28 May 2014

Joishthya 14, 1421 Rajab 28, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 58

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

Local AL and BNP leaders plotted Ekram’s murder Key suspect confesses before court, murder weapons recovered Jamil Khan with Our n Mohammad Correspondent in Feni and Kailash Sarkar in Dhaka Local leaders of both the BNP and Awami League were involved in the murder of Ekramul Haq and plot of which was hatched around three months before the murder.

Investigators of the case yesterday divulged the information after interrogation of the arrestees.

The arrestees admitted that the killing was financed by local BNP leader Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury Minar while disgruntled local Awami League leaders joined the plot to kill the Fulgazi upazila chairman, they said.

Minar, who faced drubbing twice to Ekram in upazila polls, was arrested by the Detective Branch of police from the capital’s Mirpur area.

Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner at the DMP Media Centre, said a team of Detective Branch’s North Division arrested Minar from a house at Dhaka Cantonment in

Mirpur area in the afternoon.

Paritosh Gosh, superintendent of police in Feni, also confirmed Minar’s arrest and said the other culprits would also be arrested shortly.

Twenty-five-year-old Abidul Islam Abid, a key accused in the case, yesterday provided a confessional statement before a Feni court, narrating how the murder was executed.

In his confessional statement to Senior Judicial Magistrate Khairul Amin’s court, Abid – son of district Mohila Awami League secretary Layla Jesmin – said Ekram’s enmity with Jihad Chowdhury, the mastermind of the killing, developed when Jihad failed to run in the upazila election on Awami League ticket.

The conflict took a turn for the worse between the two when Ekram suspended Jihad from the local Awami League committee. However, local lawmaker Nizam Uddin Hazari intervened and the suspension order was withdrawn, police sources quoted Abid as saying.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Police recovers sharp weapons, arms and ammunition from a bus owned by Nur Hossain, the prime accused in the seven-murder case of Narayanganj yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bangladesh racing to achieve MDG on maternal mortality n Moniruzzaman Uzzal Maternal mortality rate in Bangladesh has declined by more than 66% over the last two decades. Authorities concerned express hopes that the country would be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target on time.

Speaking ahead of National Safe Motherhood Day, Abu Zafor Md Musa, director of primary health care at the health directorate, told the Dhaka Tribune that the maternal mortality rate had been dropping around 5.5% each year and Bangladesh was likely to achieve the target of 143 deaths per 100,000 live births under the MDG -2015.

According to a 2013 survey by different UN organisations, the estimated maternal mortality rate in Bangladesh stood at 170 per 100,000 live births, Musa said, adding that a 2010 study by the NIPORT found that 6,848 women died during childbirth each year.

The government also has plans for reducing the maternal mortality rate to 63 per 100,000 live births by 2030, he added.

In 1990, the rate was 574 per 100,000 live births, according to health directorate’s health bulletin-2013; while the Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey by National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT) in 2010 put the rate at 194 per 100,000.

Health specialists told the Dhaka Tribune that around 65% of the mothers died during  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

INSIDE B1 | Business

Visiting Dutch minister said the compensation provided by the Western retailers so far to the Rana Plaza victims is not as much as promised and called on the companies to give more.

4 | News

A healthy workplace and workforce are very important for portraying a better image of the industry, Danish Ambassador Hanna Fugl Eskjær said yesterday.

6 | Nation

People in rural Pirojpur are unable to take care of their cattle because there is a lack of medication and vaccination facilities.

7 | Interview

Bernard-Henri Lévy is France’s most celebrated public intellectual. A renowned philosopher, he has authored many books over the years.

Popularly known as BHL, he is as well known for his activism and celebrity, as for his academic work.

8 | World

More than 50 pro-Russian rebels were killed in an unprecedented assault by Ukrainian government forces, which raged into a second day yesterday after a newly-elected president vowed to crush the revolt in the east once and for all.

11 | Op-Ed

It’s time for Narendra Modi to get down to business – to deliver on what he promised his countrymen. The new Indian premier is entrusted with an overwhelming mandate to promote the best national interests in keeping with the BJP’s polls manifesto.

15 | Sport

Heartbroken Caroline Wozniacki suffered a morale-sapping defeat at the French Open on Tuesday in her first appearance since the break-up of her romance with star golfer Rory McIlroy.

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Shahidul sings in Shamim Osman’s tune Islam Shaon and n Ashif Ahmed Zayeef Taking a U-turn, the father-in-law of slain Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam yesterday claimed that ruling Awami League lawmaker Shamim Osman had no involvement in the seven murders.

Shahidul Islam at a press conference in the capital said the MP was a victim of dirty politics. He also

claimed that Shamim had saved Nazrul from false cases and conspiracies many times. “Now the killers are threatening Osman,” he alleged.

WARRANT P2 INTERPOLE AGAINST NUR HOSSAIN However, at a programme in Narayanganj only three days back, he had demanded death penalty for the lawmaker when Shamim’s phone conversation with the main

accused in the case, Nur Hossain, was leaked by several media. Family members of the six other deceased also attended the programme.

Following the leak that made people believe that Shamim had helped Nur to flee, the lawmaker of Narayanganj 4 from a press conference at his Gulshan residence admitted the matter.

Shahidul yesterday came to the capital from Narayanganj to the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium to an-

nounce that he believed Shamim had not been involved in the murders. He, however, did not inform his daughter Selina Islam about the conference.

He also did not answer any question of the reporters and left the auditorium in a hurry amid police protection.

“If you ask me any question, I will have a cardiac arrest,” he said before leaving.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Sheikh Hasina’s Royal Bengal diplomacy Bangladesh, Japan agree to strengthen bilateral relations

n Emran Hossain Shaikh

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has offered a pair of Royal Bengal Tigers to Japan so that Japanese people, especially school children, can become acquainted with the nature and culture of Bangladesh.

The gesture came as Bangladesh and Japan have agreed to take their bilateral relationship to a new height after the prime ministers of both countries launched the Japan-Bangladesh Comprehensive Partnership Agreement.

“Both the prime ministers also decided to detail the modalities at the earliest,” said a joint statement issued by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, after they had an official talk on Monday.

The prime minister went to Tokyo on a four-day visit on Sunday at the invitation of Abe and had an audience with Japanese Emperor Akihito.

The Japanese prime minister announced his commitment to provide up to 600 billion Yen (equivalent to $6 billion) of additional financial assistance, of which120 billion Yen (equivalent to $1.2 billion) will be given to Bangladesh within the next four or five years.

Prime Minister Hasina asked her counterpart to consider a range of specific projects like a Ganges Barrage, building multi-modal tunnels under the Jamuna River, a railway bridge over the Jamuna River, a multi-modal Dhaka Eastern Bypass, and the ecological restoration of four rivers around Dhaka.

Abe expressed his decision to instruct relevant ministries to start reviewing rules of origin of generalised system of preferences (GSP) for knitwear in order to boost Bangladesh’s exports.

The Japanese prime minister underscored the urgency of an improvement of investment potentials in Bangladesh, including infrastructure development and stable energy supply, in order to further facilitate and promote Japanese investment in Bangladesh.

The two prime ministers also welcomed the memorandum of under-

Khaleda: Hasina will have to cry one day n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday said her party’s movement would continue till the resignation of the government and warned that the movement could not be stopped even at gunpoint.

Khaleda made the comments when family members of missing BNP leaders – Laksam upazila BNP President Saiful Islam and Laksam municipality BNP President Humayun Kabir – went to her Gulshan residence to meet her.

She listened to them and asked them to keep patience, and said programmes would be announced soon after reconstituting the party and the government would be ousted to ensure people’s security.

“People of the country have united against the government. We will announce movement programmes soon.

Ousting the government, we will return peace in the country,” she said. l

Expressing concern over the recent killings and abductions, Awami League-led 14-party alliance urged the government yesterday to bring the culprits of the Narayanganj and Feni cases to justice.

They also urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to appoint an experienced politician at the Home Ministry to accelerate its activities.

The leaders of the 14-party came up with the suggestions during a meeting of the alliance at the Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political office in Dhanmondi.

“It has become a tradition to search for elements of conspiracies in every incident. The government should uncover the facts of the Narayanganj and Feni killings by carrying out proper investigations,” said a party leader, quoting the Awami League Organising Secretary Bahauddin Nasim.

Nasim said though a vested quarter had been hatching conspiracies against the government, it was not logical to smell conspiracies after every incident. l

Ershad issues show-cause notice on GM Quader n Manik Miazee

BEPZA and JETRO signs an agreement in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday on the third day of her Japan visit standing signed between JETRO and Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority, which reserves important facilities in five EPZs in Bangladesh for Japanese investors.

They reaffirmed the importance of strengthening energy cooperation, including in the area of peaceful uses of nuclear energy as a stable energy supply, stating that it is the key in the eco-

nomic development of Bangladesh.

Hasina also expressed her hope that Japan will examine the possibility of cooperating with Bangladesh for a nuclear power plant project in the future.

Japan has highly efficient and environment-friendly coal-based power plant technology and Bangladesh underlined the need for that to be made available to the countries in need.

Shirin: Modi to actively consider Teesta deal n Tribune Report

Newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his new government would actively consider the issue of signing the Teesta water sharing agreement and implementing border deal with Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Choudhury, who is now on a visit to the Indian capital, told journalist yesterday, reports BSS. “We have discussed different issues, including expansion of trade and business and further strengthening of cooperation in economic development, power and energy sectors between the two countries,” she said.

During the meeting, she on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on her own behalf and the people of Bangladesh had invited Modi to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time, Shirin added.

Modi accepted the invitation cordially and expressed willingness to visit Bangladesh, she added.

She said during the meeting she told Modi that his (Modi’s) initiative to invite the heads of government of the SAARC countries to his swearing-in ceremony as the prime minister was an “excellent” initiative and through this he (Modi) has given a message for development of the region after further strengthening the SAARC activities.

When asked whether the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India under the new administration would continue, Dr Shirin categorically said the ties would be further cemented in the days to come as Bangladesh's relationship with India was strengthened through the country’s War of Liberation.

During the meeting, the Indian premier congratulated the Bangladesh government, headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on its huge victory in the last general elections, said Dr Shirin.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tarique A Karim was with the Speaker at the meeting. l

Local AL and BNP leaders plotted Ekram’s murder  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

On May 19, Jihad called a meeting with Abid, Shiblu, Ruti Sohel, Sifat and Adnan at the town’s Salam Community Centre after sunset, where he told the men that he wanted help kill Ekram the following day.

Another meeting was also held at the Mizan Moydan later at 11:30pm, where Jihad elaborated the murder plan. As per the plan, Jihad used one of his relatives, whose name could not be disclosed for the sake of ongoing investigation, to send three weapons and bullets in a school bag to Abid on the morning of May 20.

According to Abid’s confession, the men waited for Ekram on the Academy Road from 8:30am while Jihad kept making phone calls to Ward Councillor Shiblu, who split the men into different groups.

One group was given the task of blocking Ekram’s vehicle, another was assigned to launch gun attack while the third one was for attacking the vehicle with sharp weapons.

Around 20 more people also gathered at the scene to apply distraction

'Bring culprits of Narayanganj, Feni to book'

technique. Jihad updated them about the slain upazila chairman’s changing location which he was constantly being reported by a close associate of Ekram – whose name also could not be disclosed for the sake of ongoing investigation.

Just before the attack, Jihad phoned the attackers saying Ekram had just left the Diabetes Hospital and would reach the entrance of Bilashi Cinema Hall – the scene of the crime – within minutes.

Being alerted by Jihad, the group of attackers got ready to stop Ekram’s vehicle with an auto-rickshaw.

In his confessional statement, Abid also mentioned that Jihad asked Abid and the others to meet him at the Feni Rail Station on the evening of the attack, where Jihad told them that BNP leader Minar Chowdhury had given him Tk1 lakh. Jihad then gave Tk20,000 to the men who left for Dhaka the same night.

Sources said Abid was asked by the court what he had done to assure his own safety after committing the crime to which he answered that he had contacted district Awami League Joint

Secretary Jahangir Md Adel and ruling party MP Nizam Uddin Hazari over the phone soon after the incident.

However, no contact was made with them after they arrived in Dhaka, Abid added.

Murder weapons recovered

In other developments in the case, police and RAB forces in Feni yesterday arrested four more people in connection with the killing and recovered weapons assumed to have been used in the murder.

Separate raids in the districts led to the arrests of Mir Hossain Shwapan, Jahidul Islam, Sajib, and Abdur Rauf.

A US-made 7.65mm pistol, two bullets and two magazines were recovered from Sajib’s possession, said Feni RAB Camp In-Charge Major Mohiuddin, adding that the weapons were suspected to have been used during the murder.

Shwapan, Jahidul and Sajib are residents of Brinchi area in Feni, while Abdur Rauf is the general secretary of the AL’s Kazaribagh union unit.

They all are known associates of Awami League leader Jahangir Adel

The two prime ministers shared their intent to discuss and promote wider regional development and improve the investment environment to attract foreign businesses, including from Japan.

Hasina reaffirmed Bangladesh’s support for Japan’s aspiration to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council while Abe

FOCUS BANGLA

expressed his intention to share Japan’s experience, including dispatching experts for the proposed project of establishing a Peace Building Centre in Bangladesh.

“The two prime ministers shared the importance of an early reform of the United Nations Security Council so as to reflect contemporary geo-political realities,” the statement said. l

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has reportedly issued a show-cause notice to his brother and the party’s Presidium member GM Quader for “violating party discipline.”

When contacted, Ershad told the Dhaka Tribune: “Yes, I have served a show-cause notice on him.

“I have asked him to explain the matter and withdraw his comments.”

Regarding GM Quader’s remarks, the JaPa chief said: “He should not have made such comments in public that tarnish the party’s image.”

GM Quader told the Dhaka Tribune around 10pm that he had not yet received any such notice.

On Monday, the JaPa leader made several remarks on the party’s internal issues while talking to a Bangla daily. l

Shahidul sings in Shamim Osman’s tune  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

During his speech, Shahidul ruled out the allegations brought against the controversial Narayanganj lawmaker.

“I think those who leaked the phone conversation were involved in the murder. If they knew where the prime accused was hiding, why did not they arrest him?” he said while reading out a written statement.

“A vested quarter is trying to implicate him. That is why he has been blamed for the murders all of a sudden.

If talking with Nur is an offence, then Shamim Osman will clarify that.

“But I want to ask if this conversation had created such controversy, the leaked conversation among Mayor [Selina Hayat] Ivy’s close aide Abu Sufian, businessman Chan Mia, Selim and Nur’s bodyguard should have created more uproar. But everyone is silent about that,” he alleged.

Shahidul also urged the police to interrogate Abu Sufian who along with his aides had been the planner and financier of the seven murders.

“Shamim Osman talked with Nur Hossain many times between April 27 and 29. This does not prove that he had helped Nur. But it proves that those

and Councillor Shiblu – both are key suspects in the case.

Abul Kalam Azad, inspector of Feni Model police station and investigation officer of the case, said they had recovered four bullets and a US-made 7.65mm pistol used in the attack from a TV box from the office of Jihad.

A special six-member probe team led by Deputy Inspector General of Chittagong Mahbubur Rahman would reach Feni soon to collect more information from the arrestees, Azad added.

A list of 40 suspects has been prepared by the investigators. Rashedul Islam, officer-in-charge of the DB police in Feni, told the Dhaka Tribune that raids were being carried out in different areas of the district to hunt down the accused.

Two key suspects in the case – Adel and local Awami League leader Ziaul Alam Mister – have still remained out of police net.

On May 20, Ekramul Haque, a twotime elected chairman of Fulgazi upazila, was shot and burnt alive by criminals in the Academy area of Feni district town. l

who leaked the conversation, helped Nur to flee,” he said.

After the recovery of the six bodies, Shahidul claimed that RAB had committed the abduction and murder in exchange for Tk6 corer given to them

by Nur. Upon the allegation, three RAB officials were sacked and later arrested.

In the meantime, a senior RAB official claimed that Nur fled to Kolkata on April 28 through Benapole border.

Shahidul yesterday claimed that on April 27, Shamim asked Nur to appear at the Rifles Club as the family members alleged Nur’s involvement. “In front us, he at first quizzed Nur about the abduction softly and then in harsh voice. But Nur denied.”

According to Shahidul, at that time Nur misbehaved with the lawmaker. “Why are you asking me the same question repeatedly? You have become lawmaker just a few months back. I have been the undeclared MP of Shiddhirganj. I could have killed Nazrul whenever I wished,” he quoted Nur as saying.

“These all prove that Shamim Osman was not involved in the incident,” Shahidul said.

Nazrul’s wife in dark

When contacted, Selina said she had seen the press conference on television. Asked if the written statement was read out on behalf of Nazrul’s family members, she said: “I do not know what I should say now. I will not make any comment now. First, I have to talk to my father [Shahidul]. “He did not inform me about the press conference.”

Other families smell Shamim’s mediation

Talking with the Dhaka Tribune last night, several members of the families of six other people said they thought Shahidul had arranged the press conference being influenced by the Awami League lawmaker and wanted to gain some benefits.

Shahidul’s such move would also harm the investigation, they feared.

Mizanur Rahman Khan Ripon, the younger brother of Moniruzzaman Swapan, said: “We think the written statement was prepared by someone else. It indicates that he is influenced

by Shamim Osman.”

Slain Sirajul Islam Liton’s brother Saiful Islam echoed Ripon saying that otherwise Shahidul would not shift his stance. l

Bangladesh racing to achieve  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

childbirth because of three complications: severe bleeding during pre and post-delivery, epilepsy, and obstructive and belated labour.

The rest of the deaths were mostly caused by indirect reasons including ischemic heart disease, jaundice, anaemia, tuberculosis, congenital heart disease and overall lack of essential health care.

According to Bangladesh Economic Survey 2013, the rate of institutional delivery was only 29%; while around 31.7% women used midwives during childbirth; 61.2% women used contraceptive methods; 54.6% experienced adolescent pregnancy; only 25.5% women went through medical check up during pregnancy, while around 70% women suffered from malnutrition.

Professor Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement Bangladesh, told the 6,000 people in each ward of a union and it was not a daunting task to identify the pregnant Dhaka Tribune that the government has already introduced a community clinic for every mothers and bring them under regular health check up.

Answering to a question on the low

percentage of institutional delivery, Dr Mahbub said not all pregnancies required institutional delivery, but added that there must be a system of referral to send the obstructive patients for delivery at the health institutions.

Sources at the health and family planning directorates said 8,428 community health care providers, family welfare assistants and female health assistants were trained as skilled birth attendants in recent years. A three years course on midwifery was also introduced at the NIPORT in 2012-2013, with 525 students currently studying the subject and 700 others expected to enrol in the next session.

Apart from the district and upazila hospitals, safe child delivery is also provided at 581 community clinics and more than 1,500 union mother and child family welfare centres.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh is going to observe Safe Motherhood Day 2014 today, with the theme “Let us ensure safe motherhood.” Different public and private organisations have drawn up elaborate programmes to observe the day, which has been observed in the country since 1997. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

WB likely to give budget support for FY 2015-16 n Asif Showkat Kallol

The World Bank is likely to extend budget support to Bangladesh in the fiscal year 2015-16 instead of the next fiscal year (2014-15), official sources said.

An official said it is not possible for them to give budget support in the next fiscal year because of time constraints as the budget will be placed at the parliament in the first week of next month.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith earlier hinted that the government would seek $500 million as budget support from the global lender. But an Economic Relations Division official said the figure would be of $300 million.

The matter was discussed briefly on the sidelines of the spring meeting of the WB and IMF which took place in Washington DC in early April.

During his visit to Bangladesh, Executive Director for South Asia MN Prasad advised that the finance min-

ister should seek budget support after placing the budget for the next fiscal year at the parliament. He also said obviously it is not possible to give budget support this fiscal year.

Earlier, Bangladesh got budget support in 2008 with the conditions set by the global lender.

The ERD official said the government will have to carry out reforms of various sectors. After discussion with the WB, it will be decided where reforms will be made, he added.

The official said the country would not have much trouble in implementing the reform programmes as it is successfully running the IMF’s extended credit facility loan programme.

Arastoo Khan, additional secretary of the Economic Relations Division, said discussion on WB budget support continues. “We will seek offer from the World Bank for budget assistance within a short time and hope that we will get it for the fiscal year 2015-16.” l

Some rickshaw and van pullers cross locomotive tracks, taking their lives at risk, only to save some time near Mohakhali in the capital yesterday

HC summons expat secretary n Nazmus Sakib

Sikder doctor found guilty

The High Court yesterday asked Expatriates’ Welfare Secretary Khandaker Shawkat Hossain to appear before it in person on June 3 to explain his failure to implement a previous order on regularising the jobs of 77 officials-staff.

The bench of justices Ashfaqul Islam and Ashraful Kamal passed the order following a contempt of court plea by 11 officials and staff of a Manpower, Employment and Training Bureau project under the ministry. The lawyer for the petitioners said on April 7, 2011, the HC had ruled for the regularising of 77 officials-staffs of the revenue sector. The secretary has been summoned since the order was not implemented. l

The committee formed by Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council to investigate the alleged assault on Shihir Morol, special correspondent of the daily Prothom Alo, by Dr Shafiul Azam has submitted its report to the BMDC president.

Prof Dr Abu Shafi Ahmed Amin, president of BMDC, told the Dhaka Tribune last night that they had received the inquiry report, but he refused to divulge any details right now.

BMDC had formed the threemember committee headed by Prof Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, former president of

n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Bangladesh Medical Association. The other two members were Additional Attorney General Murad Reza and Deputy Registrar of BMDC Dr Arman Hossain. None of them is the members of BMDC. The BMDC president said the primary inquiry report was sent to the disciplinary committee.

The members of the committee were asked to sit immediately to review the report and submit it to the executive committee which would take the final decision, he added.

When asked about the findings, Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub also denied disclosing any information about the report.

Seeking anonymity, a reliable

source told the Dhaka Tribune that the probe committee found Dr Shafiul Azam guilty of the attack. Finally, BMDC would announce the temporary cancellation of his registration, according to the source.

On May 13, Shishir Morol went to ZA Sikder Women’s Medical College Hospital to investigate an allegation levelled against Dr Shafiul Azam.

But Shafiul and his associates assaulted him. They also confined him in a room for two and half hours and beat him up severely.

Shafiul, assistant professor at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, was working full-time at ZA Sikder Women’s Medical College Hospital without taking leave from CMCH. l

Buriganga recovery project committee formed n Mohosinul Karim A 10-member committee has been formed to make recommendations to the government about implementing the Buriganga River recovery project.

The committee, led by ALM Abdur Rahman, additional secretary at the Water Resources Ministry, was given 15 days to submit a report after visiting the project sites.

It was asked to find out about damage that might be caused to bridges in the area when the project is implemented, said an order issued by the ministry yesterday.

There is a possibility of damaging several bridges during the river recov-

TRIAL AGAINST MOBARAK

Prosecution replies to enquiries of tribunal n Udisa Islam

at this stage of the case. He added that if the prosecution got the scope to explain its fault, then prejudice might be garnered against the accused.

The tribunal then said it had asked for the explanation for their satisfaction and the prosecution did it, stating: “There is nothing to oppose as the document was exhibited earlier and it is in record of the tribunal.”

The prosecution also placed a petition for a change in the formal charge yesterday. Conducting prosecutor Shahidur Rahman pointed it out as a “clerical mistake” as there was a mismatch of time (am and pm) mentioned in the formal charges and the framed charges.

Tajul again opposed the matter saying that the correction could not be accepted at the end of the proceeding.

He pleaded time to submit a written objection on the matter and the tribunal set June 2 for the submission of the petition. l

Farzana sells a cigarette to a man in front the capital’s Hazaribagh fruit market yesterday. The nine-year-old girl – whose parents refuse to take care of her – has to live with her grandfather at the market and earn what she can by selling cigarettes and betel leaves MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

In the trial of Mobarak Hossain alias Mobarak Ali, the prosecution made replies yesterday to the enquiries of the tribunal, which they had put forth at the end of the closing argument session last week.

The trial was stalled since the prosecution, during its rebuttal on May 21, failed to give explanations to many of the tribunal’s questions.

Prosecutor Syed Haider Ali yesterday gave explanations for their unattested documents and the sources. He said the documents had unfortunately remained unattested since the deputy commissioner of Brahmanbaria said the main copy was in his office. The DC is also the in-charge of the district’s Muktijoddha Council.

Defence counsel Tajul Islam opposed the explanation saying that the prosecuting could not change anything

BNP: Khaleda can hold rally anytime, anywhere she wishes

Another case to realise Tk451cr from Hall-Mark

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

The BNP said yesterday said its chief Khaleda Zia can hold a party rally in the capital whenever and wherever she wished, even if the government does not allow it.

“Our leader can hold a rally whenever and wherever she wishes, along with the people. Abandon any thoughts of barring her from doing so.

Not even the pharaohs, Hitler or Yahiya could stay inpower for long, and you have to face the same fate,” said BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, gearing his comment at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The authorities concerned recently prevented the party from holding rallies in the capital.BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was supposed to attend the foiled gatherings at the Engineers Institution auditorium and the Supreme Court premises on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Addressing a discussion at the

National Press Club yesterday,Mirza Fakhrul said the ruling Awami League was killing democracy once again and misleading the people.

“Before the January 5 elections, they told the people that it was a constitutional obligation. Now they are saying they will remain in office for five years... Could anyone guess on August 14 that the tragedy that would occur on August 15?” the BNP leader said, referring to the coup in 1975 that overthrew the then BKSAL government headed by President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Fakhrul also claimed that Awami League’s rebirth took place under the auspices of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, and he played a vital role in Sheikh Hasina’s return homefrom exile in India.

“BNP never undermines Sheikh Mujib’s role and similarly, there is no scope for undermining Ziaur Rahman’s role,” he said.

Fakhrul said during AL’s tenure,

Zia was portrayed as a villain in school textbooks. Zia, a military ruler turned president, held power from 1976-81.

“Ziaur Rahman proclaimed the country’s independence. Who says what, does not mean anything,” he added.

Khaleda Zia, meanwhile, is scheduled to hold a rally this afternoon at the ferry terminal in Munshiganj to protest against the killings, abductions and disappearances across the country.

At a press briefing yesterday, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said preparations for the rally are almost complete and so far, they have not received any objections from the local administration in Munshiganj.

“We still have not faced any obstruction, but whenever we are obstructed, we will inform you,” Rizvi told reporters.

Rizvi added that Khaleda willstart for Munshiganj from her Gulshan residence at 1:30pm and address a rally there at 3pm. l

Sonali Bank authorities yesterday filed another fresh suit against Hall-Mark Group Chairman Jasmine Islam and Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud to realise defaulting loan amounting to Tk450.84 crore from Hall-Mark Fashions Ltd. The case was filed against the duo with the Artha Rin Adalat 1 (Money Loan Court 1) of Dhaka by Abdus Salam, executive officer of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel Corporate Branch of the state-owned bank.

After a preliminary hearing, Judge Md Rabiuzzaman took the case into cognisance and ordered the defendants to submit their written statements by June 29.

Since March 25 this year, the bank has filed 14 cases so far against the Hall-Mark Group to realise an outstanding amount of Tk839.09 crore.

The case statement says the accused were given the loan in phases

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

from 2011 to February 28 this year. The company imported deferent garment accessories with the loan.

On January 12, the bank gave the accused a final notice to pay the amount.

But the company did not pay any heed.

Later the bank issued a legal notice upon the company to give back their dues. l

ery drive.The approved project will be implemented through the channels of the Dhaleshwari, Pungli, Bangshai, Turag and Buriganga river systems.

The government would take steps to relocate the bridges based on the suggestions, the directive said.

Committee members include WDB Director General Sahidur Rahman, Department of Environment Director Sultan Ahmed, LGED Superintendent Engineer Khalilur Rahman, BIWTA Director Mohammad Ali, Roads and Highway Department SE Tushar Kanti Saha, Bangladesh Railway Director Abdul Haque, WDB Chief Engineer Sohrab Uddin and Institute of Water Modelling head of department Abu Saleh Khan. l

Eight killed at Lohaigram in Qaisar’s presence n Udisa Islam

A new prosecution witness against accused war criminal Syed Mohammad Qaisar said yesterday that the accused and his cohorts, along with the Pakistani Army, had carried out atrocities at Lohaigram Sahapur during the Liberation War and killed eight unarmed civilians, including two women.

Phul Mia, 62, testified at the International Crimes Tribunal 2 as the ninth witness against Qaisar, the former Jatiya Party state minister who is facing 16 charges of crimes against humanity committed in Habiganj in 1971.

The witness is the incumbent secretary of Gazipur district unit Sramik League, the labour wing of the ruling Awami League. He is from Bhandarowa Jamalpur of Habiganj.

During the war, he worked as an informer for the freedom fighters in Madhabpur-Noapara areas and used to plant land mines.

In his testimony, Phul Mia said the accused, along with the members of his “Qaisar Bahini” and the Pakistani occupation forces, had gone to Lohaigram on May 15, 1971 and he had heard the sound of continuous firing.

When they left the place after an hour, the villagers informed the witness that at least eight people, including his two uncles Abdul Aziz and Zahir Uddin, had been shot to death. “When the Army killed the civilians, Qaisar was present at the scene along with his associate Lengra Hamid,” Phul Mia said.

After his daylong deposition, the defence counsel started cross examining him. The tribunal later adjourned the trial until today, keeping it incomplete. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

‘Society should consider worker’s health and safety’ n Tazlina Zamila Khan A healthy workplace and workforce are very important for portraying a better image of the industry, Danish Ambassador Hanna Fugl Eskjær said yesterday.

Addressing a seminar “Occupational Health and Safety Impact 99% - Together We Can Change” organised by Western Marine Shipyard (WMShL) and GIZ, the German Development Cooperation at Rupashi Bangla hotel in the capital, she said: “Health and safety of workers is a prime concern which must be brought under consideration by the society. And I am hopeful when industries in the country will follow Western Marine in this respect it will make a great change in Bangladesh which shall take the country one step forward toward progress.”

Awareness on safety issues, training on safety procedures and rules to enforce safe workplaces can prevent the safety problem issue Other speakers said the GIZ supported the WMShL to implement and attain a renowned international standard in workplace health and safety. The WMShL is the first shipyard, and one of the few businesses in Bangladesh to obtain OHSAS 18001 status.

OHSAS 18001 is internationally accepted as a method of assessing and auditing occupational health and safety management systems.

A recent survey of the ILO (International Labour Organisation) says, around two million people die every year due to work-related injuries and

160 million suffer from work-related diseases every year. As a result, it impacts the workers and their families. It causes income loss, suffering, insecurity and disability. It also hampers the reputation of the employers.

Hasnat Alamgir, associate professor at the University of Texas, said: “Work and health are related. Work hampers health. In our country, workers can do jobs till the age of 40. Later, they have to retire due to a lack of physical strength.

“Employers know how to protect workers, but they still let the labours die, which is very sad. When a worker becomes disabled, the employers shift the burden to the government because having disabled workers is a burden to the society.”

He also stressed on engineering, education and enforcement to ensure occupational safety.

He said: “Awareness on safety issues, training on safety procedures and rules to enforce safe workplaces can prevent the safety problem issue.”

The publication “Healthy Business, Healthy Workers, Healthy Communities” was formally launched in the seminar by the speakers.

Labour and Employment Minister Mujibul Haque Chunnu said: “The Government of Bangladesh and the owners should prioritise safety for the sake of workers. Western Marine has achieved the OHSAS 18001 status which is an example for others.”

Syed Monjurul Islam, Shipping Ministry secretary, said safety brings peace for both workers and owners. If the owners follow a systematic process to ensure safety like Western Marine, others will also do the same.

The Western Marine Shipyard Managing Director Sakhawat Hossain said: “We spend money on training and safety. Now all of our workers wear safety tools like helmets and boots, and the accident rate has also come down.” l

RMG worker murdered n CU Correspondent A readymade garment worker was hacked to death early yesterday by unknown miscreants at her residence in Shapla Residential Area in Chittagong.

The victim, Sajeda Begum,32, was a worker at Gawus Fashion Limited in the city.

Sarif Rokonuzzaman, assistant sub-inspector of Akbar Shah police station, said some unidentified miscreants entered the victim’s house around 3am yesterday and hacked her indiscriminately, leaving her dead on the spot.

In the morning, the locals found the body after breaking the door of the house as Sajeda did not respond after being called several times.

On information, police recovered the body and sent it to Chittagong Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy. l

A large number of passengers are seen at Kamalapur Railway Station yesterday because of the transport strike on bus routes to North Bengal and greater Mymensingh BANGLAR CHOKH

One held with 500 litres of liquor n CU Correspondent

One more held in siblings’ gang rape

Police arrested a pick-up van driver on the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar highway in Chadaha area under Satkania upazila of Chittagong early yesterday and seized around 500 litres of contraband liquor from the vehicle.

The arrested Md Ilias, 23, is the son of Abul Kamal, and is from Rahmaniya Para of Chunti area under Lohagara upazila of Chittagong, said police sources.

AKM Emran Bhuiyan, assistant superintendent of police of Satkania circle in Chittagong, said on a tip-off, a patrol team of Satkania police chased the Chittagong-bound pick-up van on the highway at 3am.

“Police detained the driver and seized 500 litres of contraband liquor, which was in 75 polythene bags, after searching the van,” said the ASP. A case was lodged with Satkania police station. l

n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

No bar to holding Muktijoddha Council poll n Nazmus Sakib The Appellate Division stayed an HC order yesterday, which had blocked the polls of Muktijoddha Kendriya Command Council, scheduled for June 4, for six months.

Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, the chamber judge, passed the order following a petition lodged by the government, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the Dhaka Tribune.

On May 25, the bench of justices M Moazzam Husain and Md Badruzzaman stayed

the elections in response to a writ petition filed by Kabir Ahmed Khan, a candidate and former chairman of the organisation.

On December 8 last year, the government appointed an administrator at the freedom fighters’ organisation. However, to hand over the responsibility to the elected representative, an election schedule was announced on April 14. The petitioner filed the plea arguing that elections of the council’s central, district and upazila levels could not be held on the same day. l

10 hurt in Savar poll clash n Our Correspondent, Savar At least ten people were injured in a clash in Jirabo bus stand area of Ashulia yesterday as supporters of two chairman candidates broke into a fight over the control of a polling centre during local union parishad by-elections.

Witness said the clash took place as some unruly followers of chairman candidate Soid Ahmed tried to enter Dewan Edris College polling station to manipulate votes.

On information, police rushed to the spot and calmed the situation immediately, during which they arrested two people.

During the clash, both sides exchanged blank fire to create a sense of panic. l

IUB honours Dr Anisuzzaman

n Tribune Report Kazi Nazrul Islam-Abbasuddin Ahmed Research and Study Centre of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) celebrated National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s 153rd birth anniversary on Sunday at its Bashundhara campus in the capital.

While celebrating the birth anniversary, the centre also launched IUB Journal on Nazrul-Abbasuddin and honoured Bangla Acad-

emy President Professor Emeritus Dr Anisuzzaman of Dhaka University who has recently been awarded the Padma Bhusan by the Indian government.

Dr Anisuzzaman attended the programme as the chief guest and IUB Vice-Chancellor M Omar Rahman presided over the programme.

The celebration included speeches by scholars and musical performance by noted artist Yasmeen Mushtari and the students of IUB. l

Police arrested another youth yesterday for his alleged involvement in the rape of two sisters in Beanibazar of the district on Sunday.

Selim Ahmed, 28, was arrested on the information provided in the case filed by the plaintiff, the victims’ father, said OC of Beanibazar police Abul Kalam Azad.

Local police on Monday arrested another suspect Nazrul Islam, who is the brother of the main accused Joynul Islam, the son of Makdam Ali from Pailgram of the same upazila.

“We are interrogating the duo to get information about the others responsible. If needed, we will take them to court, seeking remand,” the OC said.

According to the case, seven-eight masked men entered the house at Charkhai union early Sunday by break-

ing open the door and threatened the parents with knives and sharp weapons. “At one stage, they tied up my wife and I and pounced on our daughters,” said the father.

The plaintiff could only identify Joynul.

Meanwhile, the victims, admitted to Osmani Medical College Hospital after the incident, were released yesterday at noon after a forensic examination was conducted, SI Abdus Sattar of the hospital’s One Stop Crisis Centre told the Dhaka Tribune.

When contacted, Deputy Director of the hospital Dr Tonmoy Bhattacharya referred to the college authorities for information about the examination.

College Principal Morshed Ahmed Chowdhury did not answer the call made to his mobile phone. However, college sources said it might take two more days to get the forensic report. l

Krishi Bank official among 3 abducted n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar Police are conducting drives to rescue the three people, including an official of the local Krishi Bank branch, who were abducted on Monday at midnight from Eidgarh area of Ramu by unidentified criminals.

Two of the victims are Baishari Krishi Bank Cashier Jitendra Kumar and businessman Md Selim Uddin. Police could not name the third victim.

They were picked up from Bengdoba area of Eidgarh-Baishari road around 11:30pm when they were going to Ramu in a CNG auto-rickshaw. They were later taken toward the hilly areas, OC Saikul Ahmed of Ramu police said.

He said police teams are conducting drives in and around the area to rescue the victims. “BGB personnel have also joined the operation,” the OC added. l

LOST I am Jebin Akter, Father’s Name: D.M. Obaidul Haque, Roll-562801, Reg. No870518 Session-2012-13, Board- Dhaka. I lost my admit card. G.D No-1378, Narshigdi Model Thana, Narshingdi.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Confusion over CNG auto strike withdrawal Owners say the three-day strike to continue when the government claims to have strike a deal sence of auto-rickshaws on the roads. n Abu Hayat Mahmud They said they had to wait for pubThe government and CNG-run Auto-rickshaw Owners’ Association made confusing statements yesterday about the withdrawal of the 72-hour ongoing strike enforced by the auto owners.

The Ministry of Communications and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority held a meeting at the ministry yesterday evening with a section of leaders of the Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation in an effort to put an end to the strike.

Following the meeting, BRTA Chairman Nazrul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “Leaders of the auto-rickshaw owners assured us that they would suspend the strike from today [Tuesday evening].”

But when contacted, Barkat Ullah Bhulu, president of Dhaka Metropolitan CNG-run Auto-rickshaw Malik Samity Oikya Parishad said none of their members were present at the meeting and there would be no withdrawal of their strike till their demands were met.

“The ministry did not contact us.

They only held a meeting with one of our elder brothers, Osman Ali, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation,” he said.

“We have neither suspended nor withdrawn the strike,” he clarified.

The three-day-long strike came into force yesterday.

The Dhaka Metropolitan CNG-run Auto-rickshaw Malik Samity Oikya Parishad called for a halt of traffic movement, demanding an extension of the economic lifespan of the vehi-

CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers did not come out with their vehicles because of the strike yesterday. The photo was taken from a Tejgaon garage in the capital SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN cles by four more years, based on Buet recommendations.

Bhulu hoped that the ministry would call them today for a meeting.

“If the government meets our demand, we will withdraw the strike,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the commuters in the

capital expressed mixed reactions to the ongoing CNG strike.

Some sighed with relief at the thought that traffic congestion would ease, which they said was mostly created by the auto-rickshaws, and some reacted with despair that the strike would affect their daily commute.

No auto-rickshaw was seen operating over the city thoroughfares since the strike started in the morning.

However, the CNG-run auto-rickshaws that are for private use only are operating on the city roads as usual.

The auto-rickshaw commuters expressed their dissatisfaction with the ab-

lic buses for a long time and became sandwiched in the heavily crowded city transport.

Sajjad Hossain, a resident of Nakhalpara, said: “The absence of auto-rickshaws on the city roads seems to have given the city’s busy thoroughfares a relief in comparison with other days.”

“The number of CNG-run autos has not only grown, but also outnumbered the human haulier, other sorts of three wheelers and battery-run and paddled rickshaws,” said Sajjad, a student.

According to Farida Aktar, a private bank employee, she prefers taking public buses rather than taxi cabs and CNG-run auto-rickshaws, because of their high fare.

She demanded that the government take steps to reduce the number of three-wheelers on the city’s busy road.

A private university student Sadia Islam who was waiting for a public bus at Kakoli Bus Station in Banani, said: “I have been waiting for a bus for about half an hour, but am unable to get into any because of the overcrowding of people.”

“I used to take CNG-run auto-rickshaws, but today [Tuesday] none of them are in sight,” she added.

She alleged the auto-rickshaw strike added to the transport crisis in the capital city.

The Dhaka Metropolitan CNG-run Auto-rickshaw Malik Samity Oikya Parishad said earlier that it would observe a 72-hour strike to press home a number of their demands. l

5 USTC VC calls emergency syndicate meeting n CU Correspondent The vice-chancellor of University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC) expressed solidarity with the demonstrating employees’ demand yesterday and called on an emergency syndicate meeting tomorrow to resolve the ongoing deadlock.

The campus sources said the teachers, doctors, officials and employees of USTC, under the banner of “Teachers-Doctors and Officials- Employees Samannay Parishad,” observed the four hours work abstention for nine consecutive days.

A protest rally was held at the Mowlana Bhasani auditorium of the campus during the work abstention.

At the rally, Professor Dr M Rezaul Karim, VC of USTC said: “Due to the absence of Treasurer Professor Sisir Kumar Deb, who now stays in Dhaka, the financial activities at the USTC and the BMH hospital under the USTC are being acutely disrupted.”

Dr Kamal Uddin, joint secretary of “Teachers-Doctors and Officials- Employees Samannay Parishad,” Anwarul Islam Bappy, member secretary, Dr Badiul Alam, head of the surgery department, Professor Dr Mostafa Kalam of the medicine department, were present, among others, at the protest rally.

The VC, also the chairman of the USTC syndicate, called an emergency syndicate meeting on May 29 regarding the issue, said campus sources. Demanding the implementation of service rules, the teachers, doctors, officials and employees started to observe daily work abstention for four hours since May 18. l

Pond grabbing continues in Rajshahi, defying High Court rule

Abducted child rescued in Cox’s n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Bazar, 4 held A vested interested group is defying the ban by the High Court by continuOur Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar n ing to fill-up ponds and lakes in and Detective Branch of Cox’s Bazar police rescued a boy and detained four alleged abductors in a drive from West Larpara area adjacent to city’s bus terminal a day after he was abducted.

Victim, Nur Kamal, 13, son of Nur Bashar, from Ruhullardeba area under Ratnapalang union of Ukhia upazila in the district.

The arrested are Jahid Hosen, 25, son of Omar Hakim, Md Jamal. 28, son of Abdul Gafur, Lal Mia, 40, son of late Ali Hosen all from the city’s West Larpara area. Another arrestee Md Aiyub, 32, son of Piyar Ahmed, is from Tetoar Sikdar area in Sadar upazila in Cox’s Bazar, said police sources.

Officer-in-Charge Manzur Alam of Cox’s Bazar DB police told the Dhaka Tribune that the boy was abducted around 10am on Monday from the bus terminal and Tk50,000 was sought as ransom from the victim’s family by the abductors.

The family informed the matter to the DB police and they went on a drive to rescue the boy after tracking down the possible location of the abductors, the OC said. l

around the Rajshahi city. They are taking advantage of the negligence of the city authorities.

As a result, water bodies, including canals, lakes, ponds and wetlands have declined to a great extent.

The High Court gave a directive to stop filling of all kinds of wetland in and around the city on December 13, 2010 following a writ petition.

According to Rajshahi Development Authority (RDA), in 1961, there were 4,238 ponds, canals, wetlands in the city, in 1981 the number was 2,271, in 2000 the numbers have stood at 729

and now city has only 214 water bodies which showed that the authorities concerned do not have any control over the vested interested groups’ activities.

In many cases, the RDA as well as Rajshahi City Corporation could not take strict action against land grabbers as a section of the public servants with institutions help facilitate such illegal occupation by preparing fake documents and being reluctant to take any action.

Following the example of these influential quarters who have successfully carried out the grabbing of water bodies, Al-Amin Rajshahi Ltd (ARL) has the audacity to fill a pond stretching six-bighas.

A good number of labourers have been involved in filling the pond for a week.

The labourers fill the pond at night in a bid to dodge the eye of authorities.

Earlier, the owner of the Company tried to fill the pond in 2009. Then the Rajshahi Development Authority (RDA) noticed his activity and gave directives to the company to stop it.

Locals said the local ward councilor Kamruzzaman Kamu was looking after the filling work so that the pond was filled smoothly without any hindrance.

Professor Nazrul Islam, city unit Jamaat leader, and Mahbubul Islam Bulbul, former president of city unit Islamic Chhatra Shibir, are among the directors of the company.

When contacted, Kamruzzaman Kamu told the Dhaka Tribune that he wanted to fill the pond so that a mosque and graveyard adjoining the

pond could be saved.

Mujibur Rahman, one of the directors of the ARL, said he could not say anything in this regard without the permission of the board of directors.

But the he acknowledged that they had not taken any permission from RDA to fill the pond, adding that they would submit an application to the authorities’ concerned seeking approval to fill the pond.

Azmeri Ashraf, acting urban planner of Rajshahi City Corporation, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had already served two show cause notice to the company, but they have to receive a reply.

“If the company does excavate the pond within 10 days, strong action would be taken against it,” he added.

Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation

SBMCH forms probe body over patient’s death n Our Correspondent, Barisal

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

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Rangpur

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YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

35.0ºC Kutubdia

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Source: Accuweather/UNB

Some day labourers, who crush bricks at a construction site in the capital’s Mohammadpur area, return home by the improvised vehicle they use for crushing the bricks yesterday. They use the vehicle apparently to cut transport cost MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Two shot in clash over cable TV business in capital n Ashif Islam Shaon

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

3:46am 5:11am 11:56am 3:17pm 6:40pm 8:06pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

Mosaddak Hossain Bulbul said he hasn’t received a complaint in this regard.

“Necessary actions would be taken in this regard,” he said.

According to Wetland Conservation Protection Act, if anyone wants to fill a wetland for any purpose he/she has to take permission from the Rajshahi Development Authority and Department of Environment, said Tonmay Shynal, coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association Rajshahi region.

In 2013, Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has planned to conserve 53 natural water bodies in the city, in order to retain its surface water resources for protecting the environment from further degradation, but hasn’t implemented any actions as of yet. l

Violence erupted when two groups of men, who are involved with the ruling party, collided over business rivalry that left two injured in the capital’s Mirpur area yesterday.

Witnesses and police said Jubo League activists, along with leaders Pallab, Riad and Hazrat Ali Bhutto, of Ward 13 were hanging out in front of Baishakhi Bhaban in the area when another group of Jubo League activists

led by Mahbub and Kamrul arrived on motorbikes around 2:15pm.

They suddenly opened fire at the first group using small firearms, which injured Bhutto, 42, a local Awamil League leader, and Mainuddin, 42, a passer-by.

Bhutto was hit by bullets in his throat and right shoulder, while Mainuddin was shot in his abdomen.

The first group retaliated with bullets and, with the help of the locals, chased the attackers away.

However, Kamrul of the second group

was left behind by accident. He got caught and was beaten by the first group and then handed over to the police.

Both Bhutto and Mainuddin were rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. Doctors said Bhutto is in a critical condition.

Sub-Inspector Emanur of Rampura police station said they had rescued Kamrul from the mob and recovered two pistols and two rounds of bullets from the spot. They also seized a motorbike used in the attack.

Imtiaj Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Mirpur Division, said they had arrested some youths from the spot.

“We will interrogate them. Besides, police teams are conducting raids in the area. The situation has been brought under control,” he said.

Accroding to locals, Riad and Pallab have a cable TV business. Their feud started with Mahbub and Kamrul when they tried to take over Riad and Pallab’s market with their own business. l

Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital authority formed a probe committee regarding the alleged death of patients due to inadequate oxygen cylinders.

Dr Qamrul Hasan Selim, director of SBMCH, said they decided to form a three-member probe-committee headed by Dr Saidur Rahman, head of medicine unit.

The step was taken after allegations over the death of three patients, including an elderly and infant patients, within 48 hours this week. There was a scarcity of oxygen cylinders in the child and medicine departments as the available ones were being used in different departments, the SBMCH director said.

The committee was asked to submit their report within three working days.

The hospital now has a sufficient supply of oxygen cylinders, the SBMCH director observed.

However Dr Saidur Rahman, head of the probe committee, said he is yet to receive any letter about this and will begin the investigation after receiving the letter.

It was alleged by the relatives of the deceased that two infants died last Friday night and the following morning and one Kazi Nurul Islam, 60, admitted at the medicine unit, died on Saturday afternoon due to respiratory problems as the oxygen cylinders were not supplied in time.

The relatives went on a rampage when they found out that three oxygen cylinders were lying unused at the nurse’s sickroom.

Habibur Rahman, SBMCH store incharge, said there was no shortage of oxygen cylinders in the hospital since all cylinders were immediately disbursed to the different wards as per their demands and fresh there is always a steady supply as they are bought a couple of days before the stock is exhausted. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Manpower shortage hits Pirojpur livestock dept n Our Correspondent, Pirojpur People in rural Pirojpur are unable to take care of their cattle because there is a lack of medication and vaccination facilities as a result of the livestock offices in the district being affected by a multitude of problems, including manpower shortage.

Local sources said most of the livestock offices at all of the six upazilas in the district are ill equipped with inadequate staff and medicine.

People in the villages assert that if they are not provided with sufficient vaccination for their livestock, an epidemic might break out among the poultry, cattle and other animals.

According to livestock office sources, a total of 30 posts have been vacant

at different livestock offices in the district which is responsible for the adverse effect on their services.

Official sources said the posts of additional livestock officer, office assistant and night guard at different livestock offices have been vacant for ages.

Last year, district Livestock Department could not achieve their target because of difficulties.

Only 93,000 dairy animals were vaccinated against the target of 253,000 last year.

Also, only 2.9 million poultry birds were vaccinated against the target of 8.25 million, the Livestock Department sources said.

Abul Basar, a resident of Indurkani village under Zia Nagar upazila in Pirojpur, fears that his three cattle might

have contracted a disease as he could not to vaccinate them last year.

He said when his cattle fell ill, he took them to Pirojpur district town as he could not get any support from Zia Nagar livestock office.

“When I went to their office, the officer advised me to go to the district town saying that they do not have the medicine.

Mohammad Masudur Rahman, office assistant of Pirojpur Livestock Department, said there were 409,999 cows, 9,604 buffalos, 96,535 goats and 2,525 sheep in the district.

He said a livestock office at each upazila should have one livestock officer, one veterinary officer, and a livestock assistant, a veterinary compounder, one office assistant, but in

reality it is different.

He claims that if necessary measures are not taken immediately to fill the vacant posts and supply medicine, an epidemic will break out among the poultry, cattle and other.

No livestock office in six upazilas except Bhandaria and Mothbaria have a livestock officer while Swarupkati, Nazirpur and Mothbaria livestock offices only have veterinary surgeons.

The post of livestock assistant officer have also been vacant, but there is no initiative to fulfil the posts, sources said.

Julfikar Ali Khan, veterinary field assistant at Pirojpur Sadar upazila, said there were seven unions under the upazila. But there were only three veterinary field assistants to cover the vast area.

“As a result we could not provide satisfactory services to our clients,” he said.

Moreover, there is no refrigerator at the livestock office where medicine and vaccines could be persevered properly, he added.

District Livestock Officer Dr Abdul Jabbar Sikdar said they are unable to provide proper services to people as they are faced with many problems such as manpower and medicine shortages.

AKM Shamimul Siddik, deputy commissioner, told the Dhaka Tribune that as cattle is the main income sources for the people in the southern region they would try their best to recruit more staff to ease sufferings of people there. l

11 BNP, Jamaat men sent to jail n Our Correspondent, Habiganj Habiganj Juba Dal Organising Secretary Jalal Ahmed and Chhatra Shibir President Khalilur Rahman were denied bail in an explosives case yesterday and sent to jail.

Habiganj Municipality Juba Dal General Secretary Shafikur Rahman, Organising Secretary Morshed Alam Sujon, Jamaat activist Amjad Hossain Moni, Krishakdal General Secretary Shafikur Alam, Chhatra Dal activists Mahbubur Rahman, Rabiul Alam, Habibur Rahman Pappu, Shipon and Mamunur Rashid Mamun were also sent to jail.

Local people form a human chain in Jamalpur district town yesterday, demanding measures to establish a medical college hospital in Bypass area DHAKA TRIBUNE

BGB-smuggler clash leaves 15 injured Correspondent, n Our Jessore

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh and smugglers engaged in a clash over the recovery of bottles of phensidyl, which left at least 15 injured, including BGB personnel, at Muchipara of Baroanchra under Benapole port police station on Monday.

The smugglers entered Bangladesh via the border with sacks containing bottles of phensidyl and abandoned the drugs when the BGB chased them.

When BGB men were returning to their post with the confiscated drugs, the smugglers ambushed them and began a fight which left 15 injured. The BGB personnel later raided nearby villages and nabbed three of the smugglers.

Jessore 26 BGB Lt. Colonel Matiur Rahman said: “A case has been filed against a number of people, among whom 25 have been identified.” l

Mother kills her son Correspondent, n Our Jessore A mother allegedly killed her son at Biswaspara under Chaugachha upazila in Jessore on Monday.

Police said Nargis Begum, the mother cried out after strangulating her one and a half month old child, Nafis Hasan, in absence of her husband at night, in order to establish that her son had died naturally.

Suspicious locals informed the police about the incident and the police recovered the body and sent it to Jessore Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.

The police arrested the mother. Akram Hossain, officer-in-charge of Chaugachha police station said Nargis Begum had confessed to the police that she had killed her son. l

According to the police, on October 30, some people participating in a procession vandalised quite a number of shops and bombed the Chowdhury Bazar area in the district town with cocktails.

The next day, Sadar police filed a case under the Speedy Trial Tribunal Act against more than 50 Juba Dal, Chhatra Dal and Shibir leaders and activists and the abovementioned accused went on the run.

They surrendered to the court of District and Sessions Judge Md Mahbubul Alam and sought bail from him, but the court denied the request and sentenced them to jail. l

Section 144 imposed on Satkhira bus terminal

n Our Correspondent, Satkhira

Local administration imposed Section 144, which prohibits the meeting of five or more persons, on the Central Bus Terminal in Satkhira Sadar upazila yesterday.

The prohibition order was placed because of a clash between two groups of Awami League who were fighting for control of the terminal on Monday afternoon. Three people were injured in the fight.

Confirming this, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Asaduzzaman said they had imposed the order to maintain law and order.

“The situation is now calm here,” said Enamul Haq, officer-in-charge at Satkhira Sadar police station. l

Schoolgirl yet to be rescued

n Our Correspondent, Bandarban A schoolgirl who was abducted 20 days ago from Alikadam upazila of Bandarban district has not been rescued yet.

The victim, Sabina Yasmin, 14, is the daughter of Saber Miah. She is a student of Class VII of Ali Kadam Moitree Junior High School. Monowara Begum, the victim’s mother, said Momena Sultana Bebi, Sabina’s maternal aunt, had gone to a physician with Sabina on May 7. Sabina has remained missing since that day.

Monowara alleged that Bebi had abducted Sabina. She added that Bebi had a connection with human traffickers and might have handed her daughter over to them. Later, she filed a case accusing Bebi of abduction. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Interview

7

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

BHL in Dhaka Bernard-Henri Lévy visited Bangladesh for two days in April to launch the translation of his 1973 book on Bangladesh and open the Malraux Garden at the University of Dhaka, in honour of the famed former French Minister who had made the call for solidarity which brought him to the country in 1971

Experiences in Bangladesh liberation Living in Gulshan, working for the Bangladesh government as a 22 year old, had you ever imagined such a thing?

In a sense, yes.

In France?

Yes. We have, in France, a real tradition of what Jean Paul Sartre, in the foreword of a book of his friend Roger Stéphane, called l’aventurier.

Lawrence of Arabia, Byron, Andre Malraux. And for me, l’aventurier was a very honourable destiny. To write and to act … To live your life far from yourself, far from you bases ... To change yourself deeply … All these were real targets for me. Life is worth being lived if one takes the risk and the chance of being different than himself.

To break the ropes which tie you to your place. To break the rules of your natural group. To convert yourself into something else. To change your soul.

And not to do what you were formatted, shaped to do.

I was shaped to be a professor, I was shaped to be just a writer. And then, Bangladesh happened.

Moreover, you know … mass murder, slaughter, is often an abstract thing. But when you happen to see it directly, to be a witness of it, it’s something quite different, you cannot just play games. It changes you deeply.

And you are compelled to do something. The last weeks of 71, November to mid December, were among the most moving, disturbing and terrible I have experienced in my whole life.

I saw things I should not have seen. I saw things a man should not see. But I saw them.

You were travelling with Mukti Bahini?

I was in Jessore. Then between Jessore and Khulna. And then, came into Dacca. It’s very difficult if you have a soul and a heart, which we all have, and say: “I go back to Paris, I pass my next exam and I write a love novel.”

So you decided to stay?

I felt compelled to stay.

Bernard Henri Lévy, or as he is more popularly known, BHL

B

n Niaz Alam

ernard-Henri Lévy is France’s most celebrated public intellectual. A renowned philosopher, he has authored many books over the years. Popularly known as BHL, he is as well known for his activism and celebrity, as for his academic work.

Born into a wealthy French family in Algeria in1948, he studied philosophy at the elite École Normale Supérieure in the late 1960s. He is best known internationally for his activism in the 1990s calling for help to Bosnia when it was under attack from ethnic cleansing, and for his 2003 investigative book on the murder in Pakistan of the American journalist, Daniel Pearl.

Far less widely known however is that he answered the late Andre Malraux’s call for an international brigade to support the Bangladesh liberation struggle in 1971.

Uniquely among his contingent of 100 volunteers who travelled to Kolkata during the war, he made it across the border with the Mukti Bahini.

More interestingly still, after liberation he worked as a civil servant for the Bangladesh Ministry of Economy and Planning and got to know Sheikh Mujib personally.

His experiences during this time became the subject of his very first book published in 1973, Bangla-Desh, Nationalisme dans la révolution – also known as Les Indes Rouges (Bangladesh, Nationalism in the Revolution).

Surprisingly, given his fame, until this year, this was the only book of his never to have been translated from French. Thanks to the efforts of Professor Kaiser Haq and the director of Alliance Francaise Dhaka, Oliver Litvine, a Bangla translation of BHL’s book by Shishir Battacharja was published last month.

BHL visited Bangladesh for two

days in April to launch the translation and open the Malraux Garden at the University of Dhaka, in honour of the famed former French Minister who had made the call for solidarity which brought him to the country in 1971.

It was BHL’s first return to the country since 1972 and he was on a tight schedule. Generously, he gave Dhaka Tribune an interview late at night at his hotel, edited extracts from which are printed today.

Despite being tired, he spoke in detail on a wide range of subjects.

Referring to the Rana Plaza disaster, whose anniversary had just passed, he commented: “Globalisation is what it is. The worst would be to be out of it – that would be the end of the game for Bangladesh. But in the game, you have the possibility of a rapport de force – relationship of force – bargaining power. Bangladesh has some cards. I know how the luxury industry thinks in France and Europe ... There is (not so much) risk of another country taking Bangladesh’s business.”

He was adamant that the idealism of his youth and the “spirit of 1968” had not diminished, declaring: “I am still absolutely concerned and obsessed by, the political fate, destiny of my fellow humans.”

This is certainly reflected in his many travels to war zones over the years and his role in seeking to influence French policy on issues such as Libya and Mali.

As his role in 1971 would suggest, BHL at heart supports the theory of just wars and interventions. This is not out of any political naivety, but because of his belief in justice. He is scathing for instance about what he saw as the lukewarm international support for Bangladeshi independence, even from supporters such as India and Russia.

Commenting on India’s role in 1971, he states: “For Indira Gandhi, the real purpose was the third Indo-Pak war

WIKIMEDIA

‘I confess I was a Marxist. A Maoist. A follower of Lenin, etc.

Bangladesh got me out of that nightmare.

It schooled me.

Bangladesh made me what I am today’

and she won it.”

Remarking on his opposition to the Iraq war, which he publicly debated with his friend Christopher Hitchens, he describes the famously atheist Hitchens as “messianic” in his support for the US led intervention.

Most of all though, what shines through the interview is his passionate belief in the importance to his life and work of the ideals of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Reflecting on his sadness that his first book had not been translated wider, he noted: “It says a lot about the way the world looks at Bangladesh. Not as a key problem. Not as the beginning of something.”

BHL leaves no room for doubt about the importance of 1971 to his worldview. As he told his audience at Alliance Francaise before the interview: “I confess I was a Marxist. A Maoist. A follower of Lenin etc. Bangladesh got me out of that nightmare.

It schooled me. Bangladesh made me what I am today.”

When did you meet Mujib?

I first met him in the beginning of January. The idea was to write a profile of him. Afterwards I went away from Bangladesh for two weeks and then I came back. I was deeply impressed by the man, by his charisma, by his nobility. I entitled one of my book, 40 years later, “Doing war without liking it.’’

This is what I felt in Mujibur Rahman.

This is a sentence of Andre Malraux by the way. Andre Malraux once said: “The men or women I admire most in the world are those who are able to do war, and do it well, and to win it, despite a deep disgust. Mujibur Rahman was that man. So, when I saw him again, I told him: “Of course I can make a profile of you; but I want to do more than that; I have done a few studies in my country, on politics, economics etc; I am ready to help.”

And the story goes on in the book.

Arif Jamal wrote an article about your being asked to leave because you did an interview during the war, Is it as simple as that? [BHL was referring to Arif Jamal’s article which claims suspicion of BHL’s journalistic activities during the war, notably interviewing a Naxalite leader in Chittagong, underlying the government’s decision to ask him to leave the country in June 1972.]

This is what the article says. Maybe he has elements I don’t have. I don’t know, I would not endorse myself this theory.

Were you surprised at being asked to leave?

Yes. But it was not so harsh as it appears. Maybe it was time to leave.

Maybe there were other reasons that had to do with my job. Anyway, by then, I knew it was time to go.

Did you have any insight into the complex politics and infighting of the time from 1972 up to Mujib’s assassination?

No. When this happened, I was completely distressed. I was in the South of France. I wished I could come to the funeral. But everything happened very quickly.

Bosnia Fast forwarding to Bosnia, did you

feel/see any connection with Malraux’s call in 1971?

Yes, of course.

Why was the left divided over Bosnia?

The left was divided because the very idea of Europe or, even worse, America intervening in the third world, or on the borders of Europe, was, for some, unbearable. They had the idea that Serbia which was torturing Bosnia, was a little country. And as a little country, Serbia was a sort of victim.

Yes, for some on the left, if you have America, Europe, NATO, on one side, you are on the bad side.

How do you feel about Bosnia ending up cantonised?

So sad, and stupid. When the West finally intervened, they did not do it in the proper way. They did it in order to ensure nobody wins. The plan of Europe and maybe America was that in Bosnia nobody should win.

Do you go back much?

Yes, often. I just wrote a theatre play which will be created in Paris next September, about the question of Europe and the premiere will be in Sarajevo next June 27. This play is like a wake-up call for Europe. It’s very important for me, that the premiere is arranged in Sarajevo.

So you are not so gloomy?

Europe did its best to sabotage Bosnia, that’s true, but they did not succeed.

It’s complicated, you have nationalist parties, ethnic divides, but these are not the mainstream.

Iraq and Libya You debated Iraq with Christopher Hitchens. You two would have probably had many similar views on foreign policy?

Yes, except on Iraq. Hitchens was a friend. We had the same target, which was democracy. But we did not have the same strategy. Christopher Hitchens practised a sort of democratic messianism. He was as messianic for democracy has (he/some) had been for revolution. It’s not my way of thinking.

Iraq and Libya: differences?

In Libya, there were three reasons to intervene. Number one: there was an imminent massacre on Benghazi.

Hadn’t Saddam Hussein killed a lot more people than Gaddafi?

Yes. But, in Benghazi, there was an imminent threat, documented, announced. I shot a movie documentary where you can see the tanks that were stopped by planes of Nato. They are on the edge of the city. Number two – everything had been tried; negotiating with Gaddafi for example; no solution was left. Number Three: on the ground there was a civil society which demanded, prayed, begged for that.

It was not just us calling for intervention. So, it was my role to support that.

With President Sarkozy?

Especially Sarkozy yes.

Were you surprised by the British turnaround on Libya?

Yes. But big history is sometimes made by little causes and this was the case. Sarkozy had so much energy that he was able to persuade Cameron. But also with the UN resolution and getting a mandate. It should not have passed normally. But Sarkozy displayed such an energy that finally it passed. Of course it was a surprise that Cameron came on board.

On Africa Mali – Thoughts?

I think France in Africa today in Mali and in CAR is exemplary. Exemplary policy. I don’t say that often about my country, but I do say it about Mali. I am very serious, for example, about France’s responsibility in genocide in Rwanda. We behaved terribly. France bears some of the responsibility. But in Mali, France has done exactly what had to be done – in a responsible way, cautiously, avoiding causalities, not mistaking the enemy, not showing the least neocolonialist ambition.

And what about nihilist AQ inspired terror as in Nigeria?

You can stop it. You cannot eradicate it, but you can contain it. Muslim

world no doubt has to be very strong.

People need to say that radicalism, terrorism, etc, are crimes. I think you should have more mullahs saying it – not for me to say.

Bangladesh today Returning to your talk today at Alliance Francaise, you highlighted the four principles of the Bangladesh constitution (Nationalism, Socialism, Democracy, Secularism). Do you think they are practised here?

Principles are never practised perfectly. In America, the American creed is not practised in the jails of Nevada or in Guantanamo. In France, under Vichy, the French creed was nearly dead.

Components of the French creed were still living in London and underground in the bushes. But in Vichy it was dead. Why do I say this? In order to make it clear that, between creed and reality, there is always a gap. The real question is to know if the gap is big or not. In Bangladesh, today, the gap is not so big. All four of the components are well alive, as far as I know. A few years ago,when there were moves against secularism, many voices raised and protested and did advocate for secularism. The four components are still living, still vibrant. So … secularism, if you ask me to bet … I am absolutely convinced that, at the end of the day, the secularists will win. It seems impossible to me that this country can ever accept the stupid rules of those who cage the women, hide their faces and impose regulations of steel. Bangladesh will never walk in that way. Except if you have a military coup associated with Jamaat. But willingly, no! The battle will be won by the secularists – I’m sure.

Have you followed the war crime trials/David Bergman’s blog?

I know of them, I have not followed.

I think there is always a compromise between making a clear history and making life liveable. Every resistance which wins makes some compromises.

De Gaulle did not send to jail in France all the collaborators of Petain. He was very severe with some not with others.

There is a balance. Probably Mujib was too conciliatory. Like in other countries in Eastern Europe after 1989.

What did you think about the sending back of the Pakistani generals?

Mujib had to deal with Pakistan. He won the war, with help of India of course. But he had to deal with the former enemy. When Allies won WW2, they made compromises too.

Reflecting on your own call for the history of 1971 to be told and become better known, isn’t it said that the victors get to write the history?

Number one, Mujib was probably too kind, too sweet. Number two, maybe he did not have time. Who knows what would have happened if time had been given to him? And, number three, Bangladesh was left alone, on this issue of war crimes … You cannot if you are a little country, afford to go it alone. Bangladesh was a new country.

So it was a weak country by definition.

It was also a poor country. A little less today. But, at that time, it was very poor. It was difficult, in these conditions, to deal with these questions of guilt, collaboration and so on.

Another point. Bangladesh, even now, is a very fragile country. The problems of water for example. They are in the consciousness of every Bangladeshi citizen. Like in Venice, you are at the mercy of a few metres of water. It is very rare: one country facing a real threat of disappearing. When you are so weak, so precarious, you cannot deal with such big issues alone.

So you have to compromise. The fact is, after victory everyone turned their back. Even India. Even Indira Gandhi, and India, did not give a shit about Bangladesh. For Indira Gandhi, the real purpose was the third Indo-Pak war and she won it.

She was not so concerned about having a new country, Bangladesh. I do not think so. That is also, I think, why she was not so clear about the Malraux call for an International Brigade.Soviet Union was Soviet Union, it acted with complete cynicism. And, in the West, no real support either. So let’s not forget Bangladeshi freedom fighters had to fight alone. With bare hands in the fight. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Over 50 rebels killed in biggest Ukraine assault n Reuters, Donetsk More than 50 pro-Russian rebels were killed in an unprecedented assault by Ukrainian government forces, which raged into a second day yesterday after a newly-elected president vowed to crush the revolt in the east once and for all.

Reuters journalists counted 20 bodies in combat fatigues in one room of a city morgue in Donetsk. Some of the bodies were missing limbs, sign that the government had brought to bear overwhelming firepower against the rebels for the first time.

“From our side, there are more than 50 (dead),” the prime minister of the rebels’ self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Borodai, told Reuters at the hospital.

The government said it suffered no losses in the assault, which began with air strikes hours after Ukrainians overwhelmingly voted to elect a 48-year-old billionaire confectionary magnate Petro Poroshenko as their new president.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has declared Moscow’s right to intervene to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine, demanded an immediate halt to the offensive. Moscow also said it would not consider a visit by Poroshenko for any talks.

Until now, Ukrainian forces have largely avoided direct assaults on the

Nigeria: Missing schoolgirls located n Agencies Nigeria’s military has located nearly 300 school girls abducted by Boko Haram almost seven weeks ago, the country’s chief of defence said.

Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, said on Monday that any potential armed rescue operation was fraught with danger as the 223 girls still held hostage could be caught in the crossfire.

Boko Haram fighters kidnapped 276 girls from the remote northeastern town of Chibok on April 14, leading to global outrage.

“The good news for the girls is that we know where they are but we cannot tell you,” Badeh told reporters in the capital Abuja, as the hostage crisis entered its seventh week. “We can’t go and kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back.”

Nigeria’s government and military have been sharply criticised for their slow response to the mass abduction. l

A pro-Russian fighter takes position behind a car as a truck full of pro-Russian fighters heads towards the battle during clashes against Ukrainian forces near the airport in Donetsk AFP separatists, in part out of what they say is fear of precipitating an invasion by tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the border.

But the government in Kiev appears

to have interpreted Poroshenko’s big election victory - he won more than 54 percent of the vote in a field of 21 candidates, against 13 percent for his closest challenger - as a mandate for decisive

Palestinians to unveil unity government by Thursday n AFP, Gaza City

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is to unveil a unity government by Thursday, ending seven years of rival administrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, an official said.

“We have finished consultations on the national consensus government,” Azzam al-Ahmed, an envoy from Abbas’s Fatah movement, told AFP Tuesday after talks in Gaza with its Hamas rulers. “The announcement will come from the president in the next two days.”

The Palestine Liberation Organisation, which is dominated by Fatah, signed a surprise reconciliation deal with Hamas on April 23, giving the two sides five weeks to draw up an “independent government” of technocrats headed by Abbas.

Prime minister Rami Hamdallah of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority is to head the new government, an official said Thursday.

Hamas, which has its own Gaza prime minister, Ismail Haniya, saying it had “no objection” to the decision.

Agreement on a unity government would pave the way for long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections. Hamas won a landslide victory in the last parliamentary polls, in 2006.

But the European Union and the United States have refused to have any dealings with the Islamist movement until it renounces violence and recognises Israel and past peace deals.

Representatives of the rival factions have held several rounds of talks to heal the bad blood since Hamas expelled Fatah from Gaza in deadly clashes in 2007.

The two sides signed reconciliation deals in Cairo in 2011 and Doha in 2012, but neither accord was implemented.

Hamas enjoyed Egypt’s support under president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, but has been under unprecedented pressure from Cairo since the army ousted Morsi in July. l

action.

After rebels seized the Donetsk airport on Monday, Ukrainian warplanes and helicopters strafed them from the air and paratroopers were flown in as

part of the assault.

Shooting carried on through the night and on Tuesday the road to the airport bore signs of fighting. Heavy machinegun fire could be heard in the distance in mid-morning.

On the highway to the airport, a truck - the kind that rebels have used to ferry dozens of fighters across the region - had been obliterated by machinegun fire. Blood was sprayed across the road and splattered as far away as a billboard seven meters above.

“The airport is completely under control,” Interior Minister Arsen Avakov told journalists in the capital Kiev.

“The adversary suffered heavy losses.

We have no losses,” he added.

“We’ll continue the anti-terrorist operation until not a single terrorist remains on the territory of Ukraine,” First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Yarema said on the margins of a government meeting.

Borodai, the rebel prime minister, also said the airport was now under government control. A hockey stadium in the city had been set ablaze, but the fire was put out.

The battle marks the first time the government has unleashed the full lethal force of its aircraft and ground troops directly at the Donetsk rebels, a group of local volunteers and shadowy outsiders led by a Muscovite that Kiev and Western countries say is a Russian military intelligence agent. l

Ukraine PM rejects direct talks with Russia n AFP, Kiev Ukraine’s premier said yesterday that Kiev did not trust Russia enough to open direct negotiations aimed at ending a deadly insurgency in the separatist east of the ex-Soviet country.

“In current conditions, bilateral negotiations without the presence of the United States and the European Union are impossible,” Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a cabinet meeting a day after pro-Western billionaire Petro Poroshenko was confirmed as the winner of Ukraine’s presidential election.

“If you sit down at the table with them alone, they will definitely cheat you,” Yatsenyuk said in televised remarks.

Poroshenko had said on Monday that he would welcome a chance to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and that such talks could be arrange by the middle of next month.

Yatsenyuk became prime minister following the February ouster in Kiev of a Russian-backed president and his leadership has never been recognised as legitimate by Moscow.

The two neighbours held talks under EU and US mediation in Geneva in April that produced an agreement to try to end the rebellion but whose terms were broken by both Russia and Ukraine within days. l

Iran court summons Facebook CEO over privacy violation n Reuters, Dubai

A conservative Iranian court opened a case against instant messaging services WhatsApp and Instagram while also summoning Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over complaints of privacy violation, state news agency ISNA reported yesterday.

The case underscores the growing struggle between moderate Iranian president Hassan Rouhani’s drive to increase internet freedom and demands by the conservative judiciary for tighter controls.

The Iranian court in the southern province of Fars opened the cases against the social networks after citizens complained of breaches of privacy.

“According to the court’s ruling, the Zionist director of the company of Facebook, or his official attorney must appear in court to defend himself and pay for possible losses,” said Ruhollah Momen-Nasab, an Iranian

internet official, according to state news agency ISNA, referring to Zuckerberg’s Jewish background.

Zuckerberg, whose company owns

WhatsApp and Instagram, is unlikely to heed the summons.

Iran is still under international sanctions over its disputed nuclear activities and it is difficult for US citizens to secure travel visas, even if they want to visit.

Internet use is high in Iran, partly because many young Iranians turn to it to bypass an official ban on Western cultural products, and Tehran occasionally filters popular websites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Rouhani, in remarks that challenge hardliners who have stepped up measures to censor the web, said earlier this month that Iran should embrace the internet rather than see it as a threat.

A Rouhani administration official said Iran would loosen internet censorship by introducing “smart filtering”, which only keeps out sites the Islamic government considers immoral. l

El-Sissi backers scold Egyptians to vote n AP, Cairo

The government and media harangued voters to go to the polls yesterday in the second and final day of Egypt’s presidential election, worried that turnout was weaker than expected in a vote in which the front-runner, former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, is trying to garner an overwhelming show of support.

There were no official figures on turnout in the previous day’s voting.

But monitoring groups said Monday saw moderate in some places and often thin or non-existent in other areas, particularly where Islamists — el-Sissi’s top opponents — dominate.

El-Sissi, who removed Egypt’s first freely elected president last year, is poised for an almost certain victory. His only rival in the race is left-wing politician Hamdeen Sabahi, who finished third in the 2012 presidential vote but is

Cameron to EU leaders: Don’t be railroaded by EU Parliament n Reuters, London British Prime Minister David Cameron warned fellow European Union leaders yesterday not to be “railroaded” by the European Parliament into choosing a candidate to head up the next European Commission.

In a series of phone calls to leaders ahead of a summit in Brussels later on Tuesday, Cameron stressed they should choose who they want rather than be strong-armed into selecting a candidate backed by the European Parliament.

“We need to follow the correct procedure for that, which is that the European Council has the right to nominate, that we shouldn’t be railroaded by the parliament,” a spokeswoman for Cameron said, referring to the body which groups EU leaders.

Cameron conveyed the message in phone calls on Monday and Tuesday to 10

EU leaders. He also spoke with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

Under EU rules, leaders nominate a candidate for the top job, which has sweeping legislative powers, “taking into account” elections to the European Parliament. Whoever they choose must be approved by a simple majority in parliament.

But Cameron is concerned that one of the leading candidates is arguing that EU leaders should choose him based on the outcome of the European elections.

Cameron wants leaders to first identify reform priorities and to then pick someone suitable, his spokeswoman said.

Cameron sees the candidate, former Luxembourg Prime Minister JeanClaude Juncker, as too federalist and likely to damage his hopes of reforming Britain’s EU ties. Juncker has been chosen by the EU’s main centre-right political group, the European People’s Party, to be their candidate for the top job. l

not believed capable of taking more than a symbolic amount of votes from the retired field marshal.

In strongholds of the Brotherhood, which has dominated all other elections since Mubarak’s ouster, the polls were virtually deserted But the 59-year-old el-Sissi and his supporters have been counting on a large turnout to send a message to the West — as well as his domestic opponents, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood — that his removal of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was not a coup but a popular revolution, similar to the

2011 uprising that ended autocrat Hosni Mubarak’s almost 30-year-long rule.

For the past 10 months, el-Sissi has had near unanimous support from Egypt’s government and private TV networks, newspapers and radio, which have been lauding him as the nation’s savior and presenting him as the only one able to lead Egypt. They have praised authorities’ fierce crackdown on Morsi’s followers, which has killed hundreds, as part of what they called the war on terrorism.

After the impression that Monday’s voting was thin, many of the news channels’ numerous political talk shows were furiously berating people who hadn’t voted. “By sitting at home, they are wasting what we have accomplished the past year ... our war on terrorism,” Hayat el-Dardiri, host of a talk show on the pro-military Faraeen TV, said on her Monday evening broadcast.

Northern hemisphere hits carbon dioxide milestone in April n Reuters, Geneva

Carbon dioxide levels throughout the northern hemisphere hit 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history in April, an ominous threshold for climate change, the World Meteorological Organization said.

The 400 ppm level in the atmosphere, up 40 percent since wide use of fossil fuels began with the Industrial Revolution, is rapidly spreading southwards. First recorded in 2012 in the Arctic, it has since become the norm for the Arctic spring.

The WMO expects the global annual average carbon dioxide concentration to be above 400 ppm in 2015 or 2016.

Rising concentrations of the heat-trapping gas raise risks of more heatwaves, droughts and rising sea levels.

“Time is running out,” WMO Secre-

tary-General Michel Jarraud said in a statement.

“This should serve as yet another wake-up call about the constantly rising levels of greenhouse gases which are driving climate change. If we are to preserve our planet for future generations, we need urgent action to curb new emissions of these heat-trapping gases.”

Almost 200 governments have agreed to work out a deal by the end of 2015 to slow climate change as part of efforts to limit the average temperature increase to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.

Temperatures have already risen about 0.8C (1.4F).

In April, the UN’s panel of climate experts said that greenhouse gas concentrations, led by carbon dioxide,

would have to be kept below 450 ppm to give a good chance of achieving the 2C goal.

The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is seasonal, since plants absorb more in the summer months, causing a peak in the spring. The northern hemisphere, with more human-related sources of the gas, has a more pronounced seasonal cycle.

Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. It is emitted by fossil-fueled vehicles and coal-fired factories and power plants as well as by natural activities such as breathing.

During the last 800,000 years, the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide fluctuated between 180 ppm and 280 ppm, and has probably not been above 400 ppm for millions of years, scientists say. l

She pointed to Monday’s images of dancing and singing by el-Sissi supporters who did turn out at the polls and chided those who didn’t.

One voter called in to private TV station Sada el-Balad, weeping as she said there not enough people at her polling station. “I am going to die,” the caller said. “Does this respectable man (el-Sissi) deserve this from us?”

On Tuesday, many TVs were showing empty polling stations. Egypt’s deep divisions were on full display Monday, the first day of voting. At some Cairo polling stations, lines of el-Sissi supporters waved Egyptian flags and wore clothes in the national red-white-and-black colors. Men and women danced to pro-military pop songs.

However, in strongholds of the Brotherhood — which has dominated all other elections since Mubarak’s ouster — the polls were virtually deserted. l

Iraq attacks kill 27 n AFP, baghdad

A wave of attacks in Iraq, including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad, killed 27 people yesterday, the latest in a protracted surge in bloodshed. In the deadliest attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to a Shiite mosque in central Baghdad’s Shorja neighbourhood as worshippers were performing ablutions ahead of mid-day prayers.

At least 19 people were killed and 34 wounded in the blast at the Abu al-Timan Husseiniyah, near the headquarters of the Baghdad mayoralty, security and medical officials said.

Security forces barred journalists from taking photographs or videos of the aftermath of the scene, a common occurrence in the wake of deadly violence in the capital.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Sunni militants often target Iraq’s Shiite majority, whom they regard as apostates. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

9

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Thai troops swoop on former minister n AFP, Bangkok

Thai soldiers swooped to detain a fugitive former cabinet minister yesterday after he emerged from hiding to become the first member of the ousted government to publicly denounce a military coup.

In dramatic scenes played out in front of stunned journalists, Chaturon Chaisang, education minister in a government ousted by the army last week, was marched out of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand by troops.

The veteran politician was holding a press conference in defiance of an order for him to report to the junta.

He decried the coup-makers as inexperienced, warning of burgeoning resistance to the power grab as well as the potential for the army to “be more cruel than you might expect”.

Analysts say the junta’s move to detain scores of political figures from across the kingdom’s bitter divide is aimed at quelling potential opposition to the May 22 coup.

Despite warnings by the top general of a widening crackdown on dissent, protesters have been gathering in small but vehement rallies in Bangkok.

They pose a direct challenge to a ban on political assemblies -- under martial law -- which is backed by sweeping curbs on the media and an overnight curfew.

An army spokesman said former premier Yingluck Shinawatra had been released by the military and allowed to

return home, the first official confirmation of her whereabouts since she was detained last week after reporting to the junta.

Yingluck, who was removed from office by a controversial May 7 court ruling, signed an agreement to report her movements to the military, Colonel Winthai Suvaree told reporters.

‘Coup no solution’

Chaturon was among the first batch of people summoned by the military in the hours after it took power, citing the need to restore peace and order to the kingdom following months of sometimes violent protests against Yingluck’s government.

He refused to report to the authorities, telling a packed press conference Tuesday that he wanted to show his opposition to the coup -- the latest in a string of 19 actual or attempted army takeovers in the kingdom’s modern history.

“The coup is not a solution to problems of conflict in Thailand,” he told reporters, cautioning “from now on there will be more and more resistance”.

Army spokesman Winthai said the ex-minister’s case will now be handled by a military court. The junta has said that those who defy its order to hand themselves in face up to two years in prison and a 40,000 baht ($1,225) fine.

Thailand has been unable to heal a festering political rupture since 2006 when Yingluck’s brother Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted by another military coup. l

Anti-coup protesters take part in a gathering at the Victory Monument in Bangkok yesterday. From teachers and tour guides to financial consultants, a small band of anti-coup protesters from a spectrum of Thailand’s divided society is taking to the streets to defy the kingdom’s new junta AFP

Delhi court Myanmar In landmark talks, Modi and Sharif focus on terror orders Kejriwal’s n Agencies mulls religious release from jail conversion curbs n

Agencies

The Delhi high court yesterday ordered Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s release from Tihar jail. The court accepted the bail bond of Arvind Kejriwal filed by his advocate in a criminal defamation complaint.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kejriwal agreed to furnish personal bond to get bail in the criminal defamation complaint filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.

The former Delhi chief minister, who has been lodged in Tihar jail, accepted to do so on the suggestion of Delhi high court earlier in the day.

Kejriwal’s lawyer told HC that a personal bond of Rs 10,000 has already been signed and filed before magistrate.

During the proceedings, the bench suggested that Kejriwal should furnish bail bond and challenge the magisterial orders once he comes out of jail. It also questioned how a habeas corpus, filed on behalf of Kejriwal, applies against a judicial order.

A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or detainee before the court to determine if the person’s imprisonment or detention is lawful. Kejriwal’s counsel argued that his detention is “totally illegal” as only a person in custody is required to furnish bail bond. l

India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised a broad swathe of vexed bilateral issues with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif yesterday, adopting an unexpectedly tough line in a swiftly arranged détente aimed at rejuvenating frosty ties, the Hindustan Times reported.

Held in the backdrop of rare bonhomie over Modi’s invitation to Sharif to attend his inauguration, the two leaders appeared to stand their ground over core issues that bedevil relations but more willing to be flexible to push forward a slow-moving peace process.

Both sides described the meeting as “constructive” and “cordial”, saying their foreign secretaries will meet soon to decide how best to take things forward.

Reading from a prepared statement, Sharif said it was possible to turn a new page in bilateral relations given that both prime ministers were in office with clear mandates.

“I urge that we should change from confrontation to cooperation and not engage in accusations and counter-accusations,” Sharif said.

“My government stands ready to discuss all issues. We owe it to our people to overcome the legacy of mistrust.”

Modi surprised many when he invited South Asian leaders, including Sharif, to his inauguration this week, an unprecedented gesture that analysts said was aimed at building strong ties

India’s newly sworn-in Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as they shake hands during a meeting in New Delhi yesterday AFP with neighbours.

While the move triggered a sense of rare bonhomie and hopes that the two sides would push to resolve their long standing disputes, Tuesday’s meeting saw India raise its core concerns, including its unhappiness with the slow progress in the 2008 Mumbai attack trial in Pakistan as well as border ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.

India’s Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh told a press conference that she and her Pakistani counterpart will be in

touch to see how best to take the ties forward.

“PM (Modi) underlined our concerns related to terrorism,” Singh said, adding that New Delhi expected speedy trials into the 2008 Mumbai attacks and for Pakistan to “abide by its commitment to prevent its territory and territory it controls being used to stage terror attacks on India.”

Singh said the possibility of full trade normalisation was also discussed.

The talks, also attended by top ad-

Malaysia releases satellite data on MH370 n AFP, Luala lumpur Malaysia yesterday released raw satellite data used to determine that missing Flight MH370 went down in the southern Indian Ocean, information demanded by passengers’ relatives who are frustrated over the failure to find any wreckage.

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) said it had worked with Inmarsat to provide 47 pages of data communication logs recorded by the British satellite operator, as well as explanatory notes for public consumption.

Analysts said it would take time to draw any conclusions from the raw, highly technical data.

The families of the 239 passengers and crew on board the Malaysia Airlines plane had called for the information to be made public after a massive and costly search for the flight, which mysteriously diverted from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing route 11 weeks ago, found nothing.

Officials, relying in part on the Inmarsat data, have said they believe the plane ended up over the southern Indian Ocean where it crashed into the sea, possibly after running out of fuel.

The numerical data used the Doppler effect -- the change in frequency of waves from a moving object -- to decipher the Boeing 777’s final flight path.

Inmarsat’s interpretation of the data was subsequently verified by the international investigation team, which includes the DCA

and the air safety boards of Britain, China and the United States.

But, with no sign of the plane found since its disappearance on March 8, relatives and friends are sceptical.

“The first thing we’re going to expect feedback on is does the data look right,” Sarah Bajc, whose partner Philip Wood was on the missing jet, told CNN. “Is it as complete as we’re being led to believe it is?” the American said.

Another flight route?

Bajc and other relatives said in a May 20 report to the governments of Malaysia and Australia, which is coordinating the search effort, that they wanted to know if another flight path had been possible.

“There is no mention on why they are so sure the Inmarsat data is highly accurate and reliable, to the extent that they have thrown all resources there,” the report said.

Malaysian Selamat Umar, whose son Mohamad Khairul Amri was on the ill-fated jetliner, was also critical of the satellite data, which is being released almost two months after the incident.

“I am not convinced at all by the data.

Why are they releasing it now? Before when we asked for it, they did not want to release it. What can we do with it now?”

Malaysian authorities have been tightlipped on details, saying they can only divulge information once it has been verified and when its release will not affect investigations into the plane’s disappearance. l

visers to the leaders, went on for about 50 minutes. Before walking into their meeting held at a sprawling former royal palace in the heart of New Delhi, Sharif, wearing a dark suit and a red tie, and Modi in a brown Nehru jacket posed for the cameras, smiling warmly and locked in a firm handshake.

Over the past year or so, relations between the nuclear-armed rivals have remained in a diplomatic freeze with former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lacking political capital at home to push ties. But a huge election victory this month for Modi has raised hopes that he can reach out to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in a way Singh could not.

“In South Asia, personality and personal relationships have a bigger role to play ... Modi’s warm welcome has put an end to negative voices from here (in Pakistan),” Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s former foreign minister said, analysing Tuesday’s meeting. “Modi has a thumping majority, Nawaz Sharif a simple majority... there is a real chance here to resolve core issues.”

Modi and Sharif appear to have already struck a personal rapport. Hours after the two interacted at Modi’s inauguration, the Indian prime minister tweeted: “Earlier in the evening in my conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif he shared some very emotional things...Nawaz Sharif ji told me that he stays in Islamabad but goes to meet his Mother once in a week. l

n AFP, Yangon

Myanmar is considering restrictions on religious conversion, according to a draft bill released in state media yesterday, the first of several controversial proposals stemming from a rising tide of Buddhist nationalism.

The proposed legislation, put forward by the ministry of religion and yet to be debated in parliament, would require people who want to change their faith to get approval from a specially-created local authority.

“No one shall apply to convert religion with the intention to insult, defame, destroy or misuse any religion,” said the report in the Myanmar-language newspaper The Mirror.

It added that under the proposed law any violation could attract a twoyear prison sentence.

Religion has become a deeply sensitive issue in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where several outbreaks of anti-Muslim violence in the last two years have left around 250 people dead.

A highly controversial plan to impose restrictions on interfaith marriage is also being considered but details have yet to be revealed.

Rights groups have reacted with alarm to the proposed marriage curbs, saying they would threaten religious freedom and women’s rights. l

Vietnam, China trade barbs after Vietnamese boat sinks n Reuters, Hanoi/Beijing Vietnam and China traded accusations yesterday over the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat not far from where China has parked an oil rig in the disputed South China Sea, as tensions fester between the two countries over the giant drilling platform.

Hanoi said some 40 Chinese fishing boats surrounded the Vietnamese craft on Monday before one of them rammed it and it sank. Vietnamese fishing boats operating nearby rescued the 10 fishermen on board, the government and the coastguard said.

China’s official Xinhua news agency, citing a government source, said the vessel capsized after “harassing and colliding with” a Chinese fishing boat.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Vietnam caused the incident with its “insistence on forcefully disrupting China’s normal operations and its dangerous actions on the seas.

“We urge the Vietnamese side once again to immediately stop all disruptive and damaging (activites),” he added.

Scores of Vietnamese and Chinese ships, including coastguard vessels, have continued to square off around the rig despite a series of collisions this month after the platform was towed to the site. Each side has blamed the other over those incidents. Until Monday, no

ship had sunk.

The disputed incident took place around 17 nautical miles from the Haiyang Shiyou 981 rig, which is drilling between the Paracel islands occupied

by China and the Vietnamese coast.

China calls them the Xisha islands.

“A Vietnamese boat from the central city of Da Nang was deliberately encircled by 40 fishing vessels from China before it was attacked by a Chinese ship,” the head of Vietnam’s coastguard, Nguyen Quang Dam, told Reuters by telephone.

Xinhua said: “Crew aboard the boat were saved after their ship jostled a fishing boat from Dongfang City in southern China’s Hainan province and overturned in the waters near China’s Xisha Islands.”

Vietnam has said the rig is in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf. China says it is operating within its waters.

In another area of the sea, to the north, one fisherman was killed and one disappeared when their boat was rammed by a “strange” vessel on Sunday, a Vietnamese official said.

“We haven’t had enough information to say where that strange boat came from. In this sensitive time, of course we think it’s a Chinese boat,” Pham Thi Huong, vice chairman of the Ly Son government, told Reuters by telephone. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Government land for RMG relocations

R

eports to the parliamentary standing committee on the labour ministry indicate around 11,000 workers at 16 factories have lost their jobs so far following government safety inspections.

With inspections continuing by the Accord and Alliance, industry sources privately fear that many more, possibly hundreds, of factories may be found unsafe and forced to close.

The outlook for workers is bleak as factory owners are focusing on retrenchment of jobs in order to pay for the cost of building and safety improvements.

In principle, long-term co-operation between buyers and factory owners may well help bring new investment and better factories offering more secure jobs.

However, this does not change the immediate picture and the government is convening a crisis committee to look at ways of alleviating the unrest which these job cutbacks are expected to create.

While this committee may help bring up the issue of job losses, it does not address the cause of the crisis, only its symptoms.

The government can and should be far more pro-active. It owns or controls a large amount of idle land which can used to create new export processing zones, where new, safe factory buildings can be developed and leased to factory owners.

Both owners and workers in factories which are closing due to safety issues can benefit from such freeing up of underutilised state land.

This would be the most effective way for the government to alleviate hardship and help the industry to invest for future growth.

The government should be proactive in providing land to help the industry invest for future growth

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

We can’t find our conscience May 21

nds “They should know that arrogance will never pay, that their power is not permanent. It is indeed for a short while and will vanish with time.

How unfortunate one will be to leave the world as a corrupt soul, for he will be a sinner in this world and also in the eyes of God.” Nobody pays any heed to the sermon contained in the last paragraph, propagated since time immemorial, for it sounds like a cliché.

This sort of sermon might have some appeal to the timid millions, but it is of zero value to the mighty ones.

If there is anything new to say, then please do try, but stop wasting your time and energy on this sort of outdated lecture.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 16 represents G so fill G every time the figure 16 appears.

You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in 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 the 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.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

ZA Words such as “conscience” and “faith” are not included in the modern man’s vocabulary. Get with the program.

Ashraf Khan ZA: Modern man’s vocabulary? When you don’t have faith and conscience, you suggest having violence, bombs, killing, and brutality? Is this the modern man’s vocabulary? May God save us from the likes of those who believe in this!

Ahmed sarkar Ashraf Khan: I agree! What did ZA mean by modern man’s vocabulary?? What program is he talking about? Programs of violence, looting, and setting people on fire? Ah modern man!!

SUDOKU BNP: Withdraw army officials from RAB

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.

May 21

The greener, healthier transport

C

yclists are becoming a much more common sight again on the roads of Dhaka.

Dedicated user groups have been critical to reinvigorating the image of bicycling in the city. Given the capital’s traffic problems and the environmental and health benefits of encouraging more people out of cars, this is a trend which should be encouraged.

Meanwhile, there is a nascent but very promising industry developing around bicycle manufacturing. A number of companies have already made a name for themselves as cuttingedge cycle producers in the international market. With cities as different as Copenhagen and New York undertaking cycling initiatives, the government would do well to pay more attention to this industry as an area of export growth.

Cycling provides an economic and environmentallyfriendly option to reduce the heavy congestion and pollution that plagues Dhaka’s streets. It also has great health benefits for cyclists themselves.

However, this practice is still limited to a few because of the dangers cyclists face, such as potholed roads and aggression from car drivers. Initiatives by the municipal government to install dedicated bike lanes will encourage many more people to take to cycling. Having more people on bikes in turn will help more people feel safer to pedal on the roads and make it more common for our commuter culture to include cycling.

In tandem with improving public transport options by investing in better bus services, this will go a long way towards improving the urban environment and the happiness and health of Dhaka residents.

Cycling is an economic and environmentallyfriendly option to be encouraged

Fish traders attack a mobile court May 23

VK Incredible! Those traders try to poison people and become angry when action is taken against their crimes. Poisoning people is an attempt of murder and the authorities should “treat” the criminals involved accordingly!

Bigshots ‘causing accidents’ in Cox’s Bazar May 21

Vihan Nobody is above the law, NOBODY!

Ways of being human

May 22

Endi This is called the exercise of “hair splitting.” On reading this article one may also ask how “human” is to be defined. Some parameters will be set up, which will again be treated as our fancy, and the arguments will continue ad infinitum. Yes, to attain full citizenship many rights have to be surrendered but, more tragic than that, one has to surrender his common sense to attain the identity of super intellectuals like this author. Please, stop this sterile intellectual exercise. We understand what civilisation is very well with our bare common sense.

BSF captures another Bangladeshi May 22

MZ BSF is out of order. What is with our government?

Why doesn’t it do something constructive?

Thousands of our people have been killed by BSF!

khanadil I fully support this. RAB has been totally politicised and turned virtually into an extortionist murderous group of the AL government. Among all institutions, that are either incompetent or corrupt, Army is the only institution in the country that people still have high regard for. By withdrawing its personnel from RAB, the Army must help restore its dignity and integrity, at the earliest possible.

Anon Well, I am afraid this band-aid solution may be futile. The root cause of the pervasive anarchy and lawlessness is the systematic weakening and destruction of state organs by the successive governments (and it raises my ire when I hear criticism coming from the opposition camp; when in power they did exactly the same thing, and would do it again with a vengeance once back in power).

Today, there’s no accountability, no oversight, no responsibility anywhere, so everything goes.

How many serious crimes like murder, arson, rape, extortion, you name it, ever get solved?

Zilch, nada. Welcome to Anarchistan.

Is Modi trouble for us?

May 21 NS What more trouble can Modi cause us than what our own leaders, both legally or illegally elected, have already caused?

Curious reader NS: We can only smile! Yes, our troubles are with us although others are causing some, too.

Dear writer, Mr Modi is not referring to what you referred to. Be sure he would deliver what he pledged. I don’t see any reason why some Bangladeshis are anxious about illegal migrants at such numbers generated in the minds of Mr Modi’s campaign strategists, whereas there is no basis for such allegations. Rather more than 4 lakh Indians are working illegally in Bangladesh (fifth largest source of India’s remittances).

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Festive jollity (5) 6 Top airman (3) 7 Gather for oneself (5) 10 Approaches (5) 12 Given shoes (4) 13 Scolds (5) 15 Water pitcher (4) 16 Slender stick (3) 18 Was ahead (3) 20 Back of the neck (4) 22 Advantage (5) 23 Jetty (4) 25 Combine (5) 27 Coming after (5) 28 Sister (3) 29 Large antelope (5)

DOWN 1 Worked by hand (6) 2 Frozen treat (3) 3 Brought up (6) 4 Moves quickly (7) 5 Tree (3) 8 Donkey (3) 9 Alone (4) 11 Uncooked (3) 14 Obliteration (7) 16 Part of the eye (6) 17 Protect (6) 19 Wicked (4) 21 Female swan (3) 22 Craft (3) 24 Consume (3) 26 Large cask (3)

New York the Great #ThrillingCities

CALVIN AND HOBBES

May 20

Osmania Prefer the Lou Reed album to this puff piece. It’s curiously dated (Times Square is cleaned up/ boring, the Commies have left Moscow and that London is vibrant enough to make its own case).

NYC certainly has the best film directors making films about the city though (Marty/ Woody/Spike etc).

PEANUTS

Zero-Agenda New York didn’t exactly leave the best of impressions on me when I visited the city as a wee child; however, I have fond memories of sifting through stacks and stacks of CDs and records with my older brothers in a tiny little record shop in Madison Avenue (if memory serves) called Coconut. For some reason Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Cracked Rear View” was the only CD I insisted listening to while at that store.

Jay New York is one of the most fun cities to live in.

There are amazing opportunities in New York for the people who are willing to work really hard to make their dreams come true.

Padma bridge cost up by Tk3,000cr May 22

Vikram Khan Cost is up by Tk3,000 crore extra because the government flatly refused to punish those involved in corruption.

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

11

We rot along with our politics n Mohammad Ali Sattar

T

Time to get down to business

AFP

Facing up to Modi

I

n Khawaza Main Uddin t’s time for Narendra Modi to get down to business – to deliver on what he promised his countrymen. The new Indian premier is entrusted with an overwhelming mandate to promote the best national interests in keeping with the BJP’s polls manifesto.

For Sheikh Hasina, who retains premiership through constitution of the 10th parliament even without a ballot, it’s time to react to the “unwanted” regime change in New Delhi.

She lacks a popular mandate and thus seeks blessings from the BJP the way Congress patronised her Awami League.

Modi invited Saarc leaders to the swearing-in ceremony and US President Barack Obama was welcome.

Hasina, who failed to manage the West after her “reelection,” described Modi as a “great friend of Bangladesh” and her country as his second home. The appeasement suggests her team is Modi-fying party policy.

The landslide has presented Modi with the luxury to become rude or generous, whatever deemed suitable, with others. Contrarily, Hasina, handicapped by deficiency in legitimacy, cannot afford to assert what a national leader should bargain for.

Opinion analysts are locked in debates over whether Narendra Modi, after assuming office, would really deport illegal migrants or infiltrators. I don’t find any reason why it would be a concern for Bangladesh.

As someone who has earned a reputation for his service as Gujarat’s chief minister, Modi can’t afford not doing something on this issue. He should be appreciated for any move to send back Bangladeshi criminals from India for

we will then be able to try them.

But, in his references, Modi is wrong on a few counts. The number of illegal migrants is exaggerated, and the absconding criminals are not infiltrators as they chose India as a safe haven. Hindus who migrated to India after 1947 would be excluded from the deportation drive as the BJP manifesto confirms.

Now, Delhi should be told to take back more than 420,000 of the Indian nationals who are working illegally in Bangladesh (out of 500,000) and are sending money through dubious channels. Is it a matter of pride for a bigger country to have a smaller one as the fifth largest source of remittances in such a manner?

Those who say that Modi’s postpolls policy would be different from his pre-election rhetoric are probably unaware that the crackdown on the socalled illegal migrants is an electoral agenda. BJP will, its manifesto says, “address the issue of infiltration and illegal immigrants in the Northeast region.”

Modi’s corporate backers would want to see Bangladesh as an undisturbed market. Accordingly, his men have started the propaganda – BJP is making a U-turn, or a Teesta deal is in the offing.

Modi may be proactive, only to serve corporate India, about removal of some barriers to trade in selected cases. He may act restlessly on issues

If New Delhi wants friendship with Dhaka, a shift in India’s policy towards Bangladesh is essential

India has been a beneficiary of smuggling that often instigates Bangladeshis being killed. Indian authorities should be ashamed of the factories manufacturing illicit drugs (ie phensidyl) near the border, to be smuggled into Bangladesh.

These issues may not draw the attention of the Modi government as the Hasina administration is far from making eyeball-to-eyeball arguments, so the prospect of issues such as sharing the waters of common rivers and settlement of land boundary disputes being resolved is not bright.

such as road transit through Bangladeshi territory or the use of Chittagong port by Indian traders. “Now or never” may be Modi’s overture to Hasina.

Dr Gowher Rizvi ruled out a regime-centric perception in Indo-Bangladesh relations. But he addressed a gathering at Dhaka University a few years ago, saying that with Congress ruling India and AL Bangladesh, it was the golden opportunity to strike deals like the one on transit. Professor Harun-or-Rashid contested him, saying it was a matter of the foreign policies of two nations.

It was more of a relation between Congress and the AL. If New Delhi wants friendship with Dhaka and if track-II diplomacy of people-to-people contact is to be upheld, a shift in India’s policy towards Bangladesh is essential.

If Delhi strives for mere gains from Dhaka by initiating, for example, a transit from India-to-India through Bangladesh (to connect seven sisters), it will not be sellable to the Bangladeshi people. Transit or trade cooperation through multilateral arrangement is not a choice for India, as bilateralism is the mantra of not only the Indian establishment, but also of the intellectuals.

When India’s President Pranab Mukherjee refrained from voting in the national elections to maintain neutrality, External Affairs Secretary Sujatha Singh took an arrogant position in the electoral affairs of another country only to rescue an unpopular AL. The top Indian diplomat has offended the Bangladeshi people by joining the conspiracy to hold a farcical election on January 5.

If MODI (modern outlook for development of India) means business with Bangladesh as a whole, the new administration has to break the status quo built in an atmosphere of honeymooning between Congress and the bureaucracy. He has the authority to bring changes.

What will the equation between a politically bankrupt regime and a representative government be? Well, Sheikh Hasina can follow India and allow the election of a strong, popular leader in Bangladesh who can best serve the national interest. l

he wound that the country received from the seven murders is still raw. A pall of gloom looms in the air, confusion runs high in people’s minds as the law takes its own course.

Even before the blood could dry out in the bloated corpses of the seven souls, we have another gruesome killing in Feni. Then another in Noakhali, then in Laksham, and then …

Shocking revelations are meted out to the members of the public each day.

We wait with baited breath for more truths to unveil. Our patience and perseverance is being tested every day.

We did not deserve this. We have the right to live our lives, so says the state.

The alleged complicity of the law enforcing agencies, local political goons, and high-ups of the society makes the matter even more awful, distressing, and repulsive. The outcome of all this would be the ultimate loss of conviction in every individual and institution. That’s the peril one ought to be apprehensive about.

Ekram was murdered in broad daylight. This was more brazen, more furious, more pathetic. The way it was carried out speaks of the nature of revulsion those killers carried in their hearts while committing the act, thanks to the instigator who succeeded in instilling malice in their tender minds.

Gunshots, indiscriminate stabbing, and setting the bleeding body ablaze to burn him alive making sure he does not breathe anymore – the charred remainder was all that could be rescued.

It was political rivalry that took his life. Look at the young healthy boys who were involved in the killing. I was taken aback to see the youngsters paraded before the TV camera.

These youngsters could have easily been a boon for their families and the nation. If only they were guided on the right path. But they were not, and that’s the tragedy of this nation.

Things have been deteriorating so fast that we have actually lost track.

Trackless minds hardly keep pace with the events that are taking place in every corner of the land.

Pointing fingers is so simple, because it doesn’t need the authorisation of the law

Khawaza Main Uddin is Executive Editor at ICE Business Times.

From Feni we travel to Noakhali and Laksham to collect another account of death and murder. It is a recurring cycle. The only difference is that every new act is committed with more vengeance and horror.

We understand from the later revelations that these were the outcomes

admissible categories of human behaviour and collective action have to be measurable ones and efficient from the point of view of industrial planning – the ritual of representation – being amenable to measurement and efficiency computations – deified as the source of legality.

Ethico-moral principles are much

The next connection is not hard to make. Legality also flows from this “representativeness.” The silent but real weeding out of the ethico-moral core from legality and the right of governance has ominous implications.

The rulers of today, unlike erstwhile ones who had to come up with complex connections with the divine,

of political rivalry. If that is so, our politics is undoubtedly in ugly hands.

These hideous hands need to be neutralised. How should we go about it? Who is the saviour? Where is the ideal theorist who is going to come up with a solution to cleanse our politics?

We say the politicians are responsible for all of this. Will they take it sportingly and admit their faults? We know the answer.

The police chief informs us that these are stray incidents.

Our conscience doesn’t move Rather, these leaders, enjoying everything at people’s cost, would hark back claiming their innocence and putting the blame on anyone else.

Pointing fingers is so simple, because it doesn’t need the authorisation of the law. So if the leaders do not take responsibility, who will? Who is going to ensure the security of our children?

The contention between the differing factions of the ruling party is now in the open. Since the opposition has been effectively drawn to the sidelines, the field is now only left to the ruling party members.

They have taken over the law of the land. A sense of impunity has grasped their thoughts and actions. They have turned so desperate that elimination of their rivals is the only solution to their internecine struggle.

The crime is never carried out perfectly, but these people have a way of getting away with anything.

They commit horrid crimes following carefree planning with the unending blessings of the godfathers. They are sometimes even backed by law enforcers who help with the maiming and killing.

Then they can simply go into hiding or flee abroad. And chances are they might just make good on their escape for the time being. They have the golden opportunity to re-emerge after a few days, months, or even a decade, only to come back and say the allegations were false. They start their lives over and plan the next target.

The police chief informs us that these are stray incidents. Our conscience doesn’t move, our lips don’t flutter, our speech doesn’t slur, and our visions are not blurred. Our hearts don’t ache when we tacitly give in to the barbarity of these blemished humans.

We embrace the same person to make him the next commissioner, next mayor, or the next member of the parliament. We have started rotting along with our politics. The stench in the air is overwhelming. l Mohammad Ali Sattar is a DT columnist.

The new rajahs n Garga Chatterjee

W

ith every passing day, the praxis of representative democracy is getting hollowed out. I consciously borrow this term oft-used by Arundhati Roy. This is true all over the world, including the Indian Union. Here, I would like to focus on a specific type of hollowing – a very insidious one at that.

There are elected institutions and bodies that claim representation legally. What has been a part of the hollowing out process is the result of a conflation of representation and legality, and the reversal of the causal relationship between them that exists in human collectives. This has dangerous implications for our future.

Power and resources per se do not confer a legal right of governance - without the ethico-moral principles that creates a semblance of that right. Even extreme asymmetries in power between the ruler and the ruled does not take away the value of these principles – even if the extreme asymmetry, does create, in transience, a milieu of governance that is bereft of disturbance.

However, in the mind of the ruler, and in the impression of the ruled, there is a tension – a tension of having no claim to such power. In the

past, what conferred such power and hence, legality? And what were the ethico-moral underpinnings of such claims?

Monarchy – from empires to small feudal domains – was till very recently the commonest system of governance.

The king of Nepal claimed to be Vishnu himself, in a human form. Muslim rulers in India mostly ruled in the name of the ruler above him, in a system of hierarchical allegiances, all with obeisance to Allah and essentially part of a Caliphate. Most Hindu rulers claim descent from the Sun or the Moon or other celestial deities.

The new rajahs, both the ‘legal’ and the ‘illegal’ ones, are godless

This was true for caucasians whose kings ruled in the name of many gods and their orders and in later days, as the representative of the

Christian God on earth. The underlying point is – the claim to rule legally, came from a body or power which in some sense represented collective welfare and destiny – in these cases, divine powers.

Without the hinge of an ethico-moral frame from where power emanates, a legal right to govern and rule was not without dispute. Also, the disputes of who the ruler is and wars between rulers, would finally be reconciled at the end to such claim of speaking for or representing the divine – the divine being important as it, in a sense, had a connection with all humans.

It was, by definition, imagination and reverence, something in which most had a stake. What is to be gathered from this is that even in the mind of a monarchic ruler – the right to rule and the legality of the strictures of the ruler – did not flow solely from material power of law enforcement, though that is how that right was executed.

Representativeness is a constitutive part of that legality.

Here is where the present comes in. A ritual of representation is different from the human, ethicomoral process of representation.

While the ritual is at best a medium of representation, it is certainly not an end in itself. In a rationalscientific society, where the only

Rulers of hollowed out democracies are confident of their legal right to wield power and at the same time have, in their minds, nothing to reconcile or prove

more problematic – they cannot be “measured” – and the form of democracy that is best hold within itself such ethico-moral underpinnings, that is participatory democracy, is “inefficient.”

In this machine view of the democratic process, whatever you feed in from one end of this quasi-industrial process, if it involves non-banned thoughts, election notifications, voting booths and candidates, the output at the other end is, by definition, representative.

can outsource those itchy doubts on their own legality to the said industrial process itself.

In some sense, this makes rulers of hollowed out democracies more dangerous, as they are more confident of their legal right to wield power and at the same time have, in their minds, nothing to reconcile or prove. With that confidence comes a reversal of the causal chain of how rights emanate.

Now, what is legal is necessarily

representative. And then as a corollary, what is illegal is necessarily unrepresentative. The ever-shrinking fate of dissent in such societies, in particular, contemporary India, is hard to miss. This is also inextricably tied to the development of other sources of representation in these societies – some of them “illegal.”

Some of the “illegals” are also rituals unto themselves in turn term the dominant ritual as “illegal.”

Given the ideologies of unitary representation they share with dominant forces, it is sad but true the space for a plural, participatory democratic process with an ethicomoral core is disappearing in India.

The new rajahs, both the “legal” and the “illegal” ones, are godless. The rituals, backed either by high court and police or “people’s court” and red guards, both increase this process of making a democratic society full of catacombs. This is not a longwinded argument to return to some old despotism. One must continue to hope that life lurks there in spite of the “legal” and “illegal” assaults on democracy. After all rituals can only exclude ethico-moral churnings and not destroy them. l Garga Chatterjee is a freelance contributor.

He can be followed on twitter @gargac .

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Is Mim replacing Faria in Morichika? n Afrose Jahan Chaity Redoan Rony’s second film “Morichika” has been in the news again as the rumour of Nusrat Faria being replaced by Bidya Sinha Saha Mim is in the air.

Rony, whose directorial debut “Chorabali” won the National Film Awards in five categories, confirmed the name of the film to the news media.

He also announced Tahsan and Nusrat Faria to be the leading actors of his upcoming flick. Several national newspapers including Dhaka Tribune published the news after talking to the stars.

But, a leading national daily reported yesterday that Bidya Sinha Saha Mim, a sizzling star of the filmdom nowadays, will be seen opposite to Tahsan in “Morichika.”

When Mim was approached to learn about the issue, she said: “I think Redoan Rony can clarify this issue once and for all. I do not have the liberty to comment on the issue at this moment.”

Dhaka Tribune tried contacting the director on his mobile several times, he did not answer.

On the other hand, Nusrat Faria also expressed her shock when she was questioned about the switch. She said: “I signed for the role which is of a photographer who is a fun-loving girl.

I have received some surprising phone calls asking whether Mim is replacing me.

I seriously don’t have any idea. Redoan Rony did not tell me anything about including Mim. However, Tahsan did clarify a few things.

He said: “I guess there are two leading female characters in the film. But, Rony is the best person to answer your inquiries.” l

Theatre festival marks Enamul Huq’s 72nd birthday n Shadma Malik On the occasion of Dr Enamul Haque’s 72nd birthday on May 29, a theatre festival has been organised by Nagarik Natyangan to honour the veteran theatre activist. The festival begins today at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

The event will open with the staging of “Shei Shob Dingulo,” a play based on the Liberation War. Written

by Dr Enamul Huq, the play is directed by Haque’s wife Lucky Enam, who is also a seasoned theatre activist. The play highlights the contradiction of opinion amongst people when it comes to the Liberation War. On the thespian’s birthday, Nagarik will stage “Pushi Biral O Ekjon Prokrito Manush,” a translated version of Arthur Miller’s “Pussy Cat and a Real Man.” Adapted by Proitee Huq, the play — written on the

context of the Second World War — depicts different social problems including corruption, greed, dishonesty, and is relevant to the existing societal context.

On the concluding day, the festival will showcase Manik Bandopadhyaya’s “Pragoitihashik,” which is based on the ancient ethnicity of Bengal. The play has been adapted by theatre activist Mahmudul Islam Selim under the direction of Lucky Enam.

Dhaka Tribune had the opportuniy to catch up with Dr Enamul Haque and learn about his take on theatre, culture and the Liberation War. “I have been involved with cultural activities as I consider it to be the way to understand one’s country and its people.

We can reach the core of humanity, which was the true spirit of our Liberation, through cultural activities,” said Haque.

“Through our plays, we showcase our social realities and bring forward the possible solutions in overcoming the prevailing challenges. Also, we inspire the young generation to get involved in the art of theatre and be a responsible citizen,” he added.

An actor-director-playwright, Dr Enamul Haque won appreciation for his performance in stage plays such as “Acholayotan, Bishorjan,” “Dewan Gazir Kissa,” “Baki Itihash,” “Nurul Diner Sharajibon,” “Janotar Rangoshala,” “Shoroma” and others. Plays directed by him include “Chirokumar Shobha,” “Kholosh, Janotar Rangoshala” and “Amra Kobore Jabo Na.” l

Moushumi and Golam Rabbani's face-off n Entertainment Desk A new reality show titled “Seylon Gold Twenty20 Star” will be aired tonight at 8pm on ATN Bangla. Today's episode will feature Moushumi and director Golam Rabbani who will compete in a face-off round with their teams.

The game show is named after cricket’s popular form Twenty20 as each competing team faces 20 questions. All the participants of the show are film actors, sportsmen, television actors, directors, models and singers.

The show commenced with six teams and 36 participants. Four teams will play the semi final round. The win-

Hillol-Tinni’s custody battle n Entertainment Desk

About a year ago, TV actor Hillol filed a case claiming the custody of his daughter after the couple’s marriage ended on a bitter note.

In 2012, Hillol and Tinni’s marriage broke down causing quite a stir in the entertainment industry.

Their daughter Warisha was placed in her mother’s care after the divorce. Recently, Tinni’s Facebook post caused people to take notice of the divorced couple once again.

Tinni wrote: “Hillol’s drama is never ending. He is suppose to move forward with his life, being married to Nawshin and all.

Instead, he is trying to take my child away from me. If Allah exists, he will surely give fair judgment.” She asked her well-wishers to pray for her and the child.

Dhaka Tribune caught up with Hillol after coming across the Facebook status and the indignant actor defended himself by stating that Tinni’s lifestyle is “inconsistent.” He said: “It’s natural that a normal parent will ask for his/her child’s custody.

We all know that Tinni leads an inconsistent life and her schedule is not

A old photo shows the duo with their daughter favourable to raise a child, I am worried about my daughter’s security and think it is unhealthy for her to remain

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Bornil Pandulipi Time: 12pm – 8pm Gallery Shilpangon Second Sight Time: 12pm – 8pm The Daily Star Centre, 64-65 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue Dhaka

Mukh O Mukhosh 5 Time: 11am – 8pm Galleri Kaya, House no. 20 Road no. 16, Sector no. 4, Uttara

Theatre

Dog, Woman, Man Time: 7pm – 9pm Goethe Institut Bangladesh Road 9(new), House 10 Dhanmondi

Brazil World Cup song hits the wrong notes n Entertainment Desk

Coldplay’s Ghost Stories tops British music charts n Entertainment Desk British band Coldplay’s new album “Ghost Stories” went straight to number one in the charts on Sunday, the Official Charts Company said, becoming the fastest-selling album of the year.

The group’s sixth studio album and sixth successive British number one album, it sold 168,000 copies since going on sale on May 19, a figure the Charts Company called “staggering.”

“A new Coldplay album always makes a huge impact, and Ghost Stories is no exception,” Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said in a statement. “The boys have made it a perfect six ‘number 1s’ out of six albums today. That is some achievement!”

Coldplay knocked last week’s number one album, “Xscape,” a collection of previously unreleased songs by the late US singer Michael Jackson, off the top perch into second place. l

ning team will be announced as the “Star” of the show, while the celebrity who will give the highest number of correct answers will win the title of “Man of The Series.”

Moushumi is the captain of the team “Film Star” with members Omar Sunny, Shimla, Nipun, Amin Khan and Jayanto Chattopadhyay as participants. On the other hand, Golam Rabbani Biplob is leading the “Star Director” team with Nargis Akter, Shah Alam Kiran, Jakir Hossain Raju, Aruna Biswas and Giasuddin Selim as participants.

The programme is directed by Ashraful Islam Rony and Jillur Rahman. l

The official World Cup song is definitely striking the wrong chord with many, in host country Brazil.

Since the recent release of Fifa’s “We Are One (Ole Ola),” hordes of fans in Brazil have been slamming the official 2014 Cup theme song. Many expressed their frustration on Twitter under the tag (hash)Volta Waka Waka a plea for the return of the widely loved song that the Colombian artist Shakira performed for the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Although Brazilian Claudia Leitte is also featured in the official theme, critics say they do not understand why Cuban-American rapper Pitbull and Bronx-born Puerto Rican singer Jennifer Lopez were chosen for the song.

They also complain that the song is mostly in English and Spanish, leaving only a few seconds at the end for Leitte to sing in her native Portuguese.

“What I don’t like about the mu-

sic is that it’s a poor, dull, generic pop theme,” said Gaia Passarelli, a Brazilian music journalist and a former VJ for MTV Brazil. “It’s a shame considering Brazil’s rich musical tradition, which is admired all over the world.”

Shakira does have a song on Fifa’s official World Cup album, the driving “Dare (La La La).” Featuring Barcelona players such as Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Neymar had been viewed nearly 27 million times on YouTube in the three days since its release.

But it’s not the designated official song for the event.

Naming an official Fifa song dates back to the 1966 Cup in England. Since then, fans have hummed to favorites like “Un’estate italiana” by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini in Italy 1990 and “La Copa de la Vida” by Ricky Martin in France 1998. While Shakira’s catchy “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” was popular, Placido Domingo’s “El Mundial” for Spain 1982 was less so. l

in Tinni’s custody.

I face obstacles whenever I try to meet my daughter or even talk to her

over the phone. Such actions on her part provoked me to claim my daughter’s custody.” l

Vidya Balan tries 122 looks for Bobby Jasoos n Entertainment Desk Vidya Balan is back! As an aspiring Hyderabadi woman detective in director Samar Shaikh’s “Bobby Jasoos.”

The first look of the film was recently revealed at an event in Mumbai. Produced by Dia Mirza, Sahil Sangha and Reliance Entertainment, the film has Vidya playing the central character with Ali Fazal playing the male lead.

For the role of a female detective in the movie, Vidya has tried 122 looks during shooting of the film, reported Hindustan Times.

Apparently, she invested two weeks to decide on the various looks required to enact the role. “She underwent 122 changes, out of which around 12 were shortlisted. Each one required her to wear a different costume and sport complementing make-up.

She would try six to eight looks every day and was extremely patient while selecting which ones fit the narrative of the story,” says a source close to the film’s team.

Some of the looks tried by Vidya were of a dabbawala, a peon, a teacher and a fisher-woman among others.

Film producer, Dia Mirza, also commented on this long process of shortlisting: “It was

one fun-filled experience of discoveries and experiments. Our costume designer Theia Tekchandaney and our make-up artiste Vidyadhar worked tirelessly to conjure images that would be entertaining to watch, whilst remaining in sync with the demands of the script. I am thrilled and wowed by the many transformations of the versatile Vidya Balan.”

The trailer of the film will be launched by the end of this month and the film will be released on July 4, 2014. l

Did you know?

Brazil are the only country to have appeared in every World Cup finals, 19 finals tournaments from 1930 to 2010. And they have automatically qualified for the 2014 tournament as hosts

Sport

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

14 Lukaku hattrick leads Belgian romp in warm-up

14 Makelele signs for Bastia amid tax inquiry

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Wozniacki beaten on court after losing in love

Mashrafe backs Imran to shine Veteran Bangladesh paceman Mashrafe Mortaza praised the appointment of assistant coach Sarwar Imran at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday, informing the media that it will be easier for the cricketers to communicate freely with the former national coach ahead of the home series against India.

“We have all worked with him (Sarwar Imran) before and the biggest advantage will be the level of communication with Imran sir. We can discuss freely with him and I think it’s a very good decision,” said Mashrafe.

“It’s important to discuss our weak points with him and language will play an important role,” he said.

The 30-year old fast bowler notified that he has been working with Imran since the tour of Zimbabwe in 2001 before going on to acknowledge the fast-bowling mentor as one of the most experienced coaches in Bangladesh.

Mashrafe heaped praise on Imran, thanking the assistant coach for making him learn the trade of the in-swinging delivery.

“I started my career working with him. Especially, I learned the art of inswing from Imran sir. And I am eagerly waiting to discuss about my bowling,” said Mashrafe.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the other young fast bowlers to discuss and work with Imran sir as he has a lot of experience,” he added.

Mashrafe also reserved special mention for new bowling coach of the Tigers, ex-Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak, appreciating the former fast bowler’s

career. Although Mashrafe said he has very little idea about Streak’s coaching skills, he expressed his hope that the newly recruited bowling coach will have a good time in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the ‘Narail Express’, who has often experienced turbulent times throughout his career owing to injuries and several operations, informed that he was targeting a new start after returning to fitness from his latest injury.

“You can say it’s a new start for me as a player constantly battles with himself during the period of injury. It’s natural for a player to get upset mentally after an injury and the same has happened with me,” said Mashrafe.

“I think it’s very important to bounce back physically after suffering an injury but the most important thing is to make a comeback mentally as I think cricket is all about mental strength,” he added.

Ahead of the home series against India where the hosts will be taking part in three one-day internationals, Mashrafe said Bangladesh will need to play as a team as they have a dearth of match-winners in their side.

“Every team has match-winners in their side except Bangladesh. I think only Shakib (Al Hasan) will not be able to turn the fortunes around of a game single-handedly,” said Mashrafe.

“You can remember when Shakib was man-of-the-match in the Asia Cup [against India in 2012], we had three other half-centuries in that game. So we have to play as a team which we have been unable to do in the last six months. That is why the results went against us,” he concluded. l

(L-R) Sabbir Rahman, Mithun Ali and Soumya Sarkar quench their thirst with coconut after a heavy fitness session during the Bangladesh national team’s camp at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

BANGLADESH A TOUR OF THE WEST INDIES

Robiul, Taijul keep Sagicor at bay The Bangladesh A bowlers did an impressive job on the opening day, Monday, of their first four-day match in the West Indies as they restricted hosts Sagicor High Performance Centre from running away with a big first innings total.

Fast bowler Robiul Islam and leftarm spinner Taijul Islam – claiming three wickets each – in particular led the visitors’ bowling unit as Bangladesh A crawled back in the game to restrict Sagicor to 292 despite a brilliant 140 from Jermaine Blackwood and two big partnerships upfront.

Captain of the A side Nasir Hossain invited the hosts to bat first and the decision took just four balls to prove right. Robiul’s outswinger was too

much to handle for Sagicor skipper Kraigg Brathwaite who returned without troubling the scorers. However, Nasir and his troops had to wait 22 overs for the next celebration as Blackwood joined Assad Fudadin to reconstruct the early damage with a 112-run partnership.

The 22-year old Blackwood was the dominant force in the partnership and also scored at a good strike-rate. When Fudadin fell victim of a run out for 22, Blackwood and Leon Johnson added 85 runs to set a platform for a big total.

Nasir shuffled his bowlers and eventually part-time off-spinner Naeem Islam brought the breakthrough by claiming the dangerous Blackwood who hammered 23 fours and a six off just 160 balls.

Taijul broke the brief 28-run fourth wicket partnership between Jonathan Carter and Johnson which still left the home side on 225-4. Taijul first removed Carter for 12 before he trapped the set batsman Johnson leg-before for a well-made 56.

The dismissals enabled the second-string Bangladesh side to regroup and the bowlers carried the momentum to strike down the last five wickets for 52 runs. Robiul claimed the tail in consecutive deliveries and the rightarm quickie will be on a hat-trick when he bowls his first ball in the second innings.

Bangladesh A openers Imrul Kayes and Shamsur Rahman added five to their total in the only over they faced before the day’s play ended. l

Women’s cricket league begins today Mohammedan Sporting Club will take on Indira Road KC in the opening game of the Metropolitan Women’s Cricket League 2014 at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium today. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan will inaugurate the 14-team competition.

Mohammedan, Dhaka Cricketers, Khelaghar SK, Indira Road, Ansar and VDP, Kalabagan KC and Rayer Bazar Athletic are pitted in Group A of the league while Abahani Ltd, Dipali Jubo Sangha, BKSP, Jahurul Islam City Cricket Club, Urban Sports, Gulshan Youth Club and Orient Sporting Club will compete in Group B. l

Lone 3-dayer ends in draw The rain-affected three-day game between Bangladesh Under-19 and Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) U-19 concluded in a draw at BKSP yesterday.

Replying to Bangladesh U-19’s first innings total of 221 all out, MPCA resumed their first innings on their overnight score of 167 for the loss of three wickets. However, following two and a

BRIEF SCORE

Bangladesh U-19 (1st innings) 221 allout in 59.2 overs MPCA U-19 (1st innings) 274 allout in 112.1 overs Bangladesh U-19 (2nd innings) 100/4 in 37 overs (Munim 27, Zakir 19, Shreyansh 2/25) Match Drawn

Third straight win for MSC

Mohammedan captain Zahid Hasan Emily (R) congratulates Tapu Barman after the latter scored a superb goal against Feni Soccer Club during their Bangladesh Premier Football League match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

Mohammedan Sporting Club extended their fine run in the Nitol Tata Bangladesh Premier Football League to three consecutive victories beating Feni Soccer Club 3-2 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The visitors went ahead in the 21st minute courtesy of a Mathew Mendy strike which was canceled out by Nigerian defender Ubom Henry in the same half to give balance to the scoreline. However, Tapu Barman and Zahid Hasan Emily netted one apiece in the second half to salvage all three points for the Black and Whites. The victory helped Mohammedan to reduce the gap to two points with arch rival Abahani with a game in hand. The Independence Cup champions, however, remain at third place with 32 points from 17 matches while Feni find themselves at second place from bottom in the points table.

Feni’s Gambian coach Omar K Sisse had to play a starting eleven without his key midfielder Landing Darboe for the first time since the start of the second phase of the league. Darboe missed the match due to suspension

and his coach later admitted missing his services dearly in the midfield.

Mathew Mendy broke the deadlock in the 21st minute with a brilliant solo effort. The Gambian midfielder dribbled past two defenders as he drifted into the penalty area before skipping past another defender to slot home past Mohammedan keeper Titumir Titu. Titu rescued Mohammedan from conceding another in the 32nd minute

Tapu Barman scored a wonder goal five minutes into the second half to put his side in front for the first time in the match when their defense collapsed which let Kabba Jobe run free towards the goal.

Titu sprinted out of the box to clear the ball away before Kabba could find full control of the ball.

Mohammedan equalized in the 37th minute through Nigerian defender Ubom Henry to give parity to the scoreline as he headed home from a high corner by his compatriot Damian Chigozie. Wahed Ahmed almost produced an assist which could have put Black and Whites ahead a minute later. The national striker used his pace to enter

into the penalty area and showed great skill to skip past a defender before cutting the ball into the middle which was blocked by a Feni defender before it could find Emily who was ready to pull the trigger. But the Black and Whites didn’t have to wait long as Tapu Barman scored a wonder goal five minutes into the second half to put his side in front for the first time in the match.

The right-back apparently seemed to have attempted a curled cross from the right flank which, however, bamboozled everyone as it flew inches over Feni keeper Nehal to find the back of the net.

Zahid Hasan Emily extended Mohammedan’s lead to two goals in the 73rd minute as the unmarked forward calmly provided the finishing touch to a low cross of Wahed Ahmed inside the box to make it 3-1. It was Emily’s eighth goal in the league this season. Feni Soccer’s substitute midfielder Azmal Hossain Bidduit reduced the margin of defeat from penalty in the 90th minute after Tapu had brought down Sayed Rashid Torza inside the box which left the referee with no option but to award a spot-kick.

Table toppers Sheikh Jamal will face reigning champions Sheikh Russel in a crucial tie today at 5.30pm. l

half hours of play in the third and final day, rain interrupted proceedings with MPCA batting on 244 for eight wickets.

Without much delay, the game continued as MPCA lost their last two wickets for 30 runs to be all out for 274 in 112.1 overs.

Opening batsman Arpit Gaud’s 64 was the highest score for the visitors while Mehedi Hasan and Saleh Ahmed picked up three wickets each for the home side.

Later, the hosts posted 100 runs in their second innings from 37 overs losing four wickets before the umpires removed the bails to call it a day as the game ended in a draw.

Munim Shahriar scored 27 runs with the help of five boundaries while Zakir Hasan added 19 to the tally.

The first four-day game of the series will begin tomorrow at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah.l

Siddik fails to qualify for US Open Siddikur Rahman failed to qualify for next month’s US Open Championship as the Bangladesh golfer finished joint 68th among 105 participants in the England section at the Walton Heath Golf Club yesterday.

The two-time Asian Tour winner carded two-over (74) and four-over (76) in his two rounds to total six-over (150) over the 36-hole qualifiers conducted by the USGA. Meanwhile, China’s Liang Wenchong and Shiv Kapur of India are set to make their US Open debuts next month after coming through sectional qualifying.

Kiyoshi Miyazato, Lee Kyoung-Hoon and Toru Taniguchi were tied for second and Azuma Yano and David Oh, who were joint fifth, also earned tickets to the June 9-15 US Open at Pinehurst Resort.

Separately Kapur, who also played the British Open in 2006 and 2013, totalled 131 to place fifth at Walton Heath Golf Club and qualify for his third major tournament.

Further sectional qualifiers will be held in the United States on June 2.

Siddikur is expected to return home briefly before flying off for the Queen’s Cup in Bangkok which starts on June 5.l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Brazil team bus attacked

Sport

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Eng midfielder Wilshere ‘fit for WC’

The bus carrying Brazil’s World Cup squad to their first day of training on Monday was kicked and punched by demonstrators angry at what they consider exorbitant spending on football and not enough on social programmes.

A small group of striking teachers attacked the bus as it left Rio de Janeiro for the mountain town of Teresopolis, where the squad will be based during the tournament. The teachers covered the bus with stickers as Barcelona players Neymar and Dani Alves looked on from inside.

–Reuters

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who missed the last two months of the season after fracturing his foot, says he will be fit to play for England at the World Cup. The 22-year-old, who has won 15 caps, told Sky Sports that he had been training for the last six weeks and was over the injury he sustained playing for Arsenal against Stoke City on March 1. Asked if he was close to peak fitness, he replied: “I am. I have been training for a long time. I am yet to play a game, but I have been training for six weeks.”

–Reuters

Injured Falcao trains in Argentina Star Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, boosted hopes that he will be fit for the World Cup, as he trained with the national squad in Argentina on Tuesday. The 28-year-old Monaco player, who has scored 20 goals in 51 int’l appearances, suffered serious knee ligament damage in a French Cup tie on Jan 22 and has not played since. Despite his 4-month absence, he was named in Colombia’s provisional 30-man squad with June 2 set as the deadline day for the final list of 23 players to be decided.

–AFP

Torres gets a foothold in Spain World Cup squad Chelsea striker Fernando Torres considers it a “spectacular prize” just to get back into Spain’s squad for a World Cup friendly, but has vowed to fight to secure a ticket on the plane to Brazil.

The 30-year-old, who last played for Spain almost a year ago at the Confederations Cup in Brazil, was named by coach Vicente del Bosque in the national squad for a warmup game against Bolivia on Friday.

The announcement gave a sliver of hope to the 50 million pound ($84 million) striker, who suffered an alarming slump after becoming one of the world’s most feared goalscorers at his peak.

“I am delighted to be here after almost a year since the Confederations Cup. Delighted. Keen to get started,” Torres told reporters at the squad’s Madrid training ground on Monday.

Del Bosque has put off naming the full World Cup squad until at least May 31 to check on the fitness of key players at Real and Atletico Madrid after their Champions League final clash.

Team doctors are particularly wor-

ried about Atletico’s Brazilian-born striker Diego Costa, who left the pitch after just nine minutes because of a hamstring problem.

Team doctors say Costa will have to rest for at least 2 weeks, taking him perilously close to the opening Group B match against the Netherlands on June 13.

But Torres knows he has only made the list for Friday’s Bolivia friendly, so far.

“I am going to take advantage of this week and enjoy it,” he said. “For Brazil, being here is a big step but not definitive.”

Bosque brought in Torres for the friendly while omitting rivals Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Llorente.

Torres, known as “El Nino” - The Kid - said the past year had been “strange” with lots of changes at Chelsea.

“It’s been a disappointing year because we did not win anything after many years in a row of achieving titles.

On a personal level, too,” Torres said.

“So it has been a spectacular prize to be able to be here and forget the clubs and focus on the World Cup. A World Cup that is around the corner. And to fight to be on the definitive list and be able to go to Brazil.” l

Fifa President Sepp Blatter (C) smiles as he visits a football academy named after him, near the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday

Lukaku hattrick leads Belgian romp Russia win, Japan toil to beat Cyprus in warm-ups Romelu Lukaku scored a hat-trick as World Cup dark horses Belgium eased to a 5-1 win over minnows Luxembourg in the first of three pre-finals friendlies they will play before travelling to Brazil.

Meanwhile, Defender Atsuto Uchida spared Japan’s blushes with a 43rd-minute winner against Cyprus in their final home World Cup warm-up Tuesday while Russia on Monday started their World Cup countdown with a 1-0 win over Slovakia while Australia were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa.

Lukaku, who had an excellent season on loan with Everton from Chelsea scoring 15 goals in the Premier League, was joined on the scoresheet by Tottenham Hotspur’s Nacer Chadli and VfL Wolfsburg’s former Chelsea attacking midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.

The game was also notable for the first appearance in the Belgian colours

by Adnan Januzaj, the Manchester United teenager who had been coveted by several other countries for whom he was eligible to play before he finally opted for the ‘Red Devils’ in late April.

Januzaj did not disappoint after he replaced playmaker Eden Hazard displaying some nice deft touches, though, he will face far sterner examinations come the finals in Brazil.

Belgian coach Marc Wilmots despite the weak opposition selected a first

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku (R) celebrates next to Kevin De Bruyne after scoring against Luxembourg during their international friendly match in Genk on Monday REUTERS choice side, save goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was rested following his side Atletico Madrid’s 4-1 Champions League final defeat by city rivals Real on Saturday.

Lukaku fired the Belgians into a third minute lead but a lapse of concentration allowed Aurelien Joachim to level 10 minutes later.

Lukaku, though, restored the one goal advantage in the 23rd minute and completed his hat-trick with a brilliant individual goal in the 53rd.

Lukaku gave way on the hour mark as Wilmots blooded another young debutant in Divock Origi, who plays in

Makelele signs for Bastia amid tax inquiry Former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Claude Makelele on Tuesday signed a two-year deal to coach Ligue 1 side Bastia as a tax fraud investigation against him gathered pace.

Swiss authorities have agreed to a French request to help with an inquiry into Makelele’s assets.

Makelele, 41, will take up his first full managerial post with the Corsican side, having been assistant coach at Paris Saint Germain since December 2011 with Carlo Ancelotti and then Laurent Blanc.

“It’s an exciting challenge, a difficult one but I feel ready - I’ll be bringing all my experience and hunger for football,” said Makelele, who played 71 times for France.

Makelele succeeds Frederic Hantz, who in a four- year spell gained Bastia promotion to Ligue 1 and a 10th place finish last term.

The Swiss government’s official bulletin released Tuesday announced an accord to help investigate Makelele’s assets held in the UBS bank in Switzerland.

When the request was made in April, Swiss media said it could be linked to Makelele’s investment in the Swiss side Servette FC. Former Servette president Marc Roger, who organised the sale of a stake to Makelele in 2004, has said he owned between five and 10 percent of the club’s shares. l

the French championship for Lille the club where Hazard made his name before his move to Chelsea.

Chadli added a fourth after being set up by De Bruyne, and the provider turned goalscorer in the dying seconds as he converted a penalty.

Belgium, who will also play Sweden away on June 1 and then Tunisia in Brussels on June 7, will be appearing in their first World Cup finals since 2002 where they have been drawn in Group H. They begin their World Cup campaign proper against Algeria on June 17 before going on to play Russia (June 22) and South Korea (June 26). l

Deco cleared of doping Former Chelsea, Barcelona and Porto midfielder Deco was on Tuesday cleared of doping and had a one year ban lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Deco’s decorated career ended under a cloud last September when he was found guilty of taking a banned diuretic by a laboratory in Rio de Janeiro.

But CAS, upholding the player’s appeal, ruled that Deco was completely innocent of the charge, claiming there were major doubts as to the validity of the Brazilian control.

A fresh test was ordered by world football’s governing body FIFA by the official anti-doping laboratory in Lausanne which detected nothing untoward with the sample. l

REUTERS

Milan to sack Seedorf, hire Inzaghi as coach AC Milan are set to fire coach Clarence Seedorf and replace him with youth team coach Filippo Inzaghi, Italian media said on Tuesday.

Seedorf is only four months into a two-and-a-half year contract and has overseen a considerable improvement in results, but rumours about the Dutchman’s future have been rife for several weeks.

Club president Silvio Berlusconi met chief executive Adriano Galliani to discuss the move at the former’s villa in Arcore, around 20 kilometres outside Milan, late on Monday night, media reported.

Italy’s three sports papers, Gazzetta

dello Sport, Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport, all carried similar reports, which were unsourced.

Seedorf, 38, who spent 10 years of his playing career at Milan, took over at the end of January to replace Massimiliano Allegri, who was fired after two-and-a-half years in charge.

Former Italian prime minister Berlusconi had been chasing Seedorf for several months before finally appointing him, yet the Dutchman quickly fell out of favour.

Although Seedorf had no previous coaching experience, results improved markedly under him with 11 wins in 19 league games, compared to five in the previous 19 under Allegri. l

Italy unhappy over food problems Italy are unhappy to hear that food unfit for consumption has been found and confiscated from their World Cup hotel in Brazil but say it will not be a problem for them.

Team doctor Enrico Castellecci told reporters that Italy were planning to take most of their food in any case and everything served to the players would

be checked by their own staff.

“Obviously, we are not pleased about this news, we’re not happy that it’s happened exactly at the place we are going to,” he said at Italy’s training camp outside Florence.

The Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper said Italy would travel to Brazil with 20 tonnes of goods, including food and sporting equipment.

Brazilian health and safety officials

GREAT WORLD CUP SHOCKS

raided the England and Italy team hotels for the World Cup on Monday and confiscated fish, butter, ham and other food past their sell-by dates.

Officials discovered 25kg of seafood and margarine past the sell by date at Italy’s hotel in Mangaratiba, around 100 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro, and another 24kg of meat, sauces, cheese and sugar that had no visible sell-by date. l

Episode

1

United States 1 England 0 (1950) England arrived at what their first World Cup finals appearance in, hailed as potential winners having lost just four times in 30 matches. Faced with a team of part-timers, England selectors rested star player Stanley Matthews. It proved to be a fatal error as with substitutes not yet permitted Matthews sat helplessly on the sidelines as a goal by Haiti-born Joe Gaetjens, who earned his keep as a dishwasher in a restaurant, earned the Americans a 1-0 win. Neither side made it through to the next round. The match was immortalised in a book and in a film called the ‘Miracle Game’.

–AFP

Brazilian fans carried Joe Gaetjens off the field after the US shocked England in the 1950 World Cup

This photo is often said to depict Joe Gaetjens’ goal against England and goalie Bert Williams. However, a closer look reveals the ball appears to be on the outside of the net and Gaetjens isn’t diving on the play, as teammates remember

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Romario criticises former team mate Ronaldo

QUICK BYTES

Zia, Saiful on equal points Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman and Saiful Islam Chowdhury gathered 2.5 points each after 5th round in the Elite Group of the 6th KIIT International Chess Festival at Bhubaneswar, India yesterday.

Among the other Bangladeshi players Mohammad Jamal Uddin, Mohammad Sirajul Kabir and Sarwar Hossain Ullash earned 2 points each, Kazi Mahbub Afzal posted 1.5 points, FM Mohammad Fahad Rahman, Mohammad Abul Kashem and Monir Hossain Monir bagged 1 point each. Zia lost to Ravi Teja of India in the 5th round while Sheraj and Jamal beat Kashem and Monir respectively and Saiful got a walk-over. Ullash lost to GM Semcesen Denial of Sweden, Fahad lost to Michelle Catherina of India and Afzal lost to Vaishali of India in the same round. Earlier in the 4th round, Zia drew with India’s Saravanan Krishnan, Ullash won against Manoj Kumar, Saiful lost to GM Petrosian Davit of Armenia and Fahad lost to Indian Chakravarthy Reddy.

–RM

REUTERS

Former World Cup winner Romario launched another attack on Brazil’s organisation of the World Cup on Monday and accused former team mate Ronaldo of inconsistency.

The once deadly striker said comments by Ronaldo, who works on the tournament’s organising committee but professed himself embarrassed at Brazil’s shortcomings in an interview with Reuters last week, were opportunism.

“Everyone knows what I stand for,” the outspoken federal deputy was quoted as saying by UOL, a leading Brazilian news website. “I don’t change sides depending on how the game is going.”

However, Romario said the organisational problems, including stadium construction falling behind, blown budgets and the failure to deliver much-needed transportation projects, did not mean he would be cheering against the home side.

“We’ve already lost off the pitch,” he said. “Now we have to hope and pray that we do well on it.”

The World Cup starts on June 12 and Brazil will be bidding to win a record sixth title and their first on home soil. l

having seen off the Croat on the way.

The 35-year-old Karlovic, whose last win in Paris was seven years ago, has now equalled his best French Open performance and next faces either Daniel Brands of Germany or Austria’s Andreas Haider-Maurer.

Romanian fourth seed Simona Halep reached the second round with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova and next plays Heather Watson of Britain.

Other early winners were Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian 27th seed and 2009 champion, who beat Georgia’s Sofia Shapatava 6-3, 6-1 while 43-yearold Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan, a semi-finalist in 1995, lost 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 to Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 24th seed.

Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer, last year’s runner-up to Rafael Nadal, began his 12th Roland Garros by coasting past Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Ferrer, 32, has reached the quarter-finals or better at his last nine majors. l

France’s Kristina Mladenovic celebrates after winning her French tennis Open first round match against China’s Li Na at Roland Garros in Paris yesterday AFP

MPCA U-17 dominate day one Bangladesh Under-17 team began their 25-day long tour of India with their first three-day game against Madhaya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) Under-17 at Holkar Stadium, Indore yesterday. After being put in to bat first, hosts MPCA rode on Rishabh Choubey’s 91 to end the fist day on 259 runs for the loss of just four wickets. Rishabh clobbered 12 boundaries in his 161-ball innings. Top order batsman Sanket Shrivastava also added 51 off 103 balls. Afif Hossain Dhrubo picked up two wickets for Bangladesh while Kamil Ahmed and Shafiul Hayet bagged a wicket each.

–Tribune Desk

Bale out of Wales friendly Champions League hero Gareth Bale will miss Wales’s friendly international away to the Netherlands next week, the Football Association of Wales announced Tuesday. The former Tottenham Hotspur winger scored Real Madrid’s key second goal in extra-time against city rivals Atletico Madrid in Lisbon last weekend as the Spanish giants won the Champions League final 4-1 and lifted the European Cup for an unprecedented 10th time. However, injury has now seen him withdraw from the squad Wales manager Chris Coleman will take to Amsterdam.

–AFP

Moroccan champions book Club WC place Moghreb Tetouan qualified for the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup by winning the championship of host nation Morocco at the weekend. Other qualifiers for the tournament include Spanish giants Real Madrid, Mexicans Cruz Azul and New Zealand outfit Auckland City. The South American, Asian and African champions will complete the seven-club line-up for a competition won last year by Bayern Munich. A 2-1 home win over Renaissance Berkane gave Tetouan 58 points in the 30-round league, three more than defending champions Raja Casablanca, who lost 1-0 at Olympique Safi.

–AFP

Palestine into AFC Challenge final Palestine took a step towards qualification for next year’s Asian Cup in Australia with a 2-0 win over Afghanistan in the semi-final of the AFC Challenge Cup in Male on Tuesday. Ashraf Al Fawaghra scored both goals, either side of halftime, as Palestine continued their unbeaten run in the eight-nation tournament.

Palestine will play the winners of Tuesday night’s second semi-final between the Philippines and hosts Maldives in the final on Friday. The champions will secure a place in the Asian Cup. –AFP

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six Indian Premier League 4:30PM Qualifier-1: Kolkata v Punjab 8:30PM Eliminator: Chennai v Mumbai 7:00AM NBA Play Off 2013-14: Conf Final Oklahoma City v San An Star Sports 2 7:00PM England v Sri Lanka Third ODI Neo Sports 5:00PM French Open, 2nd Round Women’s & Men’s Singles

A woman walks past a graffiti referencing the 2014 World Cup and with Brazilian soccer player Neymar’s face covered with a mask, in Rio de Janeiro on Monday

Li stunned at French Open Former champion Li Na, the second-seeded Chinese superstar and Australian Open winner, was sensationally dumped out of the French Open in the first round Tuesday, beaten by a tearful Kristina Mladenovic.

Li, the 2011 champion, went down 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to the 103rd-ranked blonde Frenchwoman -- the Roland Garros junior champion in 2009 -- to suffer her first opening round defeat in Paris in eight visits.

The 2hr 06min loss on a windswept and chilly Suzanne Lenglen court saw Li undone by 37 unforced errors.

Mladenovic, who was Australian Open mixed doubles champion this year with Daniel Nestor, goes on to face Alison Riske of the United States.

It is a familiar scenario for Li who failed to get beyind the fourth round of the six Grand Slams which followed her 2011 Roland Garros breakthrough.

Mladenovic, who was 36 in the

world last August, was in tears after her victory, her third over a top 10 player.

Li’s shock defeat means that both Australian Open champions have been knocked out in the first round after Stan Wawrinka’s listless defeat on Monday.

Also making an early exit on Tues-

day was Bulgarian men’s 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov who lost 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) to giant Croat Ivo Karlovic.

Karlovic fired 22 aces and wasn’t broken by Dimitrov who won the Bucharest claycourt title this spring and was a semi-finalist at the Rome Masters

Wozniacki beaten on court after losing in love Heartbroken Caroline Wozniacki suffered a morale-sapping defeat at the French Open on Tuesday in her first appearance since the break-up of her romance with star golfer Rory McIlroy.

The 23-year-old Dane’s three-year relationship with the Northern Irishman ended last week after McIlroy got cold feet over their future while sending out

wedding invitations.

The break-up did not have an immediate impact on his form as he swept to victory at the European Tour’s PGA Championship at Wentworth at the weekend.

But it was a different story for former world number one Wozniacki who slipped to a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-2 defeat to Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer on a chilly Court Two. It was 13th-seeded Wozniacki’s earliest defeat in Paris since her debut in 2007.l

Younis wants World Cup call-up

(L-R) German national football team general manager Oliver Bierhoff, Mercedes Formula One driver Nico Rosberg of Germany and German golfer Martin Kaymer pose after a German national soccer team news conference in St Martin, northern Italy yesterday REUTERS

Glamorgan sign Sammy for T20 Glamorgan have signed West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy to play in English county cricket’s Twenty20 Blast tournament, the club announced Tuesday.

Former West Indies captain Sammy is set to head straight to Welsh county

Glamorgan’s Cardiff base from the Indian Premier League in time for their first home match of the Blast campaign against unbeaten Sussex on Friday.

He will stay with Glamorgan, who although a Welsh side play in all of England’s senior county competitions, until the start of the Caribbean Premier League, another domestic T20 event. l

Pakistan batsman Younis Khan said Tuesday he hopes to revive his one-day career in time for next year’s World Cup. The 36-year old has been out of the one-day side since March last year following a run of wretched form, with the last of his six hundreds coming against the West Indies in 2008. But Khan, who is one of Pakistan’s modern Test batting greats, insisted he wanted to end his limited-overs career on his own terms.

“My desire is to walk away on my own conditions, playing in every form of the game I am available to play, rather than being dropped,” he told reporters at a team camp ahead of the team’s tour of Sri Lanka in August.

“I surely would like to grab the opportunity to play the World Cup,” he added.

Next year’s edition is to be held in Australia and New Zealand, and Pakistan is due to get plenty of practice against the hosts in a UAE series from October to December. l

Root desperate to avoid more England agony Joe Root has said England’s much-vaunted attempt to rebuild their standing with their fans, let alone the rest of the cricket world, will come to nothing if they suffer yet more humiliation during the ongoing one-day series with Sri Lanka.

England, in classic early season English conditions, were bowled out for just 99 as Sri Lanka cruised to a huge 157-run victory in the second ODI at north-east county Durham’s Chesterle-Street headquarters on Sunday to level the five-match series at 1-1 after the hosts won in a rain-affected opener at The Oval.

The series continues at Manchester’s Old Trafford on Wednesday and with crowds appearing to be down after England’s 5-0 Ashes series loss in Australia, Root -- bowled for a third-ball duck by Lasith Malinga at the weekend

- knows a repeat of the Durham debacle won’t go down well with the paying public.

“We don’t want fans turning up for games and seeing a performance like that,” said the Yorkshire batsman after Sunday’s drubbing. “It’s quite embarrassing.”

“The one way to get people to come and watch you is to win games of cricket and we have to make sure we can do that consistently, earn the right for people to want to come and watch us.”

But Root insisted England, who will hope to welcome back captain and opener Alastair Cook at Old Trafford after he missed Sunday’s match with a groin strain, had not lost faith in their collective ability to win the series.

“We played some really good cricket at The Oval, which was not even a week ago now,” said Root .

“If we do play at the top of our game we’re going to beat sides like Sri Lanka.” l

Prime, Surjodoy post wins in premier handball

South Bangla Bank National Junior TT begins

Prime Sporting Club and Surjodoy Krira Chakra registered victories in the Cute Premier Division Handball League at the handball stadium yesterday.

Prime Sporting, who led the firsthalf by 15-7 goals, outplayed Bangla Club 33-12 with Imran netting 10 goals followed by Ashik with nine goals.

Mushfiqur of Bangla Club scored three goals.

Later, Surjodoy Krira Chakra reigned over Old Ideals by 28-16 goals. The eventual winners led the opening half 16-9. Abdur Rab of Surjodoy was the highest scorer with nine goals while Sanjib contributed six goals in the rout. Bilal of Old Ideals also scored six goals. l

Dhaka, Rangpur, Narail and Bangladesh Army moved into the third round of the girls’ team event of the South Bangla Bank 2nd National Junior Table Tennis at the Shahid Tajuddin Wooden Floor Gymnasium yesterday.

In the boys’ team event, Bagerhat, Rangamati, Barguna, Manikganj, Rangpur, Narail, Sylhet and Gaibandha won their respective first-round matches to progress into the second round.

State minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder inaugurated the meet as the chief guest. Bangladesh Table Tennis president Abdul Karim, general secretary Zobera Rahman Linu and South Bangla Bank managing director Md. Rafikul Islam were also present on the occasion. l

Suede Bangladesh felicitated the intellectually challenged players who finished 4th in the Dhaka Metropolis School Table Tennis Championship at its New Eskaton office yesterday. Shamsur Rahman Sharif, the minister for lands was the cheif guest. AFM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn, the additional director of Walton was alspo present and handed over the gift hampers to the players. It would be mentionable that the players competed with normal players COURTESY

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Power to get 2.4% budget hike Expenditure of Tk7,200 crore to be provisioned for subsidy pany of Bangladesh Tk810 crore; Den Aminur Rahman Rasel sco and DPDC will get Tk50 crore and The power division is getting Tk9,284 crore in the upcoming budget, which is Tk224 crore or 2.4% higher than the allocation for the outgoing fiscal year, officials have said.

They said an expenditure of Tk7,200 crore will be provisioned for subsidy in the power sector,which is higher than the subsidy of about Tk5,500 crore in the outgoing fiscal year’s budget.

Industry insiders said although the government had hiked the power tariff during the current financial year, its mounting dependency on expensive oil-fired power plants might be the reason behind higher allocationfor subsidy.

In FY 2009-10, the allocation for the sector was Tk2,102.2 crore and it was Tk5,981.88 crore in FY 2010-11. In FY2011-12, the allocation increased to Tk7,185.8 crore, which then went up to Tk7,889 crore in the next fiscal.

Sources said in the primarily-fixed budget of FY2014-15, Tk3,294 crore will be kept for the Power Development Board; the Rural Electrification Board will get Tk98.90 crore; the West Zone Power Distribution CompanyTk204 crore; the Electricity Generation Com-

Tk147 crore, respectively.

Additionally, the government is allocating Tk521 crore for the development of power transmission under the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh.

The Dhaka Tribune has also learnt about allocations of Tk250 crore for the Coal Power Generation Company of Bangladesh; Tk104 crore for the North West Power Generation Company and Tk885 crore for the Ashuganj Power Station Company.

Buet professor and energy expert Ijaz Hossain stressed the installation of low-cost coal-based power plants in order to reduce the electricity tariff.

“It is unfortunate that we are paying a lot of money but have not yet gotten rid of load-shedding,” he said.

Summit Group Chairman Muhammad Aziz Khan told the Dhaka Tribune: “I think that the power sector is the most important infrastructure of a country.

The government should not roll out only five-year projects or plans... The government’s ambition should span over 10-15 years. The present government has come up with the 2021 outlook for the sector. I think that should continue.” l

Retractable spikes installed only five days back on the city’s Hare Road to prevent vehicles from going the wrong lane goes out of order, causing further annoyance to vehicle owners and drivers RAJIB DHAR

‘RAB to be on duty Tipoo blames law ministry for confusion during Ramadan’ the team stopped working on the case. from the position of chief coordinator Udisa Islam n Members of the team think that the re- the following day. n Mohosinul Karim The chief prosecutor said yesterday: After almost one month of silence, sponsibility of the case might be given State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said the Rapid Action Battalion would be deployed to maintain law and order during the month of holy Ramadan and Eid shopping.

The RAB authority earlier announced that the elite force would not patrol city streets and carry out duties at check posts anymore.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Hasan Mahmood Khandakar said, “The announcement of the RAB authority was a strategic stance. RAB personnel will perform duties during Ramadan, if necessary.”

The minister and the police boss made the disclosure after a meeting held in the ministry.

“Special security measures will be taken at markets, bus stops and railway stations during Ramadan. Closed-circuit television cameras will be installed in all shopping malls in the capital in Ramadan,” said Asaduzzaman. l

Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Golam Arif Tipoo admitted yesterday that there had been a conflict persisting within the team over his holding office and blamed the Law Ministry for creating the confusion.

He said the conflict was delaying the case against Jamaat-e-Islami even though a seven-member prosecution team was at the final stage of pressing the formal charges. He, however, hoped that the case would continue once the ministry resolved the issue.

He made the comments while talking to reporters at his residence.

Tipoo formed the team in March to deal with the Jamaat case with Tureen Afroz as its coordinator. In a resolution taken during a prosecution meeting on May 11, the team was asked to hand over the case documents to the acting chief prosecutor.

In response, Tureen wrote to Tipoo seeking directives on the matter and

to some other prosecutors.

The chief prosecutor came to the tribunal on Monday for the first time after he had joined the prosecution office on April 30 after his treatment abroad.

The confusion was created because th Law Ministry, in a gazette notification on April 13, said in Tipoo’s one month absence, senior prosecutor Syed Haider Ali would work as the “acting chief prosecutor.” The ministry, however, neither issued any further notice nor withdrew the gazette after Tipoo’s return.

The chief prosecutor said yesterday that there was no provision for such a position in the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973 and that he had never faced such a situation in the last four years.

Tipoo had earlier termed as illegal, the appointment of MK Rahman as the “chief coordinator” of the prosecution team – who was relieved from his duties as the additional attorney general on May 19. MK Rahman stepped down

Lonely, rare Painted Stork to get a home n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong A young Painted Stork – locally known as “Rongeela Bok”– was found alone on a hill in Chittagong City on Thursday. It was later handed over to the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department on Monday for release in the Bangabandhu Safari Park in Gazipur.

Currently, a few can be seen in the coastal areas.

The three-feet tall bird is the biggest ever Painted Stork found in the Chittagong region, said Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) Director Dr Md Mokhlesur Rahman.

Sayedul Alam Sohel from Paschim Pahar Residential Area of the BFRI found the bird lying on a hill slope there and informed the authorities.

During the rescue drive, the bird, which still cannot fly, was found to be sick. Later the BFRI authorities gave it treatment and food, said BFRI Field Investigator Mainuddin.

He said the stork’s nest was found in a bamboo-clump on the BFRI campus where it had grown up.

On Monday night, BFRI Director Mokhlesur handed the stork over to Divisional Forest Officer Abdul Khaleque of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department in Chittagong. It will be released in Gazipur’s Bangabandhu Safari Park.

According to 2012 “Birdlife International” of the IUCN, the Painted Stork, named for their distinctive pink tertial feathers, is a large wading bird of the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia, south of the Himalayas in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and extending into Southeast Asia.

As per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species published in 2012, the Painted Storks are “former residents” of Bangladesh

“Those who ordered the handover of all the materials related to the Jamaat case are not ready to try the party for some reason. But there is no scope to become hopeless as we are committed to do it.”

He confirmed that none of the higher authorities had asked them to stop the proceedings against Jamaat. “If there is any possibility of a U-turn from the government side, then someone would have told us before the investigation agency submitted its report,” he explained.

He said: “The ministry will have to solve the problem as they have created it by going beyond the law. We are waiting for the end of the conflicting situation and seeking immediate action as we know the government is committed to the trial.”

Hopeful about the Jamaat trial, Tipoo said: “The people of Bangladesh want to try Jamaat and there is no reason to hold the process back. No doubt, the proceedings will be in progress again.” l

63 inches) in wingspan and they weigh about 2 to 3.5kg.

Males and females appear alike but the males of a pair are usually larger than the females.

The Painted Storks eat small fish, frogs and occasionally snakes in groups in shallow wetlands. They forage mainly in the day but may forage later, even at night, under exceptional conditions.

Their breeding season begins in the winter months, shortly after the monsoons. They breed in their platform nests, materials of which are carried by the bird.

Those nests are typically placed in a tree on an island or in an otherwise undisturbed area. l

n Tribune Report Interpol has issued the red warrant against Nur Hossain, the prime accused in Narayanganj seven-murder case.

The France-based international organisation of police yesterday posted Nur Hossain’s profile on its Red Warrant page on wanted people.

According to the Interpol website, the red warrant was issued against Nur for his alleged involvement with six crimes, including murder, hiding evidence of the crime, kidnapping/abducting persons with intent to wrongful confinement, wrongful restraint, impersonating a public servant and

group involvement in crime.

On May 22, Bangladesh police sought the help of Interpol for the capture of Nur Hossain.

A letter had been sent to the Interpol authority in this regard, Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Khandaker Mahid Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune.

On May 12, Rapid Action Battalion Additional Director General (operations) Col Ziaul Ahsan said they had specific information that Nur Hossain had fled the country through the Benapole border on the night of May 2 and he had been in Kolkata.

However, police officials were still uncertain about Nur’s whereabouts.

Narayanganj ward councillor Nazrul Islam, lawyer Chandan Sarkar and five others were abducted on April 27 by some criminals who were allegedly assisted by three top officials of RAB 11. Their bodies were later found in the Shitalakkhya River on April 30 and May 1. l

Transport strike in Dhaka, Rajshahi divisions halted n Tribune Report

and now a straggler to the coastal regions.

However, Ronald R Halder, in his book “Birds of Bangladesh” published in 2010, termed the Painted Storks migratory birds.

The Painted Stork generally has a heavy yellow beak with a down-curved tip. The head of the adult is bare and orange or reddish in colour. The long tertials are tipped with bright pink.

The body of the adults is whitish while the primaries and the secondaries are black with a greenish gloss. Their legs are yellowish to red. The short tail is black with a green gloss.

The common size of a standing Painted Stork is about 93 to 102 centimetres (37 to 40 inches) tall, 150 to 160 cm (59 to

Interpol issues red warrant against Nur

Transport owners and workers in Rajshahi division called off their strike for 10 days yesterday evening hours after a similar strike had been suspended in eight Dhaka division districts until tomorrow.

The association of Dhaka divisional northern bus-truck owners and workers called off their strike that started at 6am in Gazipur, Dhaka (north), Mymensingh, Netrakona, Kishoreganj, Jamalpur, Sherpur and Tangail to press home their seven-point demand.

The demands include removal of the Netrakona deputy commissioner, withdrawal of illegal vehicles from roads, ending police extortion on vehicles and execution of a deal with the government.

Communication Minister Obaidul Quader, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan and top police officials sat in a meeting with the leaders of the association and assured the transport owners and workers that their demands would be met.

In view of the assurances, the strike had been put on hold until tomorrow, Mamtazuddin, president of Mymensingh District Motors Owners Association, told reporters yesterday.

On Sunday, transport owners and workers in Rajshahi division called a strike in all eight districts of the division, demanding fulfilment of their sixpoint demand, which is similar to the seven-point demand of the association in Dhaka.

Our correspondent in Rajshahi reported that the transport leaders and workers held a meeting around 7pm

yesterday about calling off or suspending the strike.

“We sat in a meeting upon a request from the central leaders,” Manzur Rahman Peter, convenor of the Rajshahi association, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The meeting decided to suspend the strike for 10 days.”

Meanwhile, people in these districts suffered terribly because of the strike.

Businesses came to a halt at many places as no freight-carrying trucks operated for a long time.

Our Gazipur correspondent reports: Sufferings of long-route commuters mounted as long-distant buses did not operate through the district.

A passenger named Bokul Begum said she had waited for a bus for around an hour from 11am to go her Gazipur home but had not got any.

Gazipur Traffic Sergeant Md Kamrul Islam said passengers were going to their distant destinations through the local bus services.

The picture of passengers’ sufferings was worse in Sirajganj than anywhere in the eight districts, with people getting stuck on both sides of the Bangabandhu bridge, reports our correspondent in the district.

A large number of people were seen waiting for train at the Sadanandapur Railways Station.

The inter-city Silk City Express bound for Dhaka

from Rajshahi arrived at the station around 12 at noon although it was scheduled for around 10am.

Passengers were seen scrambling into the train, which had already been packed with passengers. Many passengers struggled for room on the engine of the train, failing to get into the train.

There were allegations of extortion by the police.

When the superintendent of police was informed about it, an extortionist was arrested.

A clash between bus and truck workers took place over realising extortion, leaving at least five people injured.

Our Bogra correspondent reports: Earlier in the day, transport leaders and workers vowed to continue their strike until their six-point demand, including their deal with the government, was fulfilled.

Vice President Abdul Mannan of Rajshahi Regional Committee of Bangladesh Sarak Sramik Federation said they had sat in a meeting with the administration on Monday but there had been no results. 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.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B3 IMF’s Lagarde says bank

reforms slowed by fierce industry pushback

B4 As India’s new government gets to work, a promise to investors

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Retailers’ compensation inadequate Says Dutch minister on payment to Rana Plaza victims. Tofail rules out possibility of labour unrest amid factory closures n Tribune Report Visiting Dutch minister said the compensation provided by the Western retailers so far to the Rana Plaza victims is not sufficient and called on the companies to give more.

She assured of talks with the European Union colleagues to collectively convince the companies in this regard, expecting positive outcome “in the coming weeks or months.”

“We will interact with stakeholders and meet our EU colleagues to see what we can do jointly to reach out to the companies and encourage them (for compensation). You will see some actions in the coming weeks or months,” said Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands.

“We feel that victims needed compensation,” she added while addressing a joint press conference of Bangladesh and the Netherlands at a hotel in Dhaka yesterday.

The press conference was preceded by a consultative meeting between the two countries, which was attended by representatives from International Labour Organisation (ILO), the EU and Australian government.

Bangladesh’s Commerce Minis-

or remediation, which made “thousands of workers jobless.”

He said if such closures continued making workers unemployed, the country’s RMG sector might face another labour unrest ahead of Ramadan.

Dutch envoy to Bangladesh Ger-

We will interact with stakeholders and meet our EU colleagues to see how to reach out to the companies. You will see some actions in the coming weeks or months ter Tofail Ahmed also spoke at the presser.

He ruled out any possibility of labour unrest for factory closures as the jobless workers are being employed by other factories – new and old.

On Monday, State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu expressed anger at the closures of flawed factories without giving time for relocation

ben de Jong and Bangladesh’s Senior Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed were also present at the press conference.

The consultative meeting discussed the initiatives taken to improve safety in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector and the progress made with the initiatives.

Dutch minister said Bangladesh has done a lot of things to improve

TOAB tourism fair begins Friday

n Tribune Report

A 3-day international tourism fair begins in Dhaka on Friday to promote the country’s tourism industry.

Tour Operator Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), apex body of the country’s tour operators, will organise the fair titled “EBLBTTF-2014 International Tourism Fair” at Bangabandhu International

Conference Centre (BICC).

It would be the 5th event TOAB is organising with around 100 exhibitors from six countries – Malaysia, Thailand, India, Nepal, Bhutan and host Bangladesh, a pre-event press conference was told at a hotel in the city yesterday. Tourism Malaysia will have a major stake.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed is scheduled to inaugurate

the fair and Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon would conclude close it on Sunday next.

The participants include national tourism organisations (NTOs), airlines, tour operators, hotels, resorts, travel trade bodies, financial and educational institutions.

During the exhibition, the exhibitors would offer special discounts

the RMG sector in last one year after Rana Plaza collapse.

She said almost one third of total factories have been inspected and out of 1,500 factories inspected, only 19 were found with serious flaws, which faced complete or partially closure.

“Besides, publicly accessible database of workers has been launched, Labour Act has been amended, 130 trade unions have been registered and minimum wages increased by 77%.”

“But the challenges remain regarding the appointment of all 200 factory inspectors, making workers’ database more elaborate, stopping harassment of workers and addressing some remedial issues.”

Tofail Ahmed said only 2% of total factories inspected were found flawed, which is same of the global average of vulnerable factories,” he said.

About the recruitment of 200 factory inspectors, he said 67 have already been appointed and others will be recruited soon. l

on airfares, tour packages and a host of other promotional offers.

Colourful cultural shows will be staged every evening.

A seminar titled “Memorials of Liberation War and Our Tourism” and a discussion titled “Tourism and Skilled Workforce” will be held on the sidelines of the fair.

The fair will remain open from 10am to 8pm on all the three days. l

FY15 budget allocation to see lowest growth in 5 years n Asif Showkat Kallol

The budgetary allocation for the next fiscal year is going to be increased by 12.5% from the original allocation of the outgoing fiscal year.

It would be the poorest growth in public spending in last five fiscal years.

The total outlay is being increased from Tk2,22,491 crore in 2013-14 to Tk2,50,302 crore in 2014-15 – which is little over what Finance Minister AMA Muhith has long been saying, “it would not cross Tk2,50,000.”

The growth of budgetary allocation was over 16% in 2013-14, over 17.21% in 2012-13, about 24% in 2011-12 and over 16% in 2010-11.

Despite the lowest growth, economists were critical of the huge allocation as the government has to cut the size due to under utilisation as well as weaknesses in resource mobilisation. They also apprehended that the huge revenue target is unlikely to be achieved – based on which the huge budget is going to be allocated.

Eminent economist Dr Mirza Azizul

Islam would, however, term it a big budget that would create huge pressure on the credit market, crowding out the private sector loans and putting pressure on the investment situation in the next fiscal year.

The price situation would also be affected due to the deficit to be created out of the huge budget, he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The finance minister would finalise the budget size after holding discussion with the Prime Minister after her returning home from Japan, said an official.

According to finance division sources, the bank borrowing target would be Tk31,509 crore in the next fiscal year. This is due to more ADP outlay than what was estimated earlier.

The total budget deficit is estimated to be of Tk67,500 crore, which is 5.08% of GDP. “We had no plan to cross the budget outlay of Tk 2,50,000 crore, but it is now crossing the threshold due to increased ADP,” said a senior official of the finance division. “We are under pressure to raise the allocation.” l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

56,710,645 59,670

Traded Issues

294

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

153

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

134

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,265.39

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.46

CSE key features May 27, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

177.04

Turnover (Volume)

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

2,401.56

Number of Contract

non and its behavioral impact.

It said as the cloudy phenomena sustained in the last few sessions, participants could not drive much certainly, keeping total turnover still low.

Lanka Bangla Securities said a firm up move amid improved market turnover value indicts that the investors are gaining confidence to buy stocks at current level after a month long bearish tone.

It said investors might have got a positive vibe hearing approval of $169m for 13 projects under foreign aid Japanese government’s pledge for $6bn economic assistance.

“Experts have considered it a time befitting way of stabilising the currency rate and squeezing the deficit in balance of payment.”

Market bellwether banking issues gained 1.2%, followed by cement, food and allied, tannery, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications.

Lafarge Surma Cement was the top turnover leader with shares worth Tk17 crore changing hands followed by Grameenphone, Square Pharmaceuticals, Mercantile Bank, Heidelberg Cement, Eastern Housing Ltd, BSRM Steel and Meghna Petroleum.l

Stocks rallied after two consecutive flat sessions yesterday on buying pressure mainly on financials, food and allied, cement and telecommunications issues.

The benchmark index DSEX rose 37 points or 0.85% to close at 4,416.

The comprising blue chips DS30 rose 13 points or 0.8% to 1,602. The Shariah index DSES gained 7 points or 0.78% to close at 985.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, was up 60 points to close at 8,478.

Turnover at the DSE stood at Tk240 crore, up by 1.8% over the previous session. Out of 294 issues traded, 161 advanced, 82 declined and 51 closed unchanged on the DSE floor.

“Market bounced back and surpassed its tri-sessions’ bearish spell,” said IDLC Investments, in its market analysis.

The consequent buying motive in some of large caps stepped up DSEX above 4,400 points level, it said. Since national budget 201415 is on its way, investors has been monitoring the market phenome-

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

5,257,949

Number of Contract

7,421

4415.75168

(+) 0.85%

▲

Traded Issues

208

985.51150

(+) 0.78%

▲

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

107

1602.32375

(+) 0.81%

▲

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

97

CSE All Share Index:

13628.51240

(+) 0.78%

▲

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

3

CSE - 30 Index :

11216.92380

(+) 1.02%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,173.33

8478.03750

(+) 0.72%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.34

DSE Shariah Index : DSE - 30 Index :

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS

Standard Insurance-A Savar Refractories-Z Rupali Life Insur.-A BD Fixed Income MF-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A Samata LeatheR -Z Salvo Chemicals-B Imam Button -Z

-6.50 -5.29 -5.17 -3.61 -2.89 -2.60 -2.53 -2.41

Average (% change) -6.35 -4.31 -4.94 -2.77 -3.50 -2.60 -0.85 -3.57

AFC AgroBiotech-N Renwick Jajneswar-A

-2.13 -2.01

-2.03 -1.22

Company

Closing (% change)

CSE LOSERS

Phoenix Insur -A PragatiLife Insu. -A Samata LeatheR -Z ISN Ltd. -Z Argon Denims Limited-A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A Apex SpinningA Rupali Life Insur.-A

-8.40 -8.13 -7.14 -4.55 -3.97 -3.85 -3.75 -3.69

Average (% change) -8.40 -8.13 -7.11 -4.78 -3.86 -1.83 -3.75 -6.55

Meghna Life Ins. -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A

-3.25 -3.23

-3.19 -4.36

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 335.21 64.08 42.23 199.42 196.12 152.63 0.91 309.31 348.72 0.25 66.74 53.29 7.25 274.54 14.15 30.71 92.41 141.38 18.58 53.49 0.17

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

33.21 55.50 78.16 8.07 27.26 30.00 23.32 8.10

33.10 55.50 77.00 8.00 26.90 30.00 23.10 8.10

34.00 55.50 82.10 8.20 28.00 30.00 24.00 8.10

32.00 55.50 73.10 8.00 26.80 30.00 21.40 8.10

1.979 0.003 19.334 0.117 53.138 0.105 14.673 0.016

2.88 0.52 5.33 0.56 4.64 0.09 1.16 -1.85

11.5 106.7 14.7 14.4 5.9 333.3 20.1 -ve

55.51 300.78

55.10 296.70

57.00 307.50

54.70 296.10

20.956 3.459

2.32 3.92

23.9 76.7

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Eastern Housing -A Modern Dyeing -Z Kay & Que (BD) -Z Rahima Food -Z BATBCL -A Apex Tannery -A Midas Financing-Z Stylecraft -A Reliance Insur -A Southeast Bank-A

32.70 157.10 28.60 10.50 55.70 7.50 77.00 80.80

32.70 157.10 28.60 10.50 57.00 7.50 77.00 81.50

32.70 157.10 28.60 10.30 55.00 7.50 77.00 77.00

0.007 0.079 0.014 0.016 0.201 0.011 0.015 1.882

3.00 2.38 0.09 0.20 4.04 1.49 1.85 5.33

10.9 66.0 317.8 51.9 13.8 5.0 41.6 14.7

119.08 27.22

119.00 27.00

119.50 28.00

118.10 26.80

0.149 7.062

6.45 4.64

18.5 5.9

The cloudy phenomena sustained in the last few sessions, participants could not drive much certainly, keeping total turnover still low

% change 13.96 2.67 1.76 8.30 8.17 6.36 0.04 12.88 14.52 0.01 2.78 2.22 0.30 11.43 0.59 1.28 3.85 5.89 0.77 2.23 0.01

Million Taka 32.15 4.47 2.29 12.56 12.47 17.19 30.22 19.42 16.60 3.52 19.03 0.77 25.54 1.01 0.45 4.48 13.80 4.15 6.66 0.01

% change 14.17 1.97 1.01 5.54 5.50 7.58 0.00 13.32 8.56 7.32 1.55 8.39 0.34 11.26 0.45 0.20 1.98 6.09 1.83 2.94 0.01

Million Taka 367.35 68.55 44.53 211.99 208.59 169.82 0.91 339.52 368.14 16.85 70.26 72.31 8.02 300.07 15.17 31.16 96.89 155.19 22.73 60.14 0.18

Total

8.19 5.96 5.60 4.86 4.61 4.50 4.40 4.31 4.27 3.96

CSE GAINERS Company Eastern Housing -A Delta Brac HFCL-A NLI 1st M F-A Rahima Food -Z Mercantile Bank -A Hakkani P& Paper -B Apex Tannery -A City G Insu.-A Bangas -A Eastern Bank - A

Closing (% change) 8.03 6.40 5.49 4.70 3.91 3.90 3.89 3.77 3.52 3.45

Average (% change) 4.40 6.67 4.68 5.71 3.91 3.03 5.55 4.57 3.90 2.52 Average (% change) 4.99 6.40 4.03 6.42 3.37 4.27 4.23 3.53 2.91 3.83

Closing average 60.76 80.00 13.20 59.79 2,235.67 143.99 19.20 1,030.00 63.21 20.74

Closing average 60.79 66.50 9.55 60.17 18.41 29.30 144.73 22.00 512.97 27.10

Closing 62.10 80.00 13.20 60.40 2,251.00 146.40 19.00 1,027.50 63.50 21.00

Closing 61.90 66.50 9.60 60.20 18.60 29.30 144.30 22.00 517.70 27.00

Daily high 62.70 80.00 13.20 61.00 2,259.20 147.70 19.30 1,040.00 66.40 22.00

Daily high 62.70 66.50 9.80 61.00 18.70 29.30 147.00 22.00 520.00 27.50

Daily low 52.10 80.00 13.20 57.90 2,100.00 130.00 19.00 1,015.00 58.00 18.20

Daily low 58.40 66.50 9.30 58.00 17.80 29.30 142.00 22.00 504.00 26.20

Turnover in million 63.501 0.020 0.013 7.504 26.600 10.893 0.048 0.206 0.447 51.316

Turnover in million 3.263 0.033 0.019 0.872 5.620 0.015 0.767 0.007 1.154 0.044

Latest EPS 1.56 1.61 -0.92 -1.01 82.80 4.35 -6.91 47.83 5.84 3.04

Latest EPS 1.56 5.05 1.36 -1.01 1.16 0.28 4.35 1.84 5.87 4.72

Latest PE 38.9 49.7 -ve -ve 27.0 33.1 -ve 21.5 10.8 6.8

Latest PE 39.0 13.2 7.0 -ve 15.9 104.6 33.3 12.0 87.4 5.7

News from trade server ICB: ARGUS Credit Rating Services Limited (ACRSL) has rated the Corporation as "AAA" for long term and "ST-1" for short term in consideration of financials of the Corporation up to 30 June 2013 (audited), Q3FY14 (unaudited) and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

NBL: Credit Rating Information and Services Limited (CRISL) has rated the Company as "AA-" in the long term and "ST-2" in the short term in consideration of financials of the Company up to 31st December 2013 (audited) and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

ONEBANKLTD: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on May 20, 2014. Cash Dividend and proceeds of Fractional Dividend have also been disbursed through Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN) system on May 21, 2014.

IPO Subscription: Tung Hai Knitting & Dyeing Limited subscription date 18-22

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z Grameenphone-A Square Pharma -A Mercantile Bank -A HeidelbergCement -A Eastern Housing -A BSRM Steels-A

CSE

Closing (% change)

May 2014, NRB upto 31 May 2014. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries Limited subscription date 15-19 June 2014, NRB upto 28 June 2014. @ taka 22, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Shurwid Industries Limited subscription date 08-12 June 2014, NRB upto 21 June 2014. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500.

Saif Powertec Limited subscription date 06-10 July 2014, NRB upto 19 July 2014. @ taka 10, face value taka 30 and market lot 200.

Dividend/AGM AMBEEPHA: 15% cash and 20% stock, AGM: 16.06.2014, Record Date: 28.05.2014.

MBL1STMF: 3% cash, Record date: 02.06.2014.

AIBL1STIMF: 5.5% cash, Record date: 02.06.2014.

ORIONPHARM: 15% cash, AGM: 22.06.2014, Record Date: 21.05.2014.

PURABIGEN: 15% stock, AGM: 29.06.2014, Record date: 21.05.2014.

SALVOCHEM: 10% stock, AGM: 27.08.2014, Record date: 25.06.2014.

ISNLTD: No dividend, AGM: 17.06.2014, RD May 20, 2014.

GOLDENSON: 25% stock, EGM and AGM: 21.06.2014, Record Date: 15.05.2014.

MERCINS: 10% cash, dividend for the Public Shareholders (B-Group) only, AGM: 16.06.2014, Record Date: 15.05.2014.

CMCKAMAL: 12.50% stock, AGM: 30.06.2014. Record Date: 29.05.2014.

RUPALIBANK: 15% stock, AGM: 31.05.2014, Record date: 14.05.2014.

LEGACYFOOT: 5% stock, AGM: 21.06.2014, Record Date: 12.05.2014.

BDTHAI: 5% stock, AGM: 21.06.2014, Record Date: 25.05.2014.

MEGHNACEM: 15% cash, AGM: 29.05.2014, Record Date: 14.05.2014.

MONNOSTAF: 10% cash, AGM: 26.06.2014, Record Date: 19.05.2014.

INTECH: 10% stock, AGM: 23.06.2014, Record Date: 15.05.2014.

ISLAMIINS: 15% stock, AGM: 09.07.2014, RD: 12.05.2014.

BXPHARMA: 10% cash & 5% stock, AGM: 21.06.2014, RD: 18.05.2014.

STANDARINS: 15% stock, AGM: 18.06.2014, RD: 15.05.2014.

Latest PE

32.70 157.10 28.60 10.37 55.76 7.50 77.00 78.42

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features May 27, 2014

Stocks rally as flat session breaks n Tribune Report

Stock

% change 13.98 2.61 1.69 8.07 7.94 6.46 0.03 12.92 14.01 0.64 2.67 2.75 0.31 11.42 0.58 1.19 3.69 5.90 0.86 2.29 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

Meghna Petroleum -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A Southeast Bank-A

Bangas -A BD Submarine Cable-A Olympic Ind. -A Matin Spinning-N CMC Kamal Tex. -A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z

BD Submarine Cable-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A Grameenphone-A Mercantile Bank -A Square Pharma -A Southeast Bank-A UCBL - A BSRM Steels-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Hwa Well Textiles-N UNITED AIR-A Eastern Housing -A Appollo Ispat CL -N HeidelbergCement -A

Volume shares 2,494,000 369,665 345,102 4,115,166 136,000 1,045,143 788,800 199,574 1,949,500 2,474,583

86,863 237,589 188,920 892,000 1,592,179

Volume shares

277,500 44,600 259,500 21,400 305,365 20,440 253,111 176,941 58,340 167,280 89,000 302,219 53,682 117,200 6,000

Value in million 174.35 98.11 92.76 75.85 71.48 63.50 58.62 55.83 53.14 51.32

44.35 43.27 42.91 39.62 39.29

Value in million

19.38 8.13 7.06 5.67 5.62 5.50 5.18 4.68 4.32 3.82 3.74 3.46 3.26 3.23 3.16

% of total turnover 7.26 4.09 3.86 3.16 2.98 2.64 2.44 2.32 2.21 2.14

1.85 1.80 1.79 1.65 1.64

% of total turnover

11.49 4.82 4.19 3.36 3.33 3.26 3.07 2.78 2.56 2.27 2.22 2.05 1.93 1.91 1.87

Daily closing 70.60 266.00 269.40 18.60 529.00 62.10 74.10 279.10 26.90 21.00

517.60 181.60 227.20 44.30 24.70

Daily closing

70.50 181.90 27.00 265.30 18.60 269.40 21.10 26.60 74.00 22.70 41.90 11.40 61.90 27.50 529.60

Price change 2.62 0.72 1.20 3.91 2.20 8.19 0.27 0.25 -2.89 3.96

Daily opening 68.80 264.10 266.20 17.90 517.60 57.40 73.90 278.40 27.70 20.20

Price change

Daily opening

3.48 2.19 1.56 -0.45 1.65

2.62 2.13 -3.23 0.61 3.91 1.05 4.46 1.53 -0.13 -0.87 -0.48 -0.87 8.03 -0.36 2.40

500.20 177.70 223.70 44.50 24.30

68.70 178.10 27.90 263.70 17.90 266.60 20.20 26.20 74.10 22.90 42.10 11.50 57.30 27.60 517.20

Daily high 70.90 266.30 270.00 18.80 530.10 62.70 75.10 281.50 28.00 22.00

519.80 183.50 228.80 44.90 25.10

Daily low 68.60 260.00 243.00 16.20 500.00 52.10 68.00 255.00 26.80 18.20

500.00 160.20 205.00 43.90 22.00

Daily average 69.91 265.40 268.79 18.43 525.61 60.76 74.31 279.73 27.26 20.74

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

70.70 183.70 28.00 266.00 18.70 270.00 21.20 26.70 75.00 23.20 42.40 11.50 62.70 27.90 533.00

68.70 179.50 26.80 262.30 17.80 262.20 20.10 26.10 67.00 22.60 41.70 10.40 58.40 27.40 517.00

510.58 182.13 227.15 44.42 24.68

69.85 182.31 27.22 265.09 18.41 268.85 20.47 26.47 74.13 22.85 42.04 11.44 60.79 27.57 526.72

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Banks, FIs urged to finance only green projects n Tribune Business Desk Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman has suggested banks and financial institutions (FIs) not to finance any venture that can harm the nature, saying that financing green and environment-friendly ventures can facilitate Bangladesh clean its environment.

“We’ve to keep the nature unharmed for our existence and, banks and FIs should not finance any venture that will harm the nature … they need to be careful that their finance is not used to fell trees and fill up ponds, rivers and canals,” he told the opening session of “Green Bankers’ Conference 2014” in Dhaka yesterday.

Deputy Governor S. K. Sur Chowdhury, Country Manager of International Finance Corporation (IFC) Bangladesh Kyle Kelhofer, Professor Saiful Haque of Institute of Energy, Dhaka University and BB’s Executive Directors M. Mahfuzur Rahman and Ataur Rahman also spoke at the session.

Atiur said the central bank has created refinancing windows to promote banks and FIs in financing green and environment-friendly ventures.

“We’re committed to practice digital, nearly paperless, sustainable, green banking operations by making the best use of the information technology and related professional skills,” he said.

The governor said BB’s different initiatives particularly IT-based green

banking activities through online banking, e-banking, e-commerce, online CIB, automated clearing house, e-tendering, e-recruitment are moving ahead in full swing. “We’re now thinking to introduce e-noting.”

He said the central bank is heading the banks and financial institutions to a new horizon of green banking, where six green products were offered for refinancing initially, 44 green products are now open under BB refinancing scheme in 2014.

“And good news is, an avenue has been opened for innovation and research … if any bank or FI comes up with innovative green product that truly contributes in environmental conservation, BB will seriously study that for further decision,” he added.

BB will also try to enhance the size of its refinance scheme to facilitate large scale investments in green alternatives, he said, adding that in addition, the FIs should take initiatives to attract green bonds, green private equities for enhancing sustainable financing.

About the challenges, Atiur said all banks have their general credit policy for the lending sectors but the nature of different sectors varies from the environmental perspective. For example, he said polluting industries like tannery differs from the investment in poultry. So preparing sector-specific environmental policy guideline for banks is a big challenge, he added. l

Business

IMF's Lagarde says bank reforms slowed by fierce industry pushback n Reuters Progress in completing banking reforms to plug gaps highlighted by the 2007-09 financial crisis is too slow and is being hampered by fierce industry lobbying, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said banks were holding more capital now than they did in the runup to the financial crisis when taxpayers had to shore up the sector.

“The bad news is that progress is still too slow, and the finish line is still too far off,” Lagarde told a conference on economic inclusion in London.

While the task of reforming banks is complex, progress is also being held back by “fierce industry pushback” and fatigue that is bound to set in at this point in a long race, she said.

“A big gap is that the too-big-tofail problem has not yet been solved,” Lagarde said, referring to the belief in markets that governments will still step in to rescue the biggest banks to avoid the mayhem seen when Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008.

The IMF estimated that the implicit subsidy or cheaper funding costs from being too big to fail amounted to about $70bn in the United States and up to $300bn in the euro zone. Mark Carney, chairman of the Financial Stability Board, a regulatory task force for the Group of 20 economies (G20), has said he wants the too-big-to-fail phenomenon “cracked by Christmas” but faces challenges in Europe and Asia.

Lagarde also called for regulators across the world to agree a framework

for winding down big banks in trouble.

“This is a hole in the financial architecture right now, and it calls for countries to put the global good of financial stability ahead of their parochial concerns,” Lagarde said.

After the bruising experience of the financial crisis, trust among in-

ILO: Developing countries see swelling middle class n AFP, Geneva Workers in developing countries are increasingly moving to better jobs and joining the middle class, but 839 million workers still earn less than $2 a day, the International Labour Organization said.

“The developing countries are generally in a process of catching up with the advanced economies,” ILO chief Guy Ryder told reporters in Geneva ahead of the release of the agency’s annual World of Work Report yesterday.

Between 1980 and 2011, per capita income in the developing countries like Senegal, Vietnam and Tunisia on average grew 3.3% each year, which is far faster than the 1.8% growth seen in advanced economies, the report said.

Today, more than four in 10 workers in the such countries are considered to be in the so-called “developing middle class” - meaning that they earn more than $4 a day - up from fewer than two in 10 two decades ago, it said.

Yet, more than half of all workers in the developing world - some 1.5 billion people - are in precarious positions, without contracts and social protections and often wallowing in poverty.

Around 839 million of them - a full

third of all workers in such countries earn less than $2 a day. That however is down from more than half of all workers in such countries in the early 2000s, the report said. Improve worker rights, create growth In its analysis of the situation in 140 developing and emerging economies, the ILO concluded that nations that tackled working poverty, invested in creating quality jobs and in getting workers out of precarious employment had weathered the global financial crisis far better than those that did not.

“The investment in human capital is coming through in improved growth,” Ryder said, adding: “one needs to depart from any simplistic notion that development can be kick-started by reducing worker rights.”

Since the global financial crisis of 2007, the convergence between conditions in the developed and developing worlds has picked up speed.

Some 30.6 million more people have been added to the global ranks of the unemployed since the crisis began, leaving a total of 199.8 million people jobless last year, with the number set to swell to 213 million by 2019.

The global unemployment rate has stabilised at around six percent - a level

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expected to remain through 2017 - but advanced economies have suffered the biggest rise in jobless numbers.

Developed countries have on average seen their unemployment rate stabilise at around 8.5%, up from 5.8% before the crisis, while developing countries suffered only a brief hike before their jobless rate fell back to around pre-crisis levels of 5.4%, the report said.

And the crisis has affected working conditions everywhere.

“Many developing countries, notably in Latin America and Asia, are making efforts to tackle inequalities and improve job quality as well as social protection,” lead author of the ILO report Moazam Mahmood said.

“By contrast,” he said, “a number of advanced economies, notably in Europe, seem to be going in the opposite direction.”

Migration patterns shifting

The shift in opportunities is meanwhile impacting migration patterns.

Some 231.5 million people last year were living in a country other than the one they were born in, the report said.

While the European Union by far remains the favoured destination, with

51% of migrants settled there, migrants have since the crisis increasingly been moving between developing countries, the ILO said.

More and more educated young people from crisis-hit developed countries are also emigrating to emerging economies, the report found.

“Already south-south migration is on the rise while workers are also leaving advanced economies, particularly some hard-hit European countries, for work opportunities in developing countries,” Mahmood said.

Some 213 million people will enter the labour market over the next five years - 200 million of them in emerging and developing countries, the ILO said, voicing optimism that most of the new jobs created will provide a decent living.

“For the first time in history, over the next several years, most new jobs in the developing world are likely to be of sufficient quality to allow workers and their families to live above the equivalent of the poverty line in the United States,” the report said.

Despite its optimism, ILO acknowledged that 85% of the workforce in the developing world will still be living below the US-equivalent poverty line in 2018. l

ternational regulators is still not high enough as some countries continue to take extra initiatives on bank capital to keep local taxpayers off the hook.

The FSB is worried that such measures, like the Federal Reserve’s plans for extra capital requirements on foreign lenders in the United States, will

split capital markets.

Lagarde said, “We need to be mindful of the risks of fragmenting the global financial system and hampering the flow of credit to finance investment.”

“But complexity is not an excuse for complacency and delay,” she said. l

Euro rallies in Asia after ECB chief’s comments n AFP, Tokyo The euro rallied in Asia yesterday after the single currency tumbled on weak German business data which boosted speculation of further monetary easing measures by the European Central Bank (ECB).

In midday Tokyo trading, the euro rose to $1.3662 and 139.29 yen from $1.3618 and 138.80 yen in Tokyo on Monday. US financial markets were closed Monday for a public holiday.

Gains in the European single currency came as investors look to key US data later in the day for guidance about the state of the world’s number one economy.

“The euro found some footing against the dollar after 4 consecutive days of drops and economic releases today will likely cap dollar strength again as both durable goods orders and consumer confidence could come in below expectation,” Credit Agricole said.

On Monday, ECB chief Mario Draghi said the bank was “alert” to the risks of persistently low inflation, amid speculation of further interest rate cuts to

avert possible deflation.

“At present, our expectation is that low inflation will be prolonged but gradually return to close to 2%,” Draghi told a central banking forum organised by the ECB in Sintra, Portugal.

“Our responsibility is nonetheless to be alert to the risks to this scenario that might emerge and prepared for action if they do.” he added.

Inflation in the 18 countries that share the euro is currently way below the ECB’s 2% target, picking up only fractionally to 0.7% in April.

Further measures from the ECB would tend to weigh on the euro, but the central bank was likely to hold off launching huge bond-buying measures similar to that unleashed by the US Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan.

“There was a modest euro-positive response to Draghi’s comments even though he made clear that the risk of a ‘pernicious negative spiral’ of low inflation and weak lending risk derailing the eurozone’s fledgling recovery, mandated fresh ECB action,” National Australia Bank said. l

China President stresses market forces in reforms n Reuters

Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Ltd and Ellicott Dredges LLC, a dredger manufacturer in US are assisting the country’s government by supplying dredgers for maintaining the navigability of rivers to improve irrigation, check bank erosion and reduce flood damages.

State Minister of Water Resources Mohammad Nazrul Islam Bir Pratik visited the yard of Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Ltd at Meghnaghat yesterday

City Bank recently signed a merchant acquiring agreement with Biman Bangladesh Airlines under which the City Bank American Express card members will be able to purchase air tickets from Biman using their cards from Biman’s sales outlet in Bangladesh. Mashrur Arefin, the bank’s DMD and COO and Mohammad Shah Newaz, director of marketing and sales, Biman Bangladesh airlines signed the agreement

Lotto Bangladesh recently held a prize giving ceremony of the competition named Sonar Bangla Gorbo, which about drawing pictures and writing stories. The former president of Khulna Press Club, Begum Ferdoushi Ali was present at the ceremony as chief guest along with the company’s CEO Abdullah Al Mosaddek

Bangladesh Dyed Yarn Exporters Association has recently signed a group insurance contract with Pragati Life Insurance Limited for its employees. Managing director and CEO Md Jalalul Azim of Pragati Life Insurance and Salahuddin Alamgir, president of Bangladesh Dyed Yarn Exporters Association are seen exchanging the contract

China President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of free markets in the country’s economic reforms, state media said yesterday, another indication that the government is persevering with plans to bring about sweeping changes.

Allowing market forces to allocate resources would mark a new stage of growth in the world’s second-biggest economy, Xinhua news agency said Xi told the Politburo on Monday.

As part of plans to alter the economy and reduce dependence on exports and state investment, Beijing unveiled in November its most ambitious plan for change in 30 years that would allow free markets to have a bigger role.

The key question is how to handle the relationship between the market and the government, Xi told the Politburo, an elite body made up of the country’s 25 most powerful leaders.

China, he said, had to reduce the amount of resources directly allocated by the government and cut the amount of direct state intervention in microeconomic activity. Remaking China’s growth engine is one of the most important jobs faced by Xi’s government, which is under pressure to produce results before some leaders retire at the next change in leadership in 2017.

But change has been made trickier still by China’s slowing - and maturing economy, which is expected to cool to a 24-year-low in growth of 7.3% this year. l

The board members of Prime Bank Limited unanimously elected Azam J Chowdhury as the new chair of the board at the bank’s 417th board meeting. Azam J Chowdhury is the chairperson and owner of East Coast Group. In addition, he is the chairperson of The Consolidated Tea & Lands Company Bangladesh Limited and Bangladesh Trade Syndicate Limited, an associate of TNT Express, a global express company

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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

As India’s new government gets to work, a promise to investors Smaller government

Arun Jaitley is administered oath of office by President Pranab Mukherjee (unseen) as a Cabinet minister at the presidential palace in New Delhi REUTERS

n Reuters India’s new finance minister, Arun Jaitley, committed himself to repairing public finances and restoring investor confidence as a new administration took charge yesterday promising better days for millions of discontented Indians.

Jaitley, an urbane corporate lawyer and close party colleague of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was formally named to the key finance post, a day after the cabinet was inaugurated following a sweeping election victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Modi campaigned on a promise to cut bureaucratic sloth and fight corruption. Analysts say his party’s decisive

win gives him the mandate to advance reforms that stalled under the scandalridden government of his predecessor, Manmohan Singh.

On Tuesday, he met his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, whom he had invited for his inauguration in an unprecedented gesture that his team said was aimed at building strong ties with neighbours.

The BJP has long taken tough positions on national security, Pakistan in particular.

However, the BJP did seek to make peace with India’s nuclear-armed rival while in power more than a decade ago, and Modi is expected to stress the need for a peaceful region to keep the focus

on restoring economic growth. Growth dropped to a decade-low of below 5% under the outgoing government.

“We have to restore back the pace of growth, contain inflation and obviously concentrate on fiscal consolidation itself,” Jaitley told reporters.

Public finances are in dire straits as government spending has outpaced revenues. The new administration will immediately need to take a decision on slashing subsidy spending which is threatening a budget blow-out and a sovereign ratings downgrade.

Jaitley, a student leader who was jailed during a period of emergency in 1975, will also be handling the important defence portfolio for the transition.

Modi, who built his reputation as an economic moderniser by putting his home state of Gujarat on a high-growth path, has moved to streamline the cabinet towards a more centralised system of governing.

Several government ministries have been clubbed under one minister, aimed at breaking decision-making bottlenecks widely blamed for dragging down economic growth. The new administration has 45 ministers compared with 71 in the outgoing government.

Many supporters see Modi as India’s answer to the former US President Ronald Reagan or British leader Margaret Thatcher, committed to shrinking the size of government. One foreign editor has ventured Modi could turn out to be “India’s Deng Xiaoping”, the leader who set China on its path of spectacular economic growth.

“I am sure the political change itself sends a strong signal to the global community and also domestic investors,” Jaitley said. “I think over the next few months by expediting decision-making processes, I am sure we will be able to build that.”

The chief of the BJP, Rajnath Singh, will be the country’s new home minister, charged with the task of ensuring internal stability and calming the anxieties of India’s religious minorities who see his party and its hardline Hindu affiliates as pursuing a partisan agenda.

Modi himself has been dogged by allegations that he didn’t do enough to protect Muslims during an upsurge of violence in 2002. He has denied the charge and a Supreme Court-ordered investigation acquitted him of any responsibility.

He named Sushma Swaraj, one of the party’s best-known faces in parliament, as foreign minister. Swaraj, who has led the health ministry in the past, is seen as a moderate within the BJP. l

Researchers: Twitter sees growth in emerging markets n AFP, Washington Twitter is seeing strong user growth in the Asia-Pacific region, helping the messaging platform compensate for a slowdown in the US and Europe, a research report said yesterday.

The report by eMarketer forecasts that Twitter’s global user base will increase 24.4% in 2014, led by big gains in countries such as Indonesia and India, and to a lesser extent Argentina, Mexico and Brazil.

The research firm said its figures on current Twitter usage are lower than company estimates - 183 million at the end of 2013 - “because we rely heavily on consumer survey data to weed out business accounts, multiple accounts for individual users and other sources of potential double-counting.”

Twitter in April estimated the monthly active users at 255 million, which led to a slump in its share price because it suggested sluggish growth.

The eMarketer report said Twitter’s worldwide users will hit 227 million this year, and nearly 400 million by 2018.

In its analysis of worldwide users, eMarketer said the Asia-Pacific region

had already overtaken North America with more than 30% of all Twitter users.

And the figures exclude China, which bans the US messaging service.

“In 2014, the Asia-Pacific region will account for 32.8% of all Twitter users, compared with 23.7% in North America,” the report said.

“And by 2018, Asia-Pacific will more than double North America’s share, breaking the 40% mark in terms of worldwide market share. If China is on the Twitter map by that point, that share is likely to be significantly higher.”

The research said Twitter user growth in the US “is maturing” and will taper off into single digits by 2015.

“Twitter’s US user base gets outsize - but appropriate - attention because it accounted for nearly three-quarters of Twitter’s total ad revenues in 2013, according to company reports,” said eMarketer.

“The US will remain the single largest country in terms of the number of individual Twitter users throughout our forecast, but currently, it still represents just over 20% of all Twitter users worldwide.” l

Bank of Japan, more confident about recovery, quietly eyes stimulus exit n Reuters The Bank of Japan has begun shifting its focus from supporting growth to ways of phasing out its massive stimulus, taking first tentative steps towards a potentially momentous move for the world economy.

Current and former central bankers familiar with internal discussions say an informal debate is under way on how to prepare for an exit from the BOJ’s 13-month-old “quantitative and qualitative monetary easing.”

The stimulus is a centerpiece of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s campaign to end two decades of deflation and fitful growth, and BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has vowed to keep cheap cash flowing until his 2% inflation target is in plain sight.

But with inflation now past the halfway mark and signs that the economy has weathered last month’s sales tax increase, Japanese central bankers are already thinking about the next chapter.

First of all, Kuroda and his team are keen to avoid market confusion and volatility that the U.S. Federal Reserve triggered in May 2013 when it first signaled the possible “tapering” of its extraordinary stimulus.

With the BOJ churning out 60-70 trillion yen per year ($589-687 billion), withdrawal symptoms could be similarly acute and the lesson for the BOJ is that signaling a tapering too soon or being too specific could backfire.

With that in mind, the BOJ has no plans to trim the stimulus or publicly suggest the eventual drawdown any time soon, say those familiar with the internal debate.

But whereas weeks or months ago that debate would center on the potential need for more easing, now there is a strong sense within the BOJ board that the stimulus so far has worked well and the next step, albeit distant, could be policy tightening, not further easing.

Deputy Governor Kikuo Iwata underscored that shift, reminding markets that the 2% inflation goal worked both ways.

“The BOJ’s current policy intends to prevent not just deflation but inflation from well exceeding 2%, such as to 4% or 5%, for a medium- to long-term period,” Iwata told a seminar on Monday.

Hideo Hayakawa, a former top BOJ economist who maintains close contacts with those inside, says the central bank needs to clarify what will it do after the battle with deflation is won.

“If 2% inflation comes into sight, the BOJ should taper its asset purchases,” Hayakawa, a senior executive fellow at private think-tank Fujitsu Research In-

stitute, told a Reuters Investment Summit last week.

In public, Kuroda has become more vocal about the need for government structural reforms, which shows he wants the BOJ to shift from boosting economic demand to playing a supporting role as Abe promises deregulation to boost Japan’s growth potential.

Securities Japan, explaining why yields have stayed low despite an improving economy.

“But things may change if consumer inflation exceeds 1.5% around autumn of this year,” he said. That will prompt investors to price in the chance of a future tapering.

Mixed views

The key concern, for now, is to prevent premature expectations of tapering from disrupting the bond market, where the government continues to pay 0.6 percent interest on 10-year bonds despite its heaviest debt load in the industrial world.

BOJ officials do not want to discuss how long the stimulus may last and what might trigger its withdrawal, which in part reflects considerable differences within the BOJ on how to communicate its plans.

Some say the BOJ should clarify the conditions under which tapering might start, possibly in October when it updates its twice-yearly economic projections.

“The BOJ may need to change its message to markets at some point later this year,” said a person familiar with the bank’s thinking. “The key is to avoid a spike in bond yields.”

Others worry that even mentioning a possibility of an exit could jolt markets.

Yet the very fact such discussions are taking place marks a change for the BOJ and Kuroda, whose prime concern has long been that the stimulus could be scaled back prematurely.

Last month, he surprised markets by saying the BOJ’s massive easing has boosted demand enough to essentially eliminate any slack in Japan’s economy.

At a news conference last week followed by interviews with two major business newspapers, Kuroda went further, stressing that demand has been revived enough and it was now up to the government to remove supply bottlenecks by bringing more women into the workforce and making it easier to start new businesses.

Some academics argue the BOJ is too coy about tapering and should start talking about it now rather than wait until markets start fretting about a possible exit.

“They should be talking about tapering at a minimum, and they should begin preparing financial markets for a regime after 2 percent, a shift from stimulating aggregate demand to stimulating aggregate supply,” Harvard economist Dale W. Jorgenson told the Reuters Summit.

“It’s not too soon to begin managing expectations of changes that will take place within next 12 months.” l

Keen to shore up public confidence in the BOJ’s inflation goal, Kuroda regularly brushes off questions about an exit strategy saying the focus should remain on battling deflation.

There is no hard deadline for curtailing asset purchases and Kuroda keeps reminding investors that the BOJ will not hesitate to ease further if economic recovery appears at risk.

But central bankers are now expressing more confidence in their policy and if the economy keeps improving the debate will intensify about how long the BOJ should maintain its stimulus after it reaches the two-year mark in April 2015.

Right now, there is no agreement yet among the nine policy board members on that.

Some, including Kuroda and former International Monetary Fund economist Sayuri Shirai, stress the “openended” nature of the policy. They argue the BOJ can keep buying government bonds and other assets until there is convincing evidence that 2% inflation will be sustained, say people familiar with the internal debate.

Former market economist Takahide Kiuchi, however, wants the current framework to be reviewed next April because he fears loading up on too much debt will make an exit difficult.

Since the launch of its extraordinary asset-buying scheme in April 2013, the BOJ has been scooping up about 70 percent of newly issued government debt, including nearly all new 10-year benchmark bonds sold by the government.

Public remarks and private conversations with some of the central bankers suggest the rest of the board, including two former business executives, stands somewhere in between.

According to central bank insiders, at least two policymakers believe the BOJ should stay “ahead of the curve” and seek the exit once there are early signs that inflation is approaching 2%.

Such debate may have been academic when inflation was well below 2%, but will matter more if prices near the target.

“Bond market players don’t want to think about an exit and don’t see any need to think about it yet,” said Noriatsu Tanji, bond strategist at Barclays

Change of heart

An itinerant merchant uses the new Caisse d’Epargne “Dilizi” billing system, that allows credit card payments thanks to a credit card reader and a smartphone, on May 27 in Lille, northern France AFP

With London ‘fix’ under fire, China seeks bigger sway in gold trade n Reuters China has approached foreign banks and gold producers to participate in a global gold exchange in Shanghai, people familiar with the matter said, as the world’s top producer and importer of the metal seeks greater influence over pricing.

The Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) got the go ahead from the central bank last week to launch a global trading platform in the city’s pilot free trade zone, a move that could challenge the dominance of New York and London in gold trade and pricing.

Beijing’s plans to open up gold trading comes at a time when the benchmark price-setting process for precious metals is under scrutiny. Barclays Plc became the first bank to be fined over attempted manipulation of the 95-year-old benchmark London gold market daily “fix” last week.

State-backed SGE has asked bullion banks such as HSBC, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of Nova Scotia to take part in the global trading platform, two people approached by the exchange said.

SGE, the world’s biggest physical gold exchange, where domestic banks, miners and retailers buy and sell gold, could also open up the international

platform to foreign brokerages and gold producers, they said.

“China wants to have more voice in gold prices,” said Jiang Shu, an analyst with Industrial Bank, one of 12 banks allowed to import gold into China. “The international exchange is the first step towards gaining a say in gold pricing.”

“If you don’t allow foreign players to participate in your market actively, or do not push Chinese financial institutions to participate in the international market, then China’s strong gold demand is only a number, not a power,” he said.

HSBC and Standard Bank declined to comment, while the other banks and SGE were not immediately available for comment. The global platform will first host spot physical contracts for gold and other precious metals, before aiming to launch derivatives down the line, said a third source who is directly involved in

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the launch of the international exchange.

“We are not just encouraging foreign banks but also producers and other entities,” added the source.

China, the world’s biggest buyer of raw materials from copper to coal, is pushing hard to establish pricing benchmarks for a number of commodities.

Gold, along with oil, could be among the first to be opened up to foreign players. The free trade zone in Shanghai is set to see international energy trading by hosting the country’s first crude oil futures. l

Asian voice

The Shanghai exchange is looking to launch three yuan-denominated physical gold contracts, of 100 grams, 1 kg and the bigger London good delivery bar weighing 12.5 kg, said another source who has received a draft prospectus from SGE. l