25 Aug, 2014

Vadro 10, 1421 Shawal 28, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 143

MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

20 pages | Price: Tk12

B1 | BUSINESS

7 | LONG FORM

11 | OP-ED

14 | SPORT

INDIAN TRADE PREFERENCES MARRED BY NTBS, PTBS

PAKISTAN’S ‘AZADI MARCH’ IN PERSPECTIVE

BANGLADESH UNDER THE PAEDOPHILE’S GAZE

UNITED LOSE POINTS, SPURS BATTER QPR

Potent IGW sector now a junkyard Reprobe into Felani A market that can accommodate only 19 call termination operators, now has 91 Zahidul Islam n Muhammad and Rajib Bhowmick Lack of foresight from the authority, corruption by officials and a section of politicians and a mad rush of businessmen have contributed to the near collapse of the call termination market that had the potential to be a major foreign currency earning sector for the country.

Until March 2012, there were only nine call termination service operators in Bangladesh – four internet gateways (IGW), two interconnection exchanges (ICx) and two international internet gateways (IIG).

According to telecom watchdog BTRC, 19 operators at best can survive profitably in the market. It recommended that the government could award only four more IGW, four ICx and two IIG licences.

But the government never heeded that; instead it awarded 82 more licences in 2012, taking the number of IGWs to 29, ICxs to 23 and IIGs to 39. The total number of call termination operators stood at 91. Many of those were given on political considerations, rendering the market over-saturated and making it nearly impossible to earn a profit.

When the government amended the regulations and started giving new licences in 2010, many businessmen wanted to make some real profit from the market which was worth nearly Tk2,000 crore. Some politicians, mainly ministers and ruling party lawmak-

INTERNATIONAL CALL TERMINATION SCENARIO

CALL TERMINATION STRUCTURE LEGAL INTERNATIONAL INCOMING CALL

ILLEGAL INTERNATIONAL INCOMING CALL

IGW/VSP

VoIP

CALL TERMINATION OPERATORS

BTRC’s prespcription

at best 19 licenses

whereas Ministry

awarded

including

8 IGW

91 29 IGW including

ers, started flexing their muscles to get IGW licences.

There was another group of “middlemen” - mainly politicians – who saw this as an opportunity to make crores without investing a penny. They took bribes from applicants in return for getting them licences by using their political influences.

In the process, some government officials also fattened their pockets by playing ball with these middlemen politicians.

The Dhaka Tribune has learned that for some of the licences, there had been underhanded dealings worth Tk2-4 crore.

Because of the overcrowded market, the government and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) have virtually lost control.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the market’s volatility, several IGW opera-

ICx MOBILE OPERATORS

government gets revenue

FIXED LINES

tors have initiated a process of creating a consortium to control all the incoming and outgoing international voice call terminations, in what others say is an attempt to monopolise the market.

In 2010, there were 4 IGW operators who shared Tk1,530 crore with the government In layman’s terms, for international calls to reach a land line or mobile phone in Bangladesh, they have to be passed or routed through what are known as “gateways.”

When an international call is legally routed through a licensed international gateway (IGW), the Bangladesh government gets a duty from the IGW operator. The telecom operator in the foreign country shares a certain amount of the

MOBILE OPERATORS

government gets nothing

FIXED LINES

money – which it charges its subscriber for the international call – with the IGW operator in Bangladesh.

In 2010, there were only four licensed IGW operators in the market who shared Tk1,530 crore of their revenue with the government. By 2013, there were as many as 29 IGW operators who shared Tk1,627 crore with the government.

Analysts say if the market was less saturated and the operators could make better profits, they would have been able to share much more with the government.

However, the current scenario of the market is that most of the operators are finding it hard to make any profit because of the excessive number of competitors. In fact, many have pulled out of the business after having failed to make any substantial profit against the huge investment they had made for call termination infrastructure.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

killing under way, BSF tells BGB n Rabiul Islam The Indian Border Security Force has assured Bangladesh of a fair retrial in the killing of Bangladeshi teenager Felani Khatun upon further investigation, a year after her self-confessed killer had been acquitted in a trial that received severe criticism.

“We wanted to know about the progress of the retrial of Felani killing. The BSF officials told us that reinvestigation in Felani killing was going on so that the trial can be conducted properly,” BGB Director General Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed said yesterday.

He spoke to the Dhaka Tribune over phone from New Delhi where a fiveday conference between the BSF and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is underway.

The two countries also discussed various other issues including smuggling and drug trafficking. The conference ends today.

“Dhaka also pressed for bringing border killings to zero. The killings are taking place even though the BSF promised to do everything possible to stop such killings during the previous conference in Dhaka in September last year,” he added.

A special BSF court on September 6 last year acquitted BSF Constable Amiya

11 held for possessing uranium-like substance n Ashif Islam Shaon Police yesterday claimed to have recovered uranium from the possession of 11 men arrested on Saturday in different parts of the capital.

The Detective Branch of police said they had recovered a leather bag containing two pounds of the radioactive element in a box.

They, however, were not certain if it was really uranium, and said they would conduct tests.

Police produced the 11 – Aslam Mia, 61, Moinal Hossain Sagor, 45, Humayun Kabir, 48, Kaiyum Chowdhury, 54,

Police say they lured people into investing in uranium with the false hope of a huge return Kayes Ahmed, 54, Md Khaleq, 44, Swapan Mollah, 45, Md Firoz, 45, Mahmudur Rahman Nasim, 42, Mainul Uddin Sarwar Rajon, 35, and Tofayel Ahmed Patwary, 48 – before a Dhaka court, seeking seven days’ remand for each.

The court granted four-day remand for each.

Police conducted raids in Hatirjheel, Dhanmondi, Uttara and Banani and arrested the 11 along with the bag containing uranium-like substance, DB Deputy Commissioner Krishna Pada Roy said at a briefing at the DMP media centre yesterday.

Showing a bag, he said there was a box inside containing the substance.

Apart from the substance, the box contained a gas mask, a radiation metre, an anti-radiation jacket, gloves and catalogues written in English and Russian, he said.

“The swindlers deceive people by selling the object. Some of them would collect buyers while others preserved it for selling,” Roy said.

“We recovered the bag from the residence of Aslam Miah in Banani. What it contains will be worth around Tk50 crore. The fraudsters would target people who are financially well-off, and promise them big return on investment in uranium. They would tell prospective buyers that investing millions would return them crores,” he said.

“They would initially show videos of uranium usage to the prospective investors. If they would understand that someone had Tk50 lakh to invest, they would then show him the leather bag.

“Some people have already given them money as they believed their pitch after seeing the Russian catalogue and other devices in the bag. After getting the money, however, the arestees cut off all communications with the investors,” the DB official said.

Law enforcers claimed that the gang had imported the box from a foreign country but refused to disclose its name.

The stuff will be tested

Abdullah Al Mamun, additional deputy commissioner of the DB who led the raids, said the recovered substance would be sent to a laboratory for testing.

“As we cannot say for certain what it really is, we will send it to the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission or any laboratory upon court order,” he said.

According to the UK-based World Nuclear Association, uranium is a very heavy metal which can be used as an abundant source of concentrated energy, and occurs in most rocks in concentrations of two to four parts per million.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

The investigators have found strong evidence of crimes against humanity committed by three detained war crimes suspects including Sirajul Islam alias Siraj Mastar alias Siraj Kosai, the deputy commander of Bagerhat unit razakar force, during the 1971 Liberation War.

4 | News

Gold smugglers now choose airports in Chittagong and Sylhet to carry on with their illegal act as surveillance was recently ramped up at Shahjalal International Airport.

6 | Nation

After a lull of around four months, yaba traders have again turned active for a week on Ukhia and Teknaf borders in Cox’s Bazar.

pur border in Kurigram, her clothes got entangled in the wire and the BSF fired at her, hearing her screams.

“We expected justice, but it has not been reflected in the judgement of the Felani killing case,” then home minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir said adding that the killing of Felani had been a shameful and tragic incident for both Bangladesh and India.

Criticising the verdict, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Mizanur Rahman said the judgement showed disrespect for international law. “It has made a mockery of  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

K Sarker and n Probir Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

have been turned to ruins, the city corporation authorities are yet to take any noticeable steps to find a remedy to the problem apart from announcing large allocations in their budgets.

In its budget placement programme for FY2012-13, DSCC showed a total expenditure for playgrounds and parks to be at Tk4.6 crore, where it claimed of spending Tk40 lakh for Shahid Zia Shishu Park adjoining Suhrawardy Udyan, Tk3 crore for 10 memorials honouring Sector Commanders of the Liberation War in Usmani Udyan and

A Dhaka court yesterday granted bail to former state minister Abdul Mannan, allegedly beyond its jurisdiction, until October 13 in a corruption case filed for accumulating illegal wealth worth Tk75.04 lakh.

Judge Md Emdadul Haque of the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court allowed bail on a Tk50,000 bond.

Defence counsel Syed Rezaur Rahman filed the bail petition on health ground after Mannan had surrendered before the court earlier in the day.

In the bail prayer, the counsel said his client had been a cardiac patient.

“The political rival group has implicated him to ruin his political image and harass him.”

When the court enquired the accused about his health, he unbuttoned his panjabi to show open heart surgery marks.

In response to another query, the former lawmaker said: “Every accused has the right to enjoy bail. I have surrendered before the court since I respect the law. I am ill and have been suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes.”

ACC counsel Kabir Hossain opposed the bail mentioning that the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the bail petition. ‘‘According to the law, only the Special Judge’s Court is entitled to hear such matter and make a decision,” he added.

The Anti-Corruption Commission on August 21 filed the case against Mannan, a former Awami League lawmaker from Dohar, since he had concealed information of wealth worth around Tk4.60 lakh and accumulated illegal wealth worth Tk75.04 lakh.

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

This section of the Dhupkhola playground in Old Dhaka’s Gendaria was used for storing construction equipment for the Mayor Hanif Flyover project. The flyover has already been built but the place is still not any good for people’s use SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Tk9 crore spent by DSCC for open spaces yields no harvest n Abu Hayat Mahmud

❱ DSCC shows expenditure of Tk9 crore

in FY13 & FY14 for development of all playgrounds and parks under its jurisdiction, which is not reflected in real scenario

Although Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) claims to have spent around Tk9 crore for the development of playgrounds and parks in the past two fiscal years, existing public recreational places under its jurisdiction show no significant reflection of such claims.

The Dhaka Tribune has found that the nine public playgrounds under the DSCC are virtually off-limits to children and youngsters due to illegal occupations and lack of monitoring, development and maintenance by the authorities.

At a time when the media are repeatedly exposing how and why almost all playgrounds and parks in the capital

8 | World

12 | Entertainment

❱ 9 public playgrounds with a total space

of about 21 acres under DSCC jurisdiction are either occupied by sports clubs, other authorities or in sorry state and unavailable for public recreation

5 | News

The recent muggings in Khulna city have turned this industrial city into a safe haven for snatchers. Incidents of CNG hijacking, killing of muggers by angry mobs and robing traders has become a common phenomenon in the city with a population of move than a hundred and forty thouand.

Bangladesh, India agree over improved joint patrolling; BSF hands over list of 71 insurgent camps in Bangladesh

Court grants bail to Mannan beyond its jurisdiction

INSIDE 3 | News

Ghosh of the charge of killing Felani.

The self-confessed killer could not be found guilty because of “inconclusive and insufficient” evidence against him, the court said in its verdict.

Felani, 15, was shot dead on January 7, 2011 while she was returning home with her father. As she tried to climb over the barbed-wire fence along the Ananta-

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Palestinian civilians yesterday to leave immediately any site where militants are operating, a day after Israel flattened a 13-storey tower.

Lungi Dance in Bangla. The tendency of copying Bollywood hit tracks and pasting it with a few catchy Bangla words to our mainstream film is nothing new.

15 | Sport

Reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won her second WTA Connecticut Open title in three years Saturday, defeating Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4, 6-2.

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Indian company awarded $200 million power plant deal n Aminur Rahman Rasel State-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) yesterday signed a deal with Mumbai- based Indian multinational Larsen and Toubro Limited to construct a 225 MW combined cycle dual fuel power plant at Shikalbaha in Chittagong.

PDB secretary Md Zahurul Haque and Larsen and Toubro Limited vice president Saurav Indwar signed the deal on behalf of their respective sides.

The contract signing ceremony was held at Bidyut Bhaban in the city.

Larsen and Toubro Limited will build the plant as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor at a cost of Tk1,707.75cr, or around US $202.22 million.

Four development partners in the Middle-East, namely Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the OPEC Fund are financing the project with a fund of US $167.73 million.

Of the total project cost, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) will contribute US $31.40 million, the Saudi Fund will put forward US $53.33 million, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) will provide US $53 million and the OPEC Fund will contribute US $30 million. The remaining cost will be borne by the Bangladesh government.

Larsen & Toubro Limited also re-

ceived a US $280 million order for the EPC job at Bheramara power plant in Khulna Division, according to a press release published on the Larsen and Toubro Limited website.

State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid said many reputed Indian companies like the Reliance Group were keen on investing in Bangladesh.

The charge d'affaires of the Kuwait Embassy in Dhaka, Nasser al Onaizi, Power Division secretary, Monwar Islam, PDB chairman, Abduhu Ruhullah, Petrobangla chairman, Hossain Monsur, and Larsen and Toubro Limited senior executive vice president, Shailendra Roy, were among those who spoke at the programme.

According to the contract, the construction of the project’s simple cycle unit will be completed within the next 18 months while the combined cycle unit will start operation within 30 months of the effective date of the contract.

On February 19, 2013, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project aimed at meeting the growing demand for power in the greater Chittagong region.

In the project, JVCA of Development Consultant Pvt, India; Sief Engineering Consultants, Kuwait; and Karigari Paramarsha, Bangladesh will work as consultants to the PDB. l

News

Monday, August 25, 2014

ACC sues Khoka and seven others n Adil Sakhawat

Former Dhaka City mayor and BNP vice chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka has been named in another case filed by the Anti Corruption Commission for allegedly violating the law and misusing power while in office.

The anti graft body yesterday filed a case against eight former and current officials of Dhaka City Corporation, including Khoka, for their involvement in irregularities in the allocation of shops at the DCC-owned Dhaka Trade Centre in Gulistan.

ACC commissioner M Shahabuddin told reporters that ACC Assistant Director Mahbubul Alam filed the case with Shahbagh police station for alleged irregularities in the allocation of shops at Gulistan hawkers' market, now known as the Dhaka Trade Centre.

The other accused are former chief estate officer of DCC, Mashiar Rahman; former estate officers, Mahsin Uddin Moral and Sahabuddin Sabu; former Kanongo, Mohammad Ali; and surveyors, Mohammad Bachu Mia, Farroque Hossain and Motaleb Hossain.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the accused allocated many of the municipality market's shops illegally, and in collusion with each other, for a monthly rent of Tk15 per square feet. To conceal irregularities they deliberately misplaced the main allotment documents that were supposed to be kept at the estate department, the case statement said.

To conceal irregularities they deliberately misplaced the main allotment documents of shops at Dhaka Trade Centre, says the case statement ACC sources said the eight people named in the case allocated 493 shops.

According to the Local Government (city corporation) Act 2009, city corporation officials cannot lease city corporation-owned land or space without the prior approval of the government.

In addition to the shop allotment irregularities, the accused also allotted basement spaces and car park spaces temporarily and for free to people known to them in violation of the law, the FIR reads.

BNP vice chairman Khoka has been named in a number of cases by the anti graft body.

In March 2012, the ACC sued Khoka and six others for causing a Tk827cr loss to the state exchequer because of alleged corruption between 2007 and 2009 in connection with a multi-storey car park project in the Dilkusha area of the capital.

In February 2012, the ACC filed a case against Khoka and three others, accusing them of misappropriating Tk37.19 lakh by leasing out the car park of a DCC market in the city's Banani neighbourhood. In November of the same year, the ACC charge-sheeted Khoka.

Khoka served as mayor of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) from April 2002 until just before Dhaka City Corporation was divided into two city corporations in November 2011. l

Dhaka faces gas supply disruption as lightning strikes Bibiyana n Aminur Rahman Rasel Gas supply was disrupted in the capital yesterday for nine hours as lightning struck the Bibiyana gas field in Habiganj bringing down the production by more than half its capacity to 360 million cubic feet.

Bibiyana supplies around 840m cubic feet of gas per day to the national grid.

Several wells at the gas field were damaged because of the lightning during a storm around 3pm. The repairing work of the wells completed around 9:40pm.

Besides household chores, gas-

based power plants and industries also had to be kept shut throughout the evening.

“Production at several wells of the north pad of the gas field was suspended for nine hours. The authorities took the time for repairing the damage,” Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd Director Mir Moshiur Rahman said: “We were in a serious gas crisis and after the repairing and it would take three to four hours

for the situation to become normal.”

Gas flow from Bibiyana takes the time to reach Dhaka.

“As a result, we had to advise power stations, CNG stations and industries to consume less gas,” added Moshiur Rahman.

Bibiyana, the country’s largest gas field, is operated by the US-based company Chevron.

Sabrina Khan, media and documentation officer of Chevron, said it was a natural accident and “we had nothing to do. We took quick action for the repair work.” l

Inqilab apologises for report on AIG n Tribune Report The Daily Inqilab yesterday regretted publishing a controversial report on Additional Inspector General Pralay Kumar Joardar on August 18.

The paper apologised for using words in the report that hurt the religious sentiments of the members of a particular community, and requested the people and institutions who were hurt by the story to pardon it.

The Inqilab authorities promised to be more careful and more aware in the future in carrying stories that might tarnish the reputation of the country and could incite communal tension or discord, saying: “The daily Inqilab is always committed to upholding the country’s independence, sovereignty and constitution.”

They said they should not have published such report on the police force or the police officer.

The editor and management of the daily yesterday announced to withdraw the report, acknowledging that a lot of information in the report was not based on facts, according to their own investigation.

They also admitted that they were not careful enough in writing, editing and publishing the report.

The paper published a report on the AIG, which said he had created an unofficial Hindu League in the police department.

Pralay later filed a case against the editor, publisher, news editor, city editor and the correspondent, among others, with Wari police station, accusing the paper of hurting religious sentiments, attempting to create disorder in the administration and violating the ICT Act. After the case was filed, police raided the newspaper’s office on RK Mission Road in the capital and arrested its news editor Robiullah Robi.

The Inqilab authority said a process was launched internally to find the responsible persons, and pledged to take action against them. l

DSCC’s Tk9 crore budget for open spaces yields no harvest

Reprobe into Felani killing

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Tk1.2 crore for the city’s public playgrounds’ renovations.

The DSCC’s budget for FY2013-14 unveiled that a total of Tk4.37 was spent for developing playgrounds and parks, where Tk21 lakh was spent for Zia Shishu park, Tk2.36 for other parks and Tk1.8 crore for all playground.

In the current fiscal year, the local government body allocated Tk1.3 crore for the same purpose.

However, in reality city dwellers found no benefit from the DSCC’s budget allocation as the taxpayers money never reached the development work due to several irregularities.

Sources at the city corporation also alleged that a handsome amount of the allocation usually ends up in the pockets of few designated officials of DSCC’s Engineering Department.

During a recent visit to these playgrounds and parks, this Dhaka Tribune correspondent found that many of them were now being used for city corporations’ infrastructural development purposes while some were being used illegally by private clubs for their own purposes.

The rest, although unoccupied, remain in a sorry state for several years due to the city corporation’s negligence and irregularities.

Two playgrounds in Dhupkhola and Golapbagh have remained off-limits for children since 2010 as these open spac-

es were being used to keep construction materials and equipment used for the Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover.

In Dhamnondi, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Ltd authorities have taken control of Dhanmondi playground despite repeated directives from the High Court to keep it free as a public place.

Sources say the club has itself been illegally occupying the ground since 1962 with city corporation authorities continually playing a dubious role in this regard.

Earlier when asked about the Dhanmondi playground, DSCC Chief Executive Officer Md Ansar Ali Khan told the Dhaka Tribune: “Present infrastructural constructions inside Dhanmondi playground had been conducted by the Local Government Division, but not run by the DSCC.” The Kalabagan playground in the capital has been under the control of Kalabagan Krira Chakra, thus the club authority had been maintaining the playground.

Moreover, Sadek Hossain Khoka playground, Lalbagh Kellar Mor playground and Bangladesh Matth, among others, have been turned to ruins.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, locals in these areas said the playgrounds become muddy and go under water during the rainy season, discouraging children to play there. They also claimed that the city corporation had taken no initiatives to renovate these

Potent IGW sector now a junkyard  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

There are also operators who never ended up entering the market altogether after getting licensed because of the tight situation.

Zahir Ahmed, managing director and CEO of Bangla Tel, told the Dhaka Tribune that he used to work for licenced IGW Mir Telecom in 2008. In 2010, after the regulations were amended and the government started giving new licences, he joined IGW licencee Bangla Tel. “We did all the calculations before starting our venture as to what might happen if there were too many operators. But we got the actual picture after starting our business. Only then did we realise how bad the situation was,” he said.

He also said if everything had been done following rules, the situation would not have become so alarming.

Role of officials

Current BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose was the secretary of the Telecommunication Ministry when the decision was made to award more IGW licences in 2010.

At that time, Sunil reportedly played a key role in spearheading the ministry’s decision to award licences on a wholesale basis ignoring the then

BTRC’s recommendations.

Even the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Telecommunication Ministry lobbied for more licences, according to the minutes of the 35th meeting of that committee.

When this Dhaka Tribune correspondent tried to contact him in connection with this particular report, Sunil refused to make any comment.

However, on a previous occasion, he told the Dhaka Tribune: “Increasing the number of licenses was a political decision.... The decision to give licences was not made by the secretary, the minster made the call.”

He also said: “Who can say for certain how many licences are right? Only the market can ascertain this.”

Sources said the then telecommunication minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju, the then parliamentary standing committee chairman and Sunil Kanti Bose had met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at that time to convince her about giving out more IGW licences.

Former BTRC chairman Maj Gen (retd) Manzurul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune: “Awarding so many licences was unexpected. The market is not big enough to sustainably accommodate 29 IGWs. This overcrowded situation has created an unhealthy competition.

open places for a long time.

At the same time, no major development was found in existing parks while few parks have been transformed for commercial purposes.

Shahid Zia Shishu park, children amusement park adjoining the Suhrawarthy Udyan at Shahbagh in the capital, has not seen any major change or development since its establishment, although the city corporation authority said they sent some Tk61 lakh for the park in last two fiscal years.

The historic Suhrawardy Udyan, one of the capital’s few green spaces, where Shishu Park is located, is now full of concrete structures due to poor maintenance.

An official of Zia Shishu park, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The existing rides of the park had been there since its establishment.

We just carry out repair work and maintenance to keep the rides functional.”

Contacted, DSCC Chief Estate Officer Khalid Ahmed said the corporation’s Estate Department’s functions are to maintain and administrate the municipal property and land, also to lease the lands or cancel a leased property.

“All the development activities of the corporation is maintained by the Engineering department, so you can contact them,” he suggested the cor-

respondent. When contacted over the phone, Chief Engineering Md Zahangir Alam refused to answer queries of this correspondent regarding the issue.

“I do not understand what you are saying, you can write what you think, understand?... or if you want to know more, you can come to my office later,” he said.

Earlier, this correspondents tried to meet Zahangir several times, he was unavailable at his office. l

As a result, the regulator has lost control over the market and the government is losing revenue.”

Former BTRC consultant Rezaul Kadir told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have said more than eight licenses cannot survive in the IGW sector. We also tried to convince them [the ministry] with statistics, but they did not listen to us.”

and daughter Syeda Amrin in the list of partners.

Former health minister AFM Ruhal Haque’s son Ziaul Haque was the director of Moss-5 Tel and his wife Ila Haque was one of the partners.

Former state minister for home Shamsul Haque Tuku’s son SM Shams was a director of Vision Tel. Last year, however, he dissolved his stake in the company. Same with former communications minister Abul Hossain’s daughter who also owned a similar company.

She, however, dissolved her stake in December 2012.

There are allegations that an influential lawmaker from Dhaka who is a lawyer by profession, helped several businessmen get licences in exchange for amounts ranging from Tk3-4 crore.

Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Abdus Sobhan Mia’s wife Gulshan Ara Mia got an IGW licence for her company Roots Communications.

Mir Nasir Hossain, president of the Telecommunication Infrastructure Operators of Bangladesh and also managing director of IGW operator Mir Telecom, told the Dhaka Tribune: “As this is an over-licensed market, there is no discipline here. My assumption is that in the near future, no IGW operator will be able to survive. We are very frustrated.”

Political influences

Documents show that one of the licences was given to Selima Osman, Imtiaz Osman and Tanvir Ahmed, wife, son and brother-in-law, respectively, of Shamim Osman, the controversial ruling party lawmaker from Narayanganj. Just before the January 5 election in which he was elected MP, the ownership of K Telecom was changed and the names of his family members were removed from the list of company shareholders. At that time, K Telecom owed Tk90 crore to the government in the form of revenue sharing.

Ratul Telecom’s licence application carried a recommendation from Jahangir Kabir Nanak, former LGRD minister. At that time, the company had no shareholder from Nanak’s family. However, a few months later, the name of Nanak’s wife Syeda Anjuman Banu appeared in the list of directors

Eleven remanded  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Woman claims an arrestee her husband

Meanwhile, a woman was found waiting outside the DB office during the briefing. She refused to tell her name but claimed herself the wife of Kayes.

“My husband was at a meeting when he was arrested on Thursday night. Today someone called me and said my husband was brought to the DB office,” she said.

She said she had no idea what type of meeting Kayes had been at.

“My husband manages a warehouse, and also works as a lobbyist. He has connections with many top officials of the police and administration,” she claimed.

The woman said her husband did not tell her anything about uranium. l

justice. It has not only cheated the family of Felani but also the whole nation,” he said.

The Foreign Ministry also expressed frustration over the verdict formally.

Then minister Dipu Moni said the government would appeal against the verdict if justice was not ensured.

A day later, the BSF in a press release said the competent authorities of the force decided to hold a revision trial in the case as they had not agreed with the findings of the court.

The BGB chief said the BSF authorities in a letter last week had requested to produce Felani’s father and maternal uncle for the trial procedure.

Seeking anonymity, a lawyer who is helping Felani’s family said her father Nur Islam had appealed to the Indian Supreme Court seeking compensation and fair trial into the killing.

Maj Gen Aziz leads a 22-member delegation from Bangladesh side while BSF chief DK Pathak heads the Indian side at the conference.

About the border killings, “the BSF officials said firing takes place when smugglers try to enter the Indian territory at midnight,” the BGB DG quoted the Indian officials as saying.

He claimed that the Indian officials had again assured them of taking measures in bringing down the number of killings to zero.

India and Bangladesh yesterday also

Call termination structure

Legally, international calls can enter Bangladesh in two ways – through an IGW or through any of the VoIP service providers (VSPs). The international internet gateways (IIGs) are organisational call termination licences that work on the basis of VoIP while the VSPs are mainly individual operators.

The IGW operators and the IIG or VSPs have contracts with foreign carriers. On the basis of those contracts, certain IGW and IIG or VSPs receive calls from certain foreign carriers. This is more of a matter of marketing – the more foreign carriers that a local company has contracts with, the better its business is.

When an intentional call enters Bangladesh, the foreign carrier has to pay the $0.03 for each minute of call termination to the IGW or the VSP. The IGW or the VSP then forwards the call to an interconnection exchange (ICX), which then forwards the call to the network of the operator of the destination number.

This $0.03 is shared between the IGW or the VSP, the ICX, the local telecom operator and the government.

This is known as revenue sharing.

However, when international calls enter through illegal voice over internet protocol (VoIP) operators, the foreign telecom operators have to pay much

decided to increase joint patrolling along the over 4,000km border, reports the Times of India.

The BSF also handed over a list of 71 insurgent camps and those of their cadres suspected to be based in Bangladesh.

BSF chief Pathak said both the forces had decided on a new and improved patrolling plan where troops from both the sides would come together for vigil. l

Court grants bail  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Mannan is among the three against who the ACC filed cases on that day on charge of amassing illegal wealth.

The anomalies appeared after the ACC investigators analysed his wealth statements, income tax returns and other relevant records.

Asked if the ACC would challenge Mannan’s bail, lawyer Kabir said he had already written to the authorities seeking directives for further proceedings.

The ACC earlier termed the metropolitan magistrate’s court “not competent” to deal with the bail petitions of accused in corruption cases.

He also said the same court had earlier granted bail to 22 highups of Destiny 2000 Limited beyond its jurisdiction. Later their bails were cancelled after the ACC had appealed with a Senior Special Judge’s Court. l

less. Since there is no involvement of an ICX in case of an illegal call, the government cannot keep any track and hence loses out on earning revenue.

Illegal VoIP calls have always been a headache for the regulator and also the government.

Available data suggests that illegal VoIP operators terminate at least four crore minutes of calls every day.

Professionals have suggested that if the government could cut down the IGW call termination rates further, illegal VoIP calls would not be as cheap any more and people would opt out of making illegal calls.

In that way, the licensed operators would be able to handle millions of more minutes and thus be compensated for the curtailed price.

Seeking anonymity, the owner of an IGW operator said: “The six crore minutes of legal calls can be handled with only five to seven additional IGWs; but here we turned the sector into a jungle of equipment... We have already spent several hundred crores of taka to import unnecessary equipment. It has been a total waste.”

Industry insiders said to become an IGW operator, some would have to invest around Tk24-26 crore, including Tk15 crore for a licence. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Monday, August 25, 2014

Single Probe report against Siraj Kosai, Prosecution: testimony enough to two others likely today convict Azhar n Udisa Islam

n Udisa Islam

The investigators have found strong evidence of crimes against humanity committed by three detained war crimes suspects including Sirajul Islam alias Siraj Mastar alias Siraj Kosai, the deputy commander of Bagerhat unit razakar force, during the 1971 Liberation War. The other two suspects are Abdul Latif Talukder and Akram Hossain Khan.

The investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal is supposed to submit the probe report to the prosecution today. As per the norms, the prosecution will submit a formal charge to the tribunal after scrutinising the report.

The tribunal earlier fixed September 14 for submitting formal charge against the three.

Investigation Officer Helal Uddin began the probe into the allegations against them on May 19 last year. He said he had found the involvement of this three accused in at least eight crimes including genocide, murder, conversion, looting and arson.

Kosai Siraj had “played a key role” in executing the plans of razakar force and “led the force” in committing crimes in Bagerhat Sadar, Rampal, Morelganj and Kochua. He was involved

The prosecution in the trial of ATM Azharul Islam, the alleged al-Badr commander of Rangpur, placed closing arguments for the fourth day yesterday.

When they started placing arguments on charge number five, the tribunal harshly criticised the prosecution since the investigation officer had placed minimum evidence in support of the charge that describes torture and rape in Rangpur Town Hall.

Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the three-member tribunal 1, said: “It is a historic fact that Rangpur Town Hall was a torture camp run by the Pakistani occupation forces and their accomplices. There are a lot of strong evidence to support this. But you failed to bring any strong evidence.”

The tribunal also termed the investigation callous and asked the prosecutor: “Why did your IO not bring any witnesses from Rangpur town? Even he did not seize and produce any book on war in Rangpur town!”

Prosecutor Tapos K Baul was little upset but managed to respond strongly: “The tribunal should convict the accused since a victim testified accusing Azhar for supporting the army members of raping her.”

The prosecution also accused the

Akram Khan

Latif Talukder

l Types of crime - Genocide, murder, forced conversion, arson, looting

l Name of accused - Sheikh Sirajul Islam alias Siraj Master, Abdul Latif Talukder and Khan Akram Hossain

l Investigation started - May 19, 2013 l Area of crimes - Bagerhat Sadr, Rampal, Morelganj, Kochua l Main charges - Genocide and forceful conversion of 200 Hindus in the killing of over 800 unarmed pro-liberation people in these areas.

He had been a key associate of razakar founder AKM Yusuf during the war.

Siraj Master was known as Siraj Kosai since he used to confirm the deaths of pro-liberation people by slitting the victim’s throat with a knife.

Siraj Master The IO visited the crime scenes on May 26-28 this year and recorded statement of the witnesses.

The three had also been involved in the conversion of at least 200 Hindus into Islam. They have been charged for genocide, arson and looting too.

The crimes of these three suspects came into fore during the investigation against Yusuf, the IO said, since the locals had raised many allegations against them.

Earlier, Nimai Chandra Das, a victim from Raghuduttakathi village, filed a case against some 20-30 men including the trio with a Bagerhat court in 2009.

The case was later transferred to the tribunal. l

Law Minister: ICT prosecution team to be reorganised shortly n Mohosinul Karim Acknowledging the shortcomings of the prosecution team of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), Law Minister Anisul Haq said, “Initiatives to eliminate the lack of coordination in the prosecution team have been taken.

The government will address the issue shortly.”

“The prosecution team will be reorganised shortly, but, there are some cases that await verdicts. The team will be reorganised after the verdicts,” he added.

The minister made the remarks in reply to questions from the media personnel after a discussion session titled “August 15, National Mourning Day” organised by Bangladesh Muslim Marriage Registrars’ Association yesterday

at the auditorium in the Institute of Diploma Engineers.

Association President Mamunur Rashid chaired the meeting while Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Abdus Sobhan Golap, Inspector General of Department of Registration Khan Md Abdul Mannan and Maulana Sagar Ahmed, among others, made speeches.

The law minister criticised previous BNP-Jamaat led government for giving rise to militancy in the country and said, “They had finished all the procedure to make Bangladesh a militant country, but it was resisted. Government led by Sheikh Hasina saved the country from militancy by the grace of Allah. We will not tolerate militancy.”

“The people who support militancy should not be tolerated, though they are minor in number,” he added. l

Witness blames Abdus Subhan for Satbaria atrocities n Udisa Islam

The eleven arrested with substances believed to be uranium were presented at a press conference at the Detective Branch Media Centre yesterday. Story on Page 1 MEHEDI HASAN

South Korea denounces summoning its envoy

BNP: Hasina’s hands are stained in blood

n Tribune Report

Countering the prime minister’s allegation that the BNP is a party of killers, the BNP has said Sheikh Hasina’s hands are in fact blood-stained.

“The Awami League president [Sheikh Hasina] herself is a killer. Her party is a party of killers. Her hands are stained with the bloods of hundreds of young people,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of BNP, said at a press briefing yesterday.

Hasina on Thursday termed the Zia family as a family of killers. She said Ziaur Rahman had been involved with the killing of Bangabandhu and Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and her cabinet members had been involved with the August 21 grenade attack.

BNP also believes that what the prime

Seoul strongly decried a summons issued by a Bangladeshi court to the South Korean envoy to Dhaka as an unacceptable violation of international law and norms.

“While it is extremely deplorable that the malicious act to sue a diplomat, who was completely irrelevant to the lawsuit...the decision made by the first court of Joint District Judge, Dhaka, to issue a summons...is really regrettable and unacceptable,” a statement issued by the South Korean embassy in Dhaka said.

The embassy conveyed South Korea’s strongly worded position to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and requested that measures be taken to address the matter that could have caused a se-

Hall-Mark accused dies in BSMMU prison ward n Tribune Report A key accused of the Hall-Mark scam case died at the prison ward of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University last night.

Azizur Rahman, former deputy general manager of Sonali Bank’s Ruposhi Bangla branch, died around 7:45pm.

He had been admitted to BSMMU for a month. He had been suffering from cardiac ailments and diabetes.

Forman Ali, senior jail super of the Dhaka Central Jail, last night told the Dhaka Tribune that Azizur had died during his sleep after the Asr prayers.

Azizur was a key accused of the HallMark Group scam for reportedly playing a key role in the embezzlement of Tk1,568 crore from Sonali Bank’s Ruposhi Bangla branch by the Hall-Mark Group. l

rious misunderstanding between Korea and Bangladesh.

“We hope that this kind of incident, which can seriously damage our friendly bilateral relationship, will never recur in the future,” the statement said.

The South Korean government struck a conciliatory note, lauding the court decision to rescind the summons.

“The embassy understands that the decisions of the first court of Joint District Judge, Dhaka, on August 10 and 21 to cancel the summons, which had been issued on July 24, 2014, without presenting any justifiable and reasonable grounds and verifying its relevance as well as in obvious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, is, though belated, to rectify the court’s wrong judgement,” it added. l

Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general of committing genocide by assisting the Pakistani Army personnel to abduct and kill four teachers of Rangpur Carmichael College.

“As the accused himself was a student of Carmichael College in 1971 and personally knew all the teachers, so if he wished, he could have played a vital role in saving them. But without doing so, he helped the Pakistani Army by identifying them and in their abduction and killings.”

Tapos said the incident had been a genocide since the victims belonged to a particular group; they were intellectuals. Moreover, all of them were Hindus.”

He said the prosecution had placed enough evidence to prove the charge against Azhar. The tribunal later adjourned the hearing until today.

Meanwhile, the same tribunal yesterday took the charges of crimes against humanity against Syed Hassan Ali alias Hachhen Ali into cognisance and set September 14 for holding further hearing.

The tribunal also asked the prosecution to take necessary steps in publishing advertisement on national dailies asking the fugitive accused to appear before the court. The tribunal on April 3 issued arrest warrant against Hassan, the alleged razakar commander from Tarail area in Kishoreganj. l

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

minister has said is tantamount to contempt of court because her statement was related to the August 21 grenade attack case, which is now under trial.

“The prime minister’s recent statement implicating Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman and BNP, is untrue, fabricated and politically motivated. We think she is not only influencing but also misleading the court,” Fakrul said.

Terming the August 21 grenade attack as “heinous and dreadful,” the BNP spokesperson said his party condemned the incident and tried to identify the real criminals when it was in power.

“BNP still wants the real mystery unveiled; but it is not acceptable that the incident was used to achieve a political motive. Tarique Rahman was implicated in the case purposefully,” he said.

When asked about the Joj Mia dra-

ma that the BNP had allegedly staged to divert the case, the BNP leader said: “Properly investigating the attack was BNP’s political decision. That investigation was conducted by an investigation agency.”

Claiming that Tarique was not involved, Fakhrul advised journalists to keep an eye on the developments in the case.

“Tarique’s name was not included when a charge sheet was submitted during the tenure of the army-backed caretaker government. Tarique was implicated when Awami League assumed office and the investigation officer was changed,” Fakhrul reminded.

He also said international probe body FBI also investigated the incident; but Sheikh Hasina did not cooperate with the investigators from FBI and the judiciary. l

A new witness in the war crimes case against Maulana Abdus Subhan yesterday accused the Jamaat-e-Islami leader of killing many unarmed Hindus in five villages of Satbaria union, Pabna during the 1971 Liberation War. Md Khorshed Alam, the 23rd prosecution witness, was 19 during the war and knew Subhan as the accused used to visit their village for political meetings.

After the atrocities on May 12 of 1971 carried out under supervision of the accused, the witness said, they had listed names of the victims and identified at least 175 people.

Khorshed said at 6am on that day, Subhan had gone to the area with the Pakistani Army. In front of the union parishad office, the army men shot dead four unarmed civilians named Chetna, Roatna, Ghugri and Modon.

He said: “When Pakistani army and collaborators left I went to Sindoorpur with SM Samsul Alam, witness number 22. One Buddhiswar Biswas informed us of the atrocities and we saw at least 100 bodies dumped on the river bank.”

He said most victims had been fleeing to India to take refuge. So they were unknown to him. Khorshed said he had helped the villagers dig a mass grave to bury those bodies. Mentioning the Kondarpur mass grave, he said he could identify three of 14 victims. Two brothers named Laskar Mandol and Madari Mandol were alive while two others wounded.

After that, he went to Momrajpur, Kuripara, Syampur and Gupinpur with Samsul and saw 16 more bodies. He also attended the funeral of Awami League leader Mohiuddin at Gupinpur.

At the end of his deposition, the witness started crying and pleaded for justice, saying people in his area wanted to know why they had to face such punishment. He said the army and their collaborators had burnt down all the houses.

Later, defence counsel Mizanul Islam questioned him for half an hour and the tribunal adjourned the trial until today. l

India for JRC meeting on basin-wise management of two rivers n Kamran Reza Chowdhury India has consented to hold a meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission to discuss Dhaka’s proposal for basin-wise management of two trans-boundary rivers – the Ganges and the Brahmaputra – that caters to at least 60% of Bangladesh’s total annual water demands.

During her maiden visit to Dhaka, Indian Foreign Minister Shushma Swaraj did not object to Bangladesh’s proposal for basin-wise management of the two major trans-boundary rivers, according to a Foreign Ministry paper on her trip between June 25 and 27.

“The Indian foreign minister referred to holding a meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission [between Bangladesh and India] in this regard,” read the foreign ministry paper presented at the third meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday.

Since 1972, the Joint Rivers Commission has been working to manage the 54 common rivers that entered Bangladesh from India.

The commission is supposed to sit every year, but very often in the past the Indian side had snubbed such meetings apparently because of a cold political relation with Bangladesh. But the relations reportedly improved after the Awami League government came to power in 2009 and the commission now meets frequently.

Bangladesh is reportedly concerned about the existence of the common rivers – mainly the Brahmaputra, the Ganges and the Meghna – because of pollution, soil erosion and water withdrawal in the upstream.

Around 1.5 billion metric tonne of sediment is deposited in Bangladesh’s river system every year, resulting in the reduction of river depth and causing river erosion and floods.

Bangladesh bears the brunt of the destructive activities in upstream countries like India, China, Bhutan and Nepal. The soil erosion in the upstream hugely impacts Bangladesh’s rivers that are lifeline of millions of people who depend on them for agriculture, fishing, irrigation and other essential purposes.

Out of the total 1.72 million sq-km of the total catchment area, meaning the landmass from where water falls on the rivers, Bangladesh has only 7% of the landmass. But no upper riparian country has ever agreed to contribute to protect Bangladesh from the environmental hazards.

“I think, basin-wise management is the best way of protecting the health of the common rivers. Thus all countries will get the benefits of such management,” Professor Mujibur Rahman, a teacher of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

In the basin-wise management initiative, technical officers and specialists from the countries sharing the common rivers would comprise a task force that would recommend the ways of managing the rivers.

Mujibur said participation of all specialists would, of course, benefit all countries.

“Protection of bank and catchment areas in India will help Bangladesh protect the rivers. Similarly, preventive measures in China or Bhutan or Nepal will help India to better manage the rivers too,” he said.

Diplomatic observers said Bangladesh had been demanding basin-wise management of the common rivers since 1972, as India withdraws water in the dry season and releases bulk water during the wet seasons, causing sufferings in Bangladesh.

But Delhi did not respond positively, until the Awami League government

came to power in 2009.

China, where the Brahmaputra originated, couple of years ago started a power project on the river, raising concern in the downstream countries—India, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Out of the total 552,000 catchment area of the Brahmaputra, China has the greatest portion of 270,900 sq-km, followed by India with 195,000 sq-km, Bhutan with 47,000 sq-km and Bangladesh with 39,100 sq-km.

In the early 1970s, India implemented the Farakka barrage over the Ganges, resulting in the withdrawal of bulk water from the river – considered as a lifeline of at least 45 rivers in the northwestern and southwestern districts of Bangladesh.

In 1996, the Awami League government signed a 25-year deal with India for the sharing of the river. This is the only river on which Dhaka could convince Delhi to sign an agreement so far. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, August 25, 2014

Gold smugglers adopt alternative routes RMG workers block Ctg n Mohammad Jamil Khan Gold smugglers now choose airports in Chittagong and Sylhet to carry on with their illegal act as surveillance was recently ramped up at Shahjalal International Airport, intelligence officials said.

The Shah Amanat Airport in Chittagong and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet have become the new gateways for criminals bringing gold into the country.

Mainul Haque Khan, director of the Customs Intelligence Department, said criminals take the illegal route to smuggle gold into India to evade tax.

“Gold is in great demand in India but the import tax his high. This is driving the smugglers to bring the gold into Bangladesh first before taking it to India,” he said.

“Intelligence officials have recently beefed up surveillance at the Dhaka airport to arrest smugglers, forcing the

miscreants to find and use alternative routes,” he added.

Besides, instead of using land routes to take the gold to the border in order to smuggle it into India, the smugglers now choose railway service to dodge law enforcers.

Intelligence officials said a powerful gold smuggling syndicate of politicians, businessmen and airport officials is operating in Bangladesh and West Bengal Railway police on Friday recovered 40 gold bars from the possession of a youth named Shahin at Kamalapur Railway Station.

Abdul Majid, officer-in-charge of Kamalapur railway police, told the Dhaka

Tribune Shahin was arrested as police noticed his suspicious movement after he got down from Turna-Nisitha Express.

“During interrogation, Shahin told us that he is unaware of who owns the gold bars. He said he and two others had been tasked with carrying the stuff to the border,” he said.

Majid said the gang had already sent some shipments to India using roadway, but they had lately deemed the railway service to be safe.

“We are trying to trace the other members of the gang,” he added.

Customs intelligence sources said, the smuggled gold earlier would be brought into the country by concealing it in passengers’ luggage, snack packets and even in shoe soles. A number of civil aviation officials and flight engineers helped take the gold out of the airport and handed it over members of the gang waiting outside.

Dhaka airport authorities recently

set up modern devices and beefed up vigilance which is why criminals now operate at Chittagong and Sylhet airports. From those airports, the gold is brought to Dhaka and is later taken to Indian border by rail.

Smugglers hand the gold over to other members of the ring at Haridaspur and several other Indian border points.

Custom Intelligence Department statistics show at least 560kg gold worth Tk250 crore was recovered from Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet airports in the last one year.

Intelligence officials said a powerful gold smuggling syndicate is operating in Bangladesh and West Bengal. Politicians, businessmen, and airport and civil aviation officials belong to the syndicate.

Besides, a group of dishonest police officials are also believed to assist the members of the syndicate outside airports. l

city road for due wages n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Workers of a ready-made garment (RMG) factory barricaded the Alankar Intersection, one of the busiest points in Chittagong city, yesterday afternoon demanding their outstanding wages.

The blockade caused long tailbacks on the city roads connected to the intersection. The demonstration was still going on when this report was filed, according to sources in the Industrial Police.

Azizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Pahartali police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that about 900 workers of the RMG factory, The Moons Ltd, put up the blockade around 4:30pm in demand of their wages outstanding for two months.

“The workers went to the factory yesterday morning and asked the authorities to pay their dues. When the authorities did not respond agreeably,

the workers became agitated and took to the streets to press home their demand,” he said.

The factory authorities were unavailable for comment despite several attempts by this reporter.

Representatives of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) went to the scene and talked to the workers to calm the situation.

“They also met with the factory authorities to resolve this issue,” the OC said.

Later, Shamim Hossain, factory owner, went to the scene along with the BGMEA representatives and assured the agitated workers that their dues would be cleared by Wednesday, said the police official.

Getting the assurance from the factory owner, the workers lifted the blockade from the road around 7:45pm, he said. l

CUJA protests BCL leader’s death threat to fellow journalist n CU Correspondent Members of Chittagong University Journalists’ Association (CUJA) formed a human chain on the university campus yesterday in protest of the death threat that a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader gave to CUJA’s General Secretary Tasnim Hasan.

They formed the human chain in front of the university’s administrative building around 1pm demanding the expulsion of Ashrafuzzaman Asha, a Master’s student at the botany department and the former deputy cultural affairs secretary of Chhatra League’s CU unit.

Speaking at the human chain, the CUJA leaders said the Chhatra League activists were creating disorder in the campus, making the environment unstable.

The “rowdy” members of the ruling party’s student wing, who are very small in number on the campus, are unruly and abuse their position and power on the campus, and the univer-

sity authorities fail to take any stern action against these identified “assaulters”, they said.

The CUJA leaders also submitted a memorandum to the CU Vice-Chancellor Professor Anwarul Azim Arif that stated their three-point demand, including immediate expulsion of Asha within the next three days.

The vice-chancellor received the memorandum at his office and assured the CUJA leaders that stern measures would be taken against the student in this regard.

CU Proctor Siraj Ud Dowla said a show-cause notice had been issued against Asha to explain his role within three days.

Asha threatened Tasnim with death on Thursday as Tasnim reported the recent attack on police by Chhatra League members.

Tasnim filed a general dairy with Hathazari police station in this regard on Saturday. l

Workers of Doreen Fashion Limited stage a sit-in programme in front of the BGMEA building yesterday, demanding due wages and compensation after their factory was suddenly closed down recently MEHEDI HASAN

Ahasanullah was a pioneer in social and educational development

Broadcast Policy formulated without proper coordination

n DU Correspondent

n Abid Azad

Khan Bahadur Ahasanullah was a pioneer in social and educational development and pivotal in promoting female education, speakers said at a seminar commemorating the education activist.

The seminar, jointly arranged by Nalta Central Ahsania Mission and Political Science Association, took place at the Nawab Nabab Ali Chowdhury Senate building in Dhaka University (DU) on Saturday.

Speaking at the event, Professor Arefin Siddique, vice-chancellor of the university and chief guest at the seminar, mentioned Ahsanullah’s contribution in the development sectors.

“He played a pivotal role in eliminating social ignorance and difficulties through his judicious and rightful advices and activities,” he said.

Though he was a great preacher of Islam, his attitude and works proved he

had non-communal mentality,” he said.

“In 1917, Ahsanullah recommended the then British authority to establish combined residential halls at Dhaka University so that students from every religion could stay together,” said Professor Siddique, mentioning Ahsanullah’s recommendation to the Nathan Commission before Dhaka University was established.

“He also voiced for equal rights in education for men and women, as he believed that an educated woman would be able to serve a country in defence, diplomatic and other development sectors,” the vice-chancellor said.

He urged the young generation to follow Ahsanullah’s path uphold his ideology and thoughts.

Dr Sayed Anwar Hossain, professor at DU’s history department, said: “Ahsanullah had a great thirst for knowledge and was a philosopher. That is why he established several schools and madra-

sas and made significant contribution in establishing Dhaka University.”

Dr Mohammad Abdul Majid, former chairman of National Bureau of Revenue, said: “When the British government planned to establish a public university in the then East Bengal, many conspired against it, but Ahsanullah fought against all the odds and achieved the first public university for Bangalis.”

Dr Anisuzzaman, professor of the philosophy department at the DU, read a paper on Ahsanullah at the seminar.

Chaired by Professor Dr Giasuddin Mollah, president of the Political Science Association, the seminar was attended by Professor Dr Aminul Islam, professor at the philosophy department, Kazi Rafikul Alam, president of Ahasania Mission Dhaka, Mohammad Selim Ullah, president of Nalta Central Ahasania Mission, and Professor Dr AFM Ruhul Haque, member of the parliament, among others. l

Speakers at a round-table discussion said yesterday the National Broadcast Policy 2014 had been formulated without any proper coordination, questioning various things stated in the policy.

“Our proposed opinions were not included in the policy while our last submitted copy was not sent to the cabinet meeting,” said Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, a draft broadcasting policy member.

Another draft policy member Mustafa Jabbar, also president of Bangladesh Computer Samity, said: “How much the broadcasting commission will be free and neutral is a question now.”

Bulbul, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, proposed there should be security of media employees and investors while there should be a free editorial policy as well.

“When issuing license, the government should not consider any political

influence or consideration,” he said.

Transparency International Bangladesh’s Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said: “This broadcast policy has lots of contradictions with the Right to Information Act. He explained: “It is stated in the policy that there should be no talks against the State’s different agencies. Then, are they doing their activities on a whim?

“Again, it is said there should be no talks against any friendly country of the State. Then should we keep silent when border killing of Felani had occurred?”

Honorary Executive Director of BLAST Sara Hossain said: “There was a game of power while enacting the broadcast policy. By doing this, a colonised perspective has been manifested in it while there are no accurate explanations of many topics in the policy.”

Article 19’s Director of Bangladesh and South Asia Tahmina Rahman said: “We

Social scientists: Embrace both globalisation and national identity n Tribune Report Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique and other participants pose for a photograph at a seminar on Ahasanullah’s contribution in the development sectors, at the university’s Senate Auditorium in the capital yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Dhanmondi locals beat up two muggers n Tribune Report Two muggers sustained serious injuries as locals in capital's Dhanmondi area beat them up yesterday.

The injured are Fayjul, 42, and Shah Alam, 40.

Dhanmondi police station Officer-in-Charge Abu Bakar said locals and shopkeepers of a market in Dhanmondi beat them up around 10am after they entered the market located

on road no 13 and tried to steal money from a shop.

The muggers also stabbed Md Abed, owner of the shop, who was admitted to a clinic nearby.

Police recovered a knife, a machete, three cocktail bombs and a motorbike from the spot.

“Six muggers entered Abed's shop and tried to snatch away money from the safe. As Abed protested, they started stabbing him. Abed's brother, who

was nearby the shop, came to the spot hearing his cry for help,” said the OC. Later, other shop keepers and locals caught them and began to beat them up. Two of them sustained serious injuries while four others fled on motorbikes.

The injured muggers were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

“We are investing into the matter,” said OC Abu Bakar. l

Although embracing globalisation was important to survive in this era, people should not forget their national identity, social scientists from home and abroad said at an international conference yesterday.

As Bangladesh lies at the heart of Asia, understanding Asian dynamics is important in order to analyse one’s own identity, they said on the second day of the three-day long conference at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).

In his keynote speech, Professor Willem Van Schendel of University of Amsterdam said: “A more systematic understanding of these dynamics is indispensable for the future of Asian Studies.”

He said the vast and age-old networks connected large parts of Asia together and helped sustain the spread of Buddhism and Islam, the rise of em-

pire, and patterns of mass migration and long-distance trade.

“Understanding these elements is imperative for anyone wishing to sketch the broad contours of inter-Asian connectivity today,” he said.

“Attention to large networks and interconnections should not impede the exploration of finer details and more quirky linkages, because the major inter-Asian networks bypassed many parts of Asia,” he said.

However, he added that these connections hardly provided a full picture.

IUB Vice-Chancellor M Omar Rahman said: “It is important to know who we are and how we can define ourselves. Everyone should know their individual identity, national identity, regional identity and global identity.”

Center for Social Science Research of IUB organised the conference that will end today. l

demand a free commission within a short time. All stakeholders should be brought to discuss about it while regulations on broadcasting and advertising should be formulated based on the discussion.”

“The commission should have the power to resolve the complaints and issue licenses. The government should ensure that the commission does its job with freedom,” she said.

Dhaka University Prof Shafiul Alam said that if the language of this policy was amended, then the policy would be fruitful for implementation.

Prof Golam Rahman, director of Mass-line Media Centre, Kamrul Hasan Manzu, chief of news at Masranga Television, Shamsuddin Haidar Dalim also spoke.

Journalists, citizens’ groups and academics, among others, have become vociferous against the National Broadcast Policy, 2014 since it was gazetted on August 7. l

Ahmad Kaikaus appointed as chairman of Sreda n Aminur Rahman Rasel Additional Secretary of Power Division Ahmad Kaikaus has been appointed as chairman of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda).

An official of the Power Divison said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid signed a file in this regard yesterday.

Kaikaus replaced Md Abdul Wahab Khan who retired on August 22.

The government would soon appoint four more full-time members to begin the activities of the body responsible for guiding the nation towards a future with sustainable power sources.

The five full-time members would be in charge of policy and research, energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy, administration and finance of Sreda.

At present, a joint secretary of power division has been posted as a member and a deputy secretary of power division has been posted as secretary of Sreda. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Khulna residents in fear of vicious muggers Incidents of CNG hijacking, killing of muggers in mass beating have become common phenomenon in the city the angry mob gave them a district. n Md Hedait Hossain Molla, Khulna goodLater, Upon filling a case, police arrested beating, leaving them seriously The recent muggings in Khulna city have turned this industrial city into a safe haven for snatchers.

Incidents of CNG hijacking, killing of muggers by angry mobs and robing traders has become a common phenomenon in the city with a population of move than a hundred and forty thouand.

Local sources said seven sensational incidence of mugging took place in the city and a total of Tk1 crore had been snatched during the last year alone.

Two alleged muggers as well as a schoolboy was killed in recent mass beatings.

On August 22, A suspected mugger was killed and another injured in a mob beating in the Basupara area of the city on August 22.

Maruf Hossain, officerincharge of Sonadanga Model police station, said locals caught Foyzul Islam, 28, and Al Mamunduo in the act of mugging in the area.

injured.

They were admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital where Foyzul succumbed to his injuries On August 21, muggers took away Tk60 lakh after shooting a fish trader at Jabusa intersection under Rupsha upazila in the district.

Officer-in-Charge of Khulna District Detective Branch TM Rokonuzzaman said the muggers waited for Ashraful Sheikh, owner of Lamia Fish in the East Rupsha area, and shot at them around 2:30pm while he along with his employee was going to his work place on a motorcycle after drawing Tk60 lakh from Khulna Brac Bank.

Later, the criminals fled the scene with the money. A case was filed with Rupsha police station in this connection.

On June 3, a gang of snatchers took away Tk17 lakh from some traders intercepting a truck at Dumuria of the

six people in possession of Tk7 lakh on June 4.

On January 25, miscreants took away a CNG-run auto rickshaw after killing its driver Medihi Hasan at Daulatpur. On January, muggers snatched Tk18,000 and a mobile phone from a students who was identified as Shohag.

Local sources said people fell prey to mugging when they visited the New Market, Tutpara graveyard and CDA avenue areas.

According to cases filed with different police station of the city, professional gangs of Fakirhat area are involved in the recent mugging.

Asked about the development of the case of the Tk60 lakh snatching, Md Habibur Rahman, police super, Khulna told the Dhaka Tribune that they were investigating the matter.

He said, “As it is an on going investigation, it will not be wise to say something about it. l

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Monday, August 25, 2014

Rajshahi bus terminal to see alleged gambling sessions n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Labour leaders are allegedly going to arrange gambling and immodest dance sessions at Nawdapara central bus terminal in Rajshahi in the name of a month-long fair.

The leaders, however, refuted the allegation, saying the fair was organised to collect funds for building a hospital.

'A company, which is one of the organisers, has already pledged an ambulance, an ECG machine and an X-ray machine. There will be circus shows and small gambling sessions at the fair' The terminal was built with the aim of reducing traffic density in the city at a cost of several crores of taka, but does not serve that purpose as buses are not stationed there.

President of Rajshahi Motor Owners Association Manjur Rahman Peter inaugurated the fair yesterday. Several

top officials of labour and workers organisations were also present there.

The organisers have collected nearly half-a-crore taka from gamblers who belong to Rajshahi Motor Workers Union, a source said.

Rajshahi Motor Workers Union President Kamal Hossain Robi said the objective of the fair was to collect funds for setting up a hospital for workers.

“A company, which is one of the organisers, has already pledged an ambulance, an ECG machine and an X-ray machine. There will be circus shows and small gambling sessions at the fair,” he said.

Robi said there would be no risk of possible untoward situation if everyone cooperated.

“A fair is incomplete without gambling sessions operated on a smaller scale,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Tanvir Haidar Chowdhury said organisers of the fair had not yet taken permission from the police.

“The venue is under the jurisdiction of Rajshahi Development Authority, and its officials have not yet given the permission either. If they do so, we will think about it. No gambling or indecent dance sessions would be allowed though,” he added. l

Clash at Kushtia Islamic University leaves 25 injured n Our correspondent, Kushtia At least 25 people were injured in a clash between Chhatra League activists and police in Kushtia Islamic University yesterday. Five of the injured sustained injuries from rubber bullets.

University sources said around 12pm Chhatra League staged a counter rally after Shibir brought out a rally to protest killings in Gaza.

During the rally, Chhatra League activists started hurling brick chips at the cars belonging to the vicechancellor and pro vice-chancellor of the university. The cars somehow managed to leave the scene when the members of police intervened, but the police and Chhatra League got locked in a clash.

Shariful Islam Janak, the officerin-charge of Islamic University police station, said police charged baton and fired 10 to 12 rounds of rubber bullets to disperse the agitating Chhatra League activists.

The injured were admitted to Kushtia General Hospital.

To avoid any more untoward situations, additional police forces were deployed to the campus area. l

‘Black Day’ observed at Dhaka University n DU Correspondent Students and teachers of Dhaka University (DU) observed “Black Day” yesterday in memory of the attack on the university’s teachers, students and officials by the military forces in 2007.

All classes were suspended from 11:30am to 1pm and the staff and students all wore black badges to observe the day.

The attack sparked huge protest by the students against the army across the country A discussion was also organised as a part of the day, which took place at the Nawab Nabab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building around 11:30am. Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, vice-chancellor of the university, addressed the event as chief guest.

Speaking at the discussion, Arefin said the forces who had assassinated Bangabandhu and his family in 1975, as well as killed the four leaders of the nation, wanted to try it again in 2007 to undermine the country’s largest democratic institution, but they failed as truth always wins.

WEATHER

PARTLY CLOUDY MONDAY, AUGUST 25 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:23PM SUN RISES 5:38AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

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Chittagong

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Rajshahi

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Rangpur

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Khulna

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Barisal

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Sylhet

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Cox’s Bazar

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YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

34.8ºC Chuadanga

24.2ºC Rangamati

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:20am 5:37am 12:01am 4:34pm 6:24pm 7:42pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

“The same miscreants killed the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, many intellectuals and freedom fighters, and tortured teachers and students of Dhaka University,” he said.

He condemned the heinous attack on the university’s students and teachers and demanded punishment for people responsible for the attack.

The discussion was attended by Professor Dr Mohammad Kamal Uddin, DU treasurer, Professor Dr Farid Uddin Ahmed, president of DU Teachers’ Association, Professor Anwar Hossain, former vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, Md Ashraf Uddin, president of DU Officers’ Association, and Rezaul Islam, president of DU Staff Union as well, along with other officials and students.

In August 2007, a violent clash between some DU students and members of Bangladesh Army took place centring a football match, where the military members severely beat up the students. Following the clash, the army arrested four teachers and eight students of the university.

The attack sparked huge protest by the students against the army across the country.

The university observes the Black Day every year on August 23. However, this year it was observed on August 24 as August 23 fell on weekend. l

Commuters as well as pedestrians have to suffer every day as the road in Kalshi of the capital lies in rundown state for lack of maintenance and renovation works. The photo was taken on Saturday MEHEDI HASAN

200,000 yaba pills seized from Karnaphuli River bank

Families demand missing persons' list

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

n Our Correspondent, Savar

A coast guard team seized 2,00,000 pieces of Yaba pills from the Karnaphuli River bank in Chittagong yesterday.

The smugglers fled the spot leaving the contraband items.

The yaba smugglers prefer using the sea route these days instead of land.

The coastguards were having trouble to nab them because of limited logistics and manpower, said Bangladesh Coast Guard (East Zone) officials at a press conference.

Captain Shahidul Islam, zonal commander of BCG (east zone), said around 2am, while searching for a fishing boat at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port, a BCG patrol team spotted a fishing trawler carrying a number of fishermen.

Getting suspicious, the team approached the trawler which saw the fishermen flee.

“The fishermen made a hole in the trawler’s deck and sunk it near Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Limited. They dumped the sacks of yaba pills on the bank and fled,” he said.

The seized yaba pills, worth Tk10 crore, were handed over to the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC).

In separate drives, BCG East Zone has seized a total of 6,03,145 yaba pills since January this year and have nabbed eight people in these connections, said the zonal commander.

Sources at different law enforcing agencies said yaba smugglers were bringing the contraband items to the

country from neighbouring Myanmar in fishing trawlers.

In the wake of vigilance on the roads, the smugglers chose the water ways of Karanaphuli River and the Bay of Bengal, said Lt Commander Masudul Islam, staff official (operations) of BCG (East).

He said three syndicates were involved in the process.

“A Mynmar based syndicate hands over the consignment to a syndicate in Bangladesh near Saint Martin Island who are mostly fishermen on the Bay of Bengal. These fishermen then handover the pills to a third syndicate of local peddlers near the bank of Karnaphuli River who deliver the pills to local yaba traders,” he said.

The BCG official also said the smugglers use the sea route as it was cheaper and safer.

Commander Mohammad Redwan of BCG (East Zone) said: “Those who get arrested are mostly the carriers. They do not even know who the main smugglers are as the communication is done over cell phone.”

Captain Shahidul said the smugglers easily convince the fishermen with money to carry the yaba pills.

“Most of the fishermen do not even realise what they are carrying, as smugglers introduce the pills as medicines to them,” he said.

There are 37 yaba factories in Mongdue city in Myanmar from where yaba is smuggled. Discussion between Bangladesh and Myanmar is on to put an end to the crime, he said. l

RANA PLAZA DISASTER

Family members of those killed or injured in the Rana Plaza disaster staged demonstrations in front of the building’s site in Savar yesterday, demanding further compensations for those affected and calling for the publication of an official list consisting of the names of the workers who remain missing 16 months after the collapse.

Bangladesh Garment Worker Solidarity organised a rally and a procession, which was joined by hundreds of relatives of the Rana Plaza disaster victims. Workers’ leaders also announced holding a protest rally in front of the BGMEA building on August 28 to press home their demands.

Saboti Das, mother of deceased

garment worker Bobita Das, said her daughter’s untimely death in the Rana Plaza disaster had pushed the family into a life of poverty and hunger.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune at yesterday’s programme, Saboti claimed that despite pleading to different sources she had received only Tk1 lakh as compensation for her daughter’s death.

Speaking at the rally, Taslima Akhter, coordinator of Bangladesh Garment Worker Solidarity, demanded immediate compensation for the families of the workers killed or injured in the Rana Plaza disaster. Alleging that garment owners were showing indifference to paying damages to the victims’ families, she added that the government has also failed to take any effective measure so far to ensure com-

pensation. As a result, many families were now struggling to make a living, Taslima added.

She also alleged that garment workers were still being denied proper wages or bonuses, while factory owners continued torturing the workers and terminating their employment at will.

Speakers at the programme also claimed that Tk105 crore still remained untouched in the prime minister’s fund. They added that although an expert committee had proposed a compensation scheme based on a High Court directive, the court is yet to pass an order directing what the rate of compensation should be. The role of BGMEA and the government remains unclear even after 16 months of the disaster, the speakers claimed. l

SCC announces Tk312.12cr budget n Mohammad Sirajul Islam

Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) yesterday announced a budget of Tk312.12 crore for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Ariful Haque Choudhury, mayor of Sylhet, announced the budget bereft of any new taxes at a crowded press conference in a city hotel.

In the budget, the SCC estimated that Tk66.13cr would be provided from its own income while the remainder would be provided by the government and development agencies.

Major development expenditures include Tk40cr for infrastructure development and expansion projects; Tk30cr for the construction of bridges, culverts and retaining walls; Tk10cr for preliminary drainage, the development of Nagar Bhaban and equipment supply; Tk10cr to construct a truck terminal; Tk4cr to excavate canals and remove illegal structures; Tk5cr to deal with water logging; Tk20cr for land acquisition, Tk5cr to build permanent offices for 27 councillors; Tk7.15cr for the development and upkeep of the Sha-

heed Minar, dividers, foot bridges and beautification projects; Tk3cr to set up a new filling station; Tk10cr for the Hazrat Gazi Burhan Uddin Shrine development project; Tk10cr for the city power plant; and Tk15cr to implement projects under the Bangladesh Municipal Governance and Services Project.

Ariful Haque Choudhury, Sylhet City Corporation’s BNP-backed mayor, who took charge on September 18 last year, placed his first budget yesterday. In his budget speech he said: “‘Development and change was my campaign slogan. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Monday, August 25, 2014

Yaba traders turn active again across Myanmar border 1,50,000 pieces of yaba seized in the anti-yaba raids

n Our Correspondent, Cox's Bazar After a lull of around four months, yaba traders have again turned active for a week on Ukhia and Teknaf borders in Cox's Bazar.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has become alert to this and intensified their operations.

BGB and police sources said nine suspected yaba traders had been held and 1,50,000 pieces of yaba seized in the anti-yaba raids across the Myanmar border with Bangladesh over the last one week.

However, police, particularly Teknaf police are not allegedly active enough since its new officer-in-charge joined there. Teknaf police arrested two persons in possession of 6000 pieces of yaba while Ukhia police arrested two others in possession of 10,000 pieces of yaba over the last week.

Crackdown on yaba trading had begun in Cox's Bazar soon after State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan visited there four months ago. Six suspected yaba traders were killed and 10 others injured in the so-called crossfire during the crackdown in the district.

Panicked by the crackdown and socalled crossfire, yaba traders had lied low until they appeared again recently, according to local sources.

Sources said yaba, manufactured at 37 factories in Myanmar, was smuggled into Bangladesh through more than 50 border points in Cox's Bazar.

In the wake of increasing yaba smug-

Theft rife in Raipur Islami Bank branch n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur An organised gang of thieves has allegedly been stealing money for long from the clients who visit the Raipur branch of Islami Bank Bangladesh.

On the other hand, it was alleged that the bank authorities have yet to take any mentionable steps against the gang despite repeated pleas from the affected clients, although there are CCTV cameras active during the bank hours to aid them.

It was learnt that the gang on Thursday stole Tk8 lakh from a retired army officer in front of the bank’s cash counter just before the money was deposited.

Contacted, the victim army officer, Nuruzzaman, a resident of Karua village of the upazila, said he withdrew the money from his pension fund from a local Sonali Bank branch and then around 10am he went to the Islami bank branch to deposit it.

At one stage, an accomplice of the gang dropped some Tk10 notes near his legs and he requested the former army man’s help picking them up. He obliged, keeping the stash of notes next to him.

Afterwards, he found that his bag was missing. He immediately caught the alleged accomplice Nazrul Islam, son of Manirul Islam, a resident of Krisnanagar village of Kutavata upazila of Khulna and handed over him to local police after filing a case. In this regard, Manager of Raipur Islami Bank Ltd branch Jasim Uddin acknowledged the Tk8 lakh theft but denied receiving any complaints from the affected clients.

Raipur police station OC Manjurul Hoque Akanda confirmed the filing of the case, saying a man was arrested and they recovered some important information from the accused. l

Landlord held on charge of raping a child n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj Police arrested landlord Awal Fakir, 50, for allegedly trying to rape a four year old in Kashiyani upazila of Gopalganj.

He was arrested on Saturday night following a complaint lodged by the child's mother with Kashiyani police station.

According to the case narrative, the family hailing from Majhigati village was a tenant at Awal Fakir's house at Jolpara village. On August 20, Awal tried to rape the child on the building's rooftop.

But he escaped when the family rushed to the spot hearing the child's scream.

OC of Kashiyani police station, Md Monirul Islam said, Awal Fakir was arrested soon after the case was filed and police was now investigating the matter. l

gling into Bangladesh, the Ministry of Home listed 554 persons as yaba traders in 2012 while detective agencies, narcotics control department, BGB, RAB and police jointly listed 764 persons as yaba traders in 2014. Among the listed yaba traders were many people who belong to various political parties in the country.

BGB has become alert on the frontiers since they announced that they would soon increase monitoring on the border. However, Teknaf police have not yet been active enough, alleged locals.

Locals said Teknaf police's Officerin-Charge Moktar Ahmed, who has recently joined here, might have been on the good terms with yaba traders for which he does not raid against yaba trading noticeably.

OC Moktar however denied the allegation and termed it a conspiracy against him. He said he was playing a vital role in the anti-yaba raid. Around 20-25,000 pieces of yaba were recovered over the last week.

Ukhia police station Officer-inCharge Ansa Thoai said they had seized 10,000 pieces of yaba and arrested 30 suspected yaba traders over the last one month. A total of 16 cases were also filed about this, he added.

BGB had seized 1,18,000 pieces of yaba and arrested five persons in connection with this from August 17 to 21.

BGB 42 Battallion captain Lieutenant Coloen Abujar Al Jahid admitted that yaba traders had become active again. l

Farmers are seen busy in harvesting paddy at Mohanagar in Naogaon yesterday. Farmers of the district are very happy as they have got bumper yield of the food grain this year AZAHAR UDDIN

Bridge linking three unions becomes a death trap n Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon

A bridge over the Nohona River in Baliyadangi upazila in Thakurgaon runs the risk of collapsing any time because of lack of maintenance.

Built during the 1971 Liberation War, the bridge known as Jaoniya, serves as the lone channel of communication in between three unions including Lahirihat and Atoari upazila.

Millions of residents under the three unions including students and traders use the bridge daily amid fears of an ac-

cident. A number of heavy transports also cross the bridge.

Upon visit, it was found that cracks and potholes have developed on the bridge while the railings are also in a vulnerable state. The bridge has to carry four to five times load more than its capacity daily, said locals.

Heavy vehicles like cargo and loaded trucks weighing up to 70 tonnes are using the bridge daily that has a capacity of 20 tonnes.

The vehicles remain stranded during gridlocks which create more pressure

and jerks on the bridge. The bridge has already tilted on its east. If proper steps are not taken immediately the bridge might collapse anytime suspending communication between millions of people, said the locals.

“The bridge is in such a sorry state that people even get scared while crossing it on foot. The communication minister should take immediate steps to repair or rebuilt the bridge,” urged Sohanur Rahman, a resident of Lahirihat upazila.

Ruma Khatun, a class nine student,

5 killed in road accidents across country

MERRY TREATS FOR SONS-IN-LAW

n Tribune Report

The restaurant in the photo is one of 12 at Chanchkoir Bazar in Natore that offers meals at reduced price for the sons-in-law in the area.

The restaurants – all owned by some fathers-in-law – run the offer from August to October every year. The photo was taken at lunch time yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Jute processing a concern in Khulna division for scanty rainfall n Tribune Desk Farmers in 10 districts under Khulna division are now facing difficulties in processing harvested jute plants for lack of water in absence of adequate rainfall in the current monsoon.

Talking to UNB, a number of cultivators said they are now facing problems in rotting jute plants in the rivers and other water bodies through traditional way for want of water.

Sources at Jessore regional office of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said a target was set to bring 1,93,170 hectares of land under jute cultivation in the Khulna division this year to produce 21,4,979 bales of jute. However, farmers cultivated jute on 1,83,536 hectares of land in the south-western districts this year.

They grew the crop on more 7,354 hectares of land last year.

Of the land cultivated this year, jute was grown on 35,335 hectares of land in Kushtia, 1,436 hectares in Bagerhat, 21,880 hectares in Jessore, 19,785 hectares in Jhenidah, 32,730 hectares in Magura, 18,350 hectares in Narail, 1,820 hectares in Khulna, 10,655 hectares in Satkhira, 18,150 hectares in Chuadanga and 23,395 hectares in Meherpur.

Farmer Khalilur Rahman of Shovna village in Dumuria upazila in Khulna

said they fell in trouble in rotting and processing the national fibre in traditional method as there is a shortage of water in the rivers and other water bodies due to scanty rainfall this year.

He said many of them have piled up harvested jute plants in their fields since there is lack of water to rot those.

Like him, many growers said rotting jute plants in time has now become a challenge for them.

DAE officials are advising the farmers to rot jute through ribbon retting, a method to rote jute in small amount of water. However, the farmers do not feel interested in using the method as they find it difficult.

Besides, the farmers were not imparted necessary training on the ribbon retting method.

Agriculture officer of Dumuria upazila said the farmers are interested in rotting jute in rivers, pools and marshy lands in traditional way though they were encouraged to use ribbon retting method in doing so.

Asked why the farmers were showing reluctance to follow the modern jute rotting method, director of DAE for Khulna regional office said it takes time to adopt a new technology.

The DAE official said they are encouraging farmers to rot jute in ribbon retting method. l

said if the bridge was broken her study would be greatly hampered as there was no alternative way to go to school.

Charol Union Parishad Chairman Abu Hayat Nurunnabi said the bridge built during liberation was in peril. Accident might take place anytime.

Application has been processed to the upazila parishad for starting repair work.

Baliyadangi upazila Engineer Mainul Islam said: “I have visited the spot. The bridge poses high risk to commuters.

The repair work would start soon.” l

Ginger-turmeric cultivation in hills brings solvency to farmers n BSS Cultivation of ginger and turmeric on hills has become a vital factor for the tribal people to earn money which has brought a positive change in their life in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region.

Most of the hilly people were in abject poverty before taking up the farming. Now they are leading a tremendous change in their life with three-time meals in a day and their children are going to schools regularly.

Asha Lata, 35, once a hapless housewife with polite and satisfied look told BSS that she brought about a revolutionary change in her family by ginger and turmeric cultivation on Rangamati-Chittagong highway at Ghagra under Kaukhali upazila of the district.

Cultivation of ginger has become the main income source of the couple, Lalita, 38, and her husband Chhabi Kumar Tanchangya, 47, living at Ranyachhari on the bank of the Kaptai Lake in Sadar upazila of the district.

Hilly people have been gaining economic stability through cultivating ginger and turmeric on the slope of the hills, said sexagenarian Noyadhan Tanchangya a framer of Kaptai Lake area.

Besides, using as spices, ginger and turmeric are also useful for human health as medicine, according to herbal science. l

At least five people were killed in road accidents in Tangail, Chandpur, Gazipur and Narsingdi districts yesterday.

Our Tangail correspondent reports: At least two people were killed and 10 others injured in a collision between a bus and a pickup van on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in the district.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Malek, 30, son of Abdul Motaleb of Bawshi village and Md Lutfar Rahman of Sheerpur.

Gorai Highway police station Officer-in-Charge Jubaidul Alam said: “A Jamalpur-bound fish-laden pickup van collided with a passenger bus of Ovi Poribohan in Asimtola area under Mirzapur upazila around 9am, leaving Malek dead on the spot and injuring 11.

He said: “Of the injured, Lutfur died

when he was admitted to Mirzapur Kumudini Hospital.” In Chandpur, a child died as a bus ran over her on the Chandpur-Comilla Highway in Jagatpu Bazar in the district.

Kachua police station Officer-inCharge Alamgir Hossen Majumder said the child died on the spot as the bus ran over her while she was crossing the road with her mother.

In Gazipur, a man was killed as a pickup van ran over him in Tongi area.

Police said Hekmat Ali, 50, died on the spot as the pickup van ran over him while he was crossing the road in the area.

The body was sent to hospital morgue.

Narsingdi correspondent said a man was killed on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in the district.

Police said Amena Begum, 50, died on the spot as a CNG run auto rickshaw ran over her. l

NEWS IN BRIEF One missing as boat capsizes A man went missing as a sand-laden boat capsized in the Bongshai River in Tangail’s Mirzapur yesterday. The missing person was identified as Alamgir Hossain, 35.

Boat labourer Mohammad Molla Mia, a survivor who swam ashore after the boat went down, told the Dhaka Tribune that they started their journey from Tangail’s Bhuapur area for Gazipur after filling the engine-run boat with sand. “Around 7am our boat capsized as another sand-laden trawler hit it,” Molla said. During the accident, 15 labourers were on board. Of the 15 labourers, 14 managed to swam ashore but one person went missing.

Investigation Officer Inspector Borhan Uddin said police and fire brigade started rescue operation.

– Our Correspondent, Tangail

Missing girl found dead The body of a school girl was recovered yesterday, two days after she went missing in the Bangshai River of Sakhipur in the district. Deceased Sharna, 13, daughter of Ashraf Hossain, was a class VI student.

Sharna’s father Ashraf Hossain claimed that her boyfriend Tushar had pushed her to the river in a bid to kill her. However, Tushar claimed that Sharna jumped into the river because she was upset with him.

Police detained Tushar on the day Sharna had gone missing. Sakhipur police station Officer-in-Charge Bazlur Rashid said police had been conducting rescue operation with the help of locals after Sharna went

missing. “The body was recovered from Gilabari area around 7am,” he said.

– Our Correspondent, Tangail

24 cocktails recovered Members of Rapid Action Battalion recovered 24 cocktails from Maharajpur Bus Station in Sadar upazila yesterday. RAB commander Kamruzzaman said on a tipoff, the law enforcers raided the area and recovered the cocktails. They also arrested two persons in this connection. On the other hand , Members of Border Guard Bangladesh recovered 470 bottles of phensidyle ,17 buffaloes and 19 tonnes oil cake in the area while the contraband goods were brought through the border area.

– Our Correspondent, Chapainawbganj

28,000 applications submitted for reevaluation of HSC results

A staggering 28,000 applications have been submitted to Jessore Board for re-examining the results of HSC exam 2014.

Chairman of The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Jessore, Professor Amirul Islam Khan said, the answer papers would be re-examined under the board supervision and revised results would be published within September 13.

Jessore Board had the highest number of unsuccessful candidates in the HSC exams this year. Within the deadline of August 20, applications were submitted to reassess papers of 30 subjects of science, arts and business sections.

– Our Correspondent, Jessore

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Monday, August 25, 2014

Pakistan’s ‘Azadi march’ in perspective

Supporters of Imran Khan chant slogans while listening to their leader during the Freedom March in Islamabad on August 17

Hasan and n Sharif Lam-ya Mostaque

A

ugust 14, 1947 is considered as a red letter day for every Pakistani, as it is the day that Pakistan became a state and gained its independence from British India . After 67 years of independence, August 14, 2014 resulted in yet another sea of change in Pakistani politics which sees Imran Khan leading what he terms as a mass social awakening through his Azadi (Freedom) March.

Imran must realise that politics is not cricket.

It is not a sport. In politics the well-being, the future, and sometimes the very existence of a nation are at stake

Former cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and his party PTI (Pakistan tehreek-e-insaaf) had consistently asked the government to constitute tribunals and committees to investigate electoral fraud in four constituencies since the 2013 election results were announced. In making these demands, Khan reluctantly accepted the election results, albeit being consistently ridiculed by the PML-N government and ministers.

Khan had initially named this planned protest march “Tsunami march” but later changed the name to “Azadi march” (or the “Freedom march”) since its slated start date coincided with Pakistan’s 67th independence day August 14, 2014.

A year on, the PML-N government made no headway in this regard, and remained “hesitant in investigating the alleged rigging.” On the other hand, Khan had consistently presented proofs of electoral fraud in various constituencies. The PTI chief had also named the caretaker Punjab chief minister Najam Sethi and former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in facilitating fraud on the behest of PML-N in the past elections. Because of the lack of government initiative in opening investigation into allegations of electoral fraud, Khan gave the PML-N government a month to fulfil minimum 10 demands.

As soon as Khan announced his plans, Islamic cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri’s political party Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) also announced a similar protest march. The PAT named their march “Inqilab march” so as not to be confused with the PTI protest march. Following these developments, speculations arose that the two marches might merge into one.

Nevertheless, where Qadri initially refused to join in with Khan’s protest and even considered changing the date and venue of his march, he later announced that his march would proceed on the same day, owing to the PTI chief’s increasing popularity and political stature. The announcement of this informal alliance and parallel marches imposed a much greater pres-

sure on the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz; PML-N) government to curtail the parties’ aspirations.

Civil disobedience American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau’s writing “Resistance to civil government” (“Civil Disobedience”) is an essay that was first published in 1849. In it, Thoreau argues that individuals should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences, and that they have a duty to avoid allowing such acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice.

Thoreau was motivated in part by his disgust with slavery and the Mexican– American War. Undoubtely, Imran Khan is a popular leader who is using an effective source to destabilise the government thorough civil disobedience. But does he ever bother to think how many people actually welcome his appeal?

On the other hand, is he not going to be made fun of – in case of failure?

In 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, too, had applied the same source of disobedience against the then military ruler of West Pakistan, and he had succeeded hundred cent per cent because of the full support of the East Pakistani masses, the army, and even the judiciary. But here, with multi-national organisations and political parties having a different mindset, Khan’s call for disobedience will hardly work.

Khan’s and Qadri’s protest movements are not formally allied and have different goals, beyond toppling the government. But their combined pressure – and numbers – have given extra heft to the rallies. If one group were to reach a settlement with the government and withdraw, the other’s position would be significantly weakened.

Both movements have failed to mobilise mass support beyond their core followers and opposition parties have shunned Khan’s call to unseat the government and begin a campaign of civil disobedience

Imran’s way, Gandhi’s way

Imran Khan, legendary Pakistan cricket team captain, now the leader of PTI

AFP

It appears that Imran and his advisers have little knowledge of history and particularly of Gandhi’s civil disobedience movements. On September 8, 1920 Gandhi moved a resolution in the Extraordinary Session of the Indian National Congress at Calcutta to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Gandhi could not control the movement and when an unruly mob attacked a police station at Chouri Choura (a town in Eastern Uttar Pradesh) and set it on fire killing 24 policemen, Gandhi called off the movement. He apologised relented and went on a fast as penance.

REUTERS

August 17 was a sad day when Imran Khan decided to follow Gandhi by announcing the plan for a civil disobedience movement if his demands were not accepted. Imran must realise that politics is not cricket. It is not a sport. The most that can happen in sports is losing a match. In politics the well-being, the future, and sometimes the very existence of a nation are at stake.

Military engagements in Pakistani politics Pakistan is not stranger to the military intervening in politics, and has gone through a number of coups in its short history. Since its independence in 1947, Pakistan has spent several decades under military rule (1958–1971, 1977–1988, 1999–2008). 2013 marked the first time in the history of the fledgling state where democratic elec-

ing criminal cases against Musharraf, including treason charges.

The PM has also pursued better relations with arch-rivals India, whose perceived military threat is an important justification for the Pakistani army’s large budget allocation.

Due to his political charisma, Imran Khan has always been a man of both action and rhetoric. Nonetheless, in this current stand-off, his actions have been much louder than his words, and without letting democracy run its due course in the country, Khan’s cries for a mass revolution and awakening seem like a mere mirage for a country such as Pakistan to endure.

Thus, time will tell if Pakistan is truly awakening, or if the Azadi March has proved to be nothing more than a waste of time, money and resources for a cause that appears worthy on paper but, for all practical reasons, lacking in substance. l

‘The protests rocking Islamabad threaten to upend the constitutional order, set back rule of law and open the possibility of a soft-coup, with the military ruling through the backdoor’

tions were held and political power transferred from one civilian government to the next.

The commander in chief, General Raheel, has been watching the political upheaval quietly from the sidelines, hesitant to take any drastic action. The standoff has raised fears of possible military intervention – though analysts say the army is more likely to use the crisis to assert influence behind the scenes than stage an outright power-grab.

Although a full-blown coup d’etat looks unlikely – such a move could jeopardise billions of dollars in foreign assistance and trade deals – analysts say the crisis will leave Sharif weakened. “The protests rocking Islamabad threaten to upend the constitutional order, set back rule of law and open the possibility of a soft-coup, with the military ruling through the backdoor,” the International Crisis Group wrote.

Historically, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has a history of tasty relations with the military – his second term as prime minister ended abruptly in 1999 when then-army chief Pervez Musharraf seized power in a coup. His government is thought to have angered the military by pursu-

Sharif Hasan is a working journalist. Lam-ya Mostaque is a former research assistant at Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU)

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Monday, August 25, 2014

Islamic State takes over parts of Syrian air base n Reuters, Beirut

Relatives of four-year-old Israeli boy Daniel Tregerman mourn as they touch his coffin during his funeral

Netanyahu warns Gaza civilians after Israel destroys 13-storey building

REUTERS

Israeli leader sees prolonged conflict, no sign of warring sides returning to truce talks At one UN-run school in Gaza where raising more international alarm.

Palestinian militants kept up their n Reuters, Gaza/Jerusalem Thousands of homes have been rocket fire in what has become a war Palestinian families have been shelPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Palestinian civilians yesterday to leave immediately any site where militants are operating, one day after Israel took the Gaza war to a new level by flattening a 13-storey apartment tower.

Israeli aircraft first fired a non-explosive rocket at the building, a sign to residents to get out, before attacking it on Saturday. Seventeen people were wounded in the strike on the structure, which Israel said had housed a Hamas command centre.

“I call on the inhabitants of Gaza to evacuate immediately from every site from which Hamas is carrying out terrorist activity. Every one of these places is a target for us,” Netanyahu said in public remarks at a cabinet meeting.

With no end in sight to fighting now in its seventh week, Netanyahu’s tough talk could indicate a move towards bolder strikes in densely populated neighbourhoods, even at the risk of

destroyed or damaged in the conflict.

Nearly 500,000 people have been displaced in the territory of 1.8 million where Palestinians, citing Israeli attacks that have hit schools and mosques, say no place is safe.

Israel has said Hamas bears responsibility for civilian casualties because it operates among non-combatants. The group, it said, uses schools and mosques to store weapons and as launching sites for cross-border rocket attacks.

Palestinian health officials say 2,108 people, most of them civilians and more than 400 of them children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since July 8, when Israel launched an offensive with the declared aim of ending Palestinian rocket fire into its territory.

War of attrition

Israel launched more air strikes on Gaza on Sunday, killing at least six Palestinians, medical officials said.

of attrition that has defied attempts by regional power Egypt to broker a durable truce.

The bombing on Saturday of Al Zafer Tower in Gaza City marked the first time in the Gaza war that Israel had brought down so tall a structure. It had housed 44 families. It launched the attack a day after a mortar bomb killed a four-year-old Israeli boy. Israel’s president attended his funeral on Sunday near the Gaza border.

Egypt called on Israel and the Palestinians on Saturday to halt hostilities and return to talks. But there was no sign that negotiations, last held before a ceasefire collapsed on Tuesday, would resume any time soon.

The start of the school year has already been delayed indefinitely by the Education Ministry in the Gaza Strip, and Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israelis should be prepared for the war to continue after classes begin on Sept. 1.

tering, children chanting “glory and eternity to our martyrs” stood in line for the national anthem, but no classes were held.

Scott Anderson, Deputy Director of Gaza operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said although school has been cancelled, instruction could be provided by other means.

“It is very important that we use our satellite channel, our Internet active learning program, the computer labs and the self-help material - all these lessons we learnt in Syria and they have proved to be very successful there,” he said, referring to remote schooling during Syria’s civil war.

Hamas has said it will not stop fighting until the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza is lifted. Both Israel and Egypt view Hamas as a security threat and are demanding guarantees that weapons will not enter the economically crippled enclave. l

Islamic State militants stormed an air base in northeast Syria yesterday, capturing parts of it from government forces after days of fighting over the strategic location, a monitoring group said.

The air base at Tabqa, some 40 km (25 miles) east of the city of Raqqa, is the Syrian army’s last foothold in an area otherwise controlled by the Islamic State group that has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq in recent months.

There were fierce clashes between Islamic State fighters and government forces within the walls of the air base according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the violence in Syria using sources on the ground.

Earlier on Sunday the Syrian air force had bombed areas around the base.

At least 100 Islamic State fighters have been killed since Tuesday when the group first attacked the base, and more than 300 have been injured, the

Observatory said, adding that at least 25 Syrian army soldiers had also died.

Syrian media did not carry any immediate reports on the latest assault.

On Saturday Syrian state television and the national news agency showed measures used to protect the base and said Islamic State had suffered heavy losses in its attacks. It showed footage of bodies it said were militants.

The Syrian army sent reinforcements to the base overnight on Friday to fight Islamic State, which controls roughly a third of northern and eastern Syria.

The city of Raqqa on the Euphrates river is Islamic State’s stronghold in Syria. The group, a radical offshoot of al Qaeda, has taken three Syrian military bases in the area in recent weeks, boosted by arms seized in Iraq.

To the west, the group withdrew from areas it controlled outside the Syrian city of Homs on Sunday and retreated east after coming under attack from rival Islamist fighters. l

‘British society must share the blame for creating jihad generation’ n Tribune Desk British society, its political class and community leaders must share the blame for the “jihad generation” of young men and women joining the Islamic State terrorist organization, a former senior Muslim army officer has said.

According to a report by The Independent, Afzal Amin, who was chairman of the Armed Forces Muslim Association, a conflict strategist and a military adviser on winning “hearts and minds” in Afghanistan, has said young Muslims in inner-city Britain have been left disenfranchised by politics and let down by imams and other community leaders.

Amin, 39, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Dudley North, also called for troops on the ground in Iraq to combat the escalating threat from Islamic State (IS), arguing that the British Army, with years of experience in counter-insurgency in the Middle East, has the capability to defeat them.

While his call does not chime with the

government’s current strategy of offering non-military assistance in the Kurdistan region to repel IS forces, other figures in Westminster and the Armed Forces are advocating a tougher stance in Iraq. Amin said he agreed with defence secretary Philip Hammond that Britain should not ally with President Assad despite British IS militants kidnapping and beheading US journalist James Foley inside Syria.

Amin backed David Cameron and said: “When the time comes to deploy, I am sure he will not hesitate.” He said he agreed with the prime minister that the threat from IS was real and British people should fear for their safety.

Amin called for a task force to be set up to bring together a team of experts from the Government, religious communities, civil society and young Muslims themselves, to serve for a minimum of five years and in addition to the government’s much-derided Prevent strategy, to “defeat the coherent message of international terrorists who’ve hijacked religion for their own ends.” l

Unidentified war planes Ukraine marks defiant national day, rebels respond attack Tripoli again n Reuters, Tripoli Unidentified war planes attacked targets in Libya’s capital Tripoli yesterday, residents said, hours after forces from the city of Misrata said they had seized the main airport.

Tripoli residents heard jets followed by explosions at dawn but no more details were immediately available. In recent weeks Libya has seen the worst fighting since the Nato-backed campaign to oust Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Renegade general Khalifa Haftar has declared war on Islamist-leaning forces, part of growing anarchy in the oil producer.

His forces claimed responsibility for air raids on Tripoli on Saturday and last Monday, targeting a group called Operation Dawn. But this group, consisting mainly of fighters from Misrata, said on Saturday that it had captured Tripoli’s

main airport from a rival faction from Zintan in western Libya.

In the campaign to overthrow Gaddafi, fighters from Zintan and Misrata were comrades-in-arms. But they later fell out and this year have turned parts of Tripoli into a battlefield.

Libya’s neighbours and Western powers worry Libya will turn into a failed state as the weak government is unable to control armed factions.

Libya faces the prospect of two competing parliaments, after the claimed Misrata victory at Tripoli airport which Reuters could not immediately confirm.

In a challenge to the parliament elected on June 25, a spokesman for Operation Dawn called for the old General National Congress (GNC) to be reinstated. Misrata forces have rejected the new House of Representatives, where liberals and lawmakers campaigning for a federalist system have made a strong showing. l

Talks on new Yemeni government collapse n Reuters, Sanaa Talks on forming a new Yemeni government collapsed yesterday over demands by Shi’ite Muslim Houthis to restore fuel subsidies cut by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, officials said, and further demonstrations in the capital Sanaa were expected.

The Houthis, who have been fighting for years for more power for their Zaydi Shi’ite Muslim sect in north Yemen, have massed tens of thousands of supporters on the outskirts of Sanaa to press the government to quit and to restore fuel subsidies.

The government offered on Saturday to resign within a month to pave the way for a technocrat administration that would review the fuel subsidy issue, but officials said the Houthis had

demanded an immediate reinstatement of the subsidies.

The standoff has raised fears for the stability of Yemen, a majority Sunni Muslim country of 25 million that is allied with the United States and borders major oil exporter Saudi Arabia.

The government blamed the Houthis for the failure of talks. “The Houthis have reneged on all previous understandings, including joining a new government and an offer to reduce the price of oil products, at the first government meeting,” Abdel Malek al-Mekhlafi, a spokesman for the government committee told Reuters.

Daifallah al-Shami, a leader of the Houthi group, made clear the demand for reinstating fuel subsidies was non-negotiable for his side and said the peaceful protests would continue. l

(Left) Members of the National Guard march during Ukraine’s Independence Day military parade, in the centre of Kiev. (Right) Armed pro-Russian separatists (R) escort a column of Ukrainian prisoners of war as they walk across central Donetsk REUTERS

n Reuters, Kiev/Donetsk Ukraine marked its independence day yesterday with a military march past in Kiev intended to send a message of defiance to Russia, but pro-Moscow rebels countered by parading captured Ukrainian troops through the streets in their stronghold.

The rival events showed the divide that will need to be bridged if a compromise on Ukraine is to be reached on Tuesday when Russian President Vladimir Putin meets his Ukrainian counterpart for the first time in months.

Ukrainian forces are trying to snuff out a pro-Moscow separatist rebellion in the east of the country, and on Sunday intense artillery fire could be heard around the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

In Kiev’s Independence Square scene of the protests that pushed out a Moscow-backed president and precipitated the crisis - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reviewed columns of men and armoured vehicles.

Some of the troops in the march-past

The United Nations says more than 2,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in April in Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking east following Russia’s annexation of Crimea were, Poroshenko said, shortly heading to the front line in eastern Ukraine.

In a defiant and emotional speech, Poroshenko said his country was fighting “a war against external aggression, for Ukraine, for its freedom, for its people, for independence.” That was directed at Moscow, which Kiev alleges is behind the rebellion.

“It is clear that in the foreseeable future, unfortunately, a constant military threat will hang over Ukraine. And we need to learn not only to live with this, but also to be always prepared to defend the independence of our country.”

Poroshenko announced about $3bn would be spent on re-equipping the army in 2015-2017. Ukraine’s armed

forces are only a fraction of the size of those in Russia.

After protests ousted Ukraine’s Kremlin-backed leader, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in March and parts of the Russian-speaking east rebelled against Kiev.

Kiev and its Western allies say Moscow has responded to advances by government forces by funnelling weapons and men clandestinely into eastern Ukraine to shore up the struggling rebellion, an allegation that Moscow denies.

Diplomats say Tuesday’s meeting between Putin and Poroshenko in the Belarussian capital of Minsk is the best chance yet of ending a conflict that has left ties between Russia and the West

at their most toxic since the Cold War and sparked sanctions that are hurting economies in Europe and Russia.

In Donetsk, the main separatist stronghold, about a hundred people introduced over a public address system as Ukrainian prisoners of war were marched through the central Lenin Square.

They looked dirty and unshaven, and bowed their heads as they passed.

Some had bandaged arms and heads.

They were guarded by rebel fighters with guns, their bayonets fixed.

People in the crowd who came to watch the parade shouted “fascists!” and “killers!” Some people threw bottles at the prisoners. Two street-cleaning machines followed the column, spraying water on to the street in a theatrical gesture to indicate that the men were unclean.

Earlier on Sunday, artillery shells rained down on central Donetsk, hitting the grounds of one of the city’s biggest hospitals. Authorities in Kiev deny targeting civilian areas. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Monday, August 25, 2014

9

China targets own operating system China executes eight for ‘terrorist’ attacks in Xinjiang to take on likes of Microsoft, Google n Reuters, Shanghai China’s repressive policies have provoked unrest, critics say China could have a new homegrown Some of the people executed were and burst into flames. operating system by October to take on n Reuters, Shanghai The other executions, carried out blamed for attacks in Xinjiang’s prefec- imported rivals such as Microsoft Corp, China has executed eight people for “terrorist” attacks in its restive far western region of Xinjiang, including three who “masterminded” a dramatic car crash in the capital’s Tiananmen Square in 2013, state media said.

Xinjiang is the traditional home of Muslim Uighurs who speak a Turkic language, and China has attributed attacks there to Islamist separatists it says seek to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.

Exiled Uighur groups and human rights activists say the government’s own repressive policies in Xinjiang have provoked unrest, an accusation Beijing denies.

Three of the executed group “masterminded” the October 2013 attack in the heart of the Chinese capital, official news agency Xinhua said late on Saturday.

Five people were killed and 40 injured in the incident, when a car plowed into a crowd in the square

in recent days, were punishment for crimes ranging from setting up a terrorist outfit and illegally making explosives to attacking police officers and killing government officials, Xinhua said.

The World Uyghur Congress, the largest group of exiled Uighurs, said the executed individuals had paid a heavy price but the root causes of the issues was being overlooked.

“The lawyers, to accomplish political ends, led them to accept China’s charges, and skirted the causes of the issue,” spokesman Dilxat Raxit told Reuters in an email on Sunday.

“It’s a typical case of the law serving political ends.”

A report by China Central Television (CCTV) showed images of police leading into court, and questioning, the individuals who have been executed. It also showed footage of the Tiananmen attack, with a car being driven into the square.

ture of Aksu, the city of Kashgar and the town of Hotan, Xinhua added.

China has been cracking down on violent crime after a string of deadly attacks in Xinjiang, executing 13 people in June.

Hundreds of people have died in violence in the region over the last two years, with dozens jailed in the last month, some at mass public sentencings reminiscent of China’s revolutionary-era rallies.

This month, a court in Xinjiang sentenced 25 people to jail for terror-related offences. In the clampdown on violence, authorities have also tightened security on public transport, demanding that bus passengers show identification to travel.

A suicide bombing in May killed 39 people at a market in Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi. In March, 29 people were stabbed to death at a train station in the southwestern city of Kunming. l

Google Inc and Apple Inc, Xinhua news agency said yesterday.

Computer technology became an area of tension between China and the United States after a number of run-ins over cyber security. China is now looking to help its domestic industry catch up with imported systems such as Microsoft’s Windows and Google’s mobile operating system Android.

The operating system would first appear on desktop devices and later extend to smartphone and other mobile devices, Xinhua said, citing Ni Guangnan who heads an official OS development alliance established in March.

Ni’s comments were originally reported by the People’s Post and Telecommunications News, an official trade paper run by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

“We hope to launch a Chinese-made desktop operating system by October

supporting app stores,” Ni told the trade paper. Some Chinese OS already existed, but there was a large gap between China’s technology and that of developed countries, he added.

Computer technology has become an area of tension between China and the United States after a number of run-ins over cyber security He said he hoped domestically built software would be able to replace desktop operating systems within one to two years and mobile operating systems within three to five years.

In May, China banned government use of Windows 8, Microsoft’s latest operating system, a blow to the US technology firm’s business which

raised fears China was moving to protect domestic firms. Microsoft is also under investigation for anti-trust violations.

In March last year, China said that Google had too much control over China’s smartphone industry via its Android mobile operating system and has discriminated against some local firms.

Mutual suspicions between China and the United States over hacking have escalated over the past year following revelations by Edward Snowden that US intelligence planted “backdoor” surveillance tools on USmade hardware.

The US Justice Department, meanwhile, indicted five Chinese military officers in May on counts of extensive industrial espionage.

Ni said the ban on Windows 8 was a big opportunity for the Chinese sector to push forward its own systems, but that the industry needed further development and investment.

“Creating an environment that allows us to contend with Google, Apple and Microsoft - that is the key to success,” he added. l

China targets ordinary Uighurs with beards, burkas n AP, AKSU, China

In this photo taken July 17, Uighur women in loose, full-length garments and headscarves associated with conservative Islam visit a market in the city of Aksu in western China’s Xinjiang province AP

Outside a mosque in China’s restive west, a government-appointed Muslim cleric was dodging a foreign reporter’s question about why young men of the Uighur ethnic minority don’t have beards when one such youth interrupted. “Why don’t you just tell them the truth?” he shouted to the cleric under the nervous gaze of several police officers who had been tailing the reporters all day in the oasis city of Aksu. “It’s because the government doesn’t allow beards.”

A plainclothes Uighur policeman swiftly rebuked the young man. “Be careful what you say,” he warned.

The tense exchange provided a fleeting glimpse of both the extremes of China’s restrictions on minority Uighurs and the resentment that simmers beneath the surface in their homeland. Such a mood pervades Xinjiang’s south, a vast, mainly rural region that’s become a key battleground in the ruling Communist Party’s struggle to contain escalating ethnic violence that has killed at least a few hundred people over the past 18 months.

The personal matter of facial hair has taken on heavy political overtones in the Uighur heartland. Also pro-

scribed are certain types of women’s headscarves, veils and “jilbabs,” loose, full-length garments worn in public.

Such restrictions are not new but their enforcement has intensified this year in the wake of attacks Beijing has blamed on religious extremists.

In a recent sweep of Urumqi, the region’s capital, authorities last week said they seized 1,265 hijab-type headscarves, 259 jilbabs and even clothes printed with Islamic star-and-crescent symbols. Officials also “rescued” 82 children from studying the Quran, the government said. The prohibitions on Islamic attire and beards have attracted widespread criticism, with many experts saying such repression angers ordinary Uighurs and risks radicalizing them.

“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, it’s self-perpetuating. The more they crack down on it, the more people re-Islamize. This is a pattern we see all over the world,” said Joanne Smith Finley, an expert on Uighurs at Britain’s Newcastle University. “The Chinese state has created a growing terrorist threat where previously there was none. It has stimulated an Islamic renewal where there wouldn’t necessarily have been one.”

A major thrust of the yearlong crackdown on terrorism has been a campaign

against religious extremism, with arrests of hundreds of people for watching videos apparently hailing terrorism or extremist ideology. But authorities also are targeting beards, veils and other symbols of religious piety in a campaign that creeps ever farther into Uighurs’ daily lives despite official claims that the government respects religious freedom.

“At the moment, we face a very serious, intense and complex situation with fighting terrorism and maintaining stability,” a party newspaper, the Xinjiang Daily, said in an edict to “front-line” minority cadres in late July. Officials, it said, must also act to control weddings without singing and dancing and funerals where there are no feasts — referring to Uighur customs the government says Islamic conservatives have barred.

Young Uighur men are discouraged from keeping beards and those who have them are stopped at checkpoints and questioned. So are women who wear Muslim headscarves and veils that obscure their faces. Some public places such as hospitals bar such individuals from entering. Earlier this month, the northern Xinjiang city of Karamay announced that young men with beards and women in burkas or hijabs would not be allowed on public buses. l

Jaitley: India responding Macau holds informal poll on democracy The three groups adequately to Pakistan’s n organizing the unofficial referendum provocations are taking their lead AP, Macau

n Agencies Amid repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Indian Defence Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday said there had been a series of “provocations” by Pakistani Army and the country’s armed forces are “responding adequately.”

“I have said yesterday (Saturday) and repeating it today that there has been a series of provocations from the Pakistani Army in the last few fays,” he told reporters on the sidelines of inauguration of Murshidabad campus of Management Development Institute (MDI).

He said India’s armed forces on the

LoC and BSF on the international border are “fully protecting both our territory and people. Whatever response is required are being adequately made by them.”

Pakistani troops shelled and fired upon 25 Border Out Posts (BoPs) and 19 villages along the International Border in Jammu sector throughout the night, prompting the BSF to retaliate.

On Saturday, Pakistani troops had indulged in heavy unprovoked shelling and firing on 22 border outposts and 13 villages, killing two civilians and injuring six others, including a BSF jawan along the international border in Jammu sector. l

Malaysia Airlines jet turns back due to ‘pressure’ woes n AFP, Kuala Lumpur A Malaysia Airlines plane was forced to turn back due to pressure problems inside the aircraft after being in the air for almost an hour, a top aviation watchdog official said yesterday.

Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation told AFP that the plane returned to Kuala Lumpur International Airport because it was unable to maintain the correct pressure inside the aircraft. “It was not able to maintain the right pressure differential for the comfort of the passengers. It is not a major problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Star Online report-

ed that the Tokyo-bound flight was 50 minutes into its journey when it was forced to return to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport after taking off at 0250 GMT. Passengers were subsequently transferred to another plane which departed at 0515 GMT, it said.

The flag carrier, which prior to this year had a good safety record, has been in the spotlight in the past six months following two aviation tragedies — the disappearance of flight MH370 on March 8, and the shooting down of MH17 on July 17 while flying over rebel-held eastern Ukraine.

The two aviation tragedies killed 537 passengers. l

Activists in the Chinese casino capital of Macau kicked off an informal poll yesterday to gauge support for democratic reforms, inspired by a similar vote in Hong Kong that had a big turnout but was denounced by Beijing as an illegal farce.

The former Portuguese colony, like nearby Hong Kong, is a semiautonomous Chinese region with a leader hand-picked by an elite Beijing-friendly committee.

The 400-member committee is widely expected to elect current leader Fernando Chui to another five-year term on Aug. 31, the same day that referendum organizers plan to release the poll results.

Before the voting started, Macau’s Office for Personal Data Protection, a government agency, handed the Open Macau Society, one of the organizers, a warning letter urging them to stop collecting voters’ personal data because it was in violation of the personal data protection ordinance, said the society’s president, Jason Chao.

The data protection office also told them to delete the information they had collected, he said.

An hour into the voting, Chao said one of the five polling stations was closed after police took away all the volunteers.

“The civil referendum that we are organizing is an opportunity for the citizens to express their view on the chief executive election, (in) which the majority of the citizens don’t have the right to vote,” Chao said.

Voting will be open until Aug. 30.

Those taking part are not allowed to use ballot or ballot boxes because this is an unofficial exercise.

On Sunday, only a handful came to the five polling stations run by volunteers, where they voted on tablets.

They can have a say on two motions: whether they believe Macau’s leader should be directly elected in 2019, and whether they have

confidence in incumbent Chui.

“We hope we can voice our opinion, and let the government know our demand such as solving the housing and traffic congestion problems,” said Sam Liu, a clerk.

The only place in China where casinos are legal, Macau rakes in annual gambling revenue of $45bn, dwarfing the money earned on the Las Vegas Strip.

But social tensions have grown as the decade-long casino boom has widened inequality, strained resources and inflated housing prices in the city of about 600,000.

In May, 20,000 people took to the streets to demonstrate against a bill giving lavish retirement benefits to top officials, forcing the

government to scrap it.

The three groups organizing the unofficial referendum, Macau Conscience, Macao Youth Dynamics and Open Macau Society, are taking their lead from Hong Kong democracy activists, who held a similar poll in June that drew nearly 800,000 votes and set the stage for a confrontation with Beijing over democratic reform.

Hong Kong came back under Beijing’s control in 1997, and Macau followed two years later.

Both are granted a high degree of control over their own affairs under the principle of “one country, two systems.”

But unlike Hong Kong, there’s no provision in Macau’s mini-constitution for eventual full democracy. l

from Hong Kong democracy activists, who held a similar poll in June that drew nearly 800,000 votes and set the stage for a confrontation with Beijing over democratic reform

Participants hold a Chinese national flag and a Hong Kong flag as tens of thousands of people march on a down town street to oppose a planned civil disobedience campaign by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, Sunday AP

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Monday, August 25, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Build new towns to spread development

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

W

e welcome the plan by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) to develop compact townships in rural localities across the country.

Key objectives of the “Palli Janapad” project are to save arable land and improve living standards in farming communities. The project is based on providing funds to construct modern four-storey buildings in seven villages, which are planned to serve as a model for more such developments.

The model includes construction of buildings for agricultural development and fertilizer production, the supply and conservation of clean water, and solar and biogas supplies.

Although the nation is fast urbanising, the majority of people still live in rural communities, so it is important to see more investment go towards improving opportunities in rural areas.

Modernising villages and developing more small towns which are more economically productive and attractive, can go a long way to reducing migratory pressures on the country’s large cities. The government needs to think more strategically as well.

In order to make a difference, projects to support rural development need better transportation links and energy supplies across the whole country.

Above all, they need to incorporate new employment opportunities so that fewer people in villages and small towns are forced to move to urban centres.

Having more economically diverse rural zones is a step in the right direction towards having a less centralised Bangladesh. The government should support more initiatives to help the rural economy to flourish and more villages and towns to prosper.

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New bands still struggling August 19

Modernising villages and towns can provide new employment opportunites and reduce pressures on large cities

JI Rono Timely written, and may help music bands and musicians. Well done.

Naushaad Kabir Good article! Keep it up. Came to know about a new band. Thanks!

Mahamudul Nayan Alhamdulillah, my friend has stepped into a new role as writer. Really praiseworthy. The topic is great and contemporary. Keep going, dost.

Mac Haque I think this article is pure humbug and has been written with the flimsiest or no research at all. To say that bands can’t rehearse without creating “public nuisance” is really attempting to put square pegs into a round hole!

The reality is, only a handful of bands have their own rehearsal pads. There are no less than 50 rehearsal/practice pads that operate on rentals all across Dhaka, and 98% of bands use their services.

It costs between Tk400-Tk500 to hire these pads for 4-5 hours.

They come equipped with a PA system, bass and lead amps, mixer and monitor speakers – also decent air-conditioning and sound proofing to go with them. A fair deal for any band.

Zohur Ahmed Well done! Keep it up.

Stop wasteful energy subsidies

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he government marked the recent National Energy Security Day with calls for tougher action to promote energy efficiency.

Certainly there is a case for more measures to promote energysaving appliances and to set targets for industries to reduce waste by investing in more efficient equipment.

This week’s report that 430MW of power alone is wasted every month because Dhaka’s streetlights are turned on inefficiently and often use outdated bulbs, is a case in point. Nationally, experts suggest the country wastes a third of available energy, even though 40% of households still lack a grid connection.

However, there is a far stronger case for the government to cut costly subsidies for gas and electricity.

By cutting expensive subsidies which eat up a quarter of the government’s budget, huge incentive would be created for consumers and businesses to cut waste and invest in more efficient equipment.

It will be both cheaper and more effective to use the mechanism of the market to drive improvements in energy efficiency. Subsidies on fossil fuels encourage valuable foreign exchange to be spent on imports, when the funds would be better spent investing in efficiency and developing renewable energy sources.

Far too much of the value of government subsidies is wasted by inefficient industries or by affluent consumers who can afford to pay the market price for gas and power.

The country cannot afford to misuse scarce taxpayer funds in this way.

The government should divert wasteful subsidies into investment on improving education, welfare , and building economic infrastructure.

Use the mechanism of the market to drive improvements in energy efficiency

Md Monirul Islam Well done, dost.

Mona Mehtabun Shatabdi Thumbs up!

SM Ashraful Alam We are proud of you.

World’s worst and best cities August 20

Free to broadcast

August 17

Arch Bishop I get the author’s point and agree with him. But isn’t some of the blame to be shouldered not by the Awami League but by the “chetona” sycophants in the civil society and journalism itself, whereby they simply have amnesia regarding the AL’s strong history of being anti-free speech?

PM: Zia barred us from coming home August 18

Minhaz M Zahin What is she talking about? Zia brought her back, not barred her.

SAM An article published on August 20 ranked Dhaka among the world’s worst 10 cities in terms of livability. We would have topped the list; however, luckily for us, Damascus, which is in the midst of a civil war, leads the pack, so we are the second-worst! What is of interest is that a large percentage of these 10 are located in Muslim countries – Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Algeria. Another is in Papua New Guinea and the rest are in Africa.

Among the 10 best liveable cities, 7 are located in British Commonwealth countries. Except for one each in Austria and Finland, three are in Canada, while Australia tops the list with four.

Shall we not do something to improve our sorry and sad score, in being in the second-worst spot?

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 14 represents A so fill A every time the figure 14 appears.

You have one letter in the control grid to start you off. Enter it 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.

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.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Enemy (3) 3 Norwegian capital (4) 6 Sharp, curved nail (4) 7 Corded fabric (3) 9 Old stringed instrument (4) 10 Sheltered side (3) 11 Spoken (4) 13 Ventures (5) 16 Camping equipment (5) 18 Flower (4) 19 Rounded vase (3) 20 Pretended (4) 21 Shake tail (3) 23 Strong wind (4) 24 Excuse (4) 25 And not (3)

DOWN 1 Got on (5) 2 Be indebted (3) 4 Innermost being (4) 5 Lyric poem (3) 6 Punctuation mark (5) 8 Skin openings (5) 9 Final (4) 12 Replenish (5) 14 Minute particle (4) 15 Time in grammar (5) 17 Sweetener (5) 18 Garden tool (4) 20 Plant juice (3) 22 Past (3)

Obaidul Quader: ‘Hanging Bangabandhu’s images on banners for years derogatory’ August 19

Depressed Town Surprisingly, common sense in action. Thank you minister.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

Counselling better than punishment to counter delinquency PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

August 19 Preeti Kona This was the third session of the Dhaka Law Review Public Lecture Series 2014, organised by the Law Review, which is the first student-edited law journal at University of Dhaka. The lecture was thoughtprovoking and impactful.

Looking in the mirror August 19 Taj Hashmi “The carnage that we see now in the entire Muslim world can only be addressed if we, the billions of Muslims, rise up and say enough is enough.”

A very informed and balanced appraisal indeed!

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Monday, August 25, 2014

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Bangladesh under the paedophile’s gaze

An innocence forgone?

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n Towheed Feroze urs is still one of those countries where two male friends sharing a room in some random hotel will not raise any eyebrows or questions about their sexual motivations. Similarly, a man walking into a rented room for a night with two teenagers or pre-teen children won’t even be asked any probing questions unless the children look distressed and appear to be intimidated.

This premise of non-suspicion perhaps offers the most secure ground for paedophilic porn-makers to operate. What a paradox – while the moral guardians of society group up to evict sex workers from a red light

SYED LATIF HOSSAIN

area on the pretext of safeguarding values, young children are being lured to acting in pornographic movies to be sent abroad.

It’s shocking because no processions are brought out to root out deviant sexual practices that are taking advantage of our one-dimensional approach to protecting social norms. A child pornography maker, Tipu Kibria, had been featured on the front pages after being nabbed by the police.

After investigation, grisly details have come forth. Reportedly, Kibria had been making such movies, using destitute children, for over nine years.

So, we can safely assume that by now he has victimised close to 100 children at the very least.

Thinking beyond the video shoot-

ing of sexual acts being performed by young boys, what we face is the initiation of young children into unnatural acts of intimacy. One does not need to be a certified sociologist to state that once the mind is attuned to unorthodox behaviour, the road to more experiments – no matter how distorted – cannot be far off.

While the child-porn maker is in custody, the young children who have, at one point or another, decided to act in porn for money are out there in the open. Their impressionable minds are already receptive to the notion of casting aside inhibitions in front the camera – a profoundly worrying aspect.

Newspaper reports also state that Kibria sent these videos to buyers

No silver spoon n Shoaib Alam

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he year is 2014. No shortage of socialites, social workers, and community service club volunteers clamouring for photo-ops with smiling children in low-income classrooms. There is a genuine willingness to finance new schools in high need areas and enrol more students into them. And post photos on Facebook.

That is where the train to progress stops.

Why aren’t more people I know equally invested in the biggest issue crippling our education sector: The disparity in quality of education that seals the fate of students at birth?

Most educated people, including perhaps even you, inadvertently carry within them two different ideas about education, a double standard that they rarely recognise because they don’t often have an opportunity to reflect upon it.

For themselves, many imagine an education that will translate into university, jobs, and social status.

When talking about education for the masses, however, many inadvertently envision basic literacy. They think of an orderly society where the masses follow traffic laws and where migrant labourers behave appropriately in airplanes. In this utopian society, they are still the elites, that is to say, most people do not envision education as a means of upward mobility in realistic terms for children in low income communities.

They don’t envision freethinkers and leaders coming out of slum schools. Instead, as the cliches go, they are prone to guarding their advantages in life, hoping that a subpar education will suffice for children who make up a significant chunk of our population.

Accordingly, the same people don’t see the need to bring the quality of education in low-income communities at par with the country’s leading institutions. This hypocrisy, while

often subconscious, is still palpable in their anxious resistance to improving the quality of education at the nation’s worst schools.

To put things bluntly, such transformations would ultimately lead to upheavals we try not to think about in a rigidly stratified society. Not convinced? Here is a hypothetical (admittedly simplistic) exercise: Imagine your former housemaid brings her son, who having had access to competitive education, is now a surgeon at the best hospital in the city. How will you receive mother and son? Where will you ask them to sit – in your drawing room where you entertain your esteemed guests or whatever space you set aside for your subordinates?

pornography where the victim is killed in the end.

To add real-life perspective: Recently, a policeman in Germany sent shockwaves across the globe with the chilling revelation that he killed and dismembered a consenting man in front of a video camera to cater to the unusual tastes of certain clients.

That act may seem too extreme at the moment, though in an age of globalisation, buttressed by the frenzied use of the web, no act is too impossible to be replicated. And, for good reasons, developing nations are the prime targets.

Shutting down brothels is not the priority, clamping down on child pornography is

At least in most red light zones, there is a boundary which no sex worker is forced to cross.

Surely, it takes some time to digest the fact that child porn was being made in Bangladesh, however, in a country where hypocrisy always creates a nebulous layer over sexual credo, it’s always difficult to get the true picture.

On one side, the so-called conservative champions storm brothels to kick out sex workers; on the other, local films blithely follow the “expose to the limit” in item numbers popularised

by Indian movies. Similarly, red light districts for the common person are raided, while top class escorts run raging business through online sites.

The unvarnished truth: Kibria is just another product of a society which is dubious and duplicitous.

People like him take advantage of so many grey areas plus double standards, while the meaningless rants of the puritans maintain the deception of normalcy. l Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

Dead in the water an education, an ideal one, gives individuals the capacity to think for themselves and an educated population may justifiably decide against selfish interests. It means uncertainty for our future generations. And we are asking ourselves to willingly sign up for this agenda by improving schools and teachers everywhere.

These are the real fears I see on people’s faces when they defend their position or rationalise against education equity – I can see them clearly because I have felt them inside me too.

How can you not, growing up here?

Losing your few advantages in life is not meant to be an easy exercise. If it doesn’t make you flinch, you have reached an admirable Zen state. If you

The biggest issue crippling our education sector – the disparity in quality of education that seals the fate of students at birth

If this sounds like a difficult question to answer, that’s because it is. Or rather it’s daunting because that’s what our society makes it out to be. Perhaps the answers are simple.

When we talk about improving the quality of education across the nation, we also mean a redistribution of many of the privileges that have so far been dictated by class and birth.

We mean opening up opportunities that were once reserved for us alone.

We mean that our children will have fewer unchecked advantages in life than we did, they will have to compete for the jobs they might have once been handed on a silver platter.

We mean a change in status quo, a process which may (or may not) reduce our power and control because

based around 13 different countries, which means that in the years he has been engaged in this unspeakable trade, a formidable international operation has come to being which identifies Bangladesh as a supplying country. Arresting the man definitely deserves praise, but we will be naïve to expect that Tipu Kibria was the only man involved in this business.

As the pernicious tentacles of paedophilia reach out to developing nations, where desperation drives people to cross the line of sanity quite regularly, the need to concentrate more on the perverted aspects of sexuality rises. Shutting down brothels is not the priority, clamping down on child pornography is. Red light areas have been integral parts of almost all

urban centres for centuries. Instead of getting closed, these establishments need to be well regulated, with constant presence of health awareness clinics plus advocacy units.

Uprooting sex workers from a protected zone means putting them in a vulnerable setting, where all sorts of exploitation can take place. Today, we find a child-porn maker, tomorrow there may be the discovery of another filmmaker producing fetishist videos focusing on sadistic pleasures.

The cardinal rule of pornography is that unless it’s regulated, sinister branches will form.

Interestingly, in Bangladesh, the entire issue of pornography is being forcefully categorised in one simplistic definition where the suggested approach is a full-on ban with the underscoring of a strict moral code. This approach is absurd because when puritans talk about “accepted behaviour” they simply generalise, leaving out countless evolved nuances in sexual relations that have come to exist with the progression of human society. One cannot simply divide porn into “good” and “bad” because there are plenty in between.

Let’s admit – the war against general pornography cannot be won. As the internet makes us empowered in communicating freely, it also opens millions of doors to give us the oldest pleasures of mankind in hundreds of different forms. What can and should be done is filtering porn that involves people below the age of 18, or which deviates grossly from what society generally accepts as normal.

Behaviour which we usually deem kosher or, in certain cases, exotically adventurous in real life, is often denounced by the moral brigade as being utterly repulsive. Sorry to say, unless we adopt a flexible approach, the insidious damage caused by child porn, slave porn, or other abhorrent materials, cannot be contained.

Right here is a hypothetical scenario – young sex workers driven out of a brothel are kept in an apartment where they are forced to participate in dark sexual deeds, involving relentless hours of inflicting pain.

Soon, the demand will be for more variation, leading to who knows what – maybe even physical deformation. I remember a film called 8mm, where an investigator traces the production of snuff movies – a perverted sort of

want to keep a lock on your class privileges, so be it. At least you might admit that to yourself.

For the rest of us, the issue of education equality should be an open and constant conversation where we can explore our assumptions, inner conflicts, motivations, and ideas for the future. What kind of a society should we try to build? Are we willing to truly make our privileges obsolete and strive to provide equal opportunity for all? Difficulties notwithstanding, that might just be the most rational choice. l Shoaib Alam is a writer from Dhaka currently based in Fort Collins, Colorado. He chronicles writing about Bangladesh and by Bangladeshis at thefictionists.tumblr.com.

n Saleh Md Arman

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n Bangladesh, there is a positive correlation between maritime tragedies and the Eid season. Almost every Eid, we have to see horrific and tear-worthy images of such disasters.

Recently, the Pinak-6 disaster brought pain to all of our hearts. Emotional headlines in dailies, soul-stirring posts in social media, and heated conversations at tea stalls are common phenomena right now.

People have shown their frustration against the mismanagement of the authorities concerned and the unscrupulous owners of these marine vehicles.

But, as usual, with the passage of time we will forget everything. And the most unfortunate part is that this is a continuous process.

We face two types of disasters in our lives: One is natural, and the other is anthropogenic, that is disasters that are human-made. We cannot control nature. So, natural disasters are just bad luck. But the maritime disasters we see in rivers are mainly caused by human beings. Yes, we kill our own brothers and sisters through our crooked activities. Among the maritime disasters that have taken place in our country, almost all the incidents were closely linked with human error.

There are several causes of such anthropogenic maritime disasters.

The first one is passenger overload.

Marine vehicles which ply on rivers often carry more passengers than their estimated capacity. The Pinak-6 was carrying nearly twice the number of people it could hold. Another point is the scarcity of marine vehicles. During Eid, every mode of transportation is booked and this paucity of marine vehicles forces overloading.

Another fact is that, unfit and unregistered marine vehicles are spread all over the ports with unscrupulous proprietors taking advantage of the Eid-time rush. Moreover, it is very difficult for a traveller to identify whether

or not a vessel has its state of fitness certified. During Eid, people are hurried and they have families with them, so they don’t bother with such details.

A lack of resources among the rescue parties adds to the problem.

Rescue parties tend to have very old-fashioned rescue vehicles and an insufficient number of expert crew members. These limitations cause the death toll to rise. Often, these rescue ships cannot even reach the scene of the incident on time because of narrow channels caused by improper and irregular dredging of riverbeds.

An ample number of maritime vehicles can be a prime solution in reducing passenger overload. These vehicles should be fit for voyage and properly monitored by the authorities concerned.

Every vehicle should carry adequate life-saving equipment. These life-saving kits should be well-maintained and checked before the voyage.

Unfit marine vehicles should be strictly prohibited. Any breach of laws should be met with exemplary punishment.

Drivers and crew members should be well-trained. Signs should be put up on the walls of the vehicles to make passengers aware of the dangers.

In addition, public-private cooper-

ation is needed for enriching rescue parties. Modern rescue ships should be introduced. Qualified personnel should be recruited in the rescue crews. Proper and regular dredging of riverbeds is significant for the smooth movement of marine vehicles and rescue ships.

Notwithstanding these facts, people should be aware while travelling across rivers. They should not panic and try to remain calm. They should avoid unfit vessels. They should consider environmental factors which may cause vessel drowning. Also, they should ask the authorities concerned to check the fitness reports of marine vehicles before departure.

We have the solutions, and it’s high time we implemented them. It is not the sole duty of the BIWTA or the BIWTC, rather it is everyone’s responsibility. Our countrymen should cooperate with each other to prevent such cataclysms.

Awareness is indeed important. We should be aware ourselves and pass on the message to the authorities concerned in order to take pragmatic and immediate steps to put a stop to such disasters. l Saleh Md Arman is a lecturer at Manarat International University.

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

n Entertainment Desk

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Lungi Dance in Bangla

he tendency of copying Bollywood hit tracks and pasting it with a few catchy Bangla words to our mainstream film is nothing new. However, a wave of young musicians and their tireless effort to pull off Bangla film songs from the gutter improved the situation for a while. But, it seems that the trend is returning in full swing with the remake of the superhit track “Lungi Dance.”

Bappy and Anchol recently appeared in a song for the movie titled “Gunda: The Terrorist” which is a poorly constructed Bangla version of Indian rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh’s “Lungi Dance.” As the song is very popular among the audience of Bangladesh, the director of “Gunda: The Terrorist,” Ispahani Arif Jahan decided to go for the remake. While asked about the copyright issue, he claimed that the song is “not an exact copy, it is rather an inspired version.” He added: “We used a few lines and a few music pieces from the Bollywood track in the Bangla song. It is not a ‘copy,’ so no question of copyright arises.”

The lyrics of the song is “Chakbum Chak-

bum, Ailo Kulsum/ Lungi Dance Lungi Dance” and emanates hilarious and funky tone. Kabir Bakul is the writer of the song while the music is composed by Ali Ahsan Shuvo.

“Lungi Dance” is a Gaana style song for the 2013 Bollywood film “Chennai Express,” which is a tribute to Rajinikanth, one of the leading actors of Southern India.

The original song with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone sees the actors dressed in adequate outfits which went with the mood and tone of the song but the Dhallywood version sees no “lungi” in the entire song.

Anchol said to the Dhaka Tribune: “For the first time, I took part in this kind of a song which resembles an item song. In the film, I portrayed the character of an heiress.

My parents want me to settle down and marry but being rowdy and turbulent in nature, I go for a man who is knows the art of fighting.”

Bappy said: “In the film, I portrayed a character who has no identity at all. It is interesting in a way and I think the audience will be entertained by it.” l

Monday, August 25, 2014

Prova in new drama series

n Entertainment Desk Popular TV actor Prova will be seen as a village girl in the new drama series “Haatkhola” which will be aired from today on Banglavision at 8:15pm.

Prova, who recently acted in a number of TV plays and serials on rural set-

tings such as “Nat Bou Ashche,” “Hollabaji” etc said such storylines always attract her and she considers those as the medium of reaching to the village audiences.

Claiming herself a selective actor, Prova said: “I wait for good scripts. I have no intention to appear frequently on the screen. Besides, I also love to spend time with my family. So, I do not waste time doing substandard TV plays or series.”

The new series is about a Haat, the temporary market place of a village, which is named Haatkhola. The place is depicted as the ground of power practice for the ruling communities and leading businessmen of the village. The dark side of village politics is portrayed in a humorous way in the series. Besides Prova, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Homayra Himu, Lutfar Rahman George, Runa Khan and others acted in the comedy. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

Hercules 3D Most Welcome 2 The Fault in Our Stars Hero Honeymoon Noah 3D Godzilla 3D Time: 12:30pm – 9:30pm Blockbuster Cinemas, Ka- 244, Pragati Avenue, Kuril

Machete HBO 5:28pm

Exhibition

Jolchhobi

By Shahnoor Mamun Time: 12pm – 8pm Alliance Francaise, Mirpur Road Ode to Beauty

By Shama Shaiom Time: 3pm – 9pm Alliance Francaise, Mirpur Road

The highly skilled federale Machete (Trejo) is hired by some unsavory types to assassinate a senator. But just as he is about to take the shot, he notices someone aiming at him and realises he has been set up.

Unstoppable

Momentary History

By Niamul Bari Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts

Theatre

Cultural organisation Uttarayon, marking its fourth founding anniversary, presented a grand show titled “Cellulloid-e Rabindranath” on Saturday evening at the National Museum auditorium. The artistes performed an array of Tagore’s songs in chorus and solo in the programme attended by a houseful audience KHAN HASAN MUHAMMAD RAFI

Star Movies 7:30pm “Unstoppable” is a drama about a

Jennifer Lopez wants to get married again

n Entertainment Desk

Pop star Jennifer Lopez, who has already been involved in three divorces, says she is still open to the idea of tying the knot for a fourth time.

The 45-year-old singer appeared on her friend Chelsea Handler’s talk show “Chelsea Lately,” and was forced to answer questions about her well-publicised past romances, as well as finding a new man in the future, reported Contactmusic.

In the very open discussion, the Grammy-Award winning singer admitted that she “would get married again,” after the host probed her on her future love life.

“I like being in a relationship, I do. I’m not one to mess around, that’s not my thing (sic),” Lopez said.

The singer first got married to a Cuban waiter called Ojani Noa in February 1997 but ended shortly after in January 1998. She then tied the knot with former back-up dancer Cris

runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. It puts an engineer and his conductor in a race against time. They are chasing the runaway train in a separate locomotive and need to bring it under control.

Nigella Feasts TLC 12:30pm

Anushka denies wedding plans with Virat Kohli From the bestselling author of ‘How to be a Domestic Goddess’ Nigella Feasts, comes a cooking show that promises to teach and entertain. Get ready to immerse yourself in the gourmet world as Nigella cooks delectable food for family and friends. Feasts for special occasions, to small everyday meals, this show is guaranteed to whet your appetite for more!

National Theatre Fest 2014 Time: 7pm – 10pm Shilpakala Academy

n Entertainment Desk Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma’s representative has rubbished reports that she is planning to tie the knot with Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.

There were reports that BCCI had allowed the 26-year-old actor to stay in the same hotel as Kohli, the vice-captain of Indian Cricket Team, during the tour of England as they were going to tie the knot soon. But, now the “Band Baaja Baaraat” actor’s represen-

tative has released a statement saying there is no truth to the story.

“There are several stories online about Anushka Sharma’s impending wedding.

However I would like to set the record straight that there is absolutely no truth to these rumours and I would like to request you to refrain from conjecturing about the same,” the statement said.

Kohli and Anushka have been grabbing headlines ever since they were first spotted together during the tour of New Zealand. l

Judd in another short partnership, they were together from September 2001 until June 2002.

Lopez’s final marriage was with fellow singer Marc Anthony in June 2004, they would go on to have twins, a boy and a girl, who were born on February 22, 2008. They announced their split three years later in June 2011.

However, most recently the “Anaconda” actress split from her boyfriend of two and a half years, Casper Smart, who is 18 years her junior, after simply growing apart. l

Did you know?

In only two appearances, Eric Dier has scored more Premier League goals than any Tottenham defender did in the whole of 2013-14

Sport

Monday, August 25, 2014

14 Cameroon’s

Ebosse dead after being hit by object

15 Aussies sweat

over Clarke for Zimbabwe opener

DHAKA TRIBUNE

15 Bolt sets new

100m indoors best time of 9.98sec

Bangladesh A team players head towards their gym session as they get a glimpse of the women cricketers of Khelaghar SKS who were taking the field during the second semifinal of the Women’s Cricket League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday

Bangladesh looking to avoid series sweep n Tribune Desk Bangladesh will look to avoid a series sweep against hosts West Indies when the two sides lock horns in the third and final one-day international at Basseterre in St. Kitts tonight.

Inconsistent performances let the visiting Bangladesh side down once again as they were bundled out for 70 chasing 248 for victory in the second ODI on Friday. The batsmen appeared clueless and eventually collapsed like nine-pins as many as 10 of their batsmen were unable to reach double figures.

The spineless surrender in the second ODI had infuriated both the spectators and captain Mushfiqur Rahim who went on to question the players’ will to win. Their discipline in defeat in the first ODI had raised hopes of Bangladesh bouncing back from their prolonged bad patch. The bowlers continued their good showing by restricting a strong West Indies batting line-up for 247 runs but the party was spoiled by

the Bangladesh batters yet again.

With four openers in the playing XI, the team combination has been questioned widely and a change is likelytonight. Left-handed Mominul Haque could get a game along with Mithun Ali. Top-order batsmen Shamsur Rahman and Imrul Kayes, both having failed in the first two ODIs, are likely to make room for the two changes. The bowling department had performed fairly and according to team sources a change is unlikely.

While for Caribbean side, having won the series already, the game will be yet another walk in the back yard. Bangladesh will need to look out for two Windies hard hitters – Chris Gayle and Darren Bravo - who had posted fifties in the second ODI. Lendl Simmons scored enough runs while Kieron Pollard along with Denesh Ramdin are in fine touch having rescued the side from sure trouble in the first ODI. Sunil Narine is once again expected to be a handful for the visitors while pacemen Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul and Jason Holder are bowling superbly and will target another consistent bowling display. l

Gazi reported for bowling action Bangladesh cricket team suffered a shock yesterday after off-spinner Sohag Gazi was reported for suspected bowling action during their second ODI against West Indies in Grenada. The match officials’ report, which was handed over to Tigers team manager Habibul Bashar on Saturday, cited concerns about the legality of the 23-year-old’s bowling action for all deliveries. Sohag’s bowling action will now be scrutinized further under the ICC process relating to suspected illegal bowling actions reported for Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He is required to undergo a test within 21 days. When contacted, BCB acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said, “BCB looked for ICC accredited testing facilities in West Indies, but there are none.”

However, he is eligible to play in the final ODI today. This is the second time Gazi has been reported. During Bangladesh A team’s tour to India in 2011, he faced a similar situation but was later cleared.l

MUMIT M

n Shishir Hoque

Super Cup kicks off on October 25, confirms BFF n Shishir Hoque

The Bangladesh Football Federation has banned former Sheikh Russel coach and chief technical director of Sheikh Jamal, Maruful Haque, from all football-related activities for a year and also fined him Tk30,000 for breaching the code of conduct.

The decision was taken at a professional football league committee meeting yesterday where the BFF also handed out punishments to Bangladesh Championship League sides Farashganj SC and Wari Club for match-fixing as the clubs were deducted nine and six points respectively.

Farashganj, who finished second in the second-tier last season, may now lose their right to promotion to topflight football as they are now level with Agrani Bank on 26 points.

Farashganj were also fined Tk500,000 while Wari were fined Tk400,000 for fixing a championship league second-phase match on May 21 this year which ended in a 3-2 win in favour of Farashganj.

A number of Wari Club officials and players were also on the receiving end of the punishments dished out by football’s governing body. The joint

Super Cup 2014, season’s last professional football tournament will kick off on October 25, revealed Bangladesh Football Federation’s (BFF) professional football league committee yesterday.

After doubts arose whether the Super Cup will be held this season, BFF has finally confirmed and fixed a date to hold the season-ending tournament where six premier league clubs will take part in with foreign players ineligible to play for the participating clubs.

The committee also revealed that the players’ transfer window for the Bangladesh Premier Football League season 2014-15 will remain open from November 12 till December 11.

However, the committee also confirmed that the draw for the U-18 football tournament will take place in the first week of September.

Earlier in its previous meeting, the committee decided that the Super Cup will be played at the end of October following the conclusion of the AFC Under-16 Women’s Football Championship qualifiers that are scheduled to be held in Dhaka from October 13-24. l

secretary of the club, Mohidur Rahman Miraj, has been banned from all football-related activities that will be organised by the BFF while the club’s football secretary, Abdur Razzak Dilip, and member SM Farid received twomonth bans.

The players who were also banned are - Uthing Singh Marma (three matches) and Abul Hasnat Bipul, Md. Saiful Islam and Md. Roman (two matches each).

Meanwhile, Maruful first came under the BFF’s disciplinary committee’s radar when he was quoted demanding the resignation of the professional league committee on February 28 this year during his time as head coach of Russel. l

Akram at a loss of words after another humiliating show

Abahani women set final date with Mohammedan n Mazhar Uddin Lata Mondol’s three-wicket haul and Sharmin Sultana’s unbeaten half century guided Abahani Limited to the final of the Metropolitan Women’s Cricket League as they defeated Khelaghar SKS by eight wickets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket stadium yesterday.

Owing to unplayable weather, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) earlier deferred the second semifinal between Abahani and Khelaghar which was originally scheduled to take place on August 14. Abahani will take on arch-rival Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited in the final, the date of which is yet to be confirmed by the BCB. Electing to bat first, Khelaghar posted a meager 81 runs in 37.4 overs before losing all their wickets with top-order batter Ritu Moni top-scoring with 31 runs. With the exception of Shohaly Akhter (12), no other batter was able to reach double figures. Lata picked up three wickets conceding just 15 runs from her seven overs while Sandiha Islam Asha and Khadija-tul Kubra chipped in with two wickets each.

In pursuit of 82, Abahani cruised to their target in 26.4 overs with eight wickets in hand riding on opening batter Sharmin’s unbeaten 51 from 81 balls. Lata provided her valuable support with 22. l

BFF slaps Maruf with one year suspension

13

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Abahani’s Sharmin Sultana (L) and Lata Mondol cross each other while taking a run during their second semifinal of the Women’s Cricket League against Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

Chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) cricket operations committee, Akram Khan, yesterday expressed his grave disappointment with the way the Bangladeshi batsmen performed in the second ODI against the West Indies on Friday.

Chasing a target of 248 runs, Bangladesh could only manage 70 before being bundled out in 24.4 overs, thus capitulating to a huge 177-run defeat as the West Indies took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.

“I thought they (Bangladesh) would have performed better after the first game,” Akram told the media yesterday. “We played well below our standard in all the three departments.

What we have observed this year is that we tend to play disastrously after every two games, especially with the bat,” he added.

The former national skipper informed that the board is taking note of these issues. He believes all the players are working hard but are not reaping the expected rewards. Akram thinks a lack of individual targets amongst the batsmen is the chief reason behind the poor showings.

“What we have seen is that they lack individual targets. A batsman usually

takes time to settle in the 50-over game but what they are doing is rushing into challenges from the very beginning,” Akram explained.

Following the second ODI defeat, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim had said one reason behind the players’ poor displays might be because the cricketers are worried with their place in the team. This pressure, Mushfiq

One cannot expect to sustain if he is not performing. It is their responsibility to perform because they earned a place for themselves in the national team because of their performance said, was piling up unnecessary pressure upon the players which eventually affected their game.

Akram echoed Mushfiq’s sentiment but stressed that it is the same in every cricket-playing country.

“One cannot expect to sustain if he is not performing. It is their responsibility to perform because they earned a place for themselves in the national team because of their performance,” said the former national chief selector.

Akram notified that the tour of the West Indies is the first instance when the national selection panel was given full authority by the BCB to select the squad but the results have not been satisfactory.

“It does not matter how high the profile of the coach or the selector is.

They are bound to explain to the board.

We will sit with the issues once the team returns,” informed Akram.

The year 2014 has not been an easy travel for Bangladesh. The side lost 11 out of 12 ODIs this year with one game against India washed out to rain. As far as T20 internationals are concerned, Bangladesh played nine games and won only two while out of the two Test matches played this year, they lost one and drew the other – both against Sri Lanka at home.

When queried if the series of poor performances were down to any faults in the process Akram said, “The main issue I think is the confidence level. Their confidence level goes up and down very quick. Two back-to-back wins boost them while two back-to-back defeats put them under immense pressure. We tried to fix this and appointed two psychologists. We are trying everything possible. I believe this team will bounce back as these are the very players who performed brilliantly not so long ago.” l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Monday, August 25, 2014

United lose points, Spurs batter QPR n AFP, London Manchester United secured their first Premier League point under Louis van Gaal, but were still left searching for a first competitive win of the Dutchman’s reign, after a 1-1 draw away to Sunderland on Sunday.

United, fresh from their shock 2-1 defeat by Swansea at Old Trafford on the opening day last weekend, took a 17th-minute lead at the Stadium of Light when Juan Mata turned in Antonio Valencia’s cross.

But former Manchester City midfielder Jack Rodwell equalised for Sunderland in the 30th minute when he headed in Seb Larsson’s corner after evading marker Robin van Persie.

But despite the urging of their Uruguayan manager, Sunderland couldn’t manage a second goal, and nor could United, with van Gaal having said in midweek the team would need a “miracle” to win the league this season.

Earlier, Nacer Chadli scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur ensured there was no happy return to White Hart Lane for Harry Redknapp as they beat their former manager’s Queens Park Rangers side 4-0.

Meanwhile 10-man Hull draw 1-1 at home to Stoke.

Chadli put Spurs ahead in the 12th minute when he thrashed home Adebayor’s cross from six yards out.

Defender Eric Dier doubled Spurs’ lead with his second goal in as many matches

when he headed in Erik Lamela’s corner at the near post on the half hour.

Tottenham went 3-0 up in the 37th minute. Argentinian playmaker Lamela was again involved, his precise pass finding the head of Chadli, who nodded in from six yards.

Rangers did prevent Spurs adding to their tally until the 65th minute when Togo striker Adebayor side-footed home from six yards out after a fine run and cross by Danny Rose.

RESULTS

Sunderland Rodwell 30

Hull Jelavic 42

Tottenham Chadli 12, 37, Dier 30, Adebayor 65

1 1 1 1 4 0

Man United Mata 17

Stoke Shawcross 84

QPR

Hull played most of the match a man down when last man James Chester was sent off in the 14th minute. But Hull still took the lead three minutes before half-time when Nikica Jelavic scored form close range after Stoke ‘keeper Asmir Begovic failed to hold a low shot from Tom Huddlestone.

It seemed the Tigers would hold out for all three points.

But Stoke equalised six minutes from time when, after Phil Bardsley hit the inside of the post, defender Ryan Shawcross did just enough to bundle the ball over the line, although Hull felt the throw-in that led to the goal should have gone their way. l

Sunderland defender Wes Brown (L) vies with Manchester United striker Robin van Persie during their EPL match at The Stadium of Light in Sunderland yesterday

City, Liverpool resume title hostilities n AFP, Manchester Manchester City and Liverpool will renew their rivalry beneath the Etihad Stadium floodlights on Monday in the first major head-to-head encounter of the fledgling Premier League season.

When the teams last met, at Anfield in April, a late Philippe Coutinho goal gave Liverpool a 3-2 victory that left them on course for a first league title since 1990.

But with the finishing line in sight, Brendan Rodgers’s side collapsed, allowing City to creep up on the rails and pip them to the title by two points.

Liverpool’s late-season slump was particularly traumatic for captain Steven Gerrard, whose slip against Chelsea allowed Demba Ba to score a goal that allowed City back into the title race.

After then crashing out of the World Cup in the group phase with England, the 34-year-old said he had been through “probably the worst three

months of my life”.

The meeting with City will bring memories of what happened last season into sharp focus for Gerrard and his team-mates, but the champions’ manager, Manuel Pellegrini, does not think it will have any bearing on Monday’s game.

Whereas City have enjoyed a largely settled off season, Liverpool have witnessed significant upheaval.

Luis Suarez’s departure for Barcelona in a £75 million ($124 million, 94 million euros) transfer helped fund a splurge of investment that has seen eight new players move to the club, with former City striker Mario Balotelli also poised to join them.

Balotelli will not feature against his old side as his transfer was not finalised before the weekend, but Liverpool’s fans could get their first glimpses of new signings Lazar Markovic and Alberto Moreno.

Adam Lallana, another new recruit, is not yet ready to return as he pursues his rehabilitation following a knee problem, while left-back Jose Enrique is a doubt due to injury.

Daniel Agger, Jon Flanagan and Oussama Assaidi are all definitely out.

City’s latest signing, centre-back Eliaquim Mangala, is unlikely to play as he is short of fitness following his £32 million switch from Porto.

Striker Alvaro Negredo remains sidelined by a foot injury, but Sergio Aguero could start after coming off the bench to score in injury time at Newcastle last weekend.

Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard may also make his debut for the club, having been left out for the trip to St James’ Park.

Monday’s game is an early opportunity for last season’s two outstanding teams to feel each other out, but Rodgers does not believe it will be a cautious encounter.

Both teams broke through the 100goal barrier in 2013-14 -- City scoring 102 goals to Liverpool’s 101 -- and the Northern Irishman thinks they will each be eager to assert themselves.

Asked if he expected the game against City to be cagey, the Liverpool manager replied: “I don’t think so. l

AFP

Man United set to sign Real’s Di Maria n Reuters, London

Cameroon’s Ebosse dead after being hit by object

Manchester United are close to signing Real Madrid’s Argentina winger Angel Di Maria in a deal that is expected to smash the British transfer record, according to media reports.

British newspapers said a move for the 26-year-old is likely to cost more than the 50 million pounds ($82.84 million) Chelsea paid Liverpool for Spain striker Fernando Torres in 2011.

Di Maria cost Real 20 million pounds from Benfica in 2010 and he was a key part of the team that won the club’s 10th European Cup last term but he has since fallen out of favour and was omitted from the squad for the Spanish Super Cup this week.

“Di Maria asked to leave this summer and rejected the option to renew,” Real manager Ancelotti said on Thursday.

“We’ll look for the best option for him and if at the end of August he is still here then he will work with us like last season.”

However, Manchester United declined to comment on the reports.l

n AFP, Algiers African football must not become a “breeding ground for hooliganism”, CAF president Issa Hayatou warned Sunday after Cameroonian striker Albert Ebosse

died when he was hit by a projectile during an Algerian league match.

Ebosse, 24, had scored the lone goal for his club JS Kabylie in a home match in what turned out to be a 2-1 defeat against USM Alger, on the second day

of the Algerian championship.

The Cameroon forward was hit by an object thrown from the stands following his team’s loss and was declared dead after he was rushed to a hospital at Tizi Ouzou, east of the capital Algiers, where the match took place.

Fans had started throwing objects from the stands inside the Tizi Ouzou stadium after the match as the players were returning to their changing room.

Hayatou, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF, the sport’s governing body on the continent), expressed his condolences.

Ebosse joined JS Kabylie in 2013 and was top scorer in the 2013-2014 Algerian championship.

The Algerian interior ministry ordered an investigation to search for the culprit. The Algerian National Professional League also ordered the Tizi Ouzou stadium shut and called an extraordinary board meeting on Monday to investigate the incident.l

Gignac earns Marseille first win under Bielsa n AFP, Paris

Andre-Pierre Gignac ended Marseille’s wait for a first victory under new coach Marcelo Bielsa as he scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win at Guingamp in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Later, early pacesetters Bordeaux maintained their perfect start to the campaign under new boss Willy Sagnol with a come-from-behind 3-1 win at Nice.

That lifted them up to nine points, two clear of Lille, 2-0 winners over Lorient, with Caen, 2-0 winners at Reims, Montpellier, who saw off Metz by the same scoreline, and Saint-Etienne,

Former French football star and new coach of Real Madrid Castilla Zinedine Zidane reacts during their Spanish League B match against Atletico de Madrid B at the Cerro del Espino stadium in Majadahonda, near Madrid yesterday. Atletico B won the match 2-1 AFP

a point further back.

Saint-Etienne, the only other team with maximum points so far, host

RESULTS Guingamp Lille

0 1

Marseille

2 0

Lorient

1 0

Toulouse

0 2

Caen

Gignac 46

Delaplace 58, Kjær 74

Bastia Boudebouz 24-P

Reims Nice Bosetti 11

Montpellier

Kante 83, Bazile 90+1

1 3

Bordeaux

2 0

Metz

Diabaté 32-P, Belay 47, Sertic 55

Tiéné 43, S. Camara 89

Rennes on Sunday while last year’s runners-up Monaco, rock bottom after two matches this campaign, will go in search of their first points of the season at Nantes.

Marseille had made an underwhelming start to the new French campaign, taking a solitary point from their first two matches, but Gignac belatedly ignited OM’s season as he struck right after half-time to maintain his fine form.

The goal was Gignac’s third in as many matches, provisionally putting him alongside Saint-Etienne forward Mevlut Erding atop the scoring chart, and bumped Marseille into the top half of the table with Guingamp dropping one spot to 14th.

Mourinho still has plans for Torres n AFP, London

Bellarabi’s nine-second goal stuns Dortmund

Jose Mourinho was adamant Fernando Torres had a future at Chelsea despite the Spain striker playing no part in the Blues’ 2-0 Premier League win over Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

“I decided to keep the same team (that beat Burnley 3-1 on the opening weekend) and I decided to have a bench with a complete balance,” Mourinho explained.

“I want three strikers in the squad.

Sometimes I will play with two and have one on the bench, sometimes one will be suspended and one injured.

“But I can’t do a season without three strikers. Our squad was made carefully over the summer. I want him (Torres) to stay.” l

n AFP, Berlin Bayer Leverkusen’s Karim Bellarabi hit the Bundesliga’s fastest ever goal to help condemn title hopefuls Borussia Dortmund to a 2-0 defeat in their opening game on Saturday.

The Leverkusen attacker struck after just nine seconds and then set up Stefan Kiessling in injury time as the visitors won in Dortmund for the second season in a row.

Bellarabi’s strike was two seconds quicker than the previous record held

by Bayern Munich’s Giovane Elber and Leverkusen’s Ulf Kirsten, both of

whom scored in the 11th second of a Bundesliga game.

The visitors needed just three passes after the kick-off to find the net. Sebastian Boenisch picked out Bellarabi on the edge of the penalty area and he turned inside Matthias Ginter before firing beyond Mitchell Langerak.

Dortmund were shellshocked and Leverkusen gave them little time to find their rhythm. Kiessling then sealed the win five minutes into stoppage time after Bellarabi won the ball from from Dortmund left-back Erik Durm.

“For the first minute, I can’t give any explanation. On account of that first minute, the game became a bit strange,” Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp said. l

Sagnol’s Bordeaux continued to impress, despite hosts Nice going in front through Alexy Bosetti in the 11th minute.

But a Cheick Diabate penalty, and goals from Nicolas Maurice-Belay and Gregory Sertic secured the former champions all three points.

Bastia put aside the loss of Brazilian striker Brandao, suspended for headbutting Paris Saint-Germain’s Thiago Motta last weekend, to beat Toulouse 1-0, the decisive strike a 24th minute penalty converted by Ryad Boudebouz.

On Friday PSG laboured to a 0-0 draw with Evian in Annecy as Laurent Blanc’s side finished the match with 10 men following the second-half dismissal of Yohan Cabaye. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Monday, August 25, 2014

Aussies sweat over Clarke for Zimbabwe opener n AFP, Harare

QUICK BYTES

Naogaon third in Women’s Handball Naogaon clinched third spot in the Walton Air Conditioner National (Under-19) Youth Women’s Handball Tournament after crushing Jamalpur 14-1 at the M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium yesterday. Shahnaz scored six goals for the victors and Shoma added four while Shathi netted the consolation for Jamalpur on her debut. The final between Team BJMC and Panchagarh will be held today at the same venue.

–Tribune Desk

India’s Pujara to join Derbyshire India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is set to join Derbyshire for the final three County Championship fixtures of the season, it was announced Saturday. The 26-year-old made 81 against the Midlands county in a tour match but struggled in the ensuing 3-1 defeat by England in a five-Test series, where he made 222 runs at an average of 22.20 with a top score of 55. However, Pujara has a career Test average of just under 50 and he said: “I’m keen to play as much cricket as possible in England this year and I’m looking forward to joining up with Derbyshire at the beginning of September.”

Derbyshire are currently seventh in the Second Division of the Championship, two places off the bottom.

–AFP

Flintoff heroics can’t stop Bears winning T20 title

Andrew Flintoff returned to the Lancashire side five years to the day since he last played Test cricket but his efforts weren’t quite enough to stop Warwickshire winning English county cricket’s Twenty20 Blast final. Flintoff, who had made just two appearances in the competition after coming out of retirement earlier this year, was a late replacement for the injured Kabir Ali after not featuring in Lancashire’s semi-final win over Hampshire at Edgbaston earlier in the day. But the 36-year-old all-rounder, whose international career ended after England’s 2005 Ashes series win following a succession of injuries, showed he could still rise to a big occasion. He removed former England team-mate Ian Bell with his first ball, although the dismissal owed much to an excellent catch in the deep by Karl Brown.

–AFP

Phelps pips Lochte to 200m medley final place

Five-time Olympic gold medallist Ryan Lochte lost out on a final spot to Michael Phelps in the 200 metres individual medley at the Pan Pacific Championships on Sunday. Teammate Tyler Clary swam a faster time (1min 58.70sec) after being re-seeded out of the final preliminary leaving Phelps and Lochte to fight out for the second and last American place in the final under meet rules. Eighteen-time Olympic champion Phelps came home strongly to out-touch Lochte by 0.23sec to win their heat in the fourth-fastest time of 1:58.95 behind Japan’s Kosuke Hagino (1:57.61). That meant Lochte, a silver medallist behind Phelps in the event at the 2012 London Olympics, missed out on the final and will instead swim in the B final at the Gold Coast later Sunday. As it stands, Lochte still leads as the top US entry in the event for next year’s world championships under his country’s selection policy following his winning time of 1:56.50 at the US trials this month.

–AFP

Australian spearhead Mitchell Johnson (R) bowls during their practice session held at the Harare Sports Club, on Saturday

Bilbao beaten, Valencia hold Sevilla in season opener n AFP, Madrid Champions League hopefuls Athletic Bilbao got their La Liga campaign off to a poor start as they were beaten 1-0 at Malaga on Saturday.

Liverpool loanee Luis Alberto scored the only goal of the game as he tapped home the rebound after Gorka Iraizoz had saved his penalty 10 minutes before half-time.

The hosts ended the game with nine men after Duda and Vitorino Antunes saw late red cards, but they held on as Iraizoz had a stunning stoppage time equaliser controversially ruled out for offside.

Espanyol also rescued a draw at Almeria at the death as Sergio Garcia’s effort in the 13th minute of stoppage time handed them a 1-1 draw at Almeria.

The game had been delayed by a

floodlight failure after Fernando Soriano had fired Almeria into a 52nd minute lead.

And the Catalans made the most of the added time as Garcia’s effort trickled into the far corner with virtually the last kick of the game to salvage a point.

RESULTS Malaga Luis Alberto 35

Granada Rochina 55, Babin 77

Sevilla Aleix 44

Almeria Soriano 52

1 0 2 1 1 1 1 1

Athletic Bilbao Deportivo Cavaleiro 20

Valencia Orban 88

Espanyol Sergio Garcia 90+13

Granada were the other winners of the opening day of the campaign as they game from behind to beat newly promoted Deportivo la Coruna at Nuevo Los Carmenes. l

AFP

India hope format change revives fortunes n Cricinfo A relentless examination that lasted five Tests and ended with three successive defeats is over, but some humiliating stats still follow India to the shorter format. They go into the ODI series against England having failed to win their last seven matches outside Asia.

The bowling not firing in those games was not a huge concern; that is the norm for India. The batting getting blown away in South Africa and failing to close out games in New Zealand was.

India’s batsmen regularly make up for the bowlers’ shortcomings in home conditions. Unfortunately for them, the 2015 World Cup won’t be played at home.

Starting from Bristol, India will want their batsmen to win a few games for

Star Sports 2 Pro Kabaddi League 8:15PM Delhi v Pune 9:30PM Bengaluru v Patna 12:00AM La Liga Real Madrid v Cordoba CF 1:50 AM Rayo Vallecano v Atletico Madrid Star Sports 1 12:45 AM Barclays Premier League Manchester City v Liverpool Star Sports 3, HD1 3:25 PM Royal London ODI Series 2014 England v India

them because after this series, it will be only a month to the World Cup by the time they play their next one outside Asia. Barring a couple of names in the top order, the core of the batting remains unchanged from the Tests.

Which means personnel low on runs and down on confidence. The fresh arrivals - Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu - do not inspire much confidence as well.

England’s recent one-day form hasn’t been exciting either. They went down to Australia both home and away, the latter a 1-4 rout. They did beat West Indies in Antigua but slipped against Sri Lanka at home. They fought in that series alright, coming back from 99 all out at Chester-le-Street to demolishing the visitors for 67, but their batsmen made few big scores, and will want to show greater urgency against India.

Like India, several members of England’s Test squad feature in the oneday side, and unlike India, they will bring with themselves baggage of the right kind.

Hales is expected to make his oneday debut as Alastair Cook’s opening partner. Ian Bell is likely to drop down to No. 3 ahead of Gary Ballance for his one-day experience, while an allrounder will be required further down the order to make up for Ravi Bopara’s bowling.

Bristol’s first ODI in more than four years may not happen at all, with 100% chances of rain - 50-75mm - throughout Monday, according to weather. com. There are no floodlights at the ground so light is likely to be an issue too. There is some green on the pitch but not much. l

Nepal U-23 arrive today n Shishir Hoque

are working very hard. They only have to improve in tactical areas,” said the Dutchman before adding, “We want to win both the matches. Winning is important because we will be playing at home for the first time in three years and we want to make sure the crowd get enthusiastic.”

Although Bangladesh’s record against Nepal in recent past has not been impressive, Rene believes home advantage makes them favourites and he also hinted a 4-3-3 formation for Tuesday with defense a major concern.

The main reason behind organising the friendlies is to prepare the U-23 national team for the 17th Asian Games next month where Bangladesh is placed in a tough group against Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Hong Kong where Rene eyes the a finish in the top two spot. l

Bangladesh Football Federation vice president Tabith Awal (3L) shakes hands with SS Steel chairman Kazi Shakil during the sponsorship signing agreement at the BFF House yesterday COURTESY

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is all set to host friendly matches on home soil after three years as Nepal team arrive in Dhaka today. BFF also revealed the title sponsor yesterday in a press conference and named it ‘SS Steel International Friendly Series’.

The details of the two-match series were also revealed as the ticket price for the two friendly is set at Tk20 while BTV will telecast the matches live.

Meanwhile, team manager Amirul Islam Babu confirmed Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif will arrive tonight and will take charge of the team from the first match. Rene Koster, the assistant coach, said that the players are well prepared and wants his side to focus on tactical sides “I have faith in my players. They

Bolt sets new 100m indoors best time of 9.98sec

Wimbledon champ Kvitova takes New Haven title

DAY’S WATCH Ten Cricket Trin Nation ODI Series 1:30 PM Zimbabwe v Australia 12:15 AM Bangladesh Tour of West Indies, 3rd ODI

Australia will make a late decision on captain Michael Clarke’s fitness for Monday’s triangular series opener against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club.

Clarke tweaked his left hamstring during Australia’s first training session on Friday, but jogged several laps on Saturday to lend hope that he may recover in time.

However with a higher-profile game against South Africa to follow on Wednesday, it is possible that Clarke will be left out of the Zimbabwe clash as a precaution, in which case George Bailey would lead Australia.

Should Clarke be left out on Monday, then top-order batsman Phillip Hughes could take his place after coming into the squad following an injury to Shane Watson. Although Lehmann was yet to identify his preferred bowling attack for the game, he confirmed that it would be led by left-arm fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc.

Zimbabwe’s selections at times appeared haphazard and reactionary, with the decision to drop leading batsman Brendan Taylor for the third game the most controversial, but Mangongo defended the home side’s decisions in the 3-0 series defeat.

However with the more experienced Tendai Chatara and Donald Tiripano expected to return to the squad after they were rested for the series against South Africa, the hosts will hope to make greater inroads up front. l

n

AFP, Warsaw

Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt set a new best time of 9.98sec for the rarely run 100m indoors at Warsaw’s national football stadium on Saturday.

The Olympic champion and world record holder (9.58s) eclipsed the previous best mark for the distance of 10.05 set by Namibian Frankie Fredericks in 1996. The Warsaw stadium had its roof closed for the event.

Bolt, in action as preparation for Zurich’s Diamond League meeting next week, said: “Above all I wanted to get through this season without any injury as I’ve suffered enough over the past few years.

“Over the next meetings starting with Zurich I’m hoping to run ever quicker.”

Bolt received various gifts after his win over his compatriot Sheldon Mitchell and American Trell Kimmons, among them pictures of his 28th birthday celebrations in Warsaw on Thursday.

Bolt had only run his first 100m of the year in an exhibition race on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach on August 17 in a time of 10.6sec.

His last competitive individual appearance at the 100m came in Brussels last year while at last month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow he was part of the victorious Jamaican 4x100m relay team.

Bolt will compete in his final Olympics in Rio in 2016 before calling time on his career in 2017 after the world championships. l

NSU go through n Tribune Desk North South University progressed to the Cup phase in the 9th Ascent Corporate Indoor 5-a-side Football Cup after beating Vizrt 2-1 in an evenly contested group match at the STM Hall, Scholastica yesterday.

On the third day of the tournament, Bangla Cat, STS Group and Bkash all slammed six goals each against their respective opponents while Chevron BD netted seven against Adcomm Limited. l

RESULTS Metronet Bkash Cream & Fudge Adcomm Ltd Vizrt

0 6 2 2 1

6 2 0 7 2

Bangla Cat Tiger IT STS Group Chevron BD NSU

n AFP, New Haven

Reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won her second WTA Connecticut Open title in three years Saturday, defeating Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4, 6-2 in the US Open warm-up event.

Fourth-ranked Kvitova, the 2012 New Haven winner who lost to Simona Halep in last year’s final, will be the women’s third seed when the year’s last Grand Slam tournament begins Monday in New York.

“It was great to win the title. I’m very happy to play the final like that,” Kvitova said. “Hopefully I can show that at the US Open.”

Rybarikova ousted top-seeded Halep on Tuesday but could not claim her fifth WTA title and the first since 2013.l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bangladesh to develop hybrid rice with China n Abu Bakar Siddique

Bangladesh plans to develop hybrid rice with technological and financial cooperation from China to boost rice production and ensure food security, officials in the ministry of agriculture have said.

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and Sichuan Nongda High-tech Agriculture Co Ltd will work jointly to develop and promote hybrid rice varieties in the country.

“The ministry of agriculture has agreed to use Chinese grant money to develop hybrid rice seeds in Bangladesh according to the existing rules and regulations of the country,” said Anwar Faruque, director general of the Seed Wing of the ministry.

The Hybrid Rice Cooperation Project, under the Seed Wing of the ministry, will consist of three stakeholders including BRRI for research and development, BADC for seed production, processing and marketing, as well as the private sector for seed production and marketing, he added.

China will initially provide Tk30cr to set up a Joint Research Centre with total funding around Tk80cr, he said.

Under the project, hybrid seeds for Aush, Aman and Boro paddy will be developed and marketed to farmers to boost agricultural production.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the average paddy production in Bangladesh is around 33.8 million tonnes.

The average paddy production

for traditional and locally developed high yield varieties is 2 tonnes and 3.8 tonnes per hectare, respectively, while the average production of paddy by hybrid seeds is 4.7 tonnes per hectare.

Around 10% to 12% of total paddy production is based on hybrid seeds, which is very low, said Anwar Faruque, who is an additional secretary of the agriculture ministry. He said the government is trying to enhance the use of hybrid seeds to increase production and respond to the crisis of the diminishing availability of agricultural land.

The government-owned rice research institute BRRI has developed 62 rice varieties but very few are hybrid rice varieties.

Regarding the popularity of hybrid seeds, Jibon Krisna Biswas, director general of BRRI, told the Dhaka Tribune that hybrid varieties developed by the institute were not widely known or preferred among farmers because of poor marketing.

The most popular and widely cultivated hybrid rice variety in Bangladesh is imported from China by different private seed companies, he added.

He also said that private sector companies involved in the seed business like Supreme Seed, Lal Teer, ACI agro and Brac would be incorporated into the marketing process of hybrid seeds.

Hybird seeds usually have higher production volumes than non-hybrid seeds but they do not have reproductive capacity, meaning that farmers must buy seeds each season from seed producers, according to GRAIN, an international NGO working in the food systems and agriculture sector. l

Back Page

Monday, August 25, 2014

Flood situation remains unchanged n Tribune Report

The overall flood situation across the country remains static with rise of water level in 49 river stations and fall of water at 31 stations.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, of the 83 monitored water level stations, water levels at 17 monitored river stations are flowing above their respective danger marks.

Our Gaibandha reporter said overall flood condition in low-lying areas of the district remained static yesterday.

The flow of Teesta and Karotua rivers have increased while the Brahmaputra and Ghagat’s water decreased.

Gaibandha Water Development Board Executive Engineer Abdul Awal Miah said the water level of the Teesta and Karotua rivers have risen 6cm and 2cm respectively in last 24 hours while Brahmaputra River’s flow lessened by 4cm.

The water flow of the Ghaghat Riv-

er was recorded 10cm higher than the danger level despite a little bit decrease.

Edendabari UP Chairman under Phulchhari upazila Abdul Matin Mandal said the flood affected people have been victims of robbery that recently broke.

Phulchhari police station OC Mashiur Rahman confirmed the recent outbreak of robbery, saying they ensured the security for the local businessmen’s boats.

Sundarganj upazila’s Belka UP Chairman Jahurul Hoque said cattle and other livestocks have been severely suffering from fodder and shelter crisis.

Under Phulchhari upazila, Fazalpur UP Chairman Joynal Abedin said people were struggling with drinkable water as most of the tube-wells were inundated in the flood. As a result, there was a fear of an outbreak of diarrhoea and abdominal diseases.

Gaibandah DC Md Ehsane Elahi said they have continued the flood relief distribution by public and private ini-

The government plans to set up passport offices in all 64 districts by the next month in order to reduce the hassle in getting machine readable passports, said a Home Ministry official at a meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Government Assurances in Jatiya Sangsad yesterday.

At present, there are 34 regional passport offices in 31 districts, from where people can collect machine readable passports.

Around nine million machine readable passports have been issued so far since the Home Ministry started issuing them in 2010.

While discussing the government move to provide machine readable passports, some members of the standing committee raised the issue of public suffering in obtaining a passport.

The eight-member standing committee legally tasked to review the implementation of pledges made by the prime minister and home minister at parliament discussed the passport

ment of Agriculture Extension (DAE), standing Aman crop on over 25,000 hectares of land has remained submerged in the flood-hit areas of these districts on the Brahmaputra basin.

In Kurigram, standing crops on 17,221 hectares of land, including Transplanted Aman on 16,527 hectares, Aman seedbed on 285 hectares, Aus on 143 hectares and vegetables on 266 hectares of land have remaining under flood water.

Similar reports of submergence of standing crops was received from flood-hit areas of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Bogra and Sirajganj where assessment of crop damages caused by the current flash flood was progressing.

The district and upazila administrations have intensified distribution of rice and cash money among flood- and erosion-hit people in affected districts and health department has deployed medical teams to provide health services to the flood affected people. l

Shukkur Shikdar, 74, sits on the bank of Padma River with a weary look after he lost all of his belongings for the fourth time in 30 years due to river erosion on the capital’s outskirts Mawa. The aged man has no other option but to take refuge in a nearby shelter. A family rebuilds their house yesterday after all of their belongings were washed away by river erosion SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN/DHAKA TRIBUNE

Passport offices in all districts in a month n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

tiative there and they already opened two shelters in Sundarganj, where 38 medical teams were working.

According to local sources, erosion has taken serious turn in Kurigram, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Bogra and Sirajganj.

According to WDB sources, the Brahmaputra was flowing 18 cm above its DM at Fulchhari while the Ghaghot was flowing 10 cm above the DM at Gaibandha yesterday.

While Teesta was flowing above the DM by 15cm at Dalia points at 6am yesterday.

The Jamuna was flowing above its DM by 25cm at Bahadurabad, 61cm at Sariakandi, 12cm at Sirajganj and 12cm at Aricha points respectively at 6am yesterday.

Executive Engineer of the Teesta Barrage Project Division of the WDB Mahbubur Rahman said the Teesta was flowing 15cm above the DM at Dalia point at 6am yesterday morning.

According to sources in the Depart-

issue as it assessed the government’s progress in fulfilling its assurances on home affairs in the ninth parliament.

AL’s Mir Mostaque Ahmed Robi, member of parliament (MP) from the Satkhira Sadar constituency, raised the issue, saying people in Satkhira had to go to Khulna to get passports.

“In response to Robi Bhai’s question, a joint secretary told us that machine readable passports will be issued from all district headquarters within the next one month,” said Shahiduzzaman Sarker, a committee member, said.

At the meeting, Home Secretary Mozammel Haque Khan said pilot projects were already underway to set up passport offices in Lakshmipur, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Rajbari and Naogaon.

The standing committee also recommended the ministry to set up marine police outposts to ensure security for passengers in the river routes.

Awami League MP Kazi Keramat Ali presided over the meeting, while MPs AKM Shahjahan Kamal and Abdul Majid Khan were also in attendance, among others. l

Fake money factory busted n Our Correspondent, Tangail A team of RAB 12 busted a factory of counterfeit money in Tangail yesterday. Two people, with forged notes and money making equipments, were also arrested. The arrestees are Yunus Ali of Kushtia and Billas Hossain of Narayanganj. Rapid Action Battalion also recovered fake notes worth Tk372,000 and 2,000 Indian rupee.

Commanding Officer of RAB-12, Additional DIG Jamil Ahmed BPM said they arrested Yunus Ali from Kushtia on a tip-

off on Saturday night. Based on information provided by Yunus, they raided a five-storey building in Tangail’s Paradise area and discovered the factory.

Another person, Mohammad Waheduzzaman Mithu, managed to escape sensing the presence of RAB members.

According to his visiting card found at the spot, Mithu is the assistant secretary of the central committee of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Prajanma League, director of Daily Shadhin Shongbad and the personal assistant of the Pirojpur 3 lawmaker. l

No progress in recovering child kidnapped from DMCH n Moniruzzaman Uzzal Although four days have passed since a two-day-old child was reportedly stolen from the neonatal ward of the DMCH, no progress has been made so far in identifying the alleged kidnapper or taking substantial action against security officials whose alleged negligence allowed the crime to take place.

Following the incident, the Dhaka Medical College Hospital authority formed a three-member investigation committee headed by gynaecology department’s Associate Professor Dr Afroza Kutubi. But sources said the members of the probe body were yet to hold a meeting. The committee would finally sit together today, the sources added.

However, Dr Chowdhury Taslima Nasrin, resident surgeon of gynaecology department and a member of the probe body, told the Dhaka Tribune the committee had already collected statements from the parents and grandmother of the missing child, as well as other patients at the ward.

Sirajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh police station, where a case had been filed in this regard, admitted that no progress has so far been made in recovering the child. The CCTV snapshots of the woman who allegedly stole the child lacked clarity and the police was now searching for clearer pictures of the culprit, he added.

As a punitive measure following the incident, the Ansar member, who was on duty at the time of the incident but was allegedly absent at his post, has only been reassigned without being handed any suspension.

On August 23, the DMCH authority however sent a letter to the platoon commander of the Ansar camp at the hospital, seeking explanation regard-

ing the different incidents of stealing taking place inside the hospital premises. Currently 155 Ansar personnel are working in different wards of the DMCH. Earlier, a separate probe committee, which was formed after the disappearance of a newborn from the hospital in March, had made several recommendations to prevent the repeat of such incident. However, the inquiry report had allegedly not been submitted properly or circulated among the people concerned.

Several mothers of newborns, who are currently admitted to the hospital, said they could not sleep at night out of fear that their child would also be stolen Among the recommendations were directives on barring any child to be taken out of the hospital gate without proper documents or release order, preventing mothers of the newborns from giving their child to a stranger and barring everyone except the legal guardian from entering the gynaecology ward.

Dr Mushfiqur Rahman, head of the previous probe committee and also deputy director of the hospital, claimed that their report had been properly submitted and seen by the hospital Director Brig Gen Dr Mustafizur Rahman.

Visiting the neonatal ward yesterday, the Dhaka Tribune found that security had been tightened following the stealing of the baby, with on-duty

Ansar members verifying the identities of people entering ward number 213 – the place where the baby boy was taken.

Several mothers of newborns, who are currently admitted to the hospital, said they could not sleep at night out of fear that their child would also be stolen.

Upon being informed by on-duty doctors that she might be released today, Runa, the mother of the kidnapped child, said: “I will not leave the hospital without getting my son back. I would have left the hospital on Thursday if one of my twin sons had not been taken from me. How could I return home without him?”

The twin brother of the missing child was asleep in his mother’s lap at the time. Runa said the twins were named Yaseen Hossain and Eklas Hossain. Pointing to the child in her lap, she said Yaseen is still here but Eklas has gone missing.

Runa’s mother Gulnur Begum said the family was ecstatic after the birth of the twin babies, who were the first children of their generation to be born in the family. However, the joy soon turned to tragedy after one of the child was kidnapped, she added.

On August 21, a woman befriended the mother of the baby before carrying the infant out of the hospital in broad daylight, in plain view of law enforcement personnel and under the noses of closed-circuit camera staff.

At least five children have been stolen from the DMCH wards in the last three years. Not one child had ever been recovered.

Hospital authorities have formed probe bodies, increased security and set up CCTVs to clamp down on the crime but they have not been successful. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B3 China targets own oper-

ating system to take on likes of Microsoft, Google

B4 Still awash with cash,

world economies take turn for the worse

MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Indian trade preferences marred by NTBs, PTBs Dhaka, Delhi on informal transshipment talks

Dhaka suffers from same level of deficit even after getting duty-free market access across the board

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

n Tribune Report India has proposed to set up joint venture projects along the border with Bangladesh to facilitate optimum utilization of resources of both the countries for their mutual benefit.

It also emphasised on regional connectivity to faster trade and investment for the economic welfare of the people of the two countries.

The proposals emerged at a conference titled “India-Bangladesh Business Conclave” organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) at a city hotel yesterday.

Indian state minister for development of North Eastern Region (independent charge), external affairs and overseas Indian affairs VK Singh came up with the proposal of joint venture between the businesses of two neighbouring countries that he felt would generate more economic activities.

“Today we have a climate and the political values on either side of the border to ensure the huge utmost in the manner which will be for the benefits of the people,” Referring Bangladesh’s success in readymade garments sector, he said: “I am quite sure that if the strengths of raw materials, technology and market availability of both the countries are combined together, we can be the foremost in textile industry. None can beat us.”

It requires linkages between business community of both countries and making use of each other’s strength so that each can have mutual benefit of it, he said.

Although India has given duty- and quota-free access for Bangladeshi items, Bangladeshi exporters are not fully exploiting the facilities. “Probably, Bangladeshi business community has not adequate understanding about the Indian market,” he said.

BB launches refinancing fund worth Tk200cr for jute sector

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Bank (BB) will launch a refinancing scheme worth Tk200 crore today for the country’s jute sector.

In this perspective, it will sign partnership agreements with 16 banks to support jute sector under the refinancing scheme.

The central bank governor Atiur Rahman will attend at the function along with high officials and managing directors of 16 banks.

Earlier on October last year, Bangladesh Bank had announced a refinancing scheme for the jute sector in response to a request made by three ministries finance, jute and agriculture.

A committee headed by SK Sur Chowdhury was formed to administer the scheme. The central bank will provide the refinance fund at the bank rate while the banks will disburse the loans and charge service fees. The committee will fix the maximum range of service charge for the banks.

The country’s jute sector now suffers from fund crunch as high interest rates discourage the jute traders to borrow money from the banks. l

Speakers at a India-Bangladesh business conclave at Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka yesterday Speaking at the inaugural session of the daylong programme as chief guest, Prime Minister’s economic affairs adviser Mashiur Rahman put emphasis on indentifying the setbacks first to implement the agreements on bilateral and regional issues.

“We should be able to tell India that we do not like this, while India should be able to tell us that they do not like this,” he said. “Unless we can reach that level of understandings, the agreements signed will remain on conventional documents.”.

He suggested for multi-modal transport routes to get economic benefits from regional connectivity. “We have a transit agreement and transshipment takes place on ad hoc basis.”

He stressed on setting up warehouses at ports and adequate infrastructure to harness the benefits from regional transit.

He also requested the Indian government to remove tariff and non-tariff barriers at land customs stations that are affecting the trade and commerce between the two countries.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said some 443km border with Bangladesh signifies how important it is to explore business opportunities in Meghalaya. It is not the reason of only trade and commerce perspective, but it is the perspective from geo-political situation.

“Bangladesh can take advantages of agro-forest resources of north-east countries, including Meghalaya blessed with a lot of natural resources,” he said.

He proposed to facilitate joint venture in Meghalya in the fields of electricity and other areas along with Indo-Bangla border as the state has rich deposit of hydro-power, granite and limestone which is also being used by Lafarge in Bangladesh. Tourism can be another field of investment, he added.

Tripura Commerce and Industry Minister Tapan Chakraborty said development of transit and trans-shipment facilities via plains in Bangladesh and Tripura can help Bangladesh access and derive further economic advantages from a market that is estimated to be over $20bn, which is more than twice the present trade deficit of Bangladesh.

For promotion of trade and investment in the South Asian region, he requested Bangladesh to take seven-point into account – full operationalisation of Ashuganj port for Multi Modal connectivity, allowing use of Chittagong port for Indian goods, expedite survey of Akhaura-Agartala railway link and subsequent starting of construction and internationalising land costumes stations at Sabroom-Ramgarh.

High Commissioner of India in Ban-

SHEKHAR MONDAL

gladesh Pankaj Saran said Bangladesh should have more roadshows and business delegation into India as he thinks it is important that Bangladesh chambers, investors and board of Investment to travel different metropolitan cities and business centres of India to showcase the opportunities that Bangladesh has for Indian investment.

As per BoI figure, he said, Indian investment in Bangladesh so far stood at $2.8bn, but “we have to ensure more Indian Investment.”

FBCCI President Kazi Akram Uddin said even though there is a huge potential, Bangladesh has not been able to match India’s trade performance and our export to India continues to remain low. This has resulted in a growing bilateral trade deficit with India, he said.

He urged Indian government to solve problems, including non-tariff and para-tariff barriers. “Our exports cannot easily penetrate the Indian market because of the existence of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers.

These include countervailing duties, certification, central and provincial sales taxes, luxury duties, and quality approval requirements.

The FBCCI president underscored the need for regional connectivity. He also said there is need for infrastructure development in border areas and upgrading the land customs stations. l

Leaderships in Dhaka and New Delhi have again started talking informally on mass-scale transshipment facilities to neighbouring India through Bangladesh territory after a break of three years.

“We should try to have a multi-modal transport arrangement [with India],” said Mashiur Rahman, economic adviser to the Prime Minister, while addressing an international conference at a city hotel yesterday.

He was speaking at the India-Bangladesh Business Conclave on connectivity and bilateral investment, which was jointly organidsed by Indian Chamber of Commerce and India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The adviser said the transshipment facility was provided to India on adhoc basis but ‘it needs to be institutionalised.’

He observed that the two governments need to energise cross-border investment along with a cross-border trade and transit.

Bangladesh provided transshipment facilities to carry Palatana power plant machinery from Kolkata to Tripura through Ashuganj port in 2010 and after a test run in 2011, Dhaka again agreed to allow carrying 10,000 tonnes of food grain to Tripura through the same route this year.

Dhaka allows carrying Indian goods from one part of India to another through Bangladesh without any fee or charge.

Bangladesh had earlier imposed transshipment fees of Tk10,000 per container and Tk1,000 per tonne for bulk cargo in 2010 budget but it was later withdrawn in October same year.

Indian State Minister for External Affairs VK Singh said movement of cargoes trough water route would reduce cost and time to a great extent.

“Although we have a protocol on the use of inland waterways, we have not been able to fully utilise the potential of the waterways for bilateral trade,” he said.

He proposed that protocol on Inland

Water Trade and Transit (IWTT) should be renewed for long period to have long-term investment for developing the routes.

Bangladesh and India signed IWTT protocol under the trade agreement in 1972 and it is usually renewed for three years.

Industries and Commerce Minister of Tripura Tapan Chakrabarty said: “Ashuganj port should be made full operational for multi-modal connectivity.’’

He also urged Bangladesh to allow use of Chittagong port for Indian goods and expedite survey of Akhaura-Agartala railway link.

Dhaka allows carrying Indian goods from one part of India to another through Bangladesh without any fee or charge India has long been pursuing Bangladesh to allow transshipment of Indian goods from Kolkata to Tripura through Ashuganj port, just 49 kilomtre from Agartala, as it is extremely difficult for them to carry goods through Shiliguri corridor, widely known as Chicken Neck.

Attending a programme on Indi-Bangla relationship held last week in the city, former foreign secretary Farooq Sobhan said India should maintain good relations with Bangladesh for the development of Northeastern India.

“India’s northeast has really no future without integration economically with Bangladesh,” he said.

Dhaka and New Delhi were supposed to sign a deal on providing transshipment on commercial basis in 2011 during the visit of the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but it was not inked apparently due to New Delhi’s failure to deliver Teesta water sharing agreement. l

Tuba Group workers deprived Latif calls for more telecom investment of lay-off benefits, bonuses n Tribune Report

n Tribune Report The workers of five closed factories of Tuba Group are being deprived of termination benefits, gratuity and Eid bonuses as the factory owner yesterday expressed his inability to pay the dues.

“I am unable to run the factories. I had to shut them down as I am going though cash crunch,” said Tuba Group Managing Director Delowar Hossain at a media briefing at a city hotel yesterday.

Delowar described himself as being penniless. He said he lost everything since Tazreen Fashions fire that engulfed the factory.

In reply to a query, the owner claimed that the garment workers would not get any dues as he had paid them three months’ wages and overtime.

“I am unable to pay the Eid bonuses for I am in a dire state and have not enough fund,” he said when asked about the bonus.

On August 18, the Tuba Group owner announced the shutdown of five factories in line with article 13(1) of Labour Act 2006.

The closure of five RMG units had rendered around 1,500 workers jobless. The five were Tuba Fashions, Tuba Textiles, Mita Design, Taif Design and Bughsan Garments.

According to the Labour Act 2006, the employers may, in the event of an illegal strike by any section or department of any establishment, close down either wholly or partly such section or department and the striking workers shall not

be paid any wages for such closure.

Meanwhile, the Tuba Group MD has sought Tk25 crore to Tk30 crore loan from financial institutions for reopening the closed factories.

“If I get the loan, I will be able to resume operation and export RMG products worth $5 million per month.”

Delowar added that he would also be able to employ over 2,000 workers at Tazreeen Fashions if the insurance company pays him Tk18 crore, which he owes them as fire insurance claim.

He called for the RMG factory owners to hire workers, who turned jobless in the wake of shutdown of his five factories.

The Tuba Group boss laid blame on some outsiders, who he said, had stolen parts of the factory machinery and other equipment in the guise of workers during agitation that forced him to shut the factories.

According to the management, the Tuba Group shut eight units of its sister concern after the deadliest fire incident at Tazreen Fashions that killed 122 workers in 2012.

Currently, some four factories are running. The four are Tuba Garments, Tuba Printing, Tuba Knitting and Tuba Cartoon where around 1,200 workers are employed.

On July 28, at least 1,200 workers of the five factories of the group went on an indefinite strike at Hossain Market in Badda area, demanding payment of three months’ wages, overtime and Eid bonuses.

Following the demonstrations, BGMEA under the government pressure paid two months’ wages to more than 1,600 workers.

Later on August 10, the Tuba Group management paid the workers’ wages for the month of July and overtime dues, but the workers were yet to get Eid bonuses. l

Assuring of all kinds of facilities from the government, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddiquee invited more investment on Bangladesh’s mobile phone industry.

He made the call at a day-long workshop in Dhaka yesterday attended by representatives from different mobile phone companies.

In response, the firms urged the government to revise the country’s decade-old telecom policy in order to accommodate the technological development so that the sector here enjoys further growth.

Global System for Mobile Communication Association (GSMA) in cooperation with Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) organised the workshop on “Realising the potential of mobile in Bangladesh.”

“We are the field of investment. You (operators) make investment here and we (government) are ready to monitor

all sorts of necessary facilities what you require, and we will provide,” the minister told the opening ceremony of the event.

Latif Siddiquee said: “Operators said they have invested Tk50,000 crore in the country, but the investment for who’s interest? You have made the investment as there is business. You would invest not only Tk50,000 crore but also Tk50,00,000 crore if there is opportunity of business.”

Terming the operators as development partners of Bangladesh, he said: “Your business will be affected if the country’s economy is distressed, business will be unstable if political situation is unstable. You have partly responsibility to resist them who are trying to create instability in the country.”

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose said the consumers have no trust on the mobile operators as they are deprived of necessary supports from them.

Irene Ng, Asia Regional Head of

GSMA, said the mobile phone industry has already contributed a great deal towards economic and social development in Bangladesh.

She also said reforming legislative and policy framework in Bangladesh is a key component to make a start in this regard.

Grameenphone CEO VivekSood said the mobile financial services are spreading fast and the mobile operators should to be appreciated for that.

“There are talks about whether or not the mobile financial services should be a bank-led model or telco-led model. This services are using our (mobile operators) network and that should be recognised,” he said.

Banglalink CEO and AMTOB Chairman Ziad Shatara said the country’s taxation system for telecom industry has to be more investors-friendly in order to take the country towards next level of technological advancement.

According to AMTOB Secretary General TIM Nurul Kabir, Bangladesh has one of two worst tax regimes in the world for the telecom industry. l

B2

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Stocks fall for 3rd session

DSE key features August 24-2014

n Tribune Report

Traded Issues

298

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

102

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

192

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSER Company IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A ICB Sonali Bank 1 MF-A ICB AMCL 1st NRB -A ICB Emp. PMF-A Midas Financing-Z AMCL 2nd MF-A ICB AMCL IslamicMF-A Khulna Printing-N Rahima Food -Z ICB AMCL 2nd NRB -A

Closing (% Change) -9.52 -9.33 -8.71 -8.33 -6.58 -6.00 -5.45 -5.10 -4.98 -4.82

CSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

ICB Emp. PMF-A IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A ICB Sonali Bank 1 MF-A ICB AMCL 2nd NRB -A 6th ICB M F-A Apex Foods -A Midas Financing-Z SonarBangla Insu. -A Phoenix Fin. 1st MF-A Janata Insur -A

-9.80 -9.38 -9.30 -8.33 -7.84 -7.35 -7.01 -6.42 -6.25 -5.56

4540.60742

(-) 0.14%

1721.74691

(-) 0.27%

14058.67570

(+) 0.05%

11544.64800

(+) 0.36%

8578.97760

(+) 0.23%

Average (% Change) -9.21 -8.38 -7.37 -6.98 -3.87 -5.12 -2.41 0.26 -6.88 -3.61 Average (% Change) -9.39 -9.38 -8.77 -6.36 -9.07 -7.39 -7.01 -6.43 -5.42 -6.64

ANALYST

ClosingAvg. 5.72 6.89 24.12 4.53 14.67 4.82 16.18 42.32 42.34 8.00

ClosingAvg. 4.63 5.80 7.80 7.95 47.00 94.46 14.60 17.45 4.54 17.00

Closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 451.38 234.84 101.42 935.43 162.21 1058.17 1.39 796.32 1118.28 316.93 51.94 53.08 25.77 361.86 176.24 76.70 68.42 343.05 116.67 931.39 0.31

DHIGH 5.80 7.50 25.20 4.80 15.60 5.10 17.30 43.90 43.60 8.40

DHIGH

4.60 5.80 7.80 7.70 47.00 94.50 14.60 17.50 4.50 17.00

7,381.78 162,535,292

4.80 5.80 7.80 8.10 47.00 95.00 14.60 17.50 4.60 17.00

137,957

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,392.58

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

29.00

CSE key features August 24-2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

534.50

Turnover (Volume)

12,733,481

Number of Contract

17,473

Traded Issues

226

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

83

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

137

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,301.66

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.90

Turnover in Million

5.70 6.80 23.80 4.40 14.10 4.70 15.40 38.90 41.50 7.90

4.60 5.80 7.80 7.60 47.00 94.00 14.60 17.40 4.50 17.00

Latest EPS

9.060 3.464 0.591 0.882 0.330 0.499 0.712 316.676 1.376 0.944

Turnover in Million

DLOW

9.41 8.92 8.60 8.12 6.88 6.86 6.61 6.32 5.92 5.86

CSE GAINER

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

DLOW

Agni Systems -A Central Pharm-A Pragati Gen. I -A 4th ICB M F-A BDCOM Online-A ACI Limited- A In Tech Online -A BD Building Systems -A aamra technologies-A Bengal Windsor-A

Closing (% Change)

1.07 1.60 4.57 0.68 -6.91 0.99 2.33 1.31 -1.01 1.40

Latest EPS

0.058 0.104 0.008 0.159 0.071 0.094 0.007 0.035 0.093 0.048

0.68 1.07 1.60 1.40 6.47 2.99 -6.91 1.74 0.71 1.00

Latest PE 5.3 4.3 5.3 6.7 -ve 4.9 6.9 32.3 -ve 5.7

Latest PE 6.8 5.4 4.9 5.7 7.3 31.6 -ve 10.0 6.4 17.0

Company BDCOM Online-A Agni Systems -A Central Pharm-A Pragati Gen. I -A In Tech Online -A Wata Chemicals -A ACI Limited- A Maksons Spinning-A Provati Insur.-A Apex SpinningA

Closing (% Change) 10.00 9.90 9.40 8.86 8.40 7.96 7.49 7.10 6.96 6.86

Average (% Change) 7.66 8.30 4.81 8.12 4.35 4.23 4.45 4.22 5.39 4.57 Average (% Change) 5.59 8.05 8.51 14.44 6.63 5.33 3.81 5.49 7.19 4.27

ClosingAvg. 21.79 41.23 42.75 202.50 25.68 354.00 12.68 63.29 36.96 51.98

ClosingAvg. 25.32 21.75 41.46 41.20 12.70 247.02 352.19 16.32 24.61 65.38

Closing 22.10 41.50 44.20 202.50 26.40 364.40 12.90 63.90 37.60 52.40

Closing 26.40 22.20 41.90 43.00 12.90 251.00 365.80 16.60 24.60 67.00

DHIGH 22.20 41.90 44.60 202.50 26.50 368.00 13.10 64.40 38.00 52.90

DHIGH 26.40 22.20 42.10 43.00 13.00 251.00 369.50 16.70 24.70 67.00

DLOW 18.40 35.00 37.00 202.50 23.50 311.20 11.00 60.00 32.00 45.50

DLOW 24.50 20.90 39.80 40.10 11.00 242.00 343.00 15.70 23.00 63.50

Turnover in Million 47.375 171.230 10.263 0.041 10.436 311.425 3.746 90.426 113.975 62.669

Turnover in Million 0.253 2.586 6.495 0.091 0.610 0.296 6.146 9.276 1.883 0.052

Latest EPS 1.27 2.09 2.44 23.11 1.43 9.22 -0.88 3.01 1.39 2.60

Latest EPS 1.43 1.27 2.09 2.44 -0.88 6.20 9.22 0.21 1.52 2.24

Latest PE 17.2 19.7 17.5 8.8 18.0 38.4 -ve 21.0 26.6 20.0

Latest PE 17.7 17.1 19.8 16.9 -ve 39.8 38.2 77.7 16.2 29.2

News, Analysis and Recent Disclosers From TradeServers: GPHISPAT: The Board of Directors has recommended 15% cash dividend and 5% stock dividend for the year ended on April 30, 2014. Date of AGM: 10.11.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Ichamoti Hall, Hotel Agrabad, Chittagong. Record date: 22.09.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 2.35, NAV per share of Tk. 16.25 and NOCFPS of Tk. 2.77 for the year ended on April 30, 2014.

AGRANINS: Alpha Credit Rating Limited (AlphaRating) has rated the Company as "A+" in the long term and "AR-2" in the short term along with a stable outlook based on audited financial information of the Company up to 31st December 2013 and half yearly unaudited management report of 30th June, 2014 and relevant qualitative information up to August 21, 2014.

SALAMCRST: Alpha Credit Rating Limited (AlphaRating) has rated the Company as "A+" in the long term and "AR-3" in the short term along with a stable outlook based on audited financial information of the Company up to 30th September 2013 and half yearly unaudited management report of 31st March, 2014 and relevant qualitative information up to August 21, 2014.

RUPALILIFE: The Company will be placed in "B" category from existing "A" category with effect from August 24, 2014 as the Company approved 5% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

GP: The Company has informed that it has completed the disbursement of interim Cash Dividend of 2014 of the Company

by August 18-19, 2014 to the general shareholders (except to a few NRB shareholders who have given foreign addresses) through Online and BEFTN engaging 55 Banks. Physical distribution of Dividend Warrants from Grameenphone share office to the general shareholders has been completed on August 19, 2014. Handover of undistributed Dividend Warrants and Dividend Notices to Courier companies for onward distribution to general shareholders at their respective addresses have been completed on August 19, 2014.

RAKCERAMIC: The Company has informed that due to the compulsory maintenance of power plant of R.A.K. Power Pvt. Ltd. [a subsidiary and power supplier of RAK Ceramics (Bangladesh) Limited] the production of RAK Ceramics (Bangladesh) Limited will be stopped for 15 to 20 days as follows: Tiles plant # 2: from 24th August 2014 and Tiles plant # 3: from 24th August 2014.

IPO NEWS: IPO Shares Credited: Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries Ltd.: All concerned are hereby informed that the IPO shares of Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries Ltd. have been credited through CDBL to the respective BO A/Cs on 21 August 2014 except 565 BO Accounts which were found closed in the system.

Foreign Currency Rate: Khan Brothers PP Woven Bag Industries Ltd.: All concerned are hereby informed that TT Clean rate of BD Tk. for IPO of Khan Brothers PP Woven Bag Industries Ltd. will be as follows: 1US$=77.1000, 1UK?=127.4738 & 1

EURO?=101.5930. Therefore, foreign currency required for 500 shares of the said IPO will be: 64.86 US Dollar, 39.23 Pound & 49.22 Euro.

IPO Subscription: Khan Brothers PP Woven Bag Industries Ltd. subscription date 24-28 August 2014, NRB upto 06 September 2014. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. Western Marine Shipyard Limited subscription date 10-14 August 2014, NRB upto 23 August 2014. @ taka 35, face value taka 10 and market lot 100.

Right Share: MIDASFIN: Subscription period for rights issue will be from 01.09.2014 to 30.09.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 03.08.2014.

ICB: Subscription period for rights issue will be from 07.12.2014 to 30.12.2014.

Record date for entitlement of rights share: 09.09.2014.

Dividend/AGM EXIM1STMF: 12% 'Re-Investment' Units.

IFIC1STMF: 9% 'Re-Investment' Units.

FBFIF: 10% 'Re-Investment' Units.

TRUSTB1MF: 10% Re-Investment Units.

EBL1STMF: 7% cash dividend.

PHPMF1: 10% Re-Investment Units.

EBLNRBMF: 10% Re-Investment Units.

ABB1STMF: 10% Re-Investment Units.

POPULAR1MF: 12% Re-Investment Units.

DBH1STMF: 0.60% cash dividend.

GREENDELMF: No dividend.

GRAMEENS2: 15% reinvestment units, GRAMEEN1: 30% reinvestment units.

AIMS1STMF: 50% 'Re-Investment' Units as dividend.

Having recent accumulation, marginal level of selling spree was observed, which subsequently turned the bourse into red for the third consecutive session

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲

5.70 6.80 24.10 4.40 14.20 4.70 15.60 40.90 42.00 7.90

Closing

Company

Number of Contract

turned the bourse into red for the third consecutive session,” said IDLC Investments.

It said: “Still some of the investors were re-assessing future potentials and staying with market movements.”

Some of the large cap stocks rally in pharmaceuticals, fuel and power; miscellaneous and engineering sectors still on board and further fuelling the participation level, it said.

Lanka Bangla Securities said market lost some zeal to rally further as after rallying more than 100 points in the past few weeks, the index is consolidating at around 4,550 points-level.

It said mostly, bank, telecommunication and mutual fund dragged the market while some MNCs and FMCG bucking the trend with rejuvenating force. “Consolidation at this level can be treated as natural correction.”

Pharmaceutical, textile and oil stocks continued to be in focus as expectation of growth in quarters has garnered the interest from investors, it said.

Zenith Investments said: “Minute corrections did not affect the market in any significant way as investors brewing with confidence still seem enthusiastic in capital market investments.”

Beximco Limited was the most traded stock with shares worth Tk65.8 crore changing hands followed by Mobil Jamuna Ltd Bangladesh, BSRM Steels, Khulna Printing and Paper and ACI. l

Stocks dropped for the third straight session yesterday with turnover crossing Tk700 crore-mark, as late profit booking sale cut early gains.

The market was in the positive territory till mid-session but settled downward with investors’ selling spree.

The benchmark DSEX lost almost 5 points or 0.3% to 4,540, after hitting highest 4,572 and lowest 4,540.

The Shariah index inched 1.6 points or 0.2% down to 1,060. The comprising blue chips DS30 closed at 1,060, shedding almost 5 points or 0.3%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, gained 19 points to 8,579.

Both strong selling and buying pressure has pushed the turnover to cross Tk700 crore-mark again for the fourth time in the recent period. The DSE turnover stood at Tk738crore, which is 17% higher over the previous session.

The major sectors saw mixed performance. Fuel and power posted the highest gain – 0.7%, followed by non-banking financial institutions and pharmaceuticals gaining 0.8% and 0.6% respectively.

Food and allied went down steeply by 2%. Telecommunication and banks – the two largest cap sectors – declined 1.6% and 1% respectively.

“Having recent accumulation, marginal level of selling spree was observed, which subsequently

DSE GAINER

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Monday, August 25, 2014

% change 6.11 3.18 1.37 12.67 2.20 14.33 0.02 10.79 15.15 0.70 0.72 0.35 4.90 2.39 1.04 0.93 4.65 1.58 12.62 0.00

Million Taka 15.77 17.28 5.99 57.99 10.90 46.38 60.48 48.65 56.36 3.62 11.58 1.82 29.12 58.09 3.10 2.21 66.35 18.55 95.92 0.00

CSE

% change 2.58 2.83 0.98 9.50 1.79 7.60 0.00 9.91 7.97 9.24 0.59 1.90 0.30 4.77 9.52 0.51 0.36 10.87 3.04 15.72 0.00

Million Taka 467.15 252.12 107.41 993.42 173.11 1104.56 1.39 856.80 1166.93 373.29 55.56 64.67 27.60 390.98 234.33 79.80 70.62 409.40 135.21 1027.32 0.31

Total

% change 5.85 3.15 1.34 12.43 2.17 13.82 0.02 10.72 14.60 4.67 0.70 0.81 0.35 4.89 2.93 1.00 0.88 5.12 1.69 12.85 0.00

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A MJL BD Ltd.-A BSRM Steels-A Khulna Printing-N ACI Limited- A BSC-A Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-Z Central Pharm-A Titas Gas TDCLA CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Khulna Printing-N Grameenphone-A BD Submarine Cable-A BSRM Steels-A MJL BD Ltd.-A LafargeS Cement-Z BSC-A Appollo Ispat CL -N The Peninsula CTG.-N

VolumeShares 15,894,606 3,438,506 3,728,837 7,483,000 879,736 402,195 769,485 1,730,000 4,153,500 1,860,036

Value in Million 658.54 401.96 375.74 316.68 311.43 253.65 251.65 191.41 171.23 157.26

% of TotalTurnover 8.92 5.45 5.09 4.29 4.22 3.44 3.41 2.59 2.32 2.13

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

1,939,808 1,114,000 138,800 122,463 191,770 139,404 147,500 23,870 409,000 300,600

80.32 46.70 45.94 20.42 19.46 16.26 16.23 15.11 12.64 10.41

15.17 8.82 8.67 3.85 3.67 3.07 3.06 2.85 2.39 1.97

ClosingP 41.30 116.50 99.60 40.90 364.40 640.00 325.30 109.50 41.50 84.90

ClosingP

41.30 40.20 325.10 165.70 99.40 116.60 109.70 639.50 30.40 34.40

Change % 5.36 -0.51 2.15 -5.10 6.86 2.89 -1.51 -2.93 8.92 2.29

Change %

5.36 -6.51 -1.60 -3.49 2.05 -0.43 -2.92 2.68 -0.98 -1.43

ClosingY 39.20 117.10 97.50 43.10 341.00 622.00 330.30 112.80 38.10 83.00

ClosingY

39.20 43.00 330.40 171.70 97.40 117.10 113.00 622.80 30.70 34.90

DHIGH

DLOW

43.10 120.10 105.00 43.90 368.00 643.00 335.00 113.00 41.90 85.00

35.30 105.40 89.00 38.90 311.20 616.50 320.00 109.10 35.00 74.80

DHIGH

DLOW

42.60 44.00 334.10 170.50 99.90 120.00 112.50 642.50 31.80 35.20

39.00 37.50 324.00 165.00 100.00 114.50 109.00 617.30 30.20 34.30

AvgPrice 41.43 116.90 100.77 42.32 354.00 630.65 327.04 110.64 41.23 84.55

AvgPrice

41.41 41.92 330.96 166.72 101.45 116.65 110.04 632.91 30.90 34.64

DHAKA TRIBUNE

BB eases buyerssuppliers’ credits restriction on food imports n Tribune Report Bangladesh Bank (BB) has eased its restriction on short term buyers’ and suppliers’ credits for importing food items.

The payment will have to be made on a quarterly basis if the loan tenure is more than six months regardless of import value for the unprocessed food items, said a BB circular issued yesterday.

Under the existing restriction, the payment will have to be made on quarterly basis if the import value exceeds $1m or the loan tenure is more than six months.

The food items that got release from the restriction of import value are- unrefined edible oil and oil seeds, crude sugar and unground (whole) wheat.

The central bank asked all the commercial banks to follow the latest instruction relating to external financing for import through buyers’ and suppliers’ credits, according to the circular.

Oil prices head lower on oversupply worries n AFP, New York Oil prices retreated Friday as investors focused on the prospect of having too much oil supply amid weakening demand in the global market.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for October delivery finished trade at $93.65 a barrel, down 31 cents from Thursday’s close. Brent North Sea crude for October, Europe’s main futures contract, dropped 34 cents to settle at $102.29 a barrel in London trade.

“The market is fixating its view on the possibility of having too much oil, and demand has been adjusted down by the IEA,” said Bart Melek of TD Securities. l

Noel Saminathan, managing director and head of cash product management in the Southeast Asian region of Citi will arrive in Dhaka today on a two-day official visit.

Noel is scheduled to attend an inaugural session of “Nationwide Electronic Payment Roadshow” which will begin from Dhaka and continue at various collection points across the country, said a Citi statement released yesterday.

The roadshow will facilitate exchange of views among clients, banks

B3

Monday, August 25, 2014

China targets own operating system to take on likes of Microsoft, Google n Reuters, Shanghai China could have a new homegrown operating system by October to take on imported rivals such as Microsoft Corp, Google Inc and Apple Inc, Xinhua news agency said yesterday.

Computer technology became an area of tension between China and the United States after a number of run-ins over cyber security. China is now looking to help its domestic industry catch up with imported systems such as Microsoft’s Windows and Google’s mobile operating system Android.

The operating system would first appear on desktop devices and later extend to smartphone and other mobile devices, Xinhua said, citing Ni Guangnan who heads an official OS development alliance established in March.

Ni’s comments were originally reported by the People’s Post and Telecommunications News, an official trade paper run by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

“We hope to launch a Chinese-made desktop operating system by October supporting app stores,” Ni told the trade paper. Some Chinese OS already existed, but there was a large gap between China’s technology and that of developed countries, he added.

He said he hoped domestically built software would be able to replace desktop operating systems within one to two years and mobile operating systems within three to five years.

In May, China banned government use of Windows 8, Microsoft’s latest operating system, a blow to the US technology firm’s business which raised fears China was moving to protect domestic firms. Microsoft is also under investigation for anti-trust violations.

In March last year, China said that Google had too much control over China’s smartphone industry via its An-

Citi’s senior executive due today Business n Tribune Desk

Business

and regulators and expected to extend far reaching impact in the industry to influence stakeholders behaviors in favor of Electronic Payment system.

As a leading digital banks in the world, Citi is committed to building a strong digital payment platform in Bangladesh to bring efficiencies in its clients treasury management process.

Citi in Bangladesh is one of the pioneers in promoting Electronic Fund Transfer among its clients.

Its electronic to paper ratio is over 40% within only three years of launching the platform by Bangladesh Bank. l

United Commercial Bank Limited recently initiated its School Banking Campaign at Dhakkin Banasree Model High School College premises, which was conducted by its Banasree branch. Mirza Mahmud Rafiqur Rahman, the bank’s additional managing director inaugurated the event

Rupali Bank Limited has recently signed a refinancing scheme of Tk200 crore for financial inclusion of Tk10 account holders. Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiar Rahman attended the signing ceremony as chief guest, along with the managing director of Rupali Bank, M Farid Uddin

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited’s Shariah Supervisory Committee recently held a meeting at the Islami Bank Tower. The committee’s vice chair Mufti Sayeed Ahmad attended the meeting among others

Workers install the logo of US technology giant Microsoft on the wall of Nokia's former headquarters in Espoo droid mobile operating system and has discriminated against some local firms.

Mutual suspicions between China and the United States over hacking have escalated over the past year following

revelations by Edward Snowden that US intelligence planted “backdoor” surveillance tools on U.S.-made hardware.

The US Justice Department, meanwhile, indicted five Chinese military

officers in May on counts of extensive industrial espionage. Ni said the ban on Windows 8 was a big opportunity for the Chinese sector to push forward its own systems, but that the industry needed

REUTERS

further development and investment.

“Creating an environment that allows us to contend with Google, Apple and Microsoft - that is the key to success,” he added. l

Europe fears deflation to stir again as Ukraine stays centre-stage n Reuters, Rome The euro zone’s growing fears of deflation will be stirred again on Friday when preliminary consumer price data for August is issued, with signs the European Central Bank could be looking at bolder steps to help the region’s stagnant economy.

Analyst polled by Reuters forecast the annual inflation rate to slip to 0.3% from 0.4% in July, falling even further below the ECB’s target of below but close to 2% and mired deep in what the bank calls the “danger zone”.

The ECB cut interest rates in June and promised banks cheap long-term loans starting in September, and any new measures before those loans kick in had been considered unlikely.

However, in remarks that opened the door to possible policy action at the bank’s next meeting in September, ECB President Mario Draghi said on Friday that the bank is prepared to respond with all its “available” tools should inflation drop further.

Speaking at a global central banking conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Draghi said he is confident that the steps already announced, helped by a weaker euro, would boost demand in the ailing economic bloc.

But in stronger language than he has used in the past, he stressed the central bank stands ready to do more.

“The (ECB’s) governing council will acknowledge these (economic) developments and within its mandate will use all the available instruments needed to ensure price stability over the medium term,” he said.

The main weapon at the bank’s disposal, printing money to buy bonds, known as quantitative easing (QE), is still opposed by Germany’s Bundesbank which plays down the danger of deflation.

In his remarks on Friday Draghi did not mention the policy specifically, but a growing number of analysts believe it is only a matter of time before the ECB follows the path already trodden by the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.

“The ECB will ultimately move to QE unless the euro weakens appreciably,” said Riccardo Barbieri, chief European economist at Mizuho, adding that “in the near term stagnation and near-zero inflation in the euro zone are almost a certainty.”

Developments in Ukraine will continue to be a major focus for markets, with the negative headlines of recent

A placard reading 'You speculate with our lives' stands next to huge euro logo in front of the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) before the bank's monthly news conference in Frankfurt REUTERS weeks having pushed German bond yields to new lows.

Investors will be closely watching the outcome of a meeting scheduled in Minsk on Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.

The Ukraine crisis has already hurt business sentiment in Germany, which has strong trade links with Russia, and the effect will be scrutinised again on Monday when the closely watched Ifo index for August is released. Analysts polled by Reuters are predicting another fall in morale.

The picture for the northern hemisphere’s policymakers slowly returning from their summer breaks looks mixed, with a weaker outlook in Europe and Asia but the United States showing growing signs of economic strength.

European Union leaders meet in Brussels on Saturday and with their agenda dominated by geopolitical crises spanning Ukraine, Iraq, Gaza and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa they may ignore the region’s clearly deteriorating economic backdrop.

Purchasing managers’ surveys last week showed business growth in China

and across Europe slowed in August, with European businesses continuing to cut prices in the face of weak demand and at a faster rate than in July.

Two of China’s largest banks, Bank of China and Bank of Communications, last week forecast a rise in bad loans this year as a result of a slowing economy.

The political tensions can only exacerbate the problems, with the euro zone’s stagnation in the second quarter coming even before the potential impact from Russia sanctions, disrupted Middle East oil flows or other geopolitical pressure.

Us gains traction

But while the euro zone looks almost moribund, surprisingly strong data last week from the United States showed buoyant job creation and falling claims for unemployment benefits in the world’s largest economy. At the same time the U.S. manufacturing PMI showed factory activity expanding at its fastest pace for more than four years in August.

However, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen struck a dovish tone in her Jackson Hole speech on Friday, warn-

ing US labour markets remain hampered by the effects of the Great Recession.

“Yellen’s speech showed she’s still unsure about some of the data we’re getting, and as a result she could hold off from raising rates,” said Central Markets trading analyst Joe Neighbour said. The Fed has held its benchmark interest rate near zero since December 2008.

The latest encouraging signs for the U.S. economy will be tested this week by services PMI data, consumer confidence and orders for durable goods.

The PMI for Japan, meanwhile, showed the world’s third largest economy is steadying after a sales tax increase led to an annualised contraction of 6.8% in the second quarter, the steepest since 2011.

However, the Reuters Tankan survey indicated that the recovery is likely to be modest.

On Thursday Japan will issue figures on consumer prices and unemployment, while industrial output for July will be an early indicator of economic strength in the third quarter.

China has no significant economic data due this week. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, August 25, 2014

Still awash with cash, world economies take turn for the worse to start hiking now.

But the meeting took place before data showed average wages in Britain falling for the first time in five years, inflation dropping and employment growing more slowly.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney responded to the wages data by saying that the bank would want to be confident that wage growth was sustainable before raising rates, even though it was not necessary for them to be growing faster than inflation.

Expectations for the BoE’s first hike since the financial crisis have been gyrating since then but generally are further back than before.

Summer doldrums?

Shanghai's skyscrapers, Shanghai Tower (under construction), Jin Mao Tower (centre) and the Shanghai World Financial Center (right) are seen during a rainy day in the Shanghai financial district of Pudong REUTERS

n Reuters, London China’s economy is slowing. The euro zone’s is a flat line. Japan’s sank in the second quarter. Britain has wage deflation. The US economy is ticking over at best.

In a world preoccupied by geopolitical crises - from Ukraine, Iraq and Gaza to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa - the global economy has taken something of a back seat. But there are increasing signs it is in trouble despite being awash with cash from record low interest rates.

Many policymakers across the world would like to move away from this ultra-loose monetary policy, which they introduced to drag their countries out of the financial crisis. But the economies are not playing ball.

Essentially, the economic doldrums have pushed back the time when central banks can start the process of normalising monetary policy. Indeed, in many places it is more likely that central banks will loosen more than pull in.

Take China. Data in July showed cash flowing into the economy plunging to a near six-year low. The housing sector, around 15% of the world’s second largest economy, is also faltering.

So although overall growth projections for the year remain roughly on track, the latest data has brought the potential for looser Chinese monetary policy.

“The shrinking amount of cash flowing into the economy will harm economic growth,” Chen Dongqi, deputy chief at the government thinktank Academy of Macroeconomics Research, told Reuters. “The window has been opened for cutting interest rates and the reserve requirement ratio.”

In a similar vein, the issue in the moribund euro zone is not one of reining in monetary largesse but of whether the European Central Bank should extend it by buying government bonds in a quantitative easing programme.

The bank has already thrown more than 1tn euros ($1.34tn) into the economy, much of it repaid, and is poised to inject up to another 1tn euros if necessary.

Yet there was no growth across the 18-country bloc in the second quarter and inflation is running at a deflationthreatening 0.4%.

“The risks surrounding the economic outlook for the euro area remain on the downside,” ECB President Mario Draghi said earlier in the month.

Gold set for biggest weekly drop since midJuly on rate speculation n Reuters, London Gold steadied above a two-month low on Friday after a five-day losing streak and was headed for its biggest weekly loss in five, hurt by strong US economic data and speculation the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates sooner than expected.

Bullion has been hit hard after minutes from the Fed’s July meeting on Wednesday showed policymakers debated whether interest rates should be raised earlier given a surprisingly strong job market recovery.

The metal came under further pressure on Thursday when a break below the 200-day moving average of $1,284 an ounce triggered stops losses - automatic sale orders placed by traders at pre-set levels to limit losses - and sent prices tumbling more than 1%.

Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,278.35 an ounce by 1338 GMT, not far from a two-month low of $1,273.06 hit on Thursday. The metal is down almost 2% for the week, the biggest drop since the week ended July 18.

US gold futures gained 0.3 percent to $1,278.90.

The dollar hovered below its 2014 peak against a basket of major currencies ahead of an eagerly awaited speech

by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen at the annual gathering of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

DILBERT

Any further strengthening of the US currency is likely to add pressure to gold by making the metal more expensive for holders of foreign currencies.

But a dovish speech from Yellen, who in July stressed that there was still significant slack in labour markets, would counter this week’s Fed minutes.

Higher interest rates would dull the attractiveness of non-interest-bearing assets such as gold.

“The focus of Jackson Hole is the labour market and I think Yellen will stick to her usual (dovish) script,” Natixis analyst Bernard Dahdah said.

“There is some speculation that if the data from the United States continues to surprise on the upside, the Fed will increase interest rates earlier than expected but we believe the hike will still be in mid-2015.”

Data on Thursday showed US home resales raced to a 10-month high in July, while the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, signalling strength in the economy and reducing gold’s appeal as an alternative investment.

Gold failed to gain support from escalating tensions over Ukraine that halted an earlier rise in European stocks.

“Although we had some escalation in the Russia-Ukraine tensions, the market today is rather focusing on the United States,” Dahdah said. l

Pillars of salt

Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a fellow at the Petersen Institute of International Economics, reckons that the main problem facing central banks is that the pillars of world economic growth are not level and that economies are not working together.

“There is no country (now) to pick up the slack,” Kirkegaard said. “From the perspective of the US consumer coming to the rescue of global demand, forget about it.”

That was underlined by the latest US jobs data, which showed steady job creation but flat wages in the private sector and little improvement in longterm unemployment.

Along with an economy expanding at only a modest rate, this has all been enough to persuade Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen to lower expectations for a rate hike until hiring and wage data show the effects of the financial crisis are “completely gone.”

Britain, the fastest-growing Group of Seven economy this year (albeit from a low base), is in a similar place.

Minutes of the central bank’s last meeting showed the first split vote on interest rates since 2011.

That underlined the desire of some

Draghi and Yellen will be among the central bankers gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this week for an annual symposium. They may be at pains to explain whether what is happening in the global economy is sustained trouble that many share, or just specific glitches.

Japan, for example, suffered its biggest contraction since March 2011 in the second quarter, falling at an annualised 6.8%. But it is hoping it was mainly due to an April 1 sales tax hike that hit household spending.

Similarly, some of Britain’s falling wages can be tracked back to comparisons with a year earlier when they boomed after a cut in the top tax rate.

That impact will disappear.

But the G7 as a group is growing well below trend. The United States, Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Italy and Canada averaged growth of just over 2% a year between 1981 and 2013.

The projection for this year is less than 1.5%.

And that is before any potential longer-term impact from Russia sanctions, disrupted Middle East oil flows or other geopolitical pressure.

Many policymakers, including Carney and Draghi, have acknowledged that a lot of what is happening is out of their control.

“Heightened geopolitical risks, as well as developments in emerging market economies and global financial markets, may have the potential to affect economic conditions negatively, including through effects on energy prices and global demand for euro area products,” Draghi said earlier in the month.

There has been little so far on the horizon to change this. l

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda attends the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming REUTERS

BoJ may ease policy for ‘some time’ to slay deflation n Reuters The Bank of Japan may have to pursue its aggressive monetary policy easing for “some time” to fully vanquish deflation, BoJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Saturday.

Speaking at a global central banking conference here, Kuroda said the central bank’s efforts to overcome deflation by stimulating Japan’s economy with large-scale asset purchases was proving effective.

He added, however, that the public was not yet convinced Japan’s central bank would hit its 2 percent inflation target. Creating that expectation was necessary to get firms to raise wages - a key step in Japan’s long war with deflation, he said.

“We have committed ourselves to continuing the increasingly accommodative stance until the 2% inflation target is met and maintained in a sustainable manner,” Kuroda said. “That means inflation expectations are anchored to 2% ... (and) that may take some more time.”

The BoJ deployed an intense burst of monetary stimulus last April, when it pledged to double its money base with a quantitative easing program of asset purchases. Kuroda wants to accelerate consumer inflation to 2% in roughly two years. Japan has been mired in 15 years of grinding deflation.

The program was initially successful, with consumer inflation having recently hit 1.3%, excluding the impact of an April sales tax hike. Inflation is expected to slow in the coming months as the boost from a weak yen on import costs begins to fade.

Speaking on a panel alongside central bankers from Brazil and Britain,

Kuroda said public inflation expectations are moving up gradually but still low at around 1 percent.

Low long-term interest rates will likely not rise until the 2% target is reached, he said, adding that the BoJ’s 2% inflation target, once met, could serve as a benchmark for wage negotiations.

Turning to labor markets, which was the focus of the high-profile Jackson Hole conference, Kuroda said Japan is showing “significant improvement,” though it still faces challenges including a large share of part-time workers in the service sector.

The quantitative easing stimulus is helping Japan escape from a deflationary cycle of falling wages and demand, he said, adding that the BoJ is trying to manage the program to avoid any “abrupt shock” to markets.

He also said Japan needs a favorable work environment for woman and older workers to help counter its declining labor force.

Bank of England Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent, speaking on the same panel, said in a prepared speech that slow wage growth is not certain to pick up soon in Britain, despite signs of skills shortages. He added that the BoE will not raise rates until there is a clear prospect of stronger wage growth.

In separate remarks, Broadbent said the BoE’s new financial stability goals were not in conflict with its inflation and growth goals. He also said there are potential but surmountable “coordination issues” between the BoE’s new financial stability committee and other bank functions.

“There is not a first-mover advantage to any of the bodies. They meet pretty regularly and share three members,” Broadbent said. l

Deepening rivalries test German luxury car dominance n Reuters, Paris Berlin-based PR executive Herbert Franz should be a soft target for German luxury automakers - his last car was a BMW X3 - but he can’t wait to leave them behind.

“This car is hip,” said Franz, 52, at the city’s biggest Jaguar Land Rover showroom, while eyeing up a Britishbuilt Evoque SUV that he fully intended to purchase.

Decked out in bright red blazer and canary yellow trousers, Franz might not be the typical customer in Germany’s conservative premium market.

But his shifting taste in cars foreshadows less comfortable times ahead for global leader BMW, as well as Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

The German premiums have long been on a roll, producing an exportdriven sales explosion and huge returns while mass carmakers struggled through Europe’s crisis.

But in a headlong sales race, secondplaced Audi and runner-up Mercedes have both vowed to depose BMW, giving rise to heavy discounting, which sullies luxury brands and creates opportunities for the growing competition, observers say.

Now a host of younger or revived premium marques are poised to follow JLR by pitching dozens of new models against the big three, whose very ubiquity is taking the shine off their prestige.

“The German premiums have sacrificed some of their exclusivity by entering smaller, volume segments like compacts,” said Bernd Hoennighausen, an automotive consultant.

“They’ve pushed volume with fleet discounts of around 20%,” said Hoennighausen, who previously managed corporate fleets for Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas.

“This may open the door to newer players like Jaguar, who are starting to offer fleet-relevant products.”

Among others waging or planning new offensives are Fiat-owned Maserati and Alfa Romeo, Nissan’s Infiniti, and Volvo, a unit of China-based Geely.

Infiniti chief designer Alfonso Albaisa draws a sketch of a car next to a quarter sized model of the Infiniti Emerg E car during an interview with Reuters at Nissan Technical Center REUTERS “Our theory is that there’s room for something visibly different that is styled in a more provocative manner,” said Andy Palmer, the senior Nissan executive charged with achieving a breakthrough for the 25-year-old Infiniti brand.

“It’s particularly true for China,” Palmer told Reuters. “Chinese consumers will cross-shop - and Audi only has the market to lose because they’ve been so dominant.”

For now, the Germans remain firmly on top. Their combined sales amounted to 4.7 million vehicles last year, almost 60 percent of the global luxury car market, according to consulting firm IHS Automotive.

That represents a 38% gain since 2007, the eve of the financial crisis, when the big three claimed just over half of the market. Global car sales grew 21% overall, while European demand shrank by a quarter over the period.

Turning tide

Superior scale also brings cost advantages - from research to production and marketing - that are not going away.

BMW has led the charge into new niches, launching dozens of models including SUVs in every size category, with Audi close behind.

Nonetheless, some analysts believe the tide is beginning to turn against the Germans.

UBS expects the same group of challengers, plus Tesla’s zippy electric cars and DS models from PSA PeugeotCitroen, to grab 30% of global premium sales growth in 2014-18, raising their current 12.5% market share.

Pressured by the increasing competition, the Germans’ return on invested capital will continue falling away from historic peaks of around 30% in 20102012, the bank predicts.

“There’s also an inherent contradic-

tion between premium and concentration,” UBS analyst Philippe Houchois said. “Buyers of premium-branded cars are looking for some degree of exclusivity that will set them apart from less fortunate car owners.”

The resulting market fragmentation is “bringing the curtain down on the unprecedented growth ... that enabled premium auto manufacturers to generate outsized returns”, he added.

BMW shares are up 5.4% this year, beating the wider European auto sector’s 0.4% slide. But Daimler is 1.1% lower and VW down 15 percent, hit by cost overruns.

A Maserati push is making headway, with first-half shipments quadrupling on new models launched under Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne, who hopes a revived Alfa can also use its pedigree to outrun upstarts such as Infiniti and DS. l