Bangladesh: AL likely to decide seat sharing with allies in 2 days

The Awami League is likely to sharing of parliamentary seats for the national elections with partners in the ruling alliance in a day or two.

The ruling Awami League is thinking about sharing 10 parliamentary seats with its partners in the alliance against their demand for 40 seats to contest the national polls,  scheduled for January 5, from the alliance.

The alliance leaders said that Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal

had demanded 18 seats, Workers Party of Bangladesh 10 seats, Ganatantri Party 2 seats, the National Awami Party 2 seats, and the Bangladesh Tariqat Federation 10 seats.

According to the Election Commission, scandidates of the Workers Party, 51 of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, 12 of the National Awami Party and 2 of Ganatantri Party had submitted nomination papers. The Tariqat Federation fielded 11 candidates.

‘Alliance partners are putting forth their demand but we are thinking about giving 10 parliamentary seats more to alliance partners. The matter will be settled in a day or two,’ an Awami League presidium member told New Age on Sunday.

Awami League presidium member Mohammad Nasim also said that the issue of seat sharing would be settled very soon.

During an alliance meeting on Wednesday night, the partners primarily decided that five lawmakers elected in the past national elections held on December 29, 2008, three from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and two from the Workers Party, will get alliance nominations.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal lawmakers were Hasanul Haque Inu (Kushtia 2), Shah Jikrul Ahmed (Brahmanbaria 5) and Moeenuddin Khan Badal (Chittagong 7).

Workers Party lawmakers are Rashed Khan Menon (Dhaka 8) and Fazle Hasan Badshah (Rajshahi 2).

Awami League leaders also said that they were holding discussions with the Jatiya Party faction led by Anwar Hossain Manju, which are not in the alliance.

AL leaders said that JSD leader Shirin Akter for Feni 1, Tariqat Federation leaders Nazibul Bashar Maijbhandari for Chittagong 2 and his deputy MA Awal for Lakshmipur 1, might get alliance nominations.

After Wednesday’s meeting, the Awami League’s advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu said that they would hold more meetings before making a final decision.

An alliance leader said that Workers Party leaders were bargaining for alliance support for Bimal Biswas for the Narail 2 constituency and Mostafa Lutfullah for the Satkhira 2 constituency and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leaders were bargaining for Shirin Akhter and Nazmul Haque Prodhan.

Two hundred and ninety-seven Awami League leaders had submitted nominations papers . There are 300 constituencies.

The ruling party did not name any candidates for the constituencies for which Jatiya Praty chairman HM Ershad (Dhaka 17), Rashed Khan Menon (Dhaka 8) and Hasanul Haque Inu (Kustia 2) might contest the elections.

The Awami League’s general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said that seat-sharing talks would be held with alliance partners to decide the party nominations.

In the past national elections, the Awami League gave only four seats to Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and three to the Workers Party. (source) 

Bangladesh: Nanak, Azam cleared of 2004 bus arson charge

A magistrate’s court on Sunday acquitted all the 18 accused including ruling Awami League leader Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mirza Azam and Sayed Khokan of the charges of arson attack on a double-decker bus in Dhaka Sheraton Hotel crossing on June 4, 2004 that killed 11 people.

Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Keshab Roy Chowdhury dismissed the case accepting the final report submitted by Criminal

Investigation Department assistant superintendent of police Khandaker Md Abdul Halim, also the investigation officer of the case, on February 7, 2013 after a further investigation.

The court observed that the further investigation failed to unearth the arson and there was no possibility of unearthing it in future.

The court mentioned that the police had earlier submitted a final report on January 14, 2009 meaning that the investigation failed to gather evidence to prove the charges against the accused.

The court had, however, ordered a further investigation in the case. 

The final report, the CID officer submitted after the further investigation, stated that the confessional statements made by some people earlier were false and obtained forcibly.

Awami League leaders Shafiqul Islam and Mohammad Masum told the investigation officer that they had earlier made confessional statements being threatened to be killed by Detective Branch of police who took them in custody for interrogation, the probe report said.

A staff of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation bus and his assistant also made confessional statements which were ‘false’ and ‘fabricated’, said the report.

Shafiqul’s confession was false as he was in fact in police custody on June 4, 2004 when the arson attack was made, the report said, adding that the Ramna police had arrested Kalu on June 3, 2004 in a mugging case and produced him before a court that remanded him in custody for a day for interrogation. 

The acquitted accused include Awami League leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mirza Azam, city AL organising secretary Sayed Khokan, AFM Mizanur Rahman, Shafiqul Islam, Mohammad Masum, Mohammad Monir, Dinesh Sarker, Abdul Mannan, Md Jahangir Alam and Shahidul Islam Thandu.

Shafiqul, son of Hazrat Ali of Baligaon village under Tongibari upazila of Munshiganj, in his confessional statement on July 28, 2004 named Nanak, Mirza Azam and Sayed Khokan as the masterminds of the arson. 

Masum also made confessional statement on July 14, 2004 and named them as the masterminds of the bus arson. (source) 

Bangladesh: Sabotage feared at power and energy sector establishments

The power and energy ministry, fearing sabotage in power and energy sector installations, has asked local administrations to increase vigilance at the sites concerned, officials said.

Although the establishments like power stations and substations, petroleum oil storage, gas fields and gas transmission switching stations are treated as key point installations the authorities concerned have requested the local administrations to increase vigilance at the sites, they said.

The officials also said that the ministry had asked the power and energy sector agencies to communicate with the local administrations through the deputy commissioners to prevent

possible sabotage amid growing political tension and violence.

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation chairman Md Eunusur Rahman told New Age, ‘The BPC subsidiaries — Padma, Meghan and Jamuna — have their own security system employing the Ansar force.’

Besides, he said that the corporation had issued letters asking the deputy commissioners concerned to increase vigilance at the sites of fuel oil storages and other sensitive establishments of its subsidiaries in different districts.

Earlier, two secretaries of energy and power divisions had issued letters to the deputy commissioners concerned in this regard as attacks on roads and rail lines increased during blockades and general strikes.

The police on Friday arrested five Jamaat and three Bangladesh Nationalist Party men on charge of planning to blow up a power office at Phultala in Khulna.

On February 28, 2013, Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir activists burned down a power substation at Kansat in Chapainawabganj protesting against the death sentence of Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Syedee on charge of crimes against humanity committed during the war of independence in 1971.

The Jamaat and Shibir men also looted the office and residential buildings of the substation.

The arson attack on the substation caused a total loss of about Tk 200 crore to the Rural Electrification Board. It had also kept about 25,000 consumers in dark for over a month and hampered boro irrigation over the period.

Power Development Board chairman Abduhu Ruhulullah said, ‘Usually the army units are always deployed for the big power stations. The other power plants are also secured with proper precaution as all they are key point installations.’

Besides, the power board alerted the chief engineers and executive engineers attached with the power plants amid political unrest. (source) 

Bangladesh government to shoulder responsibility for any unwarranted situation: BNP

BNP standing committee member RA Gani on Sunday warned that the government would be held responsible for any unwarranted situation in the country due to its rejection of the opposition’s demand for arranging the polls under a non-party administration.

‘We hope that the government, realising the sentiment of people, will accept the demand for holding the

next election in a free and fair manner under a non-parry caretaker government,’ he said.

The BNP policymaker came up with the remarks while addressing press a briefing at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on the second day of the 18-party’s 72-hour blockade programme.

Gani was the first BNP leader to appear before the media after the arrest of its joint secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on November 30.

After Rizvi’s arrest, another party joint secretary general Salauddin was made party spokesperson but he neither came to BNP’s central office nor met the media as he was also made accused in the case for torching a bus at Shahbagh that left three dead and 15 others injured.

Salauddin, however, has been sending statements and video messages from an undisclosed place since he was made the party spokesman.

Explaining why Salauddin was sending messages from his hideout, Gani said the government was repeatedly attacking the BNP office and besieging it and not allowing anybody to enter it. ‘They’re shooting the leaders and activists and raiding their houses. Under the circumstances, it’s not possible to announce the party programmes in public.’

He mentioned that the government after being alienated from people has resorted to barbaric torture and repression to suppress the opposition.

The senior BNP leader urged the government to stop killing, repression and acts of sabotage. (source)

Bangladesh: Non use of jute bags to be penalised by mobile courts

The jute and textile ministry has requested the home ministry to make violation of the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act-2010 as a punishable offence under the mobile court law, senior officials told New Age.

They said that the ministry would start enforcing the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act from January.

The law requires all government and private organizations to use jute bags and sacks in packaging products, they said.

The Mandatory Jute Packaging Act was enacted in October 2010 and the rules under the law were framed in June 2013 to facilitate the enforcement of the law for boosting domestic use of jute bags instead of polythene or polypropylene.

Proper enforcement would immediately increase the domestic use of jute and jute goods by 50 per cent and ensure fair price of  jute to growers, said officials.

The jute and textile ministry, in a recent circular, asked the millers and wholesalers only to use jute bags and sacks while marketing rice from December. 

The food department, became the lone 100 per cent compliant of the circular using only jute sacks in packing paddy, rice and wheat, said officials. 

The circular made it mandatory to package from the current year at least 50 per cent of fertilizers for marketing, both imported and produced in the country.

The circular requires Bangladesh Jute Mill Corporation and the Bangladesh Jute Mill Association to ensure supply of enough jute sacks for packaging 50 per cent of paddy, rice, wheat and fertilizers procured by the government.

The circular requires packaging at least 50 per cent of sugar in laminated hessian bags by mills under the Sugar and Food Industries Corporation as well as those in the private sector. 

For maize, the requirement is packaging only in jute sacks.  

The ministry of jute and textiles in a recent letter requested the home ministry to make it a punishable offence under the mobile court law not to use jute bags in packaging these items, joint secretary Nasima Begum told New Age.

She said that the home ministry sent the draft papers in this regard to the law ministry for vetting.

Jute department director Mohammed Kefayet Ullah told New Age that government was trying to increase the domestic use. 

Neighboring India made it mandatory use jute bags since 1987.

Bangladesh enacted the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act in 2010, he said. (source) 

Bangladesh: BPC battles to avert diesel crisis during irrigation season

Bangladesh Petrolium Corporation (BPC) is battling to avert diesel crisis during the current irrigation season as the special supply operation launched for farmers suffers setback due to blockade enforced by opposition alliance, concerned officials said.

As the blockade disrupts the transportation of  fuel from the major depots, BPC wrote letters to concerned administrative chiefs including divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners (DC) of vulnerable regions seeking their help for providing necessary escort by law enforcers to ensure timely supply of diesel to farmers for irrigation, they said. 

‘We already launcheda special supply operation to support the farmers with uninterrupted supply of diesel for irrigation required for boro crop cultivation, but it faced problems due to the blockade,’ said the chairman of BPC,  Eunusur Rahman.

‘It’s now a challenge for us to ensure uninterrupted supply of diesel to the farmers for irrigation though we are trying to overcome it to avert any crisis,’ he added.

‘We opened control cells to coordinate and monitor the supply of diesel to the farmers engaged in boro cultivation across the country,’ he said, adding, ‘We are making all efforts to tackle the situation.’

BPC engaged its general manager (marketing) Yusuf Hossain Bhuiyan as chief coordinator and opened a central monitoring room at its head office based in the port city of Chittagong.

When contacted Yusuf Hossain informed that five regional control cells were opened in Dhaka,Chittagong, Khulna, Bogra and Barisal respectively.

The major oil depots based at Godnail and Fatullah in Narayanganj, Baghabari in Sirajganj and Doulatpur in Khulna were activated with special importance to ensure uninterrupted supply of diesel to farmers, he said.

‘We send the consignment of fuel to our major depots through river routes, but it has become a little bit difficult to ensure supply to local destinations due to blockade,’ he said.

He said that BPC has sought the support of local administration for providing escort to fuel laden lorry-tankers or train-tankers to reach the destination points. 

The local administration must come forward to provide escort by law enforcers to ensure transportation of fuel to the northern parts of the country from the major depots, he said.  

BPC officials pointed out that carrying of fuel by train, especially from Doulatpur depot, could be very risky without escort by law enforcers during blockade.

Despite all such impediments, BPC is trying to ensure the supply of diesel for irrigation. BPC has a sound stock of 3,20,000 MT of diesel, they assured. 

State-owned BPC is the lone importer and distributor of petroleum products in the country. (source) 

Bangladesh: Test for primary teachers' recruitment in 17 dists cancelled

The primary and mass education ministry has cancelled the written tests for recruiting assistant teachers for primary schools in 17 districts after the ministry probe committee found that question papers of the test were leaked.

The ministry took the decision on Sunday after the committee to probe the allegations of question leaks submitted its report.

The ministry additional secretary SM Ashraful Islam told New Age that the decision was taken after the probe committee had found that questions were leaked in the districts.

The districts in which questions were leaked are Dhaka, Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sherpur, Rajshahi, Lalmonirhat, Cox’s Bazar, Satkhira, Pabna, Jhenaidah, Rajbari, Meherpur, Khulna, Sunamganj, Moulvibazaar and Habiganj.

Fresh written tests will be taken in these districts, said SM Ashraful Islam. 

Ministry sources said the probe had found that two sets of questions, namely Huang Ho and Mississippi, were fully leaked. There were seven sets of questions for the test.

The ministry had formed a four-member probe committee on November 12 to investigate the allegation that questions for written tests held on November 8 for recruiting assistant teachers in primary schools in different districts had been leaked. 

About 9.68 lakh candidates took the written tests for around 7,000 posts of assistant teachers for pre-primary classes in 61 districts except three hill districts of Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban. (source) 

Bangladesh: BSF men torch house

Members of Indian Border Security Force intruded into the Bangladesh territory and torched a house in Tiapara along Ghagra frontier under the sadar upazila in Panchagarh on Sunday.

Local people said a group of BSF members, numbering 10/15, from Tiapara camp entered Bangladesh in the morning.

Later, they stormed into the house of farmer Asadur Rahman and vandalised it before setting it fire.

When contacted, Asadur Rahman said the BSF men forbade him to build the house. 

As he constructed the house, the BSF men torched it in the morning.

On information, commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh Battalion-18 

Lieutenant Colonel Ariful Haque and deputy commanding officer Major AKM Shamim Rana visited the spot.

The BGB also sent a letter to BSF protesting at the incident. (source) 

Bangladesh: Rokeya Day today

The nation will pay tributes to Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain today marking the 133nd anniversary of her birth and the 81th anniversary her the death today. 

The government and socio-cultural and women’s organisations have chalked up programmes to observe Rokeya Day 2013 in a befitting manner. 

Begum Rokeya, a fighter for gender equality, was born at Pairaband of Mithapukur in Rangpur on December 9, 1880. She died on December 9, 1932 in Kolkata.

She established the first school for Muslim girls in the undivided Bengal in the early 20th century, which is now situated on Lord Sinha Road in Kolkata.

A prolific writer and essayist, Rokeya made a remarkable contribution to the Bangla literature. Her major works include Matichur, Padmarag, Abarodhbasini and Sultana’s Dream. 

She also founded the Anjuman-e-Khawateen-e-Islam (Islamic Women’s Association), which campaigned for raising the status and education of women.

The president, Abdul Hamid, and the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, issued messages on the eve of the day.

Newspapers will publish special supplements on the occasion.

The Bangla Academy will hold lecture by the academy’s fellow Ghulam Mursid on ‘Begum Rokeya: first feminist’ at the Kabi Shamsur Rahman Seminar Hall of the academy at 4:00pm.

In Rangpur, the district administration has chalked up a three-day programme marking the occasion, beginning today, in her birthplace by placing wreaths at Begum Rokeya Smriti Stambha at 11:00am.

The first day’s programmes include a prayer session, an open discussion on ‘Child Marriage and Women Empowerment,’ blood donation and blood group test camp, launch of three-day traditional Rokeya Fair followed by cultural programmes.

A drawing competitions for the children, recitation of the poem ‘Chand’ written by Begum Rokeya, an essay writing competition on the ‘Philosophy of Begum Rokeya and her working life’ for the school students, and cultural programmes will be held on December 10.

An award ceremony will be held on the concluding day on December 11 in the evening to be followed by cultural programmes. (source)

Bangladesh: Sadeque Hossain Khoka sent to jail

A court in Dhaka on Sunday sent Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Sadeque Hossain to jail  after rejecting both bail and remand prayer.

Metropolitan magistrate Syed Atiqur Rahman passed the order after the Tejgaon police sub-inspector Md Abu Zafar Talukder Manik produced Sadeque seeking him to be remanded in custody for 10 days for interrogation in a case filed following an incident that took place in front of Halim Community Centre under Tejgaon police station on October 26.

Defence counsel Sanaullah Mia pleaded for bail for Sadeque.

Earlier, Sadeque was remanded in police custody for two days for interrogation in a case filed with Shahbagh police station for setting a bus on fire on November 28 that killed three people and injured 16 others.

Sadeque was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion at Uattra in the capital  on December 5. 

The court ordered the prison authority to provide him with division facilities in jail. (source) 

Bangladesh President to attend Mandela’s funeral

The president, Abdul Hamid, will be going to South Africa to attend a sweeping, emotional farewell to Nelson Mandela - a funeral that will draw an unprecedented gathering of world leaders and luminaries, reflecting the anti-apartheid icon’s transcendent influence.

Preparation is going on for the president’s visit to South Africa, the foreign ministry said. 

They, however, added that the schedule of the president’s visit is yet to be finalised. (source) 

Bangladesh: ‘Madi’ turns into severe cyclone

The cyclonic storm ‘Madi’ over southwest bay and adjoining area moved slightly north-northeastwards, intensifying into a very severe cyclonic storm over southwest bay and adjoining west-central Bay.

It was centred at 6:00pm on Sunday about 1330 kilometres southwest of Chittagong port, 1265 kms southwest of Cox’s Bazar port and 1210 kms south-southwest of Mongla port (near lat 12.60 n and long 84.70 e), said a met office bulletin. It is likely to intensify further and move in a northerly direction.

Maximum sustained wind speed within 74 kms of the storm centre is about 120 kilometres per hour rising to 140 kph in gusts/squalls. Sea will remain very high near the storm centre.

Maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Mongla have been advised to keep hoisted distant warning signal 2.

All fishing boats and trawlers over deep sea have been advised to remain close to north Bay and proceed with caution till further notice.  (source) 

Bangladesh: Ferries torched at Mawa as blockade begins

Stray incidents of violence and arson marked the first day of the third spell of the opposition-enforced blockade of road, railway and waterways on Saturday as pickets clashed with the police and torched vehicles and ferries to push for a non-partisan polls-time government.

At the end of its last 131-hour blockade on Thursday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party joint secretary general Salauddin Ahmed in a video message from an undisclosed location had announced the third spell of 72-hour blockade on behalf of the alliance. The fresh spell of blockade would end at 6:00am Tuesday if it was not extended further.  

Bangladesh Railway authorities have introduced advanced loco pilot system to avoid possible acts of sabotage by running a single locomotive as scout before a train, said Ferdaus Alam, general manager of Bangladesh Railway (West). 

A transport worker suffered severe burns after blockaders set fire to a bus of Bikrampur Paribahan parked on Mawa ferry terminal premises early Saturday. He was sleeping in the bus when it was torched. 

Alamgir, 23, was brought to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital where another transport worker, Hasan, died on Friday after suffering severe burns in a similar incident.

Louhajang police officer-in-charge Abul Kalam said Alamgir was sleeping inside the bus on the Mawa launch terminal parking yard when the blockaders set it on fire.

The blockaders also set fire to two motor launches and vandalised another besides torching another bus in the predawn arson at the terminal.

The blockaders set fire to the decks of MV Rajib-2 and MV Masum but locals quickly put out the flames preventing any major damage, said the OC adding that the blockaders also vandalised another vessel, MV Sajal-1. All three launches were berthed at Mawa ferry terminal, he said.

The blockaders also torched a bus of Gangchil Paribahan parked at the terminal around 3:15am, said the police.

The correspondent in Gazipur said blockaders had torched a motorcycle of a sub-inspector of Joydebpur police around 11:00am after the police had stopped them from damaging vehicles. 

Sub-inspector Aklima Akter of Joydbepur police station said they had heard the news of torching of the personal motorcycle of SI Hafizur Rahamn but none was arrested as yet.

Pickets in Rajshahi torched a rice-laden truck at Ashraf’s crossing on the outskirts of the city around 2:00am, four hours before the beginning of the blockade.

Reports from Chapainawabganj said pickets had vandalised the car of an on-duty magistrate at Khairabad in Gomastapur around 11:00am. Police arrested Gomastapur unit Swechchhasebak Dal president Sazzad Hossain in this connection.

Reports from Sherpur said opposition activists had torched the Gunaritala union unit office of the Awami League  in Madarganj upazila early Saturday. 

In Dhaka activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir clashed with police and chased each other in Islampur area of Old Dhaka.

Kotwali police officer-in-charge Shah Alam said Shibir activists of Jagannath University from a procession blasted crude bombs and vandalised vehicles.  Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas leaving a Shibir activist and a policeman injured.

Police also arrested Shibir activist Shamim, from Lalbagh after he blasted three crude bombs and also recovered two more bombs from his possession, said Lalbagh police chief Nurul Muttakim.

Blockaders also brought out processions at Rampura, Bhasantek and Tejgaon in the morning and vandalised some vehicles there. 

Police held two Shibir activists from Rampura after they blasted bombs and four more from 

Banasri area. Rampura police officer-in-charge Kreepa Shindhu Bala said that the Shibir men were arrested after they hurled a few crude bombs.

In Laxmipur, opposition activists blocked the Laxmipur-Dhaka highway by putting logs and burning tyres at places in the district. They brought out processions in the town in the morning.   No long-route buses left the district bus terminal.   

In Bogra, activists of the BNP-led alliance blocked the Bogra-Rangpour highway in Matidali area.   

In Pabna, opposition activists blocked the Pabna-Dhaka highway, Pabna-Rajshahi highway and Pabna-Kushtia highway by putting logs, electric poles and burning tyres at places. (source)