01 jan, 2015

Paush 18, 1421 Rabiul Awal 9, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 268

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

20 pages plus 16-page T-Mag tabloid and 16-page year-end special tabloid | Price: Tk12

TMAG

7 | HERITAGE

11 | OP-ED

YEAR-END SPECIAL

PROUD AND PROMISING MUNER’S

A ROAD TO EMPIRES

VOLUNTEERISM 365

LOOKING BACK AND LEAPING FORWARD

Digital services take off in 2015

Year ends with a milestone for women kar Ali Manik, n Julfi back from Jessore

Several mobile operators looking to launch 4G in a couple of months n Muhammad Zahidul Islam Years of preparation, coupled with unprecedented Internet penetration and network readiness of the mass, paved way for 2015 to take the country to the next level of data services, industry experts have said.

In the new year, the 42.5 million people or nearly a fourth of the population using Internet in the country will get fourth generation mobile telecommunications technology, better known as 4G – the fastest mode of wireless connectivity in the world as of now.

“Over the last 2 to 3 years, we got prepared.

Now customers can enjoy the benefits” Several mobile operators, who have brought the 64 districts in the country under 3G coverage, have already made the preparations to launch 4G services in the new year.

4G data services are better than the previous ones in the sense that they can transfer very high bit rates of data using entirely Internet-based communications and without having to depend on traditional telephony services.

SM Ashraf Abir, executive member of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) told the Dhaka Tribune: “Over the last two to three years, we got prepared. A lot of products got matured. Now customers can enjoy the benefits...No doubt 2015 is very important from the point of view of offering services. ” On-line marketplaces, mobile banking and mobile applications are some of the products that he said had attained maturity over the last few years.

4G data services

Long-Term Evolution or LTE, marketed as 4G, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile.

While the leading mobile operators are gearing up for launching 4G in the country within a month or two, Wi-max operator Bangladesh Internet Exchange Limited (BIEL), under the brand name Ollo, has already installed 4G network in the capital and some other cities.

Ollo’s Chief Technical Officer Md Mizanur Rahaman said they will go for commercial services within a month or two.

For faster service, having a smart handsets is mandatory; but since 3G-enabled handsets are not cheap, the mobile operators have laid out innovative market plans.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

The country’s first female combat pilots – Flight Lieutenant Nayma Haque and Flying Officer Tamanna-E-Lutfi – pose for a picture after taking part in a flypast at the Jessore Air Force Academy parade ground yesterday

On the eve of stepping into a new year, the country achieved a new milestone for women yesterday; when for the first time ever, a female flight cadet – Nabila Afsana Badhon – carried the national flag to lead the flag contingent in a President Parade of Bangladesh Air Force.

Also at the same occasion, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the parade’s salute as the chief guest, two of the country’s first female combat pilots took part in the flypast – their first such participation at a major event.

Only two weeks earlier, Flight Lieutenant Nayma Haque and Flying Officer Tamanna-E-Lutfi made history by becoming the first female combat pilots of the country.

Although they still have many  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

‘Disappearance’ became a horror in 2014 n Abid Azad The rising incidents of disappearance and extra-judicial killings allegedly by the law enforcement agencies and the never-ending culture of impunity were a matter of grave concern among the people in 2014, observe human rights activists.

Disappearance, particularly, was a much-talked-about issue throughout the year.

The country is stepping into a new

year with at least 42 people still remain missing. Families of these victims are yet to know their whereabouts. Rights activists blame the government for its failure to unearth the mysterious incidents of disappearance.

Mistrust and fear coupled with the “culture of impunity” dominated people’s minds that barred them from seeking justice from the law enforcers. They even do not dear going to the courts to file cases seeking remedy, the rights activists allege.

According to rights group Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), 21 persons were abducted during 2007-2009 and only three of them later found dead. The number rose to 47 in 2010, 59 in 2011, 56 in 2012, 72 in 2013 and 88 in 2014.

From the last year’s victims, 23 were later found dead, 12 released after abduction, one found at the DB office, two sent to jail, one shown arrested. Moreover, seven of the victims were produced before media by elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), for the first time.

The figures show the incidents reported only in national newspapers.

On the other hand, the number of extra-judicial killings – elaborated by the rights body as “crossfire” and torture before and after arrest by different law enforcement agencies – was 146 in 2014.

Extra-judicial killings reached as high as 208 in 2013; the number was 91 in 2012, 100 in 2011 and 133 in 2010.

On the other hand, during the military-backed caretaker government,

Khaleda places seven proposals to end political stalemate n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday placed a seven-point set of proposals to the government including ensuring level-playing field for all political parties with a view to holding an inclusive election that may resolve the current political stalemate.

“We have given seven proposals for ensuring a fair election. Now it is the government who will have to decide whether they will sit for dialogue accepting our proposals or face a movement,” Khaleda, also the chief of 20-party alliance, said at an emergency press conference held at her Gulshan office.

The three-time former premier, whose alliance refrained from participating in the January 5 election, announced that the 20-party alliance would observe Jan-

UN team: Oil spill had ‘limited’ impact on Sundarbans n Abu Bakar Siddique

There has been “limited” environmental impact to the Sundarbans and its aquatic ecosystem following last month’s oil spill in Sela River, a team of UN experts has said as part of their primary observation after surveying the mangrove forest.

The joint team of specialists from the United Nations and the Bangladesh government found no visible impact on the forest floor while the oil spill’s initial acute impacts to wildlife appeared to be limited, team leader Emilia Wahlstrom told a Meet the Press programme at the capital’s Hotel Sonargaon yesterday.

However, further monitoring was

needed to conclusively determine the effect of the residual oil in the aquatic environment and its impacts on fisheries and livelihood, Wahlstrom said.

In their primary assessment, the team said the oil spill would have a limited impact because of the tidal system of the river that experience high and low tide twice daily.

The team is scheduled to present their final assessment report on January 15.

The team also recommended the government to ensure controlled navigation through the Sela River with appropriate safeguards and mitigation measures to avoid any further disaster in the forest.

The Sela River has been used as an

Khaleda Zia addressing a press meet at the party’s Gulshan office yesterday uary 5 as “Democracy Killing Day” through holding rallies and demonstrations across the country with black flags.

The alliance would hold a rally in the

capital on January 5, the BNP chief said hoping that the government would not hinder their programmes.

Khaleda said: “We want to hold a rally on January 5 and hope that we will be allowed to arrange it peacefully. We will come up with our action programmes gradually. No one will be able to subdue people’s movement by creating obstacles and unleashing attack on them.”

The Awami League-led government is set to observe January 5 as the “Victory Day of Democracy.”

Khaleda’s other suggestions are reconstitution of the Election Commission with impartial, competent and honest persons before announcing the fresh election schedule, amending the RPO and removing anomalies in the voter list; dissolving parliament and cabinet before announcing  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Government okays satellite orbital slot procurement

illegal navigation route since 2011 after siltation forced navigation to be halted on the legal Mongla-Ghosiakhali route.

Regarding reopening the navigation route, Md Nojibur Rahman, secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, said the government would take a decision on this regard soon.

Following a request from the Bangladesh government in the wake of the oil spill, a 25-member team consisting of government and UNDP officials including nine foreign experts conducted the assessment at the forest between December 22 and 27.

On December 9, oil tanker Southern Star 7 – carrying around 3.58 lakh litres  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Showkat Kallol and n Asif Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is going to sign a final contract with Intersputnik, an orbital slot leasing company, in order to launch the country’s first satellite Bangabandhu 1.

The proposal got the final nod at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) yesterday, chaired by Finance Minister AMA Muhith, as confirmed by Joint Secretary of Cabinet Division Mostafizur Rahman.

The CCGP approved the proposal for orbital slot lease following the direct procurement method (DPM) to launch the a communication and broadcasting satellite on

119.1 East longitude, with the cost fixed at $28m (around Tk218.96 crore).

According to the contract draft, the BTRC will pay 20% of the cost ($5.6m) to the Russia-based international space communication services organisation within 90 days after the deal is sealed.

The BTRC also needs to pay 30% of the cost ($8.4m) within the next 15 months, 25% ($7m) within 18 months after that, and the rest within the next eight months.

Earlier, the BTRC also signed a non-disclosure agreement with Intersputnik on Marcy 29, 2012, and then a non-binding Memoranda of Understanding in February 10, 2013, which expired yesterday.

“After receiving the official order of  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE

4 | News

Planning to make Bangladesh Air Force more modern and a strategically strong and effective force within 2021, the PM yesterday said new aircraft and helicopters will be inducted in the air force.

5 | News

A signboard hanging outside the reading room entrance lists 10 rules that everyone should follow while using the library. It is written there that nobody is allowed to bring any book from the outside.

9 | World

The death toll from flooding and landslides in the Philippines wrought by tropical storm Jangmi rose to 53 yesterday, officials said, with some regions saying they were caught off guard.

12 | Sport

Glittering performances in three tournaments – Asian Games Qualifiers, Hockey World League Round 1 and Men’s Junior AHF Cup – enabled hockey to be the most admired sport of 2014.

B1 | Business

Sign of recovery after four years of market crash in late 2010 still remains elusive despite some gains in 2014 when a few investors, once their fingers had burned, returned with their wounds.

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Bangabandhu 1’s orbital slot

Year ends with a milestone for women

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

approval, we will contact Intersputnik to sign the deal. It could be done as soon as 10 days, I expect,” BTRC Commissioner ATM Monirul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday evening.

“Although we are already six months behind our schedule, we are very optimistic about finishing the project within the given time – by June 2017,” he added.

Sources said although the BTRC is set to sign the deal soon, Intersputnik is under a deadline, set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on September 21, 2018, to bring the orbital slot in question to use, which also puts Bangladesh government under pressure.

The BTRC commissioner said the slot would be bought for a period of 15 years, which can be extended twice, for the same amount of time and with no additional payment.

The orbital slot leasing proposal, formulated by the Post and Telecommunication Division, states that Intersputnik is willing to hand over the full control of the satellite to Bangladesh, which no other available orbital slots offered.

There is a scope to launch three satellites in the slot, making many planned quality services possible in Bangladesh and other countries in the region.

If Bangladesh decides not to launch any other satellites, it can lease out or sell the remaining frequency to other countries.

Bangladesh’s demand for a satellite is currently met by renting bandwidth from different satellite operators, which costs around $14m each year and is increasing progressively.

The country first applied for orbital slots in 2007, on 102 East longitude,

but the BTRC failed the negotiate a deal with the countries who were already using the slot.

Then telecommunication regulator also applied for three other orbital slots: 69 East, 74 East and 133 East longitudes.

On September 16, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved Tk2,967 crore for the Bangabandhu 1 project.

Of that fund, Tk1,652.44 crore came from foreign aid, and the remaining Tk1,315.51 crore will be paid by the government.

Out of the total cost, the BTRC has estimated Tk1,312.58 crore to be operational expenditure and Tk1,655.38 for capital expenditure.

The project proposal said the satellite would minimise the existing digital divide between the country’s urban and rural areas as it would take broadcasting and telecommunication services to the most remote areas of the country, and introduce profitable and promising services such as direct service to households throughout the country.

When launched, the Bangabandhu 1 satellite will serve the Saarc countries along with Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as the “Stan” countries – such as Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – if the satellite’s frequency is properly coordinated.

The government plans to launch the satellite in the middle of 2017. Before, the plan was to launch it at the end of 2014.

American firm Space Partnership International has worked with the BTRC for the past few years on the project as a consultancy firm.

Currently, India and Pakistan are the only countries in the subcontinent with satellites, and Sri Lanka is working on launching one of its own. l

Digital services take off in 2015  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

“The flourishing of data markets in 2015 will heavily depend on the handset market. From the operators’ side, we are trying to reduce the price of devices, so that everyone can get mounted to the 3G network,” said Munir Hasan, a director of Grameenphone, the leading mobile operator in the country.

Mobile banking

According to available data, around 25 million registered mobile banking customers are currently transacting around Tk323 crore everyday through 519,000 registered agents across the country.

Currently, three out of every four rickshaw-pullers in Dhaka send money to their village homes through mobile banking services which they deem safe and cost-effective, says a study. It predicts that the number is very likely to multiply manifold in the new year.

Grameenphone (GP), the leading mobile telecom operator in the country has four priorities for 2015 – education, health, agriculture and financial services – and they are all based on mobile technologies.

“Considering the context of the country, we are emphasising health, education, agriculture and financial services. To succeed, we require active support from and partnership with the government to create the right policy environment and develop the market,” said Md Munir Hasan, a director of GP. Market leader GP has already introduced the system of paying utility bills such as electricity and gas using its connections. State-owned operator

Teletalk has made an arrangement for paying electricity bills for the rural people. Another operator Robi has submitted tender for launching similar kinds of services, sources said.

E-commerce

On December 27, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) sold some tickets of the highly anticipated Sheikh Jamal versus Busan Ipark match, accepting payments through mobile and the Internet.

Seeing the success of the experiment, the BFF is now planning to do something bigger.

BFF Secretary Abu Nayem Sohag said they are now planning to sell 500,000 tickets for a lottery through mobile and Internet.

For selling tickets on-line, the BFF engaged popular mobile banking service “bkash.”

In recent times, especially over the last year or so, e-commerce and m-commerce services have developed to the extent that people can now have even groceries delivered to their doorsteps; orders can be placed right from the mobile phones.

Saiful Islam, entrepreneur of on-line store AmarGadget.com, said: “E-commerce will make people’s life much easier in the near future by bringing virtually all kinds of service to people’s doorsteps.”

“Around 500 service-related web portals are currently doing business in the country and the size of the market will be double by the end of 2015,” said Razib Ahmed, president of the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB). Recently, the e-CAB declared 2015 as the year of e-commerce.

phases of training left to do, the two female combat pilots said it was an honour to get the opportunity to be a part of yesterday’s flypast in the presence of the prime minister.

“We feel proud and honoured joining the President Parade,” Nayma told the Dhaka Tribune after yesterday’s President Parade of 70 Flight Cadet Course of Air Force. Tamanna also expressed similar feelings.

Both of them flew Bell-206 helicopters as they took part in the flypast, becoming the first female combat pilots in southeast Asia to fly this model of chopper.

It was also a big day for the 42 flight cadets who passed out from the Air Academy after two years of gruelling training.

But at the Jessore Air Force Academy parade ground yesterday, most of the limelight was on Flight Cadet Nabila, Flight Lieutenant Nayma and Flying Officer Tamanna – pioneers of a new generation of female Air Force personnel.

Once the parade, flypast and other formal programmes ended, parents of the newly graduated flight cadets, distinguished guests and senior Armed Forces officials came forward to congratulate Nayma and Tamanna on their achievement.

Former foreign minister and ruling party MP Dipu Moni was among those who congratulated them. An enthusiastic Dipu Moni brought out her smartphone and seized the opportunity to get a picture taken with the country’s first two female combat pilots.

Flight Cadet Nabila, who was the national flag bearer in the parade, is still undergoing training in the academy, while combat pilots Nayma and Tamanna are posted at Air Force’s Bir

However, Rokon Zaman, a professor of the North South University, is not happy with the government’s digital service offers.

“The private sector is going to take the lead in offering modern services such as mHelath and m-Education; but the channels are not tested for security.

After the faster services are launched, disputes may arise. I am sure the government will not have any answer then,” said Rokon Zaman, who is also a digital services expert.

Contacted, State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak said the country had achieved more than half of the Digital Bangladesh promise.

“The government is formulating the e-service act for strengthening monitoring. We are also developing hundreds of mobile applications to ensure better services for citizens.

“Several on-line marketplaces have already been developed; they are now buying and selling products and services. Some of them have become really popular. This, I think, will make a difference in 2015,” Palak said.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has recently launched a mobile text-messaging system for providing service to driving licence seekers in order to cut down cost and hassle.

Applications

Hundreds of locally developed mobile applications are currently being used by subscribers. With a host of other digital products in the pipeline, 2015 is expected to see a much better pace in the sector, experts said.

These applications are already mak-

‘Disappearance’ became a horror in 2014  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

180 people were killed by law enforcement agencies in 2007 while it was 175 in 2008, the ASK says.

In 2009, when the Awami League took office, deaths of people in the hands of law enforcers was 229.

Apart from RAB and DB, the other agencies blamed for extra-judicial killings and disappearance are police, BGB and joint forces.

The victims belong to different political parties including the Awami League, while some of them are businessmen or students. Rights bodies say many of the victims are innocent.

Trained by the US and the UK on interrogation and human rights among other issues, RAB since its inception in June 2004 has been criticised also for defending the extra-judicial killings, mainly “crossfires” claiming that they open fire in self defence only.

During the BNP-Jamaat government, 210 people were killed by the law enforcement agencies in 2004. The figure rose to as high as 377 the following year and stood at 362 in 2006, according to ASK documentation.

The deaths drew massive criticisms at home and abroad. However, the government defended RAB activities.

Then home state minister Lutfozzaman Babar told a US embassy official in 2004 that he got hundreds of calls

from people blessing him after each crossfire and judges encourage him to continue “the good work.”

He justified RAB as a short-term tactic pending his long-term reform and streamlining of the law enforcement agencies.

In 2002, around 50 people had been killed in the much-controversial crackdown by the armed forces “Operation Clean Heart” in custody, many attributed to “heart attacks.” However, parliament gave the military indemnity against those deaths.

The Awami League government too rejects demands from different quarters for disbanding or reforming the RAB, formed to combat serious crimes and protecting the VVIPs. Rights activists demand that every incident of extra-judicial killings and disappearance by the law enforcers must be investigated and those responsible be brought to the book to ensure justice for the victims.

They say the alarming trend of impunity should be stopped by the state itself otherwise the country’s social and political situation would be jeopardised.

Sultana Kamal, the ASK executive director, blamed the ill political culture for the situation.

“Currently, there is a huge lack of sense of accountability in our politi-

cal practice. The issues of establishing democracy and people enjoying their rights including freedom of speech depend on the quality of political practice.”

On the other hand, there is lack of sense of accountability and responsibility among the people. “Thus the total atmosphere creates a violent situation at the individual-level as well as the state level,” Sultana, also a former caretaker government adviser, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Nowadays not only an individual but also the state acts in a desperate mood which will make everyone violent against each other. Who began all these is a debatable issues. But it is important what the state is doing to tackle such desperate situation.”

She observed that such situation continued not beyond the knowledge of the rulers.

Sultana also expressed concern over the grabbing mentality of the ordinary people as well as the influential people linked to the state and the government.

Several human rights organisations in investigations found that members of the law enforcement agencies were involved in most of the cases of extra-judicial killings and disappearance or abductions, including the muchhyped seven murders in Narayanganj in late April.

Sreshtho Matiur Rahman Base in Jessore.

Mili Rahman, wife of Bir Sreshtho Matiur Rahman, was present at yesterday’s event. Following the programme, she excitedly approached Nayma and Tamanna, saying: “Congratulations, you are our pride.”

When she found out that the two combat pilots were located in the base named after her husband, Mili became emotional. She told Nayma and Tamanna: “I am the wife of [Bir Sreshtho] Matiur Rahman, I am very glad to know that [where the pilots were based]. I pray for you, my best wishes for you.”

Combat pilots Nayma and Tamanna said they believed that all females of the country should come forward to realise their own dreams Air Force Wing Commander Matiur Rahman died in a plane crash in 1971 while escaping from Pakistan to join the Liberation War. For his bravery, Matiur was awarded the country’s highest gallantry award Bir Sreshtho.

“We never met her [Matiur’s wife Mili] before, so we were exited too,” Tamanna told the Dhaka Tribune.

Interestingly, Nayma and Tamanna both said it was their childhood dream to become a combat pilot one day.

Twenty-four-year old Nayma’s inspiration was her grandfather Abdul Wahed Khandaker who was in the Royal Indian Air Force during the British colonial regime and Tamanna’s inspiration was her father Lutfor Rahman who

is a retired group captain of Bangladesh Air Force.

Becoming a combat pilot was a “dream come true achievement” for Nayma and Tamanna; but both of them said they believed that this was also an “achievement for the country and nation.”

The two combat pilots said they wanted to further serve the country and were looking forward to contribute in different significant occasions as well as helping people in crises like natural disasters. They also expressed hopes of contributing to UN missions on behalf of Bangladesh.

Flight Lieutenant Nayma was commissioned in the Air Force in December 2011, while Flying Officer Tamanna was commissioned in December 2012. Now they want to complete their full training as military pilots.

The Army, Navy and Air Force introduced the recruitment of female officers during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s first tenure in 2000.

Hasina in her speech to the commissioned officer yesterday said: “I am so happy to know that two female Air Force officers by now have been able to fly by their own after completing their training successfully as first [female] military pilots.

“I hope, the Air Force will train more female military pilots in future,” said Hasina, adding that the Air Force would continue its contribution for the development of female officers.

Nayma and Tamanna said they believed that all females of the country should come forward to realise their own dreams.

“If there is will, there is win... The dream can come true,” said 23-year-old Tamanna with confidence; a sentiment that was also shared by her colleague Nayma. l

UN team: Oil spill had ‘limited’ impact on Sundarbans  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

of furnace oil – sank in Sela River near Mrigmari area after being hit by a cargo vessel. Around 68,000 litres of the spilled oil was manually collected by the local people, while the rest spread to nearby areas.

On tackling any similar disaster in the future, the UN team suggested the government to pursue special training, buy equipments and gain experience to improve the response to any environmental emergency and minimise the impacts on local communities and ecosystems.

According to the UN team, the oil spill had spread across 40km up and downstream in the main shoreline which showed varying degrees of pollution.

However, a recent study by the Environmental Science Department of Khulna University showed that the spilled oil had spread across around 500 square-kilometres of the forest.

The study also found there was very limited presence of different primary food producers like phytoplankton and zooplankton in the contaminated water compared to the regular situation.

The 6017 sq-km area of the forest is rich with flora and fauna diversity including 66 species of plants, more than 200 fish species, 42 mammals, 234 birds, 51 reptiles, 8 amphibians and a wide range of invertebrates species.

Around 500,000 people also directly and indirectly depend on the Sundarbans for their livelihoods. l

Khaleda places seven proposals  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

According to a study of the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), the apex global body of the GSM-based mobile operators, Bangladesh will be one of the global powerhouses in terms of Internet penetration by 2020. By then, 39% of the country’s population will be using Internet, making Bangladesh the 10th largest Internet using country in the world.

At present, out of the 42.5 million Internet users in Bangladesh, 12.5 million are using 3G connections, local data suggests.

According to the GSMA, by 2020, Bangladesh will have 66.7 million active Internet users, with only China, India, USA, Brazil, Nigeria, Japan, Russia, Indonesia and Pakistan having more.

Experts said the 120 million current active SIM cards in the country give an immensely strong upper-hand to the sector; the number is already the eight largest in the world. They said the massive usage allows the market players to plan different services models.

In addition to all these, there are more than 10 million Facebook users in Bangladesh. Many different Facebook-based commercial services are already doing good business in the country, which is only likely to expand in the new year. l

election schedule, and handing over power to an impartial and non-partisan administration through consensus among all political parties; deploying members of the armed forces with magistracy power soon after announcement of the election schedule; launching special drive before the election campaign to arrest the listed criminals and recover illegal arms, withdrawing controversial and partisan officials from the administration and the law enforcement agencies; releasing all political prisoners and withdrawing “false cases” filed against political leaders; and reopening all print and electronic media outlets shut down during the Awami League government, and release of all journalists including Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of the daily Amar Desh.

Asked whether she also demands release of the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders convicted for their involvement in 1971 war crimes, Khaleda replied that those who committed crimes, must be punished.

“But the trial must be held in an impartial manner maintaining international standard.” The BNP chief said they were not political prisoners.

“However, we have noticed that many people are being implicated in false charges,” she said without mentioning any name.

Asked whether her party would participate in election arranged in line with the current constitution, Khaleda said: “We have clearly stated the next election must be held under a non-party administration.”

She also urged all democratic parties, forces and individuals to get united to wage a national movement to es-

tablish a people’s government.

On the ruling party’s stance that the next national election would not be held before 2019, the BNP chief said the current “illegal government” did not represent people. “Despite that, we gave them one year. Now we want a free, fair and inclusive election as early as possible,” she added.

Reiterating the 20-party alliance’s stance on a free and fair election, Khaleda said the government must hold an inclusive election. “We think the proposals we have placed are very much logical and a solution lies there.”

She replied in the negative when asked whether the international community including the UN should play a role to resolve the ongoing political stand-off.

In response to another query on her party’s having organisational strength to wage a tougher movement, Khaleda said her party had proved its strength before the “one-sided election” of January 5.

“BNP is a well-organised party and it is completely ready to take to the streets with tougher action programmes,” she added.

In her written speech, Khaleda renewed her party’s threat that they would enforce a non-stop action programme if the government increased prices of power and gas.

On Tarique Rahman’s recent remarks that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a big razakar, she said her elder son had not made the comment in that way.

Khaleda, however, claimed that what Tarique said about Bangabandhu in London was based on facts and documents. l

It is also alleged that the law enforcers mainly those from RAB and DB can now be hired for committing crimes.

In a report submitted to the High Court, elite force RAB has admitted that its officials and members in unit 11 were involved in the abduction of seven people including a panel mayor and their subsequent killings.

The rights bodies at several discussions brought the victims’ families to public who claimed that their near and dear ones had been abducted by the law enforcement agencies.

On May 17, another accusation surfaced against RAB officials. From a human chain at Siddhirganj Power Station in Narayanganj, Abdul Mannan alleged that Nur Hossain, the prime accused in seven murders, and three RAB officers had been involved in the abduction of his brother Ismail Hossain, 42.

Ismail, an Awami League activist, was abducted on February 7. His family claims that they received a letter where the abductors demanded that Tk2 crore must be paid to former RAB 11 unit chief Lt Col Tarek Sayeed Mohammad for the release of the victim.

Lt Col Tarek is the son-in-law of Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya. He was sacked after the allegations of his involvement in the seven murders proved in preliminary investigation.

Rights activist Nur Khan observes that when the victims’ families are blaming the RAB and the DB members for most of the incidents, the government pays no heed.

He suggested establishment of a judicial investigation commission to bring the law enforcement agencies under accountability so that the government cannot interfere.

He also recommended that chain of command and discipline be ensured in the law enforcement agencies so that they work free from any political influence.

New York-based Human Rights Watch’s Meenakshi Ganguly said when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in opposition, she had committed to reforms in human rights protections.

“Soon after the Awami League took office during the previous term [in 2009], the government made the promise of zero tolerance for human rights violations. Since then, however, there have been several steps backwards, including the targeting of opposition members,” she said in an email sent to the Dhaka Tribune upon queries.

South Asia Director of the HRW, Meenakshi also said the “crackdown on criticism” has had a chilling impact effecting not only media but also civil society.

She suggested that the government

initiates immediate reforms to the criminal justice system, introduce judicial reforms to reduce case load and maintain the independence of the judiciary, and empower constitutional bodies including the National Human Rights Commission and anti-corruption authorities.

About RAB, she said: “The Rapid Action Battalion is a joint force made up of police and military. Although the force is usually headed by a police official, it is increasingly the army that is calling the shots, effectively placing the military into domestic, civilian law enforcement duties. The army is a powerful force in Bangladesh and resists any attempt to hold its forces to account for abuses.

“The Narayanganj killings exposed misdoings by RAB forces to the extent that the state was forced to make arrests. But other abuses, including the attack that left an innocent teenager [Limon Hossain] disabled, are yet to punished. In fact, motivated allegations of criminal activities were made against the victim.”

Expressing concern that “RAB excesses are now duplicated” by other forces, she said the government should engage in immediate police reform, including proper training in modern investigation and rights-respecting law enforcement. l

ing lives considerably easier for people, they said.

The government has developed 50 useful mobile applications and launched projects for developing another 500 applications which may be released by mid-2015.

GSMA projections

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Thursday, January 1, 2015

COLLEGES WITH GRADUATE COURSES

National University senate disagrees with government decision n Munir Momtaj The government’s decision to bring all National University-affiliated state-run colleges offering graduate and postgraduate degrees under public universities will not bring any benefit, rather it will be harmful for both the NU and public universities, according to NU senate members.

If the decision is implemented, a haphazard situation will be created in the country’s higher education system, they said.

The public universities are not themselves free from session jam.

Some 30,000 to 50,000 students of the colleges under NU will be an extra burden for them, they added.

With 2,154 institutions, including government 275 and private 1879 colleges, about 21 lakh students and around 60,000 teachers, the NU is the largest university in the country, and afflicted with various problems, session jam Instead spiting the NU, the government should take steps to remove its existing problems, including shortage of teachers, infrastructures, libraries, reading rooms, laboratories and other facilities instead of breaking it down, the NU senate members said.

The NU senate members expressed the concerns at a special meeting at its Gazipur campus on December 27.

The NU formed a committee consisting of seven members at the meeting, which will meet the prime minister to express their concerns, said sources in the NU. On August 31, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the education ministry to bring the

government colleges under public universities.

Prof Dr Muhammad Samad, a senate member of the NU, said the social and political impact of the government’s decision would be very bad.

With the existing infrastructures and manpower, the public universities will not be able to afford the massive students of the NU affiliated colleges, he said.

Prof Samad, also the vice-chancellor of the University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS), said the college students who will receive degrees from public universities may fall victim to discrimination.

Moreover, the NU has recently taken some decisions, including decentralisation of its administrations, reduction of session jam, publishing result within 80 days, digitization of its activities and strengthening regional offices, to improve its academic activities and quality of education, he said.

With 2,154 institutions, including government 275 and private 1879 colleges, about 21 lakh students and around 60,000 teachers, the NU is the largest university in the country, and afflicted with various problems, session jam.

Against this backdrop, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently formed an eight-member committee to implement the government’s decision.

On December 7, the UGC arranged a view exchange meeting where vice-chancellors of 36 public universities were present with UGC chairman AK Azad Chowdhury in the chair.

Headed by UGC member Prof Mohammad Mohabbat Khan, the committee will submit its report making recommendations on how to implement the prime minister’s guideline.

Prof Mohabbat Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that the NU was established to improve the quality of higher education and to reduce session jam in 1992.

But it failed to fulfill the expectation.

“The prime minister has given a guideline about this issue. We also have observed it,” he said.

To change the existing condition of the NU the government’s decision should be implemented, he said. l

A picket sets a bus on fire in the capital’s Doyaganj area yesterday - the first day of the 48-hour strike called by Jamaat protesting the death sentence given to its leader ATM Azharul Islam for his war crimes in 1971 MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

First day of Jamaat’s hartal relatively calm n Tribune Report

The first day of the two-day countrywide dawn-to-dusk shutdown enforced by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami went relatively calm yesterday, with some stray incidents of vandalising, torching and picketing.

Jamaat called the hartal in protest of the death sentence given to one of its top leaders ATM Azharul Islam for war crimes.

Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed in the capital as well as different parts of the country on Tuesday evening, who patrolled different strategic points along with other law enforcement agencies to prevent or contain untoward incidents.

In Jatrabari area, miscreants torched a covered van around 6am. On information, two units of fire fighters rushed to the spot and doused the fire. Fire service officer Farhad Uddin said the van was owned by a cement and fertiliser company.

The miscreants fled the scene immediately after setting the van on fire.

No injuries were reported in connection with the incident. Jatrabari police station OC Oboni Sankar Kar said no one was arrested in this regard.

Besides, three or four crude bombs went off at Rayerbagh area in Jatrabari.

In Sheorapara area, pickets blasted

20-25 crude bombs around 11:45am. Sub Inspector Moin of Kafrul police station said they had been trying to arrest the pickets. In addition, crude bombs were blasted in Pallabi and Gendaria areas.

Hartal-related violence outside the capital was reported as well.

In Barisal, activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student front of Jamaat, assaulted a Special Branch constable when he tried to disperse pro-hartal picketing at Band Road BIP Gate area in the city early yesterday morning.

Joynul Abedin, the constable, said he was attacked when he tried to chase and disperse a group of Shibir pickets trying to block the road by burning tyres. The attackers later fled the scene, leaving a motorcycle behind.

Barisal Metropolitan Police authorities filed a case in this regard yesterday afternoon. Golam Rouf Khan, deputy commissioner (south) at the BMP, said Joynul filed the case as complainant with Kotwali police station.

Although the case has eight to ten unidentified accused, police later found that the motorcycle is owned by a Muhammadullah, said Kotwali OC Shakhawat Hossain.

In another event, pro-hartal activists brought out processions – for photo documentation – at Kawnia, C and B Road, Sagardi and Kashipur areas in Barisal city early morning.

They tried to block the roads by felling trees, but left the spot as soon as law enforcers rushed there. The Kotwali police OC said the law enforcing agencies kept patrolling the city roads to keep the situation under control.

Also, a school girl was injured yesterday afternoon after getting hit by pro-hartal pickets on the Barisal-Dhaka highway in Kashipur. The victim, Mousumi Akhter, 17, is an SSC examinee from Jagua School in the city.

In Sylhet, police detained five pickets from Balauara area on the outskirts of Sylhet city yesterday morning.

Akhter Hossain, OC at Jalalabad police station, said police rushed to Balauara after receiving information about picketing on the Sylhet-Sunamganj road and detained the five pickets.

In Chapainawabganj, Jamaat-Shibir activists brought out a procession at Boro Indira Square in the town and ended at Shanti Square, touching the Nimtola and Baten Kha Square areas on the way. The local Awami League Activists also brought out an anti-hartal procession around 11am.

In Gazipur, pro-hartal activists torched two passenger buses at Bhogra bypass and Chandona intersection areas in Gazipur. No injuries were reported.

Mobarak Hossain, sub-inspector at Bhogra police camp under Joydebpur police station, said the miscreants

torched the VIP-27 bus at Bhogra bypass area. Later, a unit of Gazipur fire service doused the fire.

In Jessore, no major incidents were reported. The local Awami League, Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League activists brought out anti-hartal processions in different areas.

In Noakhali, police detained 44 Jamaat and BNP activists in six upazilas of the district, starting from Tuesday night until this report was filed.

In a separate drive, Begumganj police arrested two persons with one light gun, a round of bullet and two knives from their possession.

Pickets also vandalised a a pick-up van around 6:30am, injuring its driver Md Sohag, 35, in his head. Sohag was later taken to Abdul Malek Ukil Medical College Hospital in Noakhali for treatment.

In Gaibandha, the Rapid Action Battallion 13 recovered 25 crude bombs hidden inside two abandoned school bags at Boalia area in Gobindaganj municipality under Gaibandha district.

Ashraf Ali, in-charge of RAB 13 Gaibandha camp, said the hartal activists had carried those bags in order to create violence.

Kamal Hossain, sub-inspector at Gobindaganj police station, said the RAB officials had filed a general diary with the police station in this regard. l

Awami League terms Khaleda’s election demand irrational

Ex-army official sued for embezzling Tk59cr

‘Enact data protection law to secure privacy’

n Abu Hayat Mahmud

n Adil Sakhawat

Rights activists yesterday urged the government to enact data protection law to secure privacy rights and personal data.

They said it was imperative to enact fresh law to defend privacy rights, assured by article 43 of Bangladesh constitution. Before making the law, the definition of personal information should be made more specific considering the national context and spirit, they said.

Rights activists were speaking in a national convention on “Privacy Rights Protection” at the national press club.

Protecting individual’s personal information has become more crucial than ever before and privacy was essential for enabling individuals to express themselves freely, they said. But the existing legal framework does not fully recognize the right to privacy and data protection, they said.

The convention also proposed a draft “Data Protection Law.” l

The ruling Awami League has observed that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s demand for arranging early election under a non-partisan caretaker government system is “irrational and contrary to the constitution.”

Hasan Mahmud, publicity and publication secretary of the Awami League, came up with the reaction at the prime minister’s political office at Dhanmondi when party’s other central leaders were present. The press conference was arranged for stating the party’s reaction over Khaleda’s speech yesterday.

“Khaleda Zia’s claim that the Awami League has broken its promise of holding early election is not true. Her demand is irrational as holding early poll under a caretaker government system is contrary to the constitution of the country.

“The next general election will be held in 2019 as per the constitution.

There is no option for a caretaker government or interim government as per the constitution.”

Environment minister during the Awami League’s previous term, Hasan Mahmud claimed that Khaleda’s remarks on the ruling party and the government were “false and exaggerated.”

‘The next general election will be held in 2019 as per the constitution’ Labelling BNP’s politics as destructive, he asked Khaleda to change behaviour of her party men. “Khaleda Zia has been trying to unleash violence along with the war criminals’ party Jamaat-e-Islami and militants to attain her political goals.”

He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, “Bangladesh has become a model among

the developing countries for its development and rising GDP, GNP and per capita income, and efforts to reducing poverty level.” He alleged that the BNP had resorted to violence ahead of the January 5 election.

About BNP’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, the Awami League leader said the elder son of Khaleda had commented on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman like an “illiterate.”

“Khaleda has failed to give her son a proper education,” he added.

Responding to a query on BNP’s programmes for January 5 in the capital, Hasan Mahmud said: “Awami League does not believe in foiling anyone’s democratic activity.”

The Awami League is set to observe January 5 as the “Victory Day of Democracy” while the BNP-led 20-party alliance announced different programmes to mark the day as “Democracy Killing Day.” l

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday filed a case against a former army official and his three family members for their alleged involvement in embezzling Tk59 crore from 1,451 investors in the name of a multi-purpose cooperative society.

ACC Deputy Director Jahangir Alam filed the case with Banani police station yesterday. The accused in the case are Maj Gen (retired) Jalal Uddin Ahmed, president of Dhara Multi-purpose Cooperative Society; Jalal’s wife Aleya Fatema, also the vice-president of the cooperative; Jalal’s son Talha Ahmed, its general secretary and Jalal’s daughter Radia Ahmed, its joint secretary.

According to the case statement, Dhara Multi-purpose Cooperative Society Limited – founded by Jalal and his wife – collected about Tk59 crore from 1,451 investors alluring them with

high interest rates. But Jalal allegedly siphoned off the money to his son and daughter living in the US. ACC’s Jahangir Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that Jalal retired from the force in 2003, while he and his wife secured permission to run a multi-purpose cooperative from the Cooperatives Department in 2005. The former military official’s alleged embezzlement first came to light in June 2012 when he started to ignore requests from investors who wanted the profits of their investment.

In April 2013, Jalal provided a bond in the presence of army and intelligence officials, promising that he would return all the money deposited by the cooperative members by 13 July, 2013. But again he failed to return any money.

Jalal finally went into hiding in September 2013. Dhaka Cantonment Board had taken several measures to pay back the investors money but failed, said ACC Deputy Director Jahangir. l

n Tribune Report

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, January 1, 2015

New IGP: Zero tolerance for policemen involved in criminal offences n Tribune Report Any police man, no matter which position the official belongs to, found doing criminal offence will not be spared, said AKM Shahidul Hoque, the newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Hailing the police as an institution, he said: “A police official may personally compromise his morality. But we will neither own him nor protect him.

We will take action as per the existing laws.”

On the first day of his work, yesterday, as the new IGP, AKM Shahidul Hoque expressed his firm commitment to ensuring the integrity of the force while addressing a media briefing at the Police Headquarters Conference room.

“All necessary steps will be taken shortly to remove irregularities from the police force to make it more people

Committee formed to review pay commission recommendations n Asif Showkat Kallol The government has formed a six-member committee to review the recent Pay and Services Commission recommendations, official sources said.

The committee headed by Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan is expected to submit a report within six weeks.

A gazette notification signed by M Mostafizur Rahman, joint secretary of the Cabinet Division, was issued yesterday regarding formation of the committee.

The committee will find out how to implement recommendations of the commission. It will also review the report of the armed forces salary committee and will make recommendations.

Meanwhile, the armed forces salary committee will submit its report to the finance minister today.

The Pay and Services Commission has recommended increasing salary of public servants by 100% on an average, full implementation of which would raise the government spending on salary and allowance by 63.7%. l

CEC: Separate voter lists for CHT district council polls not possible n UNB Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday said it is not possible to arrange elections to the three Chittagong Hill Tracts district councils after preparing separate voter lists.

“According to the existing law, there’s no scope for preparing separate voter lists. There’s no government directive in this regard as well,” the CEC said, while replying to queries from reporters after visiting the district server station of the Election Commission in the town. l

oriented and friendlier,” said IGP Shahidul further adding that his priority would be to ensure that the police work for people’s welfare and security.

During the briefing, Additional Inspector General of Police (Administration) Mokhlesur Rahman, newly appointed Director General (DG) of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Benazir Ahmed, newly appointed Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Asaduzzaman Miah and senior officials of the police were present among others.

About taking action against militancy, IGP Shahidul Hoque said the police force would do their level best to combat terrorism, extremism and militancy.

Shahidul Hoque took charge of the police department as the 39th IGP of the country in a major reshuffle on Tuesday. He was serving as the additional IGP (administration) prior to the

promotion.

During his elaborate career, Shahidul Hoque served as the DMP commissioner and superintendent of police (SP) in various districts including Chittagong.

According to a press statement from the police headquarters, IGP Shahidul joined the police department in 1986 as an assistant superintendent after getting his masters’ degree in social welfare from Dhaka University (DU). He also holds an LLB from DU and an MBA from a private university.

As a recognition of his extraordinary performance, he was awarded with Bangladesh Police Medal and Presidential Police Medal. Shahidul also authored several books, including “Police and Community with Concept of Community Policing”, “Community Policing Concept, Aims and Objectives”, and “Bangladesh Police Book”. l

On the last day of the month and year yesterday, a family with low-income heads towards Old Dhaka with their belongings on a rickshaw van to settle at a new place on rent SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

ATM AZHARUL'S DEATH SENTENCE

Prosecution tells tribunal: Counsel's speech was contemptuous n Tribune Report Claiming that a speech of a counsel of war criminal ATM Azharul regarding his conviction was contemptuous, the prosecution yesterday brought the matter under the tribunal's cognizance.

The tribunal asked prosecution to file a petition regarding the matter.

On Tuesday, the International Crimes Tribunal 1 sentenced former al-Badr leader and Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Azharul to death to for his crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. The three-member tribunal led by Justice Enayetur Rahim, found Azharul guilty in five charges out of six. The Jamaat leader was given capital punishment for three charges that included murder and genocide.

Soon after the verdict, Azharul's

lawyer Tajul Islam claimed that his client was not given a fair verdict.

“It would have been fair if the evidence presented by the prosecution was thrown into the dustbin, rather ordering a death sentence on its basis,” he said.

“Justice would have been served if the prosecution was fined for coming up with such evidence,” he added.

Tajul said: “...we think that giving death sentences on the basis of those witnesses who identified Azharul Islam from three kilometer away, one and half kilometer and six kilometer away is the eighth wonder.”

At the beginning of yesterdays tribunal's trial procedure, prosecutor Ziad Al Malum brought the matter under tribunal's cognizance on behalf of the prosecution. He said: “The way Tajul Islam expressed his reaction after the verdict, was not like a lawyer. His speech and choos-

Indictment hearing against Fakhrul, 45 others deferred n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday deferred the indictment hearing against BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as well as some 45 leaders and

The accused allegedly torched a vehicle in front of the PMO during the April 29 hartal in 2012 activists of 20-party alliance in a case launched on charge of setting fire to a vehicle near the Prime Ministers Office in the capital two years ago.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ataul Haque announced deferral and fixed

January 29 for the hearing following a time petition filed by defence counsel Md Sanaullah Miah. The defence counsel filed the petition mentioning that most of the accused could not appeared before the court due to countrywide hartal called by Jamaat-e Islami.

The accused included BNP standing committee members MK Anwar, Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayashwar Chandra Roy, Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Jamaat-e Islami acting Ameer Makbul Ahmed, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) Chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho.

According to the case statement, the accused torched a vehicle in front of the PMO during the April 29 hartal in 2012 and that year DB Inspector Md Nurul Amin submitted the charge sheet of the case. l

ing of words were not also like a lawyer.”

“He gave the speech intentionally to decry the tribunal,” he said.

Claiming that Tajul Islam is a habitual contemnor, Malum said, “To question the trial procedure and the tribunal, the Jamaat-e-Islami is spreading propaganda as part of its ongoing plan.

In continuation of the plan, Tajul Islam is also continuing lying.” “We will file a contempt petition against him tomorrow (today),” said Malum.

Meanwhile, Tajul Islam said: “Misinterpreting his speech, a part of the prosecution is spreading propaganda saying that he gave contemptuous speech.”

“I gave the speech against the weird witness and information which was placed before the court against ATM Ajharul Islam, not against the verdict of tribunal.” “We were respectful to the tribunal as we are now and we will be.” l

Now tribunal seeks full addresses of 50 signatories

n UNB The International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday asked the Prothom Alo to furnish by January 14 next the names and full addresses of the 50 signatories to the statement over its judgment against journalist David Bergman for contempt of court.

The tribunal passed the order after it found absent in the original text of the statement submitted by the Prothom Alo authorities on compliance.

The tribunal on December 28 asked the Prothom Alo editor to submit before it on Wednesday a copy of the full text of the statement signed by 50 citizens over its judgment against David Bergman for contempt of court. It asked Prothom Alo editor Motiur Rahman and rights activist Dr Shahdeen Malilk, the first signatories to the statement, to comply with its order.

The Prothom Alo, a vernacular daily, published the statement titled, ‘50 citizens express concern punishing Bergman on December 20.

In its suo moto order, the tribunal had also expressed its resentment on the editorial published by the New York Times on December 23 criticising the judgment against Bergman, a British origin journalist working here in the daily New Age, and asked for overturning Bergman’s sentence and conviction.

On December 2, the tribunal after a lengthy hearing convicted David Bergman, also son in-law of noted jurist Dr Kamal Hossain, president of Gono Forum and a former minister, and sentenced him a symbolic jail term with fine. l

PM for making BAF strong, effective force by 2021 n UNB Planning to make Bangladesh Air Force more modern and a strategically strong and effective force within 2021, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said new aircraft and helicopters will be inducted in the air force very soon.

“Agreement has been completed to induct five new MI-171 helicopters, nine basic trainer aircraft, three transport trainer aircraft, two maritime search and rescue helicopters and 16 combat trainer aircraft. These will be included in the air force very soon,” she said.

The prime minister stated this while addressing the Winter President Parade of 70 Flight Cadet Course of Bangladesh Air Force held at the Jessore BAF Academy Parade Ground.

A total of 42 flight cadets including 27 flight cadets from 70 Flight Cadet Course and 15 cadets from 14 SSC and SPSSC were commissioned. Among them, six were female cadets.

Hasina asked the newly commissioned officers of the Air Force to carry out their duties of safeguarding the country’s hard-earned independence imbued with the spirit of patriotism.

Recalling the history of huge sacrifice of the millions of lives for the cause of country’s independence, the prime minister urged the new officers to reflect the motto of keeping air space free through their works and thinking.

Stressing the need for strengthening training activities of the members of the air force, Hasina said Jet Trainer K-8W plane, procured from China, has already begun training activities while construction of the Bangabandhu Complex with ultra-modern facilities at the Air Force Academy has been progressing fast.

The prime minister mentioned her firm determination to maintain the trend of developing the Air Force and said that her government would build the force as strategically modern, strong, powerful and effective one. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Nobody obeys any rules at the Central Public Library n Munir Momtaj

Around half an hour later, a young man came and asked Rashed to leave the chair. His name is Sohel, a former student of the capital’s Jagannath University, now making preparations for taking a Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) recruitment examination.

Sohel claimed that the desk was his for the day because he had come here even before the library opened at 8am, studied till 1pm and went outside for lunch and prayer, leaving his “belongings” on the desk.

The list of rules also suggests that nobody can keep a chair or a desk occupied and stay outside.

In a few minutes, a crowd gathered around Rashed. They all were like Sohel, gobbling up multiple choice questions from recruitment guide books that they had brought with them to the library.

To this Dhaka Tribune reporter, who was present there, it appeared that there was no room available for anyone

who wanted to study anything else; nearly all the chairs were occupied and there were piles of guidebooks on all the desks.

Having failed to grab a chair, many people, including elderly persons, could be seen sitting on the ground in the alleys between bookshelves.

Rashed kept on refusing to give up the desk and the crowd started growing bigger as more government job seekers joined in; apparently oblivious to the rules of the library, they were more sympathetic towards their fellow.

In the meantime, this reporter also noticed that many people – all studying for BCS – were sleeping with their heads down on the desks.

One rule from that list says that nobody is allowed to sleep inside the library. It also asks everyone be nice enough to let others sit there and study.

So, the crowd decided to take the matter to the authorities as Rashed said he would only leave the sit if someone responsible asked him to.

Sohel, who appeared to have no idea that he had by then broken two important rules of using the library, complained about Rashed to Librarian Jillur Rahman, the most senior officer present there at that moment.

If the rules were to be followed, Rashed was a clear winner in the dispute; but Jillur Rahman did not want to take the trouble of going against the majority.

So he said: “Everyone has the right to use this library. I think you can easily solve it mutually.”

He also said: “You [the readers] have been coming here with your own books and we have been overlooking that.

You can look up on the Internet; libraries in no other country in the world allow that. Not even the Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland who have best library services in the world.”

When asked who told them to overlook the breach of rules, the senior librarian could not give any satisfactory answer.

“Many senior citizens have complained to us that they had to go back because could not find a chair to sit. All were occupied by BCS aspirants. Unfortunately, we have not been able to do

Worker dies falling off rooftop n Our Correspondent, Savar

Chittagong people defy Jamaat hartal

A construction worker died after falling off a roof of an under-construction building in Kathgora area of Ashulia yesterday.

The fateful incident took place in the morning to Abdul Quader, 27, son of Sanaullah Miah, a resident of Santuspur village in Faridganj upazila of Chandpur district.

Witness sources said Quader accidentally fell from the seventh floor of a building owned by “Pikad Bangladesh Company” after losing control over his body while he was working with some workers, leaving him critically injured.

He was rushed to Savar Enam Medical College and Hospital where duty doctors declared him dead.

Being informed, police visited the spot and sent the body to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. l

n CU Correspondent

Rashed, a student of philosophy at Dhaka University, was asked by one his teachers to read a rare novel as part of a course.

In the afternoon on December 22, he went to the Central Public Library at Shahbagh in the capital and found the book among the collection. He took it out, sat at a desk and started reading it.

The chair was not occupied but there were several job recruitment guide books on the desk.

A signboard that hangs right outside the entrance to the reading room lists a set of 10 rules that everyone should follow while using the library. It is clearly written there that nobody is allowed to bring any book from the outside.

'We have stopped bothering them as some of our colleagues were literally beaten by the BCS people' when they tried to remind them the rules'

WEATHER

DRY WEATHER LIKELY THURSDAY, JANUARY 1 DHAKA

TODAY SUN SETS 5:22PM

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:42AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 23 23 21 24 20 21 25 25

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

18 21 16 15 18 19 17 22

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

29.2ºC Sylhet

10.5ºC Dinajpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:20am 6:40am 12:01am 3:46pm 5:22pm 6:42 pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

People from all walks of life in Chittagong defied the first phase of Jamaat-e-Islami enforced hartal yesterday.

They came out to the streets for their daily works as any other normal days. Public transports, including buses, CNG-run auto-rickshaws, were seen plying on the streets.

No incidence of violence was reported during hartal hours in the port city yesterday.

However, leaders and activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student of body of Jamaat, brought out sudden processions in different places, including Kadamtali, Jail Road, and Matiarpul areas, in the city.

On Tuesday, the Islamic party’s Acting Ameer Moqbul Ahmad announced the two-day countrywide dawn to

Clockwise: Defying the ground rules many sleep with their heads down on the desks inside the Central Public Library. Failing to grab a chair some sit on the ground in between bookshelves to do some reading. Books brought from outside lies on the desks indicating violation of another rule. The photos were taken recently MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU / MUNIR MOMTAJ

anything in this regard,” Jillur said.

Seeking anonymity, a staff of the library said the authorities cannot take any action against the “seat grabbers” because they are very organised.

“We have stopped bothering them years ago when some of our colleagues were literally beaten by the BCS people when they tried to remind them the rules,” he said.

This reporter found out that the BCS aspirants, many of whom have been breaching rules of the library for years,

dusk shutdown for yesterday and today (Thursday) protesting the death sentence to its top leader ATM Azharul Islam for war crimes.

Yesterday’s hartal began around 6am and will end at 5:30pm.

Activities at government and non-government offices found to be normal during the hartal hours.

Additional law enforcers were deployed at the key points in the city to avoid any untoward incident, police said.

Some 2,000 additional police personnel were deployed in the different points in the city, said Chittagong Metropolitan Commissioner Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operation) Banaj Kumar Majumdar.

Six platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were also in high alert with the police force in the city, he city. l

have formed a team of volunteers from among them. That team reportedly looks after the “discipline” at the library.

A BCS aspirant named Kanchon is the self-proclaimed president of the volunteers. He is originally from Jessore and has a post graduation degree from the Dhaka College. He describes himself as a “senior reader” because he has been reading in the library for the last five years – from 8am to 9pm everyday.

the library. If they did not come here, they could have wasted their time in doing bad things.”

Asked about the current situation, he said: “We have tried several times to change this; but readers do not obey our rules. Some of our colleagues were insulted by students in the past. That is why our stuff do not pretest.”

He also said: “We have a shortage of seats here. We are trying to solve this problems by building a new 13-storey building very soon.” l

SOHAN MURDER CASE

Family members reject charge sheet, demand more investigation n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Family members of murdered college student Sohan Islam yesterday rejected the charge sheet filed with a Sylhet court. They demanded that more investigation be done in the murder case.

Sohan’s mother Shahana Begum Shanu, a former ward councilor of the Sylhet City Corporation, placed the demand at press conference in the Sylhet Press Club yesterday.

On January 26 last year, Sohan Ahmed, 18, a class XI student of Madan Mohon College was murdered by some miscreants in Lamabazar area in Sylhet city.

Later, Shanu, also the vice president of Mahila Dal Sylhet city unit, filed a murder case with Kotwali police sta-

tion against 16 people.

On November 28, Nurul Alam, an inspector of the Sylhet Metropolitan Detective Branch of police, and the inves-

On January 26 last year, Sohan Ahmed, 18, was murdered by some miscreants in Lamabazar area in Sylhet city tigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the court against seven people.

In the charge sheet, Md Shakil,24, Jamal alias Tiger Jamal,25, Md Amir,24, Md Ripon,30, Mahbubur Rahman Alias Maruf,25, Md Nuruzzaman,21 and Biswajit Das,25, were indicted.

Speaking at the press conference, Shanu alleged that the names of main accused have been dropped from the charge sheet.

Guljar Ahmed, a former ward councilor candidate, was made the main accused in the murder case. The name of Guljar and eight others were dropped from the charge sheet, she said.

The then IO, Nurul Alam, now officer-in-charge (investigation) at Sylhet Airport police station, said: “I had submitted the charge sheet as per the investigation report.” l

SSC candidate killed by friends

Robbers’ gang leader shot dead in Chittagong n CU Correspondent An alleged robber was shot dead by his rivals at Bashkhali upazila in Chittagong yesterday afternoon over a land dispute.

The deceased was identified as Didarul Alam, 30, ringleader of a local dacoits’ gang, said police sources.

Police nabbed eight persons in connection with the killing after conducting drives in different parts of the upazila, said Chittagong District’s Assistant Superintendent of Police (Satkania circle) Emran Bhuiyan.

He said Didar had a loggerhead for long with another local Ansar over land ownership of a piece of land.

“The men of Ansar opened fire on Didar in front of his house around 1pm in Khankhanabad area of Banshkhali, leaving him dead on the spot”, said the ASP. Being informed, police recovered the body and sent it to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Police Outpost for autopsy, said ASP Emran.

Didar was an accused in several cases filed with Bashkhali police station where filing of a case in this connection was being going on. l

“We can enforce the rules any day.

But if we do that, there will not be a single reader here,” Jillur told the crowd and Rashed.

Rashed realised that the authorities were not going to do anything and so he decided to leave the place sensing that his opposition was very organised and sympathetic towards each other.

When contacted, Md Hafizur Rahman, director general of the Central Public Library, said: “We take it positively that people are coming to read in

n Our Correspondent, Chittagong

Stalls all set to start the Dhaka International Trade Fair 2015 at the Sher-E-Bangla Nagar in the capital today SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

A candidate of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination died after being beaten by his friends due to political enmity.

Alauddin Rakib, 15, hailing from Hingul union of Mirersorai upazila succumbed to injuries on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMHC).

Sources said, while returning home from a fair on December 28, Alauddin was beaten up, stabbed and left on the side of Briarhaat rail line by his friends.

Pro-AL teachers win all DUTA posts n DU Correspondent

Awami League backed Blue panel teachers swept the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (Duta) election yesterday bagging all 15 posts of the executive committee.

Its contestant BNP-Jamaat backed White panel won zero posts in the election. Prof Shafiq Uz Zaman of Economics Department conducted the election and announced the results around 4pm.

Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed and Prof

ASM Maksud Kamal from Blue Panel were elected president and general secretary of the committee defeating Prof Akhter Hossain Khan and Prof Md Lutfor Rahman from White Panel respectively.

Prof Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam was elected treasurer defeating rival Prof ABM Shahidul Islam while Prof Aftab Ali Sheikh won the post of joint secretary defeating Prof Dwilip Kumar Barua.

The post of vice-president was won by Hasibur Rashid who contest-

ed against White Panel’s Prof ABM Obaidul Islam. The elected members of DUTA from Blue Panel are Dr Aktaruzzaman, Prof Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan, Prof Shabita Rezwana Rahman, Prof Md Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, Associate Professor Tazin Aziz Chowdhury, Prof Md Abdus Samad, Prof Ziaur Rahman, Prof Mubina Khandakar, Prof Rahmat Ullaha and Prof Shoumitro Shekhor.

A total of 1,365 teachers out of 1,580 cast their votes from 10am to 2pm at the Dhaka University Teachers’ Club yesterday. l

Later locals rescued him and rushed him to the upazila health complex.

When his situation deteriorated, he was shifted to the CMCH, where he died after struggling for three days.

When contacted Sub-Inspector of Jorarganj police station Alamgir said: “Alauddin, who was a Shibir activist, was killed by BNP activists Mizan, Rana and their associates. He might have been killed because of political vendetta. We will take proper action after investigation.”

Local Union Parishad member Belayet Hossain confirmed the incident and said Alauddin’s family would lodge a case. l

JU 5th convocation on January 31 n JU Correspondent The 5th convocation of Jahangirnagar University will be held on January 31, according to a press release published yesterday.

The release sent from JU Public Relation Office said the registration process for the convocation would start from January 1 and will continue till January 15. Detailed information will be on university’s website – www.juniv.edu. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Eastern railway counting loss due to frequent accidents Correspondent, n Our Brahmanbaria The Bangladesh Railway (east zone) of the country suffered at least 18 train accidents throughout 2014 in the Brahmanbaria district alone. Most of the accidents happened due to the derailment of container trains.

Faulty rail lines and mechanical and engineering glitches have been quoted as the reasons behind the rampant mishaps.

The major rail line of the country also faced losses in the last year as number of passengers reduced due to schedule failures and service disruptions caused by rampant accidents.

Akhaura Station Master Motaleb Hossain said a total of 430,404 passengers travelled through the eastern railway in 2012-2013 fiscal year. But the number came down to 385,231 in 2013-2014.

As a result, the railway incurred a huge loss despite doubling the fare.

In 2012-2013 the total income from the ticket sales was more than Tk3 crore. However, the figure was almost

the same in 2013-2014 despite the increased fare.

According to Akhaura rail junction, a container train derailed at the beginning of the year on January 31 near Ashuganj. It halted the Dhaka-Chittagong and Sylhet trains for about three hours. On February 9, another train de-

Faulty rail lines and mechanical and engineering glitches have been quoted as the reasons behind the rampant mishaps railment near Akhaura’s Gangashagor area snapped Dhaka-Sylhet connection for six hours.

Within the next three months, five more accidents happened increasing the number to 18 till November.

Station Master of Gangashagor station Zakir Hossain said: “Most of the

trains that derailed in this area were container trains. The loop of this line is weak. That is why the container trains have been using the main line.”

He further added that Gangashagor was the most accident-prone area since the rain lines there had not been repaired for a long time.

Though materials for repairing the lines had already been brought in and the railways minister Mujibul Haq inaugurated the project, the main work is yet to begin.

As per the project plan, the 180 kilometre line from Ashuganj to Feni’s Chinki Astana will be replaced costing about Tk299 crore.

Assistant Executive Engineer of Akhaura junction Kazi Mustafizur Rahman said: “There will be no accidents once the project is implemented. Rail lines, bridges, and signalling system will also be improved under the project.”

When asked about the frequent accidents in the Gangshagor area, he blamed the quality of the soil which deteriorates during the monsoon. l

Fresh text books being packed for delivery to different schools in Jhalakathi for starting the new academic session 2015. The photo was taken from in front of the District Education Office, Jhalakathi yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Robbery at garment factory in Gazipur

Unabated sand lifting puts villagers at risk of erosion

n Our Correspondent, Savar

n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

A daring robbery was committed at a garment factory in Savar outskirt of Dhaka early yesterday.

According to sources, a gang of armed robbers in number 50-60 entered Samia Garments around 4am in Purba Sadar area jumping over the

main gate. They beat up the security guards leaving critically injured while they tried to resist them. Later, they looted 10 tonne garments materials, 70,000 gauges clothes, valuables worth about Tk2crore.

Sheikh Badrul Alam, officer-incharge of Ashulia police station confirmed the incident. l

JSC student commits suicide n Our Correspondent, Gazipur A JSC examinee committed suicide on Tuesday night hanging herself at Kaliakoir upazila in Gazipur district for failing in the examination.

The deceased was identified as Rima Akter,14, daughter of Jahangir Hossain in Purbachandapara village. She was the student Sinbah High School.

40 houses gutted n Our Correspondent, Bagerhat

At least 40 shops were gutted in a devastating fire at Chitalmari Upazila Bazar in Bagerhat district on Tuesday night.

Sources said the fire broke out at a petrol shop and soon engulfed the nearby shops.

Chitalmari police station Officer-in-Charge Dilip Kumar Sarker said on information, firefighters from Tungipara, Bagerhat and Nazirpur went to the spot and doused the fire after two hours of hectic efforts.

Three people were injured in the fire.

They were admitted to Chitalmari Upazila Hospital. The shops owners claimed the loss caused by fire could go up to Tk10crore.

UNO Didarul Alam said a three member probe committee was formed in this connection. l

Prisoner dies in jail n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

A prisoner died in Kishoreganj Jail yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Ali Akbar, 32, son of Ful Mia of Borokanda village in Nikli upazila of the district. Safiul, jailer of Kishoreganj prison said Ali Akbar was rushed to Kishoreganj 250 bed Modern Sadar Hospital on Tuesday night as he was suffering from chest pain.

He died theret around 2am. Akbar was in jail from 29 August last year, he added. l

The father of the decesaed said Rima sat for the JSC examination from the school this year.

She hanged herself from the ceiling fan after the result published on Tuesday as she could not succeed in the examination, said the father.

Later, she was rushed to local hospital where the doctor on duty declared her dead. l

A section of influential people are lifting sands illegally from the bank of Meghna River intensifying the threat of river bank erosion in adjacent Mendipur and Sadekpur villages under Bhairab upazila of Kishoreganj district.

Around 80 bighas of cropland of Mendipur village have already gone under Meghna due to the unplanned and unabated sand lifting for 13 consecutive days. Villagers are now passing days amid fear that their homesteads might go under water.

They alleged that a group of workers are extracting sands from the river bank for using in the ongoing construction work of a road on the BhairabMendipur route.

Although the assigned construction firm, Moushumi Enterprise, is required to purchase the sands, they are illegally lifting them from the river bank

without taking permission from the authorities concerned. They also carry the sands on boats to sell in nearby markets.

An influential group was also involved with the sand lifting in the name of river dredging, they claimed.

Paying no heed to the repeated plea of the villagers, they were continuing the act with high-powered dredger.

The matter was informed to the Bhairab Upazila Nirbahi Officer, however, no step was taken in due time, said a number of affected villagers.

Mintu Miya, owner of Mousumi Enterprise, said they had taken permission from the authorities concerned for extracting sands for the road construction two kilometres away from the villages.

“Erosion will occur naturally, sand lifting has nothing to do with that,” he said.

Safi Uddin, a resident of Mendipur

village said: “I have lost three bighas of crop land in river bank erosion caused by the callous act.”

Manik Miya, Jahir Miya and Akkas Miya of the village echoed with him.

Requesting anonymity, several other locals said no action was taken against the illegal sand traders as they were associated with the ruling party leaders.

Bahirab upazila chairman Gias Uddin said he was looking into the matter.

Bhairab Upazila Nirbahi Officer Jesmin Akter said: “We have received complaints and informed the matter to the higher authority after visiting the spot. As far as I know, the sand lifting was stopped now.

Maximum of the area that was effected by erosion are khas lands, however, if anyone claimed ownership of the lands we would help him upon scrutinising proper documents.” l

Construction worker dies in rooftop collapse n Our Correspondent, Noakhali A construction worker was killed as rooftop of an under-construction building accidentally fell on him at Chaprashirhat in Companiganj upazila of the district yesterday.

The ill-fated worker is Hedayet Ullah, 27, son of Rahmat Ullah, of Boyarchar village in Hatiya upazila.

Quoting locals, Companiganj police station OC Sajidur Rahman Sajid said second floor of an under-construction building owned by one Md Hanif collapsed on him around 3pm at the time of working.

Being informed, fire fighters from local unit rushed to the spot and rescued him from debris after one hour of frantic efforts.

Later, he was declared dead on taking him to local health complex. The body was sent to Noakhali Abdul Malek Ukil Medical College Hospital for autopsy. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Heritage

Thursday, January 1, 2015

7

A road to empires

The Grand Trunk Road remains one of the earliest, and most enduring of feats of communications planning, engineering and maintenance in the world

It is usually described as terminating in Chittagong, after running all the way across the north of the Indian subcontinent from Kabul, but it seems not inconceivable to suppose that the road, known in Bangladesh as Shah Suja Road, that runs south from Chittagong to, at least, the Naf River could logically be regarded as a part of this great, historic, transcontinental highway SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

I

n Tim Steel

t was Rudyard Kipling, the great British poet of the imperial era, who so described one of the longest, and most ancient roadways in the world. It is usually described as terminating in Chittagong, after running all the way across the north of the Indian subcontinent from Kabul, but it seems not inconceivable to suppose that the road, known in Bangladesh as Shah Suja Road, that runs south from Chittagong to, at least, the Naf River,

by the famous Mauryan Empire late in the latter century, and lasting for about 150 years.

Whilst rivers are considered, across the world, to have been “the highways of the ancient world,” there is no doubting that land travel was, at times, and in places, also necessary.

The Maghada kingdom’s lands may well be shown to have butted up to today’s borders of Bangladesh, but over 800 years it seems unlikely they would have remained so static, and that ancient kingdom, the most famous ruler of which was King Bimb-

Ramkot, the Buddhist foundation in Ramu, claims foundation by emperor Ashoka, and although there appears no archaeological evidence to support the claim, it lies within the realms of possibility

and may well be the route taken by the Buddha on his reputed journey to Pegu in Myanmar, could logically be regarded as a part of this great, historic, transcontinental highway.

The Grand Trunk Road, as it has been known, at least since the time of the British occupation, is believed to have its origins back in the early years of Chandragupta Maurya, the first of the Mauryan emperors of the late fourth century BCE. The initial inhabitants of these lands, however, were traders from earlier times, so it is possible that the ancient track became roadways in the time of the later kingdoms and empires.

In fact, there remains some confusion and uncertainty about, especially the borders and identity of, the kingdoms and empires that rose and fell across the north of the subcontinent; a confusion mirrored, even today, across the world, about the nations that still span those lands, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, India and Pakistan!

The Maghada kingdom, with its capital in Patna, seems to have lasted from about the 13th century BCE until the 4th, but lacked the expanse of the great Nanda empire that succeeded it, rather briefly, towards the end of the 4th century, and itself succeeded

isara, the earliest notable convert of the Buddha, may have held territories deeper into modern Bangladesh.

Equally, the Nanda empire, whilst stretching, during its brief existence, as far as the Indus in the west, is certainly believed to have extended at least to the banks of the Brahmaputra in the east.

The Mauryan Empire, believed to be founded at around 322 BCE by the great Chandragupta, is thought to have extended at least as far south east as the Naf River. Ramkot, the Buddhist foundation in Ramu, in the Cox’s Bazar district, certainly claims foundation by the third Mauryan Emperor, the famous Ashoka, and although there appears no archaeological evidence to support the claim, it lies within the realms of possibility.

It is unclear as to how we should reconcile the existence of the kingdom of Gangaridai, within the Ganges delta itself, with these other territorial claims for kingdoms and empires based on Patna; but the fact that ancient writers wrote of both suggests, perhaps, as descriptions of Alexander’s advance across northern subcontinent in the late years of the brief Nanda empire suggests, the lands of the delta which proved the last obstacle to his advance, and

caused his retreat, may have protected that kingdom in the delta.

What seems certain is that, whether the Maghada rulers developed roadways between the rivers, or the Nanda connected toward the Indus, the Mauryans so extended their empire, east and west, that roads, for administrative purposes, perhaps military, and certainly trade as well, stretched, by the time of Ashoka, at least from Patna to modern Taxila, and most likely beyond, at both ends.

There is no real evidence that the Nandas, or the Mauryans developed the water craft for exploiting the speed of coastal travel that must have been ideal for their south eastern territories, and may have preferred to travel by land to the far south east.

In fact, we are told, that the GTR was complete with hostelries with stables, and ferries where required, although whether that was from earlier times, or a more recent innovation is uncertain.

We are also told that this is one of the great unsung heritage treasures of ancient India, with immense potential appeal to motorists and cyclists as well as other tourists. However, since the publicising of it by Indian tourism promoters, involving entry into Bangladesh to properly explore it, just like the first of the iconic Silk Roads, the Southern Silk Road, it remains

neglected and under promoted.

It is easy enough to spot the websites of Indian origin, amongst them those who claim it ends in Kolkata. In truth, since that city was founded by the East India Company in the early 18th century, unable to find a base any closer to the teeming centre of trade that were the lands, most of which are now in Bangladesh, the road was subsequently diverted to take in Calcutta, as it was then known, before continuing, through Jessore to Sonargoan and beyond.

Rudyard Kipling, who in his writing, christened the road “A river of life,” in fact, may have been entirely unaware of the true, eastern reach of it. The furthest east he ever travelled in India, having been born in Mumbai, and subsequently lived there as a young teacher and writer, was imperial Simla, so perhaps the great man’s ignorance may be excused. There is, of course, no such excuse today, when only the origins, in both age and reach, seem to be debatable.

His poem, however, may convey the diversity of users in his time, with, who knows, perhaps a little poets licence?

“Look! Brahmins and chumars, bankers and tinkers, barbers and bunnias, pilgrims and potters - all the world going and coming.”

What is not really debatable is that

The Mauryan Empire, believed to be founded at around 322 BCE by the great Chandragupta, is thought to have extended at least as far south east as the Naf River

it was the initiative of the great rulers of the Ganges basin centred empires whose skill and initiative commenced the building of the road, and it may well have reached the whole breadth of Bangladesh over two thousand years ago, a tribute to the imagination and initiative of people who also built one of the world’s earliest, and greatest, crossroads of trade in the delta of three of Asia’s largest and best known rivers.

This crossroads opened, by water and by road, to traders from across the world, the entire north of the subcontinent, with its highly developed skills in manufacturing, and the great treasures of central and the coasts of eastern Asia, including the Chinese

and Tibetan empires. No wonder the empires that followed the time of the Mauryans seem to have been prone to flourish, at least until the arrival of the Pathans, fleeing, in all likelihood, the Mongol hordes. But, although empires come and go, the Grand Trunk Road remains one of the earliest, and most enduring of feats of communications planning, engineering and maintenance in the world. Let’s not even think about the struggle we face, in modern Bangladesh, with maintaining an effective roadway for trade and communication between Sonargaon and Chittagong! l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

H

A

P

P

World

Y

N

E

Thursday, January 1, 2015

W

Y

E

A

R

New Year’s Eve fireworks erupt over Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House during the traditional fireworks show held at midnight

IFJ: 118 journalists killed in 2014 n AFP

One hundred and eighteen journalists and media staff were killed around the world in 2014, with Pakistan and Syria the deadliest countries, the International Federation of Journalists said yesterday.

The IFJ said those killed, 13 more than in 2013, were either targeted for their work or caught in the cross-fire while another 17 died in accidents or natural disasters while on assignment.

It renewed its call to governments to “make the protection of journalists their priority.”

Journalists are “targeted not only to restrict the free flow of information, but increasingly as leverage to secure huge ransoms and political concessions through sheer violence,” IFJ president Jim Boumelha said in a statement.

He said some media organisations are now wary of sending reporters to war zones or even using material from freelancers there, warning that war coverage will “be poorer for lack of independent witnesses” unless media safety is improved.

Pakistan was the deadliest country with 14 journalists killed, followed by 12 dead in Syria and nine each in Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories.

Among those killed this year was AFP journalist Sardar Ahmad, 40, who was shot dead in March when Taliban militants stormed a hotel in the Afghan capital Kabul.

He died along with his wife and two of his three children.

Eight journalists each were killed in Iraq and Ukraine while six died in Honduras and five in Mexico.

IFJ said the public beheadings of journalists, including US freelancers James Foley and Steven Sotloff, by the Islamic State militant group were a “game changer in the governments’ attitude to media projection.”

The IFJ figures, which include presenters and other staff such as drivers working for the media, are sharply higher than those given by the Committee to Protect Journalists which said a week ago that 60 journalists were killed this year.

Another watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, reported on December 16 that 66 reporters had died in 2014. l

AFP

First AirAsia bodies arrive as bad weather hampers recovery n AFP, Surabaya

Soldiers acting as pall bearers yesterday carried coffins containing the first two bodies from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 into Surabaya airport, from where the ill-fated plane departed, as sombre relatives gave their DNA to help identify loved ones.

The bodies were taken from an air force plane to a military ambulance to be transported to a hospital for examination and identification – but many exhausted families were left waiting for news as bad weather hampered search efforts.

Officials had hoped to recover most of the bodies but rough conditions made it difficult for helicopters to fly over the area in the Java Sea where several corpses and debris from the Airbus A320-200 were found a day earlier.

In Indonesia’s second-biggest city Surabaya, where the plane had departed for Singapore early on Sunday, drained and emotional relatives of the 162 people

on board gathered at a crisis centre to hand over documents and medical records.

Among them was Hadi Widjaja, 60, who was preparing a Muslim funeral for his son Andreas and daughter-in-law Enny Wahyuni.

“I am anxious to know if the rescuers have found their bodies. The president has said that they will do the best they can to find them,” Widjaja told AFP. “But if they really cannot find them, I will scatter flowers in the sea here as a way to say goodbye.”

Police in Surabaya said they had taken DNA from 30 immediate family members to assist with the identification of bodies at a local hospital, to which the crisis centre is also being shifted.

Seven bodies have been recovered from the sea so far, officials said, and all of them were due to reach Surabaya by yesterday night.

Storms delayed the start of operations yesterday and helicopters were later forced to return to the

Merkel asks Germans not to attend anti-Islamist rallies n AP, Berlin German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday warned the country’s citizens not to participate in weekly anti-Islam rallies that have attracted growing numbers of supporters in the eastern German city of Dresden.

Merkel condemned the organisers of the protests and said they were driven by prejudices and hatred against foreigners.

The chancellor used unusually direct words in her New Year’s speech yesterday for the rallies organised by a group calling itself Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West, or PEGIDA which have been attended by thousands.

When the protesters chant “we are the people,” they actually mean to say “you don’t belong — because of your religion or your skin color,” Merkel said.

PEGIDA organisers insist they are protesting only against

extremism and not against immigrants or Islam itself, but the demonstrations have received support from far-right groups, prompting concerns that anti-foreigner sentiment might be rising.

Immigration has emerged as a contentious topic lately in Germany, partly due to a sharp rise in asylum applications, particularly from Syrians.

However, Merkel also referred to this topic and stressed that refugees from wars and crises around the globe are welcome in Germany, saying many of them “literally escaped death.”

“It goes without saying that we will help them and accommodate people who are looking for refuge,” the chancellor said.

The number of participants at PEGIDA’s weekly demonstrations in Dresden, a region that has few immigrants or Muslims, has swelled from a few hundred in October to more than 17,000 in December. l

base in Pangkalan Bun, the town with the nearest airstrip to the crash site.

‘We turned back’

“For the safety reasons, we turned back,” helicopter pilot Tatang Onne Setiawan told AFP. “Besides the evacuation of the bodies, we also planned to search for bigger parts of the plane.”

Boat-based teams called off the search for bodies as night fell, but ships with sonar equipment were continuing their search for the plane’s fuselage.

AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes denied reports that sonar images had located the aircraft on the seabed.

“There is no sonar, nothing, some visual identification but nothing confirmed,” he told reporters.

He said however that the search team was “feeling more comfortable. They are beginning to know where it is.”

During Tuesday’s searches, an

air force plane saw a “shadow” on the seabed believed to be the missing plane, where search efforts have since been concentrated.

Debris found from the aircraft, which crashed into the Java Sea southwest of the island of Borneo during a storm, included an exit door and several suitcases.

“There were snacks, instant porridge, and three umbrellas,” commander of the Bung Tomo warship, Colonel Yayan, told a local news channel, referring to the 28 items that had been retrieved.

According to search and rescue officials AFP spoke with, none of the victims found so far was wearing a lifejacket.

The hunt is now on for the plane’s black boxes, which are key to determining the cause of the crash.

“We have concerns to secure the flight recorders, believed to be with parts of the plane we haven’t found,” said National Search and Rescue Agency chief Bambang Soelistyo. l

Navalny says Putin’s regime must be destroyed n Agencies Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained by police after breaking house arrest to join an opposition rally in Moscow.

“I was detained,” Navalny said on his Twitter account on Tuesday. “But they won’t be able to detain everyone.”

A Russian court gave Navalny a suspended sentence for embezzling money but jailed his brother for three-anda-half years in a case seen as part of a campaign to stifle dissent.

Navalny has been under house arrest since February under the conditions of the ongoing court case.

About 2,000 people rallied near Red Square on the evening after the sentencing, responding to Navalny’s call for mass protests to “destroy” President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

The gathering near the Kremlin fell far short of the 18,000 who pledged to

attend on social media.

Police detained more than 130 demonstrators during the protests according to OVD-Info, a group which tracks arrests. Many were yelling things like “Freedom!” and “We are the power.”

A Moscow judge on Tuesday found both Navalny and his brother Oleg guilty of embezzlement and sentenced them to three and a half years in what is widely seen as a politically motivated case.

The hearing was abruptly brought forward by two weeks in what many see as a bid to prevent protests because demonstrators would not be able to organise the required permission.

But while Navalny’s sentence was suspended, his younger brother, who is not involved in politics, was ordered to serve the time behind bars in what observers saw as an attempt to muzzle the Kremlin critic ahead of the 2018 presidential election by taking his brother hostage. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Residents watch helplessly as floodwaters submerge their houses after rains spawned by a tropical storm, locally known as Seniang, caused flooding in Misamis Oriental on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao AFP

53 dead in Philippines flooding and landslides n AFP, Manila

The death toll from flooding and landslides in the Philippines wrought by tropical storm Jangmi rose to 53 yesterday, officials said, with some regions saying they were caught off guard by the deluge.

In Catbalogan town in Samar province 19 people died in a landslide that left homes and vehicles buried under rocks and mud, local Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan said, adding that the town had been surprised by the landslide.

“We did not expect a deluge. We thought the hill where the landslide hit was tough as rocks,” she told AFP. “There was no evacuation, people were just advised to prepare for possible landslides,” she said. “We need to check communication systems to find out what went wrong.”

Hong Kong culls 19,000 birds amid avian flu alert n AFP, Hong Kong Hong Kong culled thousands of chickens yesterday after the potentially deadly H7N9 bird flu virus was discovered in poultry imported from China, days after a woman was admitted to hospital with the disease.

Authorities found the virus in samples taken from 120 chickens imported from the nearby Chinese city of Huizhou and slaughtered nearly 19,000 birds, including 11,800 chickens.

“The rapid testing showed... that this batch of chickens carries the H7N9 virus,” the city’s health minister Ko Wing-man said yesterday.

Televised images showed authorities beginning the cull yesterday morning, with health officials in white hazmat suits dumping chickens into green plastic bins.

The bins were then pumped with carbon dioxide to kill the birds, a spokeswoman for the city’s agriculture department told AFP. l

South Korean to drop Sony film in North by balloon n AP, Seoul A South Korean activist said yesterday that he will launch balloons carrying DVDs of Sony’s “The Interview” toward North Korea to try to break down a personality cult built around dictator Kim Jong Un. The comedy depicting an assassination attempt on Kim is at the center of tension between North Korea and the US, with Washington blaming Pyongyang for crippling hacking attacks on Sony Entertainment. Pyongyang denies that and has vowed to retaliate.

Activist Park Sang-hak said he will start dropping 100,000 DVDs and USBs with the movie by balloon in North Korea as early as late January. Park, a North Korean defector, said he’s partnering with the US-based non-profit Human Rights Foundation, which is financing the making of the DVDs and USB memory sticks of the movie with Korean subtitles.

Park said foundation officials plan to visit South Korea around Jan. 20 to hand over the DVDs and USBs, and that he and the officials will then try to float the first batch of the balloons if weather conditions allow. l

Jangmi affected 121,737 people, of which 80,186 are in evacuation centres, according to the national disaster monitoring agency, which said that 53 people were killed overall.

The storm’s death toll was nearly triple that of the last major storm to hit the country, Super Typhoon Hagupit, earlier this month.

Hagupit, with winds of 210 kilometres (130 miles) per hour, sparked a massive evacuation effort as it brought back memories of the strongest storm ever to hit the country, Super Typhoon Haiyan, whose 230-kilometre per hour winds left 7,350 dead or missing in 2013.

In Misamis Oriental province, floods flattened rice and corn fields resulting in an estimated 400 million pesos ($9 million) in damages, Governor Yevgeny Emano told DZMM radio.

“We were caught by surprise, we

didn’t expect that we would be hit by the eye of the storm,” Emano said, although he noted he had received some warnings.

In Leyte – the province worst-hit by Haiyan – the rains brought landslides and floods that closed off major roads, Governor Leopoldo Domenico Petilla said on DZMM. Mina Marasigan, the national disaster monitoring agency’s spokeswoman, defended the government’s handling of the storm saying weather warnings were sent out even as Jangmi was still forming over the Pacific Ocean.

“Maybe people underestimated the situation because it’s a tropical depression, not a super typhoon. They dismissed it as weak,” she said.

“We need to study what happened in this storm closely and find ways for the public to better understand storm warnings,” Marasigan added. l

Greece formally dissolves parliament ahead of election n Reuters, Athens Greece formally dissolved parliament yesterday ahead of a general election on Jan. 25 that has cast its international bailout into doubt and set financial markets on edge just as the euro zone grapples with renewed signs of weakness.

The traditional decree calling new elections was posted on the door to parliament two days after lawmakers rejected Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ candidate for president, automatically triggering a return to the polls.

The Jan. 25 vote will mark a showdown between Samaras’ conservative New Democracy party, which imposed unpopular budget cuts under Greece’s bailout deal, and the leftwing Syriza party of Alexis Tsipras, who wants to cancel austerity measures along with a chunk of Greek debt.

Opinion polls show Syriza holding

a lead over New Democracy, although its margin has narrowed to about three percentage points in the run-up to the vote.

However weakness among the small parties that either Syriza or New Democracy would need to form a stable coalition has also added to the uncertainty and raised the possibility that the next government may not survive long.

Tsipras, who says he wants to keep Greece in the euro, has sought to present a more moderate face to financial markets and reassure voters that a Syriza-led government would not raid their bank accounts.

But the potential arrival of a government openly opposed to the international bailout keeping Athens from bankruptcy has fueled a nervy mood on financial markets, even if the impact has been more limited than in past crises. l

Pakistan reviews plan to block terror financing n AFP Pakistan on Tuesday reviewed its strategy to block terror financing and disrupt militant communication networks as part of the implementation of a national counter-terrorism action plan, officials said.

“We have isolated terrorists with our unity and will make sure that we remain united against those who killed the innocent children,” Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his office after he chaired the high-level meeting.

He was referring to the country’s worst ever terror attack, a massacre carried out by Taliban militants on an army school in Peshawar earlier this month which left 150 people dead, mostly children.

Pakistan has ramped up its anti-terror strategy in the wake of the December 16 slaughter.

“Our fight is with the forces of hatred, violence and intolerance... We

cannot betray our martyrs by giving a picture of disunity and shall win this fight as a nation,” Sharif said.

The prime minister has announced the establishment of military courts for terror-related cases in order to accelerate trials, and he has also lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty, reinstating it for terrorism-related cases.

Officials said early last week that Pakistan plans to execute around 500 militants in the coming weeks.

Sharif told the meeting – attended by intelligence officials, the ministers of defence and finance and the army chief, among other high-level officials – only those cases which relate to terrorists responsible for mass murder of innocent civilians, children and soldiers of law enforcement agencies will be referred to the special courts.

“Special courts are part of the national action plan and an extraordinary solution to an extraordinary problem,” Sharif said. l

9

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Tunisian secular leader Essebsi sworn in as new president n Reuters, Tunis

US resettles five Guantanamo prisoners in Kazakhstan

Veteran politician Beji Caid Sebsi was sworn in as Tunisian president yesterday, giving the country a democratically elected leader four years after an uprising ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. Essebsi, a former official in Ben Ali’s government, won a second-round run off election this month after presenting himself as an experienced technocrat able to bring Tunisia the stability it needs after the political unrest following the 2011 revolt.

With successful free elections and a new constitution, Tunisia has been held up as a model for democratic change and compromise between its secular and Islamist factions in a region beset by chaos and violence.

But the return of a former Ben Ali old guard stalwarts like Essebsi has worried opponents.

“I am committed to be president of all Tunisian men and women without exclusion,” the secular Essebsi said at the swearing in ceremony at the parliament. “There is no future without consensus among all parties and social movements.”

Essebsi, 88, was a former parliament speaker in Ben Ali’s government and before that held minister posts in the government of the country’s first post-independence leader who established the one-party system.

Ben Ali fled into exile after the 2011 uprising.

Essebsi won 56% of the vote in the run-off against 44% for then incumbent Moncef Marzouki, who had portrayed the return of Ben Ali officials as a blow to the legacy of the 2011 revolt.

The president’s Nidaa Tounes party also holds the most seats in the new parliament. But Nidaa Tounes will be forced to negotiate a coalition government with smaller parties. It also faces tough rivals in Islamist party Ennahda, who won the first election in 2011, and now hold the second largest number of seats in the parliament. l

n Reuters, Washington Three Yemenis and two Tunisians held for more than a decade at the US military prison at Guantanamo have been flown to Kazakhstan for resettlement, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of prisoner transfers aimed at closing the facility.

The transfer of the five men followed a recent pledge by President Barack Obama for a stepped-up push to shut the internationally condemned detention center at the US naval base in Cuba where most prisoners have been held without being charged or tried.

The US government has moved 28 prisoners out of Guantanamo this year – the largest number since 2009 – and a senior US official said the quickened pace would continue with further transfers expected in coming weeks.

Kazakhstan’s acceptance of the five followed extensive negotiations, the official said. Though the oil-rich central Asian state is an ally of Russia, it has cultivated areas of economic and diplomatic cooperation with the West.

The men sent to Kazakhstan, a majority-Muslim country, were identified as low-risk detainees cleared long ago for transfer. With their removal from Guantanamo just before the new year, the detainee population has been whittled down to 127.

More than half of the remaining Guantanamo detainees are from Yemen, but Washington is unable to send them home because of the chaotic security situation there.

Obama continues to face obstacles posed by Congress to the goal of emptying the prison before he leaves office, not least of which is a ban on transfer of prisoners to the US mainland.

All five men were detained on suspicion of links to al Qaeda or allied groups, but the US official said investigations had determined they “could be described as low-level, if even that.”

Resettlement efforts gather steam

The Pentagon identified the Yemenis as Asim Thabit Abdullah Al-Khalaqi, Muhammad Ali Husayn Khanayna and Sabri Muhammad Ibrahim Al Qurashi. The Tunisians were named as Adel Al-Hakeemy and Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Lufti.

Other countries that have accepted Guantanamo detainees for resettlement this year include Uruguay, Georgia and Slovakia.

The prison was opened by Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States to house militant suspects rounded up overseas.

“I’m going to be doing everything I can to close it,” Obama told CNN in an interview broadcast on Dec. 21, renewing a pledge he made when he took office in 2008.

A key thrust of the strategy is the administration’s outreach to a range of countries it hopes will take in more of the roughly 60 prisoners already approved for transfer.

Clifford Sloan, Obama’s outgoing State Department envoy on Guantanamo, led negotiations for the Kazakh deal. It was not immediately known whether the Obama played any personal role.

Among the prisoners sent to Kazakhstan, Lufti, 49, was detained in Pakistan and held at Guantanamo for nearly 12 years, according to a database of government documents compiled by the New York Times and National Public Radio.

He was accused of links to Tunisian militants when he lived in Italy in the 1990s, but he denied this. He has heart problems that led authorities to recommend his transfer as early as 2004.

One of the Yemenis, Khalaqi, 46, had been implicated by John Walker Lindh, an American captured in late 2001 working with the Taliban, as having fought with al Qaeda in Afghanistan, according to the documents. But Khalaqi denied any involvement. l

Border guard killed in exchange of fire in Indian Kashmir n AFP, Srinagar An Indian border guard was killed and another wounded in an exchange of fire with Pakistan forces yesterday along their border in Kashmir, officials said.

Pakistani Rangers opened fire in the Samba sector, 350 kilometres (217 miles) from the region’s main city of Srinagar, and the Indian guards retaliated, said Border Security Force (BSF) Inspector General D Parikh.

“One soldier was killed and another critically wounded in the firing from across the border,” Parikh told AFP. The paramilitary force patrols the internationally recognised border in Kashmir, south of the disputed frontier in the region. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Thursday, January 1, 2015

CODE-CRACKER

A better year ahead

A

s 2015 begins, people all round the world are taking stock as they anticipate the year ahead.

It is a time to reflect upon past errors as the nation looks forward.

Bangladesh’s people continued to show tremendous resilience and fortitude during the year just completed. The economy grew better than most and the nation is still performing relatively well on fulfilling the social indicators set by the Millennium Development Goals.

Farmers continue to deliver bigger harvests and the garment industry is at last acting more collectively to undertake vital safety inspections while reaching out to new markets.

Still, the sense remains that so much more could be achieved if the country was not held back by corruption and poor governance.

With millions of young people joining the workforce each year, the economy needs to grow faster and more productively if we are to reap the benefits of the nation’s demographic dividend.

Unless we can eliminate corruption and improve infrastructure, the economy risks failing to attain its potential.

If there is some relief that political violence has tailed off in the last twelve months, this is qualified by apprehension that the underlying disputes which trigger disruptive hartals remain unresolved.

Most negatively of all, the country continues to be plagued by preventable crises and incidents. From ferry disasters to traffic accidents and the calamitous oil spill in the Sunderbans, there are a huge number of lessons to be learned.

We hope individuals and political leaders alike can all learn from mistakes and make the year ahead a better one.

Learn from the past to help Bangladesh attain its potential

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

Towards a culture of accountability

December 21 will do well to act quickly on the recommendation Sammy of the parliamentary committee and remove God bless the editor for his call to arms and the highest responsible official concerned in the confidence, but he is more sanguine than I if he ministry, namely the minister himself, if he fails thinks that one-party dictatorships have any to bow out on his own soon. This can signal the reason to be “accountable” or “responsible.” much-needed beginning towards restoring the There simply isn’t any incentive to be lost culture of political responsibility in office in responsive to public complaints since there is our country. no way for the public to influence a government It would also help to enhance the image of that is not formed through actual, competitive the government in the eyes of the citizens. For elections. drawing attention to this vital issue of political culture and the opportunity involved, the editorial Farhad Faisal deserves our thanks.

A crisis is also an opportunity. The government

Bakshibazar turns into a battlefield December 24

Bangladesh opposes Chicago street sign for Zia December 20

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 21 represents U so fill U every time the figure 21 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.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

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

DispassionateObserver The government ought to be congratulated for exporting our political fistfight to distant shores!

SM Wait, isn’t this the same government which, almost once a week, complains about the United States involving itself in Bangladesh’s “internal matters?”

How typical of a Baksali mindset.

Combat the cold

I

t is terrible that people continue to die from the cold, when this can be prevented with warm blankets, clothing, and heating.

With cold waves striking the nation, there is every reason to be wary. The onset of winter brings a rise in respiratory illnesses, pneumonia, and cough, which has often resulted in death. In fact, 80 people died in Syedpur in January 2013 from illnesses resulting from the cold, when temperatures had dropped to a recordbreaking 3 degrees Celsius.

Rural areas are often worst hit since inhabitants cannot afford warm clothing or heating, let alone carry out their daily duties.

Already this year, many have been hospitalised for respiratory problems.

The government as well as several NGOs have already begun holding blanket drives and warm clothing drives.

But while these efforts are admirable, more large-scale efforts are needed to reach everyone who needs help.

Ensuring that no one dies of exposure in the winter is a worthy goal. The government should make the distribution of warm winter clothing and blankets to the needy a top priority each winter season. The government does an admirable job with food provision to vulnerable groups, but protection from the cold is no less essential.

In fact, from next year on, perhaps the government can plan well in advance, so that those who need the warm blankets and clothing can get them before the first cold wave strikes.

Even though no deaths from exposure to cold and respiratory problems have been reported thus far, we can be sure that they will occur. Let us all do everything we can to bring this number down to zero.

Act in advance to ensure blankets and clothing reach the needy

Bareesh So petty. Oh so petty.

Matiur Rahman You cannot fight a very well-supported and deeprooted party, like the BNP, with the use of police, guns, and terrorists. AL has to come up with a better political agenda to defeat #BNP. To me, Bakshibazar seems to signal the fall of the AL-led government.

Plan to ‘replace’ rickshaws with commercial motorcycles

Anon Figures the ambassador would parrot the AL line on Zia. So representative of government officials, who act more like children on a playground. Why can’t they ever get off Zia’s back? So pathetic.

Can we put a price on the Sundarbans?

December 22

December 23

Nafi Khan Ew! Who in their right minds would want to sit on a motorcycle with their crotch against a stranger’s bottom?

Ahsan Sajid More motorised vehicles are exactly what we need in Dhaka!

Wali Rahman Yes, more consumption of fossil fuel and pollution!!

Mindless.

Muhith: Government committed to women’s empowerment December 21

RS The government’s commitment to women’s empowerment is always commendable.

Maus RS: Yes, as long as it is a credible commitment, and not another eyewash. Considering who’s speaking, however, I have my doubts.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Luna It’s a good thing that everyone is concerned about the Sundarbans now. Hopefully, the other manmade causes that were destroying our forests will now be noticed and stopped too.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Unsightly growth (4) 4 Foundation (5) 9 Choler (3) 11 Protuberance (4) 12 Intelligent (5) 13 Small secluded valley (4) 14 Heavy substance (4) 15 Hackneyed (5) 19 Separated (5) 21 Remaining (4) 25 Leave out (4) 26 Accustom (5) 28 Testament (4) 29 Incision (3) 30 Metal (5) 31 Seeks charity (4)

DOWN 1 Sagacious (4) 2 Limb (3) 3 Respond (5) 5 Fisher (6) 6 Part of a shoe (4) 7 Notion (4) 8 Transmits (5) 10 Undress (5) 16 Disconcert (6) 17 Unspoken (5) 18 Is excessively hot (5) 20 Suspension of fighting (5) 22 Send out (4) 23 Line of soldiers (4) 24 Wagers (4) 27 Floor covering (3)

vhs “About 10 million people’s livelihoods depend on the Sundarbans, so it is preposterous to pretend as if this is merely an environmental issue.”

We seem to be a bit suicidal. The Sundarbans were pretty much the last remaining national treasure.

AS vhs: Say goodbye to your little treasure. muhahahaha

Jute genome decoder Maqsudul Alam passes away

December 21 az A truly sad day for Bangladesh. We need more people like him, not the sorry excuses we are currently left with. Rest in peace, sir, and may you go to heaven. Long live Bangladesh. mouse az: Right on. Maqsudul Alam was a great man and I hope to see others follow in his footsteps.

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

Free Wi-Fi launched in secretariat PEANUTS

December 21 birbanggali “Administrative complexities will be reduced through the expansion of information technology, says Junaid Ahmed Polok.”

Thank you Bangladesh govt. Viva Digital Bangladesh!

Junk IPOs flood market in 2014

December 22 Imam One of the boldest, most factual and clearest capital market coverage articles I’ve ever seen in Bangladesh. The reporter will go miles in financial journalism here.

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Thursday, January 1, 2015

A mark of the passing years n SM Shahrukh

W

BIGSTOCK

Volunteerism 365

W

n Osama Bin Noor hat’s your New Year’s resolution? If you’re looking for inspiration, here is how the young people at Volunteer for Bangladesh spent their 2014 Our volunteers have been engaged in numerous volunteering activities throughout the year. These include: Different awareness programs, women empowerment programs, distributing new clothes to street children, calligraphy exhibition, first responders training program, programs with cancer-affected children. All these programs were initiatives taken and executed by our volunteers.

Volunteerism will be the winner for humanity.

World Water Day every year at the Karail slum to instill the value of water among the youth. This year, 150 volunteers from 15 districts across the country came to Dhaka and participated in this one of a kind challenge.

They cleaned Karail Lake, interacted with slum-dwellers, and helped in preventing waterborne diseases such as malaria. The underlying principle was the importance of water in everybody’s life – from the wealthiest to the poorest.

Volunteerism will be the winner for humanity

January: Blanket drive

Like every other year, the volunteers set out to distribute warmth among the destitute in Jessore, Chandpur, Norail, Rajshahi, Noakhali (Hatiya), and other districts. A total of 2,000 blankets and 700 sweaters were collected from the more fortunate, and personally distributed by the volunteers.

February: Spreading care

Valentine’s Day is celebrated worldwide as an occasion to express love, and our volunteers marked this day by giving flowers and “Thank You” cards to nurses, out of respect for their dedicated service in saving lives. The event was carried out in Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet.

March: Great Water Challenge

Volunteer for Bangladesh observes

T

April: World Health Day

Volunteers celebrated World Health Day with 300 underprivileged children in Rajshahi. The children received free medical treatment from renowned physicians and dentists. In addition to the health checkup, they were also given lessons on healthy nutrition and were provided with medicine, saline and food.

May: Mother’s Day

Our mothers are our superheroes and as their children, our lives revolve around them. Unfortunately, as we get older we often fail to appreciate and express our love to them. This year on Mother’s Day our volunteers hit the

H

I

streets to show appreciation for the best gift in their lives. They went to schools and markets giving out badges for mothers with the words: “Congratulations for holding the toughest job in the world.” The mothers were exuberant when their children went up to them and said: “Thank you.”

June: World Environment Day

More than 1,000 volunteers across 12 districts celebrated this day by planting trees and organising a bicycle rally to motivate the youth to be responsible for their environment. Trees were planted by the volunteers themselves with a pledge to respect their own environment.

July: School of survivors

Ramadan brings a different atmosphere. Besides being a religious duty, the Ramadan iftar with friends and family is an affair we all look forward to. Our volunteers organised an iftar party for acid survivors. They also spent time with them and applauded them for their bravery of survival.

August: The Great Kindness Challenge

Every coin has two sides, but we often point out criticisms only. The Great Kindness Challenge celebrated unsung heroes by giving them thanks and appreciation. Volunteers across 13 districts paid respect and gave badges and flowers to police officers, fire service and civil defense, journalists, Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, and other notable personalities for their devoted service towards this nation.

September: Flood relief

Flooding in Bangladesh is an old story, and every year flood-affected people

R

lose their belongings and homes. Our Kurigram organisation extended a helping hand to these victims and distributed food among 200 families in Vogdanga Union, Kurigram.

October: Ranga Haate Eid Utshob

Eid is a joyous celebration, but unfortunately not every child is born with a blessed life. Like every year, our volunteers shared the happiness of Eid with street kids in 21 districts.

The volunteers went out on the streets and applied henna, while giving them small souvenirs such as bangles and caps in an effort to bring colour to these destitute children’s lives.

November: Universal Children’s Day

Celebrated in 28 districts, 10,000 volunteers created awareness about the importance of a child’s education – their future. Citizens extended helping hands and invested in educating underprivileged children with their contributions.

ar is the ultimate scourge of the world. Leaders and generals know it, but still they need it for the power, that is their “fix.”

They feel withdrawals, as if, when not enough young men are dying or not enough women are raped or enslaved, there is no need to say anything about the untold misery for all. They go on pushing the button till a man, gone mad, said: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” They don’t stop still.

Peace is unbearable for the men all dressed up and with pips glistening and no place to reflect its “glory.” Remember George W Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld? And now, we have Assad, al-Baghdadi, Putin, and America’s war industry and more. They love war because it fills their pockets with blood which they see as gold. When will the world get rid of all these “grey old men” of this world, some are not even that old.

Does a war ever end in peace – people living in harmony, in health, in the safety of a home? Is there ever an end to the miseries of conflicts? Let us hope that atrocities seen in 2014 will not haunt the coming year, and we will take a baby step, at least, towards world peace – a clichéd dream, but dreams are all we have. Let us not have the traumas suffered by Robert Graves in his World War I nightmare: “Grey haunted eyes, absent-mindedly glaring From wide, uneven orbits; one brow drooping Somewhat over the eye Because of a missile fragment still inhering, Skin-deep, as a foolish record of oldworld fighting.

Crookedly broken nose – low tackling caused it; Cheeks, furrowed; coarse grey hair, flying frenetic; Forehead, wrinkled and high; Jowls, prominent; ears, large; jaw, pugilistic; Teeth, few; lips, full and ruddy; mouth, ascetic.

I pause with razor poised, scowling derision At the mirrored man whose beard

needs my attention, And once more ask him why He still stands ready, with a boy’s presumption, To court the queen in her high silk pavilion.”

A new day, a new year, 15 years into the millennium already. Time flies, and lives change – for better or for worse, but time will keep flying come what may. Every year we get a little older, a new wrinkle appears like a mark of the passing years, a notch on a stick. Do we get wiser? Sometimes, but not necessarily.

Every year we get a little older. Do we get wiser? Sometimes, but not necessarily

Upheavals in life are inevitable, but no such guarantee of peace and serenity, we end up choosing paths with no thoughts of consequence. Life cannot be mapped out, one has to go with the flow. That flow is not always taking us where we want to be.

Pain is a part of life, and time does not heal all wounds. But maybe it lessens the heartache somewhat. It would be foolish to try and wipe out memories of painful events, but living life is of paramount importance in spite of them. Seize the moment? Why not? We have only one life to live. Our actions are best driven when we listen to our hearts.

“There comes a time when the world gets quiet, and the only thing left is your own heart. So you’d better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you’ll never understand what it’s saying.”

Where will we be standing at the end of the coming new year? Well, only time will tell. Happy new year! l SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.

December: My road my responsibility

Rather than sitting back and complaining, our volunteers went out onto the roads with brooms in hand to clean up the streets, because they believed it was their responsibility.

While the volunteers swept, they spent time with the professional sweepers, and enjoyed a breakfast with them, where they expressed appreciation for their efforts in keeping our country clean. This event took place at different locations in Dhaka, as well as in Jessore. l Osama Bin Noor is Volunteer Resource Coordinator, Dhaka Division, Volunteer for Bangladesh.

D

BIGSTOCK

E

Y

E

Taking stock n Mamun Rashid

D

ecember 31 is a banking holiday.

Though there are no customer transactions, the mainframe system is busy calculating profits and losses for the entire year.

Some commercial bank managers even take this time to arrange luncheons or exchange greetings by distributing sweets to their larger clients. Most are talking about how the year went, though. I am sure Thursday or Friday’s newspapers will carry a lot of news on this.

Banking in Bangladesh, or more broadly the financial sector, has become quite a failed case for the ruling regime. Large loan scams, weak security and collateral, diversion of funds to real estate, capital market, or even overseas, low profitability, poor internal control, weak risk management, continuous interference from the owners, and poor management standards have become synonyms for Bangladeshi banking.

Not even the Ministry of Finance or Bangladesh Bank could do much in this regard. The Finance Ministry

could not make sure they were in command for the government’s undertakings.

Often, interference from the highest office, political intervention in selection of the state-owned bank chairman, director, or even managing director expedited the “nowhere to go” situation for them.

Everyone has witnessed the continuous tug of war between the ministry, a few stalwarts in the highest office, some influential ministers, or even ruling party biggies and the watchdog agency. At times, the somewhat achieved independence of the watchdog agency has been questioned due to too much political pressure.

Some people at the central bank have really worked hard, but they were to approve the day-to-day transactions of business entities, not much could be done to further streamline the policy regime.

Thanks to the central bank’s continuous focus and the commitment of its operators, agriculture finance, mobile commerce, or even school banking have made very good progress.

Our country has seen phenomenal

growth in mobile banking transactions. Focus had also been given on e-commerce and the redefinition of CSR activities in banks.

Going forward, the central bank should be allocating more time in reforming the existing archaic policy regime

It was good, more so in view of all nine new banks being given licenses on political considerations, and most of their owners being very eager to expand branch presence to their native places and grant CSR allocation to their near and dear ones. The central bank has reports that too much of CSR funds were being diverted to sports, or for the owners’ domain buildings.

Bangladesh Bank’s efforts to ensure a shift to quality assets in banks have been put to question with the issuance and exercise of a new loan rescheduling circular, issued in view of protecting the victims of the political meltdown which was seen at the end of 2013.

It could reportedly take care of a few old or perennial defaulters, or large, politically favoured business houses only. There are instances of politically appointed state-owned bank chairmen requesting the chairman of a private commercial bank for undue rescheduling of large business house loans.

According to reports, Bangladesh Bank is not too happy with the classified loan situation in the commercial banks. It is around 11.6% of the country’s total Tk4.94tn banking sector funded assets.

But accountants, and people with above average visibility, tell us if we apply more qualitative judgment, this figure would easily cross 20% of the banking sector loan.

A lot of money has been flown into companies with weak internal cash flow generation, poor fundamentals,

weak business plans, or those who can’t withstand competition or face any industry consolidation. Large commodity loans in Chittagong faced the music in view of the global price reduction of commodities or had lost out to competition with better access to lower interest rates or control on easy bank financing.

A lot of large private commercial banks got caught up in debacles with management changes or for sticking to a few cronies who are otherwise not good bankers. Finding out good senior banking resources is increasingly becoming a tough job.

On the other side, we have not seen banks spending much in organisational development. Most of them were shy in allocating much for building alternate banking solutions, building robust IT infrastructures, or retail banking solutions.

They were not happy with large classified loans, but did very little to avoid their reoccurrance in the future.

Higher profit targets, less time to analyse the underlying or ultimate risk or recovery, or even the restructuring of distressed assets put the banks in

further risk. Most of the banks’ seniors are not sure what they should be doing more of or doing less of.

Day-to-day witch-hunting is not allowing them to dedicate some quality time towards developing new business models, improving risk architecture, or developing core resources.

Going forward, the central bank should be seen allocating more of its time in reforming the existing archaic policy regime, focus more on quality shift in the banking sector, and improving the risk preparedness of the commercial banks in view of BASEL-III commandments.

Commercial banks, take them or leave them, must demonstrate their preparedness against emerging anti-money laundering (AML) risks, capital adequacy in view of deteriorating quality of assets, leadership development, IT governance, and the overhauling of the entire risk management system – the way we analyse risk, address risk, administer risk, monitor risk, and ensure damage control. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE Thursday, January 1, 2015

13 ‘Spoilt brat’

Kohli assumes helm

14 Hughes tragedy

overshadows eventful year

14 El Shaarawy

leads Milan to victory over Real

Sport

Did you know?

Steve Smith was dropped more times than anyone else in Tests in 2014 (8).

B McCullum & Mark Craig were both dropped 7 times

Tigers’ young brigade not shying away from challenges Uddin Khan and n Minhaz Rashad Banna The whole world stepped into a new year today. And for everyone related with Bangladesh cricket, 2015 promises to be a challenging year.

The third biggest sporting extravaganza after the Fifa World Cup and the Olympics and the most attractive cricket event, the ICC World Cup, is slated for Australia-New Zealand on February-March.

Right after the global showpiece competition, the Tigers will barely have any time to rest on their laurels as they will entertain Pakistan, India, South Africa and Australia in bilateral series – all scheduled to be held in Bangladesh.

With such a challenging year ahead, the senior members of the Tigers contingent have a tough task in their hands. Simultaneously, the Tigers’ young brigade will also look to chip in with their contributions.

Although 2014 was a disappointing year for the Tigers with the exception of the home series against Zimbabwe, the youngsters performed admirably with as many as six cricketers making their bow in international cricket.

And ahead of so many formidable challenges, three young Tigers, despite their tender ages, are expected to play

their part in three key departments.

Right-arm paceman Al Amin Hossain is one of them.

The 24-year old cricketer from Jhenaidah experienced mixed fortunes in 2014. Even though he bagged five wickets in as many Tests, 17 wickets in 11 ODIs and 10 wickets in eight Twenty20 Internationals, his confidence took a pounding as his bowling action was deemed to be illegal by the International Cricket Council (ICC). One positive though was the completion of his Honors degree from Rajshahi University.

As one of the spearheads of the Tigers’ bowling department, Al Amin will have to play a crucial role this year. With his bowling action recently cleared by the ICC and his studies completed, the paceman is now looking forward to an event-filled 2015.

“I personally think 2014 was a good year for me. I completed my Honors degree, performed in the [ICC] World T20 and the tour of the West Indies. So, I am quite a happy man,” Al Amin told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“One advantage I will have is that I will not have to worry about studies anymore. All I will think about is cricket. The past few months were really tough for me due to the exams. I had to miss the Zimbabwe series. So yes, I am quite relieved having completed my

studies,” he added.

The batting department, meanwhile, contains a calming presence in the diminutive Mominul Haque.

The 23-year old cricketer from the coastal town of Cox’s Bazar was the most successful Tigers batsman last year in five-day cricket. The little master topped the run-scorers’ chart with 614 runs in 14 innings.

His form in 50-over cricket was a letdown though, especially by his own high standards. Mominul garnered 334 runs in 12 ODIs at an average of 30.36.

With so many ODIs scheduled for this year, Mominul’s new year’s resolution is to better his average in one-day cricket.

“I want to improve my average in ODIs and also mend the mistakes in my batting technique,” Mominul told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The left-handed batsman will have his work cut out. Bangladesh’s opponents in the upcoming World Cup are England, Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Scotland.

Mominul though said he is not losing any sleep thinking about the might of the opposition.

“It’s usual. Things are always tough against big opponents. I do not think big or small opponents are a factor.

What matters to me is that all the se-

ries and all the games are important.

We have the World Cup up ahead and teams like Australia and South Africa are touring our country. So, I will have to work hard and prepare myself for that,” he added.

The third member of the young brigade is none other than 19-year old leg-spinner Jubair Hossain. The rightarm leggie was one of the six debutants last year.

Following his impressive performances in Bangladesh A’s home series against their Zimbabwean counterparts, the cricketer from Jamalpur was drafted to the national side for the year-end series against Zimbabwe.

Despite his lack of experience in the first-class arena, Jubair gave an excellent account of himself in the Zimbabwe series, registering his maiden five-wicket haul in the first innings of the third Test against the Southern African nation. The country’s first specialist leggie, Jubair is expecting more of the same in 2015.

“I had a fair year. 2015 will be tough as there will be big opponents but I will try to hold onto the performance of the Zimbabwe series. I also want to cement my place in all formats of the game,” Jubair told Dhaka Tribune yesterday. Despite being a novice of three Tests and two ODIs, Jubair is well capable of handling the weight of expectations of a whole nation. l

GK coach Minar replaces Mong

BGB, Police face off in final n Tribune Desk

n Shishir Hoque

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Bangladesh Police are poised for an exiting final after both teams thrashed their respective semifinal opponents in the Exim Bank 24th National Men’s Handball Championship at the M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium yesterday.

BGB thrashed Chapainawabganj 4215 with Sudhan Barua scoring 13 goals.

Later, Police earned a comfortable victory of 31-19 over Bangladesh Ansar in the other semifinal. Chinu and Mahbub netted eight and six goals respectively for the winners.l

The development committee of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday terminated the contract of Mong kru Marma, one of the 20 local coaches under the supervision of Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and replaced him with Khandakar Mizanur Rahman Minar. A specialist goalkeeping coach, Minar was one of the two candidates who applied for the job.

The committee also recommended to renew the contracts of the other 19 coaches for the new year starting today.

The evaluation of the 20 coaches will be carried out by BFF technical director Bayezid Alam Zubaer Nipu in ev-

ery four months who will review their performance, coaching license, attendance and behaviour.

Badal Roy, chairman of the committee, said they feel the federation needs more coaches. “We need two coaches each for every four categories of BFF football academy which means we need 8-10 coaches there. After discussions and considering the upcoming activities of BFF, we think we need more coaches,” said the BFF vice president. The coaches are funded by the AFC, but since the total amount provided – $5000 – falls a bit short BFF also chips in a little.

The committee wants to appoint a foreign coach for the academy who

will be able to guide both the players and local coaches as it has already been alleged that the local coaches lack in skill.

BFF president Kazi Salahuddin urged the local coaches to produce five promising players every year and also announced incentives for achieving the feat, informed Badal.

Meanwhile, Badal also informed of the ongoing investigating behind the “suspicious” role of the coaches during the U-12 Super Mokh Cup in Malaysia and said, “We are serious about this issue. The case is still under investigation and we will soon get the full report.” The coaches were reported to favour some players during the tournament.l

Pakistan’s Younis Khan gives a T-shirt of New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson to an injured student of the Peshawar school massacre at a military hospital AFP

NZ donate kit, funds to school survivors n AFP, Peshawar Senior Pakistani batsman Younis Khan Tuesday delivered players’ kits and a financial donation from the New Zealand cricket team to the child survivors of Pakistan’s worst ever terror attack.

Khan visited the army school in Peshawar where Taliban gunmen slaughtered 150 people on December 16, the vast majority of them children, where he met officials and some of the students.

He also visited some of children injured in the massacre as they contin-

ued their recovery in a local hospital.

“All the players from Pakistan and New Zealand were shocked and hurt by the incident,” said Khan of the Taliban attack.

Khan said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and team manager Mike Sandle met him after the fourth one-day international between the two teams in Abu Dhabi to hand over the kits and the financial donation.

“Since the amount is a donation I can’t disclose it, but it shows their grief and sentiments towards the schoolchildren,” he said.l

Hockey passes 2014 with distinction n Raihan Mahmood Glittering performances in three tournaments – Asian Games Qualifiers, Hockey World League Round 1 and Men’s Junior AHF Cup – enabled hockey to be the most admired sport of 2014. When almost all the other sports disciplines faltered, hockey more or less produced inspiring performances. If only Bangladesh were able to register a better show than their eighth-place finish in the Asian Games, hockey would have undoubtedly become the most successful sport this year.

Hockey shows glimpses of a bright future

On March, Bangladesh regained the title of the Asian Games Qualifiers with a massive 6-1 thrashing over Oman in the final at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium. Bangladesh topped the eight-team event to seal their berth in the Asian Games.

Moving forward, an Indian hockey team dubbed India A, comprising a number of experienced internationals, arrived in the capital city on September. Bangladesh, however, lost the three-match series 3-0.

Coached by Pakistani Naveed Alam,

Bangladesh exhibited a dismal display in the Incheon Asian Games as they suffered a 7-0 thumping at the hands of former champions and hosts South Korea. Bangladesh also went down against powerhouse Japan (8-0) and Malaysia (5-1). Bangladesh’s solitary victory came against Singapore (2-1).

In the 7th-8th place decider Bangladesh lost 3-2 against Oman at Seonhak Hockey Stadium and the result frustrated the sports fans of the country a great deal.

However, success did not elude Bangladesh for long. The Red and Greens justified their pre-tournament

favourites tag with a dominant display winning the Hockey World League Round 1 in Dhaka on September.

The home side posted victories over Sri Lanka (3-2) and Hong Kong (3-1) to seal a safe passage through to Round 2, scheduled for January 1725 in Singapore. This is the second time Bangladesh will be taking part in Round 2, the first instance happening last year.

The Bangladesh youngsters wrapped up the year on a winning note in the Men’s Junior AHF Cup in December and the cherry on the cake was the new blue turf provided by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Olympic Council Association.

The Men’s Junior AHF Cup was the final on-field event this year. The Bangladesh youngsters lifted their maiden title trouncing Oman 4-0 in the final.

In the group stage, Bangladesh overpowered Oman 7-0, crashed a hapless Thailand 10-0, strolled past Chinese Taipei 7-0 and got the better of Sri Lanka by a 7-0 margin.

Bangladesh hockey received a big boost in December when FIH president Leandro Negre inaugurated the installation process of the new blue turf at the home of hockey. The FIH supremo, who represented Spain in the 1968 Mexico Olympics, came to Dhaka twice this year. On the first occasion, Negre had arrived on February.

The FIH boss also inaugurated the installation process of a mini-turf at BAF Shaheen School during his second visit.

Baki presents the country with a Commonwealth Games Silver

Abdullah Hel Baki ended the country’s 12-year wait for a Commonwealth

Games medal as the Bangladesh shooter attained silver in the 10m air-rifle event of the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland on July.

The 24-year old shooter from Gazipur qualified for the eight-man final round after finishing fifth in qualification with a score of 620 points.

In the final shoot-off, Baki managed 202.1 points out of 218, narrowly missing out on the gold. 3.2 points was all that separated Baki from gold-winner Abhinav Singh Bindra of India.

Below-par show in the Asian Games

Apart from cricket and football, Bangladesh also participated in the disciplines of archery, kabaddi, shooting, gymnastics, golf, taekwondo, beach volleyball, wushu and weightlifting.

US-based gymnast Quazi Syque Caesar’s performance left a lot to be desired and once again proved that Bangladesh is lagging far behind in gymnastics. Kabaddi, which was once covered w i t h

glory, is also disappearing slowly from the horizon.

Women’s handball team set new milestone

Bangladesh women’s handball team etched new history as they became the first women’s side, apart from cricket, to bring laurel for the country. The Bangladesh women clinched the International Handball Federation Trophy in Pakistan and the triumph tasted even more sweeter as they defeated the hosts in the final, that too on the month of Victory. Before beating Pakistan 34-22 in the final, Bangladesh defeated Nepal, Afghanistan and Yemen to stamp their authority. The success enabled Bangladesh to qualify for the continental phase of the women’s competition. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Dhoni’s shock exit catches India off-guard

QUICK BYTES

Inter’s Podolski interest ‘a joke’: Wenger Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Tuesday described Inter Milan’s reported interest in Lukas Podolski as “a joke” and said he wants the out-of-favour Germany international to stay at the club. Podolski has expressed unhappiness at his lack of playing time this season and Inter coach Roberto Mancini recently told the Italian media that he is monitoring the 29-year-old’s situation.

But Wenger dismissed the reports and said he had no intention of allowing his squad to be weakened during the January transfer window. “That is a joke.

Inter Milan is not serious,” the Frenchman told his weekly press conference.

“It is nothing serious. They talk, there is only talk.” With Olivier Giroud serving a three-game ban and Danny Welbeck having injured his thigh during Sunday’s 2-1 win at West Ham United, Podolski could have more opportunities to play in the weeks ahead. “Podolski is a player of Arsenal Football Club and I want him to stay,” added Wenger, whose side visit Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday. “Apart from that, what it is to be professional is that as long as you are somewhere, you give your best to justify your wages and your love for the club.”

–AFP

n AFP, New Delhi India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s sudden decision to quit Test cricket caught the country’s media and former players by surprise Wednesday, even though many felt his time at the top was over.

Dhoni’s retirement from the longer format on Tuesday soon after the drawn third Test in Melbourne had handed Australia the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was the lead front-page story in most newspapers.

But headlines like ‘Dhoni takes the highway, Mahi (Dhoni’s nickname) way’, ‘Dhoni drops a bomb’ and ‘Dhoni retires Dhoni style’ indicated how the media-wary skipper had managed to fool the usually alert press pack.

“Dhoni’s Test career came to an end in the same way that he has often played his cricket - with a quirky, inscrutable move that seemed to defy logic and left eyebrows raised all around,” wrote the Times of India.

Former captain Sourav Ganguly, who is in Australia as a television commentator, also appeared stunned by Dhoni’s retirement before the final Test had been played in Sydney.

“I am surprised by the decision in the middle of the series,” Ganguly wrote in the Hindustan Times. “Three Tests are over and it was a question of one more. He could have finished it off.

“The decision to give up the captaincy was right, though I think the decision not to play Test cricket is an incorrect one.”

The same paper said Dhoni may have created more trouble for the touring team even though he was “past his shelf life as captain”.

“Given his recent poor run, it is clear Dhoni is past his shelf life as captain,” the Hindustan Times wrote. “(But) by

Pulis, Sherwood in West Brom frame Tony Pulis and Tim Sherwood are in talks with West Bromwich Albion about succeeding sacked manager Alan Irvine, according to reports in the British media on Tuesday. West Brom announced on Monday that they had sacked Irvine after a run of seven defeats in nine matches that left the club in 16th place in the Premier League table, just a point above the relegation zone. Pulis was named the Premier League’s Manager of the Year for steering Crystal Palace away from relegation last season, but he left the club on the eve of the current campaign after falling out with chairman Steve Parish.

Sherwood, out of work since being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in May, was interviewed by West Brom during the close season, only for the club to appoint Irvine as the successor to Spaniard Pepe Mel. The BBC said that both Sherwood, 45, and 56-year-old Welshman Pulis were in talks with West Brom. West Brom announced Irvine’s departure in a statement that read: “Irvine leaves the club with immediate effect and has been placed on gardening leave.”

–AFP

Cisse accepts ban for Coleman elbow Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse will be banned for three matches after accepting a Football Association charge of violent conduct for elbowing Everton’s Seamus Coleman, his club announced on Tuesday. The 29-yearold Senegal international swung his elbow at Coleman during Newcastle’s 3-2 home win in the Premier League on Sunday. Referee Craig Pawson missed the incident but Cisse was charged retrospectively. “Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse has accepted a charge of violent conduct from the Football Association,” Newcastle said in a statement on their website. “Cisse has accepted the charge and will now serve a three-match suspension, which starts with immediate effect.” Cisse, who has scored five times in his last six matches, will miss Thursday’s home match against Burnley, Saturday’s FA Cup third-round trip to Leicester City and Chelsea’s visit on January 10.

Speaking after Sunday’s match, Everton manager Roberto Martinez said that Cisse should have been sent off for the incident, which occurred shortly before he cancelled out Arouna Kone’s opening goal for the visitors.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 4 2:45PM T20 Big Bash League Perth Scorchers v Sydney Thunder English Premier League 6:45PM Stoke City v Man United 9:00PM Man City v Sunderland 11:30PM Tottenham v Chelsea

Star Sports 1 English Premier League 9:00PM Liverpool v Leicester City

Star Sports 2 English Premier League 9:00PM Southampton v Arsenal

13

‘Spoilt brat’ Kohli assumes helm n AFP, New Delhi Firebrand batsman Virat Kohli is likely to instill a new aggression in the Indian team as he assumes the captaincy of a Test side which badly needs to start packing a punch on its travels.

Dubbed by some opponents as a ‘spoilt brat’, the 26-year-old has been tasked with leading a team that last won a Test series away from home back in 2011 against the West Indies.

Kohli, who is taking over from Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the fourth and final Test in Sydney, has been one of the few batsman to emerge with credit from the tour in Australia which again saw India suffer a resounding series defeat.

The loss of the Border-Gavaskar trophy follows series defeats in England and New Zealand earlier this year for a team that was ranked the best in the

world little more than three years ago.

The team’s shortcomings were first exposed in England in the summer of 2011 when they suffered the first of two back-to-back whitewashes. Australia dished out the second hiding.

But while other batsman such as swashbuckling opener Shikhar Dhawan and the usually solid Cheteshwar Pujara have struggled Down Under in recent weeks, Kohli has scored three centuries -- and got under the Australians’ skin in the process.

“They were calling me a spoilt brat, and I said maybe that’s the way I am,” Kohli told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday after a spat with express bowler Mitchell Johnson.

“You guys hate me and I like that. I don’t mind having a chat on the field.”

Kohli’s immediate task will be to lift the sagging morale of the team who

have just one more game to salvage a modicum of pride before starting their defence of the ODI World Cup under Dhoni’s stewardship.

For the moment his appointment is as interim skipper but he has long been widely seen as the natural successor of Dhoni who was the most successful Test match skipper in India’s history.

The timing of Dhoni’s announcement took many by surprise although the 33-year-old had been tipped by many to stand down once the series was over.

The right-hander Kohli has emerged as India’s leading batsman following the recent retirements of a string of greats including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. From 32 Tests so far, Kohli has aggregated 2,354 runs at an average of 44.41 with nine hundreds and 10 half-centuries.

He has been the vice-captain and led India in the first Test against Australia with Dhoni nursing an injury.

Kohli, who has been romantically linked with raven-haired Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, is popular with many fans despite his somewhat brash reputation.

Even Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar has been moved to voice his disapproval of Kohli’s aggressive approach in Australia, saying he was “not sure it was the wisest thing to do”.

But Sourav Ganguly, another former skipper who managed to famously rile the Aussies, is a fan of Kohli’s no-holds barred approach.

“I like his (Kohli’s) passion. You’ve got to have passion,” said Ganguly.

“It should mean something to you, any job you do. I like him, I like what I see.” l

walking out at such a juncture, he has not solved a problem, but seems to have created one.

“Losing a player during the heat of battle can unsettle any team. Here, India have lost their commander-in-chief.”

Dhoni will continue to lead in limited-overs cricket starting with the defence of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from February 14.

Former team-mate Rahul Dravid called Dhoni an “inspiration”, saying he was a captain who led “more by example than by rhetoric or by words”.

The decision to give up the captaincy was right, though I think the decision not to play Test cricket is an incorrect one, says Ganguly “He was a captain I enjoyed playing under,” Dravid told the Cricinfo website.

“One of the things I liked about MS was that what you saw was what you got.

Very uncomplicated, always led by example.”

Dhoni finished as India’s most successful Test captain with 27 wins in 60 matches, but not everyone was convinced he was the right man for the job.

Former Test batsman Mohinder Amarnath, who was sacked as selector in 2012 after demanding that Dhoni be removed as Test captain, said the player had taken the right decision.

“It was in the last two years that I felt that Dhoni was simply not doing enough justice to his talent and was not adding enough value to the Test team,” Amarnath wrote in the Times of India.

“Gradually, his captaincy lost all flair and aggression, especially abroad.” l

‘Dhoni calmly told me, I want to quit’ n Cricinfo Despite the news of MS Dhoni's retirement from Test cricket coming out of the blue following the end of the MCG Test, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said it wasn't a decision the India captain had made in haste.

"I asked him, 'Is it your final decision,' and he told me, 'Please wait a bit as I want to inform the boys about my decision and then you can make an official announcement.' He duly called up and told me that I have informed the boys and you can go ahead. In the meanwhile, I also contacted chairman of selectors. Both felt that we should respect Dhoni's decision. I was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of his statement. But we had spoken about it before the Test also. Now what transpired between us is an internal matter but I can tell you that it wasn't a decision taken in haste."l

‘Celtic Tiger’ McIlroy emerges dominant in 2014 n Reuters, Los Angeles A year to forget for an injury-plagued Tiger Woods was savoured sweetly by Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy after the ‘Celtic Tiger’ won two majors in 2014 to regain his status as the game’s leading player.

McIlroy ended a stellar campaign with four victories and five runner-up spots in 23 starts worldwide, embellishing his credentials as a genuine golfing great in what many regard as a handover of the ‘Tiger’ torch to usher in a new ‘Rory’ era.

While former world number one Woods failed to add to his career major tally of 14 and played just eight tournaments during a winless and truncated season, McIlroy proved to be the player

to beat virtually every time he teed off in competition.

McIlroy dominated golf’s biggest events in the latter half of 2014 after American left-hander Bubba Watson had clinched the Masters for a second time in three years and Germany’s Martin Kaymer had coasted to an eightshot victory at the U.S. Open.

Swede Henrik Stenson, Australian Adam Scott and Spaniard Sergio Garcia each triumphed once as they also produced impressively consistent golf during the year but McIlroy set himself apart from his closest rivals, just as he did in 2012.

Having endured a turbulent 2013 on and off the course, McIlroy was once again a picture of focus and consistency, finishing no worse than 25th in

17 starts on the 2013-14 PGA Tour and recording three victories among 12 top10 placings.

He also claimed the European Tour’s money list trophy for the second time in three years and played an influential role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory over the United States in September.

McIlroy never looked back after recording his first win of the year at the European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship in May, just a few days after breaking up with his tennis-playing fiancee Caroline Wozniacki.

“Every time I teed it up, I felt like I had a good chance to win,” McIlroy said of his superb form in 2014, highlighted by consecutive major wins at the British Open and PGA Championship sandwiched around a victory at the

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

“That’s what I feel like I need going forward, consistency in my game and being up there each and every week,” added the four-times major champion.

McIlroy, who dropped to sixth in the world rankings after struggling with an equipment change and off-course distractions in 2013, enhanced his standing as golf’s top player and many of his peers expect him to remain there for some time.

“I think we are witnessing at least a five-year spell as world number one (for McIlroy),” former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell said of his compatriot and long-time friend in a column for BBC Sport last month. “I think he is going to dominate in the way Tiger Woods did in the early 2000s.”l

Cabaye fires PSG to victory over Inter Milan n AFP, Marrakech French champions Paris Saint-Germain finished 2014 with a victory as a second half goal from Yohan Cabaye handed them a narrow 1-0 victory over Serie A side Inter Milan on Tuesday in Morocco.

In a prestige friendly, held in the North African country recently stripped of the right to host the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, PSG coach Laurent Blanc made numerous changes at the Grand Stade in front of some 30,000 supporters.

Former Newcastle favourite Cabaye grabbed the only goal of the match on 57 minutes when he converted following

sustained pressure from the capital club.

Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani was a notable absentee along with Argentinian Ezequiel Lavezzi, while talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic was given a chance to prove his return to fitness and lasted the full 90 minutes.

“It was a good match,” said Swede Ibrahimovic. “We’ve had a super three days here with very intensive training sessions. Winning is good for the confidence but the most important thing is to work well to prepare the second part of the season.” Meanwhile, Blanc said he would be awaiting “some explications” from both Cavani and Lavezzi, who missed the training camp in Morocco.l

Adelaide Strikers batsman Jono Dean’s power proved too much for his piece of willow against Hobart Hurricanes during their Big Bash League match in Adelaide yesterday CRICINFO

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Hughes tragedy overshadows eventful year Hughes tragedy

Rohit’s 264 in Kolkata

Misbah equals Sir Viv

n Reuters Phillip Hughes’s tragic death cast a shadow over an eventful year that saw Ashes rivals Australia and England brawl on the field and bond off it, joining India to pull off a bloodless coup and take charge of the game.

2014 was also the year when the Ashes rivals joined hands with the powerful Indian board in a significant development that effectively put the “Big Three” in charge of the game.

On the field, Corey Anderson, Misbah-ul Haq and Rohit Sharma all lit up the game with their thundering exploits.

Anderson bludgeoned the West Indies bowlers to score the fastest ODI century, off just 36 balls, eclipsing the record of 37 set by a 16-year-old Shahid Afridi in 1996. The swashbuckling left-

Anderson fires fastest ODI 100 hander smote the Windies bowlers all over the Queenstown Events Centre on the very first day of 2014.

Pakistan captain Misbah on the other hand equalled the record for the fastest century in Test cricket when he smashed his way to a hundred against Australia in the second Test on October-November in Abu Dhabi. The patient right-hander was anything but on that day.

The talented Rohit meanwhile created countless headlines when he blasted his second double hundred in ODIs. His astronomical 173-ball 264 came against a hapless Sri Lanka in Kolkata on November 13.

Everything was overshadowed though by the passing away of Hughes.

Hughes died at a Sydney hospital on Nov. 27, two days after being hit on the head by a bouncer three days before his 26th birthday.

The tragedy triggered an avalanche of tributes while questions were raised about the safety standards in the game.

Hughes scored 1500-odd runs in 26 tests but will be remembered more for the impression he left on team mates and opponents.

“I don’t know about you, but I keep looking for him,” distraught Australia captain Michael Clarke, a near-constant presence at Hughes’s bedside, said at the funeral.

“I know it is crazy but I expect any minute to take a call from him or to see his face pop around the corner. Is this what we call the spirit? If so, then his spirit is still with me. And I hope it never leaves,” he added.

Hughes’s death came in the year that compatriot Mitchell Johnson and South Africa speedster Dale Steyn were hailed for reviving the art of intimidat-

ing fast bowling.

Left-arm paceman Johnson, recalled after more than a year in the Test wilderness, took 37 England wickets in Australia’s 5-0 Ashes whitewash, instilling fear in the minds of the batsmen with his raw pace.

The tourists’ campaign down under looked doomed from the start and they continue to reel in the aftermath of an Ashes debacle that ended the England careers of coach Andy Flower and flamboyant batsman Kevin Pietersen.

The trouble started when top order batsman Jonathan Trott flew home with a stress-related illness after the first Test in Brisbane and was compounded when off-spinner Graeme Swann announced his shock retirement after their third straight defeat.

The English board offered little explanation as it cast aside Pietersen be-

yond a need to rebuild “team ethics” and the South Africa-born player went on to chronicle embarrassing details of dressing room controversies in his autobiography.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) passed key reforms that promise the trio a greater share of the revenue pie, while projecting higher earnings for other boards as well.

India’s Narayanaswami Srinivasan took over as ICC chairman in June even before he was cleared by a committee probing corruption in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which his son-inlaw was implicated for illegal betting.

The cash-strapped West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) voted in favour of the ICC reforms hoping to revive its fortune but now stare at financial trouble instead, having incurred the wrath of the Indian cricket board, which is the

world’s richest.

Enraged by the pull-put of the West Indies team midway through a series over an internal pay dispute, the Indian cricket board has severed cricketing ties with the Caribbean board and made a $42 million damages claim.

The governing ICC also showed urgency in dealing with the menace of chucking, leading to bans on a number of bowlers, including Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, for illegal action.

Elsewhere, Sri Lanka gave their outgoing stalwarts Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene a perfect farewell by winning the Twenty20 World Cup in Dhaka, beating India in the final.

New Zealand’s Corey Anderson took 36 balls to score the fastest century in ODIs while India’s Rohit Sharma blasted a 173-ball 264 to register the highest ODI score by a batsman. l

Court deals transfer ban Relegation dread heralds New Year n blow to Barcelona AFP, London

n

Spain forward Fernando Torres trains at Atletico Madrid’s sports ground in Majadahonda on Tuesday REUTERS

AFP, Lausanne

The main international sport appeal court on Tuesday backed a one year transfer ban against Barcelona in a major blow to the Spanish football giants.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) “dismissed” a Barcelona appeal against the FIFA ban imposed in April for breaching rules on signing players aged under 18. Barcelona cannot buy players during the transfer window that opens on January 1 and for the summer transfer period before the 2015-16 season. They can only open the cheque book again in January 2016.

“FIFA considers that CAS has shown clear and strong support for FIFA’s efforts to protect underage players,” the world ruling body said in a statement.

Barcelona however said they would consider a new appeal to a Swiss federal court. CAS and FIFA are both based in Switzerland.

Barcelona were also fined 450,000 Swiss francs ($455,000, 375,000 euros).

The Spanish federation was also reprimanded by FIFA and fined.

“The panel found in particular that FC Barcelona had breached the rules

Bale not for sale at any price, says Perez n Reuters, Madrid Real Madrid have made it clear to Manchester United and other possible suitors for his signature that Gareth Bale is not for sale at any price.

Real president Florentino Perez told Spanish newspaper Marca that Welshman Bale, who signed for the European champions for a world record 100 million euros ($121.6 million) last year, was key to the club’s present and future.

“Just as I can’t imagine Real Madrid without Cristiano (Ronaldo), I can’t imagine Real Madrid without Bale either,” Perez said.

Bale has been linked with a move to Premier League giants United, who have been undertaking very expensive rebuilding under manager Louis van Gaal.

“We have not received an offer from Manchester or any other club for Gareth Bale,” Perez said.

“We haven’t received any offers for one simple reason: every club knows that Gareth Bale will never leave Real Madrid and that the club will not discuss their star, no matter how much is offered.”l

regarding the protection of minors and the registration of minors attending football academies,” said the statement.

Barcelona said they “totally disagree” with the sanction which they called “disproportionate” and “excessive”.

The club acknowledged making “errors” but said these were caused by “conflict between FIFA regulations and Spanish legislation.”

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu called for a change in the FIFA rules as the club confirmed they would study the full CAS ruling and could make an appeal to a Swiss federal court.

“FIFA and its president should represent an organisation that protects the world of football and with these decisions they are moving away from their goal,” Bartomeu told Barca TV. “The priority has been given to a poorly written rule, going beyond the spirit that inspired this rule,” he complained.

“I hope FIFA will have the good sense to rewrite this rule.”

Barcelona made a first appeal to FIFA and the sanction was suspended enabling them to make major signings such as Luis Suarez from Liverpool for 95 million euros. l

The chill winds of relegation anxiety have blown across the Premier League ahead of Thursday’s New Year’s Day programme, with a burst of managerial comings and goings ushering in 2015.

A week ago, all 20 managers who had started the season were still in place, but two clubs approach the new year without a manager, while Newcastle United are poised to lose Alan Pardew.

Crystal Palace were the first club to press the panic button, firing Neil Warnock the day after a Boxing Day defeat at home to Southampton that saw the south London club slip into the relegation zone.

Pardew is in line to return to Palace, where he spent four years as a player, after being given permission to speak to his former club by Newcastle.

Palace visit Aston Villa on Thursday and Keith Millen, who has been placed in charge on a caretaker basis, has called on the club to appoint a successor to Warnock swiftly.

West Brom, who have reportedly opened talks with Tony Pulis and Tim Sherwood, travel to West Ham United on Thursday.

While Palace and West Brom are

desperate for points, Newcastle are in a position of relative prosperity, having climbed to 10th place in the table after Sunday’s 3-2 win over Everton.

Bottom club Leicester City kickstarted their fight to beat the drop by winning 1-0 at Hull City on Sunday, which left them three points from safety.

Leicester visit improving Liverpool

EPL FIXTURES Aston Villa Hull City Liverpool Man City Newcastle QPR Southampton Stoke City Tottenham West Ham

v v v v v v v v v v

Crystal Palace Everton Leicester City Sunderland Burnley Swansea City Arsenal Man United Chelsea West Brom

on Thursday, while Hull, who are above third-bottom Palace on goal difference alone, host out-of-form Everton.

City’s slip-up against Burnley meant that Chelsea preserved their threepoint lead at the summit despite being held to a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday.

But Jose Mourinho’s side face a tax-

ing trip to a Tottenham Hotspur team who have moved to within two points of the Champions League places after a five-game unbeaten run.

“I think it’s going to be tough. We knew it was not over,” said Chelsea striker Didier Drogba of the title race.

“A few years ago, I think we were 11 or 12 points in front of Man United and then they won the league. So eight points or nine points - I don’t know how many points we had on top of Man City - I think it is not enough.

“At that time of the season, it was too early, but I think now we start again a new championship. I think the game is on.”

City will also be seeking to return to winning ways when they host Sunderland, while third-place Manchester United, who drew 0-0 at Spurs on Sunday, raise the curtain on 2015 with a match at Stoke City.

Perhaps the most intriguing contest of the weekend takes place at St Mary’s, where fourth-place Southampton host fifth-place Arsenal with a berth in the top four at stake.

Arsenal gained ground on the teams above them with a 2-1 win at West Ham at the weekend, but Southampton, who they trail on goal difference, have now gone three games unbeaten following a run of poor results. l

El Shaarawy leads Milan to victory over Real Madrid n AFP, Dubai Serie A giants AC Milan ‘ended’ Real Madrid’s 22 match winning streak on Tuesday as striker Stephan El Shaarawy scored twice in a 4-2 friendly win in Dubai.

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti left star players Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez out of his starting line-up but Cristiano Ronaldo began the match and scored a first half goal in vain.

The European champions had won 22 matches in all competitions coming into the clash although Tuesday’s match was classified as a friendly and not an official fixture.

Real, won the World Club Cup on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Argentine club San Lorenzo, but El Shaarawy did the damage for the Italians with goals either side of half-time while Frenchman Jeremy Menez and Giampaolo Pazzini were also on target. l

AC Milan captain Riccardo Montolivo (L) celebrates with his teammates as he raises the Dubai Challenge Cup trophy after beating Real Madrid 4-2 in a friendly match at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday AFP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

15

Thursday, January 1, 2015

CELEBRITY PLANS FOR 2015 n Shadma Malik With the new year comes a fresh start.

Just like regular people, celebrities have their own plans for 2015 as well, ranging from travelling to learning a new skill. Some of the country’s celebrities shared their plans with the Dhaka Tribune.

“Last year, Barsha and I were blessed with a son, Areez.

We hope for a healthy life for our baby.

Besides giving time to my family, I would like to progress with my film “Shoinik.” It is a film based on the army’s success and struggle and their use of advanced technology in the development of our country. The cast will be real army force members.

I will play an army person as well. It is going to be my mega project in 2015.”

Ananta Jalil, actor “I always think about my work. But in 2015, my plan is to take my 80-year-old father to a tour of Bangladesh.

My father Syed Fazlul Karim and I would like to meet our relatives in Bagerhat, Khulna and Lalmonirhat. We would like to see those who are old now. You never know when we can meet them next.”

Afsana Mimi, actor and director “I am enrolled at Jahangirnagar University. In 2015, my first goal is to submit my PhD thesis paper in June. So, I am working hard on that. I will continue to work in challenging roles as well. I will also take some time off to go to a vacation with my family. As far as my personal life is concerned, my parents are looking for an eligible bachelor for me, so you never know!”

Sumaiya Shimu, actor “I have done many acting jobs in 2014.

It was a lucky year for me, as I received much acknowledgement and success. But there are also a few things that I could not finish, which I would like to do in 2015. For one, I want to complete my Barrister degree this

year. I was an active member in the political community of Chittagong University. So in 2015, I wish to be more active for the development of our country.”

Urmila Srabonti Kar, actor “2015 for me would be mostly about travelling and photography.

It will also be a year of clean and healthy life. I am working hard on my fitness and do not want to do too many roles, until I am happy with the way I look and feel.”

Iresh Zaker, actor “I do not believe in plans.

Whatever I do in present, if the outcome is good, I believe a better future will be coming my way. If my intentions are true, I can make a better future for myself and my family. I believe in luck and God.” Apurbo, actor “It is difficult to take time off from work, and in the middle of 2015, I have my exams for fashion designing. In the coming year, my plan is to visit some exotic places like Australia, the Maldives and Egypt.”

Mehjabin, actor “In 2015, I would like to have some time to myself, travelling alone or maybe with friends. I will also work on my fitness.

Music inspires me a lot, so I will try to listen to music more often. Perhaps this year will bring a big change for me. I hope for the best.”

Emon, actor “I am going to compete Miss Earth 2015 on April in Jamaica for one week.

However, on New Year day I just kept myself completely free for my kids. I am also planning for another visit to Bangladesh soon in this year.

Maksuda Prioty, Miss Ireland 2014

Celebrity tied their knot in 2014 The year 2014 was a special one for showbiz, since some of the most popular names tied the knot. There were sizzling chimes ringing indeed. Here are some celebrities who just sprang a surprise on us and got married.

Sanjida Preeti

Peya

Bindu

Ruhee

The marriage ceremony of TV actress Sanjida Preeti and Jibran Tanveer was held on February 19.

Jannatul Ferdous Peya, the Miss Bangladesh 2007, tied the knot with Faruq Hasan on June 16.

Popular TV actress Afsana Ara Bindu tied the knot with businessman Asif Salahuddin Malik on October 24 in a small-scale private ceremony.

Dilruba Yasmin Ruhee tied the knot with Monsur Ali, the director of ‘71er Shongram,’ on September 5

Nirob

Model and actor Sakhawat Hossain Nirob recently married Tasfia Taher Chowdhury Riddhi on December 26.

Hridoy Khan

Singer Hridoy Khan and TV actress Sujana got married in a family gathering at Sujana’s house on August 1.

Top Dhallywood box office performers in 2014

n Entertainment Desk The year 2014 turned out to be a lucky one for Dhallywood as it saw many super hit box office entries including the all time highest grossing Agnee. Here are the seven films that were commercially successful in 2014 and brought the audience back to the cinemas.

4. Most Welcome 2

One of the most anticipated films of the year and a sequel to Ananta Jalil’s previous hit, Most Welcome 2 earned

Tk5 crore against its budget of Tk80 crore. It was screened in 66 cinemas.

With “Most Welcome 2,” claiming to be the most expensive film ever made here, actor-producer-director Ananta Jalil has left the local sex-ischeaper-than-violence film industry far behind.

3. Kistimaat

The Tk2 crore budget film earned Tk6.4 crore from the market where it was shown in 112 cinemas simultaneously in the second week of release.

Directed by Ashiqur Rahman, the

romantic action flick features Arefin Shuvo with Achol.

2. Hero The Superstar

The Tk3.5 crore budget film earned a gross Tk10 crore from the film market. It was screened at 128 cinemas.

Directed by Bodiul Alam Khokon, the film stars Shakib Khan in a dual role, with Apu Biswas and Bobby in the female lead.

Shakib Khan and Apu Biswas have gifted many hits at the box office creating a positive vibe in the film industry.

1. Agnee

Agnee easily tops the list of the most commercially successful films of the year for garnering a total of Tk12 crore against the budget of Tk2.5 crore. It was screened at 92 cinemas simultaneously in the first week of release.

This Mahia Mahi and Arefin Shuvo starring action-thriller has broken all previous box office records of Dhallywood by collecting over Tk3 crore only in three days. l (Source: Box Office Bangladesh)

THE BEST MOVIES RELEASED IN 2014 n Mosabber Rahman In 2014 I have watched 64 movies (50 excluding repeated viewings) at the multiplexes costing a total of Tk17000, that is, roughly Tk1400 per month. What scares me is the opportunity cost. 64 movies sum up to over 127 hours of viewing. I have spent the same amount of time sitting in a chair and staring at a wall that James Franco did under that rock-of-redemption in “127 Hours”.

What have I done? I could have spent the time with my family or searched for a vaccine for Ebola, but no, I just sat there. Life is really all about chairs; the chair on which we spend most of the time defines who we are. We are the chair at home, the chair at work, or, in my case, the chair at the movie theatre.

Before proceeding with the list, a word about our two multiplexes: tenyear-old Star Cineplex (4 screens) and one-year-old Blockbuster Cinemas (7 screens).

I watched most of the films – 50 to be precise – at the Star Cineplex be-

cause it releases twice as many films, the tickets are cheaper and it is located near my house. 9 out of the 10 highest grossing films of 2014 were released by this cineplex. However, it is hard to ignore Blockbuster Cinemas as it released some of the best films: “Gravity” (January 1) and “Hobbit 3” (December 28). Moreover, it was the Blockbuster Cinemas that brought us “Interstellar”, which I watched fourtimes.

This favourite-list is based on 2014 films, from the worldwide Hollywood monopoly, released in Dhaka. Here’s the countdown:

10. Hundred-Foot Journey

This film about the art of cooking is an inspiring coming of age film seasoned with romance and topped with humour. A.R. Rahman’s music makes it delicious.

9. How to Train Your Dragon 2

Dreamworks’ excellent animation tells us that wars are mainly failures in diplomacy but we still should not give up even cute little dragons can fight when needed.

8. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

As the rebels rise against the autocratic President Snow, our heroine Katniss gets caught in a new propaganda; this time the strings are being pulled by the leader of the people, President Alma Coin. Like “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” this one is a worthy sequel.

7. John Wick

You cannot kill John Wick’s dog and get away with it! This one is worth a hundred

action films. It is the coolest film since “Drive”.

6. X-Men: Days of Future Past

Marvel Studios’ films have so much electricity in them that you just cannot resist it. “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Captain America: Winter Soldier” were very good too. But do you all remember who did what to whom?

5. Gone Girl

This boy-kills-girls murder mystery has so many hairpin turns that I could not make up my mind on whose side I should be. It might look very simple but make no mistake, it is the work of a master director.

4. Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

Say whatever you want but I love the

films as much as I love the books. “Hobbit” is a magnificent achievement in movie magic and it would be loved forever as a classic. A must watch!

happens to be the D-Day.

3. Fury

An excellent film on the brutality of war. It does not matter which side you are on, the Nazis or the Allies, war will make you cruel. This is the only film that felt like worthy of the Oscars.

2. Edge of Tomorrow

This is a near perfect apocalyptic science fiction about a guy who gets stuck in a single day, reliving it over and over again, like a video game, and that day

1. Interstellar

This space opera is a perfect marriage of Christopher Nolan’s image and Hans Zimmers’ music. It is because of films like “Interstellar” that the motion picture medium continues to exist as the greatest form of public entertainment and as a commercial art form.

Honourable mentions: “Piprabidya” for its originality and “Monuments Men” for its grand theme.

And what is the worst movie of the year? You guessed it right- “Transformers: Age of Extinction.” l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Thursday, January 1, 2015

statehood A year of gold digging at airports Palestinian resolution fails The land ports in Bhomra and Benapole were used by smugglers to push the gold into neighboring country India n Tribune Report Although Bangladesh is no stranger to see gold being smuggled into the country, the frequency of it reached an alarming level this year; while for the first time ever, not only the gold mules, but also high-ranking aviation officials were directly linked to the smuggling racket.

The land ports in Bhomra and Benapole were used by the smugglers to push the gold into India, where the demand for the product was sky-high because of steep import taxes.

The smugglers had never acted alone; over the years they had been in cahoots with unscrupulous officials involved with flight operations and management, who have consistently managed to escape the investigators’ radar.

But missing pieces of the puzzle started to fit in following the arrest of Biman cabin crew Mazharul Afsar Rassel on November 12 – who was caught at the Dhaka airport with 2.6kg of gold bars. During the interrogation, Rassel finally gave investigators a solid lead to chase by naming several top officials from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Customs, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

Acting on the lead, police arrested Captain Abu Mohammad Aslam Shaheed, Biman’s chief of flight planning and scheduling; and Tozammel Hossain and Emdad Hossain, deputy general manager and manager of flight scheduling respectively.

Mahmudul Haque Palash, a listed contractor of Biman and reportedly a godson to the Biman chief, was also arrested for allegedly being a key man behind the gold smuggling racket. Biman Chairman Jamal Uddin Ahmed, however, denied any involvement with Palash.

The arrestees gave confessional statements where they mostly blamed each other. But they also reportedly revealed names of at least 56 bigwigs such as ministers, lawmakers, highranked government officials and influential businessmen – who had links to the gold smuggling business.

However, none of the named individuals have so far been arrested.

The arrested Biman employees also shed light on the intricate mechanism of smuggling gold in and out of the country, saying engineers of the airlines helped hide the products inside the inaccessible places of the fuselage.

Earlier in July this year, airlines engineers’ involvement also came to the fore when a huge consignment of gold was recovered in an abandoned condition from a Biman aircraft. Customs intelligence found that out of the 14 people involved with the assignment, 10 were members of the engineering department. Within a period of one year, the aircraft had been taken to the hanger nine times just to hide gold packages inside the interior fabric.

Meanwhile, after the arrest of the Biman high-ups in November, detectives submitted a report to the Prime

Throughout the year, the international airports in Bangladesh became a favourite pit stop for gold smugglers Minister’s Office which said there were 30 gold smuggling syndicates active in several airports, who had help from 270 Biman and CAAB staff members and officials.

Twenty-three of the identified syndicates were in Bangladesh; 11 of them were involved directly with gold smuggling and the other 12 were operating in the guise of money exchange trading. Of the 11 syndicates directly involved, seven are at Dhaka airport, three at Chittagong airport and one is at Sylhet airport.

According to the report, the Biman officials involved in smuggling included five pilots, four co-pilots, 25 cabin crew members, 15 flight stewards, seven junior parsers, three flight parsers and five chief parsers; the rest were from the CAAB.

Although figures had not been officially compiled about the total amount of smuggled gold that was seized during 2014, Customs intelligence data suggests that between April 2013 and October this year, over 631kg of gold had been seized from airports and air-crafts.

Talking to various industry insiders, the Dhaka Tribune found that the complicated import procedure and high taxes had prompted local jewellers to rely heavily on smuggled gold.

Jewellers told the Dhaka Tribune that the procedures to bring in gold were “time consuming,” adding that the existing import policy was over 65 years old. They also claimed that the Indian government’s decision to raise its tax on gold import to 6.5% had also prompted Indian smugglers to use Bangladesh as a channel.

The jewellers also called for a comprehensive gold import policy which would tell them how they should get gold and in which prices it should be sold at.

In another development in December, Customs intelligence sued 14 people in connection with the 2013 incident of seizing 124kg smuggled gold at the Dhaka airport, the biggest ever haul in the country. The case statement mentioned names of 10 employees of the national flag carrier Biman and four outsiders including two foreigners.

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. l

n Reuters, United Nations The UN Security Council on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the establishment of a Palestinian state by late 2017.

The resolution called for negotiations to be based on territorial lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. It also called for a peace deal within 12 months.

Even if the draft had received the minimum nine votes in favor, it would have been defeated by Washington’s vote against it. The United States is one of the five veto-wielding permanent members.

There were eight votes in favor, including France, Russia and China, two against and five abstentions, among them Britain. Australia joined the United States in voting against the measure.

US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power defended Washington’s position against the draft in a speech to the 15-nation council by saying it was not a vote against peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

“The United States every day searches for new ways to take constructive steps to support the parties in making progress toward achieving a negotiated settlement,” she said. “The Security Council resolution put before us today is not one of those constructive steps.”

She said the text was “deeply imbalanced” and contained “unconstructive deadlines that take no account of Israel’s legitimate security concerns.” To make matters worse, Power said, it “was put to

a vote without a discussion or due consideration among council members.”

She did not spare Israel either. “Today’s vote should not be interpreted as a victory for an unsustainable status quo,” Power said, adding that Washington would oppose actions by either side that undermined peace efforts, whether “in the form of settlement activity or imbalanced draft resolutions.”

Jordanian ambassador, Dina Kawar, the sole Arab representative on the council, expressed regret that the resolution was voted down, while noting that she thought council members should have had more time to discuss the proposal.

Palestinian frustration

In order to pass, a resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the council’s five permanent members.

The European and African camps were split in the vote. France and Luxembourg voted in favor of the resolution while Britain and Lithuania abstained.

Among the Africans, Chad voted yes while Rwanda and Nigeria abstained.

The Palestinians, frustrated by the lack of progress in peace talks, have sought to internationalise the issue by seeking UN membership and recognition of statehood via membership in international organisations.

Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour thanked delegations that voted for the resolution, noting that lawmakers in a number of European countries have called for recognition of Palestine. He said it was time to end the “abhorrent Israeli occupation and impunity that has brought our people so much suffering.” l

2D seismic survey in hydrocarbon block 11 begins n Aminur Rahman Rasel

‘RAB is sincere in upholding human rights’ n Tribune Report

An Australian and a Singaporean firm yesterday initiated a two-dimensional seismic survey in the 3,000 line-kilometre area of the hydrocarbon block 11 in the shallow sea of the Bay of Bengal.

This is the first joint venture operation of Australia-based Santos and Singapore-based Kris Energy as they were awarded three shallow blocks under the Model Production Sharing Contract 2012.

The firms submitted a proposal to carry out the survey in the 3,000 line-kilometre area which will cost around $9 million, he said.

“They selected French geophysical services company CGG as a third party for the survey. The block is very close to Myanmar and is believed to contain greater resources as it is different from other shallow blocks,” he added.

On March 12 last year, Bangladesh signed the deal with Santos and Kris Energy to start oil and gas exploration in the offshore shallow block 11. l

Outgoing RAB director general (DG) Mokhlesur Rahman yesterday claimed that the police elite force’s members give their maximum efforts to uphold human rights in the country.

He blamed human rights organisations for not practising professionalism and taking side in case of any arrest by RAB or police.

‘Not only in this case, the elite force always ensures punishment as per the existing law when any of its officials found guilty even in petty criminal act’ The clamp of the ongoing cold spell has resulted into different cold-related diseases among people, particularly children, as the Dhaka Shishu Hospital saw a surge of too many child patients yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Rubel to go through DNA test n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday gave police the permission to conduct a DNA test of Bangladesh cricketer Rubel Hossain in a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Act. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after the investigation officer of the case sought court’s permission to carry out the DNA test.

Earlier in the day, Mirpur police station Sub-Inspector Masud Parvez, also the investigation officer of the case,

filed a petition seeking permission for the test in order to find out whether the rape allegation against Rubel was true.

The court also fixed January 11 for the submission of the probe report.

Earlier, police collected some samples from Rubel’s residence and handed them over to the Criminal Investigation Department for test.

Naznin Akter Happy, an actress and model, filed the case against Rubel on December 14 with the Mirpur model police station. According to Happy, Rubel allegedly had an affair with her in promise of marriage. l

RAB man among 6 sued for vested property ownership fraud n Adil Sakhawat The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday lodged a case against six people, including a RAB official, in connection with dishonest exchange of Tk1.1 crore for registering a vested property in a woman’s name.

The woman, Zinat Ara, is one of the six while the remaining five are Law Officer and Executive Magistrate of RAB Mohammed Anisur Rahman, Assistant Commissioner (land) of Dhanmondi circle Samar Chandra Sutradhar, for-

mer Kotwali circle land officer Humayun Mollah, Mohammed Ali Hossain and Mohiuddin.

ACC Assistant Director Abu Bakar Siddique filed the case with Tejgaon police station, said the commission’s Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya.

According to the case statement, Anisur, while serving as the assistant commissioner (land) of Kotwali circle, and the other four accused took Tk1.1 crore from Zinat to give her eight decimals of vested land in Wari through

mutation on July 21, 2013.

The original owner of the land was Jashoda Lalbagh Roy and it became a vested property when she moved to India at the time of partition.

Zinat later on claimed ownership of the land, for which she was also sued, and Anisur put her name in the mutation form in exchange for the money, the case statement read.

An ACC official said an inquiry into the allegation was carried out before the case was filed and proof was also found. l

DMP officials to start wearing body cams n Tribune Report The DMP has launched a special initiative which would see its officials carry small wearable GoPro cameras on their persons from now on, in an attempt to ensure better transparency and accountability.

“The camera will also help police officials to coordinate better with the common people of the country,” said Benazir Ahmed, the outgoing commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), while inaugurating the body camera initiative at the capital’s Shahbagh intersection yesterday.

The cameras would be able to cap-

ture a first-person view from the police officials’ perspective. It would also record law enforcers’ conversations which the officials would not be able to delete themselves, said Benazir.

“It is a 16 megapixel high-resolution camera that could record the audio and video for eight hours and it could be monitored from the command centre.

It is small in size and for this reason it can be worn on head or on duty official’s body,” said Benazir.

The outgoing DMP commissioner further said that the service has initially been launched with only 15 cameras for the DMP traffic department, while 400 more cameras would soon be pro-

vided to the crime division and police stations.

DMP sources said each of the GoPro camera costs Tk20,000 and is able to record even during rain. If there is not enough light available to record video, the camera would still continue to record audio clips.

Asked about the service, Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, joint commissioner of DMP (traffic), told the Dhaka Tribune that during the initial stage 15 body cameras have been distributed to four traffic departments of the capital and sergeants would remain on duty with the cameras while discharging duty during the New Year’s Eve. l

DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed checking the new type of ‘body-worn’ camera to record the activities between on-duty traffic sergeants, vehicle owners and drivers after launching at a police booth in Shabagah intersection in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Almost everyday a number of people have been abducted, killed, tortured and raped which are also violation of human rights and RAB officials have rescued a number of the victims along with arresting the killers and rapist, says Mokhlesur who has recently made an additional inspector general of police.

The human rights groups do not give any credit to RAB for the glaring performance.

“If the statistics of the human rights findings and RAB’s activities place in a paper, I can bate for RAB that gives maximum effort to uphold the human rights in the country, Mokhlesur continued while interacting view with journalists during his farewell programme at RAB headquarters in Uttara.

About the Narayanganj seven-murder, the outgoing DG, who served RAB nearly for four years, said RAB is first which gives report in the sensational case identifying the responsible ones.

“Not only in this case, the elite force always ensures punishment as per the existing law when any of its officials found guilty even in petty criminal act,” says Mokhlesur.

RAB additional DG Ziaul Ahasan, media wing director Mufti Mahmud Khan, Deputy Director Rumman Mahmud, intelligence wing director Abul Kalam Azad were also present at the farewell ceremony, among others.

Earlier, a guard of honour was given to Mokhlesur Rahman. Later, he ride in a car decorated with flowers and the RAB officials pulled the vehicle outside the office by rope as part of his farewell.

He joined as a DG of RAB on September 2 in 2010 from police force.

On Tuesday in a reshuffle, DMP commissioner Benazir Ahmed made the DG of RAB, while Deputy Inspector General of Highway police Asaduzzaman Mia was sent to the post. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B3 China factory activity

contracts in December as slowdown deepens

B4 US opening of oil export tap widens battle for global market

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Market wounds not yet healed Political worry, weak macro-economy dims 2015 n Kayes Sohel Sign of recovery after four years of market crash in late 2010 still remains elusive despite some gains in 2014 when a few investors, once their fingers had burned, returned with their wounds barely healed, analysts say.

The investors believe that feeble macroeconomic performance and growing political uncertainty might rock the boat of the bourse in the New Year.

The benchmark index DSEX rallied 14% to 4865 in 2014 – its best year since 2011, when the market experienced boom and bust. Market value of listed companies – a yardstick of market depth – in 2014 stood at Tk325,000 crore, up 23% over the previous year and 2.73% made up of 17 companies listed during the period. The average daily turnover was Tk499 crore, soaring 24.75% during the period.

“The market basically was on falling side despite somewhat gains in 2014,” said former finance adviser to the caretaker government Mirza Azizul Islam.

“It was like some point-gain one day to lose it in the next day,” he said.

He said index still remains half from maximum level in 2010 and below 5,000-mark despite 17 companies listed in 2014, which is the reflection of lack of confidence. “So, overall there is no sign of restoration of confidence.”

Former chairman of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Farukh Ahmed Siddique sees the stock market of past year relatively better than the previous year. “Investors tried to heal their wounds this year but failed, as stability is yet to return.”

Alif Asset Management Company CEO Tanim N Sattar said new investors and a few investors, who stayed, put fresh funds on the market, making some gains in 2014. But a large number

of investors who suffered four years back are yet to return, he said.

During stock market torment in 2011, many speculators and punters, who suffered severely from excessive leveraged buying, were still licking their wounds. A stock trader Mohammad Shahed has recently taken a much more active position in the stock market for the first time since the collapse of 2011. “‘I was one of those people who got caught up in the bubble. I lost every penny and without my knowledge, my brokers had sold all shares in my portfolios worth Tk60 lakh I bought in late 2010 to adjust with negative account.

However, early this year I put Tk4lakh but lost too.”

Shahed’s bitter story indicated that the relief was not arrived yet for many investors who invested at peak in 2010 until Wednesday, the final day of 2014.

Tanim said it will take a lot of time for index to reach a peak level. “If you expect that level right now, it will give rise the question of overvalued stocks.

That’s a reality for investors now as the fourth anniversary of market crash arrives,” he said.

According to an unofficial estimate, around Tk14,000 crore is estimated to have got stuck and become non-performing because the borrowers do not have the capacity to repay.

Some accounts are so badly affected that even a 100% price increase won’t

Foreign investment on stocks record high in 2014 n Tribune Report Maintaining a bullish stance in most part of 2014, foreign investors increased their exposure in Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) to a record high of over 34%.

According to the DSE, strong inflows from foreign investors in the concluded year have resulted in an all-time high in net foreign investment in the local stock market. Foreign investment in 2014 stood at Tk2,608 crore rising 34.3% from Tk1,943 crore in 2013, the data showed.

The factors, including a stable economic outlook, relative calmness in politics and a vast young population, played a major role in the rise of foreign portfolio investment, said stockbrokers dealing with foreign investment.

Fundamentally strong shares like telecommunications, IT, energy, multi-national company, banks and pharmaceuticals were the most bought stocks among overseas investors.

However, foreign investment in the local stock market remains the lowest among South Asian countries, making up less than 2% of DSE’s total market value.

The stockbrokers said before put-

ting funds on any company, they would usually prefer long-term investment in the companies with good fundamentals and love to talk with the company management too. In September last, Chad Cleaver, a fund manager at Luxembourg-based VAM Funds, said, “We believe the frontier markets provide an inefficient landscape.”

A frontier refers to a type of country that is not a developed market.

Cleaver told a news portal, Fund Selector Asia, the frontier markets offer the attraction of high rates of growth and return on the capital and they are still trading at a discount in both emerging and developed markets.

“Two countries in Asia that fit these criteria, where we have sizable overweight positions, are Vietnam and Bangladesh.”

It is well known that inadequate energy and transportation infrastructures, political infighting, bureaucracy, corruption and a shortage of skilled labourers contribute to a challenging investment climate in Bangladesh.

Despite this, the country’s economy has managed to grow more than 6% a year for much of the last decade, indicating that Bangladesh has a promising economic growth histology, which mainly catches the eyes of foreign fund managers, said another stock broker.

He said the local currency against greenback also remained stable in recent period but in the neighbouring India’s currency depreciated against it.

He said the political front is relatively calm after the national election. l

take them to positive territory, said a merchant banker.

Prospects in 2015

Glimmer of hope is waiting for investors in the New Year because of simmering political situation and weak macro-economy.

“2015 looks particularly dry taking growing political conflict and weak macroeconomic situation,” said Islam, also former SEC chairman.

He said most indicators of macro-economy are bad.

“Number one is export growth that is almost grounded to zero level over the last five months. Private sector investment is not growing. Financial sec-

tor is within a mess as non-performing loan is piling up and on the other hand, there is an excess liquidity. Though inflation remains at low level, the trend will continue due to stable commodity price in the local market and falling petroleum products’ prices in the international market,” he said.

He added that “Political instability is an additional woe. Taking all these into account, 2015 will not be any better than 2014.”

In the same breath, Siddique said political stability is the biggest factor for the stock market in the New Year.

“The market actually might fail to see the return of full recovery until political concerns are at rest.” l

Nine companies raise Tk2,000cr from rights offer in 2014 n Tribune Report Nine companies raised more than Tk1,980 crore in 2014 by offering rights shares to their respective shareholders.

The figure shows a rise of 998% from Tk180 crore raised by six companies in 2013, according to the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

A total of 77.6 crore shares in the form of rights offer was issued in the concluded year, which was more than 1.8 crore in 2013.

A rights issue is an issue of additional shares by a listed company to raise capital from existing shareholders.

With the rights, the existing shareholders have the privilege to buy a specified number of new shares from the firm at a particular price within a specified time.

Out of nine companies, Aramit Cement raised Tk25.41 crore, Generation Next Fashions around Tk113 crore, Rupali Life Insurance Tk36 crore, BRAC Bank Tk433 crore, Delta

Spinners Tk9.2 crore, Midas Financing Tk60.2 crore, BIFC Tk33.6 crore, Investment Corporation of Bangladesh Tk1,055 crore and First Security Islami Bank Tk206 crore.

Among them, Aramit Cement, Rupali Life Insurance, BRAC Bank and ICB took premium.

The tendency of capital raising through rights offer and IPO increases when the market passes a bullish trend.

“Rights shares issuance increased as performance of the secondary market was relatively good in 2014 compared to the previous year,” said Akter H Sannamat, managing director at Union Capital.

“A listed company applies for issuing rights shares to further expand, repay loans or boost the company’s growth,” he said.

According to securities rules, a listed company must have profitability records for three preceding years and a credit rating if it wants to offer rights shares with premium. l

Banks gain marginal profit in 2014 n Jebun Nesa Alo Most banks registered marginal operating profits in the just-concluded year as prolonged political unrest round the year left spillover effect on their business.

The year 2014 fetched most of the banks minimal profit in comparison with the previous year, according to provisional figures the Dhaka Tribune obtained from respective banks yesterday, the day of closing the accounts of the banks.

“The banks faced various challenges in business last year,” said Islami Bank Bangladesh Managing Director Mohammad Abdul Mannan.

He said banking sector in 2014 continued to bear the brunt of political unrest of 2013.

Moreover, fall in price of imported goods and agriculture products in global and local markets respectively affected the bank business.

Mannan observed that though political situation remained somewhat quiet last year,

investment confidence did not build up fully.

Of the private banks, Islami Bank in the just-concluded year bagged highest profit of Tk1,725 crore, 8% higher than Tk1,598 crore profit in 2013.

The bank experienced a fall by 12.5% in the year 2013 compared to Tk1,830 crore in the previous year.

The banking sector continued to gain marginal profit over the last two years in the wake of violent politics centering the national election.

The profit of banking sector continued downward after the share market crash in 2010. No sooner had the sector overcome stock loss, it faced investment crisis amid political violence.

Default loan was rising faster last year due to disturbance in cash flow of business groups that pushed the banks’ profit downward.

Bangladesh Bank, however, relaxed the loan rescheduling policy in December 2013, aiming to bring back the business, which continued till June this year.

The central bank has planned to boost business confidence of big groups in the new year.

Of the state-owned banks, Sonali Bank bagged good profit in 2014 compared to the previous year.

Similarly, Bangladesh Development Bank showed a good profit in 2014 which is a result of strategic planning in bank management. The bank made a profit of Tk175 crore last year compared to Tk131 crore in previous year. Earning per share of the bank increased to Tk30 during the year from Tk25.50 in the year of 2013.

New banks, however, faced various difficulties to do good business last year, thereby making moderate profit.

Of the banks, Modhumoti and Union Bank had highest profit of around Tk49 crore and Tk42 crore respectively.

Excess liquidity in the banking sector and stagnant investment were main barriers to getting business for new banks, said Meghan Bank CEO Nurul Amin. l

New Year gifts for stock market n Tribune Report

A stock investor having account with negative equity will be able to participate in trading in next six months from today, which is expected to boost turnover in the stock market.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) in a letter yesterday wrote to the stock exchanges to allow transactions in the accounts having negative equity from today to June 30 this year.

Analysts termed the move “artificial” that would jack up the market temporarily, but would not be sustainable in the long run.

Equity accounts of the investors who suffered following the market debacle in late 2010 went into negative as their share value falls below their outstanding balance on the loan used to purchase equities. Negative equity is calculated by taking the value of the assets less the balance on the outstanding loan.

According to an unofficial estimate, around Tk14,000 crore is estimated to have got stuck and become non-performing because the borrowers do not have the capacity to repay.

A market expert asking not to be named said the accounts are already bankrupt and the move will bring no sustainable result for the market in the long run.

The BSEC has also extended the period for keeping provision against losses by stockbrokers, stockdealers and merchant bankers up to 2015, which expired yesterday “It will also encourage speculative trading instead of promoting investment culture.”

In another development, BSEC in its commission meeting yesterday gave in to stockbrokers demand in allowing netting facility in same script.

The commission has approved stock exchanges’ proposal on financial adjustment facilities for same securities on the same trading day and only shares under A, B, G and N categories are eligible for netting, said the BSEC in a statement.

On Monday last, Dhaka Stock Exchange put forward the proposal arguing that the netting facility will boost turnover that continued to fall since launching new automated trading system.

The securities regulator suspended netting facility around four years back.

Netting facility means settlement of mutual obligations between the two parties or with a third-party acting as a clearing house where the net difference is carried forward.

The BSEC has also extended the period for keeping provision against losses by stockbrokers, stock-dealers and merchant bankers up to 2015, which expired yesterday.

Now stockbrokers, stock-dealers and merchant bankers will be able to keep 20% provision against their un-realised losses in five installments. l

OPERATING PROFIT OF BANKS (PROVISIONAL FIGURES IN CR TK)

Bank name

2013

2014

Sonali

330

900

Rupali

310

300

BDBL

131

175

Islami

1600

1725

NCC

404

386

Exim

510

625

Pubali

813

800

Dutch-Bangla

512

580

Southeast

680

810

NBL

683

811

BRAC

636.33

680

MTBL

211

280

Prime

832

710

SBAC

13

31

NRB

3.24

1.5

NRB Com

9.25

35

Farmers

5.55

14

Meghna

9.21

17

Midland

3.65

17.5

Modhumoti

11.31

49

NRB Global

3.51

5

Union

24.63

42

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, January 1, 2015

China stocks top performers in 2014, oil plunges, dollar gains

‘Hong Kong will be like New York’ n Reuters

n Reuters, Sydney Chinese stocks were celebrating their best year in five yesterday while markets elsewhere in Asia were ending 2014 on a cautionary note as worries about Greece’s future in the euro zone served as an excuse to take profits on crowded trades.

The US dollar lost a little of its recent gains, but the euro got no respite as European bonds yields scored all-time lows following a shockingly sharp fall in Spanish inflation.

The stand-out global equity performer was China, where the CSI300 index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen looked set to end 2014 with gains of nearly 50 percent, the biggest among the world’s major markets.

Almost all of China’s rise came in the last couple of months, as hopes for more aggressive policy stimulus to counter its economic slowdown boosted banks and brokerages.

Featuring on Wednesday were hefty gains for China’s biggest train makers, China CNR and CSR Corp, after the two firms confirmed a $26bn merger.

Trade elsewhere was thinned by holidays in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines, while many markets in Europe are either shut or finish early on Wednesday.

Australia and Singapore were all but flat for the day. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.2% but was still ending the year almost exactly where it started.

The Nikkei fared better with a rise of 7.1% for the year, thanks chiefly to the Bank of Japan’s extraordinary campaign of asset buying which lowered the yen while fattening exporters’ profit margins.

Asia’s worst performer in 2014 was South Korea, where the KOSPI lost 4.8 percent for the year, partly on fears that the sliding yen would give Japanese exporters a greater competitive advantage over their Asian rivals.

Among the scraps of news in Asia was a final measure of December Chi-

A man walks out of the Shanghai Stock Exchange building at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai nese manufacturing from HSBC. Activity shrank for the first time in seven months but was little changed from a preliminary reading and only reinforced expectations that Beijing will have to roll out more economic support measures in coming months.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 eased 0.49% on Tuesday but was still on track for a third straight year of double-digit returns. The Dow fell 0.31%, while the Nasdaq lost 0.61%.

In currencies, the dollar was on track to end 2014 with a gain of 12% against a basket of major currencies, its best performance since 2005, and anticipated US interest rake hikes may strengthen its appeal in the new year.

It eased against the safe haven yen to stand at 119.41 from Tuesday’s peak of 120.69. The euro was undermined by sliding European yields amid intense speculation the European Central Bank will have to start buying government

After 2014’s party, investors in US stock market may face a hangover n Reuters Revelers ringing in of the new year this week need to watch out for the next day’s hangover. And investors may experience a similar feeling early in 2015 after a two-year run that has propelled US stocks up by nearly 50%.

Headed into the last trading day of 2014, the S&P 500 has gained nearly 13% on the year, shaking off concerns about valuations thanks to improved economic growth and a very accommodative US Federal Reserve. Add in dividends and the advance is 15%.

However, the S&P 500’s forward price-to-earnings multiple - based on 2015 earnings expectations - is at about 17 now, exceeding the 15-year average of about 15.

It means that a pick-up in profits growth may be essential if the market is to continue to add to its historic gains. And yet Wall Street analysts’ estimates for S&P 500 earnings growth for coming quarters are languishing in the mid-single digits.

With the Fed ready to begin raising interest rates for the first time in a decade, and the strong dollar providing a headwind for companies with overseas operations, a lot will depend on whether the recent strong growth in domestic demand can drive corporate profits higher than those estimates. Whether consumers and companies benefit enough from lower oil prices to more than offset the effects of the slide on the energy sector is also critical.

“Multiples almost always go down when the Fed raises rates - you’re going to have to depend on earnings,” said Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management in Minneapolis, which has $345bn in assets under management.

The S&P 500’s forward price-toearnings ratio sat at about 13 times at the beginning of 2013; it is now closer to 17, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Since 1940, such a level is associated with S&P returns (excluding dividends) of about 5% over a 12-month period, according to data from Citigroup.

The high valuation concerns are starting to have some impact on trading. Stocks have been noticeably more volatile in the last few months; the CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, has averaged 15.4 over the past 12 weeks, compared with 12.6 at the end of August.

bonds to avert deflation.

The single currency was stuck at $1.2162 having touched a 29-month trough of $1.2123.

German yields hit a new record low on Tuesday, ending 2014 with their biggest annual fall in six years, while yields in Italy and Spain also reached historic lows.

Data out on Tuesday showed Spanish consumer prices fell in December at their fastest rate since July 2009, large-

Share buybacks

If the Fed tightens, the higher rates will not only raise financing costs generally but would also be a deterrent to borrowing to do the share buybacks that have helped to propel earnings per share growth and stock prices gains in the past few years.

With such artificial support crumbling, corporate America will have to rely much more on demand from domestic customers to drive earnings growth. Europe is expected to grow at just above 1% in 2015, according to Reuters data, Russia has been slammed by oil’s decline, and China and other major emerging markets are struggling with weak demand as well.

Switching to more of a reliance on sales growth rather than the Fed’s cheap money may not be an easy transition. Fourth-quarter estimates have plunged in recent weeks, largely in the energy sector as crude oil prices have cratered. Annual growth is now expected to come in at 4.3% for the S&P 500 in the fourth quarter, down from a forecast of 11.1% growth on only October 1.

Citigroup’s chief equity strategist Tobias Levkovich, in a note on Tuesday, said estimate cuts in the next few weeks, when companies typically warn if they expect to report disappointing results, could lead to some reversals and volatility, as “some of the late 2014 S&P 500 gains appear to have been borrowed from 2015’s returns,” he wrote.

In perhaps a sign of things to come

in the energy sector, Civeo Corp, which builds temporary housing for oilfield workers, said revenue could fall by one-third due to falling crude prices, and cut its workforce and suspended its dividend. The company’s shares lost almost 53% Tuesday.

Earnings expectations for S&P 500 companies for the first half of next year aren’t that encouraging: First- and second-quarter earnings growth estimates currently stand at 5.3% and 5.9%, respectively. “If you don’t feel that you have the earnings wind at your back, and you don’t have the monetary policy wind at your back, why pay more than the prices people have paid in many cases since 2000 for stocks?” said Mike O’Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading in Greenwich, Connecticut.

That said, earnings expectations coming into 2014 turned out to be far too pessimistic: On Dec. 31, 2013, the forecast was for per-share earnings of $120.89 on the S&P 500. With fourth-quarter earnings season approaching, actual and expected earnings were $126.50 per share, according to Reuters data.

So far in the fourth quarter, expectations have fallen largely due to the energy industry’s woes, but sectors that could benefit from lower fuel costs, particularly the consumer discretionary sector – which includes many retailers have not seen an attendant pickup in expectations. That sector is currently forecast to grow 8% for the quarter, down from 13.9% estimated on October 1. l

ly as a result of cheaper oil.

The steep decline made it more likely that inflation for the entire euro zone while slip into negative territory when the data are released on Jan. 7, far below the ECB’s target of just under 2%.

There was little sign of an end to oil’s stunning decline after it hit lows last seen in May 2009. Brent fell 64 cents to $57.26, leaving it down 48 percent for the year, while U.S. crude lost 47 cents to $53.65 a barrel. l

Ukraine economy shrank 7.5% in ‘worst year since WWII’ n AFP, Kiev

Trader Kevin Lodewick works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, which has been decorated with Christmas lights, in New York REUTERS

REUTERS

Ukraine’s central bank chief on Tuesday said the strife-torn country’s economy contracted by 7.5% and inflation soared in a year more painful than any since World War II. Valeria Gontareva added however that the pro-Western leaders who rose to power in Kiev after the February ouster of a Moscow-backed president were optimistic about the chances of a gradual improvement next year and actual growth in 2016.

Gontareva’s comments came a day after parliament approved an austerity budget that should help unlock emergency assistance from the International Monetary Fund and other global lenders within the next few months.

The central bank head - criticised in the media for following IMF advice and allowing the hryvnia currency to depreciate by about 50 percent -- said the annual inflation rate had reached 21% by the end of November.

“No matter how sad it may sound, we have to say things as they are: our GDP fell by 7.5% and the currency’s devaluation reached 50%,” Gontareva said.

The government had earlier projected that the economy would shrink by up to five additional percentage points in 2015.

Gontareva confirmed the figure but also cautioned that inflation next year may reach 18% - above the 13% target because of the government’s decision to revoke subsidies and raise utility tariffs.

“Our country has not lived through such a difficult year since at least World War II,” Gontareva told reporters.

“I think that what we have experienced this year will never happen again. Without question, we are looking forward to 2015 with optimism.”

Pinning hopes on IMF

Ukraine’s reserves more than halved in 2014 and dipped to less than $10bn for the first time in five years as the authorities sought to prop up the hryvnia and fund their eight-month campaign against pro-Russian separatists in the industrial east.

Gontareva said a further $8.6bn of the bank’s reserves were spent on helping the state energy firm Naftogaz pay

off its natural gas debts to Russia and strike new contracts with EU states.

The central bank’s eventual decision to let the hryvnia float freely saw the currency slip from 8.24 to the dollar at the start of the year to 15.82 on Tuesday.

IMF managers admitted at the start of the month that Ukraine next year would need $15bn on top of the $27bn two-year package that global lenders pieced together in the spring.

But the Fund has delayed disbursing its last two tranches because of Kiev’s inability to put together a coherent economic restructuring programme.

Gontareva said she expected those payments to be released shortly after an IMF team completes its next mission to Kiev in the second half of January.

Ruble slide hurts trade

The hryvnia and the Russian ruble have both lost about their half their value and turned into the year’s two worst performing currencies in the world.

The ruble’s depreciation has accelerated with the plunge in the global price paid for Russia’s vital oil and natural gas exports.

But Russia has also been hurt by waves of sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union over the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea and alleged support for the eastern Ukraine revolt.

Kiev rejects the Kremlin’s denials of involvement and accuses President Vladimir Putin of trying to break his western neighbour apart.

Gontareva took the unusual step on Tuesday of admitting that she was “as a person, very happy to see what is happening to the Russian ruble”.

But she added that the ruble’s slide also made Ukrainian exports more expensive to Russian consumers and therefore hurt the country’s businesses.

“In the past 11 months, Russia’s share of our foreign trade has held steady at 21%,” Gontareva said.

Ukraine’s trade with the European Union is about equal to that with Russia.

It is expected to grow in the years ahead as Kiev looks to develop with Europe in the wake of this year’s signing of a landmark EU trade and political association pact. l

Under the plan, Hong Kong would be a leader for the region in shipping, trade, services and distribution. In finance, Hong Kong would serve as an offshore market for the mainland currency, the renminbi.

New transport links from Hong Kong now under construction, including a high speed rail to Guangzhou and a bridge across the Pearl River Delta to the mainland city of Zhuhai near Macau, would allow the rapid movement of commuters and visitors.

“It will be like New York where you have people working in Manhattan and living on Long Island or in New Jersey and commuting in to work every day,” said Hong Kong entrepreneur Allan Zeman, who developed the Lan Kwai Fong pub and restaurant area popular with expatriates. “People who can’t have a home here (in Hong Kong) will live in Shenzhen and be able to come here in 10 minutes.”

The mainland’s construction behemoths, including state-owned China State Construction International Holdings Ltd, are also grabbing market share. Hong Kong’s permanent secretary for Development (Works), Wai Chising, said in an interview that while mainland firms accounted for less than 15% of public works contracts by value in the mid 1990s, they now accounted for more than a third.

While mainland Chinese companies are rapidly expanding into Hong Kong, Western banking and financial institutions still have a strong presence in the city. Global bank HSBC Holdings Plc, for instance, employed more than 28,000 people in Hong Kong at the end of 2013.

For Beijing, growing economic clout has not been mirrored by increased popular support. Frustrated by Hong Kong residents’ lack of identification with the mainland 17 years after the handover, China has at times resorted to covert means to bolster its control.

Earlier this month, for instance, Reuters reported that retired Hong Kong policemen were part of a mainland-led surveillance operation to tail leading pro-democracy figures in the city.

Although the street protests ultimately petered out, at their height they drew tens of thousands, presenting Xi Jinping with his most serious popular challenge since he took power two years ago. While the protesters have demanded full universal suffrage, the mainland authorities insist that only a handful of Beijing-vetted candidates can stand in the next elections for the city’s political leader in 2017. Hong Kong’s current chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, got the backing of Xi and Premier Li Keqiang during a visit to Beijing last Friday, according to reports in China’s state-run media.

A Hong Kong government spokesman said in an email response that economic integration with the mainland has been mutually beneficial, citing the growing number of mainland companies listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and the city’s role as the largest offshore renminbi center. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing did not respond to questions from Reuters.l

US consumer confidence rebounds in December n AFP. Washington US consumer confidence rebounded in December after falling the previous month, though Americans remained dubious in their outlook for 2015, the Conference Board reported Tuesday.

The consumer confidence index rose to 92.6 from 88.7 in November, still shy of the year’s peak at 94.5 in October, but well up from 77.5 a year ago.

Consumers views of the current situation in the economy were fairly strong, but the outlook for the next half year dimmed, with the expectations sub-index dropping to 88.5 from 89.3.

There was little change in assessments of the jobs market, with only 17 percent of survey respondents calling jobs “plentiful.” Nearly the same proportion expects a gain in wages.

Consumer spending plans for the next half-year were slightly lower, especially for big-ticket items like homes and cars.

“Consumers were moderately less optimistic about the short-term outlook in December, but even so, they are more confident at year-end than they were at the beginning of the year,” said Lynn Franco, Conference Board director of indicators. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, January 1, 2015

China factory activity contracts in December as slowdown deepens Activity in China’s factory sector shrank for the first time in seven months in December, a private survey showed on Wednesday, highlighting the urgency behind a series of surprise easing moves

by Beijing in the past two months.

The weak performance will add to the debate over whether Beijing needs to roll out more support measures to avert a sharper economic slowdown or fast-track market reforms to stimulate demand - or both.

The report puts a final sluggish stamp on what has been a surprisingly grim fourth quarter for the world’s second-largest economy, which is expected to grow at its slowest pace this year in nearly a quarter of a century.

“Domestic demand led the slowdown as new orders contracted for the first time since April 2014. Price contraction deepened,” said Qu Hongbin, chief economist for China at HSBC. “We believe that weaker economic activity and stronger disinflationary pressures warrant further monetary easing.”

The final HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for December came in at 49.6, just below the 50 level that separates growth from contraction.

The number was slightly higher than a preliminary “flash” reading of 49.5 but down from the final 50 in November.

Total new orders contracted for the first time since April, albeit slightly, although new export orders increased.

Highlighting soft demand, output prices declined for the fifth consecutive month, with many companies surveyed saying they were cutting prices due to increased competition.

This in turn prompted firms to reduce output for the second consecutive month, although the rate of contraction was tiny.

Singapore’s trade-sensitive economy grew at a slower-than-expected rate of 2.8% in 2014 as the city-state cut its reliance on foreign workers, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Wednesday.

The slowing growth was attributed in particular to tougher rules on foreign workers stemming from citizens’ complaints about overcrowding, a tighter job market and other impacts of immigration.

“Our economy has performed moderately well in 2014. Growth was 2.8%,” Lee said in his New Year message released to the media. In its last forecast in November, the government predicted growth of 3% for 2014.

“Our growth will be slower than we are used to,” he continued.

“One reason for this is that we have been tightening polices, including on foreign workers, to get our economy onto a path of sustainable, productivity-driven growth.”

The 62-year-old premier expressed concern over “disappointing” productivity growth.

In recent years, authorities have been phasing in measures to boost the productivity of Singaporeans while tightening the influx of foreign labour and the granting of permanent residency status.

Concerns over immigration made it

n AFP. Singapore

Daniel Ang, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, said there are expectations for a rebound in prices in 2015.

Oil has tumbled since June owing to slowing growth in China and emergingmarket economies, a recession in Japan and a near-stall in the eurozone.

On top of that, the OPEC oil-producing cartel last month said it would maintain output levels despite ample global supplies, in part due to cheaper oil extracted from North American shale rock.

Ang said the global supply glut could likely be alleviated by current low oil prices affecting “existing shale oil rigs, causing them to shut off, keeping US crude oil production in check”.

On the demand side, stimulus measures by major economies could boost growth, and in turn, crude demand, Ang said in a commentary.

“In 2015 we believe that crude demand would be linked to how China, Japan and the eurozone perform,” he said.

“If we start to see the situation for these countries improve, a reversal from the demand side could happen,” he added. l

Vietnam’s economy expands 5.98% in 2014 Workers at a construction site for a new subway station are seen in front of a chimney of a heating plant in Beijing Employment weakened for the 14th straight month, although the pace of job shedding slowed.

Hurt by a sagging property market, unsteady exports and cooling domestic demand and investment, China’s economic growth is expected to slow to a 24-year low of 7.4% this year, although surprisingly weak fourth-quarter data has some analysts wondering whether that might be too optimistic.

Many market watchers expect Beijing to lower its annual growth target to

Singapore economy grows slower than expected n AFP, Singapore

Oil prices down in thin pre-holiday trade Crude edged lower in thin pre-holiday trade yesterday ahead of the release of a key US supply report, as analysts predicted a rebound in prices in the new year after shedding nearly 50% since June.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February delivery fell 63 cents to $53.49 while Brent crude for February eased 91 cents to $56.99 in afternoon trade.

Trading volumes were low with many dealers away ahead of the New Year’s Day holiday on Thursday. Financial markets in Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand are closed Wednesday.

With few other trading cues, dealers are closely watching the latest official US stockpiles report to be released later Wednesday for clues about demand in the world’s top crude consumer, analysts said.

Analysts polled by the Wall Street Journal expect US crude reserves to have dipped by 600,000 barrels in the week to December 26.

n Reuters, Shanghai

B3

a hot-button issue on the affluent but space-constricted island.

The discontent spilled into the 2011 general elections when Lee’s People’s Action Party garnered its lowest-ever vote count after more than 50 years in power, and analysts say it remains a key issue for the next election, which must be held before January 2017.

According to official statistics, over 29% of Singapore’s population of 5.47 million is comprised of “nonresidents” - those working, studying or living in the country but not granted permanent residency.

In his message Wednesday, Lee also warned of global uncertainties, adding that events this year including air tragedies in Asia, the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, extremism in the Middle East and the Ukraine crisis were reminders that “stability, safety and security are precious”.

“The road ahead appears daunting: intense competition and greater inequality because of globalisation and technological advances, security threats from extremist terrorism, new pandemics are just some of the challenges,” he said.

Singapore, which became a sovereign state in 1965 after a brief union with Malaysia following the end of British colonial rule, celebrates its 50th year of independence in 2015. l

7 percent next year, from 7.5% in 2014.

Faltering factory output, rising deflationary pressures, sliding industrial profits and increasing non-performing loans highlight the policy challenges facing Beijing in 2015. Authorities need to not only encourage more lending by banks, but also find a way to stimulate genuine demand.

The central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates in late November for the first time in more than two years in bid to keep down borrowing costs and sup-

REUTERS

port growth. It has also loosened some lending restrictions.

Hope of more stimulus measures have fueled a sizzling rally in China’s stock markets despite the weakening economy and deteriorating profit margins. China’s main share indexes look set to end the year as the world’s best performers, with gains of nearly 50%.

China’s official factory PMI, which tends to focus more on larger, stateowned firms, will be released on Thursday. l

n AFP, Vietnam Vietnam’s economy grew 5.98% in 2014, the highest for three years, despite a festering banking crisis and damaging anti-China riots, authorities said Wednesday.

The figure -- higher than last year’s increase of 5.42% and 5.25% in 2012 marks “a positive sign,” according to a statement on the website of the General Statistics Office.

The communist nation is still struggling with a number of economic troubles including bad debts in the banking

system, weak economic competitiveness and inefficient production.

In June, the central bank devalued the Vietnamese dong by one percent to help boost exports following deadly riots in May after China moved an oil rig into waters claimed by Vietnam.

To ease foreign investor fears, Hanoi swiftly offered compensation to affected businesses, among them Taiwanese and South Korean factories set ablaze, by cutting tariffs and fast-tracking insurance settlements. Vietnamese inflation this year slowed to 4.09%, from around 6.04% in 2013, the GSO added. l

CORPORATE NEWS

Sohail R.K. Hussain, MD and CEO of The City Bank Limited has recently handed over blankets to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on behalf of the bank as a donation to the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Fund for distribution among the cold affected people in the country

Trust Bank Limited has recently opened its branch at Kakrail in Dhaka. Adjutent General of Bangladesh Army and the bank’s chairperson, Maj Gen Md Mahfuzur Rahman, rcds, ndc, afwc, psc, PhD inaugurated the branch as chief guest

Arif Motahar, MD of Dhaka Regency Hotel has recently hosted a Chinese business forum meeting in honour of visiting People’s Government of Hunan Province (PRC). Vice Governor He Baoxiang led the Chinese business delegation

NCC Bank Ltd has recently unveiled its new logo and inaugurated a 22 storied newly built corporate head office at Motijheel in Dhaka. Minister at Ministry of Planning AHM Mustafa Kamal unveiled the look and inaugurated NCC Bank Bhaban as chief guest at the present of the bank’s chairperson, Md Nurun Newaz Salim

Yen rises as investors run to safety n AFP, Singapore The yen held on to most of its gains against the dollar and the euro yesterday as investors sought a safe haven owing to growing concern about Greece’s political crisis.

The euro bought 145.41 yen in afternoon Singapore trade, compared with 145.20 yen in New York but well down from 146.15 yen in Asia earlier Tuesday.

The dollar was at 119.66 yen against 119.45 yen in US trade and 120.42 yen earlier Tuesday in Tokyo.

The euro stood at $1.2152 - near twoyear lows - from $1.2154 in New York.

Markets in Tokyo, Jakarta, Manila, Seoul and Bangkok were closed for public holidays.

“The recent catalyst for euro weakness has been the resurgence of political risk in Greece,” Canada’s Scotiabank said in a market commentary.

Political turmoil in Greece returned to the centre stage this week when lawmakers failed to endorse a new president, forcing the government to call a snap election for next month.

There are fears the hard-left Syriza party will win and reverse policies required under the IMF-EU bailout of the country, in turn hitting the already troubled eurozone economy.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Antonis Samaras warned that a win for Syriza could lead to Greece leaving the currency bloc.

“This struggle will determine whether Greece stays in Europe,” Samaras said, as he asked the outgoing president to dissolve parliament before an election on January 25.

Analysts said trading volumes were thin, with many dealers away before the New Year’s Day holiday tomorrow.

The US dollar was mixed against Asia-Pacific currencies. l

National Bank Limited has recently opened its 179th branch at Rajendrapur Bazar in Keranigonj. The bank’s managing director, Shamsul Huda Khan inaugurated the branch

Chairperson of The Premier Bank Ltd, Dr HBM Iqbal has recently handed over 15,000 pieces of blankets to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a donation to the premier relief fund for its distribution among the cold stricken people

Brig Gen Md Shaheed Sarwar (retd) NDC, PSC has joined Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (DESCO) as its managing director on Tuesday. In the year of 1980, he got commissioned from the Electrical and Mechanical core of the Bangladesh Army. After that, he has completed B. Sc. Engineering (Electrical and Electronics) from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Three hundred and eighty employees and contractors from Chevron’s three gas field locations have recently donated blood during the second round of Chevron’s annual blood donation drive

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Thursday, January 1, 2015

US opening of oil export tap widens battle for global market n AFP, Washington The Obama administration has opened a new front in the global battle for oil market share, effectively clearing the way for the shipment of as much as a million barrels per day of ultra-light US crude to the rest of the world.

The Department of Commerce on Tuesday ended a year-long silence on a contentious, four-decade ban on oil exports, saying it had begun approving a backlog of requests to sell processed light oil abroad. It also issued a longawaited document outlining exactly what kinds of oil other would-be exporters can ship.

The administration’s first serious effort to clarify an issue that has caused confusion and consternation in energy markets for more than a year will likely please domestic oil drillers, foreign trade partners and some Republicans who have urged Obama to loosen the export ban, which they see as an outdated holdover from the 1970s Arab oil embargo.

The latest measures were wrapped in regulatory jargon and couched by some as a basic clarification of existing rules, but analysts said the message was unambiguous: a green light for any company willing and able to process their light condensate crude through a distillation tower, a simple piece of oilfield kit.

“In practice this long-awaited move can open up the floodgates to substantial increases in exports by end 2015,” Ed Morse, global head of commodities research at Citigroup in New York said in a research note.

The action comes at a critical juncture for the global oil market. World prices have halved to less than $60 a barrel since the summer as top exporter Saudi Arabia, once a staunch defender of $100 oil, refused to cut production in the face of surging US shale output and tempered global demand.

By opening the door to US crude exports, the administration is offering a bit of relief to some domestic drillers that have said that they are forced to sell their shale oil at a discount of as much as $15 a barrel versus global markets as fast-rising domestic supplies

timeline for action.

The agency also released its first ever written guidance on the rules themselves in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs), clarifying a series of detailed questions that had clouded efforts to move forward with substantial exports.

The document gives “considerable discretion” that could allow for rising export volumes in the future, measures that could narrow the price gap between US benchmark WTI crude and global marker Brent, said Kevin Book, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners LLC. On Tuesday, the Brent/WTI spread narrowed by more than 50 cents to around $3.70 a barrel.

In its guidelines, the BIS said that most goods can be shipped abroad “without a license” - a reminder that some analysts read as encouraging shippers to “self-classify” their condensate, as Reuters reported earlier.

Questions ahead

A section of the BP Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) oil platform is seen in the North Sea, around 100 miles east of Aberdeen in Scotland overwhelm local demand.

But the impending swell of US petroleum into global markets may intensify what many analysts say is a pivotal oil market war, with Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) unwilling to yield ground. Now they will face even greater competition beyond US shores.

If they can boost selling prices by even a dollar or two, oil producers in places such as the Eagle Ford of Texas will be better able to withstand the slump in oil markets. Morse said US

condensate exports could rise from 200,000 bpd to as much as 1 million bpd by the end of next year.

“This has an interesting impact on the current confrontation between Saudi Arabia and shale,” he said.

Among those most at risk from the US shale exports is Nigeria, which pumps similarly light, sweet oil. The OPEC member has already lost the US market to shale, with its exports falling from more than 1 million barrels per day to next to nothing; now it will face US competition in Europe and Asia, too.

Oil falls below $57, heads for biggest annual drop since 2008 n Reuters, London Oil dropped below $57 a barrel on Wednesday and was heading for its biggest annual decline since 2008, pressured by weakening demand and a supply glut prompted by the US shale boom and OPEC’s refusal to cut output.

Global benchmark Brent crude has fallen 49% in 2014 as demand growth slowed, the United States expanded output and OPEC, dropping its strategy of trimming supply to keep oil around $100 a barrel, chose instead to defend market share.

On Wednesday, prices came under pressure from a survey showing China’s factory sector shrank for the first time in seven months in December - a bearish indication on the strength of oil demand in the world’s second-largest consumer.

“Clearly, demand concerns are one of the issues for the oil market,” said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.

Brent was down $1.00 at $56.90 by 0917 GMT, after dropping as low as

$56.87. US crude was down 57 cents at $53.55. Both contracts hit their lowest since May 2009 in the previous session.

Turmoil in Libya has effectively led to a drop in OPEC supply in December to a sixmonth low, a Reuters survey showed on Tuesday, although forecasts still point to a large excess supply next year The annual decline for Brent is set to be the biggest since 2008, when demand crumbled in response to the financial crisis and prices were, eventually, propped up by OPEC’s last formal decision to cut production.

In contrast, OPEC at a Nov 27 meet-

A ship passes a petro-industrial complex in Kawasaki near Tokyo

ing this year decided against a cutback to defend its market share against shale oil and other competing supply sources, despite its own forecasts of a growing surplus in 2015.

Turmoil in Libya has effectively led to a drop in OPEC supply in December to a six-month low, a Reuters survey showed on Tuesday, although forecasts still point to a large excess supply next year.

Later on Wednesday, traders will focus on the latest US government report on oil inventories to see if it confirms the unexpected increase in stockpiles reported on Tuesday by industry group the American Petroleum Institute.

US crude inventories rose by 760,000 barrels last week, the API said, compared with analysts’ expectations for a decrease of around 100,000 barrels.

The Obama administration on Tuesday bowed to months of growing pressure over a 40-year-old ban on exports of most domestic crude, taking two steps expected to increase the flow of ultra-light oil onto the global market. l

REUTERS

REUTERS

With global oil markets in flux, it is far from clear how much US condensate will find a market overseas. Drillers are already slashing billions of dollars off their 2015 budgets because of lower prices, actions likely to slow growth in output next year and push forward the point at which supply overtakes demand.

One administration official said the question of exports would ultimately be left to the market, and that the agency was simply seeking to “make the boundary line clearer.”

Even so, with no changes to the core US law that bans raw crude exports, even slower growth will eventually stretch refiners’ limits, forcing tougher questions in years ahead.

“Whether to allow crude oil exports directly because the production of light crude overwhelms the domestic refining system still remains a live issue that may need to be addressed in the future in response to changing market conditions,” said Jason Bordoff, the founding director of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and a former energy adviser to the Obama White House. l

Just the faqs

through a very basic refining unit.

On Tuesday, the BIS said it had given permission to “some” companies to ship treated light oil but did not give details about what it had approved.

Two energy companies, driller Pioneer Natural Resources and midstream firm Enterprise Products Partners, have been regularly exporting processed condensate since the summer after receiving a private permit from the BIS. But several dozen other companies that also raced to file similar requests were left waiting, with no

China’s yuan set for first big loss since 2005 n Reuters, Hong Kong

Obama move on US oil exports paves way for Canadian crude, too

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which regulates US export controls, has come under enormous scrutiny over the past year because of growing pressure to clarify confusing regulations on exporting crude.

While untreated crude oil is generally banned from being exported, refined fuels such as gasoline and diesel can be freely sold abroad. The question that has bedeviled US producers is how the rules apply to “processed condensate,” ultra-light oil that has been heated

China’s yuan edged up against the dollar yesterday following a stronger midpoint set by the central bank, but looked set to post its first significant yearly loss since its landmark revaluation in 2005.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) fixed the official midpoint at 6.1190 per dollar, 0.06% higher than Tuesday’s 6.1224. Spot yuan changed hands at 6.1990 near midday, up 0.05% from the pervious day’s close at 6.2020. It briefly touched 6.1908 in morning trade, the highest level since Dec 25.

Traders said the new rules on the management of banks’ foreign currency net opening positions (NOP) released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) on Tuesday supported the yuan.

China will relax restrictions on banks’ yuan trading from Jan 1, replacing daily caps on banks’ foreign exchange positions with weekly limits, leaving them leeway to short dollars within that period.

“The fact that some banks will be exempted from being forced to keep minimum long dollar position may alleviate pressure on RMB depreciation.

As such, we think the upside for USD/ CNY will be capped in the near term,” said Xie Dongming, an economist at OCBC Bank in Singapore.

The Chinese currency fell sharply early this year in what was widely seen as an engineered move by the central bank to crack down on speculators betting on one-way appreciation.

It regained some ground later in the year, but tumbled again after the central bank surprised markets but cutting the benchmark interest rate in November to shore up the slowing economy.

Further policy easing is expected in coming months, which will keep downward pressure on the yuan.

A series of weak economic indicators have added to the bearish sentiment toward the currency. Activity in China’s factory sector shrank for the first time in seven months in December, a private survey showed on Wednesday.

The final HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for December came in at 49.6, just below the 50 level that separates growth from contraction.

The yuan is poised to end the year down 2.4%, its first meaningful annual depreciation since 2005. It had dipped fractionally in 2009.

By comparison, the currency gained 2.8% in 2013. l

n Reuters, New York As the Obama administration issued landmark guidelines expected to open the door for selling more domestic shale oil abroad, it also likely smoothed the way for more Canadian crude to be shipped through US ports.

Unlike crude produced domestically, oil from Canada is not limited by the longstanding US ban on exports, and licenses to re-export foreign crude are granted routinely. However, many companies have been wary of such trade due to rules that prohibit mixing non-exportable domestic oil with foreign grades.

The risk of contaminating Canadian oil with a few drops of restricted US crude, which accounts for most of what flows through US oil pipelines and terminals, had deterred energy traders from attempting re-exports, they have said.

On Tuesday, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security clarified for the first time that the prohibition on co-mingling was not absolute, issuing guidelines that allow “incidental” contact for foreign oil using the same infrastructure as domestic grades.

The agency said that “a minimal amount of mixing may occur due to incidental contact in pipelines and/or storage tanks when foreign and U.S. origin-oil is sequentially transported or stored in the same pipeline or tank.”

The bureau said it encouraged applicants for re-export licenses to explain the precautions they are taking to ensure that US oil is not mixed with the foreign-origin crude, other than incidental contact.

Canada, the largest oil exporter to the United States, sends 3.4 million barrels a day to its southern neighbor, according to the US Energy Informa-

DILBERT

tion Administration.

The clarification could reinvigorate opposition to big Canadian oil pipeline projects such as TransCanada Corp’s Keystone XL, which some environmentalists have said will be used to ship carbon-intensive oil sands to China via US ports.

While TransCanada has maintained that it would not trade crude shipped on that proposed line for export, other shippers have already begun testing the waters. Some had explored shipping Canadian oil to the coast by rail, a costly method but one that would ensure it remained segregated.

Rival Enbridge Inc (ENB.TO) shipped several cargoes of Canadian crude to Europe earlier this year, after opening a reversed pipeline from Oklahoma to Freeport, Texas, but has said that reexports would account for less than 1.5% of its total US shipments, under 36,000 bpd.

Opportunities to re-export oil sands crude will expand significantly over the next few months as more pipelines designed to carry Canadian oil to the Gulf Coast come on line.

Accounting for this incidental contact might make it easier for pipeline companies and other midstream handlers of crude oil who manage crude that is re-exported.

It will also offer opportunities for traders to blend abundant U.S. condensate - which under Tuesday’s notice is now likely to be freely exported if it is minimally processed - with heavy diluted bitumen and Mayan crude, creating medium-grade oil more valuable than either of the original grades on their own, said Ed Morse, Global Commodities Strategist at Citigroup.

Such blending “spells competition for Middle East producers and Russia in European and other markets,” he wrote. l