18 aug, 2014

Vadro 3, 1421 Shawal 21, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 136

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

20 pages | Price: Tk12

7 | SPECIAL

8 | WORLD

11 | OP-ED

14 | SPORT

OPEN DISCUSSION WITH SANTU LARMA

UK ‘TRIED TO HIDE’ ROLE IN CIA TORTURE

‘PAKHI’ DRESS, THREE DEATHS, AND A DIVORCE

‘I DESERVED MORE TIME AT MAN UNITED’

34 thieves, all millionaires Chittagong DB report lists the port city’s top carjackers n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong They are 34 in number. Each one is a millionaire. They own covered goods delivery vans and buildings and allegedly have bundles of money stashed away in their bank accounts. They all have lawyers to fight legal battles on their behalf.

The 34, though influential in their localities, have been blacklisted in a Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Detective Branch (DB) report, after investigators implicated them in the systematic theft of covered vans in the port city.

Dhaka Tribune recently got hold of the DB report which listed the details of the 34 goods delivery van thieves, including a local Awami League (AL) leader.

According to the DB report, Jasim Uddin alias Loha Jasim, 65, who heads the list of covered van thieves, stands accused in six cases lodged with the city’s Bandar, Patenga, Pahartoli and Halishahar police stations.

The investigation found that stealing vans had transformed him, within six short years, from poverty into a millionaire.

“Jasim has a two-storey building in the city’s Bandar area and seven covered vans. He owns land in the port city’s Karnaphuli and Bandar areas, and in Rangamati and Feni districts. Locals know him as Loha Jasim. He travelled to the capital by air to appear before the High court,” said the DB report.

The report said Jasim runs a crime ring comprised of covered van drivers and helpers that steal covered vans and vehicle parts. One of the vehicles is in custody at Chouddogram police station in Comilla district.

His manager, Saiful Islam, who resides in Dhaka, was also implicated in the report.

Refuting the allegation, the listed thief told the Dhaka Tribune that business rivals had intentionally provided false information about him to the police in order to harass him.

Showing audacity, he said: “I am gaining popularity for free due to this campaign. However, there is no evidence against me.”

Bandar police station Officer-inCharge (OC) Jahedul Islam said Jasim was once a covered van driver who became rich by stealing vans.

A local AL leader, Salman Mohammad Fakhruddin alias Rajib alias Diamond Rajib, 36, the son of former Chittagong City Corporation councillor Mohammad Shukkur, stands accused in three cases including two arms cases lodged with the city’s Bandar and Sadarghat police stations.

He allegedly stole covered vans after getting tip-offs from transport organisations and Chittagong Port sources, the DB report said.

One of his associates, Anwar Hossain alias Babul, who spends most of his time residing at different residential hotels in the city’s Kadamtoli area, was allegedly a major information gatherer for the gang.

Sayed alias Sylhetya Sayed, resident of the Nimtola area of the city, allegedly controls a covered van theft syndicate that operates in Dhaka and Sylhet, but police are still gathering evidence before filing a case, DB sources said.

Nur Mohammad, Ibrahim Sowdagor, Titu and Shahabuddin all own fabrics shops in the city and are involved with stealing fabric from different garments and textile good-laden covered vans.

Amir Hossain of Lakshmipur district, Masud alias Picchi Masud and his brother Jahangir of the Halishahar area

It is a tale told too often. A few years ago, a train rammed into a local bus that was caught in traffic on the Moghbazar Rail Crossing, leaving a few people dead. Although the authorities never bothered, a railway gatekeeper seems to have learnt a lesson.

Top: After a building catches fire near the Moghbazar rail crossing in the city yesterday, a fire service truck tries to rush to the spot but gets caught in the usual heavy traffic right on the railway tracks that bisect the road.

Bottom: Noticing the immobile traffic on the tracks, railway gatekeeper Shamsu Mia walks a little way down the line and frantically waves a red flag in an attempt to stop Gazipur-bound commuter train Demu.

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Authorities’ ignorance lets formalin raw materials in unabated

Century-old evidence law ‘favours’ rapists

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

n Udisa Islam

Nearly a dozen different chemicals needed to produce formalin have been imported by traders for many years amid lax monitoring and due to the lack of awareness on the part of the authorities concerned. These chemicals are later processed into formalin, which is used to adulterate food items, fish and vegetables.

Traders brought in these chemicals to avoid the restrictions to formalin import which are currently in place.

Surprisingly, these generic chemicals were never included in any of the related laws since the policymakers had been in the dark about the methods of producing formalin.

The traders therefore got the scope to import huge amounts of generic formalin without any obstruction and the consumers have thus been exposed to serious health hazards.

The 11 identified generics are formaldehyde, formaldehyde solution, methanal solution, methyl aldehyde, methyl aldehyde solution, paraformaldehyde, paraformaldehyde solution, paraform,

formagene, formol and morbicid acid.

Around 17,000 tonnes of formalin variants and 11.19 tonnes of formalin were imported through Chittagong port between January last year and June this year, said a high official at the Chittagong Customs House.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed told parliament earlier that 55 tonnes of formalin had been imported in 2013-14 while 1,073 tonnes had been imported over the past four years.

Names of 11 chemicals added in import policy; four conditions imposed While enacting the Safe Food Act, 2013 the government did not name any of these generics which might cause health hazards for the citizens, said Commerce Ministry officials.

Under the Act, only formaldehyde was mentioned as a possible variant of formalin. But the 11 generics were not named in the import policy.

Officials said the misuse of formalin

could have easily been prevented had the government taken up strict actions against the import of these items. As the government did not impose any restrictions, the customs authorities did not stop the consignments of these 11 chemicals.

The government has finally started a recent initiative to control the import of these generics. The names of these 11 chemicals have been included in the import policy for 2012-15 through a gazette.

“Imports of these 11 new items have been restricted as we have found that these chemicals can be used to produce formalin,” Senior Commerce Secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamun told the Dhaka Tribune.

The move came after recommendations were put forward by the chemistry teachers of Dhaka University.

From now on, the traders will have to follow certain conditions to import these 11 types of formalin generics, states the statutory regulatory order issued by the Commerce Ministry on August 13.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Men facing rape allegations often get away, securing acquittal in a rape case from a court, thanks to a section of the century-old evidence act.

Section 155(4) of the Evidence Act 1872 says: “When a man is prosecuted for rape or an attempt to ravish, it may be shown that the prosecutrix [the victim] was of generally immoral character.” The word “prosecutirx” means “a female victim of a crime on whose behalf the state is prosecuting a suspect.”

Rights activists say considering our social norms, if it can be proved that a rape victim is sexually active with the accused or multiple partners, it is also proved that the victim is “immoral” and the rape charge gets lighter.

They say around 75% of the alleged rapists get acquitted by presenting evidence under section 155(4) of the Evidence Act. They say there is, in fact, no example where a rape allegation was taken into account once it was proved that the victim had prior physical relation with the accused.

Sumi (not her real name), 13, from Charbhadrashon of Faridpur district was allegedly abducted and raped for about a month by a gang of seven men.

She was recovered from a jute field adjacent to her village home a month after the abduction.

Her family filed a case under the Women and Children Repression (Prevention) Act 2000. Ten days after she

was rescued, a doctor filed a report that said there was no sign of forced sexual intercourse; she was used to having sexual intercourse; and she was 17 years old.

By virtue of that medical report as evidence, five of the seven accused got their names dropped from the charge sheet and two others got acquitted. Citing section 155(4) of the Evidence Act 1872, the defence proved that there was

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that hundreds of people, including many Bangladeshis, were being smuggled into Hong Kong from staging posts on mainland China.

The Bangladesh mission in Hong Kong said they had not been contacted

by Hong Kong authorities about this.

“We did not receive any report from the police, immigration services or anyone else in the Hong Kong government,” Consul Mirana Mahrukh told the Dhaka Tribune over the telephone yesterday.

She said alongside the nationals of India, Nepal and Pakistan, a few Bangladeshis had been known to enter the territory illegally.

“But we are not aware of a surge in the number of Bangladeshis illegally entering Hong Kong,” she said.

The secretary of the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry, Khondaker Shawkat Hossain,

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

The act allows alleged rapists to present evidence in order to prove a victim immoral

INSIDE 3 | News

A study by a US consulting firm said two rivers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts could potentially generate 79 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

4 | News

The government has not yet been able to create new posts in the civil administration as per the requirements of different ministries, divisions or public offices as most of ministries or divisions had not yet submitted their proposals to the public administration ministry.

6 | Nation

Sand traders have been lifting sand for a long time, disregarding the effect on the environment. The authorities of six upazilas of Gopalganj have been blind to their actions.

8 | World

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any deal on Gaza’s future had to meet Israel’s security needs, warning Hamas about ‘harsh strikes’ if it resumed firing.

12 | Entertainment

The music scene is shocked at the news of Nancy’s suicide attempt. The social networking sites are flooded with comments stating shock, empathy and inspiration.

Hong Kong mission unaware of migrant surge claimed by media n Tribune Report

B1 | Business

Only 4.15% of the total mobile phone users have started enjoying third generation mobile broadband data services, according to regulator.

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, August 18, 2014

Ashraf: Khaleda knew about August bomb attacks n Emran Hossain Shaikh Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday claimed that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was informed about the synchronized bomb attacks at 500 spots in the country on August 17, 2005.

“We have evidence that she had helped the perpetrators,” Ashraf also LGRD Minister said while addressing a rally in the capital.

The rally was organised by Awami League Dhaka City Unit on the occasion of 9th anniversary of the series bomb blast in the country at Banglabandu Avenue in Dhaka. Referring to the incident the leader said that the Islamist militants declared battle against the country.

Ashraf termed the BNP an associated body of International militant forces.

“Former Prime Minister (Khaleda Zia) wanted to build Bangladesh as a

secure base for al Qaeda and Taliban,” he said.

“Mirza Fakrul was given an offer to become the secretary general of the party but the post will not be filled until the son (Tareque Zia) returns to the country.”

“When Tareque comes back he will be the secretary general of the party and his mother will remain the chairperson,” he said.

Tashraful warned that if the BNP comes to power in future it will turn Bangladesh into a land of Islamist terrorists.

“If the liberation forces are united they will not able to come to power,” he said.

Party Leader Begum Matia Chaowdhury, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, among others, also addressed the programme with city unit acting president MA Aziz in the chair. l

Ruling Awami League's volunteers wing Swechchhasebak League form a human chain in front of the capital's National Press club yesterday protesting the 2005 series bomb blasts by militant outfits RAJIB DHAR

Four found dead in three districts Quamrul: Militancy n UNB In separate incidents, four people were found dead in Narayanganj, Khulna and Rajshahi districts yesterday.

In Narayanganj, the body of an unidentified young man, aged around 30, was found inside a sack by a road at Kashipur in Fatullah of Sadr upazila in the morning.

Akbar Hossain, sub-inspector of Fatullah Model police station, said being informed by locals, police recovered the body and sent it to Narayanganj 100-bedded General Hospital for autopsy.

However, the hands and legs of the youth were not found in the sack.

Police suspected that miscreants killed the youth sometime at night and dumped the body there.

In another incident, the floating body of a Class IV student of Joygobinda School, Adar Chowdhury, 12, was recovered from the Buriganga River at Alirtek in Narayanganj city at noon.

Some fishermen recovered the body from the river.

In Khulna, the body of a housewife, Dipali Odhikari, 35, wife of Kalidash Odhikari, was recovered from her house at Boyra Sardarpara in the city in the morning.

Police recovered the slaughtered body of Dipali from the house after being informed by locals that bad odour was coming out from the locked house, said Maruf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sonadanga police station.

Police suspected that Dipali’s hus-

band Kalidash slaughtered her two or three days back and then fled to India.

In Rajshahi, police recovered the body of an unidentified young man from a mango orchard at Harina village in Bagha upazila in the morning.

Aminur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bagha Police Station, said locals spotted the body of the youth, aged around 30, with his hands and legs tied with ropes in the orchard beside Tentulia-Harina road at about 11:30 am and informed police.

Later, police recovered the body and sent it to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Police suspected that the young man might have been strangled sometime on Saturday night. l

originated at Hawa Bhaban n BSS

Food Minister Quamrul Islam yesterday said militancy in Bangladesh was originated at notorious Hawa Bhaban with aim to turn the country a communal state.

“Defeated forces of '71, killers of '75, BNP, Jamaat and militants are not different anymore, rather they are joint force now,” he said.

The minister came up with the observation while addressing a human chain formed in front of the National Press Club marking the 9th anniversary of series bombing carried out

Human haulier driver killed n Tribune Report The driver of a human haulier was stabbed to death by some unidentified miscreants early yesterday in the city’s Mirpur area.

Police identified the victim as Mohammad Hasan, 25, a resident of Mirpur-12. “His vehicle, locally known as Laguna, was one of those requisitioned for the cops,” said Syed Zia-uz-Zaman, officer-in-charge of Pallabi police station.

The OC said 4-5 youths had attacked Hasan near his residence around 1:00am. The miscreants fled the scene, leaving him critically injured.

Upon receiving information, Alamgir Hossain, a relative of the victim, and some locals rescued Hasan and rushed him to a nearby private hospital.

Later, he was shifted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where the on duty doctor declared him dead. l

UP chairman held for snatching arrestee n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur

Every year, when the mighty Padma River starts eroding, boats become the only viable mode of transportation for the inhabitants of Char Majhar Dia on the river. Yesterday, sensing the situation, they start building new boats AZHAR UDDIN

Hong Kong mission unaware of migrant surge claimed by media  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

said, “We have just heard the news and we are verifying it.”

Home ministry officials were not available for comment.

A large-scale people-smuggling operation that uses Shenzhen as a staging post has seen hundreds of illegal immigrants enter Hong Kong by boat in the past year, the Sunday Morning Post published online yesterday in a follow-up to a report published the day before in the South China Morning Post.

The migrants, most of them from Bangladesh or Pakistan, flew into cities across mainland China and headed to Shenzhen, where they paid middlemen HK$10,000 to HK$12,000 to take them to Hong Kong by high-speed sampan, according to a number of migrants and people with a knowledge of the racket.

The Shenzhen link emerged as figures revealed a 50 per cent year-onyear rise in the number of non-ethnic-Chinese illegal immigrants arrested in Hong Kong. The official police figures show the number rose from 291 in the first half of last year to 447 in the same period this year, the report said.

by Jammat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Organised by Swechhasebak League, the programme was also addressed by party President Mollah Md Abu Kawser, General Secretary Pankaj Debnath, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Rafikul Islam Liton, Faridur Rahman Iran and Arifur Rahman Titu.

Quamrul said meeting was held in Hawa Bhaban in preparation of the grenade attack (August 21, 2004) on the rally of Awami League. The whole preparation was made by Tarique Rahman, elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. l

“This summer has seen a spike. It has been particularly busy,” said a police source, adding that the authorities were “very confident” they were catching all migrants after they landed on the west and south coasts of Lantau during the night.

Each boat typically carried 10 to 12 people, and usually land near Tai O or Fan Lau, allowing them to stay in mainland waters for most of the journey, the source said.

It was not clear how many of the illegal immigrants avoided arrest but those picked up were taken to a local police station, before being passed to an immigration centre in Tuen Mun where asylum claims are assessed.

Those without valid grounds to seek asylum are deported.

One Pakistani asylum seeker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had used lodgings in Shenzhen three times in the past decade to enter Hong Kong.

The police public relations bureau said they had noted an increase in illegal immigration in the first half of this year.

Kamal, a Bangladeshi living in Hong Kong, said the use of Shen-

zhen as a staging post for illegal entry to Hong Kong had grown in popularity in the past decade as visa restrictions for South Asians were tightened. Visa-free access for Bangladeshi nationals was withdrawn in 2006.

“Please stop them coming. It’s ridiculous and horrible,” said Kamal, who has seen a number of compatriots trapped in seemingly endless cycles of incarceration after their arrival in Hong Kong.

The surge in migrants from South Asia is just the latest development in Hong Kong’s long history of illegal immigration.

After the end of the civil war on the mainland in 1949, an estimated one million people poured across the border, often using boats or even swimming. Although illegal, many were allowed to stay to help ease labour shortages.

Hong Kong again became a prime destination after the Vietnam war, with nearly 200,000 “boatpeople” entering the city between 1975 and 2000.

About two-thirds were eventually resettled in other countries, while the final third were repatriated. l

A ruling party leader, who is also the chairman of Karpara union parishad in Ramganj of the district, was arrested for his involvement in an attempt to snatch away a murder case accused from police custody.

Mujibul Haque Mujib, president of Karpara union unit Awami League, was arrested yesterday afternoon.

Lokman, OC of Ramganj police station, said: “Acting on a tip-off, police raided Karpara area in the afternoon and arrested Saiful Islam Mithu, the prime accused in sensational Juba League leader Saiful murder case.”

Mujib was arrested as he had attacked the police along with three of his fellows and tried to snatch the arrestee. “The incident took place when we were on our way back to the police station on foot,” the OC said. l

Authorities’ ignorance  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

The importers have been asked to maintain four conditions: they will have to take permission from the Commerce Ministry, and to apply for the approval, the importers will have to submit recommendations from the ministry concerned.

The two other conditions are: registering the sale of formalin; and showing the registers to the officials of the Commerce Ministry or authorities designated by the government to examine the registers from time to time.

“Till date, there was no strict law on the import of these 11 items since we were not aware that these could be used to produce formalin,” the senior secretary said.

Within the next two or three months, the government will enact the Formalin Control Act 2014, where these chemicals will be named to strictly monitor their imports, he added.

In June, the cabinet approved the draft Act keeping a provision of maximum life-term imprisonment and a fine of Tk20 lakh for unauthorised production, import, transport, stocking, sale and use of formalin. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police launched a drastic anti-formalin drive in the capital in June, armed with Formaldehyde Meter Z-300, and seized and destroyed a large amount of contaminated fruits after assessment.

This was the first time the police were engaged in such a drive to combat misuse of formalin in fruits.

The fruit traders also enforced a strike against the drive since people panicked and the sale of fruits dropped remarkably, compelling the traders to use “formalin-free fruits” signboards to attract the consumers.

Later, in July, after a petition was filed by fruit traders, the High Court questioned the efficiency of the formalin detection meter and asked the government to check the machinery.

Prof ABM Faroque of the pharmaceuticals technology department at DU told the Dhaka Tribune that the government should have included these names in the Safe Food Act much earlier.

“Private importers have been importing these 11 items for a long time due to lax monitoring of the authorities concerned. We have put restrictions on these items since these are familiar in Bangladesh, but the rest of the chemicals should also be included in the list,” he said adding that he had a list of another 12 such chemicals that are used to produce formalin.

Expressing doubts over the implementation of the Formalin Control Act, he said: “There should be exemplary punishment for the businesses who import these chemicals to adulterate foods. The government should take the matter seriously.” l

34 thieves, all millionaires  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

of the city, his associates Rashed of the same area and Jamal Hossain, Jasim alias Lengra (lame) Jasim, Nabi Sohag alias Nabi Newaj, Mohammad Biplob, Jasim, Bacchu, Kamal Hossain, Ismail, Mir Hossain alias Sumon Mia, Azad Hossain, Mohammad Irfan, Toyeb, his assoiciates Ledu Majhi and Shah Alam, Khan Saheb, Tula Jashim, Azad, Nasir, Jahangir Alam alias Babu, Mohammad Ali and Koli Madam, the lone woman thief, were also mentioned in the DB report on covered van theft.

All of them are accused in cases lodged with different police stations in the port city, the DB report added.

CMP Assistant Commissioner (Port) Jahangir Alam said that covered van theft is a sophisticated crime. Most of the thieves are elites in their communities, he said, adding that police were collecting evidence against them.

Covered van theft was exceptional because rich people were involved in the crime, said CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (West) Tanvir Arafat.

CMP Additional Commissioner (Crime and Prevention) Banaz Kumar Majumdar said covered van thieves in Chittagong had links with thieves in different districts.

“We are updating the DB list to arrest those involved,” he said.

He added that covered van theft had turned into a matter of great concern in the port city. l

Evidence law  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

an affair between the victim and one of the accused. They also managed to prove that the girl was “immoral” because she had affair with another man.

The first section of the act says it extends to the whole of Bangladesh and applies to all judicial proceedings in or before any court.

Statistics from women’s rights watchdog Jatiyo Mohila Parishad show that a total of 431 rapes have taken place in the country in the first six months of this year, of which 82 were gang rapes and 45 were cases of murder after rape.

According to the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA), at least 600 women were raped in 2011; in 2012, the number was more than 800.

BNWLA Executive Director Salma Ali said: “Application of laws is poor in our country, That is why loopholes help free the accused...The evidence act tells us to focus on the expression ‘purity of women,’ which does not have anything to do in case of violence.”

She claimed that nearly 75% of rape cases never end up in conviction for the accused because of this act.

Mir Fatama Suvra, a teacher of anthropology at Jagannath University, has been doing a research on behalf of a non-government organisation, working on finding loopholes in rape cases.

She told the Dhaka Tribune: “If section 155[4] is not removed, we may live with the wrong perception that ‘immoral women’ can never be raped. This section allows one to save himself by proving the victim immoral.”

In 2003, India took an initiative to amend the corresponding section 146(3) of its evidence act on the ground that no one should be allowed to question the character of a rape victim.

More recently, the Supreme Court of India included in a verdict that the statement of a rape victim would be sufficient to punish an accused. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, August 18, 2014

3

New hydro power sources identified in CHT n Aminur Rahman Rasel A study by a US consulting firm said two rivers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts could potentially generate 79 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

The study on hydroelectricity generation in southeast Bangladesh was conducted by Streams Tech, Inc (STI), a US-based environment and water resources consultancy. The Power Cell, under the Power Division, supervised the study.

cal energy. The capacity of a hydroelectric plant depends on the flow rate and the gradient of a river.

Rivers in the mountainous south-eastern part of Bangladesh flow through a terrain which may be suitable for building run-of-the-river type hydroelectric plants in a cost effective manner.

“The main purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive and technical reference document estimating and mapping hydroelectric resource devel-

HYDROELECTRICITY POTENTIAL Watershed

Head (m)

Draft Rate (m3/s)

Power (MW) Total Energy (kWh/year)

Sangu River

70

113.3

58.33

511,019,292

Matamuhuri River

50

56.6

20.83

182,506,890 Source: Power Cell

On October 24, 2013, the Power Cell signed a contract worth US $70,000 with Streams Tech, according to which the study was supposed to be completed within six months. The study will take an additional three months.

“There are potential sources of hydroelectricity that currently remain unexplored, particularly in the hilly regions of the country,” Power Cell Director General Mohammad Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The 230 MW Karnafuli Hydroelectric Power Station, which was built in 1962, is the only major source of hydroelectricity in the country.

“The government is, therefore, interested in investigating the feasibility of new hydroelectric projects,” he said.

“To initiate such projects, a detailed study is first required to determine the potential power generation capacities at different sites by investigating the local hydrology and topography,” he added.

“We have learned from the study that 58.33 MW of electricity can be generated from the Sangu River and 20.83 MW of electricity can be generated from the Matamuhuri River,” he said.

“Now we have sent a proposal to the Power Division in this regard,” he said.

A hydroelectric plant converts the potential energy of water into electri-

opment potentials in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region,” Power Cell Director (Sustainable Energy) Md Abdur Rouf Miah told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The government has been increasing its capacity for electricity generation and emphasizing renewable sources. It has undertaken different programs to produce electricity from renewable resources such as solar, wind and hydro energy,” he said.

The Sangu River originates in the Arakan Hills of Myanmar and Bangladesh, in the Thanchi upazila of Bandarban district. It flows north through Thanchi, Rowangchhari and Bandarban upazilas of Bandarban district. The river is 295km long.

Matamuhuri River originates in the Moyvar hills of Alikadam. It flows northwest through the Alikadam and Lama upazilas of Bandarban and Chakaria in Cox’s Bazar. The Matamuhuri River discharges into Maheskhali channel near Saflapur after flowing a distance of 148km.

Apart from the Sangu, Matamuhuri and Bakkhali rivers, a small stream located in the vicinity of Banshkhali Eco Park was included in the study.

The study found no potential for power generation on the Bakkhali River or at the Banshkhali Eco Park. l

A thick smog created by poisonous fumes from factory exhausts hangs over the Teghoria area on the Dhaka-Mawa Highway everyday causing not only reduced visibility but also posing grave threats to human health Mehedi Hasan

BNP: Hasina lying to hide her failures n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla In reply to prime minister’s allegation that Ziaur Rahman was involved in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman killing, the BNP yesterday said the premier was telling a lie to hide the government’s failure.

“The prime minister is lying in her usual style. She is trying to cover up her government’s failure by making remarks on BNP founder Ziaur Rahman involving him in the Bangabandhu killing,” said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party..

Addressing a programme at the Institution of Engineers’ Bangladesh, the spokesperson of the party criticised the prime minister and said: “She is the prime minister and people do not expect such comment from her. Every-

Palestine envoy says Bangladeshi support amazing n Rafe Sadnan Adel “I lost a cousin in the unrest. It is painful to get news like this while I am away from my family,” a teary-eyed Palestinian student in Dhaka said.

The speaker, Salim, who is studying in Dhaka, was addressing a seminar organized by Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee yesterday at the Engineer’s Institute in the capital.

The seminar on “Genocide in Besieged Palestine: Bangladesh and World Conscience” was attended by civil society leaders and government representatives.

The Palestine Ambassador Saher Muhammad drew cheers as he spoke.

He said: “The way Bangladeshi people protested from day one was beyond our expectations. We have seen major world leaders remain passive about the massacre, but Bangladeshis from different walks of life protested the Israeli

military attacks and joined in efforts to support the victims of Gaza. That is amazing.”

He confirmed that Bangladeshis had sent almost US $300,000 in private donations to the victims of the Palestine conflict.

Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali said the Palestine conflict had definitely produced a war crimes situation and Bangladesh was ready to help in this regard especially because Bangladesh had been successful in bringing war criminals to trial. He said Bangladesh would support efforts by Palestine at international fora to investigate alleged war crimes and to press for war criminals to be tried.

War crimes tribunal prosecutor, barrister Turin Afroze, said there were no limitations to Palestine seeking redress at the International Criminal Court because it was an ad hoc member of the ICC. Palestine can go to court over

claims of genocide according to the Rome Statute and the provisions of article 13 of the ICC, she said.

Acting president of the host organization, columnist Shahriar Kabir, said in 1971 Bangladesh had refused Israel’s support and did not recognise the state because of the occupation of Palestine.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman once promised that he would send freedom fighters to assist the Palestinian people to gain their ultimate freedom, the former vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, Professor Anwer Hossain, said.

Islamic political parties in Bangladesh and popular international human rights organizations were just puppets of their financiers, Professor Muntasir Mamun told the audience, saying that was why they were silent on both the Gaza conflict and war crimes in Bangladesh during the Liberation War in 1971. l

Speakers observe a minute’s silence at a discussion in the capital yesterday condemning Israeli atrocities on Gaza

Nashirul Islam

body knows that Awami League leader Khandakar Moshtak was involved in Sehikh Mujibur Rahman killing.”

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the National Mourning day said: “Killer Rashid in an interview with the BBC admitted that Ziaur Rahman was behind the killing of (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman).”

Fakhrul alleged that the government was totally irresponsible. “What more can be expected from such a leader? Sheikh Hasina’s government has ruined all sorts of democratic institutions and it is the Awami League’s nature.”

Earlier, at a press briefing party’s Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that Sheikh Hasina was “perhaps involved in Ziaur Rahman killing”.

“Ziaur Rahman was killed just 13 days into the arrival of Sheikh Hasina in the country and on that day she tried to cross the border. After the assassination of Ziaur Rahman the way the Awami League expressed its joy, it seems that she (Hasina) and many others were involved in Zia killing,” he said.

Rizvi also said the prime minister lied as she said Ziaur Rahman did not allow Hasina to enter Bangladesh. “It is a blatant lie. Sheikh Hasina returned to the country following the initiative of Ziaur Rahman.”

Condemning the prime minister’s comment, the BNP leader said: “We believe that Sheikh Hasina is lying to mislead people. Ziaur Rahman never made any foul comment on Sehikh Mujibur Rahman neither did Khaleda Zia make any disparaging comment.” l

Reconditioning of CNG-run auto-rickshaws move at a snail’s pace n Abu Hayat Mahmud Even though two months have passed since the government issued a gazette notification ordering the reconditioning of all decade-old CNG-run auto-rickshaws, the owners have yet to start the process to validate their vehicles for city roads.

The gazette, published in June, ordered the reconditioning of old auto-rickshaws from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) to allow an extension to their lifespan for operating in the capital.

However, Buet experts only received their first batch of four CNG-run auto-rickshaws for scrutiny on Saturday.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Dhaka Metropolitan CNG Auto-rickshaw Malik Samity Oikya Parishad President Barkat Ullah Bhulu said: “We have just started the reconditioning of the auto-rickshaws by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) today.

“We have brought over four auto-rickshaws to see how much time will be required for reconditioning each vehicle.”

Responding to a question, Bhulu said the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) had given time until this October 31 to estimate how much time would be needed to complete the reconditioning of all the auto-rickshaws.

He also said: “After working on the first four samples, our Buet experts will be able to estimate the time required for the task.”

The government had been compromising with the demands of the CNGrun auto-rickshaw owners in the face of threats of non-stop strikes. Finally, the government was forced to relax the rules in its gazette notification regarding the lifespan extension of existing auto-rickshaws in Dhaka and Chittagong after a demand was made to revise it.

There are around 13,000 commercially run green auto-rickshaws, and

3,000 private ones, usually painted grey, running in the capital. The lifespan of most auto-rickshaws expired in January this year.

Md Faridul Islam Khasru, general secretary of Dhaka Mahanagar CNG Auto-Rickshaw Malik Samity, said: “The communications ministry has directed BRTA to collect data on how much time would be needed to overhaul all CNG auto-rickshaws.”

The deadline for reconditioning CNGrun auto-rickshaws after the 12th year will be fixed as per the recommendations of Buet experts “Now only 4 to 5 months are left till the end of the 12th year and it is not possible to overhaul the engines of all vehicles within this short period,” he added.

Earlier in June, the government added four more years to the lifespan of CNG-run auto-rickshaws in Dhaka and Chittagong, which had already passed 11 years of operation, and published a gazette notification upon six specific conditions for reconditioning the auto-rickshaws.

The conditions included ensuring the fitness of the existing CNG-run auto-rickshaws, full engine overhauls by the 12th year, change of hood-covers, repainting the body, and upgrading suspension, breaks, transmission and other parts of the vehicle.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, BRTA Chairman Nazrul Islam said: “The deadline for reconditioning CNG-run auto-rickshaws after its 12th year will be fixed as per the recommendations of Buet experts.”

“If the auto-rickshaw owners do not recondition their vehicles within the deadline, steps will be taken against them,” he warned. l

2-week training for foreign diplomats starts today n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman For the first time foreign diplomats are taking part in an exclusive training course on international relations and diplomacy in Bangladesh.

“The course has begun today and will continue for two weeks,” Foreign Service Academy Principal and Secretary [Bilateral] of the Foreign Ministry Mustafa Kamal told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The Foreign Service Academy was established in 1996 to enable Bangladesh foreign service officers become better diplomats.

“We took the initiative to provide training to diplomats of other countries six months back,” the principal said.

Twelve young diplomats from Afghanistan, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and two from host Bangladesh are participating in the course.

“We invited the diplomats of the region for the first course but in the future we will also invite other non-regional countries,” Kamal said.

The Foreign Service Academy has cooperation agreement with several countries including Turkey, Azerbaijan and Sudan and diplomats of those countries will also be invited in future, he added.

After the army the academy is the second public institute where dedicated course is being offered for foreign nationals.

“We will hold different sessions on current foreign policy issues, history of the region, democratic values and development priorities,” Kamal said.

The participants will have an opportunity to visit historical places, museums, some centres of excellence and important institutions in Bangladesh also, he said.

The academy has a plan to hold similar international course at least once a year, the principal added. l

Ex-army personnel’s wife missing n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong The wife of a former staff of Bangladesh Army has been missing in Chittagong city since Thursday noon, according to police.

The victim’s husband, Fakhrul Islam, a retired officer of Bangladesh Army filed a general dairy with Panchlaish police station on Thursday and informed the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) 7 in this regard.

Mohiuddin Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Panchlaish police station said they were trying to find the victim, Ambia Parul, 40, but they were also investigating the matter to see whether it was a case of disappearance or abduction.

Fakhrul said Parul owned a tailor’s shop named Urmila Tailors in the city’s Hamjarbagh area. On the day of the incident, she went to Teribazar area to withdraw money from a bank, and later she went to the GEC Intersection area, he said. Her mobile phone has also been switched off since Thursday, he added. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, August 18, 2014

No progress in creating new posts for civil administration n Mohosinul Karim

The government has not yet been able to create new posts in the civil administration as per the requirements of different ministries, divisions or public offices as most of ministries or divisions had not yet submitted their proposals to the public administration ministry.

Thus, the procedure of creating new posts and filling up the vacancies as per the instructions of the cabinet had been delaying further.

Sources in the Ministry Public Administration said it was taking longer to prepare the proposals and begin the recruiting process for the vacancies as most of the ministries and divisions had not responded properly. The process of finalising the report will also be halted until getting proper responses from all the offices.

Earlier last week, public administration ministry’s Deputy Secretary AKM Mohiuddin sent a letter to all ministries and divisions emphasising on sending their proposals quickly to the ministry in this regard.

Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, who also heads a high power committee formed to guide the government in this regard, said: “We have sent letters to the ministries and divisions to submit their recommenda-

tions shortly to the public administration ministry.”

“The ministries and divisions, however, are not responding with their proposals or demands. It’s not that the committee is going to suggest the government to create new posts. A permanent standing committee of the cabinet division usually does that. The government will be suggested to fill up the vacancies in the bureaucracy. It will be done after getting the proposals as we have already held a meeting in this regard,” he added.

According to the public administration, the custodian of the public servants, there were around 2 lakh government posts vacant despite recruiting around 4 lakh officials and employees from January 2009 to July 2014.

Most of the offices or posts remained vacant due to legal issues created by pending writ petitions or cases in different courts.

In some cases, the offices became vacant due to promotion of the officials, retirement or transfer.

According to the ministry, around 100 offices of the Assistant Commissioner of Land (AC Land) were now vacant even after posting around 200 officers for the AC land offices recently.

The administration now has around 1,099 additional secretaries, joint sec-

retary and deputy secretary level officers more than its approved number of posts. Of them, 150 were additional secretaries, 485 joint secretaries and 464 were deputy secretaries.

At the same time, the administration needs around 950 more officers in assistant secretary and senior assistant secretary level posts as around 500 deputy secretaries are now discharging their responsibilities in the offices of senior assistant secretaries as super numeracy officer.

Of them, around 250 were assistant secretaries and 700 were senior assistant secretaries.

The ministry sources said, around 50 additional secretaries and 200 joint secretaries were also working in the same office before they were promoted from the post of joint secretary and deputy secretary.

Around 3 secretaries, 57 additional secretaries, 302 joint secretaries, 136 deputy secretaries, 35 senior assistant secretaries and 50 assistant secretaries were made Officers on Special Duty (OSD) in the public administration ministry.

A huge number of those officials were working as attached officer in various ministries and divisions as OSD. As a result, the civil administration has to face trouble to maintain its discipline regarding promotion, posting and

deputation of the officials.

At the same time, there are 52 account officers, 52 accountants, 52 cashiers and 52 cash assistants in 52 ministries and divisions at present. The promotion of accountants, cashiers and cash assistants have also remained halted as account officers are not getting promotion.

Considering the issues, a cabinet meeting last April asked top-level civil bureaucrats to suggest the government regarding a solution to the problems.

The cabinet also formed a high power committee in this regard, led by the cabinet secretary and senior secretary to the public administration ministry.

State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara Sadique told the Dhaka Tribune: “The cabinet has taken the decision to create some new posts for civil bureaucracy considering several issues of ministries and divisions. At the same time, works of these ministries and divisions had also been extended.”

She further said the government will create the posts in the civil administration considering the recommendation of the committee and then recruit new officials.

“But, the ministry is yet to receive their report with specific suggestions,” she added. l

Two Bangladeshis shot

by Indian BSF across Satkhira border n Our Correspondent, Satkhira Two Bangladeshi cattle traders were injured as Indian Border Security Force (BSF) shot at them on the other side of the border at Sadar upazila in Satkhira yesterday.

They were Ziaur Rahman and Siddikur Rahman of the upazila’s Chhoighoria village.

Fence shootings by Indian soldiers against Bangladeshis have continued despite an Indian promise to halt border killings made last year Quoting locals, Kushkhali Union Parishad Chairman Abu Raihan told reporters that several cattle traders were returning with cows from India.

They were shot at and injured as they reached Khalisha border in India’s Bashirhat thana on the other side of Sadar upazila’s Kushkhali border, when Zia and Siddik received bullet injuries.

Their companions were able to res-

cue Zia and cross the border and he was now being treated at a secret location.

No fate of Zia could be known as he could not be rescued and brought across the border.

Satkhira 38 BGB Battalion acting captain Major Najir Ahmed Bakshi however could not confirm the occurrence of such an incident across the border.

He said they had not heard of any such incident. However, local BGB camp commander would be asked to be confirmed of the authenticity of the incident.

BSF-pulled the trigger casualties are a thorny issue along India-Bangladesh border.

Bangladesh will raise the border killing issue at the BGB-BSF summit talks to be held at the end of this month from August 20-25 in New Delhi BGB DG Aziz Ahmed said: “We will raise the issue of border killings at the meeting.”

“We will continue to raise the issue until border killings are brought down to zero level,” he said.

Fence shootings by Indian soldiers against Bangladeshis have continued despite an Indian promise to halt border killings made last year at the border conference held in Dhaka. l

Inexperienced administrators not teachers occupy top DPE posts n Mushfique Wadud The top positions at the Directorate of Primary Education is held by people with no experience of teaching and how to run primary schools, which is hampering the overall progress of primary education, according to government primary teachers.

They made the observation at a Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association (BPTA) conference held at the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh auditorium in the capital yesterday. Around 4,000 teachers from across the country attended the conference.

“The top posts are filled by people who are inexperienced in teaching … as a result, the standard of primary education is not improving,” said Moazzem Hossain Manik, senior vice-president of Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association (BPTA).

The participants proposed that government teachers get promoted gradually to take up the high positions in the directorate.

At present, administrative cadres are at the top posts of the directorate, including the director general and additional director general. There are no provisions for the government teachers to get promoted to those posts as well.

Manik also said there should be a provision so that the primary teachers do not remain in the same post for a long time.

Many teachers said even though the pay structure of government primary teachers had improved in recent years, the qualified and talented youth were still reluctant to take up teaching at the primary level as a profession.

They said the reluctance was mainly due to a lack of progression in the profession.

“This profession is often used as a transition. Talented youths take up this profession for a while, but leave it when they get other suitable jobs,” Manik explained.

He also said there was no provision for the promotion of assistant teachers in the current system.

“As such, a teacher remains in one post throughout his or her career. This is inhumane. It is impossible to concentrate on work when someone is in the same post for 20-25 years,” he said.

Abul Bashar, president of BPTA, reiterated Manik’s statement.

“It is a matter of concern that many talented people do not continue in primary-level teaching due to a lack of career progression. The government must address this. Otherwise, improving the standard of primary education will not be possible,” he said.

Creating a career ladder for the government primary teachers has been a longstanding demand of teachers and educationists.

The teachers also complained that the decision to upgrade the status of primary school headmasters has not been implemented yet.

Speaking at the conference, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman said the government was working to meet all the demands of the primary teachers.

He, however, urged the teachers to work to improve the quality of education.

“The standard of primary education is still not satisfactory. We have to work hard to take it to the satisfactory level,” he said.

He said the ministry had issued a gazette notification for the status upgrade of primary school headmasters and it would be implemented soon. l

Boat racers give it their best during practice yesterday for the upcoming Sylhet Divisional Boat Race Competition on Surma River

BCL: BNP helped militant forces rise n DU Correspondent BNP generated militant forces in Bangladesh to form a Taliban state full of anarchy, said leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of ruling Awami League, at a protest rally.

Protesting the bomb attack by radical Islamist outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen on August 17, 2005, they brought out a rally on the Dhaka University campus yesterday.

The Chhatra League men vowed to thwart such militant activities in the future.

Speaking at the rally, BCL President Badiuzzaman Shohag said: “The militant forces, which were absent before, had grown rapidly during the BNP regime. Khelada Zia and her son Tarique Rahman are the founders of the radical Islamist forces in Bangladesh. They want to turn the country into Afghanistan.”

Demanding exemplary punishment

of all the perpetrators of the August 17 incident, he criticised BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia for celebrating her birthday on the National Mourning Day on August 15.

BCL Secretary General Siddique Nazmul Alam, Vice-President Imamul Huq Sarkar Titu, Joint Secretary Shamsul Kabir Rahat were present at the programme, among others.

Earlier, the BCL brought out a black flag procession on the campus. l

Singer Nancy at Labaid, out of danger n Tribune Report

Hindus bring out a Janmashtami procession from the Dhakeshwari Temple yesterday

MEHEDI HASAN

Popular singer Nazmun Monira Nancy, who allegedly attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills on Saturday night, was shifted yesterday morning from Dhaka Medical College and Hospital to the Labaid Specialised Hospital.

Nancy fell sick at her father’s residence in Chhotogara of Netrakona district town after overdosing on sleeping pills. However, she is now out of danger and recovering quickly, doctors said.

Her brother Jony said she had been under the observation of Dr Forhad.

Earlier, after Nancy took the pills, her family first took her to a private clinic in Netrokona and then to the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. As her condition was not improving, doctors suggested that she should be taken to DMCH. Nancy’s brother, however, alleged that she was not getting satisfactory treatment and they therefore shifted

her to the capital. But our Mymensingh correspondent reported that her condition was stable until 10pm Saturday. She was shifted to the ICU there after which the doctors at MMCH asked the family members to take her to the capital.

At MMCH, Nancy told doctors that she had taken 60 sleeping pills in two phases around 1pm on Saturday. The doctors there said since the medicine had already mixed with her blood, washing out the stomach was not working.

A doctor at DMCH said family members took Nancy from DMCH saying that she would be taken to her Rampura house for rest, but the relatives took her to Labaid instead.

Labaid Specialised Hospital’s Assistant General Manager Saifur Rahman Lenin said: “Nancy has recovered well but she is still weak. This is called withdrawal syndrome. We have shifted her to the ICU and she will be fine within two or three days.” l

COURTESY

Fire engulfs building in Moghbazaar n Tribune Report SK Tower, a six story building in Boro Moghbazar in the capital, caught fire yesterday. The fire originated on the third floor of the building around 12:50pm.

Upon receiving information, nine units of fire fighters rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control after frantic efforts, said Shahzadi Sultana, duty officer of the fire service control room.

“We couldn’t identify the source of the fire immediately. Also no news of injury was reported,” she said.

According to the Ramna police station Officer-in-Charge Moshiur Rahman, the fire was doused around 1:30pm. The magnitude of damage could not be identified immediately, but the fourth floor was more badly damaged than the third floor. l

Man held with Tk34 lakh in foreign currencies

n Tribune Report

Customs intelligence officials detained a person with foreign currencies worth around Tk34 lakh at the Dhaka airport yesterday. Shushonkor Mollik, 27, was going to Malaysia. Sources said he was frisked at the boarding bridge area on suspicion. Nur-e-Alam Siddiqui, ASP of APBn, said: “Officials recovered currencies of different countries, including Saudi Riyal, Dirham, Ringgit and Singapore Dollar from his body, shoes and bag.”

“The money might have been smuggled in order to buy gold,” he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, August 18, 2014

5

WATERLOGGING INSIDE DND DAM

Government indecision adds to the woes of residents n Abu Hayat Mahmud Thousands of residents inside the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankment area have been suffering from severe waterlogging every monsoon for more than a decade as the government is yet to find a sustainable solution to the problem.

With no clear sight of a way out of this problem, the waterlogging has become unbearable for the residents every monsoon as it seriously hampers their daily life.

An official of Bangladesh Water Development Board, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that due to the government’s indecision, residents inside the DND area had continued to live in immense discomfort.

“At first, the government had taken a decision to change responsibility of DND from BWDB to Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa).

Later, a ministerial committee decided to hand over the responsibility jointly to Wasa, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC),” he said.

The BWDB official also claimed that the NCC already had started development work and the DCC has also conducted a survey on the area to come to a decision.

During a visit to the area, this Dhaka Tribune correspondent found residents of the area had been leading a miserable life for the past three months. Many roads, fields and other open spaces had already gone under knee-deep water and many lowlying areas were also submerged.

Several roads and open spaces inside the DND, including Matuail, Shanir Akhra, Mogholpara, Rasulpur, Dholesshar, Adarshapara, Sarulia, West Sarulia, Dogair, Deillah, Munsibagh, Baghmara, Boxonagar, Sarulia Bahir Tengra, Kandapara, Mredhabari in Demra and Dhaka and different areas at Siddirganj in Narayanganj had also gone underwater.

At the same time, several houses, educational institutes and even healthcare centres were marooned this year just like in the past.

Not only does the waterlogging disrupt their daily life, the stagnant water also becomes a breeding-ground for mosquitoes and various waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and skin diseases.

Mohammad Minar Hossain, who runs a tea-stall at Sarulia in Demra, said: “The BWDB had not properly maintained the embankment area. Their responsibility was to drain stagnant water out of the area every year during monsoon, but they do not do it properly.”

“This year, BWDB took no additional steps to pump out the heavy rain water, reasoning most of the area had been permanently submerged.” he added.

At a time when additional pumps are required to solve the problem, it was also alleged that all of BWDB’s pumps were not functional.

Sayed Ahmed, a resident of Kazla in Siddirgan, said the BWDB has only four large pumps to uptake the stagnant water out of the area.

“The BWDB had announced long ago that they would set up another pump at Pagla, but this was never implemented. The existing pumps are old and poorly maintained, many of which are no longer capable of draining huge amounts of water after a heavy rainfall,” he claimed. He also claimed that waste from fish farms in the surrounding areas usually clog the mouth of the pumps as well as canals.

When contacted, BWDB Executive Engineer (Dhaka O and M Division- 1) Md Ruhul Amin told the Dhaka Tribune: “Every year, the government sanctions a small fund for drainage work of the existing canals and drain rain water.”

He also said more than four years ago, the government also took an initiative to solve the waterlogging problem and put an end to the suffering of thousands of people living in the DND area.

“A feasibility study was done back in April 2010 and the report was sub-

Pedestrians and vehicles wade through ankle-deep water near Oriental High School in the capital's Demra area yesterday mitted to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in November 2011. However, it was returned back for a lack in funds from the government and it is still put on hold and the decision is still pending even now.” Ruhul said.

BWDB high officials said the government had implemented a Tk13 crore project from 2006 to 2009 to improve the drainage system in the area.

Answering a question on the shift in authority of the DND dam, he said: “I am not sure about this, but I have

heard that the government is trying to hand over the responsibility to Dhaka Wasa and the city corporations.”

Earlier, local MP Habibur Rahaman Mollah came to WDB’s defence saying the agency has been trying to clear the logged water from inside DND dam.

“People too have some faults. Some residents dump waste in canals. Few people have encroached on canals and open spaces. Most of the canals have been filled in. So, heavy rainwater leads to water-logging for long periods,” he said.

“We have been trying to free all canals to ensure smooth flow of water out of the areas,” he added.

The ruling party lawmaker also said he was aware of the fact that the ECNEC did not approve a development project for DND area, but did not know why.

The DND project was executed during 1962-68 as Flood Control Drainage and Irrigation (FCDI) project primarily to protect Dhaka and Narayanganj towns from floods, and to save crop lands from overflowing rivers.

It was then a part of an exclusive

ABU HAYAT MAHMUD

irrigation project aimed at achieving self-reliance in food grains production.

But the area continued to develop as an unplanned residential area after the country’s independence, with lower middle income families buying land and building homes haphazardly.

The trend gained pace after the 1988 flood, inviting more people inside the dam area. As a result most of the agricultural land was transformed into residential, small business or even heavy industrial zone without any a proper urbanisation plan. l

Doctor allegedly breaks newborn's leg Four Jamaat leaders arrested in Barisal, Ctg

Road crash kills one in Chittagong n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong n FM Mizanur Rahaman, The family members of a newborn baby Chittagong

A pick-up van driver was killed and his helper injured when the van collided head-on with a lorry at Chittagong city's Port Colony area yesterday.

Police sources said the dead driver was Md Shahnewaj, 30, but other details could not be confirmed yet. The critically injured helper was Md Rahim, 40.

Pankaj Barua, assistant sub-inspector of Chittagong Medical College Hospital Police Outpost, said the accident took place near Ishaq Brother Container Depot in Port Colony under Bandar police station around 2:30pm.

Shahnewaj was declared dead by CMCH duty doctors when the duo were brought to the hospital soon after the incident, added the ASI. l

WEATHER

HEAVY RAIN MONDAY, AUGUST 18 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:30PM SUN RISES 5:35AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

33

26

Chittagong

30

26

Rajshahi

31

26

Rangpur

31

26

Khulna

31

25

Barisal

31

25

Sylhet

31

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Cox’s Bazar

30

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YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

33.0ºC Jessore

24.0ºC Teknaf

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:15am 5:33am 12:03am 4:38pm 6:31pm 7:50pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

in Chittagong yesterday alleged that the baby girl's leg was broken when a physician named Dr Jerin Chowdhury of Jemison Red Crescent Maternity Hospital allegedly did not execute the delivery properly on Tuesday.

Mohammad Arif, paternal uncle of the baby, made the allegation at a press conference held in Chittagong Press Club around noon.

Arif said his younger brother’s wife Jannatul Nesa was admitted to the hospital on August 12 when her contractions started and then went straight into delivery on the same day.

“We found the baby crying continuously after the delivery. At around 5pm the doctor informed us that the girl's

right leg has an infection which is why she was crying,” he said.

“Later, we rushed the baby to Panchlaish Child Care for an X-ray where it was detected that the baby’s leg was broken,” he also stated.

Arif blamed the delivery doctor for negligence during the delivery.

“We tried to inform the matter to the hospital authorities but they did not pay any heed to the allegation,” he continued.

The victim’s family members demanded a probe body to investigate the incident, as well as an exemplary punishment for the responsible party.

“We will take legal action if nothing is done after this press conference,” Arif cautioned.

Dewanbazar Ward Councillor Hasan Mahmud Hasnee who was also present

in the briefing, said the hospital which is run by Red Crescent Society, was repeatedly being blamed for malpractice and negligence by the physicians there.

When contacted, Dr Jerin said: “None deliberately wants to break a baby's leg, it was an accident.”

“Before the delivery, the parents of the baby gave signed a bond that the physician will not be liable in the event of an accident,” she also said.

Dr Sheikh Shafiul Azam, acting chairman of Red Crescent Society Chittagong unit, said they have already formed a three-member probe body comprising representatives from Chittagong Medical College Hospital, the civil surgeon office and the hospital to look into the matter and they would take necessary action based on the probe report. l

n Tribune Report Police arrested four leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday from different areas of Barisal and Chittagong.

In Barisal, law enforcers arrested Abul Hossain alias Babul Master, Sadar municipality unit general secretary of Jamaat, Sadar union unit President Sharif Uddin and Nazirpur union unit President Abdul Malek, from a house in Hosnabad village of Muladi upazila around 11am while they were holding a secret meeting.

Confirming the arrest, Muladi police station OC Md Alauddin said a case was launched against the arrested and a

local court had sent them to jail when they were produced before it.

In Chittagong, police arrested the party’s local leader Mahmudul Haque, 35, in a drive in the hilly area of Satkania upazila.

Satkania police station OC Khaled Hossain said the arrest was made, due to a tip-off, around 2am.

The OC continued that Khaled, an Imam of a local mosque, was wanted in seven cases filed for committing subversive activities there during the countrywide violence centring the January 5 elections, for which he had also instigated the local youth. l

Nasim: No hindrance to BNP’s movement n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The government would not interfere with any issue-based democratic movement undertaken by the BNP, said Health Minister Mohammad Nasim yesterday.

He made this remark two days before the BNP rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital on Tuesday.

Nasim also vowed that there was no possibility of any mid-term election in the country and the next parliamentary election would be held in 2019.

Nasim, a presidium member of ruling Awami League, was speaking at a “Meet the Press” programme at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium in the capital.

Currently, the main challenge for the health sector is retaining doctors at the workstations they were posted at for two years in a row. If they could be talked into doing this, there would be a noticeable

change in the health sector, he said.

The health minister added that newly-appointed doctors had promised to work for two consecutive years at their workstation. If they kept their word, they would be rewarded and added that a posting order would be issued for them within this week.

He urged locals MPs, union chairmen and other health officers to stay alert and ensure the doctors’ presence at their offices. He said Bangladesh would send medicine to Sierra Leon, an Ebola-affected country, very soon.

Doctors, nurses and representatives would also be sent to Gaza and the foreign ministry is currently mapping out a route to ensure their safe arrival there.

With DRU President Shahed Chowdhury in the chair, General Secretary Elias Khan, Vice President Rafiqul Islam Azad and Organising Secretary Morsalin Nomani were present at the programme. l

Members from the Centre for Human Rights, Save the Sundarban Foundation and Bangladesh Poribesh Bachao Andolon form a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday protesting an attack on cultural activists RAJIB DHAR

Summit on sustainable development calls for concerted efforts for gender equality n Rabiul Islam Concerted efforts are needed to ensure gender equality and women's empowerment in the country, speakers said at a summit in the capital yesterday.

Global Citizens' Forum on Sustainable Development organised a four-day summit titled “Sustainable Develop-

ment-2014 (mission for 100 years)”, chaired by Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) Chairman M A Jalil.

Managing Director of Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation Md Abdul Karim called for engaging government and non-government organisations and the civil society to ensure gender equality and women's empowerment in the

country.

He stressed on implementing existing laws and formulating new ones as per requirement.

He highlighted that maternity leave of six months is ensured in Bangladesh which is absent in many other countries.

The former secretary said Bangladesh had achieved the Millennium

Development Goal regarding women's empowerment.

Citing a report of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistic (BBS), member of the board of trustees and academic council of the BRAC University Professor Salma Khan said 80% of women in the country were tortured at some point in their lives, either by their husbands or the in-laws.

The survey showed that 70% of the women do not get access to properties which they are entitled to by law, she said.

Women in Bangladesh contribute 48% to the Gross Domestic Product while 80% of them contribute to agriculture, so if they were given a favourable environment, they could achieve a lot, said the speakers. l

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Nation

Monday, August 18, 2014

Gopalganj admin turns a blind eye to sand lifting Experts fear landslides and other disasters might occur n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj Sand traders have been lifting sand for a long time and disregarding the effect of their actions on the environment.

The authorities of the six upazilas of Gopalganj, meanwhile, have been blind to their actions.

Experts fear landslides and other disasters might occur due to the sand lifting.

Sribash Biswas Sridham, who lives in Sadar upazila’s Raghunathpur village, says: “Our village was low-lying but not anymore because all low-lying lands here have been raised due to the dredging up of sand and earth from the canals, bils, ponds and swamps over the past seven years.

“The low-lying lands at other villages are also being raised. So land owners are being able to get a good price when selling the developed land.”

Dredger owner Golok Biswas, who lives in Tungipara upazila’s Rakhilabari, says: “I dredge up sand with shallow machines, tube-wells, pipes and drums,

Local vehicle crashes boy against bridge

n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj A child was killed by a speeding local vehicle on Saturday in Gopalganj’s Sadar Upazilla.

Rubel, 11, was hit by "a Bhotbhoti", a local vehicle, when he was standing on a bailey bridge on Mandartola-Borni road. Caught between the vehicle and the bridge rail, his head was cut off from the body and fell into the river.

The ‘Bhotbhoti’ driver Rasel Molla escaped the scene discarding the vehicle. Villagers demanded quick arrest and exemplary punishment of Rasel. l

Uncontrolled waste disposal spreading disease n Our Correspondent, Habiganj Uncontrolled waste disposal is choking the by-pass road, an important thoroughfare on the East of Habiganj municipality, causing immense sufferings to passersby.

The untreated waste is also spreading malodour and various diseases posing health hazard to thousands of people.

Passersby allege that wastes are being regularly dumped by Habiganj municipality on two sides of the road, which opens up to three important establishments, Brindabon Government College, Kibria Municipality Auditorium and an under-construction modern stadium.

As a result, the road is getting narrower and the drainage system clogged, causing water-logging and traffic congestion.

When it rains, the malodorous waste spills over to the town making the situation worse. Thousands of people who commute on this road on a daily basis are falling victim to the uncontrolled garbage disposal. They demanded the Habiganj municipality to clear the area and dispose off the garbage in a proper place.

Habiganj municipality Panel Mayor Abul Hasim said, they had been aware of the situation and would soon take measures to remove the waste. He also apologised to the people for temporary inconvenience. l

Four held with touchstone statues n Our Correspondent, Naogaon Members of Rapid Action Battalion arrested four alleged smugglers yesterday and seized two touchstone statues from them at Soraigazi Bazar area in Porsha upazila of the district.

The arrested were Abdus Salam, 37, Dulal, 32, Mozammel, 32, and Rubel, 32.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of the elite force conducted a raid in the area around 8am and arrested the persons and recovered the statues, weighing 9.87kg and worth about Tk40 lakh, from their possession. The team also seized four mobile phones and some cash.

Sources said the statues were supposed to be smuggled out of the country to a neighbouring country. l

all year round. I charge Tk2,000-25,000 for dredging up 1000 square feet of sand. It is quite profitable.”

He says he has never faced any obstacles from anyone while dredging up sand from rivers, canals, bils, swamps and ponds.

Professor Chitta Ranjan Talukder, who teaches geography and environment science at Haji Lal Mia City College in Gopalganj, says: “A lot of underground space is becoming void because of the mindless lifting of sand. This is disastrous for the environment.

“Underground lava may come up and cause disasters on the land, as its surface is also being eroded by the mindless sand lifting,” he adds, urging the authorities to stop such acts in the district.

Gopalganj Deputy Commissioner Md Khalilur Rahman says: “There is a law to conduct mobile courts to stop the random sand lifting. Steps are often taken against sand lifters by mobile courts. The assistant commissioner (land) and other relevant officers will also be informed about this.” l

Sand lifting continues with a shallow machine at Rakhilbari canal of Tungipara upazila in Gopalganj. The photo was taken recently

No primary school in 45 villages n Mazharul Hoque Lipu, Magura

Primary education, free and compulsory for all, has remained elusive for thousands of poor children as there are no primary schools in 45 villages of Magura district.

Despite parents being eager to educate their children, they cannot do so because there are no primary schools nearby.

As per the rules, a village must have 2000 people to have a government primary school established there. Unfortunately, at least 15 villages do not have any primary school despite having fulfilled such a requirement.

The villages that fulfill the requirement are Manachar, Kaura, Patharghata, Meshdi, Mirjapur, Arua, Varatpur, Udash, Kharibaria, Shoanvanga, Gopalgram, Boira, Piprul and Bagura.

Ali Kadar, who lives at Mohammad-

pur upazilla’s Kaura, said: “I have a 10-year-old son. I have stopped his education for three years because there is no primary school nearby.

“Earlier, I had sent him to his maternal uncle’s house at Binodpur village to start his education. He studied there till Class III. After his uncle moved to Dhaka along with his family, I had to bring my son back home.”

Ashak Pal, who lives at Shalikha upazila’s Varatpur village, said: “I have failed to give my 9-year-old even primary education because there is school near our home.” “The primary school which is closest to my home is around four kilometres away,” he said.

Abdul Motaleb, a retired primary school teacher who lives at Sadar upazila’s Abalpur village, said: “Villagers used to set up registered primary schools on their own in the past in plac-

es where there was a lack of schools.

“Youths would also come forward to teach at such schools, but now there is no scope for setting up such schools because the government has stated that it will nationalise all such schools in the country.

“As per the rules, only the government can now set up primary schools.”

Seeking anonymity, a primary school headmaster said: “This government is committed to building Bangladesh as an illiteracy-free country by 2014.

“I do not understand how the government can achieve that goal when there is no primary school at so many villages in the district.”

When District Primary Education Officer Md Shirajudhoha was asked about this, he said: “We have sent a proposal to the higher authorities to set up primary schools at 15 villages, but no response has come as yet.” l

Khulna district unit of Workers Party of Bangladesh brought out a procession in the city yesterday marking the 17th August as AntiTerrorism Day DHAKA TRIBUNE

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Janmashtami celebrated across country n Tribune Report Janmashtami, the celebration of the birthday of Lord Krishna and one of the biggest religious festivals of Hindus, was celebrated countrywide yesterday with much religious fervor and enthusiasm.

Our Rajshahi correspondent reports: The Hindu community in Rajshahi city celebrated Janmashtami, marking the birthday of Lord Krishna amid much festivity and with religious zeal.

The day's programmes included worship of Lord Krishna, Geeta Jagna, Kirtan, discussions and peace processions.

Marking the festival, Janmashtami Celebration Parishad brought out a colourful rally from Hanumanjir Akhra Mondir and paraded through different city streets.

Deputy Commissioner Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury, Indian Assistant High Commissioner Sandip Mitra, Janmashtami Celebration Parishad President Alok Kumar Das and General Secretary Tapan Kumar Sen jointed the rally, among others.

In Khulna, different religious and socio-cultural organizations arranged programmes including discussions, prayers to Lord Krishna and songs in his praise.

Thousands of people joined the traditional Janmashtami procession which was brought out around noon from Arja Dharmashava temple premises in the city.

The procession paraded through different roads amid tight security and ended back at the same point.

State Minister for Fisheries and Live Stock Naryan Chandra Chanda inaugurated the procession, which was attended, among others, by the law maker of Khulna-2 constituency Mizanur Rahman Mizan.

Earlier, a discussion was held at the temple premises, which was addressed

by Chanda who was the chief guest.

In Gaibandha, different Hindu religious organizations chalked out elaborate programmes throughout the district.

The programmes included prayers to Lord Krishna, puja gatherings, Kirtan, Ramayan gaan and recitation from

the holy Geeta and the Jagya.

Prasad was distributed and poor people were fed, as supplication for divine blessing to bring about peace and progress in the country.

A discussion organized by Bangladesh Puja Utjapon Parishad (BPUP), district unit, was also held on the premises of the V-AID Road Kalibari Temple in the town in the afternoon.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Fazle Rabbi Miah, addressed the function as the chief guest and Deputy Commissioner M. Ehsan-e-Elahi, Gaibandha Zilla Parishad Administrator Advocate Syed Shams-ul-Alam Hiru and Gaibandha Municipality Mayor M. Shamsul Alam were present as special guests.

Our Netrakona correspondent said different socio-cultural and religious organizations, including the district Puja celebration committee, chalked out various programmes for the day.

A traditional Janmashtami procession was brought out in the district town in the morning from Norasingha Zior Akra temple at Barabazer under the auspices of the district Janmastami celebration committee.

Deputy Minister for youth and sports Arif Khan Joy and the Janmashtami celebration committee leaders formally led the procession which paraded through the main roads of the town.

In Faridpur, our correspondent experienced a colorful rally, with a portrait of Lord Krishna at the front, which was brought out in the morning from the DC office premises and paraded through the main roads of the town before ending at Kabi Jasimuddin Hall.

A discussion meeting on the teachings of Lord Krishna was held at Kabi Jasimuddin Hall. Awami League central advisory committee member SM Nurunnabi attended the meeting as the chief guest. The programme was chaired by ADC Gen Md Abdur Rashid.

The day was also celebrated in Barguna, Barisal, Thakurgaon, Bagerhat, Kurigram, Bhola, Brahmanbaria, Bogra, Comilla, Feni, Gopalganj, Habiganj, Jamalpur, Jessore, Joypurhat, Kushtia,Madaripur, Naogaon and Narail districts. l

NEWS IN BRIEF Highway blocked demanding Munshiganj OC's removal Supporters of UP chairman candidate blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong highway yesterday, demanding the removal of Gojaria Thana OC Ferdous Hasan. The blockade was enforced from 12pm till 1 pm, after which the police brought the situation under control. The hour long demonstration caused huge tailbacks and public suffering on the major highway. Supporters of Baluakandi Union chairman candidate Shahiduzzaman Zakaria alleged that OC Ferdous Hasan had been siding with rival candidate Morjina Begum. Ferdous Hasan could not be contacted for comment despite repeated efforts.

By-poll election for Baluakandi Union is scheduled for August 24 as the previous chairman Shamsuddin Prodhan was killed during the March 23 Gojaria upazila election.

Our Correspondent, Munshiganj

2 held with 2 stolen motorbikes Police detained two men late on Saturday night and seized two stolen motorcycles from separate places in Chapainawabganj. The detained were Aktarul Islam, 35, the son of late Emaj Uddin of Hakimpur village, and Md Ali Hossain, 25, the son of Abdul Barek of Birampur village.

Police sources said Aktarul was detained with a motorbike from his house in Alatuli union in the late hours of Saturday. Based on information received from Aktarul, police later arrested Ali from Birampur with another motorcycle.

Earlier, on August 14, police arrested Dollar and Nurtaz with two stolen motorcycles. Chapainawabganj Sadar police station Officer-in-charge Jasim Uddin said Dollar and Nurtaz had been involved in stealing motorbikes from different areas in the district for a long time. “According to their confession, we arrested Aktarul and Ali,” he said. A case was filed in this connection, added Jasim.

Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj

Mobile court jails youth for eve teasing in Kushtia Habib Sheikh alias Shaju, 35, was sentenced to six month imprisonment by a mobile court yesterday for harassing a female college student in Kushtia’s Milpara area. Executive Magistrate of Kushtia S M Jamal Ahmed announced the sentence at around 12 noon. Shaju has been harassing Lita Khatun, an HSC student of Kushtia Islamia College for a very long time. He was arrested by police following a complaint filed by Lita’s family.

Our Correspondent, Kushtia

Weapons recovered Police recovered a number of weapons on Saturday night from the house of Mannan Dakat in Charkachhapia of Charfashion upazila. Among the weapons were a single-shot gun, a barrel, a steel knife and a

rifle magazine, said South Aicha police station Officer-in-Charge M Enamul Haque. Mannan’s father Abu Taher Mistri was also arrested, Enamul said. Assistant Sub-Inspector of the police station Belal said Mannan’s house was raided with the assistance of upazila parishad member of ward no 4, Kabir Negaban, and locals. “The weapons were found in a wooden box,” he said.

Our Correspondent, Bhola

Youth drowns in river following BSF chase

A Bangladeshi youth drowned in Mathabhanga River after being chased by Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) in Meherpur's Gangni Upazilla. The body of Shamim Hossain, 27, was recovered on Saturday night from the river near Kazipur village. He hails from Kushtia's Daulatpur Upazilla.

Our Correspondent, Meherpur

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Special

7

Monday, August 18, 2014

‘The government wants a country with a particular religion and culture’ Santu Larma talks laws, institutions, governments, land disputes, UPDF, culture, religion, and language, among other things, while speaking openly about issues regarding the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the ‘jumma‘ people who inhabit the area Abid Azad of Dhaka Tribune conducted the interview Bangladesh, such adverse situation will raise more tension in the CHT area.

If the government takes initiatives to rehabilitate the displaced and evicted families as a solution to the land issues in the CHT, what will be your position?

Yes, land grabbing in the CHT area has become a common scenario, and day by day it has been causing acute problems among the indigenous people. Lands are mostly grabbed by the Bangalee settlers who are backed by the government and the Army. The district administration and the army have also been grabbing the lands of the indigenous people in the name of tourism.

Actually, the government has no interest in solving the much-disputed land problem in the CHT. When Awami League government passed the land commission bill in 2001, they neither informed us nor discussed the matter with us. Later, many discussions were held with both the AL and the BNP governments, but there is no progress until now.

We placed 19 amendment proposals to the government, and later added four more. The government agreed on 10 issues. But later, we found that when the bill was tabled in parliament, the government kept three of those issues unchanged and intact according to their own whims.

The government is responsible for taking actions to solve the refugee problems, according to the 20-point demands made in 1997.

On the other hand, to change the land management system, the government should consider the contemporary context of the CHT area.

Actually, no improvement is possible until the government becomes sincere and committed enough to solve this major problem in the region.

Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, or Santu Larma as he is commonly known

W

hat is your observation about the government’s attitude towards the interests and expectations of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) people and the 1997 Peace Accord?

This government passed the CHT Development Board Act, 2014 on July 1, has taken initiatives to amend the Hill District Council Act, 2014, and to establish the Rangamati Science and Technology University and a medical college without any prior consultation with the district councils, Parbatya Chhattagram Anchalik Parishad (regional council) and other CHT representatives.

Such attitude of the ruling government is an expression of their total lack of sincerity regarding the CHT issues. It also shows their undemocratic, communal, and extremist nationalistic ideology.

Why do you not agree with these new legislations and amendments to a few existing laws?

First of all, we could not agree with such initiatives as the fundamental sections of the peace accord are yet to be implemented. However, there are many other bluffs and loopholes in executing it.

If the government takes any reasonable initiative that expresses the interests of the indigenous people, there will be no question of denial.

But we have seen that the Zilla Parishad elections have not taken place in the last 22 years. But the government amended the law on hill district councils on July 1 where the number of members has been raised from five to 11, without any discussion with the regional council.

First things first; at first, the government should take initiatives to hold the elections.

On the other hand, the government passed the CHT Development Board Act the on same day (July 1). This board is like a statutory body which actually works to improve the economic condition of the people. But there should not be any administrative, political, and cultural activities in this body.

Such a body will only hinder the economic development and also increase bureaucratic complexities in

the administrative system. This board will operate merely as a parasite – dependent on bureaucrats.

In this case, what is the nature and pattern of discussion and communication between the government and the CHT representatives? Do you think that the CHT representatives are failing to reflect the expectations of the CHT people?

Before taking any initiative or placing any bill or Act in parliament, the government is legally-bound to discuss it with the regional council. Still, the union council and the municipalities are under the local government whereas these institutions were supposed to be

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

other hand, you are demanding for an increase in the quotas for indigenous people and other facilities of the existing educational institutions. Then why are you, instead of antagonising the government, not proposing a road-map for the establishment of the university and the medical college that will reflect the interests of the indigenous students?

There are two points to be noted: Firstly, the government did not discuss with us before taking such initiatives. We came to know about it not from the government officially, but unofficially after the government passed the bill.

Secondly, the recent context in the CHT area is not appropriate to establish

‘The crisis in the CHT area is not where it is seen, but it is where it is not seen. The conflict between the Bangalee and the indigenous people is merely an eyewash – like many other social and cultural crises crafted by states’ handed over to the CHT ministry, but the government did not take any such initiatives.

On the other hand, the interim period district councils have become the key source of corruption. The council members [selected by the government] act according to the government directives. Generally, the members of parliament represent the government’s thoughts and expressions. They all are parts of the government’s system of control and manipulation.

Thus, all such institutions and the representatives of the indigenous people echo the government’s views.

The few people who represent and express our rights, demands, and interests have no broader platform.

The PCJSS is against the establishment of the proposed science and technology university and a medical college in Rangamati. On the

such institutions. How many qualified students among the indigenous communities are here to study in the university level? How many experienced and qualified teachers do we have among the indigenous people? They can, at best, get the third and fourth class jobs in those proposed institutions.

Thus, a huge number of students, teachers, and other employees will come from outside the hill tracts area.

It will gradually create more pressure and complexity on the existing social and cultural crisis.

On the other hand, there is not a single academic institution in Bangladesh which is free from political turmoil. Therefore, the largest number of outsiders will be involved in political activities which will affect the CHT’s political and social situation adversely.

Moreover, as both the Awami League and the BNP do not want the existence of the indigenous people in

Was there any deadline for the implementation of the accord? What types of initiatives are you taking to implement it from your side?

Actually, there was no set time frame for the execution of the agreement.

The then Awami League government showed much devotion for the implementation of the accord, and questioned why such a deadline is needed as the government was committed to implementing the accord by the shortest possible time. We did not realise that it would take such a long time.

On the other hand, our position regarding the implementation of the accord, in attitude, is cooperative but not proactive. Without having such an attitude, we actually have nothing else to do because all these things depend on the steps taken by the government.

The accord observation committee identifies and informs the government regarding the sections of the accord that are to be implemented, the district councils, the PCJSS, and other representatives from the CHT region have also helped.

I think we have already shown our highest patience towards the government since the accord was signed.

Above all, we still demand its immediate implementation.

At the recent press conference, you announced that the government will be responsible for any unexpected situation in the CHT if the initiatives of the government go against the indigenous people. Do you think that the people in the CHT are strong enough to create any uncomfortable situation for the government?

We have no other option left at present. Now the indigenous people want to see immediate implementation of the 1997 agreement. They do not want to see any more bluffs and false promises.

I believe that the indigenous people are still strong enough to protest again, and create any sort of uncomfortable situation for the government.

I want to state clearly that the pattern of the protest could be changed and shifted to any direction at any time.

Do you see any possibilities that the accord will become a reason for conflict between the government and the CHT-people in the near future?

Yes, definitely. The accord was signed to solve the conflict between the indigenous people and the government. But now, we see that the accord itself has become a new crisis and an

issue of conflict. It is like the Treaty of Versailles signed at the end of World War I. So, the Peace Accord is actually becoming another reason for conflict as the government continually violates its conditions intentionally.

Why do not you involve yourself in any other national issues except for the CHT-related ones?

We are not apart from national politics, rather we are involved enormously with mainstream or national politics. Our activities are not only based on the hill tracts areas or among the indigenous people of the country.

We also pursue our political activities throughout the country although it is not visible directly.

The PCJSS works for all of the working class and struggling people.

The ethical values of the PCJSS are not only based in the country, but also for the people around the world who fight for their existence, who struggle to establish human rights, and who protest against any kind of hegemonic domination and exploitation.

What do you think about the gradual proliferation of NGOs in the CHT?

The concept of the NGO, in the CHT region, was introduced to dominate the indigenous people. Before the accord, there were no NGOs, and we had no idea about NGO activities. They came after the accord and started their domination in the name of development.

to turn the non-Muslim hill tracts area into a Muslim-dominated area.

However, it is clearly understandable that after the independence of Bangladesh, no government has left the policy aside.

Now, so far I know, the ratio between the indigenous and the Bangalee people is 40:60 which proves how efficiently the policy has worked. It also reflects that no government is concerned about the rights of the indigenous people. Moreover, the government does not want the existence of the indigenous people in the CHT area.

Thus, land grabbing and eviction of indigenous people have become a common scenario in the CHT area. Beside this critical land issue, rape, killings, abduction and other criminal activities are perpetrated frequently while most of the victims do not get proper justice and the perpetrators go unpunished.

Thus the crisis in the CHT area is not where it is seen, but it is where it is not seen. The conflict between the Bangalee and the indigenous people is merely an eyewash – like many other social and cultural crises crafted by states.

Due to changes in religion, culture, and language, there has emerged a conflict between Jumma nationalism and aggression of new culture. How will you evaluate this situation?

My first and foremost identity is that I am a human being. But my nationality is Chakma. Interestingly the word “Chakma” is not right, it correct word

‘I believe that the indigenous people will never lose their meaning of existence, inspiration, commitment, and strength towards upholding their identity and significance in Bangladesh’ More importantly, the NGO activities are neither contributing to the social and cultural aspects of the CHT area nor they promote any development of the CHT area or the indigenous people. Rather the NGO activities causing negative impact on the CHT’s social, cultural, economical and political issues.

Thus, the problem is becoming more critical as each day passes.

What are the fundamental differences and issues of conflict between the PCJSS and the UPDF?

The PCJSS is the only political organisation representing 11 multilingual indigenous Jumma people of the CHT region. It was established and driven by a humanitarian ideology based on the principles of nationalism, democracy, secularism, equality, and social justice. We have specific objectives and organisational structure.

On the other hand, the UPDF, born just after the signing of the accord, was established to fulfil the interests of the government, and raised as a terrorist group. The Bangladesh Army and the DGFI masterminded it to demolish the PCJSS and hinder the Peace Accord.

Later, the caretaker government, during 2007-2008, influenced this issue by making a fraction of the PCJSS. The UPDF was never a political organisation. It has no history, it has no ethical values or organisational structure. They demand autonomous governance in the CHT region which will never be materialised. There is no one in the UPDF who was involved with the PCJSS earlier.

But I believe that the indigenous people will never lose their meaning of existence, inspiration, commitment, and strength towards upholding their identity and significance in Bangladesh. Such crisis is constructed artificially by the government and its different agencies.

Why is the relationship and tension between Bangalee and indigenous people labelled as a crisis?

The tension between the Bangalee and the indigenous people is not a real crisis, but it was created deliberately by the power-structure of the state by raising social, cultural, political, economical, and identity issues from the very beginning.

The Pakistan government had plans

is “Changma.” I can tell you clearly that the word “Chakma” was forcefully imposed on us by the dominant groups. Since the British period until now, we have had to face many names and identities which have been actually constructed by the dominant group for their own interests.

In the CHT area, there are different languages for different communities of people. But the matter of regret is that we could not protect our own mother tongues. If there is no such opportunity to protect the language, how can we do so?

This does not necessarily mean that we deny the Bengali language, but we want our language to at least exist. On the other hand, we will use Bengali language as a state language. The state should make all possible opportunities and rights to protect all such communal languages.

The state should ensure my rights to dream in my language, talk in my language. There should be a management where all minor and communal languages and dialects will be protected. Otherwise, the loss of language will be only the beginning for a community which will lose everything.

We urge the government to at least teach every indigenous children in his/her mother language in primary schools. To protect one’s own identity, history, and existence, language is the prime factor.

Likewise, religious studies should be introduced to protect the indigenous people’s beliefs, values and history.

Unfortunately, what we see is that the government actually is busy fulfilling their own interests which, as a result, will uproot the indigenous people in the near future. Now, the country is not moving on the way to becoming a country of many nationalities and cultural diversities, but the activities of the government means to us that it is the process of making a country with a particular religion and culture.

Do you think the 17-year-old Peace Accord is still relevant, contemporary, and pragmatic in the present political and economic context or do you demand revision in any of its sections?

How can I judge whether the Peace Accord is relevant and pragmatic in the contemporary context while it is yet to be applied and implemented? l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Monday, August 18, 2014

Netanyahu undeterred by Hamas warnings in talks on ending Gaza war Significant gaps remain in Cairo peace talks, five-day ceasefire runs out later today n Reuters, Gaza/Jerusalem Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday any deal on Gaza’s future had to meet Israel’s security needs, warningHamas it faced “harsh strikes” if it resumed firing into the Jewish state.

With a five-day ceasefire due to expire late on Monday, negotiators returned after consultations to Cairo to seek an end to five weeks of hostilities that have killed more than 2,000 people.

Both sides say gaps remain in reaching a long-term deal that would keep the peace between Israel and militant groups in the Hamas Islamist-dominated Gaza Strip, and open the way for reconstruction aid to reach the battered enclave.

Hamas wants Israeli and Egyptian blockades of Gaza lifted, as well as the establishment of a seaport and airport, as part of any enduring halt to violence.

Israel, which launched its offensive on July 8 after a surge in cross-border Hamas rocket attacks, has shown scant interest in making sweeping concessions, and has called for the disarming of militant groups in the territory of 1.8 million people.

Netanyahu, in public remarks to his cabinet, said Hamas should not underestimate Israel’s resolve to battle on.

“Only if there is a clear response to our security needs will we agree to reach understandings,” he said. “If Hamas thinks that through continued intermittent firing it will cause us to make concessions, it is mistaken. For as long as quiet does not return, Hamas will continue to absorb very harsh strikes.”

‘Weapons of resistance’

The Gaza offensive has had broad public support in Israel, where militants’ rockets, many of them intercepted by the

US conducts air strikes in Iraq near Arbil n Reuters, Washington The United States conducted air strikes in Iraq against Islamic State fighters near the Kurdish capital of Arbil and theMosul dam, the US Central Command said.

The Mosul dam, Iraq’s biggest, fell under control of Islamic State militants earlier this month. Control of the dam could give the Sunni Islamists the ability to flood cities and cut off vital water and electricity supplies.

After the Islamic State’s capture of the northern city of Mosul in June, its swift push to the borders of Iraqi Kurdistan alarmed Baghdad and last week drew the first US air strikes on Iraq since the withdrawal of US troops in 2011.

“The nine air strikes conducted thus far destroyed or damaged four armored personnel carriers, seven armed ve-

hicles, two Humvees and an armored vehicle,” theUS Central Command said in a statement. It said the strikes were conducted with a mix of fighters and drones, adding: “All aircraft exited the strike areas safely.”

The Central Command said the strikes were aimed at supporting humanitarian efforts in Iraq and protecting US personnel and facilities there.

Iraq has been plunged into its worst violence since the peak of a sectarian civil war in 2006-2007, with Sunni fighters led by the Islamic State overrunning large parts of the west and north, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee for their lives and threatening ethnic Kurds in their autonomous province.

The Islamic State has also seized large parts of Syria as it tries to build a caliphate across national borders drawn up by European a century ago. l

Cameron: IS could come to streets of Britain This August 15 photo shows a Palestinian protester hurling a stone at Israeli soldiers during clashes, following a protest against the recent Israeli military action over Hamas in Gaza, in the West Bank city of Hebron AP Iron Dome anti-missile system, have disrupted everyday life but caused little damage and few casualties.

Commenting on Netanyahu’s remarks, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: “The only way to achieve security is to afford security to the Palestinians first and to lift the blockade and to agree to their demands.” On Saturday, Osama Hamdan, Hamas’s foreign affairs chief, said on Facebook: “Israel must accept the demands of the Palestinian people or face a long war.”

Izzat el-Reshiq, a Hamas negotiator in

Cairo, wrote on Twitter that relinquishing “the weapons of resistance” was not a matter for discussion. Egypt, which is mediating between the sides and, like Israel, views Hamas as a security threat, has given little detail of any progress in the talks. “As of now, Israel has not agreed to any proposals,” an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity.

Destruction

The United Nations said 425,000 people in the Gaza Strip have been displaced by the war. The Palestinian

Health Ministry in the enclave says 1,980 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict.

On the Israeli side, 64 soldiers and three civilians have been killed.

The Palestinian demand for a Gaza seaport and reconstruction of an airport destroyed in previous conflicts with Israel has been a stumbling block, with Israel citing security reasons for opposing their operation. Israel and Hamas have not met face-to-face in Cairo; Israel regards Hamas, which advocates its destruction, as a terrorist group. l

n AFP, London Islamic State fighters sweeping across Syria and Iraq are a direct threat to Britain and the country must use all of its “military prowess” to halt their advance, Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday.

But the Conservative Party leader said he did not think British troops should be deployed in Iraq, and that he would consider working with Iran to combat the jihadist threat.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Cameron warned that the West faces a “generational struggle.” “If we do not act to stem the onslaught of this exceptionally dangerous terrorist movement,

it will only grow stronger until it can target us on the streets of Britain,” he said.

“I agree that we should avoid sending armies to fight or occupy, but we need to recognise that the brighter future we long for requires a long-term plan.”

Cameron argued that security could only be achieved “if we use all our resources -air aid, diplomacy, our military prowess.” He also said Britain needed to work with countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Egypt, Turkey “and perhaps even with Iran.”

However, a high-ranking Anglican bishop on Sunday slammed Cameron’s Middle East policy in a letter that had the backing of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. l

Hip hop, graffiti in Lebanon tag a nation’s woes n AP, Beirut In a red-lit bar in Beirut, Nasser Shorbaji and Marwan Alameh try not to knock the microphones over while laughing during the broadcast of their weekly radio show. Moments later, they turn more somber as they introduce a segment on Palestinian hip hop, discussing the most recent outbreak of war on Gaza. Heads nod in the packed bar to the rhymes of Sati, a Palestinian rapper.

The duo are among a host of Lebanese graffiti artists and rappers trying to re-engage disaffected youth in a debate about the country’s latest wave of political turmoil and the woes of the greater Middle East.

“People don’t want to be preached to.

So we’re just doing a fun thing in order to put out serious issues,” Alameh said.

One example is Shorbaji’s latest music video to his song “O.P.P,” which takes its title from the 1991 hit by US hip hop group Naughty By Nature. Shorba-

Scottish independence poll shows ‘yes’ vote gaining n Agencies The poll lead of the no campaign in the Scottish independence debate has narrowed as more undecided voters make up their minds with just over a month until the referendum, The Guardian reported.

The latest ICM poll found that 38% of people said they supported a yes vote, up four points on last month, and 47% backed a no vote, up two points on the August survey, which was carried out for the Scotland yesterday. When undecided voters are factored out, support stands at 55% for no and 45% for yes, a move of two points towards yes from last month.

The poll of more than 1,000 people was carried out after the first TV debate between Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, and the no campaign’s Alistair Darling. It found that 42% of people said Darling came out on top and 19% thought Salmond won.

Arguments over currency dominated a large part of the debate, and the poll found that 52% said they thought the Scottish government’s currency plans were “unconvincing.” The Scottish government favours a formal currency union with the rest of the UK. l

ji’s version focuses on a suicide bomber working as a bank clerk who thinks through whether or not to carry out an attack on his workplace.

Another is rapper and graffiti artist Omar Kabbani, 31, who runs Ashekman, a rap, graffiti and urban clothing outfit with his brother Mohamed.

“We consider ourselves to be the eight o’clock news when we go out to do graffiti,” Kabbani said. “They say I was born with a microphone and my twin brother with a spray can.”

While Kabbani is wary of calling Ashekman’s work political, the group’s music and street art does not avoid Lebanese society’s many conflicts. Ashekman’s “Grendizer,” a giant war robot from anime cartoons the group uses in its designs, is often used by Ashekman to mock what they see as mindless obedience to religious and political factions — and their militias — in Lebanon’s polarized political landscape.

“Many people that were warlords in

Lebanon are now ruling the country,” he says, referring to leaders in Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990, who have gone on to prominent political careers.

In its song “Deyman Ijebeh,” Arabic for “Always Positive,” Ashekman makes fun of what they see as attempts

by Lebanese to appear unperturbed by their country’s instability. “They (leaders) are fighting over who will rule the Banana Republic,” Ashekman raps.

Ashekman’s latest graffiti mural appeared in response to the recent spate of suicide bombings that shook Lebanon. The mural features the popular 1980s video game character Bomberman running with a cartoon-like bomb, fuse lit, in his hands. The character skips past the word “Wanted,” written in Arabic. Kabbani says it is a reference to what Ashekman feels is Lebanese politicians’ manipulation of the threat of terrorism for greater personal power and to cow their rivals. l

In this July 7 photo, Filipino Syrian rapper Nasser Shorbaji, 29, center, and Lebanese Marwan Alameh, 32, second right, laugh during a live broadcast of their show ‘Bar Fight’ at Radio Beirut, in Lebanon AP

UK ‘tried to hide’ role in CIA torture Ukraine troops make breakthrough in rebel stronghold

Diego Garcia is the site of a major United States military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean leased from Britain in 1966 REUTERS

n Tribune Desk Logs released under the Freedom of Information Act of England have reinforced claims that the UK lobbied to keep its role in the CIA’s torture and interrogation programme out of what is expected to be a damning Senate report, The Guardian reported.

They show that the UK ambassador to the US met members of the Senate select committee on intelligence 11 times between 2012 and 2014 – as they were investigating the CIA’s rendition programme.

This included two meetings with the com-

mittee’s chair, Diane Feinstein, which took place as crucial decisions were being made regarding how much of its report into the programme should be made public.

The revelation has prompted fresh concern that the government lobbied for key parts of the report referring to Diego Garcia, a British territory in the Indian Ocean leased to the US as a military base, to be redacted. Human rights groups believe that the territory played a key role in facilitating the CIA’s extraordinary rendition programme – the movement of high-value terrorist suspects to “black sites” around

the world without legal oversight.

The US authorities have confirmed only that the territory was used for two refuelling stops. But there are suspicions Diego Garcia has played a more extensive role than the US has so far admitted, raising questions about when and what the UK knew about its use.

The release of the report on the torture and rendition programme has been delayed after the Democrats criticised what they claimed were excessive redactions made by the CIA. Sources suggest that the spy agency wanted as much as 15% of the report blacked out.

Former foreign secretary William Hague confirmed in a recent letter to the human rights group Reprieve that the UK government had discussed the report with the US, prompting concerns it had pushed for sections relating to Diego Garcia and possible other British involvement to be blacked out.

“We have made representations to seek assurances that ordinary procedures for clearance of UK material will be followed in the event that UK material provide[d] to the Senate committee were to be disclosed,” Hague explained.

Now the newly released logs reveal that UK ambassador Peter Westmacott met Feinstein on 29 April and 2 May this year, Senator Martin Heinrich on 16 July, and Senator Marco Rubio on 26 March 2014. l

n Reuters, Kiev/Donetsk Ukrainian forces have raised their national flag over a police station in the city of Luhansk which was for months under rebel control, Kiev said yesterday, in what could be a breakthrough in Ukraine’s efforts to crush pro-Moscow separatists.

Ukrainian officials allege though that the rebels are fighting a desperate rearguard action to hold on to Luhansk – which is their supply route into neighbouring Russia – and say the flow of weapons and fighters from Russia has accelerated.

The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia were scheduled to meet for talks on the conflict in Berlin yesterday, though it seemed likely that the diplomacy could be overshadowed by fast-moving developments on the battlefield.

Russia denies helping the rebels and accuses Kiev, backed by the West, of triggering a humanitarian crisis through indiscriminate use of force against Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine who reject the Ukrainian government’s rule.

Andriy Lysenko, a Ukrainian military spokesman, said government forces fought separatists in a neighbourhood of Luhansk city on Saturday and took control of the Zhovtneviy neighbourhood police station.

“They raised the state flag over it,” Lysenko told a news briefing.

Separatist officials in Luhansk could not be reached by telephone, and a separatist spokeswoman in Donetsk, the other rebel strong-hold in eastern Ukraine, said she did not know what had happened in Luhansk.

A photograph posted on Twitter appeared to show a Ukrainian flag on the front of the police station, but it could not be independently verified. pic.twitter.com/fhzEPyUpMp If confirmed, the taking of the police station is significant because the city of Luhansk has for several months been a rebel redoubt where Kiev’s writ has not run. Ukrainian troops have been closing in on the city from the outskirts, but had not previously been able to get forces inside the city limits. The separatists still control sections of the border linking Luhansk region to Russia. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

PAKISTAN PROTEST

Imran Khan overplays hand in power game n Reuters, Islamabad Cricket hero Imran Khan rode a wave of discontent to finally break through as a serious player in Pakistani politics at last year’s election. Now he is aiming even higher, leading thousands on a march to the capital in a bid to unseat the prime minister.

But in taking his campaign to force out Nawaz Sharif on to the streets of Islamabad, Khan may have overplayed his hand. This weekend his crowd of followers was already thinning out, and without overt support from the military his protests are unlikely to be a game-changer.

He has sometimes been ridiculed as ‘Taliban Khan’ for his views on the insurgency and hostility towards US drone strikes Thousands showed up for his rally on Saturday, but some supporters grumbled they had slept out in the rain while Khan relaxed in his nearby mansion.

“The path he’s chosen is one of protest,” said Samina Ahmed, South Asia director of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group think tank. “Now the question is: does he have a strategy beyond the protest?”

Even if the protest movement fizzles, however, Sharif will have been left weakened and less likely to challenge the country’s powerful military on security and foreign policy, which Pakistan’s generals have long considered to be their domain.

Sparring with the generals

Khan accuses Sharif of rigging last year’s election, which marked the first democratic transition in Pakistan’s turbulent history, and last week vowed to occupy Islamabad until the prime minister resigns.

The government has warned that his protest, and another led by fiery cleric Tahir ul-Qadri, could destabilise the nuclear-armed nation of 180 million, which has seen a succession of military

coups and is struggling to stifle a Taliban insurgency.

It fears Khan is trying to force a confrontation so the army will once again intervene, or that the military is manipulating Khan from behind the scenes.

There is no doubt that the military brass dislike Sharif, who stormed back to power for a third time last year after his party won a clear majority of parliament’s seats.

Sharif has put former military head Pervez Musharraf, who abruptly ended his last stint as prime minister in a 1999 coup, on trial for treason.

He has also dithered over a military offensive to quash the Taliban, sided with a media group that accused the military of shooting one of its journalists and sought reconciliation with arch-foe India, the perceived threat that the army uses to justify its prominent position.

One political analyst said it was unlikely Khan was encouraged by the army to challenge Sharif, and much more likely that Khan had decided to pounce because the prime minister’s sparring with the generals had left him vulnerable.

“If the relationship with the military had not gone out of kilter, then Imran would not have seized this opportunity,” said the analyst, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

“He saw Sharif was on shaky ground.”

In recent months, Sharif’s resistance to the military has softened. An anti-Taliban offensive began in June and the treason trial against Musharraf has quietly ground to a halt.

The army has not commented publicly on the protests, but insiders say it has no appetite for forcing Sharif out - which would involve a showdown with Pakistan’s increasingly powerful judiciary.

In the past, the military may have seen Khan as a useful figure to ensure it remains the real centre of power.

Had Sharif not won so handsomely, Khan would have been a forceful opposition in parliament, keeping mainstream parties on the defensive and acting as a safety valve for popular anger over the graft and incompetence of the political class. But the military also see him as a nuisance for seeking an end to the fight against the Taliban and a negotiated peace. l

World

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Monday, August 18, 2014

C E L E B R AT I N G T H E B I RT H O F LO R D K R I S H N A

Nepalese Hindu devotees gather to celebrate the birth of Hindu Lord Krishna ‘Krishna Janmashtami’ at Lalitpur on the outskirts of Kathmandu on August 17. Nepalese Hindus from across the country celebrated the birthday of Krishna with traditional dances, worship and merry-making. Krishna is one of the most popular and adored Hindu deities of Nepal and is considered the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the protector of humans from evil and injustice AFP

Saharanpur riots: Probe report questions BJP’s role

Boat carrying foreign tourists sinks in Indonesia, 15 missing

n Tribune Desk

Fifteen foreign tourists went missing yesterday after a boat travelling between islands in eastern Indonesia sank, an Indonesian search-and-rescue official said.

Suryaman, based on the island of Lombok, told Reuters that 10 people had been rescued after the ship sank on its way from that island to Komodo Islands.

He said he did not know the fate of the other 15 people on the vessel, which had a crew of five Indonesians and was carrying 20 foreigners.

The vessel left Lombok on Thursday night and sank on Saturday about 7pm local time “and we only received a report at 8 am (on Sunday),” said Suryaman, adding that poor communication caused a delay in deploying a search-and-rescue team. l

A five-member committee headed by India’s Uttar Pradesh Minister Shivpal Yadav, which probed the communal violence in Saharanpur that left three people dead, has blamed administrative lapses for the incident and questioned the role of BJP. “The report has been submitted by the committee to chief minister in which a BJP MP has also been named besides the laxity of administrative officers,” Press Trust of India quoted Samajwadi Party’s national general secretary Naresh Agarwal as saying.

BJP has dismissed the report as an attempt by the Samajwadi Party to gain political mileage.

The report of the committee has blamed the laxity of some officers and

said that the government should take stern action against them to give a message to the bureaucracy, Agarwal said.

“As the role of a BJP MP has also come to the fore, we can say that the party (BJP) has a role in the Saharanpur incident,” he said.

The committee in its report alleged that a local BJP MP provoked the rioters which led to attempts to torch shops, sources said.

It also alleged that the administration became active only after the violence broke out.

As the holy month of Ramadan was going on, the administration should not have allowed any construction at the disputed site or members of opposite community to assemble, the report said.

Reacting to the report, BJP spokes-

man Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that on the one hand, the report blames administrative failure and on the other it has blamed an individual (BJP MP).

“When there is an administrative failure then how BJP is responsible for the clashes,” Pathak asked. He dismissed the report saying the SP was indulging in a blame game to take political mileage.

“It is report of the party and not the government. What do you expect from SP which had been blaming BJP time and again to conceal its own government’s failure,” Pathak alleged.

Violence erupted in Kutubsher area of Saharanpur on July 26 when members of two communities clashed for several hours over a land dispute. The violence had claimed three lives and left more than 20 people injured. l

n Reuters, Jakarta

Nepal floods kill at least 97 as cholera fears rise n AFP, Nepal

Thousands of pro-Beijing protesters gather to march in the streets to demonstrate against pro-democracy Occupy Central campaign in Hong Kong REUTERS

Thousands join anti-Occupy rally in Hong Kong as democracy fight heats up n Reuters, Hong Kong Tens of thousands gathered in sweltering heat in Hong Kong yesterday to protest against a pro-democracy campaign that has threatened to shut down the city’s financial district, exposing a deepening rift over political reforms in the former British colony.

The rise in tit-for-tat street protests between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy groups underscores the challenges China faces in shaping its vision for the political future of Hong Kong.

Backed largely by Beijing-friendly groups, the Alliance for Peace and Democracy says it “desires peace and no violence” and has denounced the pro-democracy Occupy Central movement that has said it will lock down the centre of the city if Beijing does not allow truly democratic elections for a leader in 2017.

“We want to show that the march doesn’t have to be violent and angry. It can be happy,” said Robert Chow, a former Hong Kong radio host and spokesman for the alliance.

The group says it has so far collected close to 1.5m signatures, including that of Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying, saying the “illegal” Occupy campaign would tarnish Hong Kong’s reputation and hurt business.

It wasn’t possible to independently verify the number, which exceeded the almost 800,000 votes in Occupy Central’s unofficial poll on democracy in June. The anti-Occupy campaign kicked off early on Sunday with a run through the centre of the city that attracted about 1,500 in temperatures as high as 30 degrees Celsius, organisers said.

The all-day rally, which marks the end of the alliance’s month-long signa-

ture campaign, was overshadowed by speculation that some business groups had pressured people to take part.

One Chinese participant surnamed Chen, who is in her 60s, said some people attended simply because they like running.

“I bumped into a friend. She’s running with colleagues from a property management firm. She said her firm encouraged her to run and she took part because she likes running,” she added.

Occupy Central has said its movement is peaceful, demanding a “genuine choice” for Hong Kong’s 5 million eligible voters.

After annual protests marking the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China last month, hundreds of police started removing protesters from the heart of Hong Kong’s business district as they tried to stage a sit-in after a rally to demand greater democracy. l

Rescuers yesterday found 12 more bodies buried under mud and debris to bring the death toll from landslides and flooding in Nepal to 97, sparking fears of a cholera outbreak.

Torrential rain last week triggered multiple landslides and flooding, stranding thousands of villagers and leaving a trail of death and destruction in the Himalayan nation.

The rains have damaged roads across the country’s western plains bordering India, forcing officials to use helicopters to rescue stranded people and deliver emergency supplies.

The new death toll was given by Jhankanath Dhakal, chief of Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre.

As the weather cleared Sunday after three days of incessant rain, the government deployed 2,000 rescue workers and four helicopters to help evacuate thousands of people from badly-hit western districts, Dhakal said.

In Bardiya, officials scrambled to provide clean drinking water kits to distraught villagers, as fears grew of a cholera outbreak from the submerged bodies of humans and livestock.

Cholera is a potentially deadly disease spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated by human faeces.

“We are alert to the risks of water-borne diseases after flooding. A medical team is going from shelter to shelter... distributing water-purifying drops,” Achyut Lamichhane, Bardiya’s chief health official, told AFP by phone.

As water levels slowly recede, rescuers have started moving people into temporary shelters.

But large areas remain submerged, preventing helicopters from landing to let workers search for those still missing, said national disaster management chief Yadav Prasad Koirala. l

Elderly ex-sex slaves want solace, help from pope n AP, Seoul Lee Yong-soo hopes a meeting today with Pope Francis will provide some solace for the pain that still feels fresh more than seven decades after Japanese soldiers forced her into prostitution during World War II. Lee, 86, and two other elderly former “comfort women” will sit in the front row during the last Mass of the pope’s five-day trip to South Korea.

Francis cannot solve a long-running grievance that has become a major hurdle to better ties between neighbors and US allies Japan and South Korea, but the women are looking for greater global attention as they push Japan for a new apology and compensation.

They also want a chance to share with the pope their feelings on the brutality they suffered as girls.

“If we do get a chance to speak with him, I want to cling to him in tears and ask him to help us resolve our pain,” Lee, a devout Catholic who was 15 when forced into sexual slavery, said by telephone. “I want to ask him to help us end this problem in a peaceful way.”

Time is running out. Only 55 of the 238 women registered as official victims of sexual slavery survive, according to

Seoul’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family website. Their average age is 88.

Two have died this year.

The women plan to give the pope a copy of a painting of a young woman in traditional Korean clothes who represents victims who have died.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, suggested the pope might meet the women privately, something Francis did with relatives of the victims of a South Korean ferry sinking. It’s unlikely that Francis will offer anything more than words of prayer and solidarity. Lombardi has previously said it’s not Francis’ place to intervene in political disputes but, instead, to offer pastoral care and comfort.

Various historians estimate that 20,000 to 200,000 women from across Asia, many of them Koreans, were forced into Japan’s military brothel system during the war.

Japan has apologized many times over the years, including a landmark 1993 statement by then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono that acknowledges Japan’s responsibility over military brothels and says wartime documents, statements and other records were enough to assume many women were deceived or forced into them. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Monday, August 18, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Bay of Bengal initiative has big potential

A

Japanese delegation is to visit Dhaka to discuss the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative with Bangladesh.

The BIG-B industrial initiative offers huge scope to boost economic opportunities in our region. By proving a strategic framework to energy and transportation infrastructure, it has huge potential to help build trade and industry and spur the creation of new jobs.

The meeting comes ahead of the planned visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on September 6, which is expected to discuss key projects such as the Ganges Barrage, Jamuna multi-modal tunnel and bridge, and the ecological restoration of four rivers around Dhaka.

We hope that the official visit will help speed the pace of these important projects.

Although Bangladesh received a historic high of $1,730.65 million worth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2012-13, this still lags behind many competing nations. According to Myanmar government data, over 20,000 jobs have been created in Burma during the current fiscal year by overseas investors and in the first five months of its 2013-14 fiscal year, Myanmar’s FDI topped $1.8 billion, mostly focused in the garment manufacturing sector.

Japan’s support for the BIG-B initiative, which includes JICA’s assistance for the 1,200MW coal-fired power plant at Matarbari, can help build confidence and create a more congenial atmosphere for foreign investment by helping the government improve infrastructure.

By developing linkages between Southeast Asia and South Asia, the initiative can help develop Bangladesh as a gateway for the region’s economies.

Japan’s support for the BIG-B initiative can help build confidence and FDI

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

Bad parents?

August 12

Ahm Masum I am a bit confused about the opinion in this article.

Are you suggesting the soap operas are bad or watching programs at night is bad? Or both? Or is it okay if the kid watches educational films at night?

Or if she watches soap operas in an early hour, instead of late night, will that be ok?

CK I know this sounds wrong of me, but I intentionally keep my kids away from play-dates and birthday parties just because of all this. Little kids dancing like adults, speaking in Hindi with exaggerated expressions and listening to songs like the “lungi dance!” I am not saying my way is right but I refuse to deal with a Hindi cinema culture/upbringing in my house. I’d rather get them to watch “Goopi Gyan Bagha Bain” or “Jungle Book/ Land Before Time” (never have been a fan of serials and cinema).

August 12

BRTA needs to get tougher

I

Taking unfit vehicles off the streets is vital to improving the quality of life in the capital

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

SUDOKU How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

Bandarban formalin-free bananas making a name

t is regrettable that even though the government issued a directive some four months ago to crack down against unfit vehicles, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority has been unable to properly execute this task.

Dhaka’s traffic crisis is the source of tremendous hardship for city-dwellers. The problem is exacerbated by having nearly 88,000 unfit motor vehicles on our roads. Badly-maintained vehicles not only create safety hazards but are more likely to slow traffic by breaking down.

If BRTA cannot fulfill even this most basic function, there is little hope that authorities can help improve the state of our roads and reduce congestion.

Inefficiency and bureaucracy must not be allowed to delay the taking of unfit and dangerous vehicles off the streets. The deadline for the crackdown has already been extended by a month due to requests by the BRTA and other authorities, but the BRTA is still reportedly yet to even begin its drive.

There is no excuse for this inefficiency. The fact that unfit, unregistered, and illegal vehicles can move around freely is symptomatic of the negligent way in which traffic laws are upheld.

Action must be taken to speed implementation of the directive.

BRTA needs to be tougher about this drive. Taking unfit vehicles off the streets should be a priority for the government, as it is a vital step towards improving the quality of life in the capital.

“Situations are different within each household.

But one fact remains constant: A child is the parents’ responsibility. Parents, particularly mothers, need to make a few things clear to themselves. What does she want her daughter to become like? Does she want her daughter to always doll herself up, run after rich hunks, get married after becoming pregnant, and start conspiring against her in-laws at all times?

“Does she want her son to become a snob and a playboy and have affairs and ask girlfriends to get an abortion so that they do not need to marry? These are the tropes that Indian soap operas exhibit, and if children are allowed to watch anything on TV, we leave an entire generation at stake.

“This is not only about Indian channels; most English or Bangladeshi programs are also not appropriate for children. Indian programs have made the situation much worse.”

Even better, stop watching telly!

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 1 represents S so fill S every time the figure 1 appears.

You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, fill in 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.

Melanie Joy Yum yum!

SM “Have you tasted these hilly bananas?”

Yeah! They are sweeter, fresh, and formalin-free!

Bashundhara chief acquitted of corruption charge

Poisoning the next generation

August 12 Barry Cohen There is no question that the time has come where people that want to stay healthy need to think about doing a proper heavy-metal detoxification! The fact is that we are almost all contaminated with dangerous amounts of heavy metals from coming into contact with lead and eating mercury-contaminated fish or from other environmental sources!

The natural mineral called Zeolite is proven to be safe and the best detox to remove both heavy metals and radiation from the body. Zeolite does a great job of removing mercury and many people use it after removing amalgam silver fillings with great success. For more information do a search for the single word Zeolite.

Bribe-land registered in PM’s name August 13

August 11

Shahtab Rahman Finally, after so many days, he gets acquitted.

Angelo Mathews celebrates after opening test match win

August 12

Ahsan Habib The next big question is: Will the long hand of the law reach these culprits?

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Plant juice (3) 3 Waver (6) 8 Observed (4) 9 Consumed (3) 10 Subjects of discourse (6) 11 Sooner than (6) 14 Musical sounds (5) 17 Precipitous (5) 20 Surgical instrument (6) 24 Mental acuteness (6) 26 Wet, soft earth (3) 27 Minute particle (4) 28 Uses money (6) 29 Rudimentary shoot (3)

DOWN 1 Cicatrix (4) 2 Raw hide (4) 3 Festivity (4) 4 Embellish (5) 5 Pollute (5) 6 And so forth (abb) (3) 7 Reposes (5) 12 Liable (3) 13 Colour (3) 15 Possess (3) 16 Female sheep (3) 17 Linear indentations (5) 18 Ooze out (5) 19 Implore (5) 21 Insects (4) 22 Hairdressing item (4) 23 Ugly amphibian (4) 25 Drinking vessel (3)

Robin Williams found dead August 12 Rashel Mahmud Sri Lanka deserves it. The team played really well against Pakistan.

AR He was a great actor and entertainer. He will be remembered.

Klose quits Germany duty

CALVIN AND HOBBES

August 12

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

RA I just have one question, is everyone planning to retire? I’m so frustrated.

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

N’ganj killing: Ivy, Shamim to be quizzed August 10 AH This phony show of interrogation so long after the incident sounds very fishy. Today they also got a “confession” from two police officers. My idea is these are smoke screens being created to eventually make the case die down and free the three RAB officers.

Munirul Huq AH: Do you really believe that those who were the masterminds and took part in this killing will really be punished? During this regime?

Nah, I don’t think so. This will be an eyewash, as happened with the war criminal trials.

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Op-Ed T

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Monday, August 18, 2014

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‘Pakhi’ dress, three deaths, and a divorce ing these deaths as mere accidents, society has to carefully deconstruct the impact of shows, mainly those that are not even made in Bangladesh.

Wanting the Pakhi dress is totally normal. For decades, dresses worn by Indian actresses have influenced fashion in our country. What is disturbing, and possibly not noticed immediately, is that along with showering us with unnatural bevahioural patterns, these serials insidiously inject a high degree of irrational emotion into our lives.

Adults in our society are not detecting the adverse impacts of dramas that sow seeds of unreal sentiments

Evoking irrational emotions into our lives?

T

n Towheed Feroze he sartorial rage this Eid, according to many sellers of women’s dresses, was the Pakhi dress as shown in the Star Jalsha serial Bojhena se Bojhena. So much has been the craze surrounding this style that for everyone, from young children to adults, “Pakhi” was at top of the list.

It’s all good, but there is a dark side to this fashion obsession which has reportedly resulted in at least three deaths and one divorce. As per newspaper reports, the youngest victim of this fashion mania was a class II girl who took her own life as her father did

not, or possibly could not afford to buy a Pakhi costume for her.

The other deaths occurred for the same reason while the breakdown of the marriage was because the wife felt that since her husband was not in a financial position to meet her demands, it’s better to end the union for good.

First, let’s concentrate on the suicides, especially by young girls who were obviously ardent fans of the Indian serial: There is nothing wrong in preferring one show above others, and there have been plenty of instances, here in Bangladesh too, when plots shown on TV broke the barrier dividing fantasy from reality.

Going back in time, we remember

Kothao Keu Nei, a Humayun Ahmed TV drama, where in the last episode a central character called Baker bhai was to be sent to the gallows after being found guilty of murder.

Before the final episode, people around town brought out vocal processions demanding that Baker Bhai be spared by special amnesty in the end.

However, tragedies always have lasting impact, and therefore, the writer did not alter his story.

People mourned the death, albeit on a TV show – proof that often dramas can touch a very human chord.

In retrospect, the ending in that plot where Baker bhai is hanged could have been changed because the case

against him, as framed in the plot, was not strong enough to justify the death sentence.

In any case, the evaporation of the line between fiction and fact is not uncommon, though when the results are loss of lives, the entire culture of TV entertainment needs to be re-evaluated.

Sometimes, escapism into a make-believe world does wonders for human resilience. The problem starts when the dividing line disappears.

It’s only natural that style will emerge from popular outlets of entertainment.

There will be blind following too.

Now, with some heartbreaking consequences, instead of just dismiss-

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The truth and media n Syed Ishtiaque Reza

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ocial Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali is still a hot topic in the media. Journalists across the country are demonstrating against him. The minister, in a program on indigenous people in Sylhet, recently said journalists are “dirty chaps and of bad character.” At one point, he told the photojournalists not to take his pictures, and also asked the newsmen to leave the venue.

About the national broadcast policy, Mohsin said: “Had I been present in the cabinet meeting that day, I would have pressed for making it a tougher one.” Earlier on July 22, he came down hard on journalists, and said a law would be formulated to make sure electronic media had no freedom.

Taking a dig at journalists, the minister said newsmen did not know how to deal with people, and they always misinterpreted things. He claimed the prime minister praised the comments he had made earlier about the media and journalists.

This was the gist, although he has made many other filthy remarks about journalists. The same way Shamim Osman, another very famous member of parliament from Narayaganj, at a TV talk show last week, said newspapers and the overall media have had too many motivated reports and comments about him and Narayanganj. Syed Mohsin Ali sought apology, and in the same way Shamim Osman said he did not say that every newspaper or media house is bad. But we can understand the overall attitude of the people in power regarding the media in Bangladesh.

What do our journalists actually do in Bangladesh? Not only newspapers or television channels, but blogs, local newspapers, and even public comments on Facebook try to depict the local perspective. If everybody speaks up, loudly and clearly, the truth can make its way to the limelight.

But there are many people who do not like this. They get very angry because newsmen are always trying to unearth the truth. How can they like journalists when they illustrate who killed whom, how the godfather net-

work is maintained, how public funds are plundered, what corrupt practices are going on, how encroachers are occupying rivers, canals, ponds, and even playing grounds?

We conduct journalism in a society where geographic, political, historical, and economic hindrances are so very strong they suffocate the facts and deface the reality. The powerful quarters always believe that they can rule, or should rule, by suppressing the truth.

But the reality is that the truth never dies. The modern, vibrant, and blunt media is always on a move to dig out the truth. So journalists are really bad people to those who always want to kill the truth.

The role of media is to expose the truth, and with that, educate society

Let us understand the role of media in a society. Primarily, it is to expose the truth, and with that, educate society, build opinion, and transform it into a collective strength. A fair and unbiased media should always keep the readership/audience away from sensation, delusion, fantasy, and fabrication.

The Bangladeshi media, despite all hindrances and pressures, despite all the limitations of its workforce, try to showcase the problems of the common people in addition to covering the statements of political leaders or their activities.

We know our readers and audience. They are quite smart. We cannot satisfy them with only protocol speeches. They do not like stories that glorify someone or something. It is highly difficult to retain viewership or readership by just pushing them into a world of fantasy for a vested interest and commercial purpose. We also need

to know that media is a business too. It has commercial risks and limitations.

So, we need to retain the viewership or circulation to sustain the business.

In a developing country like Bangladesh, we are to fight for the rights of the people, to end corruption, or draw attention to environmental hazards – things that have a large impact on our society. It is not the ministers, the MPs, or the bureaucrats who will dictate to us which truth the media should be an ambassador for.

Think of two situations – a minister will attend a wedding today and the people of Narayanganj passed one more night under threat. Both are truths, but a professional media house will prefer to cover the latter one.

Yes, surely our media is largely engaged with celebrities or politicians. Journalists usually focus their attention on such stories and distance themselves from the truth and the real problems faced by the people. But we have to make an effort to break away from ministerial and protocol news and lay our eyes on real issues like human rights violations, corruption, nepotism, poverty, environmental hazards, economic challenges, and political oppression. Our ministers love to give lectures on objectivity, but they like the type of journalism which does not depict the problems people are really facing.

In fact, media people know their business better. They realise that the age of print monopoly has passed and people do not only rely on TV channels for information. There is hardly any scope in the profession right now to compromise the truth.

This is what must be realised by the ministers, MPs, or bureaucrats. The reality is that if a minister or MP, or any government agency, can convince or compel one newspaper or TV channel to hide something, more are there to dig it out. The media in Bangladesh cannot remain ineffective in bringing about social awareness and fasten the society together for a common collective wisdom. l Syed Ishtiaque Reza is Director of News, Ekattor Television.

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The suicides would not have happened if the victims were not obsessed with the dress to the point where without it, life seemed meaningless. Talk about consumerism taken over the edge of reason.

Coming to the separation of the husband and wife, where the latter allegedly decided to end the marriage, it sounds downright silly. Perhaps countless marital discords have also happened over the Pakhi costume of which we have no further details.

The bottom line here is that we are allowing TV culture to break into the real world to wreak havoc.

Neutrally speaking, most of the serials are highly dramatic, featuring convoluted plots and certain characters that are beyond reproach. In heavy make-up which transforms a person’s real face, actors come in to deliver their intense dialogues.

Adults, mostly women and, sorry to say, a lot of men, sit transfixed in front of the TV, with children soon joining in. So much is the impact of the serials that in general family situations,

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reference to characters on TV are made regularly.

Even major social occasions are now avid real-life enactments of customs portrayed on TV. Imagine young children, from the tender age of five, being indoctrinated by Machiavellian machinations of family life.

From another perspective, Indian soap operas have gotten a large number of TV viewers under a hypnotic spell.

On the other hand, our dramas and shows are not allowed in India. So, this is one-way traffic or what many people call “cultural aggression.” While many of our shows are copies of Indian programs, there are quite a few that still retain originality.

Time to admit, harm has been done because under the relentless bombardment of contrived plots, we have started to make our productions equally kitschy. It’s disconcerting that the adults in our society are not detecting the adverse impacts of dramas that sow seeds of unreal sentiments in our young. Nor is the authority slightly concerned.

When the satellite culture began, we opened our skies to the world allowing in a plethora of entertainment. After decades of monotonous TV shows, this sudden change left us overwhelmed. A myriad of cultural material was absorbed in a short time, leaving us somewhat bewildered.

The young girls took their lives because they were the helpless victims of this whirlpool of conflicting cultural practices. In their distorted understanding of life, acquisition of the Pakhi dress seemed the ultimate goal.

Regrettably, parents and guardians cannot avoid taking responsibility for the deaths and the divorce because their inactivity is also to blame. Firstly, they did not demarcate a line between the real and the unreal worlds.

Secondly, despite knowing that our programs are not aired in India, they blithely carried on watching foreign programs. One is puzzled as to how the “Bangladeshi” identity can be held firm when our character is so feeble. l Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

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The future of television

BIGSTOCK

n Mohammad N Miraly

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inema will soon become a theatre-like experience, with only a handful of mega-budget pictures released for longer runs, in order to get the biggest box-office results. In this mass-appeal landscape, the art of story-telling and the focus on character relationships will have to find a new home. Nowadays, though, it seems like they’ve gotten pretty comfy on our couches.

Television is now the bastion of depth. It’s where we go to get to know interesting characters, and where we invest most of our time exploring complicated stories and relationships.

Considering that high-grossing feature films have become more expensive to produce; people are spending more time at home; and there’s a whole host of new on-demand services, TV has become both a viable story-telling and money-making alternative.

The focus in coming years will be on what I will call “pay-and-play” services, where people at home can watch an increasing library of lowbudget feature films as well as the new medium of “episodic features” – tightly-scripted episodes of shows that

have in-depth character development and narratives laced with the structure and metaphor of novels.

While HBO shows like Deadwood and Carnivale are paragons of the episodic feature, Netflix has taken the lead in pushing a new hybrid narrative form – the 13-hour movie. By releasing its shows all at once, instead of one episode a week, Netflix seems to have accepted that people are less inclined to start a two-hour feature film than they are to watch continuous episodes of a one-hour show. With budgets rivalling Hollywood blockbusters, these shows create an experience similar to a feature film, but allow viewers to delve deeper into the characters and the relationships, and, importantly, give them control over the experience. Such shows are a risk, but Netflix seems to have caught onto current viewing trends and presaged the future.

Part of what Netflix caught onto was that people today are so overwhelmed with information that they have developed shorter attention spans. We are more inclined to watch three-minute YouTube stars and 30-second Instagram shows than to expend the effort on carefully crafted

two-hour long films or 250-page novels that explore the depths of human nature.

One might speculate here that this new reality is a result of an increasingly individualised urban society, complemented and fostered by a ceaseless advertising machine that supports a culture of knee-jerk consumerism.

But what it does reflect, nonetheless, is that more of us now have the luxury of time. Time buys the freedom to choose to sit at home and watch TV, and it also buys the space to ponder our own natures. The hashtag existentialism of Twitter society reflects the quintessential human need to explore our natures. A big part of the appeal of episodic television is the ability to do that – we build a relationship with characters and take part in the development of their lives.

Basically, television today is like catching up with an old friend. Except you’re alone in sweatpants on a sofa. #netflixandcarbs. l Mohammad N Miraly is an educator and film producer. He holds a PhD from McGill University in religion, ethics, and public policy, and is the author of themiralyblog. wordpress.com.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Musicians empathising with Nancy n Entertainment Desk

Bappa Mazumder

he music scene is shocked at the news of Nancy’s suicide attempt. The social networking media are flooded with comments stating shock, empathy and inspiration by fans and colleagues of the popular singer.

Earlier on Saturday evening, Nazmun Monira Nancy allegedly attempted suicide by taking excessive sleeping-inducing pills in her residence in Satpai area of Netrakona town.

Depression is such a state of mind only they know the horribleness of this who goes through it. just imagine...your brain is constantly giving u the deepest feeling of sadness and emptiness and you just cannot overcome it...all they need is constant support in every possible way. Nancy... get well soon. We are all with you ...

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Habib Wahid Absolutely shocked to hear the news about Nancy! All I can do is pray for her earliest recovery...everyone please pray for her...

She was rushed to Netrakona Modern Hospital immediately, and later transferred to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) in a critical condition.

Md Masudul Alam, officer-in-charge of Netrakona Sadar police station, said: “Family feud and frustration might be the reason behind the incident.”

Nancy is now undergoing treatment at the Lab Aid in the capital and her condition is improving. l

Elita Karim

“Depression is a disease and it seems to be on the rise. Prayers for Nancy and for all the others who seem to find no other way to express themselves. Alhamdulillah Nancy is still alive and breathing! Yes, life is terrible and it brings you down and surviving becomes a challenge! Fight it with all your might! Amidst many who never care, there are a few who do. Let’s help you survive. Prayers for you Nancy!

Shafin Ahmed in playback n Entertainment Desk

ISHRAQUE HUSAIN ANITA

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Show: Yourself Time: 18, 10am – 8pm Athena Gallery of Fine Arts, Progoti Shoroni, Uttar Badda Threads of Testimony

By Dilara Begum Joly Time: 12pm-8pm Bengal Art Lounge, 60, Gulshan Avenue

Theatre

Rabindra Bhubone Selim Al Deen

By Dhaka Theatre Time: 7pm – 9pm National Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Shunagoriker Shondhane

By Loko Natyadal Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm Studio Theatre, Shilpakala Academy, Shegun Bagicha

Vocalist and bassist of Miles, Shafin Ahmed, for the first time, has lent his voice in a film. His fans will hear Shafin’s voice in the song “Pagoler Moto Bhalobashi Tomai, Bhebo Na To Paglamee,” in Shafiuddin Shafi’s film “Warning.” The track has been tuned and composed by Shawkat Ali Emon and written by Kabir Bakul.

“It feels good to have written my name in the book of playback singers. Shawkat knows my singing style and I liked the lyrics of Kabir Bakul,” said Shafin.

Will Shafin be a regular playback singer, on that note Shafin said: “I will maintain my singing quality unlike others. Good songs and rare music will drag me to sing for sure. In Dhallywood, if the standard of songs are good-enough, I will continue to sing for films.”

Popular singer in the subcontinent James has also given his voice in this film in a track titled “Boro Koshto Koshto Lagey Ei Antore.”

Mahiya Mahi, Arefin Shuvo, Rubel, Misha Shawdagor, Kazi Haya and others will be seen in “Warning.” The shooting of the film commenced on August 3 while the director expects to release the film by the end of this year. Sawkat Ali Emon is working as the music director and Maple Films is the production house. l

Monday, August 18, 2014

Drama Kuhokjal takes off the mask of ‘humanity’

n Shadma Malik Troupe Theatre’s latest production “Kuhokjal” knits a sad tale involving murder, abduction and betrayal. It addresses the anarchies in society, the prevailing gender disparities and the religious frictions.

Premiered on August 16 at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the play sees actor and theatre activist Ramendu Majumder in the role of a priest who wants to destroy a locality in order to built a church on the property.

The central character of the play is a young Muslim man named Ghuron Shordar who is in love with Chandura, a married woman. He becomes a drifter and one day shares his melancholic story with his friend Tamokh. A Hindu and a worshipper of “Ma Kali” (a deity), he assures Ghuron that the goddess will make things right. Tamokh is murdered brutally in a conspiracy where his father-in-law gets him killed by informing the Hindu community about his acceptance of Islam as his religion. The murder is witnessed by Ghuron who then sees a side of human nature that is barbarous and unkind.

Traumatised by the experience he goes to Chandura and learns that she is being disowned by her father-inlaw, Amad Majon, a political leader, as she is about to give birth to a baby girl. With hope rekindled, his dreams get shattered once again when Amad

realises that he could use Chandura to win the upcoming election and calls her back.

After winning the election, Chandura is once again sent back to her father’s place. But alas, she gives birth to a baby boy and accepts Ghuron’s proposal. When Amad learns that Chandura has given birth to a male heir, he goes to bring her back. Ghuron’s friend Rudro tries to stop him from forcing Chandura and in a fit of rage, Amad takes his life.

Ghuron suppresses his feelings and takes off once again in search of solidarity. He meets a vibrant Somani who is dance teacher to the indigenous people of the region and

is an activist supporting the ignored minorities from being exploited by Father Thomas (Ramendu Majumdar).

One day, Somali disappears into thin air.

Directed by Tropa Majumder, the lighting and costumes were befitting for highlighting the serious nature of the play and was appreciated by the audience present. The segments which addressed religions were expressed using symbols and signs.

Members of Theatre including Ferdausi Majumdar, Shekanul Islam Shahi, Tamanna Islam, Tanvir Ahmed, Paresh Acharjee, Nazmunnahar, Kalyan Chowdhury, Kaosar Rajib and Rashed Shaon have acted in the play. l

Kuhokjal premiered on Saturday at the National Theatre Hall of Shilpakala Academy KHAN HASAN MUHAMMAD RAFI

Salman Khan back as host for Big Boss 8 n Entertainment Desk Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is back as the host of controversial reality show “Bigg Boss 8” after speculations that he might not be a part of the show. The news was confirmed when entertainment channel Colors TV released the first teaser of the much-talked-about reality show. The promo features the show’s host Salman Khan as a pilot.

The new teaser has got everyone guessing about the theme of the show for its eighth season.

According to reports, this season, the glass walled house might be designed like an aircraft.

The makers of “Bigg Boss” have been trying to make things different from its previous seasons.

The house has been designed like an aircraft. The furniture and interiors will also be done accordingly.

However, “Bigg Boss” owes its high ratings to Salman Khan, who has the ability to draw viewers. The actor entertains his audience with his witty one liners and his dances.

The channel has offered Salman Khan a whopping Rs50 - 60m per week. The actor also tends to attract a broad viewership due to the drama he brings to the sets. Whether he is flirting with a housemate or having a war of words, there’s no denying the “Dabangg” actor sure has his style. l

‘Films should not be highlighted with gender specification’ n Entertainment Desk

Rani Mukerji is grabbing attention with her whirlwind action, carrying her stern looks, chasing goons and kicking them to pulp. Everything that a hero is expected to do in Bollywood films, is being done by Rani in her upcoming film “Mardaani.” But Rani has a problem every time her film is referred to as a “strong woman-oriented film.”

“Shouldn’t we just know it as a film with strong characters irrespective of whether the lead is a man or woman? Do we ever refer a film as a strong male-oriented one?” asked Rani. “A film should be known by what it narrates on the screen and should not be highlighted with gender specifications. It’s time we overcome our set notions,” she insisted.

Pradeep Sarkar directed “Mardaani,” produced by Yash Raj Films scion Aditya Chopra is a “realistic portrayal of a female cop, who is out on a mission.”

“Our films have not tried much to break the stereotypes while depicting female cops on screen. While researching the character, I learnt that there is no gender bias in Police Training Academy. Irrespective of the gender, a cop is identified by his or her skills and talent. I tried to ooze out a raw anger that drives a hardcore cop to eliminate injustice,” said Rani, who plays Shivaji Shivani Roy, a senior inspector in Mumbai crime branch, busting human trafficking rackets run by hardened kingpin.

“The anger in society has increased manifolds, and it is time we bring out the Mardaani in our girls,” said the brilliant actor. l

Cholo Hariye Jai

NTV 11:30pm Drama serial “Cholo Hariye Jai” focuses on the lifestyle of a group of young boys and girls from affluent families. The story follows the group who are yet to come across the harsh realities of life and suffers from the “starvation among plenty” syndrome.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Star Movies 11:59pm Alice (Milla Jovovich) wakes up from a horrid sleep to realise that the bloodthirsty “undeads” have been unleashed on Raccoon City.

She joins a small group of uninfected people, including Jill (Sienna Guillory) and they plan to put an end to the terror.

Just for Laughs

Zcafe 5:30pm “Just for Laughs” is a hidden camera comedy show that has been hugely popular in several countries. With a mix of practical jokes, hidden cameras, and the responses of several unsuspecting victims, “Just For Laughs” delivers audiences a weekly dose of humor for all ages.

Did you know?

Daniel Sturridge’s goals won Liverpool 20 points in the Premier League last season; more than any other player

Sport

Monday, August 18, 2014

14 Sterling, Sturridge

see Liverpool past Saints

Herath wrecks Pakistan again n AFP, Colombo Sri Lanka stepped closer to giving former captain Mahela Jayawardene a winning farewell after Rangana Herath skittled Pakistan once more in the second Test in Colombo on Sunday.

Pakistan, set a series-levelling target of 271 runs, slumped to 50-5 before plodding to 127-7 by stumps on the fourth day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

Left-arm spinner Herath, who claimed nine wickets in the first innings, grabbed four for 46 to once again destroy Pakistan’s fragile batting in front of some 5,000 screaming home fans.

Herath, who came on to bowl the ninth over after seamer Dhammika Prasad had dismissed openers Khurram Manzoor and Ahmed Shehzad, struck his first blow with his eighth delivery.

Jayawardene, who ends his 17-year Test career after this match, held two smart catches in the slips off Herath to get rid of Azhar Ali and skipper Misbah-ul Haq. Herath then won a leg-before decision against Younis Khan to make it 50-5 in the 19th over, before Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed stemmed the rot by batting an hour for their 55run stand.

Shafiq was stumped off Herath for 32 and Abdur Rehman was leg-before to Dilruwan Perera, but Sarfraz remained unbeaten on a defiant 38.

Sri Lanka will return on Monday to take the remaining three wickets that

will enable them to sweep the series after winning the first Test in Galle by seven wickets.

Pakistan need 144 runs more to record an improbable win.

The hosts were bowled out for 282 in their second knock just before tea, with seamer Wahab Riaz and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal claiming three wickets each.

Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews remained unbeaten on 43 after Jayawardene was dismissed for 54 in his last Test innings.

The overnight pair of Jayawardene and his long-time team-mate Kumar Sangakkara, batting together for the last time in a Test match, took their partnership to 107 after Sri Lanka resumed the day on 177-2.

But both batsmen fell to Ajmal within three runs of each other as the hosts slipped to 189-4 within the first 30 minutes of play.

Ajmal had the left-handed Sangakkara caught at silly point by Ali for 59 and then removed Jayawardene in his next over after the batsman had added five runs to his overnight 49.

Jayawardene mistimed a lofted shot to mid-wicket, where Shehzad took a low tumbling catch.

Pakistan missed left-arm seamer Junaid Khan, who did not bowl in Sri Lanka’s second innings after being hit on the helmet by a rising ball from Prasad on Saturday. He was kept under observation at a hospital for a few hours.

Team manager Moin Khan said Junaid may bat if needed. l

14 I deserved more

time at Man United: Moyes

Jayawardene falls for 54 in final Test innings n AFP, Colombo Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene was dismissed for 54 in his last Test innings on the fourth day of the second Test against Pakistan on Sunday.

The 37-year-old, who started the day on 49, reached his 50th Test half-century before falling to off-spinner Saeed Ajmal 30 minutes after the start. Jayawardene mistimed a lofted shot to mid-wicket where Ahmed Shehzad took a low tumbling catch to the dismay of some 3,000 home fans at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

The Pakistani fielders applauded as the crowd gave the departing Jayawardene a standing ovation. The batsmen raised his bat to acknowledge the cheers before walking off. The 149-Test veteran finished with 11,814 runs at an average of 49.84 with 34 centuries and 50 half-centuries.

Having begun his last Test with an average of 50.02, Jayawardene saw it drop after being dismissed for four and 54 in the match.

Jayawardene, who retired from Twenty20 internationals after Sri Lanka’s title-winning campaign in the World T20 in April, will now play only one-day cricket heading into next year’s World Cup Down Under.

The elegant right-hander is one of only five batsmen to score more than 11,000 runs in both Test and one-day cricket -- the others being Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and team-mate Kumar Sangakkara. l

149 Test Matches 252 innings 11,814 runs Average 49.84 100s - 34 50s - 50

Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene raises his bat to the crowd after he was dismissed during the fourth day of the second Test match against Pakistan at The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo yesterday AFP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Amla steers

Proteas to easy win over Zim

SCORECARD, DAY 4 Sri Lanka 1st innings 320 (U. Tharanga 92, K. Silva 41, Junaid Khan 5-87, Wahab Riaz 3-88) Pakistan 1st innings 332 (Ahmed Shehzad 58, Sarfraz Ahmed 103, R. Herath 9-127) Sri Lanka 2nd innings (overnight 177-2) U. Tharanga b Rehman 45 K. Silva c Khan b Rehman 17 K. Sangakkara c Ali b Ajmal 59 M. Jayawardene c Shehzad b Ajmal 54 A. Mathews not out 43 L. Thirimanne b Ajmal 10 N. Dickwella lbw b Riaz 21 D. Perera lbw b Riaz 0 D. Prasad run out 19 R. Herath b Riaz 0 C. Welegedara run out 0 Extras: (b10, lb2, w1, nb1) 14 Total (all out, 109 overs) 282 Bowling Riaz 25-3-76-3 (w1, nb1), Rehman 35-3-97-2, Ajmal 46-10-89-3, Shehzad 3-0-8-0 Pakistan 2nd innings Khurram Manzoor c Dickwella b Prasad 10 Ahmed Shehzad lbw b Prasad 8 Azhar Ali c Jayawardene b Herath 10 Younis Khan lbw b Herath 8 Misbah-ul Haq c Jayawardene b Herath 3 Asad Shafiq st Dickwella b Herath 32 Sarfraz Ahmed not out 38 Abdur Rehman lbw b Perera 5 Wahab Riaz not out 2 Extras: (b4, lb6, nb1) 11 Total (for seven wickets, 40 overs) 127 Bowling Welegedara 7-4-11-0, Prasad 5-0-19-2 (nb1), Herath 16-1-46-4, Perera 12-1-41-1 Pakistan need 144 more runs to win with three wickets in hand

Tigers’ Test unit to be named soon De Kruif on leave to Robiul, Shafiul to fill the fast bowling shoes, Taijul likely to be included n Minhaz Uddin Khan The first of the two-match Test series between visitors Bangladesh and West Indies is scheduled to begin from September 5, but the squad will be named within this week with the possibility of at least three changes from the existing touring party.

The Bangladesh cricket team reached West Indies on Thursday for their 38-day tour and took the field for their only limited over warm-up match against Granada XI yesterday after couple of days of practice. They will begin their three-match ODI series on August 20 against the hosts before playing the lone Twenty20 on August 27.

Though the Test series is more than two weeks away, the Bangladesh selection panel wants to give the players

enough time to prepare, especially the replacements, and thus will name the changes in this week, it was learned.

It is almost certain that Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim will get at least two fresh legs for the Tests while a third change is also highly likely.

The pace bowling combination of Robiul Islam and Shafiul Islam are likely to fly to the Caribbean once Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Taskin Ahmed end their duty for the shorter formats. The young and veteran duo of Taskin and Mashrafe are short of match fitness for the longer version and they were understandably expected to return after the ODIs and T20.

Meanwhile, the third change might see the new left-arm spinner Taijul Islam replacing the experienced left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak. Taijul’s possible inclusion in the squad will primarily

be to fill some of the vacuum created by the absence of the suspended all-rounder Shakib al Hasan.

Taijul, who is yet to don the Tigers’ outfit in any format, has been successful in drawing selectors’ attention due to his impressive displays in both domestic and first-class circuit. His impressive performance for the Bangladesh A side in their Caribbean tour must boost his confidence as the national selectors ponder to include him in the squad at the expense of the veteran Abdur Razzak.

Taijul bagged six wickets in a threeday match against the West Indies’ Sagicor High Performance before claiming three more in the following four-day game.

Meanwhile, medium-fast bowler and usually considered a hard worker,

Robiul was a member of the squad for Bangladesh’s last Test series – against Sri Lanka at home in January this year.

He finished wicketless in the first Test before being benched in the second game.

However, his seven wickets in two fourday games for Bangladesh A against the West Indies’ Sagicor High Performance side recently helped him crawl back.

Shafiul, on the other hand, will aim to mark his return for the Tigers in whites after three years. His continuous battle with ankle injury forced his to be sidelined from the longer version, though he played the ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

He last played a Test match was in 2011 away to Zimbabwe where he picked only one wicket in their defeat to the hosts who returned to the Test arena after a self-imposed exile of six years. l

attend to ailing father n Shishir Hoque

National football team’s Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif was scheduled to leave Dhaka yesterday night for the Netherlands to be beside his ailing father.

The 44-year old Dutchman asked for a seven-day leave from the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) as his father was diagnosed with cancer about four months ago but is said to be in dire condition presently. The federation accepted the appeal yesterday.

De Kruif is expected to return to Dhaka on August 25, a day before the first of two friendly matches against Nepal. Under the Dutch coach, the national Under-23 side has been training at BKSP for the last two weeks before playing three practice matches against different opposition.

Rampant England crush India to take series 3-1 n Reuters, London

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal attempts a heave over midwicket during their warm-up match against Grenada XI at St Andrews’ Progress Park yesterday. Tamim made 91 off just 86 balls. Bangladesh scored 322-6 in their stipulated 50 overs. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim made 44 runs while Mahmudullah smashed 78 not out. Meanwhile, Shamsur Rahman (32) and Anamul Haque (24) were the other notable scores COURTESY

England ripped out India for 94 to win the fifth test by a crushing innings and 244 runs at The Oval on Sunday and clinch the series 3-1.

India capitulated inside 30 overs in another feeble batting display, Stuart Binny top-scoring with 25 not out and Chris Jordan taking four wickets for the hosts.

Earlier, Joe Root’s unbeaten 149 put England in complete control of the match as they added 101 runs in rapid time before being bowled out for 486, a lead of 338.

They picked up the wickets of openers Murali Vijay and Gautam Gambhir to leave India tottering on nine for two at lunch.

Vijay was trapped lbw by James Anderson for two and Gambhir, looking for a non-existent single, was run out by a direct hit from Chris Woakes after being sent back by Cheteshwar Pujara.

Pujara edged a catch to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler to give Anderson his 380th test wicket, three behind the English record held by Ian Botham.

Ajinkya Rahane was brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Gary Ballance at third slip off Stuart Broad and MS Dhoni, so often India’s saviour

in this series, was caught by Sam Robson at short leg off Woakes to leave India in disarray at 46 for five.

Virat Kohli’s miserable series continued when, on 20, he edged Jordan to Alastair Cook at first slip and Ravichandran Ashwin was caught by Ian Bell at second slip off Jordan after Ballance had pushed the ball up.

England had torn into the Indian attack after resuming on 385 for seven.

Root clipped Sharma for three through mid-wicket to reach his fifth test century, celebrating with a leap in the air and flamboyant fist pump. l

BRIEF SCORE India 1st Innings 148 (MS Dhoni 82; C Woakes 3-30, C Jordan 3-32) England 1st Innings 486 (J Root 149 no, A Cook 79, G Ballance 64, I Sharma 4-96, R Ashwin 3-72) India 2nd Innings 94 (S Binny 24; C Jordan 4-18) Result England won by an innings and 244 runs Series England win five-match series 3-1

“De Kruif’s father has been diagnosed with cancer. He asked for a seven-day leave which was accepted.

He could leave tonight (Sunday) depending on the flight schedule. He is supposed to return on August 25 and resume his responsibility of the national team’s training camp,” said BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag yesterday.

Alongside assistant coach Rene Koster, De Kruif earlier arrived in Dhaka on August 2 following a four-month vacation. The Dutch coaching duo immediately took charge of the U-23 side ahead of the forthcoming 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea next month.

De Kruif’s last assignment with Bangladesh was a Fifa international friendly against India on March 5 this year in Goa. l

Bangladesh to play two friendlies against Nepal n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh will host two Fifa international friendlies against Nepal later this month in Dhaka and Sylhet, confirmed Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday.

Nepal U-23 national football team is expected to arrive in Dhaka on August 25 and the two matches will be held on August 26 and 29. Earlier, following the invitation of BFF, Nepal’s football governing body All Nepal Football Association expressed their interest to play two friendly matches in Dhaka, and informed that August 25 and 28 will be the dates they will prefer for the two matches.

However, BFF had to defer the dates Nepal preferred due to flight schedule.

Therefore, the first friendly will now take place on August 26 in Dhaka, either at the Army Stadium or the Kamalapur Stadium while the second match will be played on August 29 in Sylhet.

“Nepal football association expressed interest to play two matches after we invited them. We replied again last night (Saturday) with schedule details with the matches to be held on August 26 and 29,” said BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag yesterday.l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Monday, August 18, 2014

Mourinho eyes strong start from Chelsea n AFP, Burnley

Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling celebrates after scoring against Southampton during their English Premier League match at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England yesterday

Jose Mourinho’s belief that Chelsea are better equipped to challenge for the Premier League title faces an immediate test when his side travel to Burnley in their season opener on Monday.

Last season Blues boss Mourinho maintained Chelsea were not ready to launch a sustained title bid and he was proved right when his players faltered in the final stages and eventually finished third.

Key to Chelsea’s failure was their inability to overcome teams from the bottom half of the table, with away defeats at Aston Villa and Crystal Palace proving particularly costly.

The visit to Burnley will present a similar challenge as Sean Dyche’s firedup side are determined to start the new campaign in a positive manner after unexpectedly securing automatic promotion from the Championship last season.

Mourinho last year accused some of his players of lacking character when confronted by the kind of test Burnley will present.

But with his squad strengthened by arrival of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and the return of Didier REUTERS

Man City, Liverpool start with narrow wins n AFP, London Manchester City and Liverpool, last season’s top two in the Premier League, were both made to sweat by determined opposition before opening their campaigns with hard-fought victories on Sunday.

David Silva and Sergio Aguero scored as City began their title defence with a 2-0 success at Newcastle United, after Daniel Sturridge had struck late in the game to earn Liverpool a 2-1 win at home to Southampton.

The two rivals joined five other teams,

including Arsenal, on maximum points, ahead of their showdown at the Etihad Stadium a week on Monday in the first major head-to-head of the season.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini gave a debut to new Brazilian midfielder Fernando and saw his side take the lead in the 38th minute at St James’ Park.

Yaya Toure found Edin Dzeko with a lofted pass over the top and as Newcastle’s centre-backs rushed across, the Bosnian teed up Silva with a clever back-heel and the Spain midfielder coolly beat Tim Krul.

Earlier, Sturridge snaffled a 79th-minute winner as Liverpool edged Southampton at a sun-soaked Anfield.

Raheem Sterling put Liverpool ahead midway through the first half, but Nathaniel Clyne lashed home an equaliser shortly before the hour following a neat exchange with debutant

RESULTS Liverpool

2 1

Southampton

0 2

Man City

Sterling 23, Sturridge 79

Newcastle

Clyne 56

Silva 38, Aguero 90+2

Dusan Tadic.

Brendan Rodgers’s Liverpool looked destined to drop points in their first competitive game since the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, but with 11 min-

‘I deserved more time at Man United’ n AFP, London Former Manchester United manager David Moyes claimed in a British newspaper interview published on Sunday that he should have been given more time by the club.

Moyes was sacked by United in April after just 10 months in the role. His suc-

cessor, Louis van Gaal, took charge of his first Premier League game on Saturday, when United lost 2-1 at home to Swansea City.

United slumped alarmingly under Moyes, eventually finishing the season in seventh place, but he feels he could have proven himself a worthy replacement for Alex Ferguson if the club had shown more patience.

“It was a step into the unknown and, looking back now, it was near enough the impossible job,” Moyes told the Mail on Sunday.

“I was devastated to lose the job because it was something I felt I could make a real success of. We knew it was going to take time to make the necessary changes. It was going to take time to evolve.

“But we were in the process of making other important changes. In the end, I don’t feel I was given time to succeed or fail.”

Moyes admitted that he had been hurt by the nature of his dismissal on April 22, which was widely announced in the British media before the Scot received offi-

cial confirmation from the club.

“In the end it was difficult for my family, the way we discovered -- via the media -- that I’d lost my job,” he said.

“We have always tried to do things the correct way. I know it comes with the territory, and I know if you lose matches you risk being sacked. But how it affected my family made it hard.”

The 51-year-old, who is looking for a new job, confirmed that United had shown interest in Cesc Fabregas, Gareth Bale and former player Cristiano Ronaldo, only to miss out on all three.

“It’s been well documented that we wanted Fabregas, Bale and Ronaldo,” Moyes said.

“There was talk of Ronaldo when I first arrived. We were close to getting a couple of major names.

“I’m not getting in a blame game here, but things just didn’t materialise.

I had taken over from the most successful manager in history.

“The chief executive had taken over from one of the most renowned administrators in the game (David Gill). So it was a new job for two people.” l

Drogba, the manager is confident Chelsea will prove more resilient this time around.

Costa will make his competitive debut at the head of Chelsea’s attack following his £32 million arrival from Atletico Madrid, while former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas -- back in England after a spell at Barcelona -- will slot into the midfield and be expected to replace the attacking threat of the now departed Frank Lampard.

Drogba is back at Stamford Bridge two years after leaving following the club’s 2012 Champions League final triumph and Mourinho expects the Ivory Coast forward to recover from an ankle problem in time to make the trip.

“I think he can play Monday, I cannot say now yes for sure, but normally I think he will,” Mourinho said.

Mourinho must decide whether to keep faith with Petr Cech, Chelsea’s goalkeeper for the last 10 years, or start with Thibaut Courtois, the Belgium international who is back at the club after spending the last three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid, with Courtois favourite to get the nod.

Burnley have signed eight players during the close-season to supplement their squad, but they remain among the lowest spenders in the top-flight. l

Wenger to summon German World Cup stars for Euro tie n AFP, London

utes to play, Sterling teed up Sturridge to flick home the winning goal. With debutants Javier Manquillo and Dejan Lovren - the former Southampton defender - in their starting XI, Liverpool dominated possession in the early stages and took the lead in the 23rd minute.

The goal owed much to the tenacity and vision of Jordan Henderson, who helped Manquillo dispossess Tadic, won a 50-50 with Morgan Schneiderlin, and then freed Sterling to beat Fraser Forster with a first-time finish.

It was a turbulent close season for Southampton, who lost five key players and appointed a new manager in Ronald Koeman, but they were not cowed

by Liverpool’s opener and equalised in the 56th minute.

Clyne rolled a pass forward to Tadic and the Serbian held off his marker before backheeling the ball into the path of his onrushing team-mate, who thrashed a shot into the top-right corner.

After Steven Davis had shot meekly at Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, Sterling headed on a loose ball for England team-mate Sturridge to nudge home the winner from a matter of yards.

There was time for one last scare for Liverpool, with Mignolet touching a drive from Schneiderlin onto the bar and Southampton debutant Shane Long - a late substitute - heading the rebound wide. l

PSG want life ban for Brandao after headbutt on Motta n Reuters, Paris

Ibrahimovic injured as clash mars PSG victory

Paris St Germain have called for Bastia striker Brandao to be banned from soccer for life after he appeared to headbutt Italian international Thiago Motta on Saturday.

At the end of PSG’s 2-0 Ligue 1 home win, television cameras showed players and security personnel milling around the tunnel as blood poured from midfielder Motta’s nose.

Nasser al-Khelaifi, president of the French champions, told a Canal Plus TV reporter that his club would be registering a complaint against Brandao.

Al-Khelaifi added that the Brazilian should be “suspended for life... he is not a football player”.

The incident overshadowed PSG’s first league victory of the season after the early loss of talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Sweden striker, last season’s Ligue 1 Player of the Year, was forced off with a leg injury in the 15th minute. l

RESULTS PSG Lucas 26, Cavani 57

Lens Lorient Metz Ngbakoto 12-O

Rennes

2 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 6 2

Toivonen 7, 56, Mexer 40, 43, Ntep 76, 86

Toulouse Akpa-Akpro 9, Ben Yedder 45

2 1

SC Bastia Guingamp Douniama 90+3

Nice Nantes Veretout 3

Evian Wass 35, 82

Lyon Lacazette 76

n AFP, Paris An injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a post-match incident that left Thiago Motta with a fractured nose overshadowed Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 victory against SC Bastia at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

Ibrahimovic appeared to strain a

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he is considering bringing his German World Cup winners back into the squad ahead of schedule for the first leg of Tuesday’s Champions League play-off at Besiktas.

The Gunners travel to Turkey having made heavy weather of their opening Premier League fixture at home to managerless Crystal Palace. Wenger had given German trio Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski extra time off following their nation’s triumph in Brazil last month.l

muscle in his side in innocuous fashion early on, and lasted barely 15 minutes before making way for Ezequiel Lavezzi.

In his absence, Lucas opened the scoring in the 26th minute and Cavani doubled PSG’s advantage just before the hour mark to score his first of the campaign and give PSG their first victory in Ligue 1 after last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Reims.

Bastia had never beaten PSG away from home in the top flight but they were optimistic of springing a surprise thanks to the influence of their new coach Claude Makelele, the former Paris captain who gave up his role as assistant coach at the Parc des Princes to take over in Corsica this summer.

Makelele’s men had recovered from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 at home to Marseille last weekend, but they rarely looked like doing anything similar on this occasion as PSG’s expensive summer signing David Luiz was afforded a gentle stroll in the late afternoon sunshine for his Ligue 1 debut.l

Dortmund advance in Cup, Stuttgart crash out n Reuters, Berlin Last season’s German Cup finalists Borussia Dortmund eased into the second round after beating third division side Stuttgarter Kickers 4-1 with two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Saturday.

Forward Adrian Ramos also scored his first competitive goal since joining from Hertha Berlin this season and Henrikh Mkhitaryan added another with Dortmund in full control for the entire game.

RESULTS VfL Bochum Stuttgarter Kickers Homburg Viktoria Cologne FT Braunschweig Astoria Walldorf Viktoria 89 Berlin

2 1 1 2 0 1 0

0 4 3 4 4 3 2

VfB Stuttgart Dortmund M’gladbach Hertha Berlin Cologne Hanover Frankfurt

Fellow Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart crashed out, slumping to a 2-0 defeat to second division club VfL Bochum.

New signing Simon Terodde, who joined from Union Berlin, scored both goals for Bochum as Stuttgart coach Armin Veh suffered a disappointing return to the Stuttgart bench.

His team became the second top tier club to exit the competition at the first hurdle after Mainz 05 were eliminated on penalties against Chemnitz on Friday.

Swedish forward Branimir Hrgota scored twice and newly-signed striker Andre Hahn added another as Borussia Moenchengladbach eased past regional club Homburg 3-1 to book their spot in round two.

They were joined by Hertha Berlin who beat Viktoria Cologne 4-2 and Hanover 96 who had little trouble disposing of Astoria Walldorf 3-1.

Holders Bayern Munich are in action against third tier Preussen Muenster on Sunday. l

FC Barcelona players Luis Suarez (2nd R) , Neymar (L) and Lionel Messi (R) stretch during a training session at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi yesterday. FC Barcelona will take part in the Joan Gamper Trophy against Mexican club Leon FC today REUTERS

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

QUICK BYTES

SCORECARD South Africa Q. de Kock c Taylor b Nyumbu 63 H. Amla not out 122 F. du Plessis c Sibanda b Utseya 59 AB de Villiers c Williams b Nyumbu 21 JP Duminy not out 22 Extras (6lb, 16w) 22 Total (3 wkts, 50 overs) 309

Enrique hopes Suarez will play in friendly Controversial Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez will probably play his first game for Barcelona in a friendly on Monday, coach Luis Enrique said Sunday, despite the player’s competitive ban for biting a World Cup opponent. Suarez, who is banned from competitive matches until October 25 for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, trained with Barcelona on Sunday ahead of Monday’s Joan Gamper Trophy, the traditional curtain-raiser to Barca’s season, against Mexican side Leon. “I would like him to be able to play for a few minutes tomorrow,” Enrique told a news conference after Sunday’s training.

“Not many, because he has not played for some time, but he has worked very well when training on his own.”

Barcelona bought Suarez for a reported 95 million euros (£75 million, $127 million) from Liverpool last month. On Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport relaxed his ban, allowing him to train and play in unofficial matches, but upheld his four-month exclusion from competitive games and his nine-match international suspension. Suarez will be available to play in competitive matches from Saturday, October 25, meaning his official debut could come in the first Clasico of the Spanish league campaign against Real Madrid.

–AFP

Bayern planning move for Benatia Bayern Munich are lining up a deal to bring in Roma’s Moroccan international defender Mehdi Benatia as a replacement for injured Spanish international Javi Martinez, German media reported on Sunday. German websites Sport1 and Sport Bild Plus both indicated that Bayern were looking to tie up a 30 million euro (£24 million, $40 million) move for Benatia, also a reported target for English Premier League duo Manchester United and Chelsea, in the coming days. Bayern coach Pep Guardiola admitted on Saturday the German champions were planning to dip into the transfer market to fill the void left by Martinez, who was ruled out until 2015 after rupturing knee ligaments in the German Super Cup defeat to Borussia Dortmund in midweek. According to Sport1, Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport reported in June that the German champions had made a bid of 33 million euros for Benatia. The 27-year-old centreback is currently under contract with Roma until 2018 having joined from Udinese last July. Bayern, who begin the defence of their German Cup title on Sunday away to third-tier Preussen Münster, are also looking for cover at right-back with Rafinha facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after damaging ankle ligaments.

–AFP

Briton sets record for ultramarathon along Berlin Wall’s path

A British runner, Mark Perkins, set a new record for an ultramarathon that traces the 160 kilometres (100 miles) along which the Berlin Wall once stood, organisers said Sunday. Perkins finished the third iteration of the event, started Saturday, in just 13 hours, six minutes and 52 seconds -- nearly three hours better than the last best time.

Some 300 runners from around the world took part in the event blending extreme sport and historic pilgrimage, which this year marked 25 years since the Cold War symbol of the Wall was torn down. The runners took off on Saturday at 6:00 am (0400 GMT), passing through a rotunda near the famous border crossing Checkpoint Charlie. The Berlin Wall was designed to stop an exodus of people to the West. It cut through city blocks, neighbourhoods, fields and forests and was shadowed by a heavily mined “death strip”, overlooked by watch towers and patrolled by soldiers and dogs. These days, the path of the Wall is a hiking and cycling trail.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Ten Cricket 10:30AM Pakistan Tour of Sri Lanka 2014 2nd Test, Day 5 Star Sports 2 Pro Kabaddi League 8:15PM Patna v Kolkata 9:30PM Vizag v Pune Star Sports 4 Barclays Premier League 1:00AM Burnley FC v Chelsea

15

Monday, August 18, 2014

Fall of wickets 1-109, 2-232, 3-275 Bowling S. Masakadza 10-1-77-0, Madziva 6-0-35-0, Jongwe 6-0-45-0, Utseya 100-44-1, Williams 10-0-50-0, Nyumbu 8-0-52-2 Zimbabwe V. Sibanda c de Kock b Parnell 7 R. Mutumbami c de Kock b McLaren 13 H. Masakadza c du Plessis b Parnell 61 B. Taylor c Miller b Phangiso 6 S. Williams c du Plessis b Imran Tahir 51 E. Chigumbura c Miller b Phangiso 36 L. Jongwe lbw b Tahir 19 N. Madziva c Duminy b Imran Tahir 2 S. Masakadza lbw b Phangiso 6 P. Utseya b Duminy 5 J. Nyumbu not out 1 Extras (4lb, 4w, 1nb) 9 Total (all out, 49.5 overs) 216

South Africa opening batsman Hashim Amla (R) plays a shot as Zimbabwe wicket keeper Richmond Mutumbami looks on during the first match of a three-match ODI series at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday AFP

United false start a wake-up call: Van Gaal n AFP, Manchester Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United’s 2-1 home defeat by Swansea City in his first competitive game as manager accurately reflects the enormity of the task ahead of him.

Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Old Trafford was the first time in Premier League history that the 20-time champions - who finished seventh last season - have lost an opening-day fixture at home.

“Of course, I have said that in previous press conferences,” said the former

Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach, who succeeded the sacked David Moyes last month.

“Also, because we won (friendlies) in the United States and we won against Valencia, the expectations are so high. We also saw that in the first half because I saw a lot of players very nervous, making the wrong choices, and that’s a pity.

“But, also, players have to be used to that expectation, because this is Manchester United. You have to cope with that pressure, but that is also a process.” l

Amla steers Proteas to easy win over Zimbabwe n AP, Bulawayo South Africa was far too strong for Zimbabwe, making 309-3 and bowling the home team out for 216 to win the first one-day international by 93 runs at Queens Sports Club on Sunday.

Hashim Amla batted through South Africa’s innings for an unbeaten 122 as the tourists posted a big total after being put in to bat on a slow wicket. Zimbabwe was bowled out one ball short of 50 overs when captain Elton Chigumbura skied a catch off left-arm spinner

Marquez run ends as Pedrosa wins Czech MotoGP n AFP, Brno Marc Marquez’s hopes of setting a record 11 straight MotoGP wins ended on Sunday as Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa of Spain won the Czech Republic Moto GP in Brno.

Pedrosa, who also won at Brno in 2012, finished the 22 laps on the dry 5.4-kilometre (3.36-mile) circuit in 42min 47.800sec, ahead of Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, with Marquez finishing fourth.

Marquez was looking to become the first premier class rider ever to win the 11 opening races of a season.

Italian legend Giacomo Agostini won the opening 10 races of the premier class season in 1968, 1969 and

1970 at a time when he dominated the sport. However, no one has ever won the first eleven - in part because Agostini’s perfect season in 1968 comprised

only 10 events.

Marquez, who failed to make it to the podium for the first time since Australia last year, now tops the championship with 263 points, 77 ahead of Pedrosa and 90 ahead of Rossi.

As often this season, Marquez got off to a poor start from pole position, dropping to sixth place.

Lorenzo soon settled down at the front, followed by Pedrosa who overtook him on the sixth lap to nurse his lead with Lorenzo never really getting close enough to fight back.

“I didn’t plan the race in this way but fortunately Jorge... opened a gap immediately so I had to change my plan and then push to the limit,” said Pedrosa. l

Serena, Ivanovic battle into Cincinnati final

India edge Pakistan in landmark series n AFP, Bangalore

n Reuters

India defeated Pakistan 1-0 on Sunday in an emotionally-charged opener to take the lead in a two-match football series, the first between the arch-rivals for nine years.

The hosts hung on to their slender lead after striker Robin Singh scored in the 44th minute in front of thousands of cheering home fans at the Bangalore Football Stadium.

Pakistan dominated the proceedings initially but the Indians regrouped to launch a counter-attack.

Midfielder Pronoy Halder came close to scoring in the 16th minute, only to be thwarted by Pakistan goalkeeper Muzammil Hussain.

The hosts squandered at least three more scoring chances before Singh flicked in Lalrindika Ralte’s corner to give India the lead.

Pakistan nearly equalised early in the second half, but keeper Amrinder Singh did well to stop captain Kalleemullah’s close-range header from going into the net.

India were reduced to 10 men when Robin Singh received his second yellow card of the game. The lanky striker shook his head in disappointment as he walked off the field.l

Serena Williams rallied past Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki on Saturday to reach the Western and Southern Open final in Cincinnati where she will face Ana Ivanovic, an upset winner over French Open champion Maria Sharapova.

Top-seeded Williams had to overcome a sluggish start to beat Wozniacki 2-6 6-2 6-4 while Serbian ninth seed Ivanovic eventually prevailed in a rollercoaster 6-2 5-7 7-5 win over the Russian fifth seed that lasted nearly three hours.

The Cincinnati tournament is the last of the key tune-ups ahead of the Aug. 25-Sept. 8 U.S. Open, the year’s final grand slam, where Williams will defend her crown.

The day’s first semi-final was a rematch of the thrilling quarter-final in Montreal earlier this month between Williams and Wozniacki that the American won in three sets.

Williams looked a pale shadow of herself in the 29-minute first set as she held her serve only once and recorded twice as many unforced errors as winners.

Williams came out firing on all cylinders in the next set as she opened with a break, the first of three that set, before serving out the set at love.

The third set was a sloppy serving affair as Williams and Wozniacki exchanged seven breaks. But Williams’s two holds of serve proved enough to get her into the final of a tournament she has never won in five previous appearances.

“I just didn’t serve well myself today. I didn’t get many first serves in.

When I did, they weren’t placed very well,” said Wozniacki.

“It’s frustrating, because you lose a match 6-4 in the third and you only hold serve once in the third set. I actually broke Serena three times in the set, too - I don’t think that really happens very often to her, either.”

Next up for Williams is an opponent she has dominated her entire career having taken six of seven matches versus Ivanovic, including a quarter-final win in Stanford earlier this year.

But Ivanovic, who beat Williams in the round of 16 at this year’s Australian Open, will take plenty of confidence into the match having held her nerve against a determined Sharapova. l

Fall of wickets 1-16, 2-27, 3-34, 4-134, 5-143, 6-185, 7-189, 8-189, 9-214, 10-216 Bowling Abbott 8-2-27-0, Parnell 8-0-43-2, McLaren 8-0-22-1, Phangiso 9.5-0-43-3, Imran Tahir 10-1-44-3, Duminy 6-0-33-1.

South Africa won by 93 runs

Aaron Phangiso.

Spinners Phangiso and Imran Tahir took three wickets each for South Africa to back up Amla’s efforts with the bat and the visiting Proteas cruised to a 1-0 lead in the three-game series. South Africa also won the one-off test between the African neighbors last week.

Hamilton Masakadza and Sean Williams scored half-centuries in a partnership of exactly 100 in Zimbabwe’s chase, but that was the only stand that troubled the South Africans. They fell in the space of two overs and South Af-

rica wrapped up a big win.

Amla was South Africa’s anchor as he collected a 15th ODI hundred and was part of two telling stands, a 109-run opening partnership with Quinton de Kock and a 123-run partnership with Faf du Plessis. De Kock contributed a rapid 63 with eight fours and a six at the top of the innings and Du Plessis constructed a more watchful 59 from No. 3.

Offspinner John Nyumbu took two wickets on his limited-overs debut for Zimbabwe but South Africa’s batsmen were never under sustained pressure. l

Ferrer, Federer in final n AFP, Cincinnati

Five-time former champion Roger Federer continued his dominance over hard-hitting Canadian Milos Raonic with a 6-2, 6-3 win Saturday to reach the final of the ATP Cincinnati Masters tournament.

The 33-year-old Federer, who advanced to the semis with a straight set win over Scotland’s Andy Murray, has now won all six career meetings against Raonic.

Federer’s victory sets up the battle of the 30-somethings as he will now face Spaniard David Ferrer in Sunday’s final. Ferrer, 32, brushed aside Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-2 earlier Saturday.

Federer has also never lost to the sixth-seeded Ferrer in 15 meetings, the last coming a week ago in the Toronto quarter-finals.

Federer won the first set against

Raonic with four love games, but the pace slowed in the second as the pair stayed on serve. Federer broke for 5-3 and served it out a game later after just 68 minutes.

“Breaking in the first game was crucial,” said Federer. “It was more of a fight in the second set.

“I’m happy, but the final is tomorrow and I hope to do it again. This time last year I came to the event with no expectations. But many things have changed since then.

“I’m happy the results show it. It’s much more fun playing this way. I’ve had a complete season so far and I hope to win another title.”

Federer stands a win away from his 80th career singles title and leads the ATP with 48 match wins this season.

The Swiss owns titles from Dubai and Halle this season and will be playing in his eighth final. l

Pakistani player Muhammad Ahmed (R) tries to tackle Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri during their first of two friendly matches in Bangalore at the Karnataka State Football Association Stadium in Bangalore yesterday AFP

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, August 18, 2014

Erosion, flood wreak havoc in the country n Tribune Report

announced as abandoned because of the erosion on both the shores of the Padma River in Rajshahi.

The camp members were shifted to Charkhanpur Government Primary School, and peoplefrom Charkhanpur and Charkhidirpur are also hurrying to shift elsewhere.

Charkhidirpur BGB camp was submerged last year despite spending nearly Tk50 lakh to protect it.

37 BGB Director Lt Col Anwarul Alam said the Charkhanpur camp was announced abandoned on grounds of security.

Recent heavy rainfall and river erosion have submerged many villages, made several thousand people homeless and destroyed embankments in a number of districts around the country.

In some of the areas, the situation is set to get worse. Although local administrations took steps to avoid further damage, the people who were affected said they expect more effective measures to be taken.

Gaibandha

At least 2000 families were marooned for last few days due to a flood at Sundorganj Upazilla of the northern district of Gaibandha.

The locals said that this happened due to an increase in the volume of water in the Brhamaputra and Teesta rivers.

The local administration started to distribute relief yesterday, though the victims claimed that the amount was insufficient.

However, Abu Rafa Mohammad, the Upazilla Nirbahi officer, said they were distributing 20kg of rice, puffed rice, gur (jaggery), biscuits, candles and oral saline packets to the each of the victim families.

Nilphamari

Top: Rising waters of the Teesta and Brahmaputra rivers inundate vast stretches of the Belka village in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha.

Bottom: Road communication between Noakhali and Alexander Sadar in Ramgati of Lakshmipur is disrupted as excessive rain causes severe damage to a part of the road DHAKA TRIBUNE

Khagrachhari

The road connection between Khagrachhari and the Dhaka-Feni Highway was disconnected for the last 5 days due to the continuous flash floods in the hilly region.

The local people and the long distance passengers were suffering the most. In addition, the road connection between Khagrachhori and Rangamati was also disrupted as the Baily Bridge located at Mohalchhori went underwater.

At least 500 families were marooned at Khagrachhori sadar as the incessant rainfall continues. Most of them have taken shelter at nearby flood shelter centres.

The local administration has allocated 3 tons of rice as essential relief for the flood victims.

The authority estimated the cost of the damages to be worth more than Tk1 core, said Chaitho Ong, chairman of Khagrachhori district parishad, adding that they are making a list of the victims.

Noakhali

At least 600 families were marooned at Subornochar of Noakhali district for the last few days.

Most of the areas were swamped due to the incessant monsoon rainfall

temporarily housing while the local administration did not take any steps to rehabilitate them.

The affected people alleged that the consecutive governments had not taken any real measures over the past three decades to check the erosion.

Bhola

which has been occurring for the last four days and damaging the crop fields and fisheries.

“We have been marooned for the last few days. All of my fishes are being washed away by the flood water, ruining my investment,” said Sheikh Farid from West Urir Char village, adding that he has lost the Tk80,000 he had invested in the fisheries scheme after taking a loan from Islami Bank.

Bogra

About 8km of the flood control embankment from Kamalpur to Devdanga

is at risk of collapse because of extensive erosion by the Jamuna River in Shariakandi upazila of Bogra.

Md Nurul Islam Sarkar, executive engineer at Bangladesh Water Development Board in Bogra, termed the situation alarming and said the water in the Jamuna was above the danger level in Shariakandi.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Zillur Rahman said around 200 families in low-laying areas in Karnibari and Chaluabari unions were marooned.

Zillur said at least 5,000 families had lost their houses in the last few months

because of the erosion.

Lakshmipur

Coastal areas under Ramgati and Kamalnagar upazilas of the district have been sinking into the riverbed due to the continual erosion by the Meghna River during the ongoing monsoon season.

Homesteads, crop lands, educational institutions and many government establishments have fallen prey to the erosion.

Consequently, the people who have become homeless because of this have been living in unbearable conditions on the embankments where they were

Half-a-lakh of people from more than 50 villages under 14 unions of Bhola have been marooned as the tide destroyed the embankment built by the Water Development Board.

Among the affected unions are Hazipur, Medua, Madanpur, Bhabanipur, Syedpur, Sonapur, Manpura, Madras, Aslampur, Hazariganj and Dhalchar.

Houses, roads, educational institutions, ponds and arable lands have been submerged, aggravating the situation and bringing misery to people’s lives.

Medua upazila Chairman Manjur Alam said most of the areas outside the embankment, including Neyamatpur, were inundated.

Rajshahi

The Charkhanpur BGB camp has been

Incessant rainfall over the past few days has caused water in the Teesta River in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari to go above the danger level.

Mahbubur Rahman, executive engineer of the Water Development Board at Nilphamari, said a number of villages, including East Chatnai, Chatnai Colony, Pagal Para, Khoga Khoribari, West Chatnai, Baish Pukur and Choto Khata, were submerged, causing much misery for the people.

“We hope the situation will improve shortly,” he said.

Jahanur Islam, who lives in Baish Pukur village, said: “My house was destroyed, along with those of a hundred others, because of the downpour. Now we are living in terrible conditions.”

Sherpur

The low-lying areas at Nalitabari and Jhinaigati upazilas of Sherpur were submerged after incessant rainfall and due to the onrush of hill water.

Hundreds of acres of Aman fields went under water in the areas.

Students were unable to go to school because of the knee-deep water.

Farmer Ali Hossain from West Khalbhanga said he had leased two acres of land for Tk40,000 this year but the flood water had destroyed everything.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Sharif Iqbal said 200 hectares of Aman land were submerged.

Hundreds of people in the flood-hit villages were marooned.

Jhinaigati Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mozammel Haque said the excessive rainfall had inundated the low-lying areas.

Besides, a recent rise in water levels of 16 rivers, including Brahmaputra, Dhorola, and Teesta, has caused around 20,000 families to be marooned in Kurigram, reports our correspondent. l

BARI: 100 farmers to produce Bt brinjal this year Denied BCL toll-seekers n vandalise buses Abu Bakar Siddique

Despite an apparent failure in the pilot project last year, the government has now planned to demonstrate genetically modified Bt brinjal at field level extensively in the upcoming season with a view to making it popular among farmers.

“This time, we will distribute seedlings among around 100 framers for one bigha of land each in four districts in October-November,” Dr Rafiqul Islam Mondol, director general of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), said.

Last year, the state-owned research facility distributed seedlings of four Bt brinjal varieties among 16 farmers in Gazipur, Jamaplpur, Rangpur and Ishwardi to plant those in one bigha land each. However, most of them yielded poor results.

The BARI chief acknowledged the issue and told the Dhaka Tribune that October-November would be the appropriate season for brinjal cultivation.

The farmers experienced some difficulties like dried-up seedlings and pest attacks because of demonstrating late, he said. “I hope this time the farmers will accept the varieties positively.”

The government on October 30 last year released four GM brinjal varieties – Bt Uttara, Bt Kajla, Bt Noyontara and Bt ISD 006 – for cultivating on a limited scale. BARI developed the varieties by inserting bt gene into the local varieties. The gene is patented by American seed giant Monsanto.

Brinjal is one of the major vegetables in Bangladesh in South Asia because of its price and taste.

Environmental activists have been expressing serious concerns about the biological and health hazards at home and abroad that the new breed of brinjal may pose. Several organisations and individuals also challenged the release of the GM crop with the top court seeking extensive assessment.

They criticise the government for introducing the controversial crop that is banned in many countries. It is also alleged that BARI itself has violated conditions for releasing the varieties by not labelling the Bt brinjals when sold in the local markets under the pilot project areas.

On the other hand, BARI argues that use of pesticide would fall remarkably in the fields producing Bt brinjal.

Despite such claims, the government on December 31 last year decided to re-

quest the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) to examine whether the controversial Bt brinjal had any adverse health impacts.

The move came after a UK importer threatened that the European Union would stop vegetable imports if any such GM brinjal is detected in a shipment.

The anti-GMO activists also allege that the government violated the country’s constitution by not following the guidelines of biosafety rules and two international protocols – the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Cartegena Protocol – by releasing the four GM varieties.

According to article 8G of the CBD and article 16 of the Cartegena Protocol, a country has to abide by existing laws and rules while introducing any GM crop at farmers’ level.

The four varieties were released after a seven-year experiment starting in 2006 with the technical support of Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) of India in which the American seed giant Monsanto has a 26% stake.

According to an agreement signed among Mahyco, Sathguru Management Consultants Private Institute and BARI on March 14, 2005, ownership of the Bt

brinjals would go to Mahyco, said Farida Akhter, executive director of Ubinig.

Sathguru Management Consultants Private Ltd is the regional coordinator of the South Asian region for Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSP II) of the USAID. “The most striking point of the agreement is that it has given an indemnity or BARI has given indemnity to Monsanto-Mahyco and Sathguru for any kind of disaster concerning Bt brinjal research,” Farida added.

Mahyco’s brinjal varieties, developed with the financial support of the USAID, were banned in India in 2010 after harmful effects had been exposed.

In addition to India and Bangladesh, the same group earlier developed GM brinjal varieties in the Philippines. But it was later stalled upon a court order, considering health hazards.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh government took an initiative to develop GM cotton varieties with a view to boosting cotton production. “The Cotton Development Board has already signed an agreement with China’s Huazhong Agricultural University, which will provide technical assistance for developing the variety,” said Md Tasdiqur Rahman, deputy director of the board. l

n Mohammad Jamil Khan A group of activists from Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) of Government Kabi Nazrul College unit vandalised at least 12 vehicles of two transport companies in Old Dhaka on Saturday night, allegedly for not receiving donations as demanded for observing the National Mourning Day. The activists, led by its unit president Rakibul Hasan Sohel, not only vandalized the vehicles but also blockaded the road near Bahadurshah Park intersection for an hour from 11.00am yesterday.

The road blockade created a long traffic deadlock in and around the area despite the day being a public holiday.

Eyewitness and transport workers said the BCL supporters demanding tolls to organise a programme to mark the National Mourning Day from two bus companies – Victor Paribahan and Ajmeri Paribahan. As the owners of the transports failed to pay up, BCL activists vandalized four vehicles of Victor Paribahan around 9.00pm on Saturday night when they were parked beside the Bahadurshah park area.

Later, they again vandalized six vehicles of Ajmeri Paribahan and another two of Victor Paribahan around yesterday morning.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Mijanur Rahman Sheikh, secretary of victor Paribahan road committee, alleged “On August 10, Sohel along with his group members came to our Sadarghat counter and asked us to pay a toll for the upcoming National Mourning Day on August 15. As we did not comply with their demands, they have vandalizes our vehicles.”

He further claimed that they even discussed the issue with Sutrapur police station but that seemed to be in vain.

However, Khalilur Rahman, officerin-charge of Sutrapur Police Station, refuted the allegations and said they did not receive any complaint in this regard.

BCL’s Kabi Nazrul college unit Secretary Rakibul Hasan Sohel acknowledged that they barricaded the roads as transport movement in front of college was hampering the ongoing programs and nothing else.

He, however, denied the allegations of demanding any kind of toll from the transport owners. l

Robbers shoot one, loot Speaker Shirin Sharmin vies for CPA chair Tk30 lakh in the capital n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

n Tribune Report Unidentified miscreants stole Tk30 lakh after shooting a person at Mirpur-2 circle in the capital around 4pm yesterday.

The victim, Mojibor Rahman, 40, is the son of Mobarak Akon and is a resident of Patia area in Khilkhet. He is involved in the real estate business.

Mojibor's cousin Delwar Hossain said: “After selling a land in Mirpur-2

area, Mojibor was returning home when 3-4 miscreants shot him and snatched the Tk30 lakh from his possession. He was shot in the right side of his chest. The muggers fled the area on a motorcycle.”

Locals rushed to the spot after hearing his screams and took him to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital around 5pm. The on-duty doctor declared that his situation was not very critical. l

To confirm her win, the government has engaged the Foreign Ministry to lobby for Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, the first speaker from Bangladesh to contest for the post of chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s executive committee.

It is considered as a prestigious platform dedicated to promoting democracy and development.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, proposer of Shirin Sharmin for the post, has also instructed the Foreign Ministry for gearing up lobby with the CPA

member states. Apart from the national legislatures, the state assemblies are also members of the CPA. Foreign Ministry sources say Australia, Canada, Singapore and other influential countries have committed to extending support for Shirin Sharmin who completed her PhD from the UK’s University of Essex.

The CPA election is set to take place on October 9 in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde which will host the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.

The general assembly of the conference will elect a chairperson for four years.

Only two candidates – Shirin

Sharmin Chaudhury and Juliana O’Connor-Connolly – will vie for the post this year. Juliana is the speaker of the legislative assembly of the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. The population of the Cayman Islands is over 56,000.

On August 10, the CPA headquarters declared the two candidates valid.

Her win would brighten the image of Bangladesh that has been facing criticism at home and abroad for the January 5 election boycotted by the main opposition parties. The opposition criticises the 10th parliament for having an opposition which is also part of the government. “I have decided to con-

test. We the only two candidates have been in the race,” Shirin Sharmin told the Dhaka Tribune.

Before the election, she is scheduled to fly to London on a seven-day visit for holding talks with the British parliament leaders and other stakeholders.

She is likely to meet Lord Speaker of the House of Lords Baroness D’Souza.

Support of the UK is very important for the CPA elections.

Foreign Ministry and parliament sources say Britain favours Shirin Sharmin’s candidature for her outstanding academic career coupled with a clean image as a new generation of leaders. l

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B3 Corporate founders

battle boards to overturn forced exits

B4 Can central bankers

succeed in getting global economy back on track?

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

BASIC asked to Only 4% of total users enjoy 3G n reduce default loans by June Muhammad Zahidul Islam

n Jebun Nesa Alo BASIC Bank will have to bring down its classified loan to 15% of its total outstanding loans by June 2015, as Bangladesh Bank has sent a proposal of memorandum of understanding to new board setting the condition.

The central bank has fixed a set of conditions of the banking activities in its MoU proposal to bring the bank under strict monitoring, which was already sent to the bank last week for signing.

The MoU conditions, however, were supposed to be set for fulfillment by December this year. The time has been extended till June 2015 following request of the new board, said a senior BASIC Bank official.

The cash recovery target against classified loans has been set at Tk630 crore The default loan of the state-run BASIC Bank rose by Tk2,034 crore and stood at Tk4,500 crore in June, which was 40.77% of its total outstanding loans.

It was 29% of total outstanding loans in December last year.

According to the proposed MoU conditions, the cash recovery target against classified loans has been set at Tk630 crore which is 20% of total classified loans of Tk3,145.53 crore. The total figure is as of December 2013.

Of the amount of Tk630 crore, Tk400 crore will have to recovered from top 20 defaulters and Tk230 crore from other defaulters.

The default loans of BASIC Bank has been growing abnormally fast in the recent months as loans the bank had

disbursed through irregularities are getting matured, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

While the facility of relaxed loan reschedule policy remained, the default loans of the bank increased abnormally in second quarter of 2014.

This was because the clients could not reschedule loans even taking advantage of the policy due to their disability of paying 5% down payment, the official said.

Banks’ total default loans rose Tk3,183 crore in the three months of which BASIC Bank accounted for almost 64% of the rise, according to the central bank data.

Although the central bank set the condition of bringing down the classified loans to 15% to control the increased trend, it will not be possible for the bank to maintain it by June as huge loans are already close to be classified, said a senior BASIC Bank official.

The bank will have to make up its capital shortfall of Tk1,372 crore by June 2015, according to the condition.

The new board already has sought that amount to meet the shortfall from Finance Division.

The central bank set the time-frame for the BASIC Bank to meet shortfall so that they can put pressures on Finance Division for fund, said another senior official of Bangladesh Bank.

The existing shortfall of the bank might rise rapidly in June, he feared.

According to the proposed MoU, the loan growth of the bank will be 16% of an adjusted loan of Tk10,192 crore in December 2013.

The new loan growth is yet to be set for the year ending in December although six months have already passed.

The bank is allowed to disburse loans up to Tk200 crore in SME sector by the end of this year beyond the 16% growth limit.

But the single borrower exposure limit will not exceed Tk1 crore. l

Only 4.15% of the total mobile phone users have started enjoying third generation mobile broadband data services, according to regulator.

After the private mobile phone operators of the country launched 3G services at the end of October last year, the total number of 3G users crossed 48.45 lakh till the end of July this year.

The number of total active SIM cards stood at 11.68 crore, said Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) data.

Recently, BTRC collected the number of 3G users of the country as the regulator inspected the 3G service roll-out and network quality of the operators.

According to the data, Robi, the third largest operator in the country in terms of total active users, became the market leader with 13.05 lakh 3G connections.

The number of total active SIM users of Robi reached 2.42 crore as of July 2014.

“Robi has introduced simple price plans throughout its product portfolio, including with 3G data plans, to make it easier for customers to avail of our services,” Robi spokesperson told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Simple plans have made it easier for our customers to choose the plan that best suits their needs and at the most affordable rates,” he added.

Robi covered 22 district headquarters and claimed its network serving that of 3.5G level.

“Our aim has always been to offer the best customer experience, rather

than speedy network deployment at the expense of a compromised customer experience,” he said.

BTRC data showed the leading operator Grameenphone could so far attract 12.87 lakh subscribers to its 3G offers while the total number of active subscribers is around 5 crore.

Only 2.60% of Grameenphone’s subscribers are using 3G services.

The operator said after July its total internet users were 1.28 crore which was highest of all operators in the country.

By March this year Grameenphone covered all 64 district headquarters with 3G network.

According to the Grameenphone officials, the operator is offering 3.9G service. However, it has failed to be top on the list of attracting 3G subscribers.

n Asif Showkat Kallol Bank and Financial Institutions Division has asked the five state-owned banks to form three-member search committees for each of the banks to find out their Managing Directors (MDs).

In this regard, banking division last week issued a circular signed by deputy secretary M Motiur Rahman with a directive to form separate search committees for the five banks Sonali, Janata, Agrani, BASIC and Bangladesh Development Bank limited.

n Tribune Report

Finance Minister AMA Muhith delivers speech at Bangladesh Summit on Sustainable Development 2014 in Dhaka yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM power disparity compared to international standard,” he said.

Calling upon civil society and economists to look at the present purchase power per capita income formula, he said it is not correct.

The difference between per capita income and purchase power per capita income is huge, added the minister.

“We need to bridge this gap for reducing inequality among people.”

1.12 crore subscribers of the operator are using Internet under it’s network.

Airtel’s total subscribers stand at 83.52 lakh and out of it 5.39 lakh (6.45%) subscribers have started using 3G. “The package prices are close to those of neighboring countries and after awarding the licences all of the operators already covered all divisional headquarters and some important districts,” the regulator’s statement reads.

In September 2013 Grameenphone took 10 Megahertz of spectrum from 2100 band for 3G services at $210m with 5% VAT. Robi, Banglalink and Airtel each took 5 Megahertz at $105 in an auction.

The government allocated 10 Megahertz for Teletalk on the same band in an auction price earlier. l

State banks asked to form MD search committees Each board of the respective banks will form a search committee to select a panel of three potential MDs from the respective banks, banking secretary M Aslam Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He said board of the five stateowned banks would be responsible to prepare a panel of three deputy managing directors to select an efficient MD, out of the three.

As per the circular, each board of the directors of all the five state-owned banks will find out a three-member

Muhith for innovation to sustain development Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday urged the country’s civil society and economists to come with an innovative idea to boost wage employment in order to help sustain economic development.

He said at present the size of Bangladesh’s labour force is 78m, of which below 20% are non-wage employee.

“Now it is time to do something new to bring an end to the unemployment problem,” he said.

He said the RMG industry generates huge employment opportunity but people have to move from one place to other.

“We also need rustic industry for employment generation.”

The minister was speaking at a three-day-long Bangladesh Summit titled “Sustainable Development 2014” in Dhaka with a theme -- “Mission for 100 Years”.

Citizen Forum on Sustainable Development and Eminence organised the Summit from August 16 to 19.

The minister said to iron out unemployment problem is a big challenge in the post-2015 period.

“The challenges before us in the coming days are two -- finding out a model for solving unemployment problem ….and reducing purchase

A senior executive of Grameenphone expressed their dissatisfaction over the number of 3G users as its total active subscribers are huge.

As of July, the state-owned mobile operator Teletalk’s total active users crossed 36.69 lakh and out of that 28.45% (10.44 lakh) are using 3G services, according to BTRC statistics.

“The price of handsets was the main barrier for flourishing 3G in the beginning. In last two years, the price has come down. Hope it will help to increase the number of 3G users,” Md Mujibur Rahman, former managing director of Teletalk, said.

Banglalink has 6.69 lakh 3G subscribers out of total 2.98 crore. Only 2.24% of Banglalink subscribers are enjoying 3G services. BTRC said around

The concept of sustainable development came into being in 1984, he said, adding that it is very magnificent idea.

Microcredit programme is playing a strong role in the economic development of the country but the idea of microcredit is not new.

It started in Bangladesh from the beginning of 20th century and gathered pace following the Cooperative Act. Dr Mohammad Yunus has institutionalised microcredit in Bangladesh, said the minister.

“From this, we can find that microcredit has made immense contribution to improving people’s livelihood.

But microcredit is not the only solution for poverty alleviation and for sustainable development, Muhith said.

He added that many things like education, which is per-requisite for sustainable economic development, are necessary.

Currently unemployment rate in Bangladesh is 14.2%, according to the World Bank. Some 47% graduates of Bangladesh are unemployed, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

In his address, Convener of the Summit Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad put emphasis on ensuring inclusive development and removing infrastructure constraints.

He said in spite of notable and positive progresses, many issues of development are yet to be addressed in the context of developing and underdeveloped countries.

Bangladesh and other developing countries are still struggling with many challenges, especially in the areas of nutrition; maternal health; education; agricultural, environmental and ecological sustainability; and social inequalities.

He said the world is transforming into a new framework of development which will be built upon the principles of Sustainable Development Agenda.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique said Bangladesh is currently going through a phase of economic development.

“The country cannot wait anymore when the agenda is sustainable development.”

UNFPA Country Representative Argentina Matavel Piccin said Bangladesh needs to invest more in the health sector particularly in maternal and child health.

In absolute terms, investment has been increasing but not on a par with the increase of GDP. The three-day summit features plenary sessions, parallel sessions, digital poster sessions, trade and exhibition marketplace and a digital storytelling competition.

It will serve as a platform for the civil society members, key government actors, donors , academics and national and international researchers for sharing and justifying their views on a post-2015 Sustainable Development agenda and policy framework. l

panel from the position of deputy managing directors, who are competent for the positions of MDs. And, the banking division will finally select a member as Managing Director from the three- member panels of the state owned banks.

According to circular, after receiving no objection certificate from the banking division, the selected Managing Directors will receive approvals from Bangladesh Bank for being appointed by the board of director of the respective five banks.

Meanwhile, the finance minister did

not make any decision at a meeting held at his secretariat office last week, regarding re-appointment of the Janata Bank former MD SM Aminul Rahman.

The proposal for re-appointing of Janata Bank former MD will now go to the Prime Minister’s office.

Some of the existing managing directors and ex-managing directors of the state-owned banks including the MD of Janata Bank SM Aminul Rahman, whose second tenure expired on July 27, have intensified their lobbying to get back their jobs again, said a high official. l

RMG workers, rights activists voice renewed demands n Tribune Report

The workers of Tuba Group, RMG workers leaders and rights activists again urged the Tuba Group owners yesterday to reopen closed factories and demanded payment of Eid bonuses immediately.

The workers and activists made the renewed demand at a “Solidarity Meeting” held in support of Tuba Group workers’ demands.

As per their declared schedule, the Garment Workers Unity Forum (GWUF) held the solidarity rally at Shahbag yesterday.

Mosrefa Mishu, president of the organisation, presided over the meeting which was also attended by Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, Anu Muhammad, a rights activist and economist, and leaders of RMG workers.

“The hard labour of our workers sustain the economy of our country but they do not get due respect for their diligence,” said Serajul Islam Choudhury.

The government and the BGMEA are working for the owners, not for the workers, he added.

“The RMG workers are being deprived of their demand due to Trade Union leaders and BGMEA,” said Anu

Muhammad, who expressed solidarity with the workers.

He expressed concern that the workers might not get their dues.

“Our prime demand is reopening factories as we are now jobless and have to starve if the factory does not run,” said Amena Akter, a worker of Tuba Group.

At the rally, the garment workers renewed the demand for immediate payment of due Eid bonuses and reopening of the group’s closed factories.

Scrapping of Tuba Group owner Delowar’s bail, punitive action against him, forfeiting his properties and declaring it as the government assets also included the demand.

On July 28, at least 1,200 workers of five factories of the Tuba Group went on indefinite hunger strike in the capital, demanding payment of three months’ wages, overtime and Eid bonuses.

Following the demonstration, the BGMEA paid two months’ wages to more than 1,600 workers of the Tuba Group.

The five units of Tuba Group, whose workers are yet to get their dues, are Tuba Fashions, Tuba Textiles, Mita Design, Taif Design and Bughsan Garments. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Monday, August 18, 2014

Denver aims to close gap in Walmart’s ‘Made in USA’ push

Serbia starts dramatic sell-off of state companies n AFP

n Reuters Wal-Mart Stores Inc, which has pledged to buy an additional $250bn in US-made goods over the next decade, is hitting a snag as it tries to meet that promise: Some vendors keen to participate in the initiative complain that after decades of offshoring it has become impossible to domestically source even commonplace components for their products.

So America’s largest retailer has invited dozens of small- and midsize manufacturers that aren’t necessarily interested in having a direct relationship with Walmart to come to Denver this week for a two-day matchmaking event.

The goal? To connect Walmart vendors hungry for key parts with manufacturers that have idle plants - and to put those plants back to work cranking out components, like small electric motors or polyester yarn, that have become hard to find.

“We’re going to try to match up (vendors) who are looking for component parts with factories that have capacity in the hopes that we can rebuild that supply chain that doesn’t exist anymore,” said Michelle Gloeckler, the Walmart senior vice president in charge of the initiative.

Critics of the retailing giant are quick to claim that Walmart, which built its empire on low prices, is partially to blame for the sorry state of US manufacturing.

Mary Bottari, a former trade analyst for Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, says Walmart’s push for cheap goods “has fueled a global race to the bottom in wages and working conditions.”

And the Economic Policy Institute, a union-friendly think tank, estimates Walmart’s trade with China alone has cost the United States 200,000 jobs.

Walmart disputes those claims, and spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan says Boston Consulting Group has estimated that the domestic-sourcing initiative will create 1 million jobs in manufacturing and related service jobs.

Zippers and snaps

The “Made in USA” program was conceived as a way to help Walmart win back customers who have defected in recent years to even cheaper competitors such as Dollar Tree and Dollar General. So far the effort has failed to stem

The Wal-Mart company logo is seen outside a Wal-Mart Stores Inc company distribution center in Bentonville a five-quarter-long decline in US sales.

Walmart says the 18-month-old program is a winner with customers.

It hopes the Denver event, which has attracted 100 component part manufacturers as well hundreds of existing and wannabe Walmart vendors, will allow it to rapidly increase the number of US-made products available in its more than 4,200 US stores.

But the event is also a tacit acknowledgment that the “Made in USA” pledge is harder than it might have seemed when it was announced last year.

Not only are some raw materials and components hard to find, but many of the companies tempted to participate in the domestic-sourcing program are unprepared to do business with

Walmart and its storied - but complex inventory control and logistics system.

Walmart’s suppliers say difficulties with the program do not invalidate the idea. A number of factors, including rising wages in China, plummeting productivity-adjusted wages at home and a new appreciation for short, responsive supply chains, mean they can compete with Chinese rivals.

“By eliminating the ocean freight, what we’ve done is lower the overall cost of goods. So I can not only beat Chinese prices, I can obliterate them,” says Keith Scheffler, president of Creative Things, an Arkansas toymaker that recently shuttered its last Chinese plant.

Still, vendors say they are forced to go overseas for such commonplace

items as zippers and snaps.

Element Electronics, which makes flat-screen TVs for Walmart, has moved incrementally after finding “there was no known existing domestic supply base” when it moved assembly back to the United States, says Chief Executive Officer Mike O’Shaughnessy.

The company started simple, focusing on things like packaging materials.

Now it is seeking U.S.-made suppliers of plastic and metal parts.

O’Shaughnessy figures three years may pass before domestic suppliers can supply all the parts Elements needs.

Supply-chain problems aren’t the only challenge Walmart vendors face when they join the “Made in USA” push.

The retailer’s “Retail Link” system

REUTERS

presents vendors with a torrent of real-time sales, inventory and purchase information that they need to learn how to analyze so Walmart can minimize in-store inventories while keeping shelves stocked.

It’s a difficult balancing act that even sophisticated suppliers like Mel Redman, a former senior Walmart executive who runs Redman and Associates, a toy manufacturer that supplies the retailer, struggle to achieve.

“Everything works backwards,” he says.

“What a vendor needs to learn to do is to work from must-arrive-by date backwards through the production schedule, lead time and lag time. It’s very complicated.” l

Nissan closes gap with Honda in US n Reuters, Detroit

View of the headlights and grille of the Nissan Sport Sedan Concept as it is unveiled during the press preview day of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan REUTERS

India ‘will honour’ WTO trade deal pledge n AFP, New Delhi India will keep a pledge to ratify a trillion-dollar global pact on easing trade restrictions, a minister told local media Saturday, adding negotiations with fellow World Trade Organisation members had not hit a “dead end”.

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s remarks to NDTV network marked a softer public tone to India’s stance on the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) - a universal customs clearance deal which would mark the first big global trade liberalisation deal in two decades.

She said she wanted to stress the WTO negotiation process “certainly has not hit a dead end”, after New Delhi refused to ratify the accord in down-tothe-wire negotiations last month at the organisation’s Geneva headquarters.

India is seeking to wrest concessions from developed nations on allowing food subsidies for its poor.

“We are agreeing to everything done in

Bali, we are not saying we are going to dishonour that commitment, we will honour that commitment,” Sitharaman said.

All 160 WTO members, including India, agreed to the accord at the December 2013 meeting on the Indonesian holiday island.

But at the same time she reiterated India must have the right to ensure food security for its hundreds of millions of poor farmers and consumers through grain subsidies that developed nations regard as distorting trade.

The minister’s remarks came after visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry told new Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month that New Delhi’s stance on the pact sent the wrong message about his pro-business government’s desire to liberalise India’s economy, which remains state dominated.

Modi told Kerry that developed nations must “understand the challenges of poverty” in developing nations.

Experts believe the trade facilitation pact could boost global commerce by

$1 trillion by modernising and streamlining trade rules to allow goods to pass more easily through customs.

According to the Bali-agreed timetable, the TFA was due to go into effect in mid-2015 after what WTO officials had expected to be its rubber-stamp ratification last month.

At the time of the Bali accord, the trade body’s members agreed on a four-year “peace clause” to protect India from WTO action over subsidies and stockpiles until a “permanent” solution” was reached.

But after the Bali pact, Indian officials complained there were nearly two dozen meetings on the trade pact and just a handful on farm subsidies.

The commerce minister called India’s last-minute refusal to ratify the pact “a little course correction (that was) desperately needed”.

WTO diplomats are on a monthlong summer break but Indian officials would “engage” with the organisation after their return, she said. l

For more than 25 years, the contest among Japanese car makers in North America has been a two-horse race, led

by Toyota with Honda in second place and Nissan in the rear view mirror -trailing far behind. Not anymore.

Nissan, thanks to the launch of models that are getting high marks for styling, its wider range of vehicles and aggressive discounting, is catching up with Honda. In the next couple of years it could easily pass its rival in US car sales for the first time since 1987.

It isn’t hiding its ambitions. “I’m sure that we will overtake Honda,” said Jose Munoz, the chairman of Nissan North America. “How long is it going to take us?

Time will tell, but it’s going to happen.”

While he says the company isn’t obsessed with leapfrogging Honda, Munoz is targeting a 10% share of the US market by 2016.

Its share in the first seven months of this year was 8.6%, up from 7.4% in 2009. Honda’s share, meanwhile, has slipped to 9.1%, the lowest since 2006, from a peak of 11% in 2009. Toyota currently has about 15% of the market.

Honda had been the trend setter. The first Japanese company to build cars in the U.S., it built its sales and manufacturing footprint so rapidly across the United States that Honda executives had a term for it - “crazy speed.” the company gained a reputation for high quality, and went out to consumers with slogans like “We Make it Simple” and “Honda: The Power of Dreams.”

very reliable, but not necessarily exciting,” says Dave Sargent, vice president, global automotive, at research firm JD Power. Still, he adds, “the image Honda has for quality and reliability is notably better” than Nissan’s.

However, Honda argues Keller “can no longer live on the old quality mantra. It’s not enough because everybody’s got pretty good quality.”

Nissan was once regarded as stodgy with occasional quirky moments.

But driven by CEO Carlos Ghosn and global design boss Shiro Nakamura, Nissan has sharpened its emphasis on distinctive, yet appealing design, while crafting a more cohesive identity for the company’s mainstream Nissan and premium Infiniti brands, pegged largely to sporting performance.

“It all comes down to product and styling,” says Bob Lutz, former vice chairman and head of global product development at General Motors Co. Nissan, adds Lutz, “has some dropdead gorgeous cars,” including the increasingly popular Altima Sedan, a style leader in the midsize sector.

Honda remains heavily dependent on the Accord, the Civic and the segment-leading CR-V crossover, which account for 69% of Honda’s US sales this year. In contrast, Nissan’s top three sellers, the Altima, the compact Sentra and the crossover Rogue, make up 52% of its US sales.

That dovetails with Nissan’s broader strategy of diversification, with a product range that numbers 27 models in the US, compared with 16 for Honda.

'Drop-dead gorgeous'

Incentives

It “used to stand for high quality and refinement,” observes longtime auto industry consultant Maryann Keller.

“Now, I’m not sure if you ask the average consumer what does Honda stand for, they could tell you.”

Honda may have redesigned its best-selling midsize Accord and addressed complaints about its popular Civic compact, but neither model is considered a style-setter.

“The cars are high quality, they’re

The outcome of the current sales tugof-war is critical for both companies, and not just for bragging rights. The North American market, including Canada, accounted for 41% of Honda’s global revenue in the April-June quarter and nearly 49% at Nissan.

Honda claims Nissan, whose sales have risen 13% so far this year, has been goosing its US market share with lower sticker prices, hefty incentives and discounted sales to fleet customers. l

Serbia put 502 loss-making stateowned companies and media outlets on sale Friday in a dramatic bid to cut the country’s rising budget deficit.

The giant copper mine at Bor, one of the biggest in Europe, is among the businesses that the state privatisation agency wants bids for by September 14.

Among the companies offered for sale on its website are fertiliser producer HIP Azotara, pharmaceutical giant Galenika, furniture maker Simpo and agricultural group PKB, all stalwarts of the economy until the fall of communism in the 1990s.

A number of media outlets, including the oldest newspaper in the Balkans, Politika, and dozens of local radio and TV stations are also going under the hammer. In hopes of speeding up the sales, the agency said it had prepared plans for a number of different models of privatisation.

The Economy Ministry will decide on potential bidders after the deadline expires and later call separate tenders, the agency said. The companies that cannot be sold will either be left to go bankrupt or their property will be sold off in order to cover at least part of their losses.

Serbia’s finances have been burdened by up to 600m euros ($815m) per year in subsidies to state-owned companies that should have been shut down more than a decade ago, Finance Minister Dusan Vujovic said.

The move came after the parliament, dominated by the conservative Serbian Progressive Party of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, voted a new law on privatisation that paved the way for the sale.

According to the law - one of the key reform measures required by the international financial institutions all companies still owned by the state should be privatised by the end of 2015.

Serbia, which began negotiations to join the European Union in January, is expected to post a record budget deficit of 8.3% of output this year, with growth forecast to fall below 1%, down from 2.5% last year. The parliament also adopted a new labour and pension law in July, which reduced job protection and raised the retirement age for women.

The government hopes that the law will reduce an unemployment rate now running at more than 20 percent, while enabling it to cut the public sector of more than 700,000 workers in a population of 7.2 million. l

Bank chief: Britain’s economy ‘halfway’ to recovery n AFP, London Britain’s economy is “more than halfway” down the path to full recovery, but any interest rate rises will be “limited” and “gradual”, Bank of England (BoE) boss Mark Carney said yesterday.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Carney declared that the economy was now undergoing genuine expansion following the economic crisis of 2008.

“Wherever the finish line was in the depths of the crisis, we are much more than halfway towards that finish line now,” he said.

“The expansion is proceeding, momentum is more assured; the very fact we have had consistent quarters of growth in line with, or slightly better than, our forecasts shows that,” added the Canadian. l

Coke buys $2.15bn stake in Monster

n AFP, New York Coca-Cola announced Thursday it will pay $2.15bn for a 16.7% stake in Monster Beverage, cementing a distribution-based link between the two that had added significantly to Coke’s profits.

The deal would lock in for the soft drink giant a share of the energy drink market, where its own brands have lagged far behind Monster Energy and rival Red Bull.

Coke will transfer ownership of its energy drink unit - brands including NOS, Full Throttle and Burn - to Monster, and take over Monster’s non-energy brands like Hansen’s Natural Sodas, Peace Tea and Hubert’s Lemonade.

Meanwhile, Coke will expand its distribution of Monster drinks under long-term deals, and put two directors on the Monster board.

“The Coca-Cola Company will become Monster’s preferred distribution partner globally and Monster will become The Coca-Cola Company’s exclusive energy play,” the two announced. l

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Corporate founders battle boards to overturn forced exits n Reuters, New York From American Apparel Inc to Lululemon Athletica Inc, Men’s Wearhouse Inc and Best Buy Co Inc, a series of boardroom battles across North America underscore how difficult it can be for companies to part ways with their founders.

In each of these cases, the boards decided it was time for the founders to step down from their roles either as chief executive or chairman, but faced stiff resistance from the founders, some of whom used their substantial equity stakes to fight back.

Corporate governance experts expect more such corporate dramas as shareholders are increasingly holding boards accountable for succession planning, investment returns and overall fiduciary duties. As a result, boards are asserting their authority more frequently, which can put them on collision courses with CEOs, including founders.

“Today’s boards are increasingly feeling pressure to anticipate the CEO leadership needed to drive future success. This is especially true when the CEO is the founder of the company,” said Jane Stevenson, head of the global CEO succession practice at Korn Ferry International.

“In these situations the board can feel significant conflict between appropriate homage to the past and the leadership needed to drive success in the future.”

As many as 42 Fortune 500 companies have founders in CEO positions, according to data compiled by recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles for Reuters.

These founder-CEOs have an average tenure of 22.5 years, compared with around six years for non-founder CEOs. “Founders are often the ones that have the ‘special sauce’ that makes a company’s offering and culture work, so they might be given additional latitude ... as their vision drove value creation in the first place,” said Heidrick & Struggles’ Vice Chairman John Wood.

American Apparel, under Charney’s leadership, was known for its racy

advertising and “Made in the USA” sweatshop-free model. However, the company has posted losses in almost every quarter in the last four years and came under fire in 2010 for lax financial controls.

In June, the board fired Charney for allegedly misusing corporate funds and helping to spread nude photos of a former employee on the Internet, a source previously told Reuters. The photos were allegedly posted on a blog by another American Apparel employee who was impersonating the former employee.

A spokesman for Charney, Keith Estabrook, said, “He was terminated for allegedly failing to prevent the use of impersonating materials, and he did not actively participate.”

Charney has denied the allegations and is fighting to regain control of the company. He increased his stake in the apparel retailer to 44 percent, from about 27%, but signed over his voting rights and shares to the hedge fund Standard General as collateral for a loan.

Charney intends to have a say over key decisions, such as the makeup of the board or M&A deals, whether or not he returns as CEO, a source close to the matter said this week.

American Apparel is waiting for the results of an internal investigation before deciding what to do about its founder. A spokesman for American Apparel declined to comment.

Founders’ shadow

In the case of Lululemon, the Canadian yoga apparel chain was once one of the hottest stocks in retail but it suffered a damaging recall last year involving see-through yoga pants. Late last year, Chip Wilson, the company’s founder, stepped down as non-executive chairman to pave the way for new CEO Laurent Potdevin to run the company.

Wilson, however, remained on the board so that directors could tap his knowledge about the company and its customers. The board assured Potdevin that he would be able to run Lu-

Economists raise thirdquarter US growth forecasts n Reuters, New York Economists raised their forecasts for US economic growth in the third quarter but trimmed their estimates for the balance of 2014, though the outlook for both job growth and lower unemployment was strengthened.

Analysts see the economy growing at an annual rate of 3% in the current quarter, up from a previous estimate of 2.9%, according to the Philadelphia Federal Reserve’s quarterly survey of 43 forecasters, released on Friday.

Fourth-quarter growth was forecast at 3.1%, down from a previous estimate of 3.2%, and first-quarter 2015 growth was estimated at 3.1%, unchanged from an earlier estimate of 3.1%. Meanwhile, they see the economy growing at a rate of 2.1% for all of 2014, down from the previous estimate of 2.4% in the previous survey in May. Growth in 2015 is expected to come in at 3.1%, unchanged from the 3.1% estimate in the May survey.

The pace of hiring was expected to accelerate in the current quarter com-

pared with previous expectations, with an average rate of monthly nonfarm job growth seen around 228,600 versus a previous forecast of 204,700. That is expected to dip in the fourth quarter, averaging 211,200, although that is up from a prior forecast of 197,900.

Hiring should average 204,800 a month for all of 2014, compared with the prior full-year forecast of 196,500.

The jobless rate was expected to be 6.1% at the end of the current quarter and 6% by the end of the fourth quarter.

The most recent official unemployment rate released by the government showed the jobless rate in July stood at 6.2%, up a tenth of a point from June’s reading, which was the lowest since September 2008.

Inflation was expected to remain muted, with year-on-year core consumer price inflation, which strips out food and energy costs, averaging 2.1% in the third quarter, compared with a previous estimates of 1.8%. Fourthquarter core CPI was seen at 2.1% versus a previous forecast of 1.9%. l

“Numerous times I’ve seen firsthand how the founder dynamic can be particularly challenging for fellow board members to successfully grapple with. Internal disputes that become public are one of the most dysfunctional events companies face,” said Brad Allen, the founder of Branav Shareholder Advisory Services, which counsels boards and shareholders on governance issues.

Founders as an asset

Lululemon Athletica Inc's founder Chip Wilson arrives for the company's annual general meeting in Vancouver lulemon without undue influence from Wilson, according to a source familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity.

But tensions began to build as some directors felt Wilson wanted to be excessively involved in management decisions; at the same time, Wilson, who has a 27% stake in Lululemon, became increasingly frustrated that he was not being fully heard, the source said.

The problems spilled out into the open in June, when Wilson lashed out at the board, saying its new chairman and another director were too focused on short-term growth.

A spokesman for Wilson said he had stepped down from management in January 2012 to give then CEO Christine Day the room she wanted to run the company. Lululemon’s board then asked Wilson to return from Australia to address a product quality issue, said the spokesman, Jim Courtovich.

“Chip Wilson has always been focused on doing what is in the best interests of Lululemon and its shareholders,” Courtovich said. “Since then, he has been providing important input that has changed the direction of the company.”

A representative for Lululemon de-

REUTERS

clined to comment.

The two sides settled last week, when Wilson agreed not to wage a proxy contest and to sell half his stake to private equity firm Advent International.

Still, shares of Lululemon have fallen more than 40% since Potdevin’s appointment in December, underscoring the toll such corporate clashes can take on share valuations.

Similar battles between the boards and founders of Men’s Wearhouse, Best Buy and Groupon Inc have rattled their investors until the disagreements were finally settled.

Dollar steady after Russia calls for end to Ukraine crisis n AFP, Tokyo The dollar held steady in Asia Friday on easing concerns over the situation in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an end to the crisis in the violence-wracked country.

In Tokyo afternoon trading, the greenback fetched 102.53 yen, up from 102.45 yen in New York.

The euro bought $1.3363 and 137.07 yen, mixed from $1.3365 and 136.93 yen in US trade, after the release Thursday of weak eurozone economic data.

Growth in the 18-country eurozone ground to a halt in the second quarter, dragged down by France and Germany and casting a cloud over the crisis-hit region.

On Friday, investors moved into the dollar, which tends to decline against the yen during times of turmoil, as Putin said Moscow should not “fence itself off from the outside world” despite a plunge in East-West relations over the pro-Kremlin insurgency in Ukraine.

He added that Russia “will do everything that depends on us to make sure that the (Ukrainian) conflict ends as soon as possible”.

The comments also saw the Russian ruble shoot up to a nine-day high against the dollar because investors interpreted them as a signal by Putin that he preferred not to escalate the deadly Ukrainian crisis.

The Kremlin’s relations with the West have hit their lowest point since the worst years of the Cold War because of Putin’s alleged backing of Russianspeaking insurgents who are battling the pro-European authorities in the east of the ex-Soviet state.

In Iraq, the country’s divisive premier Nuri al-Maliki dropped his bid to stay in power, bowing to huge domestic and international pressure as a jihadist-led offensive threatens to tear the country apart.

His decision was swiftly welcomed by the US and the UN. But Junya Tanase, chief forex

strategist at JPMorgan in Tokyo, said more negative headlines could reignite geopolitical jitters among investors, which would tend to drag the dollar down.

“Conditions aren’t necessarily improving significantly, so you can’t rule out the possibility that risk-averse sentiment will flare up again,” he told Dow Jones Newswires.

The dollar was mostly lower against other Asia-Pacific currencies.

It fell to Sg$1.2442 from Sg$1.2480 the previous day, to Tw$29.95 from Tw$29.99, to 11,671.00 Indonesian rupiah from 11,677.50 rupiah, to 60.77 Indian rupees from 61.05 rupees, and to 1,017.64 South Korean won from 1,023.09 won.

It also eased to 43.67 Philippine pesos from 43.74 pesos while inching up to 31.89 Thai baht from 31.86 baht.

The Australian dollar climbed to 93.25 US cents from 92.56 cents, while the Chinese yuan was unchanged at 16.64 yen. l

To be sure, not all founder departures are acrimonious. Directors and recruiters say many founders have a deep well of knowledge about their companies and customers, and they can be invaluable to their successors.

Former Nielsen Holdings NV CEO David Calhoun said he used to seek advice from Arthur Nielsen Jr on how to resist pressure from media clients for favorable research. Nielsen Jr is credited with transforming the company, which his father founded in 1923, into a name synonymous with television ratings.

“Art Jr’s advice went to the heart of our business: the potential conflict between serving client’s needs (the companies we measure) and our commitment to objective measurement,” said Calhoun, who is now executive chairman at Nielsen.

Bill Ford had fully supported Alan Mulally when he took over as CEO of Ford Motor Co in September 2006, said Marshall Goldsmith, an executive coach who has worked with Mulally.

Early in his tenure, when some top executives challenged Mulally’s initiative to conduct a weekly review of business priorities, he had the backing of Ford, who helped Mulally implement the plan. The weekly review turned out to be central to the No 2 US automaker’s successful turnaround, according to Goldsmith.

Goldsmith said his advice to founders is to pick a date to hand off the company and start working on a succession plan.

“Leave with dignity, don’t get thrown out,” Goldsmith said. l

Brussels pleads with Germany to let wages rise n AFP, Berlin Germany must increase workers’ salaries to help its neighbours out of the economic slump, the European Union’s employment commissioner Laszlo Andor said Saturday.

The Hungarian said Berlin’s big foreign trade surplus was hurting its European partners, and urged it to stimulate domestic demand by increasing wages and public expenditure.

“The rise in salaries has fallen behind the rise in productivity in Germany” for more than a decade, Andor told the German conservative daily Die Welt, in an interview due to be published on Sunday.

Brussels was now urging Germany, the EU’s economic powerhouse, to relax its iron grip on wages, which he said was “indispensible” for the recovery of the rest of the region.

“It would be better if salaries rise in parallel with productivity,” Andor added. l

African Bank rescue rekindles bailout fears n AFP, Johannesburg

Alauddin A Majid, chairperson of BASIC Bank Limited recently spoke at the inauguration of branch managers’ conference as a chief guest in Dhaka

Rupayan Glory, an eco friendly residential project at Naya Palton has recently been handed over at the conference hall of Rupayan recently

South Africa’s decision to rescue a small lender seen as neither “too big” nor “too interconnected” to fail shows that taxpayers worldwide may have to accept that bank bailouts are here to stay.

When South Africa’s central bank recently announced a $700m (520m euro) rescue of faltering African Bank Investments Limited, it scarcely made a splash outside the country.

The bottom line, at least for the rest of the world, was that African Bank is not very big and not very important.

The bank’s managers made far too many bad loans to too many South Africans who could not afford to pay them back.

Because it had not asked borrowers to put up their car or any other asset as collateral, it was left with a massive hole in its balance sheet when they failed to pay.

African Bank is not one of South Africa’s “big-four” - Standard Bank, FNB, Nedbank or ABSA (Barclays Africa) - which are deeply enmeshed in the global financial system.

While many South African banks had made similar “non-secured” loans, most notably Capitec, they have profitable lines of business that should

cover any losses.

And because deposits accounted for only one percent of African Bank’s creditors there would be little risk of a “It’s a Wonderful Life” style bank run, with South Africans clambering to withdraw cash.

The South African financial sector - which makes up about a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and which is vital to investments across the African continent seemed safe.

Why the bail-out?

Announcing the rescue, the South African Reserve Bank, which is well respected globally, pointed to a very local reason for the rescue: to support lenders who serve the poor.

African Bank had mainly provided small loans to low-earning black South Africans, helping them start businesses or get into the housing market.

Two decades after the end of white minority rule and with South Africa still one of the most unequal countries on earth, that is something the government is desperate to encourage.

But the Reserve Bank was also motivated by something more globally relevant: the need to prevent a panic.

“The rescue,” according to Jac Laubscher, an economist with Sanlam,

“once again demonstrates the difficulty of allowing a financial institution to fail and to let all the messy consequences play out unhindered”.

“This is of course not a problem peculiar to South Africa.”

Since the 2008 global financial crisis regulators have tried to reduce the risk that taxpayers’ cash will be needed to save banks that have made dodgy bets.

“Too-big-to-fail” banks have been told to improve the quality and quantity of their capital and to put in place plans for their possible demise.

But at the same time authorities, including those in South Africa, are acutely aware of what happened to the US financial system and the global economy when Lehman Brothers was not given a bail out.

Its collapse sent shock waves across the financial sector, making major banks unwilling to lend to anyone in case the recipient would be next to go.

Credit markets were frozen, hitting consumers and fuelling the Great Recession.

Systematic uncertainty

For the South African authorities the risk of a similar panic or a similar freeze - however slight - was too great, particularly with the economy already on the verge of recession.

According to Andrew Canter, chief investment officer for Futuregrowth, which has around $13 billion of assets under management, there was legitimate concern that uncertainty over African Bank could have caused tumult for well run banks.

“A bank failure with uncertainty in the press and uncertainty at street level could have caused people to say: ‘All banks are bad and this unsecured lending is out of control and I think I’m going to charge down to my local Capitec branch and take my money out as fast as I can’.

“If ABIL (African Bank) had of been left to rot there would have been so much uncertainty it could have created systemic uncertainty,” he said.

Some investors baulk at calling African Bank’s rescue a bailout at all, citing steep losses for shareholders and imposed losses for some debt holders.

“Serious pain has been felt by equity holders, all debt holders, money market funds and the wider banking system,” said Nomura economist Peter Attard Montalto.

But ultimately taxpayers are still on the hook for $700m of African Bank’s “bad book.”

Which just goes to show, after years of crisis, bank bailouts are still far from a thing of the past. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Monday, August 18, 2014

Can central bankers succeed in getting global economy back on track?

No guarantee Bank of England can pull off plan for gradual rate rises n Reuters, London n Anatole Kaletsky The Bank of England is hoping it can gently wean Britain’s economy off record-low borrowing costs, but its plan for “gradual and limited” rises in interest rates might prove harder to pull off than investors expect.

So far, financial markets agree with BoE Governor Mark Carney’s reassurances that a return to more normallooking monetary policy will probably not be a painful one.

Speculation, instead, is focusing on the shorter-term question of whether the Bank’s first rate rise since 2007 will come in November, February or even May. Yet there are a host of scenarios that could require the Bank to step up the pace of rate increases, such as a further run-up in house prices or an inflationary surge in pay.

“At some point their hand may be forced by events,” said Andrew Sentance, a former BoE policymaker who has long called for higher rates. “There is a degree of inconsistency in pushing off interest rate rises as long as you can and still saying they can be done gradually.”

Britain’s economy looks set to enjoy its fastest growth in a decade this year, beating all other major advanced economies, and unemployment has fallen to a five-year low of 6.4%.

At the same time, though, output has only just recovered to pre-crisis levels and wage growth is painfully slow. Inflation is also below the BoE’s target and forecast to stay there, making many observers confident that interest rates are set to stay low for the long term.

Carney says the “new normal” for British interest rates is around 2.5%, about half their level before the crisis, and in a newspaper interview on Sunday he said the economy and banks are not yet back to full strength.

Cautious lenders

Certainly there are strong reasons to expect rates to be lower than before.

Greater caution from lenders means that there is a bigger gap between official BoE rates and those charged by banks, making effective interest rates higher.

High household debt levels combined with years of weak wage growth mean that household finances are more stretched than before the crisis. A rise in borrowing costs may thus have a bigger effect on consumer spending than previously.

Moreover, the US Federal Reserve’s caution about raising rates, combined with economic stagnation in the euro zone, suggests little upward pressure on BoE rates from abroad. l

Why is the world economy still so weak and can anything more be done to accelerate growth? Six years after the near-collapse of the global financial system and more than five years into one of the strongest bull markets in history, the answer still baffles policymakers, investors and business leaders.

This week brought another slew of disappointing figures from Europe and Japan, the weakest links in the world economy since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, despite the fact that the financial crisis originated in the United States. But even in the United States, Britain and China, where growth appeared to be accelerating before the summer, the latest statistics - disappointing retail sales in the United States, the weakest wage figures on record in Britain and the biggest decline in credit in China since 2009 - suggested that the recovery may be running out of steam.

As Stanley Fischer, the new vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, lamented on August 11 in his first major policy speech: “Year after year, we have had to explain from mid-year onwards why the global growth rate has been lower than predicted as little as two quarters back. ... This pattern of disappointment and downward revision sets up the first, and the basic, challenge on the list of issues policymakers face in moving ahead: restoring growth, if that is possible.”

The central message of Fischer’s speech - that central bankers and governments should try even harder than they have in the past five years to support economic growth - was closely echoed by Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, at his quarterly press conference two days later.

This consistency should not be surprising: Carney was Fischer’s student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1970s - as, even more significant, was Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank. Because of Fischer’s influence on other central bankers, as well as his unparalleled combination of academic and official experience, he is probably now the world’s most influential economist.

When President Barack Obama appointed him vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, Fischer was widely viewed as more hawkish than Chairwoman Janet Yellen. He was considered a restraining influence on her instinct to focus on jobs and growth rather than inflation control.

So investors and business leaders should pay attention when Fischer

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi addresses a news conference following the ECB Governing Council meeting in Brussels REUTERS makes his first major speech a call for more explicitly growth-oriented monetary policies - a call that other central bankers are already heeding.

Carney made this clear when he surprised financial markets by revealing no hint of anxiety about inflation or financial bubbles. He instead reiterated the Bank of England’s interest rate policy of “lower for longer” than almost anyone expects. To the chagrin of currency traders, who had been buying sterling on the assumption that Britain would be the first major economy to raise interest rates - perhaps as early as this year.

Even at the European Central Bank, the once taboo idea that monetary policy can be used to stimulate growth is suddenly open for discussion - if not yet conventional wisdom.

Draghi, in his recent policy statements, has unequivocally promised that the European Central Bank would keep interest rates at zero far longer than the Fed and has openly welcomed

the weaker euro this policy should produce. There has also been no criticism for this ultra-dovish policy from German Chancellor Angela Merkel or the Bundesbank - if only because the German economy is reeling from the bodyblow of the sanctions war with Russia and the violence in Ukraine.

But what of Fischer’s discouraging caveat at the end of his quote? The challenge, he said, “is restoring growth, if that is possible.”

Many economists now say there is nothing more that policy can do to stimulate growth or employment, a view shared by many industrialists, financiers and politicians. Fischer is clearly not among these skeptics, and neither are the other leading central bankers.

Though official statements from leading policymakers are invariably hedged with qualifications, the gist of Fischer’s speech is clear: Restoring precrisis growth rates should be possible -

but only if economic policy is reformed to deal with three issues that have been treated as taboo, especially among central bankers: First, central banks must be allowed to interpret their inflation targets flexibly, to ensure that monetary policy promotes growth, as well as maintaining stable prices. In support for European debtor nations that are wrestling with Germany over the ECB’s exclusively inflation-fighting mandate, Fischer insists that “in practice, even in countries where the central bank officially targets only inflation, monetary policymakers also aim to stabilize the real economy around some normal level or path.”

Second, policymakers must distinguish weak demand, which is likely temporary, from weak supply-side growth, which may well be structural.

This is essentially the issue discussed last month in this column. In the United States, Fischer attributes the weakness of demand to housing, Europe and fiscal drag, and suggests that all these “headwinds” could be counteracted with better policies. Housing, for example, could be helped by avoiding a repeat of the “sharp rise in mortgage rates in mid-2013.” Reversing the drag from Europe requires resolution of the euro crisis. On fiscal policy, the obvious solution is simply to stop raising taxes or cutting public spending.

Third, Fischer points out that some of the supply-side obstacles to growth that seem structural - such as falling labor participation, low investment and weak productivity - can be caused by temporary weakness of demand rather than by permanent changes in technology or human nature.

A key objective of monetary policy is, in his view, to ensure that any temporary weakness of demand does not translate into a permanent reduction of supply by eroding work habits, discouraging investment and slowing productivity growth. “There are real risks that cyclical slumps can become structural,” Fischer said, “and it may be possible to reverse or prevent declines from becoming permanent expansive macroeconomic policies.”

As for the idea that productivity growth is permanently declining because technological ideas are near exhaustion, Fischer concludes wryly: “It is unwise to underestimate human ingenuity.”

It may also be unwise to underestimate the ingenuity of central bankers now that they are really determined to get faster growth. l Anatole Kaletsky is a columnist for Reuters.

The article was initially published at Reuters.

After breakups, US newspapers seek path forward

50 Cent, Intel team up on heart-monitor headphones

n AFP, Washington

n AFP, San Francisco

Following an unprecedented series of spinoffs by major US media companies, the print news industry now faces a rocky future without financial support from deep-pocketed parent firms.

The wave of corporate breakups comes with newspapers and magazines struggling in a transition to digital news, and shareholders of media conglomerates increasingly intolerant of the lagging print segment.

Gannett, publisher of USA Today and dozens of other newspapers, became the latest to unveil its plan, splitting its print and broadcast operations into two separate units in a move to “sharpen” the focus of each.

This follows the recently completed spinoff by Tribune Co of its newspaper group, which includes the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, and Time Warner’s separation of its magazine publishing group Time Inc. Two other newspaper groups, EW Scripps and Journal Communications, announced last month they would merge and then spin off their combined newspaper operations while creating a separate entity focused on broadcasting and digital media.

The trend arguably took hold last year with Rupert Murdoch’s split of his empire into separate firms focused on media-entertainment and publishing --

DILBERT

21st Century Fox and the newly structured News Corp.

‘Cast out of house’

The wave of spinoffs “certainly plays into the perception that these are children being cast out of the house by their parents,” said Mark Jurkowitz, associate director of the Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project.

Newspapers were snapped up by media groups in an era when print was hugely profitable, but other segments of the media conglomerates are now driving profits, such as local television.

“The market doesn’t think much of the newspaper industry’s future,” Jurkowitz said.

Industry consultant Alan Mutter argues that publicly traded newspaper firms still produce an average profit margin of 16%, higher than that of Walmart and Amazon.

But Mutter said on his blog that profits and newsroom staffing have taken a huge hit in recent years, and that newspapers have failed to do enough in the digital arena.

“Rather than reliably ‘owning’ their audiences as they once did in print, the internal metrics at every newspaper show an increasing dependence on the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter to generate the traffic that is the lifeblood of any media enterprise,” he said.

Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor

at Northeastern University, said newspapers are recovering from the negative impact of earlier corporate tie-ups.

“It’s really corporate debt and the expectations of Wall Street that have done as much to damage the newspapers business as Craigslist,” Kennedy told AFP. “Newspaper margins are still pretty good. And when you have newspapers owned by private companies without debt, some of them are doing pretty well.”

Some analysts say that the breakup of big media firms may force publishers to create ways to connect with readers online.

“The real problem with newspaper industry has not been with the dead tree part, it is the failure to monetize the digital eyeballs,” Jurkowitz said.

“Unless there is an increase in digital revenue streams it’s hard to imaging them getting out of the situation they are in.”

The industry is closely watching the efforts of newspapers like the New York Times, which is experimenting with new digital access plans, and the Washington Post, which under new owner Jeff Bezos has boosted online readership to record highs.

Rap star 50 Cent and US computing giant Intel are teaming up on a new line of headphones that double as heart rate monitors.

With the company SMS Audio backed

by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Intel will produce the so-called fitness monitoring biometric in-ear headphones.

The headphones will integrate biometric sensors to allow users to collect fitness data and “achieve peak physical performance,” according to an Intel

statement Thursday.

It noted that “an energy-harvesting audio jack” eliminates the need for extra batteries or chargers.

Brian Nohe, president of SMS Audio, said the new device means the company is “the first to provide this level of integrated, seamless and helpful biometric information to inspire customers to advance their fitness experiences.”

Intel said the listening devices will “bring smart exercise capabilities to athletes of all levels later this year.” l

Russian food embargo smells like opportunity for LatAm n AFP, Sao Paulo Russia’s embargo on US and EU food products has opened a window of opportunity for Latin America, which could capitalize on the Ukraine crisis to become a major food supplier to Moscow.

Furious over the sanctions Western countries have imposed on Russia over its support for Ukraine’s separatist rebels, the Kremlin announced on August 7 it was placing a “full embargo” on most food imports from the United States and European Union.

That could enable major Latin American food producers like Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico to get a foothold in the Russian market, analysts told AFP. But challenges abound, including long shipping distances, production costs, the difficulty of scaling up production to meet massive Russian demand, and the political tensions such exports could create with Western allies.

“This could motivate Latin American companies to turn toward the Russian market. It would be with considerable caution though, because of the political situation,” said Mexican academic Jesus Valdes Diaz de Villegas of Iberoamericana University’s business department.

Such a move would have to come from private firms, “without any kind of statement of support for Russia on the part of the government,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to Latin America last month on a six-day tour that included a stop in Brazil, the region’s largest food producer.

Moscow then sealed import deals with two dozen Brazilian poultry companies and five pork producers, just days before announcing its Western import embargo.

Russian health regulators have since granted new import permits to 87 meat producers and two dairies in Brazil.

“From the commercial point of view, it’s an opportunity for Brazil.

From the political point of view, it’s a problem Brazil will have to deal with,” Jose Augusto de Castro, the director of the Brazilian Foreign Trade Association, told AFP. The South American country’s bilateral trade with Russia totaled $3bn in the first six months of the year, $563m of it in beef.

Castro estimated the country’s additional exports to Russia this year could add up to an extra $300m to $500m over previous years.

‘Strictly business’

Other Latin American countries are smelling similar opportunities.

Russia is currently just the sixthlargest market for Chilean food exports, but businesses there have been in talks with Russian officials to increase exports of fruits and fish.

“The Russians have asked us to help them find suppliers,” said Diego Vicente, the manager of the National Agriculture Society’s Russia-focused Business Development Platform.

The Russian embargo is an “opportunity” for Chile, said the director of the country’s International Economic Relations office, Andres Rebolledo, insisting it was “strictly a business matter.”

Russian officials have also been in contact with Argentine farmers.

“We’ve gotten a lot of requests from Russia, mainly in citrus, dairy and meats,” said Matias Garcia of the Argentine-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. l

‘Not the death phase’

Kennedy said that while newspapers may be profitable and an important part of the community, they may not be able to meet Wall Street’s expectations for growth.

“It’s not a growing business,” Kennedy said.

Private owners can still keep the business in the black, said Kennedy, citing the record of Boston Globe’s new owner, sports magnate John Henry.

But he said that newspapers need to make considerable investments “to make a smart transition to digital” in the coming years. l

A visitor of the 'Gamescom' fair plays 'The Crew' car and driving game on August 13, 2014 in Cologne, western Germany. The trade fair for interactive games is running until August 17 AFP