07 Dec, 2014

Agrahayan 23, 1421 Safar 13, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 243

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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ARTS & LETTERS

7 | ROUND TABLE

11 | OP-ED

13 | SPORT

THOUGHTS ON HAY DHAKA

RMG SECTOR: CHALLENGES & WAY FORWARD

WHEN DEMOCRACY LIES TO US

NEW ZEALAND BEAT PAKISTAN TO LEVEL T20 SERIES

Forgery rackets centring top court ‘alarming’ Clerks these days take cases, choose little-known lawyers to feed the court forged bail petitions kar Ali Manik and n Julfi Ahmed Zayeef Deceiving Supreme Court judges to obtain bail for alleged offenders has gradually becoming an alarming practice among lawyers as another incident of submitting wrong information and forged documents before the apex court has been revealed recently.

The latest incident – second such chilling incident in the last two and a half months – is clear evidence of criminal rackets operating in the lower and the higher courts, making fabricated police documents and are submitted to the court to obtain bail.

‘If we can ensure accountability, recurrence of such incidents will drop’ This time, the High Court sent a lawyer’s clerk to jail from the court, though during the previous revelation the clerk had managed to flee and none involved in that incident has been arrested yet.

Judges of the High Court bench this time termed such forgery a “heinous offence.”

Last Monday, following a bail petition filed by lawyer Nur Mohammad Talukder, a High Court bench comprising of Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam granted bail to Mohammad Jahangir Alam, an imprisoned accused of a criminal case.

Defence lawyer Nur mentioned in

14 sued 18 months after biggest ever gold haul n Ashif Islam Shaon Customs intelligence yesterday sued 14 people in connection with a one and a half year old incident of smuggling 124kg gold through the Dhaka airport, said to be the biggest ever haul ever.

The case, filed with the airport police station on Friday night, mentions the names of 10 employees of the national flag carrier Biman and four outsiders, including two foreigners.

The Biman staff members are Sweeping Supervisor Abu Zafar, Aircraft Mechanic Masud, Security Officer Kamrul Hasan, Engineers Saleh Ahmed and Mojibur Rahman, Assistant Aircraft Mechanic Anis Uddin Bhuiyan, Engineering Hangar Mechanic Osman Gani and Junior Inspection Officers Shahjahan Siraj, Raihan Ali and Maksud.

The other four are Milon Shikder, chairman of SA Cargo, Jasim Uddin, Nepalese Gourango Rosan and Indian Jason Prince.

On July 24 last year, a stash of 1,165 gold bars weighing 124kg and worth Tk54 crore, was recovered from a Biman aircraft coming in from Dubai, said Umme Nahida Akter, assistant director of the Customs Intelligence Division.

Suspects Masud, Anis, Shahjahan, Kamrul, Zafar and Mojibur have been  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

the bail petition that his client had been arrested by the Railway Police in Dhaka on September 10 for having 20 bottles of phensidyl in his possession.

The lawyer also annexed attested duplicate copies of the First Information Report (FIR), seizure list, Railway Police’s forwarding letter submitted to the Dhaka’s Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court and the Dhaka’s District and Session Judge’s Court’s bail rejection order. These documents show that those were officially collected from the General Recording Office of the Dhaka’s Magistrate Court.

All “true copy” of the police and court documents were made by a copier of the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court, Dhaka; checked by an official of the same Dhaka court while finally attested by the administrative officer of Dhaka District Judge’s Court.

But all the documents were fake and fabricated.

According to the similar original documents, accused Jahangir was arrested for having 12 gold bars in his possession, recovered by the Railway police.

The High Court bench granted Jahangir six months’ bail.

But the following day, December 2, someone had called the Assistant Attorney General Md Ali Jinnah in his mobile phone and informed him about the arrest of Jahangir with gold bars, not phensidyl.

Knowing this, Jinnah on Wednesday morning told his senior colleagues – Deputy Attorney General KM Zahid

There is a foot-over bridge just a few yards away, but this policeman does not seem to care. He was seen crossing the busy road near the Farmgate bus bay in the capital yesterday and even a barbed-wire fence does not deter him. The police authorities recently launched a drive against jaywalking on this busy road SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

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Administrative failures repel potential investment n Tribune Report

Prospective investors, who once showed interest in Bangladesh, have shifted elsewhere due to a lack of a clear line that they will be provided with clean pieces of land.

As they found the land is not owned by legitimate authorities, they felt reluctant in risking huge investments here and moved the proposed investment to countries like Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

A group of foreign diplomats revealed the sorry state of the country’s

investment at a time when Bangladesh is struggling to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with its machinery making overseas tours and inviting investors to Bangladesh.

“We faced some difficulties [which] we hope to be removed soon,” said Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Yun-young, who visited the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) in Chittagong yesterday along with his counterparts from other countries.

The EPZ, if fully developed, will generate around $1.5bn in export earnings, employing 100,000 directly and

Bangladesh signs trade and land allocation deals with Bhutan n Tribune Report Bangladesh and Bhutan yesterday inked a deal on trade that would allow the two countries duty free access to 90 of each others products.

The two Saarc neighbours signed another deal on land allocation that would see the handing over of a plot in Dhaka Baridhara for the embassy of Bhutan, reports UNB. The signings yesterday marked the first day of Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay’s three-day visit to Bangladesh.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and Bhutan’s Economic Affairs Minister Norbu Wangchuk signed the trade agreements, while Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and his Bhutanese counterpart Rinzin Dorji signed the land allocation agreement.

The deals were signed at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka in the PM Sheikh Hasina and her Bhutanese counterpart.

Tofail said Bangladesh would sign a preferential trade agreement with Bhutan, which would enable both countries to export goods without any obstruction.

He announced that Bangladesh would allow duty-free import of bold-

n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Minister AH Mahmood Ali at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel. The two discussed means of strengthening economic ties, connectivity, hydro-power, and cultural exchanges among other issues. l

14 | Sport

15 | Entertainment

INSIDE 2 | News

Bangladesh-US direct flights, currently barred by the US Federal Aviation Administration as the CAAB does not meet their security requirements, may commence by next year.

3 | News

The government is preparing a new power system master plan (PSMP) for the next 20 years, with the key focus on importing coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power generation.

4 | News

Speakers at a discussion meeting yesterday said some active fundamentalist and communal forces in the country often try to destroy the relationship between India and Bangladesh.

5 | News

With the pothole-riddled stretches, which are covered with slush, stones and dust, part of the Malibagh DIT Road in the capital is just unusable for any sort of vehicles.

Substitute Papiss Cisse scored twice as leaders Chelsea’s hopes of completing the Premier League season unbeaten were dashed by a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Saturday.

transform the Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021.

During the visit, the foreign envoys stationed in Bangladesh said Bangladesh’s administrative failures would put off potential investors, apparently fading out the nation’s vision.

Malaysian High Commissioner Norlin Othman, Norwegian Ambassador Merete Lundemo, Turkish Ambassador Huseyin Muftuoglu, The Netherlands Ambassador Gerben de Jong and Singapore Consul in Dhaka Darryl LAU visited the country’s first private EPZ.

PM okays scrapping licences of two IGWs Prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave her approval to start the process of cancelling licenses of two International Gateway (IGW) operators for failing to pay about Tk150 crore as license fees and revenue sharing, sources of the telecommunication ministry and the regulatory commission informed.

Last week the Premier gave the approval, which the Post and Telecommunication Division immediately forwarded to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), a senior official of the telecom division told the Dhaka Tribune.

Two IGWs are Ratul Telecom, owned by the family members of former state minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Kay Telecommunications Ltd, formerly owned by another lawmaker of the ruling party Shamim Osman’s family.

The prime minister took charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology after Abdul Latif Siddique was sacked in October.

“We have received the letter from the government and according to the legal process, BTRC needs to serve a legal notice inquiring why the license would not be cancelled,” a senior official of the legal wing of BTRC told the Dhaka Tribune. He added that they

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina welcomes her Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay at the Shahjalal airport in Dhaka yesterday FOCUS BANGLA er, to be used for the construction of the Padma bridge.

Earlier in the day, the Bhutan premier paid a visit to the national memorial in Savar after having arrived in Dhaka.

He was later called on by Foreign

200,000 indirectly.

The envoy said that South Korea had started with apparel products in Bangladesh in 1970 and the industry became the world’s second largest exporter. He sought support from the government of Bangladesh and its people to achieve a second success case.

The government has been beating drums around offering the “best” investment incentives in this region, apart from alluring them to take advantage of the country’s easy access to global market.

The ongoing campaign to attract FDI is part of this government strategy to

The 2nd annual Tareque Masud Festival will be held on December 12 and 13 at the National Theatre Auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital.

had already gone through this process.

“Now we need to place the issue before the commission for a final decision.

But as two powerful leaders are involved, the commission may send it to the government again,” BTRC official said.

Ratul Telecom, 50% of which is owned by Nanak’s daughter Syeda Amrin Rakhi and 20% by Nanak’s wife Syeda Arzumand Banu, started operations

Now we need to place the issue before BTRC for a final decision as an IGW in October 2012 and went out of operation in August 2013 when BTRC blocked them for not paying the outstanding revenue sharing.

Kay Telecommunications Ltd, owned by Shamim Osman’s wife Salma Osman and his two sons Tanvir Ahmed and Imtinan Osman of Narayanganj, was reportedly transferred to Md Shakawat Hossain, Debabrata Chowdhury and Md Rakibul Islam.

Both Ratul Telecom and Kay Telecommunications Ltd were awarded the license in April 2012 and since then they have not paid their share of revenue.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Direct flights to US await clearance n Rafe Sadnan Adel Direct flights between Bangladesh and the United States, currently barred by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) because Bangladesh’s civil aviation authority does not meet US flight security requirements, may commence by next year.

The FAA awarded the Civil Aviation Administration, Bangladesh (CAAB) category two status, but the Bangladeshi agency has been in the process of obtaining category one status for the last two and a half years.

CAAB needs to be in category one in order send an aircraft directly to the US. The process had stalled due to bureaucratic delays on the Bangladeshi side.

The FAA needs a copy of CAAB’s manpower structure to get the permission process going, but bureaucratic

complexities had held back CAAB from submitting it. FAA delegates are expected to be invited once the organogram is submitted.

Wing Commander S M Nazmul Anam, CAAB director of flight safety and regulations, said they were in the final stages of preparing the organogram and would complete it by the end of the year.

“Since more than 10,000 staff members and many ministries were involved in the process, CAAB took a long time to prepare the organogram,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Since the FAA normally takes six months to schedule an inspection visit, officials are hopeful that by next June they will be able to visit Bangladesh and confer category one status on CAAB. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told the Dhaka

Tribune that in December, his ministry would send the organogram to the Public Administration Ministry for approval. FAA inspectors would then be invited to Bangladesh.

He said he hopes the Public Administration Ministry will swiftly approve the organogram as his ministry is eager to complete the category upgrade.

In 2009, the FAA marked CAAB as a second category regulatory agency because of weak flight security. At that time, the FAA gave two main conditions to CAAB to achieve the desired status upgrade: Establishing full autonomy and ensuring recruitment according to its own organogram.

In 2012, CAAB sent a draft copy of its organogram to the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry for approval. In the draft, manpower mapping for the next 20 years resulted in 13,776 posts.

But the ministry revised the amount,

fixed it at 10,698 posts and sent it to the Public Administration Ministry. The organogram CAAB maintains was formed in 1984 with 3,716 posts including the chairman.

The CAAB flight safety director said there was a shortage of manpower and the organagram ought to be upgraded.

On December 10, 2011 Bangladesh signed a draft air service agreement with US aviation authorities at the Air Service Navigation Conference of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia. According to that contract, Bangladesh can take the initiative to start a Dhaka – New York flight.

An “Open Skies” Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries was signed on August 17, 2013.

The civil aviation and tourism minister said CAAB would likely achieve FAA category one status by next year. l

Housewife dies by setting herself on fire n Tribune Report A newly married housewife yesterday allegedly committed suicide by setting herself on fire in her house in the South Keraniganj area, in the outskirts of the capital. Irin Akther, 24, the housewife got married to Asaduzzaman Jhontu, 32, on November 14 this year, said her brother Md Rajib.

Only a week into the marriage, Asad started torturing Irin physically and tried to create pressure through the matchmaker on the family members so that she sought divorce, claiming that Irin’s character was not good, Rajib said.

“Irin informed us about the torture,” Rajib said. Asad made a phone call saying Irin tried to commit suicide.

“It is Asad who killed my sister. Now he is trying to stage a drama, saying my sister committed suicide,” he said.

BNP leader injured in gunfight n Our Correspondent, Satkhira A local BNP leader was injured in a gunfight between police and members of his group at Katkhali Beel in Shyamnagar upazila on Friday night.

The injured was identified as Akter Faruk, son of Haji Ashaul Islam, a resident of Kashimari village of the upazila.

Organising secretary of BNP Kashimari union unit in the upazila, Akter is accused in many cases, said police.

Three policemen, including sub-inspector Ashraful, were injured during the gunfight.

Aminul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Shyamnagar police station, said a team of police conducted a drive in the area

while a group of terrorists, including Faruk, was holding a secret meeting around 8:45 pm.

Sensing the presence of the police team, Faruk and his associates opened fire at them, promoting the law enforcers to fire back that left Faruk bullet-hit and three policemen injured.

Later, the police team arrested injured Faruk while his other associates managed to escape.

The police also recovered one pipe gun and three bullets from the spot.

Faruk was undergoing treatment in Shyamnagar health complex under police custody.

He is wanted by police in 16 cases, including for attacking mobile court magistrate, the OC added. l

Partha Sankar Paul, a surgeon at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Irin died around 7:50pm.

Irin’s husband, Asaduzzman, a worker at a cloth shop at Alam Tower in the area, however, said he was not at his home during the incident.

“I went out of home to my workplace around 9 o’clock in the morning.

One of our neighbours informed me that a fire broke out in my house and my wife was inside,” he said.

“With the help of neighbours, I rescued her and took to the hospital.”

Jamal Uddin Mir, officer-in-charge of South Keraniganj Police station, said they detained Asad, and were interrogating him.

The body was sent to DMCH morgue for an autopsy.

No case was lodged till filing of this report around 9:53pm. l

AL leader hurt in gun attack n Our, Correspondent, Lakshmipur

The government has announced that the free textbooks for the 2015 academic year will reach the schools by two months. Suppliers therefore are spending a busy time sending the books to various destinations MEHEDI HASAN

A local leader of Awami League sustained bullet wounds in a gun attack by miscreants at Latifpur village in Sadar upazila yesterday.

Faruk Hossain was the vice-president of Chandraganj union unit AL. Police said a group of criminals swooped on Faruk in the area and fired several shots at him while he was going to a local market from his house.

He was sent to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital in a critical condition.

In protest, AL activists blocked the Lakshmipur-Chowmuhani Road for one an hour. Later, police brought the situation under control.

Humayun Kabir, OC of Chandraganj police station, confirmed the incident.

Additional policemen were deployed in the area. l

14 sued 18 months

Forgery rackets’ centring top court ‘alarming’

Administrative failures repel

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arrested several times in the past in various incidents and are now on bail.

Of them, Masud and Anis are also wanted for smuggling 105kg gold in April this year.

Moinul Khan, director general of customs intelligence, said a six-member committee of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) headed by him had found the involvement of these 14 men.

The committee submitted a 523-page report to the NBR chairman in the last week of October. The investigators said they however had not managed to trace the ring leader of the biggest gold haul in the country’s history. They recommended further police probe in this regard.

According to an official involved with the investigation, they had visited the Dubai airport, where the gold was loaded, talked to the Biman staff working there and collected CCTV footage from the Shahjalal airport’s hanger area.

They got sure about the involvement of several passengers Jasim Uddin and Indian citizen Jason Prince with help from customs officials. Police are yet to trace Jasim and Prince.

A customs official said Milon was the Bangladeshi agent of Nepalease citizen Gourango Rosan, who lives in Kathmandu.

After the haul, Gourango sent a letter to the commissioner of Dhaka Customs House.

The smugglers faced no trouble in carrying the gold to the aircraft as carrying gold in Dubai needs no custom charge. They knew the aircraft well and used hole inside a toilet to stack up the bars on to a panel in the cargo space.

All the 10 Biman staffs belonged to the national carrier’s engineering department and had been tasked with bringing out the gold consignment. They were supposed to take the gold out of the secret chamber after the aircraft had been taken to the hanger area. They were told to pass the gold on through Gate 8.

Claiming ownership of the gold, Gourango asked the commissioner to fix a duty accrued on the gold through a short trial. He also wrote that he wanted to pay the duty and the gold to be handed over to his agent Milon.

Last month, detectives arrested five members of the smuggling racket including three Biman officials. Investigators said many engineering department employees, who know the structure of an aircraft well, help smugglers hide consignments in exchange of huge money.

Meanwhile, in the latest of a spiked series of gold hauls at the Dhaka airport, customs officials yesterday detained one and seized around 3.8kg gold, worth around Tk1.75 crore.

The detainee AKM Golam Kabir Shikder, a local of Munshiganj, landed at the airport around 11:40am on a Malaysian flight, said Kazi Md Ziauddin, a joint commissioner of airport customs. l

Sarwar who contested Jahangir’s bail petition as the state counsel and the top boss, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

They sent a fax message to the jail authorities immediately to stop the release of Jahangir from the prison, Jinnah told the Dhaka Tribune.

Jinnah and Sarwar collected copies of the genuine documents including the FIR and rushed to the bench that had granted the bail.

The judges then also asked AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, to join the hearing on the issue. Jahangir’s counsel Nur also met the judges along with Md Yusuf Bhuiyan, a clerk of another lawyer.

The defence lawyer explained to the judges that the clerk had prepared all the documents and that he just signed those and moved the bail petition.

After the hearing, the judges fixed the matter for passing the order after lunch and asked the court keepers to hand over the clerk to the police and take legal action against him.

After the lunch recess, Justice Nuruzzaman and Justice Mustafa cancelled Jahangir’s bail. The court also asked the authorities concerned not to release the accused from jail custody.

The bench further asked Jahangir’s counsel to give an explanation in written regarding the forgery and to explain in three days why action should not be taken against him as per law.

The judges also directed the Supreme Court Bar Association authorities to take proper legal action against the clerk. It directed the registrar of the Supreme Court to file a case against the clerk and form an inquiry committee to look into the matter and submit report

by December 14.

The judges termed the practice of making false and fabricated documents to submit before the court for obtaining bail a “heinous offence.”

“It as a very dangerous incident,” defence lawyer Nur told the Dhaka Tribune over the phone on Friday. “I will apologise to the court as I moved this case without knowing the truth.”

He claimed that all the fake and fabricated documents had been prepared at the District Judge’s Court. “It is understandable from this incident that a vicious circle is involved in such practice,” he added.

“It was beyond my knowledge that the real fact was concealed in the bail petition. So when I came to know about it, I called the clerk who prepared the case. I took him to the judges without letting him know about the allegation.”

There was a similar incident oc-

curred in the same bench several weeks ago. But at that time, the clerk who had been involved in the forgery, fled evading arrest, Nur said.

The way they forge the papers, “it was not possible imagine if they were false or fabricated information.” In each document it was mentioned that police recovered 20 bottles of phensidyl from the accused, the lawyer said.

“It is not possible for any lawyer to understand this [forgery],” said Nur, who has been practising for the last 10 years. The first five years he had practised at the Laxmipur district court.

Clerk Yusuf, who has been arrested for his offence, is also from Laxmipur.

They know each other.

Nur said Yusuf works for lawyer Md Ramzan Ali, who practices at the Dhaka’s District Judge’s Court but also has a chamber at the Supreme Court Bar building.

Lawyers who deal with many cases usually appoint clerks on payment. But these court clerks across the country are controlled by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). They have an association and get identity cards having identification numbers from the SCBA. Nur said the culprits involved with such crimes must be punished.

Court pardoned lawyer in previous incident

On September 18, the same High Court bench granted bail to five accused yaba traders on a petition submitted with false information.

Abdus Samad, lawyer for the accused, mentioned in the petition that police had recovered only 243 tablets from their possessions. But police in their case document said they had recovered 19,000 pieces.

Being informed about the forgery, the bench later cancelled the bails. As the accused were already released, the police arrested them again.

Assistant Attorney General Jinnah, who was also involved in revealing that forgery, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The High Court bench pardoned lawyer Abdus Samad after he sought unconditional apology before the court.”

Samad also claimed that he had no idea about the documents and accused the clerk of being involved in the forgery.

The Supreme Court registrar filed a forgery case against clerk Boni Amin and Shahadat Hossain Jony, who had certified the documents as authentic, Jinnah said adding that none of them were arrested yet.

SM Kuddus Zaman, acting registrar of the Supreme Court, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that he had formed

a probe committee and that the probe report was submitted.

Strict measures needed

When contacted, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, the highest law officer of the country, said: “My apprehension is many such manufactured bail petitions were dissolved earlier. So now there is no scope of considering [relying on] any petition simply.”

He told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that such incidents had recently increased alarmingly. Earlier there were hardly one or two such incidents.

Mahbubey said law officers could assist the court in revealing such forgery if the courts take some time to dispose of cases. “A lawyer going to the court hurriedly with a bail prayer and obtains bail...this has to be changed.”

He suggested that after submission of bail petitions, the court can give the law officers a chance to check the facts and the documents of the petitions in one or two days with the police station concerned or courts or any other authorities.

“If the High Court benches accept the idea, the police stations and the general recording office will have to respond immediately to help the law officers,” he added.

Through such forgery, many notorious criminals might be freed on bail “which will be a dangerous threat for the society.”

Expressing disappointment, Mahbubey said: “I can see a degradation in our profession. Nowadays, criminal cases do not come to the lawyers, they come to the touts and clerks, who choose lawyers to deal with the cases.

“They [touts and clerks] do not come to senior lawyers who may ask for original certified copies of all documents. So they opt for little-known lawyers to make the dealings simple.”

ABM Khairul Haque, former chief justice said he had found a petition prepared through forgery while serving as a judge of the High Court. It was not a bail petition, but one that sought rule on a particular matter.

After learning about the forgery, Justice Khairul, now chairman of the Law Commission, said he had directed the officials concerned to file a criminal case against the persons involved with the forgery.

“Presently, the general impression or perception says practice of such forgery has increased,” he told the Dhaka Tribune adding that failure of taking strict measures could be the reason behind such rise.

“Recurrence of such incidents will drop if we can ensure accountability,” Justice Khairul added. l

They said some big investors were once willing to invest in the EPZ, but changed their minds. Investors had talks with the KEPZ authorities. They later found that although the 2,500acre plot of land was handed over and was in the possession of the authorities, the mutation was not done yet.

By then, 15 years have already lapsed since the acquisition and possession was delivered in late 1999.

“That has caused them to turn away,” said an ambassador. “They thought the government could want the land back any time.”

The KEPZ, now having only a few operational factories owned by Youngone Group, offers a working environment that Bangladesh is now struggling to ensure in the country’s apparel industry amid pressure from major European and US buyers.

The foreign diplomats lauded the working conditions at the shoe and sports apparel factories. They also pointed out that compared to the other such zones, the KEPZ was allowed to manufacture and export only 14 categories of products, most of which did not feature in the list of apparel export items.

Yesterday, a shoe factory worker came out of his workplace just after 2pm ending his 8-hour duty. When approached, he said he was happy with his monthly earning of Tk7,500 and the amicable working condition. The worker, who studied up to grade nine, has been serving the factory for about two years with a bit of on-job training for a few days on entry.

Asked about the labour unrest in the recent past, he said it was now over following the pay hikes in line with the national wage structure. He does not think the factories in the KEPZ need trade unions as the authorities automatically implement the workers’ legitimate demands.

“This is indeed a very dynamic part

of this country,” Norwegian Ambassador Merete told reporters. “I hope to see more investment coming here,” she said, appreciating the working conditions.

Turkish Ambassador Huseyin said Bangladesh has achieved a lot, but more is still to be done. He said trees planted here grew in the last 15 years and an eco-friendly environment had been created. “It was great, but unfortunate in terms of bringing investment,” he said. “We all know the problems and we all know it can be solved.”

The Malaysian High Commissioner said KEPZ is a model and Malaysia want to learn from the Korean business in Bangladesh. “We the Malaysians are trying to encourage bilateral trade.

Bangladesh has a lot of potential and promises.”

She said Malaysian businessmen and regulators are very interested in Bangladesh because the market is big.

“But there is no clear guideline and no clear regulation for them to follow.”

The Netherlands Ambassador said his country is interested to work with Bangladesh. “Bangladesh has an objective to become a middle income country and doubling its exports. This is possible if we have more investments in the infrastructure.”

Youngone Corporation Chairman Kihak Sung said a lot has been achieved in 15 years, but the EPZ has not made enough progress to reach its functional goal. Chittagong is ecologically business oriented, but unfortunately, the progress in bringing investors had been poor, he said.

“We always encourage our business people to invest in Bangladesh. When a business person comes to a country, he looks at the previous examples before investing...Political involvements make the business community reluctant to invest in this country,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said: “I am very optimistic that the problems will be solved soon.” l

PM okays scrapping IGW licences  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

According to the then guidelines, IGW operators were responsible for terminating the international incoming telephone calls and for that they received 3 US cents per minute. Out of this money they have to share 51.75% with the BTRC, 20% with the mobile or land phone operator and 15% with Interconnection Exchange (ICX) operators.

Ratul Telecom’s full outstanding to BTRC upto June this year is Tk138.35 crore of which Tk49.06 crore has been paid. It owes BTRC a further Tk89.29 crore excluding the late fines. On the other hand Kay Telecommunications outstanding is Tk100.02 crore but it has paid only Tk37.65 crore to date leav-

ing a due of Tk62.37 crore without late fines.

Furthermore the two companies have dues to mobile operators and ICX amounting not less than Tk100 crore, according to market sources. GrameenPhone has already filed a case against the IGW operators to recover the dues.

On October 23, BTRC decided in a meeting to scrap Ratul Telecom’s license along with another operator Telex Limited. It also sent a letter to the government but the then minister did not respond.

Sources said, BTRC served a showcause notice to Kay Telecommunications Ltd but found only a pharmacy at that address in Narayanganj. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, December 7, 2014

3

Govt formulating new power system master plan n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government is preparing a new power system master plan (PSMP) for the next 20 years, with the key focus on importing coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power generation.

The plan named PSMP 2015 is part of an initiative to set up several large coalbased power plants in the country.

“We are focusing on imported coal and LNG because the existing gas reserve is depleting,” Mohammad Hossain, director general of Power Cell, a state-owned entity under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“We have recently held a seminar on this. We will have financial and technical assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency to make the master plan,” he said.

The coal policy is yet to be finalised, and there remains controversy over whether the country should pursue open-pit coal mining or underground mining for meeting the power generation requirements.

The government has recently moved to establish a firm to import LNG to avoid problems that might be created by a sudden gas crisis.

“Extraction of domestic coal by the open-pit method has turned uncertain and the demand for electricity is increasing at a rate higher than what was estimated in the 2010 master plan. This has led to the necessity of importing coal and LNG to formulate the new master plan,” Ijaz Hossain, a professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said.

“The imported coal will be the main source of primary energy to run the coal-fired power plants in the country, though it is a risky option,” he said.

“The government has been dragging its feet in the issue of coal extraction from coalmines for fear of political consequences,” he added.

According to the government’s present power sector roadmap, the country will generate around 20,000MW of electricity from coal-based power plants by 2030. Of this, 11,250MW will be generated using domestic coal while the rest from imported coal.

Tokyo Electric Power Services Company Limited and Tokyo Electric Power Company, which prepared the 2010 master plan, is formulating the new one.

Jica is expected to submit its final report on the new master plan by December next year. l

The country’s first escalator on a foot over-bridge in the Banani area of the capital went out of order a few days ago. It was installed in March this year to encourage people to use the overpass. The photo was taken yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Woman arrested Bhutan big for RMG, ceramics exports for impersonating n Abu Bakar Siddique Sheikh Rehana

No justice in the country, claims Akbar Ali khan

n Tribune Report

n Ahmed Zayeef

Rapid Action Battalion yesterday arrested a female official of an insurance company for calling the Bangladesh Bank governor impersonating Sheikh Rehana, the sister of the prime minister.

Marzia Jannati Nupa, 31, is a senior manager at Islami Insurance Bangladesh Limited, and was arrested in a flat in the capital’s Banasree around 09:30am, according to a statement issued from RAB headquarters.

Nupa’s husband MA Kashem Majumder is a contractor at the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and though the couple is solvent, they planned to make some easy cash through fraudulent means.

Impersonating Sheikh Rehana, Nupa on November 30 called the Bangladesh Bank governor’s official number and said: “I am sending a man and a woman to your office. The man is lame and the woman is pregnant, and they have run into financial problems.”

She asked the governor to help the two financially.

The governor, however, smelled a rat after talking to Nupa for nearly half an hour, and asked his personal assistant to call back to the number.

The woman then identified herself as Setu and said she lives in Badda.

RAB, upon receiving a complaint, conducted a drive in the area and arrested the couple. Nupa confessed to making the call to the governor during the primary interrogation, and according to the statement she would have to face legal action.

The statement said Nupa’s target was to manage insurance premium of big amounts and she resorted to fraud to get it done. l

Bhutan, who has huge demands for readymade garments and ceramic products, could be next major export market for Bangladesh, said the head of a visiting Bhutanese business delegation yesterday.

“We are already importing a good number of ceramic products from Bangladesh and the demand is rising,” said Gyem Tshering.

Gyem, who is leading a 12-member delegation, was talking to the Dhaka Tribune after a meeting yesterday with the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the apex trade body here.

They came to Bangladesh yesterday morning as part of Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay’s entourage.

The other most demanded export

items from Bangladesh are construction machinery, Gyem said.

He urged the Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to invest in Bhutan’s tourism industry because it is growing fast.

They hoped that their PM’s Dhaka visit would enhance trade and cooperation between the neighbors.

FBBCI leaders said although the friendly relation between Bhutan and Bangladesh goes a long way back, bilateral trade has not been satisfactory.

Over the last 15 years, exports from Bangladesh to Bhutan fluctuated in the $9.13m-$0.02m range, but import from Bhutan increased significantly from $8.60m in 2005 to to $24.7m in 2013.

In 2014, Bangladesh exported only $1.9m to Bhutan while it was $22.5m the other way round.

Bangladesh heavily imports fruits such as orange and apple construction

materials such as stone chips and dolomite from Bhutan.

To reduce the trade gap, Monowara Hakim Ali, acting president of FBCCI, said Bangladesh can offer high quality products to Bhutan including RMG, knitwear, dry fish and spices, softwares, construction and light engineering materials.

She also said time had come to renew the existing bilateral trade agreements between Bangladesh and Bhutan that was signed on May 29, 2012.

Monowara said business people from both countries may also work together for developing the tourism sectors of the two countries.

“Bhutan has a georgraphical advantage in using the congestion-free facilities at Mongla port. Compared to any other country, Bhutan is closer to Mongla,” she said. l

City dwellers continue to risk their lives to return home after work due to a lack of adequate public transport. The photo was taken from the Farmgate area yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Former caretaker government adviser Akbar Ali Khan yesterday questioned the functioning of the judiciary system, going to the extent of saying there is no justice in the country.

“This judiciary system cannot have any meaning for the public when it takes 50 to 100 years to dispose of a case,” he told an open discussion at the National Press Club in the capital.

The Humanity Foundation Organised the programme, marking seven years of the country’s separation of judiciary.

“The police have completely gone under political control. The situation will worsen if necessary steps are not taken immediately, a commission is not formed and the relevant law not amended in this regard. The separation of judiciary is not enough and so necessary changes must be brought about in the police system as well,” he said.

Like Akbar, most speakers said they did not find any significant change in the country’s judiciary system, which may help get justice in due time. They also said the executive machinery’s interference still prevails and it must be stopped to ensure an independent judiciary.

“Established by the British for controlling police, the magistracy system had existed before the judiciary was separated, but the British system system still exists. Now there is no country in the world where the judiciary can fully control police,” said former caretaker government adviser Akbar.

He also said: “The British introduced the legal system in the country, which is very unfortunately faulty. They introduced their common law system here, but the conditions which are necessary to apply it does not exist

Latif Siddique shifted to Grameen Bank yet to get new chairman hospital for chest pain n Asif Showkat Kallol

n Tribune Report

Sacked minister Abdul Latif Siddique was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University from the Dhaka Central Jail yesterday after he complained of chest pain.

Latif fell sick only a day before a metropolitan magistrate court is set to hold hearing on the charge framing matter in a case filed against him for hurting religious sentiment. It is not confirmed whether the “sick” accused would be taken to the court to attend the hearing.

The lawmaker was taken to the BSMMU around 4:30pm as per suggestion of doctors at the Dhaka Central Jail, its Senior Superintend Forman Ali told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We first got information about his feeling chest pain around 10:30am.

Then our jail doctors started examining

him. His health did not improve after an hour-long examination. Then we sought police protection to shift him to the BSMMU for better treatment,” Forman said.

Latif was admitted to the Cabin Block with chest pain and high blood pressure. “He has been treated under cardiology department’s Professor Dr Sazal Banarjee,” BSMMU Director Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Majid Bhuiyan said.

“The complications of the former minister can be learnt after getting the examination reports. If necessary, a medical board will be formed tomorrow [today],” he added.

Latif was sent to jail on November 25 by a Dhaka court upon his surrender. Pro-BNP lawyer Abed Raja filed the case on October 2 with the Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court for Latif’s remarks made on September 28 during a meeting in New York. l

A new chairman for Grameen Bank has not been appointed according to the amended rules, four months after the incumbent chairman announced his intention to step down on grounds of poor health.

On August 6 last year, the government-appointed Grameen Bank (GB) chairman, Khondaker Mozammel Haque, announced his intention to step down on grounds of poor health but Finance Minister AMA Muhith refused to accept the resignation letter and asked him to continue.

Asked, Bank and Financial Institutions Division Secretary M Aslam Alam on Thursday said: “We have yet to select somebody for the post of the GB chairmanship as well as that of state-owned Sonali Bank.”

Sources at GB said the incumbent chairman, although officially in his post, was indifferent to his work.

Although some 13 months have

elapsed since the last chairman’s resignation, the government has failed to choose the right person to fill the top post at the world-renowned microlender, the secretary added.

‘I do not know when the government will arrange the election under the new election rules. We have strongly protested the amendment’ In this regard, Tahsina Khatun, a director at the micro-credit institution and also spokesperson for the nine directly elected directors, said: “We held the last meeting of the board of directors in October without the chairman as he was seriously ill. He attended several

meetings earlier despite his resignation move.”

The tenure of the nine directors will expire on February 15 next year, and the election for appointing directors is supposed to be held two months before the deadline, she added.

“I do not know when the government will arrange the election under the new election rules as we have strongly protested the amendment,” Tahsina also said.

In November this year, the government amended the election rules of the GB to give itself the authority to appoint all nine directors.

Also, the state authorities can form a three-member committee to elect the nine members in lieu of the central bank.

The present committee is comprised of an official from a state-owned commercial bank, another from the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation and the third is a former district judge who served as the chief election commissioner. l

here. If we want to make our judiciary effective, we need to look at CRPC [Code of Criminal Procedure], evidence act and police act newly and have to apply new thoughts and concept regarding this.”

The former caretaker government adviser criticised the separation of judiciary only by amending the Constitution, not in reality as he said: “It would be very unfortunate if we think that we can change the judiciary system only by constitutional amendment rather than change the entire system fully.”

He said, “according to the annual police report, charges were pressed and criminals were convicted in about 23-24 percent of cases. But the statistics did not include any case list where not even 10 percent were convicted. In this situation, the country is becoming a safe haven of miscreants.”

Akbar said: “The main thing is: there are lots of obstacles but it needs the guts to overcome them. We saw in the British period that the government judges and officials did not obey the higher authority instruction. Even in the Pakistan period, judges of the lower court did not grant bail. Justice was found in the upper court in most of the political cases. But now, there is no difference between lower court and upper court.”

Former Supreme Court judge Amirul Kabir Chowdhury, former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, former Supreme Court Registrar Iktedar Ahmed, among others, spoke at the discussion.

Bangla daily the Prothom Alo’s Joint Editor Mizanur Rahman Khan presented the keynote there at the discussion while Editor of “Shaptahik” moderated the programme. l

BNP: PM’s remark devoid of political decency n Tribune Report The BNP has termed the prime minister’s statement regarding Khaleda Zia’s rumoured meeting with government officials devoid of political decency.

“Her [PM] statement was completely indecent and an expression of personal vendetta,” acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said yesterday. The press conference was organised in response to the premier’s press conference on Friday when Sheikh Hasina said Khaleda had hatched conspiracies at night.

Fakhrul said: “Khaleda Zia does not need not to hatch any conspiracy to get to power. She assumed the office three times without any conspiracies. They [Awami League] talk about conspiracy to divert people’s attention from their misdeeds. The media reports were baseless.” l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Anti-liberation forces active to spoil Indo-Bangla relations n Tribune Report

Speakers at a discussion meeting yesterday said some active fundamentalist and communal forces in the country often try to destroy the relationship between India and Bangladesh.

The forces were defeated during the country’s liberation war in 1971. Their such attempts will also not be successful today, they said.

The speakers were addressing a programme titled ‘Bangladesh-India Friendship and Regional Security’ at the auditorium of Women’s Voluntary Association in the capital.

Anti-war crimes platforms Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee [Committee for Eradicating the Killers and Collaborators of ‘71] and Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971 jointly organised the programme to mark the historic December 6.

The speakers also said the December 6 is a memorable day for the country as India and Bhutan gave diplomatic acknowledgment to the independent Bangladesh on the day.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof

Teenager commits suicide in Chittagong

n CU Correspondent A grade X girl committed suicide by hanging herself in the classroom of her school in Chittagong city’s Prabartak area yesterday evening allegedly over a family feud.

Pinky Das, 15, was a student of Prabartak Songho Chittagong Bangladesh, run by ISCKON – a Hindu monastery in Chittagong, Sub-Inspector Md Idris Mia of Panchlish police station, said.

The girl used to live at the monastery situated beside the school.

The SI said the girl hanged herself from the ceiling with her scarf inside the classroom sometime after the midday.

Police recovered the body from the spot and sent to it Chittagong Medical College for a post-mortem examination, the SI said. “We recovered a letter from the spot which suggests that the girl was suffering from depression over her family’s financial problem.” l

Speakers at a discussion titled ‘Bangladesh-India Friendship and Regional Security’ held at the WVA Auditorium in the capital’s Dhanmondi area yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU the Bangladesh free,” he added.

To make a country independent, this was a rare example in the world history, Muntasir said.

“However, staying in India Jamaat-e-Islami and its associate forces are now hatching conspiracies against the country’s security and the security in the South Asian region,” he added.

With Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee Vice President Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury in the chair, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Bangladesh Sandeep Chakraborty, educationist Mamataz Latif, Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minority General Secretary Rabindranath Tribedi were also present at the programme. l

Bergman’s conviction worries top international rights bodies

AJM Abdul Halim’s death anniversary today

n Tribune Report

Today is the third death anniversary of former joint director of Bangladesh Bank AJM Abdul Halim, who was also an active participant in the language movement of 1952.

On the occasion, a doa mahfil has been arranged in the capital’s Madartek area and at his native home in Kathalia village under Narsingdi district. His well-wishers are requested to pray for the departed soul. l

Muntasir Mamun said some 30 lakh people were killed regardless of nationality, religion, language, sex and wealth during the country’s liberation war in 1971.

“At that time, India gave shelter to our 1 crore homeless people,” he said.

“About 17,000 Indian forces were killed during the war in order to make

International human rights groups have observed that the December 2 conviction of journalist David Bergman on contempt charges by the International Crimes Tribunal “further shrinks the narrowing space for observers to comment on the war crimes proceedings.”

London-based Amnesty International, New York-based Human Rights Watch and Geneva-based the International Commission of Jurists issued a joint statement over the issue yesterday.

Richard Bennett, Asia-Pacific director at Amesty International, said: “Rather than respecting the right to freedom of expression, the ICT has used contempt of court proceedings against some of its critics, and those who are convicted have no right of appeal. The conviction of Bergman sends

a chilling message to journalists and human rights defenders that the ICT will not tolerate fair criticism.”

The statement says concerns over its statute, rules of procedure, and practices have been raised since its inception, including by international monitors and legal experts.

HRW’s Asia Director Brad Adams said: “...If a journalist can be held in contempt for criticising proceedings and issues before the tribunal, why not bring proceedings against US Ambassador for War Crimes Stephen Rapp, who has raised many similar concerns?”

Sam Zarifi, Asia director at the International Commission of Jurists, said: “The ICT is dealing with incredibly complex factual and emotional issues of tremendous interest to people in Bangladesh and across the world, and part of this process is establishing public confidence in the legal system.” l

n Tribune Report

State move demanded to protect Khasia land n Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique The authorities of Nahar Tea Garden are trying to evict the Khasia community from their dwellings in order to grab the land, rights activists alleged yesterday.

From a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, they claimed that the tea garden owners had been spreading falsehood about tension between the tea garden workers and the Khasia people just to evict them from the Aslom and Kylin neighbourhoods under Rajarhat union in Sreemangal of Moulvibazar district.

A civic group, including activists, journalists and researchers, came up with the claim after visiting the Khasia dwellings from November 15 to 16.

On behalf of the group, Rajib Mir, a mass communication and journalism teacher at Jagannath University, read out a written speech highlighting the situation of the Khasia people.

They said the Nahar tea garden was established in 1960 on the 350 hectares of land, from which the Khasia community leased 200 acre to establish Aslom Punji (Khasia settlement) in 1982. The Kylin Punji was later developed beside Aslom. The Khasia people have been paying Tk25,000 every year as revenue to the tea garden authority. However, the garden authority has been forcing them to abandon 20 acres of land every year to expand the tea garden.

They cited Pijush Kanti Bhattacharjee, the manager of the tea garden, as saying to a daily that the land belonged to the garden authority and legal action would be taken to evict the Khasia people.

In the press conference the speakers claimed that the land, which is situated right beside the no man’s land bordering with India, actually belonged to the government. That is why the government intervention was needed.

Moreover, the garden authorities used the incident of May 30 to pit the tea garden workers and Khasia people against each other.

“There is no enmity between the two groups, but the tea garden owner

is propagating such falsehood to put the Khasia leaders behind bars. It will make it easier for them to grab the land,” Rajib Mir alleged.

On May 30, a clash broke out between the Nahar Tea Garden workers and the Khasia people leading to the death of Nitai Tanti, who the Khasia community claimed to be an outsider.

Nitai died on June 2 in Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital, reportedly being injured by a slingshot during the clash. Khasia community said the owners were using this to file cases against some of the leaders of the community.

‘There is no enmity between the two groups, but the tea garden owner is propagating such falsehood to put the Khasia leaders behind bars. It will make it easier for them to grab the land’

In the press conference, journalist and columnist Syed Abul Moksud said: “When it is a question of either development or environment, we have to stand for environment. Through the incidents, it is clear that the propaganda of tension between the two groups is nothing but to grab land.”

Also present, Convener of Oikya NAP Pankaj Bhattacharjee condemned such conspiracy and criticised the government for failing to protect the rights of minority.

The Khasia community, through the press conference, demanded government investigation into the matter and a legal frame work to ensure their rights and security. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Road of horror Authorities put blame on each other for the sorry state of Malibagh DIT Road managing and monitoring the city’s n Abu Hayat Mahmud sewerage and drainage systems.

With the pothole-riddled stretches, which are covered with slush, stones and dust, part of the Malibagh DIT Road in the capital is just unusable for any sort of vehicles.

Though a dry season is going on, the road remains under water for about one month The road’s dilapidated conditions have turned commuting into a nightmarish experience for the city dwellers due to flooding by sewage water.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, many commuters expressed their concern over the uninterested attitude of the authorities concerned for creating death traps for passengers of small vehicles like CNG run auto-rickshaws, rickshaws, motorcycles and human-haulers.

Though the road has flooded by the sewage water about one month ago, the authorities concerned have not taken initiative to stop the hazard for traffic movement, they said.

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) are responsible for

“Though a dry season is going on, the road remains under water for about one month. The authorities have not taken steps to repair the sewage,” said Nasir Uddin, a ticket manager of Asia Enterprise, a bus service which ply its vehicles on the DIT Road.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), however, repaired the road about two months ago, but its condition remains as bad as before.

Many potholes have been created again. Due to the sewage water, the road has become very risky to drive vehicles, said Rafique Uddin, a CNG auto-rickshaw driver.

“Sometimes, wheels of the vehicles stuck into the potholes,” he said.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, DSCC Chief Executive Officer Ansar Ali Khan said he was not aware of the matter.

“I will direct the officials concerned of the engineering department to find out the problem. Then, necessary steps will be taken immediately,” he said.

Contacted, Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taqseem A Khan, said he will also directed the Wasa officials concerned to inquire the spot.

“If there is any problem in the sewerage line, we will solve it immediately.” l

‘Dilapidated’ would be an understatement to describe the road from Malibagh railway crossing to Chowdhurypara in the capital which has turned almost into a puddle with the water leaked out from Wasa’s water pipelines. The locals, however, blame the ongoing construction work of flyover there SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

4 policemen withdrawn Not their fault, but patients over Tongi mugging paying the price

Film festival begins at Jahangirnagar University to help winter distressed n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Four police officials of Tongi police stan JU Correspondent tion were withdrawn yesterday for negA two-day film festival starts at the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus from today aiming to raise funds for the winter distressed population of the country.

The Social Welfare Club under the Institute of Business Administration of JU has arranged the festival.

The festival will be inaugurated by the chief advisor of the club IBA Associate Professor Sheikh Mohammed Rafiul Huque at 3pm at the Zahir Raihan Auditorium today.

Six Bangla and foreign language films (each day three films) will be screened during the festival.

Sheikh Mohammad Rafiul Huque told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have arranged this film festival as a part of our regular social welfare activities. It is our responsibility to stand beside the winter distressed people so that no one suffers from cold.”

Vice-President of the club Mushfiq Abdullah said: “This year we hope to raise a fund of Tk1.5 lakh through the festival which will be used to collect and distribute winter clothes among the poor people living in the northern districts of Bangladesh.”

SWC of IBA-JU was awarded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2011 for raising funds for the Tsunami affected people in Japan. l

ligence of duty over Friday’s mugging of family members of a dead man in an ambulance at Sataish in Tongi.

They were Sub-Inspector Abdul Mannan, Constable Hazrat Ali, Md Motiur Rahman Matin and Md Abdus Sattar.

Following their withdrawal, they were attached to Gazipur Police Lines, said Gazipur Police Super Harun-ur-Rashid.

A group of muggers attacked the ambulance carrying the body of Shahjahan Talukder early on Friday and took away gold ornaments, Tk10,000 in cash, three mobile phones and his death certificate from the family members.

The deceased was a former employee of Bata Shoe Company Bangladesh Ltd and died at a hospital in the capital.

Shahjahan’s family members claimed police were on patrol near the place the crime was committed but took no action.

They also alleged that police had connection with the criminals as the death certificate and the mobile phones were returned to them soon after they had reached home.

While escaping, the muggers threw the death certificate and the mobile phones out on the street But Sub-Inspector Abdul Mannan of Tongi Model police station denied the allegation and said police had tried to capture the culprits immediately but they managed to flee.

“While escaping, the muggers threw the death certificate and the mobile phones out on the street. We picked those up and returned to Shahjahan’s family members,” he added.

Officer-in-Charge of Tongi Model police station Kazi Ismail Hossain said police were trying to arrest the muggers. l

n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong It is not the hospital doctors or staff, it is now the ambulance service providers who have held hostage the patients to press home their demand at Chittagong Medical College and Hospital for four days until yesterday.

That dearly price too stems from not their fault but from the dispute between police and ambulance-owners and drivers.

The patients as well as their attendant relatives have been suffering severely for lack of any ambulance service for four days at the hospitals, particularly CMCH, since Wednesday.

The CMCH-based Private Ambulance Owners-Workers Association went on strike after police seized three ambulances and filed two cases against two drivers on charges of illegally parking the vehicles in front of Popular Diagnostic Centre near the hospital on Wednesday.

Since the strike, the patients had to be taken to and from the hospital either

n UNB

PARTLY CLOUDY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 5:11PM SUN RISES 6:29AM FORECAST FOR TODAY 27 29 27 27 28 28 29 29

16 18 12 13 12 16 14 20

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

30.5ºC Sitakunda

12.6ºC Jessore

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:08am 6:27am 11:50am 3:35pm 5:11pm 6:31 pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

not to allow them in front of the medical area and so they had to go on such a strike.

“We have a permission to park 10-15 ambulances at the east gate of CMCH on emergency,” he said, adding that they would hold a press conference and submit a memorandum about this if their demands were not met.

Joint Secretary Anwar said, as well as the ambulances that used to be parked near the CMCH, owners and workers of around 120 other ambulances had put off their vehicles off the service expressing solidarity with them in the city.

Officer-in-charge (OC) Mohiuddin Mahmud of Panchlaish police station said there was no permission from them to park any vehicle, including ambulance, at the residential area and so there is no way to make any sacrifice for them.

Around 400 patients come to the hospital on average everyday from 14 upazilas, three hill districts of Chittagong, Feni, Noakhali and Cox’s Bazar district. l

Green activists seek city corporation steps to control dust

WEATHER

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

by CNG-run auto-rickshaw or other vehicles, of which drivers are alleged to be taking advantage of this helpless situation.

Shockingly, the ambulance drivers were not showing any soft corner even on the relatives of the deceased patients as they were refusing to carry the dead even from the hospital.

According to Chittagong Metropolitan Police Law, whoever leaves or parks any vehicle in any part of a street or public place where parking is prohibited by the police commissioner shall be punishable.

Police advised the ambulance owners and drivers to park their vehicles under their own management not at any illegal spot while the drivers and owners demanded their vehicles be allowed parking on the road in front of the medical area.

Chittagong Halka Mortorjan Ambulance Malik-Sramik Committee’s Joint Secretary Anwar Hosssian told the Dhaka Tribune that the authority had suddenly come up with such a decision

A common yet delightful scene – with a few days left into the celebration of the Victory Day, hawkers are set off for selling national flags made in different sizes. The photo was taken from Savar yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Green activists yesterday urged the Dhaka City Corporations (DCCs) and other authorities concerned to take immediate steps to properly control air pollution caused by dust in the city, which poses severe threat to human health and environment.

They made the call at a human chain programme jointly organised by Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) and BCHRD in front of the National Museum in the capital.

Poba chairman Abu Naser Khan, BCHRD executive director Mahbub Haque, Debdas Ghat Social Welfare Association Mohammad Musa, Poba coordinator Atiq Murshed, architect Shahim Aziz and Poba joint secretary Amir Hasan, among others, spoke at the human chain. Naser Khan said dust pol-

lutes the environment, which directly poses a threat to public health. Dustborne diseases are on the rise in the city due to increasing dust pollution.

Apart from the human health hazards, he said cloths and furniture get dirty fast due to unchecked dust in the city in the dry season and every city household has to use additional water and spend additional Tk4,000-10,000 a month to manage the dust-related problems.

Poba chairman said the government has to formulate a specific policy and enforce it effectively to check dust pollution, considering its impact on the environment, public health and economy.

Naser Khan urged the non-government organisations to play a proactive role in creating awareness among people about the adverse impacts of dust pollution. l

Inventor of gravity-based electricity generator seeks funding n UNB

The local inventor of a new technology for power generation using gravitational energy is seeking financial support from the government or local entrepreneurs to commercialise his project.

“We want either the government or any local entrepreneur to come up with financial support to make it commercially viable,” said Shahid Hossain, the inventor of the technology styled “Heavy Circular Moving Object’s Triggering Energy (HECMOTE)”.

He made the funding pitch while

addressing a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday. Renowned scientist Professor Dr Shamsher Ali is endorsing the new technology as Shahid’s chief adviser.

Shahid’s concept is rooted in the conversion of gravitational energy into a new kind of force to generate electricity, bypassing conventional fuels like diesel or gas to rotate the turbine of a generator. A special device will capture the gravitational force from a heavy circular moving object and use the energy to rotate the generator’s turbine, to produce electricity.

Speaking at the press conference, Dr Shamsher Ali, a former president of Bangladesh Science Society, said he has been supporting the idea as a new breakthrough in electricity generation.

According to Dr Ali, also a former member of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, some degree of automation in the process can ensure its commercial viability.

Shahid says he has already received a huge offer from international power and technology companies to give up the patent on his invention.

“I did not accept their offers since I

would prefer HECMATE technology to be used first in Bangladesh, being an energy-hungry country,” he said.

He said he has designed a 5 MW power plant with lifetime of 30 years and cost Tk40 crore. Production cost of each unit (per kilowatt hour) will be Tk0.75, which is significantly cheaper than the cost at which the government buys electricity from power plants using existing technologies. There would also be savings in terms of the fuel costs.

Shahid, a student of Diploma Engineering at a private college, has already set up a 65 KVA power plant at Tongi on

a pilot basis and has been generating 50 kilowatt electricity from the plant.

Shahid’s legal advisor Barrister Nasir Uddin informed that he had been working for the new technology to obtain a patent registration from the USA patent office. “We are hopeful of getting the patent right as no such technology exists to generate electricity through gravitational force,” he added.

Shahid Hossain first announced his invention almost a year back, and sought local and international help to commercially apply his technology for power generation. l

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Sunday, December 7, 2014

US hostage killed in Yemen rescue raid n AFP

American journalist Luke Somers and a South African hostage were killed yesterday during a failed attempt by US special forces to free them from Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen.

President Barack Obama condemned the “barbaric murder” of Somers, saying he had authorised the joint rescue operation because the life of the 33-year-old photojournalist was believed to be “in imminent danger.”

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had on Thursday threatened to execute Somers, who was kidnapped more than a year ago in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, within three days if Washington failed to meet unspecified demands.

“The callous disregard for Luke’s life is more proof of the depths of AQAP’s depravity, and further reason why the world must never cease in seeking to defeat their evil ideology,” Obama said in a statement.

South African hostage Pierre Korkie was also killed in the raid, according to a charity that had been negotiating his release.

The Gift of the Givers said that Korkie’s death came a day before he was due to be freed after more than a year in captivity.

“The psychological and emotion-

Daring escape by Swiss hostage in Philippines n AP A Swiss hostage has escaped from the armed group Abu Sayyaf in southern Philippines, after hacking one rebel commander and getting shot as he dashed to freedom, ending more than two years of jungle captivity, security officials said.

Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 49, made his daring escape after government forces fired artillery rounds in the jungle camp where he was being held near mountainous Patikul town in Sulu province in Mindanao, government officials said yesterday.

Vinciguerra hacked an Abu Sayyaf commander and ran away but was shot and wounded by members of the armed group.

Government forces later found him and brought him to safety.

“He was wounded but he’s well and recovering in a hospital,’’ regional military commander Lieutenant General Rustico Guerrero told the Associated Press news agency by telephone.

Vinciguerra was one of two European bird watchers seized by the armed group in nearby Tawi Tawi province in February 2012.

It was not immediately clear what happened to the other hostage, a Dutchman identified by AP as Ewold Horn. A Filipino guide who was with them had jumped into the sea and escaped while the armed group were taking them by boat from Tawi Tawi to Jolo island in Sulu. l

al devastation to (his wife) Yolande and her family will be compounded by the knowledge that Pierre was to be released by Al-Qaeda tomorrow,” it said.

The South African couple, who had worked as teachers in Yemen for four years, were seized by Al-Qaeda in May 2013 in the city of Taez. The wife was released in January following mediation by Gift of the Givers.

The charity said logistical arrangements had already been put in place to fly Pierre Korkie out of Yemen under diplomatic cover after negotiations.

“It is even more tragic that the words we used in a conversation with Yolande at 5.59 this morning was ‘the wait is almost over’.

“Three days ago we told her ‘Pierre will be home for Christmas’. We certainly did not mean it in the manner it has unfolded.”

Ten militants were killed in the joint operation in Shabwa province in southeast Yemen, Yemen’s defence ministry said.

A tribal leader said soldiers were seen parachuting into the area and residents reported heavy clashes.

Obama said that since the abduction of Somers 15 months ago, Washington had been using “every tool at our disposal” to try to secure his release. l

Waves, brought by Typhoon Hagupit, hit the concrete barrier along the Boulevard Seaport in Surigao City, southern Philippines yesterday

Pakistan says top al-Qaeda Trees felled, power cut as militant killed in raid typhoon hits Philippines

Adnan G El Shukrijumah

AFP

n AP, Islamabad Pakistani soldiers killed a top al-Qaeda operative Saturday who was indicted in the US for his alleged involvement in a plot to bomb New York’s subway system, the military said in a statement.

The death of Adnan Shukrijumah is the latest blow to the terror organisation still reeling from the 2011 killing of leader Osama bin Laden and now largely eclipsed by the militant Islamic State group. It also marks a major achievement for the Pakistani military, which mounted a widespread military operation in the northwest this summer.

The military announced Shukrijumah’s death in a statement, saying that he was killed along with two other

suspected militants in Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal area early Saturday.

South Waziristan is part of the mountainous territory bordering Afghanistan that is home to various militant groups fighting both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“The al-Qaeda leader, who was killed by the Pakistan army in a successful operation, is the same person who had been indicted in the United Stated,” said a senior Pakistani army officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to journalists.

As al-Qaeda’s head of external operations, the 39-year-old Shukrijumah occupied a position once held by Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

The FBI lists Shukrijumah, a Saudi national, as a “most wanted” terrorist and the US State Department had offered up to a $5m reward for his capture.

Federal prosecutors in the US allege Shukrijumah had recruited three men in 2008 to receive training in the lawless tribal region of Pakistan for the subway attack. The three traveled to Pakistan to avenge the US invasion of Afghanistan but were persuaded by al-Qaeda operatives to return to the United States for a suicide-bombing mission against a major target such as the New York Stock Exchange, Times Square or Grand Central Terminal.

Eventually, the men settled on a plot to blow themselves up at rush hour, according to testimony in federal court. l

n Reuters, Manila Strong winds felled trees as a powerful typhoon roared into the eastern Philippines yesterday, bringing intense rain and threatening to wreak more destruction to areas still bearing the scars of a super typhoon 13 months ago.

More than half a million people had already fled to shelters ahead of Typhoon Hagupit making landfall, in what a UN agency said was one of the world’s biggest peacetime evacuations.

As the storm arrived, power was cut across most of the central Philippine island of Samar and nearby Leyte province, including Tacloban City, considered ground zero of the devastating super typhoon Haiyan last year.

“The wind is blowing so strongly, it’s like it is whirling,” Mabel Evardone, an official of the coastal town of Sulat in Eastern Samar, said on local radio.

“The waters have risen now.”

There was no word of any casualties.

Hagupit had weakened to a category 3 storm, two notches below “super typhoon,” but could still unleash huge destruction with torrential rain and potentially disastrous storm surges of up to 4.5 metres (15 ft), the weather bureau PAGASA said.

The eye of the typhoon was 55 km (35 miles) from the town of Dolores, Eastern Samar, around 8 p.m. (1200 GMT), PAGASA said.

“It is very, very close. What they are experiencing in that area is the

impact of the eyewall, they are feeling the strongest winds brought by the typhoon,” weather forecaster Jori Loiz said on radio.

With winds of up to 175 kph (110 mph) near the centre and gusts of up to 210 kph (130 mph), the storm picked up speed as it moved north northwest at 16 kph (10 mph).

“Ruby’s lashing will be severe,” Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas told government radio, referring to the local name for Typhoon Hagupit. “Let’s be alert. Let’s evacuate to prevent any harm to your families.”

Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific cancelled about 100 flights to central and southern Philippines yesterday.

More than 616,000 residents of low-lying villages and landslide-prone areas have fled to schools, civic centres, town halls, gyms and churches, the national disaster agency said.

At least 50 municipalities in the central Philippines and the southern part of the country’s main Luzon island were at risk of storm surges, with the eye of the storm set to cross four provinces, the Science and Technology department said.

The typhoon was unlikely to hit the capital Manila, home to around 12 million people, the agency said.

“Typhoon Hagupit is triggering one of the largest evacuations we have ever seen in peacetime,” said Denis McClean, spokesman of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva. l

Britain to open new Syria says repels IS attack on air base military base in Bahrain n Reuters, Beirut

n AFP, London Britain is to open a new military base in Bahrain, both countries announced, its first permanent base in the Middle East since it formally withdrew from the region in 1971.

The new base is part of a deal to increase cooperation in tackling security threats in the Middle East, ministers said Friday.

Gulf states including Bahrain have found common ground with the United States and European powers in opposing Islamic State militants, and its

crown prince on Friday urged war on “evil theocracy.”

The tiny island kingdom is part of a US-led coalition carrying out airstrikes on the IS extremist group, which has carved out vast areas of control in Syria and Iraq.

The agreement was reached at the annual Manama Dialogue regional security summit in Bahrain.

It means Britain will have a place to plan and to store equipment and will be able to add to the four mine-hunter warships based in Mina Salman Port, where Britain currently uses US facilities. l

A Syrian military source said yesterday that government forces had repelled an attack by Islamic State militants on an air base in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, one of the last remaining government stronghold in eastern Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State fighters broke into the Deir al-Zor air base at dawn yesterday but were forced to retreat. It said 119 fighters on both sides were killed.

A Syrian security source, when asked about the breach, said: “The terrorists have been unable to control the air base.”

The al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State has been gradually consolidating control of the oil-producing Deir al-Zor province this year. President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have held on to the local military air base and parts of the provincial capital.

The Observatory said 51 of Assad’s forces and 68 members of Islamic State had been killed in the three-day offensive.

“Elements of the Islamic State also pulled out of a mountain overlooking Deir al-Zor due to intense shelling,” the Observatory said.

State media said yesterday that the army had killed “a number of terrorists” in al Jufra, an area close to the airport.

Islamic State has been under pressure from US air strikes in Syria since September, but that has not stopped it from launching attacks on Assad’s forces and other targets to expel government forces and rival rebels.

The Twitter account of the US embassy in Syria said late on Friday that a US air strike in Deir al-Zor had hit Islamic State targets: three vehicles, an excavator and a training camp.

It was unclear whether the attacks took place near the base.

Deir al-Zor borders territories in Iraq are also controlled by Islamic State. The province’s oilfields are a major source of revenue for the group. l

Islamic State kidnaps 40 Iraqis in Tikrit

Hagel: US to keep more troops in Afghanistan as violence spikes

n Agencies

n Reuters, Kabul

The Islamic State (IS) group has kidnapped at least 40 Iraqi people from their homes in the central city of Tikrit in the province of Salahuddin in Iraq.

The radical group yesterday took the hostages to an unknown location after they refused to take an oath of allegiance to the IS, Press TV reported citing a source.

Last week, the IS militants kidnapped 25 people from the north of the city for the same reason.

The IS militants entered Iraq in June. They have been carrying out horrific acts of violence, including public decapitations, against Iraqi communities like Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.

The IS terrorists currently also control parts of Syria. l

The United States will keep up to 1,000 more soldiers than previously planned in Afghanistan into next year, outgoing US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said yesterday, in a recognition of the still formidable challenge from Taliban insurgents.

Hagel, officially confirming a change in the US drawdown sched-

ule first reported by Reuters, said the additional troops were a temporary measure and did not change the long term timeline for withdrawing troops.

He said US forces in Afghanistan could fall only to 10,800 troops, rather than 9,800 as originally planned. The additional troops could stay until the first few months of 2015, while agreements were reached with other coalition

partners to fill the gap, Hagel added.

“But the president’s authorisation will not change our troops’ missions, or the long-term timeline for our drawdown,” Hagel said during an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, his last as Pentagon chief.

Earlier, Hagel expressed confidence in the ability of Afghan forces to defend Kabul following a spike in Taliban strikes. l

REUTERS

NEWS BITES China arrests former security chief

n AP, Beijing Chinese authorities arrested the oncefeared ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang and launched a criminal investigatiyesterday on charges ranging from adultery and bribery to leaking state secrets, after expelling him from the Communist Party overnight.

The developments, announced shortly after midnight, pave the way for a trial of the most senior figure so far to be ensnared in President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption crackdown and appear to seal the downfall of a formerly powerful politician once considered a potent rival for Xi. The square-jawed, granite-faced Zhou, 72, is the highest-level official to be prosecuted since the 1981 treason trial of Mao Zedong’s wife and other members of the “Gang of Four” who persecuted political opponents during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. l

Hong Kong protest leader ends strike

n BBC Joshua Wong, the teenage student who became an icon of Hong Kong’s protests for greater democracy, has ended a hunger strike after four days.

Mr Wong said he was halting his 108hour strike on the advice of a doctor.

However, he said the protesters’ fight would go on. Three other students are still refusing food.

The protests - which began two months ago - are calling for China to drop restrictions on the 2017 election of Hong Kong’s next leader.

The demonstrations, spearheaded by the students, initially drew tens of thousands of people onto the streets.

Recently the numbers have been much smaller. Only two protest camps remain in the centre of the city, after a third one was dismantled by police last Sunday.

Mr Wong and fellow students began an “indefinite” hunger strike on Monday, calling on the government to resume talks on electoral reform. l

Seven jihadists sentenced to death in Egypt

n Reuters

An Egyptian court has sentenced to death seven men, including prominent Islamist militant Adel Habara, over the killing of 25 policemen last year in an attack near the border with Israel, judicial sources said yesterday.

The attack took place in August 2013 following the government’s violent clearing of two protest camps in Cairo, where supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi had gathered to demand his reinstatement.

The court sentenced 25 others on related charges to prison for terms ranging from 15 years to life. Only 19 of those sentenced were present, including Habara, the sources said. The ruling, which can be appealed, followed the referral of the death sentence to the Grand Mufti, Egypt’s highest Sunni Muslim authority. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Round Table

Sunday, December 7, 2014

7

RMG Sector: Challenges & Way Forward Dhaka Tribune recently held a roundtable discussion to understand the challenges of the RMG Sector and a way forward from current situation. In the discussion, members of the goverment, lawmakers, top RMG policy makers, regulatory bodies and other relevant stakeholders had an engaging conversation to understand each others’ challenges and how to overcome them jointly

Organized by

From left: Tipu Munshi, Shahriar Karim, Tofail Ahmed, Zafar Sobhan, Md Atiqul Islam, Shirin Akhtar and Baki Srinivasa Reddy

n Tribune Desk Md Atiqul Islam, President, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) As a way forward in order to address these challenges, we need to take a number collaborative and coordinated steps. Along with establishing sound infrastructure we need to produce skilled manpower and improve productivity.

We need access to finance at competitive bank interest rate and establish special industrial zones. On top of ensuring sustainable production, we need market access and market diversification, and lastly we need positive branding.

I believe that with all our concentrated efforts, we will be able to prove that no East, no West, Bangladesh is the best in readymade garment manufacturing.

Tipu Munshi, MP; Managing Director, Sepal Garments Ltd I appreciate the global support we have received as well as the work Alliance and Accord are doing. Being apprehensive, we were relieved to discover that only 1.8% of all factory building were found vulnerable. They pointed out the faults, we must now collaboratively figure out the solution, along with the workers, and the media industry.

During the last increase in workers’ wages, buyers assured us to go ahead with the move but did not raise prices, instead prices decreased by 15-20%, coupled with that there’s the electricity price hike and gas unavailability. We are working under terrible circumstances and we would appreciate all the collective assistance we can gather, because if we cannot intercept trade moving from China, we will lose it to Vietnam, India and Cambodia.

Shirin Akhtar, MP; President Karmojibi Nari (KN) I’d like to request for a dedicated ministry for this purpose. We need to improve quality by incorporating skill, in labour and design, and for that we have required structures. All of this needs to be well thought out and we need a proper plan to implement it. Additionally, the garment industry requires uninterrupted gas supply, if the workers are unhappy it does not help the employers. Since we are talking about diversification nowadays, we need to utilise lobbyists in not just the US but anywhere feasible and lucrative. There is no alternative to trade unions, and laws must be respected, so workers as well as employers need to be trained in the proper ways of utilising unions.

Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), Chairman, Evince Group, Former President, BGMEA We need to own up to our own inherent skills and standards, the alternative results in a collapsed RMG industry.

We need to find a way so that we can shoulder this responsibility on our own. When dealing with nations like the US, lobbyists are indispensable.

Additionally, in our government we have not been able to develop the strength of diplomacy required in any country representative; we need diversified negotiation skills to effectively interact in diplomatic circles.

If the government wants a sustainable and lucrative industry, it has to ensure consistent supply of energy.

If we want to provide free economy privileges to Japan, India and Korea, then why can we not do the same for our own entrepreneurs? Our education system is not aligned with the job market. Even this issue needs to be taken into account and effectively addressed, if we are to maximise all our potentials in order for us to reach our goals.

Md Farid Uddin, Member (Customs Policy), National Board of Revenue In the three decades that the RMG industry has been active, we saw a massive growth only after the 90s, thanks to the global economic boom. In order to reach the $50bn goal, we need to collaboratively reach a strategic and action plan that would be implemented by both the public and the private sectors, so that current challenges faced by the industry can be effectively dealt with. In terms of customs, we are working towards something that will facilitate trade. If the industry issues UD and submit it online, we will integrate it in our system within a year. Ministry of trade has to take the helm in enacting the TFA (Trade Facilitation Agreement) signed last December in Bali. If we work together, within the span of a year we can work through customs with a minimum of effort, time and money spent.

Dr Wajed-ul Islam Khan, Secretary, Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), General Secretary, Bangladesh Trade Union Centre (BTUC) I’d like to point out that I have a confusion regarding the percentage of factory buildings as unsafe being 1.5%. If this is narrowly focusing on building safety, then I must say fire hazards come in all shapes and sizes, even as a store house in the basement or the boiler room. While these have nothing to do with building safety, they may still prove to be reasonable fire hazards.

On the subject of lack of training for workers, I agree that a trade union

is the only way forward for tackling challenges related to workers. The participant committee is not an alternative to a trade union.

Three years ago , we had assessed calorie values and had determined that a minimum of Tk16,000 is required by a family of four, and assuming two people are earning, then the amount should be Tk8,000, whereas in reality, they receive only Tk5,000. I’m not implying that this is being done deliberately, but we have to bargain and raise our prices so that this issue can be addressed properly.

If necessary we can employ lobbyists not just in Russia but to all the countries in East Europe with potentials for our benefit.

RAJIB DHAR

so has the gas situation thanks to the government. However, there are a few policies of the government that lack direction and have no inherent rationality, for example our income tax rate has been increased from 10% to 35%.

Raising the tax and justifying the raise by stating that it is preventing money laundering makes no sense. On the other hand, since the RMG sector is facing so many challenges, including wages, resource tanks have decreased from 0.8% to 0.3%.

Baki Srinivasa Reddy, Country Director, International Labour Organisation (ILO)

There seems to be an important constituent missing in our programme, that being garment federations who represent the overwhelming number of workers that have formed those newly registered trade unions. Their absence takes something away from this discussion. I think that the work Accord is doing is an important element in tackling the challenges in moving forward. One of the most important things in moving forward for the continued growth and dominance of the garment industry is remediating the factories in good faith and being forthright about that. While it’s true that less than 2% of the factories that were inspected fell below a factor of safety that was considered critical, all of the factories that have been inspected have significant items that need to be fixed, although the latter are not nearly as critically vulnerable as the former. It is important that we focus on fixing these items in a timely manner, that’s the best way to show the buyers and the world that Bangladesh is demonstrably a safe garment industry. This remediation requires good faith from everybody.

It’s the responsibility of all of us to support the government of Bangladesh, but the government of Bangladesh needs to have something in place as these elections of the safety and health committee worker reps move forward, so that these claims can be heard and resolved in a fair manner.

The Accord is taking a responsibility to show progress that’s taking place in the garment factories. All of the factories have been inspected, we’re doing follow up and supporting factory owners.

From ILO’s perspective Rana Plaza is a turning point, and we have a great opportunity to reform the sector, overcome the challenges and move forward. Immediately after the Rana Plaza incident, our deputy director general led a high level ILO delegation to Bangladesh, and facilitated agreement of the employers, workers and government to agree on six priorities in order to prevent accidents in our RMG industry; they are: Changes in labour law, inspection of all garment factories, strengthening labour inspection system in Bangladesh, rehabilitation of injured workers, improving occupational safety and health and launching better work programme.

Subsequently this tripartite joint statement has become a blueprint for action, through the National Action Plan, Accord and Alliance. During the last 18 months, we have seen unprecedented commitments to reform the sector and address challenges. In addition to this programme, we have a number of initiatives to improve workers’ rights issues. From my perspective it is still implementation time, the time to fulfil the commitments that we all agreed upon. Clearly much has been done to work place safety, the three initiatives, Accord, Alliance and National Initiative have already inspected more than 2,200 factories, we should be able to complete the remainder within March 31, 2015.

We are glad to see that the government is providing excellent leadership in handling remediation related matters, including the review panel.

Now nearly 30 factories have closed and we have seen the readiness and commitment shown by the BGMEA and BKMEA, to facilitate inspection of every single factory that is exporting garments from Bangladesh, and we are moving in the right direction.

Omar Chowdhury, Founder and CEO, Jukto Front

M Rabin, Managing Director, Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety

Bangladesh faces many challenges and we try to do the best we can with our limited resources. Lack of infrastructure is our main challenge, along with high interest rates and political instability. These challenges have to be solved through government policies, and it will take time. In the last five years our electricity situation has greatly improved,

According to Alliance, the RMG industry faces five major challenges.

First, remediation financing, should the supplier be unable or unwilling to do the remediation, the brand is under obligation to do the financing.

Ultimately its one’s own obligation to fix one’s own defects, however having said so, it is a shared responsibility.

We are ready to share the responsibil-

Rob Wayss, Executive Director, The Bangladesh Accord of Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh

ity, in that we are looking for low cost financing power of suppliers. Unfortunately we could not release $2mn in spite of running back and forth between BOI and Bangladesh Bank.

We were planning to release $40mn and yet at merely $2mn we failed.

Therefore the next challenge boils downs to red tape. Third, relocation of factories, mostly comprising small and medium entrepreneurs, since brands are unwilling to invest in shared buildings. Fourth, the subcontracting policy is, as we know, a grey area in this country. There are a number of factories sub contracting, not having direct buyer’s orders, taking orders from here and there and working anywhere and everywhere without sufficient transparency. They need to be brought under the umbrella of accountability. Fifth, what is going to be the course of action on July 11, 2018, when Alliance and Accord retires from this country?

Sirajul Islam Rony, President, Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League Our biggest challenge is international propaganda. We have efficient people and constructive plans, yet effectiveness is somehow lost. We need to investigate this. Beyond our borders, the good news from our country isn’t travelling, instead they’re discussing one troubled issue while another group is creating propaganda out of it.

The fact that so many factories were shut down, did Accord or Alliance look into the state of the workers who lost their jobs?

We want to work under healthy work conditions. This should be a priority beyond everything else.

Abdus Salam Murshedy, Managing Director, Envoy Group We need Trade Unions now that we are part of the ILO signatory body, but just a trade Union would not solve all problems. Instead we must focus on working collaboratively.

The factories that are getting relocated, and the ones that are getting newly built all need gas and electricity. We also need a deep sea port, if we are planning on eventually handling $50bn. Furthermore, if imports can be carried through by the ministry why can the export not be treated in the same manner?

Finally it is worth mentioning that back in 2009, 93% of entrepreneurs were Bangladeshi nationals while only 7% were foreign. So if we can all concentrate our collaborative focus on the development of this sector effectively and diligently, the $50bn isn’t far off.

Vidiya Amrit Khan, Director, Desh Group of Companies Why is there such a distinct difference between EPZ included areas and factories in Kalughat? A lot of words were ex-

changed and after 10 long years we have one road that is already falling apart.

We can talk about it, sign MoUs on it but who will solve the actual problem?

We talk about power: Price hikes in gas and lack of electricity. Lack of electricity can be addressed by the same process as taking loans from Bangladesh bank at an interest rate of 2% for the purpose of building housing for workers. Similarly if the government took initiative, and discovered alternatives for power, we can have subsidised solar panels, or green energy, which is aligned with the way forward.

The way forward for factories is green and lean, but we keep procrastinating thinking labour is cheap. However, one day labour is no longer going to be cheap, when our competition is India, Burma, Vietnam and Indonesia.

We are not making enough technological advances and we will lag behind.

We do not have management training for mid management, because it isn’t feasible for owners to speak to workers on a daily basis but mid management level employees need to and they need training for that. These are what we should look into. Once we do decide on a policy we should implement it and not just discuss it.

After extensive discussions, we often take a number of initiatives, but at the end of the day nothing transpires out of so much work. This is because in our country we have an issue with bureaucracy. When we discuss trade unions, it is stated that 33% of workers can make a single trade union. So technically, I might end up having three distinct unions in one factory with three distinct affiliations, which may very well hinder my productivity.

Dr Toufiq Ali, Chief Executive, Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre (BIAC) First, I would like to point out that we are talking only about micro issues, they are fundamental for day to day operations and growth, but we have to think about the future.

The second point is that, we think of the RMG sector in terms of amount exported and the subsequent contribution to the economy. What this industry has really done is create a sense of entrepreneurship in people, wherever they go they want to do something. Backward forward linkage is one issue, but more importantly this feeling has emerged that we need to do something entrepreneurial instead of waiting for something to happen.

Tofail Ahmed, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Commerce, People’s Republic of Bangladesh When we go abroad, we are handed our own newspapers, and told that everything that they think is wrong with our country comes from our very own news media. Accidents happen all over the world, but the media does not behave the way ours do. If we could instead also focus on the positive aspects of our country, perhaps we would go a long way in reaching our goal of attaining the $50bn goal by 2021. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Sunday, December 7, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Invest in productivity to hit 50 by 50

W

e welcome today’s launch by the prime minister of the Centre of Excellence for the Bangladesh Apparel Industry.

Its opening coincides with the BGMEA’s biggest ever Dhaka Apparel Summit at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

By supporting skills development and market-responsive training, the new industry backed initiative, supported by the Swedish government and brands, will provide valuable help to improve productivity in the RMG industry.

Factory owners and brands attending this week’s RMG summit should do more to fund projects of this type in order to help safeguard the growth of the industry.

The RMG industry is responsible for 80% of the country’s export earnings.

Its role as the country’s leading industrial employer, supporting some 4 million jobs, is crucial to the future of our economy. It is encouraging that since Rana Plaza, brand-led initiatives and government-backed reforms have helped the sector progress with much needed safety inspection and improvement programs while continuing to keep growing exports.

Bangladesh’s RMG export target this year is $27bn, and the industry has set a goal of hitting $50bn in exports by the 50th anniversary of independence in 2021.

Thanks to the skills and backward linkages built up by the sector over the past 30 years, Bangladeshi manufacturers have a good base from which to grow and take advantage of the opportunities offered by buyers seeking to relocate from other locations such as China.

Raising productivity and improving skills is crucial. We must invest to rise up the value chain to sustain the growth of this vital industry.

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

William Dalrymple: A South Asian love affair November 23

Invest in skills to sustain growth

Jesbah Sammy: Not a lot. According to the article, he’s looking at the East India Company now.

History Woman I really enjoyed his readings with Vidya Shah. His knowledge and enthusiasm for history is remarkable.

Ptolemy Felipe A very good writer. He is lucky to be living his childhood dream. I remember the adverts for Tutankhamun – huge crowds.

Sammy Just wait till he says something unapproved about

November 30

US should use or lose its excess tariffs

B

US should pay a portion of the excess rate to finance factory improvements

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

1971’s “official version.” Then they will be calling for his head instead of all the accolades he is getting from the chetona types right now.

Tk260 a day housing loan plan on cards

angladesh pays the second-highest rate of tariff duty (15.6%) for RMG exports to the US market.

This is almost twice the rate of duty paid by Vietnam and roughly five times that by China and India. In total, this amounted to over $828m in tariffs being paid to the US government last year from their country’s import of Bangladeshi RMG products.

As the US is still the biggest single customer of Bangladeshi RMG exports, its highly discriminatory rate makes a big difference to the rate of the growth of this important industry.

While it is up to the US government to determine its own import duties, we have no doubt that in an era of globalisation and lowering tariff barriers, the unduly high tariffs it exercises on Bangladeshi goods are untenable. There are strong arguments for the US to follow the European Union’s “everything but arms” approach by allowing in duty-free and quota-free exports from Bangladesh.

In the absence of such a move however, we believe the US should act on the elegant proposal made by the chief economist of the Bangladesh Bank for a Tariffs for Standards fund.

Finding finance for developing new land and building safer, more productive factories is the most important challenge facing Bangladesh’s RMG industry.

The US should pay a portion of the excess rate paid by Bangladesh, say $200m, into a fund administered by a third party to finance factory upgrades. This would allow it to keep its excess rate, while also providing practical support for RMG factory workers and owners.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 3 represents R so fill R every time the figure 3 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

Mohdud Ul Huq “The housing minister spoke of the 20-year financing program for low income groups.”

Not in Dhaka. Implement this plan in other districts. Now, more than ever, our country needs a decentralisation plan in all respects.

‘Zia worked as Pakistani agent in 1971’ December 1

Babul Sarwar “Nanak made the claim in a press conference held at Awami League president’s office at Dhanmondi.”

Are such comments/statements intentionally made to lower the stature of our national leaders?

What has happened to us? Why are we being so off-focus?

Bollywood actress Gauhar Khan slapped for skimpy dress

Momoaswan Dalrymple hopes he’ll die here? Yes, but please not yet. I really want to read his book on Bengal and the East India Company.

Seira Excited about his work on Bengal. Can’t wait to read the book!

Scholastican Education is when you learn for yourself. Excellent advice, which more schools and parents in our nation should follow if we are to create more creative scholars in the future.

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.

Ban, banish, hang November 23

nds “The first reaction to having our feelings offended is to reach, it seems, for the bluntest available tool to silence the offender.”

What civilised nations do you want to have in our place? We, in the first place, do not recognise any other nation or country to be more civilised than us . We are the final arbiter of what constitute civilisation, so either abide by our rules or get prepared to pay for your dissent. We won’t tolerate any dissenting voice. We are the chosen people of the lord. Fall in line with us, or just get lost. Don’t forget, we bear the inheritance of the most ancient civilisation of this globe. Ha ha ha.

F138 nds: That’s sarcasm, right? I’m confused.

Update measures against unfit vehicles November 22 rose Yes, the government ought to look into this matter sincerely.

Francis Ford Coppola: Godfather was an accident November 22

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Forefront (3) 3 Rim (4) 6 Summit (4) 7 Corded fabric (3) 9 Faithful (4) 10 Fuel (3) 11 Uncommon (4) 13 Wear away (5) 16 Beneath (5) 18 Run away (4) 19 Incite (3) 20 Malarial fever (4) 21 Spirit (3) 23 Weak glue (4) 24 Swarm (4) 25 Wager (3)

DOWN 1 Stanza (5) 2 Tool (3) 4 Challenge (4) 5 Female sheep (3) 6 Irate (5) 8 Naturally inclined (5) 9 Woody plant (4) 12 Snake (5) 14 Govern (4) 15 Bird of prey (5) 17 Send money (5) 18 Electrical item (4) 20 Liable (3) 22 Put to a purpose (3)

December 1

Sher Khan It’s an effect of the influence of Islamic fanatics in India, like Owaisi and Zakir Naik, who are promoting such acts against actors and filmmakers. In this instance, someone slapped Gauhar, and sometime ago, Owaisi verbally abused actor Salman Khan.

Actually, these fanatics are jealous of the glory and popularity of actors; it’s just propaganda and cheap publicity which damages the image of Islam.

Anon One of the best accidents in movie history!

Terror rising

CALVIN AND HOBBES

November 22

RS “Certainly, political violence is a source of terror in this country.” Every effectual step should be taken in order to eliminate terrorism from the root of this soil.

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

Unstoppable Shakib elevates Bangladesh November 22 F138 It appears Shakib may have learnt something from his suspension.

CROSSWORD

6-month jail for jaywalking PEANUTS

November 22 Momoaswan “There are over 40 footbridges and three underpasses in the capital.”

Wow, we’re so lucky. That’s nearly one for every quarter million Dhaka pedestrians.

A stupid petrol-headed law completely inappropriate for our densely-populated city.

We have to put people on foot first; so this means traffic policemen at every traffic light helping people to cross the road. Otherwise, it can’t work. There aren’t enough bridges, are there?

Government acts to protect vultures

November 23 Alfmiah It’s just professional courtesy, nothing more.

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Music has no borders n Satish Vangal

“I

t is by far the biggest audience I have played for,” said santoor pandit Shivkumar Sharma.

“This is a historic thing happening here.” That sums up the last five nights of the Bengal Foundation Classical Music Festival here in Dhaka – a sentiment repeated especially by all the Indian musicians who performed here.

A free event with no government involvement has generated goodwill and appreciation

You can’t fool all the people all the time

BIGSTOCK

When democracy lies to us

W

n Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique hen the news stories broke out in the media, the first question that came to me was whether government officials could meet a political leader without any prior permission from the authorities, or if the government had sent them to meet Khaleda Zia with some proposal.

However, when the BNP instantly came up with a statement denying any such meeting, it became clear that the government did not send officials to meet her. In the statement, they also called for caution towards conspiracies against the party.

Interestingly enough, the following day, some of the BNP leaders tried to defend themselves, saying there was nothing wrong with the meeting.

Some even accused the government of suspecting conspiracies in everything, always.

From the ruling party’s side, it was announced that the incident would be investigated, and they see this kind of meeting and BNP’s efforts to hide it as

yet another bid of conspiracy. We can only wait and see what happens.

But my point is, if the media had not been aligned to any conspiracy against BNP, if the video footage they had broadcast were not fake, if the stories they wrote were not false, and if the people they quoted were not inauthentic or unreliable, then what BNP has been saying since the incident got exposed is a matter of great concern, not because they might have been involved in anything dubious, but primarily because they lied, an act that is inexcusable, and really a matter of concern.

First of all, if we wish to have and maintain a sustainable democratic situation here in Bangladesh, politics is required to be transparent at the least.

We know that not everything politicians say are simple or true. A lot of what they say are alleged and intended to be unclear, even if we don’t term them as lies. An outright lie cannot be accepted.

The thing that is most worrying – as I have witnessed the media trying to offer proof to its audience when the report was made – is that we have vested

the responsibility of governing us on many of these very people who have straight-out denied that the incident ever took place.

We have a bitter political past, where transparency and accountability have not mattered

If this is the level of personal ethics they display – making up an instant lie without hesitation – it leaves us in grave concern about the future of our country’s politics. After all, they are still in the race for power, still quite hopeful to rule the country once again.

We have a bitter political past, where transparency and accountability have not mattered,

A free event with no government involvement that, I’m willing to wager, has generated far more goodwill and appreciation among people across multiple tiers of society here than anything more formal or official that the Indian government might have tried to do recently to build bridges between our countries.

Clichéd perhaps, but an event like this brings home the fact that nation-state boundaries may exist in this part of the world, but they are a relatively recent artifact.

If our musical and other cultural traditions can freely flow and evolve

across those borders, as they used to for hundreds and thousands of years from the Khyber Pass to Kanyakumari to Comilla, that may well be the easiest and most effective way to moderate more extreme ideologies that attempt to create simplistic “us” and “them” divisions based on mono-dimensional differences.

So, how can the Indian government best assist this process? In addition to expanding ongoing formal cultural exchanges, perhaps the most important thing they could do is to grease bureaucratic wheels. Streamline the dreaded visa process with longer term multiple-entry visas for people in cultural spheres, who obviously pose no economic or other threat. In effect, treat the entire region as a source of human capital in the performing and other arts.

Someone from Chittagong who wants to spend a couple of years studying Bharatanatyam in Chennai should be able to do so with the active support of the Indian government machinery, not in spite of it.

There are enough entities like the Bengal Foundation and their counterparts all across the region who will do the actual work of making these things happen. Strengthen such institutions where needed, facilitate behind the scenes, and step out of the way.

In the process, our awareness and appreciation of our similarities will be strengthened hopefully at the expense of pessimism in our differences, which can only be good for the whole region. l Satish Vangal is a freelance contributor.

but since we never lost the dream of having truly democratic and transparent mechanism in politics, such unworthy traits among politicians, of overturning a fact in a blink, astonishes us greatly.

I hope these politicians, who never think twice before making any statement that challenges a fact that the media supported with enough evidence, have minimal respect towards the people, and know that the people form their own judgments. We can distinguish between truth and lies, even if some of us, sometimes, are deceived by their trickeries.

To be proven to have been lying to people in the current state of the country’s politics is particularly problematic for any political party. It will undoubtedly defer the possibility of elevating our political culture to a minimally democratic height, and hamper the integrity of democratic systems by hurting whatever remains of the mutual respect between the people and the parties. l Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique is a Staff Writer at Dhaka Tribune.

COURTESY

A red letter day?

The sad accounting of climate change

n SM Shahrukh

n Risalat Khan

Y

esterday was a very important date in the 43-year-long history of Bangladesh. It was the day – in 1990 – that the shameless face of an autocrat was given the right amount of sandal slaps, as he was forced to abdicate his “throne,” if not his harem.

That was also the last time that people came out on the streets, out of their own accord, in the thousands if not more, to oust the regime in power.

Wouldn’t it have been a good day to build bridges or mend fences? Fat chance

The movement that brought about this ouster had the joint efforts of both our major political parties and the common Bangali of the streets, from the cities, from the paddy fields of the villages, or the itinerant who didn’t belong to either, who hoped for a country that will have democracy as its “ism” and that they will vote to power the party they felt would do them good.

Well, we have had some kind of democracy, and the people have been showing their right of choice by throwing the party in power out of it after one term only (with one much-disputed recent exception). I am the first person that will concede that this democracy, howsoever mocked by some, had a big role to play in our economy moving forward by leaps and bounds.

It would never have been possible under shameless two-faced dictators.

The majority credit should still go to the farmers, the traders, the entrepreneurs, the industrial workers, and the migrant workers living in the nooks and crannies of the world, just to name but a few.

It should be a day when the two major parties stand side by side in pride of the achievement with the general masses, and embrace one another in memory of a past camaraderie that brought good to the country.

Yeah right! I am a damn fool of a dreamer is what I am. Even on the eve of that august date they are at each others’ throats.

Couldn’t they have congregated at the spot where Nur Hossain was killed? Or have paid respects at the grave of Dr Milon? Wouldn’t it have been a good day to build bridges or mend fences? Yeah, fat chance in hell! (Damn, I am running out of platitudes.) l SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.

M

y parents love me. They would make sacrifices for my wellbeing without a moment’s hesitation or complaint. My brother and his wife have two little toddlers. My parents love their grandchildren to bits – more than they love me these days, I suspect. I doubt that they are exceptions. I have yet to meet a parent who will not make sacrifices today to ensure that their child will have a more promising future.

Most frequently, I have seen this in low-income communities in our country, where men and women will work day and night, suffering through all hardships and even go hungry – just to ensure that their children will have an education.

Where I’m writing from – the UN Climate Change conference in Lima, Peru – we just had the Young and Future Generations Day. In this complex world of negotiations, suited officials from my parents’ generation also talk about us sometimes with lofty, but mostly empty words. Behind those words is a very simple and hurtful fact – our lives are just not as valuable.

This is done through a mechanism called discounting, whereby economic cost-benefit analysis renders future benefits derived as less valuable to benefits derived at present.

The main argument usually placed forward to justify this discounting is a predication that future generations will

be richer than current ones because of continued economic growth, and thus will have more means to address their challenges. However, there is now significant research that shows that long-term economic growth has permanently slowed, and even that the current model of continuous economic expansion is heading for collapse.

We are likely to condemn our young to a future they have done nothing to deserve

This does not inspire confidence on the argument to base critical decision-making on – especially when that can have potentially catastrophic effects in the near-to-medium term future.

If you do away with that assumption and accept that future real wealth will not increase continuously because we may have, or will soon, reach the biocapacity of Earth, the equation changes drastically. Based on this, let us compare how the lives of young and future generations matter compared to the current generation (with decision-making authority) taking the critical deci-

sions that will shape the future.

A standard representative discount rate used is 4%, which means $100 worth of value now is the same as $104 next year, and 104 times 1.04 the year after that, and so on.

The Stern Review has put forward a number of 1.4% for wiser decision-making in the context of climate change, and the “Inteq,” or Intergenerational Equity group, has argued for a zero or near-zero percent discount rate.

It should be easy to see why it is not a good guide for decision-making on climate change. If it is not evident yet, consider this: Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, the rapid melt of glaciers leads to a global water crisis, fuelling conflict and a nuclear world war in the year 2100.

For such a catastrophic outcome, scenarios of which have come eerily within sight, the discounted (current) economic loss is only 2-3% of the total loss and of course do not capture the severity of the consequences.

This results in the preposterous conclusion that economic cost-benefit analysis says spending a few percentage points of global GDP does not yield enough value to have a high certainty of preventing those outcomes.

Therefore, we are at a position where our economic cost-benefit analyses yields not just sub-optimal, but recklessly bad decision-making on current investments on climate action.

This has started to change in recent years, because the near-term future

costs of climate change are increasingly being predicted to be so astronomically large that even after discounting heavily, present inaction is too costly.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) just released a report on the “adaptation gap” saying that adaptation costs to climate change even limited to less than the targeted two degrees celsius rise will be roughly three times higher than was predicted in recent years – reaching a staggering few hundreds of billions of dollars per year by 2050.

To ramp up rapid action within this decade so that we are able to prevent the most severe consequences of climate change, we need a thorough, worldwide reassessment of the discount rate reflecting latest economic realities.

Its use should be ensured for economic cost-benefit calculations when countries present their intended contributions early next year for the Paris agreement on climate change to be signed in December 2015.

Otherwise, we are likely to simply continue the criminal inaction and condemn our young and future generations to a future they have done nothing to deserve, and can do little to change. l Risalat Khan is a Global Campaigner for Avaaz, an international non-profit working to bring people-powered politics everywhere. Currently, he is reporting from the UNFCCC Climate Change conference going on in Lima, Peru.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, December 7, 2014

13 New Zealand

beat Pakistan to level T20 series

14 Cisse brace

ends Chelsea’s unbeaten start

14 Dortmund

win, escape bottom three

Sport

Did you know?

Peter Crouch’s goal versus Arsenal yesterday was the quickest (19s) scored in the Premier League this season

No surprise in BCB’s 30-man World Cup squad 30-MAN PRE SQUAD

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Batsmen Mominul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Tamim Iqbal, Marshal Ayub, Anamul Haque, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Soumya Sarker, Shuvagata Hom, Naeem Islam, Imrul Kayes

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday announced the 30-man preliminary squad for the ICC World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.

Keeping the condition of the host countries in mind, the national selection panel included seven pace bowlers along with two pace-bowling all-rounders in the initial squad. There will, however, be no national camp for the squad due to the ongoing Dhaka Premier League.

The national selection panel will keep their eyes on the Dhaka league and name the final squad of 15 members on the basis of their performance.

Chairman of BCB selection panel Faruk Ahmed said the 30-man squad is an accurate reflection of the resources in hand.

“I believe we have picked the strongest 30 available to us at the moment,” said Faruk through a media release.

“We have concentrated on creating back-ups for every position because it will be a long tournament. We have a

Wicket-keepers Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammed Mithun, Liton Kumar All-rounders Muktar Ali, Shakib al Hasan, Ziaur Rahman, Mahmudullah Fast bowlers Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Abul Hasan, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Shafiul Islam, Al Amin Hossain, Mohammad Shahid Spinners Elias Sunny, Arafat Sunny, Taijul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Jubair Hossain

Bangladesh up against Oman in title-decider n

Raihan Mahmood

Ahead of their title-decider against Oman today, Bangladesh registered a facile 7-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the Men’s Junior AHF Cup at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium yesterday and rounded off their group campaign with a hundred percent record.

With 12 points and 31 goals to their name, Bangladesh finished top of the five-team group while Oman ended at second place to set up the title-decider against the hosts. Although Oman (+1) and Chinese Taipei (-4) both have seven points, the Gulf nation claimed second spot virtue of a better goal difference. The two teams played out a 1-1 draw earlier in the first match of the day.

The Bangladesh stickers, who had already secured the 1st place-decider with a match to spare, appeared serious in their final group match yesterday. Throughout the entire game, the home side showed no signs of complacency against the Lankans. The rhythm, organisation and understanding were notable as Sarwar Hossain and Co stamped their authority over the opposition.

Bangladesh coach Mamunur Rashid urged his boys to continue the trend in the 1st place-decider. “Oman are a formidable opponent and there is no space for complacency. However, at the same time, there is nothing to be afraid of. I will just ask my players to produce the normal teamwork-based game. I

think that would be enough.”

His Oman counterpart, former German international Oliver Kurtz, however, hoped that his charges will be able to upset the rhythm of the confident home side. “I have asked my players to concentrate upon teamwork. Bangladesh are a tough opponent at home and we will have to fight them out. Although, I hope Bangladesh will have to sweat it out.”

Bangladesh have been prolific coming into their final group match against the Lankans and the hosts continued to bang in the goals. The rout started as early as the ninth minute when Milon Hossain broke the deadlock. Mainul Islam Koushik doubled the lead in the 17th minute. Ashraful added the third in the 23rd minute while both Fazle Rabbi (28th, 47th) and Mohammed Roman Sarker (44th, 64th) grabbed a brace.

Meanwhile in the first match of the day, Chinese Taipei were held to a 1-1 draw by Oman.

Chinese Taipei went ahead in the 45th minute off a combined attack.

Hsi Chen ran down the right flank and threaded a superb cross to the waiting Ching Hsu on the middle of the arc.

Ching unleashed a fierce hit to give his side the lead.

Oman, however, equalised in the 64th minute through Muhanna al Hasani. Salmeen al Nof Ali’s powerful hit bounced off the pads of Chinese Taipei goalkeeper Chih Yen before Muhanna’s diving push guided the ball to the back of the net. l

good balance in the side with all areas covered,” he added.

Faruk, a former national skipper, said most of the players who have been in or around the national team during the last six or seven months have been named in the initial squad with a noticeable blend of youth and experience.

“The conditions in Australia and New Zealand will be a challenge for all the sub-continental teams including Bangladesh. We cannot create those conditions here and that is why we have selected players based on performances in competitions they have appeared in and our intuition,” Faruk explained.

The final squad is likely to be declared by the first week of January before they depart a month ahead of the event in Australia. Their first warm-up game is against Pakistan at Sydney’s Blacktown Oval on February 9.

Bangladesh are pitted alongside hosts Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, Scotland and Afghanistan in Pool A of the mga event. l

BFF names squad for Japan friendly n Raihan Mahmood Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday announced a 23-member preliminary squad for the international friendly against the Japan Under-21 team, scheduled for December 18 at Bangabandhu National Stadium.

There were no places in the squad for midfielders Atikur Rahman Fahad and Yusuf Sifat, who both featured for the national side against Sri Lanka in their last international engagement.

Veteran defender Atiqur Rahman Meshu and forward Shakhawat Hossain Rony were included.

The footballers will report at BFF House tomorrow.

BFF extended Saiful Bari Titu’s tenure as the head coach although it has not been officially declared.

When contacted, BFF general secretary Abu Naeem Shohag said, “It was a well known fact that Titu will be at the helm but we will declare it tomorrow (today).” l

SQUAD Russel Mahmud Liton, Mazharul Islam, Shahidul Alam Sohel; Raihan Hasan, Mohammed Linkon, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, Yeasin Khan, Yeamin Ahmed Chowdhury Munna, Atiqur Rahman Meshu, Nasirul Islam Nasir, Mohammed Ariful Islam, Topu Barman; Monaem Khan Raju, Sohel Rana, Mamunul Islam, Jamal Bhuiyan, Hemanta Kumar Vincent Biswas; Zahid Hossain, Wahed Ahmed, Jahid Hasan Emily, Toklis Ahmed Tonmoy, Shakhawat Hossian Rony, Mithun Chowdhury

Bangladesh’s new hockey coach K Gobinathan (L) of Malaysia briefs the national players at BKSP yesterday

Mohammedan bowler Amit Kumar (2R) celebrates his dismissal of Legends of Rupganj skipper Shakib al Hasan in the Dhaka Premier League at BKSP yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Centurions Ezaj, Soumya star in MSC, Prime Bank wins n Minhaz Uddin Khan Ezaj Ahmed starred for Mohammedan Sporting Club in the high-scoring affair against Legends of Rupganj as the latter were handed their fourth consecutive defeat in the Dhaka Premier League yesterday.

The 14-run win in the ninth-round match enabled Mohammedan, with five wins, to join Rupganj at number three in the points table.

Meanwhile, Prime Bank Cricket Club also maintained their winning streak to hold on to top position as they beat Partex Sporting Club. In the other game, Prime Doleshwar SC rose to second spot, alongside Abahani Limited and Kalabagan Cricket Academy, beating Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.

Legends of Rupganj v Mohammedan SC, BKSP 3

Over 600 runs were scored in the thrilling match as defending champions Rupganj slumped to a narrow defeat chasing 313 runs. Riding on opening batsman Ezaj’s 136, Mohammedan lost seven wickets to put up a big total.

Ezaj batted for 42 overs and propelled his side with two partnerships.

He added 67 with Tanvir Haider for the first wicket before he paired up with Mohammad Mithun (70) in a 167-run partnership. Ezaj’s innings included seven fours and 10 sixes.

Rupganj skipper Shakib al Hasan

and foreign recruit Ryan ten Doeschate picked two wickets each.

In reply, Rupganj showed excellent effort in chasing down the total, but eventually fell short reaching 301 for nine in 50 overs.

Opener Junaid Siddique led the innings with a run-a-ball 91 hitting six fours and four over boundaries while Shakib added 49 runs to the tally. Sharifullah’s 69-ball 72 at the bottom went in vain as left-arm spinner Amit Kumar’s three and Mashrafe bin Mortaza’s double breakthroughs ended Rupganj’s hopes.

Prime Bank CC v Partex SC, SBNS

Opening batsman Soumya Sarker’s hundred and pacer Taskin Ahmed’s four wickets guided Prime Bank to a comfortable 134-run victory against Partex. This was the eighth win on the trot for Prime after losing their season opener to Victoria SC. Batting first, Soumya’s 147-ball 127 aided Prime Bank to 251 in 50 overs losing eight wickets. Soumya’s innings included 14 boundaries and two sixes.

However, apart from Shuvagata Hom’s 27-ball 30 there were no real contribution from any of the batters.

Nuruzzaman Masum led the Partex bowling attack with four scalps followed by Azim with two.

Later, Taskin’s four for 16 restricted Partex on 117 runs in 42 overs.

Rezaul Karim’s 24 was the highest for Partex.

Prime Doleshwar SC v Sk Jamal, KSOAS

Sanjamul Islam’s five-wicket haul complemented by Elias Sunny’s four allowed Doleswar to defeat Jamal by 100 runs.

Batting first, Doleshwar gathered 230 on the back of Asif Ahmed’s 55 runs and 49 from Dawid Malan. Asif’s 72-ball innings included six boundaries and an over boundary. Rubayat Haque bagged four wickets to lead the Jamal bowlers.

Later, Sanjamul and Sunny jointly removed nine Jamal batsmen to end Jamal’s innings on 130 runs in 37.1 overs.l

BRIEF SCORES MSC v Rupganj MSC: 313/7 in 50 overs (Ezaj 136, Mithun 70, Shakib 2/61, Ryan 2/53) Rupganj: 301/9 in 50 overs (Junaid 91, Sharif 72, Amit 3/63) MSC won by 14 runs Prime Bank v Partex Prime: 251/8 in 50 overs (Soumya 127, Nuruzzaman 4/23) Partex: 117 allout in 42 overs (Rezaul 24, Taskin 4/16, Hom 3/11) Prime Bank won by 134 runs Sk Jamal v Prime Doleshwar Doleshwar: 230/8 in 50 overs (Asif 55, Malan 49, Rubayat 4/50) Jamal: 130 allout in 37.1 overs (Arafat 23, Sanjamul 5/30, Sunny 4/32) Prime Doleshwar won by 100 runs

Rupganj manager Malaysians dominate BD claims to be Open badminton assaulted Meanwhile the dominance of the Man Raihan Mahmood n Shishir Hoque laysians continued after they confirmed

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Legends of Rupganj manager Tarikul Islam Tito claimed he was assaulted by some unruly people during his team’s Dhaka Premier League match against Mohammedan at BKSP yesterday.

Tito said the atmosphere was uneasy and fearful around his team’s dressing room throughout the match.

“A group of people were abusing the players and the officials from the very beginning. Moreover, they chased the players after the completion of the match, they also surrounded my car while I was about to leave the ground and asked me to apologise.

When I asked why I have to apologise and to whom, they could not answer but I felt terribly insecure as they wanted to drag me out of my car,” explained Tito.

It is mentionable that Legends of Rupganj owner Lutfur Rahman Badal and the BCB have been in loggerheads with remarks and counter remarks in the past few days. l

Malaysian shuttler Lim Chi Wing and Neslihan Yigit of Turkey became the champions of the men’s and women’s singles respectively in the Yonex-Sunrise Bangladesh Open International Badminton Challenge at Shaheed Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Lim Chi Wing earned a comfortable victory of 21-12, 21-17 over Subhankar Dey of India to clinch the title in the men’s section while Neslihan outplayed Rui Chen Yap of Malaysia by 21-18, 21-12 points in the women’s singles final.

an all-Malay final in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles events. Low Juan Shen and Yew Sin Ong came from behind to beat their compatriot Darren Isaac Devadass and Tai An Khang by 19-21, 218, 21-13 points in the men’s doubles.

In the mixed doubles, Chee Tean Tan and Shevon Jemie teamed up to defeat Wee Gieen and Yen Wei by 21-17, 21-18 to lift the title. Meanwhile in the women’s doubles, Indian pair Praynya Gadre and Siki Reddy beat Ozge Bayrak and Neslihan Yigit of Turkey by 21-10, 22-24, 21-16.l

Juniors reach Mokh Cup semis n Tribune Desk The Bangladesh goalkeeper made two penalty saves to propel the national Under-12 football team to a 3-2 win over Indonesia’s Saint Prima Academy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday.

Courtesy the win, Bangladesh progressed to the last four of the plate

phase in the Super Mokh U-12 Cup. Bangladesh will face Thai club Buriram United in the plate semifinal today morning.

Earlier, Bangladesh lost 3-0 against home side Cougars of Malaysia, drew 1-1 against Spanish top flight club Sevilla and lost against Thai club Chonburi FC to finish third in the group. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

First Bangladeshi centurion Ahsan Zaheer no more n Tribune Desk

NZvPAK, 2ND T20I New Zealand A. Devcich b Hafeez K. Williamson b Afridi D. Brownlie lbw b Afridi R. Taylor lbw b Hasan T. Latham c Ali b Gul L. Ronchi c Shehzad b Tanvir J. Neesham not out D. Vettori b Gul N. McCullum run out K. Mills not out Extras: (w10) Total: (for eight wkts; 20 overs)

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the country’s cricketing fraternity expressed profound sadness at the passing away of former cricketer Ahsan Zaheer.

A renowned batsman during his playing career and the first ever cricketer to score a century in a competitive match for Bangladesh, Zaheer breathed his last in Dhaka yesterday at the age of 60.

The deceased left behind his wife and daughter. BCB extended its deepest sympathies to the family of the departed and prayed for the salvation of his soul.

On March 13, 1975, Zaheer made a hundred in the three-day final of the National Cricket Championship at the erstwhile Dhaka Stadium while playing for Barisal District Sports Association (DSA) against Comilla DSA. The feat entered the record books as the first century scored by a Bangladeshi in competitive cricket following the country’s independence.

Zaheer was known for his attacking batting approach and featured for major Dhaka clubs Abahani, Mohammedan, Victoria, Wanderers, Surjo Tarun, Udity and Shantinagar in a career spanning two decades. He retired from cricket in 1985.l

Ill Tiger shows progress but settles for 70 n AFP, Orlando An ill Tiger Woods made his first eagle in 16 months on his way to a two-under par 70 in Friday’s rain-hit second round of the Hero World Challenge.

The former world number one, playing his first tournament since August’s PGA Championship, closed with a double bogey after a two-hour rain delay to remain last in the 18-man event on three-over 147 after 36 holes.

“It really didn’t feel that much different than it did yesterday,” Woods said, alluding to his opening 77. “I hit maybe two fewer worse shots. I hit it solid. Today I hit it close and made my putts.”

After fighting a morning fever and coughs during his round, Woods showed flashes of the form that brought him 14 major titles, four shy of the record set by Jack Nicklaus.

“I wasn’t feeling my best,” Woods said. “I just had to stay hydrated and try to keep things down.”

Woods, ranked 24th, produced his first eagle since the second round of last year’s WGC event at Firestone by sinking a six-foot putt at the par-5 13th hole.

At 14, he dropped the ball four feet from the cup and made the putt, then added a four-foot birdie putt at 16 and parred 17 before heavy rain struck Isleworth, a delay that would prevent the round from ending before darkness. l

New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori (2L) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad during their second and final International T20 at Dubai International Stadium on Friday AFP

Kiwis beat Pakistan to level T20 series n AFP, Dubai New Zealand fought hard to beat Pakistan by 17 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Dubai to level the twomatch series at 1-1 on Friday.

Set a challenging 145-run target Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals with opener Ahmed Shehzad (33) and captain Shahid Afridi (28) the only ones who stayed long enough to raise any hopes of a win.

Pakistan won the first match - also played in Dubai - by seven wickets on Thursday.

This time their chase was chaotic as New Zealand bowled with precision and fast bowlers Jimmy Neesham finished with 3-25 and Kyle Mills 3-26.

Left-arm spinner Anton Devcich (216) rattled Pakistan by dismissing Sarfraz Ahmed in the very first over for

n Reuters, Melbourne

4:30PM Indian Tennis Premier League 1:55 AM Serei A Inter Milan v Udinese

Star Sports 2 7:30PM Indian Super League Mumbai v Kolkata 10:00 PM

1:55 AM Granada v Valencia

Star Sports 4 9:50 AM Ranji Trophy 7:20PM English Premier League West Ham United v Swansea City 9:50 PM Aston Villa v Liecester City

Ten Action 2:00 AM French Ligue 1 Olympique Marseille v Metz

Ten Cricket 10:15 AM Sri Lanka v England, 4th ODI

Ten Sports Hockey Champions Trophy 2:30 PM England v Pakistan 6:00 PM Germany v Netherlands 8:00 PM Argentina v India

just one. Ahmed had made 76 not out in the first match.

Pakistan also lost Mohammad Hafeez (nine) and Haris Sohail (three) and were struggling at 24-3 before Shehzad added 40 for the fourth wicket with Saad Nasim who made 19.

Afridi hit two towering sixes off spinner Daniel Vettori but was caught behind off Neesham with 24 needed in the last two overs. Mills wrapped up the innings with the wickets of Umar Gul (nought) and Sohail Tanvir (11) to give his team victory.

“We had a review of our performance of the first match and that paid off,” said New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. “We put up a good show and it’s nice to level the series.”

Shahid Afridi pointed the finger of blame at his side’s batting.

“We lost three early wickets and

then played more dot balls and that made the target difficult,” said Afridi.

New Zealand were given a sound start of 49 for the first wicket by Williamson (32) and Devcich (21) but Hafeez (1-20) and Afridi (2-33) applied the brakes with three quick wickets.

Williamson hit three boundaries and a six in his 31-ball knock.

It was left to Luke Ronchi (31) and Tom Latham (26) to lift the innings in the final overs during their 38-run fifth wicket stand.

Ronchi hit two towering sixes in one Afridi over and one boundary during his 19-ball knock.

Paceman Gul, playing his first match since April due to knee problems, finished with 2-24 in his four overs.

Besides Gul, Shehzad also returned to the team, with Awais Zia and Mohammad Irfan dropping out.l

Australia captain Michael Clarke (L) and physio Alex Kountouris run laps at Adelaide Oval yesterday CRICINFO

Australia are looking forward to getting back into competitive cricket in the first Test against India next week in the wake of Phillip Hughes’s tragic death, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin said on Saturday.

The first match of the four-Test series starts in Adelaide on Tuesday, less than a week after batsman Hughes’s funeral.

The first Test was supposed to have started in Brisbane on Dec. 4 but was put back and then switched to Adelaide to give grief-stricken players more time to recover.

“We need the support of the Australian public and everyone leading into this first Test,” Haddin told reporters at training in Adelaide.

“We’re looking forward to playing and we need the help of everyone to enjoy the moment and just enjoy the game of cricket.

“Our job is to go and play cricket.”

The first Test will undoubtedly be an emotional one for Australia’s players, all of whom attended the funeral on Wednesday in Macksville, New South Wales.

There will be moments of remembrance at the Adelaide Oval for their fallen team mate, who played 26 Tests

Fall of wickets 1-2, 2-18, 3-24, 4-64, 5-74, 6-97, 7-104, 8-121, 9-122, 10-127 Bowling Devcich 4-0-16-2, Henry 2-0-9-1, Mills 3.5-0-26-3 (1w), McCullum 3-0-16-0, Vettori 3-0-28-1 (1nb), Neesham 3-025-3 (2w) New Zealand win by 17 runs

Suspended Ajmal in preliminary WC squad n AFP, Dubai Ace spinner Saeed Ajmal is in Pakistan’s 30-man preliminary squad for next year’s World Cup, despite serving a suspension at the moment for an illegal bowling action.

The 37-year-old off-spinner is undergoing remedial work on his bowling action which was deemed illegal in September this year. His action was reported as suspect during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka in August.

Ranked as number one bowler in the world in one-day cricket in August, Ajmal’s suspension was a huge blow to Pakistan’s hopes of lifting the World Cup, being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand and being held in February and March.

However, chief selector Moin Khan hoped Ajmal will be cleared.

“We have included Ajmal in a hope that he will be cleared,” Khan told AFP. “We have been monitoring him during

Australia keen to get India series started, says Brad Haddin

Star sports 1

11:55 PM Villareal v Real Sociedad

21 32 0 7 26 31 7 0 4 6 10 144

Fall of wickets 1-49, 2-50, 3-58, 4-78 (Taylor), 5-116, 6-127, 7-127, 8-136 Bowling Ali 2-0-13-0 (1w), Tanvir 4-0-30-1, Gul 4-0-24-2 (1w), Hasan 4-0-24-1, Hafeez 2-0-20-1, Afridi 4-0-33-2 (8w) Pakistan Sarfraz Ahmed lbw b Devcich 1 Ahmed Shehzad b Vettori 33 Mohammad Hafeez c and b Devcich 9 Haris Sohail c Latham b Henry 3 Saad Nasim c Browlie b Neesham 19 Umar Akmal b Neesham 10 Shahid Afridi c Ronchi b Neesham 28 Anwar Ali c Williamson b Mills 2 Sohail Tanvir c Devcich b Mills 11 Umar Gul c Taylor b Mills 0 Raza Hasan not out 0 Extras: (lb7, nb1, w3) 11 Total: (all out; 18.5 overs) 127

DAY’S WATCH

Spanish La Liga Barcelona v Espanyol

13

Sunday, December 7, 2014

and 25 one-day internationals.

Haddin was keeping wicket for New South Wales when Hughes was struck by a bouncer in the domestic match at the Sydney Cricket Ground last week.

The veteran wicketkeeper was reluctant to weigh into the sense of occasion the match at Adelaide Oval will bring.

“I don’t think you need to look too deep into what’s going to happen.

You’re going to get a cricket game here on Tuesday, you’ll enjoy it and so will we,” Haddin said.

“We get back to playing the game we love. I don’t think you need to complicate it any more than that.” l

his remedial work.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this week requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have Ajmal’s action reassessed but seemed to have backed out of the plan after unofficial tests on the off-spinner showed little improvement. Under the ICC rules a bowler is allowed to flex his elbow by 15 degrees but Ajmal’s action showed his goes to 43 degrees.

Preliminary Squad

Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Misbah-ul Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Raza Hasan, Yasir Shah, Shahid Afridi, Anwar Ali, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Tanvir, Sarfraz Ahmad, Kamran Akmal. l

Cook captain as England name preWorld Cup squad n Reuters, London England named a provisional 30-man squad on Saturday for next year’s one-day World Cup with Alastair Cook as captain.

Alastair Cook (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jack Brooks, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Stephen Parry, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Boyd Rankin, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, James Tredwell, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright.l

‘Equal pay for women many World Cups away’ n Reuters, Ottawa Women should not expect to be paid the same as men for many World Cups to come, said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke on Friday, adding that any comparisons between the two tournaments was not worth debating.

Valcke, who will conduct the 2015 women’s World Cup draw on Saturday, noted that women will see prize money jump from the $10 million at the last World Cup in Germany to $15 million next year in Canada but it will be a long, long time before there will be the same type of pay parity that women enjoy at the tennis grand slams.

“The comparison between the prize money of the men’s World Cup in Brazil to the women’s World Cup in Canada, that’s not even a question I will answer

because it is nonsense,” Valcke said at a news conference “We played 30th (men’s) World Cup in 2014 and we are playing the seventh women’s World Cup so things can grow step-by-step.

“We are still another 23 World Cups before potentially women should receive the same amount as men.

“The World Cup pays for all the 20 World Cups FIFA organises, the under-17, under-20 men and women, club football, beach soccer all is financed by the men’s World Cup which brings directly $4.5 billion to FIFA.” The women’s game continues to grow in popularity with next year’s finals featuring 24 nations, up from 16 in 2011, for the June 5 to July 6 at six venues across Canada. The Canadian Soccer Association said it expects attendance to come in a close to 1.5 million.l

Flame Rugby Club, champions of the women’s event in the Walton Home Appliance Victory Day Rugby, pose with the trophy alongside chief guest, freedom fighter Mohammed Tojmur Ali, and Walton additional director FM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn at Paltan Ground yesterday.

Bangladesh Army won the men’s event in the two-day tournament COURTESY

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Van Gaal blasts ‘disgusting, disrespectful’ transfer talk n Reuters, London

Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse (R) scores past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois during their English Premier League match at St James’ Park yesterday

AFP

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has described reports that he is set to spend up to 200 million pounds ($312 million) in the transfer market as “disgusting” and “disrespectful”.

United spent around 150 million pounds in the close season on players, including British record signing Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid, in an effort to rebound from a poor campaign when they failed to qualify for this season’s Champions League.

According to British media reports, the spending spree is set to continue with the club linked to moves for a number of high-profile talents.

Van Gaal, however, reacted angrily to the figures being bandied around for the money he has available to bolster his squad.

“I think it’s disgusting, always writing about numbers,” the Dutchman told reporters.

“I don’t think that (United executive vice-chairman) Ed Woodward said anything about that; I don’t think I have said anything about that. It is disrespectful to my players and I don’t like to talk about it. I have to work with the selection I have and I have respect for my selection and I believe in my players.”

United are fourth in the Premier League but an early-season injury crisis has exposed weaknesses in their squad.

The lack of a commanding centre back has been a problem since the departure of stalwarts Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, while Van Gaal may also be

Cisse ends Chelsea run, Stoke sink Arsenal n AFP, London Substitute Papiss Cisse claimed a brace as leaders Chelsea’s hopes of completing the Premier League season unbeaten were dashed by a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Saturday.

Cisse scored twice in the second half and despite Steven Taylor being sent off for Newcastle and Didier Drogba replying late on for the visitors, Alan Pardew’s side held on for a third consecutive home win over Chelsea.

Newcastle’s victory means Manchester City can cut Chelsea’s lead to just three points if they beat Everton later on Saturday. But Arsenal failed to capitalise, falling to a 3-2 defeat at Stoke City.

“My team lost the way I like to lose, which is to give everything and being

Berbatov leads Monaco to victory n AFP, Paris Veteran Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov scored a brace as Monaco warmed up for a decisive Champions League date with a 2-0 win away to Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Friday.

Berbatov’s neat finish put the principality club ahead on the stroke of half-time at Le Stadium and the former Manchester United man then converted a penalty in the second half as Monaco climbed provisionally up to seventh in the table.

Leonardo Jardim’s side have spent most of the season playing catch-up with their rivals at the top of Ligue 1 but this win is a timely boost ahead of Tuesday’s home Champions League clash with Zenit St Petersburg, in which a draw will be enough to take them through to the last 16.l

unlucky. Only one team played to win,” Chelsea manager Mourinho told the BBC. “I’m not obsessed with records and statistics. That’s not for me. I want to win the league.”

Chelsea recalled top scorer Diego Costa after he missed Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur through suspension and they started brightly at St James’ Park, with Willian twice shooting narrowly wide.

But Newcastle defended stoutly and began to threaten, with Ayoze Perez slipping a clever pass through to Jack Colback in the 32nd minute, only for Thibaut Courtois to rush out and save.

John Mikel Obi spurned a good chance to put Chelsea ahead in the 57th minute when he headed wide from a Cesc Fabregas free-kick and within seconds, Newcastle took the lead.

EPL Newcastle Cisse 57, 78

Hull

Liverpool Tottenham QPR Fer 51, Austin 74

Stoke City Crouch 1, Bojan 35, Walters 45

2-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-0 3-2

Chelsea Drogba 83

West Brom Sunderland Crystal Palace Burnley Arsenal Cazorla 68-p, Ramsey 70

Moussa Sissoko fed Sammy Ameobi on the left flank and with Gary Cahill failing to cut out the 22-year-old’s low cross, Senegal striker Cisse pounced to tap home from inside the six-yard box.

Home captain Taylor saw red moments later after being shown a second card for upending Schuerrle and Drogba

A Santi Cazorla penalty and an Aaron Ramsey volley took Arsenal to the verge of a comeback, but the visitors’ momentum disappeared after defender Calum Chambers was shown a second yellow card for pulling back Bojan.

Liverpool saw a three-game winning run come to an end with a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland, while Tottenham Hotspur were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane.

Queens Park Rangers climbed out of the relegation zone by winning 2-0 at home to Burnley on what proved an eventful afternoon for QPR striker Charlie Austin against his former club.

QPR moved out of the bottom three at the expense of Hull City, who drew 0-0 at home to fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion. l

AFC award winner gets eight-game ban for spitting n AFP, Kuala Lumpur Freshly crowned Asian footballer of the year Nassir Al Shamrani has been handed an eight-match ban for spitting at an opponent during the second leg of last month’s Champions League final.

Al Shamrani was at the centre of a mass shoving match in Al Hilal’s contentious 1-0 loss to Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers on November 1 following the final in Riyadh.

Video footage had showed Al Shamrani spitting at Wanderers defender Matthew Spiranovic after the Australian club’s Champion’s league win, prompting the confrontation between the two teams.l

Juventus winning streak ends in dour Fiorentina draw n AFP, Rome Juventus saw their six-match winning run in all competitions come to an end on Friday in a dour 0-0 draw at Fiorentina.

The result meant the champions could see their lead at the top of Serie A trimmed to just a point if second placed Roma defeat struggling Sassuolo on Saturday.

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri named teenager Kingsley Coman as a surprise starting striker alongside Fernando Llorente with Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata left out of the starting line-up which indicated thoughts turning to the Italians’ Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Friday’s match was in stark contrast to the thriller these two sides served up last season when Fiorentina came back from 2-0 down to beat the Turin giants 4-2.

Fiorentina, in eighth place and three points off the Champions League places, also saw their best player, Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado limp off with an injury five minutes from time.

Juventus struggled to make any impact and had to wait until after the interval for a first attempt on target when Patrice Evra’s drive was saved by Norberto Neto.

For the home side, German international Mario Gomez, who scored his first goal in eight months last weekend, was unable to find a way through and

Dortmund win, escape bottom three n AFP, Berlin

Dortmund head coach Klopp celebrates after win on Friday AFP

halved the deficit from the ensuing freekick by heading in Fabregas’s cross.

But despite having to endure six nail-biting minutes of injury time, Newcastle survived to deny Chelsea a club-record 24th game without defeat.

Arsenal squandered an opportunity to take advantage after falling to a 3-2 defeat at Stoke that left Arsene Wenger’s side 13 points off the pace in sixth place.

Arsenal have struggled on their recent trips to the Britannia Stadium and on this occasion they fell behind after only 19 seconds, with Peter Crouch bundling home.

Bojan Krkic volleyed in a cross from Jonathan Walters in the 35th minute and Walters added a third on the stroke of half-time by lashing home from close range.

tempted to move for a midfield general.

Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin have been linked along with AS Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman.

Louis van Gaal has played down talk of a rift with Southampton boss Ronald Koeman before the Dutch pair face each other for the first time in the Premier League.

Van Gaal employed Koeman as his assistant at Barcelona from 1998 to 2000 and they combined to lead the Catalan club to the Spanish league title.

Their next working relationship wasn’t so happy, though, when van Gaal was appointed director of coaching at Ajax where Koeman had also become a title-winning manager.

Following a number of disagreements, van Gaal left 12 months later in 2005, to take charge at AZ Alkmaar and they have swapped barbs since.

With Koeman now manager of Southampton, the pair are preparing to lock horns at St Mary’s Stadium on Monday as they compete for a top-four place in the Premier League.

But van Gaal refused to fan the flames of the dispute and praised the work his compatriot has done since taking over in the close season and surprising many by leading the Saints into the race for Champions League places.

“I don’t have to describe my relationship with the trainer of the opponent,” said van Gaal.

“That’s more private I think. We play against Southampton and we have to speak about Southampton and not the coach.l

Borussia Dortmund earned a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim on Friday to climb off the foot of the Bundesliga and escape the bottom three.

Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan scored Dortmund’s first-half winner which lifted them to 14th ahead of the weekend’s other matches.

This was a much more polished performance from Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund, who have already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League but have been in poor form domestically.

The victory offers last season’s runners-up some respite after losing seven of their last 10 league games. It was only their fourth win in the league this season, 14 games into the campaign.

“The boys did really well from the

beginning, it was a deserved win, but no more than that, it has to continue from here,” said a relieved Klopp.

“The big thing to take is that we are able to score goals and not concede them,” he added after Dortmund managed just two goals in their last four games.

There was more good news for Borussia as their captain, German international centre-back Mats Hummels, made his return after missing the last five games with a sprained ankle.

Hummels marked his return with a key clearing header at the start of the second half.

The defeat leaves Hoffenheim still seventh in the table, but Markus Gisdol’s side can have no complaints after managing just six shots at goal compared to Dortmund’s 19.l

was replaced by Babacar Khouma with 20 minutes left.

Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella said he knew that Juventus would switch tactics with a 3-5-2 system instead of the flat back-four which had served them so well in November.

“You can’t hide anything nowadays and I’ve noticed that as soon as you test something out in training, it emerges.

I had half a thought it might’ve been a trick, but fortunately the reports were right,” Montella told Sky Sport.

“Both teams lacked that final move.

I think the statistics show we were equal in everything and that’s a positive confidence booster for us, as we technically and tactically were on a par with Juventus.” l

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba (R) fights for the ball with Fiorentina defender Stefan Savic during their Serie A match in Florence on Friday AFP

Ancelotti staff sings vulgar Atletico song

Galaxy seek record fifth MLS title in Donovan’s send-off n Reuters, Carson n Reuters, Madrid The LA Galaxy hope to give Landon Donovan a fairytale finish to a storied career when they shoot for a record fifth MLS title in Sunday’s championship game versus the New England Revolution.

The league’s all-time top scorer announced in August that will retire at the end of this season, putting added focus on the playoffs with each tie potentially his last.

The Galaxy beat Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders to reach their ninth MLS Cup and their better regular season record means they will host the final in what is sure to be an emotional day for the 32-year-old Donovan.

The Galaxy and DC United have both won four titles.l

Spanish television have broadcast footage which apparently shows Real Madrid technical staff singing an abusive song about city rivals Atletico Madrid during a dinner on Thursday organised by coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Ancelotti was shown listening to the song, which concluded with the lyric: “A herd of unhappy victims, crybaby fans with an inferiority complex, who can’t handle always being second, I know it hurts, I know it’s ugly, but Atletico lacks balls”.

As sports daily quote Ancelotti as saying on Friday that he had not heard the song but that it was “neither good nor correct”. The Italian’s Atletico counterpart Diego Simeone declined to comment when asked about the song at a

separate news conference, As reported.

Known as the mattress makers after their red and white striped shirts, Atletico were long overshadowed by their wealthier neighbours but have turned the tide in recent seasons under the inspirational Simeone.

They won 2-1 after extra time in the 2013 King’s Cup final, held at Real’s Bernabeu stadium, and came within seconds of beating the world’s richest club by income in last season’s Champions League final. They won the La Liga title last term, their first in 18 years, and followed up by winning the season-opening Spanish Super Cup against Real and securing victory at the Bernabeu in La Liga in September.

“What’s wrong, mattress maker, you still haven’t realised that Europe is ours and you are a disgrace,” the song begins.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Amar Mukti, Amar Juddho: The Tareque Masud Festival 2014

15

Out for Justice

HBO Hits, 11:58pm

n Entertainment Desk

Dhallywood actor and actress, from left Mehzabin, Ferdous and Mim in the bridal attire for the winter wedding season festival on Thursday at the Dhaka Club

Exhibition

16th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh Time: 11am – 8pm National Art Gallery Bangladesh Shilpakala

Academy, Shegun Bagicha Realms of Perception Time: 12pm – 8pm Gallery Twenty One, House 21, Road 4, Dhanmondi

Film

13th International Short & Independent Film Festival Central Public Library Shahbag

On the occasion of Tareque Masud’s 58th birthday on December 6, the second annual Tareque Masud Festival will be held on December 12 and 13 at the National Theatre Auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital.

The untimely death of the celebrated film maker is mourned each year by fans and friends, but his birthday is celebrated in a festive manner.

A two-day festival has been arranged with vibrant and exclusive events by the Tareque Masud Memorial Trust. The theme of this year’s festival is “Amar Mukti, Amar Juddho” [My Freedom, My Fight].

On the opening day, Bangla will give a live performance and a music video of the band’s song “Kanar hatbazar” will be unveiled. The first screening of “Remembering Runway,” a documentary on the making of Tareque’s final film “Runway,” will be held at 4:30pm.

The unveiling of the DVD of Tareque’s first film, “Adam Surat,” internationally released as “Inner Strength,” a documentary on the Bangladeshi painter SM Sultan, will take place at 6pm.

On the second day, Tareque’s songs will be performed at 3pm followed by the Tareque Masud Memorial Lecture which will be given by poet and journalist Sajjad Sharif. The festival is being jointly organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the Bengal Foundation, Pathshala and the Moviyana Film Society. l

Brooklyn cop Gino Felino is about to go outside and play catch with his son Tony when he receives a phone call alerting him that his best friend Bobby Lupo has been shot dead.

Memoirs of a Geisha HBO Defined, 6:30pm

Nitta Sayuri reveals how she transcended her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan’s most celebrated geisha.

The Day the Earth Stood Still Movies Now, 2:30pm

Be Smart About Art kicks off today n Entertainment Desk A group exhibition titled “Be Smart About Art” will be inaugurated at 5pm today at the Athena Gallery of Fine Arts in the capital. The exhibition highlights the artwork of eight young accomplished artists showcasing Bangladeshi contemporary art. “Be Smart About Art” filters the contemporary world through the perspective of the new generation. It offers reflections on the rise of the middle class, the political changes sweeping across the globe and the economic growth that have radically altered society’s anxieties and aspirations.

The participating artists have travelled abroad and exhibited internationally, and bring the sensibilities of globalisation to their work.

The featured artists are Anisuzzaman, Ashim Halder Sagor, Ashraful Hasan, Bipasha Hayat, Bishwajit Goswami, Maksuda Iqbal Nipa, Nazia Andaleeb Preema and Pijush Kanti Sarkar.

The exhibition will run until December 20. l

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR nominated in the Best World Music Album at Grammys n Entertainment Desk

Coldplay working on final album titled A Head Full of Dreams n Entertainment Desk Coldplay is at work on their seventh studio album, frontman Chris Martin revealed Thursday, and it will likely be their last.

The set is tentatively called “A Head Full of Dreams,” Martin said on BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe, celebrating the band’s Ghost Stories track “Magic” being named the “hottest record of the year.”

“It’s our seventh thing, and the way we look at it — it’s like the last Harry Potter book or something like that,” Martin said. “Not to say that there might not be another thing one day, but this is the completion of something.”

He added, “I have to think of it as the final thing we’re doing. Otherwise we wouldn’t put everything into it.”

Martin also said the band will tour after the album’s release, something they did not do for “Ghost Stories.” l

Sitarist Anoushka Shankar, daughter of late sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, has been nominated in the Best World Music Album category for her album, “Traces of You” at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Anoushka has been nominated for the coveted award thrice in the past. “Traces of You” is her seventh album, and features her half-sister, Norah Jones, on the track “The Sun Won’t Set.” “Traces of You” brings Anoushka together with London-based producer Nitin Sawhney to interweave Indian and electronic musical influences.

Writer-education activist Neela Vaswani has also been nominated.

Neela, born to an Indian father and Irish mother and founder of the Storylines Project with the New York Public Library, has been nominated in the Best Children’s Album category for the audio book “I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai).”

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards nomination list was dominated by British singer Sam Smith, R&B queen Beyonce and Pharrell Williams. The Grammys ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on February 8. l

A remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth.

The Mechanic AXN, 10:30pm

Follows an elite hit man as he teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims.

A drama ‘Prothom Partho’ by Abdullah Al Mamun Theatre School Praktoni was staged yesterday at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in the capital. The ‘Prothom Partho’, which has been written by noted academic Buddhadeb Basu, depicts the War of Kurukshetra fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas for the power of Hastinapur, based on the great Indian epic ‘The Mahabharata’

FELICITY JONES likely to star in Dan Brown’s book adaptation Inferno n Entertainment Desk British actress Felicity Jones is reportedly in talks to star alongside Hollywood star Tom Hanks in Ron Howard’s upcoming film, “Inferno.”

The 31-year-old actress is in early discussions to join the adaptation of Dan Brown’s fourth novel in the “Da Vinci Code” series, according to Deadline. Jones is said to be lined up to play the role of Sienna Brooks, who teams up with the Harvard University professor, Robert Langdon.

Doctor Brooks must help Langdon recover his memories in order to piece together a mystery connected to Dan’s “Inferno,” and a global plague.

David Koepp has penned the film’s script, which follows “The Da Vinci Code” and the 2009 follow-up, “Angels and Demons.” l

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Back Page

Sunday, December 7, 2014

AF Mujibur Rahman mathematics building opens at DU n DU Correspondent Dhaka University’s brand new eight-storey maths building, AF Mujibur Rahman Ganit Bhaban, was inaugurated yesterday by DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique.

The foundation stone of the Tk28cr building, funded by the AF Mujibur Rahman Foundation, was laid on October 11, 2008. Engineers of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and Dhaka University worked on the construction of the building.

The new building is situated next to the Science Annex Building. It has 15 classrooms, each fitted with multimedia equipment. There are also five computer labs, two libraries and a room each for seminar, hall, and teachers’ conference.

The foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1985 by the son of AF Mujibur Rahman, Rezaur Rahman FCA. It is engaged in a wide range of charitable activities. It supports a number of institutions but the emphasis is on education and substantial awards are made to the departments of mathematics at Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi universities. It sponsors scholarships at the Institute of Business Administration (DU), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh and Gono Bishawabidyalay.

Since 2012, the foundation has been assisting the Bangladesh Mathematical Society to organise the Mathematics Olympiad.

The story behind the patronisation of the building goes back to 2007 when Rezaur Rahman, chairman of the foundation and elder son of the late AF Mujibur Rahman, was moved by a newspaper report on hindrances to academic activities due to a lack of infrastructure development at Dhaka University.

Speaking at the inauguration cere-

Dhaka University’s brand new eight-storey maths building, AF Mujibur Rahman Ganit Bhaban, inaugurated yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU mony, the DU vice-chancellor thanked the foundation for its benevolent contribution for the welfare of mathematics lovers of DU. He said: “The university has decided to launch the applied mathematics department this year. Due to a shortage of infrastructure, department officials have had to suffer. But the newly built building will greatly help both departments.”

Recalling the brilliance of AF Mujibur Rahman, he said: “The knowledge and wisdom of Mujibur Rahman is an inspiration to all students. Students should be inspired to follow his path in education.”

AF Mujibur Rahman was born on Sep-

tember 23, 1897 in Faridpur. He obtained his masters degree in pure mathematics from Calcutta University in 1920, securing the first position in the first class and in the process surpassing the previous record mark achieved by Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee. He was the first Bengali Muslim ICS officer. He served in the judicial branch of the service including a stint as district judge of Dhaka in 192931. He died tragically of heart failure on 12 May, 1945 at the age of 48.

Speaking at the program, Professor Dr Md Abdus Samad said: “The maths building will intensify the opportunity for maths practice and experimental research of the students.”

He said the building has made it easy

Same minister smokes on his whim n Our Correspondent, Comilla

Minister Mohsin Ali, designated for the welfare of the society, has another time had a nap on the stage during a programme in Comilla when he also sang a song, habitually, and could not refrain from smoking.

A lawmaker from Moulvibazar 3 constituency, “chain smoker” Mohsin first triggered huge criticism after smoking on the stage at a reception programme for school students in Sylhet on January 27. He later apologised.

Yesterday, the minister had been seen taking a nap when Comilla lawmaker AKM Bahauddin Bahar was saying: “Bangabandhu [Sheikh Mujibur Rahman] awakened this nation; likewise, Mao Zedong of China did so for his people. We all have to take the responsibility to revive this nation.”

MP Bahar was the special guest at the fourth founding anniversary programme of Khairunnesa Medical College and Hospital. Former secretary ATM Shamsul Huq and Deputy Commissioner Hasanuzzaman Kollol were on the stage among others. Diabetic Association of Bangladesh President Prof AK Azad Khan presided over the discussion.

The minister in his “untuned” voice sang “Aaj Holo Shonibar – Kaal Kono Kaj Nei, Raat Jege Tomakei Bhabchhi” (It’s Saturday today, I’ve no task for tomorrow; so passing the night thinking only of you), apparently only to make

for the two departments, mathematics and applied mathematics, to run their activities.

Professor Dr Amulya Chandra Mandal, chairperson of the mathematics department, thanked the AF Mujibur Rahman Foundation and expressed gratitude for its outstanding dedication to the education sector.

Professor Dr Naila Kabeer, trustee of the AF Mujibur Rahman Foundation and also the grand-niece of Mujibur Rahman, thanked the concerned authorities who engaged in the construction work.

The Chairman of the Department of Mathematics Professor Dr Amulya Chandra Mandal presided over the

UN: Thousands fled Bangladesh and Myanmar by sea n Tribune Report

the audience burst into laughter.

Saying that it was not a romantic song, rather one hailing socialism, Mohsin completed the song.

At that time, when the photojournalists wanted to take his picture, Mohsin asked them to step aside.

He said the country needed hard-working people who can play role changing the society. “Only then Bangladesh can become more developed than Malaysia and North Korea.”

The minister also said he was disheartened by news reports on clashes and killings within Chhatra League, Jubo League and Krishak League – wings of the ruling Awami League “Discipline is discipline, command is command. We were also in Chhatra

League but followed the directives of our leaders. You are indulging in clashes and killings for own interests; it is not right. Bangabandhu did not establish Chhatra League for this reason.”

He also announced allotment of Tk2 crore for the proposed hospital.

At one point of the event, he went to the backstage to smoke. The minister’s men surrounded him so that no one could take a picture.

Mohsin was also criticised heavily for hurling abuse towards journalists terming them “Khobish,” a Bangla slang roughly means disgusting and dirty. In attacking gesture, the minister in Sylhet on August 9 said journalists were “uneducated, non-graduate and also characterless.” l

function and Associate Mathematics Professor Dr Chandra Nath Podder conducted the program.

Among others, Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman, Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Editor of the Dhaka Tribune Zafar Sobhan, human rights activist Khushi Kabir and the chairpersons several departments and hall provosts of DU were present at the ceremony.

At the end of the inauguration ceremony, nine meritorious students of the maths department of Dhaka University (DU) were awarded AF Mujibur Rahman Foundation Gold Medals for their outstanding academic results in

A new UN report points to a sharp increase in numbers of boat people mostly from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

According to the UN High Commission for Refugees report, more than 53,000 people fled by sea from the Bangladesh-Myanmar border region from June 2013 to June 2014, an increase of 60% from the previous year.

“More than 20,000 boat people fled in the first six months of this year, headed toward the Malaysia-Thailand border or on to Indonesia and Australia,” UNHCR Spokesperson William Spindler said at a press briefing at the Palais des Nations, Geneva on Friday.

The report has found that more people are risking their lives on smugglers’ boats in South-East Asia despite the prospect of horrific violence en route.

The UNHCR estimates that 54,000 people have undertaken irregular maritime journeys in the region so far this year, based on reports by local sources, media and people who survived the journey.

This includes some 53,000 people leaving from the Bay of Bengal towards

Thailand and Malaysia, and hundreds of others moving further south in the Indian Ocean. An estimated 540 people have reportedly died this year at sea from such beatings, starvation or dehydration, and their bodies thrown overboard.

The outflow from the Bay of Bengal tends to peak in October, when calmer waters follow the end of the rainy season.

Departures this October surged more than in previous years. Some 21,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshis have set sail since then, a 37% increase over the same period last year.

About 10% are believed to be women.

Roughly one-third of arrivals interviewed by the UNHCR in Thailand and Malaysia were minors under 18 years of age.

Children as young as eight years old are known to have made the journey alone.

In total some 120,000 people are believed to have embarked on these voyages in the Bay of Bengal since the start of 2012.

With payments ranging from $1,600 to $2,400 demanded for each passenger, smugglers plying this route are believed to have generated nearly $250m in revenue in the last three years. l

Hospital with SSC-passed physicians busted n Ashif Islam Shaon

A “doctor” with a Higher School Certificate in humanities had been running a private hospital in the capital for last three years.

Sujon Das, the owner of the hospital has two aids – his cousin Sumon Pal, 24, and Masum Mridha, 28 – both with education up to Secondary School Certificate.

The illegal business came to forefront yesterday when a mobile court sealed off the hospital named “Shahjalal General Hospital” in the capital’s Agargaon area and awarded the three cheats different jail terms and fines.

Before sealing off, the mobile court aided by a team of RAB 2, found patients undergoing different treatments there including surgeries.

Executive Magistrate of RAB Anwar Pasha said the court had awarded the three with two years of imprisonments and fined Tk1 lakh each.

Two technicians – Subrata Bala, 19, and Pankaj Chandra Dash, 21 – and a nurse Mitu Chandra Dhar, 20, were jailed for six months and fined Tk1

lakh each. None of them had any background in medical education.

The RAB team found that six people were conducting an operation on one Fazlul Haque, 28, who had a broken leg. Sujon and Sumon were found plastering his leg inside an operation theatre, said Magistrate Pasha.

Fazlul, who works at a decorator company, told the court that a few days back, his right leg was broken in a road accident. He went to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor) where some brokers referred him to Shahjalal General Hospital guaranteeing quicker and better treatment.

After checking, “Dr Masum” wrote him a prescription and sent him to the operation theatre. Another patient Milon Mollah, 28, who was admitted to a cabin, said the doctors there had conducted a surgery on his leg at Tk60,000. Some brokers at Nitor brought him there too.

He had a severe accident in Faridpur that almost crushed his legs.

The brokers also referred to this hospital, a two-year-old girl, Dighi from

Left: A RAB team raids Shahjalal General Hospital in the capital’s Agargaon area.

Right: Two-year-old Dighi, sits on her mother’s lap with a plaster on her leg put on by fake doctors, which a specialist said was unnecessary for her minor injuries MEHEDI HASAN Bikrampur, who sustained some minor injuries and came to the hospital with her father, a poor farmer.

Dr Swapon Kumar Topadar, a representative from Directorate of Health Services in the mobile court team, remarked that there was no need for plas-

tering the child’s leg.

The court also found one patient Nurul Islam, 55, whose X-ray report was signed by a ‘fake’ technician.

According to the rules issued by the Directorate of Health Services, a 10-bed hospital must have a minimum of three

doctors, six nurses and three cleaning staff, however, the Shahjalal General Hospital had three fake doctors, a fake nurse and two fake technicians, none with a background in medical education.

The RAB-2 team led by Major Nasir Uddin Ahmed conducted the drive. l

BS Honours and MS examinations. The foundation has been awarding meritorious students of DU since 1996 for excellence in mathematics.

Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique distributed the Gold Medals and trustee of the AF Mujibur Rahman Foundation, Professor Naila Kabeer, handed the awardees their certificates.

The awardees are: Farzana Islam (MS-Thesis), Sanjida Islam (MS-Non Thesis), Farhana Ahmed Simi (BS), Md Alomgir Hossain Badsha (MS-Non Thesis), Chinmayee Podder (MS-Thesis), Kamrun Naher (MS-Non Thesis), Kamrunaher (MS-Thesis), Md Lokman Hossen (MS-Non Thesis) and Shahenur Begum (MS-Thesis). l

MOBILE HACKATHON

Young developers solve ten general problems n Muhammad Zahidul Islam In terms of participation of some 1,675 mobile application developers, the organisers claimed that a two-day first mobile hackathon in the country as well as the biggest of its kind in the world has started in the capital yesterday.

The hackathon, also known as hack day or codefest, was inaugurated at the Institute of Diploma Engineers in Kakrail around 9:30am, where young programmers, freelancers, students and mobile application developers flocked together to make mobile apps on ten problems that are most common in the country.

The problems are question paper leakage, corruption, sexual harassment, traffic jam, security on the highways, sanitation, water transport safety, cyclone centre management, reproductive health and personal health problems.

Inaugurating the programme, State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak termed it the biggest mobile hackathon in the globe, saying:“We have been engrossing in traffic jam, question paper leakage, corruption and so on. Should we search problem only? No, these youths will solve the problems.”

He also stated:“This is the biggest mobile application hackathon in the globe so far.”

One of the co-organisers namely Ashraf Abir echoed the claim of the state minister, telling there were around 1,205 participants in a mobile hackathon held several years ago in the country.

Ashraf continued that:“The debate should not be on weather it is the biggest hackathon or not. We need to concentrate on adding apps developers through such sort of event and the solution of the problems facing by them.”

The participants were divided into 288 teams, each of which include five members, comprising both coders and designers, who can generate their idea by using any platform of Android, IOS and FireFox OS and will place their solution paper by today noon.

Around 49 professional companies also took part in the competition while 30 IT specialists and programmers were supposed to evaluate the papers.

The winning team will be awarded with Tk20 lakh of innovation fund to materialise their project.

Besides, the winners will receive several prizes from Microsoft Mobile, Symphony, Robi and Grameenphone. l

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Removing hurdles key to chase $50b apparel export vision n

Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

CHASING $50B APPAREL VISION RMG SECTOR: FACTS

› Export earnings in last FY $24.49 billion › RMG contributes over 10% to GDP › Over 81.13% export earnings come from RMG › 4 million workers appointed › Knitwear value addition around 80% › Woven value addition around 50%

CHALLENGES FOR RMG $50BN MISSION

› Infrastructure development › Political stability › Shortage of low-rate fund for remediation and factory relocation › Lack of utility services › Cumbersome process to getting government services › Port facility and transportation › Shortage of semi-skilled and skilled manpower

the would-be relocated areas. The government, however, gave a verbal assurance to the sector that it would get priority in cases of the relocation.

With the newer version of difficulties, the industry would also have to go with the problems like political uncertainties and infrastructure at home, and emerging external adversities to chase the target.

“Infrastructure including power, port, place (land), political stability and lowcost funds are the major challenges,” the BGMEA president listed as he was talking to the Dhaka Tribune on Friday.

After the Rana Plaza building collapse, the Accord and Alliance committed to improve safety standard. They

RMG workers consumers of Tk22,000cr local market n

Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

As the country’s apparel sector increases purchasing capacity of around 4m workers’ families, it has boosted local demand of different consumer products and services.

The readymade garment jobs have created a market of nearly Tk22,650 crore products and services per annum, said M Atiqul Islam, president of BGMEA. “Employments in the apparel sector has resulted in creation of local Tk22,649 crore market for different sector products,” BGMEA president told the Dhaka Tribune. The country’s RMG industry employs nearly 4m, mostly rural women. The industry’s export earning is the largest of all other sectors in the country - $24.5bn in last fiscal year.

“The is playing a significant role to empower rural women,” said Atiqul Islam. The sector also helps to reduce early marriages, ensure improved health and education, he added, describing it as a “silent revolution” in the economy and society.

“It (RMG industry) has multidimensional impact on the society. But to go further ahead, proper planing is nec-

RMG WORKERS’ CONSUMER MARKET › › › › › › › › › › › ›

Food Tk100 billion Accommodation Tk80 billion Clothing Tk15 billion Transportation Tk13 billion Mobile Tk10.5 Billion Entertainment Tk8 billion Soap Tk13.15 billion Shampoo Tk2.10 billion Hair Oil Tk2.65 billion Fairness Cream Tk2.65 billion Lotion Tk2.40 billion Toothpaste Tk1.85 billion

Source: BGMEA essary,” said Abdus Salam Murshedy, managing director of Envoy Textile.

He said in the past a rural woman had almost no earning and could hardly afford to buy daily bread. “But now they are not only earning bread for their families, but can spend to buy different facilities also.” l

INITIATIVES FOR BOOSTING EXPORT & SAFETY STANDARDS

EXPERTS’ RECOMMENDATIONS

› Center of Excellence to boost productivity › Textile Technology Business Centre for environmental sustainability › Central ETP › Biological ETP to reuse water › Duty-free import of safety equipment and building materials › Industrial Park for relocation › Safety inspectors appointed › Better work programme launched › Labour Law amended

have completed inspection of RMG units and found less than two percent factories risky.

The buyers’ platforms have prescribed remediation and Corrective Action Plan (CAP) to ensure safety.

“For remediation and relocation as per the Accord and Alliance prescription, the sector need low-cost funds from the government as well as the buyers,” BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim said.

Policymakers should take the RMG sector as a priority sector as it earns over 81% of the total export earnings and contributes over 10% to GDP, he said.

“We should make our ports well equipped and then concentrate on

› Introduction of corporate culture at RMG › Empowering BGMEA and BKME executive body › Productivity enhancement › Ensuring workers rights and occupational health safety › Payment of living wage › Implementation of DhakaChittagong Highway on priority basis

SLH/DT INFOGRAPHIC | PHOTO: RAJIB DHAR

The apparel export vision would not be so easy to achieve as the sector will have to overcome a new dimension of international hurdles like ensuring fire and safety standards while facing the existing domestic bottlenecks.

Industry insiders were skeptical about the route to touch the finish line with only seven years in hand – a period during which the export earnings would have to double from the present figure achieved in last 35 years.

Despite all odds – be it domestic or external – the industry has by now become about US$25 billion one in a period five times more than what the policymakers now hoping for ($50bn) during the remaining period up to 2021, when they country would celebrate the 50 years of independence.

“We’ll be able to make the dream comes true if the problems are solved,” said M Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

The exporters never said no to improve the factory standards and ensure workers’ safety, but often and again raising a concern where the investment would come from to meet the requirements imposed by the buyers and importing countries.

They are mainly demanding low cost fund at home and financial assistance from the buyers apparently as a pre-condition. The fund would be required for relocation of factories and remediation as the so called Accord and Alliance, the buyers’ representatives here, were monitoring the progress of implementation of the activities needed to ensure the standards and safety issues.

In the domestic front, the industry is considering another difficulty it would have to face is utility connections in

deep sea port to tackle the next rush of shipments,” said Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB).

He said the Dhaka-Chittagong highway is a vital issue for the RMG sector to facilitate shipments in time.

Enhancing workers productivity, entering into medium and high-end products from low end, and exploring new markets is a must, said Khondaker Golam Moazzem, additional research director of Centre for Policy Dialogue.

Meanwhile, the government has to take the initiative and negotiate with the countries to lower duty to make the industry more competitive in terms of price, he added. l

RMG set to be compliant and sustainable n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The country’s readymade garment sector is poised to become a compliant and environmentally sustainable one as the government, retailers and the BGMEA have undertaken a good number of initiatives to improve the overall condition of this sector.

BGMEA has taken a series of initiatives including Zero Discharge of Hazardous chemical, Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PACT), establishing biological ETP, through which used water of the factories would be recyclable, establishing central ETP on the basis of the cluster to share the facility among the adjoining factories. It is also working on awareness building to use energy saving lights and other machinery.

Environmental sustainability is about making responsible decisions that will reduce someone’s business’ negative impact on the environment.

Currently, environmental sustainability is a topical issue that receives plenty of attention from the media and from different governmental departments.

Environmental Sustainability and safer workplace are now a must for the Bangladeshi RMG sector as the global buyers are worried over the ecological balance and sustainable development and full-fledged compliance, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Vice President Shahidullah Azim told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“I believe that Bangladesh will be a role model in setting up green factory as a good number of green factories have already been established in the RMG sector while some are on progress,’’Azim said.

BGMEA has launched Textile Technology Business Center (TTBC) to support the textile sector in adopting best practices and technologies that improve business and environmental sustainability, Azim said. It is also working on

Cleaner Production (CP), Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), he added.

The government has also offered some incentive including duty free import of safety equipment and fabricated building materials and provided 470 acres land to build a RMG Industrial Park at Bausia in Munshigonj for relocating the factories from the capital.

Meanwhile, the workers safety standard of the sector got a momentum as the inspection has been concluded and remediation works started.

‘Bangladesh will be a role model in setting up green factory’

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh has completed inspection in 1,106 factories. Following the inspection 18 factories has been closed as it found structural fault. The Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety has inspected 587 factories. Based on the recommendation of the Alliance engineers, the review panel has closed production of eight factories.

According to an estimate of BGMEA, the country’s ready made garment sector needs to spend over Tk2,410 crore for importing fire equipment, sprinklers and fire-rated doors to comply with fire safety conditions set by the two retailers’ platforms, Accord and Alliance.

The issue of fire, electrical and building safety came under the spotlight last year following the collapse of Rana Plaza that killed over 1,100 workers and also the devastating Tazreen Fashions fire. l

Dhaka Apparel Summit kicks off today

It aims to brand Bangladesh and draw roadmap to achieve 2021 apparel export target In the past, Bangladesh Garments n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Manufacturers and Exporters AssociThe “Dhaka Apparel Summit-2014” begins here today, aimed at drawing a roadmap to reach an apparel export target of US$50bn by the year 2021 when the nation will celebrate the golden jubilee of the country’s independence.

It would be the first ever summit being organised by the apex trade body for the apparel industry as part of its effort to brand Bangladesh.

Through Dhaka Apparel Summit 2014, Bangladesh will present its progress on fire, electrical and structural safety made in last one year after the Rana Plaza incident. It also will focus the initiatives taken to ensure a sustainable development for RMG sector and a road map to earn $50bn on the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh on 2021.

The 3-day conference is also to draw an outline for the sustainability of the RMG sector, employing around 4.4 million workers to generate an export earnings of about US$25, 81% of the country’s total export earnings and over 10% of GDP.

A three-day Dhaka Apparel Summit 2014 will be held today at BICC Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the summit at 9am at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, BGMEA President Atiqul Islam said while adressing a press briefing yesterday in the city.

Brands, fashion designers, sourcing

RAJIB DHAR

executives and experts from home and abroad, international organisations, employers, private sectors, workers’ representatives, civil society organisations, buyers and academics will join the summit to share their experiences and gather knowledge about Bangladesh’s apparel industry.

ation (BGMEA) used to organise BATEXPO (Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition) to make Bangladesh familiar with the global buyers as an RMG producing and exporting country.

By now, Bangladesh is known across the globe as the maker of best and quality products. At this stage the country needs branding.

“The summit is aimed at branding of Bangladesh and drawing a road map to reach the export target of $50 billion,” BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said the stakeholders would give their opinions at the summit on how they can contribute to make the dream true.

The recommendations and opinions to be mobilised from the conference would be filtered and converted into policies to make the dream comes true and ensure a sustainable RMG sector.

It is also expected that the inputs would help address the loopholes and obstacles in the run up to achieve the vision.  B3 COLUMN 1

Apparel Summit to build brand image for Bangladesh BGMEA president tells Dhaka Tribune n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The Apparel Summit aims to erase negative images of the country’s RMG sector through showcasing progresses and initiatives taken to standardise safety and providing a sustainable road map, BGMEA President Atiqul Islam has said.

In an exclusive interview with the Dhaka Tribune on the eve of the summit, Atiqul said what Bangladesh needs right now is to build a brand image, which is the main objective of the summit.

The BGMEA president came up with a series of question answers related to RMG sector and the Apparel Summit.

Why did BATEXPO yield to Apparel Summit?

Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (BATEXPO) aims at making Bangladesh familiar with global buyers as an RMG exporting country. Now across the globe, people

export target by 2021.

‘Environmental sustainability is a must, not an option’ know Bangladesh as the best and quality RMG-producing country. Currently, Bangladesh needs to build a brand image.

How will Apparel Summit build image among global buyers?

Through Dhaka Apparel Summit 2014, Bangladesh will present its progress on fire, electrical and structural safety made in the last one year after the Rana Plaza incident.

It also will focus on the initiatives taken to ensure a sustainable development for RMG sector and a road map to earn a $50-billion

What is the expected outcome of the summit?

Our mission is to provide a road map for achieving the $50 billion export target, plus address all loopholes and obstacles to sustainable development in RMG sector. Recommendations at the summit would be filtered and turned into a policy to make the dream come true. The policy would be published as a book.

What are the challenges of achieving $50 billion export target by 2021?

Infrastructure including port facility, power, gas, road communication and political instability are the main challenges to materialise the export target. If we can overcome these bars, RMG sector would be able to meet the goal within the time frame.

The target is achievable as we have 35 years of experience and the apparel summit is set to make the impossible a possible one and

to feature the challenges and way forward.

The government should declare RMG to be a priority sector as it gives the government good returns. The apparel industry is a tested sector for which the government should launch an effective one-stop service. To get approval of establishing factory and other projects, it requires to move from one ministry to another that consumes time. If the sector is given priority it would employ more workers to apparel industry in future and earn more currency, plus create more backward linkage for employment generation.

Since productivity is a must to reach target, how can apparel sector increase productivity?

To meet the export goal by 2012, Our big Challenge is to boost productivity which would get the highest priority. We are going to launch Center of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry workers to facilitate their training to increase productivity.  B3 COLUMN 1

B2

Stocks back on track after four week losses n

The small cap sectors IT and service and real estate jumped more than 7% each. Conversely, top losing sectors were mutual fund, food and allied, general insurance, ceramics and jute.

IDLC Investments said the lucrative prices, expectation on year-end earnings as well as stock specific positioning, particularly in large caps assisted the market to turn around in the past week.

Hence, the extended level of gaining tone revealed an upbeat reversal, though marginal level of profit booking took place, it said.

“Overall, investors found confidence in returning to market with some fresh fund injection.”

Lanka Bangla Securities said market observed some rays of sunshine after consecutive weeks of correction.

It said investors became active during the past week as average daily turnover increased by 22% from previous week.

Trailing market P/E reached 15.66 in the previous week which might have lured the buyers from sideline, it said.

Royal Capital total trade volume in the past week was higher than the previous week, which indicated higher market activity and buy mood after a prolonged fall observed in the last few weeks.

“But it may carry risk to the investors as the bull was led by Z-category of scripts.” l

Tribune Report

Stock markets were back on track in the past week after remaining bearish in the last fourth consecutive week with steep gains in all three indices.

Dealers said investors who stayed sidelines in fear of further losses staged comeback putting fresh funds on heavyweight companies.

In the past week that ended Thursday, the benchmark index DSEX advanced by a significant rise of 189 points or 4% to close at 4,962.

The comprising blue chips DS30 index surged 83 points or 4.7% to 1,843. The DSE Shariah Index soared 54 points or 5% to 1,161.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange also saw steep rise with its Selective Categories Index, CSCX, gained 357 points or 4% to settle at 9,310.

The past week also witnessed buoyant trading activities as the average daily turnover at DSE stood at Tk400-crore, which was 22% over the previous week.

All the major sectors posted gains in the past week.

Telecommunications registered the highest gain of more than 12%, led by heavyweight Grameenphone that rallied 12.7%.

Cement sector also performed well with a rally of 5.4%, followed by power that climbed 5.3%, cement 5%, pharmaceuticals 3%, banks 3% and non-banking financial institutions 2.9%.

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS Company Olympic Ind. -A Northern Jute -Z Khan Brothers-N Monno Stafllers -A Sonali Ansh -A Savar Refractories-Z LR Global BD MF1-A AMCL 2nd MF-A Atlas BD-A Bangas -A

Closing (% change) -22.52 -16.43 -13.14 -9.08 -7.35 -5.58 -4.17 -4.08 -3.78 -3.74

CSE LOSERS Company Shahjibazar Power-N Khan Brothers-N Prime Insur -A Nitol Insurance -A ICB AMCL IslamicMF-A JMI Syringes MDL-A IFIC 1st MF-A NCCBL Mutual Fund-1-A Rangpur Foundry -A Delta Brac HFCL-A

Closing (% change) -59.34 -13.85 -12.56 -9.15 -6.90 -6.47 -4.00 -3.64 -3.62 -3.52

ANALYST

4961.84846

(+) 3.97%

1843.69493

(+) 4.70%

15266.3060

(+) 4.15%

12565.0606

(+) 3.90%

9310.2727

(+) 3.99%

Average (% change) -22.04 -16.43 -12.95 -10.00 -8.51 -5.58 -2.94 -4.50 -3.28 -3.66 Average (% change) -0.52 -14.03 -12.56 -9.15 -6.90 -6.24 -4.00 -3.99 -4.71 -5.63

Closing average 223.63 239.00 43.48 300.65 142.04 49.10 4.63 4.67 135.09 297.24

Closing average 581.12 43.08 18.80 29.80 13.50 173.92 4.80 5.30 104.10 67.00

Weekly 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

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ Weekly high

223.00 239.00 42.30 300.40 141.10 49.10 4.60 4.70 135.00 295.70

Weekly closing

226.00 265.00 50.90 324.90 156.40 49.10 4.80 4.80 137.70 310.80

Weekly high

235.00 42.30 18.80 29.80 13.50 172.10 4.80 5.30 103.80 68.50

237.00 50.20 20.00 32.40 14.10 191.00 5.00 5.30 107.70 71.00

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features Nov 30-Dec 4, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

Company

19,775.06

Turnover (Volume)

475,361,753

Number of Contract

461,961

Traded Issues

317

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

252

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

58 7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,649.77

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

32.12

CSE key features Nov30-Dec 4, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

1,544.77

Turnover (Volume)

43,616,382

Number of Contract

65,088

Traded Issues

255

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

193

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

51

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

10

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,544.20

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.84

Turnover in million

200.00 221.30 42.00 294.00 127.10 49.10 4.40 4.70 127.00 285.00

Weekly low

416.025 0.331 345.403 3.164 39.597 0.027 6.383 2.010 5.404 59.332

Turnover in million

202.30 42.00 18.80 29.80 13.50 171.00 4.80 5.20 103.80 62.00

Alltex Industries -Z Aziz PipesZ Bangladesh Welding -Z Safko Spinning-A Grameenphone-A Agni Systems -A ICB Islamic Bank-Z Daffodil Computers -Z Beacon Pharma Ltd.-Z ISN Ltd. -Z

Closing (% change) 32.21 25.86 19.57 14.57 12.65 12.25 11.54 10.81 10.81 9.90

CSE GAINERS

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

Weekly low

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Latest EPS 5.47 1.00 1.36 1.17 0.76 -0.44 0.69 0.72 0.24 5.44

Latest EPS

5.960 53.933 0.039 0.843 0.021 10.992 0.041 0.164 0.418 0.266

9.00 1.36 1.81 2.79 2.76 4.48 0.48 0.43 3.23 5.36

Latest PE 40.9 239.0 32.0 257.0 186.9 -ve 6.7 6.5 562.9 54.6

Latest PE 64.6 31.7 10.4 10.7 4.9 38.8 10.0 12.3 32.2 12.5

Company Alltex Industries -Z Aziz PipesZ Safko Spinning-A Bangladesh Welding -Z Grameenphone-A Daffodil Computers -Z Agni Systems -A Beacon Pharma Ltd.-Z Anwar Galvanizing-B Fu-Wang Food A

Closing (% change) 27.70 23.81 21.03 15.00 12.76 12.61 11.86 10.96 10.61 10.05

Average (% change) 26.48 25.45 16.57 16.28 12.80 12.56 11.05 10.70 12.20 8.29 Average (% change) 26.14 24.91 18.50 13.13 12.66 11.41 13.54 11.91 10.51 8.03

Closing average 26.75 21.84 16.11 34.72 353.46 28.50 5.83 12.31 16.74 11.10

Closing average 26.78 20.81 34.39 15.85 353.39 12.40 28.60 16.54 36.50 23.67

Weekly closing 27.50 21.90 16.50 34.60 352.60 28.40 5.80 12.30 16.40 11.10

Weekly closing 27.20 20.80 35.10 16.10 352.60 12.50 28.30 16.20 36.50 24.10

Weekly high 27.90 22.70 16.80 36.00 358.60 29.40 6.00 12.60 17.10 11.50

Weekly high 27.50 22.20 35.50 16.40 360.00 12.60 29.40 17.10 37.00 24.30

Weekly low 19.70 17.60 12.60 28.00 313.80 22.80 5.20 11.20 14.00 10.00

Weekly low 19.80 17.20 29.20 14.00 313.00 11.20 26.00 14.60 35.50 21.20

Turnover in million 92.323 6.707 19.728 128.982 601.630 252.783 11.712 5.745 74.737 0.823

Turnover in million 12.806 0.404 6.878 2.205 44.017 1.514 10.290 13.049 0.612 5.872

Latest EPS 3.28 -0.37 0.44 1.24 15.72 1.32 -0.71 1.16 0.08 0.13

Latest EPS 3.28 -0.37 1.24 0.44 15.72 1.16 1.32 0.08 0.84 1.80

Latest PE 8.2 -ve 36.6 28.0 22.5 21.6 -ve 10.6 209.3 85.4

Latest PE 8.2 -ve 27.7 36.0 22.5 10.7 21.7 206.8 43.5 13.2

News, analysis and recent disclosers AGM/Dividend KEYACOSMET: The Board of Directors has recommended 20% cash dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2014. Record Date: 21.12.2014. Date, Time and Venue of the AGM will be notified later. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 1.51, NAV per share of Tk. 21.09 and NOCFPS of Tk. 1.62 for the year ended on June 30, 2014 as against Tk. 1.41 (restated), Tk. 21.54 and Tk. (1.29) respectively for the year ended on June 30, 2013.

RECKITTBEN: The Board of Directors of the Company has declared 175% interim cash dividend (second time) for the year ending on 31 December 2014 after considering the performance of the Company from 01 January 2014 to 30 September 2014. The Board has also declared profit after tax of Tk. 150.02 million and EPS of Tk. 31.75 for the period ended on 30 September 2014. Record date for entitlement of interim dividend: 15.12.2014.

Audited/unaudited Financial Reports: GPHISPAT: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.10.2014 (May'14 to October'14), the Company has reported profit after tax of Tk. 157.39 million with basic EPS of Tk. 1.32 as against Tk. 143.47 million and Tk. 1.21 respectively for the same period of the previous year. However considering bonus share @ 5% for the year 2014, restated basic EPS is Tk. 1.26 as on 31.10.2014 (May'14 to October'14) and Tk. 1.15 as on 31.10.2013 (May'13 to October'13). Whereas profit after tax was Tk. 69.75 million with basic EPS of Tk. 0.59

for the period of 3 months (August'14 to October'14) ended on 31.10.2014 as against Tk. 65.55 million and Tk. 0.55 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

However considering bonus share @ 5% for the year 2014, restated basic EPS is Tk. 0.56 as on 31.10.2014 (August'14 to October'14) and Tk. 0.53 as on 31.10.2013 (August'13 to October'13).

ICB (Q1): As per un-audited quarterly accounts for the 1st quarter ended on 30th September 2014 (July'14 to Sep'14), the Corporation has reported consolidated net profit after tax (excluding non-controlling interests) of Tk. 993.10 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 23.54 as against Tk. 507.73 million and Tk. 12.04 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

SAIHAMCOT: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.10.2014 (May'14 to October'14), the Company has reported net profit after tax of Tk. 113.34 million with EPS of Tk. 0.84 as against Tk. 122.32 million and Tk. 0.90 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Whereas net profit after tax was Tk. 52.98 million with EPS of Tk. 0.39 for the period of 3 months (August'14 to October'14) ended on 31.10.2014 as against Tk. 64.66 million and Tk. 0.48 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

BENGALWTL: (Q1): As per un-audited quarterly accounts for the 1st quarter ended on 30th September 2014 (July'14 to Sep'14), the Company has reported consolidated net profit after tax (excluding non-controlling interests) of Tk. 78.61 million with

consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.04 as against Tk. 78.13 million and Tk. 1.03 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Hamid Fabrics Limited: (Q1): The Company has reported its profit after tax Tk. 61.55 million and basic EPS Tk. 1.26 for the period ended on 30 September 2014 (July'14-Sept'14) as against profit after tax of Tk. 63.86 million and basic EPS of Tk. 1.31 for the same period of the previous year. It is to be noted that basic EPS has been calculated based on weighted average Pre-IPO paid-up number of shares i.e.

48,837,500 for both the periods. However, considering Post-IPO 78,837,500 number of shares, Company's basic EPS would be Tk. 0.78 for the period ended on 30 September 2014 and NAV per share would be Tk. 43.08 as on 30 September 2014.

Fixed Assets/Right/Investment: REPUBLIC: BSEC is not in a position to consider the application for issuance of Rights shares of Republic Insurance Company Limited as the Company has failed to comply with the requirement of rule 3(e) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (Rights Issue) Rules, 2006.

LANKABAFIN: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has approved purchase of land (subject to approval of the regulatory authorities, where applicable), located at 23-24 Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka measuring more or less 1.0175 bighas at a total consideration of Tk. 58.00 crore without registration cost to set up future Corporate Office of the Company.

The lucrative prices, expectation on year-end earnings as well as stock specific positioning, particularly in large caps assisted the market to turn around in the past week

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

DSE Million Taka 2391.95 1306.08 168.46 2257.21 830.25 3022.54 40.06 1876.74 3308.60 118.76 920.87 153.70 146.43 585.65 379.27 144.29 335.83 649.05 211.58 923.18 4.57

% change 12.10 6.60 0.85 11.41 4.20 15.28 0.20 9.49 16.73 0.60 4.66 0.78 0.74 2.96 1.92 0.73 1.70 3.28 1.07 4.67 0.02

Million Taka 175.12 76.83 11.71 195.71 48.11 165.49 0.00 312.32 205.36 54.12 72.69 45.39 18.38 40.60 21.02 5.39 11.76 55.14 29.93 124.88 0.02

CSE

% change 10.49 4.60 0.70 11.72 2.88 9.91 0.00 18.70 12.30 3.24 4.35 2.72 1.10 2.43 1.26 0.32 0.70 3.30 1.79 7.48 0.00

Million Taka 2567.07 1382.90 180.17 2452.92 878.36 3188.03 40.06 2189.06 3513.96 172.87 993.56 199.08 164.80 626.25 400.28 149.68 347.59 704.19 241.51 1048.06 4.59

Total

% change 11.97 6.45 0.84 11.44 4.10 14.87 0.19 10.21 16.39 0.81 4.63 0.93 0.77 2.92 1.87 0.70 1.62 3.28 1.13 4.89 0.02

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 Keya Cosmetics -A Beximco Pharma -A AB Bank - A Grameenphone-A SummitAlliancePort.-A WesternMarine -N Jamuna Oil -A Hamid Fabrics -N Square Pharma -A Titas Gas TDCLA CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Hamid Fabrics -N WesternMarine -N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Khan Brothers-N Keya Cosmetics -A R. N. Spinning-Z Grameenphone-A SummitAlliancePort.-A AB Bank - A Square Pharma -A

Volume shares 28,753,369 11,066,924 21,275,872 1,743,637 7,619,588 9,410,200 2,002,182 8,186,200 1,870,124 5,938,846

Volume shares 2,166,600 1,439,900 1,515,095 1,175,500 1,668,489 1,514,849 128,600 519,207 1,111,394 128,707

Value in million 831.27 713.12 672.33 601.63 565.63 562.21 509.46 499.61 487.05 485.04

Value in million 131.20 85.99 60.80 53.93 48.31 44.81 44.02 38.46 35.09 33.49

% of total turnover 4.20 3.61 3.40 3.04 2.86 2.84 2.58 2.53 2.46 2.45

% of total turnover 8.61 5.64 3.99 3.54 3.17 2.94 2.89 2.52 2.30 2.20

Weekly closing 29.10 67.20 31.40 352.60 75.40 56.70 254.30 56.10 263.00 83.80

Weekly closing 55.50 56.90 40.40 42.30 29.10 29.70 352.60 75.60 31.60 261.50

Price change 0.00 8.56 5.72 12.65 9.12 -2.41 2.01 0.00 4.82 8.13

Weekly opening 29.10 61.90 29.70 313.00 69.10 58.10 249.30 0.00 250.90 77.50

Weekly high 30.90 68.10 33.00 358.60 79.50 62.60 259.40 69.00 265.40 84.90

Weekly low 25.10 56.00 26.80 313.80 64.00 56.40 233.00 55.00 230.00 69.50

Weekly average 29.71 66.72 31.79 353.46 75.77 57.61 254.57 61.03 262.95 83.90

Price change 0.00 -1.90 1.25 -13.85 0.34 6.07 12.76 9.09 6.76 4.06

Weekly opening 0.00 58.00 39.90 49.10 29.00 28.00 312.70 69.30 29.60 251.30

Weekly high 69.00 62.50 41.30 50.20 30.40 31.40 360.00 80.00 32.70 265.00

Weekly low 55.00 56.30 35.60 42.00 27.20 26.90 313.00 63.00 28.50 250.80

Weekly average 60.55 57.60 40.81 43.08 29.81 29.22 353.39 75.82 31.84 261.49

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

ECB weighs further action as economic picture darkens n Reuters The European Central Bank will make plain the euro zone’s economic malaise after it meets on Thursday, with a rare public call from Washington adding to pressure for action to stop the bloc going into reverse.

With recovery stalled across many of the 18 countries that share the euro, ECB President Mario Draghi will present fresh growth and inflation forecasts from bank staff at his post-meeting news conference at 1330 GMT. Both measures are likely to be downgraded further.

Mounting concerns about the euro zone economy were underlined by the US Federal Reserve’s influential vice chair, Stanley Fischer, who broke with etiquette to say that money-printing would help Europe as it had the United States.

“If the ECB moves in that direction, it will have positive effects,” Fischer, who was Draghi’s academic mentor at university, told a newspaper in Italy.

But Draghi faces considerable political obstacles to taking this step, chiefly from a reluctant Germany. Last week, Sabine Lautenschlaeger, Germany’s appointment to the ECB’s Executive Board, said that now was not the time for state bond buying. So while the ECB could extend a scheme to buy secured debt to include corporate bonds, it is unlikely he will announce any money printing to buy government bonds.

Economists, roughly half of whom expect the bank to start buying government bonds - a step that should buoy the economy when banks exchange bonds for ECB cash - have pencilled this in for the first three months of next year.

ECB Vice-President Vitor Constancio has said the bank will be better able to gauge then whether it needs to buy such debt.

How will the summit help improve safety and full-fledged compliance?

Generally, the BGMEA used to organise BATEXPO to display products to attract buyers, but in the Summit there would be a Safety Expo focusing on sharing knowledge on the latest safety innovation and products and to clear conception about safety issues.

How can RMG sector help Bangladesh attain a middle-income status?

If we can earn $50 billion by 2021, it would contribute to a middle-income status for Bangladesh along with expanding employment and earnings. It would also help Bangladesh expand the business of banks, insurance and other backward linkage that would contribute to the country’s GDP.

Can apparel sector ensure environmental sustainability?

Environmental sustainability is a must, not an option. The factory, which considers environmental sustainability, has enough work orders. That is why we have taken several steps to ensure sustainability through less use of power, water, gas and energy.

How can RMG workers and buyers help meet the target?

My message to the apparel workers is we want to work together as we are on the same board. Workers should not hold hostile attitude towards RMG

ECB sharply cuts inflation and growth forecasts n Reuters, Frankfurt The European Central Bank slashed its forecasts on Thursday for growth and inflation over the next two years, saying the outlook had deteriorated since its last staff forecasts were published in September.

It forecast 2014 inflation at 0.5%, rising slightly to 0.7% next year and 1.3% in 2016. Staff cut their prediction for economic output in the euro zone to 0.8% this year, 1% in 2015 and 1.5% in 2016.

In September, ECB staff had predicted that inflation would be 0.6% this year, then rise to 1.1% and 1.4% in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

It had also forecast in September that gross domestic product would grow by 0.9% this year and by 1.6% and 1.9% in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

By lowering its forecasts, which show how the ECB expects the economy to develop, the euro zone central bank will heighten expectations that it will take further steps to bolster the bloc’s flagging economy.

ECB President Mario Draghi recently threw the door open for drastic measures to prevent growth and inflation from sliding further and expectations are rising that a move could come as soon as the first three months of next year. l

US factory orders fall for third straight month n Reuters, Washington The new European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters are pictured in Frankfur

Divisions

Other major central banks including the Fed, Bank of Japan and Bank of England, have already used quantitative easing to stimulate their economies. But divisions between debt-shy euro zone countries such as Germany and southern states including Greece make such a step more difficult for the ECB. Germany, the bloc’s biggest economy by far and its most influential, fears it would encourage reckless borrowing.

“The euro zone needs growth and jobs to ensure that it survives,” said

Apparel Summit to build brand  B1 COLUMN 6

B3

Sunday, December 7, 2014

owners and there should prevail a congenial atmosphere in the workplace.

The buyers should promise a longterm effective partnership as the RMG sector has improved safety in line with their recommendations. Now they are comparing price with that of other countries and opting to give less price. They should not play double standard.

Will RMG factory be relocated soon to ensure safety standard?

Another big challenge for the apparel industry is relocation of factories, some of which are remaining closed and some requiring relocation for fullfledged compliance as it hampers productions. For relocation, RMG industry needs a single-digit interest loan, plus land. In the proposed Bausia Garment Palli, priority will be given to those factories.

What were the problems faced by RMG in the past and how to overcome those?

In the past, RMG sector eliminated child labour and overcame Multi-Fibre Agreement while in recent times safety issues are being dealt with.

We are working on the issues and would be able to prove that Bangladesh is a safer workplace. We are rebuilding RMG sector factory-wise. Bangladesh has launched Fire Factory Clearing (FFC) house through which buyers can see the safety standard clearly. l

Lena Komileva of consultancy G+ Economics, warning of the obstacles to socalled quantitative easing.

“Germany’s strong opposition ... raises questions about its ability to act fast enough.”

Draghi will address the press for the first time in the ECB’s new 1.3bn euro headquarters in a Frankfurt skyscraper. Just yards away from the imposing building, designed to show the strength of the currency, labourers queue up for a day’s work.

But the bloc is in a delicate situation.

Euro zone inflation, a key yardstick of

REUTERS

the economy’s health and viewed by investors as a trigger for the ECB to buy government bonds, slowed to just 0.3% last month.

If prices were to start to falling, as they already have in some countries, that could discourage consumers from shopping while they wait for goods to get cheaper, creating a vicious circle that pulls down the economy.

A conflict in Ukraine, which has frozen much of EU-Russian commerce, a slowdown in momentum in China and war in Syria add to the gloom, as does the tumbling price of oil. l

New orders for US factory goods fell for a third straight month in October, pointing to a slowdown in manufacturing activity.

The Commerce Department said on Friday new orders for manufactured goods declined 0.7% after a revised 0.5% drop in September.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast new orders received by factories would be unchanged after a previously reported 0.6 percent fall in September.

There are conflicting signals on the manufacturing sector, with the socalled hard data suggesting a cooling in activity, while sentiment surveys point to a building of momentum.

Factory orders excluding the vola-

15 listed firms get best corporate governance awards n Tribune Report Fifteen companies listed with stock exchanges have been awarded for their “significant contribution to sustainable good corporate governance” in 2013.

This is first accolade for the country’s listed companies, which was conferred by the Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh(ICSB) to promote and facilitate good governance in the corporate sector.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Thursday night handed over awards to the winners at a ceremony at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The award titled ICSB National Award for Corporate Governance 2013 was given in five different categories-banks, non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs), manufacturing, food and allied, pharmaceuticals, information technology (IT), communication and service.

Under the banks category, Eastern Bank Limited secured top position, followed by Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited and United Commercial Bank.

Among NBFIs, Prime Finance and

Investment Ltd was placed first while Prime Insurance Company Ltd became second and Union Capital Ltd third prize winners.

In the manufacturing sector, British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) topped the list, followed by Summit Power Ltd and Premier Cement Mills Ltd.

'Such initiatives encourage us to maintain good corporate governance and work with the government towards a more transparent, accountable and open corporate environment' Under food and allied and pharmaceutical sector, the Ibn Sina Pharmaceutical Industry Ltd won the first prize.

Beximco Pharmaceutical Ltd and Glaxo Smith Kline Bangladesh Ltd received second and third prizes respectively.

In the IT, communication and service category, Singer Bangladesh Ltd is first prize winner, second was Grameenphone and the third prize went to Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd. “Such initiatives encourage us to maintain good corporate governance and work with the government towards a more transparent, accountable and open corporate environment,” said BATB managing director Shehzad Munim.

He said the present business environment is influenced by a fluctuating economy, greater scrutiny and increased regulatory requirements.

These are coming as challenges and bringing more responsibilities for boards of directors, he added.

BATB managing director believed that the best corporate governance practice is about achieving the stakeholders’ goal, and delivering success in an ethical way.

Former caretaker government’s finance adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission chairman M Khairul Hossain, ICSB president Mohammad Asad Ullah and ICSB chairman M Nurul Alam also spoke on the occasion. l

tile transportation category dropped 1.4% in October after being flat for two straight months.

Unfilled orders at factories increased 0.4% in October. Order backlogs have increased in 18 of the last 19 months.

Inventories edged up 0.1%, while shipments fell 0.8%.

That left the inventories-to-shipments ratio at 1.31, up from 1.30 in September. The Commerce Department also said orders for durable goods, which are manufactured products expected to last three years and more, rose 0.3 percent instead of the 0.4% gain reported last month.

Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft - seen as a measure of business confidence and spending plans - fell 1.6% instead of the 1.3% decline reported last month. l

BB to bring all under banking network n Tribune Report All people in the country will have at least one bank account as Bangladesh Bank is working to this aim.

Central bank Governor Atiur Rahman said this while addressing the Annual Banking Conference 2014 arranged by Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) yesterday in the capital.

“Our target is to facilitate opening at least one bank account for all people under conventional banking or nonconventional banking like mobile banking or school banking,” the governor said in his speech as the chief guest.

He said the total bank accounts including school and mobile bankings stood at around 84 million by the end of 2013 from nearly 38 million in 2009.

The number of bank branches per 1,000 square kilometre area increased to 59 from 48 during this period. The ATM penetration also increased to 35.5% from just 8% during 2009-2012.

The central bank has started introducing strategic changes to its existing supervision techniques against the backdrop of some recent financial irregularities in the state-controlled banks. l

Dhaka Apparel Summit kicks off  B1 COLUMN 6

At present, the country’s RMG market share is 5% and to reach the vision of 2021 to become a middle-income country, Bangladesh will have to grab 8% share in the global market.

“Enhancement of productivity is a must to reach the peak of exports,” said the BGMEA vice president. “We are going to launch Center of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry (CEBAI) to improve productivity through research and development.”

The centre is expected to help increase productivity by developing skilled and semi-skilled workers through giving market-responsive training or providing support for skill development endeavour by any member company.

‘It’s a positive sign to go ahead with long term target but the question is how they could meet the target and what kind of initiatives have been taken,” said Khondaker Golam Moazzem, additional director (research) of the Centre for Policy Dialogue.

To achieve the target, we need 17% growth per year. Though the initiatives a little bit ambitious, it was needed to reach the target, he said.

The interest rate on loans could be brought down to single digit for the industry, and for this, there should have transparency in the banking sector, he

added.

The summit is scheduled to have several sessions to discuss issues, including road communication, environmental sustainability, workplace safety and sustainable production, remediation financing for transforming Bangladesh garment industry, responsible sourcing and productivity enhancement, ensuring workplace tranquility, and helping Bangladesh to become a middle income country through RMG. The session would be participated by representatives from governments of Bangladesh and other countries, international organisations, employers, private sectors, workers’ representatives, civil society organisations, brand representatives, buyers and academics.

The discussions would benefit the RMG producers by enriching their knowledge about latest apparel technologies and fashion. The summit would also help domestic apparel makers build a bridge with the global buyers as well as experts.

In the summit, there will be a safety expo titled “Bangladesh Building and Fire Safety Expo 2014” to be participated by globally recognised safety equipment producers. They will display products and demonstrate several drills to raise awareness among the factory owners. l

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has recently opened its 292nd branch at Rayenda Bazar, Sarankhola in Bagerhat. The bank’s MD, Mohammad Abdul Mannan inaugurated the branch as chief guest

Rotary President Gary CK Huang has recently spokk at a press conference in Dhaka at the presence of its governor, Safina Rahman and others Rotary leaders

Summit Power Limited has recently received the ICSB National Award for corporate governance excellence in 2013”. Finance Minister Abul Maal A Muhith handed over the certificate to the Summit Group’s chairperson Muhammed Aziz Khan and the company’s MD, Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Wadud

Rangs has recently launched its virtual showroom through Carmudi. Ashiqur Rahman, country manager of Carmudi Bangladesh and Shoeb Ahmed, COO of Rangs Limited have signed an agreement in this regard

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Bill Gross warns global markets reaching ‘point of low return’ n Reuters, New York Bill Gross, the closely watched bond investor, on Thursday lambasted central banks around the world for unconventional monetary easing and advised investors to curb risk-taking going into 2015 as global markets are reaching “the point of low return” and diminishing liquidity.

Gross, who oversees the Janus Global Unconstrained Bond Fund, said “investors may want to begin to take some chips off the table,” given the current environment. “Raise asset quality, reduce duration, and prepare for at least a halt of asset appreciation engineered upon a false central bank premise of artificial yields, QE (Quantitative Easing) and the trickling down of faux wealth to the working class.”

In his third investment outlook letter since joining Janus Capital Group Inc, Gross asked: “How could they?

How could policymakers have allowed so much debt to be created in the first place, and then failed to regulate their own system accordingly? How could they have thought that money printing and debt creation could create wealth instead of just more and more debt?”

The Janus Global Unconstrained portfolio, which Gross began managing in October, attracted an estimated $364m in client deposits in the first full month since his arrival, bringing assets to $442.9m through Oct 31, according to Morningstar data. Janus Capital posted a total of $1.1bn in net inflows in October, the largest net deposits this year, after hiring Gross.

Last month, Soros Fund Management LLC, chaired by legendary investor George Soros, invested $500m in an account run by Gross, Denver-based Janus Capital said.

The roughly $7tn pumped into the financial system since the financial cri-

sis by the world’s three biggest central banks has succeeded mostly in lifting prices of securities rather than the cost of goods and workers’ wages, Gross said.

The US Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank have all taken extraordinary policy measures since the 2008 crisis to stabilize their economies and try to create a moderate amount of inflation.

Results have largely been disappointing, with none of the three central banks able to guide their preferred measures of inflation to their target levels of around 2%.

Gross, whose letters to investors are as famous for their quirky asides and analogies as they are for their economic and market analysis, introduced his December investment outlook letter with a children’s nursery rhyme to convey the state of the world today: “Punch and Judy fought for a pie. Punch gave Judy a sock in the eye. Said Punch to Judy, ‘Would you like anymore?’ Said Judy to Punch, “No my eye is too sore.”

Gross, who has absorbed quite a few blows lately himself after a run of mediocre returns and billions of outflows from various funds he previously managed, said: “Can a debt crisis be cured with more debt? It is difficult to envision a return to normalcy within my lifetime (shorter than it is for most of you).”

Gross, long known and still considered the world’s “Bond King,” quit bond giant Pacific Investment Management Co (Pimco) on Sept 26 for distant rival Janus. Two sources had told Reuters he was expected to be fired the next day.

Gross helped launch Pimco more than four decades ago and built into a $2tn investment powerhouse, only to see his reputation suffer after a run of lackluster returns, more than a yearand-a-half of outflows from Pimco’s flagship fund, and unflattering stories about his management style. l

US one-hundred dollar bills are seen in this photo illustration at a bank in Seoul

India to press G20 for deadline to cut remittance costs n Reuters, New Delhi India will press the Group of 20 economies to set a two-year deadline to reduce the cost of international money transfers, two government sources said, potentially saving more than $20bn for developing countries.

The world’s largest recipient of remittances - of about $70bn a year - won the backing of G20 leaders last month in Brisbane to take “strong practical measures” to cut the average cost of sending money home to 5%.

Despite that pledge, big banks are pulling out of handling remittances over rising compliance costs. In one case, 20 remittance firms sued Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp to stop it quitting the business.

“We will demand a deadline of two years at the next G20 meeting,” one of the sources, with direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters. The official is part of an Indian delegation that plans to attend a meeting of G20 deputy central bank governors in Istanbul on Dec. 11-12. Turkey has just taken over the annual presidency of the G20, an intergovernmental forum.

In 2011, G20 members agreed to bring down the global average cost of remit-

REUTERS

tances to 5% by 2014, but that deadline has been missed.

The cost of remittances from G20 countries has fallen to 8.3% from 9.1% in 2011, the World Bank estimates. That has saved nearly $30bn for migrant families since 2010, it said in a report to the G20.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended last month’s G20 summit, is pushing for Indians to save about $3bn a year, partly helping bridge its current account deficit, the official said.

“The money belongs to poor families of developing countries and cannot be taken away in the name of transaction fees,” said another official.

Several Indian banks have brought down costs by up to 30% by offering services that allow Indian migrants in the United States and Britain to send money directly from their bank account or credit card to recipients in India.

Saudi Arabia has reduced remittance costs to near 3%, and India is hopeful that other G20 countries would agree to set a deadline to reduce the costs.

The government estimates that about 22 million Indians live abroad, with large communities in the Middle East, the United States and Britain. l

Shaybah oilfield complex is seen at night in the Rub' al-Khali desert, Saudi Arabia

REUTERS

Saudi slashes January oil prices for Asia, US n Reuters, London

Saudi Arabia slashed its oil prices for Asian and US buyers on Thursday, in a move some analysts said shows it is stepping up its battle for market share a week after refusing to support OPEC output cuts.

Official Selling Prices (OSPs) for oil from the largest producer and exporter in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have been seen as possible indications of the kingdom’s oil policies.

Some analysts have said sharp drops in OSPs in recent months show the kingdom is fighting for market share with other producers, but others have

said the OSPs only reflect the market and are a backward-looking rather than a forward-looking indicator.

The discounts on Saudi crude oil for Asian customers in January were the biggest since at least 2002, according to Reuters data, while prices were cut to the United States for the fifth month in a row. “(The) Saudis are making it clear they don’t want to lose market share,” Richard Mallinson, an analyst at consultancy Energy Aspects, told the Reuters Global Oil Forum.

Saudi Arabia and other rich Gulf producers last week blocked proposals from poorer OPEC members, such as Venezuela and Algeria, to cut output to support oil prices, which have plum-

meted by over a third since June.

OPEC sources have said Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told the OPEC ministerial meeting behind closed doors that OPEC should defend its market share, because production cuts would only boost rival producers, including U.S. shale oil companies.

According to the sources, Naimi did not give any indication how far prices would need to fall for Saudi Arabia to consider cutting production.

Oil prices have been volatile since the OPEC meeting and are down around 40% since June. On Thursday, Brent crude fell, trading below $70 per barrel.

Aramco cut the January price for its Arab Light grade for Asian custom-

ers by $1.90 a barrel from December to a discount of $2 a barrel to the Oman/ Dubai average.

The Arab Light OSP to the United States was set at a premium of $0.90 a barrel to the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI) for January, down 70 cents from the previous month.

Arab Light OSPs to Northwest Europe were raised by 20 cents for January from the previous month to a discount of $3.15 a barrel to the Brent Weighted Average (BWAVE).

The tables below show the full FOB prices for January in US dollars.

Saudi term crude supplies to the United States are priced as a differential to the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI). l

Vietnam’s 2014 exports seen up at a record $150bn

Uber now valued at $40bn n AFP, Washington

n Tribune Business Desk

Popular but controversial US ridesharing startup Uber is now valued at $40bn, it said Thursday, twice what it was worth six months ago, after raising a fresh $1.2bn in funding.

Uber chief Travis Kalanick announced the latest funding in a blog post, saying the money will fuel expansion, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

“It was just a year ago that Uber was operating in 60 cities and 21 countries - today we are in over 250 cities in 50 countries,” he wrote.

“We are six times bigger today than 12 months ago - and grew faster this year than last. This progress is remarkable, but it is in the coming years that Uber truly scales and the impact in cities becomes visible.”

Kalanick added that “this kind of continued growth requires investment.

To that end, we have just raised a financing round of $1.2bn ... This financing will allow Uber to make substantial investments, particularly in the AsiaPacific region.”

Earlier this year Uber raised $1.2bn, giving it a value of $17bn, but a spokesman Thursday said the company was now valued at more than twice that at $40bn.

The rapid expansion has caused deep tensions with traditional taxi drivers, especially in Europe. Founded in 2009 in California, Uber is best known for its smartphone app that lets people who need a ride connect with local drivers.

The app uses GPS to put the user in contact with the nearest driver. Uber charges a commission for each ride.

Uber has also faced scrutiny following negative comments about the news media from a top executive and revelations that it offered a “God view” of customers that could allow spying.

The company hired experts to conduct a privacy review. l

Vietnam’s exports this year are expected to hit a record $150bn, up 13% from 2013, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said on Friday, beating a previous government projection.

The value, above the $148bn previously estimated by the trade ministry, could keep Vietnam on track to register a trade surplus of $1.5bn in 2014, its third consecutive annual surplus, Dung told an international conference.

The forecasts are based on the export figures during the first 11 months of the on-going year, according to Reuters.

Vietnam’s last year’s garment and

textile export turnover has witnessed an increase of over 19% in the first 11 months in 2014 and the yearly export figure is expected to reach $24.5bn, the largest rise in three years.

Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), claims that the industry’s efforts in the strategic direction of production, and increased localization rate to more than 50%, have helped increase competitiveness.

Vinatex GM Le Tien Truong said, “The upcoming Trade Agreement is an opportunity for Vietnam’s garment manufacturers to prove their capabilities, it will need to improve its productivity, quality, and competitiveness

PMI: Global economy to expand at solid pace in fourth-quarter n Reuters, London The global economy will expand at a solid pace in the final quarter, albeit less strongly than during the summer months after inflows of new business slowed in November, a survey showed on Wednesday.

JPMorgan’s Global All-Industry Output Index, produced with Markit, fell to a seven-month low of 53.2 from October’s 53.5 but has now held above the 50 mark that divides growth from contraction for more than two years.

“November saw global economic growth continue its gradual slowdown from the highs of the middle of the year,” said David Hensley, a director at JPMorgan. “The survey therefore implies that global GDP (gross domestic product) will expand at a solid pace over the final quarter as a whole, albeit cooler than during the summer months.”

A global PMI covering the services industry dipped to its own sevenmonth low of 53.5 from 53.6. Global manufacturing activity expanded at its weakest pace in over a year in November, a sister survey showed on Monday.

The index combines survey data

from countries including the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia.

Euro zone economy to contract in the new year

Heavy discounting failed to stop euro zone business activity growing less than thought last month, a survey showed on Wednesday, suggesting the bloc’s economy may contract again early next year.

“The region is on course to see a mere 0.1% GDP growth in the final quarter of the year, with a strong likelihood of the near-stagnation turning to renewed contraction in the new year unless demand shows signs of reviving,” said Chris Williamson, survey compiler Markit’s chief economist.

A Reuters poll last month predicted 0.2% economic growth this quarter and 0.3% next.

Markit’s final November Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), based on surveys of thousands of companies across the region and seen as a good indicator of growth, sank to 51.1 from October’s 52.1, missing an earlier flash reading of 51.4. l

with investment in new technologies, machinery and innovation, in order to compete effectively. We will have to convince customers that we are competitive and able to supply them with products and best service.”

Seafood export contributed $5bn to a trade surplus of $8.2bn run by the agriculture sector in the first 11 months of 2014.

During the period, seafood brought home $7.2bn and is to earn $7.8bn by the end of the year, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam reported at the first meeting of the aquatic disease prevention and control steering committee in Hanoi on December 4. l

German industrial orders gain momentum n AFP, Frankfurt German industrial orders, a key measure of demand for German-made goods both at home and abroad, rose strongly in October, suggesting Germany’s period of economic weakness could be over, data showed Friday.

Industrial orders rose by 2.5% in October compared with the previous month, the economy ministry said in a statement. In September, German factory orders had already risen by 1.1%.

“This was a good start to the fourth quarter. Alongside a brightening of sentiment indicators, the signals are looking increasingly positive,” the ministry said.

“Even if the economic risks continue to exist, this suggests that the German economy could be gradually beginning to recover from its period of weakness.” l

DILBERT