Handloom fair occupies playground

A month-long handloom fair is going on at the Basabo playground in the capital, depriving local children and youths of all sorts of outdoor sports and recreation.

Residents of the area alleged that local Awami League leaders and their associates were making money by illegally leasing out the playground, which belongs to the city corporation.

Local ruling party lawmaker Saber Hossain Chowdhury inaugurated the month-long 'Baishakhi handloom fair' that began on May 25 under the banner of Bangladesh Khuddra Kutir Shilpa Manufacturers and Business Association.

Youths of the area complained that they could not play at the ground for more than a month as the organisers occupied the ground weeks before the inauguration for construction purpose.

'This is the only playground in the locality. Now we have to play in a sand-filled open space nearby for many days. But the condition of the space is not favourable for playing cricket,' says Faisal, a college student.

People living around the playground also alleged that the shops of the fair played music all daylong causing serious disturbance.

Basabo Tarun Sangha, a youth club which administers the playground, rented it out to meet the expenses of the club, claimed a secretary of the club's executive committee. Similar fairs had been organised in 2009 and 2010.

'There was no money in the club fund only few years back. Now we have Tk 14 to Tk 15 lakh in our fund. This fund has been raised mainly through the income from the fair,' he said in condition of anonymity.

He, however, brushed aside the allegations that the fair was hampering the sports and the quality of the residential atmosphere.

A few people, led by Maksudur Rahman Shamim, president of ward 27 AL, organised the fair without any consultation with the club committee exploiting their power, said the secretary.

'The income from the earlier fairs had been shared among local ruling party leaders and the club members after half of the total income was put in the club fund. This time, only a few people are getting the share which made others oppose the fair,' he said.

Maksudur Rahman Shamim, however, turned down the allegations. 'I don't know anything about this. You better ask the general secretary and the president of the club. They have given permission to arrange the fair.'

'As a local leader, my job is only to make the contacts between the organisers and the MP,' he added.

He, however, claimed that though the fair is hampering sports and residential atmosphere, it is needed because it helps the club. 'The club's football team plays in second division tournament. At least Tk 15 to Tk 20 lakh is needed a year to run the club. The fair helps manage some of this expense.'

Sadek Khan, president of Basabo Tarun Sangha, refuted Shamim's claim, saying the playground belonged to the city corporation and Tarun Sangha was not actually involved with organising such fairs though it is getting some contribution from it.

'We do not want such fairs. Some local ruling party leaders are organising it,' he said.

Md Shahidul Islam Khan (Pinto), president of Bangladesh Khuddra Kutir Shilpa Manufacturers and Business Association, told New Age that the organisation has been organising such fairs for nearly 20 years across the country.

There are 84 shops, four pavilions, two swing carousels, a large fountain and a tower in the fair. The fair is selling saris, clothes, ornaments, groceries, household materials and food items.

When asked about organising 'Baishakhi fair' in the month of Jaishtha and Ashar, Md Shahidul Islam Khan said they got the permission for that period, but they had to reschedule it for the Higher Secondary Examination and for the local MP was abroad.

Source: New Age

Bumper litchi output makes people happy

For last several years summer has been a happy time for villagers of Joynagar in Pabna for making good earnings from selling litchi. 

There are at least 15,000 litchi trees in this village under Iswardi upazila in Pabna, estimated Khalilur Rahman, the upazila agricultural officer of the Department of Agricultural Extension.

Traders, mainly from Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet have flocked to the village to buy the produce.

Nasir Uddin of the village earned about Tk 6 lakh this year from his 120 trees while Abdur Rahim, assistant teacher at Bansherbandaha Government Primary School, made about Tk 65,000 from his single litchi tree.

The inhabitants of the village have given credit to the schoolteacher Abdul Gafur, who planted a litchi sapling in his yard many years back and got very good yields when the plant grew up. His neighbours, being enthusiastic by his success, followed his example, thus litchi plantation had gradually spread in the village.

But there is no big litchi garden in the densely populated village due to scarcity of land. People have grown their litchi trees in the manner of homestead gardening. There is hardly any home now in the village without a couple of litchi trees in its courtyard. 

According to the DAE, Joynagar villagers grow some local varieties and two hybrid varieties, namely China and Bombai.

The local variety litchi is smaller in size, has less flesh and bigger seed compared to that of the hybrid ones.

The villagers said that as the local varieties of litchi plants needed less care and grew in less fertile soil, many people preferred these for plantation where the soil was not very good.

This year the produce is selling at Tk 200 for per hundred litchis to the wholesalers.

'We could get a better price if the road was better,' said Kuddus Miah, owner of 32 litchi trees. 'The only road that leads from the highway to the village is muddy, making the road unfit for trucks or pickups,' he also said. 

The proceeds from the litchi is effecting gradual change to the life of the village enabling its inhabitants to take up other income generating initiatives such as rearing small poultry and cattle farms.

Source: New Age

Woman’s decomposed body recovered in Lakshmipur

The police recovered the decomposed body of a housewife from her house at village Laharkandi in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila on Monday.

The deceased was Shahinur Begum, 35, wife of Md Manik at the village Laharkandi.

The police said Shahinur Begum, second wife of Md Manik, was missing for three to four days. The police raided her house at noon on Monday based on complain of the victim's brother and recovered the decomposed body of Shahinur from the house.

The body was sent to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

A case was filed with the sadar thana.

Source: New Age

Girl found dead

The body of an unidentified young girl was found dead under Bangaldaho Bridge on River Tulshiganga at Panchbibi in Joypurhat on Tuesday morning.

Panchbibi thana officer-in-charge, Biman Chandra, said that being informed by local people, the thana police went to the spot and recovered the body of the unidentified young girl under the bridge in Mohammadpur union parishad area at Panchbibi in the morning. The body had been sent to Joypurhat Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Source: New Age

Locals stage demo, 40 injured in clash

Some thousands of local people staged demonstration violating section 144 on Tuesday at Roumari upazila in Kurigram in protest at forming a new union named Char Shoulmari at the upazila. 

At least 40 people were injured when the police had beat up the agitated people for violating section 144.

Earlier, section 144 was imposed at Roumari sadar and adjoining areas in Kurigram on Tuesday as the possibilities of demonstration created tension between two areas following formation of the new union Char Shoulmari.

Witnesses said that the police beat up the people when they were staging demonstration with sticks at about 2:30pm at village Pakhiura in the upazila.

The injured were taken to Roumari Upazila Health Complex.

Local lawmaker Md Jakir Hossain told that it was not fair to break the government rule by the people.

The Roumari upazila parishad chairman, Sheikh Abdul Khaleque, told that the police attacked on the demonstration as the people of village Pakhiura had violated the rule.

Section 144, imposed in Roumari CG Jaman High school area, Degree College, Women College, bazar area and upazila parishad area was continued from 6:00am to 8:00pm on Tuesday.

Roumari upazila nirbahi officer and executive magistrate, AKM Showkat Alam Majumdar, ordered for section 144 which was declared by loud speaker at 7:00pm on Monday.

Being informed that the villagers of Pakhiura were planning for demonstration at Roumari upazila administration office on Tuesday in protest at forming the new union, the administration ordered for section 144 in the area, the UNO said.

Roumari thana officer-in-charge, Horeswar Roy, told New Age that the police fired tear gas shell towards the agitated people to bring the situation under control.

Source: New Age

School burnt in Bhola

A fire gutted a school for disabilities in Bhola town on Monday night damaging valuables worth about Tk 3 lakh.

Being informed, Bhola fire fighters rushed to the spot and brought the flames under control within half an hour.

The fire might have originated from an electric short circuit of the school, the fire fighters said.

Some important machinery worth about Tk 3 lakh were damaged by the fire, they said.

Source: New Age

Police constable electrocuted

A police constable was electrocuted at police quarter in Narsingdi town  on Monday morning.

The deceased was identified as Mojammal Haq, 47.

Sources said Mojammal was electrocuted when he was giving electric connection to an iron at about 9:30 am on Monday. The body had been sent to his village home.

Source: New Age

PM asks info ministry to formulate new wage board

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has directed the minister for information to talk to the media owners about upgrading the wage board for journalists.


The prime minister herself revealed this direction when a delegation of Dhaka Reporters Unity led by its president Mostaq Hossain met her at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday noon.
Addressing the meeting, the prime minister termed reporters the 'life of the media' and said she had always felt a deep relation with the Dhaka Reporters Unity since its establishment.
Hasina further said only freedom of media was not enough, freedom of journalism also has to be ensured for greater interests.
Advising the reporters to do objective journalism, she was critical of a few newspapers who intentionally publish fake and false news to serve vested quarter's interests.
Giving example of news reports published in some newspapers Tuesday, the prime minister said it seemed that a quarter was working to disrupt democratic progress in Bangladesh.
By giving wrong information on local body elections, such media is trying to create question about neutrality and independence of the Election Commission.
The prime minister urged the reporters and all journalists to remain alert to any conspiracy to destroy democracy in Bangladesh .
DRU general secretary Jamal Uddin informed the prime minister about various problems faced by reporters.
He requested the prime minister to take steps to allocate 40 decimals of khas lands from 52 decimals khas lands of SA 570 No Daag of No 1 Khatian of Ramna Mouja (under Shahabagh thana) which is beside the present temporary office of DRU, to set up the much-expected 'Media Village.'
In this regard, the DRU general secretary informed the prime minister that already the deputy commissioner of Dhaka had surveyed and recommended allocating this in favour of DRU.
Principal secretary to the prime minister MA Karim, PMO secretary Molla Waheeduzzaman and prime minister's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad were present.
Source: New Age

Total lunar eclipse today

A total lunar eclipse will take place after 11 years on  tonight.

It is a rare eclipse where the moon will pass through the centre line of the Earth's shadow. As with all total eclipses of the moon, the celestial body will appear red.

'All phases of the moon's eclipse will be visible from all places in Bangladesh,' Shahjahan Mridha Benu, president of Anushandhitsu Chakra (The Inquisitive Circle) Astrology Division, told the news agency on Tuesday.

According to Benu, the moon will enter Earth's penumbra (partial shadow) at 11:24pm. Partial eclipse would begin at 12:23pm and total eclipse would commence at 2:12am and last for the next 100 minutes, he said.

Anushandhitsu Chakra has organised an open observation camp throughout tonight at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo theatre.

Bangladesh Astrono-mical Association has also arranged for a viewing at Dhanmondi Club grounds.

Source: New Age

5 injured in JnU BCL-JCD clash

Five activists of Jagannath University Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal were injured critically as they clashed with the university unit Bangladesh Chhatra League students and police on the campus Tuesday morning.

The Kotwali police also picked up four JCD activists and one Dhaka College student from the spot.

The police said more than a hundred JnU JCD activists brought out a procession, led by their convener Golam Mawla Sahin, on the campus at about 11:00am, demanding immediate release of JCD central committee organising secretary Anisur Rahman Talukdar, who was arrested by the police on Monday during a general strike called by opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

When the procession reached arts faculty building the Chhatra League activists, with the help of police, carried out an attack on it and injured at least five persons, the witnesses said.

Injured Shawkat Ara Urmi, Mousumi Mou, Aslam, Sohel Shikdar and Sabbir were admitted to a local hospital.

The police picked up the university unit Chhatra Dal joint convener Al-Ashraf Mamun, Mahbubur Rahman, Ziaul Hossain and Sohel and Dhaka College student Asadullah on charges of spreading violence on the campus.

The police also said Asadullah might be an activist of Chhatra Shibir.

JnU JCD convener Golam Mawla complained that the police and BCL activists attack the precession without plausible reason.

Kotwali police subinspector Md Mahmudul Haque brushed aside the complaint and said the police just tried to stop the clash.

JnU acting proctor Ahsok Kumar Saha said that JCD activists brought out the procession without permission from the authorities concerned and the police picked up four of them as they tried to vandalise university buses.

Source: New Age

US keen to support for expanding trade ties: envoy

The United States has reiterated its willingness to continue its support and cooperation to gradually expand trade relations with Bangladesh.

Outgoing US ambassador to Bangladesh James F Moriarty expressed the keenness while paying farewell call on the president, Zillur Rahman, at Bangabhaban Tuesday. During the meeting he mentioned that millions of Bangladeshi people have been living in the USA and they are contributing in the development process of the country. Besides, many Bangladeshi students are studying in the US colleges and universities. The ambassador highly appreciated Bangladesh for securing the top position in the UN Peacekeeping Mission through sending largest number of troops.

'It is a great contribution in the process of maintaining peace.' he said. The US is also keen to extend its support to raise the skill of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers, he said. The outgoing US envoy also lauded the role of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, regarding climate change issues and reiterated to provide support to Bangladesh in this regard.

The ambassador apprised the president that during his tenure he has extensively visited all divisions of Bangladesh from Tetulia to Teknaf and also twice visited the Sundarban, the largest mangrove forest in the world. The president thanked the outgoing ambassador for his successful completion of tenure in Bangladesh and also extended his gratitude to the US government for continuing its support in the socioeconomic development of Bangladesh. Secretaries concerned to the president's office were present. 

The US ambassador also paid a farewell call on the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, at her office Tuesday and discussed various issues of mutual interest.

Source: New Age

Ambassador in Tokyo called back

The government on Tuesday called back Bangladesh ambassador to Japan, AKM Majibur Rahman Bhuiyan for his alleged inability to properly discharge his responsibilities, a foreign ministry official said. 

'There was an allegation that the ambassador sexually harassed a local staff. It is not that the allegation was proved. But the government has decided to call him back as he was unable to discharge responsibilities properly and a complex situation emerged there,' the official said.

The official order asking the ambassador to report at the foreign ministry was sent by diplomatic mail Monday, the official said.

A senior Bangladesh mission official in Tokyo told New Age over phone Tuesday evening that the ambassador 'is yet to receive the official order'.

However, the foreign ministry's website showed at 7 PM (Bangladesh time) that the post of the ambassador in Tokyo was vacant.

The Bangladesh embassy website in Japan showed at 7.15 PM that Bhuiyan was still holding the post.

Bhuiyan was appointed ambassador to Tokyo in August 2010. 

The government called him back after receiving a report on of investigation conducted by Bangladesh ambassador to South Korea, Md. Shahidul Islam into the allegations, said a Bangladesh embassy official in Tokyo.

 Bhuiyan claimed during the investigation that the allegation brought against him was not true, he said.

He also said that complainant, a Japanese staff at the Bangladesh embassy, could take the matter to a Japanese court if the allegation was true.

Bhuiyan, however, attended general assembly of Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary League held at the Japanese Parliament Building Tuesday, according to a foreign ministry press release.

The Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary League elected a new committee and reelected former prime minister Taro Aso as its president.

 Four former prime ministers of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda and Tsutomu Hata were made its Supreme Advisers.

Source: New Age

Speaking on the occasion, Taro Aso said that Bangladesh 'is one of the next 11 emerging economies'.

Former JBPL president Shin Sakurai advised the league members to undertake visits to Bangladesh for increased political contacts between the two countries. 

About 32 Japanese MPs attended the function.

Boy killed in road accident in capital

A boy was killed in a road accident at Jurain in the capital Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased, Mohammad Rony, 11, son of Abdur Rahman, lived in Jurain.

The police said a speeding microbus knocked him down while he was playing cricket with his friends on the Jurain New Road at about 12:30pm.

Rony was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he died about an hour later.

The body was taken to the DMCH morgue for post-mortem.

A case was filed.

Source: New Age

ASP Frauk admitted to burn unit of DMCH

Assistant superintendent of police Faruk Hossain, who was found by his colleagues in city's Suhrawardy Udyan on Monday after he had gone missing more than two years ago, was admitted to the burn and plastic surgery unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital as he had sustained burn injuries.

Senior assistant commissioner of the detective branch Shahidul Islam told New Age that Faruk was undergoing treatment at burn and plastic surgery unit of DMCH as he sustained burn injuries while the mentally imbalanced police official was at Suhrawardy Udyan.

He said that Faruk would be admitted to a mental hospital once his family members arrive in Dhaka in a day or two.

He said that departmental action against Faruk was underway since he was found involved in criminal activities while performing duties in Dhaka Metropolitan Police in 2008 and since then he remained missing.

Officials of the detective branch said Faruk was identified by one of his course mates at the Sardah Police Training Centre, when he along with a team conducted a raid in Suhrawardy Udyan in search of pickets in the afternoon.

A man from Bhola, Faruk, who had studied at Dhaka University, sustained severe injuries when some people had beaten him up recently and a woman threw boiling water on him two days ago.

Another of his course mates said of Faruk's mother died when he was at the Sardah Police Training Centre in Rajshahi. He had been trained as an assistant superintendent of police (probationary) from July 2005 to August 2006.

The death of his mother had affected him, said one of his course mates, adding, 'Faruk turned unusually quite following his mother's death.'

After the end of the training, he joined the detective branch of DMP and later was transferred to other positions. He was stand released following an incident in 2008 and went missing, sources said.

Source: New Age

5 killed in Ctg road accident

An auto-rickshaw driver and his four passengers were killed in an accident on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway at the Madambibirhat area under Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong Tuesday.

The deceased were Nur-us-Safa, 55, Monir, 30, Halim, 35, Mujib, 30, and Lokman Miah, 32.

Lokman Miah was the auto-rickshaw driver while the others were the workers of a ship-breaking yard at Bhatiari operated by SM Corporation.

The police and local people said that at about 6:30am a Dhaka bound truck collided head on with the CNG run auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite direction, killing them on the spot.

The workers were going to their workplace by that auto-rickshaw, said Ohidur Rahman, Highway police officer-in-charge.

The OC said that they seized the truck and the smashed auto-rickshaw while the truck driver had fled.

Source: New Age

Libya returnees to get Tk 50,000 as compensation

The Bangladeshi workers, who were forced to flee Libya due to conflict there, would get Tk 50,000 as compensation from next month.

In this connection, an agreement was signed between International Organisation for Migration and labour and expatriate welfare and employment ministry at the ministry Tuesday noon.

Shamsun Nahar, joint secretary (admin) of the ministry, and Rabab Fatema, regional representative of IOM, signed the agreement.

The expatriate welfare minister, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, was present on the occasion.

Following the agreement, Rabab Fatema told journalists that information had already been collected about the Bangladeshi workers who returned from Libya.

She said IOM got the responsibility of distributing the money among the workers under a loan assistance programme of the World Bank.

So far, 36,541 workers returned home. Of them, 30,941 returned home under the supervision of IOM.

IOM will open call centre from July 3. The call centre will take telephone number of the workers and verify their information and later a final data base would be sent to Sonali Bank.

Publicity for giving information to the call centre and opening of bank account would start today.

Source: New Age

Businessmen block road for power in Sylhet

Businessmen in Sylhet blocked the road in the city for about an hour on Tuesday, demanding resumption of power supply that remained suspended since Monday afternoon.

Eyewitnesses said several hundred shop owners and their employees of Stadium Market at Rikabibazar went on demonstration at 6:00pm and blocked the VIP Road, demanding immediate resumption of power supply to the area.

A large number of vehicles were stranded during the blockade, creating a tailback stretching about two kilometers between Dargah Gate and Rikabibazar in the city.

The businessmen said the power supply to the Stadium Market, the main medicine market and physicians' chambers, remained suspended from Monday afternoon because of a faulty transformer.

But, the Power Development Board authorities did not take any step to repair the transformer till Tuesday evening, they alleged.

Being informed, local PDB authorities and a team of Kotwali police reached the spot at about 7:00pm.

The businessmen withdrew the barricade on the assurance that power supply would resume by Wednesday afternoon, the sources said.

Sylhet PDB chief engineer Shahinul Islam Khan told New Age, 'We already have stated to restore the transformer in the evening and we hope, it would be possible to repair it before next afternoon.'

Source: New Age

Door for talks on constitution not closed as yet

LGRD minister and Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said on Tuesday that the government kept the door open for discussions with the opposition on Constitution amendment including deleting the provision of election time caretaker government system.

'The door for discussion is not closed as yet,' said Ashraf.

Speaking at an extended meeting of the city chapter of ruling Awami League he said that the opposition would get the opportunity to take part in the discussions in parliament for amending the Constitution. 

He urged opposition BNP to come for discussion to resolve the issues together, so that the next parliamentary elections could be held in a free, fair and neutral manner.

He said, 'let us discuss the issues for a solution for holding the next polls in a free, fare, neutral and peaceful manner.'

He said he would expect BNP to avoid the path of politics of hartal.

Ashraf said the people of Bangladesh had rejected hartal.

He thanked the people of Bangladesh for rejecting hartal.  

The AL general secretary also urged opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party for discussion to resolve of the problems, 'let us have meeting to have a way out of the problems for a free, fare, neutral and peaceful election for the next time' he added.

He also hoped that BNP will avoid politics of general strike.  

Ashraf said, 'Awami League is ready to face any attack.'

He said, 'Awami League does not fear red eyes.'

'By holding out threats of a movement no concession could be taken from Awami League,' he said.

He requested all the front organisations of the ruling party to take programmes for observing the 62nd founding anniversary of Awami League, for which the meeting of its city chapter was convened at Bangabandhu Avenue.

Ashraf said that Awami League would hold a discussion at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on June 23 to celebrate its founding anniversary.

The ruling party city chapter general secretary Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury Maya conducted the meeting, chaired by its acting president MA Aziz.

Ruling party legislators elected from the city a s well as its front and lower tier leaders attended the meeting.

Source: New Age

Effective disaster management law demanded

Civic leaders and students of various educational institutions on Tuesday demanded immediate enactment and enforcement of an effective disaster management law.

Speakers voiced the demand while addressing a rally after launching a 'postcard campaign' in front of the National Museum to press home their demand. The programme was arranged by the Nagarik Sanghati with the help of the Emergency Capacity Building and Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood.

Speakers said that Bangladesh was a disaster-prone country and a large part of the country's population were especially vulnerable due to dependence on natural resources, huge population, unbalanced distribution of resources, infrastructural weakness and mismanagement.

They said that nearly 30 per cent of the country's population lives under the poverty line and natural disasters have made their position more precarious.

Natural disasters have multiplied in recent years and it is now clear that Bangladesh is one of the countries that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

They demanded enactment of an effective disaster management law for the security of the lives of resources of the vulnerable people.

The rally, chaired by the general secretary of Nagarik Sanghati, was addressed by educationalist Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, also a former advisor to a caretaker government, writer Syed Abul Maqsud and Dhaka University teacher Hafizur Rahman Karzan, along with others.

Prior to the rally, Zillur Rahman Siddiqui inaugurated a 'postcard campaign' at the same place to press home the same demands. Around 200 students of various educational institutions also participated the campaign.

Postcards containing the written demand for an effective disaster management law will be sent to the prime minister, speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, food and disaster affairs minister and the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the food and disaster affairs ministry, said the organisers.

Source: New Age

Brick kiln worker buried under soil

A brick kiln worker was buried under soil when cutting earth near the brick field at Loknathpur in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased was Md Kheder Ali, 32, son of Nuh Mandal of Karpasdanga village of the upazila.

The police said Kheder along with co-labourers was cutting earth from a highland near the brickfield. All on a sudden a big hunk of soil fell on him burying the day-labourer beneath it at 2:00pm.

He died on way to Chuadanga General Hospital at 2:30pm.

Source: New Age

15th anniversary of Kalpana Chakma abduction observed

The Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity and the United Peoples Democratic Front on Tuesday separately condemned the abduction of Kalpana Chakma in Rangamati, a sensational case which has remained unresolved for 15 years.

Both organisations accused the military and the Village Defence Party of involvement in the abduction and said that Lieutenant Ferdous had played the leading role in kidnapping Kalpana. They brushed aside the findings of the probe committee which said that neither the army nor VDP were responsible for the abduction of Kalpana, who was the organising secretary of the Hill Women's Federation 15 years ago.

The PCJSS, students and members of the Hill Women's Federation and Pahari Chhatro Parishad formed a human chain in front of National Museum in the morning.

The speakers expressed their concern over the fact that the abductor was still serving as an officer in the army.

They demanded exemplary punishment of the abductors, publishing of the probe report, withdrawal of army camps from the CHT and implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord 1997.

Rights activist Khusi Kabir said that since Bangladesh claims to be a democratic state, the probe report should be made public.

Academics Zobaida Nasrin Kona and Robaet Ferdous, columnist Syed Abul Maksud, Fahmida Zaman of Ain O Salish Kendra, rights activists Abu Sayed Khan, leaders of the HWF, PCP and Adivasi Chhatro Sangram Parishad also addressed participants of the human chain.

The UPDF, students and members of the HWF and PCP took out a procession and organised a rally in front of National Press Club in the evening to observe the anniversary of abduction.

Speakers in the rally also condemned the abduction of 10 HWF leaders on June 13 who were on their way to join the rally. They also demanded a fair investigation and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.

Faizul Hakim, general secretary of the Jatiya Mukti Council, called for a movement to stop all kinds of oppression of the people of small ethnic communities.

Samiul Alam Richi of the Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, Ashish Sharma of Biplobi Chhatra Sangha, Aongay Marma of the PCP, Mithun Chakma of the UPDF and Afroza Khatun of Lamppost also expressed their solidarity in the rally.

After the signing of the CHT accord in 1997, a dissident group of students, women activists and PCJSS leaders formed the UPDF to oppose the accord, and demanded total autonomy of the CHT region.

Kalpana, was abducted 15 years ago from her village home at New Lallyaghona of Baghaichhari in Rangamati, the night before the seventh national elections began on 12 June, 1996.

The widespread demand of the hill people and local and international rights organisations for making the abduction report public has not been heeded for 15 years.

Source: New Age

Japan pledges continued dev assistance

Foreign affairs minister Dipu Moni on Tuesday expressed optimism that the continued cooperation with Japan would help Bangladesh to achieve its 'Vision 2021' of becoming a knowledge-based middle-income country.

Bangladesh-Japan relations are deeply rooted in identical values and the culture of the people of the two friendly countries, said Dipu Moni, mentioning Japan's assistance during the time of need, particularly after natural calamities.

Bangladesh is now trying to work out an economic partnership agreement with Japan for enhancing bilateral trade and economic relations, she told a seminar on 'Japan's partnership for the development of Bangladesh', jointly organized by the embassy of Japan and the Bangladesh-Japan Friendship Association at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Japan's total assistance to Bangladesh in various sectors including health, education, infrastructure, power, communications, science and technology amounts to more than $10 billion, larger than the combined assistance of the US and UK.

Japanese ambassador Tamotsu Shinotsuka said that Bangladesh should properly utilize its geographical advantage of being located in the midst of India, China and ASEAN countries, and open up a new horizon.

He appreciated the country's steady economic growth and the abundant human resources which are drawing the attention of Japanese investors.

The ambassador, however, expressed concern over the brain-drain from Bangladesh. 'If the skilled and talented manpower do not return, Bangladesh will keep losing its competitiveness,' he warned.

Source: New Age

BNP slams civil society for ‘silence’ over mobile court

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday censured the civil society for their 'silence' over the use of mobile courts during the opposition-sponsored hartal.

 'Which society we are living in? Nobody is raising voice against it. Where the members of civil society are today when human rights are being trampled,' asked Mirza Fakhrul while addressing a roundtable at the National Press Club.

Swadesh Parishad, a pro-BNP social body, organised the roundtable styled 'Zia Killing and conspiracy to destroy independence' marking the 30th anniversary of death of Ziaur Rahman, the founder of BNP and the country's 7th president.          

'People are being sentenced to different terms under mobile courts without evidence of their offence, without witnesses and even without giving them chance for self-defence. Did we fight the liberation war in 1971 for such a society,' Fakhrul asked.

Terming 'illegal' the launch of mobile courts to punish political rivals, he alleged that members of civil society were not raising their voice against the use of the 'black law'.

The BNP earlier claimed some 200 leaders and activists were sentenced to different terms during the 36-hour hartal called by the party and its allies.

Fakhrul alleged the government's only objective in using the mobile court was to prosecute the political rivals. 

He said, 'Ziaur Rahman was killed as part of a conspiracy to make Bangladesh a failed state and a certain political party is engaged in the conspiracy.' 

'The conspiracy is still on to make Bangladesh a vassal state,' he said, 'The constitution of the republic is being dissected while  judiciary has been made controversial through wholesale politicisation. Economy has been crippled and administration is limping.'     

Chaired by BNP chairperson's adviser MA Mannan, the roundtable was addressed, among others, by Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party chief Shafiul Alam Pradhan and columnist Abdul Awal Thakur.

Source: New Age

2 Bangladeshis jailed in UK

Two Bangladeshis have been sentenced to 25 years in jail each for the murder of another compatriot waiter in Seaford, England.

Shahadat Mollah Sohag, 21, and Mohammed Anhar, 33, were jailed on Thursday and Friday respectively for killing Anhar's cousin Ahmed Remon Hayder, 27, at his home and for burglary in February 2010.

They were found guilty of murdering Ahmed Remon Hayder and sentenced to minimum 25 years of imprisonment each.

Mohammed Anhar, 33, pleaded guilty of the murder of his cousin and burglary at a hearing at Lewes Crown Court on April 29 last year.

Source: New Age

Sonia visits Dhaka July 25

India's Congress Party president Sonia Ghandhi is coming to Dhaka on July 25 to attend a special conference on disabled and autistic children.

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, invited her to attend the conference and she accepted the invitation, the foreign minister, Dipu Moni, told the news agency on Tuesday.

Moni informed the Indian foreign minister, SM Krishna, would come to Bangladesh on July 6 to discuss bilateral issues.

'We will discuss issues, including water sharing, land boundary dispute

and border killings,' she said.

Earlier in the day, the

foreign minister said the government was planning to honour former Indian

prime minister Indira Gandhi by christening an important road after her name for her contribution to the liberation war.

Source: New Age

Che diary of Cuban revolution published in Havana

Cuba has published the diary that revolutionary icon Ernesto 'Che' Guevara kept during the guerrilla campaign that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959, its editors announced Monday.

'Diary of a Combatant' recounts Che's experience from the landing on December 2, 1956 of a band of revolutionaries aboard the yacht Granma, and their three-year armed struggle in Cuba's Sierra Maestra.

Published by the Australian firm Ocean Press/Ocean Sur, the book was edited by the Che Guevara Studies Centre, which is directed by his widow Aleida March.

Che's diary of his ill-fated guerrilla campaign in Bolivia, where he was captured by the Bolivian military and executed October 9, 1967, was a publishing sensation when it first appeared in 1968.

Born in Rosario, Argentina on June 14, 1928, Guevara met Castro in Mexico City in 1956 and joined the expedition of the Granma, which left Mexico with 82 men on board to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

Source: New Age

Maj Gen Anwar new BGB chief

The government has appointed Major General Anwar Hossain as director general to Border Guard Bangladesh.

Anwar replaces Major General Rafiqul Islam, a public administration ministry order said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, National Security Intelligence director Brigadier General AKM Shamsuddin has been withdrawn and attached to the Armed Forces Division.

Source: New Age

India not alarmed by China dam

India on Tuesday said an ongoing Chinese project to dam the Brahmaputra river in Tibet would not affect downstream supplies in the country's northeastern regions.

The foreign minister, SM Krishna, confirmed China was going ahead with the controversial construction of the dam on Yarlung Tsango river, as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet.

'We have ascertained from our own sources that this is a run of the river hydro-electric project which does not store water and will not adversely impact downstream areas in India,' Krishna told reporters in New Delhi.

'I believe there is no cause for immediate alarm,' he added. 'It is important

that states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam

harness and utilise the waters of Brahmaputra. This is a really a very important issue.'

The Brahmaputra is a lifeline to some of India's remote, farm-dependent northeastern states.

Some Indian experts have warned the cross-border dam could drain water from the river, which sustains the livelihood of millions of in Assam.

China after launching its construction in November 2010 assured that it took 'full consideration of the potential impact on the downstream area'.

Source: New Age

Brasília seeks support in bid for permanent seat in UNSC

Brazil has asked Bangladesh to sign a framework agreement for increasing trade, investment and bilateral cooperation between the two countries, said a top official of the Brazilian foreign ministry in Dhaka on Tuesday.

'We have proposed an agreement on technical cooperation between the two countries,' said Maria Edileuza Fontenele Reis, an under-secretary general for political affairs of the Brazilian Ministry of External Affairs, at a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Brazil can provide technical cooperation in the agricultural and other sectors, but the two countries require to have 'an umbrella agreement' for this, said Maria, who was on a fact-finding visit to Dhaka.

Under this agreement, Brazil will be able to provide all forms of support for eliminating hunger by increasing agricultural production, she said.

Brazil is also interested to invest in advanced technology in agriculture, transportation, health and sports, she said.

Expressing her country's readiness to increase imports from Bangladesh, Maria said that Brazil has a huge and diverse market of 200 million people.

The two countries should exchange trade delegations, she said.

Brazil also expects Bangladesh's support in its bid to gain a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, she added.

Maria called on Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, foreign affairs minister Dipu Moni, industries minister Dilip Barua, prime minister's adviser Gawhar Rizvi, foreign affairs secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes and agriculture secretary CQK Mustaq Ahmed during her three-day sojourn that began on Sunday. She left Dhaka Tuesday evening.

Brazil has also proposed to sign a separate agreement on easing the visa regime for government officials and diplomats between the two countries, said Brazil's ambassador, Ricardo L Viana De Carvalho.

When asked about starting the issuing of Brazilian visas from Dhaka, he hoped that the embassy would start providing consular services, including issuing of visas, after two months.

In May last year Brazil re-opened its mission in Dhaka that had been closed in 1998 due to the financial constraints of the country, he said.

Bilateral trade between the two countries is heavily tilted in favour of Brazil, which exported goods to Bangladesh worth $700 million last year. Bangladesh imports raw sugar and soybean from the South American country. Bangladesh's total export to the country was about $70 million last year.

Dipu Moni, during the meeting with Maria, said that in spite of geographical distance there is considerable potential for mutually beneficial economic and technical cooperation between the two countries, according to a press release.

She underscored the necessity of having an institutional mechanism for bilateral Foreign Office Consultation which may be alternately held in each other's capitals, in addition to the signing of an agreement on trade, economic cooperation and investment protection.

Bangladesh is seriously thinking of re-opening its resident mission in Brasilia soon, said Dipu Moni.

Source: New Age

Half a million inept drivers on the driving seats: minister

About half a million unskilled drivers are driving motorised vehicles across the country either using fake or no licence at all, communications minister Abul Hossain said Tuesday.

He told parliament in the question time that this could happen because the vehicles by far outnumber trained or skilled drivers in the country.

Replying to a question from Opu Ukil, a legislator of ruling Awami League, the minister, however, said that unskilled drivers at the wheels were not alone responsible for the road accidents.

He said that there were some other reasons responsible for the accidents too.

He said the government had taken a number of steps against drivers doing the job using fake licences.

He said that Bangladesh Road Transport Authority mobile courts were in action across the country to check the problem.

He said that the government had simplified the licence obtaining system to encourage the drivers to collect genuine driving licence.

He said that the authorities were also campaigning to create awareness about the easier system of obtaining genuine driving licences.

The minister said that the government opened one-stop service centres in 35 district towns under a special programme to provide driving licences to the drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws and motorbikes.

Source: New Age

Teachers, students want justice to Rumana

Dhaka University teachers, students, rights activists and people from all walks of life on Tuesday called upon the government to bring to book Hasan Syeed, who reportedly tortured his wife, a Dhaka University teacher leaving her grievously injured.

They formed a human chain and marched down the streets on the campus and accused the police of poor investigation of a case filed by the victim's family after the torture of Rumana Monzur on June 5 that caused grievous injuries to the teacher of international relations.

Rumana was hospitalised after being brutally tortured allegedly by her husband, Hasan Syeed, 38, a graduate from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, while the couple were staying at the Dhanmondi residence of the former's  parents.

Rumana needs better and modern treatment to save her eyes, said Ansarul Hoque, her physician at Labaid Specialised Hospital. There is very little hope of her regaining vision in the left eye, he added.

After undergoing treatment in Labaid Specialised Hospital in Dhaka for more than a week, Rumana  was sent to Chennai in India on Tuesday afternoon a for better treatment of her eyes, her family told New Age.

'She will be admitted to Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai,' a family member said.

The teachers, students and alumni of international relations department gave the police 72 hours to arrest Hasan or they would go for a greater action programme.

The protesters wearing black badges brought out a silent procession that paraded the campus.

They also staged a symbolic protest blindfolding the statues of the Aparajeyo Bangla and vowed not to remove the blindfolds until justice was done to Rumana. 

The protesters censured the university administration for taking any effective move to ensure justice to Rumana. 

'We cannot believe that the university authorities have not taken the incident seriously until it was made public,' said Marzana Safat, a protester.  

Teachers irrespective of their political affiliation and rights activists under the banner of Dhaka University Teachers Association also formed a human chain in front of the Aparajeyo Bangla in the morning and protested at the heinous act.

Hundreds of teachers except the Dhaka University vice-chancellor, AAMS Arefin Siddique, and pro-VC Harun-or-Rashid attended the human chain in demand of immediate arrest of the culprit. They sought intervention of the home minister, Sahara Khatun, in the case. 

Samajtantrik Chhatra Front in the afternoon held a rally on the campus protesting at the inhuman torture of Rumana by her husband.

Hasan Syeed, who has no permanent job or business, beat up Rumana and tried to gouge her eyes out after a blazing row on June 5.

Rumana is doing a post-graduate course in political science at the University of British Columbia in Canada. She returned home last month for research work and planned to return to Canada after three months.

The victim's father retired major Monzur Hossain, who filed a case with Dhanmondi police station on June 6 against Hasan, before leaving Dhaka with Rumana on Tuesday, said the family was scared as the perpetrator went into hiding.

Family members said that the police were under pressure from some cabinet members not to arrest Hasan. 

When asked, the investigation officer of the case, Mokbul Hossain, denied the claim and said that they were investigating the case but Hasan had been on the run since the incident.

Source: New Age

Govt takes action against physicians for absenteeism

The government has suspended, or given a final warning to, more than 300 physicians for their regular failure to attend the rural clinics where they have been posted, said Khandakar M Shefayetullah, chief of the Directorate General of Health Services.

He also told New Age on Monday that the ministry would very shortly be sending a notice to district civil surgeons to warn them that that it would take action against them, as well as the divisional directors and the upazila health and the family welfare officers, if doctors are found to be absent in the future.

'It is alleged that some absentee doctors enjoy impunity by maintaining a good relationship with these officers,' he said.

'We have strengthened our monitoring to ensure attendance of the doctors in the clinics of remote areas. Now we can monitor the attendance of the doctors centrally from the ministry up to the upazila-level hospitals because of our internet link and teleconference facilities,' the director general claimed.

The 300 doctors against whom action has been taken were found to be absent in the last few months.

This action follows remarks in a speech made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the end of March in which she said that the doctors who do not attend their hospitals will not be allowed to continue in their jobs.

On March 29 the United News of Bangladesh reported that the prime minister had said, 'It has often been observed that many doctors at the upazila level do not attend their offices regularly. As a result, the mass people are deprived of better healthcare facilities in the government hospitals. Even the doctors who are appointed on ad hoc basis also refrain from attending their offices regularly.'

She cautioned that if the doctors appointed on ad hoc basis are found negligent in their duties, they would be summarily dismissed, and that civil surgeons would be held responsible if the doctors do not discharge their duties regularly in their hospitals.

Shefayetullah also admitted to New Age that many doctors have been posted at the union-based healthcare sub-centres which exist only on paper since they have no building or other infrastructure, but said that the ministry has now issued clear instructions that those doctors have to work for the upazila health complexes.

New Age reported in May that the government has failed to establish more than 60 union healthcare sub-centres in Dhaka district though doctors have been appointed to work in them. They will now have to work for various upazila health complexes.

The daily said that in Dhaka city 16 assistant surgeons were appointed at the sub-centres in Harirampur, Sharulia, Manda, Dakkhinkhan, Shyampur, Nasirabad, Badda, Satarkul, Dhania, Dakkhingaon, Duman, Matuail, Uttarkhan, Beraid, Sultanganj and Demra union, but in fact all of these doctors work in the Tejgaon Health Complex.

Source: New Age

EC asks law enforcers to go tough aganist polls violence

The Election Commission on Tuesday asked law enforcement agencies to devise ways to effectively contain violence during the ongoing union council elections.

The commission issued the instruction at a meeting with the high officials of the law enforcement agencies as polls-related violence, including snatching of ballot boxes and intimidation of voters, had been escalating across the country.

According New Age correspondents, at least 10 people were killed and several hundred were injured in polls-related violence over past two weeks. The number of casualties, however, varied in press reports from 10 to 35. 

The 36-day long second phase of elections to 3,813 unions in 414 upazilas began on May 31 amid stray clashes, intimidation and snatching of ballot boxes.

The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, emerging from the meeting with representatives of the law enforcement agencies, dismissed press reports that 35 people were killed in polls-related violence. The CEC said that law and order was generally good and polling in only 27 centres out of 56,000 was postponed. He said that a number of incidents relating to family feuds were reported as polls-related violence.

The home secretary Abdus Sobhan, IGP Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, RAB director general M Muklesur Rahman and representatives from Border Guard Bangladesh attended the meeting.

The Election Commission at a meeting on January 24 criticised the home secretary and the police and Rapid Action Battalion chiefs for not taking action against ballot stuffing, snatching of ballot boxes and papers and assault of polling officers and magistrates during the municipal polls held between January 12 and 18.

Asked whether the commission in Tuesday's meeting had questioned the role of law enforcement agencies during local polls, election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain said the commission was satisfied with the law and order.

'We asked them to be tougher to ensure security at polling stations during vote count as defeated candidates were behind most of the violent clashes,' said Sohul.

Polling in 191 unions was held on Tuesday while elections to 132 more UPs are scheduled for today.

    New Age correspondent in Rangpur said that at least 30 people were injured in a clash between the supporters of a defeated UP chairman candidate and police in Mithapukur upazila Tuesday over the demand for cancellation of Chengmari union parishad election results.  The injured were admitted to local health complex. A case was filed. Police arrested seven. 

The police said the results of Chengmari union parishad election were announced on Monday night. Jatiya Party-backed candidate Abdul Khaleq was declared elected the chairman. Supporters of the defeated candidate, AL's Rezaul Kabir Tutul brought out a procession demanding cancellation of the results They snatched ballot boxes from presiding officer Saiful Islam and set them on fire. The presiding officer filed a case with the local police station against 110 including, Rezaul Kabir.

 Rezaul's supporters besieged the UNO officer to press their demand for cancellation of the polls results and hurled stones. Police went into action after the protesters turned violent. Police and Border Guard members charged batons into the crowd leaving at least 30 injured. 

Our correspondent in Gopalganj reported that at least 10 people were injured and the vehicle of an executive magistrate was damaged in a clash between supporters of a chairman candidate and police at a polling centre in Muksudpur upazila on Tuesday. The police fired shots in the air to disperse the crowds and arrested two persons on the spot.

Our correspondent in Magura reported that at least 25 people were injured and 10 houses were ransacked in post-polls violence on Tuesday at Panighata, Binodpur, Digha and Gullliya villages under Mohammadpur upazila in the district. The police arrested eight persons in connection with the incidents.

Our correspondent in Moulvibazar reported that two people, including a member candidate had been arrested for violating election code of conduct in Rajnagar upazila on Tuesday morning.

Source: New Age

Syria faces backlash

Six civilians were killed Tuesday and tanks were deployed near Syria's border with Iraq, activists said as the president, Bashar al-Assad, came under sharp pressure to halt a crackdown on democracy protests.

The latest deaths came after fresh protests erupted in

the eastern town of Deir Ezzor, a human rights activist said and troops pursued a scorched earth campaign in northern mountains, sending thousands fleeing.

'The armed forces are continuing their operations and the sweep of the villages near Jisr al-Shughur,' the flashpoint northeastern town which the army took by force on Sunday, the activist said.

'Six civilians perished in the past few hours in Ariha,' east of Jisr al-Shughur, he said, without providing further details.

'Some 10 tanks and 15-20 troop carriers were deployed around the town of Abu Kamal,' 500 kilometres east of Damascus near the border with Iraq, the activist added.

The United States stepped up its condemnation of the crackdown, which rights activists say has left at least 1,200 people dead since mid-March, and again called on its president to allow for a political transition or step aside.

'We have called on president Bashar al-Assad to cease the violence. We strongly condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the violence being perpetrated in Syria,' said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

'President Assad needs to engage in political dialogue. A transition needs to take place. If president Assad does not lead that transition then he should step aside,' he said.

Refugees fleeing across the border into Turkey said troops were burning crops and slaughtering livestock in villages near Jisr al-Shughur, main focus of a crackdown which began at the weekend.

Those claims could not be confirmed, as Syria has prevented journalists from entering the area.

'What happened there over the weekend and what continues to occur is absolutely revolting, and we condemn these barbaric acts in the strongest possible terms,' State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

Toner insisted the United States was exerting pressure on the Syrian government but stopped short of calling on Assad to resign.

European powers stepped up their campaigning meanwhile for a draft resolution condemning the crackdown, with one top envoy saying the delay in Security Council action has cost hundreds of lives.

Russia and China strongly oppose UN action against Assad and could veto any resolution.

The Europeans believe if they can get a strong enough majority in favour it would increase pressure on Russia and China not to use their veto right.

The United Nations said more than 10,000 Syrians have fled into neighbouring countries to escape the crackdown.

Source: New Age

Speaker says he prefers to resign, instead of compromise his neutrality

Speaker Abdul Hamid said on Tuesday that he would not hesitate to resign if parliament wants it rather than compromise the neutrally expected from the chair of the House.

He made the remark reacting to a news report published in Bangla daily, Amar Desh, quoting BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

According the report Mirza Fakhrul Islam stated

that the speaker asked him why the opposition took out processions on the streets.

Hamid said, 'I have no fascination for the post because I did not come to politics for holding posts.'

He said he was ready to resign, if parliament wants.

Hamid said that he was keen to uphold the neutrality of the position of speaker at any cost.

He said a newspaper should not quote himself, and not someone else, for something he says.

He also said that he did not tell Mirza Fakhrul Islam anything regarding the processions BNP took out during its 36-hour hartal.

'The only thing I have is impartiality,' said the speaker angered by the report.

'I would not continue without neutrality,' he said.

Hamid also said that he would continue give his rulings impartially

without caring whether or not they go against the ruling party or the opposition.

He also requested the journalists to refrain from writing false and fabricated news and at least ask him if there was any allegation against him.

No sooner the speaker completed what he had to say, ruling Awami League parliamentary party chief whip Abdus Shahid took the floor and said the House was sorry for the 'fabricated' media report.

Source: New Age

Oil-gas body threatens strike

The national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports has threatened to enforce a general strike and hold agitation programmes across the country if the government leases out offshore gas

blocks to international oil companies by way of the model production sharing contract 2008.

The national committee is likely to enforce the daylong general strike in the last week of June or the first week of July if the government signed the deal to lease out two office gas blocks to the US oil company ConocoPhillips, the committee convener, Sheikh Muhammad Sahaheedullah, told New Age on Tuesday.

The government has a plan to sign a production sharing contract with the company to lease out offshore gas bocks 10 and 11 on June 14 and such a deal would go against national interest, he said.

According to the deal, ConocoPhillips will get 80 per cent of the gas extracted with the permission for its sale and 'it will be difficult for us to use the rest 20 per cent of the gas by feeding it into the national grid,' he said.

'We will lose the ownership on the gas if the unequal deal is signed,' he added.

The national committee will hold countrywide black flag processions on the day the deal will be signed.

The committee will also hold a programme of siege and hold a long march to drum up support for the committee's movement against gas block leas-out.

The national committee will also hold a march towards Dhaka in October with thousands of activists joining in shouting the slogan Chalo Chalo Dhaka Chalo (March to Dhaka) to force the government not to sing such unequal deals.

The Awami League-led government is going to sign such deals to satisfy the imperialist forces, Shaheedullah said. The people will never accept such unequal deals.

The citizens' committee backed by the left-leaning and democratic political parties was formed 12 years ago. It held a series of programmes to save the mineral resources of the country.

Source: New Age

Police stop oil-gas body march

The police at the National Press Club on Tuesday stopped a march of the national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports headed for the energy  ministry when about 10 activists were injured and anthropologist Rehnuma Ahmed

sustained an injury in the head during police action.

The national committee earlier announced to lay siege to the energy ministry in protest at the Awami League-led government's plan to lease out two offshore gas blocks to US oil company ConocoPhillips by way of the model production sharing contract 2008 and as part of its programme to observe Magurchhara Day.

The police stopped the march in the Press Club crossing where marchers sat in and held a rally.

The committee's convener Sheikh Muhammad Shaheedullah at the rally said that the government would on June 16 sign a deal with ConocoPhillips for the extraction of gas in offshore block 10 and 11.

The national committee will hold countrywide black flag processions on the day the deal would be signed and hold a black flag rally in front of the Press Club, Shaheedullah said.

He also called on the people to hoist black flags in houses on the day across the country and the national committee would announce agitation programmes, including general strike and a march towards Dhaka in October, if the government does not drop its plan to lease out the offshore gas blocks.

Before setting out Tuesday's march, the national committee held a rally in front of the National Press Club where the committee's member secretary Anu Muhammad said that

the deal with ConocoPhillips was against national interest.

ConocoPhillips will get 80 per cent of the gas extracted with the permission to export it and Bangladesh will get the remaining 20 per cent, according to the production sharing contract.

'We will lose the ownership of the gas extracted if the deal is signed. We call on the government not to sign the unequal deal,' Anu said.

The energy ministry has now turned into the 'Kasimbazar palace' (where Mir Jafar hatched plots against Nawab Sirajuddaula) where conspiracies are hatched against the power sector, he said.

Committee leaders Syed Abul Maksud, Akmal Hossain, Enamul Haque, Tipu Biswas, Nurur Rahman Selim, Saiful Huq, Ruhin Hossain Prince, Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Ragib Ahsan Munna, Mushrefa Mishu, Zonayed Saki, Subal Sarker and others took part in the programme.

The procession, which followed the rally, was later stopped by the police at the Press Club.

Several hundred left-leaning political party activists, holding banners and festoons, took part in the programme.

Source: New Age

Man kills wife in city

A housewife was strangled allegedly by her husband in their Adabar residence in Dhaka early Tuesday.

The deceased was identified as Mamtaz Begum Poly, 25, wife of Babul Akter, a resident of Baitul Aman Housing Society Limited, at Adabar.

The police said they had

recovered the body of Mamtaz, a nurse of a private clinic, from her house at around 10:00am Monday.

Adabar police station inspector Ataur Rahman told New Age that Babul Akter had killed her wife Mamtaz between 2:00am and 6:00am Monday following a family feud.

Quoting neighbors, the police official said they had arrested Babul Akter from the scene.

'Mamtaz was as nurse at a local clinic since March 2011 but her husband suspect her of having an affair with an employee of the clinic. Babul might have killed Mamtaz by choking,' the police official said.

Babul married Mamtaz seven years back and they have a four-year-old daughter, Babul told reporters in the police custody.

The body of Mamtaz was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue.

Mamtaz is from Kazipur in Sirajganj.

Filing of a case was underway till about 7:00pm.

Source: New Age

Govt asked to explain legality of ACC provisions

The High Court Tuesday asked the authorities concerned to explain why the provisions relating to ill-gotten property in the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004 should not be declared unconstitutional.

The bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore asked the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission to explain the

legality of the Sections 26(2) and 27(1) of the act.

According to Section 26(2), a person can be jailed for three years for failure to submit wealth statement in defiance of the commission's notice asking the person to do so or for giving false information in wealth statement.

Section 27(1) has provisions for sentencing a person to imprisonment ranging from three years to 10 years for amassing wealth, disproportionate to his legal sources of income.

After hearing separate writ petitions filed by Dhaka City Corporation's assistant engineer Rafiqul Islam and his wife, the court also asked the government and the commission to explain why the graft cases filed against them by the commission under the sections should not be declared illegal.

Secretaries to the law and home ministries, and the cabinet division, ACC chairman, Dhaka deputy commissioner and the Dhaka chief metropolitan magistrate were asked to answer in three weeks.

The petitioners' counsel, Kazi Aktar Hamid  argued that if the petitioners' property were not properly reflected in their income tax return, they might be prosecuted under section 128 of Income Tax Manual, Part-1, which deals with penalties for concealment of income, but they could not be prosecuted or punished under the ACC provisions. 

'The ACC provisions are 'absolutely arbitrary' as they encouraged ACC investigation officers to pick and choose policy which is violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens enshrined in the articles 27 and 31 of the constitution.'   

Source: New Age

We are sandwiched between two big parties, says CEC

The Workers Party of Bangladesh on Tuesday recommended that the Election Commission should introduce electronic voting machine in phases through an effective campaign so as to earn people's confidence in the system.

'We are recommending introduction of EVM at some specific polling centres along with the traditional ballot papers in all parliamentary constituencies in next general elections,' Rashed Khan Menon, president of Workers Party, said at the dialogue with the Election Commission.

The National Awami Party (NAP), in a separate dialogue earlier in the day, accepted the commission's move to introduce the EVM in next elections. The NAP agreed to most of the proposals of the Election Commission.

The EC is currently holding a series of dialogues with the political parties on electoral laws reforms.

The Workers Party opposed the EC's proposal to empower armed forces in election duties to arrest anybody without warrant in a 400-yard radius around the polling stations on the election day. 'Army can be engaged in the election duty in aid of civil authorities, but it would not be wise to include armed forces in the definition of law enforcement agencies,' Menon added.

About the proposed Delimitation of Constituencies Act 2011, the Workers Party said the areas of parliamentary constituencies under the jurisdiction of Dhaka City Corporation should remain as they were. The EC proposed to bring down the number of constituencies in the DCC area to 10 from 15.

Both Workers Party and NAP agreed to the EC's draft bills on election commissioners' appointment with modifications. The Workers Party suggested forming of a constitutional council comprising the prime minister, speaker of Jatiya Sangsad, leader of the opposition in parliament, chief justice and attorney general for appointment of election commissioners.

The parties suggested that the eligible registered political parties should be supplied with election materials like posters, leaflets and banners by the government instead of funds for contesting parliamentary polls.

Anisur Rahman Mollick, general secretary of Worker Party and Enamul Haque, general secretary of NAP presented their respective parties' views at the dialogue.   

The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, at the talks said smaller political parties should grow stronger for the sake of multiparty democracy.

'We seem to have been sandwiched between two large parties and many small parties are struggling for survival in their shadows. We are trying to help the small parties get out of the situation,' the CEC said while exchanging views with NAP.

He said the Election Commission had been working independently and neutrally without influence from the government. Election commissioners M Sohul Hussain and M Sakhawat Hossain and EC secretary were present. 

Source: New Age

Khaleda plans tour of northern districts June 26, 27

The BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, also leader of the opposition, is likely to embark on a tour of the country's northern districts on June 26 or 27 to rally support for the party's anti-government campaign.

The party is also considering a fresh hartal anytime before the start of Khaleda's tour of northern district, depending on the government's decision on the proposals of the parliamentary special committee for constitution amendment.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Jatiya Party enforced a 36-hour nationwide general strike on Sunday and Monday in protest against the government move to do away with the caretaker government system. 

The party has already asked the leaders of northern districts to come to Dhaka for a preparatory meeting on Khaleda's tour. The meeting will be held on June 17 in Dhaka, said party officials.

Asked about the planned tour, the party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told New Age that the party chairperson start the tour of northern district towards the end of this month.

'But the date will be set after a meeting with the leaders of the northern districts on June 17,' he said.     

A senior leader of BNP told New Age that Khaleda would begin her tour on June 26.

'She will address rallies at places in different districts on her way to the northern region,' he said.

'The main objective of the tour will be mobilising support for the opposition's anti-government movement. Besides, her tour will also boost organisational activities in the districts,' he said.       

During the tour Khaleda will reiterate the party's demand for mid-term polls, project the government's 'failures' in containing prices and slide in law and order, and its 'failure' to rein in share market gamblers, he said.

'Anti-state' deals with India and continuous border killings would also be points of argument of the opposition for its demand for snap polls, he said.

Asked about the party's planned 'long march', Mirza Fakhrul said the mode of the programme had not been finalised. 

The party, which had earlier planned to organise a series of 'long marches' in June to press for mid-term polls, decided to shift the prorgammes towards the end of the year considering some 'factors', said its senior leaders.

The factors that prompted the party to delay organising the 'long march' programme, include weak organisational strength, onset of monsoon and the coming month of Ramadan, they said.

Mirza Fakhrul said, 'We will continue our street agitation until the government rescinds its decision to scrap the caretaker government provision.'

'The party will announce tougher programmes when the cabinet will give go-ahead to the parliamentary special committee reports on constitution change,' he said.

Party insiders said Khaleda would give a clear message to the government that the main opposition would not contest elections without a caretaker government which should be manned by neutral persons, not the immediate-past chief justice ABM Khairul Haque.

Source: New Age

Student killed as RAB guns ‘go off’

A 15-year-old schoolboy was shot dead and two others were wounded in 'accidental discharge' from weapons of Rapid Action Battalion personnel when a group said to be of drug peddlers jostled with them at Fatullah in Narayanganj on Tuesday night.

The deceased, Shubho, was a student of Class IX of Aliganj High School at Pagla and son of day-labourer Abu Sayed.

Shubho's younger brother Sohag, 10, a Class III student of the Pagla Government Primary School, and Badal, 15, a passerby, were wounded.

Officials of RAB 11, which has jurisdiction over the area, said that a plainclothes team of RAB 10 on information raided a marketplace at Pagla Boubazar about 8:30pm and challenged the group which included Arif, Sohel, Monir, Sumon and Ali Hossain.

The RAB 10 operation officer, assistant superintendent of police Fazle Rabbi, told New Age that the group had confined battalion personnel and stabbed some of them.

When they were jostling, bullets were 'accidentally discharged.' Three were wounded, Rabbi said.

Asked how the passerby was wounded as the operation was conducted against group, the RAB 10 officer said they were still investigating the matter.

The wounded Shubho, Sohag and Badal were sent to Khanpur hospital where Shubho was pronounced dead.

Badal and Sohag were admitted to the hospital and Sohag, wounded in the right leg, was later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital at night, hospital sources said.

The battalion official, however, said that two of their personnel were stabbed during the jostle and none of the group was injured.

Witnesses said that there was no 'gunfight' but a sudden attack on group.

Two suspected of being involved in drug peddling were arrested after the incident, Rabbi said.

The Fatullah police officer-in-charge, Ainul Haque, told New Age that they were investigating whether Shubho was killed by the 'accidental discharge' from RAB weapons or by miscreants.

Source: New Age

PM asks BNP to place bill on CG in JS

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has said only the people's elected representatives will decide under what mechanism and whose authority the next parliamentary polls will be held.

'We, the people's representatives, will do what we need to do for continuation of democracy. That's why I request the opposition party to place their formula in parliament,' Hasina said.

The prime minister made the remarks when the executive committee of Dhaka Reporters Unity led by its president Mostaq Hossain met her at the Prime Minister's Office Tuesday noon.

Drawing the attention of the opposition leader, Khaleda Zia, the prime minister said: 'Please do not bring in crocodiles by digging the canal.'

Mentioning the arrest of Khaleda during the last caretaker government, Hasina said when crocodiles get hungry, they did not choose who to spare and who to eat.

She said when the caretaker government system was introduced, the political parties agreed that three elections would be held under this system.

'Three elections have already been held under caretaker governments. And time and again the nation has got bitter experiences from the caretaker governments,' she said.

Hasina said unelected people were given state power through the caretaker system and after getting the power, the people in the caretaker government changed their mindsets.

She said after assuming power, the caretaker governments started taking care of themselves instead of democracy and the people.

'The last caretaker government had planned to stay in power forever, as if government is a permanent settlement. But, in the face of strong national and international

Source: New Age

Contemners can tender apologies at any stage

The Contempt of Court Bill 2011 was placed in the parliament seeking enactment of a comprehensive law to make room for contemners to tender unqualified or unconditional apologies to any court at any stage of the trial or appeal.


The speaker sent the bill to the parliamentary standing committee on the law ministry for further scrutiny asking the committee to submit the report in three weeks.
If passed by the parliament, the bill will repeal the Contempt of Court Act 1926, which has become obsolete.
Placing the bill, the law minister, Shafique Ahmed, told the house that the 1926
act was made by the British colonial rulers with three sections only, which even does not given the definition of contempt.
He said that during the immediate-past military-controlled interim regime, the president had promulgated the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2008 on May 25, 2008 and the High Court on July 24, 2008 declared the ordinance void.
The bill has been prepared considering the High Court verdict, prevailing circumstances and the laws of other countries, especially India, he said adding that the verdict had not barred the parliament from enacting a new law on contempt.
The bill differentiates between civil and criminal contempt of court.
It defines civil contempt of court as any wilful violation of any verdict, decree, directive, order, writ or warrant issued by a court or any undertaking given to the court.
The bill defines criminal contempt of court as any act, or expression by verbal or written words or visible signs or display, which may undermine or intend to undermine the authority of any court, or may make or intend to carry out malicious campaigns about the authority of any court, or may hamper or intend to hamper any judicial process, or may obstruct or intend to obstruct the process of justice.
The bill detailed a number of activities that would not constitute contempt.
According to the bill, people will not commit contempt by making publication or expression by verbal or written words or visible signs or display regarding any proceedings of a court if they have no reason to believe that the matter was pending with the court.
Any publication or expression by verbal or written words or visible signs or display regarding any proceedings of a court, which is not pending with the court, will not constitute contempt.
Distribution of such publications also will not constitute contempt if there is no reason for the distributor to believe that the matter is pending with the court.
Publication of any objective and unbiased news on any proceedings of any court or any part thereof or publication of any fair and unbiased comment on the merit of case after its disposal will not constitute contempt, the bill says.
Publication of any unbiased and objective news on any proceedings conducted in the chamber of a judge or 'in camera' will also not constitute contempt unless the court imposes a bar on such publication in public interest.
Such publications may, however, constitute contempt if the hearing is conducted in chamber or 'in camera' considering public order or security of the state.
It says that making any statement before a higher court or the Supreme Court about a judge of a subordinate court in good faith will not amount to contempt.
The bill also says that if it is not possible for a public servant to implement or go by any judgement, order or direction because of any existing laws and rules or any other practical reasons, no contempt petition can be filed against the public servant.
According to the bill, the court may ask any alleged contemner to appear before it in person for the first instance and then allow the person to face the case through a lawyer.
The court, however, will have the power to order the contemners to appear in court again if it thinks that the contemners should be given personal hearing for the ends of justice.
It says that the public servants can face any contempt charge through the state attorneys and at the cost of the state. A public servant will, however, need to refund the costs if the person is convicted.
It also says that the court may absolve a public servant of the contempt charge if the person retires or the service of the person is dismissed before the disposal of the contempt proceedings.
According to the bill, a person can be punished with imprisonment for six months, or with a fine of Tk 2,000, or with both for contempt of court.
It will also make room for contemners to tender unqualified or unconditional apologies to any court at any stage of the trial.
It also proposes a provision for allowing contemners to tender unqualified or unconditional apologies during the hearing in the appeal against the sentences against them.
According to the bill, no proceedings for the contempt of court can to be drawn after the expiry of six months of the commission of the offence and the trial must be completed in six months from the date of the drawing of the proceedings.
Source: New Age