Joishthya 20, 1421 Shaaban 4, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 64
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION
TMAG | BOOK VS MOVIES
8 | RUSSIA TO SUBMIT UKRAINE RESOLUTION
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11 | THE MIGHTY PEN
13 | STREAK UP FOR CHALLENGE
Dhaka, Beijing to seal the deal on deep-sea port
City life falters as waterlogging continues to take toll n Abu Hayat Mahmud
Hasina goes to China on June 6 n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Bangladesh wants to conclude the negotiations with China on construction of a deep-sea port at Sonadia in Cox’s Bazar during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina there. “We have analysed three proposals [for deep-sea port] that were submitted to the government and we found the Chinese proposal is the best. We hope to sign an instrument with China during the visit of the prime minister in Beijing,” said a senior official of the Foreign Ministry. Sheikh Hasina is going to China on June 6 on a five-day trip and is scheduled to return home on June 11. Bangladesh has long been negotiating the mega-project and invited all interested countries to submit their pro-
‘Depending on the situation, a consortium can be formed to build the port’ posals and three countries – the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and China – showed interest, said the official. “They made presentations before the high-powered committee headed by the principal secretary where foreign and shipping secretaries are also members,” he said. After evaluation, the committee found that the Chinese proposal was the best, he added. “During the visit, we would like to hand over a ‘letter of intent’ to the Chinese side to build the port,” the official said, adding that the multi-billion dollar project at Sonadia can be set up by a single country or it can be a consortium. “We want to keep it open. Depending on the situation, a consortium can be formed to build the port following
consultation between Bangladesh and China.” When asked about geopolitical pressure, he said, “Bangladesh should first consider its national interest. We waited too long for the project.” An inter-ministerial meeting on the prime minister’s visit to China was held at the Foreign Ministry yesterday with Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque in the chair and various issues, including deep-sea port, were discussed in the meeting. Bangladesh has two sea ports – Chittagong and Mongla – and felt the need to have the deep-sea port because of the growing demand from business people. At present, both the ports handle over $60 billion of trade, which is growing at a faster rate.
Hasina’s visit
The prime minister will fly to Kunming from Dhaka to attend the South Asia Expo and will have an interaction with Chinese businessmen to encourage them to make more investment in Bangladesh, said another official of the Foreign Ministry. “She will fly to Beijing on June 8 and will have official talks with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang,” he said. They will declare a joint statement after the meeting. She will also call on Chinese President Xi Jinping and will have another interaction with Chinese businessmen, he said. “The primary focus of the visit will be to lure investment and cooperation in deep-sea port, power and infrastructure,” he added. Bangladesh has already awarded Padma Bridge project to a Chinese company and signed a contract yesterday. Bangladesh has multi-dimensional cooperation with China and it is the biggest trading partner of Bangladesh with two-way trade is over $10 billion but it is heavily tilted towards Beijing. l
Vehicles ply a submerged road as heavy rain inundated many roads in the capital yesterday morning. The picture was taken from Chankharpool MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
‘Prime suspect of Ekram murder flees to India with police help’ Jamil Khan n Mohammad back from Feni The prime suspect in the murder of Fulgazi chairman Ekramul Haque fled the country by crossing the border into India, allegedly with the help of the police, claimed local sources. The suspect, Feni district Awami League Joint General Secretary Jahangir Mohammad Adel, crossed the border through the Bilunia point of the district’s Parshuram upazila last week, according to several sources in Feni. They also said local lawmaker Nizam Uddin Hazari helped Adel escape while local police assisted in exchange for a huge sum of money. Ziaul Haque Jashim, elder brother of Ekram, told the Dhaka Tribune that
Adel was helped to flee the country as his arrest would have revealed the connection of a top ruling party leader of Feni with the killing. Jashim also expressed his suspicion that the investigation into his brother’s death might come to an end with the arrests of Jihad Chowdhury and BNP leader Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury Minar. He further urged for transferring the case to the Criminal Investigation Department and for not stopping the probe without tracing all the masterminds. On May 20, a group of criminals killed Ekram by shooting and setting fire on his vehicle in front of witnesses at the Academy Road in Feni. Following the incident, police have arrested 23 people including Jihad Chowdhury, an alleged mastermind
and joint secretary of Fulgazi upazila AL unit, and BNP leader Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury Minar, the alleged financier. The name of Adel – a known associate of Feni 2 MP Nizam – has come up during the interrogations of Jihad and others arrestees, as well as from the analysis of mobile phone calls records. Even after Adel’s connection with the crime came to the fore, he had allegedly been travelling out on the open until May 28; but disappeared after that day. He reportedly crossed the border through Bilunia, only 30km from Feni town. Iqbal Reza Ripon, a ward councillor of Parshuram municipality, said many of the locals had seen Adel cross the border in the early hours of Thursday. PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
INSIDE B1 | Business
The next fiscal year budget speech may include steps to establish good governance in the country’s banking sector, said Finance Minister AMA Muhith.
5 | News
The people, who lost their lands during the construction of the HatirjheelBegunbari project, have to wait another year for compensation as the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) cannot hand the flats over to them before June 2015 because
of confusion over the actual number of evicted people and some internal problems.
of the fate of the wealthy who ignore the poor in their midst (Lk 16:19-31).
7 | Long Form
The US decision to release five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay in order to recover a soldier held in Afghanistan sparked a furor in Washington, with Republicans warning Sunday the move put Americans at risk.
Jesus’ teachings offer good news for the righteous, whether they are the poor and marginalised or the rich who are generous with their bounty. All can find a place in the kingdom. Yet there is little comfort for those who expect that their wealth alone will save them. The story of Lazarus and the rich man is a reminder
9 | World
14 | Sport
FIFA oversaw the final World Cup test event at the Corinthians arena on Sunday and officials said there was ‘a week and a half of hard work’ ahead to get the stadium ready for the opening match of the tournament on June 12.
NARAYANGANJ SEVEN MURDER
The initial plan was to kill just two n Ashif Islam Shaon A police official involved with the investigation into the Narayanganj seven murders have said the criminals’ initial plan was to kill only two; the rest were killed to cover the trails. He said the abductors had been primarily instructed to pick up city panel mayor Nazrul Islam and his close friend Moniruzzaman Swapon. Nur Hossain, who provided the money, had a feud with Nazrul but he wanted to see Swapan’s end as well because he helped Nazrul in many ways. Nur contracted RAB for killing those two; the preparations were made accordingly. Two RAB officials worked at
The government initiatives to get rid of water-logging in the capital have proven unsuccessful, with the perennial problem running its own course this monsoon also. In the wake of yesterday’s rainfall, many areas across the capital were inundated and the stagnant water began to take its toll on the city life. As usual, Shukrabad, Indira Road, Rajabazar, Mouchak, Malibagh, Moghbazar, Shantinagar, Badda, Baridhara, Natun Bazar, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Rayerbazar, Hazaribagh, Old Dhaka, Sayedabad and Jatrabari areas went under knee-deep water, leaving the city dwellers marooned for the time being. A series of irregularities, plus negligence on the part of local government bodies in maintaining the city’s drainage system are allegedly responsible for the woes of the city dwellers. Even the prime minister’s directives to local government bodies – Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, Dhaka North and South City Corporations, Rajuk, PWD and WDB – to immediately take steps to address the waterlogging produced no desired effect. In an effort to rid the capital of waterlogging, Dhaka Wasa, the prime state-owned agency to maintain the city’s drainage and sewerage system, set up pumping stations in Kallyanpur, Dholaikhal, Rampura and Kamlapur to drain off rainwater, but appeared ineffective. In addition, the Dhaka Water Supply and Sanitation project in association with the World Bank, approved by the government in September 2008 could not make a difference. As part of the project, the Wasa took steps to reclaim 26 canals from the grabbers, but failed to recover properly. Though the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) have long been installing pipes along the storm drains in different areas in the city, the efforts did little to address the waterlogging. The city residents attributed the longstanding problem to the sluggish attitude of the Wasa and the city PAGE 2 COLUMN 6
Three progress reports on probe submitted n Udisa Islam and Kailash Sarkar
the field level and another kept contact over phone. But the entire plan went wrong when the RAB men picked up seven people instead of two because of “unavoidable circumstances,” said an investigator, who preferred not to be named. One RAB member was assigned to keep an eye on Nazrul on the premises of the local district court. But he got caught and Nazrul’s aides handed him over to police. Before that, the RAB man informed the team that was waiting to abduct, that two cars were heading their way. The RAB officials on spot decided to pick up five people instead of two;
In line with a court order, three authorities have submitted progress reports to the attorney general’s office regarding the Narayanganj seven murders following abduction. The seven-member investigation team under the Law Ministry, the Inspector General of Police and elite force Rapid Action Battalion authorities handed over their reports yesterday. These would be presented before a High Court bench tomorrow, Deputy Attorney General ASM Nazmul Haque said. Another report from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is yet to be prepared. He denied disclosing contents of the reports.
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