Show respect to common people beside foreigners, says Bangladesh human rights commission chief

National Human Rights Commission chairman Mizanur Rahman on Sunday urged politicians to have some regard for the common people while showing respect to the foreign guests.

He said, ‘We have high regard for foreign guests while we should also show due respect to the general people and do politics for their welfare.’

He made the call at a national seminar on ‘the impact of social and income security for older people at household level’. 

HelpAge International and Human Development Research Centre organised the programme at Mahbub Kabir Memorial Hall of Bangladesh Institute of Administration and Management.

Addressing the event as chief guest, the NHRC chairman said if brutality and violence become the means of politics, safety and security of people vanish.

He requested politicians and political parties to give up violence.

He informed the programme that the NHRC with the help of Law Commission finalised the draft Anti Discrimination Law to protect people of this country from all kinds of discrimination.

He said they also proposed that the Election Commission introduce a separate row for elderly people during election so that they could vote easily but the EC was yet to respond.

Mizanur Rahman called on all government ministries and departments to declare elderly people as the senior citizens and urged the government to take immediate initiatives in this regard.

Human Development Research Centre chief adviser and economist Professor Abul Barakat urged the government to launch old age allowance for each and every eligible elderly person.

He said in the country’s the population the number of people of over 60 years of age would increase by 20.2 per cent in 2051 though according to the population census of 2011 puts it at 6.5 per cent of the total population.

Professor Abul Barakat said at present there is one elderly person in every 15 people in Bangladesh and it would be one in every five by 2051.

He demanded increase in the amount of existing old age allowance from Tk 300 per month to Tk 1000 and adjust this with inflation.

Abul Barakat said the current allowance was too inadequate as urban poverty was higher than rural poverty due to the so-called urbanisation.

Journalist Abed Khan, HelpAge international South Asia regional director Peter McGeachie, country director Nirjharinee Hasan, Department of Social Services additional director Syeda Ferdous Akhter also spoke at the programme. (source)

Bangladesh: Lack of fogger machines disrupts anti-mosquito drive in Khulna

Delay in inviting tenders for buying fogger machine has stood in the way of launching mosquito eradication drive by the Khulna City Corporation.

KCC chief executive officer Tapan Kumar Ghosh served a notice last Wednesday upon assistant conservancy officer Md Anowar Hossain, asking him to show cause for the delay.

The city mayor, Moniruzzaman Moni, approved the project of purchasing 35 new fogger machines in the second general meeting of the ward councilors held on the last October 3.

But the file processing for inviting tenders was not completed by the official concerned of the conservancy department despite an official order issued by the mayor. 

The KCC chief executive officer said the officer concerned, Anowar Hossain, would face departmental action for failing to invite tenders in time.

The KCC acting chief engineer, Nazmul Hossain, said the file processing works should not have taken so long time from the day of approval. 

The mayor admitted that lack of monitoring by the senior officials was responsible for the delay of mosquito eradication drive in the city.

The KCC conservancy officer, Anisur Rahman, has said a stock of 5,000 litre of light diesel and 1800 litre of larvacide is available but the lack of fogger machines is hampering the mosquito eradication drive.  (source) 

Chhatra League men beat up Dhaka University journalist

No punitive action was taken as yet in the incident of attack on a Dhaka University reporter by Awami League-backed Chhatra League men Saturday evening over gathering information on extortion by the BCL activists.

A group of extortionists, also Chhatra League men, Saturday evening beat up the DU correspondent Eyamin Sajed of Bangla daily Amardesh online while he went to Curzon Hall premises on information that BCL men were collecting extortion from a shooting unit.

When contacted, the BCL central unit president HM Badiuzzaman Sohag branded the reporter as Shibir man saying ‘no journalist but a Shibir man was beaten up’.

He also termed the shooting unit that was working to produce a documentary for Shibir though the unit leader was the elder brother of a Dhaka city (South) Juba League leader Borhan Uddin Khan Toton. 

DU proctor Amzad Ali did not respond to repeated phone calls.

It is learnt that BCL’s DU Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall unit president Hasanuzzaman and his supporters demanded Tk 10,000 from the shooting unit that was working for producing a documentary.

While the BCL men were locked into an altercation as the unit gave Tk 7000, Eyamin, also a Dhaka University Journalists’ Association executive member, reached the spot and faced interrogation by the Chhatra League men.

The BCL hall unit activist Rakib Hasan, also DU Debating Society unelected general secretary, started beating him up.

Later, Eyamin was rushed to the Dhaka University Medical Centre.

Meanwhile a number of Chhatra League men said Rakib was involved with Shibir politics. 

‘But Rakib has been made the DUDS general secretary by using political power of Chhatra League,’ said a DUDS man.

The DUJA condemned the incident and demanded exemplary punishment of the attackers. (source)

Bangladesh: Draft policy defines 60-yr-olds as elderly people

The cabinet on Sunday approved a draft policy recognising those belonging to the age group of 60 years and above as elderly people.

The social welfare ministry placed the draft of the national elderly people policy 2013 at the weekly cabinet meeting with the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, presiding over at the secretariat.

‘The policy would help ensure poverty-free, safe and respectable life for the elderly people. The 60-year old and those above the age will be regarded as senior citizens from now on,’ cabinet secretary Mohammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the meeting. 

He said that the senior citizens would be entitled to the benefits and facilities meant for the old. 

The number of elderly people in the country like many others is increasing due to rise in overall life expectancy, the cabinet secretary said, adding that the elderly people’s age had been defined in keeping with the United Nations declaration. 

He said the elderly people, as per the policy, would get special care at the hospitals and transports.

Mosharraf Hossain said that the government would take initiatives to make sure that the elderly people lead poverty-free, safe and respectable life. 

‘More daycare centres and old homes would be established… The government would also introduce savings scheme for the welfare of the elderly people,’ he added.   

The cabinet also approved the draft of the International Mother Languages Institute (Amendment), Bill 2013, providing a provision that a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation could be accommodated in the board of the institute set up under a law with assistance from  the UNESCO. 

The cabinet secretary said that the education ministry proposed the amendment so that the International Mother Languages Institute could enjoy the status of UNESCO’s B category institution and get more technical assistance. (source) 

BNP wants solution thru dialogues, Khaleda Zia tells US's Nisha

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sunday told the visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal, that her party wanted a solution through dialogue to the present political crisis over an election-time government that would be acceptable to all.

The US assistant secretary of state, who arrived in Dhaka on Saturday on what is seen as a crucial mission to press the rival political camps to find a solution to the current impasse, met the BNP chief at her Gulshan

office last night. The meeting lasted more than an hour from 8:15pm.

After the meeting, BNP vice-chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury at a news briefing said Khaleda had told the US diplomat that BNP wanted a solution acceptable to all through dialogue for holding a free, fair, competitive and inclusive election.

He quoted the BNP chairperson as telling the US diplomat that the people of Bangladesh at the moment wanted credible elections and BNP would do whatever was necessary to this end.

Shamsher said that Nisha had told Khaleda that US wanted democratic governing system to continue in Bangladesh and political-social and economic stability in the country

He quoted Nisha as saying that the US looked forward to a free, fair credible and inclusive election in Bangladesh. She also said that the people of Bangladesh would take a decision on it.In reply to a question, Shamsher said that Khaleda had explained elaborately at the meeting what the people of Bangladesh wanted about the election. Shamsher also quoted Khaleda as telling Nisha that a fair election would not be held under a partisan government.

Asked whether the US envoy had urged Khaleda to join the election under an all-party interim government, he said, ‘It is out of question’.

Shamsher said the US diplomat had come here not to give any advice or put any pressure. 

Asked whether the issue of oath-taking of the interim government, scheduled for today, had come up during the meeting, he replied in the negative.

In reply to another question, Shamsher said the people of Bangladesh wanted a free and fair election which was possible under a non-party government.

He said it was not only the demand of BNP but also the people of the country.

He said the recent history of the country had proved that it was not possible to hold fair elections without a non-party government.Asked how Nisha had viewed the BNP’s stand, he said she had taken note of it. 

The US envoy said the US wanted free and fair election through which democracy would grow stronger in Bangladesh.

Shamsher said Nisha had told Khaleda that the US secretary of state had appreciated the statement the BNP chairperson had made at a news conference on October 21 when she showed a way to strengthening democracy and how to lead the country forward.

The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere when matters related to bilateral interests were discussed.

Khaleda told Nisha that Bangladesh and the US had special relations and it would grow stronger in the days to come. 

US ambassador Dan Mozena, acting BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and BNP chairperson’s adviser Reaz Rahman, among others, were present at the meeting. (source)

50pc textbooks yet to arrive in Bangladesh upazilas

The authorities could not as yet reach 13.64 crore textbooks, out of 31.50  crore, to upazilas for free distribution among the pupils of schools and madrassahs. 

National Curriculum and Textbook Board said it was worried that the text books could be distributed among all the students by January 1, the first day of the new academic year. 

Frequent hartals during the peak  distribution time was interrupting the efforts to reach the books to the destinations, officials said.

Officials said that well ahead of the coming academic year the NCTB had taken the plan to make sure that the textbooks reached the upazilas by November 30. 

But frequent hartals since October, they said made it difficult for the NCTB to accomplish the task.

Printers said the volatile political atmosphere was disrupting printing and transportation in the last leg of the programme. 

They called for keeping textbook transportation out of hartals’ purview.

NCTB distribution controller Mustak Ahmed Bhuiyan said until November 14 printers took 17.86 crore textbooks to the upazilas on trucks.

It is the responsibility of upazila education officers to send the books to the schools for distribution among the students.   

Mustak said that for the next year the government had taken the plan to distribute 1.80 crore pre-primary books, 11. 37 crore primary school books, 13.77 crore secondary school books and 4.62 crore books for the students of ibtadayi and dakhil madrassahs.

Until November 14, he said, the printers reached 17.86 crore books to the upazila education offices, 7. 40 crore for primary schools, 9.35 crore for secondary schools and 1.12 crore for the ibtadayi and dakhil madrassahs.  

Mustak said that the shipment of the pre-primary level textbooks was yet to begin. 

He said the NCTB had planned to reach the books to the upazila education offices by November 30. 

Hartals are proving a hindrance, he said. 

NCTB officials said that on an average about 25 lakh textbooks were shipped to upazilas per day. 

Disruptions for two or three days in a row leads to millions of books remaining stockpiled with the printing houses needing several days to ship to the destinations. 

Since October 25, NCTB got only three working days, October 30,31 and November 3, said officials. 

The schoolchildren in the remote areas face the prospects of not getting their books in due time.     

Out of 19,070 secondary schools 526 are in the remote hilly areas, 528 in the   coastal belt and 714 in the haor belt. 

Many of the 89,712 primary schools are also located in remote and inaccessible areas. 

Bangladesh Mudron Shilpa Samity senior vice president Tofayel Khan said the printers were facing problems in bringing paper to the printing presses, taking the books to the binders and ultimately to the upazila education offices and the whole exercise cost them lot more than usual. 

NCTB secretary Braja Gopal Bhowmik described November as the most important time for the distribution of the textbooks.

Hartals are creating hindrances in reaching the textbooks to the students before January 1, said Nurul Islam Nahid, who recently resigned as the education minister.

In 2010, the government began distribution of free textbooks to students of secondary schools. 

Free distribution of books among the primary school students began in 1981.  (source) 

Bangladesh opposition party to join elections, hopes prime minister Sheikh Hasina

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Sunday expressed the hope that the opposition would join the next elections and the people would exercise their voting rights.

‘The next elections would be free, fair and credible and I hope that the opposition would participate in the polls and the people would freely exercise their voting rights,’ she said.

The prime minister expressed this hope when visiting US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal called on her at her official Ganobhaban residence in Dhaka in the afternoon.

After the hour-long meeting, PM’s deputy press secretary Bijan Lal Dev briefed reporters.

The prime minister said her government has been working relentlessly to further strengthen democracy. ‘We want to further strengthen democracy and our stride has been reflected in all the elections held during the last five years of our tenure,‘ she said.

Sheikh Hasina mentioned that 5,828 elections were held at different tiers in the last five years and 64,060 public representatives were elected through the polls. All the elections were held in a free, fair and neutral manner, and none could raise any allegation about the results, she said.

The prime minister said the all democratic institutions including Election Commission, the National Human Rights Commission and Information Commission are absolutely independent, while media is enjoying full freedom.

‘A voter list with photograph has been prepared. So, there is no scope for vote rigging,’ she said.

The prime minister said the EC is now very much capable of holding any elections and its capability has been proved in the last five years.

Stressing the need for maintaining democratic process, Sheikh Hasina said development would not be sustained without democracy.

About the suspension of the Genralised System of Preference facilities by the US government, the prime minister said the decision has affected a lot the downtrodden people of Bangladesh.

‘The decision is giving punishment to the poor workers,’ she added.

Sheikh Hasina urged the US government to pursue its business community to hike the prices of Bangladeshi garment products. ‘It would help facilitate the Bangladeshi garment owners to increase wages,‘ she said.

Mentioning the raising of the wages for the garment workers to Tk 5300 from 1600 in the last five years, she said: ‘Our party, politics and ideology are for the downtrodden and we are striving to improve the condition of poor people.’

Pointing out the much-talked TICFA agreement with the USA, the prime minister said the deal has already been okayed. A delegation from Bangladesh would visit the USA soon to this end, she said.

Laying importance on regional cooperation, the prime minister said her government has been trying to strengthen regional relationship to ensure welfare of the people.

The US assistant secretary of state expressed the hope that free, fair and credible elections would be held in Bangladesh to continue democratic process.

She said Bangladesh is a very important country in the region for mutual prosperity and security, saying that the US-Bangladesh partnership is extraordinarily strong and productive. (source)

Tazreen Fashions owner Delwar Hossain faces anger of victims’ families

Tazreen Fashions owner Delwar Hossain on Sunday faced anger of the family members of some workers killed in the factory fire and a group of right activists after he came out of the Supreme Court.

The protesters said Delwar had provided the court with false information about the heath condition of injured worker Sumaya Khatun.

The family members of Tazreen fire victims also demanded compensation from Delwar who was also encircled by the rights activists.

The right activists with family members of some deceased workers came to the High Court for the hearing in a writ petition three anthropologists had filed to bring Delwar to book as per the government ‘s investigation report on the Tazreen fire that killed at least 111 workers.

Sumaya, who underwent treatment for long at United Hospital in the capital with money raised from donation, was sent home last week after her health condition deteriorated, said Saydia Gulrukh, one of the three writ petitioners, in response to the court’s query. 

She is suffering from cancer possibly from exposure to fumes in the November 2012 Tazreen fire.

Despite the court’s order to arrange Sumaya’s treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital at the expenses of the government, the health ministry had taken no initiative yet, Saydia Gulrukh said.

She said that Sumaya was sent home at the advice of doctors who found no alterative way for her treatment.

Standing before the bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain, Delwar, through his counsel Fida M Kamal told the court that he had talked to the doctors who said Sumaya was released as she was now ‘well and out of danger’.

Rights activists asked Delwar why he had provided the court with false information. 

 They asked Delwar why Matin, brother of deceased Tazreen worker Rehana, was yet to be compensated for his sister’s death. Delwar replied how he could give compensation when the case was pending.

Father of deceased Rozin also threw similar questions at Delwar, who left the place quickly.

The High Court bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain, which was hearing the Tazreen fire case, said that it would follow the terms of reference used in compensating the victims of Rana Plaza collapse.

The court asked writ petitioners’ counsel Jyotirmoy Barua and deputy attorney general Biswajit Roy to inform it by Tuesday about the terms of reference set by different professionals in compliance with the directive of another bench following a writ petition over the April 24 Rana Plaza collapse that killed more than 11,000 workers. (source) 

BRAC gets million dollar global award

Bangladesh-based non-government organisation BRAC has been selected for a $ 1.0 million worth global award for replicating one of its health projects for slum dwellers in Africa.

Drug-maker GSK and the international NGO Save the Children jointly award different organisations with the ‘Healthcare Innovation Award’ as part of its ambitious partnership to save millions of children’s lives.

BRAC has been recognised for its ‘comprehensive’ mother, infant and child health programme, Manoshi, which it implements in Dhaka slums.

The project ensures births in skilled hands and quick referral to those who need emergency care.

Nearly 100 organisations from 29 developing countries applied for the award, of whom five were selected.

BRAC will also receive an extra $ 300,000 to test the Manoshi project in Sierra Leone slums where under-five and maternal mortality rates are amongst the highest in the world.

Founded in 1972, BRAC is known as the world’s largest NGO. It also operates in various countries outside Bangladesh. (source) 

Body parts of youth found in Narayanganj

The police recovered nine pieces of body parts of a youth on Sunday evening from Murapara Motherghat area under Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj.

The deceased was a youth aged about,30 years, the police said.

The beheaded body was dumped in a sack and eight pieces of sliced hands and legs in another sack, the police said.

Rupganj police station officer-in-charge Asaduzzaman Mir said that the killers might have dumped the head of the youth at another remote place so that it could not be traced. (source) 

Hearing in US Congress on Bangladesh political situation Wednesday

As the country’s bickering political parties seem nowhere close to any understanding over the polls-time government, a sub-committee of the House of Representatives of the US Congress is set to organise a hearing on the political situation in Bangladesh on Wednesday.

The sub-committee on Asia and the Pacific will arrange the hearing, titled ‘Bangladesh in Turmoil: A Nation on the Brink?’ to be held at Rayburn House Office Building, according to a web release of the office of House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ chairman Ed Royce.

Ali Riaz, professor and chairman, Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University and a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Centre, major general (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman, President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies and John Sifton, Asia advocacy director, Human Rights Watch will participate in the hearing as witnesses.

US representative Steve Chabot, chairman of the sub-committee on Asia and the Pacific, will also take part in the hearing.

On the hearing, chairman Chabot said:  “Bangladesh has long been considered a moderate, Muslim-majority nation in South Asia. However, today Bangladesh is in the midst of a struggle for its national identity, pitting secular moderates against religious fundamentalists.’

He said the extreme political tension that has gripped Bangladesh is threatening the next year’s parliamentary elections.

‘This political turmoil has already claimed one victim — Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal – resulting in proceedings that do not meet international standards. The United States has a lot at stake in Bangladesh.  This hearing will be an important opportunity to examine the cause of Bangladesh’s political tensions, the escalation of human rights abuses, and how this all impacts security interests in the region.’

On November 5, Steve Chabot visited Dhaka and met top political leaders during his visit and discussed political issues. (source) 

Minor boy killed by aunt in Chittagong

A seven-year old boy was killed in the city’s Halishahar area in Chittagong on Sunday morning.

The deceased Sabbir hailed from Bajitpur of Kishoreganj.

Police said Sabbir’s maternal aunt Swapna killed him by beating and strangulating the child after a quarrel with his mother.

Sabbir along with his mother used to live with his uncle and aunt after his father died, police said adding that Swapna was arrested after the incident. (source) 

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal general secretary Habibur Rashid Habib arrested

The Detective Branch of police on Sunday arrested Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal general secretary Habibur Rashid Habib at Shantinagar in the city.

The activists of Chhatra Dal, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed student organisation, protested against the arrest, while five vehicles were set on fire in the city.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner (media and public relation) Masudur Rahman said that the detectives picked up Habibur at about 3:00pm. He, however, could not say in which case Habibur was arrested. 

Habibur was taken to Detective Branch office at Minto Road. 

The detectives had also raided the Habibur’s house at Bashabo in the city on November 14. 

Chhatra Dal activists took to the street immediately after the arrest. They brought out processions at places protesting against the arrest.

A bus of Unique Paribahan was set on fire at Fakirapul at about 3:30pm.

A Dhaka Paribahan bus was set on fire near the National Press Club at about 5:00pm. 

Unidentified youths set a covered van on fire at Shantinagar at about 5:00pm.

Another bus was set on fire at Rampura at about 5:30pm.

A taxi was set on fire at Fakirapul in the evening.

Fire Service and Civil Defence control room officer Kazi Nuruzzaman told New Age that they recorded that five vehicles were set on fire in the capital till 8:00pm.

New Age correspondent in Narsingdi reported that the police arrested three Chhbatra Dal leaders in Naringdi town on Saturday night.

New Age correspondent in Khulna reported that the police arrested at least eight leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir at places of Paikgacha and Digholia upazilas on early Sunday

Earlier, Swechchhasebak Dal general secretary Sarafat Ali Shapu and organising secretary Shafiul Bari Babu were arrested at Banglamotor in the city on November 14. They were also remanded in police custody for 10 days for interrogation in a case filed for violence during a general strike enforced by the BNP-led alliance in March. (source)