26 May, 2015

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

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Jyoistha 12, 1421, Sha’ban 7, 1436

COURT SEEKS EXPLANATION OVER BHATARA GANG RAPE PAGE 3

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 44

BANGABANDHU’S FAMILY TO GET LIFETIME SPECIAL SECURITY, FACILITIES PAGE 32

Local leaders, police aiding traffickers Year

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Cases disposed of

Life term

2012

47

10

1

2013

43

5

9

2014

52

12

3

Until April 30, 2015

58

3

0

have been disposed of, according to the monitoring cell of the Police Headquarters.

Police say the traffickers are active mainly at 60 points along the coastal areas of Patuakhali, Barguna, Satkhira, Jhalakathi, Khulna, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.

The secret report mentions that apart from local influential people and ruling party leaders, a section of officials in police, Border Guard Bangladesh and Coast Guard

n Agencies

are involved with the smugglers.

The report says the law enforcers’ involvement has played a key role behind spreading of human trafficking rackets across the country. Moreover, lack of deployment of adequate Coast Guard members in the trafficking hotspots is described as another reason behind the unabated smuggling of Bangladeshis.

Sometimes the corrupt law enforcers in

Status of cases in last three years

It seems that protectors have turned perpetrators.

Even though the law enforcement agencies are responsible for stopping human trafficking by apprehending the rackets and bringing them to book, some of the officials spare the smugglers in exchange for money.

Because of their direct involvement with the rackets, investigation into the cases see little or no progress, says an intelligence agency report submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office recently.

Along with this report, the agency submitted a separate report to the Home Ministry recommending action against 24 police officials.

Only 688 cases out of 2,501 cases filed since 2004 over the incidents of human trafficking

139 graves of migrants found in Malaysia Malaysia has found 139 graves, and signs of torture, in more than two dozen squalid human trafficking camps suspected to have been used by gangs smuggling migrants across the border with Thailand, the country’s police chief said yesterday.

“It’s a very sad scene... To us even one is serious and we have found 139,” Malaysia’s Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, told reporters in the northern state of Perlis.

“We are working closely with our counterparts in Thailand. We will find the people who did this.”

The grisly find follows the discovery of similar shallow graves on the Thai side of the border earlier this month, which helped trigger a regional crisis. After a crackdown on the camps by Thai authorities, traffickers abandoned thousands of migrants in rickety boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. “We were shocked by the cruelty,” said Khalid, describing conditions at the 28 abandoned camps, scattered along a 50 km (30 mile) stretch of the Thai border, around which

A fourth of cases see light in 10 years, others move at snail’s pace Jamil Khan n Mohammad and Karmul Hasan

www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

Other punishment

Ansarullah sixth outlawed militant group Mamun and n Shohel Mohammad Jamil Khan From now on, any open or secret activities of Ansarullah Bangla Team, believed to be an al-Qaeda proxy in Bangladesh, will be considered as anti-state after the government yesterday imposed ban on the radical Islamist outfit.

Following the decision, Ansarullah activists will not be allowed to hold meetings, processions or preach its ideologies. Such activities would be termed anti-state and the law enforcers would take legal action under the Anti-Terrorism Act, police say.

The government in 2013 planned to blacklist the group.

Emerged in 2007, Ansarullah – like many other militant and radical organisations of the country – aims at establishing Shariah law in the country.

PAGE 3 Cabinet ratifies LBA protocol

According to detectives, objectives of Ansarullah include radicalisation of youths in the country, inciting active participation in a jihad and capturing power. The group targets youths having technological knowledge and radical mindset against democratic system and propagate jihadist ideology to guide terror attacks.

Its leaders use mosques, madrasas and religious events to propagate its views.

Ansarullah leaders and followers have been blamed for the killing of at least six secular activists since 2013. Its chief Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani, blessed by Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, has been in jail since 2013 and now undergoing trial for killing war crimes trial campaigner Ahmed Rajeeb Haider.

Rajeeb was killed by his followers, all expelled North South University students, allegedly for his anti-Islamic writings. The other

PAGE 4 Shujan: City polls disappointed people

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 5 Court rejects Khaleda’s plea to scrap testimony

PAGE 9 Donor fatigue hits Nepal one month after mega quake

PAGE 32 Getting to school a tricky task in enclaves

DT

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Road crash kills six criminals, one police in Gazipur n Our Correspondent, Gazipur A head-on collision between a human haulier and a covered van killed seven people and injured 13 in Gazipur yesterday.

The human haulier was carrying four police officials and 13 detainees and was on its way to a Gazipur court from Sreepur model police station when the accident happened, Zahidul Islam, OC (investigation) at the police station, said.

Among the deceased, six were criminals and one was a police official, he said.

Four of the deceased were Momin Uddin, 32, Sohel Rana, 27, and Manik Miah, 30, and police constable Mostafa Kamal, 58. The others could not be identified immediately.

The accident took place around 4pm in Porabari-Masterbari area on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

All the injured were taken to Shahid Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College in Gazipur.

Constables Ashraful Islam, 42, Anowar Hossain, 25, and Mostafa Kamal, criminals Monir Hossain, 22, and Saiful Islam, 20, and driver of the human haulier Julhas Uddin, 30, were transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where Mostafa died around 6:50pm, said Dr Abdus Salam, resident doctor at the Gazipul hospital.

Witnesses said Momin was driving the human haulier at the time of the accident, even though its original driver Julhas was present.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Local leaders, police aiding traffickers form the traffickers before conducting a drive. It is also learnt that when a ship is found trafficking Bangladeshis, sometimes they let the ship go away by taking Tk300-1,000 for each passenger.

The report says officials at some police stations and BGB outposts get monthly allowance and remain silent on the matter.

The report further mentions that the rescued persons are sued under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act. But the revised law says a person who is trafficked against his wish cannot be brought under the Act. The report suggests amendment of the law so that only those travelling willingly are sued and punished accordingly, and that the smugglers cannot get bail from courts.

The intelligence agency in its recommendations emphasised on strict action against the godfathers and the corrupt law enforcers. The report also suggests setting up permanent outposts near the hotspots for the Coast Guard.

In the report, the government was requested to monitor all bKash accounts in Teknaf, Ukhiya and Maheshkhali areas and bank accounts of the identified and suspected human traffickers.

AKM Shahidul Haque, inspector general of police, refuted the allegation of law enforcers’ involvement with the human trafficking rackets. He said stern action would be taken after investigation if they receive any valid complaints against any official.

BGB chief Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they mainly work on creating awareness against human

trafficking along the border areas and take legal steps when necessary.

Asked about the involvement of officials in trafficking, the BGB director general said he had not such information, and vowed to take action if they got any.

MP Badi denies involvement

The report submitted to the PMO mentions names of 177 traffickers and 41 ringleaders.

Among the listed traffickers, 66 are in Cox’s Bazar; two in Sunamganj; eight in Habiganj; two in Kishoreganj; one in Pabna; two in Sirajganj; eight in Narsingdi; 19 in Narayanganj; one each in Gopalganj, Faridpur, Bandarban and Brahmanbaria; five in Shariatpur; 20 in Jessore; two in Satkhira; nine in Chuadanga; two in Meherpur; two in Bagerhat; 10 in Jhenidah; one in Chandpur; two in Chittagong; three in Comilla and nine each in Pirojpur and Bhola.

According to another report prepared in December by the Anti-Human-Trafficking Special Committee under the Police Headquarters, there were 11 international and 230 Bangladeshi human traffickers including 26 domestic money launderers engaged in the trafficking business.

Of them, five were killed recently in gunfights with the law enforcers while a dozen other suspected traffickers arrested in Cox’s Bazar.

Although human trafficking is not a new issue, it has increased rapidly in the last three years. Nearly 350 human traffickers are reportedly engaged in the illegal business but the law enforces never took any effective step

to stop trafficking.

The intelligence agency report also mentions the name of Abdur Rahman Badi, an Awami League lawmaker from Cox’s Bazar.

When contacted, he denied having any involvement with the trafficking rackets. “It is nothing but a misleading information against me,” the MP told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Badi’s name also came up in the Home Ministry’s list of yaba smugglers. He was sued last year by the Anti-Corruption Commission for gaining wealth beyond the known income source.

Cases progress at a snail’s pace

The Police Headquarters formed a monitoring cell in June 2004 to check human trafficking.

Since then, as many as 4569 victims were rescued and 2,501 cases filed. Of the cases, 688 have so far been disposed of.

During the time, 1,391 accused were acquitted, eight given death penalty, 280 lifeterm imprisonment while 91 got punishment in different terms.

Asked about delay in investigation, Md Abdur Razzak, superintendent of police of crime of at the Police Headquarters, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We submitted charge sheets on time but the cases are stuck in the court since there is a backlog of cases. More than 20 cases were filed 10 years ago.

“Since this is a cross-border crime, it takes more time to probe than other cases. Law enforcers must visit the crime scene - often a lengthy procedure - under Interpol protocol.” l

Ansarullah sixth outlawed militant group victims too were branded as atheists after the murders.

The outfit is also responsible for giving threats on different times to kill secular bloggers, cultural activists and important personalities of the country.

The political wing of the Home Ministry yesterday issued a gazette notification on the government decision. The outfit has been banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act. State Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the police had sent them a proposal last week to impose ban on the outfit as a number of allegations of violent activities proved against it.

Detectives suspect that Ansarullah is now working as Bangladesh representative of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), formed last year following al-Qaeda’s call to extend its activities in India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The previous BNP-Jamaat government outlawed Shahadat-e-al Hikma on February 9, 2003, Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) on February 23, 2005, and Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji) on October 17, 2005.

The present government on October 22, 2009 banned Hizb ut-Tahrir. The same year, seven other organisations – Hizb-ut-Tawhid, Islami Samaj, Ulema Anjuman al Baiyinaat, Islamic Democratic Party, Tawhid Trust, Tamir ud-Deen and Alla’r Dal – were blacklisted.

In 2013, the government had thought of banning all the seven blacklisted groups and three others – Ansarullah Bangla Team, Shahadat-e-Nobuwat and Al Markajul al Islami.

All the other banned organisations are now working together with Ansarullah as they have the same goal, detectives say. Ansarullah also supports Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam as they want to establish Islamic rule, Rahmani had mentioned in his sermons.

The Bangladesh constitution recognises Islam as the state religion and allows religion-based politics. The Awami League-led government in 2011 reinstated secularism, first introduced in 1972, as one of the four pillars.

According to detectives, Ansarullah targets anyone – not only bloggers – who opposes its views, adding that the outfit has around 100 active members. The number of its support-

ers can be large. They work in small groups and conduct silent killings.

Ansarullah chief Rahmani was arrested on August 12, 2013 along with 31 members from Barguna for inciting jihad at mosques. Later he was removed from the post of chairman of Markazul Uloom Al-Islamia Madrasa’s management committee at Basila in Mohammadpur.

Five members of the group confessed to the murder of blogger-architect Rajeeb Haider on February 15, 2013. Another four were arrested for the attack on blogger Asif Mohiuddin. They also claimed responsibility for the murders of Avijit Roy, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu, Ananta Bijoy Das and Rajshahi University teacher Prof AKM Shafiul Islam.

Rahmani in his confessional statement mentioned that the students inspired by his sermons might have killed Rajeeb. His sermons are still available on websites and Facebook.

Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the Detective Branch of police, said they were monitoring activities of the outfit and would arrest those involved with the group after locating them. l

Sreepur police OC Motaleb Miah was closed and a three-member committee was formed to investigate the accident, said Gazipur Superintendent of Police Harun-or-Rashid. The probe body was asked to submit report in three workdays.

State Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal visited the injured at DMCH around 7:30pm. “We are investigating why such an accident happened. Whoever is found responsible will be punished accordingly.” l

14-party to fete premier on diplomatic successes

n Abu Hayat Mahmud The Awami League-led 14-party alliance will honour Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 29 for successfully concluding the Land Boundary Agreement which was ratified by the India’s parliament on May 7.

A warm and colourful reception starting around 2:30pm is being planned at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.

AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim told journalists: “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina successfully tabled the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord and implemented the Indira-Mujib 1974 Land Boundary Agreement.

“The 14-party alliance and civil society have decided to give a warm reception in her honour.”

Alliances sources told the Dhaka Tribune that several meetings had been held to prepare for the celebration. On May 15, a joint meeting of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance and pro-Awami League professional bodies formed a 202-member committee to plan the reception. l

139 graves the graves were found in an operation that began on May 11.

Thousands are ferried by traffickers through southern Thailand each year, and in recent years it has been common for them to be held in remote camps along the rugged border with Malaysia until a ransom is paid.

Reuters investigations have shown ransom demands ranging from $1,200 to $1,800, a fortune for impoverished migrants used to living on a dollar or two a day.

Khalid said bullet casings were found in the vicinity and added there were signs that torture had been used, without elaborating.

Metal chains were found near some graves.

But he declined to answer when asked how the extensive string of camps had been built without authorities knowing.

The first decomposed body was brought down to a police camp set up at the foot of the mountains where the camps were found yesterday evening, an operation that took nearly five hours due to the roughness of the terrain.

“The body was only bones and little bit of clothing on it,” said Rizani Che Ismail, officerin-charge of Padang Besar police department, adding that the cause of death was not immediately apparent.

The graves will likely focus new attention on Malaysia’s record in battling a bustling trade that activists say is run by criminal syndicates with the suspected involvement of corrupt officials. l

DT

NEWS 3

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Court seeks explanation over Bhatara gang rape n

Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court yesterday sought explanation from the police for delaying to register a case over the gang rape of an indigenous woman in the capital on May 21.

The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo also asked the police and the government to explain as to why the girl should not be compensated for the delay in recording the case.

The court ordered the government to make sure that the police accept any rape complaint and serve all victims without any discrimination in the future.

The home secretary, police chief and DMP commissioner were ordered to issue a circular to the police stations to ensure discrimination-free service for all citizens without considering their religion, gender, caste or place of birth. They were also asked to submit a compliance report by a month.

The directives come in response to a writ petition filed by five human rights organisations – Naripakkha, Bangladesh Mohila Parishad, National Indigenous Council, Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) and BLAST. The court took into consideration media reports that said the gang rape victim was not given proper attention at three police stations she and her family members had gone to file the case on Friday.

The court asked the authorities concerned to explain as to why action should not be taken against the responsible police members for “negligence.” It also asked for explanation by two weeks on why the delay of police in recording the first information report (FIR) should not be declared illegal.

Bangladesh Garo Students’ Organisation brings out a procession on Dhaka University campus yesterday protesting gang rape of a Garo woman, demanding punishment for the rapists RAJIB DHAR The home secretary, IGP, DMP commissioner, OCs of Uttara, Khilkhet, Gulshan and Bhatara police stations and the officer-on-duty at Bhatara police station were made respondents in the rule.

The petitioners were asked to submit a list of former judges, lawyers and women rights activists who will review the existing laws to curb sexual violence and harassment by May 31.

The High Court bench set June 14 for further hearing on the matter.

BLAST Executive Director Sara Hossain and two other lawyers stood for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Amatul Karim and Assistant Attorney General Nusrat Jahan represented the state.

Around 9:30pm on May 21, the victim was

forced into a microbus near Jamuna Future Park at gunpoint when she was waiting for transport to return home from work. Five youths gang raped her in the moving microbus and left him near Jasim Uddin Road in Uttara.

The victim along with elder sister first went to Turag police station to file a case as their residence was within its jurisdiction. But the police did not record the case saying that the place of rape was not within their jurisdiction. Around 5am, they went to Gulshan police station and were refused by officials who gave the same reason.

After around one and a half hours, they went to Bhatara police station but they were kept waiting for the officer-in-charge to come. The OC came to the station after three hours and recorded the case around 12:30pm Friday. l

DB: Local militants gone global n Mohammad Jamil Khan The chief of the Detective Branch of police yesterday said local militants recently taken into custody were in touch with international militant networks.

“Bangladeshi militants have not only established links with Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) but also with militant groups in other countries,” DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said.

He said the local militants had online contacts with the international groups.

Monirul made the announcement after the arrest yesterday of suspected IS recruiters in the capital’s Uttara neighbourhood. The arrestees are Md Aminul Islam Begh, suspected IS recruiter and regional coordinator of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and his associate, Sakib Bin Kamal. A laptop, three cell phones, seven jihadi books by various authors and a diary were seized from their possessions.

“The recovered items prove the arrestees are members of a militant outfit,” SM Jahangir Alam Sarker, deputy commissioner of the DMP, said.

According to detectives, Aminul had completed a Bachelor’s degree in computer science from a Malaysian university and works as a

technology chief at a multinational company.

Sakib also completed his university degree at a private university and works in a private school.

Monirul said Aminul had gathered a large amount of information about IS activities and was in contact with the network online. “He then began recruiting people for them. Aminul also operated a blog site.”

At a briefing at the DMP Media and Community Centre, Monirul said Aminul, a JMB leader, used his network to select 20 young people across the country to send them abroad to work for IS. “Sakib was among the 20 chosen by Aminul.

“All of the people intended for recruitment previously worked with JMB but, inspired by Aminul’s lead, were preparing to work for IS. “We have collected information about the other 19 from the arrestees and have reason to believe all are experts in the use of technology and have received higher education.”

Asked about the intended recruits’ finances, Monirul said the 20 suspects all belong to wealthy families and several are employed.

“They have the capacity to collect funds to go abroad and join IS.” Monirul said JMB has a nation-wide network and its members are active, so selecting finan-

cially self-supporting candidates to fight abroad is a relatively easy task.

He said the militants’ objective is to establish an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and then to take the jihadist fight to the whole world.

Monirul said the arrestees consider IS boss Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi to be their leader.

The DMP has so far arrested 15 people, including these two suspects, for suspected involvement with IS. Asked whether Aminul and Sakib were connected to the previous arrestees, Monirul said that would only be known for certain after interrogating them in remand.

“We are investigating whether the two were involved in the death threat letters sent recently to 10 important personalities of the country,” Monirul added.

The DB chief said police officials, cultural activists, journalists, bloggers and others were all potential targets of militant extremists.

The arrestees were shown arrested in a case filed with Uttara West police station and placed before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka yesterday evening, where detectives sought 10-day remand.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mostafizur Rahman granted three days’ remand for each arrestee. l

Police: Rape in microbus was premeditated n Mohammad Jamil Khan

The recent rape of an indigenous woman inside a running microbus had been a premeditated act of crime by the perpetrators, police said yesterday.

The analysis of video footage and the statement of the victim suggested that the rapists had targeted the woman and planned the crime, said Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the Detective Branch of police.

Efforts were on to identify the culprits by analysing surveillance footage from roadside CCTV cameras, as well as CCTV footage from inside Jamuna Future Park – the shopping mall where the victim worked at.

However, there was still no trace of the microbus used in the crime as it did not have any valid numberplate, said Monirul, also the spokesperson of the DMP. “We have completed all the preliminary procedures of investigation into the rape case; and now the police officials are searching for the culprits,” he added.

After the incident on Thursday, the woman said she had earlier seen one of her rapists at the shop she worked at, where he recently accompanied two foreign nationals.

Inspector (investigation) Sazzad Hossain of Bhatara police said: “We have also collected footage from the CCTV cameras installed at different establishments on the route followed by the microbus [during the incident].” l

Cabinet ratifies LBA protocol n Shohel Mamun

The cabinet has approved a proposal for the ratification of a protocol to implement the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement between Bangladesh and India.

“The Protocol to the agreement between Bangladesh and India concerning the demarcation of land boundary and other related matters was approved in a cabinet meeting yesterday,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“An exchange of instruments will now take place during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.”

Asked how long it will take to implement the deal, he said ratification by the cabinet was the last approval needed. “Now agencies concerned of the two countries will work for its implementation,” Mosharraf said.

“Under the protocol, Bangladesh will get 2,267 acres of land occupied by India while India will get 2,777 acres of land occupied by Bangladesh.”

Besides, Bangladesh will get 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh and India will get 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside India. Apart from this, 6.5km border lines will also be marked along the border areas.

The protocol was signed during then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in 2011. Although Bangladesh ratified the agreement, a similar procedure faced difficulty in the Indian parliament. That, however, ended when the Modi government managed to create a consensus on the issue and pass the constitutional amendment on May 6-7. l

DT

4 NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Shujan: City polls disappointed people n Tribune Report

Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) yesterday said the April 28 city corporation elections in Dhaka and Chittagong had frustrated the people.

Speaking at a press briefing at National Press Club, Shujan Coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarkar said the people had expected that elections would be held neutrally and the ongoing political impasse would be resolved afterwards.

“But they have been disappointed and the elections have raised questions in their minds.”

“We have observed a range of anomalies during election campaigns, such as putting up

billboards, arranging motorbike processions and attacking opposition members.

“There were many acts that amounted to the violation of the electoral code of conduct but the Election Commission barely took any step,” he added.

Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder said a lack of democratic rule might result in the rise of other forms of power in the country.

“The weakness of the Election Commission, and the lack of impartiality and implementation of electoral code of conduct will destroy our democracy and the election system.”

He urged the government to strengthen the Election Commission and electoral laws,

enacting laws on appointing election commissioners as per the constitution.

Earlier in a report, Transparency International Bangladesh said the city corporation polls could not be described as free and fair.

Awami League-backed candidates won the elections in Dhaka North City Corporation, Dhaka South City Corporation and Chittagong City Corporation, with the BNP boycotting the polls halfway through voting alleging massive electoral frauds.

But the Election Commission and the Awami League rejected BNP’s allegations, with the prime minister reiterating that the polls were held in a free and fair fashion. l

Abbas’ bail petitions rejected n Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court rejected the bail petitions of BNP leader Mirza Abbas in two vandalism and arson cases yesterday.

The bench of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus passed the orders after hearing the two petitions.

Deputy Attorney General Bashir Ullah told reporters that police now can arrest Abbas anytime in connection with the cases.

The cases were filed with Paltan police station on December 29 last year and Motijheel police station on January 4 this year. l

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NEWS 5

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Court rejects Khaleda’s plea to scrap testimony of plaintiff n Tribune Report A Dhaka court yesterday rejected a defence petition to scrap the testimonies of the plaintiff of Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases, but accepted a separate plea that sought more time to cross examine the plaintiff.

Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Special Judge Court 3 rejected the first petition by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s counsels, but allowed the defence more time to cross examine plaintiff Harun-ur-Rashid in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

ACC Deputy Director Harun completed his unfinished deposition in Charitable Trust case yesterday, before the judge adjourned proceedings until June 18. He earlier testified in the Orphanage Trust graft case.

Khaleda was present at the court during the hearing yesterday.

She arrived at court a little before 11am amid tight security.

ACC lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajal contested the pleas at court.

At the beginning of the hearing, Khaleda’s counsel Khandaker Mahbub Hossain submitted a petition for expunging the plaintiff ’s statements in the Orphanage Trust case, claiming it was illegal to record the statement in absence of the BNP chief.

The court said Khaleda had earlier prayed for not appearing before the court on several dates and the court had accepted those pleas. As the other three accused, who are on bail, were present before the court on the dates when the testimony was recorded, the procedure was legal, the court added.

“You [Khaleda’s counsels] had pleaded several times to carry on with proceedings in absence of her [Khaleda] when she could not come to the court,” the judge said.

After the court rejected the petition, the defence counsel said: “We will to go to higher court challenging the rejection order.” He also requested the court to allow time to go to the higher court with the petition.

The court replied: “It is your decision to go to the higher court or not. There is no option of granting time for that.”

In another petition, Khaleda’s lawyers asked for more time to prepare for the hearings as they were busy with the bar council elections.

The judge saw merit in this plea and said: “Being busy with the polls is justified. Time can be given for preparing for the case. However, I will not give time so that you can go to the High Court.” l

Dhaka yet to verify migrants’ nationality

‘Poultry intake should increase’

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangladesh is yet to know the nationality of the 208 people who were rescued in Myanmar on Friday.

“We have sent a team to interview the rescued people,” said a senior Foreign Ministry official yesterday.

Myanmar government spokesman Ye Htut said on his Facebook page that they had found trawlers loaded with 208 people.

He claimed that 200 were Bangladeshis and eight were Rohingya.

The Foreign Ministry official said if the team is satisfied that these people are from Bangladesh, they would send a list to the ministry which “will send the list to the Home Ministry for verification.”

Repatriation of Bangladeshis will begin after verification.

A source in the ministry said the government would emphasise solving the Rohingya issue at the Bangkok conference to be held on May 29.

“The cause of human trafficking is the Rohingya crisis,” said the official.

Bangladesh ambassadors in Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are in Dhaka to discuss with the foreign secretary what position the government should take at the conference. l

Speakers at the discussion on safe poultry farming in Gazipur yesterday also participated in a school feeding programme DHAKA TRIBUNE

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Intake of poultry products must be increased across the country as they provide a significant amount of animal protein, experts said yesterday.

“We need to put significant effort in increasing animal protein intake around the country. Otherwise the proper growth of our nation will be hampered,” said Dr Md Mehedi Hossain, principal science officer at the Department of Livestock Services.

The discussion on ensuring safe poultry production, took place at Banga Taj auditorium in Gazipur city and was attended by nutrition officials, local leaders, and experts.

Addressing the event as chief guest, Gazipur 2 lawmaker Md Zahid Ahsan Russel said: “The intake of eggs and chicken has to be increased at least twice in amount in every household.”

Calling Gazipur “the poultry capital” of the country, Russel said: “Our poultry industry has progressed a lot in the past few decades.”

Dr Ali Haider Khan, civil surgeon in Gazipur, said: “According to the FAO, an adult should have at least 104 eggs annually, but in Bangladesh the annual intake is only 45-50. Chicken intake per person is 3.63kg annually; in the developed world it is around 45-50kg. So increasing the amount of poultry product intake in the country is essential.” l

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6 NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

jailed for life for killing Mystery prevails over Nine n death of two youths Tribune Report

n Our Correspondent, Jessore A confusing situation has created over the deaths of youths as police are saying that they were killed in a mob-beating while snatching a motorbike, but their families claiming that police had shot them to death.

Police said Al-Amin, 23, son of Abdul Aziz of Arpara Ghurulia village, and Ismail Hossain, 22, a student of Jessore Polytechnic Institute, had been beaten to death by agitated people while they were snatching a motorbike from Rajapur area, Jessore sadar upazila.

Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali police station Shikdar Akkas Ali said: “Sensing the snatchers, motorcyclist Barun Kumar started shouting for help when reached near Rajapur village around 10:30pm on Sunday. Then locals rushed in and beaten the duo.”

He said injured Al-Amin and Ismail were

taken to Jessore 250-Bed Hospital where they died while undergoing treatment.

Police also recovered two foreign pistols, two rounds of bullets and two sharp weapons from their possessions, he added.

Manjur Rahman, uncle of Ismail, said AlAmin and Ismail, had gone out of houses around 8pm and since then they remained missing.

“Around 1pm today [yesterday] we got a call from an unknown number. Then, a person told me that they have received two bodies and we have to go to the hospital to identify the body.”

He said they had noticed mark of bullet injury on their heads and general people do not use firearms during a mob.

Salauddin Sagor, younger brother of Ismail, said they had been killed in a planned way.

However, according to the hospital register book, Al-Amin and Ismail were dead when they were taken tot he hospital. They were not accused in any case. l

Robbers stab five of a family in Gazipur n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Robbers have stabbed five people of a family and looted the house in Uttarpara area under Sreepur upazila in Gazipur.

The injured are businessman Uttam De, 50, his wife Namita Rani, 36, their two sons—Shuvo De, 18, and Shanto De, 13 and their nephew Sajib, 20.

Namita Rani said: “A gang of 12 robbers swooped into their house around 2am Monday and looted gold earrings and two mobile phones.”

“They stabbed my husband, sons and me when we tried to prevent them from robbing the house. They also stabbed Sajib when he came to help after being called by our sons over phone.”

Later, locals went to the spot and took them to Sreepur Health Complex. Uttam and his sons were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

Sreepur police OC Motaleb Miah said: “We have visited the spot and case will be filed in this connection.” l

A court yesterday sentenced nine people to life term imprisonment each for killing a minor boy after kidnapping him in Bheramara upazila in 2011.

According to the prosecution, minor boy Alif Hossain, 4, son of Saleh Ahmed Shishir of Ramkrisnapur village, went missing since Gasi Akter, son Dulal Hossain of the village,

called him out of the house on February 2, 2011.On February 7, the kidnappers demanded Tk two lakh from the victim’s father from a secret place over phone.

Failing to realise the ransom, the kidnappers killed the boy and dumped the body near his house on the day.

Victim’s father Shishir filed a murder case against several people, including Gasi Akhter, with Bheramara police station. l

DT

NEWS 7

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

No headway in blogger Ananta killing case

NAZRUL BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OBSERVED

n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Police are yet to unearth clue to the murder of Sylhet Gonojagoron Mancha organiser Ananta Bijoy Das, and arrest the real culprits involved in the killing.

Mohammad Rahmat Ullah, additional police commissioner, over phone told the Dhaka Tribune that the case was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as the police failed to unearth clue to the murder in 13 days.

Ananta Bijoy Das, a blogger and writer known for advocating science and secularism, was hacked to death by masked men wielding machetes while on his way to work on 12 May in broad daylight at Subid Bazar Bankalapara in Sylhet.

Later, Riteshwar Das, elder brother of Ananta Bijoy, filed the case with the Airport police accusing four unidentified persons.

Ananta was also a writer in the blog, Muktomona, Free Thinker, founded by blogger Avijit Roy – who had been murdered two and half months ago after he came home from the USA. Five weeks after Roy’s death, another blogger, Oyasiqur Rhaman, was killed by three men with machetes in Dhaka. The deaths recalled the 2013 killing in Dhaka of the blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.

Haider, Roy and Rhaman were all part of a movement known as Shahbag, which called for the death penalty for Islamist political leaders who were implicated in atrocities committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 war for independence from Pakistan. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

TUESDAY, MAY 26 TODAY SUN SETS 6:39PM

DHAKA

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:12AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 33 34 37 31 37 35 32 33

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

28 28 27 24 27 28 24 28

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.6ºC

21.3ºC

Jessore

Cox’s Bazar Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

3:47am 5:12am 11:56am 4:35pm 6:39pm 8:04pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

PM commits to fighting evil, opens dev projects in Comilla n Tribune Report Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her commitment of fighting the forces of evil in a speech marking the 116th birth anniversary of the national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam at the Comilla Town Hall premise yesterday afternoon.

Referring to the essence of Nazrul’s works, the PM expressed her frustration over the three-month-long blockade resulting in daily arsony and vandalism starting January 5 in the name of movement by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Sheikh Hasina said Nazrul wrote against discrimination between rich and poor, against women. His anti-communal writing has always been inspiring. She also mentioned that the very “Joi Bangla” slogan was derived from his writing.

“Nazrul showed us the way, and the Bangali were liberated through political struggle according to that path,” the prime minister said.

Development projects in Comilla

While visiting Comilla, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also inaugurated and laid foundation stones of a number of development projects, including the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) of Comilla EPZ at the Town Hall square.

Hasina inaugurated Comilla Bibir Bazar Land Port Road, Chowddagram Zila Parishad Dakbungalow, a hostel for the blind, Laksam

After paying tribute to the National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, a schoolgirl along with her father leaves the graveyard compound located on Dhaka University campus yesterday. The DU chalked out elaborate programmes to celebrate the 116th birth anniversary of the national poet yesterday RAJIB DHAR upazila fisheries building and training centre, a mural containing the history and heritage of Comilla at Comilla Press Club, a bridge built over the Kathalia River in Meghna upazila, another bridge built over the Pararband River in the Meghna upazila, the newly built Chowddagram thana building and Mainamati Medical College.

She also laid the foundation stones of a railway overpass at Shasangachha in Comilla town, fire service and civil defense station at

Indefinite transport strike in Khulna region called off n

Tribune Report

The indefinite transport strike in Khulna region was called off yesterday following a meeting between transport leaders and the government.

State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan came up with the announcement after a meeting with the leaders of Bus Owners and Workers Federation and the law enforcement agencies at the secretariat in the evening. Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan was present at the meeting.

President of Khulna Division Bangladesh Road Transport Federation Azizul Alam Mintu also announced the withdrawal of the strike.

The Bus Owners and Sramik Oikya Parishad of the south-western region enforced a three-day strike on May 21 protesting the arrest of three staff of bus operator ‘Shohag Paribahan’ and withdrawal of Modhukhali police station officer-in-charge.

As their demands were not fulfilled, they called a transport strike on all routes of the Khulna division covering Barisal, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions on Friday.

Like previous several days, commuters suffered a lot due to crisis of mass transport.

Tank-lorry owners and workers in Khulna and the southwestern region expressed solidarity with the strike yesterday, also the seventh day of the programme.

Md Mamun, a train passenger, yesterday said he was forced to wait for hours at the station because his vehicle failed to arrive on schedule. “Collection tickets is another hassle that you have to endure.”

The railway authorities decided to add ad-

‘Collection tickets is another hassle that you have to endure’ ditional bogies to four trains that carry passengers to Khulna from Dhaka and Rajshahi in the wake of a sudden increase in the number of train passengers because of the strike.

Small traders in Khulna have borne the brunt of the uninterrupted strike that led to cancellation of long-haul as well as inter-district bus trips. They are counting extra fares to transport goods by truck or mini truck.

Anwar Hossain Sona, general secretary of Khulna Bus-Minibus Coach Owners Association, admitted that the strike had terribly hit people but adamantly said it would continue. l

Burichang upazila, modernisation of Comilla district unit building of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), Comilla district unit office of BSTI, repair and renovation of the house of renowned musician Sachin Dev Barman, human concern international school for the autistic children, Bangabandhu Law College Building, Poyalgachha technical school under Borura and Comilla district Muktijoddha complex building. l

JU heads into a 61-day break n JU Correspondent

Jahangirnagar University goes into a twomonth-long summer and Ramadan break from today, amid concerns that such a long vacation might cause session jam for different departments.

The university goes into the break at a time when students and teachers had been staging different demonstrations against the JU authorities on separate issues.

For the fifth day running, students from the geological science department and computer science and engineering (CSE) department blockaded the administrative building yesterday to voice their demands over room allocation disputes surrounding the new science building.

Separately, teachers of journalism and media studies department continued to boycott academic activities demanding the removal of their chairman. The Bangla department had also been pressuring the authorities in recent times to solve the department’s classroom shortage.

Sources said the demonstrations might have triggered the JU authorities’ decision to call the 61-day-long vacation that would continue until July 25, as it would allow them a respite from ongoing programmes. l

DT

8 WORLD

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Thai PM deploys carrier to act as migrant processing centre n AFP, Bangkok Thailand has deployed a helicopter carrier in its waters to serve as a temporary medical and processing centre for migrants found adrift, its prime minister said yesterday.

The move came as the United States offered to launch reconnaissance flights over the Bay of Bengal to locate any remaining vessels, with thousands of Bangladeshi and Myanmar boat people still believed to be stranded at sea.

Thailand is hosting a May 29 regional meeting on a crisis that has seen more than 3,500 Bangladeshi economic migrants and stateless Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar arrive on Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian soil.

All three countries, as well as Myanmar

and Bangladesh, have come under international pressure either to provide immediate humanitarian relief to the migrants or address the root causes of their journeys.

The Thai carrier will act as a “floating base with medics and police” on board, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha told reporters.

“If any boats (with migrants) are found, the navy will lead it to this large navy vessel for assistance,” he said adding Thailand will then “facilitate” their passage to “temporary shelters in Malaysia and Indonesia.”

“If anyone is injured or sick, they can be treated at hospitals in Thailand but will face illegal entry charges – it is up to them to decide.”

A navy official told AFP the vessel was a helicopter carrier.

More than 430 dead in India heatwave

An Indian passenger takes a bath beside rail tracks in Jammu, India yesterday. Severe heat wave conditions continue to prevail in India with temperatures reaching 48 degrees Celsius AP

n AFP, Hyderabad More than 430 people have died in two Indian states during a heatwave that has seen temperatures nudge 50 degrees Celsius and force Kolkata’s iconic yellow taxis off the road, officials said yesterday. Officials warned the toll was almost certain to rise.

Large parts of India, including national capital New Delhi, have endured days of sweltering heat, prompting fears of power cuts. But the highest temperatures have been recorded in Telangana and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state.

In the eastern city of Kolkata, taxi unions have urged drivers to stay off the roads during the day.

Andhra Pradesh authorities are urging labourers and others not to work long hours in

the heat of the day after 246 people died from the high temperatures there in the last week.

“The majority of the victims are people who have been exposed to the sun directly, usually aged 50 and above and from the working classes,” P Tulsi Rani, special commissioner of Andhra Pradesh’s disaster management department, told AFP. She said the deaths started occurring yesterday last week.

Another 188 people have died in Telangana since April, although most fatalities have occurred since the middle of last week. Latest figures are still being confirmed.

“The kind of heatwave we are seeing now is slightly higher than normal. The temperatures here have almost touched 48-49 degrees Celsius,” said B R Meena, principal secretary of revenue for Telangana.l

‘If anyone is injured or sick, they can be treated at hospitals in Thailand but will face illegal entry charges – it is up to them to decide’ The UN estimates 2,000 migrants are still at sea on poorly supplied boats after a May 1 crackdown on human trafficking in Thailand paralysed the route south, apparently leading people-smugglers to abandon ships crammed with human cargo.

The US embassy in Bangkok said America

was “actively engaging with the governments of the region to obtain their support and permissions” for flights over the seas to spot stricken migrant boats.

But Prayut, a former army chief who leads the ruling junta, said any US missions would have to be conducted with Thai forces.

“We have started our operation, if they (the US) want to join, they can... (but) they cannot control the operation, we have to have sovereignty over both land and sea.”

Yesterday Malaysian police said they had found 139 grave sites and 28 abandoned detention camps used by people-smugglers in a border area close to where Thailand’s discovery of mass graves in May sparked the unravelling of trafficking routes. l

DT

WORLD 9

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Heavy fighting in Yemen’s south, aide says talks postponed n AFP

Nepalese participate in a candlelight vigil for victims of last week’s earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal on Saturday. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed over 8,600 people and the UN has estimated it affected 8.1 million people, more than a fourth of Nepal’s population AP

Donor fatigue hits Nepal one month after mega earthquake n Reuters, New Delhi The international community’s response to devastating earthquakes in Nepal has been disappointing, a United Nations official said yesterday, adding that donors were focusing more on reconstruction than much needed aid such as food and shelter.

The impoverished Himalayan nation is reeling from a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck on April 25, disrupting the lives of almost a third of the 28 million population.

A second quake of 7.3 magnitude struck on May 12, worsening the situation and further hampering efforts to get aid to survivors in remote regions. Over 8,600 people have died.

Jamie McGoldrick, UN resident coordi-

nator in Nepal said: “The talk now is about reconstruction, but we are trying to remind people that in between search and rescue and recovery, there is a phase called relief and we can’t forget that.”

In the weeks following the earthquake, scores of international agencies and foreign governments rushed to send search and rescue teams, doctors and relief materials.

The UN appealed for $423 million to be able to provide up to two million survivors with basic relief such as tents or tarpaulin sheets, dry food rations, safe drinking water and toilets for the next three months.

As of yesterday, the UN Financial Tracking System showed $92.4 million has been raised, 22 percent of the required funds.

McGoldrick said the slow response was partly due to donor fatigue where governments were being torn between competing humanitarian crises across the world.

Nepal’s traditional donors were more “development” focused and were likely holding back funds for long-term projects, he added.

But he warned that there was only a small window of opportunity to buy and get relief supplies delivered to remote mountain hamlets ahead of the annual monsoons which run from June to September.

The heavy rains in areas which were already damaged by the earthquakes would “complicate relief efforts all the more” as they would trigger more landslides and block roads, hampering the delivery of aid, he said. l

Heavy artillery clashes between Yemen’s dominant Houthi rebel group and local fighters shook the southern cities of Taiz and Dalea yesterday, residents said, and a Yemeni official said UN peace talks set for Geneva later this week had been delayed.

Militiamen seized the main security directorate and strategic mountaintop buildings from the Houthis in Dalea, a bastion of a secessionist movement in Yemen’s formerly independent south, much of which has been destroyed in more than two months of fighting.

Ten soldiers loyal to the Houthis and three southern militiamen were killed, fighters and residents said.

In the southern city of Taiz, Houthi fighters pushed back tribal and Islamist militiamen amid heavy street combat, and Arab air raids hit a military base loyal to Houthis in the capital Sanaa yesterday.

A Saudi-led coalition has been bombing the Iran-allied Houthis for months and supporting Yemeni fighters opposing the groups in battle lines drawn across the country. Saudi Arabia and Gulf powers are concerned that the Houthi Shi’ite Muslim movement’s allegiance to Iran will give the Islamic Republic a foothold in the Arabian Peninsula.

Yemen’s exiled government in Saudi Arabia led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has demanded the Houthis recognise its authority and withdraw from Yemen’s main cities – two points demanded by a UN Security Council resolution last month.

Those demands may have pushed back a UN-sponsored negotiations set for Geneva on May 28.

“The Geneva meeting has been indefinitely postponed because the Houthis did not indicate their commitment to implement the UN Security Council resolution,” Sultan al-Atwani, an aide to President Hadi, told Reuters by telephone from Riyadh.

“Also, what is happening on ground – the attacks on Aden, Taiz, Dalea and Shabwa makes it difficult to go to Geneva,” he added, naming southern provinces that have become war zones.

Ahmad Fawzi, spokesman for the UN in Geneva, said he could not confirm the reports of a delay to talks, saying that plans were still underway for negotiations to start on Thursday. l

Islamic State faces battle in Iraq, bombs in Syria n Reuters

Islamic State poured more fighters into Ramadi yesterday as security forces and Shi’ite paramilitaries renewed efforts to retake the western Iraqi city that fell to the Islamists a week ago in a major setback for the government.

In Palmyra, the Syrian air force launched strikes at buildings captured by Islamic State, whose occupation of the city has raised fears that the insurgents will destroy its famed Roman ruins.

Islamic state has killed at least 217 people execution-style, including children, since it moved into the Palmyra area 10 days ago, according to the British-based Syrian Observa-

tory for Human Rights. A further 300 soldiers were killed in fighting before the city was captured, according to the monitoring group.

Islamic State reinforced Ramadi yesterday, deploying fighters in preparation for battle against security forces and paramilitary groups advancing on the provincial capital.

Iraqi forces have regained ground east of the city since launching a counter-offensive on Saturday, a week after it was overrun by the insurgents, and yesterday retook a rural area south of the city.

Police sources said Iraqi security forces supported by Iran-backed Shi’ite militia groups and locally recruited Sunni tribal fighters had retaken parts of al-Tash, 20 km

(12 miles) south of Ramadi, which lies only a short distance from Baghdad.

Ramadi residents said trucks carrying Islamic State fighters arrived on Sunday evening before spreading out across the city.

Local man Abu Saed heard a commotion outside his house in the city’s southeastern Officers neighbourhood. “I saw two trucks pull up outside with dozens of fighters carrying arms running quickly into nearby buildings and taking cover.”

Another resident said at least 40 fighters had jumped out of three trucks that arrived in the southern al-Tamim district at around 8 pm on Sunday. “They were carrying weapons and wearing mostly khaki dress with ammu-

nition belts wrapped around their chests,” said Abu Mutaz. “They were talking in an Arabic dialect, they were not Iraqis.”

In Syria, Hezbollah fighters captured two hilltops from al Qaeda’s Syria wing Nusra Front in areas close to the Lebanese border and killed dozens of enemy combatants, Hezbollah-run al-Manar television reported yesterday.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country’s civil war.

The group’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has vowed to clear the border area of Sunni Muslim militant groups that have carried out attacks on Lebanese soil. l

DT

10 WORLD

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Israel ex-PM Olmert gets 8 months for corruption n AFP, Jerusalem

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced to eight months in prison for corruption yesterday, the latest legal blow in a spectacular fall from grace.

Lawyers for Olmert, who was premier from 2006 to 2009, crowning a political career spanning decades, immediately announced they would appeal.

The 69-year-old already faces a six-year prison sentence handed down in a separate bribery case which is the subject of an appeal to the supreme court.

He remains at liberty until the appeals have

been heard, but will have to serve the two jail terms consecutively if they are upheld.

The Jerusalem district court convicted Olmert of fraud and corruption in March following a retrial over allegations that he had received envelopes of cash from a US businessman while trade and industry minister in the early 2000s.

Passing sentence, the three-judge bench said: “The conduct of Ehud Olmert merits a custodial sentence.

“A public servant – a minister – who receives cash payments in dollars, keeps them in a secret safe and uses them for personal purposes, is committing a crime

which undermines the people’s confidence in public office.”

The judges also handed Olmert an additional suspended eight-month prison term and a 100,000-shekel (nearly $25,000) fine in what they said was a “light sentence in recognition of the contribution to the country made by Ehud Olmert.”

Press reports said former British premier Tony Blair, now the Quartet’s Middle East envoy, provided a character reference for Olmert.

In a letter to the court, Blair praised Olmert’s efforts to promote Middle East peace.

Olmert has always insisted on his inno-

cence, describing the allegations as “a brutal, ruthless witch-hunt.”

His defence team said they would appeal as there was “no evidence of personal use

by Olmert” of the money handed over by US businessman Morris Talansky.

The former premier had initially been acquitted of fraud and corruption in the case, escaping in 2012 with a $19,000 fine and a suspended jail sentence for breach of trust.

But new evidence came to light at his trial in the other case, and charges were renewed.

The six-year prison sentence handed down in May last year was the first ever against a former Israeli premier for corruption. l

DT

EDITORIAL 11

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

INSIDE

How many are Bangladeshi?

We have good reason to believe that the number of Bangladeshis among the migrants is being exaggerated PAGE 12

Mission: Chemical X Families tell girls to keep quiet when they are molested by someone like an extended family member, tutor, or caregiver PAGE 13

Rape is everybody’s problem

Culture in flux Thus, we see a Bangladeshi expatriate in the US spending leisure hours watching NTV and traveling back to home when it is time to look for a mate PAGE 14

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email letters.dt@ dhakatribune.com

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opinion.dt@dhakatribune. com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook. com/DhakaTribune

T

he public attention given to last Thursday’s gang rape of a 21-year-old woman on a public microbus is the exception, not the rule.

Unfortunately, most rapes go unreported in our country due to social stigma and the prevailing lack of support available for victims.

The United Nations Multi-country Study on Men and Violence found 2.7% of men in rural Bangladesh and 0.5% in cities disclosing that they had forced someone to have sex without consent within the past year. Shockingly, around a tenth of men admitted to having done so at some point in their lives.

If the number of men admitting to it is so shockingly high, it is quite likely that the actual figure is much higher.

Misogynist societal attitudes play a large part in encouraging perpetrators and deterring victims from seeking support. Until society can root out myths which put the blame for rape upon victims, it will remain difficult to combat this evil.

The government can make a difference by reforming misogynist attitudes embedded within our Victorian era penal code. Bangladesh must follow other nations with similar legal systems, in outlawing marital rape and removing unjust evidential provisions which have nothing to do with the facts of assault and violence, but allow a loophole for perpetrators if they show a victim to be of “generally immoral character.”

It is high time that such legal provisions based on unjust discriminatory perceptions are repealed in full.

Only by doing so will it be possible to bring the reforms needed to encourage all rape victims to come forward and be confident that the legal system will provide justice.

Rape is a hidden stain on our society. We need more public debate about its prevalence to tackle the attitudes which give rise to it in order to hold rapists to account.

Society must root out myths which put the blame for rape upon victims

DT

12 OPINION

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

REUTERS

How many are really Bangladeshi? n Abdul Matin

I

n a foreign ministers’ meeting in Seoul on May 22, Indonesian officials told Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop that only 30% to 40% of those stranded on boats were Rohingya refugees. Indonesia’s director general of multilateral affairs, Hasan Kleib, said that out of 600 people rescued, 400 were Bangladeshis. “They [Indonesia] believe there are about 7,000 people at sea (and) they think about 30% to 40% are Rohingya, the rest are Bangladeshi.”

Strangely enough, Dr. Ayaz Chowdhury, the president of the Bangladesh Forum for Community Engagement in Sydney, said that while Indonesia’s figures were technically correct, the Bangladeshis were still in need.

“I believe what she’s [Ms Bishop’s] saying is true, and they are the poor people of Bangladesh who do not have the economic means to have even a reasonable life in Bangladesh.”

How can one, living in Sydney, make such a statement without verifying the identity of the people on the boat? It is also doubtful if he has any idea about the present economic condition of the country. He should have been more cautious in making such damaging statements without any proof of what he was stating.

Myanmar’s navy recently brought ashore 200 migrants -- calling them Bangladeshis -found on a boat off its coast, after its military chief said some of the thousands of migrants that have landed in Malaysia and Indonesia this month are pretending to be Rohingya Muslims to get UN aid.

A Bangladeshi delegation is ready to

depart for Myanmar to verify the nationality of the 208 migrants, victims of human trafficking, recently rescued from sea. The team will verify whether the migrants belong to Bangladesh in view of the government announcement of bringing back the Bangladeshis now adrift at sea.

The Muslim Rohingyas of Myanmar are discriminated against, persecuted, and practically stateless in their own country where they have been living for generations. Not surprisingly, Rohingyas began to flee in hundreds of thousands to neighbouring Bangladesh since 1978. After intensive negotiations,

We have good reason to believe that the number of Bangladeshis among the migrants is being exaggerated.

Their actual number can be known only after proper verification

The recent tragedy of the migrant Rohingyas from Myanmar, formerly Burma, and the Bangladeshis sailing illegally in small and overcrowded boats towards Malaysia, drew the attention of the international media.

Abandoned by the traffickers at high sea, without food and water, they have become the victims of the worst slave trade of the 21st century.

Many have died out of starvation and some were even drowned. About 3,500 migrants have found temporary shelter in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Several thousand more are believed to be adrift in the Andaman Sea.

mediated by UN, the Myanmar government agreed to take back 200,000 refugees. Even now, there are about 29,000 Rohingyas in Bangladesh.

In 2012, there was a series of riots between Rohingya Muslims, who are majority in the northern Rakhine, and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, who are the majority in the south.

According to the Myanmar authorities, the violence left 78 people dead, 87 injured, and up to 140,000 people displaced.

It is understandable why Rohingyas are so desperate to leave Myanmar and settle in other countries, but why Bangladeshis?

They are not stateless. There is no persecu-

tion against them. Why should Bangladeshis leave Bangladesh so desperately and in such large numbers? These questions cast doubts on the actual number of Bangladeshis among the people on the boat.

It is well-known that the Rohingyas are persecuted in their own country. They flee from Myanmar and take shelter in Bangladesh and other countries for security and livelihood. Under such circumstances, why should Bangladeshis claim to be Rohingyas and face the same dreadful consequences? It sounds strange in view of the experiences of many Rohingyas who were arrested in many countries.

It has been noticed in many instances that whenever the Rohingyas are caught by the police for either illegal entry or any other crime in foreign countries, they usually claim to be Bangladeshis in order to get consular services.

If they claim to be Rohingyas, they are sure they will receive no service from the Myanmar embassy as they are not recognised as their citizens. The Rohingyas are, in fact, tarnishing the image of Bangladesh abroad.

So, not everyone claiming to be Bangladeshi is likely to be so.

We have good reason to believe that the number of Bangladeshis among the migrants is being exaggerated. Their actual number can be known only after proper verification.

It is, therefore, important that Bangladesh embassies abroad promptly and carefully verify the identities of all those rescued who claim to be Bangladeshis and clarify any inconsistencies. l Abdul Matin is a retired nuclear engineer.

DT

OPINION 13

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

BIGSTOCK

Mission: Chemical X This is the concluding part of yesterday’s op-ed focusing on victims of sexual abuse

n Rushiba Ahmad

M

any women lack the courage to ever mention or report the horrible incidents they’re victims of. And thus, the offending men mostly go free. The women continue to get beaten up or abused their whole lives.

Imagine the effect on the children growing up in these households. Many girls don’t speak up out of fear: “What if I say it and no one believes me?”

The most astounding thing is that families tell girls to keep quiet when they are molested by someone like an extended family member, tutor, or caregiver. It’s because they believe that this tampers with the girl’s dignity or tarnishes her reputation.

Is it the five-year-old girl’s fault that her uncle abused her?

Is it the bride’s sister’s fault that she was raped at her sister’s wedding by her sister’s friend? Why is it that the victims are the ones being shamed here?

Ask around -- you’d be surprised to find out that your friends, your cousins have haunting tales that they either never told anyone or were instructed to ignore. If the fear of losing face in front of others for your daughter being abused embarrasses you, then you’re not doing the job you should be doing as her parent or elder.

Imagine how a girl feels when she is told to remain silent and the man who harmed her walks around unpunished -- ready to pounce again at the next chance. These men eventually realise that no one will probably stand up to them and so they keep hurting other girls.

The families who know their characters

but do nothing are equally to blame. They are, in a large part, responsible for betraying the girl’s trust, self-esteem, and mental health. They make the girl feel low about herself. With their faith tarnished, girls then find it hard to muster up enough courage to defend themselves when the same thing happens again.

If only reputation and image weren’t given so much priority! Maybe then such incidents wouldn’t keep repeating over and over again.

courageous in them too, regardless of what everyone around tries to convince us of.

It’s time to realise that the guilt is not your burden to bear; it’s of those who hurt you.

Don’t be haunted by something horrible that happened; you don’t deserve to be haunted by something that wasn’t your fault. Scare your abuser by confronting him.

Make him afraid. If someone doesn’t want to marry you because you were abused or raped, let him go; he doesn’t deserve you.

Families tell girls to keep quiet when they are molested by someone like an extended family member, tutor, or caregiver

It’s time to break the silence that emboldens these perpetrators. We’ve got to fight. Fight them with our strength. Fight them with our confidence.

We’ll strike back at anyone who forces their immoral selves at us. Don’t be afraid. It’s time to be brave. Brave enough to keep living our lives with the determination to fight back, to defend ourselves. It’s time to stop feeling bad about ourselves.

It’s time to stop being affected by how that aunty from the second floor said how you’re not pretty enough. It’s time we got comfortable in our own skins and relentlessly

Remember -- we are what we are, not what they say we are. Our dignity lies in what we do, not in what they do to us. Our identity lies in who we choose to be, not who they choose to make us.

It’s time to become our own soldiers. If anything, it’ll be an example to follow for the next generations of women who will probably have to face the same experiences, maybe worse. So, come on girls. Let’s stand up for ourselves. Let’s speak up.

Come on families. Don’t silence your daughters. Rather, discipline your boys. If you’re so concerned about reputation, you

should probably give more attention to making sure your sons become men instead of monsters. Your daughters have a lesser chance of tarnishing your name as victims than your sons have of tarnishing it as criminals.

It’s time we do something. While we all think: “How can a person abuse a girl, a child?” we should also be thinking “How come so many of us are not being able to do anything about it?”

All wars don’t need guns and swords to be fought. Sometimes, the courage to stand up to injustice is enough -- along with a few weapons like safety-pins and iron rods, of course.

Remember the intro to the Powerpuff Girls theme song?

Sugar, spice, and everything nice These were the ingredients chosen To create the perfect little girls But Professor Utonium accidentally Added an extra ingredients to the concoction: Chemical X Thus, The Powerpuff Girls were born!

Using their ultra-super powers Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup Have dedicated their lives to fighting crime And the forces of evil!

These lines are surprisingly relevant here.

We girls direly need that Chemical X. Not accidentally, but intentionally. We need to put it into our souls and spirits. Our strength and courage will be our superpowers. Our dedication will be towards fighting the crimes and evils against us. In the struggle for safety, the only ones we can trust to actually make a difference are ourselves. l Rushiba Ahmed is a freelance contributor.

DT

14 OPINION

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Culture in flux n Mohammad Zaman

I

t was George Lamming who said: “But the worl’ get small, small, ol’ man.” I can connect to anyone across the globe. I can tune in to Dish Network and find out what issues Zillur Rahman is navigating in Tritio Matra on Channel I or who is today’s guest at Aaj Shokaler Amantrane on Tara.

I can log in to Facebook and instantly connect to a few thousand like-thinking minds. I no longer feel estranged as I used to feel in yesteryears. My inner kaleidoscope can now process myriads of economic, societal, and cultural images, thus linking me and making me “what I am.”

My total image-system is no more dictated by any single-source point. The so-called “centre-periphery model” has greatly lost its importance. Arjun Appadurai, the famed social-cultural anthropologist, tried to explain this by introducing a neologism that uses the suffix “scape” (or image) posterior to appropriate prefixes (ethno-, media-, techno-, finance-, and idea).

These variegate scapes offer a spatial rendering of the present that is not “fixed.”

It is complex, overlapping, disjunctive, amorphous, and incessantly flowing. On the powerful wings of these scapes, we apperceive and navigate our partly real and partly imagined “societal-cultural-economicetcetera-etcetera-maze.”

Culture, like matter, also tends to creep towards uniformity, although not quite to the degree of homogeneity as in the case of inert matter. To be precise, culture is more like a flowing amoeba with sprouting arms and legs and mouths as dictated by its immediate

environ. Evolving constantly in an amorous flux of “scapes” -- culture is amorphous.

Thus, I am no longer the “me” from the 70s, 80s, or 90s. I am a product of my today’s apperceived scapes -- both real and imagined. I am cent percent Bangali celebrating Boishakh while working through a busy day 12,000 miles away on the other side of this round globe. The globe, indeed, is round … yup, this is my newfound glocalised (global yet local) culture.

Thus, we see a Bangladeshi expatriate in the US spending leisure hours watching NTV and traveling back to home when it is time to look for a mate

Indeed, it is a small world, and as Tom Friedman argues, it is a Flat World. The concept of world as a “global village” is only contradicted by the still prevailing concept of nation states. The powerful ripple of globalisation permeates every space.

The policies formulated in the corridors of Washington DC can spell jobs in the slums of

Dhaka. The untethering of China’s currency from the dollar can spell significant pricechanges for average consumers in the US. And yet, an individual resides in a locus that is essentially “local.”

Thus, we see a Bangladeshi expatriate in the US spending leisure hours watching NTV and traveling back to home when it is time to look for a mate. In fact, none can deny this local pull and none can live in a space that is totally global.

This “Global-Local” interaction, especially for the expatriate diaspora, has altered the perception of our total existence in a profound way.

Depending on background (education/ cultural grounding, etc) they experience differential apperception when confronted with complex, disjunctive scapes (of Appadurai).

My today’s manifest cultural identity is nothing but the end result of an intense interaction between my global exposure and my innate local (I mean Bangladeshi) sensitivity. One may aptly call it “glocal.”

Well, how is my own little microcosm? In my mid-teens, when I left my sleepy village for the town of Sylhet and matriculated at Murari Chand College, I stopped wearing lungi in the classroom.

There, I also got my first taste of the Ekushey Probhat Ferry. I discovered Rabindrasangeet. I morphed more into a Bangali than a Bangladeshi. Over the next five years, in professional school, it was rather a furthering of that same process.

But it was a colossal jolt as I crossed the “seven seas” to reach this distant El Dorado.

Suddenly, I felt marooned. While hanging

culturally “Trishonku” on the banks of the Hudson, I discovered a rather estranged expatriate Bangali culture perpetually rooted on the day of departure (from home) with no further significant evolution.

Years later, when I traveled back home, it was an even bigger cultural shock when I found my younger cousins more US-oriented than me. Thus, at home, I found myself “away-from-home” and again hanging “culturally-Trishonku.”

However, there were evolutions in other spheres as I interacted with a totally different culture. My perspective as to the value of work changed. My perspective as to the professionalism of a professional changed. I realised it is not okay to throw a banana peel on the street. And in a strange way, despite the distance, my love for home grew even stronger!

All those events and life experiences offered a series of complex and disjunctive scapes. I adjusted and readjusted, and thus evolved.

Lastly, my daughters here are oriented more towards Bollywood songs than Rabindranath. On Eid, they pray and visit friends and family with joy.

During Puja, they sing and dance. They are not bothered by “Khuda Hafiz” or “Allah Hafiz” because they have other options for saying “goodbye.” I hope that they will follow their parents. But their scapes are different.

Their cultural construct is different. I would rather let them fly on the wings of their own scapes and images and construct a culture of their own. l Mohammad Zaman is a physician and occasional writer.

16

‘OPEC unlikely to change output ceiling’

17

G7 finance ministers to address faltering global growth

19

DSEX closes 11-week high

20

Default credit card holders face trouble to repay loans

A case:

A credit card holder of Standard Chartered bank, who defaulted, filed a complaint with the Bangladesh Bank that he and his family members are being harassed and threatened by the people hired by the bank.

Though the client is willing to pay his dues of over Tk4 lakh through small installments, the bank did not consider his case.

The bank, however, offered him to pay the dues by six installments with above Tk50,000 per installment.

RAJIB DHAR

The client on condition of anonymity said the installment is very high for him to pay as he is going through serious financial crisis after being affected from share market crash in the year 2010. He urged Bangladesh Bank to fix the installment to pay off the loan considering his business situation.

The defaulter complained that the bank did not cooperate with him about paying off the loan. Even the bank denied giving transaction statement to him. “I do not know how much I have paid till now to the bank

scheduling policy because the nature of the credit card loan is similar to that of regular loans.

But the banks are reluctant to go to the rescheduling process as the loan amount is not significant to them, he said.

Banks would rather like to recover money allegedly by forcing clients instead of following legal procedure to avoid extra hassle for the little amount of credit card loans, he observed.

since withdrawing the money through credit card,” said the client.

Rather, the bank sent a group of people to his home four-five times in a month and they even threatened his mother who was sick, he said.

“I am very much flexible about policy making for the interest of clients,” said Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman.

He said it is the responsibility of the respective department to make policy following the market need. l

Local companies fail to tap data services in Bangladesh

n Tribune Report

n Jebun Nesa Alo

sumer financing, car loans and house building loans are allowed to reschedule when defaulted, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

The cardholders, however, are treated as defaulter like other defaulters if failing to pay the dues in scheduled time, but they are not allowed to get installment or rescheduling facilities for paying off the loans, he said.

He said credit card loans also can be rescheduled like other loans following the re-

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Muhith: Hybrid car to hit city road next fiscal year

BB drafts a policy to administer lending and repayment Lack of a policy to repay default loans against credit card is taking a heavy toll on default clients who allegedly face threats and harassment from the issuing banks.

Treated as consumer financing, the credit card loans are charged with high interests by the banks that have no definite policy to recover the loans.

As a result, the cardholders face problem if they default as the banks do not allow the credit card loans to reschedule or any chance to pay the dues through installments favouring the clients.

Banks recover the money from credit card defaulters, allegedly issuing threat and harassing them physically and socially.

However, Bangladesh Bank recently moved on issuing a policy over the credit card loans to solve the emerging problems. It has already made a draft policy in this regard.

The policy includes a clause that any verbal or physical harassment or threats to customers, their family members, references or friends shall not be resorted in the recovery process.

At the issuance of credit card, the issuer should properly communicate with the customer about the procedure of recovery in case of default payments.

But they should not engage in any activity against public interest and must use the principles of honesty and good health, said the policy.

The policy also prohibited banks from offering unsolicited loans to the customers based on the credit cards.

It, however, did not offer any way forward for cardholders to come out of default situation by paying off loans.

Though Bangladesh Bank discourages con-

DT

Business

15

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said the restriction on importing hybrid automobiles will be withdrawn from next fiscal year while the local car importers will seize the opportunity to import that hybrid vehicles.

“We will issue a directive in this regard in the next fiscal year budget announcement,” Muhith said this yesterday at a per-budget meeting with the leaders of Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BRVIDA) at the Finance Ministry auditorium.

As regards the demand of BRVIDA leaders, the finance minister said: “I had hesitation whether to allow the import of hybrid reconditioned cars, but now we will give permission for such car import from the next fiscal year.”

The government allowed to import 2500cc hybrid new vehicle from 2009 with import tax waiver facility, but it did not allow the import of hybrid re-conditioned car.

The leaders claimed that middle-class families can use hybrid car, but the engines of hybrid vehicles cannot be repaired locally.

They also said NBR queries about the durability and availability of batteries of hybrid cars in the current budget document are confusing.

The hybrid cars are environmentally friendly and their battery lifetime is 10 years, added the leaders.

In Japan, a total of 40% car production is now made of hybrid technology.

The business leaders also sought clarification from the NBR regarding its query about the year of use of the imported reconditioned hybrid cars.

In this regard, the finance minister said NBR will review the query, but other things will remain the same.

Regard the next fiscal year budget outlay, the finance minister said: “Next fiscal year budget will be Tk3 trillion, but our biggest challenge will be to meet the target of revenue collection.” l

DT

16 BUSINESS

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Oil prices edge up on firm Asian, US demand n Reuters, Singapore

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh talks to journalists as he arrives at his hotel ahead of an OPEC meeting in Vienna

REUTERS

‘OPEC unlikely to change output ceiling’ n Reuters, Dubai OPEC is unlikely to change its production ceiling when the group meets in June, Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Sunday, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.

“Lowering OPEC’s production ceiling requires consensus between all members ... under current conditions it seems unlikely that the OPEC production ceiling will change,” Zanganeh was quoted as saying.

Last month, Zanganeh said the producing group should cut its target daily crude production by at least 5%, or approximately 1.5 million barrels per day.

The Organization of the Petroleum Export-

ing Countries will meet on June 5. At its last meeting in November, OPEC, led by oil kingpin Saudi Arabia, decided against cutting output to defend its market share, resisting calls by some members such as Iran and Venezuela to reduce production to shore up prices.

Brent oil LCOc1 settled down $1.17, or 1.8%, at $65.37 a barrel on Friday.

Lower oil prices have caused pain for OPEC’s less wealthy producers, including Iran. While the June 5 meeting in Vienna is likely to hear renewed demands from some OPEC members for a reduction in the amount of oil pumped, even officials from countries which favor a curb see it as unlikely.

Iran wants other OPEC members to make way for a rise in its exports if it succeeds in

reaching a final deal with six world powers over its nuclear program. A deadline for agreement on the nuclear issue falls on June 30.

A decision by the 12-member Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries not to cut production in November sent prices crashing 60% before a partial recovery.

Fed chief Janet Yellen said on Friday she expects to hike rates from historic lows “at some point this year”, warning that a delay could risk overheating the economy.

Her comments came two days after minutes of the Fed’s April policy board meeting made clear that slow growth in recent months meant it was not expecting a rise before late July. l

US drivers yield ‘swing’ oil demand crown to Saudis n Reuters, New York As the United States raced over the past five years toward becoming a global petroleum powerhouse, the world’s biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia quietly seized a market milestone from America: the largest source of peak summer demand.

From June through August, when temperatures in Riyadh routinely rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), Saudi Arabia diverts as much as a tenth of its crude output to fuel power plants that run full tilt to meet surging demand from air conditioners.

The result is that Saudi Arabia’s winter-to-summer “swing” in oil consumption has eclipsed that of the United States, where gasoline consumption jumps by as much as 10

percent every summer as millions of families take advantage of school holidays and warm weather to embark on the classic American road trip.

This May 23-25 Memorial Day weekend, however, that trend may begin to reverse as the most Americans in a decade will fill up their gas tanks and rev up their engines for highway holidays, taking advantage of lower gasoline prices and a growing economy.

The American Automobile Association predicts a 5.3% rise in Memorial Day car travel to the highest level in 10 years. The boost at the pumps will add to already strong demand for gasoline after years of diminishing use because of a switch to more fuel-efficient cars.

“The fall in prices is trumping the efficiency gains for the summer,” says Amrita Sen,

chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects.

Saudi Arabia is likely to maintain or even extend its use of domestic crude and fuel in power plants this summer, according to Sen and other analysts. Yet the country appears to be making some progress toward slowing its dependence on one of the most costly forms of electricity.

There is growing debate in Saudi Arabia over higher power tariffs that might curb wasteful use, and a younger generation of Saudis are coming of age in an era of conservation, says Professor Paul Stevens, a Senior Research Fellow for Energy at Chatham House who co-authored a 2011 report on the issue.

Saudi use of oil for power will be “continually growing, but not at the sort of growth rates of the past 10 years,” Stevens said. l

Crude oil futures edged up yesterday, buoyed by healthy Asian appetite and demand from the US driving season.

Front-month Brent crude prices had gained 2 cents to $65.39 per barrel by 0312 GMT. US crude prices were up 14 cents at $59.86 a barrel.

“Global oil demand continues to surprise to the upside, with April data showing no signs of slowdown despite a pick-up in prices,” Energy Aspects said.

Japan’s customs-cleared crude oil imports rose 9.1% to 3.62 million barrels per day (17.28 million kilolitres) in April from the same month a year earlier, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

In China, crude imports hit a record 7.4 million barrels per day in April despite a slowing economy, driven largely by healthy car sales.

“We expect Chinese imports to be high in H2 15, potentially averaging 7.5 million barrels per day. This is due to the start-up of 39 mb (million barrels) of commercial storage, five SPR (strategic petroleum reserve) sites and linefill for Kunming refinery — buying for which is ongoing we believe, even though the refinery won’t start up till early 2016,” Energy Aspects said.

In the United States, the peak summer driving season officially starts with Memorial Day on Monday, and the American Automobile Association said road travel was expected to reach a 10-year high over the Memorial Day weekend, suggesting strong fuel consumption over the next three days.

In oil exporting Libya, warplanes from the official government attacked an oil tanker docked outside the city of Sirte on Sunday, wounding three people and setting the ship on fire, officials said.

It was the third confirmed strike by the internationally recognised government on oil tankers, part of a conflict between competing administrations and parliaments allied to armed factions fighting for control of the country four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.

Analysts said that steeper increases in oil prices were prevented by weak overall fundamentals.

“The overall fundamentals still point to a well-supplied market, a fact that should continue to put a ceiling on prices,” Barclays said.

Singapore-based Phillip Futures said that it expected WTI and Brent July 2015 contracts to remain above $58.49 and $64.35 respectively, provided oil fundamentals do not change. l

TripAdvisor awards Hotel Orchard Suites for excellence n Tribune Business Desk Hotel Orchard Suites has recently received a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor in 2015 awards, said a press release. Deputy managing director of Hotel Orchard Suites, Ridwan Tarshid Haque thanked all its customers who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor. l

DT

BUSINESS 17

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

G7 finance ministers to address faltering global growth

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) talks to Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (left) and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel during a debate of the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, in Berlin, Germany REUTERS

n Reuters, London Finance ministers from the world’s largest developed economies meet in Germany this week against a backdrop of faltering global growth, scant inflationary pressures and a bond market in turmoil.

High on their agenda - even if unofficially will be Greece and how it can stay in the troubled euro zone. Figures due on Friday from the United States that will almost certainly show the world’s biggest economy contracted last quarter are also likely to feature.

“With the negotiations between Greece and the rest of the euro area at an impasse, an impatient German Chancellor Merkel has warned that an agreement must be reached before the end of the month,” said Thomas Costerg, senior economist at Standard Chartered.

Greece cannot make a payment to the International Monetary Fund due on June 5 unless foreign lenders disburse more aid, a senior ruling party lawmaker said on Wednesday, the latest warning from Athens it is on the verge of default.

Analysts largely agree the country’s cash squeeze is increasingly acute and fresh aid will

be needed sooner or later to avoid bankruptcy.

Merkel and French President Francois Hollande held talks on Thursday with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Riga, hoping to speed the resolution of Athens’ debt crisis.

With business growth slowing in the euro zone and factory activity contracting again in China, market watchers have been looking to the United States to drive a pick-up in growth.

But a preliminary Reuters poll last week predicted that adjusted first quarter US GDP numbers USGDPP=ECI due on Friday would be massively revised down and show a 0.7% contraction in the first three months of this year.

“The poor Q1 2015 performance follows growth of just 2.2% in Q4 2014, so there has been very little growth over the last couple of quarters,” said Joseph LaVorgna, chief US economist at Deutsche Bank.

“As a result, market participants have started to wonder again whether the US economy might be in an extended period of secular stagnation.”

Revised gross domestic product numbers from Britain on Thursday should say the country’s growth at the start of the year was

slightly better than first estimated, at 0.4%.

The day before, Prime Minister David Cameron will put forward his government’s legislative plans after his Conservatives won a surprise majority in the May 7 election.

India will also publish GDP numbers on Friday, with economists predicting Asia’s third largest economy expanded a relatively modest 7.4% between January and March.

Economic activity in Brazil tumbled in the first quarter, its central bank’s IBC-Br index suggested on Thursday, and GDP numbers on Friday are likely to confirm that contraction.

Japan’s central bank has been struggling to get any meaningful inflation for decades and despite near-zero interest rates and many multi-trillion yen stimulus programs, numbers due on Thursday will show little inflationary pressure.

With inflation negative in Hungary, its central bank is expected to cut rates by a further 15 basis points to a new historic low of 1.65% on Tuesday, despite a sell-off in government bonds that has weighed on the forint.

The Bank of Canada will leave policy unchanged when it meets on Wednesday, and the chances of any further easing has fallen to just 25%. l

AIIB issue raised in Taiwan-China talks n AFP, Taipei China’s top Taiwan affairs official Zhang Zhijun met his Taiwanese counterpart Saturday, with Beijing’s rejection of Taipei as a founding member of a China-led regional infrastructure bank a key issue on the agenda.

China last month dashed the island’s hopes of becoming a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), though a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said at the time it could join under an “appropriate name”.

The issue was raised as Zhang, director of China’s Taiwan affairs office, met Andrew Hsia, chairman of Taiwan’s top China policy decision-making body, the Mainland Affairs Council, in Kinmen - a Taiwan-administered island off China’s Xiamen city.

“The mainland side again voiced their welcome to our desires of attending AIIB,” the council said in a statement after the meeting.

China and Taiwan split at the end of the civil war in 1949 when the Kuomintang fled the mainland after a defeat at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. But Beijing still regards the island as a province awaiting reunification.

As a result, China routinely opposes moves

by Taiwan to join international organisations, arguing it is not a country.

Earlier this month, the head of Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang party (KMT) Eric Chu said he remained “optimistic” about joining the bank and proposed joining under the name “Chinese Taipei”.

Trade agreements, the opening of liaison offices and joint efforts to battle crimes were also discussed during the meeting, which is part of a two day visit by Zhang.

In his opening speech, Hsia hailed the significance of the meeting at Kinmen, which was the scene of a fierce 44-day bombardment by the Chinese army beginning on August 23, 1958, which killed 618 servicemen and civilians and injuring more than 2,600.

Angry protests

Zhang’s visit was met by angry members from the anti-China Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) who waved placards and shouted, “Oppose Hsia-Zhang meeting! Taiwan interests betrayed!”

The demonstration turned violent after a TSU protester hurled a smoke grenade at Zhang’s motorcade leading to a confrontation with around 20 China supporters who pushed their way through the police line that separated the two groups, police said.

Five people were injured with four of them hospitalised, police said, adding that one pro-China protester was also arrested.

“Taiwan is a democratic country, any use of violence should be strongly condemned,” Hsu Ya-chi of TSU told AFP. l

Dollar firm against yen, euro in Asia n AFP, Tokyo

The dollar held on to gains against other major currencies in Asian trade yesterday after surging last week on a jump in US core inflation.

The greenback firmed to 121.68 yen in late morning Tokyo trade, up from 121.52 yen on Friday in New York. The euro eased to $1.0985 and 133.68 yen from $1.1016 and 133.86 yen.

On Friday the dollar climbed against the

euro immediately after the US Commerce Department reported that core consumer prices - those excluding food and energy - jumped 0.3% in April from March, the largest onemonth rise in more than two years.

The dollar’s gain was further supported when Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said she expects to hike interest rates “at some point this year.”

Japanese trade data released Monday ap-

peared to have little effect on currencies.

Japan’s trade account returned to deficit in April after a month in the black, but the shortfall shrank drastically to 53.4 billion yen compared with 825.5bn yen a year earlier, finance ministry data showed.

“This week we will see a series of US economic data, and the focus will remain on the recovery in the April-June period,” Shinichiro Kadota, currency analyst at Barclays, said in

a client note. Data includes durable goods orders and consumer confidence, both due on Tuesday, and revised first-quarter economic growth due on Friday, analysts said.

In the mid-term, the dollar will remain in a range around 120 yen as upward pressure from Japanese corporate investment abroad will be offset by an improvement in Japan’s current account and talking down of the yen by authorities, Kadato added. l

DT

18 BUSINESS

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures APOLOISPAT: (Repeat) : (Q3):NPAT= Tk. 242.25 million with EPS of Tk. 0.84 as against Tk. 224.95 million and Tk. 1.05 respectively.

BSRMSTEEL: (Repeat): (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 303.07 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.89 as against Tk. 403.12 million and Tk. 1.18 respectively.

BSRMLTD: (Repeat): (Q1): NPAT= Tk. 29.46 million with EPS of Tk. 0.18 as against Tk. 40.57 million and Tk. 0.26 respectively.

SPPCL: The Company has further informed that due to unavoidable circumstances the Venue of the 8th AGM of the Company has been shifted from Police Convention Hall, Eskaton Garden Road, Ramna, Dhaka-1000 to Krishibid Institution Complex Bangladesh (KIB), Krishi Khamar Sarak, (Khamarbari) Farmgate, Dhaka 1215.

Other information of the AGM will remain unchanged.

KEYACOSMET: The Company will be placed in A category from existing Z category with effect from May 25, 2015 as the Company has reported disbursement of 20% stock dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2014.

IPO Subscription: Aman Feed Limited Subscription 25.05.2015 TO 04.06.2015.

Offer Price per share Tk. 36.00, Market Lot (Shares) 200.

Dividend/AGM DELTALIFE: 20% cash dividend, AGM: 21.06.2015, Record Date: 02.06.2015.

FAMILYTEX: 10% stock dividend,EGM & AGM: 07.08.2015,

Record Date: 09.07.2015.

KPCL: 40% cash, AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 31.05.2015.

BDWELDING: 5% stock dividend AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 09.06.2015.

NBL: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 14.09.2015, Record date: 30.08.2015.

ORIONPHARM: 15% cash dividend, AGM: 28.06.2015, Record Date: 21.05.2015.

ISNLTD: No dividend, AGM: 28.06.2015, Record date: 16.06.2015.

PURABIGEN: 15% stock dividend, AGM: 30.07.2015, Record date: 07.06.2015.

JANATAINS: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 25.07.2015, Record Date: 21.05.2015.

AMBEEPHA: 28% cash dividend, AGM: 14.06.2015, Record Date: 25.05.2015.

ISLAMIINS: 5% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 19.05.2015.

NCCBANK: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 24.06.2015, Record Date: 18.05.2015.

PEOPLESINS: 13% cash dividend, AGM: 09.06.2015, Record Date: 18.05.2015.

LEGACYFOOT: 5% stock, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015.

RUPALIBANK: 15% stock , AGM: 31.05.2015, Record date: 14.05.2015.

UNIQUEHRL: 20% cash dividend, AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 24.05.2015.

WATACHEM: 5% cash and 25% stock dividend, AGM: 11.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company ICB AMCL 1st NRB -A National Housing Fin.-B Rahima Food -Z Power Grid Co. -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A BSRM Ltd. -N H.R. Textile -A FAR Chemical-N United Finance - A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A

Closing (% Change) 10.00 10.00 9.93 9.93 9.93 9.93 9.91 9.88 9.85 9.83

CSE GAINER Company Rupali Bank - A Power Grid Co. -A Phoenix Insur -A GBB Power Ltd-A Quasem Drycells -A SAIF Powertec-N BSRM Ltd. -N FAR Chemical-N Asia Pasific Insu. -A Keya Cosmetics -A

Closing (% Change) 10.00 9.90 9.87 9.86 9.84 9.84 9.84 9.77 9.68 9.60

DSE LOSER Company ICB Sonali Bank 1 MF-A Imam Button -Z Monno Stafllers -A Sun Life Insurance-N National Tea -A Premier Leasing-Z GeminiSeaFood-B Ifad Autos -N Renwick Jajneswar-A Kay & Que (BD) -Z

Closing (% Change) -5.97 -5.21 -4.48 -4.30 -4.10 -3.95 -3.92 -3.60 -3.03 -3.03

CSE LOSER Company H.R. Textile -A Rangpur Dairy-Z Premier Leasing-Z Central Insur -A Padma Islami Life*-N Global Heavy Chemicals-N Trust Bank 1st MF-A Sonargaon Tex -Z Federal Insu.-A FAS Fin. & Inv. Ltd-B

Closing (% Change) -9.84 -8.18 -7.89 -6.06 -4.48 -4.32 -3.92 -3.70 -3.60 -3.36

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features May 25, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

8,557.89 215,257,383 177,914

Traded Issues

317

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

247

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

66

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,587.80

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.37

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 593.60 352.46 60.09 1161.53 214.26 2015.26 1.80 654.74 1217.47 36.42 466.61 27.48 244.81 115.72 163.31 64.60 94.60 424.97 307.94 338.94 1.29

% change 6.94 4.12 0.70 13.57 2.50 23.55 0.02 7.65 14.23 0.43 5.45 0.32 2.86 1.35 1.91 0.75 1.11 4.97 3.60 3.96 0.02

Million Taka 46.83 34.00 2.87 189.00 13.48 310.35 66.46 133.74 4.41 78.84 0.89 19.32 7.99 14.24 1.86 14.72 43.55 46.19 36.63 0.02

Average (% Change) 8.78 6.41 10.13 9.93 4.67 10.46 6.61 3.72 6.70 6.78

Average (% Change) 10.00 10.03 9.77 6.11 9.49 8.80 8.76 5.85 9.61 7.90

Average (% Change) -4.95 0.63 -6.27 -2.66 -2.39 -2.76 -3.79 -4.20 -3.81 -3.03

Average (% Change) -8.10 -7.82 -6.62 -6.67 -4.88 -2.85 -1.58 -4.12 -0.80 -2.68

CSE

ClosingAvg. 20.68 24.39 31.85 45.40 16.13 64.20 22.58 51.85 21.81 31.80

ClosingAvg. 47.30 45.43 24.50 22.75 60.13 88.74 62.95 51.35 17.00 19.40

ClosingAvg. 6.33 9.66 266.91 36.20 666.67 7.40 237.69 116.59 241.58 12.80

ClosingAvg.

% change 4.40 3.19 0.27 17.74 1.27 29.13 0.00 6.24 12.55 0.41 7.40 0.08 1.81 0.75 1.34 0.17 1.38 4.09 4.34 3.44 0.00

22.00 10.25 7.48 18.60 32.00 42.65 4.98 7.68 13.67 11.61

Closing

DHIGH

20.90 25.30 32.10 45.40 16.60 64.20 23.30 54.50 22.30 32.40

Closing

20.90 25.30 32.10 45.40 16.60 64.20 23.30 54.50 22.30 32.40

DHIGH

47.30 45.50 24.50 23.40 60.30 89.30 63.60 52.80 17.00 19.40

Closing 6.30 9.10 271.00 35.60 655.00 7.30 238.00 115.00 243.00 12.80

Closing

20.00 23.50 31.00 45.40 15.40 63.00 22.10 50.00 20.90 30.20

DLOW

47.30 45.50 24.50 23.40 60.30 89.40 63.60 52.90 17.00 19.40

DHIGH

47.30 43.00 24.50 21.30 58.70 86.00 60.00 50.20 17.00 19.40

DLOW

6.40 9.90 294.90 37.00 655.20 7.60 247.90 123.00 253.00 12.80

DHIGH

22.00 10.10 7.00 18.60 32.00 42.10 4.90 7.80 13.40 11.50

Million Taka 640.43 386.46 62.96 1350.54 227.74 2325.61 1.80 721.20 1351.21 40.83 545.45 28.36 264.13 123.71 177.54 66.46 109.32 468.52 354.13 375.57 1.31

DLOW

6.30 9.00 260.00 35.20 655.00 7.30 233.80 113.10 240.20 12.80

DLOW

23.00 10.90 7.70 18.60 32.00 44.00 5.10 7.80 14.00 11.90

Total

22.00 10.00 6.90 18.60 32.00 42.00 4.90 7.50 13.00 11.50

% change 6.65 4.02 0.65 14.03 2.37 24.17 0.02 7.49 14.04 0.42 5.67 0.29 2.74 1.29 1.84 0.69 1.14 4.87 3.68 3.90 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

Turnover in Million

Latest EPS

0.303 4.376 1.187 13.260 72.747 35.686 1.746 190.048 9.153 231.000

Turnover in Million

2.61 1.32 -0.47 -0.15 3.28 0.73 0.86 3.23 1.80 1.04

Latest EPS

0.005 10.511 0.012 25.530 9.824 46.890 55.002 17.249 0.017 16.266

Turnover in Million

7.9 18.5 -ve -ve 4.9 87.9 26.3 16.1 12.1 30.6

Latest PE

5.84 -0.15 3.12 1.36 1.81 2.69 0.73 3.23 2.32 2.02

Latest EPS

0.152 0.160 0.655 2.029 0.018 1.617 0.478 108.314 0.409 0.007

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

8.1 -ve 7.9 16.7 33.2 33.0 86.2 15.9 7.3 9.6

Latest PE

0.97 -1.21 1.08 0.00 -75.00 0.07 9.58 2.60 3.91 0.28

Latest EPS

0.155 0.344 0.088 0.002 0.070 0.801 0.318 0.102 0.229 0.106

6.5 -ve 247.1 -ve 105.7 24.8 44.8 61.8 45.7

Latest PE

0.86 0.80 0.07 2.32 1.10 2.08 0.69 -2.17 0.76 -0.32

25.6 12.8 106.9 8.0 29.1 20.5 7.2 -ve 18.0 -ve

CSE key features May 25, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

1,065.41 28,760,977 32,744

Traded Issues

245

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

158

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

81

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,498.92

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.29

DT

BUSINESS 19

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

DSEX closes 11-week high n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Khulna Power-A United Power-N BD Submarine Cable-A AFC AgroBiotech-A RAK Ceramics-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Baraka Power-A SAIF Powertec-N MJL BD Ltd.-A Unique Hotel RL - A

SummitAlliancePort.-A S Purbanchol Power-N FAR Chemical-N Grameenphone-A Active Fine Chem.-A

VolumeShares 5,996,397 1,487,954 1,650,080 3,719,705 3,102,635 7,263,605 6,041,605 2,507,082 1,873,021 3,316,945

Value in Million 458.48 280.86 271.42 242.80 232.89 231.00 230.94 223.45 212.36 209.90

% of TotalTurnover 5.36 3.28 3.17 2.84 2.72 2.70 2.70 2.61 2.48 2.45

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

3,169,282 3,283,021 3,665,672 470,474 2,228,121

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Khulna Power-A BSRM Ltd. -N SAIF Powertec-N S Purbanchol Power-N AFC AgroBiotech-A United Power-N BD Submarine Cable-A UNITED AIR-A SummitAlliancePort.-A GBB Power Ltd-A

BEXIMCO Ltd. -A DESCO Ltd. -A WesternMarine -N Baraka Power-A MJL BD Ltd.-A

1,078,425 873,721 528,371 720,086 588,105 188,324 213,836 3,346,624 455,745 1,122,209

795,715 333,856 497,192 511,991 162,794

209.78 194.98 190.05 153.55 140.88

80.89 55.00 46.89 41.77 38.79 36.23 35.50 31.33 30.14 25.53

24.97 24.78 22.68 19.50 18.54

2.45 2.28 2.22 1.79 1.65

7.59 5.16 4.40 3.92 3.64 3.40 3.33 2.94 2.83 2.40

2.34 2.33 2.13 1.83 1.74

ClosingP 77.10 186.80 160.70 64.10 75.00 32.40 37.90 87.00 114.00 64.60

63.50 59.20 54.50 334.00 63.50

ClosingP

Change % 6.64 -1.06 -1.71 1.10 6.23 9.83 2.16 0.58 1.97 2.87

0.16 5.71 9.88 3.05 6.19

Change %

76.60 63.60 89.30 59.20 66.50 188.60 163.00 9.80 65.90 23.40

32.70 73.30 46.30 38.50 113.80

7.43 9.84 9.84 8.23 7.09 -2.68 2.45 7.69 8.93 9.86

9.36 -0.81 2.89 6.65 1.07

ClosingY 72.30 188.80 163.50 63.40 70.60 29.50 37.10 86.50 111.80 62.80

63.40 56.00 49.60 324.10 59.80

ClosingY

71.30 57.90 81.30 54.70 62.10 193.80 159.10 9.10 60.50 21.30

29.90 73.90 45.00 36.10 112.60

DHIGH 77.70 195.00 169.90 67.00 76.40 32.40 39.00 92.50 115.00 66.30

69.50 60.70 54.50 334.80 65.60

DHIGH

77.80 63.60 89.40 59.70 67.90 195.80 168.90 10.00 66.50 23.40

32.80 75.40 46.70 38.90 114.70

DLOW 74.70 184.90 160.00 63.30 72.00 30.20 37.50 85.60 111.70 61.00

63.30 57.80 50.00 323.20 61.30

DLOW

73.10 60.00 86.00 55.60 63.50 187.10 161.90 8.70 64.00 21.30

29.80 72.10 44.80 36.80 112.60

AvgPrice 76.46 188.75 164.49 65.27 75.06 31.80 38.22 89.13 113.38 63.28

66.19 59.39 51.85 326.37 63.23

AvgPrice

75.01 62.95 88.74 58.01 65.95 192.36 166.04 9.36 66.13 22.75

31.38 74.23 45.62 38.09 113.88

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index :

4615.01886

(+) 2.91%

1736.31183

(+) 3.20%

14133.41950

(+) 2.13%

11272.16190

(+) 1.88%

8660.27710

(+) 2.34%

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Stocks closed higher with increased turnover yesterday, although trading started late on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) for the second consecutive session due to technical glitch.

Trading started one hour and 45 minutes late at 12:15 pm and continued till 4:15 pm, making full four hours – except instrument of spot trading cycle that ended at 2:30pm.

The DSEX crossed 4,600mark and ended at 4,615 points, gaining 130 points or 2.9% - highest 11 weeks.

DS30 index, comprising blue chips, gained about 54 points or 3.2% to close at 1,736 points. DSES index rose 27 points or 2.5% to end at 1,109 points.

Trading at the port city bourse Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) ended higher with its Selective Categories Index – CSCX – rose 202 points to close at 8,660 points.

Turnover at DSE rose to Tk855 crore in the prime bourse, which was 150% higher from Tk343 crore of the reduced trading hours of the previous session. It was also the highest turnover in last seven months.

The investors’ attention was mostly focused on power, pharma and engineering

sectors having market share of 24%, 14.23% and 14% respectively.

“The opening of the DSE was delayed this morning again after a technical glitch halted proceedings,” said LankaBangla Securities, a stock broker.

However, this glitch couldn’t affect market sentiment as investors brushed aside the problem, it said.

“Investors might be anticipating further stability in the market as the government is coming up with capital market-friendly proposals in the upcoming budget.”

IDLC Investments, a merchant bank, said, “Trade delayed again in DSE due to the same technical problem which was settled later and a full four-hour session was resumed”.

In the broad market the recent bull-run continued where DSEX soared 130.4 points amid strong investors’ confidence, said the merchant bank.

“Investors confidence soared due to the booming market outlook in the recent period,” said International Leasing Securities, another stock broker.

All the large-cap sectors posted gains. The financial sectors performed well with banks and NBFIs gaining 3.34% and 2.35% respectively. l

ANALYST

Trade delayed again in DSE due to the same technical problem which was settled later and a full four-hour session was resumed

DT

20 BUSINESS

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Local companies Matlub new FBCCI President n fail to tap data services in Bangladesh Tribune Report

n Ishtiaq Husain Despite having a bright prospect for data services, local companies have utterly failed to tap the potentials in this sector.

“That is why foreign companies got the opportunity to grab the whole market in the country,” Suresh Khosla, vice-president (Sales, Asia Pacific) of Mahindra comviva, told the Dhaka Tribune in an interview at a city hotel yesterday.

Suresh Khosla said: “If Bangladeshi companies really want to tap this potential data business, they have to begin their work on it from now on.”

Mahindra Comviva, a global leader in providing mobility solutions from India, has deployed over 130 mobile service providers and financial institutions in over 90 countries, transforming the lives of over a billion people across the world.

It is a subsidiary of Tech Mahindra and a part of the US$16.5bn Mahindra Group.

“It’s not easy to work here as global giant software companies like SAS is working in Bangladesh,” opined Khosla.

He noted that Mahindra, comviva, was working closely with the financial services in Bangladesh, specially with the banks, as the subcontinent peoples are more focused on banks let services than the mo-

bile wallet, a services through mobile operators.

“At present out of subcontinent, the concept of mobile wallet is gaining popularity as it saves the state costs associated with printing money, is protected from counterfeiting, precludes any mistake in counting, reduces security costs, and it is also environment friendly,” he added.

According to Mahindra Comviva, Kenya is one of the most successful countries in using mobile wallet (Mobile Money). Tanzania is going to overtake Kenya soon in terms of the numbers of Mobile Money users and transactions.

He said, “Over the years, Mahindra Comviva has added innovative mobility solutions to its portfolio that enable operators to differentiate their brand, create and sustain new revenue streams and drive Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).”

With our growing footprint in Bangladesh, we will continue to help regional operators and financial institutions to achieve bottom line benefits, with solutions that drive operational efficiencies and optimize existing investment, he added.

The platform facilitates the prepaid recharge distribution and enables consumers to distribution of either directly top-up their prepaid account through various channels including the web, client app, kiosks, ATMs, STK and USSD, or recharge across the counter through merchants. l

Muhith: Government to adjust local fuel price n Tribune report The price of local fuel will be adjusted to that of international market in the next fiscal year budget, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday at a perbudget meeting.

The meeting was held at the finance division with leaders of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).

The minister said: “We have not yet reduced the fuel price in local market in accordance

with that in the international market.”

He also hinted that the government will reform land ports and also river routes as those are in bad shape.

Special bus services would be introduced for women passengers in the Dhaka city, the finance minister said.

“Most of the approved power plants will be completed within 2020 and then we will allow automated industries in the country.” l

Nitol-Niloy Group Chairman Abdul Matlub Ahmad has been elected President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) for next two years.

Md Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, a nominated director from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), has been elected the first vice-president while Mahbubul Alam, nominated director from Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, elected vice-president of the FBCCI.

“In a board meeting, the newly elected and nominated directors elected Matlub Ahmed FBCCI President, Shafiul Islam first vice-president and Mahbubul Alam vice-president of the apex body,” Professor Ali Ashraf, chairman of the election board, said yesterday.

The FBCCI Board is comprised of 52 directors, of which 32 are elected through direct votes and the remaining 20 are nominated from different chambers and associations.

Unnayan Parishad panel led by Abdul Matlub Ahmad won the highest directors post in biennial election of the

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) held on Saturday.

The panel, which bagged 25 director posts out of 32, the panel got 13 posts from association group while 12 posts from chamber group.

Of the 32 posts, 16 have been elected from the chamber group and another 16 from the association body.

A total of 1,950 out of 2,204 votes were cast in the apex trade body’s election. Chamber group cast 418 votes out of 436 votes, while the Association group cast 1,532 votes out of 1,768 votes. l

DT

21

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

INSIDE

news

Bank Asia and Tech One Global signed Microsoft Enterprise Agreement Bank Asia has signed a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement with Tech One Global (Pvt) Ltd, a licensing solution partner of Microsoft in Bangladesh. The agreement signing took place at the Corporate Office of the bank at Purana Paltan, Dhaka on May 21 aiming to excel the Bank’s IT progression.

Md Mehmood Husain, president and managing director of the Bank, Lahiru Munindradasa, country general manager of Tech One Global (Pvt) Ltd and Sonia

T-JUNCTION

Ball in your court Bashir Kabir, managing director of Microsoft Bangladesh Ltd signed the agreement on behalf of their establishments. Senior officials of the three organisations were present.

Through this agreement Tech One Global will provide Microsoft software and technical support, planning services, technical training and unique technology solution to Bank Asia to accelerate its IT services.l

22 Gadget

Gionee Elife S7

23 Gaming

NBA: 2K15

24 Tech

Nonstop chatting

DT

22 T-JUNCTION

Gadget

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

review

Gionee Elife S7 Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Gionee recently introduced its latest smartphone in the Bangladeshi market.

The Gionee Elife S7 is probably the most economical premium Android phone available in the market. It offers high-end hardware specifications even though it is very reasonably priced.

Elife S7 is a slim dual-SIM smartphone.

It is powered by a Mediatek MT6752 processor which is among the fastest available in smartphones these days, so it takes a blink for something to open or load.

And the best part is, unlike most other handsets Elife S7 does not heat up.

Elife S7 also introduced Amigo 3.0, Gionee’s own Android based OS. Amigo has some good features including professional camera settings and handy ways of storing and arranging contacts.

The phone is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 (on both sides), and available in two colours. The front of the phone has a 5.2-inch full-HD display. The frontfacing camera lens is positioned above the

display, along with the sensor array.

Elife S7 has a 13-megapixel primary and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera is one of the best features of this phone. It has a lens that is wider than other phones within this range, that can perform decently even in low light.

Elife S7 can last up to 14 hours with regular use. The phone can play videos for eight to nine hours at a stretch. There is a pre-installed power saver app that helps get more out of the battery. l

review

Gionee Marathon M3 Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Gionee already introduced the world’s slimmest smartphones. Now its back with its Marathon M3 handset. Gionee has manufactured this phone keeping the never ending struggle of exhausting battery life in mind.

The outstanding Marathon M3 is powered by a 5,000mAh battery and it has a month of standby battery backup! M3 is not a slim smartphone; it is 5-inch thick and weighs about 180-grams. It is a bit heavy with a non-movable, massive 5,000mAh battery but is easy to hold. This phone can also be used to charge other phones.

Marathon M3 comes with two SIM card slots; 3G and 2G along with regular connectivity options. The back cover hides two SIM card slots and a microSD card slot.

Marathon M3 is equipped with a quadcore 1.3GHz processor with 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM. The phone has a worthy performance while running regular apps, heavy games work smoothly as well.

Marathon M3 has decent display features; it has a 5-inch 720p display and the viewing angles are great as well. The 8MP camera is capable of capturing good macro shots and decent photos under normal lighting, and the front 2MP camera is unexpectedly good as well.

Experiencing movies or videos on Marathon M3 is surprisingly satisfying. The whole multi-media performance including loud speaker and decent audio quality at this price is commendable.

Marathon M3 runs with an Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS with Gionee’s custom User Interface (UI). With a range of easy shortcuts on the notification panel, most likely users will like its UI the best.

With Marathon M3 you will not have to worry about charging your phone every day. Although the overall performance of Marathon M3 is way above satisfactory, it is a great choice if you are an average user looking for more battery life at a low price. l

T-JUNCTION 23

DT

Gaming

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

review

As real as it gets

Balling with the stars

n Chisty Rahim 2k Sports’ latest basketball addition, NBA 2k15, took the breath away of its fans all over the world. With its next generation graphics and highly realistic game play, it clearly comes out as the best basketball simulator out there.

NBA 2k15 came out with many added features compared to the previous game.

Most notable is the “face scan” feature, allowing the players to scan his/her face, to be used as the face of the fictional character of the “my Player” mode. The scanning is done via the Kinect on the Xbox One, and the PlayStation camera on the PS4. One can even choose to build the whole face using the fully detailed face builder. The user can modify virtually everything, starting from what accessories he’s going to wear to details like shooting style, speed and skillfulness.

Whether you’ve got beef to settle with a friend who’s a devoted fan of a rival team, or you just want to pass the time and ball with your favourite athletes, this is the place.

Loading takes a little time, because of all the heavy details, but they’ve got a cut-scene of real-life TV analysts - Shaquille O’neal and Ernie Johnson. This is the first time users can get a taste of the next-gen graphics that truly stand up to the name. 2k Sports did a really good job with the textures and lighting, so much so that even non gamers are blown away, sometimes mistaking it for a real-life streaming of a game.

During half-time and at the end of the game a TV reporter interviews a player or coach from one of the teams. In the interview all the real voices of athletes and coaches are used, which is a nice little touch.

The “career mode” is mostly for the more in-depth gamers. It has an immersive story that takes the user-created character, from being undrafted and eventually ending up as a champion - if they manage to make it. Users can buy upgrades for their fictional player.

Upgrades are bought using points that they earn playing and winning games along with individual performance. There is a virtual Twitter account of the player where he receives tweets from random fans as well as real life NBA athletes - (pre-generated of course). Other features like sitting down with the manager and complaining about or appreciating your experience with the team, and going on a shoot around with your teammates is what truly makes NBA 2k15’s “career mode” stand out.

Although NBA 2k15 is a well furnished game, it has its flaws. Sometimes affecting a few unlucky users and sometimes causing its whole fan base to erupt in the forums - 2k Sports has quite a few things to fix. The one major problem that 2k Sports gets bashed about is their online servers for 2k15. Users have complained, after almost every release, about the game’s online servers causing a lot of problems. Another major problem for PC users is that, it is a port of the console versions. So, some PCs have a hard time running it smoothly, despite having high-end hardware. Some PC users have complained about not being able to run the game at all.

Compatibility issues, although only with a handful of users, still affect the game’s reputation. Keep in mind, though that this is a pretty common issue with most PC games these days, with so many different kinds of hardware on the market.

Despite all its shortcomings, NBA 2k15 has garnered a 4/5 and 7/10 on Metacritic and Steam respectively. Beside the technical issues, the game itself is beautifully made, that gives users a premium feel. From the real life voices of players and coaches to the excruciatingly detailed game mechanics and game physics - NBA 2k15 sets the bar up high for any gaming franchise. l

DT

24 T-JUNCTION

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Tech

apps

Nonstop chatting WhatsApp, Viber, Kik or ReTXT? Who’s the best?

n Mahmood Hossain Most likely, you have all three. In fact, you are very aware of what each of them can do.

And we’re sure you use one of the apps more than the others. Everyone has their preferred choice, but which one of these chatting apps have the overall advantage when it comes down to communicating with your friends and family?

your choice.

Thumbs down • Compared to other chatting apps, this doesn’t have the ability to make video calls.

• No special graphics, apart from emoticons and the favoured emoji lot.

• Unfortunately, this doesn’t have too strong of an encryption, and only the first year of having the app is free. You’ll have to pay an annual amount of $.99.

Kik

While it’s available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, this might appeal to a more younger audience. This app is more about having fun than achieving productivity goals. We’re treading on the lands of memes, sketches, viral videos, and memes.

WhatsApp Messenger This is probably the most popular and most downloaded chat app in the Android market, and iOS holders aren’t shying away from it either. They know not all of their friends have an iPhone, so it’s only proper to contact those with Android and Windows Phone through WhatsApp. Thumbs up • Millions of smartphone users have it on their devices so it doesn’t need too much convincing to download this app if you haven’t already.

• Location maps are quite accurate and let’s you tap in to receive more info.

• The most recent update allows you to now make calls to others with this app.

• It actually lets you customise chat windows by swapping out backgrounds of

Thumbs up • As mentioned, there is a cloud of stickers, icons, doodles, memes and so much more that you can add to your messages.

• There’s actually an image search feature that you can find within the app to send in conversations.

• Another in-app feature is the Kik browser that can be used to search for other content.

Thumbs down • Straight and simple, this is not for grownups. But perhaps it’s something to keep you in touch with your children.

• There might be plenty to play with but the in-app purchases might get in the way. It’s like an unnecessary tease.

Viber This is possibly our second go-to chat app in our phones. It might be a far second, and

may not be as attractive as the other apps, but it truly deserves some recognition. It actually possesses the most useful features in a messaging app. You have the usual chat bubbles, set up group chats up to 100 participants, audio clips, video clips and you get the point.

Thumbs up • You can make free calls to anyone in the world who also has Viber, not to mention the free video calls.

• Audio and video calls are of high quality, even without a Wi-Fi connection.

• Its original emoticons and characters are also of high quality, they’ve put some real thought into them.

Thumbs down • The truth is not too many people actually have this app, let alone use it.

• The quality might be great but it seems like texting itself may not have a faster response.

ReTXT

Here’s the new kid on the block. You might wonder why they keep coming out with these chat apps, but ReTXT makes for one heck of a case. It has the usual functions as other chat apps minus the stickers and gimmicks provided by others. However, there is one thing that sets them completely apart. And this might blow your mind a little since this specific function is something we’ve always wanted. The ability to correct or delete a message you already sent. Mind blown, hashtag that.

Thumbs up • The feature to editing sent messages or fix any errors is a huge plus as you can imagine. Whether it’s an auto-

correct mistake or simply a message you shouldn’t have sent, you’ll be relieved to use this function.

• Clarification is also an advantage. The app lets you ask for clarification by tapping a button that puts a question mark next to the text you’ve received from the sender to clear up any confusion, without having to type an entire sentence.

• The encryption is quite secure, where only you and your recipient can see your messages.

Thumbs down • No customisation features, special graphics or emoticons.

• There is no notification to see if your recipient has read your messages, like Whatsapp.

• And just like Whatsapp, you’ll have to pay an annual fee of $.99 once the first year expires. l

Atletico Parana defender Cristian Gomez died on his way to hospital after collapsing on the pitch during a match on Sunday, the second such death to hit Argentine football in 10 days

Sport 26

MAMUNUL ON VERGE OF ATTAINING FULL FITNESS

27

BANGLADESH VOLLEYBALL TEAM TASTE FIRST DEFEAT

29

25

DT

ANOTHER DEATH

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

BAYLISS SET TO BECOME ENGLAND COACH

(L-R) Berry Henson of the US, Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, Rashid Khan of India and Mardan Mamat of Singapore pose during a photocall during a practice round of the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka yesterday. The Asian Tour event will be held from May 27-30 MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

BCB-HP returns with big promise n Minhaz Uddin Khan Former English cricketer Mal Loye was named head coach of the BCB High-Performance unit as Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday announced the 22-member squad for a fourmonth BCB-HP program. Stuart Karpinen, general manager of the program, informed that the camp, costing USD100,000, will help prepare cricketers to meet future national interest.

Chairman of the BCB HP program committee Mahbub Anam said, “If you notice you will see we have kept an age barrier in the HP squad. We believe the selected young cricketers are good potential to fill the national interest in the future. But there are also these five dedicated skill developments programs where you will find we have included the seniors. These cricketers might have lost their places in the national squad but we believe they still have the potential to come back, they are also important to us.”

The program will run five dedicated ‘Elite Program’ for fast bowling, batting, spin bowl-

ing, fielding and wicket-keeping.

The elite pace bowling squad includes 18 cricketers with likes of veteran pacer Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Al Amin Hossain and Taskin Ahmed. The batting elite program will feature 19 cricketers and include veteran opener Shahriar Nafees, Shamsur Rahman, Marshal Ayub and Mehrab Hossain jr. The spin bowling and wicket-keeping department include 10 and seven cricketers respectively.

Mahbub thinks nurturing the wicket-keepers will be most vital. “You will see a wicket-keeper holds onto his position in the national side for a long time. So we should be

prepared to fill in the gap for say when Mushfiq (Mushfiqur Rahim) retires,” said Mahbub who is also the BCB vice-president.

Besides, the current national cricketers or those under central contract with the BCB will get to enjoy the facility of the HP program for 12 months. The aid includes pre-tour preparation of the cricketers and injury management.

Meanwhile, the exclusion of veteran spinner Abdur Razzak, Elias Sunny, Ziaur Rahman and few other prominent names remains a mystery as to why they were ignored from this elaborate plan. Even Mahbub rested the case on the shoulders of the selectors when

BCB HIGH-PERFORMANCE PROGRAM OUTLINE

Program Players of national interest High Performance Elite fast bowling Elite batting Elite spin bowling Elite program fielding Elite program wicket-keeping

Duration 12 months 4 months 8 weeks 6 weeks 6 weeks 2 weeks 2 weeks

Players Top 20 16-20 12-15 15-20 15-20 20-30 10-15

Outcomes Pre tour preparation and injury management Targeted development of int’l standard players Intensive LTAD, exposure to O/S conditions Intensive LTAD, exposure to O/S conditions Intensive LTAD Intensive LTAD Intensive LTAD BCB High-Performance Program

quarried for the reason.

H10, the latest technology, will also be used to store data on the players. The system is told to show the development of a cricketer from time of input and will also suggest the players the areas they need to work on. Mahbub said, “I think it will be of great help to the coaches. For example, when a U-17 cricketer will get to the national team after 10 years, the coach will be able to view all the information on him from the past.”

The BCB director believes this program, which will continue for the next two years, is more organised compared to the previous arrangement made by the board in 2004-07.

BCB HP Program squad: Rony Talukdar, Liton Kumar, Shadman Islam, Tasamul Haque, Sabbir Rahman, Musaddek Hossain, Mohammad Mithun, Taibur Rahman, Jubair Hossain, Saqlain Sajib, Nihad Uz Zaman, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shubhashish Roy, Mehede Hasan, Kamrul Isalm, Dewan Shabbir, Quazi Nurul Hasan, Jabid Hossain, Irfan Shukkur. l

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TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Mamunul on verge of attaining full fitness n Tribune Report Charming midfielder Mamunul Islam is confident of attaining full fitness before the upcoming friendlies against Singapore and Afghanistan starting from May 30.

The Bangladesh and Sheikh Jamal DC captain resumed full training with his teammates and looked elated during the national team’s practice session at the Dhanmondi ground yesterday afternoon.

Mamunul missed Sheikh Jamal’s last three games in the first phase of Bangladesh Premier League and is eager to regain full form.

“It would be better for me if I can play the two friendly matches against Singapore and Afghanistan. My physical fitness will get better and it will also benefit me in the first two World Cup qualifying matches,” said the 28-year-old after training yesterday.

“I’m training fully with the team. But I have to take part in an extra training as I just passed the recovery time to gain the top level fitness,” he added.

Bangladesh will began their Fifa World Cup qualifiers campaign with the match against Kyrgyzstan on June 11 in Dhaka before hosting Tajikistan five days later. As part of preparation the national squad will feature in two warm-up matches against Singapore on May 30 and Afghanistan on June2.

The skipper said they have 18 days to prepare for all the four matches in 18 days. “We are getting ready for all four matches at the same time. (Positive result in) The first two friendly matches will improve our Fifa ranking while the next two will be for Asia Cup (qualification).” l

Bangladesh national footballers Mamunul Islam (L) and Zahid Hasan Amely share a light moment on a motorbike after their practice session at Sheikh Jamal field in Dhanmondi yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Sabina 7 sinks STAR n Tribune Desk

Bangladesh women footballer Sabina Khatun kicked her FAM National Women’s Championship campaign in style as the ace striker netted seven goals in her first game with the Maldives National Defense Force yesterday.

Riding on Sabina’s goal galore, Dhivehi Sifainge Club, an outfit of Maldives National Defense Force, crushed Society for Thundi

Advancement & Recreation (STAR) by 10-0.

The other Bangladeshi midfielder Mirona also scored once while their compatriot, goalkeeper Sabina Akhter, also put up a brave display to earn a clean-sheet.

The 22-year-old Sabina was the first ever female footballer from Bangladesh to play in a foreign league when he played for Police Club in the Maldives Women’s Futsal Fiesta in March-April where she slammed 37 goals in just six matches. l

Dhivehi Sifainge Club’s Bangladeshi recruits Sabina Khatun, Mirona and Sabina Akhter enjoy some refreshing moments in Maldives yesterday

Bowlers keep East Zone in hunt n Minhaz Uddin Khan The Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) title deciding game between Islami Bank East Zone and Prime Bank South Zone ended on an interesting note on day two yesterday.

The game being played at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium saw the East Zone bowlers step up and restrict their counterparts to 385 in the first innings. South Zone resumed on track of a massive total, 272-2, but sluggish batting saw them lose the last seven wickets for 69 runs.

Later, East Zone posted 159 for three wickets at stumps and kept their hopes alive of scoring some decisive points from a first innings lead. Opener Sadman Islam was unbeaten on 86 with skipper Alok Kapali on 18.

Earlier, the dismissal of Mohammad Mithun (95) triggered the collapse for South Zone. Shahriar Nafees (96) also missed a century as Nazmul Apu and Abul Hasan claimed three wickets apiece to foil South Zone’s target of a big score.

Meanwhile, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium 14 wickets fell on the rain interrupted second day between Walton Central Zone and BCB North Zone, though none are in a safe position.

Central Zone added just 11 runs to their overnight 278-8 while North Zone’s reply was never bold after they were bowled out for 287 to hand their opponents a two-run lead. At stumps Central Zone were 21 for 2 in the second innings.

Shuvagata Hom was the most successful bowler for Central Zone bagging 5-78 while Shahidul Islam complimented him with a four-wicket haul. l

Walton Central Zone’s Shuvagata Hom (L) took five wickets for 78 yesterday

BRIEF SCORES, DAY 2 East Zone v South Zone

South: 385 all-out in 109.2 overs (Shariar 96, Hasan 3/31, Nazmul 3/78) East: 159/3 in 50 overs (Shadman 86*, Liton 38, Gazi 2/39) East Zone trail by 226 Runs

Central Zone v North Zone

Central: 289 all-out in 92 overs North: 287 all-out in 71.5 overs (Sabbir 75, Forhad 67, Muktar 42, Hom 5/78, Shahidul 4/55) Central: 21/2 in 12 overs (Majid 10, Delwar 1/2) Central Zone lead by 23 Runs

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TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

Bangladesh volleyball team taste first defeat n Tribune Report

QUICK BYTES Alonso optimistic despite Monaco retirement Fernando Alonso remained optimistic about the future Monday despite being forced to retire from Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix in which his team-mate Briton Jenson Button claimed the struggling McLaren Honda team’s first points of the year by finishing eighth.

– AFP

Barzagli headache for Juventus ahead of final Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has been handed a potential tactical dilemma for next month’s Champions League final after defender Andrea Barzagli was diagnosed with a torn thigh muscle on Monday. Barzagli, who only made his return from a lengthy injury lay-off last month, limped off at half-time in Juve’s 3-1 league win over Napoli on Saturday.

He underwent examinations on Monday which “showed that the defender has suffered a first grade tear of the rectus femoris muscle in his right thigh”, according to a club statement.

– AFP

Berdych, Suarez-Navarro lead seeds into 2nd round World number four Tomas Berdych eased into the French Open second round Monday as heavyweights Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray waited to make their 2015 Roland Garros bows. Berdych, a 2010 semi-finalist, continued his solid claycourt season with a 6-0, 7-5, 6-3 win over Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka, the world number 146.

– AFP

Japan to play Afghans, Syria on neutral soil

Japan will play their away 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan and Syria on neutral territory later this year due to security concerns in the strife-torn countries. Japanese officials said Monday that the September 8 game against Afghanistan would be switched to Tehran, while the Blue Samurai will face Syria in Oman on October 8.

– AFP

Sheffield United sack manager Clough

Sheffield United have sacked manager Nigel Clough and his staff, the League One club announced on Monday. A statement on the third tier club’s website (www.Sufc. co.uk) said that “a change in direction was necessary for the forthcoming season”. United finished fifth in the league but were beaten in the play-off semi-final.

They had also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup. Clough, 49, the son of the late Brian Clough who won two European Cups as manager of Nottingham Forest, joined United in October 2013.

– Reuters

An action from the match between Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan in the DBBL Asian Senior Men’s Central Zone Volleyball Championship in Mirpur yesterday COURTESY

Bangladesh lost to Kyrgyzstan in three straight sets in their second game of the DBBL Asian Senior Men’s Central Zone Volleyball Championship at the Shaheed Suhrawordi Indoor Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

The hosts now face a must win situation against Nepal in their third Pool B game in order to book a semifinal spot. The game begins at 6pm today at the same venue.

In front of a decent crowd in Mirpur, Kyrgyzstan won the first set by 25-19 points before the home side lost agonizingly by 29-27 points. Bangladesh conceded a 25-18 points defeat in the third set.

After two games each, Bangladesh’s first defeat was the first win for Kyrgyzstan as the latter will face Maldives in their third game today.

Meanwhile in the day’s first match, Turkmenistan began their campaign with a hardfought 3-2 set win over Afghanistan. Turkmenistan won the first set by 25-20 points but the Afghans staged a comeback to win the next two sets by 23-25, 25-27. However, Turkmenistan strolled to victory by easy wins in the last two sets. l

Pellegrini expects to return in City next season n AFP Manuel Pellegrini insists he will still be in charge of Manchester City at the start of next season after the deposed champions ended the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Southampton.

A sixth consecutive win ensured Pellegrini’s side rounded off the season in impressive form and, with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak on hand at Eastlands for Sunday, the City manager played down suggestions he could face a difficult meeting with his employer after surrendering the title to Chelsea and failing to win a trophy this term.

“I’m always talking with Khaldoon every

week,” he said. “I don’t need a special meeting with him.

“Of course when you finish the season you must analyse what we did, where we made mistakes and where we must improve, but we have very good communication.”

The game marked a farewell to English football for City’s former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who opened the scoring with the 259th goal of his club career.

Sergio Aguero, with his 26th league goal of the season, wrapped up City’s victory late on, but the focus was very much on Lampard, who joins New York City FC after a near 20year career in English football.

Walcott central to Wenger’s plans for next season n AFP

Arsene Wenger expects hat-trick hero Theo Walcott to play more of a central role for Arsenal next season provided that fitness issues and contract negotiations are finally resolved.

Walcott scored three times in the opening 37 minutes as the Gunners rounded off their Premier League campaign with a 4-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The 26-year-old England winger has long expressed a desire to play more often in attack, rather than along the flanks.

But his hopes of doing so were hampered by a serious knee injury sustained in January 2014 which sidelined him for 10 months and affected his form as he slowly returned to full fitness this term.

However, following his virtuoso display against West Brom, Wenger explained that Walcott has the necessary attributes to rival

Olivier Giroud as the spearhead of the Gunners’ attack in the future. “I’ve always said that Theo can play in the middle because he has good movement and good finishing. And he did that well today,” Wenger said.

“He’s a good scorer but he has been out for nearly a year. And, in a football, that’s a long, long time to be back at your best, to regain your sharpness and confidence.

“Theo is the right age – 26 years old is a good age for a footballer. I just wish he stays free of injuries now. You have to be consistently present to express your full potential.”

Walcott is now entering the final year of a three-and-a-half-year £100,000-a-week contract but having reached an impasse in recent weeks, Wenger confirmed that the club have started discussions with his representatives about a new deal.

“Without a hat-trick, with a hat-trick, we want him to stay. We are in negotiations now,” Wenger said. l

“I spoke before the game with the whole squad and said it was important to finish the season here with a win in front of our own fans,” said Pellegrini.

“But it was also important for Frank. He deserves the farewell all the people, our fans, gave him here today. It was also very important for him to score.

“It was the perfect afternoon, the perfect goodbye for him and he deserves it, for his brilliant career, and the fact he is a great person.”

Lampard himself was clearly emotional when his two daughters and father came onto the field during post-match ceremonies and presented him with a framed City shirt. l

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Mourinho hails departing Drogba n AFP Jose Mourinho believes Didier Drogba’s influence will continue to be felt at Chelsea even though the Ivory Coast forward has called time on his second spell with the Premier League champions.

Drogba announced his intention to leave Stamford Bridge before the 3-1 victory over Sunderland on Sunday that ensured Mourinho’s side ended their title-winning campaign in fitting style before being presented with the trophy after the final whistle.

The 37-year-old is keen to play on for one more year, but will have to look elsewhere for more regular first team action.

Drogba was named captain but played only 28 minutes before being chaired from the pitch by his team-mates as he was replaced by Diego Costa.

And Blues boss Mourinho insists the veteran’s legacy will continue to be felt because of his impact on the development of the club’s younger players.

“The substitution was decided because he had a problem with his knee and, in normal conditions, he could not play for long. We left him on for half an hour,” Mourinho said.

“The captaincy was John Terry’s desire, to give him the armband. The players to bring him off the pitch? I think that was decided between them because they like him a lot. l

Ancelotti needs surgery on neck condition

n Reuters

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is suffering from cervical stenosis and will travel to Vancouver, Canada for an operation to correct it, the Italian was quoted as saying on Monday.

Ancelotti is waiting to hear whether he will be replaced as Real coach after they ended the season without winning a major trophy, with an announcement expected in coming days.

The 55-year-old has a contract until the end of next term but Real president Florentino Perez is widely expected to make him the scapegoat for the club’s failure. Ancelotti told Italian daily Il Giornale the stenosis was part of the reason he was planning to take a year out if Real sacked him. l

Chelsea’s Ivorian striker Didier Drogba (L) and Chelsea’s English defender John Terry hold the Premier league trophy as they take part in an open top bus parade along Kings Road in London to celebrate winning the league yesterday AFP

Fiorentina into Europa League, Toni leapfrogs Tevez

Empoli

n AFP

Chievo

Europa League semi-finalists Fiorentina secured their place in next season’s competition with a stunning 3-2 win at Palermo, as Verona striker Luca Toni moved top of the Serie A scoring charts on Sunday. Fiorentina, outclassed by Sevilla in Europe’s second tier competition last week, got off the mark in Sicily thanks to former Palermo forward Josip Ilicic’s 23rd minute screamer from 25 metres.

Mato Jajalo levelled for the hosts with a great volley only three minutes later but Fiorentina were back in front just after the half

hour when Alberto Gilardino was on hand to turn a Mati Fernandez shot past Stefano Sorrentino. Vincenzo Montella’s visitors were stunned on 69 minutes when Luca Rigoni levelled for the hosts, but Marcos Alonso restored their lead 12 minutes from time to ruin what was Palermo striker Paulo Dybala’s last home game before his imminent move to Juventus.

The result moved Fiorentina up one place to fifth, two points ahead of sixth-placed Genoa.

Genoa hold the third and final Europa League spot but have been excluded from European competition because their Luigi Ferraris stadium does not meet UEFA standards. l

PREMIER LEAGUE 2014/15 Rooney’s knockout celebration Wayne Rooney made the headlines in March after mobile-phone footage emerged of him being punched to the ground during a sparring session in his kitchen with former United team-mate Phil Bardsley.

But after scoring the third goal in a 3-0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur, Rooney took ownership of the story with a tongue-in-cheek celebration.

Mourinho’s TV blackout thwarted Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s plans to stop his players following Manchester City’s game against Liverpool prior to their League Cup final encounter with Tottenham were thwarted by his goalkeeping coach.

Mourinho had banned his squad from keeping tabs on the game, which City lost 2-1, because he wanted them to concentrate on their meeting with Spurs.

But after a 2-0 win at Wembley, he revealed that his carefully laid plans had been inadvertently undermined by excitable goalkeeping coach Silvino Loura.

Jones faces the music Olivier Giroud appeared certain to score for Arsenal at Manchester United earlier this month when a slip by United defender Phil Jones presented the Frenchman with a clear run on goal.

But the prone Jones, famed

SERIE A

1-1

Pucciarelli 57

Cesena

Sampdoria Eto’o 90+1

0-1

Cagliari Sau 90+1

1-1

Pellissier 88

Palermo

2-3

Jajalo 26, Rigoni 69

Parma

Fiorentina Iicic 23, Gilardino 33, Alonso 78

2-2

Nocerino 21, Varela 36

Udinese

Atalanta Gomez 48

Verona Toni 42, 80-pen

0-1

Sassuolo Magnanelli 70

AC Milan

3-0

Torino

El Shaarawy 18, 65, Pazzini 57-pen

5 OFFBEAT MOMENTS

for his gurning facial expressions, innovated by throwing his face at the ball, which ricocheted off Giroud’s feet and went out for a throw-in. A torrent of internet memes followed.

Pearson’s ostrich moment Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson accused a journalist of being “an ostrich” during a peculiar tirade following his side’s 3-1 loss at home to Chelsea.

Ian Baker, who was covering the match for AFP, asked Pearson to elaborate after he told his post-match press conference that his players had had to deal with “criticism and negativity”.

“Have you been on holiday for six months?

Have you been away for six months?” responded Pearson, whose side were battling to

avoid relegation at the time.

“Your question is absolutely unbelievable, the fact you do not understand where I am coming from. If you don’t know the answer to that question then I think you are an ostrich. Your head must be in the sand.”

Van Gaal steals the show Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal became the talk of social media after an eccentric turn at the club’s end-of-season awards ceremony.

The 63-year-old delivered a rambling seven-minute speech, at one point punching the air and roaring “Yes!” as he recalled a team meeting at which Rooney had urged the team to push for second place in the Premier League.

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Mumbai Indians win second IPL title n Agencies Mumbai Indians’ love affair with Eden Gardens continued as they clinched their second IPL title following a crushing 41-run win over Chennai Super Kings in a lop-sided summit clash, at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

MI posted an imposing 202 for five skipper Rohit Sharma (50) and Lendl Simmons (68) rattled up a 119-run stand off just from 67 balls after being invited to bat.

The captain, who has an ODI world record of 264 and also a debut Test hundred at the Eden Gardens, yet again exploded at his favourite venue Sharma (6 fours, 2 sixes) and Simmons (8 fours 3 sixes) plundered 19 boundaries in their partnership.

After Sharma and Pollard’s dismissal in consecutive balls, burly West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard (36) in the company of Ambati Rayudu (36 not out) led the side past 200. l

BRIEF SCORE Mumbai Indians 202/5 Simmons 68, Rohit 50, Bravo 2-36 Chennai Super Kings 16/8 Smith 57, McClenaghan 3-25 ,Harbhajan 2-34

Mumbai won by 41 run

Bayliss set to become England coach n Reuters Australian Trevor Bayliss is set to become England coach ahead of compatriot Jason Gillespie, the Daily Telegraph reported on Monday.

Yorkshire coach Gillespie was widely expected to get the job but new England cricket director Andrew Strauss has opted for the 52-year-old Bayliss who led Sri Lanka to the 2011 World Cup final, the newspaper reported.

Bayliss has also coached Australian state side New South Wales and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

Paul Farbrace was put in charge of the England team for the current two-test series against New Zealand after Peter Moores was sacked. The five-match Ashes series against Australia starts on July 8. l

Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani, Mentor Sachin Tendulkar, Coach Ricky Ponting and player Harbhajan Singh celebrating with the winning trophy after IPL final match at Eden Garden in Kolkata on Monday AP

Malik, Sami back in Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe ODIs n Reuters

Former captain Shoaib Malik and fast bowler Mohammad Sami have been recalled to the Pakistan one-day squad for the three-match series against Zimbabwe starting on Tuesday.

Malik, 33, played the last of his 216 one-dayers in the 2013 Champions Trophy against India and 34-year-old Sami has not been part of an ODI squad since June 2012.

Both were part of the Twenty20 squad that sealed a 2-0 series win over Zimbabwe on Sunday as Pakistan welcomed top-level international cricket back to the country after a six-year absence after militants attacked a Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was left out for the matches at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also remained optimistic of playing arch-rivals India in a full series in the United Arab Emirates or any other mutually agreed venue in December.

“PCB is now expecting the government of India’s permission for the revival of the series in the near future particularly after (Indian) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public indication that his government would support the revival of the cricket series,” the Pakistan board said in a statement.

ODI SQUAD: Azhar Ali (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Anwar Ali, Hammad Azam, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Junaid Khan. l

Argentina legend Diego Maradona has attacked world football chief Sepp Blatter, calling the 79-year-old Swiss “a dictator” and claiming his bid for a fifth term as FIFA president is “an absurdity”.

Maradona’s scathing personal attack in The Daily Telegraph comes days before Blatter seeks an unprecedented fifth term at the helm of football’s governing body.

Blatter is in a two horse race to continue in the post he assumed in 1998 - the only other candidate being Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan after Luis Figo and Michael van Praag pulled out last week.

Blatter has been widely criticised during his reign and Maradona is aghast that he is the overwhelming favourite to retain his position. l

Pakistan pip Zim to clinch T20 series 2-0 n Reuters

DAY’S WATCH Ten Cricket 4:45PM Zimbabwe Tour of Pakistan 1st ODI

Pakistan edged Zimbabwe by two wickets in the second and final Twenty20 International on Sunday to clinch the series 2-0 at a boisterous Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Needing 12 runs of the last over, number 10 batsman Bilawal Bhatti clobbered a six, ran for two and hit a four to seal a victory with two balls to spare and clinch the series that marked international cricket’s return to the country. l

Star Sports 1 4:00PM AFC Champions League 2015 Kashiwa Reysol v Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Star Sports 2 5:30PM AFC Champions League 2015 Beijing Guoan v Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

BRIEF SCORE, 2ND T20I

Star Sports 4 6:00PM AFC Cup 2015 South China v Bengaluru

Maradona rounds on ‘dictator’ Blatter n AFP

Zimbabwe 175/3 (Williams 58*, Sibanda 49) Pakistan 176/8 (Mukhtar 62, Akmal 30, Mpofu 2-25)

Pakistani cricketers pose with the winning trophy after defeating Zimbabwe the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore on Sunday AFP

Pakistan won by 2 wickets

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TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Provoke (3) 3 Put away (4) 6 Amphibian (4) 7 Misery (3) 9 Skin opening (4) 10 Fish eggs (3) 11 Partly open (4) 13 Light beer (5) 16 Nuisances (5) 18 Saucy (4) 19 Gratuity (3) 20 Vital point (4) 21 Mineral spring (3) 23 Advise strongly (4) 24 Excuse (4) 25 Insect (3)

DOWN 1 Speech sound (5) 2 Self (3) 4 Thunder god (4) 5 Tiny (3) 6 Untamed (5) 8 Keen (5) 9 Separate (4) 12 Jokes (5) 14 Summit (4) 15 Indian monetary unit (5) 17 Commence (5) 18 Purplish brown (4) 20 Headwear (3) 22 Play on words (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 19 represents W so fill W every time the figure 19 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.

A B C D E FG H I J K L M N O P Q RST UVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

Pharrell Williams @Pharrell Thank you @F1 @Lotus_F1Team #MonacoGP Lara Dutta Bhupathi @LaraDutta #Tanu Weds Manu Returns what a lovely film! Ms. Ranaut u r simply the finest! And Maddy, what a finely nuanced performance!

Loved it!!!

New political drama Grandmaster goes on air n Showtime Desk Grandmaster, a brand new political drama serial went on air yesterday on Channel 9. Written by Shahjahan Sourov and directed by Dipankar Dipon, the political TV serial captures the daily lives of a the politically connected family and

the numerous incidents surrounding its members.

The drama revolves around a family led

by Abul Kalam Azad, a veteran politician who lives in the city with two sons and his daughter-in-law. Yasir, the eldest son who is also a politician seeks party nomination for the upcoming parliamentarian election

while his wife, Shaina Rahman, is already an elected MP in the serial. In an unexpected twist, a girl called Rumana suddenly appears in the scene and declares herself to be Yasir’s wife. As the plot unfolds the audience gets to know the individual stories behind the lives of each of the characters.

Raisul Islam Asad, Syed Hasan Imam, Shahiduzzaman Selim, Tarin, Kalyan Corraya and Hasin Roushan are the lead actors in the drama. The serial will be aired on Channel 9 from Saturday to Monday at 10:15pm. l

Russell Crowe @russellcrowe Dear Ireland, you are even more amazing.

WHAT TO WATCH

The Hunger Games HBO 6:42pm Katniss voluntarily takes her sister’s place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which teenagers are chosen at random to compete.

Cast: Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth

Norse legends n Mahmood Hossain When you think of the History Channel, you think of the countless educational programs and series. It’s the perfect place to refresh on your history lessons.

However, it’s also a great place to create fictional events inspired by real characters in history. The series Vikings, already three seasons in, is a fantastic and raw portrayal of the Norsemen in 8th century

Scandinavia. Think of this show as a slightly toned down version of the Starz original, Spartacus.

The show follows the main character Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), who was the greatest hero of his age. Lagertha, Ragnar’s first wife (Katheryn Winnick), and his brother Rollo (Clive Standen) battle along his side to conquer the lands in the West. The journey shows Ragnar’s rise as the greatest viking of his time, while keeping

old Norse traditions and family close. The performances and locations on this show create a more realistic presentation of how life might have been in Northern Europe at the time.

There’s plenty of action and intrigue to keep you hooked to the world of vikings.

Better, yet you’ll be able to binge on all three seasons. Unfortunately, there’s plenty to come afterward. Fortunately, there will be no binge hangover. l

The Dark Knight Movies Now 9:30pm When Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, the caped crusader must come to terms with one of the greatest psychological tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger Terminator 2: Judgement Day Star Movies 6:43pm A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her young son, John Connor, from a more advanced cyborg, made out of liquid metal.

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward

DT

32 BACK PAGE

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015

DEFAULT CREDIT CARD HOLDERS FACE TROUBLE PAGE 15

BCB-HP RETURNS WITH BIG PROMISE PAGE 25

GRANDMASTER GOES ON AIR PAGE 31

Getting to school a tricky task in enclaves Al-Masum Molla back n Mohammad from Lalmonirhat

For a child born in one of the Indian enclaves in Bangladesh, education is not among the easiest of things to acquire.

These enclave people are technically Indians and so, for getting admission in a school in Bangladesh territory, they need to come up with a Bangladesh identity – which of course is fake.

There is very little schooling facilities available inside the enclaves. Non governmental organisation (NGO) Brac operates small schools in many of these enclaves and these are the only schools that the enclave people have access to.

But each of these Brac schools can accommodate only 30 children at a time, that too for five years, giving them only the basic primary education.

For example, the Baskata enclave in Lalmonirhat district, one of the biggest Indian enclaves in Bangladesh, is the home to more than 5,000 people. But there is only one Brac school for educating their children.

If a kid, who finished one of these schools, wants to study further in a school beyond the limits of the enclave, then he or she or their parents will have to manage a fake Bangladeshi identity.

This correspondent met a young woman named Bilkis Aktar at the Balapukuri enclave in the same district. She is an undergrad student at the Patgram Women’s College, located in Bangladesh territory.

“I had to use fake identity while getting admission in school and college. It is humiliating,” she said.

Asked what had driven her to pursue higher education despite the humiliation of carrying a fake identity, Bilkis said: “I want to educate my people [in the enclaves] after completing my graduation. We know that one

Before the finalisation of the LBA treaty, these children who are residents of an Indian enclave, were forced to hide their true nationality to secure their places at a Bangladesh school. The photo was taken recently at 119 Bashkata enclave SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN day our movement will be successful and I will get a job. I hope the government will allot special quotas for us to change our fate.”

Nazrul Islam, 45, a farmer from the Baskata enclave, told this correspondent: “I have four sons and four daughters. Four of them are now studying. My eldest daughter is studying in college. I had to use my father-in-law’s address for their admission.

“I never wanted to manage admission for them with fake identities. But now things are going to change. Nobody will have to get admission in schools and colleges with fake identities,” said Nazrul.

He was clearly referring to the recent passage of the LBA-related constitutional amendment in Indian parliament that paved way for the

long overdue Indo-Bangla enclave exchange.

According to a protocol signed in 2011 between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her then Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, nobody will be forced to leave their lands during the exchange.

This means that enclave people, who do not want to leave the place they have been living in for generations, will become citizens of the host country.

“We want to survive and for this, education is a must. I am an illiterate person but why will my children remain illiterate? The young generation will certainly change the lives and fates of the enclave people,” Nazrul said.

The fact that young men and women from these enclaves cannot legally get government

Bangabandhu’s family to get lifetime special security and facilities n Mohammad Jamil Khan The government has approved lifetime special security for the family members of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman under the Father of the Nation’s Family Members Security Act 2009.

As per a circular signed by Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan, senior secretary of the Home Ministry, and issued yesterday, Bangabandhu’s family will get appropriate security fence facilities for their residences.

Besides securing entrances and exits, security officials will provide perimeter security around the residences and keep watch from nearby buildings. Any establishment posing

a threat may be removed to ensure security.

Fully-equipped fire service units will always be present at residences. Ambulances will also always be present. Treatment abroad for family members will be arranged at government expense.

Security will be ensured beforehand for areas to be visited by Bangabandhu’s family.

Security forces will be deployed, the whole area will be brought under closed circuit television camera surveillance and objects and persons will be scanned before entering the residences. Emergency escape passages will be built at the residences.

The Public Works Department will take steps to renovate, expand and maintain fam-

ily members’ residences, no matter whether they were provided by the government or are owned by the family members themselves.

Vehicles, sufficient fuel and a chauffeur will be provided. Family members’ telephone connections, supply of pure drinking water and gas, and high-speed internet connections will also be provided by the government, according to the circular. Family members will be entitled to the services of a personal secretary, two ayas, a cook, a gardener and a cleaner – all paid for by the government.

The circular says other ministries, including Home, Public Works and Finance and the secretariat, will be immediately effected if the family members of Bangabandhu need their support. l

jobs in Bangladesh also deters many from sending their children to educational institutions.

Selim Munna, secretary of the Balapukuri enclave society, said none of the enclave people of that area are graduates. Some have studied up to SSC and HSC. He also said: “There is no job opportunities for the enclave people. Since most of us struggle to earn bread and butter, thinking about education is tough, especially when you know that you will not get jobs no matter how far you study.”

Rafiqul Islam, a resident of the Latamari enclave, said they do not get government jobs because their fake identities get caught in police verification.

This enclave is around 10km away from the Patgram upazila headquarters. Most of the 1,000 residents are farmers and have national ID cards with fake addresses.

“Most of us have national ID cards but we do not dare to apply for government jobs because we get disqualified in police investigation,” he said.

As for elsewhere, there are only five graduates among the 5,000 people who live in the Baskata enclave.

Moksul Haque, resident of the Baskata enclave, said: “As new doors have opened, I think the government should do something for us so that our people can get jobs in both private and public services. Schools and colleges should be built in the enclaves.”

A woman named Shamsunnahar has a graduation degree and is now a teacher at a Brac school in Lalmonirhat.

“We should be given the opportunity to work in the primary education sector. But as I am an enclave-dweller, I am deprived of it,” she said.

However, with the breaking of the LBA ice, she thinks things are going to change once they are recognised as Bangladeshi citizens. l

One killed in Jatrabari gunfight n Kamrul Hasan

A wanted criminal was killed in a gunfight with police in the capital’s Jatrabari area yesterday.

The dead was identified as Natai Sohel, 25.

A subordinate of Sohel, Md Sajeeb,22, also received bullet injuries during the gunfight.

Sub-Inspector Atikur Rahman of Jatrabari police station said the gunfight took place when criminals opened fired at police and hurled a crude bomb during a raid near Balur Maath of Shantek Bashpotti area around 12pm.

Sohel and Sajeeb were shot, while their cohorts managed to flee the area, he said. Sohel died after being brought to the Nitor hospital.

Jatrabari police OC Abani Sarker said Sohel was an accused in eight cases, including a murder case and Sajeeb has several cases against him.l

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