21 May, 2016

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

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Jyoishtha 7, 1423, Shaban 13, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 29

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

Country braces for cyclone Roanu Roanu to strike PROJECTED PATH FOR CYCLONE ROANU coasts today

Evacuation at coasts begin

n Abu Bakar Siddique

n Abu Bakar Siddique

Cyclonic storm Roanu is set to hit the coastal areas of Bangladesh sometime in the afternoon or evening today.

Due to the storm, Bangladesh Meteorological Department has issued warning level 7 for Bangladesh’s port city Chittagong, six for Cox’s Bazar and five for Mongla and Payra ports.

BMD’s last bulletin at the time of writing this report said the storm was about 860km southwest of chittagong port at 6pm yesterday and was likely to make landfall by afternoon or evening today.

Bangladesh Inland Water Authority has suspended all sort of water transport across the country as the rivers are rough.

Ministry of Disaster and Relief

12noon, May 22 12 midnight

12noon, May 21 6am, May 21 12 midnight 6pm, May 20

 PAGE 4 COLUMN 1

The government yesterday began evacuating coastal area residents after the Met Office upgraded cyclone Roanu's alert level to danger signal 7 from 4.

Department of Disaster management officials said they had directed all the coastal district authorities to evacuate people from their homes and send them to cyclone shelters.

Evacuation began in the low-lying areas of some coastal districts last night.

Saleh Uddin, duty officer at the Department of Disaster Management’s emergency control room, yesterday said the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry had begun making loudspeaker announcements in coastal areas to  PAGE 4 COLUMN 4

Homoeopathy doctor killed in Kushtia machete attack n Kudrote Khoda Sobuj, Kushtia

INSIDE

Unidentified miscreants hacked to death Sanwar Hossain, a popular homoeopathy doctor, near Bottoil Shishir Math yesterday morning when he was heading towards his free Friday clinic outside the town on a motorcycle.

Sanwar’s friend Saifuzzaman, an associate professor of Islami University in Kushtia, sustained critical injuries in the machete attack. Locals first took him to Kushtia Sadar Hospital. He was later rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on a helicopter for better treatment.

Sanwar, 35, is the son of late Mir Bazlur Rahman of the town’s East Mojompur area. Saifuzzaman was a teacher of the university’s Bangla department.

Two homoeopathy doctors were killed in Jhenaidah in January and March

Curious onlookers swarm around the crime scene where the body of slain homeopath Sanowar Hossain lay on the ground at Shishirmath in Kushtia Sadar upazila yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Red alert at all ports for six terrorists The government has issued a red alert at the airports and land ports of the country to prevent the six alleged Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) men from leaving the country.  PAGE 5

Sadar police chief Shahabuddin Chowdhury said that the body of Sanwar had been sent to the hospital for a post-mortem examination.

He said that they were investigating the case with high priority.

Superintendent of Police Proloy Chishim and Vice-Chancellor of the university Prof Abdul Hakim Sarker visited the spot. Considering the recent killings carried out by extremists, the SP said that Islamist militants might be behind the attack.

Police and locals said that the

Tonu’s father: Take legal action against 1st autopsy examiners

 PAGE 7

Yaar Hossain, father of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, has demanded legal action against the medical examiners who conducted the first autopsy of his daughter.  PAGE 32

duo were intercepted by the assailants near BRB Cable factory on the outskirts of the town and hacked with machetes. But the number of attackers could not be known.

People familiar with Sanwar said that he was popular as an amicable person who used to follow Lalon’s philosophy. On the other hand, his friend Saifuzzaman was known as a progressive person.

In the last two years, at least 30 secular activists, writers and publishers, teachers, and non-Muslim and non-Sunni preachers were hacked to death by suspected militants who aim at establishing Islamic State in the country.

Two homoeopathy doctors were killed in Jhenaidah in January and March. International militant group Islamic State claimed responsibilities for the killings. l

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Port activities halted as Roanu approaches Hussain, Chittagong n Anwar with Abdul Aziz, Cox’s Bazar

the fishing trawlers and boats had already returned from the deep sea.

The Chittagong Port Authority yesterday suspended all operational activities at the outer anchorage as cyclonic storm “Roanu” was approaching fast towards the coast.

The port was put on “own alert” No 3, the second highest security alert. The decision came after the port authorities held an emergency meeting yesterday noon.

The port was asked to hoist local cautionary number 7 as “Roanu” was intensifying further.

Jafar Alam, member (admin and planning) of the CPA, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had suspended all operational activities at the outer anchorage as a precaution. “We have taken all necessary measures to tackle the cyclone. We have also issued five cautionary directives,” he said.

The five directives issued by the CPA include anchoring all mother vessels and lighter vessels in safe location until further notice, leaving all vessels anchored at the jetties of the port and keeping all sophisticated equipment and jetties of Chittagong Port safe.

Santosh Chandra Matabbar, deputy director of Chittagong’s Patenga Met Office, said that the cyclonic storm might hit Chittagong this noon or evening.

“All fishing boats and trawlers in the deep sea have been advised to remain close to the coast so that they can take shelter within a short notice,” he said.

Cox’s Bazar

Ships are brought to the outer anchorage of Chittagong port for safety after the met office issues Warning Signal 7 for cyclone Roanu yesterday RABIN CHOWDHURY “Stormy wind was blowing over Chittagong with moderate rainfall due to cyclone Roanu,” he added.

Wing Commander Md Reazul Kabir, airport manager of Shah Amanat International Airport, said that no flight was suspended until 6pm yesterday. “However, we have taken all precautionary measures,” he said.

Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin said that the leave of all government and semi-government officials had been suspended until further notice.

“We are on high alert. The cy-

Roanu to strike coasts today has cancelled leaves of all government officials in the 18 coastal districts, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya told the Dhaka Tribune.

Volunteers have launched campaigns in the coastal areas to alert people to evacuate to safe zones and cyclone shelters that have been prepared.

BMD is issuing regular special weather bulletins on the storm.

How strong is Roanu?

According to BMD’s last update, Roanu was lying over Northern Bay of Bengal about 860km southwest of Chittagong Port, 840km southwest of Cox’s Bazar, 675km southwest of Mongla Port and 705km southwest of Payra Port.

The cyclonic storm was likely to intensify and move towards the Barisal-Chittagong coast, the Department said.

Maximum wind speed of the cyclone centre was about 62kph, rising to 88km in gusts or squalls.

In the classification of North Indian Ocean cyclones Roanu is in

the third level, which is called a cyclonic storm. For comparison, the devastating storm Sidr of 2007 was on level six, called extremely severe cyclonic storm, and had wind speeds of up to 260km per hour.

Sidr claimed over 3,000 lives.

Komen, which struck last year in July, was also a cyclonic storm like Roanu and claimed around 50 lives in the southeastern districts.

BMD said coastal districts of Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Borguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barisal,

clone is likely to hit the coasts of Chittagong. Therefore, we are shifting the people of the coastal areas including Anwara and Banshkhali upazilas to the nearby cyclone shelters,” he added.

Md Monirul Haque, district relief and rehabilitation officer, said that they had already taken all necessary measures to tackle the looming disaster.

“A control room has been opened at district level. Announcement through loudspeaker is under way at all the coastal upazilas of Chittagong.

“There are a total of 479 cyclone

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Pirozpur, Jhalokathi, Bagherhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by storm surge of 4-5 feet height above normal tide levels.

The Department of Disaster Management officials said that they have directed all the coastal district authorities to evacuate people from their homes and send them to cyclone shelters.

The government’s Cyclone Preparedness Programme and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society are directing the evacuation process. l

Why is it called Roanu?

Cyclone Roanu has got its name from a Maldivian word meaning “coir rope.”

Indian Meteorological Department is assigned to name cyclones that originate in the Indian Ocean.

The names of cyclones in Indian Ocean are not alphabetically ordered.

Eight countries have submitted their own lists of names, which are used in sequence.

shelters in the city and 14 upazilas of Chittagong. Around 8,000 government and non-government volunteers have already been dispatched to the coastal areas for possible rescue operations following the cyclone. Moreover, dried food items have been sent to the coastal upazilas,” he said.

“As many as 40 lighter ships laden with goods remained close to the coast as a precaution,” said Ataul Kabir Ranju, joint secretary of Water Transport Cell (WTC).

Khorshed Alam, president of Samudrik Matsya Shikary Jahaj Sramik Union, said that almost all

The coastal district was on high alert ahead of the cyclone. Cautionary signal No 6 was hoisted in Cox’s Bazar due to the “Roanu.”

As many as 4,000 volunteers and 516 cyclone shelters were kept prepared as a precaution, officials said.

The Cox’s Bazar administration has asked the people living in coastal areas to move to safer places.

The local administration is also on alert to preclude any possible landslide.

Md Jahangir Alam, assistant director of the Directorate of Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation, said that the Red Crescent volunteers, medical teams and rescue team members were kept ready to tackle any emergency situation.

“The volunteers and cyclone shelters are all ready with life-saving equipment and dried food items,” said the official.

An emergency meeting of the disaster management committee was held at the conference room of Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner on Thursday evening.

Deputy Commissioner Md Ali Hossain said that all the respective UNOs had been asked to conduct loudspeaker announcement to evacuate the vulnerable people to the nearby cyclone shelters. Moreover, people living at the foot of the hills were also moved to safer places. l

Depressions are named only after they reach a tropical storm strength with the wind speed of 62kmph.

The current depression in the Bay of Bengal turned into a cyclonic storm on May 19.

Why are cyclones named? The answer is simple: The names provide easy communication between weather scientists and people. l

Evacuation at coasts begin inform people of moving to safety as the cyclone, accompanied by heavy rain, could hit today.

Leaves of ministry officials have been cancelled in the wake of the emergency situation, said Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.

Also, all volunteers of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme were asked to stand by to begin rescue and relief work.

Warning signals raised

The Met Office yesterday raised warning signals for Chittagong to 7, Cox’s Bazar to 6, and 7 for both Mongla and Payra ports.

It also projected that the cyclonic storm might hit ChittagongNoakhali coasts by this evening.

After warning signals were raised, coastal districts Of Chittagong, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur and their offshore islands and chars went under signal 7.

Coastal districts Of Cox’s Bazar and its offshore islands and chars went under signal 6.

Coastal districts Of Bhola, Barguna, Patuakhali, Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalakati, Bagherhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars went under signal 7.

Cyclone Roanu is over North Bay and adjoining West Central Bay, according to the Met Office website at 10pm yesterday.

The Met Office also said in its special weather bulletin (updated till 6pm) that the maximum sustained wind speed within 54 kilometres of the cyclone centre is about 62 kilometres per hour, rising to 88 kilometres per hour, and that the sea would remain very rough near the cyclone centre.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority yesterday suspended the movement of all sorts of vessels in rivers in the wake of the rough weather caused under the influence of the cyclone. l

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Red Crescent ready in 13 districts n Tribune Desk

Ferry, launch movement stopped in Bhola n Ahad Chowdhury Tuhin, Bhola

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has made preparations for providing post-cyclone emergency assistance for at least 3,000 families.

Its Deputy Secretary General Khandaker Zakaria Khaled said Red Crescent volunteers were assisting evacuation of people from areas that might come under the cyclone.

At a cyclone preparatory meeting at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies yesterday, he said storage of drinking water, water containers, dry and cooked food, clothes and saline could be increased after observing the route of the storm.

At least five medical teams were ready to provide emergency service in the areas.

At least 55,260 volunteers were working in 40 upazilas of 13 districts – Barguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Feni and Chandpur – to evacuate people from possible disaster-prone areas. The National Disaster Response Team was also kept prepared.

The Red Crescent opened a contact number – 9353625 – to provide instant information of the cyclone, and two quick response numbers – 9355995 and 01712865152.

The meeting was presided over by its General Secretary BMM Mozharul Huq. l

Authorities have put a moratorium on ferry movement on Barisal and Laxmipur routes and the movement of passenger vessels on all routes as cyclone Roanu advances towards Bangladesh.

In Bhola, the waters of Meghna, Tetulia and Ilisha rivers have risen by two to three feet. Most of the district has been experiencing heavy to moderate rainfall since yesterday morning.

The district administration has kept 11 control rooms, 10,000 volunteers and more than 300 cyclone shelters ready, said Deputy Commissioner Md Selim Uddin.

The Health Department has formed 92 medical teams to deal with emergencies.

Leaves of all government employees in the district have been cancelled.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority Officer Md Nasim said all vessel movement in the rivers had been banned from yesterday afternoon.

The government’s Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) and Red Crescent Society have been making public announcements in the coastal area since yesterday morning.

Bhola CPP Deputy Director Md Sahabuddin said Cautionary Signal 5 was in place in the district until 2pm. l

Volunteers of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society conduct an awareness campaign in the coastal areas of Bhola to warn locals about the fast-approaching cyclone Roanu COURTESY

Signal 4 at Khulna coasts Hedait Hossain Molla, n Md Khulna

Cautionary signal 4 was hoisted at the coastal areas in Khulna yesterday as cyclonic storm Roanu intensified.

Khulna Met Office Officer-inCharge Amirul Azad said the region in Khulna had a cloudy weather under the influence of Roanu.

“It rained in some areas. 23mm rain was recorded from Thursday 6am to Friday 6pm. Signal 4 has been announced at coastal areas,” he said.

Local authorities in coastal dis-

tricts and upazilas in Khulna held emergency meetings as part of precautionary measures on Thursday and yesterday.

The cyclone caused the speed of wind to intensify at coasts, with locals finding themselves in a state of panic after rain began on Thursday noon.

Loading and unloading of goods from ships anchored at Mongla port was suspended.

The port authorities ordered to ensure that all local and foreign vessels had been anchored safely, Chairman of the port Rear Admiral Riazuddin Ahmed said.

Shyamal Kanti shifted to DMCH Rahman Rabbi, n Arifur Dhaka and Tanveer Hossain, Narayanganj Narayanganj Piyar Sattar Latif High School Headmaster Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, whose public humiliation triggered countrywide protests and condemnation, has been shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for better medical treatment.

Yesterday, around 11:30am, he left Narayanganj hospital in an ambulance amid tight security.

Narayanganj hospital warden’s Personal Assistant Siddikur Rahman said Shyamal was shifted after his wife submitted an application to the hospital authorities on Thursday night, asking to take Shyamal to Dhaka for better treatment.

Meanwhile, DMCH police outpost in-charge Inspector Siddiqur Rahman confirmed that around 12pm the teacher reached the hospital and was admitted to the medicine department under Professor Enamul Karim.

Wishing to be unnamed, an on- duty doctor said the teacher

He said a control room had been opened to monitor weather conditions and the path of the cyclone.

The Met Office asked the port authorities to hoist signal 4 as the cyclone located to the port’s southwest caused the sea to rage.

Khulna and Bagerhat district administration sources said all necessary precautionary measures had been taken.

Educational institutions, including schools, colleges and madrasahs, will be used as emergency shelters in addition to designated shelters, officials said. l

Three Barguna villages submerged n Md Tariqul Islam, Barguna Three villages in Barguna were inundated yesterday after part of a barrage was destroyed due to a sharp rise in the flow of water under the influence of cyclonic storm Roanu.

Thousands of residents of Sonatala, Rayertabak and Kalirtabak villages incurred heavy losses as houses, croplands and fish enclosures went under water when a

DHAKA TRIBUNE

had already suffered from a brain stroke and was also diabetic. Now he needs rest, he added.

Earlier on May 13, Shyamal Kanti was admitted at Narayanganj hospital after he was publicly assaulted and humiliated at his school. He said he started feeling ill Thursday afternoon.

“I have been talking to people non-stop for the past seven days.

I have spoken with the media, and

now many people are mad about this situation.”

Restricting Shyamal from speaking, Shafiul Alam Fardous, senior consultant at the DMCH, said the teacher has been under immense stress due to speaking with so many people.

Shyamal was made to do squats in public by lawmaker Salim Osman after rumours spread that he had insulted Islam. l

portion of the barrage in Sonatala was broken in the morning.

The local Water Development Board office said high tide flew at the height of 2.58 metres but did not exceed the danger level.

Control rooms were opened in all upazilas of the district as part of cautionary measures.

The local administration has also ordered coastal people to be on alert. l

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Schoolboy dies in blast in Kushtia Khoda Sobuj, n Kudrote Kushtia A schoolboy, who was carrying bombs, died when the bombs went off in Kushtia yesterday.

Nayeem Islam, 14, was riding a motorbike with his friend Hafiz to travel to Poradoho from Kushtia Sadar upazila’s Bottoil. The blast

occurred when they reached Sardarpara area.

Nayeem was a ninth-grader at Kaburhaat Secondary School.

Nayeem died on the scene while Hafiz was taken to Kushtia General Hospital, said Joynul Abedin, additional superintendent of police in Kushtia. l

US concerned over recent attacks in Bangladesh n Tribune Desk The US government has expressed profound concern over the recent attacks that have taken place in Bangladesh, including violence against LGBTs, minorities and others.

“Well, obviously, we’re deeply concerned by this violence. We’re very troubled by this,” said John Kirby, spokesperson for the US Department of State, while talking about the US-Bangladesh relations regarding the recent violence in Bangladesh during a press briefing yesterday.

“They appear to be carried out by a small group of

terrorists who seek to stifle independent thought and to violently attack anyone who disagrees with them and their thoughts,” Kirby told reporters at his office in Washington, DC yesterday.

“We are pretty confident – no, not pretty confident – we are confident that these attacks do not represent the views of and are rejected as abhorrent by the overwhelming majority of people in Bangladesh.”

He further added that Bangladesh is proud of a society which values diversity and free exchange of ideas – the core of which values these extremists are bent on destroying. l

B2B conference begins today n Ishtiaq Husain Biztech B2B Conference, a business solutions exhibition for expanding software and ICT-based local market, begins today at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel.

ICT Division and Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) are jointly organising the two-day business solutions exhibition.

At the conference, four industry papers will be presented on banking, finance, education, health and readymade garment where specialists will show a new perspective on how automation can promote growth in the target industries.

Key policymakers from

both government and private sectors will address different issues on the sidelines and discuss strategies at the exhibition.

Shamim Ahsan, president of BASIS, said varieties of software and IT enabled products and services of business interests alongside the target sectors will be on show under one roof. These products will assist the business leaders to induce automation in their organisation.

“The two-day B2B conference of exclusively corporate solution providers will give visitors an opportunity to hold one-toone meeting with them to see what is an offer and what is the best for those,” said Shamim. l

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Red alert at all ports for six terrorists n Kamrul Hasan

The government has issued a red alert at the airports and land ports of the country to prevent the six alleged Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) men from leaving the country.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters yesterday that police had proof that these six men were involved in the recent killings of bloggers, writers and LGBT rights activists.

the perpetrators escaping through there.

Hili Land Port authorities said they had increased security at the area and intensified surveillance on people passing through the port.

Officer-in-Charge of Hili land port check post Rofiquzzaman said some 300-400 people passed through the port every day.

They had increased security measures at the area so that no perpetrators would flee from the

On Thursday night, Dhaka Metropolitan Police released photos of six alleged ABT members and put bounties on them ranging from Tk2 lakh to Tk5lakh.

Armed Police Battalion Dhaka Airport zone’s ASP Tareq Ahmed said security had already been increased in and around the airport.

The number of check posts at the airport had been increased, ASP Tareq said. A source at the Shahjalal Airport said intelligence were also working there to prevent

country, he added.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Additional Deputy commissioner (ADC immigration) Arefin Jewel told the Dhaka Tribune that they had received instructions and had started working accordingly.

CMP Deputy Commissioner (port) Harun-ar-Rashid told the Dhaka Tribune that the Shah Amanat Airport had already been told to increase security.

Benapole Land port and Sylhet airport authorities on the other

hand said they were yet to receive instructions to raise security measures.

Muhsin Reza, the public relations officer of Border guard Bangladesh, told the Dhaka Tribune they were yet to confirm if red alert was applicable for them or any instruction was issued from the Home Ministry.

However, he said the force remained on constant alert at the border to prevent anyone from passing through illegally. l

Hefazat issues ultimatum for Shyamal’s punishment n Tanveer Hossain, Narayanganj Hefazat-e-Islam, a fundamentalist Islamic outfit in Bangladesh, has issued a 72-hour ultimatum demanding punishment for Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, a Hindu school teacher accused of disrespecting Islam.

At a rally in Narayanganj after the Jumma prayers yesterday, Hefazat’s local branch, alongside several other religious organisations, also demanded resignation of Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid within the given time for reappointing Shyamal as headmaster of Piyar Sattar Latif High School.

Rifat Hasan, the student who first raised the allegations against Shyamal, was brought to speak before a crowd of around a thousand people in front of the DIT Mosque in the city.

Although Rifat denied making the allegations in an interview with a private TV channel, he reiterated them when speaking to BBC Bangla.

At yesterday’s rally, Rifat accused his teacher of name-calling Allah as an angry crowd roared in response.

DIT Mosque’s Khatib Abdul Awal, who is also the head of the local Hefazat chapter, claimed his organisation had carried out an investigation into the incident and found Shyamal to be guilty.

On May 8, Shyamal Kanti Bhakta was beaten up by a mob and publicly humiliated by local lawmaker Salim Osman after allegations of defaming Islam were brought against him. The lawmaker’s actions triggered countrywide protests, resulting in the Education Ministry dissolving the school committee. Shyamal has consistently denied the charges. l

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR

SATURDAY, MAY 21

Under the banner ‘Protibadi Jonota,’ protesters unite to form a human chain – while holding their ears – in front of National Museum in Shahbagh, Dhaka yesterday demanding punishment for Narayanganj lawmaker Salim Osman and others for publicly humiliating Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, the school headmaster from Narayanganj who was made to do squats in public while holding his ears RAJIB DHAR

Home Ministry to allow sedition case against Aslam Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Arifur Rahman Rabbi

ting against the government.

He was charged under Section 54 on Monday to know who else was involved in the anti-state conspiracy. The next day he was taken on a seven-day remand for interrogation.

Aslam already faces nearly two and a half dozen cases of sabotage from 2013 and 2014.

Aslam met with Israeli Likud Party leader Mendi N Safadi in early March in Agra and Delhi of India.

Intelligence agencies suspect that he met with Mossad agents.

Safadi was also the head of an organisation named Centre for International Diplomacy and Advocacy

The Home Ministry has decided to bring sedition charge against BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury.

Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the sedition case would be approved when police apply for permission for filing the case.

BNP Joint Secretary General Aslam Chaudhry was arrested by police on Sunday afternoon for his alleged collaboration with Israeli intelligence agency Mossad to create instability in Bangladesh and plotDhaka

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and is suspected to have close ties with Mossad.

An investigating official said they have got some documentary evidence of sedition against Aslam.

If the Home Ministry permits filing of the sedition case, the detectives will submit the evidence to the court. They will also find out if anyone else is involved and implicate them in the case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch’s Joint Commissioner Abdul Baten told the Dhaka Tribune that they have got important information from interrogation.

Monirul Islam, additional comKhulna

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Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:13AM

33.4ºC Rajshahi

21.5ºC Rangpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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PRAYER TIMES

missioner and head of counter-terrorism and transnational crime unit, said the Aslam-Safadi meeting was part of a foreign conspiracy against Bangladesh.

He also said Islamic State’s taking responsibility and giving statements following various murders since September last year and this meeting are all connected.

Asked about the permission, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said they were yet to get the required application.

“We will give the permission as soon as we receive the document concerned,” he said. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 5:15am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:00pm | Magrib: 6:24pm Esha: 8:15pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Nothing to confiscate at MP Rana’s residence?

Afzal Hossain, n Mohammed Tangail Police yesterday conducted a drive at the residences of 10 accused in the killing case of Awami League leader and freedom fighter Faruk Ahmed in order to confiscate all of their assets. But police could not find anything at their houses.

A Tangail court on Monday asked police to attach all the assets belong to the 10 accused, including lawmaker of Tangail constituency 3 Amanur Rahman Rana and his three brothers.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Golam Kibria passed the order following a petition filed by officerin-charge of Detective Branch (DB) of police Mahfizur Rahman, also investigation officer of the case.

The court also asked the accused to surrender before it by June 16.

Officer-in-Charge of Tangail Sadar police station Nazmul Haque Bhuiyan told the Dhaka Tribune that the accused might have shifted all of their belongings to unknown places as soon as the court gave the order.

The OC said police could only confiscate a refrigerator belonged

to former of Tangail municipality Sahidur Rahman Mukti which was kept at his tenant’s house.

Three brothers of MP Rana are Sahidur Rahman Khan Mukti, former mayor of Tangail municipality, Jahidur Rahman Khan Kakon, a business leader of Tangail, and Saniyat Khan Bappa, former vice-president of Bangladesh Chhatra League..

The other accused of the case are Kabir Hossain, Darowan Babu, Alamgir Hossain Chane, Nasir Uddin Noor, Sanowar Hossain and Masudur Rahman.

Earlier on April 6, a court issued a warrant for 10 accused accepting the charge sheet submitted

by Inspector Golam Mahfizur Rahman. On February 3, police submitted a charge sheet before the court accusing 14 people.

On January 18, 2013, police recovered the bullet-ridden body of Faruk near his residence at Collegepara. Nahar Ahmed, wife of Faruk, filed a case in this connection.

In August, 2014, police arrested two cohorts of MP Rana who gave confessional statement before a court. l

Police get nothing but a refrigerator belongs to Sahidur Rahman Khan Mukti, an accused in the killing case of Awami League leader and freedom fighter Faruk Ahmed, during a drive at collegepara in Tangail district town yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

MP’s son held with firearm

HIV cases on the rise in Khulna

Police detained son of lawmaker Begum Rifat Amin in possession of a firearm and 43 rounds of bullet from a resort near the Sundarbans, Shyamnagar upazila Satkhira.

Police also detained three women from the resort owned by MP’s son Shafayet Sarwar Roman on Thursday night.

During primary interrogation, Roman claimed the women were his relatives, police said.

Officer-in-Charge of Shyamnagar police station Enamul Hoque said police, acting on a tip-off, police carried out a drive at Barsha Resort and detained Roman. l

The number of HIV infected persons have increased in alarming rate in the district over last few years due to manifold reasons.

According to local sources, at least five persons are infected each month by the immunodeficiency virus HIV in the region.

A total of 192 patients have been infected by the disease since 2003 in the region. Of them, 19 are children and teenage persons.

Maximum persons infected by the virus are not conscious about the disease. They do not have regular medical checkup.

The sources said the adult persons who go to the brothel, are infected mainly by the virus.

When a person is noticed that

n Md Asaduzzaman, Satkhira

One dies in post-polls violence n Tribune Desk A man was killed and at least 20 others injured in a post-union parishad polls clash between the followers of elected and defeated candidates in Telikandi village of Pakshimul union in Sarail upazila on Thursday night.

The deceased was identified as Mobashir, 24, a supporter of elected member of the UP Joynal. l

Hedait Hossain Molla, n Md Khulna

he is infected by the disease, is neglected in his family and society, the sources added.

Rehena Begum, co-coordinator of Mukta Akash, a local NGO, said: “Recently the number of HIV patients have increased rapidly in the region.”

“When a person of a family is infected by the disease, the total family is ostracized by the local people,” she said.

“The organisation has appointed four HIV persons as its employee recently. Of them two are male and another two are female. The government and other bodies of the society should follow the example,” she added.

Selimuzzman, comprehensive care support and treatment centre (CSTC) manager of the institution said: “Ninety percent people in the

region are not conscious about the disease. Recently we have found three HIV infected youth who are university students.”

“Government, NGOs and several other bodies of the society should steps to make alert the people about the disease,” he added.

According to the sources of World Vision, an international NGO, everyday 1,000 trucks enter Bangladesh from India through the border. Many of these truck drivers go to the Indian brothel and do not take safety measures. They carry the disease and spread it in many ways.

Beside it, call girls are found in several areas of Satkhira, Narail, Jessore, Magura, Bagerhat and Khulna city. They help to increase the disease, added the source.

About 99 percent children are

infected by their mother, the sources also said.

Abu Mohammad Ali Zaved, administrator of Khulna Medical College, said: “A total of 23 persons have been found infected with the disease since July 2015.”

Civil Surgeon Dr Rafiqul Isalam said: “HIV positive persons are increasing in the region in alarming rate.”

“Mukta Akash and the government are working jointly on the issue. Other bodies of the society should come forward to help the HIV patients,” he added.

It is mentionable, in 2001, 39 Thai workers who were working to build up a bridge on the Rupsha River, were found with the disease.

In 2002, a housewife was infected with the disease in Khalishpur area of the city. l

RAMGARH MUNICIPALITY POLL

Candidates moving door to door seeking votes n Jasim Majumder, Khagrachhari At least 60 candidates, including three mayoral candidates, are busy time with the campaign for the upcoming Ramgarh municipality election schedule to be held on May 25.

Independent candidate and incumbent Mayor of the municipality Md Shahjahan alleged that

ruling party leaders were obstructing their activists from conducting campaign.

“I have made several complaints to returning officer, but he did not take any measure regarding this,” Md Shahjahan added.

BNP nominated mayoral aspirant Hafez Ahmed Bhuiyan also made the same allegation against

ruling party candidate. He urged administration to play a neutral rule during the election day.

Awami League nominated candidate Biswa Pradip Kumar Karbary, however, denied the allegation of harassing opponent activists.

He said sensing defeat, both independent and BNP candidate were making such comments.

District Election Officer Md Nurul Alam said campaign had got momentum as three mayoral candidates, 50 councillors (male), and 07 councillors (female) were moving door to door seeking votes.

A total 18,273 voters, including 8,647 female, to cast their votes in the upcoming municipality election. l

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

QUESTIONS FOR MAYOR

ANNISUL HUQ Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Huq will sit in a round-table discussion organised by Bangla Tribune today at 10:30am. Below are some of the questions Facebook users posed for the mayor to answer CUTTING DOWN TREES Do you know how many trees have been cut down for road works? And how do you intend to replace them (if at all)?

Now that they have gotten rid of most of the trees in Banani, how do you expect trees to grow on pavements? Very curious to know.

Came home today to find they’ve chopped down both the Krishnochura trees planted by my mother many years ago. How is anyone going to replace them?

DRAINS Do you plan to clean the drains/khals/ bils before the rainy season hits properly and inundates Dhaka like last year?

The drains in the south of Banani have been overflowing for sometime now.

Though it’s summer, the roads are already inundated with waste from the drains. If this is the condition in dry season, when the rains start, diseases will spread like wildfire. Are you taking any measures in this regard?

We all have noticed the large pipes being installed. Are these for stormwater or sewerage? Is this going to cover all of Dhaka, including the Old Town? When will the work be completed?

NEIGHBOURHOOD A law was enacted by AL banning posters and graffiti, but political and other posters are still being pasted on public walls, private properties, new flyovers, etc. It is unsightly and a damage to the walls, bridges and properties. When will you enforce the law? Would you consider mobile courts?

Why did last year’s Qurbani initiative to have cows slaughtered in specified areas fail? Why didn’t you or the ward commissioners do your slaughtering there?

May we have some guidance on noise pollution, especially in mixed residential areas?

Is there a building code for construction work? As in from when to when are construction companies allowed to work? What about the early morning/ late night noises (pilling, cutting of tiles, etc)? Can we have a hotline where we can call if the construction company is being a nuisance and working noisily into the wee hours of the night?

In Gulshan Road 42, fly tipping has narrowed the road and led to scavenging and stray dogs to roam around, which makes walking impossible.

Another issue is “Ladies of the night/ Street walkers,” who are causing a nuisance to the residents especially when there’s a dispute over services being provided, prices and other terms and conditions not being met by either party. Do you have any plans for this?

ROADWORKS /TRAFFIC/ NOISE POLLUTION How long until the city roads are fixed?

Not the usual schtick of “October” or some other month please... realistically how long?

Why were the roadworks a priority over other things such as restoring public parks, collecting garbage, rehabilitating beggars, etc?

What are you going to do about the total lack of civic sense of the people who run Banani Biddyaniketan? They are loud, cause massive traffic congestion, and of course are corrupt to the bone. It is not fair that our property value should fall because of the nuisance created by this school.

Do you think making Banani Road 11 a one way with Kemal Ataturk being the alternative road to Road 11. This may provide some respite from the traffic in this area.

Can you turn Banani Road 11 into a walking street?

We have been going through traffic hell in the Gulshan area for months now due to roadworks. This was poorly planned, poorly executed and poorly communicated to residents. Why is there no public consultation on these things? We have been late for school, late for work, missed meetings and medical appointments for this fiasco.

Over one hour to travel less than 2km is wrong. Do you agree, Mr Mayor?

Do you have any plans to make Dhaka city roads walkable and create separate paths for bicycles? I suggest that clear the walkways and create bike paths. The cars can fight for the rest of the space.

ENCROACHMENT How are you going to prevent illegal land grabbing and construction? How will you prevent corruption of city corporation officials?

In spite of your assurance to make the footpaths and roads free of illegal markets, we still see bazars flank both sides of the key roads. Do you have specific plans to tackle the problem?

OTHER When will the “Khal khonon kormoshuchi” (canal digging projects)

by Annisul Huq end? When will we see the cable operators taking their unsightly cables underground?

Can the mayor push for a rule that in each community, there has to be at least one shopping mall with a library in it?

Is he interested to work with individual or groups to implement alternative business plans that will open new windows of revenues for cash-strapped DNCC and will create jobs?

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

TOP STORIES

INSIGHT

Cyber thieves exploit banks’ faith in SWIFT transfer network 1st UN global aid summit seen falling short as crises mount A global summit called by the UN secretary general next week to address failings in humanitarian aid provision risks falling short of its ambitions, boycotted by a big aid agency and snubbed by Russia’s president.

PAGE 9

The idea of a President Trump scares some, bolsters others in Asia Donald Trump’s “isolationist” foreign policy pronouncements are feeding insecurity in some Asian nations fearful of China’s growing power, and risk emboldening nationalists and authoritarians in the region.

PAGE 9

Will BJP’s Assam win intensify ethnic tension there?

The outcome of Assam was the most crucial among the four states and one union territory whose parliamentary election results were declared on Thursday, because of the already existing political and ethnic rifts there between the ‘natives’ and ‘settlers’ PAGE 10

n Reuters, London/Chicago Shortly after 7 p.m. on January 12, 2015, a message from a secure computer terminal at Banco del Austro (BDA) in Ecuador instructed San Francisco-based Wells Fargo to transfer money to bank accounts in Hong Kong.

Wells Fargo complied. Over 10 days, Wells approved a total of at least 12 transfers of BDA funds requested over the secure SWIFT system.

The SWIFT network - which allows banks to process billions of dollars in transfers each day - is considered the backbone of international banking. In all, Wells Fargo transferred $12m of BDA’s money to accounts across the globe.

Both banks now believe those funds were stolen by unidentified hackers, according to documents in a BDA lawsuit filed against Wells Fargo in New York this year.

The two banks declined requests for comment.

BDA is suing Wells Fargo on the basis that the US bank should have flagged the transactions as suspicious.

Wells Fargo has countered that security lapses in BDA’s own operations caused the Ecuadorean bank’s losses. Hackers had secured a BDA employee’s SWIFT logon credentials, Wells Fargo said in a February court filing.

SWIFT, an acronym for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is not a party to the lawsuit.

Neither bank reported the theft to SWIFT, which said it first learned about the cyber attack from an investigative inquiry.

“We were not aware,” SWIFT said in a statement responding to inquiries. “We need to be informed by customers of such frauds if they relate to our products and services, so that we can inform and support the wider community. We have been in touch with the bank concerned to get more information, and are reminding customers of their obligations to share such information with us.”

SWIFT says it requires customer to notify SWIFT of problems that can affect the “confidentiality, integrity, or availability of SWIFT service.”

SWIFT, however, has no rule specifically requiring client banks to report hacking thefts. Banks of-

The SWIFT logo is pictured in this photo illustration ten do not report such attacks out of concern they make the institution appear vulnerable, former SWIFT employees and cyber security experts told Reuters.

The Ecuador case illuminates a central problem with preventing such fraudulent transfers: Neither SWIFT nor its client banks have a full picture of the frequency or the details of cyber thefts made through the network, according to more than dozen former SWIFT executives, users and cyber security experts.

The case - details of which have not been previously reported - raises new questions about the oversight of the SWIFT network and its communications with member banks about cyber thefts and risks. The network has faced intense scrutiny since cyber thieves stole $81m in February from a Bangladesh central bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

It’s unclear what SWIFT tells its member banks when it does find out about cyber thefts, which are typically first discovered by the bank that has been defrauded.

SWIFT spokeswoman Natasha de Terán said that the organisation “was transparent with its users” but declined to elaborate. SWIFT declined to answer specific questions about its policies for disclosing breaches.

It couldn’t be determined whether the number or frequency of cyber attacks involving the SWIFT system, or how often the banks report them to SWIFT officials.

REUTERS

The lack of disclosure may foster overconfidence in SWIFT network security by banks, which routinely approve transfer requests made through the messaging network without additional verification, former SWIFT employees and cyber security experts said.

SWIFT commits to checking the codes on messages sent into its system, to ensure the message has originated from a client’s terminal, and to send it to the intended recipient quickly and securely, former SWIFT executives and cyber security experts said. But once cyber-thieves obtain legitimate codes and credentials, they said, SWIFT has no way of knowing they are not the true account holders.

The Bank for International Settlements, a trade body for central banks, said in a November report that increased information sharing on cyber attacks is crucial to helping financial institutions manage the risk.

Systemic risk

Some former SWIFT employees said that the cooperative struggles to keep banks informed on risks of cyber fraud because of a lack of cooperation from the banks themselves.

Banks also fear notifying SWIFT or law enforcement of security breaches because that could lead to regulatory investigations that highlight failures of risk management or compliance that could embarrass top managers, said Hugh Cumberland, a former

SWIFT marketing executive.

Cases of unauthorised money transfers rarely become public, in part because disagreements are usually settled bilaterally or through arbitration, which is typically private, said Salvatore Scanio, an American lawyer, who consulted on a dispute involving millions of dollars of stolen funds and the sending of fraudulent SWIFT messages similar to the BDA attack.

Theoretically, SWIFT could require its customers, mainly banks, to inform it of any attacks - given that no bank could risk the threat of exclusion from the network.

But such a rule would require the agreement of its board, which is mainly made up of senior executives from the back office divisions of the largest western banks, who would be unlikely to approve such a policy.

Fight over liability

This week, Vietnam’s Tien Phong Bank said its SWIFT account, too, was used in an attempted hack last year. That effort failed, but it is another sign that cyber-criminals are increasingly targeting the messaging network.

In the Ecuadorean case, Wells Fargo denies any liability for the fraudulent transfers from BDA accounts. BDA is seeking recovery of the money, plus interest. Wells Fargo is attempting to have the case thrown out.

New York-based Citibank also transferred $1.8m in response to fraudulent requests made through BDA’s SWIFT terminal, according to the BDA lawsuit against Wells Fargo. Citibank repaid the $1.8m to BDA, according to a BDA court filing in April.

Anatomy of a cyber heist

BDA acknowledged in a January court filing that after obtaining a BDA employee’s SWIFT logon, the thieves then fished out previously canceled or rejected payment requests that remained in BDA’s SWIFT outbox. They then altered the amounts and destinations on the transfer requests and reissued them, both banks said in filings.

The BDA theft and others underscore the need for banks on both sides of such transactions - often for massive sums - to rely less on SWIFT for security and strengthen their own verification protocols, Cumberland said. l

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1st UN global aid summit seen falling short as crises mount n Reuters, Istanbul A global summit called by the UN secretary general next week to address failings in humanitarian aid provision risks falling short of its ambitions, boycotted by a big aid agency and snubbed by Russia’s president.

Government and business leaders, aid groups and donors gather in Istanbul for the two-day summit on Monday to try to develop a more coherent response to what UN chief Ban Ki-moon has called the worst global humanitarian situation since World War II. The United Nations estimates that more than 130m people are in need of humanitarian assistance and that less than 20% of the $20bn needed to fund that is covered.

The summit - billed as the first of its kind bringing together governments, civil society and the private sector - aims to mobilise funds and get world leaders to agree on issues ranging from how to manage displaced civilians to renewing commitments to inter-

Aid workers fed thousands of Kosovan refugees at camps in Albenia in 1999 BIGSTOCK

national humanitarian law.

But branding it a “fig-leaf of good intentions”, Medecins sans Frontieres - involved in the planning over the past 18 months pulled out in early May, saying it had lost hope that the meetings could address weaknesses in emergency response.

It said it could not see how the summit could help address the needs of patients and medical staff facing violence in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan, displaced

civilians blocked at borders in Jordan, Turkey and Macedonia, or refugees and migrants trying to settle in Greece and Australia.

Seventy-five hospitals managed or supported by MSF were bombed around the world last year, in what the agency said were violations of the most fundamental rules of war.

Some 6,000 participants from 150 UN member states are expected to take part in the Istanbul talks, according to summit

spokesman Herve Verhoosel, including 57 heads of state or government.

But he said the purpose of the summit was to “set the stage for change” and provide a framework for concrete measures. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the only G7 leader so far publicly confirmed as planning to attend.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be there. Moscow will instead send its deputy minister for emergencies, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, adding Russia had serious concerns about the summit and had told UN member states it would not be bound by its commitments.

MSF said the non-binding nature of commitments at the summit would in any case mean states could not be held accountable.

Russia and the Syrian government, which is backed by Moscow, stand accused of widespread rights violations in Syria’s war including attacks on medical facilities, which Moscow denies. l

INSIGHT Anti-smoking campaign hails UK The idea of a President Trump scares court’s packaging some, bolsters others in Asia judgment

n Tribune International Desk

n Reuters, Singapore

Anti-smoking advocacy organisation Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids on Thursday welcomed a UK High Court ruling that rejected a legal challenge against compulsory plain packaging law, describing it as a “tremendous victory for public health.”

World’s top four tobacco companies, British American Tobacco (BAT), Philip Morris International, Japan Tobacco International and Imperial Brands had argued against the law, scheduled to take effect on Friday.

In a statement, Matthew L Myers, president of the Washington-based organisation said: “represents [the ruling] a critical step in the growing movement for countries to include plain packaging as part of their comprehensive approach to reducing tobacco use.”

Applauding these countries’ effort for putting the health of their people first, he further said: “These countries are providing much-needed leadership in combatting a global epidemic that will otherwise kill 1bn people this century and setting a strong example for other countries to follow.” l

D o n a l d Trump’s “isolationist” foreign policy pronouncements are feeding insecurity in some Asian nations fearful of China’s growing power, and risk emboldening nationalists and authoritarians in the region.

The real estate developer, who is very close to securing the Republican nomination for November’s presidential election, has with undiplomatic abandon challenged much of the status quo in US-Asia relations. Overall, his comments have sounded like a death knell for the “pivot to Asia” strategy adopted by President Barack Obama five years ago.

He has said US allies like Japan and South Korea should pay more towards their defence, warned he could withdraw US troops from bases in Japan, and mulled whether Japan and South Korea should have their own nuclear arms. This week in an interview he said he is willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which would represent a major shift in US policy.

He has also threatened to rein

A demonstrator holds a sign as she protests against Donald Trump in New Jersey on Thursday REUTERS in China’s big trade surplus with the US, saying he will threaten to impose heavy duties on Chinese goods. And Trump says he will rip up and then renegotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade pact agreed to by the US, Japan, and 10 other countries in February.

Furthermore, Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States risks undermining moderate leaders in Muslim countries.

“If he becomes president and adopts his own version of foreign policy, the US will cease to be a Pacific power. That’s the end result,” said Kunihiko Miyake, a former

DT

World

Japanese diplomat, who served in both Beijing and Baghdad.

And his comments about the possibility of a local nuclear deterrent fanned fears among Asian diplomats that the world could become an even more dangerous place.

Japan’s nationalist-led government has already boosted defence spending and has reinterpreted its pacifist constitution to allow its military to come to the aid of allies under attack, a major shift in Japan’s post-war security stance.

A senior Japanese government official said Washington could lose influence in Asia if there was any perception it was softening its stance on issues like the South China Sea. There are also fears that the TPP could unravel, or become worth a lot less to Asian partners, should Trump renegotiate the pact. The deal has yet to be ratified.

The lack of priority Trump appears to give to issues that don’t serve his “America first” agenda could mean he’ll soft-pedal on human rights and democratic values, some critics said. That would come at a time when generals are running Thailand, a ‘strong man’ has just been elected the new president of the Philippines, and Malaysia’s prime minister has silenced independent media. l

SOUTH ASIA

500,000 flee homes as Sri Lanka flood worsens Desperate Sri Lankans clambered onto rubber dinghies and makeshift rafts Friday to escape monster floods in the capital Colombo as officials said half a million people had fled their homes across the island. More than 60 people known to have died so far amid fears that number could spike with many more reported missing. -AFP

INDIA

India sets new heat record as temperatures soar Temperatures have soared to a scorching 51°C in Rajasthan’s Phalodi city, meteorologists said Friday, with the ferocious heat setting a new national record, beating a 60-yearold record. The latest record high came as the IMD issued warnings of “severe heat wave” conditions across large parts of India’s north and west.

Last year, India suffered one of its deadliest heatwaves in which more than 2,400 people died.

-AFP

CHINA

China okays plan to clean up online finance industry China’s government has approved a plan to clean up the country’s online financial sector, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, including rules to limit the activities of P2P lending firms, the source of recent fraud scandals. It outlines stricter rules for peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms, where lending quadrupled last year to $67bn, according to Citigroup research, forbidding them from holding clients’ capital in-house.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Malaysia to impose travel bans on govt critics Malaysia is able to impose a threeyear travel ban on its citizens who discredit or ridicule the government, the Star newspaper reported on Thursday, as criticism against the scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak grows. It was not immediately clear who the provision had been used against as the newspaper did not say.

-REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Angry protesters enter Iraq PM office, curfew imposed Supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr managed to enter Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office Friday after breaking into the Green Zone for the second time in three weeks. They initially faced tough resistance from forces guarding the premier’s office but some were able to muscle past and briefly enter the premises. Curfew was slapped after Curfew slapped after the Green Zone breach. -AFP

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

USA

Clinton calls Trump too unsteady to be president Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton pivoted to a general election matchup against Republican candidate Donald Trump on Thursday, saying he is dangerously unpredictable and not qualified to be president. In a CNN interview, Clinton used the example of the apparent downing of an EgyptAir plane from Paris to Cairo to say that Trump would lack the skills to bring together US allies to respond to global threats. -REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Scandal-hit Petrobras gets new CEO Brazil’s acting president Michel Temer on Thursday named a new chairman for the scandal-tainted state oil company Petrobras. The new boss is Pedro Parente, a former government minister. He will replace Aldemir Bendine, who took the helm at Petrobras in February 2015 as the corruption scandal around the company was roiling.-AFP

UK

Trump may accept UK PM’s invitation to visit UK US presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Friday he may visit Britain at the invitation of Prime Minister David Cameron. Trump, in an interview with MSNBC, said Cameron extended the invitation to visit 10 Downing Street two days ago and that he “might do it.” He gave no other details, including when the visit might occur.

-REUTERS

EUROPE

EU chief warns UK of consequences for deserters European Commission chief JeanClaude Juncker said Friday that “deserters” from the EU would have to accept being outsiders, in his strongest warning yet against Britain voting to leave the bloc next month.

“Deserters won’t be welcomed with open arms,” he told French newspaper Le Monde. “The UK will have to accept being considered a third party, who we won’t be bending over backwards for,” he said.

-AFP

AFRICA

EgyptAir wreckage found in Mediterranean Egyptian rescuers found wreckage including seats and luggage Friday from the EgyptAir plane that crashed in the Mediterranean.

Search teams spotted personal belongings of passengers and parts of the Airbus A320 about 290km north of Egypt’s Alexandria. The country’s aviation minister has said a “terrorist attack” was a more likely cause than technical failure for the plane’s disappearance.

-AFP

ANALYSIS

Will BJP’s Assam win intensify ethnic tension there? n Adil Mahmood Indian northeastern state Assam’s greatest son till date, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, in one of his most famous lyrics, wrote: “Ami Axomiya Nohou Dukhiya, buli xantona lobhile nohobo.”

Translated in English as: “We being Assamese can’t always be sure that we won’t be poor,” it was Bhupen’s call to his fellow Assamese to stop basking in the region’s past glory and work for a better future. He wrote this song at an age when Assam was known for the vast natural resources and its image as the most beautiful state of India.

Since then billion gallons of water have flown through the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, Hazarika’s two favourite rivers, and Assam’s demographics, it’s people’s perception have changed simultaneously, which was reflected on Thursday, when Assamese people elected a Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance to rule the state for the next five years, ending a 15-year reign of secularist Tarun Gogoi’s Indian National Congress in the state.

Assam is an ethnic, cultural mosaic with a colonial and pre-colonial history. Post-independence India took it upon itself the task of managing this society. In the Assam assembly, an MLA (member of local assembly) can take an oath in Assamese, English, Hindi, Bengali and a tribal language.

The outcome of Assam was the most crucial among the four states and one union territory whose parliamentary election results were declared on Thursday, because of the already existing political and ethnic rifts there between the ‘natives’ and ‘settlers’.

The older, Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups such as the Bodo maintain that a large part of the Muslim population in the state, mostly ethnic Bengalis, are in fact illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who are “stealing their jobs.”

Assam has, for many years, been embroiled in violence involving the Bodos, Rabhas and Tiwas against Bengali and other Indian migrants. In the Nellie riots of February 1983, 3,000 people were butchered within a span of six hours. In more recent time, on May 1, 2014; violence flared up again, killing 51 people in Bodoland Territorial Area Districts’ Narasingbari area.

Student unions such as the All Assam Student Union have played

Indian Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonwal, centre, with Mahendra Singh (back), the BJP Assam's in-charge of elections, greets supporters after winning a majority in the state assembly elections in Guwahati on Thursday AFP a significant role in the growth of divisive and xenophobic politics in the region, through movements such as ‘Refugee go back’ and ‘Detect and deport foreigners’ programmes.

This tag of ‘foreigners’ makes the notion of self and other very distinct, human-rights activist and philosopher Prasenjit Biswas points out. In an essay titled ‘Understanding ethnic perspectives,’ he argues that “the new cult of the other allows a better representation of the self.” The sense of differentiation was the only category that could unite the different ethnicities and this was used to the hilt by different student unions and political groups in Assam, he explained.

When the ‘foreigners’ issue reached its height in Assam under the leadership of the All Assam Student’s Union, the movement also spilled over to Arunachal where Chakmas, resettled by the Indian Government in the ‘60s, were targeted by the native Singphos.

The assembly polls of 2016 and the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 introduced a new element that

did not have a strong presence in Northeastern India, the BJP. The designing of BJP’s campaign was to pit the Hindu Assamese versus the Muslim ‘Bangladeshis’. But this is not a very neat equation.

One look at the contours of the Assam students’ movement of 197985 shows that it sought to play off the Assamese Hindus against all Bengalis. This politics of targeting led to the Nellie massacre. And this time too such targeting is being practised. Top leaders of the BJP have said if the NDA wins in Assam, the ‘Bangladeshis’ will be thrown out.

Right before the election campaign kicked off, rumours emerged that BJP was in a good position in Assam because the chief ministerial candidate Sarbanda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma, the two front-ranking leaders in the BJP in Assam, do not have an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background and had cut their teeth in the politics of the student movement of the 1970s and the 1980s. But the fact is that the RSS has been targeting the north-eastern region for long. Sonowal and Sarma are just

pawns in the big game.

By forming an alliance with the Bodoland People’s Front, the BJP has capitalised on the anti-Muslim sentiment among the Bodos. It is true that the Bodos and the Muslims have been on the warpath since 1952, and the riots in recent times, especially in 2012 and 2014, are fresh in people’s minds. But the Bodos did not fight just the Muslims. The Assamese-speaking people were among their first targets. In 1996, Bodo militants killed about 100 Santhals and other adivasis (brought by the British from central India more than 150 years ago for tea plantation work). In July 1997, at least 33 Bengali Hindu settlers were killed. About 300 non-Bodos (including the victims of a train blast in 1996) were killed between 1993 and 1997.

Political scientist Paul Brass has written that in Assam there have been many interstices of confrontations: Bengalis vs Assamese, Hindus vs Muslims, plainspeople vs tribal hill people, tribals in the plains vs non-tribals, etc. The BJP is unmindful of this and wishes to drive cart and horse through this tapestry of ethnicity. l

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

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Arts & Letters

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

INSIDE

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Book review: Blame: A 1971 novel

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Translation: Monajatuddin

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Searching for a home in the world

Send your submissions to: anl@dhakatribune.com

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Arts & Letters

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

BOOK REVIEW

Blame: A 1971 novel Dilruba Z Ara’s novel spans across a decade of war and bloodshed

n Junaidul Haque

D

ilruba Z Ara is a SwedishBangladeshi writer.

She is a novelist, poet, painter, educator and translator. She lives in Lund, Sweden. She was born in Dhaka in the latter half of the 1950s. Her father, Professor Shahed Ali, was a noted writer of fiction and her mother a Professor of Bangla and a writer in her own right. Brought up in a very literary family, she has been a writer since childhood. She now teaches Swedish and English in Sweden.

Dilruba’s first novel, A List of Offences, has been published in Bangladesh, Spain and Greece and is now available as an e-book. Her short stories have been included in international anthologies.

Some of them are used as course material in universities around the world. Dilruba has also published a translation of her father’s selected short stories.

Blame is about the beautiful and sensitive Laila, and also about her friend Gita. Aged 19 in 1971, they were raped during our liberation war and disowned by their families. Apart from following Laila and Gita, the book narrates “the tensions between Muslims and Hindus, India and Pakistan, Bangla and Urdu, males and females.”

It talks of “friendship, betrayal, sacrifice, love, and shame.” Both her novels deal with political, cultural and emotional turmoil.

The writer quotes Rabindranath Tagore at the beginning: “Man’s body is so small, his strength of suffering so immense.”

Blame is set against our great war of independence. But it is fiction, not history. Hence, it deals with the human experience. So, it depicts individual destinies in troubled times. The central character, a very young lady, deals with the cultural and emotional turmoil she faces.

She reacts towards parents and lovers, distressing political and religious circumstances. It is a very interesting story, gaining pace as soon as Laila enters Dhaka.

The imminent war of 1971 engulfs the characters one by one. Dilruba, it appears, is a more mature writer now. If A List of Offences is a brilliant novel, Blame is a more refined work of fiction.

She has a lovely prose and she has told her story well. The plot has been deftly handled.

BIGSTOCK

}

Some deal with the battles and the soldiers, others examine how wars change people and society. Dilruba Z Ara’s agonising Blame falls in the second category

Why is Dilruba’s second novel named Blame? She herself explained during its launch at the Dhaka Literature Festival in November 2015. If war is a cruel game, blame is a game too.

The blame game can cause a war or be its effect. The blame game is quite significant in the context of our liberation war.

The Pakistanis blamed us for not being good Pakistanis, whatever that meant. We rightfully blamed the Pakistanis for the economic disparity between its two wings and later for the inhuman 1971 genocide and rape.

A historian runs after the heroes of a war and relates facts but a writer of fiction dwells on the humanity that goes through the suffering. The latter is concerned with the majority who sacrificed and suffered during the birth of Bangladesh.

In Dilruba’s second novel, Laila, the female protagonist, blossoms into a young lady while a new country is born. The novel focuses on Laila and her fellow sufferers.

All good war novels do so.

A note from the author claims: “Blame is based on my personal experience. Though some parts are fictional, most of the characters are drawn from real life, so the story is more or less true ... For me, the important things are how the Bangladeshi psyche was formed, and the role played by the Bangladeshi women during the liberation war. It’s time we spoke of those unsung heroines of Bangladesh.”

Dilruba has spoken of our unsung heroines quite well.

The novel is divided into three parts. It begins in 1965 when there was a war between India and Pakistan. Laila has just stepped into her teens and has a soft corner for her poor Hindu neighbour Santo. She is fond of his sister Gita too.

There are communal tensions across the country, which shake Laila and Shanto. They feel that they can’t be friends because they don’t belong to the same religion.

Santo and Gita can’t even swim in the village pond! The aristocratic Kazis want their little girl to abide

by their whims. Laila can only secretly receive a parrot with a broken wing from Santo and rear it in a two-chambered cage.

The parrot clearly symbolises the dream of a non-communal Bangladesh. Santo, Gita, and their parents feel that they are second class citizens in Pakistan.

The second part of the novel covers 1968 and 1969, very vital years in the history of Bangladesh.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the democratic movement against Ayub Khan’s military rule.

His six points demanded autonomy for East Pakistan. Laila bravely comes to study in Dhaka and is in the thick of things. Her future in-laws, her uncle and aunt too, take care of her. Laila soon moves to her girls’ college hostel, where her politico-cultural activist-seniors attract her.

Their humanism and ideals turn her into an activist too. The youth of Dhaka think freely and even her cousins are progressive political activists.

Part 3 deals with 1970 and 1971

and is the longest. Laila and her cousins have become freedom fighters. Santo and Gita too. The story progresses in Chittagong and the war rules the lives of the characters. They go through all kinds of experiences, from the sublime to the ordinary, from the good to the bad, from the heartrending to the comic.

War is “good for absolutely nothing.” Novelists, however, will disagree. They get inspiration from wars and struggles for grand works. Some deal with the battles and the soldiers, others examine how wars change people and society. Dilruba Z Ara’s agonising Blame falls in the second category.

The English Department of Stockholm University is thinking of selecting Blame as post-colonial course literature. The story is captivating. The plot is authentic.

The story is the novel’s strength.

It is important to understand our collective psyche in 1971.

The writer is honest and straightforward. One may disagree with her on certain issues but she has said brilliantly what she wanted to say. Although there are a few minor factual errors, the writer’s grasp of human psychology is superb.

Her prose, we may repeat, is lovely. It is racy and very readable.

Blame will attract a lot of readers in the future. l Junaidul Haque is a writer of fiction.

He can be reached at haque.junaidul@ yahoo.com.

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Arts & Letters

14

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

T R A N S L AT I O N

Real News from Pairabandh Excerpt from Monajatudin’s book Pairabandher Shikorh Sangbad

n Monajatuddin This was written by a journalist whose name is still etched in our mind because journalism for him was a vehicle for bringing about changes without which social progress is impossible. These excerpts give us a picture of women’s conditions in the early 1990s as regards child marriage, dowry-related violence etc.

Monajatuddin’s work, which is essential for taking stock of how far we have gone in eradicating those social ills, is a reminder of how journalism can translate into social activism.

I

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had planned to write a series of reports on the topic -- women in village society. It needed facts and data. Which village could be suitable for this hands-on work? I selected Pairabandh. The village that Begum Rokeya was born in seemed to be the best choice for an examination of women’s condition in villages. It need not be repeated that Begum Rokeya was the pioneer of the women’s emancipation movement in Bangladesh.

Seven years back, one morning, I set out from Rangpur.

Pairabandh is just nine miles away. Anyone can say that such a short distance can be traveled on a daily basis. But my idea was different: I thought of working from early morning till midnight.

Furthermore, it was really difficult to get back to the city after toiling 15 or 16 hours at a stretch.

I chalked out a seven day plan to collect data and interview village people.

I was allocated a room in the brick-built residence of Paribar Parikalpana Kendra. Beside the office was a residence where one room was still empty. I got into their bag and baggage. Lunch and dinner were arranged in the house next door in exchange for some money.

I followed the usual steps taken to collecting data in a village. I tried to interact with the youth and told them about my purpose.

I asked them if they could help me with the survey I was going to conduct.

Raju Ahmed was a young man living in Pairabandh. He’s one of the organisers of Begum Rokeya Shriti Sangsad. Under his supervision, a team of ten started

}

I invited a group of young men to a meeting in the field of a primary school in the evening. After a long discussion, we formed The Rokeya Brigade

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the survey. Before they started, I had arranged for them a one-day training providing them with all the key materials.

I had informed them of all details necessary to preparing a series report on this topic ie what information was important, how to collect it, what would be the proper way of talking to somebody and how to enter as many houses as they could and become friendly with the people while interviewing them.

The young men were really delighted with the chance to do something new. They started their work right the next day. And they surprised me with a tremendous result of details in seven days, providing me with all the ins and outs of what I had been searching for.

The total list of women victimised by early marriage, widowhood, divorce, dowry; their lifestyle, even the number of saris, blouses and petticoats of the victims or how many of them could afford soap or oil for their hair, their possession of jewelry and savings and finally how many times a victim had been beaten by her husband.

In those days, Grameen Bank had no project there, Nizera Kori (another NGO) also didn’t arrive till then. Their programs in Pairabandh -- like formation of groups, enhancing consciousness and saving project -- all began after these reports had serially been published in the Sangbad.

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For the last 15/16 years, I’ve written quite a number of series reports on this excess of early marriage in Pairabandh. I provided even names and addresses of the bride and the groom along with their photos.

I also tried to elucidate the reasons why these early marriages were taking place. Some of these reports stimulated the readers; some subsequently translated and published in foreign newspapers together with the photographs.

A number of different national and local dailies addressed them in the editorial or sub-editorial. Early marriage, in particular, was widely discussed in seminars, meetings and councils in Dhaka.

Consequently, the government has passed a law determining a minimum age for marriage. Yet the birth-place of Begum Rokeya could not keep this excessive flow of early marriage at bay.

The elected chairman and members of Union Parishad, educated persons, young men -- no one tried to prevent such a marriage.

Instead, many of them attended the ceremony and the feast.

Just a few miles away was the administration of Mithapukur, but no one from there had come forward while a child was being forced to get married. The district administration of Rangpur, too, acted dumb about the issue.

Grameen Bank had been

continuing their micro-credit program there for quite a long time; they were working for mounting mass consciousness.

NGOs like Nizera Koori had also been on the go for six or seven years.

They formed many groups with small or landless farmers and hard-up mothers, and initiated saving programs. They were a bit ahead in spreading consciousness through groups. Then why did they overlook so many early marriages around? Why didn’t they resist? If a social curse like this persists, then what is the point of raising mass consciousness?

I talked about this with some of their field workers. What came out from the talk was that they were unaware of these marriages. One such marriage occurred just some two or three hundred yards away from one of their local offices. A six-year-old girl named Lucky was married to a thirteen-year-old boy.

Lucky’s father was Hafizur Rahman, a carpenter. In fact, it all happened due to the couple’s fathers’ long cherished desire of strengthening their friendship by marrying their son and daughter.

They were married by a local maulavi and kazi.

I was astounded to learn that these NGO workers knew nothing about this marriage!

3

This revelation of such a giant figure of early marriage in the 21

villages of Pairabandh really hurt me. I talked to my young friends whether we could do something to prevent early marriage.

I invited a group of young men to a meeting in the field of a primary school in the evening.

After a long discussion, we formed The Rokeya Brigade. It did not have a committee, an organisational body or an office.

It just required that they would meet on a regular basis to discuss the progression of their work, may be in the school ground or in a tea stall at the village market. * After this brigade was formed, we took oaths standing close to each other in the dark school ground and with our hands putting together.

In fact, this program was just an experiment into what could be done locally to prevent early marriage. The Brigade was formed in March 1992. By September of that year, while I was working on this manuscript, I was informed that the rate of early marriage in Pairabandh has decreased considerably during this short period.

All Brigade members are still active and rush to the scene whenever they hear anything regarding early marriage. l This article has been translated by Rifat Munim.

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Arts & Letters

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

E S S AY

Searching for a home in the world While Bangla literature has grown in the country, the lack of translation has cut it off from the world

n Sharbari Zohra Ahmed

only of themselves, not culture or literature itself. It was about wealth accumulation and their version of the American Dream.

Culture fell by the wayside. Only recently are people seriously translating great works of Bangladeshi literature at a level that rivals that of Garcia Marquez’s or Pamuk’s translations. Two people I know of personally, Mahmud Rahman and Shabnam Nadiya, are doing this imperative work regularly. The newly minted Dhaka Translation Centre has also been set up to properly train people to translate.

I

n April 2016, I was asked to present a paper on Post Colonial Bangladeshi literature at the AWP conference and book fair. In an effort to understand what that actually is, I had to delve into why we are so cut off from the world.

Unlike our other South Asian counterparts, India and Pakistan, we are a relatively unknown quantity to the Western publishing industry. What I have discovered is what I suspected: There is no such thing as Post Colonial Bangladeshi fiction per se -- not in English. I’ve identified what I feel to be some major factors.

My title is a play on the great Satyajit Ray movie Ghare Baire, (Home and the World), which was very much about being South Asian under the yolk of colonialism. Being Bengali means being political. It might just be in our DNA. The first serious stirrings of the 20th century anti-British agitation originated in what is now Bangladesh, in a place called Chittagong, where, for one heady moment, Indians wrestled control from the mighty Raj. Our isolation is ironic, considering that one of the very first novels from the Indian subcontinent ever written in English, the language of the coloniser, was written in 1905 by a Bangladeshi (then East Bengal) Muslim woman named Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain.

It was called Sultana’s Dream, set in a feminist utopia where the women ruled and the men were content in the kitchen. In other words, science fiction. The West credits Salman Rushdie as the progenitor of South Asian magical realism, yet it is arguably Hossain who deserves that title, and she beat him by 70 plus years.

Another writer, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, born in what is now Jessore in Bangladesh, is considered the father of the Bengali sonnet and one of the pre-eminent voices of the Bengali artistic renaissance. Though skilled in Bengali poetry, he longed to be taken seriously as a poet who wrote in English as well.

Dutt travelled to the UK in the 1840s and later married a woman of English descent.

While his fellow Indians were attempting to eject the British, he was attempting to assimilate into British society, even converting to Christianity -- but he eventually

Class: An English education versus a Bangla education

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}

I posit there is no such thing as post-colonial Bangladeshi fiction in English. We are still inventing who we are as Bangladeshi fiction writers, and slowly coming into the world

found British racism unbearable and left for France. He was inspired by English poets, Byron in particular, and translated many works into Bangla, never straying too far from his Bengali linguistic heritage.

Post-Partition brain drain and Urdu In 1947, when India finally gained independence, East and West Bengal were divided, with the East being predominantly Muslim and going to Pakistan. Thus, the Hindus fled en masse and an intellectual and literary brain drain ensued.

Our Bengali identity, so closely tied with our literary traditions and our Hindu roots, was now co-opted by a Muslim one.

We were being ruled by a theocracy a thousand miles away. A new language was now being imposed upon us -- Urdu.

A beautiful language, to be sure, but not ours. The Bangladeshi language movement was born in the face of this imposition and people died to protect the mother tongue.

Thus, we crept even further away from our affinity for English.

Now we were forced to fight for our independence again, this time from Pakistan. This led the way to a nationalistic fervour, within which we are still ensconced. The Pakistani government systematically targeted intellectuals for execution and imprisonment -- including my father. I am an American because of this.

Thus, a second brain drain occurred in 1971, with writers, intellectuals, and artists fleeing death. Pakistan was defeated, at the cost of 3 million lives in nine months. Those left behind became mired in nationalism.

Where children were earlier taught both English and Bangla, now people only wanted to send their children to Bangla medium schools. The very wealthy opted for English, but this was a small percentage. The negative side effect of not having a generation able to speak and write in English is that we cut ourselves off from

the rest of the world.

Nationalism and the lack of translations

Bangladeshi literature has not been translated until a few outliers like Tagore took it upon himself to do so. The national poet of Bangladesh, Kazi Nazrul Islam, has not been widely translated into English. We are not actively trying to bring Nazrul to the world.

What India benefited from was that English was its unifying language. It is a country run in English. Moreover, it is the thirdlargest English speaking country in the world, with a thriving, educated middle class, a market heaven for publishers.

Two long decades of military rule have also made the citizens of Bangladesh very protective of their language and culture. After prolonged military rule, dissent was forcefully stifled. Many writers went underground as a result.

In the early 1990s, Bangladeshis starved of things, started thinking

Right now it is a particular class writing in English. On the one hand not many have their finger on the pulse of what it means to be an average Bangladeshi struggling to live -- and on the other they are mimicking or drawing liberally from western traditions. Those writing in English usually have the advantage of being able to study abroad. This only widens the chasm between the classes and muddies what Bangladeshi literature could be.

The two best-known English language writers of Bangladeshi origin, Zia Haider Rahman (In the Light of What We Know) and Tahmima Anam (The Good Muslim, The Golden Age, The Bones of Grace) cannot be considered postcolonial. Though Anam’s novel The Golden Age is about the 1971 war for independence, I would not qualify it as a reaction to a colonial past. Both these writers were educated abroad and their work is not informed by colonisation.

Post-colonial literature is all in Bangla, and mostly untranslated.

It hasn’t been read by us widely, the ones who are going into the world and are considered its emissaries. I am going in blind.

This is only the beginning.

Thus, I posit there is no such thing as post-colonial Bangladeshi fiction in English. We are still inventing who we are as Bangladeshi fiction writers, and slowly coming into the world. We have a history, we have tradition, we have craft, but will we ever find our place in Western literary firmament? Do we even need to? l This article first appeared in scroll.in.

Sharbari Zohra Ahmed is a writer of fiction and plays and TV, all the while living in Connecticut, US, with her son.

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Feature

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Making hell a better place How citizens in Dhaka cope with the traffic house. People in Bangladesh love food, and options are plentiful to choose from in Dhaka. The rise in popularity in delivery services like Foodpanda and Hungrynaki greatly lessened the need to travel afar to eat at your favourite restaurants. Instead of themselves, residents in Dhaka would honestly prefer the delivery guys being stuck in traffic.

Complementing that, online stores that are literally selling everything, have heavily invested in logistic support. This has enabled citizens to shop from their own houses and get it delivered instantly, instead of having to push through heavy traffic to reach the respective stores.

Smartphones

When all else fails, your smartphone magically appears as your knight in shining armour, full of your favourite songs and games to help you idly pass the time.

Once stuck in heavy traffic, there’s nothing much you can do, but wait. The luxury of at least being able to listen to music and mask the car honks all over the city feels like the most precious gift ever. While it is never possible to avoid gridlocks all the time, small trinkets like your phone or a good car stereo makes traffic congestion in Dhaka city much more bearable.

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n SK Farhan Rahman Ironically enough, Dhaka traffic is never at a standstill, even during gridlocks. You can bet that somewhere or the other, vehicles and citizens stuck in heavy traffic are honking their frustrations away or screaming their lungs away at traffic offenders.

On a more serious note though, the average person usually spends about three days stuck in traffic every month; spending an excess of approximately Tk200 every day due to traffic congestions. While saying good riddance to gridlocks may be too far-fetched to even think about, coping with the traffic isn’t.

Here are some ingenious ways people in Dhaka cope with the traffic problems.

Smart commutes

Rush hour traffic is probably the worst curse for mankind.

Everyone hates it - the morning commute to work and eight hours later, the toil back home again. In Dhaka, rush hour traffic is usually from 8 to 9 in the morning, and 6 to 8 in the evening.

Common sense dictates that commuting to and from work just before and after rush hour traffic is the most effective method to minimise traffic congestion. Sure, you’ll have to wake up earlier than expected to commute to work, but for some people, this small discomfort greatly outweighs the nuisance caused by rush hour traffic.

Whoever said knowledge is power forgot to mention that knowledge saves time as well.

Some people, the ones in the know at least, are familiar with the streets of Dhaka; they know it like the back of their hands.

Dhaka being what it is, offers ample opportunities to slide into a side street to avoid traffic on the main roads; unknown shortcuts they say. These shortcuts tend to be lesser known to the general population, and thus has minimal traffic. A perfect example of how to adapt, and make use of the cards you were dealt with.

Traffic updates

Having given up on the system almost entirely, people have literally taken things into their

Whoever said knowledge is power forgot to mention that knowledge saves time as well

own hands to respond to chaotic traffic situations. Bless those kind souls who take time out of their busy lives to provide traffic updates regularly in the Facebook group, Traffic Alert. While there are apps providing the exact same information, they are not as accessible as Facebook is to most people.

Speaking of apps, the likes of Go! Traffic coupled with the Facebook group Traffic Alert have proved to be a breath of fresh air for citizens. Sure, traffic congestion in the city hasn’t

decreased a bit, but hey, at least people know beforehand which roads are gridlocked and needs to be avoided at all costs, and can then work to figure out alternative routes to their destinations.

Delivery services

The boom in the F-commerce and E-commerce industries in Bangladesh has been kind on the previously frustrated souls in Dhaka. Unless absolutely necessary, work and leisure being the prime instances, there’s no reason why you should leave the

Government initiatives

That being said, the government is not sitting idly. Intense pressure from the public eventually forced them to take necessary actions - the most ambitious initiative being the Metrorail project. While progress is slow, and the project not being expected to be complete any time soon, it is still progress.

Flyovers are now the new norm, with the Mohakhali flyover being the latest one close to completion.

Let’s just hope that citizens in Dhaka don’t have to be creative to sidestep traffic for too long; perhaps a permanent solution is indeed looming in the corner.

Here’s a helpful piece of advice though: If in some point in time, you find yourself stuck in heavy traffic, cursing everyone and everything around for leaving you with the worst possible luck, the best course of action would be to try to be Zen about it. Convince yourself that this too shall pass, and nursing a terrifying rage every morning and every night is just as sensible as binge eating junk food while on a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. marathon. Make a plan for the following day, and trust that it will be executed to perfection. l

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Feature

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

The 2030 agenda for sustainable development Stakeholders call for holistic and coordinated response to meeting Goal 16 on peace, justice and inclusion in Bangladesh projects since 2008 with the n Features Desk support of Saferworld, an On September 2015, world leaders gathered at the United Nations (UN) and signed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a total of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) covering 169 targets across a huge range of development issues.

This resolution, which acts as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals, focuses on hunger and food security, health, education, gender equality, climate change and inequality, among other things.

Of these, goal 16 of the SDGs aims to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” Attention is now turning to implementation of this goal, which the 2030 Agenda states should be primarily carried out at national level through the integration of the goals and targets into national development plans and frameworks.

To further this goal, Saferworld and BRAC jointly organised a national workshop on May 18, 2016 titled ‘The 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development: Bangladesh’s Perspectives on implementation of SDG 16’. The world renowned development organisation BRAC has been working with community safety-security

independent organisation committed to building safer lives and integrating peace-building activities into development efforts.

Tariq-ul-Islam, secretary, Planning division, Ministry of Public Administration, spoke as Chief guest at the workshop, and it was chaired by Dr Muhammad Musa, executive director of BRAC. At the event, Anna Minj, Director of CEP, IDP & GJ&D at BRAC, shared their experiences on community security projects that were supported by Saferworld and were working towards goal 16 of the SDGs. Thomas Wheeler, conflict and security advisor at Saferworld, was present at the workshop to elaborate on the global aspects of the goal as well. Bibhash Chakraborty, Bangladesh programme manager at Saferword, also presented their study findings related to the SDGs, with a focus on goal 16 and the move from agreement to action within the country.

The research argued that despite significant economic progress over the last 15 years and achievements in areas such as poverty alleviation, health and education, Bangladesh still faces a number of challenges related to creating a more peaceful, just and inclusive society - an area of development prioritised for action in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The

Challenges in Bangladesh such as violence, access to justice, corruption and political participation are all interlinked – and goal 16 targets them together in a holistic way. To achieve the goal and safeguard progress made in the MDGs, Bangladesh will need a holistic and multistakeholder response

report also includes an overview of 20 different initiatives that demonstrate the rich variety of responses to these challenges

that already exist in Bangladesh, many of which could be leveraged or built upon to help the country make progress towards goal 16.

Around 50 participants including elected representatives, donors, security providers, academics, and representatives from national and international organisations, media, think tanks and civil society, attended the meeting.

“We need a coordinated effort to work towards this goal, and the government has already started an initiative to work with all stakeholders. The planning division of the Ministry of Public Administration has asked for support to implement the SDGs, with a special grant allocation in the budget,” said Tariq-ul-Islam, Secretary, planning division.

Muhammad Musa, executive director of BRAC agreed with him in his speech, saying “the government has already started to provide leadership and work towards this goal, and we need

to be involved with their process and work with them.”

Thomas Wheeler from Saferworld also added, “Challenges in Bangladesh such as violence, access to justice, corruption and political participation are all interlinked – and goal 16 targets them together in a holistic way. To achieve the goal and safeguard progress made in the MDGs, Bangladesh will need a holistic and multistakeholder response.”

Shishir Shil, secretary-general of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) who also attended the workshop, made an important point about ensuring that grassroots demands are able to influence legislation and the role of NGOs regarding this. He said, “The APPGs are taking the initiatives and experiences from the NGOs and feeding them into the legislative body to reflect people’s perception and demands."l

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18

Biz Info

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

| seminar |

Three emerging EPZs promoted

A promotional seminar was held at the Comilla Export Processing Zone (EPZ) to attract more investment in the Uttara, Ishwardi and Mongla EPZs located in the northern and southern regions

of the country. This seminar was organised to enhance local and foreign investment for the trio of processing zones.

Md Mehbub Ali, general manager of Comilla EPZ, began the

seminar with a briefing on overall scenarios of BEPZA. He described the investmentfriendly atmosphere existing in the Ishwardi, Uttara and Mongla EPZ through PowerPoint presentations

and video documentaries.

The general manager of Comilla EPZ focused on special incentives and sought more investment.

He mentioned seven years of tax breaks, reduced rate for land, logistic facilities, and other essential benefits which will promote Mongla, Ishwardi and Uttara EPZs. “Investment and export of these three EPZs will be easier through Padma Bridge, Mongla airport and Asian highways,” he added.

Investors of foreign and local enterprises of Comilla EPZ, director of Comilla Chamber of Commerce

and president of Brahmanbaria Chamber of Commerce were present at the seminar.

They praised the organiser for the arrangement, which gave them an opportunity to learn in details about BEPZA, particularly Uttara, Mongla and Ishwardi EPZs. Foreign and local investors expressed satisfaction over the working environment in EPZs and the potential of the easily trainable Bangladeshi workforce. Chinese and Japanese investors assured that their owners would think about enhancing their business in Bangladesh, particularly with the EPZs in question. Representatives of chambers said that the seminar will be more effective if it is jointly organised with local and federation chambers.

Among others, Major Sajjad Hossain Khan, deputy general manager and other officers of the concerned zones were present at the seminar. l

| fashion |

| conference |

Daraz launches Tahoor

Afroza plays her part to end child marriage

Focused on fashion for the Muslim woman, Tahoor tells a story of style meeting modesty.

Daraz the leading online shopping platform in Bangladesh, adds another premium label to its collection as it launches Tahoor, a women’s designer boutique line focusing entirely on the fashion needs of the modern Muslim woman, without having to compromise on style.

Tahoor means “purity, completing the incomplete, and quenching the thirst,” according to Hanium Maria Chowdhury, the founder and mind behind one of the few fashion brands which offers modest clothing options with a sense of style.

Tahoor launched in 2012 and now has three retail stores and has launched exclusively online with Daraz.com.bd. All Tahoor items will be available on https://www. daraz.com.bd/tahoor/ Tahoor carries a whole range of fashion-wear starting from abayas, cloaks, shrugs, scarves, inner caps, hand sleeves, pullover

Hijabs, not excluding party-wear such as anarkali and lehengas.

Hanium shares, “Tahoor is here to make it easy for all those who have been contemplating taking up Hijab for a while now and have been looking for the right attire. We want people to think of us as a trusted brand. So that when people think of abayas they think of Tahoor. When she is buying from Tahoor, it means it matters to her. We are very happy that with the support of Daraz.com.bd, we can cater to our clients from all over Bangladesh.”

“We are pleased to have Tahoor as our first and latest client catering to women’s modest-wear,” said Daraz Managing Director Benjamin de Fouchier.

The launch of this women’s modest fashion label comes aptly at a time when Daraz.com.bd is coming under increasing demand to offer not only premium and luxury fashion choices for high profile events and cocktail parties but also cater to the modern working woman with utilitarian, modest and stylish fashion-wear.

All Tahoor items will be available on https://www.daraz. com.bd/tahoor l

Afroza Mahzabeen Anannya, research officer at Waste Concern Bangladesh, is participating in

an international conference on “Child Marriage: Strength in Unity, Girls are not Brides,” which

is a global youth partnership to end child marriage, held from May 19 to 23 at the Temasek Hotel, Melaka, Malaysia.

The conference was hosted

by World Youth foundation, an international organisation who engage, educate and empower youth worldwide.

The international conference on child marriage tilted, “Strength in Unity, Girls are Not Brides” is a unique platform created to foster dialogue where the youth advocate women and girls affected by child marriage. Development partners, UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral agencies, representatives from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), NGOs, civil societies and related stakeholders share experiences and good practices as well as challenges on ending child marriages at the country, regional and international levels.

A total of 50 youth delegates from Bangladesh, Sri lanka, Malaysia, Nepal, Tunisia, Indonesia, India and USA are taking part in the workshop. l

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

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Editorial 20

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

INSIDE

Internet for us PAGE 21

The victories that made an empire

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PAGE 22

Give mayors the power they need to lead

D Climate change PAGE 23

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

The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors alone. They do not purport to be the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher.

haka North Mayor Annisul Huq will be answering questions from the public at a round-table jointly organised by Dhaka Tribune and Bangla Tribune this morning.

It is clear from the interest shown that residents are looking to Dhaka’s two mayors and city corporations to provide more effective leadership to fulfill their promises to improve quality of life in the capital.

To help the mayors succeed, the government should increase their authority to co-ordinate and lead improvements.

As directly elected public officials, the mayors are in the best position to lead on initiatives to reduce water-logging and improve management of parks and open spaces. Yet, despite being more accountable to the public, their policies are still held up by bureaucracy and buck-passing because authority is split among different institutions like BRTC, Rajuk, the police, and WASA as well as national ministries.

Better co-ordination and leadership are imperative to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local government and increase accountability.

Institutional barriers and split responsibilities between multiple ministries and government departments should no longer be allowed to delay or impede decisions.

Dhaka’s mayors should be empowered with the resources they need to deliver the improvements in civic services and infrastructure that the public wants.

Improving public transport is arguably the most important challenge facing the mayors.

The ability of the mayors to tackle transport issues would be helped by establishing a unitary authority answerable to the city corporations and public, that can take a strategic approach to improving public transport and enforcing road regulations.

Experience from big cities around the world shows that this would not only help to resolve traffic congestion problems, but also be invaluable in improving the city’s brand and image, as well as improving quality of life.

To do the job the public wants, the mayors must have proper authority as well as accountability.

Mayors must have proper authority as well as accountability to improve life for all residents

DT

21

Opinion

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Internet for us Whether we like it or not, the internet is the future

The Internet of Things will revolutionise the world that we live in

BIGSTOCK

The future of the Internet will be all about delivering the right information or service to the right user, at the right time, on the right device

n Ekram Kabir

T

he World Bank, in a study, has claimed that 90% Bangladeshis don’t have access to the internet. That makes it a total of 14.8 million people. On the other hand, according to Bangladesh government statistics, a total of 61.2 million people use the internet. The statistics don’t match.

The World Bank’s criteria and that of the Bangladesh government are different. They are calculating the numbers based on different points of view. Since this has been noticed by the people, both calculators (Bangladesh government and the World Bank)

have scope to work together on this issue.

However, this is not the focus of my piece today. I’d like to highlight how the internet has made an impact on my life as well as on the lives of my children and how society can benefit from effective use of the Internet.

I started using the World Wide Web in 1995 when I was looking after the online edition of an English daily.

An IT company used to upload all content of the paper onto the online edition and I used to oversee whether they were doing it right.

It was an amazing opportunity for me to be introduced to a world that contained an unending flow

of knowledge. That prompted me to think of an online portal.

I started browsing and reading almost all the newspapers and suggested to my office how it could utilise this wealth of information.

We got connected to all South Asian newspapers and came to an arrangement on re-publishing their news and articles. That’s how we created a rich “regional” page which earned quite a lot of admiration among our readers.

I came in touch with South Asian and Asian journalists and think-tanks which strengthened my professional network to a great extent.

I, along with an Indian and a Pakistani journalist, launched a

regional portal -- peacemonger. com. Being located in our respective countries, all of us were running the site. Our objective was to promote the message of peace in the region.

Since then, I’ve used the internet only for learning purposes. It was at that time that I got a job with the BBC. I was amazed to find this particular news agency’s focus on the digital way of dissemination. BBC taught me how to find the right information on the web by using the search engines properly. It was a fantastic learning experience for me, as it immensely helped me in my research on various subjects.

In fact, since 1995, I’ve never needed to enter a library for my research or learning. I had all I needed on the net.

Kindly allow me to tell a story of my son. One evening, he was struggling with his English grammar. I inquired about his problem and he said he didn’t understand what his teacher explained during his grammar class.

I took him in front of my laptop and gave him a few videos on YouTube to watch. When he finished watching three videos, I looked at him with my eyebrows raised. He said: “It’s all clear now; thanks papa!” Then on, the kid completes his understanding about math, history, geography, science, etc, on YouTube.

So, when I look back, I see a huge impact of the internet on my life and that of my family members. However, it’s not only me; the internet has transformed the course of human civilisation and it will continue to do so. 10 years from now, there will be a world which we may not be able to recognise.

Imagine that the security system in our homes will one day inform us about almost everything -- we’ll be able to know when our children get home from school, when they are eating, when they are shopping from a superstore, etc.

Imagine a time when robots will prepare the goods and pack them for home delivery into an selfdriven vehicle -- or even a drone.

Imagine my smartwatch will analyse real-time health indicators and alert me to a suggested dinner menu based on my nutritional needs! This may seem futuristic to us, but these are happening across the world right now.

South Koreans have already started texting their refrigerators to get updates about their food storage. How are they doing it?

These are becoming a reality by integrating the internet into modern-day devices.

Experts say that the future of the internet will be all about delivering the right information or service to the right user, at the right time, on the right device.

Companies such as Google and Facebook, are already portraying the internet as a “personal assistant.”

Given this scenario, as I observe the growth of the internet, there will be a time soon when the statistics won’t matter much.

The quality and the effectiveness would. Simple access to the internet wouldn’t make any sense; what we do with the technology would.

Developing an effective mechanism to take the internet facility to the people of Bangladesh is certainly important.

But at the same time, we should also start aiming at what could we do with the internet. l Ekram Kabir is a writer.

Heritage

DT

22

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

The victories that made an empire Britain’s domination on the global stage was inevitable encouragement of his French allies in June 1756.

Indeed, close examination of both Plassey and Buxar would suggest that, militarily, both were effectively won by British military expertise, even before they were fought.

Even had Robert Clive been defeated at Plassey, the East India Company activities, especially the cargoes of saltpetre and gunpowder, were sufficiently important for the British to return, and, as they were doing in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and even the East Indies, conquering, provoking, and winning in the ensuing two years, another battle for possession.

n Tim Steel

F

or the English, there was no battle charge more terrifying than the “Highland Charge.” This was the “military manoeuvre” that, throughout history, enabled the numerically inferior Scots to so often withstand the arrival in their lands of the English.

Even before the advent of gunpowder, Highlanders, drawn by their chieftains from the mountains and glens of Scotland, threw off their famous plaids, and charged -- waving their enormous broadswords, shouting and screaming -- straight at the enemy.

It is not hard to imagine just how daunting that could be.

The film Braveheart lacked in authenticity only in the very fully clad nature of the warriors, represented in Hollywood style.

In fact, in the heat of summer, it was not unknown for their foes to be confronted by a rush of wild, red-haired men, naked, or nearly so, hurling themselves at them.

In 1544, a battle between one of the Lairds, Clan Ranald and Lovat, chief of the Fraser Clan, fought on the banks of Loch Lochy in the Great Glen of Scotland, which is still known as “The Battle of the Shirts.”

In that battle, it is still recorded that, in the heat of summer, the warriors discarded all but their shirts to protect themselves from the sun.

At famous battles in Britain, such as that at Prestonpans, outside Edinburgh, the first great battle of the 1745 rebellion, lowlanders and English troops fled in the face of such a menace.

Even in the age of the musket, reloading time meant there were few more volleys of fire before the terrifying charge overwhelmed

them. What else was the common soldier to do but turn and run?

It was, however, as many military historians believe to be, the last battle of that last rebellion in Britain that made a major contribution to the military achievements of British forces in the ensuing decade or so; not least of which were the battles that effectively secured the invaluable territories, in and around the lands of today’s Bangladesh. The battles of Plassey and Buxar.

And it is arguable that, it was on those victories especially that the British Empire was built.

At Culloden, the inexperienced commander of the rebel forces Prince Charles Edward Stuart (“The Young Pretender”), believing that the “Highland Charge” was an outdated manoeuvre, restrained his forces -- allowing the government forces to discharge volley after volley of musket and cannon fire to decimate his forces.

The lesson of timing and resources was well learnt, but officers on both sides subsequently came together in British forces, following the abject failure of the uprising on that bloody battlefield.

From the age of chivalry, through the advent of guns, battles were often conducted by formulaic manoeuvres; marching and counter-marching.

It was early in the 18th century that one of Britain’s most famous generals, John Churchill, Earl, then Duke of Marlborough, might be credited with developing military manoeuvres that reflect both ground and forces available.

As a consequence, he triumphed in the European wars of the early part of the 18th century; especially the War of the Spanish Succession, which limited the power of the French in Europe. His

around the sub-continent and the area of the East Indies, for another half century. Without naval support, of course, French forces could not be reinforced.

By the time of the battle of Buxar, when the failing Mughal regime finally decided they had to confront the British, they met both British officers, such as General Hector Munro, tested at Culloden, and soldiers and gunners, both British and AngloIndian, experienced in victory, not only the Indian sub-continent, but across the world.

It has always seemed unlikely that it was, merely, trade in fabrics and fragrances that brought the British to Bengal and its environs;

Close examination of both Plassey and Buxar would suggest that, militarily, both were effectively won by British military expertise, even before they were fought

military ploys tended, rather than such formulaic manoeuvres, to foreshadow the famous maxim of Britain’s great naval hero, Admiral Lord Nelson. In the War of the Austrian Succession (from 1740 to 1748), the British experience in battle, especially in Europe, was rather more mixed.

But it was, perhaps, the 1745 Rebellion that honed the military skills of a sufficiently large number of British military figures -- for in the following 15 years, Britain to become, what is described by some modern historians as “Masters of the World” through its victories, on land and at sea, across most of the world.

It is arguable, therefore, that, as the clock counted down towards the Battle of Plassey, an encounter between the local rulers and the interlopers that the development of British naval and military skills was already measuring the likely, eventual, outcome.

Clive, together with Admirals Watson and Pocock, had already “cut their teeth” at Gariah, when they captured the stronghold of the Maratha pirate, Tulagee Angria, on the east coast of the sub-continent. Had Siraj-udDaulah been fully appraised of that conflict, he might have considered, more carefully, initiating conflict with the British!

Early in 1757, Watson and Clive arrived to recapture Calcutta, invested by the Nawab, with the

Perhaps, after all, Mir Jaffar’s decision to “sit out” the Battle of Plassey, in the end, would not have changed the eventual outcome of the war. Clive, supported by Watson and Pocock, had already captured the city of Chandernagore, before confronting Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey.

In the following year, Admiral Pocock had his first encounter with the French fleet, under the command of Comte d’Ache, and began to neutralise French power.

The encounter was something of a stand-off. Three months later, they engaged again, and the French, again, failed to overcome Pocock’s smaller fleet.

In December of 1758, French forces, in a desperate military endeavour, under Comte de Lally, laid siege to Madras, the East India Company’s second most important city in India. After a siege lasting six weeks, Lally was forced to retreat.

In Europe, Africa, and North America, British forces led, for the most part by men who had been victorious at Culloden, and triumphed against other French-led armies and navies.

Ticonderoga, Minden, Lagos, Quebec, and Quiberon Bay have gone down in history, but none, arguably, was as important as Admiral Pocock’s third, and final action against d’Ache’s fleet, that drove French naval power from

even Orissa diamonds seem scarcely likely to have justified such investment as that made in London in 1600, at the Chartering of the Company. There was, certainly, more to it than that.

And since, from the beginning of the gunpowder age from the 14th century Asia onward, international warfare began to grow, first as continental conflicts, then, by the early part of the 18th century, intercontinental, we may, perhaps, be forgiven for supposing that was the greatest appeal, to European nations, of north-east Indian sub-continent.

Historians write of 1759 as the year when Britain became “Masters of the World.” Certainly, in the following century and a half, first the “Americans,” successfully, then the French and Napoleon, unsuccessfully, challenged that supremacy, as Britain built, and sustained, at times with some difficulty, “The Empire upon which the sun never sets.”

Whatever the outcome of the two great battles for control of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, in the mid-18th century, there can, probably, be little doubt that, one way or another, the British domination for the next two centuries was as inevitable as that of the Mughals and Khilji before them. l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

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DT

Climate Change

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Humans of a Warming World project shows the importance of stories and empathy n Beverly deVries

H

umans have perturbed the climate system of our common home which will have significant implications for years to come. The impacts of climate change are already being experienced, in various ways, around the world. Researchers have found that numerous barriers, defense mechanisms, and biases influence our understanding of climate change and our understanding then affects how we respond to climate change.

A diversity of experiences and perceptions was found in a recent project entitled “Humans of a Warming World.” Experiences with climate change ranged from those who were concerned, but not impacted or involved to those who were directly impacted and very engaged through climate change projects or advocacy work. Those participants who

Climate change is inherently unfair, as those who are the least responsible for causing this disturbance suffer the most are taking action indicated that they feel a sense of agency and empowerment. This finding points to a promising aspect to be examined further, since such empowering experiences could be used to encourage climate change involvement. As these

positive feelings reinforce one’s convictions, a self-perpetuating cycle of engagement would emerge. Further study could indicate if this positive feedback loop might work as a behavioural ratchet of sorts to increase actions that mitigate climate change.

This project also reinforces the power of story telling through personal narratives of climate change. Given the urgent need for action on climate change and the fact that awareness generally comes before concern and engagement, communication that fosters awareness is essential in taking action of this issue. Beyond awareness, connecting people to climate change is critical, and one effective way to accomplish that is through the use of stories and imagery.

Stories have a way of placing a human face or cultural significance onto an otherwise abstract concept. The ability of stories to

Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner (left), Civil Society Representative from the Marshall Islands, with members of her family at the opening of the UN Climate Summit 2014 COURTESY

affect others both mentally and emotionally speaks to the beneficial role that they could play. During the last year, I was pleased to have noticed that similar projects exist and are developing, including the Climate Stories Project, 350 Pacific’s Frontline Truths, and similar projects launched by the World Wildlife Federation and Greenpeace. Conveying the realities of climate change through stories has emerged as an effective way to connect others to this issue.

It’s important to foster a broader sense of responsibility that transcends national boundaries and carries forward to future generations. Andrew Dobson proposed a broader, emerging type of citizenship which he called Ecological citizenship.

This type of citizenship is based on the virtue of justice and a sense of responsibility, which is both international and intergenerational. As people learn more and connect with others around the world, their ability to empathise and feel responsibility grow. Such a focus on others and their climate change experiences was the inspiration for this “Humans of a Warming World” project. It also forms the foundation for my recommendation that it’s crucial we expand our empathy forward and across borders. Telling these very human stories is a way to do just that.

This project included qualitative interviews with 13 individuals from various subregions of the world. These were captured for posterity

and portions of each interview were shared on a website and via a Facebook group. The experiences and perceptions of each participant are unique, enlightening, and provide a snapshot of how each of these humans is touched by this issue.

Climate change is inherently unfair, as those who are the least responsible for causing this disturbance suffer the most. At the same time, this phenomenon presents us with an opportunity to take a critical look at our current systems and find a better, more equitable and sustainable way forward. It demands of us to be innovative, find collaborative solutions and restructure not only the way we live but also the way we treat one another. l Beverly deVries, MA, is a Surinameseborn Canadian who has lived in Japan, Trinidad, and Guyana. Beverly is passionate about diversity and global perspectives. Check out humansofawarmingworld.com for a look at her Masters thesis project with Royal Roads University.

This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.

DT

24 Sport

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

De Kruif trims preliminary squad

TOP STORIES

n Tribune Report Becks asks Real to be patient with Zizou David Beckham believes Real Madrid should give his former team mate at the club, Zinedine Zidane, time to succeed even if the Frenchman fails to inspire them to victory in the Champions League final later this month. PAGE 25 The Sunrisers Hyderabad players celebrate the fall of a Delhi Daredevils wicket during their Vivo Indian Premier League clash in Raipur yesterday BCCI

Delhi edge Fizz’s Hyderabad 1990 echoes as Utd face Palace in final Manchester United will attempt to salvage something from their tumultuous season - and potentially keep Dutch manager Louis van Gaal in a job - in today’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace at Wembley. PAGE 26

Ibra hoping to sign off with French Cup Talismanic Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic will aim to lift one final trophy as the curtain comes down on his record-shattering Paris Saint-Germain career in today’s French Cup final against rivals Marseille. PAGE 27

Dortmund out to ruin Pep farewell Borussia Dortmund are aiming to ruin Bayern Munich’s plans to farewell Spanish coach Pep Guardiola with a seventh title in three years when Germany’s top teams meet in today’s crunch German Cup final in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. PAGE 28

n Agencies Karun Nair showed there was place for finesse and street-smart cricket amidst the big hitting in T20s. His unbeaten 59-ball 83 single-handedly helped Delhi Daredevils beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets in a last-ball thriller in Raipur to keep their playoff ambitions burning bright.

Nair, who walked in to bat at No. 3, muscled two successive boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with Daredevils needing six off two deliveries, to pull off a win that may have not been possible had Sunrisers field a tad better than they did. Nair, who was sedate initially, was lucky to survive a caught behind appeal on 23 with Daredevils needing 105 off 69. David Warner then put down a sitter with Nair on 51. As it turned out, those two moments had a big bearing on the outcome as Sunrisers, with 16 points, may yet have to win their final league game against Mumbai Indians in Kanpur to control their fate.

While Rishabh Pant was the aggressor in the 73-run second-wicket stand, Nair was happy to farm strike and play himself in before a stroke of luck with Daredevils needing 105 off 69 brought about a change in mindset. By the time Pant was run-out courtesy Bhuvneshwar’s direct hit from deep cover for 32, Nair had switched gears to help Daredevils pull through. It meant Warner’s wonderfully crafted 56-ball 73 was consigned to being second best.

The game started off as a battle of wits. Sunrisers were watchful upfront against Zaheer Khan after being sent in to bat, but the pressure built up at one end was released by Jayant Yadav, the offspin-

ner, and Nathan Coulter-Nile as they motored to 42 without loss in five overs, before the brakes were applied courtesy two run-outs.

Shikhar Dhawan, far from his fluent best, was the first to go when Carlos Brathwaite, replacing the injured Chris Morris, stopped a drive by diving to his left and then hurling a throw back at the striker’s end with the batsmen well short of the crease. Three balls late, Amit Mishra’s half-stop off his own bowling resulted in confusion in the running between the wickets as Hooda was run-out courtesy a direct hit at the bowler’s end. At 48 for 2, the need of the hour was consolidation.

BRIEF SCORE SUNRISERS HYDERABAD 158/7 (Warner 73, Brathwaite 2/27) lost to DELHI DAREDEVILS 161/4 (Nair 83*, Mustafizur 1/24) by six wickets Yuvraj Singh hung around for 10 deliveries, one of which was sent screaming behind point off a fierce cut, before Coulter-Nile had him chop one onto the stumps, the two-paced nature of the pitch surfacing as the ball kept low to take the inside edge. Even as wickets tumbled, Warner was a picture of supreme confidence as he flayed the pacers with flat-batted pulls and slaps through the off side.

His technique against the spin twins - Mishra and Yadav was equally effective as he used the depth of the crease to make room and bring his bottom hand into play. Once the off side field was opened up, he kept carving boundaries to make batting look ridiculously easy to bring up his 32nd fifty, the most in IPL history.

He found able support from

Moises Henriques, who milked the singles, before Sunrisers cut loose in the 12th over, which went for 13, to bring about a momentum switch. But an attempt to hit with JP Duminy’s spin towards deep midwicket shortly after resulted in Henriques’ wicket, which may have been six at most venues. A sprightly 32-run stand was broken as Sunrisers were pegged back again.

When Eoin Morgan, out of sorts after a prolonged break, miscued a short-arm jab to long-on, Sunrisers had lost whatever momentum they gathered. It needed Naman Ojha Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s enterprise - the pair scored 34 off the last three overs - to take Sunrisers close to the 160-mark.

Daredevils lost Quinton de Kock early, but Nair and Pant kept the asking rate within the realms of possibility with tactful strike rotation peppered with the odd boundaries. Apart from swatting away full tosses he received from time to time, Nair’s use of the sweep shots to negate Karn Sharma’s legspin was impressive. Nair had a second reprieve on 51 when Warner put down a sitter at long-on; the pressure was firmly on Sunrisers.

Two potential Mustafizur Rahman overs with Daredevils needing 52 off 30 meant they had a ray of hope. When Duminy, put down on 17 by Bhuvneshwar, holed out to Warner off the next delivery, the game was wide open. But Nair muscled two sixes in the same over off Barinder Sran to allay fears of a meltdown. Mustafizur’s tight final over that went for just five left Daredevils needing 11 off the final over, but Nair wasn’t to be denied as his third half-century in a winning cause kept Daredevils alive. l

Bangladesh’s temporary Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif yesterday omitted five players from the 35-member preliminary squad, ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers play-off against Tajikistan next month.

Mannaf Rabby, Nurul Absar, Kawshik Barua, Khalekuzzaman Sabuj and Saikat Rahman failed to make the cut while veteran defender Atiqur Rahman Meshu has already been ruled out due to an injury in his right foot.

Among the out-of-favour quintet, only Rahmatganj striker Nurul missed out to injury while the others were unable to impress the Dutchman with their recent displays.

“The players have been left out owing to a lack of experience and fitness. De Kruif will further shorten the squad gradually,” said national team manager Satyajit Das Rupu yesterday.

Rupu informed that the Bangladesh Football Federation is trying to organise a warm-up match for the national side in Dubai before the play-off games. The men in red and green are scheduled to leave here for Tajikistan on May 29 with the first-leg taking place on June 2. l

‘Judge FIFA on actions, not speculation’ n AFP, Zurich

FIFA’s new president Gianni Infantino appealed Thursday for the public to judge the scandal-plagued world football body on its actions and not on hasty conclusions and speculation.

“Given the events of the last few years I can understand that the public view FIFA with scepticism,” Infantino said in an opinion piece published in German daily Neuen Zurcher Zeitung.

“However, from now on the focus should be on our actions and deeds, rather than on premature conclusions and speculation,” he said, according to the English version of the text provided by FIFA. The text can be seen as Infantino’s response to harsh criticism lobbed at him by the head of the world body’s independent audit committee, Domenico Scala, who quit in protest Saturday at what he called an attack on FIFA’s reforms, and by top reform advocate Mark Pieth, who charged he was using the same tactics as Sepp Blatter. l

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DT

Sport

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Beckham asks Real to be patient with friend Zidane n Reuters, Valencia

England’s Jonathan Bairstow acknowledges the crowd’s applause after reaching his hundred AFP

Anderson strikes as Sri Lanka follow-on n AFP, Leeds James Anderson recorded his best Test figures at Headingley as Sri Lanka were made to follow-on on the second day of the first Test against England yesterday.

Sri Lanka were dismissed for just 91 in reply to England’s first innings 298, a deficit of 207 runs.

Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, took five for 16 in 11.4 overs including a spell of four for one in 29 balls.

That surpassed his previous Headingley best of three for 91, also against Sri Lanka, two years ago.

New-ball partner Stuart Broad had figures of four for 21 in an innings that was completed inside 37 overs.

Only Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews (34) and Lahiru Thirimanne (22) offered much resistance with the bat.

Wicket-keeper Jonathan Bairstow held five catches after scoring 140 - his first Test century in England - on his Yorkshire home ground earlier yesterday.

Earlier, England, who lost the toss, resumed yesterday on 171 for five. Alex Hales was 71 not out, with Bairstow unbeaten on 54.

Bairstow, however should have been out for 70 - half his eventual score - when Nuwan Pradeep dropped a caught and bowled chance off a checked drive.

Hales and Bairstow took their sixth-wicket stand to 141 but there was no maiden Test century for Hales. l

David Beckham believes Real Madrid should give his former team mate at the club, Zinedine Zidane, time to succeed even if the French great fails to inspire them to victory in the Champions League final later this month.

Zidane fell just short of steering the club to La Liga glory, with Real finishing one point behind Barcelona, but can claim his first title since replacing Rafa Benitez earlier this year in the May 28 Champions League final against city rivals Atletico in Milan.

“Madrid needs stability and continuity,” Beckham said in an interview with Spanish magazine Semanal XL. “It would be good if Zizou (Zidane) continues for some time and that they maintain the players they have today.

“Even if they don’t win the Champions League, it would be good to let Zizou work.

“Stability is key, not just in every aspect of life but in business.”

Former England captain Beckham played with Zidane at Real from 2003 until 2006 before the French great retired from football.

“Besides being a great friend, he is the person that is most

passionate about football and Real Madrid that I have met and the best player I’ve ever played with,” Beckham said.

Zidane was Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant in 2013 when Real won the Champions League and had been coaching Real’s reserve team, Castilla, in the third division before being named Real’s 11th boss in 12 years.

He was named La Liga’s Manager of the Month for April, picking up the award for the first time this season, following a six-game winning month which helped the team get back into title contention.

Real trailed Barcelona by 10 points and closed that gap to just one heading into the final weekend of the campaign.

“I wasn’t born to coach but

Zizou, yes,” Beckham said.

“Zizou, who won everything, was chosen the best player in the world several times and he experienced first hand many situations.

There is no former player who garners more respect and admiration.

“It was only natural that he would end up coaching the team.

“At this time, they (Real) must be very happy with Zizou."l

DAY TWO, AT STUMPS ENGLAND 298 (Bairstow 140, Hales 86, Shanaka 3/46) v SRI LANKA 91 (Mathews 34, Anderson 5/16, Broad 4/21) & 1/0 ENGLAND LEAD BY 206 RUNS

Participants of the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association-Indian High Commission friendly football game pose for photographs at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. BSJA won 1-0. State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder (CR) and Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla (CL) were present on the occasion as the chief guests COURTESY

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26

Sport

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

1990 echoes as Utd face Palace in FA Cup final n AFP, London

ROAD TO FINAL

Manchester United will attempt to salvage something from their tumultuous season - and potentially keep manager Louis van Gaal in a job - in today’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

After failing to qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three years, the Wembley showpiece represents United’s last chance to make good on a campaign of stagnant football and simmering fan dissent.

Van Gaal was booed as he addressed supporters following Tuesday’s 3-1 home win over Bournemouth and although victory against Palace would give United their first significant piece of silverware since Alex Ferguson left in 2013, reports suggest that his days at Old Trafford are numbered regardless.

“I think the interests of the club are much more important than the manager,” Van Gaal said on Thursday when asked how the outcome of today’s game might impact on his future.

“Of course, you have put your own aims. (Winning the FA Cup) is one I have always had. But close is not enough. You have to win it.

“I have read that the last FA Cup (won by United) is 2004, so also for Manchester United it is a big title.”

While United have not won the FA Cup since 2004, when they beat Millwall 3-0 in Cardiff, victory today would see them equal Ar-

CRYSTAL PALACE 3rd rd: 2-1 v Southampton (A) 4th rd: 1-0 v Stoke City (H) 5th rd: 1-0 v Tottenham Hotspur (A) Quarter-final: 2-0 v Reading (A) Semi-final: 2-1 v Watford (Wembley)

MANCHESTER UNITED 3rd rd: 1-0 v Sheffield United (H) 4th rd: 3-1 v Derby County (A) 5th rd: 3-0 v Shrewsbury Town (A) Quarter-final: 1-1 v West Ham United (H) Quarter-final replay: 2-1 v West Ham (A) Semi-final: 2-1 v Everton (Wembley) senal’s tally of 12 successes in the competition - a record they once held outright.

As well as giving Van Gaal a first trophy in English football, it would also enable Wayne Rooney, the captain, and Michael Carrick to claim the only top-level medals that have eluded them during their spells at the club.

Van Gaal already has reason to thank the tournament, for it has provided several melodious moments this season amid the steady background hum of speculation about his future.

Early victories over lower-league sides Sheffield United, Derby County and Shrewsbury Town came during a dismal run of three wins in 13 league games,

FIFA ethics body wants 2-year ban for Niersbach n Reuters, Zurich Former German football association (DFB) chief Wolfgang Niersbach faces a possible two-year ban from soccer following an investigation by Fifa into alleged irregularities over the awarding of the 2006 World Cup. Niersbach, who still sits on the world soccer body’s Council, resigned from the DFB presidency in November after he was unable to explain a 6.7 million euro ($7.52 million) payment from the German World Cup organisers to FIFA. Yesterday a report from the investigatory chamber of FIFA’s ethics committee - an independent body - found Niersbach had violated of its ethics code and recommended he be banned for two years from all football-related activity and fined 30,000 Swiss francs ($30,300) Niersbach has denied all wrongdoing.

The committee’s adjudicatory chamber said it had opened formal proceedings against Niersbach - who was a vice president of the 2006 organising committee - following the investigatory chamber’s recommendation.

Niersbach is also under investigation by the Frankfurt prosecutor for suspected tax evasion over the payment to Fifa. He will be invited to submit his position including any evidence with regard to the final report of the investigatory chamber and may request a hearing, it said. l

(L-R) Manchester United's Cameron Borthwick Jackson, Antonio Valencia, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Michael Carrick, Daley Blind, Jesse Lingard and David De Gea during training on Thursday REUTERS when criticism of the Dutchman was at its fiercest.

The quarter-final against West Ham United brought both the relief of Anthony Martial’s 83rd-minute equaliser in the first game at Old Trafford and the morale boost of an assured 2-1 victory in the replay.

Martial provided another moment to savour in last month’s semi-final against Everton, driving into the box from the left in stoppage time to net a deliriously celebrated winner.

If Van Gaal is looking for positive omens, it will not have escaped his attention that the last under-fire United manager to go into an FA Cup final against Palace with his

neck on the line was Ferguson.

Prior to the 1990 final, Ferguson had gone three and a half years without a trophy, but following a gripping 3-3 draw, a solitary goal by left-back Lee Martin earned United a 1-0 victory in the replay.

One of the players who traipsed from the pitch in Palace’s unfamiliar black and yellow change strip was 28-year-old midfielder Alan Pardew, who is now the south London club’s manager.

Pardew etched his name in Palace folklore by netting an extra-time winner against Liverpool in the semi-finals and 26 years later, he is seeking to steer the club to their first major trophy.

Following a strong start to the season, Palace won just two of their final 21 league games, which saw them finish 15th in the Premier League.

But they have shown superb form in the cup, notably eliminating Southampton, Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur and Watford, and now find themselves on the brink of a historic achievement.

“It would be good for football, for the DNA of this club, to win a trophy,” said Pardew.

“We play street football, with players from different roots. This group has the opportunity to put something permanent there - the first major trophy for this club.”l

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QUICK BYTES Bojan annoyed with lack of playing time Winger Bojan Krkic says he was frustrated with the lack of game time he has been getting at Stoke City and that he was puzzled by manager Mark Hughes’ decision to drop him from the starting eleven despite being in fine form. Bojan, who recovered from a major knee injury in time for the beginning of the season, has made just 22 Premier League starts since joining from Barcelona in 2014.

He scored seven goals, helping the Potters to ninth place, and equalling their highest finish since promotion in 2008. “It’s true that sometimes you don’t play and you don’t understand why. When you play you have to have the confidence to try things as a forward,” the 25-year-old Spaniard told British media.

–REUTERS

Conte too focused on Italy to think of Chelsea Outgoing Italy manager Antonio Conte insisted his focus was fully on the national team’s Euro 2016 campaign in France ahead of his move to Chelsea after the conclusion of the 24-team tournament in July. The 46-year-old, who took over from Cesare Prandelli in August 2014, will replace interim manager Guus Hiddink at the English Premier League side, who finished 10th this season. “Anyone who knows me knows that I work on things one at a time, and I try to deal with them in the best way,” Conte said. “The Euros is the end of a two-year journey. I want to tackle this tournament in the best way, knowing the difficulties which we didn’t expect to face.”

–REUTERS

Djoker, Nadal set for Roland Garros semis World number one Novak Djokovic and nine-time champion Rafael Nadal have been seeded to meet in the French Open semi-finals after the draw was made yesterday. Djokovic needs a Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam after losing three finals in four years including last season to Stan Wawrinka. Fourth seed Wawrinka is scheduled to take on second seed Andy Murray in the other semifinal. Top seed Djokovic, bidding for a 12th career major, starts his campaign against Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun, the world number 110 who made the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2010.

–AFP

Former France winger Ginola in hospital Former France winger David Ginola collapsed during a celebrity golf day on the French Riviera on Thursday and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Monaco, French media has reported. The 49-yearold fell to the ground at the home of the tournament organiser in Mandelieu and was “unconscious but stable” when he was airlifted to a cardiothoracic unit in the nearby principality, Nice-Matin newspaper reported. A tweet was later posted on his official Twitter feed (@TeamGinola) making light of his collapse. “Footy match in the midday sun, not very clever. Now having some tests done,” it read. “Whoever voted for a World Cup in Qatar in the summer?”

A cult figure at English clubs Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur because of his flamboyant skill, Ginola also played for Paris St-Germain, Aston Villa and Everton before retiring in 2002. He won 17 caps for France.

–REUTERS

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET SONY SIX 4:30 PM Indian Premier League 2016 Pune v Punjab 8:30 PM Gujarat v Mumbai

STAR SPORTS 1 03:28 PM Sri Lanka Tour of England 1st Test, Day 3

FOOTBALL TEN 1 HD

NEO SPORTS 1:00 AM French Cup 2016: Final PSG v Marseille

NEO PRIME 12:30 AM Coppa Italia 2015/16: Final Milan v Juventus

MOTO GP TEN 1 HD Moto GP 2016

Qualifying: Gran Premio D

TENNIS 7:00 PM

German Cup 2015/16: Final

ATP World Tour 250 2016

Bayern Munchen v Dortmund

Geneva Open Final

Departing Ibrahimovic hoping to sign off with French Cup n AFP, Paris Zlatan Ibrahimovic will aim to lift one final trophy as the curtain comes down on his record-shattering Paris Saint-Germain career in today’s French Cup final against bitter rivals Marseille.

Ibrahimovic, who obliterated Pedro Pauleta’s club goals record earlier this season and now stands on 154 from 179 games, announced he will leave Paris when his contract expires at the end of June after a trophy-laden four years in France.

The Swede will look to fire Laurent Blanc’s side to a second straight domestic treble which would send PSG level with Marseille as 10-time winners of the French Cup. Ibrahimovic notched his 37th and 38th league goals in Saturday’s 4-0 thumping of Nantes in his final appearance at the Parc des Princes to surpass Argentine striker Carlos Bian-

chi’s 37-goal mark set during the 197778 season.

Having been crowned France’s player of the year for a record third time, before modestly declaring “I came like a king, left like a legend,” Ibrahimovic will look to bow out with his reputation enhanced yet further.

Although the 34-year-old has missed training with a sore calf this week, there is no question the Sweden star will spearhead the PSG attack one final time at the Stade de France.

“It’s a bit of a sad moment, but the project continues. So does Zlatan’s career. You have to go through moments like this to move forward,” said Blanc, reflecting on Ibrahimovic’s profound impact on the club.

“Zlatan has brought the club on enormously, beyond expectations. He has had one of the best seasons as a footballer and it’s been a huge pleasure to work with him.”

Today will also mark the final appearance for Gregory van der Wiel, with the Dutch defender set to move on having joined PSG in 2012, the same summer as Ibrahimovic.

Midfielder Marco Verratti underwent surgery on Monday and the Italy international will not only miss the final but his country’s Euro 2016 campaign as a result.

For Marseille today’s showdown is a chance to salvage what has been nothing short of a catastrophic season.l

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Dortmund out to ruin Pep’s final Bayern game n AFP, Berlin Borussia Dortmund aim to ruin Bayern Munich’s plans to farewell Pep Guardiola with a seventh title in three years when Germany’s top teams meet in today’s crunch German Cup final.

Victory over their main rivals at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium would give Bayern the league and cup double before Guardiola leaves for Manchester City next season.

After Bayern lifted the Bundesliga title last weekend, for a record fourth season in succession, Dortmund now want the cup to compensate.

“We will do everything to win,” promised Guardiola, who admits it will be tough against “the best Borussia (team) in history”.

Borussia finished 10 points behind Bayern in the league and want to avoid losing their third straight German Cup final.

Dortmund controversially lost the 2014 final 2-0 to Bayern, after extra time, and were beaten 3-1 by Wolfsburg in last year’s final.

As midfielder Sven Bender put it, Dortmund has “no desire to lose for a third time in succession in Berlin”.

Federer withdraws from French Open n AFP, Paris Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open on Thursday after failing to recover from a back injury, bringing to an end the 17-time major winner’s astonishing run of 65 consecutive Grand Slams.

But the 34-year-old world number three insisted that his career, which has yielded 88 titles and close to $100 million in prize money, is not facing its endgame.

“I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open,” the 2009 Roland Garros champion wrote on his Facebook page.

“I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100% and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready.”

The former world number one, who has been plagued by knee and back injuries this year, last missed a Grand Slam event in 1999 when he skipped the US Open.

Federer, with his 35th birthday looming in August, has played only four tournaments this year.

After losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals, he underwent knee surgery in February. l

Bayern’s captain Philipp Lahm says Guardiola has not only improved the quality of Bayern’s football, but helped develop each member of the star-studded squad.

Now Lahm says the squad must raise their game to win one last title before Carlo Ancelotti takes over as head coach next season.

“We have to improve, we weren’t so impressive in our last few games,” said Lahm.

“We are up for Berlin and we want the double to show that we have had a very good season.”

There is plenty of spice in the Olympic Stadium showdown with a sell-out crowd of 74,322 expected.

“This is actually the best final that one can imagine in Germany,” enthused World Cup-winning coach Joachim Loew.

Mats Hummels will be playing his final game before becoming the third Borussia Dortmund star to join Bayern in the last three years, after Mario Goetze and Robert Lewandowski.

The Dortmund captain expects a difficult afternoon: “It’s a strange feeling. Every mistake I make will be endlessly dissected.”

The German league’s top three

strikers will be also be shooting it out.

Top-scorer Lewandowski, the first foreigner to score 30 Bundesliga goals in a single season, will partner Bayern’s Thomas Mueller, who netted 20 league goals.

But Dortmund’s Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who hit the net 25 times in the Bundesliga, has predicted he will score twice in the final.

“We don’t see ourselves in the favourites’ role, it is a final against a team who were up with us right until the end of the Bundesliga season,” said Lahm.

“We know what’s coming our way and that Dortmund will be a tough nut to crack.”

In Germany, there is a tradition of the winning team toasting their victory with a ‘beer shower’, throwing over-sized glasses of beer over each other after the final whistle.

But the German FA has banned the celebrations, partly because the teams are sponsored by rival beer manufacturers, neither of which is a sponsor of the governing body.

Dortmund thrashed Bayern 5-2 in the 2012 German Cup final and Bayern’s star Franck Ribery wants no

repeat of the debacle four years ago to risk dampening their party spirit.

“In 2012, we were second three times (in the Champions League final, the Bundesliga and German Cup final), that was a disaster for my holiday,” joked the French winger.

“In 2013, we won the treble and that was a super holiday.

“We have a great chance and we should use it, as you never know what will happen next season.”

Dortmund lost the 2014 final 2-0 in extra-time after they had been denied a goal - headed by Hummels of all people - in normal time and the Ruhr Valley club has clearly not forgotten.

“The last few finals against Bayern were decided by wrong decisions,” said director of sport Michael Zorc.

Bayern will be without injured winger Arjen Robben.

Centre-back Javi Martínez is struggling with an ankle injury, while Xabi Alonso should be fit after recovering from bruised ribs.

Dortmund are missing defensive midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who is recovering from a dislocated knee, but winger Marco Reus should play after getting over a cold. l

Sharapova may not play again, says Russia’s Tarpishchev n Reuters, Moscow Maria Sharapova may not play again after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium, the president of the Russian tennis federation was quoted as saying on Thursday.

Shamil Tarpishchev told the R-Sport news agency that Sharapova’s situation was “bad”.

The five-times grand slam champion faces a possible ban of up to four years for failing a drugs test at the Australian Open in Jan-

uary. British media reported that she had been due to attend an International Tennis Federation (ITF) anti-doping hearing in London on Wednesday.

There has been no subsequent comment by the ITF. Sharapova stunned the world in March when she said she had returned a positive test for the Latvian-made heart medication which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) banned list from Jan. 1.

The world’s highest-paid sportswoman claimed to have been taking meldonium on doctor’s orders for 10 years and had failed to note that it had become a banned substance until hearing of her failed test at the year’s first grand slam.

She was provisionally suspended on March 12 pending the hearing, and has lost a number of her lucrative sponsorship deals.

She said at the time that she hoped she would be allowed to play again.

The WADA said in April, after hundreds of athletes had tested positive for meldonium, that bans might be overturned due to a lack of clear scientific information on how long the drug takes to be excreted. l

Coppa final offers Milan faint glimmer of hope n Reuters The Coppa Italia final offers AC Milan a faint chance of redemption after another dismal season of failure, and the prospect of claiming their first piece of silverware since 2011.

But they will have to beat an almost impregnable Juventus side, who are aiming to complete their second league-and-cup-double in a row, to do it.

Milan, who will miss out on European competition for a third season in a row unless they win today, have performed so badly on the pitch that their president has threatened to stop paying the players’s wages.

Juventus, on the other hand, have just won their fifth successive league title, thanks to a run of 26 wins in 27 matches.

Having promised to invest in young Italian players, Milan’s transfer policy has instead left them with a motley assortment of ageing journeymen.

Inevitably, it was coach Sinisa Mihajlovic who carried the can. He was fired in April after nine months in the hot seat and replaced by Cristian Brocchi, who has fared no better and is also expected to lose his job if his side don’t beat Juventus.l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Fundamental (5) 5 Niggardly (4) 8 Drive forward (6) 9 Undesired escapes (5) 10 Circle (4) 11 Patient and uncomplaining (5) 12 Decay (3) 15 Tinge (4) 18 Mountain nymph (5) 21 Pull along (3) 22 Narrow opening (4) 24 Destiny (4) 25 Cavities (5) 28 Prized fur (6) 29 Saucy (4) 30 Requires (5)

DOWN 1 Spanish dance (6) 2 Mineral spring (3) 3 Annoys (4) 4 Price demanded (4) 5 Worth (5) 6 Bring out (6) 7 Inferior horse (3) 13 Alternatively (2) 14 Bed canopy (6) 16 Denial (2) 17 Intertwines (6) 19 Watchful (5) 20 Carry out (2) 23 Having little flesh (4) 24 Dandy (3) 26 United (3) 27 Sheltered side (3)

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Downtime

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 14 represents H so fill H every time the figure 14 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 DE FG H I J K L MN 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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Showtime

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Eluveitie coming to Dhaka

Jennifer Lawrence ends up in ‘jail’ n SK Farhan Rahman

n Showtime Desk Eluveitie, the famous Swiss band is flying to Dhaka to stir up the audience with their unique folk metal tracks on May 26.

The band is known for their unique style: blending folk music with the metal rock genre. They are based in Winterthur, Zurich.

The Swiss band gained immense popularity in Bangladesh, particularly among the university-going youth of the capital, according to sources from Green Event Management, the organisers behind the event.

They said they invited Eluveitie band members for the first time in Bangladesh to perform at

Bobby and Pori Moni in Darjeeling

Bashundhara Convention Centre’s Noboratri Hall.To enjoy the musical night, purchase tickets beforehand at the rate fixed by the organisers.

Eluveitie has already confirmed through Facebook that they will soon be flying to Bangladesh.

The prices of tickets for the concert is set at Tk8,000 and Tk3,700. l

Bobby and Pori Moni – two sensational actresses of Dhallywood can now be found in Darjeeling.

However, the two are not there to work together, rather, they are there for their respective upcoming films.

Bobby went to Darjeeling a few days ago for the first phase of shoots for Bijli, a film where Bobby will be seen playing the role of a “superheroine.”

Pori Moni flew to the town on

May 19 to work in Rokto, a film directed by Malek Afsari.

Bobby is also the producer of Bijli, directed by Iftekhar Chowdhury where Kolkata’s Ranbir will be acting opposite her.

On the other hand, Rokto is the joint production of Dhakabased Jazz Multimedia and Kolkata-based SK Movies where Pori’s co-artist will be Roshon.

Sources in Jazz said Malek Afsari reached Darjeeling on May, 17 while the rest of the team arrived on May 19. l

Wimbledon. Is he American?

Yes.” Eventually the interrogation frightened her, and Lawrence spilled the beans. The officers immediately started making calls to verify her employment, which of course took a couple of hours. “I had to sit in a tiny little jail for like five hours while they called my employer,” Lawrence said. “I felt tiny.”

It’s anyone’s guess that the feeling probably didn’t last long.

Jennnifer Lawrence is one of the biggest actresses in Hollywood.

She starred in a “little” franchise known as The Hunger Games, and is also reprising her role as Mystique for two more X-Men movies. No big deal, right? l Source: MTV, E!News

The Last Knight

n Showtime Desk n Showtime Desk

It’s extremely unwise to lie at the airport’s custom counter, a lesson Jennifer Lawrence had to learn the hard way.

While on the Graham Norton Show recently, she revealed that she was put in a “tiny little jail” for lying about her visa status en route to London.

About six years ago, the actress headed out to London to meet with Matthew Vaughn, the director of X-Men: First Class. There was one problem though: her passport was expiring soon.

Lawrence explained, “They were like, whatever you do, don’t tell them that you’re here for work, because they’ll ask for a work visa; say you’re here for pleasure.”

Never to shy away from mischief, the actress came up with a back story that she couldn’t execute as planned. “I get there and he’s like, business or pleasure? Pleasure,” Lawrence continued. “What are you doing for pleasure? My brother’s getting married. Where’s your brother getting married?

The fifth installment of the Transformers franchise has a title - Transformers: The Last Knight.

The Transformers social media accounts have all changed their photos to match the art of the new title.

The Last Knight title is likely a reference to the Knights of Cybertron which were alluded to the most recent Transformers installment, Age of Exctinction.

Mark Wahlberg is returning to the franchise after debuting in 2014’s film as Cade Yaeger and will be joined by Isabela Moner and

Jerrod Carmichael. Michael Bay will return to direct the film written by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Ken Nolan.

Production of The Last Knight is set to begin June 6 in Detroit with other locations scheduled around the world. “Having one of the highest-profile film franchises created in Michigan is a major economic boost and a testament to the talent of the state’s production community,” said Jenell Leonard, commissioner of the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office when production plans were first revealed. “The production and economic investment is now

happening sooner rather than later, and obviously, the project is a certainty rather than merely a possibility.”

Transformers is the fortyfifth highest-grossing film and the fifth highest-grossing film of 2007, grossing approximately $709 million worldwide. The film won four awards from the Visual Effects Society and was nominated for three Academy Awards, for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. LaBeouf’s performance was praised by Empire, and Cullen’s reprisal of Optimus Prime from the 1980s was well received by fans. A sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, was released on June 24, 2009.

A third film, Dark of the Moon, was released on June 29, 2011, in 3D and went on to gross over $1 billion. A fourth entry, Age of Extinction, was released on June 27, 2014, which also grossed over $1 billion. A fifth installment, Transformer: The Last Knight is set for release on June 23, 2017. l

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

Not so angry but fun birds Brazil stars protest

n Mahmood Hossain It’s a no brainer that The Angry Birds Movie is targeted to the younger demographic – a pure family entertainment presentation. And even though it’s for those tiny-tots and rascals, there’s plenty of adult humour in this animated feature. It’s like when your parents used to throw you a birthday party. You’d be totally clueless and aloof, playing with your cousins and friends, while the adults bantered about, well, adult stuff. We can only

assume it was very naughty things.

Sitting down comfortably at the Dhaka premier on Thursday night, with 3D glasses on, we had not kept our hopes up.

Under the Sony and Columbia Pictures banner, it was easy to figure out that the visuals would be nothing less than spectacular.

Although the film’s aesthetics aren’t mind blowing, the 3D affect is something to applaud. The plot of the film couldn’t be simpler, and the dialogue is a mish-mash of pop-culture of the past and present. As mentioned before,

there are a few laughs to be had with adults in the audience. The audience seemed to react well with the humour, overall. We also noticed there was plenty of content that flew passed the heads of children and adults alike.

With familiar Hollywood stars voicing the fun little characters on screen, the film does just enough to keep your attention. Led

by Jason Sudeikis as Red, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, Peter Dinklage, Sean Penn and many more tagged along in this fun trip for kids. Ultimately, that’s exactly what this animated film is. If you have young children, take them out for a good time, and then explain to them why you can’t let them play Angry Birds on your phone immediately watching the movie. As for the average moviegoer, this isn’t a movie you should invest your money in. There’s plenty of better alternatives, as The Angry Birds Movie is something better off seen at home. l

Jared Leto feels ‘naked’ without lipstick n SK Farhan Rahman A method actor by trade, Jared Leto is known to research and prepare for his roles with perfection. After potentially acing his maniacal laugh as the Joker in the upcoming movie Suicide Squad, and severely pranking Margot Robbie by giving her a live rat, the actor-cum singer had a confession to make.

He recently revealed to Ellen DeGeneres that he feels “naked” without his lipstick wearing, eye brow less look, as he had got way too attached to it.

While preparing for his role in Suicide Squad, Leto not only had done eerie red lips synonymous with the Joker’s looks, but also had to shave off his eye brows. This was, however, not the first time the actor had to pull off this look. His role in the film Dallas Buyers Club earned him an academy award, where he played a transgender woman, was the first time he had to don the eyebrow less, red lips look.

When asked about his physical transformation, especially shaving his eyebrows for the roles he played, Leto replied by saying, “I think that I’m probably the only actor in Hollywood who’s shaved their eyebrows and worn lipstick back to back in two films.”

He jokingly mentioned that his new eyebrows are ‘prosthetics,’

but clarified later on about the re-growth process, “They started to grow back slower and slower so I got a little scared. But they did come back.”

Sufficed to say, this might not be the last time we see Jared Leto transforming his physical appearance for a movie role. l Source: IBTimes

at Cannes red carpet

n Showtime Desk The cast of the Brazilian feature, Aquarius and it’s director, Kleber Mendonca Filho staged a protest holding signs, reading that Brazil is no longer a democracy at the Cannes Film Festival in support of unseated Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, last Tuesday.

The actors held up sheets of paper with the slogans ‘Stop the coup in Brazil,’ ‘Brazil is not a democracy anymore’ and ‘54,501,118 votes set on fire’, after turning to face the

photographers as they walked up the red carpet for the screening of Aquarius.

Aquarius, competing for the Palme d’Or, is about an ageing music critic trying to keep her apartment against developers.

On Thursday, Brazil’s Senate voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, for allegedly using illegal accounting tricks to hide deficits in federal budgets. Rousseff has insisted she has done nothing wrong and has called the impeachment a coup. l

WHAT TO WATCH Transformers: Dark of the Moon Zee Studio 11:15pm The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel Kung Fu Panda 2 Zee Studio 9:30pm Po and his friends fight to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but first the Dragon Warrior must come to terms with his past.

Cast: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan X-Men: The Last Stand Star Movies 4:30pm When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier, and the Brotherhood, a band of

powerful mutants organised under Xavier’s former ally, Magneto.

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin Journey 2: The Mysterious Island HBO 11:55pm Sean Anderson partners with his mom’s husband on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.

Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Luis Guzmán, Vanessa Hudgens The Hangover Part II WB 5:55pm Two years after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Stu’s plan for a subdued pre-wedding brunch, however, goes seriously awry.

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong

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Back Page

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

SEARCHING FOR A HOME IN THE WORLD PAGE 15

TON-UP BAIRSTOW AS WICKETS TUMBLE PAGE 24

NOT SO ANGRY BUT FUN BIRDS PAGE 31

Major cyclones in Bangladesh since 1970

BARISAL

KHULNA

Severe Cyclonic Storm with a core of hurricane wind November 12, 1970 Max wind speed 224 k/h Cyclonic Storm October 15, 1983 Max wind speed 93 k/h Severe Cyclonic Storm May 24, 1985 Max wind speed 154 k/h Severe Cyclonic Storm with core of hurricane winds May 20, 1998 Max wind speed 173 k/h

Severe Cyclonic Storm with core of hurricane winds (SIDR) November 15, 2007 Max wind speed 223 k/h

Severe Cyclonic Storm with a core of hurricane wind November 29, 1988 Max wind speed 160 k/h

O F

Severe Cyclonic Storm with a core of hurricane wind May 19, 1997 Max wind speed 232 k/h Severe Cyclonic Storm with a core of hurricane wind September 27, 1997 Max wind speed 150 k/h

COX’S BAZAR Severe Cyclonic Storm November 28, 1974 Max wind speed 163 k/h

Cyclonic Storm (AILA) May 25, 2009 Max wind speed 70-90 k/h

Cyclonic Storm October 28, 2000 Max wind speed 83 k/h

B A Y

Severe Cyclonic Storm with a core of hurricane wind April 29, 1991 Max wind speed 225 k/h

Cyclonic Storm November 12, 2002 Max wind speed 65-85 k/h

Cyclonic Storm December 10, 1981 Max wind speed 120 k/h

Severe Cyclonic Storm of Hurricane intensity May 23, 1970 Max wind speed 163 k/h

CHITTAGONG

B E N G A L

Severe Cyclonic Storm November 09, 1983 Max wind speed 136 k/h Cyclonic Storm (crossed as a depression) December 18, 1990 Max wind speed 115 k/h

Severe Cyclonic Storm with a core of hurricane wind May 02, 1994 Max wind speed 278 k/h Severe Cyclonic Storm November 25, 1995 Max wind speed 140 k/h Cyclonic Storm May 19, 2004 Max wind speed 65-90 k/h

Tonu’s father: Take legal action against 1st autopsy examiners n Mohiuddin Molla, Comilla Yaar Hossain, father of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, has demanded legal action against the medical examiners who conducted the first autopsy of his daughter, claiming that they tried to hide evidence related to her murder.

Speaking with the Dhaka Tribune yesterday evening, Yaar said: “The doctors who conducted Tonu’s first post-mortem examination claimed that they had found no evidence that she had been raped before being murdered.

“But when the CID ran a DNA test, they found evidence that she had been raped by three men be-

‘I believe that the doctors who conducted the first autopsy committed some sort of irregularities. I demand that the CID take legal actions against them’ fore she was killed.”

Two months have passed since Tonu’s body was found in Comil-

la cantonment area. Asked if he was satisfied with the progress of the investigation, Yaar said: “We

are now. There was no significant development for a while, but now that the CID has revealed the results of the DNA test, we are hopeful that we will get justice.

“I believe that the doctors who conducted the first autopsy committed some sort of irregularities. I demand that the CID take legal actions against them.”

Dr Kamda Prasad Saha, head of the forensics department at Comilla Medical College, refused to comment on the DNA test results when the Dhaka Tribune contacted him.

However, he said the full report of the second autopsy would be submitted soon.

The Dhaka Tribune also tried to reach Dr Nazmul Karim Khan, special superintendent of police in Comilla, and Gazi Md Ibrahim, the investigation officer of Tonu’s case, for a comment in this regard. None of them were available.

Tonu, student at Comilla Victoria College and a cultural activist, was found dead in Comilla cantonment on the evening of March 20.

Her first post-mortem examination was conducted the next day. Later, her body was exhumed for the second post-mortem examination which was conducted on March 30.

Police have yet to identify Tonu’s murderers. l

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