Bangladesh: CID denied copy of 3 RAB officers’ statements

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The Criminal Investigation Department on Monday reported to the High Court that it was facing difficulties in investigating the Narayanganj seven-murder case as the judicial magistrates refused to give them copy of the confessional statements of three detained and removed Rapid Action Battalion officers. Judicial magistrates in Narayanganj earlier recorded statements of the three removed battalion officers Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, Arif Hossain and Masud Rana, reportedly confessing to their involvement in the murders. The judicial magistrates provided the Detective Branch of police, which was assigned to investigate the case, with the copy of the statements. The CID and a government team composed of four secretaries were also separately probing the abduction and killing of seven people, including Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul Islam, following a High Court order issued suo moto on May 5. The CID, in its progress report to the High Court, said that the judicial magistrate’s courts in Narayanganj had rejected its petition seeking copy of the confessional statements of the three. Without the copy of the confessional statements, the CID investigation officer could not crosscheck the statements the three removed officials made to them in police custody and to the magistrates, said CID chief Moklesur Rahman said in the report. The report said that process was underway to bring back prime suspect Noor Hossain from Kolkata where he was detained on charge of illegal entry. The Rapid Action Battalion, in its report, sought two more weeks complete the investigation. The battalion director general Mokhlesur Rahman, in the report, said that it had interrogated 80 battalion personnel and needed two more weeks to interrogate some others including Tareque Sayeed, Arif and Masud, who were in Dhaka Central Jail. The battalion, however, said that it was trying to probe if any battalion member was involved in the abduction of seven people on April 27 and their subsequent killings and the probe was now at final stage. The government probe committee will submit its report today, said deputy attorney general ASM Nazmul Haque, who received the reports of the CID and the battalion. All the reports would be submitted to the High Court bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore which earlier set July 11 to hear the matter. Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and four of his associates and lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar and his driver were abducted on April 27 reportedly by battalion men and were found dead, afloat in the River Sitalakkhya, on April 30 and May 1. A case was filed by Nazrul’s family naming Noor Hossain as the principal accused. Noor fled to Kolkata and later was arrested by Indian police on June 14.

Bangladesh: Tareque interrogated at jail

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): A high-powered committee inquiring into the killing of seven people in Narayanganj after abduction in April interrogated removed Rapid Action Battalion commanding officer Tareque Sayeed Mohammad at Dhaka Central Jail on Monday, officials said. The seven-member team led by public administration ministry additional secretary Shahjahan Ali Mollah interrogated Tareque for three hours in the office room of senior jail superintendent Farman Ali, the officials said. As Tareque denied his involvement in the incident, the probe team asked him what he and his team did after seven people were abducted by a group of armed people, allegedly members of the battalion, said the officials. Committee member Abul Kashem Md Mohiuddin said that they would analyse the statements of three removed battalion officials and decide whom else they would interrogate. The committee earlier recorded statements Masud Rana, who was retired from the navy as a lieutenant commander, and Arif Hossain, retired from army as a major, on July 1 and July 2. Asked whether ruling Awami League lawmaker AKM Shamim Osman would be interrogated soon, another committee member said that they were yet to finalise the date. ‘We need to interrogate many other people to get full picture of the incident,’ said the official. On April 27, seven people, including Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker, were abducted allegedly by battalion personnel from the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road. Their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river a couple of days later. Following an order from the High Court, the police arrested Tareque, Masud Rana and Arif on May 17 and May 18. The then RAB-11 chief Tareque Sayeed, also the son-in-law of cabinet member Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, was sent into retirement from the army as a lieutenant colonel along with the then crime prevention company commander Masud and the then special company commander Arif on May 5. The British Broadcasting Corporation Bangla service reported that Indian authorities produced Noor Hossain, a prime accused in the case, before a judicial magistrate’s court in North 24 Parganas from the Dam Dam prison, where he was now detained in a trespassing case. A court official in India told media that the court after hearing the arguments sent Noor and two of his associates — Wahiduzzaman Salim and Khan Sumon of Narayanganj — back to jail for 14 days. Earlier on June 23, the judicial magistrate had sent the three to jail in connection with the case, on completion of their interrogation in police custody for eight days. During the hearing, Khan Sumon’s defence counsel appealed to the court to produce the immigration related documents claiming that Sumon used valid document to travel to Kalkata. The court asked the police to produce immigration related documents to the court by Friday. The families of the victims accused Noor and five others of the killings, with the assistance of RAB-11. The police on May 22 sought Interpol’s assistance to arrest Noor after he escaped the country following the murders. On June 14, the Indian National Investigation Unit and the Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Noor along with the two at Indraprastha apartment complex at Koikhali. On July 2, the foreign minister, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, told parliament that India had agreed to extradite Noor. 

Bangladesh: Nine organisations to get national VAT award

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The National Board of Revenue is going to honour the highest value-added tax paying business organisations on Thursday for their outstanding contribution to the government exchequer by paying VAT in the financial year 2012-13, officials said. Nine VAT payers at the national level and 113 VAT payers at district levels will be awarded for the payment of VAT in the highest amount in the year under three categories—production, services and business. The revenue board introduced the award giving system three years ago to recognise the highest VAT payers and to encourage taxpayers for paying VAT, they said. Rashidpur Condensate Fractionation Plant (Habiganj), RFL Plastics Limited (Narsingdi) and Huawei Technologies BD Ltd (Dhaka) secured the top positions at national level under production, services and business categories respectively. Other six business organisations selected as the highest VAT payers at the national level are Fenchuganj Gas Field Project Ltd (Moulvibazar), Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Ltd (Dhaka), TUV SUD Bangladesh Pvt Ltd (Dhaka), National Television Ltd (Dhaka), MM Ispahani (sales and marketing division-Chittagong) and BRAC Aarong (Dhaka). Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed is expected to hand over crests and certificates to the selected VAT payers at national level at a function in Dhaka to be organised to observe National VAT Day-2014 for the fourth consecutive year. District level VAT payers will be awarded at the commissioners’ office of the NBR across the country. The NBR will also observe the National VAT week from July 10 to 16 across the country to create awareness among businesses to pay VAT. The NBR will arrange rallies and VAT awareness programmes at district levels as a part of observing the day and VAT week. Officials said that many leading and well-known business houses of the country had been left out of the list of the highest VAT payers due to disputes over VAT with the revenue board despite paying VAT at the highest amount. According to the award policy, the business houses having any disputes related to VAT are not considered for the award. According to the policy, the awardees will enjoy a number of privileges for one year from the issue date of the award, including priority while reserving seats in public transports and access to VIP lounges at the airports. Their spouses and children will also get priority while reserving cabins in the public hospitals and the awardees will get invitations to national programmes, including any citizens’ reception organised by the municipalities and city corporations. 

Bangladesh: Govt reconstitutes scam-hit BASIC Bank board

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The government on Monday appointed four directors to constitute the board of directors of the scam-hit Bangladesh Small Industries and Commerce Bank Limited. They newly appointed directors are : Hasan Mahmood FCA, former managing director of Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation Raihana Anisa Yusuf Ali, banks and financial institutions division joint secretary Mamun Al Rashid and Dhaka University Professor of the department of Accounting and Information System Mujib Ahmed. A circular by the banks and financial institutions division said they were appointed to bring professionalism and dynamism into the bank’s management. Officials said two more directors will be appointed to the seven-member board of directors soon. Earlier, the government dissolved the board of directors of the BASIC Bank Limited after resignation of its controversial chairman Sheikh Abdul Hai Bachchu. It appointed Bangladesh Krishi Bank chairman Alauddin A Majid as the new chairman of BASIC Bank on Sunday and relieved him from the Krishi Bank. Alauddin A Majid held a meeting with the bank’s staff on Monday at its headquarter in the city. Briefing reporters after the meeting, he said that they would take initiative to recover the loans and improve the financial health of the bank. He noted that it would take time to see any improvement. There were anomalies worth more than Tk 4,500 crore in the transaction of the Basic Bank in recent years and the Bangladesh Bank asked the finance ministry to dissolve the BASIC Bank board of directors a couple of months ago. Loan scams in the BASIC Bank – a specialised bank once touted as one of the best-run public sector banks – was first detected in November 2012. Abdul Hai Bachchu, who was appointed chairman in 2009, was rewarded with reappointment in 2012. In June, the BB fired BASIC Bank managing director Kazi Faqurul Islam for his involvement in the loan scam. The default loans of BASIC Bank soared to Tk 2,557 crore last March from Tk 1,417 crore in February. Alauddin A Majid said, ‘I have already asked the senior management to provide data and information about the latest financial situation of the bank. After getting the data, I will take decision what type of strategy will be taken to improve the bank’s financial health’. He said that he had earlier gathered experience as managing director of the Basic Bank and that knowledge would help him to improve the bank’s health. He said that he had already asked the senior officials of BASIC Bank not to play ‘blame game’ about the irregularities. He said, ‘I will not allow the external interference on the activities of the board of directors and the management. The board and the management will take final decision about the bank’s operation.’ He said that the board would take decision in the quickest possible time to appoint a new managing director and chief executive officer for the bank. BASIC Bank acting managing director Fazlus Sobhan, deputy managing director Kanak Kumar Purkayastha and other senior officials of the bank attended the briefing.

Bangladesh: Banks allowed to appoint audit firms not listed by BB

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): Bangladesh Bank on Monday said scheduled banks would be able to appoint audit firms beside the firms assigned by the central bank so that exporters could get cash incentives in the shortest possible time against their export items. The BB issued a circular to the authorised dealer branches of all banks in this regard saying that they (banks) would have to take approval from the central bank to appoint new audit firms. According to the central bank rules, banks have to conduct audit on the cash incentive cases of the exporters before applying for the incentive to the government. Banks have to conduct the audit with the firms approved by the central bank. A BB official told New Age on Monday that some banks usually made delay in accomplishing the procedures of cash incentive resulting that the exporters failed to get the incentive in due time. Against the backdrop, the central bank has taken initiative to allow banks to appoint audit firms beside the assigned ones, he said. The government gives cash incentives of 5 per cent-20 per cent to the exporters in 14 sectors including textile, shrimp, potatoes, meat and ship.

Bangladesh: Tofail terms US Congressmen’s letter indecent

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): Six US Congressmen, who last week wrote a letter to prime minister Sheikh Hasina expressing concerns over the alleged intimidation of labour union in Bangladesh, will be invited soon to see for themselves the ‘improved’ labour rights situation, said commerce minister Tofail Ahmed on Monday. He said the letter to be sent to the congressmen will also elaborate how the transformation in the country’s apparel sector is taking place to benefit the workers in the RMG sector after the industrial disaster of Rana Plaza. Tofail made the comments after a meeting with the US ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena at his secretariat office. He said the letter sent by six Congressmen was ‘indecent’, given the ‘satisfactory’ improvement prevailing in the apparel sector involving its workers and labour leaders. ‘The letter is indecent and political’, Tofail told reporters. The commerce minister said based on false information provided by IndustriAll, the US Congressmen had raised their concern. Six US congressmen on June 30 expressed serious concern over an increased intimidation and harassment of labour activists, while Bangladesh is working to restore the Generalised System of Preferences facility to the US market. The Congressmen — George Miller, Sander M Levin, Grace Meng, Eliot L Engel, Joseph Crowley and Janice D Schakowsky — expressed their concern in a letter sent to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In June last year, the US suspended Bangladesh’s trade benefits under the GSP, citing the country’s failure in ensuring proper worker rights. The Congressmen issued warning against Bangladesh following recent comments on labour rights and workers’ freedom of association by Tofail Ahmed and Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, sources said. The letter reads : ‘We are pleased to see the government take some initial steps in response to the GSP action plan, and we welcome the increase in the registration of labour unions along with the other changes that have been made to improve working conditions in the garment export industry. ‘In particular, as union registrations have increased, we have also seen an increase in intimidation and harassment of labour activists. This is a serious concern to the United States government, including the US Congress.’ They urged Hasina to intervene as the Congressmen said they will not tolerate this kind of intimidation and violence. Tofail said the IndustriAll after sending letter to US Congressmen seeking remedy against the so-called labour intimidation in the apparel sector now denies having made such communication with US authorities. He said the government had registered over 150 labour unions in the garment sector in the last 18 months. ‘The registration of unions is the testimony that the government is positive towards trade union activities in the industrial sector,’ Tofail told the reporters. Talking to reporters, ambassador Mozena said unfair labour practices, particularly crackdown on labour activists, are not acceptable and ‘must stop immediately.’ 

Review committee suspends operation of a unit partially

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The government-set review committee on Monday suspended operation in an area of the five-storey building that houses Clifton Cotton Mills Ltd in Chittagong because of safety concern and suggested that factory authorities should manage load in other areas of the building. The review committee’s move came after the inspection teams of North American retailers’ group Alliance had detected serious structural faults in the factory building and suggested the review committee comprised of representatives from the government, Accord, Alliance, BUET, BGMEA and BKMEA immediate evacuation from the building. The experts of the review committee on Monday visited the factory and found that the factor of safety of edge columns along the diagonal site was critical. The team also found undocumented cantilevers on three sides of the buildings and as-built drawing did not match with the actual structure. ‘Operations in the building may continue but the live load during the operations should not exceed 20 pound-force per square feet and all storage load should be removed from the floors except the ground floor,’ Syed Ahmed, inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment, told New Age on Monday. The review committee asked the factory authorities to keep the area of one bay from the diagonal side out of use for safety, he said. Syed, also the chairperson of the review committee, said that they recommended conducting detail engineering assessment within six weeks to find out the condition of stressed columns. Permanent remedial measures will be taken depending on the findings of the detail engineering assessment and if the factory authorities fail to submit the report within the stipulated time upper two floors of the building will be evacuated, another review panel member said. The review committee team today will visit a building of Fakir Apparels Limited in Narayanganj where the teams of European retailers’ group Accord detected faults. After the Rana Plaza building collapse on April 24 last year that killed more than 1,100 workers, mostly women garment workers, North American apparel companies, retailers and brands formed Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety and European Union retailers formed Accord on Fire and Building Safety to improve safety in Bangladeshi RMG factories.

Bangladesh: 3 mobile operators lodge complaints against Teletalk with BTRC

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): Three private mobile phone companies have lodged a complaint with the telecom regulator that the use of state-run Teletalk’s SIM cards has increased rapidly for illegal voice over internet protocol business. Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi in a joint letter to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission last week said that Teletalk’s SIMs were being used for illegal VoIP, causing revenue losses to the stakeholders, said BTRC officials. The three operators in separate analyses to the BTRC for April-June period showed that the trend of Teletalk SIM use for illegal VoIP was higher. The letter also said the SIM Box Detection System, a system for tracking illegal VoIP, detected huge number of Teletalk SIMs compared with others. The data showed in May 28-June 27, the SIM Box Detection System found 38,613 VoIP SIMs of Teletalk while the numbers were 6,080 for Airtel, 1,217 for Robi, 511 for Banglalink and 472 for GP. Operators in a calculation showed that Average Call Duration of Teletalk for international call was much higher than any other operator. The ACD of Teletalk ranged between 4.4 minutes and 5.48 minutes whereas the ACD of other operators was 1.3-2.7 minutes. ‘This higher ACD represents Teletalk’s involvement in terminating international calls illegally,’ claimed the letter. ‘We would now request the BTRC to take necessary initiatives to implement self-regulation process at Teletalk network,’ said the letter which was signed by the chief executive officers of the three companies. Asked about the issue, Teletalk acting managing director Gias Uddin Ahmed told New Age that he was not aware of such a letter. ‘I know nothing like this,’ he told New Age over phone on Monday. Gias said that he could not immediately give the details of call termination of Teletalk.

Bangladesh: SBAC Bank gets new DMD

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): Md Dilwar Hossain Bhuiyan has recently joined South Bangla Agriculture and Commerce Bank as deputy managing director. Previously he worked as DMD at Sonali Bank for about two years. Prior to Sonali Bank, Dilwar served as deputy general manager, general manager, DMD and managing director (additional charge) in four other banks, said a news release. Dilwar completed his MA in English with Honours from Dhaka University in 1979. He is also an MBA.

Bangladesh lags behind neighbours in doctor-people ratio

Bangladesh is facing huge shortage of physicians and lagging behind most of the neighbouring and south Asian countries in regards to ratio of doctor to people. Bangladesh is far away from the World Health Organisation recommended doctor to patient ratio, one doctor for every 1,000 people. Experts said that the country now needed more than 1.5 lakh qualified doctors for ensuring health services for all. There are now about 65,000 doctors registered with the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, said the council registrar Zahidul Haq Basunia. According to the website of the Directorate General of Health Services, 51.94 per cent of the approved posts of physicians and other medical personnel are now vacant in various government facilities. According to the data posted in the website of WHO, Bangladesh has only one doctor for every 2,808 people. The health bulletin published by the Directorate General of Health Services in 2013, however, showed that there was one doctor for every 3,297 people in the country. According to WHO, there is one doctor for every 706 people in Maldives, 1,424 in India, 1,470 in Sri Lanka, 1,209 in Pakistan and 1,633 in Myanmar. The country cannot produce adequate number of doctors due to lack of facilities and capacity of the medical colleges both in public and private sectors, said Bangladesh Medical Association former president Rashid-e-Mahbub and incumbent secretary general M Iqbal Arslan. Rashid-e-Mahbub said, ‘The situation is worse in rural areas, as majority doctors work in urban areas and do not want to stay at village.’ According to the health bulletin 2013, there are about 7,500 seats for MBBS courses at public and private medical colleges. Health services directorate officials, however, said that among about 5,000 of the medical students could complete their course in every year. A comprehensive strategy is needed to address the issue without establishing new medical colleges, as most of the private medical colleges cannot teach and train the medical students properly, said Rashid-e-Mahbub.

Bangladesh: ICT allows Azhar’s defence to produce 4 witnesses

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Monday allowed four defence witnesses to defend detained Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam from a list of 15 DWs that the defence lawyer had earlier submitted. The tribunal asked the defence lawyer Md Abdus Sobhan Tarafder to submit by July 10 the list of the four DWs detailing their names and addresses and the specific charges against which they would testify. The defence lawyer while submitting the list of DWs wrote only the names and no other particulars of them. The tribunal also set July 13 to begin examination of the DWs. The tribunal passed the order after hearing from both the sides on the prosecution’s petition seeking cancellation of the list of the 15 DWs. Prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum pleaded to reject the list of the witnesses claiming that the defence submitted the list without following the law. Defence lawyer Abdus Sobhan Tarafder sought to allow to produce all the 15 witnesses for ends of justice. The tribunal, mentioning the fact that the defence lawyer had submitted the list of witnesses without their particulars, said the list should be rejected straight away. Even though, the tribunal said, it allowed four DWs in Azhar’s defence. A total of 19 prosecution witnesses were examined in the tribunal to prove all the six charges against the war crimes accused. Azhar has been facing the trial on charges of committing genocide, killings, abduction, torture, arson attacks and other crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in Rangpur.

Bangladesh: Three die in Sunamganj boat capsize

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): Three workers died as a sand-laden boat capsized in the River Surma in Sunamganj early Monday. The deceased were identified as Sayemul Islam, 25, son Abdus Salam, Jamir Ali, son of Mulluk Miah, and Fayez Uddin, 30, son Abdul Quaiyum — all of village Shreepur under sadar upazila, police said. Local people said that six workers were in the sand-laden boat headed for Sunamganj town from Dhopazan in the upazila at around 3:30am. They anchored the boat near the Surma Bridge at Mallikpur on the outskirts of the town. The boat moved far from the bank because of strong current amid heavy raining and sunk at around 4:30am. Local union council member Nuruzzaman said three of the workers, however, managed to swim ashore when the rest remained missing. Superintendent of Sunamganj police Harun-or-Rashid told New Age that the accident took place because of strong current in the river amid torrential rain. He said a diving team of the fire brigade rushed to the spot immediately and recovered the bodies at around 11:00am. Sunamganj Kotwali police officer-in-charge Jan-e Alam Khan told New Age that the bodies were handed over to relatives in the afternoon.

Bangladesh: Prosecution asked to submit formal charge against Bagerhat war crimes suspects by August 20

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The International Crimes Tribunal -1 on Monday asked the prosecution to submit the formal charges or a report on progress in the investigation against three Bagerhat war crimes suspects by August 20. The tribunal set the deadline after prosecutor Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon sought six more months to complete the investigation against the trio. The suspects include Akram Khan and Abdul Latif Talukder already detained and  Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master, who is absconding. In his submissions the prosecutor said that the war crimes investigation agency probing the charges was getting evidences of the complicity of the trio in crimes against humanity that took place in Bagerhat in 1971. The prosecutor also submitted a petition seeking permission to interrogate Akram by the war crimes investigation agency at its safe home. The tribunal granted the permission to interrogate the suspect in the presence of a physician and a defence lawyer. The tribunal also asked him to inform it  about the date of his interrogation. Defence lawyer representing Akram and Latif, M Sarwar Hossain, on the other hand, submitted two petitions – one seeking privileged communication with his client Latif and the other seeking Latif’s bail. He submitted that his clients being elderly persons never tried to influence the probes at any stage. Sarwar sought bails for his clients on any condition. The tribunal accepted his plea seeking privileged communication with his clients and said it would hear the bail plea later. Akram and Latif were in the dock. The trio allegedly committed crimes against humanity including genocide, killings, arson attacks, rape, confinement, looting, and torture in confinement at different places of Kachua thana in erstwhile Bagerhat sub-division in 1971. 

Bangladesh: Dhaka-Delhi survey on borderland dispute ends

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): Bangladesh and India jointly completed a four-day survey of the disputed border areas between two countries shares on the Sylhet-Cachar section. The Department of Land Records and Survey of Bangladesh and the Indian Land Records and Surveys from Assam conducted the joint survey, officials told New Age. DLRS director general Md Abdul Mannan led a six-member Bangladesh survey team while director of Land Records and Surveys of Assam Tapan Chandra Goswami led a six-member Indian team during the joint survey. After completing the joint survey, the DLRS team returned to Dhaka Monday afternoon from Silchar, the headquarters of Cachar district. During the survey the two sides jointly identified the missing pillars on both sides of the border and agreed to re-install them to resolve the land disputes. On Thursday, the Indian survey team from Assam joined the Bangladesh team in Sylhet and jointly surveyed the disputed border areas the two countries share on the Zakiganj-Cachar section. The two teams jointly crossed the border on Saturday and surveyed the disputed frontier areas. Bangladesh and India share 32-km international border on the Sylhet-Cachar section. On Sunday, on completion of the joint exercise the two teams signed the minutes of the survey at Silchar. DLRS director general Abdul Mannan told New Age on return to Dhaka that during the joint survey the two sides demarcated the border to resolve the disputed areas between the two countries. ‘We installed 200 new pillars on the Bangladesh side of the border at Zakiganj during the survey,’ he said. He said that the joint survey would help resolve long-standing border disputes between the neighbouring two countries. In 2006, the disputes over the borderland led to exchange of fire between the Bangladesh Rifles and the Indian Border Security Force at Amolshid border in Zakiganj. The skirmishes followed Indian BSF’s intrusion into Bangladesh to occupy 256 acres of Bangladesh land near border pillar No. 1354.

Bangladesh: EPZ workers allowed to bargain

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The cabinet on Monday approved in principle the draft ‘Bangladesh EPZ Labour Bill – 2014’, allowing workers in the export processing zones to form welfare associations with the capacity to bargain for rights. ‘The EPZ workers will now have the right to form workers’ welfare associations that will have the bargaining capacity to protect their rights,’ cabinet secretary Mohammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told a press briefing after the cabinet meeting. He said the draft of EPZ labour law had been prepared in line with the labour law and the EPZ workers’ welfare association and industrial relations law. Musharraf said the workers in the EPZ remained outside the jurisdiction of the Labour Act of 2006, which was amended in 2013, as they got higher pays in dollars and other facilities. ‘This law will help protect the rights of workers in the export processing zones, which play an important role raising the foreign investment in Bangladesh,’ he added. He said the new law having 16 sections and 204 articles would regulate workers’ appointments, safety, wages and working hours, among others. There will be an EPZ Appellate Tribunal to deal with offences under the law, according to the draft. The Prime Minister’s Office placed the draft at the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister Sheikh Hasina at the secretariat. Asked about possible reactions of the investors who set up factories in the EPZs on the condition that the workers’ right to trade unionism would not be entertained in the exclusive areas, the cabinet secretary said the draft was prepared in consultation with all stakeholders to ensure rights of the workers. He said 30 per cent workers of a factory will have to apply for constituting a workers’ association, which will be registered with the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority. Each factory will have one association, which will have an executive committee elected by workers. ‘The association will function as a bargaining agent to be registered with BEPZA… But a trade union is registered with the department of labour,’ state minister for labour Mujibul Haque told New Age. He said family of an EPZ worker would get two lakh if s/he dies as a worker while the amount was Tk one lakh for a worker outside the EPZ. The primary objective of an EPZ is to provide special areas where potential investors would find a congenial investment climate, free from cumbersome procedures, according to officials. The cabinet also approved the draft Export Promotion Bureau Bill 2014 updating an ordinance of 1977 with few changes in the formation of EPB board. The board would include officials from ministries of agriculture, environment and information communications technology as members instead of one officer, who represented the agriculture and forests ministry in the past, according to the draft. It okayed the draft of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory (Amendment) Bill, 2014 to redefine the eligibility of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory chairman and its members. It includes a provision for inclusion of a member having experiences in power generation, the cabinet secretary said. 

Bangladesh: JS ignores issues of public interests: TIB

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): Only 1.8 per cent of the total working hours of the first session of the 10th Jatiya Sangsad was spent in making laws although the main task of the lawmakers was to formulate law in parliament. In the first session that started on January 29 this year, the lawmakers praised their own parties 856 times against 251 times in the first session of the 9th parliament, according to a research report of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) titled ‘Parliament Watch’ on the operation of the first session of the 10th parliament. The Awami League-led government and the main opposition, Jatiya Party, criticised the immediate-past main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for 531 times during the period whereas it had happened 342 times in the first session of the 9th Jatiya Sangsad. The study reveals that the participation of businesspeople has increased to 59 per cent in the 10th parliament while it was only 17 per cent in the first parliament constituted in 1973. In the current parliament, the number of women lawmakers is 69, including 19 directly elected, and 29 per cent of them are businesswomen while 23 per cent lawyers and 14.5 per cent politicians. Picking up former ministers as chairmen or members of the parliamentary standing committee on the respective ministries this time has opened up chances to influence probes against the members of 9th parliament, the report said. At least 10 former ministers, state ministers and the deputy speaker of 9th parliament have been made chairmen of the parliamentary standing committees on the respective ministries this time. A TIB research team presented the report at a press conference at BRAC Centre in the city on Monday. Sultana Kamal and Iftekharuzzaman, chairman and executive director respectively of the corruption watchdog, were present. In reply to a question, Iftekharuzzaman said the main opposition Jatiya Party had been suffering from crisis of identity. ‘They lack moral and political strength’. He said that the TIB study put forth a set of recommendations to make parliament effective and accountable to strengthen democracy. The recommendations included minimising ‘period of absence for lawmakers’ significantly to ensure their attendance in parliament, recognising the first 10 lawmakers in terms of their attendance in the working session, taking steps to enact the ‘Code of Conduct of Parliament Members 2010’ and passage of a law to stop boycott of the house. The TIB study also found that a total of 17 hours and seven minutes were wasted due to quorum crisis which cost the exchequer Tk 8 crore. The TIB report revealed that only 1.8 per cent of the total working hours in the first session of the current parliament was spent in making laws. In contrast, the first session of India’s 15th Lok Sabha spent eight  per cent of its total duration. The study censured the speaker for her failure to stop using `unparliamentarily words’ against the immediate-past opposition BNP. The house witnessed no discussions some issues of public interests like leakage of question papers of public exams and recruitment test and adulteration of gold crests given to foreign friends who had positive contribution to our war of independence, the report said. The study termed a ‘positive sign’ the main opposition’s not boycotting the parliament session, although it questioned the role the main opposition had played. The report showed that the overall attendance rate in the first session of the 10th parliament was 64 per cent while the leader of the house was present at its working sessions for 32 days (89 per cent) and the main opposition leader for 14 days (39 per cent). Speaking at the press conference, TIB trustee board chairperson Sultana Kamal said the parliament session for most of the time witnessed lawmakers praising the government and criticising the immediate-past main opposition party, though two minutes were not needed to pass a bill. `Public money is spent in running parliament. We want the house to formulate laws in the interest of the people,’ she said adding, ‘ Parliament is being run by a vested quarter and public interest is always ignored though no more than six minutes are needed to pass a bill in the interest of businesspeople.’ ‘The increase in the number of businessmen in parliament is not a good sign. Political parties should be a little more cautious while giving nominations,’ she said.

Bangladesh: Niko barred from selling assets in Bangladesh

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes on Sunday barred Niko Resources, a Canadian oil company, from selling its assets in Bangladesh until the disputes with ICSID were settled, officials said. The international arbitration court asked Niko to give an undertaking that the company would not sell its assets in Bangladesh, Petrobangla secretary Imam Hossain told New Age. He said that the ICSID had also deferred its ruling on the dispute over Niko’s demand for $27 million with a 12 per cent interest from Petrobangla until the arbitration court settles the issue of Petrobangla’s claim of $106 million or Tk 746 crore in damages from Niko. Petrobangla, the state-run Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation, withheld payment of $27 million for the gas Niko had supplied from Feni field on a court order after Niko refused to pay compensation for the twin blow-outs in 2005 in Tengratila gas field at Chhatak. The government in June 2008 filed a damage suit with a Dhaka court against Niko, claiming Tk 746 crore in compensation for destruction of property and gas reserves in and around Tengratila field in Sunamganj after the company refused to pay the government any amount. The High Court, in its verdict on November 17, 2009 in a separate writ petition, directed the government not to pay Niko for the gas that Petrobangla had been purchasing from the Feni gas field since 2004, until disposal of the government’s case or until Niko and the government reached a settlement over the issue of compensation. Later, Niko lodged two allegations with the ICSID claiming $27 million in gas bill and an exemption from paying compensation for the blowouts in Tengratila gas field. Meanwhile, Niko tried to sell its shares in Bangura gas field in Bangladesh to a Kuwaiti company, Imam said. In response, he said that Petrobangla had filed a case with joint district judges’ court which stayed Niko’s move to sell its assets. An expert committee formed by the energy ministry held Niko responsible for two successive blowouts in Chhatak gas field, locally known as Tengratila field, in early 2005. The committee estimated the damage of oil and gas resources caused by the two blowouts at Tk 746 crore or $106 million. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association filed a public interest litigation with the High Court against Niko and took out an injunction against payment of gas bills to the company by Petrobangla until the compensation issue was settled. Petrobangla had withheld $27 million in payment of gas bill to Niko before the Canadian firm stopped gas production from Feni field in May 2010. Niko on June 24, agreed to pay nearly $9.5 million in fines and penalties after admitting in the Alberta Court in Canada that it had bribed AKM Mosharraf Hossain, the then state minister for energy ministry, to escape from paying compensation for the damages. Mosharraf resigned in June 2005 after the media in Bangladesh revealed that Niko had given him a Toyota Land Cruiser-Signus 2005. On January 10, 2014, the Department of Justice of Canada wrote to the Bangladesh attorney general with a request to allow Royal Canadian Mounted Police to interrogate former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s energy adviser Mahmudur Rahman, also acting Amar Desh editor now in jail, and the then foreign minister M Morshed Khan as witnesses to confirm whether or not Khaleda was involved in Niko graft case.

Bangladesh: Maritime verdict to be made public today

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague delivered its verdict on Bangladesh-India maritime boundary dispute on Monday and sent the verdict to the respective governments but results of the verdict will be disclosed on Tuesday. According to the arbitration court’s moratorium, the verdict cannot be disclosed for 24 hours that will end on Tuesday. ‘We’ve received the verdict; we’re examining it,’ Salauddin Noman Chowdhury, DG, external affairs of the foreign ministry, told New Age. The foreign ministry will make ‘comments’ and release salient features of the verdict to the press on Tuesday as it is a long verdict. The verdict was scheduled to be delivered on July 2. But at the last moment, the court changed its decision and fixed a new date. Bangladesh is expecting to win the case against India as it did against Myanmar. The country won a landmark verdict against Myanmar on March 14, 2012 at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas and through the verdict the country sustained its claim to the 200 nautical-miles and exclusive economic and territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal. The hearing of the case against India in the tribunal in The Hague filed by Bangladesh was concluded on December 18 last year. Dhaka and New Delhi have been locked in the maritime boundary disputes over 10 gas blocks in the Bay of Bengal as both the countries have been claiming the area to be their own. On October 8, 2009, Dhaka moved for arbitral proceeding concerning the maritime boundary dispute with India and served an arbitration notice upon New Delhi Later in May 2010, former foreign minister Dipu Moni filed a case with the UNCLOS seeking its arbitration on maritime dispute with India.

Bangladesh: 95pc voters under command of BNP-led alliance: Khaleda

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Monday reissued her threat to build anti-government resistance after Eid-ul-Fitr claiming that 95 per cent voters were now under the command of the BNP-led alliance. Addressing an iftar party hosted by Jatiya Ganatantrik Party at a city hotel in honour of politicians and distinguished citizens, she urged all to join the movement to free the country from ‘misrule of the repressive government.’ She claimed that people boycotted the one-sided January 5 general elections responding to the call of the BNP-led alliance. She said that if 5 per cent votes were cast in the election, the BNP-led alliance received the rest 95 per cent votes. Khaleda urged the ministers and leaders of the ruling Awami League and its alliesto atke steps to create a democratic environment stopping falsehood. She blamed the ‘ruling party-backed terrorists’ and detectives of the Rapid Action Battalion and the police for attempting to abduct Dhaka Reporters Unity president Shahed Chowdhury in the capital on Sunday for enforced disappearance. Khaleda said that people protected Shahed from abduction. The BNP chairperson criticised the government’s move to enact a law to ‘further gag’ the freedom of press. She said that a fair trial of recent multiple killings in Narayanganj would not be held as the real criminals were not being held and the detained were kept in luxury to suppress the truth. Khaleda said that top leaders of the ruling party and ministers would have been named if those people were arrested and interrogated properly. Khaleda reiterated that the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, also in charge of the home ministry, must bear the responsibility of each killing and enforced disappearance. She said that the country was now in great danger as there was no legal and elected government. She said that unemployment was on the rise and people were afflicted by price hike of essentials and suffered from bad condition of roads inside the capital and bad shape of highways elsewhere. JAGPA president Shafiul Alam Prodhan made a welcome address at the iftar party. A prayer was offered before the iftar seeking relief of the country from the rule of the ‘oppressive’ government. Leaders of  BNP-led alliance, including acting BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Jamaat-e-Islami working committee member Redwanullah Shahedi, Shamim Sayeede, son of Jamaat Nayeb-e-ameer Delwar Hossain Sayeede, Islami Oikya Jote chairman Abdul Latif Nezami, Khelafar Majlish chairman Mohammad Ishaq, Kalyan Party chairman Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, Kazi Zafar Ahmed-led Jatiya Party faction secretary general Mostafa Zamal Haidar, National Peoples Party chairman Sheikh Shawkat Hossain Nilu, secretary general Fariduzzaman Farhad, National Democratic Party chairman Khandaker Golam Mortuza, Liberal Democratic Party secretary general Redwan Ahmed, Labour Party chairman Mustafizur Rahman Iran, Islamic Party chairman Abdul Mobin, Peoples League president Garib-e-Newaz, Democratic League general secretary Saifuddin Ahmed Moni, acting Samyabadi Dal general secretary Sayeed Ahmed and JAGPA general secretary Lutfar Rahman and organising secretary Sheikh Jamal Uddin among others attended the iftar.