process waste pet bottles stockpiled at a place outskirts of Dhaka city to export them for recycling. The waste bottle recycling is a growing business worldwide considering its both economic and environmental benefits NASHIRUL ISLAM

BASIC Bank seeks Tk600cr to plug capital gap n Asif Showkat Kallol

Troubled with big loan forgeries, the state-owned BASIC Bank has now sought Tk600 crore from the government to raise paid up capital base.

An overall capital shortage of the bank stood at Tk1,372.01 crore by the end of year 2013.

On May 15, a letter signed by BASIC Bank managing director Kazi Fakrul

The government has sought funds from the development partners to implement its master plan prepared a year back for agricultural development in the country’s southern region.

The 10-year master plan needs funds worth US$7.3bn to implement in 14 coastal districts beset with problems like natural calamities, food insecurity and limited livelihood opportunities.

Of the total fund, the government will provide more than 18% from its ADP allocations and non-ADP sources and the remaining will be met from external sources.

To review various aspects and financing mechanism, Finance Minister AMA Muhith had a meeting with the development partners included USAID, CIDA, WB, ADB and JICA at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) in Dhaka yesterday.

The minister said the southern region is generally a disadvantaged area in terms of adverse impacts of climate change. “It is an important project for the economic development of the people of the region,” he said.

Under this plan, some projects have already been developed but more funds are needed to complete the project, he said, adding that it would have reflection in the next budget.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture jointly prepared the master plan for agricultural development in the southern region on July 30, 2013.

Under the plan, the total investment for 26 programmes across 10 components of the plan is estimated at $7.3bn or Tk578,026 crore and it will cover the period from 2013 to 2021.

The master plan covers 27% of the area and 21% of the population under 14 southern districts – Barisal, Patuakhali, Satkhira, Barguna, Khulna, Pirojpur, Lakshmipur, Feni, Bhola, Noakhali, Jhalokati, Bagerhat, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.

Agriculture Minister Begum Motia Chowdhury urged the development partners to come forward for implementing the projects. “If it is implemented, it would help pull about onefifth of the population of the country out of poverty.”

She said through this master plan, agriculture will be reinvigorated in the costal districts struggling against saline intrusion and tidal surge.

Acting country director of the World Bank Christine E Kimes termed the plan a good one. “This project will be included in the next assistance strategy plan of the bank for Bangladesh,” she said.

n Tribune Report

A representative from a donor agency suggested involving public sector to finance the project.

According to the master plan, the southern region constitutes one-third of the country’s total area and the government efforts for the region are focused on optimum use of natural resources for increasing productivity of all sectors of agriculture including crop, fisheries, livestock and forestry.

Major components of the plan are crops, horticulture and agro-forestry, fisheries, livestock, nutrition, water management, drainage management, polder improvement, agri-business, agricultural credit and capacity building etc.

The natural resources in the southern region could be utilised to boost production of food grain, vegetables, fruits, livestock, forestry and fisheries, the master plan said.

It showed nearly 65% of the 29.86m population is landless in the region. Productivity is very low nowa-days due to tidal surge in monsoon and salinity intrusion in the winter season, it said.

The plan also noted that climate change especially sea-level rise is a burning issue in the region, the draft mentioned.

Agriculture secretary Nazmul Hossain presented the salient feature of the master plan. l

Shortage of skilled workforce, absence of integrated policy and lack of environment-friendly technologies are the major obstacles to further growth of the leather industries in Bangladesh.

Speakers came up with the observation yesterday at a seminar styled “Environment-friendly Leather Industries in Bangladesh: A Roadmap to Competitiveness and Sustainability,’’ which was jointly organised by Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and RMM Leather Industries Limited at a city hotel.

Addressing the seminar, the speakers opined that Bangladesh had the brightest prospect to grab the global leather market worth US$110bn, taking the stock of rising wages in China.

Many Chinese leather entrepreneurs were looking for relocating their industries in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, India and Myanmar.

Leather industry could be the second largest foreign exchange earner for the country after RMG, said Md Saiful Islam, managing director of Picard Bangladesh Ltd. “But we need to address some barriers, including absence of environment-friendly leather industries, lack of skilled workforces, difficulties in having access to finance and the problems in getting bank loans for setting up the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP),” he said.

“Global chain is aggressively pursuing footwear sourcing opportunities with local factories and Bangladesh can take this opportunity as it is competitive because of its raw materials and workforces.”

BMCCI: Seize Malaysia’s manpower market n Tribune Business Desk

The government needs to start immediate negotiations with Malaysia and seize the opportunity to send maximum number of workers against their present demand of 1.1 million, a trade body suggested here yesterday.

Leaders of the Bangladesh Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BMCCI), led by its president Nasir A Choudhury, came up with the recommendation as they met

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at the foreign ministry, reports UNB. The BMCCI put forward a number of recommendations to close the existing trade gaps between the two countries, increase FDI from Malaysia and remove barriers for increasing manpower exports to Malaysia.

The trade body sought government initiatives to make Bangladesh as the major source country for manpower export to Malaysia.

The BMCCI president sought the

commerce ministry’s cooperation to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Malaysia but after ensuring Bangladesh’s best interests.

The FTA between the two countries could attract greater FDI leading to Malaysian manufacturing units relocating to Bangladesh to take advantage of lower wage costs, he said.

The BMCCI leader suggested creating awareness among the Malaysian investors about the competencies of products and services of Bangladesh.

AMA Muhith asked the government to consider actions against the BASIC Bank board in accordance with suggestions made in a central bank report.

The Bank Division officials said the serious irregularities took place in BASIC Bank during last two and a half years.

Despite that, actions neither by the government nor the central bank have been taken yet against the bank.

Prospective leather industry faces hurdles

Muhith seeks foreign fund for agriculture budget n Kayes Sohel

Islam was sent to Bank Division Secretary Dr Aslam Alam seeking the fund to fulfil BASEll-II requirements. But the Bank Division do not know yet what it should do regarding the letter.

The division could not decide whether it should provide the fund to the bank under the existing management or wait till the reshuffle of it, said a senior official of the division.

One month ago, Finance Minister

Bangladesh has so far fetched Malaysian FDI to the tune of US $3.37bn while the total value of trade between the two countries last year amounted to over US$2bn.

The foreign minister listened to their recommendations and assured of providing all possible support to increase Bangladesh’s export to Malaysia.

He thanked the BMCCI leaders for their role in promoting bilateral trade relationship between Bangladesh and Malaysia. l

Managing director of RMM Leather Industries Aniruddah Kumar Roy noted that if Bangladesh was able to attract at least 10% of the existing market of Chinese leather and leather goods, the country’s export earnings from this sector would jump to $16bn from the existing $1bn within a short period of time.

Countries like Italy, China, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand export leathers goods by importing raw materials from Bangladesh, but just for the lack of CETP, Bangladesh fails to take the opportunity to grab the global market, he added.

Among others, the seminar was addressed by Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju, barrister Fazle Noor Taposh MP, senior commerce secretary Mahbub Ahmed, EPB vice-chairman Shubashish Bose and FBCCI first vice president Monwara Hakim Ali. Tofail Ahmed said Bangladeshi leather and leather goods have very good prospects in the far-eastern countries, including Japan, South Korea and China.

“Bangladesh might grab the market of the far eastern countries if the leather sector practices hygienic standard and maintains compliance issues,” said Tofail.

Japan might turn into the biggest market hub for Bangladesh’s leather goods and this issue might come up for discussion during the Prime Minister’s upcoming Japan visit, he added.

“The days are not far away when the country’s export earnings will hit $50bn, of which $30bn earnings will come only from the country’s second  B3 COLUMN 1

“Bangladesh Bank has closely monitored the financial conditions of the BASIC Bank. We will act as per the central bank recommendations,” Dr Aslam Alam told the Dhaka Tribune.

However, the government will not extend the tenure of the current board of directors, he added.

Bangladesh Bank, in its routine investigations in 2012, mentioned about  B3 COLUMN 1

FY15 budget may cut tax rebate on individual investment n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The upcoming budget is likely to propose reducing the tax rebate on investment in some specific sectors by individuals to 10% from existing 15%, apparently to enhance revenue income.

A senior official said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has already taken the decision and it would be placed in parliament with other budget proposals for the fiscal 2014-15.

At present, the rebate is entitled to an amount of Tk1.5 crore or 30% of an individual’s income – whichever is lower.

The government had raised the rebate to 15% in the last budget while raising the allowable limit from Tk1 crore to boost investment and economic growth.

Officials said the tax rebate will be applicable for life insurance premium up to 10% of the face value, contribution to provident fund and other funds like recognised provident fund, supper annuation fund, Zakat fund, and mutual fund-approved debenture or debenture stock, stocks or shares; investment in unit certificates; contribution to any Deposit Pension Scheme (DPS) not exceeding Tk60,000; donation to charitable hospital, or philanthropic or educational institutions, socioeconomic or cultural development organisations; donation to Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Muktijudha Jadughar, national level institution set up in memory of liberation war or the father of the nation; and any investment in Bangladesh government treasury bonds etc. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Wata Chemicals sees no seller for third day

58,934,773 61,161

Traded Issues

287

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

108

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

177

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,258.02

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.37

CSE key features May 18, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

205.87

Turnover (Volume)

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

2,291.94

Number of Contract

the company most traded stocks.

Wata Chemicals that was back to the main market after four years from the OTC market hit upper limit circuit breaker as there were no sellers for the third consecutive session.

Lanka Bangla Securities, in its market analysis, said the market dropped in continuation of previous week as concern of stacking pressure on interest rate due to higher borrowing target in coming budget for FY2015 and slew of institutional sell promoted investors to book profit.

It said banking sector struggled to end on flat green note as investors remain concerned over increasing default by existing customer.

Last week’s poor quarterly performance of the companies continued to weigh on the market sentiment, it said, adding that fear of more poor quarterly performance of companies has pushed up the sell pressure in market.

Zenith Investments said the first day of the week turned out to be a directionless day for the Dhaka bourse, with much of the action coming during the first few hours of the session, after which, the stocks gradually headed lower to close the day with negativity. l

Stocks fell for the sixth straight session yesterday with low volume of trade.

The market opened higher in the morning but failed to sustain as selling spree came in mainly on tannery, textile and telecommunication stocks.

The benchmark index DSEX shed 14 points or 0.4% to close at 4,402 – lowest since January 9 this year. Shariah Index DSES was 3 points or 0.4% to 982. The bluechip comprising DS30 fell 6 points or 0.5% to 1,597.

Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, dropped 39 points to 8,470.

The total turnover at DSE dipped below Tk300 crore to stand at Tk229 crore, a sharp decrease of 25% from the previous session and lowest in a month.

All the major sectors declined except banks which closed flat. Tannery and textile sector were the worst hit falling 2% and 1% respectively.

Telecommunication, financial institutions, food and allied, pharmaceuticals and power edged lower.

After sharp rise in the first trading day, Hwa Well Textile shares continued to decline with a loss of 0.7%. Huge selling pressure made

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

5,517,642

Number of Contract

8,378

4402.50982

(-) 0.33%

▼

Traded Issues

199

981.77079

(-) 0.31%

▼

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

60

1597.91943

(-) 0.40%

▼

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

132

CSE All Share Index:

13593.45150

(-) 0.47%

▼

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

CSE - 30 Index :

11154.09660

(-) 0.45%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,164.36

8469.88490

(-) 0.46%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.23

DSE Shariah Index : DSE - 30 Index :

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS Company Golden Son -A In Tech Online -A Janata Insur -A Standard Insurance-A People`s Leasing-A Apex Footwear-A Rahima Food -Z Karnaphuli Insur -A

MBL 1st M. F.-A Kohinoor Chem -A

-19.69 -13.51 -11.42 -10.13 -9.68 -8.53 -7.94 -7.59

Average (% change) -17.75 -13.55 -10.94 -12.87 -9.03 -7.62 -2.33 -6.41

-7.58 -7.37

-5.80 -7.37

Closing (% change)

CSE LOSERS

Golden Son -A In Tech Online -A Janata Insur -A Phoenix Insur -A Dhaka Ins. Ltd.-A Paramount Insur-A People`s Leasing-A Rahima Food -Z

-19.02 -14.09 -10.75 -9.85 -9.80 -9.26 -9.09 -8.11

Average (% change) -17.77 -13.07 -11.27 -0.83 -6.75 -17.15 -9.69 -4.49

Sonargaon Tex -Z Samata LeatheR -Z

-7.07 -6.67

-3.77 -6.67

Company

Closing (% change)

ANALYST

Closing average

Closing

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 228.11 87.53 72.79 242.74 135.71 148.74 0.73 413.07 370.35 0.88 51.09 101.87 7.20 143.06 14.57 40.57 42.36 134.77 17.47 38.20 0.15

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

47.08 12.82 19.46 35.46 17.02 367.30 53.31 22.05

46.10 12.80 19.40 35.50 16.80 363.70 51.00 21.90

48.20 13.10 19.60 35.70 17.30 380.00 55.60 22.80

44.00 12.50 19.30 32.70 15.30 362.90 50.30 21.70

112.471 1.994 0.755 0.783 6.737 83.414 3.412 2.494

4.08 -0.80 1.40 2.88 1.08 -11.44 -1.01 1.40

11.5 -ve 13.9 12.3 15.8 -ve -ve 15.8

6.33 352.00

6.10 352.00

6.70 352.00

6.10 352.00

19.259 0.880

1.44 9.37

4.4 37.6

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Ambee Pharma -A Al-Haj Textile -A Desh Garments -B Miracle Industries -B MeghnaCement -A United Insur -A MJL BD Ltd.-A Anwar Galvanizing-B Asia Insur. Ltd.-A Savar Refractories-Z

46.40 12.80 19.10 35.70 32.20 19.60 17.00 51.00

48.30 13.50 19.30 35.70 34.00 18.00 17.10 54.00

43.20 12.70 19.00 35.70 32.20 17.80 16.80 51.00

9.457 0.290 0.061 0.021 0.217 0.012 0.660 0.208

4.08 -0.80 1.40 3.00 1.84 1.64 1.08 -1.01

11.5 -ve 13.6 11.9 18.1 10.9 15.7 -ve

9.44 28.00

9.20 28.00

9.60 28.00

9.10 28.00

0.132 0.028

-0.92 0.09

-ve 311.1

The total turnover at DSE dipped below Tk300 crore to stand at Tk229 crore, a sharp decrease of 25% from the previous session and lowest in a month

% change 9.95 3.82 3.18 10.59 5.92 6.49 0.03 18.02 16.16 0.04 2.23 4.44 0.31 6.24 0.64 1.77 1.85 5.88 0.76 1.67 0.01

Million Taka 17.88 6.61 4.31 22.15 13.09 21.00 44.63 36.50 13.90 2.70 16.86 1.18 11.55 1.60 1.08 1.82 21.15 6.36 3.07 0.06

% change 7.22 2.67 1.74 8.95 5.29 8.48 0.00 18.03 14.75 5.62 1.09 6.81 0.48 4.67 0.65 0.44 0.74 8.54 2.57 1.24 0.02

Million Taka 245.99 94.13 77.11 264.89 148.79 169.74 0.73 457.70 406.85 14.78 53.79 118.73 8.38 154.61 16.17 41.64 44.19 155.92 23.83 41.27 0.21

Total

16.49 6.07 5.21 4.89 4.45 4.37 4.30 4.09 3.95 2.86

CSE GAINERS Company Ambee Pharma -A Prime Textile -A Miracle Industries -B NLI 1st M F-A Reliance1 M.F.-A Sinobangla Indu.-A IDLC Finance -A ACI Formulations-A MJL BD Ltd.-A JMI Syringes MDL-A

Closing (% change) 18.00 5.02 4.86 4.44 4.40 4.20 3.72 3.61 3.42 3.30

Average (% change) 11.75 3.84 4.49 3.46 2.83 4.73 3.20 2.49 2.71 2.38 Average (% change) 11.98 4.93 4.93 4.33 4.40 2.65 2.69 3.61 3.75 1.03

Closing average 327.85 113.98 106.63 19.43 117.68 35.87 81.65 28.01 23.53 57.33

Closing average 326.74 22.98 19.57 9.40 9.50 24.80 46.89 86.00 81.10 181.38

Closing 340.50 115.40 107.00 19.30 119.60 35.80 82.40 28.00 23.70 57.60

Closing 342.20 23.00 19.40 9.40 9.50 24.80 47.40 86.00 81.70 178.40

Daily high 345.00 116.00 108.70 19.80 121.40 36.00 82.80 28.50 23.90 58.40

Daily high 349.00 23.00 19.80 9.40 9.50 24.80 47.50 86.00 82.50 186.00

Daily low 278.00 105.00 102.30 16.90 114.50 34.00 71.10 27.20 22.00 57.00

Daily low 264.50 22.90 18.00 9.40 9.50 24.80 46.00 86.00 71.20 177.10

Turnover in million 26.913 19.813 6.963 9.653 4.566 0.448 40.014 5.420 1.897 0.043

Turnover in million 5.080 0.046 0.335 0.047 0.038 0.050 0.433 0.086 4.625 1.088

Latest EPS 4.00 2.00 0.96 0.19 7.00 2.44 4.72 0.27 1.56 0.52

Latest EPS 4.00 1.13 0.19 1.36 1.86 0.80 -0.88 6.28 4.72 2.08

Latest PE 82.0 57.0 111.1 102.3 16.8 14.7 17.3 103.7 15.1 110.3

Latest PE 81.7 20.3 103.0 6.9 5.1 31.0 -ve 13.7 17.2 87.2

News from trade server CITYBANK: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 204.50 million with consolidated basic EPS of Tk. 0.29 (restated 0.25) as against Tk. 111.43 million and Tk. 0.16 (0.13) respectively.

MONNOSTAF: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 0.11 million with EPS of Tk. 0.28 as against Tk. 0.50 million and Tk. 1.25 respectively.

BDTHAI: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 9.94 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.22 (restated 0.21) as against Tk. 8.48 million and Tk. 0.19 (0.18) respectively.

NTC: (Q1): NPAT=Tk. (118.33) million with EPS of Tk. -17.93 as against Tk. -1.60 million and Tk. -0.24 respectively. Accumulated profit/(loss) of the Company was Tk. (117.91) million as on 31.03.2014.

BDWELDING: (Q1): NPAT=Tk. 4.94 million with EPS of Tk. 0.12 as against Tk. 10.09 million and Tk. 0.25 (restated) respectively.

SUMITPOWER: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 512.27 million with consolidated basic EPS of Tk. 0.87 ( restated 0.75) as against Tk. 508.61 million and Tk. 0.86 (0.75) respectively.

KPCL: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 690.88 million with consolidated basic EPS of Tk. 2.01 (restated 1.91) as against Tk. 583.72 million

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Hwa Well Textiles-N Golden Son -A Grameenphone-A Orion Pharma-N LafargeS Cement-Z Apex Footwear-A Matin Spinning-N

CSE

Closing (% change)

and Tk. 1.70 (1.62) respectively.

SPPCL: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 160.34 million with basic EPS of Tk. 1.16 (restated 1.06) as against Tk. 146.76 million and Tk. 1.30 (1.16) respectively.

CMCKAMAL: (Q1): NPAT=Tk. 28.75 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.38 (restated 0.33) as against Tk. 31.78 million and Tk. 0.42 (0.37) respectively.

ORIONPHARM: (Q1): NPAT=Tk. 380.79 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.63 as against Tk. 294.17 million and Tk. 1.26 respectively.

INTECH: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. -4.18 million with basic EPS of Tk. -0.22 (restated -0.20) as against Tk. 0.77 million and Tk. 0.04 (0.04) respectively.

JANATAINS: (Q1): NPAT=Tk. 12.37 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.40 ( restated 0.35) as against Tk. 9.49 million and Tk. 0.31 (0.27) respectively.

PROVATIINS: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 13.29 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.63 (restated 0.56) as against Tk. 11.69 million and Tk. 0.55 (0.50) respectively.

PARAMOUNT: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 9.04 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.45 (restated

0.41) as against Tk. 8.06 million and Tk. 0.40 (0.37) respectively.

ASIAPACINS: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 26.36 million with EPS of Tk. 0.62 as against Tk. 29.73 million and Tk. 0.70 respectively.

DHAKAINS: (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 17.35 million with EPS of Tk. 0.46 as against Tk. 16.81 million and Tk. 0.45 respectively.

MICEMENT: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has decided to install two Packing Units in its factory which will cost Tk. 210.00 million approximately including civil construction.

AZIZPIPES: (Audit Observation): The auditor of the company has given the following audit observation paragraph in the audit report of the company for the year ended on 31 December 2013: Audit observations: 1. Utilization of production capacity and ability of the company to pay debt: The production capacity position of the company is very poor which was decreased than the last year by 9.44%.

Total utilization of attainable capacity of the company is only 38.59%, which was 48.03% at previous year.

Latest PE

47.05 12.90 19.06 35.70 33.32 17.88 16.97 51.91

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

Monday, May 19, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features May 18, 2014

Stocks fall for sixth day n Tribune Report

Stock

% change 9.69 3.71 3.04 10.43 5.86 6.68 0.03 18.02 16.02 0.58 2.12 4.68 0.33 6.09 0.64 1.64 1.74 6.14 0.94 1.63 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

Square Pharma -A Emerald Oil Ind. -N Eastern Housing -A

BD Submarine Cable-A MJL BD Ltd.-A Olympic Ind. -A HeidelbergCement -A JMI Syringes MDL-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Hwa Well Textiles-N

BD Submarine Cable-A Orion Pharma-N Grameenphone-A Golden Son -A LafargeS Cement-Z Square Pharma -A Matin Spinning-N UNITED AIR-A Ambee Pharma -A MJL BD Ltd.-A Meghna Petroleum -A Appollo Ispat CL -N Padma Oil Co. -A Legacy Footwear -A

Volume shares 2,862,000 2,389,121 351,731 1,642,520 1,306,000 227,100 1,434,000 187,779 971,500 751,272

225,594 490,043 159,477 67,250 167,000

Volume shares

454,000 62,244 212,000 36,200 201,000 115,500 26,116 113,800 452,688 15,547 57,024 14,500 144,000 8,870 97,000

Value in million 124.97 112.47 92.45 87.76 87.68 83.41 67.25 50.45 48.97 47.94

42.32 40.01 36.89 33.83 30.46

Value in million

19.73 11.64 11.42 9.51 9.46 7.74 7.01 5.34 5.26 5.08 4.62 4.04 3.87 2.88 2.85

% of total turnover 5.45 4.91 4.03 3.83 3.83 3.64 2.93 2.20 2.14 2.09

1.85 1.75 1.61 1.48 1.33

% of total turnover

9.92 5.85 5.74 4.78 4.75 3.89 3.52 2.68 2.64 2.55 2.32 2.03 1.95 1.45 1.43

Daily closing 43.20 46.10 262.20 52.70 66.90 363.70 46.50 267.70 49.80 63.50

184.90 82.40 232.30 499.50 179.20

Daily closing

42.90 184.40 53.30 261.70 46.40 66.80 266.70 46.50 11.50 342.20 81.70 278.80 26.70 326.20 29.10

Price change -0.69 -19.69 -0.87 0.38 -0.74 -8.53 -1.27 0.19 -2.16 0.16

Daily opening 43.50 57.40 264.50 52.50 67.40 397.60 47.10 267.20 50.90 63.40

Price change

Daily opening

-2.94 4.30 0.39 -2.50 1.19

-0.92 -3.05 1.52 -0.76 -19.02 -0.30 -1.15 -1.48 -0.86 18.00 3.42 0.47 -1.48 0.52 1.75

190.50 79.00 231.40 512.30 177.10

43.30 190.20 52.50 263.70 57.30 67.00 269.80 47.20 11.60 290.00 79.00 277.50 27.10 324.50 28.60

Daily high 44.70 48.20 265.00 54.50 67.60 380.00 48.30 280.00 52.00 64.50

195.00 82.80 234.90 516.40 187.80

Daily low 42.70 44.00 255.00 48.00 66.90 362.90 46.10 244.00 49.00 57.10

173.00 71.10 221.00 492.00 177.00

Daily average 43.67 47.08 262.84 53.43 67.13 367.30 46.90 268.65 50.40 63.81

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

44.70 192.50 57.00 264.20 48.30 67.90 271.70 48.30 12.00 349.00 82.50 281.90 27.80 327.00 30.00

41.50 182.50 48.00 260.70 43.20 66.70 265.10 46.10 10.50 264.50 71.20 278.00 26.50 297.00 28.90

187.59 81.65 231.29 503.05 182.37

43.46 187.04 53.85 262.60 47.05 66.97 268.41 46.93 11.62 326.74 81.10 278.78 26.87 324.28 29.36

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Monday, May 19, 2014

says Apple strikes a new chord in the future of music Google time needed to n Reuters, San Francisco

More than a decade ago, the late Steve Jobs pulled one of his trademark reality distorting maneuvers, browbeating music label executives into selling songs on Apple Inc’s then-nascent iTunes digital store for a mere 99 cents apiece.

Now, the tables have turned and it’s Apple that is being forced into a deal that is far from a sure-fire winner.

The iPod and iPhone maker is expected to announce as early as this week a $3.2bn agreement to buy Beats Electronics, the music streaming service and headphone maker founded by legendary music producer Jimmy Iovine and rapper Dr Dre, according to three sources familiar with Apple’s thinking.

The deal would come after Pandora Media Inc and Spotify have already claimed the vanguard of the music streaming revolution, while Apple’s riposte - the eight-month-old iTunes Radio - is stumbling.

“Apple is about two years late, behind Spotify,” said David Pakman, a digital music investor with Venrock Capital and a co-creator of Apple’s Music Group.

“They need a streaming offering.”

With digital music downloads in decline, record labels have put pressure on Apple to get its act together on streaming, according to two of the three sources. The record labels hope Apple can turn Beats Music into a strong competitor with Spotify and other streaming services, the sources said.

“The labels wanted Apple to build a premium service,” said one of the sources, who like the others were not authorized to speak about the matter on the record. “They wanted ... to make money through the stream.”

In recent months, the major labels had grown dissatisfied with the per-

formance of iTunes Radio, the source said. Streaming subscriptions are now the fastest-growing revenue source for the music industry, but Apple has not made a dent.

Streaming subscriptions jumped 51% in 2013 to $1.1bn, out of a $15bn total spent on music, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Meanwhile, digital downloads slipped 2.1%.

Per-user spending is higher with streaming services than for music downloads. A good customer spends $25 to $35 a year on music purchases, but a subscriber spends $9 or more a month - or more than $100 a year, according to one source.

Labels earn royalties of a fraction of a cent for every stream, which the source said works out to a higher revenue per user than pure digital sales.

Apple, Beats and record labels Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment declined to comment for this story. A spokeswoman for Universal Music Group did not respond to requests for comment.

Thawing

In buying Beats, Apple would get an up-and-coming music streaming service, a well-connected team of industry executives, and high-margin hardware.

But the high price tag would represent a departure for Apple after two decades of acquisitions mainly in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Some Wall Street analysts have termed Apple’s plan purchase of Beats “puzzling.” Despite the rapid growth of streaming, it remains a small slice of the overall music market. If the labels do not agree to lower royalties rates, then, like Pandora or Spotify, Apple may struggle to make its streaming

BASIC Bank seeks Tk600cr  B1 COLUMN 6

BASIC Bank’s abnormal credit growth, which ran as high as 40% at one point.

It is indicative of rampant financial irregularities and in many instances of such anomalies revealed, the bank’s board of directors and top managerial officials were involved, according to a central bank report.

They were engaged in giving loans with false documents and inadequate collaterals, it said.

The bank had come under the spotlight since loan scams of Tk4,000 crore were unearthed in 2012.

There are also allegations against the chairman of the bank Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu that he had direct involvement with the scams.

The letter said the necessary capital of the bank was Tk1,176.88 crore at the end of calendar year 2013.

Of the amount, the provision deficit was Tk788.81 crore and the reserve capital Tk195.13 crore.

After the adjustment, the total capital shortfall stood at Tk1,372.01 crore.

As per the decision of board, the board of directors urged the government to provide paid up capital of Tk1372.01 crore to the bank on

urgent basis.

Under the BASEl-II, a 10% reserve needs to be put aside against riskweighted assets of the commercial banks along with the road map to go for BASEL III for reserve of supervisory review process.

According to an agreement between BASIC Bank and Bangladesh Bank, BASIC Bank would limit its single borrower exposure to 15% of the bank’s total capital.

But the bank broke the deal exceeding the ceiling for 61 of its clients as it gave out Tk2,111 crore more in loans.

Bangladesh Bank asked the bank to raise its capital adequacy ratio (CAR) to 11% by the end of 2013.

The CAR on December 31 last year stood at 4.5%.

It was also expected to plug the capital deficit of Tk128.21 crore in 2013.

But the deficit widened to Tk647.38 crore by the end of December.

Of the total of 68 branches of the bank, 33 are making losses.

Bangladesh Bank put a limit on BASIC Bank’s loan growth in 2013.

It was first set at 10% and later upon the bank’s request it was extended to 20.63%. l

‘forget’ people n AFP, New York

iPod Touches are pictured on display at an Apple Store in Pasadena, California

largest readymade garment sector. If the political stability remains as usual in the country, Bangladesh will be able to make further progress,” said Tofail.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu said water of the Buriganga River was polluted mainly due to the wast-

age of leather industries.

After the Rana Plaza tragedy, the foreign buyers are playing with Bangladesh’s RMG sector in the name of compliance and labour rights issue, reminded Amu. “The government is now working to develop the country’s leather industry

join Apple, according to two sources.

Apple is seldom a first mover into markets, preferring to bide its time and monitor early entrants. The company had been watching Beats Music’s takeup rates since its January launch and was impressed when the service signed up some 1,000 customers a day in the initial weeks, one of the sources familiar with Apple’s thinking said.

“Google, YouTube, Spotify and others are working on ways to stream music,” said Andrew Mains, former vice president of digital at Interscope Records, who worked closely with Iovine and Apple’s iTunes team. “If Apple can control the future of music distribution by buying Beats, they will retain control of the devices.” l

profitable. And Beats is several years behind Pandora and Spotify, which have 99 million active users combined.

Still, the fact that the record labels are getting behind Apple marks a thawing in what had been at times an openly adversarial relationship, industry sources said. The “a la carte” model that iTunes introduced in 2001 had slashed revenue for the labels as it no longer required customers to buy whole albums.

Now, the music industry believes streaming is the way of the future, though its rise has not been smooth.

Industry sources say licensing negotiations with the likes of Spotify and Pandora come up every 12 to 15 months and can be difficult.

It is unclear what terms an Appleowned Beats might command. Apple does have a big bargaining chip in iTunes, which has 800 million members.

“ITunes is the number one for digital downloads,” said Daniel Weisman, a manager at Roc Nation who represents bands. “If iTunes can flip the switch on their user base to become streaming subscribers, that will be a huge win for everyone.”

A source at a music publisher said the labels like Beats because it was “created from within the music industry.” Getting Iovine on board will give Apple huge leverage across the negotiating table as streaming develops. He will likely leave Interscope records and

China says faster economic reforms needed n Reuters, Beijing

Intel’s CEO looks to hobbyists for wearable innovations

China will try to quicken the pace of economic reform this year as part of the government’s efforts to arrest a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy, the country’s top economic planning agency said late on Saturday.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) reaffirmed nine reform priorities for 2014, including deepening reforms in the power and the oil and gas industries and cutting red tape for investment approvals, according to a statement on its website, www.ndrc.gov.cn “Not only for reform draft planning, but also to solve the risks and problems of the current economy, we all need to try boldly to quicken the reform,” the NDRC said in the statement after a twoday meeting on economic reform.

The statement followed a batch of economic data that showed across-theboard weaknesses in China’s economy, sparking new calls for Beijing to ease policies to shore up growth. l

Intel Corp’s Chief Executive Officer Brian Krzanich mingled with electronics buffs at Silicon Valley’s annual maker mecca on Saturday as the chipmaker looks to amateur inventors to inspire a new wave of smart clothing.

With sales of smartphones losing steam, technology companies including Intel believe that wearable computing devices - a still undefined category including smart watches, fitness trackers and Google Glass - could become a major trend in personal computing.

But smartwatches and fitness bands launched by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and other tech companies in the past year have yet to really take off.

At the Maker Faire in San Mateo, California, Krzanich told Reuters that successful smart clothes will come from individual inventors focused on their own needs.

“The trick to making the perfect wearable is going to be when you figure out what problems you’re trying to solve, and I don’t think you’re going to be able to build a wearable that does it all for everyone,” he said.

“Who better to design the next athletic wearable than an athlete,” added Krzanich.

Thousands of people attended the open-air event, which gives hobbyists and their families a chance to socialize and check out other people’s projects.

Among the most popular attractions were demonstrations of flying drones,

Prospective leather industry faces hurdles  B1 COLUMN 5

REUTERS

Google said Friday it could take weeks to devise a way to comply with a European Court of Justice ruling that it honor requests to be “forgotten.”

Word that the US Internet titan is grappling with how to implement the judicial order came as it fielded requests from people who want links to deeds or critics deleted from search results.

Google did not disclose details about requests, but online reports indicated they include a pedophile and a politician who want references to their pasts to vanish.

The EU’s top court ruled Tuesday that individuals have the right to ask the US Internet giant to delete personal data and “be forgotten” online under certain circumstances when their personal data becomes outdated or inaccurate.

The decision has raised concerns about online censorship and how Internet search works in various countries.

Complicating factors include varying languages and the need to review requests to determine when online posts targeted for removal are actually in the public interest.

Google said it could take “several weeks” to work out a system to comply with the ruling.

Analysts said the global impact of the ruling was not immediately clear, but that it could raise some tricky issues in Europe and beyond.

Worries also arose that letting people edit their online histories could hamper investigative journalism. l

maintaining all the compliance issues and international standards so the foreign buyers could not raise their voices over the issues of compliance and labour rights in the leather sector. The construction work of the CETP at Savar Leather Industrial Estate is going on in full swing,’’ Amu added. l

n Reuters, San Mateo

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich (right) listens to Node.js Sandbox creator Michael McCool (left) at the Maker’s Faire in San Mateo, California REUTERS voice-activated robots and a giant metal octopus shooting fire from its tentacles.

Krzanich is a weekend tinkerer in his own right and just finished restoring a 1974 Land Cruiser.

Intel is not the only technology company to look to the growing maker movement for inspiration but it has been among the most aggressive.

Intel, ARM Holdings, Atmel and other chipmakers all have exhibitions at the weekend event to make sure that hobbyists are up to speed on their latest components.

“These are the future engineers, the future scientists, the guys who will be inventing the next companies that create great products, whether it’s the next

Google or Apple. We want them to be aware of Intel technology,” Krzanich said.

Intel has set aside over $1m in awards for contests for people to pitch ideas for wearable gadgets made with Intel technology.

Even if Intel becomes a major supplier of chips for wearable and mobile devices, it is unclear whether that business could make up for the slowdown in the PC industry, which Intel has dominated for four decades. Intel has also lagged far behind Qualcomm in smartphones.

But the push into wearables is a major prong in Krzanich’s goal to see Intel’s chips used across a range of new markets. l

Kaspersky Internet Security tops AV Test n Tribune Business Desk Pioneer Insurance Company Limited held its 18th annual general meeting yesterday at a convention centre in Bashundhara, Dhaka. The shareholders approved 20% stock and 10% cash dividend for the year ended December 31, 2013 at the meeting that was presided over by the company’s chair AKM Rahmatullah

Bangladesh Startup Cup kicks off n Tribune Business Desk

Modhumoti Bank Limited recently organised a workshop in Dhaka on non-management staff development programme for its fourth class employees. The bank’s managing director and CEO Md Mizanur Rahman handed over the certificates among the participants

Bangladesh Startup Cup, a startup business model competition was launched recently through a 3-day long programme named Startup Boot Camp with already selected 32 teams for the competition.

The competition is designed to stimulate entrepreneurial activity, grow

jobs through startups, and increase awareness of the resources available to grow entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, said a press release.

“Startup scene in Bangladesh is dramatically changing with the launch of this competition, said Minhaz Anwar, chair of Bangladesh Startup Cup. “There is a lot of untapped entrepreneurial potential here; great ideas

in need of nurturing and overflowing exuberance and energy deserving of being channeled. This looks like just the right sort of initiative at this cusp of our country’s path to greater things,” said Tanvir Haider Chaudhury, CEO of Kazi Food Industries.

The event consists of 100 founders, 20 resident mentors, 15 judges and 25 organisers. l

Kaspersky Internet Security was recently rated as the best protection solution following an endurance test carried out from September 2013 to February 2014 by the experts of the independent laboratory AV Test.

The experts evaluated 24 security suites from different vendors in three categories.

“Users of modern security suites don’t want to be disturbed either by viruses or by antiviruses. The solution’s ability to avoid excessive drain on system resources and avoid false positives is just as important as its primary function of detecting and neutralizing malware,” said Oleg Ishanov, Director AntiMalware Research, Kaspersky Lab. “Kaspersky Internet Security’s impressive results in this test reflect the optimal comfort level our customers enjoy in addition to unquestionable security for their systems.” l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, May 19, 2014

Wealth of richest 1,000 Britons ‘rises 15% in year’ n AFP, London Britain’s 1,000 richest people have enjoyed a “phenomenal” increase of 15% in their wealth in the past year, according to The Sunday Times newspaper’s annual Rich List.

Together they are worth £518.975bn (637.387bn euros, $872.838bn), an increase of 15.4% on last year’s total of £449.654bn.

Even accounting for inflation, this is well above the £412.846bn recorded before the financial crisis began in 2008.

“I’ve never seen such a phenomenal rise in personal wealth,” said Philip Beresford, who has compiled the list since 1989.

He added: “While some may criticise them, many of these people are at the heart of the economy, and their success brings more jobs and more wealth for the country.”

The richest 1,000 people now own the equivalent of a third of Britain’s gross domestic product. The country now has 104 sterling billionaires.

The Bank of England said this week that the British economy was heading “back towards normal” following the recession, and after six years of falling wages, average pay has finally caught up with inflation.

However, the 1.7% annual growth in average weekly wages recorded by the Office for National Statistics is well below the growth enjoyed by the richest in society.

The list is based on identifiable wealth including land, property and shares, but excludes bank accounts.

Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja, brothers of Indian origin, replaced Uzbek-born Russian business magnate Alisher Usmanov as the richest in Britain.

The London-based Hindujas, entrepreneurs who co-chair the multinational Hinduja Group conglomerate, are worth £11.9bn.

The richest Briton is Gerald Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, who owns much of central London’s prime real estate. He was 10th on the list with £8.5 billion.

Only 11 of the richest 30 are British.

Others include Topshop owner Philip Green (£3.9bn), Sports Direct and Newcastle United Football Club tycoon Mike Ashley (£3.8bn), Virgin boss Richard Branson (£3.6bn), engineer James Dyson (£3bn) and motor racing boss Bernie Ecclestone (£3bn).

Queen 285th on list Queen Elizabeth II came 285th on the list, now with a personal wealth - as apart from that tied to the crown - of £330m.

“The queen’s investment portfolio, consisting largely of blue-chip British companies’ shares, should have grown to £105m,” the Rich List said.

“With rising land and estate prices, we add £10m to last year’s figure for per-

sonal property such as Sandringham and Balmoral.

“Her personal art is worth just £2m. Add-

Japanese car giants team up on green engines n AFP, Tokyo Japan’s eight carmakers have joined forces to develop environmentally friendly engines to stave off fierce competition from foreign rivals, a press report said yesterday.

Two of Japan’s leading universities will join Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Daihatsu and Fuji Heavy in the project, which is mainly aimed at slashing engine emissions to meet tougher environmental standards, the business daily Nikkei reported.

By 2020 the group, which includes the University of Tokyo and Waseda

University, plans to develop technology which can cut diesel engine carbondioxide emissions by 30% from 2010 levels.

The manufacturers plan to adapt the technology for commercial use in both diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles, the Nikkei said, hoping to gain a leg up over European carmakers as well as helping to meet tightening environmental regulations around the world.

Japanese carmakers long held the advantage in low-emission and fuelefficient engines, but German giants BMW and Volkswagen are seen as having caught up in recent years, particu-

larly in diesel engine development.

The project is forecast to cost about two billion yen ($19.7m) in its first three years from the current fiscal year which started on April 1, Nikkei said, with the Japanese government set to subsidise two-thirds of the first year costs.

Despite growing demand for electric vehicles, internal combustion engines are expected to remain the main source of power for cars for the time being.

Conventional combustion-powered vehicles are estimated to account for 89% of cars produced worldwide in 2030, according to a survey by the thinktank Fuji Keizai Group. l

ing the royal stamp collection, jewels, cars, horses and the Queen Mother’s legacy take the queen to £330m.”

How Chinese officials ‘like’ banned FB n AFP, Beijing

China’s Communist authorities ban their own people from accessing major global social media sites including Facebook (FB), Twitter, YouTube and more. But when it comes to self-promotion they are increasingly keen users themselves.

The official news agency Xinhua, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece the People’s Daily, and state broadcaster CCTV all have Twitter accounts, as do a host of city and provincial authorities.

When the city of Hangzhou, renowned for its lakes and canals, looked to raise its international profile it turned to Facebook, the world’s mostpopular social network.

China’s Internet users, who now number 618 million, have been blocked from using it since 2009.

But the city’s “Modern Marco Polo” competition - akin to Australia’s “best job in the world” contests - involves no fewer than six Facebook apps.

The winner, to be announced Tuesday, will receive 40,000 euros ($55,000) and a two-week trip to Hangzhou, in exchange for promoting the city on Facebook and Twitter for a year.

Michael Cavanaugh, a consultant for British-based PR Agency One, which has been promoting the contest, told AFP increasing official use of such sites was “inevitable”. But he declined to say how the winner was expected to post to them from within China.

Great Firewall of China

The office space is seen in Gizmodo's 'Home of the Future,' a pop-up apartment that displays the latest in innovation, design and technology on May 16, 2014 in New York City. The apartment will be viewable to the general public from May 17 to 21 at 268 Mulberry Street AFP

China’s Communist authorities maintain a tight grip on expression - both on- and off-line - fearful of any dissent that could spiral into a challenge to one-party rule.

Some Chinese Internet users and businesses use VPNs, or virtual private networks, to bypass the vast censorship apparatus known as the Great Firewall, and state-run media often use foreign bureaux to accomplish the same goal.

Future may be bitter for chocolate lovers n AFP, Paris The future may be bitter for chocolate lovers unless cocoa producers step up their output dramatically to satisfy an expected surge in demand from emerging market countries, an industry executive warns.

Juergen Steinemann, head of Barry Callebaut, the leading supplier of cocoa and chocolate to manufacturers and food professionals, doesn’t hide his concern despite the Swiss-based company’s current sweet performance.

Barry Callebaut has positioned itself well to benefit from growth in emerging markets, where its sales jumped nearly a fifth last year and now account for a quarter of overall sales.

But if consumers in emerging markets quickly develop a sweet tooth for chocolate, a severe shortage of cocoa beans could develop.

At the current moment consumers in emerging markets eat just 50 grams of chocolate per person per year, compared with European and US consumers who gobble up 10 to 12 kilos per person.

Steinemann said even an increase of average annual consumption per head

from 50 grams to two kilos in emerging markets would put a major strain on supplies of the cocoa beans that are the key ingredient in chocolate.

Production of cocoa beans is forecast to fall short of demand for a second year running, although the International Cocoa Organization estimates that world output will rise to 4.104 million tonnes this year from 3.942 million tonnes last year.

Barry Callebaut, which processes nearly a quarter of the world’s cocoa beans, estimates that output needs to rise to five million tonnes by 2020 to meet the growth in demand.

“If we don’t have more (a shortage) could happen,” Steinemann told journalists during a recent visit to Paris.

“This is why we better overdo, rather than not enough,” he added.

The answer to the question of how to get such an increase in output is not so easy, however.

Even with the price of cocoa beans jumping by nearly a third over the past year, farmers prefer growing palm or bananas, noted Barry Callebaut’s vice president, Philippe Janvier.

Expanding land under cultivation

wouldn’t be a quick solution as it takes about seven years before you can harvest beans.

Improving productivity

That leaves improving productivity, and to that end Barry Callebaut runs a programme to improve the skills of farmers in Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer at 36% of global output.

“We are not enlarging the land but rather trying to intensify production, that’s our response, and it’s all about education,” said Steinemann, who often travels to the training centre in Ivory Coast.

The average size of cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast is just two or three hectares five-seven acres), with most farmers having had little formal agricultural training and using techniques handed down to them by the parents.

“Producers can much improve their yields if they remove old bad fruit, the bad leaves with some kind of disease,” said Steinemann. “It’s all very simple things to do, it’s gardening as you do in your garden.”

Fertiliser use is currently scant and could also help in achieving the proj-

She is the 39th richest woman in her kingdom.

There are more women than ever on the

list (114). However, Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling (£570m) and Jimmy Choo fashion house founder Tamara Mellon (£180m) remain the only women who have made a vast fortune in their own right.

Britain’s wealthiest rock star fortunes are those of Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy Shevell (£710m), U2 (£428m), Elton John (£260m) and Mick Jagger (£215m).

Lower on the list were Sting (£180m), Ringo Starr (£170m), Roger Waters (£160m), Eric Clapton (£150m), David Bowie (£135m) and Robbie Williams (£120m).

Adele is the wealthiest young musician, with a £45m fortune.

Football icon David Beckham and his Spice Girls singer wife Victoria are worth a joint £210m, while Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen are worth £74m.

In the list of wealthy people aged under 30, Rooney was eighth, directly ahead of Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton (£68m), Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe (£66m), and Hollywood heartthrob Robert Pattinson (£60m).

Others in the young top 40 were Wimbledon tennis champion Andy Murray (£40m), basketball star Luol Deng (£36m), golfer Rory McIlroy (£28m), and the members of boyband One Direction, with £14m each. l

ect’s goal of of doubling yields from 400 to 800 kilos per hectare in Ivory Coast by 2020.

“It will be easy to get farmers to return to cocoa if we help them obtain better yields, better quality and thus better profits,” said Janvier.

Barry Callebaut doesn’t hold out much hope however for geneticallymodified cocoa, which Steinemann said doesn’t suit the taste as well as health concerns of consumers in Europe, still the biggest market. The tight supply situation has made the cocoa market attractive for commodity speculators.

“I was very angry, but the fact is that you can’t keep them out,” said Steinemann.

“Prices will remain in the coming months at a high level, volatility will increase due to” speculative traders, he added.

On Friday on the LIFFE market in London cocoa for delivery in July traded at £1,817 a tonne, while on the ICE Futures in the United States, cocoa for July was at $2,901.

Cocoa hit a two-and-a-half year high of $2,997 on the ICE market in February. l

Hangzhou itself used a digital agency in Hong Kong, where Facebook is not blocked, to administer its contest - an increasing trend by cities and provinces within China’s borders.

The social media giant is actively seeking business in the country.

“We want to help tourism agencies in China tell the rest of the world about the fabulous things in China that are really not that well-understood,” Vaughan Smith, Facebook’s vice presi-

which oversees propaganda efforts.

Google also seeks advertisers in China and has three offices on the mainland, but pulled out its servers in 2010 in a row about censorship.

Twitter, which is a prominent advocate for free speech online, has shown few signs of interest in setting up in China, although the company’s CEO Dick Costolo met Shanghai government officials during his first China visit in March.

A Facebook logo on a computer screen is seen through a magnifying glass in Bern in this file photo illustration REUTERS dent of corporate development, told a Beijing audience last month.

Facebook is reportedly in talks to open a sales office in the Chinese capital, and in recent weeks the company has quietly posted Beijing-based job openings on its website, including one for a client solutions manager to “focus on planning, implementing, and optimising advertising campaign spending for the world’s top-tier advertisers”.

Its executives are making increasingly frequent appearances at high-profile events in China, and the company’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg drew international headlines last September when she met the head of China’s State Council Information Office,

Facebook representatives declined interview requests about the company’s China business.

Duncan Clark, chairman of Beijingbased tech consultancy BDA, said Chinese local authorities had huge budgets and their tourism advertisements were probably lucrative for the multibillion-dollar firm.

However, Facebook was unlikely to see them as a way of gaining access to Chinese users, Clark said.

“There’s kind of a common-sense, logical middle ground where Facebook and China will agree to trade with each other,” he told AFP. “This is business sense. I wouldn’t expect that to change.” l

Pakistani mango growers slice in to India market n AFP Pakistani mango growers are hoping to take a slice out of rival India’s export market thanks to tough new European regulations.

The sweet yellow fruit is a contentious matter regionally, with both countries proclaiming it a national treasure and fighting over whose specimens are superior.

Economically, at least, mango exports are one area where Pakistan appears to have a slight edge.

According to respective official figures, Pakistan last year exported

DILBERT

around 100,000 tonnes for a revenue of $48.6m over India’s 56,000 tonnes for $44.6m.

But a European Union (EU) ban on India’s prized Alphonsos, known as the “King of Fruits”, has presented Pakistan with a chance to widen the gap.

The embargo came into force on May 1 after many shipments were found to contain fruit flies and also affected four types of vegetable.

For Raja Ijaz Ahmed Noon, parliamentary secretary for Pakistan’s breadbasket Punjab province, improving farming standards and learning where India went wrong is critical to cashing in. l