Print Edition: 20 May 2014

Joishthya 6, 1421
Rajab 20, 1435

Regd. No. DA 6238
Vol 2, No 50
TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION
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9 | SONIA, RAHULS RESIGNATION REJECTED
13 | VAN GAAL NAMED UNITED COACH
Dr Kamals 1975 NARAYANGANJ

role and two
rejoinders
MURDERS
PMO says Kamal was inactive; the
senior lawyer says he did his best
n Rajib Bhowmick
Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hossains law firm yesterday sent a rejoinder to the Dhaka Tribune protesting a
remark by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that he had not helped her after the
assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman.
After the Dhaka Tribune published
the rejoinder on its website, the Prime
Ministers Office (PMO) sent a counter-statement saying what Dr Kamals
firm said was an ill attempt at forging
truth and distorting history.
With reference to a May 18 UNB
news report published in some newspapers, Dr Kamal Hossain & Associates
rejoinder quoted the PM as saying in a
programme: When the father of the
nation was assassinated, his foreign
minister [Dr Kamal] was also in West
Germany, but he neither helped me nor
my sister Sheikh Rehana after August
15, 1975...Even he did not respond to
Sheikh Rehanas repeated requests to
arrange a press conference.
Dr Kamals rejoinder said the PMs
comment could lead to a misreading,
and indeed attempted rewriting of
history.
On August 15, 1975, Dr Kamal Hossain, foreign minister of the Bangabandhu cabinet, was wrapping up a state
tour in the erstwhile Yugoslavia when
he got the news of the murder. Kamals
firm claimed that he had discussed the

issue of political asylum for Hasina and
Rehana with the then Yugoslav government.
It also said instead of returning to
Dhaka, Kamal, after getting the news
of the assassination, flew to Bonn in
Germany precisely in order to meet
Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana who
were at that time visiting the city and
had been given shelter to Ambassador
Humayun Rashid Chowdhury.
However, the PMO rejoinder alleged
that Dr Kamal had not told them
anything about his discussion with the
Yugoslav government. It also doubted
Kamals claim saying: Bangabandhu
was killed on August 15. He [Kamal]
came to Germany on August 16.
Then when did he hold talks with the
Yugoslav government?
It further said organising a press
conference right there in Germany protesting the killing was Dr Kamals duty
as the then foreign minister. Instead,
he avoided his duty and looked for
safety; he preferred his own interests
to the countrys, the PMO said.
The PMO also praised late Humayun Rashid Chowdhury, who was also
a speaker of parliament, for showing immense courage by arranging a
press conference with Bangabandhus
daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh
Rehana.
PAGE 2 COLUMN 2
Ex-RAB men deny

involvement in
seven murders
n Ashif Islam Shaon and
Ahmed Zayeef
The three former RAB officials who

are remanded in police custody have
denied their involvement in the gruesome murder of Narayanganj panel
mayor Nazrul Islam, senior lawyer
Chandan Sarkar and five others.
Lt Col (retd) Tarek Sayeed Mohammad, Maj (retd) Arif Hossain and Lt
Commander (retd) SM Masud Rana
have refused to admit having taken Tk6
crore to kill the seven people.
A highly placed source yesterday
told the Dhaka Tribune that the three,
who were sent on forced retirement
following the allegation of their involvement in the incident, had claimed
to have been victims of a media trial.
HOW MANY WERE

INVOLVED
P3 18 RAB MEN WITHDRAWN
Ali Manik
n Julkar back fromand Ahmed
Zayeef,
Narayanganj
Anyone taking a stroll in the streets of
Narayanganj is bound to get confused
if he or she is looking for the answer to
the question: how many people were
involved with the sensational seven
murders?
Six people have been accused in the
cases filed in connection with the abduction and murder of city panel mayor and ward councillor Nazrul Islam.
But one might get the impression
that as many as 22 people were involved with the gruesome murder if

their eyes land on some of the posters
stuck on the walls in the city.
All these posters demand punishment to the killers, but each accuses a
different number of people.
One set of posters, publicised by a
group of people who call themselves
the residents of Siddhirganj, demands death sentence for 18 people
and another poster demands the sentence for 22.
Another set, publicised by the Sid-
Division within the prosecution team

of the International Crimes Tribunal
has now aggravated further regarding
the trial of Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party for committing war crimes.
At a meeting on May 11, the seven-member team dealing with the
case to press formal charges against the
party was asked to hand over all docu-
PAGE 2 COLUMN 2
Now Oli accuses Ershad

of killing Zia, Manzoor
n Zulqer Russell
Labourers carry out facelift on an old ship at a Kaliganj dockyard in Dhaka with an aim to operate it again
MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
Prosecutors move further apart over Jamaat trial

n Udisa Islam
PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
6 or 18? Or is it 22?
Additional
Attorney General
MK Rahman
relieved
n Tribune Report
Additional Attorney General M Khalilur
Rahman has been relieved of his post.
The Law and Justice Division of the
Law Ministry issued a notification in
this regard yesterday afternoon.
The notification signed by acting
secretary Syed Aminul Islam stated
that the government had relived MK
Rahman from his post by cancelling his
appointment. However, it did not mention any reason behind the move.
He was appointed to the post in
March, 2009.
MK Rahman is also the coordinator
of the International Crimes Tribunals
prosecution team. The notification,
however, did not state whether he
would be performing his duty at the
tribunal. l
dhirganj unit of the ruling Awami

Leagues youth front Jubo League, demands execution of six people accused
in a case.
Nazruls father-in-law Shahidul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: Initially, we wanted to accuse 13 people in
the first information report including
four RAB officials and three local residents...But the then OC [of Fatulla police station] and the SP erased those
names.
The final list of accused comprises
Tarek Sayeed and Arif Hossain were

placed on a five-day remand on Saturday, 10 hours after their arrest; Masud
Rana was placed on a seven-day remand on Sunday by a Narayanganj
court.
The three were shown arrested under section 54 on suspicion of their
involvement with the abductions and
murders because their names were not
mentioned in the two murder cases
filed by the relatives of Nazrul Islam
and Chandan Sarkar.
On April 27, Narayanganj ward
councillor Nazrul Islam, his four aides
and senior lawyer Chandan Sarkar and
his driver were kidnapped near Khan
Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatulla
around the same.
Six bodies, including that of Nazrul
and Chandan, were found floating in
the Shitalakkhya River on April 30; another body was found the next day. The
five other victims were Swapan, Tajul
Islam, Liton, Jahangir and Ibrahim.
ments and advance reports of the case

to acting chief prosecutor Syed Haider
Ali for scrutiny.
Yesterday, prosecutor Tureen Afroz,
coordinator of the team dealing with
the case, wrote to the chief prosecutor,
not the acting chief prosecutor, and replied that the team could not hand over
the materials.
In the letter, Tureen said they would
wait for a decision and instructions on
the matter.
All these documents are kept at the
office of the Chief Prosecutor, Golam
Arif Tipoo, who is now out of office. He
joined office on April 30 but has not attended it since.
Some members of the team are confused over the meetings resolution.
They think the decision was made to
shift the case to other prosecutors.
Some prosecutors have also questioned
the legitimacy of such a resolution.

The confusion arose as a quarter of
the prosecution team had been opposing the commencement of the trial, after
considering its necessity and the political situation of the country. They also
doubted whether it would be possible to
punish Jamaat under the existing laws.
In a gazette notification on April
13, the Law Ministry made senior
PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
Liberal Democratic Party chief Col

(retd) Oli Ahmed said former military
dictator HM Ershad was directly involved in the killings of BNP founder
and former president Ziaur Rahman
and Maj Gen Manzoor.
I have no doubt. He killed the then
president Ziaur Rahman and hanged
around 15 freedom fighter army officers
to pave way for him to assume power,
Oli told the Dhaka Tribune.
Admitting failure to try Ershad during the BNP rule, the former minister
said it was not possible because of the
partys inaction and weakness. It was
improvident, he said.
Every murder and misdeed should
be tried. The country is going through
a dismal situation since corrupt people,
extortionists and killers are not being
brought to justice during the tenures of
different governments, he added.
Khaleda Zia, the BNP chairperson
and wife of Ziaur Rahman, recently condemned Ershad for killing her husband
and Maj Gen Manzoor. Refuting the
allegation, Ershad said the real killers
have been doing politics with her and
berated her for not trying the culprits.
I do not have any information regarding Dr Badruddoza Chowdhurys
involvement in the killing of Zia. I will
write about all these in my new book
Ershad: The Killer, Oli said regarding
Ershads indication of Badruddoza as
the culprit.
INSIDE
News
World
4 Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith

said yesterday that commercial farming will
not be able to flourish unless the government
introduces reforms in the land management.
Business
B1 World Trade Organisation Director General

Roberto Azevedo will visit Dhaka next month
to discuss implementation of the Bali Package
with the government of Bangladesh.
5 Uttara area are suffering as dilapidated conditions of the main thorough fares disrupt the
areas traffic movement. Potholes in the middle
of the streets are adding to passengers woes
and pedestrians sometimes stumble and fall
into puddles of water during the rainy season.
Nation
6 Voting in 13 upazilas across the country in

the sixth phase of upazila polls ended yesterday. Polling, which began at 8am, was mostly
peaceful except for a boycott by a BNP candidate and a number of sporadic incidents.
8 A dramatic spike in lawlessness in Libyas

two largest cities has edged the country
closer to civil war between heavily-armed
rival militias, stirring concern abroad and on
oil markets.
Op-Ed
11 My mind fills with premonition when I hear

BJP leader Uma Bharti pronounce that Indian
Muslims have nothing to worry about, and
will prosper further under the rule of Modi.
12 Mostofa Sarwar Farookis new flick

Piprabidya has been selected for three
international film festivals including Shanghai
International Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festivals competition section and
Melbourne International Film Festival.
Zia was assassinated on May 29, 1981

at the Chittagong Circuit House. Maj
Gen Abul Manzoor was killed within
the next few days.
Ershad is the chief of the Jatiya Party
and a special envoy to the prime minister. He is also the main accused in the
Manzoor murder case.
To elaborate on Ershads involvement, Oli said: Ershad was the chief
of army at that time. Ziaur Rahman
went to Chittagong on May 29, 1981 and
stayed at the Circuit House. On May 28,
Ershad visited the Chittagong Military
Academy for no reason. He later met
with Lt Col Matiur Rahman, the main
killer of Ziaur Rahman, at the Officers
Mess.
The next day, Ziaur Rahman was
assassinated brutally. The killing was
led by Lt Col Matiur. His [Ershad] main
aim was to seize power. He succeeded
in materialising many of his dreams in
this single incident.
Ershad later gathered many army
officers in Chittagong who fought many
battles during the [1971] war. Later a
so-called investigation report found all
those officers responsible for Zias killing. They were subsequently hanged.
Lt Col Matiur and two other officers
were killed in between the Hathazari
and Fatikchhari areas when attempting
to flee.
Oli, a former army officer who also
fought in the Liberation War, said: Ershad did all this to conceal his involvement in the killing. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Closure of cable
operator-run
channels
recommended
n Muhammad Zahidul Islam
The Parliamentary Standing Committee
on the Information Ministry has recommended the immediate closure of unauthorised channels, run by local cable operators in different areas, and also taking
of legal action against the operators.
The recommendation was made
at the committees first meeting held
yesterday at the parliament building.
Information Minister Hasanul Haque
Inu, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Simin Hos-
'There are channels on

which cable operators
run films and other
programmes from CDs'
sain Rimi, Mrinal Kanti Das, Saimum
Sarwar Kamal and Salahuddin Ahmed
Mukti were present.
Addressing a press conference after the
meeting, AKM Rahmatullah, chairman of
the committee, said the government has
no control over the unauthorised channels and they must be shut down.
There are channels on which cable operators run films and other programmes
from CDs. Those must not be allowed to
be aired anymore. The government has
been recommended to shut down the
channels as well as to take action against

the operators, Rahmatullah said.
The committee also finalised the bill
titled Bangladesh Journalists Welfare
Trust Bill2014.
Rahmatullah said the bill would
hopefully be passed in the next parliamentary session.
Earlier, on April 2, Inu introduced
the bill in the House and it was later
sent to the committee for scrutiny.
The bill aims to ensure the welfare
of poor, sick and wounded journalists
as well as the family members of deceased journalists.
According to the draft of the bill, a
13-member board of trustees will be
formed with the information minister
as its chairman and the information secretary as the vice-chairman. It will be a
statutory body and the managing director, who will be appointed by the government, will act as the member secretary.
The board will also have a principal
information officer, a DG-level official
to be nominated by the Prime Ministers Office, a Finance Division officer
with rank and status not below that of
a joint secretary, the director general
of Bangladesh Press Institute, the joint
secretary (press) from the Ministry of
Information, two BFUJ (Bangladesh
Federal Union of Journalists) representatives and three journalists to be
selected by the government. l
Ex-army man held

for abduction
attempt on
businessman
n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong
The bronze-made tops of a 200-year-old temple at Dharmahata of Paba in Rajshahi have been stolen due to negligence of the authorities
concerned to preserve the site properly. The site has become a den of drug addicts and criminals
AZHAR UDDIN
Humayun Azad case deferred till June 12

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu
The trial proceedings of much-talkedabout Prof Dr Humayun Azad murder
case have been advancing at snails
pace despite the High Courts directives for its quick disposal.
Yesterday was set for recording of
witness deposition. But Judge AHM
Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan of Dhakas
Fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court deferred the trial
until June 12 as the prosecution failed
to produce the witness.
On February 20, the High Court directed the lower court to dispose of the
case within six months. While passing
the order, the HC also expressed dissatisfaction over the lengthy proceedings.
Although three months have passed
since the order, the trial is yet to get

momentum.
Court sources say since the case is
now at witness deposition stage, it may
not be completed by the stipulated time.
Two witnesses testified at the court
on April 21. With these, 28 out of 58
prosecution witnesses have so far given depositions in the case.
Public prosecutor ABM Basir Uddin
told the Dhaka Tribune: We are trying
our best to complete the trial within
the time set by the High Court.
According to the case details, miscreants hacked and injured Prof Humayun Azad, teacher of Bangla department at Dhaka University on February
27, 2004 when he was trying to catch a
rickshaw for home from Ekushey Boi
Mela on the Bangla Academy premises.
Prosecutors move
Ex-RAB men deny involvement in seven murders
PAGE 1 COLUMN 4
PAGE 1 COLUMN 6
prosecutor Haider Ali the acting chief

prosecutor. But the gazette was not
withdrawn after Tipoo had joined office following treatment abroad.
Tipoo formed the team last March
with Tureen as the coordinator. Five of
the team members are of the additional
attorney general level.
Confirming receipt of Tureens letter, junior prosecutor Tapas Kanti Baul
said: From now on, for everything you
want to know about the case, please
contact the chief prosecutor.
Rhishikesh Saha, who issued the
previous notice, told the Dhaka Tribune: I am not sure about their final
step. There was no decision on the
handover of all the documents. The
acting chief prosecutor wanted to
check the documents to know about
the status of the case.
Tureen told the Dhaka Tribune: We
are not interested in evaluating their
intention. But it is unexpected since we
are already contemplating the finalisation of the formal charges very soon.
The case against Jamaat is very
sensitive and it has importance not
only nationally but also globally.
The team stopped working on the
case from yesterday.
When contacted, acting chief prosecutor Haider said: As long as I am in this position, I will try to administer everything
in my way. He also questioned the credibility of writing to the chief prosecutor in
response to the meeting resolution. l
Nazruls father-in-law Shahidul Islam

came up with the allegation that councillor Nur Hossain and his associates
had hired RAB11 members in exchange
for Tk6 crore to kill Nazrul. Following
the allegation the RAB officials were
withdrawn and removed from their
parent forces.
Police insiders said the investigators
asked Rana about his luxurious house
in Narsingdi and its source of money. Ranatold them that he had got the
money as remuneration when he was
on a UN mission.
Nur Hossain, Yasin Mia, Hasmat Ali

Hashu, Anwar Ashique, Aminul Islam
Raju and Iqbal Hossain, all of whom are
now on the run.
There are allegations that police
have been too slow to move, allowed
Nur to flee the country, and now, as a
window dressing, are confiscating his
movable properties.
Shahidul said some of the names
that they had dropped appeared in
the posters.
However, the posters do not say anything about the RAB officers, whom
Nazruls family wanted to mention in
the FIR and who were later arrested for
their alleged involvement with the abductions and murders.
Interestingly, the other 16 all residents of Siddhirganj whose names
appear on the posters have disappeared as well.
Yasin in Singapore?
Yasin Mia, 55, general secretary of

Siddhirganj unit Awami League, used
to live in a luxurious house, which is
now locked. Even the houses of his two
brothers, who are contractors like him,
are also locked.
An angry local mob vandalised Yasins house and his party office after
Nazrul and six others had been abducted and killed.
On the first night, Tarek was asked

about the ropes used to tie up the seven bodies and the ration sacks in which
the bodies had been stuffed. Tarek said
many defence personnel got involved
in crimes after retirement and they had
those sacks in their houses. He said the
sacks did not prove that RAB was involved with the abduction and murder.
He also claimed that rations for RAB11
members did not come in such sacks.
The two also denied having taken
Tk6 crore as reported by several media.
They urged the investigators to arrest
Shahidul and ask him where he had got
Dr Kamals 1975 role and two rejoinders

PAGE 1 COLUMN #
Dr Kamals rejoinder explained his

1975-81 role saying: ...Dr Hossain
refused repeatedly to join the new
government that had seized power in
Dhaka. He stayed back in the UK for
the next six years during which time he
attended numerous public meetings in
the UK to protest Bangabandhus assassination including arranging a meeting
in the House of Commons in the British Parliament which was attended by
Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.
The rejoinder mentioned the formation of a three-member enquiry
committee at that meeting in November 1975 comprising British lawmakers
Tom Williams and Shawn McBride.
On the other hand, the PMO statement said Sheikh Hasina went to Lon-
6 or 18? Or is it 22?
PAGE 1 COLUMN 5
Rana also claimed that he had not

done any unusual transactions through
his bank accounts. He urged the interrogators to check his accounts.
The joint interrogation cell comprises members from the Detective
Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Police Bureau of Investigation,
Criminal Investigation Department and
Narayanganj district police.
A Narayanganj police source said
the team had interrogated the trio on
Saturday and Sunday nights at the
Narayanganj Police Lines where they
have been kept.
They said he and his family had fled

the area right after the abduction on
April 27.
Wishing not to be named, Yasins
relatives said he and his wife had gone
to Singapore because they had already
been planning to go there for his wifes
treatment and his brothers had gone
for a vacation with their families.
Although Yasin was known to be
very close to Nur, they said they had
never seen Nur visit Yasins house.
However, his neighbours said ruling party MP Shamim Osman and Nur
Hossain came to Yasins house a few
months ago to attend the Qulkhwani of
one of Yasins uncles.
Nur Hossain came with a motorcade of some 15 microbuses and a contingent of 70-80 people, a neighbour
of Yasin said.
Many said although Yasin used to
call himself a contractor, he was actually a broker for land and solved disputes
for grabbers. Yasin and Nur flexed their
political muscles to scare people to give
up their land to grabbers for cheap prices, they alleged.
On February 1, Nurs men vandalised shops in Mijmiji Chowdhurypara
following a scuffle between Nazrul and
Nurs cousin Mobarak. According to
witnesses, the gang went to the area to
teach Nazrul a lesson.
The next day Nur visited the area,
Following the incident, an attempted murder case was filed with Ramna
police station against several unknown
people. After the attack, Azad was
treated at Combined Military Hospital
and in Bangkok. On August 8 the same
year, he went to Germany to join a conference and died after three days.
The CID submitted charge sheet in
the case on November 14, 2007 accusing
five JMB leaders including Shaekh Abdur
Rahman and Ataur Rahman Sunny who
were executed in another murder case.
Another Dhaka court on October 20,
2009 ordered further investigation in
the case following an application filed
by Prof Azads brother. The CID pressed
charges against the five JMB leaders on
April 30, 2012 and appealed to the court
to turn the case into a murder case. l
the information.
The investigators took the numbers
of their bank accountsfor checking for
any unusual transaction, the Narayanganj police official said.
When contacted, Superintendent of
Police in the district Khandakar Mahid
Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune that they
had made substantial progress in interrogation, but refused to make any further comments.
Answering a question, he said the
investigators would question the former RAB officials about every allegation police had received so far. l
don in 1980 and started working for

forming a probe commission. The rejoinder praised some leaders for helping in finally being able to form the
commission comprising of the two
same British lawmakers that Dr Kamal
had mentioned in his rejoinder.
The PMO also blamed Kamal for
not being active in protesting the brutal killing despite being repeatedly requested by senior Awami League leaders. Although it was easy for him to
protest the brutal murder and building
world opinion because he was safe outside the country after Bangabandhus
murder.
It also slammed Kamal for not publishing any statement in newspapers
or delivering any speech protesting the
killing in the following five years.
Kamals statement said from 197581, he was in regular touch with

Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana and
knew their families well.
After his return to Bangladesh in
1981, Kamal said he visited New Delhi
along with other Awami League leaders
to encourage Sheikh Hasina to return
to Bangladesh and was at the airport to
welcome her and on stage with her at
her homecoming ceremony.
The PMO statement termed Kamals
visit to New Delhi as a display of fake
loyalty and questioned his controversial role when Sheikh Hasina was
elected chief of the Awami League.
It also said that it was due to Sheikh
Hasinas kindness that Dr Kamal was
nominated as the Awami League candidate in the 1981 presidential election.
During election campaign, Bangabandhus daughter Sheikh Hasina risked

her life to hold rallies at the remotest
corners of the country in favour of Dr
Kamal Hossain. In reply, Dr Kamal Hossain broke away from Bangabandhus
Awami League and attacked his daughter and his party with indecent words.
The rejoinder from Kamals law firm
quoted extensive sections of a book
written by Kamal to explain his role after 1975.
The PMO said although it may be
possible to cover up truth for a period,
truth will eventually triumph.
Rahman Ali Sikder, Dr Kamals partner in the law firm, signed their rejoinder while the PMO statement was
signed by the PMs Special Assistant
Mahbubul Haque Shakil. l
gave Yasin money as compensation

and asked him to distribute the money
among the affected shop-owners. Local
residents said that was how much Nur
trusted Yasin.
Nazruls father-in-law Shahidul alleged that Yasin was once the partner to
many criminal activities in the area. He
even got commission from the earnings
of various criminal groups. He owns a
share of a CNG filling station at Mouchak.
That was how he made a fortune.
ey by manipulating tenders during

the BNPs rule when Giasuddin was a
member of parliament from the party.
He later became Nurs treasurer.
I was a contractor, but he never
gave me any work. Instead, he gave
all the work to Nurs nexus, Shahidul
said.
Iqbal challenged Nazrul in polls
Is fugitive Hashu captured?
Hasmat Ali Hashu, 50, is one of the four

brothers of Shahidul.
Interestingly, all of Shahiduls brothers live in one building in Siddhirganj.
Only Shahidul lives in a separate house.
The four brothers also own an apparel factory of which Shahidul is not
a part.
These correspondents found the
apartment that Hashu lived in with
his wife and three children locked.
His relatives in the other apartments
in the building were unwilling to talk.
The only thing they disclosed was that
Hashu, along with his family, left the
place after learning that his name had
been included in the abduction case.
Among the six accused in the case,
only Hashu was not involved with politics.
Shahidul said Hashu made mon-
Dangerous Ashique
Compared to the other accused,

Ashique is a young man of 42. These
correspondents found his modest tinshed house in Siddhirganj locked.
Ashique and his three brothers are
all men of little words. Two of them
own separate tea stalls in the locality
while the other owns a rickshaw garage.
Neighbours said they had not seen
Ashique in the area since April 27, the
day Nazrul and the six others had been
abducted.
A local resident said Ashique was
one of Nurs gunmen and was seen in
Mijmiji with Nur on February 1 carrying
firearms in both hands.
According to his sister-in-law Roksana, Ashique was involved with the politics of BNP. Taimur [top local BNP
leader Taimur Alam Khandaker] is his
leader, she said.
Before joining the Awami League
in 2000, Nur was also involved with
BNPs politics in Narayanganj.
Iqbal Hossain, 36, who once used

to work in his fathers grocery
shop, now lives in a big luxurious
house in Siddhirganj with his wife,
mother and the family of one his
brothers.
He was not good with his studies,
said his 60-year-old mother Hazera
Kahtun.
Neighbours said Iqbal was a poor
man but somehow he got rich overnight.
His wife Shefali Akhter said Iqbal
had been working as a broker of land.
Three years ago he joined the BNP and
contested for the local ward councillor
post in 2011 city corporation poll and
lost to Nazrul.
She said that was the reason why he
was made one of the accused.
They think this was the reason of
making Iqbal accused in the case. They
also claimed that Iqbal did not even
know Nur Hossain.
Shefali claimed: He did not want
to flee even after knowing that he had
been made an accused. But our family
members forced him to leave. Now we
do not know where he is. We do not
have contact with him.
However, Shahidul said Iqbal was
close to the circle of Nur, Yasin and
Hashu. They backed him to stand
against Nazrul in the election.
Law enforces arrested a former army

official at Chowmohani in Chittagong
city on the charges of an attempted
abduction on a local businessman on
Sunday night.
Police claim that detainee Arif Ahmed,
44, was posing as a RAB official.
Businessman Golam Rabbani Moon,
32, alleged that Arif had tried to abduct
him, posing as a major-ranked official
of the National Security Intelligence.
He claimed that the police had tried
to save the accused by taking him to a
hospital, instead of placing him before
a court. The police said Arif was ill and
apparently mentally challenged.
Matiul Islam, OC of Double Mooring
police station, said they had arrested Arif,
who was a Major with the Bangladesh Armys Educations Corps. He was forced to
retire in 2009 because of his illness.
Posing as RAB men, Arif along with
four-five cohorts had intercepted Rabbani, an authorised chemical supplier,
in front of Hotel Eastern View around
8:30pm on Sunday, the OC said.
They then tried to bundle him into a
SUV while Rabbani was resisting and crying for help. Locals caught Arif while his
cohorts ran away, said Matiul. A police
team went to the spot on information.
Rabbani, however, told the Dhaka
Tribune: Arifs cohorts introduced
him to me as a Major serving with the
National Security Intelligence.
They intercepted me when I was
returning home with Tk2.76 lakh collected from my buyers. They also attempted to forcibly keep two packs of
Yaba pills in my pockets.
They later tried to bundle me into
a microbus with three more people on
aboard, but I managed to run to a local
shop and asked for help. The local people rushed in and caught Arif while his
cohorts managed to flee.
Rabbani lodged a case with Double
Mooring police station against Arif, one
Nowshad, 40, and four to five other unknown men yesterday afternoon, alleging that the police were trying to save
the former army personnel.
Sub-Inspector Shibu Chanda of
Double Mooring police station, who is
investigating the case, said: Arif was
taken to Chittagong Medical College
Hospital because he is ill.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of
Chittagong Metropolitan Police (west
zone) Tanvir Arafat said: We are looking
into the attempted abduction. Arif seems
to be a mentally-challenged person. l
Mother, son killed

in city accident
n Mohammad Jamil Khan
In a tragic road accident in the capitals
Mohammadpur yesterday, a mother and
her 10-year-old son were killed while
the father critically injured.
The incident took place in Glass Factory area around dawn when a truck
collided with a rickshaw carrying the
trio who were going to see a doctor.
Rebeka Begum, 30, died on the spot
while her son Abdur Rahim, 10, and
husband, Khorshed Alam, were rushed
to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Later on-duty doctors announced Rahim
dead around 5:15pm. Khorshed would
never be able to walk, if he was lucky
enough to survive the accident. l
Raju in India
Nobody was around in the house of

Aminul Islam Raju, 45, on Friday. He
was the president of the local unit of
Swechchhasebak League, volunteers
wing of the ruling Awami League.
One of his uncles said he left school
as an eighth or ninth grader.
His neighbours said he did not have
a good reputation in the locality. He
used his political connections and
earned a lot of money through extortion and other illegal business. He was
also a land broker.
Rajus uncle Ohid Bhuiyan said
Raju went to Singapore in 1991 and
stayed there for about 12 years. After
he came back, he started working as a
contractor.
Ohid claimed that he met his nephew on the night of April 24 and the following night he left for India.
After Raju was made an accused in
the abduction case, his parents, wife
and brother locked the house and left.
Ohid also claimed that Raju had
called him from India and said he had
been doing some health check up there.
He stopped contacting his uncle after he
had learnt that he was made accused.
According to Shahidul, Raju used
to do business as a contractor with
Nur Hossain. Together, they had been
known for doing a lot of tender manipulation. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
18 RAB men withdrawn for alleged

embezzlement of seized money
n Kailash Sarkar
At least 18 members of the Rapid Action Battalion were recalled to its
headquarters yesterday following allegations of misappropriating money
seized from four detained suspects last
week, sources said.
They were withdrawn from their
posts after an initial enquiry found
proof of their involvement in embezzling Tk90,000 which they had seized
from four people who were arrested in
Comilla on Friday.
However, senior RAB officials denied the embezzlement allegations
and claimed that the 18 RAB personnel
were transferred to headquarters as
part of a reshuffling in the department.
The 18 RAB members stand accused
of a crime at a time when three top officials of RAB 11 have been arrested as
suspects in connection with the sensational seven murders in Narayanganj.

According to sources in the elite anti-crime force and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Maj Ali Ahsan, commander of crime prevention company
(CPC) 3, was among the 18 RAB personnel allegedly censured.
The sources said a team of RAB 3
arrested four people and seized Tk1.5
lakh from them, but only Tk60,000
was recorded in the seizure list.
The sources added that RABs high
officials took action against the 18 men
after they were informed of the missing
money by the family members of the
detained persons.
Another source in RAB said several other allegations have been made
against members of CPC3 in the past.
Speaking with the Dhaka Tribune,
Wing Commander ATM Habibur Rah-
man, director of RABs legal and media

wing, claimed that the RAB officials
were not removed, butattached to
headquarters for a special reason. He
also denied the allegations of embezzlement.
When asked whether the RAB 3
members were being replaced, the director said: No one has been replaced
yet as the 18 RAB 3 officials have been attached [to headquarters] on a temporary
basis.
Members of RAB are usually transferred to headquarters from a battalion
due to internal necessity or for controversial activities.
Meanwhile, the DMPs news portal,
www.dmpnews.org, mentioned in a
report yesterday that the crime prevention company of RAB 3 in Comilla arrested four suspects with Tk1.5 lakh, but the
RAB officials recorded only Tk60,000 in
the seizure list, and misappropriated

the rest of the money. The DMP website
also mentioned that 18 members of RAB
3 were withdrawn after a primary investigation found them guilty.
However, in a mysterious move,
the DMP authorities later took down
the report on the RAB officials from its
website.
The DMP also posted an explanation,
saying the report had been removed as it
did not comply with its policy. However,
the DMP did not clarify whether the contents of the report were wrong or false.
DMP officials could not be reached
yesterday for comments on exactly what
policy the report allegedly violated.
In a rejoinder yesterday evening,
RAB blasted the DMP report as shameless and false and intentionally done
by one law enforcement agency against
another to undermine morale. l
UP member Kalam
killed by police
n Our Correspondent, Jessore
Hasina Begum, the wife of assassinated
Alangi UP member Abul Kalam Azad,
claimed at a press conference yesterday that her husband killed by police
after they had abducted him.
The press conference was held at the
Jessore Press Club.
Hasina said Sub-Inspector Mizan
of Kotchandpur police station abducted her husband and carried him away
from their residence with the help of
local Awami League leaders, in a blue
private car bearing the license plate
Dhaka Metro- Ka-03-2339.
Being informed, locals went to the
police station in search of my husband.
But Officer-In-Charge Fazlur Rahman refused to listen to them, she added.
Hasina said the locals later rushed to
Gurpara police camp on information that
her husband was kept there. The police
used batons to disperse the mob.
Meanwhile, a white microbus bear-
PM orders eviction
of grabbers from
river banks
n Mohosinul Karim
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the authorities concerned to
evict illegal occupiers from the banks
of the rivers around the capital and take
measures to prevent river pollution.
She also ordered the authorities to
take steps towards establishing wastebased power and fertiliser plants.
Hasina gave the instructions to the
ministers after a regular cabinet meeting at the Secretariat yesterday, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman said.
The minister said Hasina had raised
the issue of illegal land grabbing along
river banks and contamination of river water by industrial and household
wastes across the country.
The relevant ministers assured the
PM that they would take immediate
steps to deal with the issues.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan informed the meeting that a taskforce to
protect the rivers had been working on removing illegal occupiers from river banks.
However, the authorities often face obstacles in evicting the land grabbers as most
of them were influential people.
Hasina asked the minister and others concerned to take immediate steps
to evict the illegal occupiers regardless
of their status to save the rivers, including the Buriganga and the Turag.
She asked the authorities to ensure
that central effluent treatment plants
were set up in all the industrial areas
of the city to prevent contamination of
the rivers by chemical waste.
She suggested using the climate change
fund for protecting the countrys rivers.
The prime minister asked the local
government minister and other officials to
stop the dumping of household waste into
the Buriganga and other rivers, another
minister who attended the meeting said.
Hasina said proposals from interested
companies should be considered immediately to start the process of establishing
waste-based power and fertiliser plants.
The local government ministry officials informed the prime minister that
the Dhaka city corporation authorities
were not interested in supplying household wastes to any private companies.
They want to deal with the garbage
themselves to continue to misuse funds,
fuel and vehicles, the minister said. l
ing the plate number Dhaka Metro- Ga2231, took my husband away to an unknown place, in presence of the mob,
she said.
Later, my husbands body was recovered from a field in Mamunshia
under the Jhenidah sadar upazila,
three days later. At that time, the police
claimed that my husband was killed by
unknown miscreants, she added.
Having confirmed the information,
I went to the police to lodge a case. But
the police did not take it, she said.
Hasina lodged a petition case
on April 28, accusing eight people including OC Fazlur Rahman, SI Mizan
and ASI Shibupada Dutta with the Jhenidah Judicial Magistrates Court.
A senior judicial magistrate then
ordered the Kotchandpur station OC
to take the case as an FIR within seven
working days.
OC Fazlur Rahman submitted an investigation report to the court onMay 6,
terming the complaint false. l
PM criticises BNPs
joy over Modis win
n Mohosinul Karim
Two craftsmen build a new boat on the bank of Buriganga River yesterday, sensing better business in the upcoming rainy season
Maxim Group chair, MD

among 22 sued on
fraud charges
n Tribune Report
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed
a case against 20 high officials of Maxim Multi-purposeCooperative Society,
a concern of Maxim Group, as well as
its chairman and managing director for
a Tk304 crore fraud, yesterday.
ACC Deputy Director Nur Hossain
Khan lodged the case with the Ramna
police station, said Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumer Bhattacharya.
The accused are Chairman M Mofi-
zul Haque, MD Mohammad Habibur

Rahman, and directors Mostafizur Rahman, Khairul Basher Sajal, Abdul Hannan Sarker, Syed Shariful Islam, and
HM Amirul Islam.
According to the case statement, the
ACC in July last year started inquiries
into the allegations of a Tk1,500 crore
fraud by Maxim Multi-purpose Cooperative Society against their depositors
by offering high interest rates.
Later, the anti-graft watchdog found
the fraud amount to be Tk304 crore. l
Workers renovate the official residence of the Opposition Leader in Parliament, in the capital yesterday
NASHIRUL ISLAM
Informer
testifies on
Qaisars war
crimes
n Udisa Islam
A new witness in the trial of former Jatiya Party lawmaker Syed Mohammad
Qaisar yesterday said the accused and
his force along with the Pakistani occupation forces had committed atrocities
in different areas of Habiganj and looted at least 300 houses and shops.
Nayeb Ali, 60, also claimed that he
was an eyewitness of four killings and
saw at least 15 bodies after the attacks.
After his deposition, defence counsel SM Shahjahan questioned him. At
the end of the proceedings, the International Crimes Tribunal 2 adjourned
the trial until today.
The witness said he had been an informer of freedom fighters in Noapara
and Madhabpur areas under sector three.
He said on April 24, 1971, the accused
his accomplices in Qaisar Bahini had
gone to WAPDA camp to meet the Pakistani Army and assured them of assisting the troops at their level best.
Three days later, the witness said the
accused, his cohorts and the troops had
gone to Islampur and killed Shahjahan
Chairman. The same day they burnt
houses in Katiadi village of Madhabpur.
Nayeb said he had witnessed the incidents from Madhabpur bazaar.
The witness also described the killings of Ohid Hossain Pathan and three
others in Krishnanagar on April 27.
He said while collecting information, I saw at least 15 bodies scattered
at Madhabpur bazaar and identified Liakat Ali, Labu Mia and Sattar.
Nayeb said he later went to India
and reached the camp of Captain Nasim, and told them about the crimes
commited by Qaisar.
The tribunal 2 indicted Qaisar on
February 2 on 16 charges of crimes
against humanity the accused had
committed in and around Habiganj. l
SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina criticised

the BNP leaders yesterday for their
special interest in Narendra Modi-led
BJPs landslide victory.
She made the remarks at an informal
discussion between the prime minister
and the panel of ministers after the cabinets regular meeting at the Secretariat.
The premier wanted to know the
reason for their happiness from the cabinet members. She said the BNP has never found anything good in India, terming the Awami League its agent. Finally,
they have found something good in the
country, a senior minister told the Dhaka Tribune after the meeting.
The minister quoted Hasina as saying:
Has the party changed its anti-Indian
stance in politics? It is better to know that
they have finally changed their stance.
Not only the Awami League, but also the
BNP has become an agent of India.
He said: The premier said the BNP
should know that there is nothing to be
so happy about in Modis win. We have a
good relationship with the country, not
with any political party. She said the relationship will continue in the future.
The prime minister and the cabinet
members also criticised the discussants of talk shows on several electronic media for their comments, regarding
the relationship between India and the
Awami League, made after BJPs win. l
Prosecution seeks capital

punishment for Mobarak
n Udisa Islam
The prosecution of the trial of alleged
razakar commander Mobarak Hossain
alias Mobarak Ali ended their part of
the closing arguments yesterday, seeking death for the accused for the crimes
against humanity he committed in Brahmanbaria during the 1971 Liberation War.
At the end of argument session,
prosecutor Md Shahidur Rahman said:
We think we have been able to prove
all the five charges brought against the
accused beyond reasonable doubt and
we are pleading for maximum punishment for him.
He made arguments for documentary evidence and for legal arguments.
The International Crimes Tribunal 1
appreciated the way he placed the new
charge of genocide for the first time
against Mobarak.
He said charges number two and five
might fulfil the gravity of genocide if
we can prove that the accused committed the crime against a particular
group. The prosecution mentioned
the group should be pro-liberation.
Shahidur argued for the first three
charges on Sunday and the remaining
two yesterday. Later, senior prosecutor Syed Haider Ali took part in the
arguments. He charged the accused
for being in command, based on some

depositions of witnesses where they
claimed that the accused had been the
leader of a concentration camp.
On charge three occupying Anandamoye Kali Bari, vandalising two idols
and renaming it as Razakar Manjil,
the senior prosecutor said: The accused did these things intentionally
and in a planned way. His intention was
to create an extreme situation.
Defence counsel Mizanul Islam took
the floor for a minute just before the
end of proceedings and said he will
provide some evidence proving that
the prosecution submitted many false
documents in the case.
The tribunal adjourned the hearing
until today when the defence will take
part in closing arguments for the accused.
The charges against Mobarak include
killing of 33 people in Akhaura, the torture and murder of Ashuranjan Deb at a
razakar camp, and the abductions and
killings in Shyampur committed between August and December 1971.
The same tribunal, in the morning
session, recorded the cross-examination of the 13th prosecuting witness in
the case against alleged al-Badr commander of Rangpur ATM Azharul Islam. The tribunal later adjourned the
hearing until May 26. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Commercial farming cannot expand

without reforms in land management
Maya skips cabinet meeting

for third time
n Tribune Report
Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya

skipped a regular cabinet meeting for
the third time yesterday, citing a foreign visit.
Cabinet Secretary M Mushharraf
Hossain Bhuiyan told the Dhaka Tribune that the minister was absent from
the meeting as he was visiting Thailand.
Maya did not join todays meeting. He
informed the cabinet that he was going
abroad and therefore, would not be able
to attend the meeting, Mushharraf said.
The relief ministrys Public Relation
Officer, Omar Faruque Dewan, said the
minister left for Thailand yesterday afternoon to attend an international con-
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul

Muhith said yesterday that commercial farming will not be able to flourish
unless the government introduces reforms in the land management.
Speaking at a pre-budget meeting
in the finance ministry auditorium,
Muhith also said the government plans
to increase the functions of the Department of Agricultural Extension in order
to reduce production costs and introduce newer technologies and quality
seeds for farmers.
The discussion meeting, Agriculture budget, budget for the farmers,
was organised by private television

channel, Channel I.
The minister also noted that after
the budget for the next fiscal year is
announced, he will work to introduce a
holding certification for land owners
and land-less farmers so that they can
avail government financial facilities
and local private sector business facilities.
He also hopes that commercial
farming activities will expand further
if the government succeeds in covering
the whole country under the holding
certificate programme.
Founding director and Head of News
of Channel I Shykh Seraj told the dis-
cussion that the country needs more

funds for agricultural research since
only Tk500 crore endowment funds
have been allocated for the cause in the
current fiscal year budget.
Agricultural diversification relies
on agricultural research, he noted.
He also said letter of credit restrictions and import restrictions need to be
imposed to protect agricultural products like potato and onion.
Farmers have urged the government to bring down prices of the agriculture inputs to their purchasing
capacity and to reduce the costs of production and ensure fair selling prices,
he added.
Shykh Seraj also said: Farmers say

the total cost of farming, including
prices of the agriculture inputs, have
gone up.
But, the market prices for their
products have remained inconsistent
with their cost of production.
Admitting the fact, the finance minister assured that measures will be taken in this regard.
According to a survey conducted by
Channel I, only 5.6% of 22,000 farmers
in five regions, Bhola, Sylhet, Pabna,
Bhramanbaria and Jamalpur, received
government loan facilities while 78%
of them received loans from different
non-governmental organisations. l
n Mohosinul Karim
ference on disaster management and is

expected to return home on Thursday.
Maya avoided two previous cabinet
meetings after allegations were made
against his family members, including
son-in-law Sayeed Tareque Mohammad, former commanding officer of
RAB11, for involvement in the sensational abduction and murder of seven
people in Narayanganj.
The minister, however, has shrugged
off all such allegations.
Meanwhile, the cabinet secretary
said there is no rule about ministers
losing their posts for not attending consecutive cabinet meetings.
As far as I know, there is no such
provision for cabinet members, Mushharraf said. l
WHO annual assembly

begins in Geneva
n Moniruzzaman Uzzal
The 67th annual assembly of the World
Health Organization (WHO) opened in
Geneva yesterday, with delegates from
around the globe participating on discussions on key global health issues.
The week-long event will be attended by over 3,000 delegates from 194
member states.
The issues that are on the assembly
agenda include efforts to prevent and
control non-communicable diseases, a
new global strategy and target to prevent and control tuberculosis, proposals to improve the health of patients
with viral hepatitis, and a draft action
plan for newborn health.
Discussions will also be held on
progress of the WHOs global strategy
for maternal and young child nutrition,
progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and the role of health
on the post-2015 development agenda,
ways to tackle antimicrobial drug resistance, management of autism, and protecting more people from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Bangladesh is also participating
at the assembly; however, this years
delegation is only six persons strong,
smaller than last years 34-member
team. Since 2009, the team of delegates
CEC: Last phase

upazila polls held
free and fair
n Mohammad Zakaria
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi
Rakibuddin Ahmad said yesterday that
the last phase upazila parishad polls
had been held in a free and fair manner.
Talking to the reporters at the Election Commission Media Centre yesterday, the CEC said the commission
suspended three polling centres out
746 in 13 upazila parishad polls. The
commission also cancelled the votes of
a polling centre for casting fake votes.
He said the commission did not get
any news of violence in this phase. Voters
were able to cast their votes in a peaceful
environment, he said. A contrast to the
violence, vote rigging and snatching of
ballot boxes which marred the last five
phases of the upazila parishad polls. l
has not numbered below 20.

The Bangladeshi delegation includes
Health Minister Mohammed Nasim,
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical
University Vice-Chancellor Professor
Dr Pran Gopal Datta, Community Clinic Project Director Makduma Nargis,
Chairperson of Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation Dr SK Roy, health ministers APS Mir Mosharrof Hossain, and
Directorate of Family Planning Director
General Nur Hossain Talukder.
Three officials from the Bangladeshi
Embassy in Switzerland have also got
the nod from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to attend the assembly.
The initial proposed delegation had
more than 20 names, but the PMO curtailed the recommendations following
claims that most participants in the previous assembly had skipped the entire
programme except for attending the inaugural photo session, sources claimed.
The Bangladeshi delegation will be
participating in a number of events
arranged on the sidelines of the assembly, including acting as an organiser of
an event on autism and taking part in a
discussion on community health care.
Health Minister Mohammed Nasim
will also deliver a speech on the post2015 development agenda at a special
event. l
Two boats are being loaded with seasonal fruits, mainly bananas, pineapples and jackfruits, to be taken to Rangamati bazar yesterday
Death of patient sparks clash at

Hizla health complex
n Our Correspondent, Barisal
Following the death of a patient at Hizla Upazila Health Complex in the district yesterday, the family members
raised allegations of delayed treatment
and severely injured one doctor by
physically assaulting him.
The victim Dr Shuvangkar Baroi, Hizla upazila is a health and family planning officer, who was severely injuried
on his eyes and face. He was sent to
Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College
Hospital in critical condition, said Dr.
Herambo Ray, another doctor from the
hospital.
OC of Hizla police station Shawkat
Anwar said Isharul Shikdar Druba, 13,
son of Dulal Shikdar from Guabaria
village, was brought to the hospital

with high fever around 9:15am and the
on-duty doctors advised the family to
buy some medicine.
However, Druba died within few
minutes of being brought to the hospital before any treatment could be
provided, the OC said quoting the injured doctor.
Afterwards, Drubas elder brother Yunus Shikdar and cousin Alamin
Mridha physically assaulted Shuvangkar mercilessly, alleging delayed treatment.
On being informed, police rushed to
the scene and arrested the attackers.
Contacted, Dr Shuvankar said the
patient died before starting any treatment as died from a cardiac arrest as a
USTC staff work

abstention enters
day two
n CU Correspondent
Debate championship ends

at Scholastica
n Tribune Report
The Annual Debate Championship 2014
organised by the Mirpur branch of Scholastica School ended on Sunday. The
championship, which had started on May
7, was held at the schools Mirpur campus.
A total of eight teams comprising 32
students from classes VII to IX participated in the championship. The topics for the semifinal rounds were English medium students have very little
knowledge on Bangladeshi culture
and T20 cricket has distorted the true

essence of the game.
The winning teams from the semifinal
rounds debated on the topic Grades do
not totally indicate true intelligence or effort in the final round, presenting splendid arguments and counter arguments.
Itrat Rahman, head of Training and
Development at Scholastica, was present at the occasion as the chief guest
and judge. Shafkat Wahid Pritom of
Class VII was awarded best speaker
in the final round. l
Teachers, doctors, officials and employees of the University of Science

and Technology Chittagong (USTC)
continued their strike for the second
day, yesterday, demanding the implementation of service rules and more
service facilities.
Campus sources said they went on
strike at 9:30am and held a rally on
the university premises. Although the
demonstration ended at 1pm, all the academic and official activities remained
suspended for another four hours.
Addressing the rally, speakers said
the USTC is plagued by mismanagement and irregularities and the employees are deprived of their basic job
privileges.
They said there is no vice-chancellor, pro vice-chancellor and treasurer at
the university and the Board of Trustees run the institution at their own will,
violating all rules.
Speakers at rally said they will continue the strike from 9am to 1pm every
day until their demands are met. l
result of his acute heat stroke.

Denying the doctors claim, the patients family alleged that After bringing Druba to the hospital, the doctors
asked to collect medicine available
outside the hospital premises without
providing him with immediate medical
care. This delay in medical attention
cost him precious time.
Around 10:20am, the doctors declared him dead which infuriated
us. If he was given treatment on
time, his death could have been
avoided, Drubas family members continued.
Later, Dr Shuvankar filed a case
against the attackers. The police were
deployed on the hospital premises because of this tense situation. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Hili port deadlock continues

n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur
Local Sarbadaliya Sangram Committees hartal completed its sixth day yesterday, and they have announced that
they will continue the hartal for the
seventh day, today.
The committee, comprising the Hili
Land Port Custom C&F Association,
Kuli Sramik Samanway Committee,
Truck Labour Coordination Committee
and Truck Owners Group, has been observing their hartal for the last six days,
putting forth their three-point demands and requesting the withdrawal
of BGB 3 Battalion Commander Lt Col
Abdur Razzak Tarafdar.
Hartal supporters brought out protest procession and marched through
different city roads to press home their
demands. Additional law enforcers
were deployed in the area to avert any
untoward situation.
A meeting was also held among officials concerned at the deputy commissioners conference room to mitigate the
situation. However, the meeting could
not outline any steps to stop the strike,
according to Harun-ur-Rashid, the convener of a local import organisation.
Deputy Commissioner Ahmed Shamim Al Razi, Police Super Ruhul Amin,
Sector Commander Col Mahbub, Lt Col
Abdur Razzak Tarafdar, C&F Association
President Abul Kashem Azad and General Secretary Abdur Rahman Liton were
present at the meeting, among others.
Sources said hundreds of trucks laden with goods got stuck on both sides
of the Hili border because of the strike.
Officials concerned said the demand to have Lt Col Abdur Razzak
withdraw from his post was made after the BGB commander earlier alleged
that the importers were involved in
smuggling. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Woes of Uttara dwellers fall on deaf ears

Poor road conditions, slow repair work
cost them time and money
tage of the situation by raising their fares.
n Tazlina Zamila Khan
A passenger Sabrina Rahman said:
The residents of the capitals Uttara
area are suffering as dilapidated conditions of the main thoroughfares disrupt
the areas traffic movement.
Potholes in the middle of the streets
are adding to passengers woes and pedestrians sometimes stumble and fall
into puddles of water during the rainy
season.
Even if the rain lasts only an hour,
it creates huge water logging in some
areas. Sectors 8, 6, 10, Rajlakshmi are
particularly affected.
The Dhaka North City Corporation
had planned a two-phase repair project several months ago with the first
scheduled to begin in October and the
second in December last year. However, the work was halted because of political unrest and election.
Passengers have blamed lack of seriousness of the corporation officials for
the delay in implementing the project.
Monir Uddin, a resident of sector 11,
said: It is really hard to travel on those
roads. Some of the roads of Uttara are
in a very poor condition and it will
worsen during rainy season.
Some of the roads remain vulnerable and did not have any repair work
for years, he added.
CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers and
rickshaw, however, have taken advan-
Usually rickshaw pullers charge higher fares for travelling on bumpy roads.
Usually it takes Tk15 for travelling from
sector 9 to 11, but the rickshaw pullers
charge Tk25-Tk30.
She added: It becomes hard to negotiate a fair fare when it rains. Sometimes, it is tough to manage any vehicle
if it rains as water fills the potholes, disrupting commuter movements.
Patients, pregnant women and elderly people are the worst victims.
Although the DNCC authorities had
undertaken a repair project, but the
work was going on at snails pace as
major roads remained unrepaired.
However, Brig Gen Md Abul Khair,
DNCC chief engineer, said: All of the
works have been started on time. I never pass a single bill without visiting the
place. We have to break some of the encroachments in some areas which were
delaying the works.
He added: We feel afraid of talking
to journalist. You do not understand
anything and write whatever you want.
You have to understand the system.
He also said: The Sonargaon Janapath was a four-lane road and now we
have widened the road. The project
will be completed soon. Our workers
are working day and night to finish the
work as soon as possible. l
Chittagong City
Corporation,
CDA evict illegal
establishments
Woman slaughtered in
Chittagong, alleged killer held
Barisal residents agitate for power
Residents cried out for uninterrupted

power supply at Ward No 28, 29 and 30
of Barisal City Corporation yesterday
morning.
At a human chain rally, residents
claimed the power supply in the total
area was disrupted on Thursday afternoon, when a norwester lashed the
region.
The three wards had since then remained totally out of electricity supply for four days in a row. On Sunday
evening, power supply was restored,
but frequent disruptions had been continuing, they said.
On May 10, a memorandum was
handed over to the executive engineer
The Chittagong City Corporation

(CCC) and Chittagong Development
Authority (CDA) evicted several illegal
establishments in the port city in separate drives yesterday.
A CCC mobile court, led by Executive Magistrate Nazia Shirin, with the
assistance of the police demolished 50
illegal establishments on the bank of
Tekhbazar canal in the citys Chandgaon area.
A section of people had occupied
the land on the bank of the canal by
setting up shops and houses. The drive
against the illegal establishment began
at around noon and ended by 3:00pm,
Nazia Shirin told the Dhaka Tribune.
Meanwhile, CDA demolished more
than 50 illegal establishments from
Chawkbazar to Bahaddarhat area in the
city at the same time.
As part of a project to widen the
Chawkbazar-Bahadderhat road, the
CDA authorities demolished illegal establishments set up on both sides of
the road.
CDA Deputy Chief City Planner Sarwar Uddin Ahmed said the authority
had given a week to those who agreed
to demolish their illegal establishments. l
A 20-year-old woman was slaughtered

allegedly by her friend in a residential
hotel room at Reazuddin Bazar in Chittagong city early yesterday.
Police nabbed the alleged killer, Zakir Hossain, 20, from the same room
around 4:30am, said police sources.
The body of Josna Begum was sent
to Chittagong Medical College Hospital
for post-mortem, they added.
Shah Mohammad Abdur Rouf, assistant commissioner of Kotwali circle
in Chittagong Metropolitan Police, told
the Dhaka Tribune that Zakir slaughtered Josna and slashed her body.
The road in front of the capitals Mascot Plaza in Uttara has been in dilapidated condition since long. The photo was taken yesterday
Hearing the screams, the hotel authorities rushed to room and, discovering the blood, notified the Kotwali police around 4am. Later, police went to
the scene and found Josnas body and
Zakir in the room, with a bloody knife in
his possession, Rouf said. Zakir was taken to Kotwali police station, he added.
According to police, Zakir and Josna had rented the hotel room around
3:30am posing as a couple, which they
were not, said the assistant commissioner.
The murder might be the result of a
lovers feud, he said.
A murder case was filed with Kotwali police station in this regard. l
n Our Correspondent, Barisal
n Kailash Sarkar
Customs Department personnel at
Shahjalal International Airport seized
gold weighing 2.1kg worth around Tk1
crore and arrested a youth in this connection early yesterday.
The officials said they arrested Mohammad Sujon, 22, immediately after
he had arrived in Dhaka around 11pm
from Singapore.
Assistant Commissioner Ishrat Jahan of Airport Customs said the man was
detained acting on a tip-off.
The Customs official sources said
there were three gold bars in his possession, with two weighing 1kg each
and another weighing 100gm. Besides,
five cell phones and a television were
also seized from his possession.
Hailing from Deviddar upazila in
Comilla, Sujon used to travel to Singa-
PARTLY
CLOUDY
TUESDAY, MAY 20
DHAKA
TODAY
TOMORROW
SUN SETS 6:36PM
SUN RISES 5:13AM
39
26
34
26
Rajshahi
42
28
Rangpur
39
26
Khulna
40
26
Barisal
38
27
Sylhet
36
23
Coxs Bazar
34
27
YESTERDAYS HIGH AND LOW
41.9C
Chuadanga
23.8C
Sylhet
Source: Accuweather/UNB
n Du Correspondent
Villagers in Sunamganjs Dirai area capture a fishing cat yesterday, which they claim had been stealing their chickens everyday. Fishing
Cats are on the verge of extinction and people often kill them if people can catch them
FOCUS BANGLA
Miscreants shoot businessman

in capital, Tk7 lakh looted
n Kailash Sarkar
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar
Sunrise
Zohr
Asr
Magrib
Esha
3:51am
5:14am
11:55am
3:18pm
6:36pm
8:00pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
pore frequently and he had travelled

to Singapore four times in last month,
officials concerned informed.
Meanwhile, the detainee has been
placed on a four-day remand by a Dhaka court after airport police produced
him before the court, seeking a seven-day remand.
Earlier, the Customs authorities
filed a case against him and handed
him over to the police last night.
Smuggling of gold through the airports
in Bangladesh has turned rampant nowadays and several hundred kilograms of
gold were recovered in recent times.
Earlier on May 16, the Customs Department officials had seized 101 bars
of gold weighing around 12kg and arrested three passengers from a Dubai
flight. In another haul on May 13,
around 10kg gold was recovered and
another passenger was arrested. l
Left student bodies demand

end of night courses
FORECAST FOR TODAY

Chittagong
saying those locally-assembled vehicles eat into huge power every day.
The residents, however, warned the
authority of launching a tougher movement if the demand was not met by the
authority immediately.
They also handed over the divisional
commissioner a memorandum yesterday with the demand for uninterrupted
power supply in the three wards.
The human chain was formed by the
residents under the banner of Kashipur Elakar Bidyut Sarbaraho Samosya
Nirosan Committee (committee for
solving the electricity supply problem
of Kashipur area).
Local ward councilors, elite people,
among others, spoke at the human
chain. l
2.1kg gold seized, one

held at Dhaka airport
WEATHER
Dhaka
of the West Zone Power Distribution

Company but that did not work out,
they pointed out.
Even during regular times, power is
not supplied here consitently. Power
outage or low voltage is a regular sight,
said Aftab Hossain, president of Motor
Workers Union and City Sramik League.
Power outage usually continues
here for hours every day and many
times for a day, added Aftab, also a former Union Parishad chairman.
Executive Engineer (division-2)
AKM Tariqul Islam of the company
admitting the power outage said, We
are trying our best to improve the situation.
He also blamed the battery-operated
three wheelers for the power outage,
SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
Armed miscreants had looted Tk7 lakh

from a businessman after shooting him
in the capitals Khilgaon area under
Shahjahanpur police station yesterday.
The bullet hit businessman was
identified as Zahir Ahmmed, 32, who
was rushed to Dhaka Medical College
and Hospital.
Sources at the DMCH said the victim had sustained three bullet injuries
one in his left chest, one left leg and
one in left hand.

The injured businessman told the
Dhaka Tribune that three armed miscreants, riding on a motorcycle, intercepted him on the Shahjahanpur Bazar
road near the Khilgaon Flyover. He
was on his way home at Basabo under
Sabujbagh police station by a rickshaw
around 7pm, he added.
He also said: The criminals fired
several gun shots at me as I tried to
resist the criminals. At one stage, they
snatched away the bag containing the
money and fled away.

I earlier had withdrawn the money
from a bank at Motijheel in the afternoon
and I was on my way home after taking a
break at my office at Purana Paltan.
Family members of Zahir said he
owns MS Al-Sumit Trading located
on the 1st floor of the Baitul View Tower in Purana Paltan.
Inspector Mozammel Huq of the
DMCH police outpost said they had
informed the police at Shahjahanpur
police station regarding the incident. l
Left student bodies of the Dhaka University demanded the cancellation of

night course programs from all public
universities yesterday, calling those
courses a commercial process in the
name of education.
They alleged that night courses have
taken over the universities like cancer.
The left students made these remarks while addressing a rally on the
DU campus. The programme was arranged in protest of the newly launched
night course by the Political Science

Department of the university. Later,
the activists brought out a procession
that marched through the campus.
Secretary General of the DU unit of
the Chhatra Federation Monowar Hossain Masud, Chhatra Front President
Rashed Shahariar, Chhatra Union Secretary General Liton Nondi were present at the program, among others.
Meanwhile, the student bodies called
a strike at the DUs Arts and Social Science
faculty to be held on May 22, demanding
cancellation of the night course. l
Schoolgirl attempts suicide

A female student of class IX tried to kill
herself by jumping from the rooftop of
her school in Jorarganj of Chittagong,
following repeated sexual harassment
by senior boys in the school.
Police arrested two alleged perpetrators, Abdul Khalek and Salman Farsi,
who are business students of class X in

Jorarganj Ideal High School.
Quoting the school authorities, Jorarganj police station OC Liakat Ali said
Khalek had been harassing the girl for
the past two months. She attempted to
commit suicide around 9am by jumping
off the two-storeyed school building. A
case has been lodged, he added. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Nation
Curtain falls on 6th phase of upazila polls

Although no violence was perpetrated, there were allegations of vote fraud in some centres
n Tribune Report
mary School (south) when allegation of

fake votes was raised. Polling was suspended at the two centres but resumed
in 20 minutes.
Jamtail Model Government Primary
School (south) centre presiding officer
Moazzem Hossain said fake votes were
cast because of negligence of duty by
Najmul Mostafa Tutul, sub-inspector of
Shahjadpur, who was in charge of the
stations security. We were threatened
as we tried to resist, he said.
Meanwhile, Upazila Awami League
General Secretary Anwar Hossain denied allegations of vote fraud and occupation of polling centres against him
and said there was no anomaly in the
two centres.
District Returning Officer Shafiqul
Islam said magistrates, police, RAB and
BGB personnel discharged their duties
and immediate action was taken against
fake vote casting at the two centres.
Voting in 13 upazilas across the country

in the sixth phase of upazila polls ended at 4pm yesterday. Polling, which began at 8am, was mostly peaceful except
for a boycott by a BNP candidate and a
number of sporadic incidents.
Brahmanbaria BNP candidate

boycotts polls
Advocate Shariful Islam Liton, the BNPbacked chairman candidate in Bijoynagar of Brahmanbaria, announced he
would boycott elections alleging vote
fraud, occupation of polling centres and
ejection of agents from polling centres.
At 1:30pm, he made the announcement
before reporters at Paharpur Government Primacy School centre.
Apart from electoral fraud, Liton said
nearly 20-30 of his agents were beat up
at most of the 58 centres in the upazila.
He alleged he had tried to submit a written complaint to the deputy commissioner but the latter did not accept it.
Low voter turnout prevailed at the
polling centres throughout the time
since 8am but no violence was reported.
Voting postponed in 2 Comilla centres,

ballot snatched
In Adarsha Sadar upazila of Comilla,

the Election Commission postponed
voting at two centres, Afzol Khan Technical Commerce College and Chayabitan Government Primary School.
District Polling Officer Md Rashedul
Islam said miscreants snatched ballot
papers of the two centres after voting
had begun and the commission suspended polling. Ballot papers were also
Man killed by
falling debris
n Our Correspondent, Savar
A security guard was crushed to death
as parts of the main gate of an RMG factory broke apart and fell on him yesterday morning. The accident took place
at Burirbazar in the capitals Ashulia
area.
According to witnesses, the victim,
Motahar Hossain, 40, was opening the
gates of Birds Garments Ltd for the
workers to enter the premises when the
railing above the gate broke apart and
fell on him, crushing him to death.
Several workers at the factory
claimed that the accident was a result
of the factory authoritys negligence.
They said the railing had been unsteady for a while, and the authority had been notified about it several
times, but no one paid heed. l
15 injured in
Natore clash
n Our Correspondent, Natore
At least 15 people were injured over
a clash between two rival groups at
Chokbaraigram of Baraigram upazila in
the district yesterday.
The injured were admitted to Baraigram Upazila Health Complex.
Ibrahim Hossain, Officer-in-Charge
of Baraigram police station said,
Two groups led by former UP member
Islam Uddin and Makbul Hossen locked
into clashes over a land dispute. l
Peaceful voting in Rangpur
Voters cast votes at Palichda Haat Khan Chowdhury Dakhil Madrasa centre in Rangpur Sadar in the sixth phase of upazila polls yesterday
snatched from Ratnabati Ali Amena
High School centre around 11am.
There were allegations that pro-government men occupied some centres, including Majhigacha Aktaruzzaman High
School, Bamil School and College and
Bhubanghar Abul Hossain Abbasi High
School, and forced opposition men out.
600 ballot papers were snatched
from Subarnapur High School centre.

Fazlul Haque Fazlu, chairman candidate of the 19-party alliance, said government supporters forcefully made
his agents leave at least 10 centres.
Sirajganj BNP candidate calls

for re-polling
Alleging vote fraud and scuffle, BNP-
Most of the primary schools of the district have been struggling to provide
pure drinking water to their students
for a long time because they have not
been provided tube-wells as required.
Consequently, the students are
forced to consume contaminated water
from various local sources, and have
fallen victims to different sorts of diseases, especially fatal ones.
The tube-wells that are available are
situated in dirty locations.
While visiting the Shakarikath Government Primary School situated in the
Matbaria upazila, this correspondent
found that the schools lone tube-well
had been broken since Sidre occurred
in 2007, and they have to travel a distance of one kilometre in order to collect drinking water.
Headmistress of the No 1 Baroibunia
Government Primary School, located
in the Nazirpur upazila, Hasina Begum,
said they have no tube-well to supply
water to their 284 students. We are go-
A written complaint would be submitted to the Election Commission today, he said.

Casting of fake votes turned into a
frenzy at the centres in the afternoon.
Upazila Returning Officer Israt Jahan
seized seven ballots from Jamtail Model Government Primary School (north)
and Jamtail Model Government Pri-
Pvt clinics, diagnostic centres running illegally BCL leader, Jubo Dal man
n Tribune Desk
A good number of private clinics and
diagnostic centres in the district are
operating illegally taking advantage of
lax monitoring by the authorities concerned.
Sources at the Khulna Divisional
Health Directors office said among 155
private clinics and diagnostic centres in
Khulna city, only 36 have renewed their
licenses while 29 are operating without licenses and 20 with un-renewed licenses.
Besides, some 65 clinics and diagnostic centres are awaiting licenses
from the Directorate General of Health
Services (DGHS).
The information about the private

hospitals and pathological centres were
found in an investigation carried out
recently, reports UNB. The sources said
though the health directors office has the
records of 155 (licensed and unlicensed)
private medical centres in the metropolitan city, there is more such centres.
Set up without taking approval from
the Directorate of Health, a number of
private hospitals and diagnostic centres
have been doing illegal business for long.
If any accident occurs in those illegally-run health centres, the liability
does not fall on anybody.
Besides, allegations are rife that the
private hospitals with approval from
DGHS are not following the rules set by

the authorities concerned.
During the investigation, it was
found that the private clinics were running business even without following
necessary rules like having expert doctors round the clock and nurses with
diploma degrees. Similarly, the pathological centres lack trained health technologists and necessary equipment.
Wishing anonymity, an X-ray technician of a diagnostic centre at 53,
Babukhana Road in the city told UNB
that he has been working at the diagnostic centre for about six months despite the fact that he did not receive
any training related to his job. l
killed as two groups clash

n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur
A leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League
and an activist of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra
Dal were killed in a gunfight between
two groups in Sadar upazila yesterday.
Abu Noman, vice-president of Chandraganj union unit of Chhatra League and
son of Abu Sufian of Bhairabnagar village,
died from firearm shot during a clash between his group and a group of Jubo Dal.
Six men, including Jahangir Alam,
an activist of Jubo Dal and son of
Chowdhury Mia of Panchpara village of
the upazila, received bullets during the
clash. Jahangir succumbed to his injuries on the way to a Noakhali hospital.

Police said an altercation took place
between the two groups over establishing supremacy in the area and the clash
ensued around 8pm. Gunshots were
fired during the clash.
The injured were taken to different
hospitals in Lakshmipur and Noakhali.
Iqbal Hossain, officer-in-charge of
Lakshmipur Sadar police station, confirmed the incident and said the body
of Noman was recovered from the spot
and was sent to Sadar hospital morgue
for post-mortem examinations. l
Jessore honours six Ratnagarbha mothers

n Tribune Report
Six mothers have been honoured
with Ratnagarbha (mother of talents)
awards in Jessore, marking the International Mothers Day on May 11.
According to a press release, Usha
Rani Bhattacharya (posthumous), Rebeka Sultana, Fauzia Begum Kabita,
Ameenah Ahmed, Ameena Begum, and
Alhajj Fatema Jalal were each honoured
with a certificate and a sash (Uttoriyo)
during the award-giving ceremony
which was held under the management
of the Jessore Municipality and arranged
by Shekor, a cultural organisation.
Notable Nazrul singer Fatema Tuz
Zohra attended the ceremony, which
held at the Town Hall Field, as the chief

guest, and Mayor Maruful Islam Maruf
chaired the event.
Principal Sheikh Rabiul Alam of the
Jessore Education Board Model School
and College, former MP Pijush Kanti Bhattachariya and Mobinul Islam Mobin,
editor of the Dainik Gramer Kagoj, a local daily, attended as special guests.
After the award-giving ceremony there
was a cultural function where Ratnagarbha award winner Ameenah Ahmed
sang two songs Ekbaar Gaal Bhora Maa
Daake, and a song by Dwijendra Lal Roy.
Papia Ghosh, Doly Rahman, Sajib
Pal, Tauhidul Islam, and Selim Hossain
were among those who performed at
the cultural function. l
Pirojpur primary schools struggling

to provide potable water
n Our Correspondent, Pirojpur
backed candidate Gazi Abdul Aziz

Sarker yesterday demanded re-polling
in Kamarkhand upazila of Sirajganj.
Addressing a press briefing at
Kamarkhand BNP office at 5pm after the
end of voting, Sarker said fake votes were
cast with direct assistance from Sirajganj
Sadar lawmaker Dr Habibe Millat Munna
since morning to ensure BNPs defeat.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Voting was peaceful in four upazilas of

Rangpur amid tight security, said official and local sources.
Police arrested rebel Sadar upazila
BNP chairman candidate Masud Rana
and his associate Shamsul Alam on
Sunday night for violating electoral
code of conduct.
According to district election office sources, a total of 656,924 voters,
including 324,114 male and 332,810 female, cast votes at 287 polling centres
under 29 unions of the four upazilas.
A total of 67 candidates, including 25
chairman candidates, 24 vice-chairman
candidates, and 18 women vice-chairman candidates, contested the polls. l
ing through terrible difficulties in order

to get pure water, she said.
No 107 Government Primary School
teacher Nirmal Kumar said they collect
water from distant areas because they
do not have any tube-well to provide
for the 150 students at their school.
The situation worsens during the
rainy season, said Nirmal.
Headmistress of the Namajpur
Goverment Primary School, which is
situated in the Pirojpur Municipality,
Nargis Khanom, said they have a tubewell at their school, but it is near a toilet.
Pirojpur Sadar upazila primary education official Sikder Atikur Rahman
said there are 131 primary schools in
the district and most of them have no
tube-wells.
Zianagar upazila assistant primary
education official Maniruzzaman said
most of the primary schools there have
no tube-wells as well.
Officials from the Bhandaria upazila ABM Rafiqul Islam, Swarupkati
Saleha Khatun, Nazirpur Firoja Sultana
and Kawkhali M Asaduzzaman echoed
these concerns.
All of the officers said that the students have been passing a tough time
due to the scarcity of tube-wells in
these areas.
According to Matbaria upazila assistant primary education officer SM Ali
Akbar, 90% of the 200 primary schools
there have no tube-wells. I raised the
problem in the monthly meeting of primary teachers, he stated.
Pirojpur Sadar Hospital Residential
Medical Officer (RMO) Shankar Kumar
Gosh said the water collected from the
tube-wells installed in dirty locations
may cause various types of diseases,
stating, The authorities concerned
should install tube-wells in clean places to prevent possible breakouts of
such diseases.
Environment and Forests Minister
Anwar Hossain Manju who was elected
from the Pirojpur-2 constituency said:
I will try my best to urgently get tubewell allotment from the government
for the struggling primary schools, for
the sake of the students. l
Guests and Ratnagarbha (mother of talents) award recipients pose together for a photo at Town Hall Field in Jessore
5 killed in road accidents

in two districts
n Tribune Desk
At least five persons were killed and 26 others were injured

in two separate road accidents in the Munshiganj and Mymensingh districts, yesterday.
In Munshiganj, three people were killed and 20 others injured in a head-on collision between two buses on
the Dhaka-Mawa highway. The identities of the deceased
could not be known immediately.
Sirajdikhan police station Officer-in-Charge Md Abul
Basar said a Mawa-bound Gungun Paribahan passenger
bus and a Dhaka-bound Ilish Paribahan passenger bus collided head-on in the Chalti Para area at around 12:30pm.
At one stage, the Gungun Paribahan bus caught on fire,
leaving three, including its driver, burnt to death on the
spot, while 20 others were injured.
The injured were rushed to the Dhaka Medical College
Hospital and Mitford Hospital. Due to this incident, vehicular movement was suspend for two hours.
In Mymensingh, two people, Sajeeb, 27, and Rezaul Karim, 35, were killed and six others were injured when a bus
collided with a three-wheeler in the Kathgola area of the
Mymensingh-Tangail highway.
Kotwali Model police station Officer-in-Charge Rezaul
Karim said: A Tangail-bound bus hit the vehicle which
was coming from the opposite direction, in the Kathgola
area at around 7am, injuring all eight passengers.
The injured were sent to the Mymensigh Medical College Hospital where two of them succumbed to their injuries, he said. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Special
Will Monroe
Doctrine get
space in BJPs
Interlocking
Relationships?
n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman
In 1988 former Maldives President
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was fighting
off a coup and sought help from the
then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi. Within the next 24 hours,
1,600 Indian soldiers landed in Male,
the capital of the Maldives, to restore
Equations will be
mended through
pragmatism and
a doctrine of
mutually beneficial
and interlocking
relationships, based on
enlightened national
interest
order. In 1987, he also asked Sri Lanka
not to allow the formation of a military
base from any other country. These are
examples of New Delhis determination to respond to any intervention of
foreign nature in South Asia, which it
considers as their domain of influence.
Last year, Indian Foreign Secretary

Sujatha Singh visited three South
Asian countries Nepal, the Maldives
and Bangladesh just before their
elections and had meetings with a
series of political leaders in those
countries. In all those cases, Sujatha was very vocal on the elections
issues, which showed that they did
not change their policy in meddling
with internal affairs of other countries.
Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid in December last year said Indias
understanding of Bangladesh should
be helpful to the US.
The Congress-led government has
adopted interference in regional countries as a part of their foreign policy
and consequently we have seen the
Indian Foreign Secretary moving from
one country to another to deal with
elections, which is in every respect an
internal affair of any country.
Sujatha Singh came to Dhaka in December, one month before the January
5 polls, which was boycotted by the
major political party, and advocated for
holding the election in due time. She
had one-on-one meetings with Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad and interacted with
members of press, where she asserted
that the election must be held.
This attitude and practice, in foreign relations, resemble the Monroe
Doctrine which was the US foreign policy regarding Latin American countries
in the early 19th century.
Bangladesh and India have maintained

stable relations for a long time. There
were ups and downs. But the direction
of relations was right.
I often face this question. The
reasons behind this, according to my
opinion, is that the BJPs election
manifesto in the past had emphasised
on the need for, in their language,
expulsion of illegal immigrants from
India. This time, the party also mentioned this in its election manifesto.
But whats more prominent is the
statement by Narendra Modi made
during the campaign, saying that the
illegal immigrants of Bangladesh
will be driven out of India. Later on,
he made another statement where he
mentioned that the Hindu immigrants
of Bangladesh will receive a cordial
were to import these items from other

countries, our global trade balance
might deteriorate further. A country
that suffers from global trade deficit,
need not be unnecessarily worried
about the deficit with its next door
neighbours. If we need to import items
from far off countries, it may aggravate
the global trade deficit. However, we
need total removal of non-tariff barriers, elimination of the negative list
and other hurdles to increase export
to India.
How do you assess Indias decision for

keeping the ratification of the Land
Boundary Agreement and signing
on sharing Teesta waters, two major
thorny issues, on the backburner?
RAJIB DHAR
Bangladesh and India have been

maintaining relatively stable relations
for several years when Congress-led
government was in power. Now BJP is
at the helm of power. Will this affect
relations between the two countries?
and a doctrine of mutually beneficial

and interlocking relationships, based
on enlightened national interest.
During the last term of the BJP
government, it showed pragmatism in
dealing with neighbours and we could
witness that after working with the
Awami League government for over
three years, it did not interfere in the
2001 parliamentary elections in which
BNP won two-third majority. The then
Indian Prime Minister AB Vajpayee sent
a congratulatory message to the then
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and sent his
special envoy Brajesh Mishra to discuss
today is getting more inter-dependent,

and no state, big or small, can achieve
prosperity ignoring cooperation with
neighbours.
The government
will have to play a
very active role to
uphold national
interests with
foreign countries
in general and
India in particular
We have to remain cautious as

there is no scope for complacence,
and there is no room for inaction,
CM Shafi Sami, an adviser to the
former caretaker government,
said in an exclusive interview with
Dhaka Tribune on May 17.
He was Bangladesh High Commissioner to India from 1995 to
1999. He played an important part
in signing the Ganges Water Distribution Agreement and Chittagong
Hill Tracts Peace Accord. After that
he served as the foreign secretary
till 2001. Born in Sylhet in 1942,
Sami was also High Commissioner
to Islamabad from 1987 to 1991.
Shahidul Islam Chowdhury conducted this interview.
AFP
US President James Monroe first

stated the doctrine during his seventh
annual State of the Union Address to
Congress. The apparent objective of
the doctrine was undisturbed exertion
of its own influence on the newly independent colonies in Latin America.
Will this policy practised by the Congress be continued by the would-be BJPled government, which swept the Indian
national election a few days back?
In its election manifesto 2014, BJP
said it would pursue a foreign policy
following the idea that, Equations
will be mended through pragmatism
welcome in India, but non-Hindus will

be driven out.
I prefer to describe these statements as unfortunate and the
statements were [made to create] sort
of religious divide. This particular
aspect of Modis statement is not in
conformity with the vast majority
of the Indian people who, by and
large, believe in communal harmony
and secular society. It is also not in
conformity with our own philosophy
non-communality.
The second aspect that creates doubt
in the minds of many here is the friendly relations between the families of the
Congress leadership, mainly the Gandhis, and the family of the Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman. As a result of that, there is also
greater understanding between the two
parties the families lead in the creation
of the right ambiance for strengthening
friendly bilateral relations.
Such friendly relations at family
and party levels are only supportive
in foreign relations. But, they are not
determinants in the formulation of
relations between the countries.
In realising the national interests
of Bangladesh, I think, the significant
achievements relate to the signing
of the Ganges water sharing treaty. It
was signed [in December, 1996] when
the Awami League was in power in
Bangladesh and a non-congress government in India. This also illustrates,
the relations between the two parties
are not the determinants of bilateral
relations. However, it helps.
The determining factors are: historic, cultural, economic and trade ties
and geo-political considerations. Any
future government in India will have
to proceed keeping these factors under
consideration.
Another aspect is, the world of
The Land Boundary Agreement

has already been signed, but lacks
implementation because of failure of
ratification by India.
The Teesta Agreements was almost
signed [in 2011], but did not happen
[due to last minute back step by India].
In addition to LBA and Teesta, the
horizon that the two prime ministers
[Sheikh Hasina and Manmohan Singh]
have opened during their official visits
was hardly made useful.
I believe, no relations between any
two countries, friendly or unfriendly,
can be sustained unless the countries
try together.
We have to remain cautious as
there is no scope for complacence, and
there is no room for inaction. The government of Bangladesh, especially the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will have
to remain alert, and will have to take a
very active role.
Congress was not a majority in the

last parliament, but the BJP and its
allies enjoy huge majority in the new
parliament. Do you expect the BJP will
have courage to ratify the LBA?
It cuts both ways. It will depend on
various factors.
Do you hope that Narendra Modi will

take initiative to maintain and improve
bilateral relations with Bangladesh?
The PM of the former BJP-led government, Atal Behari Vajpayee, had made
a lot of contribution in improving
relations with Bangladesh. Back then
there were no inter-party relations
between the parties led by respective
prime ministers. So, I believe there is
no reason to be afraid of the BJP.
How do you anticipate the scopes to

improve trade relations?
Bangladeshs trade deficit increases
due to enormous import from India. It
will be impractical to assume the deficit to decrease overnight. It is because
of less export from our side as we do
not have enough goods in our basket.
We also need to keep in mind that
many of the imports from India add up
to increase capacity here to export to
other countries. Many of our essential
items are imported from India. If we
Some people link BJPs victory with

the possible rise of extremist political
forces in Bangladesh. Do you see any
correlation between the two?
Some people here believe Modis
taking over of power will provide a
resurgence of Hindutva. I hope it does
not happen. I hope he will act like a
national leader rather than a provincial leader to dispel speculations about
him and the party. I do not see any immediate cause-and-effect relationship
between the rise of militants in India
and the risk of rise of extremist forces
in Bangladesh. l
future course of cooperation.

The prime minister-elect Narendra
Modi announced that his focus would
be growth, revival of the economy,
creation of jobs and overall development of India. Washington has already
showed an olive branch to work with
Modi, who was denied a US visa
earlier. If the Modi government plans
on working closely with the Obama
administration, it will provide Washington with more space to shape up its
foreign policy for South Asia.
It also said in its manifesto that
BJP would work towards strengthen-
What the past says on

AL-BJP chemistry?
The engagement between the governments of Awami League and BJP
during the late 90s and early 2000 was
business as usual without pursuing a
forward looking strategic direction to
improve the ties to a new height, what
was done during AL-Congress era.
There was not much development
on the issue of water sharing, land
boundary agreement and border killings, excluding signing of the Ganges
water treaty in 1996 and Chittagong
Hill Tracts Peace Treaty in 1997.
As a matter of fact, tension erupted
in 2001 between the two governments
when there was a heavy exchange of
fire between the then BDR and BSF,
and 16 BSF personnel died within
Bangladesh territory.
According to the annual report
2001-2002 of Indian foreign ministry,
Bangladesh and India has a multi-dimensional relationship

ranging from political, economical, trade, to people to people
contact. In this complex relationship, some remain as thorny
issues which are yet to be removed
Water sharing: Water sharing of
common rivers is considered the
biggest thorny issue between the two
countries. On many occasions, Bangladesh faced acute water crisis during the
lean season, as India did not allow the
54 common rivers to flow free round
the year. The downstream Bangladesh
has little voice in managing the water
flown in from India. The two countries
have agreement on water sharing of
only one river Ganges. For over four
decades, Bangladesh and India have
been negotiating to hammer out a deal
on water sharing of Teesta but it is yet
to be materialised.
Land Boundary Agreement: The
agreement was signed between the
two countries in 1974 and Bangladesh
ratified the agreement in the same year,
but India is yet to ratify it. During the
visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2011, both the countries
signed a protocol to implement the
agreement.
Last year, amid huge resistance,
India placed a bill in Rajya Sabha
the upper house of India - to amend
the constitution to pave the way for
ratification of the LBA and the protocol.
The fate of the bill remained uncertain
as BJP had strongly opposed any move
ing regional forums like SAARC and

ASEAN, which indicated that it would
like to have a good relationship with
Pakistan.
The Indian Foreign Policy of the
new government would be clear after
the declaration of a few statements
made by the top leadership regarding
who would be appointed as foreign
minister and what his or her global
view is. Being a responsible regional
power, it is not expected that India
will continue to maintain control over
the countries in the region as it will
fuel anti-India sentiment. l
to hurriedly settle border dispute with

Bangladesh.
Border Killings: According to Human
Rights Watch, Border Security Force
of India killed over 1,000 Bangladeshis
over the past 15 years. Both the countries share about 4,100km porous border and killings by BSF is very common
in the border area as the force enjoys
immunity. Time and again, the highest
political level of India expressed their
commitment to bring down the number of border killing to zero but it is yet
to be transformed into reality.
Trade: The trade deficit between the
two countries has been consistently
growing. The deficit with India was
$774 million in fiscal year 2000, $1,933
million in fiscal 2005, and $2,910
million in fiscal 2010. India unilaterally
provided duty-free market access to all
Bangladeshi products except 25 items
in 2011, but still Bangladeshi exporters
face para-tariff and non-tariff barriers.
Visa: About half a million Bangladeshis
visit India every year but the process of
issuance of Indian visa is cumbersome.
It takes at least a month and even in
some cases two months to get the visa,
putting the visitors in trouble.
it said: The relationship between

Bangladesh and India is complex and
multidimensional, based on intricate
tapestry of geographical, historical,
cultural and social linkages. The regrettable border incidents [in the third
week] of April 2001 were an aberration
which the relationship survived due to
common will of the two governments.
The incident erupted on April 16, 2001
and continued for at least three days.
In a pre-dawn attack on April
18, nearly 300 BSF troops intruded approximately 600 metres into
Bangladesh territory by cutting the
barbed wire fence erected by their
government in an attempt to capture
BDRs Boraibari Border Outpost (BOP)
in Roumari Upazila in Kurigram.
Bangladeshi villagers were surprised
to see advancing BSF troops, firing indiscriminately from mortar and machine
guns. The volleys of gunfire and continuous shelling panicked the villagers
as Indian troops were pushing through
agricultural lands and dusty roads.
BDR personnel who manned the Boraibari BOP 600 metres inside Bangladesh territory immediately opened fire
from light machine guns and automatic
weapons. The Indian soldiers beat
a hasty retreat under the barrage of
gunfire from mounted positions in the
fortified BDR outpost, which received
reinforcements from three nearby BOPs
to repulse the unprovoked attack.
A Reuter report quoting Press Trust
of India (PTI) news agency said Indias
the then Home Secretary Kamal Pandey
confirmed death of 16 BSF personnel.
The then Indian Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee visited Dhaka in 1999
to inaugurate the bus service between
Dhaka and Kolkata. During the visit,
Indian side provided Rs200 crore line
of credit and agreed in principle on
giving duty-free market access for
selected Bangladeshi products. The
Bangladeshi government actively considered the proposal of transshipment
to carry Indian goods through Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
also visited New Delhi in 1998 and
Kolkata in 1999 under official visits.
Exchanges of high level visits were
a regular affair but not much progress
has been made during that period.
Both the governments also signed
an agreement to facilitate bus service
between Dhaka and Agartala in 2001
and Indian visa regime was made
relatively flexible to facilitate more
people-to-people to contact in the
same year. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
World
Libya risks civil war with

spike in anarchy
n AFP, Tripoli
A dramatic spike in lawlessness in Libyas two largest cities has edged the
country closer to civil war between
heavily-armed rival militias, stirring
concern abroad and on oil markets.
Gunmen stormed parliament in
southern Tripoli on Sunday, hot on
the heels of an anti-Islamist offensive
launched by a rogue general in the
eastern city of Benghazi.
With interim authorities failing to
build a regular army and police force,
militias have ruled the roost since
their fighters ousted longtime dictator
Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 revolution.
After the attack on parliament, a
colonel claiming to speak on behalf
of the army declared that the General
National Congress (GNC) had been suspended. Authorities did not comment
but issued instead a call for national
dialogue.
Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani
said two people were killed and 55
wounded in clashes between rival militia groups in southern Tripoli.
But he said the violence had no
real link to the offensive launched by
ex-general Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi.
Witnesses said the Tripoli assailants
were members of the powerful Zintan
brigades who have attacked the GNC in
the past.
MPs were evacuated from the building as heavy gunfire erupted after a
convoy of armoured vehicles headed
to the GNC.
Militia attack Libyan parliament

MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
Old
Town Deputies evacuated
as gunmen attack
State
Television
Kadhafis
former
residence
Airport
Islamists
attack
air base
TRIPOLI
Parliament
o
Trip
y
wa
gh
i Hi
Zintan Benghazi
L I B YA
TRIPOLI
2 km
The Zintan brigades, ex-rebels who

fought Kadhafi, control areas in southern Tripoli around the airport.
Gunmen set fire to an annex of the
parliament building and several cars
parked nearby were damaged in the
attack, before the gunmen withdrew
towards the airport.
Militias have launched several attacks on the GNC, including on March
2 when two lawmakers were shot and
wounded.
The Tripoli violence came two days
after fierce fighting killed 79 people in
Benghazi, where Haftar unleashed his
so-called National Army on Islamist
militiamen, backed by warplanes.

Also on Sunday, armed Islamists attacked Benina air base in Benghazi but
no one was hurt, base commander Colonel Saad al-Werfalli said.
Accused by Tripoli of staging a coup,
Haftar has said he is readying a new assault on Islamists in Benghazi, vowing
to eradicate terrorism.
Each battle is followed by a regrouping of units. And we will return
in force, he said.
Haftar, who led ground forces in the
2011 revolution, said: Our operation is
not a coup and we do not plan to seize
power. l
Saudi closes Libya

embassy, evacuates
diplomats
n AFP, Riyadh
Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in
Tripoli yesterday and evacuated all its
diplomats over security concerns
in Libya, the SPA state news agency
reported.
The Saudi ambassador to Libya Mohammed Mahmud al-Ali told SPA the
kingdom also closed its consulate in
the North African country due to the
current circumstances and the security
situation.
He said all diplomats in Libya were
flown out of Libya in a decision made
in coordination with the Libyan side.
The mission will reopen and the
diplomats will return when the situation stabilises in the Libyan capital,
he added.
We are in contact with the Libyan
side on all developments.
Libya has suffered a series of attacks on its leaders and foreign
diplomats in the increasingly lawless North African country, three
years after Nato-backed rebels ended Moamer Kadhafis four-decade
dictatorship.
The situation has descended into
chaos since Friday when a rogue general launched an offensive against Islamists in the eastern city of Benghazi,
cradle of the 2011 uprising.
On Sunday armed groups attacked
the parliament in Tripoli as well as an
air base in the east of the country.
Algeria announced on Friday that it
has closed its embassy and consulate
in Tripoli citing a real and imminent
threat to its diplomats. l
Monitoring group: At
least 162,000 killed
in Syria conflict
n Reuters, Beirut
diator Lakhdar Brahimi will step down

at the end of the month.
Assad, who has steadily clawed back
control over the center of the country, is widely expected to win a third
seven-year term in a June 3 election
which his enemies have condemned as
a charade.
At least 162,000 people have been

killed in Syrias three-year-old conflict,
a monitoring group said yesterday,
and thousands more are missing after
being captured by President Bashar
al-Assads forces and rebels trying to
overthrow him.
The pro-opposition, British-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said losses among fighters on the
government side were higher than
those among pro-rebel groups, and
estimated that at least 54,000 civilians had been killed since the
conflict began.
It estimated 62,800 deaths among
the army, pro-Assad Syrian militia,
Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and other
foreign Shiite gunmen.
That compared with 42,700 people
who had died on the rebel side, including fighters from al Qaedas Nusra
Front, other Islamist brigades, and soldiers who defected from Assads army.
Nearly 3,000 people of unknown
identity or affiliation had been killed,
it said.
The Observatory said all sides in the
conflict played down their losses, making an accurate count almost impossible, and the overall death toll was probably around 70,000 higher at 230,000.
Efforts to find a political solution to
the conflict collapsed in Geneva three
months ago and the international me-
It estimated 62,800
deaths among the
army, pro-Assad Syrian
militia, Lebanese
Hezbollah fighters and
other foreign Shiite
gunmen
The Observatory said its figures did not

include 18,000 people who had been
detained by authorities and whose fate
was unknown, as well as thousands
more who were missing after raids by
security forces.
Another 8,000 soldiers and pro-Assad militia were also missing after being held by rebels, and hundreds of
people had been kidnapped, it said. A
further 1,500 fighters were abducted
during inter-rebel conflict. l
Russia orders troops back to bases ahead of Ukraine vote

n AFP, Moscow
n Agencies
ate end to the offensive by Ukrainian

troops in the east describing it as a
punitive operation against the separatists and their withdrawal.
No evidence of pullback
The presence of the Russian troops

near the border raised deep concerns
after Putins annexation of Crimea in
Maliki wins most seats, Balkan braces for fresh floods as

short of majority
thousands left homeless
n AFP, Baghdad
HUNGARY
CROATIA
Gunja Orasje
Srbac
Prijedor
Una
Laktasi
Banja Luka
Sremska
Mitrovica
Pozega
River Sava
Modrica
Doboj
Zavidovici
Danu
be
Brcko
Sava
Bijeljina Sabac
Tuzla
Drina
An Egyptian court yesterday acquitted 169 supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi over
protest violence last year, judicial
sources said.
The army-installed government has
rounded up thousands of Morsis supporters and put them on trial in mass
hearings since his ouster by the military in July last year.
The often speedy mass trials have
jailed hundreds for lengthy terms and

even handed down death sentences,
triggering international outrage.
The 169 defendants were accused
of taking part in riots during a violent protest in Cairo on August 14,
when police killed hundreds of Morsi supporters at two sit-ins in the
capital.
A relentless crackdown on Morsis
mostly Islamist backers since his ouster has killed more than 1,400 people,
and seen 15,000 others jailed. l
The worst-hit
Towns as of
May 18
na
n AFP, Cairo
The Balkans braced for more misery as

the death toll from the worst floods in
a century rose to 47 and rising waters
forced thousands more to flee their
homes.
Muddy waters from the Sava River have submerged houses, churches,
mosques and roads in Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia after record rainfall
wreaked havoc across the central European region.
More than 60,000 people have been
evacuated as dozens of towns and villages have been completely cut off by the
torrents, and water levels are expected
to rise further in the coming days.
Bosnian officials say about a million people more than a quarter of
the countrys population have been
affected after the heaviest rainfalls on
record began last week.
Villages have been hit by landslides
caused by the torrential rainfall while
officials fear unexploded landmines
and infectuous diseases could pose
fresh dangers.
Rescuers told of wrenching scenes as
they finally reached cut-off villages, with
dozens of people huddling on top of the
tallest houses with no water or food.
This is Armageddon, I cant describe it otherwise, Nedeljko Brankovic told AFP from Krupanj, a town in the
Deadly flooding across Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia
Bos
Egypt court frees 169

Morsi backers
n AFP, Belgrade
s
ba
Vr
Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikis electoral bloc won the most seats in Iraqs parliamentary election, results released
yesterday showed, but he fell short of
an overall majority.
Malikis State of Law alliance won 92
out of 328 parliamentary seats, in the
results released by the Independent
High Electoral Commission, far ahead
of the second highest figure.
Malikis main rivals all garnered be-
tween 19 and 29 seats, according to an

AFP tally of election commission results.
The incumbent premier himself
garnered upwards of 721,000 personal
votes, by far the highest such figure
nationwide, helping his case for a third
term in power.
Malikis opponents have voiced
strong opposition to his bid for re-election, blaming him for a marked deterioration of security and accusing him
of consolidating power and sidelining
partners.
U na
Thirty-one children were burned to death

when a bus they were traveling in caught
fire in northern Colombia on Sunday, the
Red Cross said. Another 25 people - including one adult - were injured and seriously burned in the accident near the
town of Fundacion, Cesar Uruena with
the Colombian Red Cross told AFP.
The injured have second and
third-degree burns, and many are still
in a critical condition in hospitals in
the area and in the city of Santa Marta,
Urena said.
The children aboard the bus were
between the ages of one and eight and
were returning home after a religious
service, Fundacion Mayor Luz Stella
Duran told reporters.
Department of Magdalena police
told AFP that the bus exploded around
noon, and that the fire was so severe
they had problems determining the
number of casualties.
Stella Duran said that - according to
survivors - the bus driver had been handling a container with gasoline aboard
the vehicle. Police initially blamed the
fire on a mechanical problem.
The driver has vanished, and angry locals went to his home and threw
rocks at his windows, the mayor said.
Colombian President Juan Manuel
Santos traveled to Fundacion after a final re-election campaign rally Sunday
in Bogota ahead of the May 25 presidential vote. l
manent bases, the Kremlin said in a

statement after a meeting of the countrys Security Council.
Putin also called for an immedi-
Zvornik
Vlasenica
Bratunac
Milici
ROMANIA
BELGRADE
Obrenovac
Lazarevac
SERBIA
31 children burned
to death in Colombia
Ukrainian troops guard on the road from Izyum to Slavyansk. Nato head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said yesterday he had seen no proof of
Russian troops withdrawing from the border with Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin announced an end to exercises
AFP
in
Russia said yesterday it had ordered

troops near the border with Ukraine
to return to their bases, just days
ahead of a crucial presidential vote
aimed at bringing the country out of
deep crisis.
In a move that could ease tensions, President Vladimir Putins office said he had ordered thousands
of troops deployed in border regions
to return to barracks after the end of
spring exercises.
However, Nato said it saw no proof
Russia had begun withdrawing, and
noted this was the third time Putin had
made such a claim.
The Kremlin said Putin had also
demanded that Ukraines pro-Western
government halt its military operation
against insurgents in the east and pull
out its troops.
His remarks came amid continued
fighting in eastern Ukraine, with at
least one soldier reported killed in a
pre-dawn attack near the flashpoint
rebel town of Slavyansk.
Due to the end of the planned
spring training of troops that included
their movement to Rostov, Belgorod,
and Bryansk regions, the Russian
president ordered... troops participating in the drills to return to their per-
pro-EU protests in Kiev but spiralled

into a wider confrontation.
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk
acknowledged it could be difficult to
organise the election in some districts
in the east.
But he added: It affects very few areas and will not have any influence on
voting. The election will take place and
we will have a legitimate president.
Still, it remains unclear how much
credibility the vote will have as fighting
continues between Ukrainian troops
and rebels who have grabbed over a
dozen towns and declared sovereignty in the industrial hubs of Donetsk
and Lugansk.
The Ukrainian defence ministry said
one soldier was killed and three others
injured when rebels staked out in a kindergarten shelled a military checkpoint
near Slavyansk on Monday.
The terrorists, acting in their
usual cynical and insidious manner,
launched the attack from a kindergarten near the railway station, it said in
a statement. They wanted to provoke
the servicemen into trying to destroy
the kindergarten.
Ukraines military launched its offensive against the rebels in mid-April
but has failed to oust them from their
strongholds and suffered a number of
humiliating setbacks. l
March and the uprising by well-armed

pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraines eastern
coal and steel heartland.
Nato, which has repeatedly expressed worries about the estimated
40,000 troops, said it had not seen
any evidence at all indication they
were returning to their bases.
Putin said earlier this month that
the troops had been moved away from
the border to regional bases to continue planned training exercises. Nato at
the time also said it had seen no evidence of a withdrawal.
Ukraine also Monday called on
Moscow to cancel air force exercises
planned for May 21-25 near the border,
saying they will fuel tensions during
Sundays election.
Under pressure from US and European Union sanctions, Moscow
has moved to reduce tensions with
Ukraine after months of crisis that sent
relations with the West to their lowest
point since the Cold War.
After initially dismissing Sundays
presidential vote called after Februarys ouster of Kremlin-backed
president Viktor Yanukovych Putin recently said it was a step in the
right direction.
Preparations were continuing Monday for the vote, seen in the West as the
only way to end a crisis that began with
SARAJEVO
BOSNIAHERZEGOVINA
BULGARIA
MONTENEGRO
KOSOVO
ADRIATIC
SEA
50 km
southwestern town of Serbia.

Houses are literally washed down
and landslides are everywhere.
The death toll from the floods was
raised to 47 Monday after two new
victims were found overnight in a village near the western Serbian town of
Sabac.
Neighbouring Croatia has also evac-
ALBANIA
MACEDONIA
uated hundreds of people from along

the river Sava.
In Obrenovac, some 40 kilometres (24
miles) from Belgrade, more than 8,000
people have been evacuated, one third of
its population. Authorities sealed off the
town amid fears the flood waters, filled
with debris and dead animals, could become a breeding ground for disease. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Thai PM rules
out resigning as
protesters move
to oust him
n Reuters, Bangkok
Thailands acting prime minister yesterday ruled out resigning as a way
out of a protracted political crisis that
is stunting economic growth, as anti-government protesters stepped up
pressure to remove him and install a
new administration.
Thailand is stuck in political limbo following the dismissal of Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and
nine of her ministers on May 7 after
a court found them guilty of abuse
of power.
Six months of turmoil that has included violent protests and a disrupted general election is dragging down
Southeast Asias second biggest economy, which shrank 2.1 percent in the
first quarter of the year.
Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong
Boonsongphaisan has replaced Yingluck as caretaker prime minister, but
the anti-government protesters say he
has no legal standing and they want a
neutral government to push through
reforms.
Niwatthamrong
met
members
of the Senate, which is trying to
come up with a way out of the deadlock, but he told them he would
not resign.
The current cabinet is legal in every
way ... it must stay until a new cabinet
of ministers is elected in. We cannot
install another prime minister while
we have an acting one in place, Niwatthamrong said in statement following

the meeting.
Thailand has not had a functioning lower house of parliament since
Yingluck dissolved parliament in
December.
Bangkok is the scene of a tense
stand-off between government supporters loyal to Yingluck and her
brother, ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and opposition demonstrators drawn from
Bangkoks middle class and royalist
establishment.
The upper house Senate, the countrys only remaining legislative body,
says it could select an interim prime
minister but it wants the caretaker government to step down first.
That has incensed protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who wants
the caretaker government removed
right away.
We will take democratic power and
hand it back to the people, Suthep, a
former deputy prime minister in a government run by the pro-establishment
Democrat Party, told supporters late on
Sunday.
From Monday, we will chase the
remnants of the Thaksin regime out.
Ministers, resign! You are stunting
Thailands progress, said Suthep, who
has promised to surrender to the authorities on May 27 if this final push
does not succeed. l
World
Nitishs resignation
accepted, Manjhi
new Bihar CM
n Agencies
Ending days of suspense, Nitish Kumar
yesterday stepped down officially as
the chief minister of Bihar after a successful eight and a half year stint.
Jitan Ram Manjhi, the SC/ST minister
in the Bihar government, was chosen
as the new chief minister. Manjhi is a
member of the mahadalit community.
The JD(U) legislature party, which
met in Patna at 2pm, agreed to accept
Nitishs resignation and empower him to
name his successor but with the express
rider that he would continue to act as
the facilitator between the government
and the party, and the party would contest the next polls under his leadership.
The party also insisted via a threepoint resolution that after winning
the mandate to rule after 2015 elections, Nitish himself would be the chief
minister.
The resolution moved by Vaisistha
Narain Singh and seconded by Narendra Singh, agriculture minister in the
outgoing ministry, was carried unanimously by the house, which also mandated that the cabinet would be reconstituted and overhauled under the new
chief minister.
Singh said, with the decision, the
critics of Nitishs decision to step down
in the opposition has been silenced.
Kumar has by sticking to a moral decision showed them up for what
they are, while establishing a unique
precedent, he said.
Niitsh would involve himself nationally and work with leaders of other states and secular parties, even as
he strengthens grassroots support for
JD(U) in preparation for the 2015 assembly elections, in which he said the party
would look for an absolute majority. l
Sonia and Rahul offer to resign,

rejected by party colleagues
n AFP, New Delhi
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, leaders of
Indias defeated Congress party, offered to resign yesterday after last
weeks election debacle, but colleagues
rebuffed their offer, a senior party
figure said.
They both offered to resign but the
party rejected it unanimously, member of parliament Amarinder Singh told
reporters after a meeting of the Congresss top committee in New Delhi.
The Press Trust of India reported
that the Congress Working Committee
passed a unanimous resolution expressing full faith in the leadership of
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi after
the meeting broke up.
The mother and son, members of
South Asias most famous political dynasty, are facing unprecedented pressure from grassroots party workers and
defeated ex-MPs over their failed campaign tactics.
Congress slumped to its worst poll
result ever last Friday, winning just
44 seats in the 543-member parliament less than a quarter of its tally
in 2009 as the opposition Bharatiya
Janata Party swept to power with a
landslide win.
Sonia, the 67-year-old Congress
president, entrusted campaigning to
vice president Rahul, whose lacklustre
performance failed to convince voters
that the party deserved a third term in
power.
The defeat has raised questions over
whether the dynasty can retain its grip
over the left-leaning party which has
produced three prime ministers and
has run India for most of its post-independence history. l
Congress President Sonia Gandhi (2R) and Vice President Rahul Gandhi (L) arrive for the
Congress Working Committee on May 19. Sonia and Rahul yesterday offered to resign
after last weeks election debacle but colleagues rebuffed their offer
AFP
Castles in the air:

Afghans pay a heavy
price for uncertainty
n Reuters, Kabul
A bored security guard, a Kalashnikov
rifle over his shoulder, stands guard
alone outside an idle construction site
for a 10-storey building in downtown
Kabul, one of more than a dozen concrete shells with not a single construction worker in sight.
It was meant to be boom-time after
decades of war and privation. Over the
past few years, shiny new shopping
malls started to spring up around the
Afghan capital and construction cranes
dotted Kabuls spectacular, snowcapped horizon.
Political uncertainty
abounds before
another presidential
vote and security fears
are growing as the last
foreign combat troops
prepare to leave
Afghan youth play on swings on the outskirts of Mazar-i-sharif on May 13. Afghanistan remains at war, with civilians among the hardest hit, as the Taliban wage an increasingly bloody
insurgency against the government
AFP
Media: US charges Chinese military

with cyber-spying
n AFP, Washington
The United States has filed charges
against several members of Chinas
military for allegedly stealing American trade secrets, media reports said
yesterday.
The Washington Post and other
news outlets said that the Justice Department is charging members of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army in the
first US prosecution of foreign state actors over economic espionage.
The move marks an escalation in an
intense dispute between the worlds
two largest economies over hacking,
with the United States moving beyond
rhetoric in pressuring China.
The Justice Department said only
that Attorney General Eric Holder
would announce an indictment in
a national security case at 10:00 am
(1400 GMT). Hacking has emerged as a
major irritant in the already complicated relationship between China and the
United States, with President Barack
Obama raising concerns directly with
his counterpart Xi Jinping.
In a report in February last year,
the security firm Mandiant said that

China has made a major investment
in cyber-espionage and set up a military-linked unit with thousands of
workers who pilfer intellectual property and government secrets overseas.
The workers operate from a non-descript, 12-story building on the outskirts of Shanghai and had stolen data
from at least 141 organizations spanning 20 industries, the 2013 study said.
The report said that the hacking
group known as APT1 which stands
for Advanced Persistent Threat
was believed to be a branch of what
is known as Unit 61398 of the Peoples
Liberation Army.
A separate report led by former US
officials estimated last year that hacking was costing the US economy more
than $300 billion each year equivalent to what the United States sells
each year to Asia.
China was by far the biggest culprit,
although other countries including
Russia also have hacked US intellectual
property, it said.
Beijing has hit back that Washington is hypocritical as it conducts wide-
spread surveillance around the world,

as revealed by former government contractor Edward Snowden.
Snowdens leaks have indicated
that the United States has hacked into
Chinese telecom giant Huawei whose
own attempts to penetrate the US market have been blocked by lawmakers
concerns on national security.
The United States has invested heavily in cyber-warfare, with the Pentagon
setting up a dedicated unit, and is widely suspected to have worked with Israel
to infect Irans nuclear program.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel,
on a visit to Beijing last month, asked
China to be more open about its cyber
capabilities in hopes of reducing the
chances of an inadvertent conflict.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, in its annual report released in November, had urged
US action to change the cost-benefit
calculus for Beijing on hacking.
The commission called for Washington to consider a ban on import of
certain products from China if they are
determined to use technology stolen
from the United States. l
Park weeps as she

apologises for ferry
disaster
n Reuters, Seoul
South Korean President Park Geunhye, tears rolling down her cheeks, formally apologised yesterday for a ferry
disaster that killed about 300 people,
mostly school children, and said she
would dismantle the coast guard for
failing in its duties.
Park has been hit hard by an angry
nationwide outcry over the governments response to South Koreas worst
civilian maritime disaster in 20 years
and the seemingly slow and ineffective
rescue operation.
Polls show support for Park has
dropped by more than 20 points since
the April 16 disaster.
I apologise to the nation for the
pain and suffering that everyone felt,
as the president who should have been
responsible for the safety and lives of
the people, Park said in a televised national address, her first since the Sewol
capsized and sank with 476 passengers
and crew on board.
At least 286 people on board the Sewol were killed and 18 remain missing.
Only 172 people were rescued, with the
rest presumed to have drowned. l
But the cranes have since disappeared

and many buildings are empty and unfinished, having failed to reach completion before the money began to dry up.
Business has ground to a halt across
much of Afghanistan. Political uncertainty abounds before another presidential vote and security fears are
growing as the last foreign combat
troops prepare to leave.
To invest in such an environment
would be craziness, acknowledges
Hameedullah Omar,marketing manager of a deserted nine-storey office complex in Kabuls main shopping district
that was completed only last year.
Foreign donors worried about deteriorating security are leaving as Western forces wind down operations, leaving aid-dependent Kabul to manage its
threadbare finances on its own.
The United States and Britain, two
of the biggest donors, have already cut
aid by up to half.
International aid groups, which
provide a lifeline for marginalized Afghans, say funds are drying up fast.
One US non-profit group that runs 13
schools for 3,000 girls says it hasnt
paid its teachers for more than a year.
Property prices have slumped as
much 50 percent, rents are down 75
percent by some counts and investors
have pulled funding from construction
projects. The afghani currency has also
fallen and is now at around 57 to the
dollar, from 52 at the start of 2013.
Investment is mostly on hold in
Afghanistan, the deputy chief of the

central bank, Khan Afzal Hadawal, told
Reuters.
International institutions expect
Afghanistans GDP growth to fall from
a high of about 14 percent in 2012 to
about 3.5 percent this year. The World
Bank has said more uncertainty could
dampen growth further this year.
The International Crisis Group think
tank said in a report released last week
that the number of attacks by Islamist
insurgents had risen since the drawdown of foreign troops began, and
forecast a bloody future unless there
was more foreign assistance.
BSA-effect bites
Investors and foreign donors have hit

the pause button, anxious about what
lies ahead as Afghanistan strives to go
it alone after nearly 13 years during
which hundreds of billions of dollars of
foreign capital kept it afloat.
Their main concern stems from a
year-end deadline for foreign combat
troops to leave, and stalled negotiations between Kabul and Washington
on a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA)
to allow a small force of US troops to
stay after December 31.
The uncertain fate of the BSA and
election runoff has damaged all businesses, said Omar. It is not only ours
but all around the country people live
in such an uncertain future.
After years of bitter wrangling over
a range of issues, President Hamid Karzai has refused to put his name to the
security pact, saying he would leave it
to his successor.
But a presidential vote last month
failed to produce an outright winner,
setting the stage for a second round
run-off - and yet more uncertainty. The
process has been delayed further by investigations into unprecedented levels
of fraud.
That means it could be months before a new president is inaugurated,
leaving little time to sign the BSA.
The two men poised to contest the
second round run-off next month, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, have
vowed to complete the deal that will allow some US troops to stay for counterinsurgency and training purposes.
If the run-off takes a long time and
the security pact is not signed soon,
the impact would be even more severe, said Mohammad Ismail Afzal,
manager of the Zia Shuja construction
firm. Many businessmen have already
taken their money out, and the rest will
take it out, too.
Afzal says his company alone has
experienced an 80 percent fall in business since the start of last year. l
10
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
CODE-CRACKER
Stop border killings

for better relations
40-year-old Bangladeshi man was beaten to death by members

of the Indian BSF, near the Bangladesh-India border in Jessore on
Monday.
This latest border killing was no accident.
It follows just one month after the government expressed deep concern
to India over the killings of four Bangladesh nationals, including a teenager,
within the space of three days in border areas of Sylhet and Tripura. The
impunity with which such deaths occur has to be ended.
Despite the putting of a BSF
member on trial in the Felani case
last year, successive Indian governments have failed to adequately
address Bangladeshi concerns.
At least 38 Bangladeshis were
killed in border incidents by Indian
forces last year.
There is no acceptable reason
why cross border movements
are not free from the fear of such
violence.
Bangladesh-India relations
would benefit hugely from a resolution to the phenomenon of border
killings. Their lack of resolution and one-sided nature makes them of huge
symbolic importance.
The new Indian government has an opportunity to dramatically build
confidence and improve relations between our countries, by taking firmer
action to end border killings.
It is well established that such killings have nothing to do with security
issues but largely arise out of disputes over extortion.
We hope the new Indian government will take the opportunity to act
on this appalling incident and put a stop to BSF killings. As neighbours with
many mutual trade interests and a long shared border, Bangladesh and
India will both benefit from a resolution to this problem.
The new Indian

government has an
opportunity to build
confidence by taking
action to end border
killings
Sustain leather
exports with proper
compliance
xports by the leather industry of finished goods and footwear earned

the country $1.07 billion in the last year.
With the global leather market being worth $110bn, there is clearly
much potential for future growth, especially as more industries seek to
outsource production away from China.
However, for Bangladesh to maximise benefits from this opportunity,
we need to take a much more long term attitude to growing the industry.
The government has taken a
lead on addressing the atrocious
environmental impacts of tanneries, by seeking to shift tanneries
from the capitals Hazaribagh area
to a purpose built location in Savar.
Unfortunately the much delayed
and slow pace of this move has not
provided much confidence about
the willingness of industry owners
to invest in better water treatment
standards and working conditions.
We therefore welcome signs at
a recent industry seminar that owners are now seeking to address this issue. Putting a stop to the notorious river pollution at Hazibargh will not just
benefit the local environment and residents, but will also make the leather
producers goods more attractive to buyers.
European buyers who have stopped buying leather products from Bangladesh due to lack of environmental compliance, may be expected to resume sourcing after the central effluent treatment plant at Savar becomes
operational, because of the competitive prices the industry can offer.
Adoption of environment-friendly technologies and improving the productivity and skills of the workforce are vital to enabling leather industries
to grow in Bangladesh. Without proper compliance, it cannot compete
effectively and both workers and the environment will lose out.
Make goods more

attractive to buyers
by improving
environmental
compliance
Be heard
Write to Dhaka Tribune
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AICC and ICT-based agriculture in Bangladesh
May 16
Identification Devices (RFID), imaging and
The Agriculture Information and Communication
acoustic technologies, websites and Wblogs, and
Centre (AICC) has brought in a new era. It brings
email-based information services to solve issues
to farmers doors much-needed information on
agriculture, thus playing a vital role in the success of quickly and efficiently with the help of experts.
Also, since October 2008, e-Krishok has been
crop production.
using ICT to deliver information and advisory
In this vein, e-agriculture was introduced to our
services to farmers in rural and remote locations
country a few years back. Its usefulness, imporat a cost they can afford.
tance, uses, and demand for it are increasing day by
To run this service effectively and
day. Various methods and systems were also introcontinuously, it is important that agricultural
duced using e-agriculture with a view to increasing
institutions, like universities, research institutions,
the productivity as well as development of the rural
training institutions etc, update their coursework
community.
regularly to meet global challenges. Also,
145 AICC centres are active. Their goal is to help
more digital technology should be introduced
farmers with any problems or to answer questions
to agricultural universities, as Sher-e-Bangla
within the shortest possible time. Say, a farmer
Agricultural University (SAU) has been doing, to
wants to know how to grow a particular crop or
update and upgrade this institution. A few other
has other farming-related queries. Information
agricultural institutions too have been upgrading
and advice on general agricultural matters are also
their campus under the UGC-backed HEQEP subavailable.
project and other support, including self-support.
AICC may also be considered as a centre for
The UGC as well as the government deserve
the rural community, where people exchange
appreciation for taking this initiative to upgrade
information, ideas, and resources on the use of
the universities, as well as improving the process
information and communication technologies
of knowledge acquisition to meet the national
(ICT) for sustainable agriculture and rural
demand.
development. Besides, other digital media are
Sheikh Mohammed Mamur Rashid (Mahin)
being used in the agriculture sector, such as
Department of Agricultural Extension and
mobile phones, digital personal assistants (PDAs),
Information System
smart cards, CD-ROM, Geographic Information
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University
Systems (GIS), radio, Radio-Frequency
Raising the tobacco tax
May 16
The government can, and should raise the
tobacco tax to 70%, if not more. Since we are not
banning tobacco totally, at least we should make
this undesired habit expensive, while increasing
our revenues. The government should welcome
and implement this suggestion, and utilise the
extra revenue made available, to increase the
expenditure on health care or education.
On this issue, the fines levied for violating
the law of smoking in public places should also
be increased, and could well, be doubled and
strictly imposed all over the country. How about
introducing a smoking permit? Like the wine
permit, this should be held by all smokers, and
anyone found smoking without a permit, should
be heavily fined.
To enforce these regulations, surprise raids
could be carried out, from time to time, in offices,
workplaces, lobbies of hotels, cinema halls, theatres
and other such places, where people tend to light
up cigarettes. For such an offence, the fine should
be the heaviest, as the smokers are here, usually
standing side by side with many nonsmokers.
SA Mansoor
Dhaka Tribune celebrates first

anniversary, Bangla Tribune
launched
May 14
Congrats. But can you please tell me why your

excellent daily is not available in Coxs Bazar? Ive
informed your paper about the matter on several
occasions, but still no Dhaka Tribune in the southern part of the country.
VK
Frequent strikes of doctors
May 16
The recent frequent strikes by doctors make us
think about how to solve this problem. I went
to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on
May 6 for my cousins treatment. At DMCH, we
watched the badly injured patients crying outside
the hospital emergence gate, but the doctors on
strike continued to ignore them.
As a renowned medical college, DMCH has a
great responsibility to the nation. But the recent
strikes reflect otherwise by this narrow-minded
incident carried out by DU students and doctors.
Doctors take an oath to serve at any cost, then
why do they stop their services in the emergency
unit, for such a long time?
One needs to keep in mind that the DMCH is
run by government costs, and this cost indirectly
includes public earnings through various taxes.
Nevertheless, it is the sole duty of doctors to
serve their patients as best as they can. The
respective DMCH administration is also responsible. Its their responsibility to take proper measure
and enforce the rules. If the respective DMCH authorities fail to take immediate action to prevent
the fallout from such strikes, then patients will
continue to suffer.
Md Imamul Islam
How to solve: Each number in our

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 10 represents A so fill in A
every time the figure 10 appears.
You them in the appropriate squares in
the main grid, then use your knowledge
of words to work out which letters go in
the missing squares.
Some letters of the alphabet may not
be used.
As you get the letters, fill in other
squares with the same number in the
main grid, and the control grid. Check
off the list of alphabetical letters as you
identify them.
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Agreement (4)
4 Bring together (5)
8 Much ornamented (6)
9 Land measure (4)
11 Mannequin (5)
12 Region (4)
14 Period of time (3)
15 Quickly (mus) (6)
19 Tell (6)
21 In what way (3)
22 Scheme (4)
24 Echo sounder (5)
27 At all times (4)
29 At leisure (6)
30 Ventured (5)
31 Slender in girth (4)
DOWN
1 Vegetable (3)
2 Animals enclosure (6)
3 Woody plant (4)
4 Male sheep (3)
5 Make up for (5)
6 Was ahead (3)
7 Colour (6)
10 Be concerned (4)
13 Liable (3)
14 Effaced (6)
16 Corded fabric (3)
17 Tool (6)
18 Carry (4)
20 Grow less (5)
23 Fewer (4)
25 And not (3)
26 Disencumber (3)
28 Spirit (3)
SUDOKU
How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the
numbers 1 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must
contain all nine digits with no numberrepeating.
Assault on journo: Dr Azam

suspended
May 14
Did the journalist hit a nerve?
And what was the doctors prescription for the
journalists? A severe beating, followed by obscenities? And a stint of hospital food for a few days,
perhaps? Very professional indeed!
Akhtar Shah
Silent migration
CALVIN AND HOBBES
May 16
PEANUTS
Bengal was once a kingdom of its own, but

then the occupying force of Great Britain
partitioned the territory. In 1947, the
Border Commission drew a random line
across the landscape; even villages were cut
in two. The Hindu-majority west remained
a part of India. The Muslim populated
east became part of Pakistan and later
Bangladesh. Millions of people fled from
wars, unrest, and poverty to the other half
of Bengal. Calcutta was shaped like no other
city by this stream of migration, which
has lasted to this day. Almost 30% of its
inhabitants come from Bangladesh. People
living in Calcutta, whose roots belong to
the present territory of Bangladesh. The
individuals talk of what Calcutta ,means to
them, their old and new homes, the possible trauma of being rendered homeless and
making their way in a new environment. In
doing so, they form a patchwork quilt of the
modern experience of surviving refugees at
some urban landscapes in Calcutta.
Shahid Iqbal
Many left out of slum

census
May 14
Whats the point of doing a census (using/

losing time, money and energy) when its
done in such a mediocre way?!
Vikram Khan
YESTERDAYS SOLUTIONS
CODE-CRACKER
CROSSWORD
SUDOKU
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Op-Ed
11
New York the Great

#ThrillingCities
n MN Miraly
Brutality in the name of law
REUTERS
Watered-down
n Ikhtisad Ahmed
week ago, an explosion
and fire at a mine in Soma,
Turkey, claimed 301 lives.
Search and rescue operations were abandoned
on Saturday, supposedly after all 787
miners trapped had been accounted
for. The countrys dismal work safety
record manifested itself in its worst
industrial accident. The prevailing
sentiment is that it, and the lives it has
cost, could have been prevented. The
grief and feelings of injustice took the
shape of protests due to this and the
flippant, irresponsible, and disrespectful attitude of the government in
response to the incident.
The latest example of the government ignoring the warnings of safety
concerns came less than a fortnight
before the tragedy, when the government rejected a proposal to discuss
and take action about workers safety,
specifically in coal mines. The populace did not forget this when the prime
minister visited the disaster site the
day after it occurred.
One of his advisers, the Western-educated and polished Yusuf
Yerkel, took issue with the demonstrators. He expressed his displeasure by
attacking and repeatedly beating one
of them. Naturally, he did not resign
in the aftermath. Instead, amidst murmurs of the prime minister himself
having punched a protester, the photographer who caught his adviser on
camera was arrested. Unsurprisingly,
with the responsibility of members of
the government including physically

assaulting citizens, the police brought
out tear gas and water cannons to deal
with the nuisance.
The latter is being deployed everywhere in the world, with little regard
for the health and safety of those at
the receiving end of the forceful jets of
water. The authorities have acknowledged that water cannons are capable
of causing serious injury (including,
but not limited to, blindness, broken
bones, ruptured ligaments and spleen)
or even death. This has not kept them
from using them.
forget, they need to be put there by

force. They are to be dominated and
controlled.
This principle is being applied in the
West as well, from where the aforesaid
warning about water cannons comes.
The mayor of London announced at
the beginning of the year that he was in
favour of arming his police force with
them. He was even prepared to foot the
bill. The argument was that the 2010
tuition fee protests, the 2011 riots, and
the Occupy protests were precursors
of more of the same to come, and the
authorities needed to be prepared.
The people need to know their place, and if they

forget, they need to be put there by force. They are
to be dominated and controlled
Such acknowledgments do not come

from law enforcers in Turkey, of course,
nor do they come from those in Egypt,
Indonesia, or China. Regimes brutalising citizens is on the rise, in quantity
of instances of brutality as well as the
number of such regimes. Armoured
vehicles equipped with this weapon is
a regular part of their armouries.
India used them during the Delhi
rape protests, Bangladesh during the
pre-election violence. The people
need to know their place, and if they
The blithe ignorance of the underlying causes of the dissent oppressive

policies, financial ruin, and government failures was in keeping with
the worldwide trend of citizens being
treated as pawns of governments. The
Thatcher years give the Conservatives
a decorated history of using force to
put a leash on the populace rather
than reason and serve their interests.
The mayor is simply seeking to live up
to that legacy.
Video footage of water cannons
extinguishing people in Turkey was

accompanied by condemning commentary. Similar newsreels lit up televisions when they were used in Egypt,
India and Bangladesh. The incidents
were always far enough away to be
derided whilst remaining unaffected
and indifferent. The problem with
allowing brutality in the name of law
and order in far corners is that the
door is left open for it to come to ones
own shores.
Governments the world over seem
to live in fear of citizens exercising
their rights of freedom of speech and
expression. Perhaps it is time they
take notice of those they rule and
their concerns instead of employing
heavy-handed tactics to suppress
them forcefully.
The discontent of civilisation is
a sign of the times. Governments
cannot be trusted because they abuse
power, and they know that this belief
is justified. Heeding the malcontent
voices is the only way out of this
otherwise irreversible quagmire.
The trust will return with good
governance, but those in power are
not interested in such insignificant
matters. They believe it is much
easier to assert their authority than
to listen to the people. They are
revelling in their success in convincing
the populace of its victimhood. The
people should remember that no one
is ever a victim. l
Ikhtisad Ahmed is a writer and an erstwhile
lawyer. He can be contacted on Twitter via
@Ikhtisad.
t is a tale of two cities. Its a place

where gangs of casually-clad joggers
commandeer public space outside
Central Park to bend their legs into
abnormal positions, while fashion-forward celebrities lounge over restrictively-priced delicacies in the Trump
Tower restaurant across the street.
The prohibitiveness to living well in
New York is overlooked by its residents,
who pay an exorbitant cost to live in an
average manner. This is perhaps why
the citys authorities go to great lengths
to ensure that there are an endless
variety of free distractions of the highest quality. The result being that the
people complain less about the dirt and
the danger, and extol in ecstatic tones
the unparalleled greatness of the citys
offerings and opportunities.
There is no doubt that the city is
dangerous and dirty. To this day, there
are large parts of Manhattan what
many consider the greatest island
on Earth in which one cannot walk
with surety of ones safety. In even the
tourist-heavy areas, garbage is strewn
on the streets, upon which are placed
at regular intervals human beings of
exemplary degradation, left to rot both
physically and mentally.
To say that it is better now than it
was before is a denial of the great citys
responsibility to its disenfranchised. To
say that the griminess of the subway is
charming is to ignore the heady stench
of crime that remains a hallmark of the
city, which seems to spend a great deal
of effort enticing people to look up at
its pretty marvels rather than down at
its dirty truths.
To live in New York is to pay for the
privilege of being trodden upon. There
are very few cities you can pay as much
to live as poorly. There is, however,
nowhere else that you will be as happy
to do so.
That is because New York is a crucible for passion. Everyone you are likely
to meet is continually on-the-go, excited about life and its prospects. They
are all engaged in atypical endeavours
that could only exist in a place like New
York, where all things imagined come
to life.
New York is the fertile soil that
births dreams. It has never lost its New
World character, whose two essential
aphorisms are: Everything is possible, and only the strong survive.
Born a mishmash, a place without
culture or cultivation, New York was a
place where enterprising farmers came
to seek their fortunes, escaping an aristocratic Europe where they could never
fulfil their upwardly mobile aspirations.
In this democratising New World,
where everyone was worth only as
much as their merit proved, those farmers became industrial magnates within
Day against homophobia
n SM Shahrukh
It is a place for people

who, for one reason
or another, cannot
stomach being normal
But, that first aphorism everything

is possible is only valid in conjunction with the second: Only the strong
survive. It is true that New York offers
the opportunity to be anything, but the
price is high, and most do not survive
the fire of the forge. Even so, New
York can be that smouldering forge in
which every man hammers out his own
future, fashioned by his own hands,
without the restrictions of tradition or
establishment.
New Yorks staunchest foes, London and Moscow, represented to the
freedom-loving city the vestiges of old
shackles. The ideology of Moscow, a
city with a whiff of decrepitude in the
air, was a place where the restrictions of
established political structures would
forbid a man from gaining the resources
needed to forge his own destiny. The
social strictures of aristocratic London,
a city that is fascinated with the perpetual relevance of its own majesty, would
never allow a man to gain more respect
than his name allowed, no matter how
much wealth he accrued.
A place unburdened by history
or culture, New York remains, in the
popular imagination, a place where one
can be what one chooses. For those who
are consumed with the need to disrupt
norms that restrict their destinies, there
is no other place to actualise their visions.
It is a place for people who are not willing
to do what theyre told. It is a place for
people who, for one reason or another,
cannot stomach being normal. l
MN Miraly is an educator and film producer.
He holds a PhD from McGill University in
religion, ethics, and public policy, and is the
author of themiralyblog.wordpress.com.
BJP or RSS?
n Robert Gibson
a generation, proving that this was a

place where it was the strength of your
will that made you, not your name.
That idyllic history retains its grasp
on the minds of peopletoday, formulating for them the propelling thought:I
can make something of myself here.
And perhaps they can. But, the great
promise of New York is a fleck of light
something you cant grasp. The city is
the living metaphor of the consumerist
dream, populated by too many people
who believe that simply being in the
orbit of the great city will make their
dreams come true.
aturday, May 17, was the international day against homophobia,

which British missions around
the world have been supporting.
The UKs global policy is that
human rights are universal and
should apply equally to all people, as
enshrined in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights.Few in the world
would argue with that principle.
When we accept that, we must also
accept what it means in practice. This
is not something where it is possible to
pick and choose.
should have lesser freedom than

another?Universality means just that
for everyone, whether man or woman,
heterosexual or homosexual, European or Asian.
Many in Bangladesh have spoken
out about the importance of empowering women and girls.It is widely
accepted that this is something to be
encouraged, that equal rights and employment for women is not just good
for them but good for Bangladesh,
though there is much work to be done
before this can be taken for granted.To then draw a line and say that
some Bangladeshi men and women
How can we accept that any person should have

lesser freedom than another?Universality means
just that for everyone
Great steps have been taken worldwide towards empowering women,

promoting freedom of religion, and
banning discrimination based on the
colour of skin.The economic and social benefits have been huge.Yet some
people are uncomfortable applying
this to same-sex relations, and treat
this issue as an irrelevant diversion.
To do so undermines the principle
of the universality of human rights,
including equality for all.This is not
just of concern to people in the LGBT
community.It is a fundamental issue
affecting us all.
How can we accept that any person
do not deserve equal rights makes no

sense.
To render consenting same-sex relations illegal is incompatible with international human rights obligations,
including the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
168 countries are party to the
ICCPR, including 41 of the 53 Commonwealth members.As such they are
obliged under Article 17 to ensure their
laws do not render same-sex relations
illegal just as they are obliged under
the treaty to uphold other fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of
movement, religion, expression and
assembly, and freedom from torture,

slavery, arbitrary arrest, and forced
marriage.
The UK has long since abolished
laws against same-sex relations and
other discriminatory legislation, and
society as a whole has benefited,
realising the skills and talents of all its
citizens.This has helped its economy
and culture to flourish, as many people from Bangladesh see and appreciate when they visit.
According to the Office of the UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights,
76 countries still retain laws that discriminate against people on the basis
of their sexual orientation or gender
identity.In at least five countries,
the death penalty may be applied to
those found guilty of offences relating
to consensual same-sex relations.In
many countries, the LGBT community
continues to experience violence, hate
crimes, intolerance, violation, and
abuse of their human rights including
torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, restrictions on their freedom of
expression, association and peaceful
assembly, discrimination in employment, and restricted access to health
services and education.
The UK government will continue
to make the case for both acceptance
and integration of the LGBT community, and press all Commonwealth
states, including Bangladesh, to
recognise that the LGBT community
deserve the same protection as all
others and toensure all its citizens can
stand together as equals, protected by
the law, not criminalised by it. l
Robert Gibson is the British High
Commissioner to Dhaka.
y mind fills with premonition

when I hear prominent BJP
leader Uma Bharti make the
pronouncement that Muslims of India
have nothing to worry about, and will
prosper even further under the rule of
Modi. Why should the Muslims (and I
guess liberals too) need such assurances even before the BJP government
comes to power and Narendra Modi
ascends the throne of Delhi? Thisis
the same Uma Bharti who declared
a day earlier that India is primarily
a nation of Hindus, and Hindutva is
natural to them.
Modis allegiance is first
and foremost to the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). As a Sangh
man, is it possible for him to keep the
stalwarts of RSS under check? Does he
want to?
Singh and Amit Shah, are staunch RSS

members. Their rhetoric during the
campaign was very vitriolic indeed.
They declared in October 2013 that
Pakistan better not think they will
get away with their shenanigans once
Modi becomes PM. That is a clear red
flag for regional peace (the Pakistan
government never had any control
over ISI either).
Modi, on the other hand, has
created a very warm relationship
with China, making sure that India
will not have to deal with any border
skirmishes in Arunachal Pradesh.
However, his rhetoric directed at
Bangladesh is known to one and
all. Bangladesh will have to tread
very lightly and rather cleverly in
the changed political leadership of
India. Whether the politicians and
the foreign policy advisers have
enough acumen to come up with

the goods remains a big question. I
found the language of the PMs letter
of felicitation too placating. India
surrounds us on all sides, but we can
stand with our heads held high. India
needs Bangladesh for expansion of
trade in the so-called seven sister
provinces and as a country of over 160
million people, Bangladesh is a huge
market for Indias consumer goods.
One last point. Sushma Swaraj,
a BJP stalwart, has been very much
overlooked by Modi and his bandwagon. She was not very cozy with the RSS
and maintained a distance from the
Sangh till now. She was seen yesterday
visiting the headquarters of the RSS
and it is rumoured that she has had
fruitful talks with the gurus. l
SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.
Bangladesh is a huge
market for Indias
consumer goods
Modi has settled his differences with

LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi
with one to one meets; Advani is likely
to become the next speaker. Is he
already paying homage to the gurus of
the Sangh?
Two of Modis lieutenants, Rajnath
REUTERS
12
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
Je Kotha Jayna Bola highlights

female sexuality
n Shadma Malik
A bold theatre production Je Kotha
Jayna Bola portraying monologues
of women was premiered at EMK Center on May 18.. The performance was
based on the real life experiences of
women in rural and suburban areas,
and features women actors speaking
about aspects of their womanhood
such as romance, sexual abuse, sexual pleasure, female genital mutilation and more. Directed by Naila Azad
Nupur, the play is a production by
Naripokkho and supported by EMK
Center.
The play opens with six women
whose mouths are sealed with tape.
One by one, they remove the tape and
talk about their sexual experiences
from emotional, physical and societal
perspectives.
Writer Sadaf Saaz Siddiqis monologues are excerpts of fifty case studies of women from different corners
of Bangladesh.
With non-professional actors who
came from outside Dhaka, the monologues read authentically, expressing
the gamut of sexual desire, excitement,
anxiety, disappointment and reactions
to sexual abuse and harassment.
Konikas story begins when she
was twelve and got married to an unknown man. She explains her physical
contact with her husband and narrates
how much she hated the experience
which was full of violence and abuse.
The situation worsens after the birth
of her two children, ultimately leading to separation. Eventually, Konika
starts working in an NGO and there
she meets colleague Manik and love
blossoms. The actor narrates how
Konikas sexual life became complete
as Manik treated her with respect.
A heart-rending story presents a girl
of fourteen year old who got married to
her cousin and her husband forced her
to have sex with another man.
On the other hand, Mohuas father-in-law sexually assaulted her,

driving her to suicide.
Another anonymous girl was supported by her impotent husband to
have sex with his friend. She cherishes the support she got from her
husband, and also enjoys the physical intimacy with the other man.
The play ends with a story of
same-sex relations which challenge
social taboos.
The monologues break the silence
imposed on abusive relationships by
our society. Forced to cope with the
terrible situation alone, oppressed
by their men until their self-esteem
and confidence are shattered, they
begin to believe they deserve the torture. Each monologue describes the
deprivation of intimacy and end on a
note of fulfillment.
The performance will also
be staged on the other parts of
Bangladesh. l
Riaz-Nipun share
small-screen
n Entertainment Desk
Viewers can expect to Riaz and Nipun pair up for a
drama titled Superstar to be aired on NTV along
with the Eid specials. Written by Mezbaur Rahman
Sumon and directed by Ahnaf, actor Shorna will
also share the screen with both the actors.
Nipun said: This is the first time, I am working
with Riaz on the small screen. The story is good. He
plays a film director and I, as an actor.
Riaz has certainly been busy recently. His latest
venture featured him with Tisha , and now, the
drama Superstar. His upcoming ventures include
Bhalobasha Ek Phota Jol and Gangchiler
Thikaana alongside Rumana. In an interview with
Dhaka Tribune, Riaz said I want to return to the
small screen and close to my fans by getting back
to my roots. l
Piprabidya goes to 3 intl film festivals

SADIA MARIUM
Mega serial Mamar Hater

Moya starts today
A new mega serial titled Mamar Hater Moya will start airing
from today on ETV.
The mega serial is directed by Shimul Sarkar and written by
Fazlul Haque Akash.
Several renowned actors including ATM Shamsuzzaman,
Fazlur Rahman Babu, Kochi Khondokar, Marjuk Rassel, Dr.
Ezaz, Monira Mithu, Mukti, Simana and Ohona form the cast
of the comedy serial.
The director is hopeful about the serials attainment saying: The audience will find amusement sources in every act
of the drama. Till date 40 episodes of the serial are all set to
air while the filming continues for the rest of the episodes. l
Mostofa Sarwar Farookis new flick Piprabidya has been

selected for three international film festivals including
Shanghai International Film Festival, Dallas International
Film Festivals competition section and Melbourne International Film Festival.
The film debuted at the Melbourne International Film
Festival on May 11. The Shanghai International Film Festi-
val will run from June 14 to 22 while the Dallas International

Film Festival will open on the forthcoming September.
The film Piprabidya, an Impress Telefilm Limited production, is about unemployed young people who live in
Dhaka, which they think of as a big pie and become desperate to have their share.
Farookis fifth feature film starring Noor Imran Mithu,
Sabbir Ahmed and Indian actress Shina Chouhan in the leading roles is set to release in August/September in home. l
Dog, Woman, Man- an urban love story

n Punny Kabir
Adapted and Directed by Reetu Sattar,

Dog, Woman, Man by German playwright
Sibylle Berg premiere this evening at the
Goethe-Institut.
While Goethes Faust or plays by
Bertolt Brecht are regularly staged in Bangladesh, contemporary German theatre
remains relatively unknown. On the invitation of Goethe-Institut, I was bestowed
with the responsibility to adapt and direct
the play, said Reetu Sattar.
Dog, Woman, Man captures an unorthodox view of a relationship between two
people through a dogs perspective. It describes the strange behaviour of the woman and the man who literally cling together
even though they can scarcely stand one
another. When they meet for the first time
the dog runs up to them and from then on
stays because it has nothing to lose and it
seeks shelter in a warm apartment. After a
brief period of devoting loving attention to
one another, love becomes a claim to possession, closeness is replaced by suspicion
and alienation. The dog stays with them till
they split up.
The three characters are played by Samina Lutfa Mitra, Shahadat Hussain and
Shahriar Ferdous.
TODAY IN DHAKA
Theatre
Dog, Woman, Man

Time: 7pm 9pm
Goethe Institut Bangladesh, Road
9(new), House 10, Dhanmondi
Ja Nei Bharote
Time: 7:00pm 8:30pm
Experimental Theatre, Shilpakala
Academy, Shegun Bagicha
Exhibition
National Sculpture Exhibition

Time: 11am-7pm
National Art Gallery, Shilpakala Academy, Shegun Bagicha
Exhibition featuring Rabindranath
Tagore
Time: 11am-7pm
National Art Gallery, BSA
Explaining the dynamics of the play,

Reetu said: The most interesting feature I
found in this play is its authenticity in portraying a pure urban story. I grew up in a
city and I could relate to all the aspects of
the story. In our local productions, we hardly find true urban stories. And it is the most
challenging part. This is the third directorial venture from Reetu, also a renowned
theatre actor. l
Mukh O Mukhosh 5
Time: 11am 8pm
Galleri Kaya, House no. 20, Road no.
16, Sector no. 4, Uttara
Trailing the Root: One Step Ahead
Dhaka Art Center
Dhanmondi
MJs hologram performs at Billboard Music Awards
Aishwarya and Freida Pinto bond in Cannes
The late Michael Jackson has made a

stunning but not-so-surprising "appearance" at the Billboard Music
Awards in Las Vegas on Monday as a
hologram, while two Australian acts
also performed at the event, one of
music's big showcases. Fans were
stunned at how realistically the King
of Pop's legacy lives on at the event.
The cat was let out of the bag last
week about Jackson's holographic im-
age, after two companies which own

patents to the technology used to digitally resurrect the image of late rapper
Tupac Shakur in 2012 at the Coachella
music festival attempted to take out
an injunction in the United States to
stop the awards. They failed after lawyers for Jackson's estate and the producers of the awards argued doing so
would cause them irreparable harm.
Jackson's hologram was used as the
centerpiece to a spectacular but rather creepy performance of the single
Slave to the Rhythm which included the late singer's trademark moonwalking dance moves. The song was
released by Sony Music recently as
part of the posthumous Jackson album Xscape, which was based on
music made by Jackson but not released during his lifetime.
The Billboard Music Awards had
been teasing a Michael Jackson tribute
when news of the lawsuit broke; the
case wasn't enough to nix the hologram, apparently. l
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who was supposed to grace

Cannes' red carpet on 16th May, has turned up the suspense level further by arriving on 20th May. But the
most gorgeous diva of Bollywood showed a glimpse
of herself; courtesy for her brand L'Oreal.
The international cosmetic brand had held a photocall for its ambassadors; including Freida Pinto, Eva
Longoria and Natasha Poly, aside from Aishwarya.
Aishwarya, along with other ladies, looked stunning in white. While Freida, Eva and Natasha looked
feminine in flowing dress, Aishwarya looked elegantly sophisticated in formal suit.
Aishwarya and Freida were both overheard discussing the unexpected delay in Aishwaryas arrival at
Cannes which resulted in her missing her first red carpet. Freida mentioned she was really happy to have
gotten a chance to finally do a shoot with Aishwarya
and couldnt wait to see her LOr Lumire inspired red
carpet look.
Both the ladies had quite the afternoon bonding
over L'Oral Paris and the Festival de Cannes. Freida Pinto will be seen attending the event on 17 and
18May, while Aishwarya will walk the red carpet on
20 and 21 May.
It is said that the Guzaarish beauty had good girly
bonding time with the three divas; especially with the
Slumdog Millionaire actress. l
Did you know?

Of managers to have
taken charge of 50+
Champions League
games, Louis van Gaal
has the highest win
percentage (62%)
Sport
14 Van Gaal named
Manchester
United coach
14 Giggs retires,
joins as United
assistant
DHAKA TRIBUNE
13
15 Dhaka Tribune
holds ICC World

T20 draw
BCB finally selects

Hathurusingha
n Mazhar Uddin
Speculations and rumours surrounding
the name of the Bangladesh national cricket head coach finally came to
rest as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)
president Nazmul Hasan confirmed
former Sri Lankan cricketer Chandika
Hathurusingha of the position for the
next two years.
A local Bengali newspaper, before
the BCB and the coach came to an
agreement, had earlier broke the news
of Hathurusingha joining the Tigers
which saw both the Sri Lankan and the
board react furiously. However, the
matter was relaxed once the Sydney
Thunder issued a press release yesterday afternoon saying Hathurusingha
has been released from his duties with
the club as he will be joining as the
head coach of Bangladesh cricket team.
The 45-year old, who has been working as Sydney Thunders head coach in
Australia, is expected to take charge of
the Tigers before the India series in early June. Meanwhile, the BCB chief also
announced the name of another Sri
Lankan Mario Villarayan who will replace David Dwyer as the team trainer
for the same period.
The two-year agreement has been
finalised with Chandika Hathurusingha.
The agreement is from July 1 this year,
Sadis 3rd death

anniversary today
n Raihan Mahmood
Today is the
third death anniversary of former Bangladesh
Football
Federation General Secretary Al
Musabbir Sadi.
A senior member of Bangladesh Sports
Journalists Association, Sadi passed
away three years ago at Square Hospital
in Dhaka after losing the battle against
stomach cancer for months. He was 44.
Al Musabbir, popularly known as Pamel, worked with different newspapers
including The Daily Star and The Independent. He was the first appointed
general secretary of Bangladesh Football Federation. He also authored books
on Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
BFF has arranged a prayer program at its
premises at 5:30 pm today to mark Sadis death anniversary. l
but since we are playing against India

next month, we are hoping of his arrival
by June 10, said Nazmul at his Beximco
office in Dhanmondi yesterday.
BCB had few options to choose
from, but Nazmul pointed the extra
edge that they expect from the High
Profile coach.
We had a few alternatives apart
from Hathurusingha. First reason to
choose him is due to his knowledge of
sub-continental conditions. Plus, he
has worked in Australia and with the
World Cup coming up, this is a good
combination for us. Hathurusingha is
among high-profile coaches, as far as I
am concerned, he said before adding
that the national camp will begin from
May 25 under the guidance of a local
coach.
Apart from securing the head coach,
Nazmul informed they are also looking for specialist bowling and fielding
coaches though he did not name anyone regarding the positions.
We are trying to (get the specialist
coaches), but I dont think we will get
everyone before the India series. We
are communicating with them, because
not all of them are full-time coaches, so
we are trying to work out a time slot.
We havent gone too far in this regard,
so we dont want to talk much about it,
said Nazmul. l
A man prepares to kick the ball during a football game held in the Tavares Bastos slum in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday
Selectors, players positive

on new coach
n
Minhaz Uddin Khan
National team chief selector Faruk

Ahmed believes Bangladesh national
cricket team will achieve new heights
under the guidance of the newly appointed coach Chndika Hathurusingha.
Hathurusingha, being a Sri Lankan, will
also work as an added advantage deems
Faruk as the cultural difference between
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka isnt vast.
Firstly, I would like to thank the
board for appointing a head coach
within such a short notice. As far as
I know, he (Hathurusingha) is a high
profile coach. I will not comment on his
coaching right away but I believe he has
done a pretty good job in the past. He,
with his skills, has worked in Australia.
So there is no question about his ability, said Faruk to the media yesterday.
Faruk said that the cultural difference of other coaches had, on occa-
sions, been an issue but believes it

wont be the same with Hathurusingha.
It is not possible for him

to teach us from the
basics. So we (players)
will have to act
responsibly and learn
the most from him
He belongs to the subcontinent and
has played a lot of cricket here. So there
should not be much trouble with him
adapting to the eating habit and other
things in Bangladesh. I believe he will be
able to understand our cricketers really
quick. The board has appointed him for
next two years and I hope he will prove
himself with his work, said Faruk.
Meanwhile, member of the national

selection panel Minhajul Abedin, who
played with Hathurusingha for Mohammedan Sporting Club in Dhaka,
also echoed Faruks sentiment. Minhajul said that he hadnt witnessed Hathurusingha as a coach but expressed
no doubt about his ability as a cricketer.
He was the coach of Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League and also an
assistant coach of New South Wales.
So this should help Bangladesh team
in the World Cup in Australia in 2015,
said the former national cricketer.
On the other hand, national team
opener Shamsur Rahman thinks it will
be the players job to learn as many
techniques as possible and not wait for
the new coach to teach.
It is not possible for him to teach
us from the basics. So we (players) will
have to act responsibly and learn the
most from him, said Shamsur. l
REUTERS
Feni held by Baridhara

n Raihan Mahmood
A spirited Uttar Baridhara Club held Soccer Club

Feni 1-1 in their Nitol Tata
Bangladesh Premier Football League 2nd phase
encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium
yesterday. Uttar Baridhara, who trounced
Sheikh Russel 2-1 in their previous match,
showed their character to force the draw
after trailing 1-0 in the opening half.
Soccer Club kicked off in an attacking mood and almost took the lead in
the 2nd minute as Nigerian forward
Chuka Charles header on Gambian forward Landing Darboes a free-kick just
went over the crosspiece.
However, Akbar Hossain Ridon put
Soccer Club ahead in the 6th minute after the unmarked forward placed home
from close range receiving a square
pass from the right by Gambian forward Kabba Jobe.
Baridhara came close in the 13th
minute but defender Khalekur Jamens

strike hit the side post to deny the
equaliser. The side post came to
Baridharas rescue too as it helped
them to hang on to the score line after
Landing Darboes fierce grounder was
kept away in the 42nd minute.
The Feni side resumed with same
rhythm in the second-half, and poor
finishing from Charles, who shot over
the crosspiece in a one-on-one situation with Baridhara goalkeeper Osman
Goni in the 47th minute, once again denied them of doubling the lead.
The squandered chances proved
costly in the last quarter of the game for
Feni, for they conceded in the 76th minute. The equaliser came from Baridharas Kenyan forward Collins Tiego who
slammed home a powerful grounder after the initial strike from forward Sujon
Biswas was deflected to him.
Feni Soccer Club now has 10 points
from 15 matches while Uttar Baridhara
has a point more having also played a
match more. l
Brazil fights sex tourism, child

prostitution ahead of WC
n AFP, Natal
Jahurul Islam City Cricket Club players pose for a photograph after completing their registration formalities of the 6th Womens Club Cup
cricket tournament at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday. The tournament begins from May 25
COURTESY
BFF condemns
DSCC act
Bangladesh Football Federation condemned the act of demolition at Lt.
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by Dhaka South City Corporation yesterday.
Signed by vice president Badal Roy,
the statement said Sheikh Jamal DC in
the recent times has achieved notable
successes in football that included the
BPL title, the title of the Federation Cup
and finishing runners-up in the IFA Shield
Kolkata. The club field has been declared
open to the public by the city corporation,
but destroying parts of the club tent is not
acceptable and harmful for football and
BFF strongly condemns the act. l
As night falls, Adriana de Morais patrols the clubs and bars of Natal, one of
Brazils World Cup host cities, looking
for underage prostitutes and trying to
get them off the streets.
As she and her team weave between
revellers in this tropical city known for
its nightlife, their black polo shirts, emblazoned with the emblem of the local
child protection unit, stand out amid
the tight mini-skirts and colorful clothing of the crowds. An estimated 600,000
foreigners are about to descend on Bra-
zil for the World Cup, which opens June

12, and the authorities worry the influx
will bring an increase in sex tourism
and child prostitution.
Leftist President Dilma Rousseff s
government has launched a campaign
over the past few years against domestic violence, the sexual exploitation of
minors and human trafficking -- recently the main theme of a popular TV soap
opera, Salve Jorge.
The country has a code of conduct for
taxi drivers and hotel receptionists, a bid
to crack down on child prostitution in
the places where it is most visible. l
n Raihan Mahmood
Battles take shine off the beautiful game

n AFP, Los Angeles
Football may be the beautiful game but the
dark side of the sport has reared its head all
too often at the World Cup.
Four years ago in South Africa, Spain
earned legions of admirers as their attractive
passing style helped them to a maiden World
Cup triumph.
But the Spanish victory was so nearly derailed by a bitterly contested final which saw
the Netherlands try to disrupt their opponents with an overtly physical approach.
Nigel De Jong was lucky to stay on the
pitch after planting his studs in Xabi Alonsos
chest with a wild tackle, while Johnny Heitinga joined the elite band of players to have
been sent off in a World Cup final for two yellow cards.
In all, the final produced some 47 fouls
and 14 yellow cards, more than any other
game in the 2010 tournament.
Yet in many ways, the 2010 final was tame
compared to some of the more notorious episodes in the World Cups wilder early history.
Since Placido Galindo was sent off for
Peru at the 1930 World Cup -- the first player in tournament history to be dismissed -- a
total of 159 players have been given their
marching orders. It was not until 1938 how-
ever that a World Cup match earned the dubious distinction of being branded a battle,
when Brazil and Czechoslovakia collided in a
stormy quarter-final in Bordeaux.
A bruising encounter ended with three
players sent off, while Czechoslovakias forward Oldrich Nejedly suffered a broken leg
and goalkeeper Frantisek Planicka was left
with a broken arm.
Brazil were at the center of another notorious brawl in Switzerland in 1954, when
their quarter-final against Hungary became
immortalized as the Battle of Berne.
The result, a 4-2 victory for Hungary,
has become a footnote of a match which is
a strong contender for the dirtiest game in

World Cup history. The match was marred by
three sendings off and several mass brawls,
and was interrupted by several invasions
from Brazilian officials and media.
This was a battle; a brutal, savage match,
recalled Hungarys coach Gustav Sebes, who
himself ended up with four stitches in a facial
wound after being struck by a broken bottle
in a post-match brawl.
The violence was taken to a new level
at the Battle of Santiago eight years later in
Chile, when Italy and the host nation met in a
foul-tempered group match.
The first foul occurred within 12 seconds,
and Italys Giorgio Ferrini was dismissed after

only 12 minutes, needing to be dragged from
the field by police after protesting vainly to
English referee Ken Aston.
Another Italian, Mario David, was sent
off for kicking Chiles Leonel Sanchez in the
head. Sanchez was lucky to escape censure
after breaking Humberto Maschios nose
with a punch. Police intervened repeatedly
as the two teams continuously clashed.
While isolated incidents of violence have
pepppered World Cups since -- most notably German goalkeeper Toni Schumachers
flying challenge on Frances Patrick Battiston
in 1982, and Zinedine Zidanes headbutt on
Marco Materazzi in 2006 -- there have been

few games to rival the wildness of the matches in Berne and Santiago.
One exception is 2006s Battle of
Nuremberg between Portugal and the
Netherlands. Russian referee Valentine Ivanov issued four red cards and 16 yellows, a
World Cup record, and Portugal were fortunate not to lose captain Luis Figo too.
Figo should have been sent off for a retaliatory headbutt after being elbowed by
Khalid Boulahrouz.
Jesus Christ may be able to turn the other cheek but Luis Figo isnt Jesus Christ, Portugals then coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. l
14
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Injured Falcao still unsure of WC bid

Star Colombian striker Radamel Falcao admitted Sunday that he still doesnt
know if he will recover from his long-standing knee injury in time to play at the
World Cup. The Monaco player suffered serious knee ligament damage in a French
Cup tie on January 22 and has not played since. Despite his four-month absence, he
was named in Colombias 30-man squad for the June 12-July 13 World Cup in Brazil
with June 2 set as the deadline day for the final list of 23 players to be decided. I
dont know yet if I will be ready, Falcao told Canal+. A decision will be taken in a few
days, depending on my physical condition. I am doing a lot better.
AFP
Van Gaal named

United coach
n
Reuters, London
Dutchman Louis van Gaal was named

as Manchester Uniteds new manager,
with Ryan Giggs as his assistant, as the
Premier League club issued a statement confirming the worst-kept secret
in the game on Monday.
Former Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona
and Bayern Munich coach Van Gaal,
who will lead Netherlands at the World
Cup next month, has agreed a threeyear contract, United said.
Giggs, the clubs record appearance
maker, took charge of Uniteds final
four Premier League of the season following the sacking of David Moyes.
Van Gaal, 62 has won domestic titles
and domestic cups in three countries,
as well as the Champions League with
Ajax and the UEFA Cup.
In Louis van Gaal, we have secured
the services of one of the outstanding
managers in the game today, United
executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward
said in the statement.
He has achieved many things in
his career to date and Old Trafford provides him with a fitting stage on which
to write new chapters in the Manchester United story. Everyone is very excited about this new phase in the clubs
history. His track record of success in
winning leagues and cups across Europe throughout his career makes him
the perfect choice for us.
Im delighted that Louis has cho-
sen Ryan as his assistant. Ryans association with the club spans over two
decades and his knowledge and stature
will be of great use to Louis.
In addition, this is a fantastic opportunity for Ryan to learn his trade
alongside a world class manager whose
attacking instincts and belief in youth
are tailor-made for Manchester United.
Van Gaal, a disciplinarian who has
won domestic titles and cups with Ajax,
Barcelona and Bayern Munich as well as
the Champions League, will become the
first manager from outside the British
Isles to take charge of United.
In a statement he said he was looking forward to taking charge of the
biggest club in the world.
It was always a wish for me to work
in the Premier League, van Gaal explained.
To work as a manager for Manchester United, the biggest club in the
world, makes me very proud. l
Sport
Pele pens song for Brazil World Cup

Football legend Pele has written a song to cheer on his native Brazil in the
World Cup as it prepares to host the June 12-July 13 tournament. Its given
me so much happiness, its made me cry, football is in our nations veins, goes
the opening verse, which Pele sang to journalists from newspaper Folha de Sao
Paulo. The three-time World Cup winner said there needed to be a Brazilian
song after the release of the official tournament song by Pitbull and Jennifer
Lopez and another Cup theme song by Ricky Martin. I heard the one by Ricky
Martin but I didnt like it, he said.
AFP
Ryan Giggs announced Monday he was

retiring from his career as a player following his appointment as assistant
manager to newly-installed Manchester
United boss Louis van Gaal.
The 40-year-old one-club man revealed his decision in an open letter to
supporters published on Uniteds website.
His statement signalled the end of
the career of English footballs most decorated player with Giggs, the winner of
34 major trophies, bringing down the
curtain on a 23-year career featuring a
United record 963 appearances.
Today is a fantastic day for Manchester United, Giggs, caretaker manager for
the final four games of the season after
the club sacked David Moyes, wrote.
Louis van Gaal is a great appointment and let me begin by telling you how
delighted I am to be working with someone of his calibre. His credentials are

second to none and Im positive the club
will thrive under his leadership over the
coming years. Giggs, who thanked Uniteds backroom staff and his family for all
their support since he made his United
debut as a 17-year-old in 1990, said his
prevailing mood was one of optimism.
For me, today is a new chapter filled
with many emotions -- immense pride,
sadness, but most of all, excitement towards the future, the former Wales international explained.
United fans I hope will share and
echo my belief that the club, the management and owners, are doing everything they can to return this great club to
where it belongs, and I hope to be there
every step of the way.
To the greatest fans in world football, thank you, I have loved every min-
Goalline technology moved back into

the spotlight in Germany after a controversial decision in the German Cup
final between Bayern Munich and
Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, less
than two months after its introduction
was rejected by the league.
Dortmund were confident they
had scored against champions Bayern
when Mats Hummels headed onto goal
in the 64th minute and defender Dante
cleared the ball near the line with the
score at 0-0.
Television replays showed both Dantes leg and the ball, even further behind
in goal, were clearly over the line.
Instead it was Bayern who struck
twice in extra-time to lift the trophy
and complete the domestic double.
The incident was the second major
argument in favour of goalline technology this season with Bayer Leverkusens Stefan Kiessling being awarded a
goal against Hoffenheim earlier in the
season despite the ball landing in goal
through a hole in the sidenetting.
Yet it was only as recently as March
24 that the 36 clubs from the first and
second division rejected the introduction of the technology with half of the
top-flight clubs voting in favour and
only three of 18 second division teams
backing the idea.
A two-thirds majority was necessary
with many clubs against it because of
the technologys cost. Rauball himself
had said in March the issue was now
off the table. l
QUALITY SIGNINGS
Luring top names to a club missing out on Champions League football is not an easy
task but Van Gaal will quickly have to identify his transfer targets and splash out
a considerable amount of money to sign them. With United set to lose 30 million
pounds ($50.4 million) in revenues after failing to qualify for the Champions League
or even the second-tier Europa League, there is no room for flops such as Marouane
Fellaini, who joined last year from Moyess former club Everton.
Second-choice goalkeeper Steve Mandanda has been ruled out of

the World Cup after cracking a vertebra in his neck playing for Olympique
Marseille on Saturday. Mandanda was hit in the face by Mustapha Yatabares
knee during OMs 1-0 win against En Avant Guingamp in their final Ligue 1 fixture.
OM doctor Christophe Baudot told the clubs website (www.om.net) on Sunday:
Steve Mandanda is suffering from a crack in his first cervical vertebra and from
a cervical sprain. It will require wearing a neck brace for three weeks and the
same amount of time in physiotherapy.
Reuters
ute of playing for you and representing

the biggest and best club in the world.
Giggs was one of the most celebrated
players to emerge from the Old Trafford
Class of 92 that won the FA Youth Cup.
United executive vice-chairman Ed
Woodward was in no doubt about the
wingers place in football history, saying:
Ryan Giggs has been one of the greatest
players ever to wear the red shirt of Manchester United.
What he has achieved will never be
equalled in the English game.
In the way he played, he was the embodiment of a Manchester United player
fast, skilful, entertaining and determined to win by playing exciting football.
He is at the start of an exciting new
chapter in his and the clubs life but now
is the right moment to reflect on the
achievements of the finest British player
of the last 25 years. l
Atletico Madrids Gabi celebrates winning the Spanish first division title by putting a scarf around the neck of a sculpture representing
Neptuno, in Madrid on Sunday. A 1-1 draw against Barcelona on the last match gave Atletico its first La Liga title in 18 years
AP
Hamburg avoid
relegation
n AFP, Berlin
Hamburg avoided being relegated from
the top flight of the German Bundesliga
for the first time in their history after
winning a play-off against Greuther
Fuerth on away goals on Sunday.
The first leg on Thursday between
Hamburg who finished third bottom
in the top flight and the second tiers
third-placed side Fuerth was a goalless
draw, and Sundays return at the Trolli
Arena ended 1-1.
Pierre-Michel Lasogga crucially
gave Mirko Slomkas side a 14th-minute lead in Bavaria, before Stephan
Fuerstner equalised for Fuerth just before the hour.
However, the home side could not
find a winner and Hamburg hung on to
survive as a top-flight side.l
10 THINGS ON VAN GAALS TO-DO LIST
WIN THE DRESSING ROOM

Unreserved faith and support from Uniteds senior players will be imperative for Van
Gaal to work in the right kind of atmosphere at Old Trafford, something his predecessor David Moyes apparently lacked. It will also help if he sees things eye-to-eye
with his assistant Ryan Giggs, who should play a crucial role in bonding the dressing
room with the iron-fisted Dutchman.
Mandanda ruled out with injury
Goalline technology
back in focus after
German Cup final
n Reuters, Berlin
Giggs retires, joins as United assistant

n AFP, London
DECIDE WHERE TO USE WAYNE ROONEY

Having secured Rooneys long-term future at the club, United will hope that the
27-year old will fire on all cylinders next season as the club aims to climb back into
the Premier Leagues top four. Van Gaal will need to decide whether to use him as a
number 10 or an out and out striker, as Rooney can operate effectively in both positions. But if he is used consistently in a single position instead of being moved across
the front line, Rooney could deliver under Van Gaal.
MOVE OUT OF FERGUSONS SHADOW
Uniteds most decorated manager made it no secret he wanted Ryan Giggs to succeed Moyes after his temporary four-match stint as interim manager but the board
went for Van Gaal and his impressive track record. While Moyes was always going to
be in Fergusons shadow, not only for the fact that the fellow Glaswegian watched
his plight from the directors box, a man of Van Gaals ego and principles will accept
nothing less than being his own man in every way possible.
SORT OUT THE DEFENCE

Uniteds back four looked very fragile under Moyes, with ageing stalwarts Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic struggling to perform to their former capability. With the
latter off to Inter Milan and the former also on his way out of Old Trafford, Van Gaal
may be forced to turn to Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans, none of whom
has convinced at the heart of the backline. In all probability, the coachs first priority
in the transfer market will be to find a top central defender.
HANDLE THE MEDIA

Being a United manager can be one of the most unforgiving jobs in football as Moyes
found out and his plight was partly rooted in a seemingly uncomfortable relationship
with the media. Much like Ferguson, Van Gaal has the uncanny ability to dominate
the press room and when the going gets tough for him at Old Trafford, he will need
this acquired skill to stand firm in the line of fire.
MIDFIELD
Juan Mata will certainly add bite up front in an attacking midfield role but United are
still craving for a playmaker who acts as a link between defence and the forwards.
While Michael Carrick has done a decent job as a holding midfielder protecting the
back four, his limited mobility and lack of thrust was always a glaring chink in Uniteds engine room after Paul Scholes stopped pulling the strings. Signing a top name
in this department will be another challenge for Van Gaal, who will also have to make
the best use of Mata and Shinji Kagawa.
BE HONEST WITH THE SUPPORTERS

The United faithful were determined to back Moyes and answer Fergusons appeal
in his farewell speech to do your job and support the new manager. However, they
became increasingly disillusioned not just by the poor performances and results but also
Moyess refusal to admit the shortcomings of his team. He frequently said in post-match
interviews after defeats that he thought his side had played well and had simply been
unlucky. But the fans were not fooled and Van Gaal must be more honest in assessing the
teams failings and convince the supporters quickly that he knows how to rectify them.
REVERT TO ATTACKING FOOTBALL

Van Gaals philosophy is a perfect match with Uniteds long-standing strategy of
always taking the game to the opposition, even if it sometimes meant risky attacking. This trait was lost in big games under Moyes, notably in the Champions League
quarter-final against Bayern Munich and clashes with top Premier League rivals
Manchester City and Liverpool. United looked completely at sea in a cagey formation and reports that the players never came to terms with it fuelled Moyess abrupt
departure after only 10 months in charge.
BE YOUR OWN MAN

Moyes seemed constantly torn between respecting the attacking traditions of United as a club and his own more conservative and pragmatic style which had served
him well at Everton. He admitted he was reluctant to take off a clearly struggling
Robin van Persie as United tried to overturn a 1-0 deficit at Old Trafford against
Newcastle because off what the supporters would think. Ferguson made many
unpopular decisions during his reign and was usually proved right in the long-term.
Van Gaal must do the same.
Osasuna, Valladolid relegated

in disrupted finale
n Reuters, Madrid
Osasuna and Real Valladolid will join

already-relegated Real Betis in the
Spanish second division next season
after a nail-biting final day of action in
La Liga on Sunday was disrupted when
a barrier collapsed at Osasuna.
RESULTS
Real Sociedad
Vela 90+3
Valladolid
Rayo Vallecano
Trashorras 67
Osasuna
Riera 12, Acuna 15
1 2
Villarreal
Dos Santos 26, Uche 69
0 1
1 2
2 1
Granada
Mitrovic 43-og
Getafe
Marica 42, 90+2
Real Betis
Chica 70
The match in Pamplona was halted

for around 30 minutes when the barrier tumbled to the ground following
Osasunas 12th-minute opening goal
against Betis and fans spilled on to the
pitch.
Around 60 fans were treated on site
for minor complaints and 10 were taken to hospital but none suffered serious
injury, according to the local Red Cross.
The Spanish professional league
(LFP) decided there would be extended halftime breaks in the other three
games involving relegation-threatened
sides to allow the Osasuna-Betis match
to catch up.
The game ended 2-1 to Osasuna but
they were condemned by results elsewhere and relegated after 14 seasons in
the top flight. l
Parma beat Torino, Milan

to last Europa spot
n AFP, Milan
A double from Amauri
helped Parma to a 2-0 win
over relegated Livorno
which ended Milans hopes
of sealing a sixth place finish in Italys Serie A and a
place in next seasons Europa League.
Parmas 15th win of the campaign
mean they finish one point ahead of
Torino, in seventh, with Milan in eighth
also on 57 points despite a 2-1 win at
home to Sassuolo.
It means Milan, after 16 successive
campaigns in Europe, will have to do
with domestic competition only next
season. Torino, Parma, AC Milan and
Verona had been battling for sixth spot
and a place in the Europa League.
Sixth place was good enough to qualify for Europe because Italian Cup winners Napoli had qualified for the Champions League and Fiorentina, the beaten
finalists, were already guaranteed a Europa League place themselves. Torino
and Verona arguably had the toughest
tasks away to Fiorentina and Napoli respectively.
Torino, however, took the game to
Fiorentina and only narrowly missed
out on the win that would have secured
their return to European competition
when Alessio Cerci missed a spot-kick
in injury time. Verona suffered a 5-1 rout
at Napoli, for whom Duvan Zapata and
Dries Mertens scored a brace.
To qualify for Europe, Milan needed to beat Sassuolo, Torino to lose at

Fiorentina and for Parma to draw or lose
away to Napoli. But despite a 2-1 win at
the San Siro, a late double from Amauri
for Parma sealed the Rossoneris fate.
Milans failure to reach Europe,
meanwhile, could spell the end for
coach Clarence Seedorf, who was parachuted in to save the ailing giants in
January following the sacking of Massimiliano Allegri. l
RESULTS
Catania
Lodi 65,
Bergessio 90+1-pen
Genoa
Fetfatzidis 83
Juventus
2 1
Atalanta
1 0
Roma
3 0
Cagliari
Kone 80
Silvestri 8-og,
Llorente 15, Marchisio 40
Chievo
Obinna 73, 90
Fiorentina
2 1
2 2
Torino
1 0
Bologna
Rossi 57-pen, Rebic 79
Lazio
Rodrigo 90+4-pen
Milan
Larrondo 67, Kurtic 84
2 1
Muntari 2, De Jong 27
Napoli
Callejon 5, Zapata 13,
25, Mertens 62, 77
Parma
Amauri 62, 80
Inter
Andreolli 41
5 1
2 0
Sassuolo
Zaza 90-pen
Verona
Iturbe 66
Livorno
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
The distinguished guests - Faruque

Ahmed and Habibul Basahr inspect a
coupon, Jalal Yunus draws a coupon,
Shamsur Rahman Shuvo and Marshall
Ayub follow the suit in the WaltonDhaka Tribune ICC World T20 quiz
draw ceremony yesterday
MUMIT M
QUICK BYTES
River Plate clinch

35th title
Buenos Aires giants River Plate returned
to their glory days on Sunday as they
won their 35th Argentine title, just
two years after being relegated to the
second division in 2011-12. The historical
capital club clinched their first top flight
title since 2008, as coach Ramon Diaz
masterminded a final day 5-0 win over
Quilmes, which kept them above bitter
rivals Boca Juniors and Estudiantes La
Plata at the top of the table. Former Bordeaux striker Fernando Cavenaghi struck
twice in the win at their Monumental
Stadium as the club from the north of the
city sent their fans into raptures. The
supporters as much as us needed this,
said an escatic Diaz who remains the
clubs most successful coach and is also a
former championship winning player.
AFP
Injured Azarenka out

of French Open
Former world number one Victoria
Azarenka pulled out of the French Open
on Monday as she struggles to recover
from a foot injury. Unfortunately I will
not be able to compete in Roland Garros
this year, the two-time Australian Open
champion, 24, wrote on her Twitter
page. Working hard on my recovery
and getting back on court, the world
number five added. The 24-year-old
Belarus star, who normally would be a
main rival to favourite Serena Williams,
has not played since a second round
loss to Lauren Davis at Indian Wells in
the first week of March. She missed the
Madrid and Rome claycourt events in
May, both crucial warm-up tournaments
ahead of the French Open, the second
Grand Slam of the season, which starts
on May 25 and runs until June 8.
AFP
Skipper McCullum Dhaka Tribune holds ICC World T20 draw

n
not corrupt: NZ
n
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said Monday that Blacks Caps captain Brendon
McCullum was not under investigation
for corruption after reports surfaced
that he was approached to fix matches
in 2008.
NZC said it was dismayed that McCullums testimony to the International
Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption
unit had been leaked to the British media, saying the big-hitting Kiwi skipper
was committed to cleaning up the game.
We can confirm that Brendon is
NOT under investigation by the ICC
and his testimony has actually been applauded by them, it said in a statement.
NZC has 100 percent confidence in
our captain and his role in tackling corruption.
Britains Daily Mail reported online
Monday that McCullum told investigators he was approached by a world
renowned former cricketer twice in
2008, first in Kolkata ahead of the inaugural Indian Premier League, then
during New Zealands tour of England
later that year.
McCullum reportedly said the former
star, player X, whom he described as a
hero who became a friend, offered him
up to 107,000 pounds ($180,000) to un-
DAYS WATCH
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7:00AM
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11:00PM
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England v Sri Lanka
mark and I hope it continues to grow as

a responsible newspaper, said Humayun Kabir.
The winners of the draw will be contacted from Dhaka Tribune duly. The
prizes will be handed over to them in
another program at the Dhaka Tribune
office. The date of the program will also
be conveyed to the winners from Tribune office. However, the winners can
also contact the Dhaka Tribune office
during the office hours on the working
days. l
PRIZE WINNERS
First Round
First Prize Refrigerator
2nd Prize Color TV-21
3rd PrizeMicro Oven
4th Prize DVD Player
5th Prize Rice Cooker
5th PrizeRice Cooker
Tabassum
Md Sagor
Md Monirul Hasan
Moon
Md Iqbal Hossain
Md Tariqul Islam
Hahab
Roma
Farhana Borna
Asif
Demra,Dhaka
Banani Chairmanbari, Dhaka
Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.
Pallabi,Mirpur,Dhaka.
Sibchor,Madaripur.
Farmgate, Dhaka.
Pagla
Nayamati
Hatirpul, Dhaka
Dhaka
2nd Round
First Prize 32 LED TV
2nd Prize Refrigerator
3rd Prize Color TV-21
Md Jasim Uddin
Md Faysal Hossain
Abdul Jabbar
Akhter
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Keya
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Rampura, Dhaka
Moulvibazar
Mirpur-12
Karanigonj Bazar
Pagla
Nayamati
Colonel Hat, CTG
Little Witch Veron hangs

up broomstick again
n
Scott topples Tiger

Woods as world No 1
Adam Scott officially replaced Tiger
Woods as world number one golfer
Monday, ending the Americans 60
week reign on the top of the rankings.
Scott, 33, is the first Australian to be
world number one since his boyhood
hero Greg Norman, who spent 331
weeks in the position in the 1980s and
90s. The 2013 Masters champion was
inactive last week, but was already
assured of taking top spot with Woods
sidelined with a long-standing back
problem. Playing in the Byron Nelson
Championship, American Matt Kuchar
could also have moved ahead of
Woods, but tied for seventh and had to
settle for fourth spot in the rankings.
AFP
derperform in matches.
The New Zealander, who gained
the national captaincy in late 2012 and
this year became the first Kiwi to hit a
Test triple century, said he was shell
shocked at the approach and told investigators he had never fixed a match.
(X) said that the Big Boys in international cricket were doing it and he
didnt want me to miss out, the Mail
reported.
I am sure that he mentioned names
to me but I cannot remember, although
I seem to think that X mainly mentioned
Asian cricketers.
Player X is believed to be the same
person who former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent admitted to the corruption probe that he fixed matches for,
it said.
Vincent is believed to have agreed
a plea bargain in the hope of avoiding
a criminal prosecution for his involvement in and knowledge of spot-fixing
in five or more countries between 20082012.
Vincent was revealed last December to have been under investigation
along with fellow New Zealanders Chris
Cairns and Daryl Tuffey over allegations
of match-fixing.
He later confirmed he had been approached by bookmakers. l
Cricket stars and organisers had an

opportunity to have a dip into the ICC
World T20 memories as the draw ceremony of the Walton-Dhaka Tribune
quiz regarding the cricket extravaganza was held at the Dhaka Tribune office
yesterday.
Former national captains Faruque
Ahmed and Habibul Bashar, both also
the national selectors graced the occasion with their valuable presence and
they were also joined by national cricketer Shammsur Rahman Shuvo and
Marshal Ayub along with Bangladesh
Cricket Board directors Jalal Yunus and
Kazi Inam Ahmed. The executive director of Walton Hi-Tec Industries Humayun Kabir was also present during
the ceremony and all the distinguished
guests drew the coupons to determine
the lucky winners. Editor of Dhaka Tribune Zafar Sobhan, executive editor
Shahriar Karim and managing editor
Jahangir Hyder were also present on
the occasion.
The distinguished guests took a walk
down the memory lane and reminisced
how the slam-bang form of cricket kept
the whole nation enchanted with joy.
From their part. the cricket organizers thanked the media for the support
which enabled BCB to host such a big
event successfully. The T20 World
Cup was a big event and hosting 26 national teams simultaneously was quite
a tough ask. But Bangladesh hosted it
in a superb manner, said Jalal Yunus.

Dhaka Tribune editor Zafar Sobhan
pledged to promote the countrys sport
to the highest level. Bangladesh is
making its mark in the international
sports arena gradually and its both on
and off the field. Dhaka Tribune will always be there to promote the countrys
sports, Zafar promised.
Humayun Kabir thanked Dhaka Tribune for its commitment towards factual journalism. Within a short span of
one year, Dhaka Tribune has made its
Veron of Estudiantes de La Plata leaves the

pitch after his final match against Tigre in
Buenos Aires on Sunday
REUTERS
Former Argentina midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron retired for the second
time on Sunday at the age of 39, bowing out with a 2-1 loss for boyhood club
Estudiantes but with no regrets from
a career that yielded silverware across
the globe.
Veron came out of retirement last year
to play another season in Argentinas top
flight, having already taken a role as a
sporting director at the club where his
father Juan Ramon was known as La
Bruja - The Witch - for his spellbinding
runs on the left wing in the 1960s.
Nicknamed Brujita (Little Witch),
captain Veron played every minute of
his final game in Buenos Aires, battling
in vain in defence as home side Tigre
overhauled an undermanned Estudiantes, who were reduced to nine players

after two were sent off with red cards.
With away fans banned all season in
an effort to curb crowd violence, Veron
was given a standing ovation by Tigre
supporters as he came off the pitch.
I was lucky to start at this club when
I was five and Im leaving at 39, the
shaven-headed, goatee-wearing Veron
told reporters.
Theres no reason to cry. If you gave
everything, you dont have anything
to recriminate yourself for. A Serie A
champion with Lazio in 2000, Verons
big-money move to Manchester United
the following year was later judged an
expensive flop for the Premier League
giants as he struggled to make an impact
while battling injury. l
MI stay afloat with win against Royals

n
Mumbai Indians kept
their play-off hopes
alive with a comfortable 25-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in a one-sided Indian Premier League
(IPL) encounter here on Monday.
Batting first, Mumbai scored a stiff 178
for three riding on half-centuries from
Lendl Simons (62) and Mike Hussey (56).
In reply, Royals were never in the
chase as they were restricted for 153 for
eight. Karun Nair with 48 off 24 balls
was the lone ranger for the Royals.
Brad Hodge (40) and James Faulkner
(31) tried their best at the end but it was
too late by then.
It was a collective effort by the Indians bowlers led by senior pro Harbhajan
Singh, who shone with brilliant figures
of two for 13 from four overs. Pragyan
Ojha also did his bit with two for 30.
BRIEF SCORE
Mumbai 178/3 (20 ov)
Simmons 62, Hussey 56, Ankit 2/23
Rajasthan 153/8 (20 ov)
Nair 48, Hodge 40, Gopal 2/25
Mumbai won by 25 runs
The Royals team managements baffling decision to rest the performing
trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Pravin Tambe
and Steven Smith backfired as the team

lost the necessary momentum going
into the match.
Royals, with 14 points from 12
games, remain third in the table and
firmly in the hunt. But back-to-back
losses will certainly affect their chances of finishing in the top two, which
would have given them an additional
game to make the final. Mumbai now
have eight points from 11 matches.
Unmukt Chand (2) finally got a game
but it could well be the last one in the
tournament. He was given a rank bad
delivery from Ojha but Unmukt failed
in his bid to play a proper pull-shot and
Hussey made no mistake on the deep
mid-wicket boundary. l
Singer Shakira (R) and soccer player Gerard Pique attend the 2014 Billboard Music Awards
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday
AFP
16
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
Block allocations for next pay structure

Atanu-Yadav
of government servants
conversation leaked
ICC WC T20 MATCH FIXING SCANDAL
n Asif Showkat Kallol
The government has decided not to

allocate any specific funds for a new
pay structure for 13 lakh civil servants, instead they will go for block
allocations under the eighth pay and
service commission, official sources
have said.
In a meeting at the Prime Ministers
Office on Saturday, Finance Minister
AMA Muhith informed Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina on their plans to not
set aside fund allocations for the next
fiscal since the commission plans to
announce a new pay structure within December this year, said a Finance
Ministry official who was present at
the meeting, requesting anonymity.
The official added that a proposal has
also been sent to the premier to extend the duration of the current pay
commission until December.
During Saturdays meeting, Muhith
also presented a broad outline of the
next years macro-economic target
and budget outlay to the premier, the
cabinet members and the secretaries
who were present.
Sources in the pay commission of
the government wanted to please the
people and not irk the public servants.
The Finance Division allocated
Tk4,000 crore for the 20% dearness
allowance in the outgoing fiscal; as
a result, allocation of the salaries of
civil servants amounted to Tk28,867
crore. For the next fiscal, the budget
will have an allocation of Tk25,000
crore for the salary and allowance of
the government employees.

The government will increase the
block allocation from the outgoing fiscals Tk4,299 crore to Tk5,000 crore in
the next 2014-15 fiscal. The amount of
the block allocation will be used in the
pay structure hike, if the government
announces the next pay commission
in December this year, according to
the Finance Division.
In the pay commissions first meeting in February however, former
Bangladesh Bank governor Mohammad Farashuddin, who is leading the
17-member commission, said the announcement of the next pay structure
is likely to take at least 12 months.
He said no previous commission
could submit the report in 15 months.
The government formed the pay com-
mission on November 24 last year and

issued an order and made it effective
from December 17, just before the national elections.
In fixing the new pay scale, the
commission will consider the living
costs of a six-member family, not a
four-member family like the previous
commissions, Farashuddin said.
Issues like inflation, the governments financial position and the
salary structure of government employees in other countries will also be
considered.
The economy has made much progress after the last pay raise, he said,
adding: The government employees
should also be beneficiaries of the
economic prosperity achieved by the
country. l
Startled pedestrians move aside after noticing a monkey, unlike many humans, that probably had the common sense to use the footbridge at the citys Banglamotor yesterday RAJIB DHAR
n Tribune Report
Atanu Dutta, an Indian gambler who
was arrested last April for his alleged
involvement in match-fixing during
the T20 world cup, had close ties with a
top anti-graft official of the ICC, an audio recording of their conversation has
revealed.
The Dhaka Tribune has acquired a
copy of the audio recording of the conversation between Atanu and Dharamveer Singh Yadav, the regional security
manager of the International Cricket
Councils Anti-Corruption and Security
Unit (ACSU). Based on the audio surveillance records, Atanu was arrested
in April, following which he provided
key information surrounding cricket
match-fixing.
Below is the transcript of their conversation.
Dharamveer Singh Yadav: Hello, speak.
Atanu Dutta: Sir, please make me [inaudible] this tournament.
Yadav: Listen, I had told you earlier
that you need to be careful this time
because I told them that you were gone.
Atanu: You could have informed me
earlier; then I would have gone away.
Yadav: No, I did tell you earlier. It
will not be safe for you to stay here.
Atanu: No, nothing happened today.
That person sat behind me. I had
spotted him early on. After that, I did
nothing suspicious.
Yadav: Where are you now?
Atanu: I am still where I was.
Yadav: There is only one way to save
yourself from them. Stay in the crowd
and they will not notice you. They have
not captured you yet?
Atanu: No, no.
Yadav: Nothing like that had happened?
Atanu: No, no. I am still sitting here.
Now I am going out.
Yadav: Yes, get out now; and do not sit
in the corner. If you sit in the corner,
you will be spotted. You have to sit
among the public, near the top.
Atanu: I was sitting at the top.
Yadav: Yes, Atanu. There is always
trouble if you do not do that. Last time

I faced some problems because of this.
And now you have been spotted. So I
am saying you should go away.
Atanu: Yes, I have to do this.
Yadav: There is big trouble when you
are spotted.
Atanu: Listen, sir. I am going away from
here, only after tomorrows one. Since
there is trouble here, I better return to
India. I will go by bus.
Yadav: That will be best for you. It is a
huge problem now that you have been
spotted.
On March 21, Atanu was

arrested by RAB during
the India-Pakistan
match. He was freed
after Yadav vouched for
the arrestee, claiming
that Atanu was his
informer
Atanu: I am exiting the ground right
now [inaudible] Nothing happened
today. I am stopping the work. Please
sir, only help me get out. Nothing has
happened to me. I can exit with you.
Yadav: Are you not being allowed to
leave?
Atanu: No, no. I was speaking for safety. If I manage to get out of here, I
would return to India within a day or
two. Nothing happened today.
Yadav: Then get out. Who is going to
challenge you? Or is someone from
them sitting behind you?
Atanu: No, no. There is no one there.
Yadav: Then leave. Keep calm and exit
the place. [conversation ends]
Earlier on March 21, Atanu was
arrested by RAB detectives during
the India-Pakistan match. However,
he was freed after Yadav vouched for
the arrestee, claiming that Atanu was
his informer.
ACSU chief Yogendra Pal Singh was
also present at the time. l
Countrywide food safety Antarctic ice losses doubled in 3 years

n
analysis on the cards
BBC
n Moniruzzaman Uzzal
Following a recent survey that found
alarming levels of adulteration in different food products in Dhaka city, the
Institute of Public Health (IPH) is set to
conduct a fresh nationwide survey to
analyse the countrys overall food safety situation.
The IPH will collect samples of different fruits, vegetables, milk, milk
products, fish, dry fish and turmeric
powder from the district-level kitchen
markets to be tested at the National
Food Safety Laboratory.
Initially, samples would be collected from 17 districts by the respective
district and upazila sanitary inspectors
through the district civil surgeons offices.
IPH Director Dr Subimal Sinha
Choudhury confirmed about the institutes plan to conduct an analysis, but
added that the plan had not yet been
finalised.
A list of food products would need
to be prepared for checking different
chemicals like pesticide, insecticide,
preservatives and colouring agents at
the food safety lab, he added.
Claiming that the lab did not have
any individual budget for carrying out
its activities, Dr Subimal said the IPH has
placed a budget of Tk2.6 crore for medical and surgical requisites at the lab.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has reportedly been providing technical assistance to run the food
safety lab.
Earlier last month, the IPH carried
out tests in different markets in the
capital and found that around 50% vegetables and 35% fruits were contaminated with unsafe level of pesticides.
The amount of pesticides was three to
20 times greater than the limits set by
the European Union.
The findings of that survey were
handed over to Health Minister Mohammed Nasim, who reportedly directed the IPH to carry out the countrywide analysis of the food safety
situation.
A senior IPH official, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that
the authorities concerned did not have
a clear picture of the countrys food
adulteration situation. Expressing
hopes that the upcoming survey would
shed light on the crisis, the official also
claimed that the findings would also
help prepare future plans.
The district and upazila sanitary inspectors usually send samples of 107
different food products to the IPHs
public health laboratory, which reportedly lacks the specialised instruments
required to detect chemical and pesticides such as formalin, carbide, DTT
and others.
Sources said during February and
March this year, the public health
laboratory received 327 and 311 food
samples respectively sent by sanitary
inspectors.
The lab found that 145 of the 327
samples in February were adulterated,
while 129 of the 311 samples in March
were also adulterated. However, the
sources could not disclose the list of
products that were found to be adulterated. l
visit our website @
www.dhakatribune.com
Antarctica is now losing about 160 billion tonnes of ice a year to the ocean
- twice as much as when the continent
was last surveyed.
The new assessment comes from Europes Cryosat spacecraft, which has a
radar instrument specifically designed
to measure the shape of the ice sheet.
The melt loss from the White Continent is sufficient to push up global sea
levels by around 0.43mm per year.
Scientists report the data in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
The new study incorporates three
years of measurements from 2010 to
2013, and updates a synthesis of observations made by other satellites over
the period 2005 to 2010.
Cryosat has been using its altimeter
to trace changes in the height of the ice
sheet - as it gains mass through snowfall, and loses mass through melting.
Big deal
The study authors divide the continent

into three sectors - the West Antarctic,
the East Antarctic, and the Antarctic
Peninsula, which is the long finger of
land reaching up to South America.
Overall, Cryosat finds all three regions to be losing ice, with the average
elevation of the full ice sheet falling annually by almost 2cm.
In the three sectors, this equates to
losses of 134 billion tonnes, 3 billion
tonnes, and 23 billion tonnes of ice per
year, respectively.
The East had been gaining ice in the
previous study period, boosted by some
exceptional snowfall, but it is now seen
as broadly static in the new survey.
As expected, it is the western ice
sheet that dominates the reductions.
Scientists have long considered it to
be the most vulnerable to melting.
It has an area, called the Amundsen
Sea Embayment, where six huge glaciers are currently undergoing a rapid
retreat - all of them being eroded by the
influx of warm ocean waters that scientists say are being drawn towards the
continent by stronger winds whipped
up by a changing climate.
About 90% of the mass loss from the
West Antarctic Ice Sheet is going from
just these few ice streams. At one of
them - Smith Glacier - Crysosat sees the
surface lowering by 9m per year.
CryoSat has given us a new understanding of how Antarctica has

changed over the last three years and
allowed us to survey almost the entire
continent, explained lead author Dr
Malcolm McMillan from the NERC Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling
at Leeds University, UK.
We find that ice losses continue to
be most pronounced in West Antarctica, along the fast-flowing ice streams
that drain into the Amundsen Sea. In
East Antarctica, the ice sheet remained
roughly in balance, with no net loss or
gain over the three-year period, he said.
Cryosat was launched by the European Space Agency in 2010 on a dedicated quest to measure changes at the
poles, and was given a novel radar system for the purpose. It has two antennas slightly offset from each other. This
enables the instrument to detect not
just the height of the ice sheet but the
shape of its slopes and ridges.
This makes Cryosat much more sensitive to details at the steep edges of the
ice sheet - the locations where thinning
is most pronounced.
It also allows the satellite to better
detect what is going on in the peninsula region of the continent where the cli-
mate has warmed rapidly over the past

50 years.
The peninsula is extremely rugged
and previous satellite altimeters have
always struggled to see its narrow glaciers. With Cryosat, we get remarkable
coverage - better than anything thats
been achieved before, said Prof Andy
Shepherd, also of Leeds University.
Future change
The GRL paper follows hard on the heels

of two studies that have made a specific
assessment of the future prospects for
the Amundsen Sea Embayment.
One of these reports concluded that
the areas glaciers were now in an irreversible retreat.
The other paper, considering one of
the glaciers in detail, suggested the reversal process could take several hundred years to be completed.
A loss of all the ice in the six glaciers
would add about 1.2m to global sea level.
This is still a small fraction of the
total sea-level potential of Antarctica,
which holds something like 26.5 million cubic km ice (or 58m of sea-level
rise equivalent). But the continent has
been largely insulated from some of
the warming influences taking place
elsewhere in the world and it is important, say scientists, to keep a check on

any changes that are occurring, and the
speed with which they are happening.
Prof Duncan Wingham proposed the
Cryosat mission and is its principal investigator. He said: We lack the capability to predict accurately how the Amundsen ice streams will behave in future.
Equally, a continuation or acceleration of their behaviour has serious implications for sea level rise. This makes
essential their continued observation,
by Cryosat and its successors.
Prof David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey, who was not
involved in the Cryosat survey, commented: The increasing contribution
of Antarctica to sea-level rise is a global
issue, and we need to use every technique available to understand where
and how much ice is being lost.
Through some very clever technical
improvements, McMillan and his colleagues have produced the best maps
of Antarctic ice loss we have ever had.
Prediction of the rate of future global
sea-level rise must be begin with a thorough understanding of current changes
in the ice sheets - this study puts us exactly where we need to be. l
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.
Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com
B3 Berlin start-up pioneers
fish-farm veggie garden
B4 Alibaba - the new face of

finance in China
NEC considers
Tk79,000cr ADP
for FY15 today
n Asif Showkat Kallol
The government today considers an
annual development expenditure of
Tk79,031 crore for the next fiscal year.
The National Economic Council
(NEC) would consider the ADP at its
meeting which is scheduled to be
chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, a senior official of the planning
ministry said yesterday.
The ADP for the fiscal 2014-15 would
be about 32% higher than the revised
ADP of Tk60,000 crore for the outgoing fiscal year, officials said.
Earlier the planning ministry revised the FY14 ADP down from the
original allocation Tk65,870 crore.
According to the planning ministry
proposal to be placed at todays NEC
meeting, a total of Tk51,331 crore is
estimated to come from the local resources and Tk27,700 crore from foreign assistance and loan.
In new the ADP, highest allocation
is going to the transportation sector,
which would be Tk18,098 crore or about
23% of the total ADP, while Tk8,100
crore would go for construction of the
much talked about Padma Bridge.
TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business
Cabinet
okays draft
RAKUB Act
n Mohosinul Karim
Planning Commission Member

Shamsul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune
yesterday that the ADP implementation in the outgoing fiscal year is good
despite the political turmoil ahead of
the January 5 election.
He said about 65% of the ADP outlay
for the next fiscal would come from the
local resources, which is not bad for an
economy like Bangladesh.
He said the real outlay of the next
fiscal year will be Tk84,000 crore as
allocations for different corporations
will be included in the outlay. However, the ADP would mention only
Tk79,000 crore.
According to the IMED report, the
ADP implementation rate in the outgoing fiscal year was 65% in the first ten
months (July to April). The rate was
only 43% at end of the March, which
increased abnormally by 13% in only
30 days.
As per the planning ministry proposal, the second highest allocation of
Tk9,403 crore will go to education and
religious affairs sector, followed by
power sector Tk9,277 crore, water supply and housing sector Tk7,876 crore,
The cabinet has approved the draft of

the Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) Act, 2014, keeping the provision
for empowering the bank to give loans
in the breeding livestock and fisheries
sectors.
The draft of the act got the cabinet
nod in its regular meeting held yesterday at the secretariat in the capital
with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in
the chair.
The bank will also have the authority to operate agent banking, mobile
and online banking as per the proposed
draft of the Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan
Bank Act, 2014 which was prepared to
legitimise the RAKUB ordinance promulgated during the military period.
The new draft act was prepared
following the High Court directive,
which had earlier declared the military
periods illegal. All the ordinances promulgated under the military rulers also
became illegal as per the HC directives.
After the meeting, cabinet secretary
M. Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the
reporters that the draft was given final
approval on a condition of vetting from
the law ministry. It will be sent to the
parliament for enacting an act soon after vetting by the law ministry.
B3 COLUMN 6
B3 COLUMN 5
WTO DG to visit Dhaka to discuss

Bali Package implementation
World Trade Organisation Director
General Roberto Azevedo will visit
Dhaka next month to discuss implementation of the Bali Package with the
government of Bangladesh.
He is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka
on June 3, Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune
over phone yesterday.
It will be the second visit by any
WTO director general in two years as
former DG Pascal Lamy visited Dhaka
in 2012.
The visit is important as Bangladesh
will raise the issues of implementation
of the package adopted after hectic negotiation at the ninth ministerial conference of WTO in Bali, Indonesia in
December last year, Ahmed said.
The agreement allows the least developed countries like Bangladesh to
get duty-free quota-free market access
in an expanded manner.
There are some countries which
have not yet provided duty-free market access completely to the LDCs and
the Bali Package urged them to expand
the coverage before the next WTO ministerial meeting, said the commerce
secretary, who led Bangladesh delegation to the last ministerial meeting.
It is one of the main reasons to invite Azevdo so the government can
World Trade Organisation Director General Roberto Azevedo

discuss the issues.
Bangladesh enjoys duty-free market access to European Union, Canada, Australia, Japan and some other
countries. The US being single biggest
export destination provides the trade
concession to 97% of the products
from Bangladesh, but the countrys
main export earner readymade garments is not entitled to enjoy the facility till now.
A roadmap has been declared to implement the expansion of the greater
market access and the WTO is working
on the issue, Ahmed said.
REUTERS
In accordance with the Bali Package, members of the developed and

developing countries that do not yet
provide full duty-free and quota-free
market access for products originating
in LDCs shall seek to improve their existing duty-free and quota-free coverage for such products, so as to provide
increasingly greater market access to
LDCs, prior to the next ministerial conference.
Azevdo is the sixth Director-General of the WTO and his appointment
took effect on September 1 last year for
a four-year term. l
ADB to lend $350m for skills development

n Tribune Report
Asian Development Bank (ADB) will
lend US$350m to Bangladesh to help
public and private institutions scale up
skills training for 1.25m young workers.
It is aimed at making the workers
well-equipped to find jobs and meet
the changing needs of todays labour
market, says an ADB press release yesterday.
Bringing together the public sector
with the private sector to provide the
vocational and technical skills that employers need will mean more and better-paid jobs and ultimately help Bangladesh shift its economy to a higher
level, said Sungsup Ra, Director in
ADBs South Asia Department. Two
thirds of the Bangladesh workforce
had only minimal education and only
4% has received any kind of training.
The skills development system can
only meet about 20% of training needs,
meaning many youth cannot find good
jobs, underemployment is rife, and
wages remain low. Women, in particular, suffer from a lack of skills training.
The file photo shows a stall at International Trade Expo on Building and Fire Safety held at Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka in February this
year. In line with the owners demand, analysts say the duty-free import of fire safety equipment will help the countrys textiles
sector better workplace safety
DHAKA TRIBUNE
APPAREL SECTOR
Duty-free import of safety equipment

logical, say economists
n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi
While the factory owners have recently demanded duty-free import of

fire safety equipment and pre-fabricated building materials, policy analysts think the demand is logical given the current safety situation.
When contacted, former caretaker
government adviser and economist
Dr Mirza Azizul Islam said the facility could be given for a certain period
like 1-2 years only to those factories
closed or to be closed under safety
concerns.
The materials will be used to reconstruct or relocate factory buildings. The duty-free import is believed to largely facilitate the safety
improvement works in the countrys
apparel sector.
Some flawed factories have already been closed. Some may face
closures. In these circumstances, the
duty-free import of necessary safety
materials could be allowed, but for a
certain period like 1-2 years, said Dr
Aziz.
He, however, suggested ensuring
an effective monitoring so that the
facility cannot be used for other purposes such as importing the materials
for other sector or selling them in the
market.
Dr Aziz said if locally made mate-
rials maintain required standards, the

firms should also be given tax rebate
so that they can supply quality products at less prices.
Prof Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of Centre for Policy
Dialogue (CPD), also spoke the same
about the issue.
According to him, as the countrys readymade garment sector is
passing a difficult time over compliance issues, the government should
exempt the safety materials import
from duty. After a period, the facility
can be withdrawn. About the locally
made materials and fire safety equipment, the economist said they are not
internationally certified and accepted
by the global buyers.
Demand for duty-free import of
fire equipment is logical, as the sector is dependent on imported materials, said executive director of CPD, a
think-tank.
To make the RMG sector compliant, relocation is a must for many
factories. For immediate relocation,
pre-fabricated building materials are
mostly needed. So the government
can help the entrepreneurs improve
safety allowing duty-free import of
materials, Dr Mustafiz.
To avert job cuts, it is necessary,
he stressed.
When the local producers are able
to produce globally recognised materials, no import will be required, said

Dr Mustafiz.
Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Brig Gen Ali Ahmed
also thinks, in this current situation,
about the need for suspending duty
over import of safety equipment.
He said as the entrepreneurs have
showed their interest to make the
sector compliant and safe, the facility can help them maintain the standards.
From fire department, we have
recommended it to the government to
include in the next budget, he said.
According to Bangladesh Garment
Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), a good number of factories need to be relocated as the Accord and Alliance found those faulty.
Besides, there are still more factories, doing business in shared buildings also have to relocated within a
stipulated time frame. A total of 174
factories closed since the Rana Plaza
building collapse due to safety, order
shortage and political unrest.
An rough estimate of BGMEA said,
around 1,200 RMG factories need to
install sprinklers, while 3,000 other
factories have to install fire doors as
per the requirement of the Accord
and Alliance, which would cost over
Tk2,500 crore. l
By 2025, Bangladesh is expected to

have 78m workers, up from 56.7m in
2010. However, Bangladesh will only
be able to take advantage of this demographic shift if it makes urgent investments in higher-quality schooling and
at least a four-fold increase in skills
training.
The governments National Skills
Development Council has been working to promote skills since 2011 as part
of its vision of achieving middle-income status by 2021.
The total cost of the governments
skills for employment investment programme is estimated at $1.07bn.
ADB loans for the programme will
be made in three tranches as part of a
seven-year financing facility.
It is expected to be complemented by $200m in co-financing from the
Government of Bangladesh, $30m
from the Government of Switzerland,
$400m from other development partners and $90m from the private sector.
The investment programme will
support skills training in 15 priority
sectors, starting with six sectors - gar-
ments and textiles, leather, construction, light engineering, information

technology, and shipbuilding.
A major target of the programme is
to boost job placement to around 70%
from about 40% now.
The first $100m tranche of the facility is expected to be signed in the coming weeks with the second expected in
mid-2016 and the third in mid-2018.
The first tranche will target 40,000
women and disadvantaged people, including those with disabilities.
It will also support 32 public training institutions under three ministries,
nine industry associations, microcredit organisation Palli-Karma Sahayak
Foundation (PKSF) and Bangladesh
Banks Small and Medium Enterprise
(SME) Department.
By 2015, the programme aims to
help set up a National Human Resource Development Fund to scale up
skills training.
The programme will also support
the governments plan to establish a
new ministry or authority for skills development. l
HC asks Annisul Huq to buy

back Desh Energy shares
Biman calls fresh

bid for CMI
n Muhammad Zahidul Islam
n Nazmus Sakib
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has invited

a fresh tender to appoint a CMI (Crew,
Maintenance, Insurance) Partner to operate two of its Boeing 777-300ER aircrafts to New York.
A tender notice will be published in
newspapers in a day or two, said a senior executive of Biman yesterday.
The interested parties will be asked
to submit proposals by 15 June.
According to the national airlines,
the previous tender failed to receive
satisfactory proposals under the US
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
requirements.
CMI with category 1 air operators certificate (AOC) is mandatory for operation
of flights in the route as per FAA rules.
After having failed to hire such a
CMI partner, Biman already deferred
the date for resuming flights in the
route to mid-August.
The High Court yesterday directed Annisul Huq, chairman of the board of directors at Desh Energy Ltd, and his son
Navidul Huq to buy back the rest 20%
shares from its two founders.
A High Court bench of Justice Md
Rezaul Hasan delivered the ruling after
hearing both sides on a petition jointly
lodged under the Companies Act, 1994
to protect the interest of two minority
shareholdersNuher Latif Khan and
Saba Khan, who owned the 20% shares
evenly divided.
Supreme Court lawyers Akhtar
Imam, Rashna Imam and Reshad
Imam represented the petitioners
while Sheikh Fazle Nur Tapash and
Mehedi Hossain Chowdhury pleaded
for Annisul Huq and his son.
The majority of the shareholdersAnnisul Huq and his son were
directed to buy the shares when
an independent audit firm after
inspection set the values of the
shares. The court, in its full text
of the verdict, would specify the
firms name and set the period to
submit a report before it specifying the values of shares, Reshad
Imam told the Dhaka Tribune.
The petition, filed on April 15
last year, claimed that Annisul
had removed Nuher from the
post of Managing Director as well
as co-signatory of the company
by adopting a resolution, which
was a violation of their mutual
understanding.
During the companys incorporation

in 2005, Nuher and Saba owned 50%
shares which slid to 20% now. Annisul
Huq, former president of both FBCCI and
BGMEA, and his son became partners of
the company by purchasing 50% shares
from another two foundersZahangir
Alam and Tasnin Sultana in 2006, which
has now risen to 80%.
Desh Energy owns a gas-run power
plant at Sylhets Kumargaon and another oil-run plant at Narayanganjs
Siddhirganj. The two plants have a
combined output of 110MW power.
The petition alleged that Annisul
had withdrawn cash alarmingly from
the companys bank account without
having any justification.
Annisuls counsel Mehedi, however,
said they would file a petition with the
chamber judge of the Appellate Division seeking a stay over the High Court
verdict. l
B3 COLUMN 5
B2
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS
Stocks extend
losses for 7th
day
DSE key features

May 19, 2014
Traded Issues
293
n Tribune Report
Issue Gain
(Avg. Price Basis)
75
Issue Loss
(Avg. Price Basis)
209
54,125,095
61,701
Unchanged Issue (Avg.

Price Basis)
The total turnover volume went for

a sharp decline along with all three
indices, as not a single sector was
able to generate enough strength or
enthusiasm to change the direction
of the market, it said.
Grameenphone was the most
traded stocks with shares worth
Tk10 crore changing hands, followed by Hwa Well Textile, Lafarge
Surma Cement, Square Pharmaceuticals, Matin Spinning and Heidelberg Cement. l
2,240.20
Market Capital Equity

(Billion US$)
'Dragged by profit
booking on selected
sectors like banks,
NBFIs and power
sectors'

(Billion. Tk.)
27.15
CSE key features

May 19, 2014
Turnover (Million Taka)
186.71
Turnover (Volume)
Daily capital market highlights

DSE Broad Index :
2,170.74
Number of Contract
The benchmark index extended

further losses with breaking the
psychological 4,400 level weighed
down by concerns over reducing
exposure of banks in capital market, following central banks pressure, it said.
Zenith Investments said after
slipping into negative territory for
the past consecutive day, the Dhaka
bourse once again ended the day on
a weak note.
Stocks extended losses for the seventh consecutive session yesterday

with DSE turnover slipping to seven-month low.
The benchmark DSEX lost 38
points or 0.9% to close at 4,364.
The Shariah index DSES closed at
971 with a drop of 10 points or 1%.
The blue chip comprising index
DS30 shed 15 points or 1% to 1,583.
The Chittagong Stock Exchanges Selective Category Index,
CSCX, dropped 57 points to 8,412.
Liquidity remained dry at DSE
with a total turnover of Tk217 crore,
which is 5.3% lower over the previous session and lowest since October last year.
Almost all the sectors suffered.
Pharmaceuticals and power lost the
most with more than 1% each. Telecommunication, food and allied,
banks and non-banking financial
institution ended slightly down.
The market breadth remained
negative as out of 293 issues traded, 84 advanced, 178 declined and
31 remained unchanged.
Lanka Bangla Securities said
dragged by profit booking on selected sectors like banks, NBFIs
and power sectors over consistent
slowed-down market activities.
Company
Turnover
(Million Taka)
Turnover
(Volume)
5,305,805
Number of Contract
8,089
4364.27330
(-) 0.87%
Traded Issues
205
971.40103
(-) 1.06%
Issue Gain
(Avg. Price Basis)
56
1583.06559
(-) 0.93%
Issue Loss
(Avg. Price Basis)
145
CSE All Share Index:
13500.53460
(-) 0.68%
Unchanged Issue (Avg.

Price Basis)
CSE - 30 Index :
11084.62360
(-) 0.62%

(Billion. Tk.)
2,155.11
8412.57600
(-) 0.68%

(Billion US$)
26.12
DSE Shariah Index :

DSE - 30 Index :
CSE Selected Index :

DSE LOSERS
Summit Power -A
BEXIMCO Ltd. -A
S Purbanchol Power-N
Beximco Pharma -A
BD Fixed Income MF-A
Modern Dyeing -Z
Northern G Insur-A
2nd ICB M F -A
-14.81
-13.79
-12.10
-9.90
-9.68
-9.65
-5.71
-5.63
Average (%
change)
-14.70
-12.73
-11.81
-9.12
-9.68
-9.65
-4.91
-5.49
Progressive Life-A
Hwa Well Textiles-N
-4.98
-4.86
-4.22
-4.76
Company
Closing (%
change)
CSE LOSERS
Summit Power -A
BEXIMCO Ltd. -A
Standard Insurance-A
S Purbanchol Power-N
Beximco Pharma -A
Meghna Life Ins. -A
Asia Pasific Insu. -A
Imam Button -Z
-15.63
-12.69
-12.53
-11.33
-9.83
-8.10
-8.00
-6.90
Average (%
change)
-15.00
-12.15
-12.53
-11.06
-9.13
-8.12
-8.00
-6.68
Phoenix Finance-A
The Ibn SinaA
-6.55
-5.66
-6.55
-6.02
Company
Closing (%
change)
ANALYST
Closing
average
Closing
Bank
NBFI
Investment
Engineering
Food & Allied
Fuel & Power
Jute
Textile
Pharma & Chemical
Paper & Packaging
Service
Leather
Ceramic
Cement
Information Technology
General Insurance
Life Insurance
Telecom
Travel & Leisure
Miscellaneous
Debenture
DSE
Million Taka
228.18
73.72
64.25
190.53
136.68
210.35
3.49
367.11
347.45
0.78
48.83
39.92
7.70
139.22
13.53
37.85
50.82
134.10
15.98
59.83
0.42
Turnover
in million
Daily low
Latest
EPS
Latest
PE
29.94
22.77
44.59
37.97
8.40
74.90
38.77
260.00
29.90
22.50
44.30
37.30
8.40
74.90
38.00
259.60
31.00
23.20
45.90
41.40
8.50
74.90
40.20
262.00
27.50
20.50
41.30
35.50
8.40
74.90
36.30
253.50
14.127
19.367
14.725
20.754
0.021
0.004
3.751
0.052
3.00
0.59
4.24
3.60
0.56
1.61
6.40
33.24
10.0
38.6
10.5
10.5
15.0
46.5
6.1
7.8
110.70
41.59
110.70
41.10
110.70
43.60
110.70
39.90
0.111
93.961
2.30
0.00
Kohinoor Chem -A
Standard Ceramic -A
MBL 1st M. F.-A
Libra Infusions-A
Renwick Jajneswar-A
Mercantile Bank -A
Reliance Insur -A
In Tech Online -A
Ambee Pharma -A
Pharma Aids A
Closing (%
change)
7.90
5.62
4.92
4.48
4.31
3.77
3.55
3.13
2.53
2.51
CSE GAINERS
Company
Rangpur Foundry -A
Standard Ceramic -A
Eastland Insur -A
MeghnaCement -A
Bangladesh Lamps -A
Mercantile Bank -A
In Tech Online -A
Apex SpinningA
Ambee Pharma -A
Berger Paints-A
Closing (%
change)
7.66
5.95
5.82
5.63
4.07
3.80
3.13
2.96
2.83
2.83
Average (%
change)
6.65
4.96
0.63
4.54
5.30
3.34
3.31
2.57
8.10
2.43
Average (%
change)
7.66
3.09
5.71
5.63
4.05
2.03
1.24
2.93
8.88
2.83
Closing
average
375.40
44.90
6.37
426.88
323.19
16.38
67.01
13.15
354.41
206.07
Closing
average
97.00
43.32
40.00
122.00
115.00
16.06
13.06
80.00
355.77
1090.00
Closing
379.80
45.10
6.40
426.80
319.70
16.50
67.00
13.20
349.10
204.10
Closing
97.00
44.50
40.00
122.00
115.00
16.40
13.20
80.00
351.90
1090.00
Daily high
379.80
45.90
6.60
430.90
330.90
16.90
69.00
13.30
366.00
210.00
Daily high
97.00
44.50
40.00
122.00
115.00
16.40
13.20
80.00
365.00
1090.00
Daily low
352.00
42.70
6.10
423.00
311.00
14.50
63.00
11.60
344.90
200.00
Daily low
97.00
42.00
40.00
122.00
115.00
15.40
12.90
80.00
350.00
1090.00
Turnover
in million
0.223
0.651
9.897
0.683
9.518
24.473
0.583
1.472
13.308
25.450
Turnover
in million
0.049
0.217
0.008
0.195
0.012
1.509
0.228
0.032
4.090
0.055
Latest
EPS
9.37
1.32
1.44
4.20
3.92
1.16
5.84
-0.80
3.20
4.63
Latest
EPS
3.08
1.32
4.24
7.00
0.92
1.16
-0.80
1.85
3.20
57.68
Latest
PE
40.1
34.0
4.4
101.6
82.4
14.1
11.5
-ve
110.8
44.5
Latest
PE
31.5
32.8
9.4
17.4
125.0
13.8
-ve
43.2
111.2
18.9
News from trade server

JAMUNABANK: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has
announced the surveillance rating of the
Company as "A1" in the long term and
"ST-2" in the short term based on audited
financial statements of the Company up
to 31 December 2013 and other relevant
quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.
BANKASIA: The Company has informed
that the Board of Directors has taken the
following decision: "Resolved that the
proposal to issue Bank Asia 7 Year Floating
Rate (11.50% to 14.50%) Non-Convertible Subordinated Bond with an issue
price of Tk. 300.00 crore to raise capital
of the Bank, subject to the approval of
Bangladesh Bank, BSEC and the general
shareholders of the Bank in the EGM be
and is hereby approved, provided that
any changes in the feature of the Bond,
tenor, issue size or whatever as deemed
necessary by any regulatory advice or
otherwise may be decided by the Board of
Directors of the Company." Date of EGM:
26.06.2014, Time: 10:30 AM, Venue: Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh,
Council Hall (2nd Floor), 160/A Kakrail,

Dhaka-1000. Record Date for EGM:
29.05.2014.
SUMITPOWER: The Company has further
informed that due to unavoidable circumstances, the 17th AGM of the Company will
now be held on June 23, 2014 at 11:00 AM
at Police Convention Hall, Eskaton Gardern
Road, Ramna, Dhaka-1000 instead of
June 30, 2014 at Bashundhara Convention
Center-2, Block-C, Umme Kulsum Road,
Bashundhara R/A, Baridhara, Dhaka-1229.
Other information of the AGM will remain
unchanged.
SPPCL: The Company has further informed that due to unavoidable circumstances, the 7th AGM of the Company will
now be held on June 23, 2014 at 10:00
AM at Police Convention Hall, Eskaton Gardern Road, Ramna, Dhaka-1000 instead of
June 30, 2014 at Bashundhara Convention
Center-2, Block-C, Umme Kulsum Road,
Bashundhara R/A, Baridhara, Dhaka-1229.
Other information of the AGM will remain
unchanged.
NCCBANK: The Company has informed
that as approved by Bangladesh Bank, Mr.
Golam Hafiz Ahmed has assumed the office of the Managing Director & CEO of the
Company with effect from May 08, 2014.
HRTEX: The Company has informed that
the Share Office of the Company will be
shifted to "Mirandale" Apartment Complex
(2nd Floor), House # 3, Road # 5, Block #
j, Baridhara Model Town, Dhaka-1212 with
effect from 1st June 2014.
RIGHT SHARE: DELTASPINN: Subscription 05.08.2014 to 31.08.2014. RD for
entitlement of rights share: 28.04.2014.
IPO Subscription: Tung Hai Knitting &
Dyeing Limited subscription date 18-22
May 2014, NRB upto 31 May 2014. @
taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot
500. Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries
Limited subscription date 15-19 June 2014,
NRB upto 28 June 2014. @ taka 22, face
value taka 10 and market lot 200. Shurwid
Industries Limited subscription date 08-12
June 2014, NRB upto 21 June 2014. @ taka
10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500.
Saif Powertec Limited subscription date
06-10 July 2014, NRB upto 19 July 2014.
@ taka 10, face value taka 30 and market
lot 200.
48.1
-
Closing
average
Closing
Daily high
Turnover
in million
Daily low
Latest
EPS
Latest
PE
29.86
22.78
32.10
44.70
38.01
113.48
23.00
8.10
29.70
22.70
32.10
44.60
37.60
113.50
23.00
8.10
30.00
23.20
32.10
45.50
38.90
122.00
23.00
8.10
29.50
22.60
32.10
44.10
37.20
111.50
23.00
8.10
1.710
5.115
0.048
0.301
1.196
0.136
0.127
0.004
3.00
0.59
2.88
4.24
3.60
6.45
2.48
-1.85
10.0
38.6
11.1
10.5
10.6
17.6
9.3
-ve
25.70
100.00
25.70
100.00
25.70
100.00
25.70
100.00
0.026
0.020
2.58
3.12
10.0
32.1
After slipping into negative territory

for the past consecutive day, the Dhaka
bourse once again ended the day on a
weak note
DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company
Grameenphone-A
Hwa Well Textiles-N
LafargeS Cement-Z
Square Pharma -A
Matin Spinning-N
HeidelbergCement -A
AFC AgroBiotech-N
SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

Sector
Daily high
% change
10.51
3.40
2.96
8.78
6.30
9.69
0.16
16.91
16.01
0.04
2.25
1.84
0.35
6.41
0.62
1.74
2.34
6.18
0.74
2.76
0.02
Million Taka
19.28
7.68
3.42
12.40
9.18
28.49
41.52
22.66
10.35
1.38
11.74
0.73
14.37
2.31
1.33
3.09
14.21
2.79
10.52
0.04
CSE
% change
8.87
3.53
1.57
5.70
4.22
13.10
0.00
19.09
10.42
4.76
0.63
5.40
0.33
6.61
1.06
0.61
1.42
6.53
1.28
4.84
0.02
Million Taka
247.46
81.41
67.67
202.93
145.87
238.85
3.49
408.63
370.10
11.13
50.21
51.66
8.43
153.59
15.85
39.18
53.90
148.31
18.77
70.35
0.46
Total
% change
10.36
3.41
2.83
8.50
6.11
10.00
0.15
17.11
15.50
0.47
2.10
2.16
0.35
6.43
0.66
1.64
2.26
6.21
0.79
2.95
0.02
Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and
audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility
if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net
Eastern Housing -A
Padma Oil Co. -A
Emerald Oil Ind. -N
Orion Pharma-N
BD Submarine Cable-A
Meghna Petroleum -A
Active Fine Chem.-A
Southeast Bank-A
CSE TURNOVER LEADERS
Company
Hwa Well Textiles-N
LafargeS Cement-Z
Grameenphone-A
Matin Spinning-N
BD Submarine Cable-A
MJL BD Ltd.-A
BEXIMCO Ltd. -A
LankaBangla Fin. -A
Khulna Power-A
BSC-A
Meghna Petroleum -A
Ambee Pharma -A
Square Pharma -A
Appollo Ispat CL -N
Jamuna Oil -A
Volume
shares
377,868
2,259,000
949,500
212,997
1,211,200
108,100
827,500
721,859
135,779
851,000
793,140
191,805
121,948
499,917
1,660,551
Volume
shares
362,500
140,500
29,400
167,400
35,632
62,829
224,582
98,539
95,085
7,980
14,900
11,496
15,181
148,000
17,140
Value in
million
99.00
93.96
63.35
56.69
55.55
52.59
47.45
45.15
44.40
41.65
41.10
35.10
34.09
33.26
33.20
Value in
million
14.96
9.33
7.70
7.66
6.51
5.15
5.11
4.48
4.35
4.34
4.19
4.09
4.05
3.90
3.69
% of total
turnover
4.56
4.33
2.92
2.61
2.56
2.42
2.19
2.08
2.05
1.92
1.89
1.62
1.57
1.53
1.53
% of total
turnover
8.24
5.14
4.24
4.22
3.58
2.84
2.82
2.47
2.40
2.39
2.31
2.25
2.23
2.15
2.03
Daily
closing
261.40
41.10
66.30
265.90
45.30
480.90
57.60
61.70
324.80
48.00
51.20
181.40
278.80
66.90
20.00
Daily
closing
40.90
66.20
262.00
45.10
181.40
82.30
22.70
45.30
49.60
541.30
278.60
351.90
265.30
26.20
214.90
Price
change
-0.31
-4.86
-0.90
-0.67
-2.58
-3.72
1.41
-2.83
0.03
-3.61
Daily
opening
262.20
43.20
66.90
267.70
46.50
499.50
56.80
63.50
324.70
49.80
Price
change
Daily
opening
-2.85
-1.89
0.04
2.14
1.52
-4.66
-0.90
0.11
-3.01
-1.63
0.73
-12.69
0.67
0.61
-0.45
-0.07
2.83
-0.52
-1.87
-0.42
52.70
184.90
278.70
65.50
19.70
42.90
66.80
261.70
46.50
184.40
81.70
26.00
45.00
49.30
543.75
278.80
342.20
266.70
26.70
215.80
Daily
high
265.40
43.60
67.10
269.70
46.90
502.90
58.00
65.00
332.50
50.30
Daily
low
250.00
39.90
66.20
252.00
44.70
479.20
56.30
58.00
300.00
47.80
Daily
average
261.99
41.59
66.72
266.16
45.86
486.52
57.34
62.55
326.98
48.94
Daily
high
Daily
low
Daily
average
53.50
186.00
283.00
67.20
21.30
43.50
67.00
263.60
46.70
185.00
83.00
23.20
45.90
51.90
549.50
282.90
365.00
272.90
26.90
216.00
47.50
167.50
271.00
61.00
17.80
39.90
66.00
260.50
45.00
180.70
79.60
22.60
45.10
45.50
538.30
278.00
350.00
265.00
26.00
213.70
51.82
183.00
279.57
66.53
19.99
41.26
66.38
261.98
45.74
182.57
81.94
22.78
45.51
45.76
543.94
281.12
355.77
266.45
26.38
215.18
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
Berlin start-up pioneers fish-farm veggie garden

n AFP, Berlin
The ancient Aztecs and Chinese did it
millenia ago, and now a Berlin startup hopes it will feed 21st-century city
dwellers using aquaponics, a combination of rearing fish and growing vegetables.
Set up inside the brick walls of an
old brewery, the company ECF, short
for Efficient City Farming, is using an
age-old technique to grow tomatoes,
peppers and greens in a miniature container farm, fertilised with fish excretions.
Our vision is to give city dwellers
access to agricultural goods produced
in a sustainable way, said Nicolas Leschke, who founded ECF two years ago
with a business partner.
Aquaponics, as the method is
known, combines the techniques of
hydroponics, or cultivating plants in
water, with aquaculture - or the rearing
of fish in tanks.
Because it allows food to be produced directly in cities, not the distant
countryside, the environmental and
financial costs of conserving and transporting the goods are greatly reduced,
Leschke told AFP.
And last but not least, it guarantees access to fresh products, he added, snacking on a home-grown swiss
chard, a leafy green vegetable popular
in Mediterranean cuisine.
The business has set up a prototype
container farm on two levels, with a
fish tank at the bottom and a small
greenhouse at the top where vegetables are grown.
Separate to the aquarium is a tank
with a special filter which uses bacteria
Nicolas Leschke, CEO and founder of ECF Farm systems checks his crops at a green house built on a shipping container by the ECF
Containerfarming company at an industrial estate in Berlin. The ECF Containerfarming project consists of a shipping container housing
aquaculture with attached greenhouse, containing the hydroponics. The resource-saving aquaponic system offers simultaneous fish
farming and vegetable growing
AFP
to transform the ammonium of the fish
excretions into nitrates.
The nitrate-enriched water is then
pumped to irrigate a greenhouse where
the plants grow, not in soil but in a
hydroponic bath of flowing water enriched with mineral nutrients.
It is ideal for farming in crowded
population centres - an important point
Facebook developing video

chat app to rival Snapchat
n Reuters, New York
Facebook Inc is developing its own video-chat app, known internally as Slingshot, after its failed attempt to acquire
mobile messaging startup Snapchat, the
Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Facebook has been working for several months on the planned video-chat
app, which would allow users to send
short video messages using a touchscreen, the FT said, citing people familiar with its plans.
Slingshot could be launched this
Asoke Das Gupta
month, the paper cited one source as

saying, while noting that Facebook
might ultimately decide not to proceed
with the launch of the app.
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has
been overseeing the top-secret project
after the social network company was
unable to win Snapchats creators, Evan
Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, with its $3bn
takeover offer late last year, the FT said.
Snapchat, popular among teenagers,
allows users to send smartphone photos that automatically disappear after a
few seconds. l
Sayeed H Chowdhury
Zahur Ullah
One Bank re-elects its chair

n Tribune Business Desk
ONE Bank Limited has recently reelected Sayeed H Chowdhury as the
board chair for another one-year term
from May 15 onwards while Asoke Das
Gupta as its vice chair and and Zahur
Ullah as its executive committee chair.
British educated Sayeed H Chowd-
hury is the founder, chair and CEO of

the conglomerate HRC.
Vice chair, Asoke Das Gupta is the
chief executive of IMTREX and the
managing director of Uniroyal Trade
Limited.
Zahur Ullah is also the chair of LL
Group and managing director of GTEX
Ltd. l
at times of growing urbanisation, with

half of the worlds population now living in cities.
Because the water is used for both
the fish and the plants, the method
is less water-hungry than traditional
farming, while carbon dioxide in the
fish waste is recycled as a plant nutrient.
Barramundi, greens to go
The roots of aquaponics have been

traced back to the Aztecs, who raised
plants on islands in lake shallows, and
to Far Eastern cultures who farmed rice
in paddy in combination with fish.
ECF, which last year won a start-up
award in California for its innovative
take on the ancient technique, has al-
Dollar under pressure in

Asia after mixed data
n AFP, Tokyo
The dollar slipped in Asia yesterday following mixed US data and simmering
geopolitical concerns, while the Indian
rupee sat close to one-year highs after
the pro-business opposition won the
countrys general election.
In afternoon Tokyo trading, the
greenback fetched 101.43 yen, against
101.54 yen in New York Friday afternoon.
The euro rose to $1.3700 from
$1.3695 while changing hands at 138.98
yen against 139.08 yen.
The greenback was also worth 58.40
rupees - levels not seen since June - after falling more than one percent on
Friday as Narendra Modis Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) stormed to power at
the end of a marathon election.
The prime minister-elect summoned
senior figures from the Hindu nationalist party on Sunday for talks on forming
a new government, which won a strong
mandate on promises to introduce reforms to turn around the economy.
Investors were skittish over the simmering Ukraine crisis and growing antiChinese unrest in Vietnam, while data
out of the United States gave a mixed
picture on the worlds number one
economy.
That boosted buying of the yen, seen
as a safe haven during times of uncertainty or turmoil.
The yen has been in demand,
B3
mainly due to unstable risk sentiment

and falling expectations of the Bank of
Japan considering a more aggressive
monetary policy stance anytime soon,
Credit Agricole said.
On Friday, data showed US housing
starts jumped a stronger-than-expected
13.2% in April, although the jump was
driven by construction in the often-volatile multi-unit sector, while consumer
confidence weakened.
Traders are now looking to tomorrows release of minutes from the Federal Reserves April 29-30 policy meeting, with Credit Agricole saying they
will be closely scrutinised for potential
evolution of forward guidance as well
as for clues on the monetary policy path
going forward.
Also Wednesday the Bank of Japan
will complete its own two-day policy
meeting, which will be watched for an
idea of its plans for its own monetary
policy. The dollar was mostly lower
against other Asia-Pacific currencies. It
fell to 11,358.80 Indonesian rupiah from
11,401.80 rupiah on Friday, to Tw$30.13
from Tw$30.15, and to 1,022.53 South
Korean won from 1,025.16 won.
The US unit also dropped to
Sg$1.2510 from Sg$1.2520, to 43.62 Philippine pesos from 43.75 pesos and to
32.47 Thai baht from 32.48 baht.
The Australian dollar was unchanged at 93.53 US cents while the
Chinese yuan slipped to 16.23 yen from
16.26 yen. l
ready sold several of its mini farms, but

stressed that our business is not farming as a lifestyle hobby.
The companys goal is to sell bigger
farms, to companies, real estate developers or even farmers themselves,
said the chief who added, we have requests from all over the world.
For now, ECF has bought a plot
of land just outside its offices where
it plans to set up its first large-sized
aquaponics farm next year, on a
1,800-square-metre (0.4-acre) area.
Berlins state investment bank has
agreed to help finance the venture,
which the firm hopes will spin a yearly
revenue of 550,000 euros ($760,000).
The farm will sell fruit and vegetables in a dedicated store on the premises, as well as deliver to Berliners who
subscribe to a weekly basket of fresh
produce.
It will also sell barramundi, its chosen breed of fish which is popular in
Australia and Asia, to restaurants, or if
someone calls up and says I am having
a big barbecue at the weekend, I need
10 of them.
With its products grown next door,
ECF is embracing a powerful social
trend.
For more and more consumers,
knowing something has been grown or
reared locally is now more important
than it being organic, a study by consulting firm ATKearney in Germany,
Switzerland and Austria found last
year.
Quality, freshness and supporting
the local economy are the main reasons
behind the enthusiasm for local and regional products, ATKearney said, calling the trend the new organic. l
Oil prices rise

on Libyan
violence
n AFP, Singapore
Oil prices edged higher in Asia yesterday on escalating violence in crude
producer Libya following a coup attempt by a rogue general that has
raised concerns about potential supply
disruptions, analysts said.
The US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in June,
rose 17 cents to $102.19 in afternoon
trade, while Brent North Sea crude for
July rose 24 cents to $109.99. l
NEC considers
B1 COLUMN 6
development of rural development

sector Tk6,871 crore.
Besides, agriculture sector will
get Tk5,575 crore and health sector
Tk4,943 crore.
Planning Commission sources said
nearly 1,800 development projects
would be incorporated in the new ADP
while the autonomous bodies would
implement 135 projects with own financing and those are also incorporated in the ADP.
Of the total projects, 1,034 will be
carried over from the previous year. In
addition, 681 unapproved projects without allocation have been incorporated
in the green page of the upcoming ADP.
In the current ADP, some 662 unapproved projects without allocation
were incorporated in the ADP, of which
246 projects will be eliminated from
the list due to successful conclusion. l
Cabinet okays draft RAKUB Act

B1 COLUMN 3
RAKUB was established in 1986 under

an ordinance promulgated by the thenmilitary ruler. The ordinance was enacted in English. However, the law was
drafted in Bengali.
The provision of breeding livestock and cultivating fisheries was included in the definition of agriculture
of the RAKUB Act. The processing of
livestock and fisheries goods will also
be considered as agriculture products
under the new act, he added.
The number of the board member of
the bank will be increased to 11 from the
existing 7. Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner, Deputy Directors of Department
of Agriculture Extension, Department of
Fisheries and Department of Livestock
of Rangpur division will be included as

new member of the board. A new post
of Deputy Managing Director would be
created for the bank, he added.
Bhuiyan noted that the RAKUB has
already been running its operation in
the districts of newly formed Rangpur
division. After starting the operation of
RAKUB, the districts of Rangpur division separated from Rajshahi division.
The financial statements and reports of
the bank will be published in newspapers and on the website of the bank.
The cabinet meeting also finally approved the draft of Khulna Agriculture
University, which was earlier decided in
principle on October 28, 2013. The university is being established as per the
pledge made by the prime minister. l
Biman calls fresh bid for CMI

B1 COLUMN 6
Earlier, the date was set for first week

of June. Biman sources however said
resuming is not possible this year. Civil
Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed
Khan Menon held a meeting with Biman
Board at his office in Dhaka yesterday.
He said resuming Dhaka-New York
flights is a top priority of his ministry,
and they are working to make it happen soon. A senior Biman executive
said as response to the previous tender
was not satisfactory enough, another
call is needed.
We are sincere to reopen DhakaNew York flights, and thats why initiatives have been taken to hire category 1
CMI, he said.
In the previous tender, Biman re-
ceived offers from the Breaking International Air of Finland, China Southern
Airlines, Omni Air International and
Omni Apico White Airways from Portugal, Air Atlanta of Iceland, Atlas Air
from the USA, Eagle Express and Egypt
Airlines. Bimans New York flights were
grounded in 2006.
Biman plans to suspend Delhi and

Hong Kong flights during Hajj
The meeting also discussed the issues

of Hajj flights management.
For Hajj flights, Biman will suspend
flights to Delhi and Hong Kong for
around four months, said the minister.
Biman also plans to reduce flights
from Dubai, Doha and Kuala Lampur to
carry Hajj pilgrims, Menon said. l
Union Capital Limited recently signed an agreement with Bangladesh Bank for
participating in refinance scheme for agro-based product processing industries in rural
areas and for small enterprises at the central banks office. Bangladesh Banks deputy
governor Md Abul Quasem presided over the meeting that was attended by Md Akter
Hossain Sannamat, managing director and CEO of Union Capital Limited
NRB Commercial Bank Limited launched its 15th branch at Zirabo in Ashulia, Dhaka
yesterday. The banks vice chair Toufique Rahman Chowdhury inaugurated the branch
Pacific Motors Ltd and Hyundai Motors Bangladesh Ltd have donated two police patrol
vans to the Gulshan Police Station yesterday. The photo shows Shareq Fahim Haque,
managing director of Millennium Group handing over the keys of the vehicles to
Khandaker Lutful Kabir, deputy police commissioner, Gulshan division at Gulshan Police
Station Complex
Prime Bank Limited was recently given the first runner-up position at SAFA (South Asian
Federation of Accountants) Best Presented Annual Report Awards 2012 in the category
of private sector commercial banks. The banks head of financial administration division
Shahjahan Majumder received the award on behalf of the bank from the SAFA president
at a hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan
Standard Bank Ltd on Sunday held its 15th annual general meeting at a convention
centre in Ramna, Dhaka. The banks chair Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed presided over the
meeting where 10% cash dividend for the last operating year was approved
City Bank recently extended its support towards Institute of Bankers, Bangladesh (IBB)
by donating Tk44.6 lakh to purchase IBBs own office space. Sohail R K Hussain, the banks
MD and CEO handed over the cheque to Dr Md Shaik Romijul Karim, additional director of
IBB at the banks head office
B4
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
Alibaba the new face of finance in China

n Reuters, Beijing
For Yuan Yue, a Chinese graduate student in international trade, moving all
of her spare cash to an online investment fund called Yue Bao was a no
brainer.
The yield is even higher than a
bank time deposit, but a time deposit
ties up your money ... so its better to
just keep it in Yue Bao, because you
can use the money anytime. So why
keep it at the bank? said Yuan, who
studies in Shanghai.
Yue Bao, available on smartphones,
is conveniently linked to Chinas biggest online payments platform Alipay,
similar to PayPal and owned by an affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba
Group Holding Ltd. Users can dip directly into Yue Bao to pay for goods
bought online.
As Alibaba gears up for what could
be the worlds biggest tech IPO, online
finance has become another focus of
the sprawling firm - and while that business will be largely kept separate from
the offering, it could play a major role
in the entire companys future growth.
Chinas banking industry is behind
those of developed markets but its
number of Internet users, now more
than 618 million, is sparking a boom in
online and mobile payments.
The total transaction value of Chinas third-party online payments is expected to reach 18.5tn yuan ($2.97tn)
by 2017, up from 5.4tn yuan last year,

according to Shanghai-based data firm
iResearch.
Yue Baos high interest rates are an
incentive to deposit money into the
platform, money which can easily be
used to buy products on Alibabas huge
online shopping websites and anywhere else that takes Alipay.
Money market fund Yue Bao has
been such a success that the fund management company that helped launch
it, Tianhong Asset Management Co, has
gone from near obscurity to Chinas
biggest in terms of assets under management (AUM) in just months.
The firm had 554bn yuan ($88.88bn)
in AUM in the first quarter of 2014,
from just 10.5bn yuan a year earlier, according to Z-Ben Advisors, a Shanghaibased investment management consultancy.
And now the company that owns
Alipay, Zhejiang Alibaba E-Commerce
Co, is waiting for regulatory approval
to buy 51% of Tianhong.
Tianhongs massive assets under
management are in low risk, highly
liquid money market funds, said Wang
Dengfeng, Tianhongs fund manager.
We knew it was a break-through
product and would succeed but we
were surprised that it could reach todays levels, Wang said. We didnt
expect it to move the money market
industry and also the countrys money
management policies.
A man walks out of a building at Alibaba's headquarters on the outskirts of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province
Challenges ahead
Tianhong may have grown fast, but like

most money market funds it has razor
thin profit margins, said Chris Powers,
a consultant at Z-Ben Advisors.
The key will be whether Tianhong

can take their now new name recognition and their long list of investors and
use them to get them to invest in normal equity funds or fixed income funds
REUTERS
which will really help grow their AUM

but also grow their revenue, he said.
Yue Bao and Tianhong may also
come under regulatory pressure.
Their rise has angered Chinas big
state-owned banks, which cant compete on deposit interest rates as theyre

controlled by the central bank. The
banking regulator has been talking
about possible restrictions on fund
flows to e-payment platforms or even
subjecting them to the same requirements as standard banks.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma is fighting
back.
Its not the monopolies and powers
that determine success in the market,
its the consumer, Ma said on Alibabas
mobile chat app, after banks imposed
limits on how much their customers
could transfer to Alipay in March.
But its not just regulatory challenges looming.
Competitors such as Chinas dominant online search company Baidu Inc
and Tencent Holdings Ltd, a social networking and online gaming giant with
the hugely popular WeChat mobile
messaging app, have their own investment platforms for customers.
And those customers are fickle. Yuan
Yue has been watching the yields on Yue
Bao carefully as theyve dropped below
5% for the first time. A one-year time deposit at a local bank pays at most 3.3%.
If it falls below 4% I wont keep it in
Yue Bao, she said. Others like WeChat
and Baidu are offering similar products.
I can split it up - 2,000 yuan in
Baidus fund, 2,000 yuan in a WeChat
fund. They all make me money and the
risk is diversified. l
Internal documents show GM asks

engineers not to use word defect
n Reuters, Washington
Moodys:
Decisive Indian
election outcome
credit positive
n Reuters, Mumbai
The Bharatiya Janata Partys resounding election win is credit positive for India as it boosts the prospect that a stable government will
address the countrys economic
challenges, Moodys Investor Service said yesterday.
Moodys rates India Baa3, the
lowest investment-grade rating
with a stable outlook.
The completion of the election
will allow stalled policies relating
to the corporate and infrastructure
sectors to resume, a credit positive
for the countrys corporates, said
Vikas Halan, vice president and senior credit officer at Moodys, said
in a statement.
Rival rating agency Standard &
Poors also rates India at the lowest
investment grade, but with a negative outlook.
Investors are increasingly betting on a turnaround in the Indian
economy after the Narendra Modiled BJP and its allies won a more
decisive-than-expected 334 seats
in Indias 543-member lower house
in vote counting on Friday.
Closer co-ordination between
the central and state governments
on clearances for mega projects
and land use, two proposals outlined in the BJPs manifesto, would
address investment delays, Halan
wrote.
Indias economy is growing
at less than 5%, its slowest in a
decade. l
General Motors Co warned its engineers against using the words safety
and defect when identifying product risks, and explicitly told them not
to use inflammatory terms including
widow-maker and Hindenburg,
according to company documents released by the US government on Friday.
US officials, in announcing a $35m
fine against GM for its delayed response
to a deadly ignition switch flaw in certain vehicles, say the documents show
a dangerous company culture.
The confidential GM training
documents, which were used during
a 2008 technical learning symposium,
give engineers replacement words.
The company advised them to use
does not perform to design instead
of defect, and condition instead of
problem.
David Friedman, the acting head
of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, said the materials

robbed the company of essential terms
needed for engineers and investigators
to clearly flag problems to higher-ups.
GM must rethink the corporate philosophy reflected in the documents we
reviewed, Friedman said.
The Detroit automaker is facing
multiple investigations into why it
took more than a decade to respond
to evidence of a deadly ignition switch
flaw that has been linked to at least 13
deaths. It has recalled 2.6 million vehicles due to the risk that the cars can
unexpectedly stall, disabling air bags,
power steering and power brakes.
A spokesman for GM, Greg Martin, said the companys culture has
changed since the 2008 training session and cited a program the company
has put in place to encourage candid conversation about safety issues
among GM engineers.
Todays GM encourages employees to discuss safety issues, which is
reinforced through GMs recently announced Speak Up for Safety Program,

Martin said in a statement.
The 2008 documents released on
Friday show a GM highly sensitive to
how engineers testing reports could
make their way outside the company.
One slide referenced the brutal facts
that recalls and NHTSA investigations
were grabbing headlines each week.
For anything you say or do, ask
yourself how you would react if it was
reported in a major newspaper or on
television, the documents said.
In a particularly colourful section,
the slides sternly warned engineers
against embellishment and judgment
words.
One slide includes dozens of words
or phrases that should be avoided, including: asphyxiating, deathtrap,
disemboweling, genocide, grenadelike, Hindenburg, powder keg,
rolling sarcophagus, Titanic, and
youre toast. l
Cisco chief executive John Chambers

has complained to US President Barack
Obama about the National Security
Agencys spying practices, saying they
were harming overseas business for US
tech firms.
This issue affects an entire industry, the head of the telecom equipment maker said in a letter dated Friday obtained by AFP.
Chambers referred in particular to
recent media reports that the NSA had
intercepted and modified IT and telecom equipment on its way from manufacturers to customers.
One of the manufacturers was Cisco,
which is a top supplier of networking
equipment.
n AFP, Brussels
European Union member states are
only slowly increasing overseas aid and
need to nearly double their efforts if
they are to hit their 2015 target, a report
said yesterday.
A report on 2013 Official Development Assistance (ODA) prepared for
the 28 member nations showed they
provided 56.5bn euros in aid that year,
up from 55.3bn euros in 2012.
Collectively for 2013, they spent
0.43% of gross national income (GNI), a
measure of total annual economic output, the report said.
At the current rate of increase, ODA
will likely amount to only 0.45% of GNI
by 2015, needing another 41.3bn euros
to hit the target of 0.7%.
The European Council, which
groups the EU political leadership, said
it remains seriously concerned about
ODA levels and reaffirmed the commitment to aid targets.

Member states falling short of their
individual targets are invited to take
realistic, verifiable actions so as to
make up lost ground, a statement said.
The EU and its member states call
on all other international development partners ... to raise their level of
ambition, thus contributing their fair
share to global development efforts,
it added.
The 0.7% GNI target was agreed in
2005 as part of a wider EU commitment
to the UN Millennium Development
Goals. Newer member states have a
0.33% target.
The Council statement showed that
only four EU member states had met
or exceeded the 0.7% target - Sweden,
Luxembourg, Denmark and Britain while none of the others had met their
0.33% commitment in 2013. l
US auto parts maker to

outsource interiors to China
n AFP, New York
Smart watches are seen in Gizmodo's 'Home of the Future,' a pop-up apartment that displays the latest in innovation, design and
technology in New York City. The apartment will be viewable to the general public from May 17 to 21 at 268 Mulberry Street
AFP
Cisco chief writes to Obama to decry NSA activities

n AFP, New York
EU well short of 2015

aid target, needs
another 41bn euros
If these allegations are true, these

actions will undermine confidence in
our industry and in the ability of technology companies to deliver products
globally, Chambers warned.
We understand the real and significant threats that exist in this world,
but we must also respect the industrys relationship of trust with our
customers.
Chambers urged Obama to create
new rules of conduct to ensure that
appropriate safeguards and limits exist
that serve national security objectives,
while at the same time meet the needs
of global commerce.
Without such rules, we are concerned that our countrys global technological leadership will be impaired,
Chambers said. A Cisco spokesman
confirmed that Chambers had written

to Obama but declined to comment on
the content of the letter.
'We understand the

real and significant
threats that exist in this
world, but we must also
respect the industrys
relationship of trust
with our customers'
Mark Chandler, Cisco senior vice
president in charge of legal issues,
had said earlier in the week on the
companys blog that some actions

by the US government had overreached.
We comply with US laws, like those
of many other countries, which limit
exports to certain customers and destinations, Chandler said.
We ought to be able to count on the
government to then not interfere with
the lawful delivery of our products.
Several players in the US tech sector have already registered complaints
following revelations of the NSAs vast
online surveillance program.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
has said he spoke to Obama by
telephone in mid-March to express
frustration over the damage the
government is creating for all of our
future. l
US auto parts supplier Johnson Controls will outsource its manufacturing

of interior car parts in a merger with a
subsidiary of Chinese automaker SAIC,
according to a statement Sunday.
Johnson Controls said it will have
a 30% stake in the shared enterprise,
which it claimed would be the largest
automotive interiors company in the
world with revenues of approximately
$7.5bn.
The remaining 70-percent ownership in the company will be held by a
subsidiary of SAIC, Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems.
The new company will be based in
Shanghai and will have development
centres and clients in the United States,
DILBERT
Europe and Asia. It will produce instrument panels and cockpit systems, door
panels and floor consoles.
For several months, Johnson Controls had been examining options for
its interior car parts production, which
are worth around $4.2bn a year, a
spokesman said.
Johnson Controls chairman and
chief executive Alex Molinaroli said in
the statement the new venture is a
natural extension of our already very
successful existing partnership with
Yanfeng in automotive seating.
It creates a strong combined company with a market leading position
and a foundation for sustained global
growth, he added.
The deal is expected to be completed in the first half of 2015. l

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Joishthya 6, 1421

Rajab 20, 1435

TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

TMAG | SCHOOL SURVIVAL: DELICIOUS VENOM 7 | MONROE DOCTRINES SPACE IN BJP?

20 pages plus 16-page T-Mag tabloid | Price: Tk10

9 | SONIA, RAHULS RESIGNATION REJECTED

13 | VAN GAAL NAMED UNITED COACH

Dr Kamals 1975 NARAYANGANJ

firm claimed that he had discussed the

Ex-RAB men deny

The three former RAB officials who

HOW MANY WERE

P3 18 RAB MEN WITHDRAWN

that as many as 22 people were involved with the gruesome murder if

Division within the prosecution team

Now Oli accuses Ershad

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Prosecutors move further apart over Jamaat trial

dhirganj unit of the ruling Awami

Tarek Sayeed and Arif Hossain were

ments and advance reports of the case

the legitimacy of such a resolution.

Liberal Democratic Party chief Col

4 Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith

B1 World Trade Organisation Director General

6 Voting in 13 upazilas across the country in

8 A dramatic spike in lawlessness in Libyas

11 My mind fills with premonition when I hear

12 Mostofa Sarwar Farookis new flick

Zia was assassinated on May 29, 1981

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

'There are channels on

channels as well as to take action against

Ex-army man held

Humayun Azad case deferred till June 12

since the order, the trial is yet to get

Ex-RAB men deny involvement in seven murders

prosecutor Haider Ali the acting chief

Nazruls father-in-law Shahidul Islam

Nur Hossain, Yasin Mia, Hasmat Ali

Yasin Mia, 55, general secretary of

On the first night, Tarek was asked

Dr Kamals 1975 role and two rejoinders

Dr Kamals rejoinder explained his

Rana also claimed that he had not

They said he and his family had fled

don in 1980 and started working for

Kamals statement said from 197581, he was in regular touch with

During election campaign, Bangabandhus daughter Sheikh Hasina risked

gave Yasin money as compensation

ey by manipulating tenders during

Iqbal challenged Nazrul in polls

Is fugitive Hashu captured?

Hasmat Ali Hashu, 50, is one of the four

Compared to the other accused,

Iqbal Hossain, 36, who once used

Law enforces arrested a former army

Mother, son killed

Nobody was around in the house of

18 RAB men withdrawn for alleged

suspects in connection with the sensational seven murders in Narayanganj.

man, director of RABs legal and media

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

the seizure list, and misappropriated