7 Long Form 8 International 14 Sport The curse of S Sudan sends more Five-star Bayern the two-thirds troops to retake win Club World  ashpoint town Cup

Poush 9, 1420 Safar 19, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 269 MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2013 www.dhakatribune.com SECOND EDITION 20 pages | Price: Tk10 More buses start rolling Army, joint forces providing support to vehicular movement n Mohammad Jamil Khan and safer, hearing that the police are giving Abu Hayat Mahmud security and the army are patrolling the streets.” The ow of vehicles on highways and A nine-member monitoring cell has the capital’s streets returned to almost been formed to ensure smooth normal yesterday, the second day of transit under Deputy Inspector General the opposition’s 83-hour blockade pro- of Highway Police Asaduzzaman. The gramme. team will instruct local administrations An increased number of intercity accordingly in case of any emergency. and intra-city passenger buses were Private bus services and that seen operating on the streets and high- of the Road Transport ways under police protection. Corporation will start operating from Army was also seen providing secu- today across the country except a rity and guidance for smooth vehicular few districts such as Bogra, movement in some places, including and . BRTC Chairman Jashim Jatrabari in the capital and Mirersarai Uddin Khan told the Tribune that in . the corporation had made the decision Transport workers, however, at a meeting of the communication said the presence of passengers had ministry. been thin. Asaduzzaman, the DIG of highway police, told the Dhaka Tribune that vehicles escort goods-laden transports on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE P2 BNP MULLS NONCOOPERATION they were ready to provide foolproof security to buses that left the capital. 22 ex-ministers Visiting three major bus terminals in From Gabtoli terminal, a few buses Pickets set two men on re in Sirajganj the capital, a handful of buses were left for Manikganj, Paturia and Aricha. still enjoying found leaving the capital. But few Around 200 buses left the Mohakhali n Mohammad Jamil Khan truck helper, with 70% and 90% burn steer out of control into the roadside. long-route buses left the capital and Sayedabad bus terminals. Hazi Mo- injuries respectively. Both are now Ataur was hurt, but managed to take housing facility because of the absence of passengers hammad Ali, president of Sayedabad Cruelty by pro-blockade pickets undergoing treatment at the burn and shelter in a local residence; but both and support. Many passengers were intercity bus-terminal workers’ associ- reached a new level on Saturday, when plastic surgery unit of Dhaka Medical Shahin and Majedul were chased down n Mohosinul Karim apprehensive about boarding a bus ation, said over 150 buses had left the miscreants poured petrol on two peo- College Hospital (DMCH). by the pickets and beaten up before the despite their urgency. terminal yesterday and the number ple and set them on  re in Sirajganj. Shahin and Majedul were on a culprits poured petrol on their bodies Most of the 14-party ministers and ABM Kausar, manager of a garment would double at night. Although recent hartals and block- Comilla-bound vegetable-laden truck, and torched them. state ministers who are not in the polls- factory, said he needed to go to Comilla “The presence of passengers is low, ades had seen vehicles being torched, when it was attacked by pickets with Shahin – the only earning member of time cabinet are still enjoying govern- as his father was ill, and “I was afraid but if the law enforcers support us, we the latest act of brutality left Moham- crude bombs near the Baingati area of his family – described the incidents in a ment accommodation facility even af- of taking the bus as it might come think it will go up,” he said. mad Shahin, a 30-year-old truck driver, Sirajganj at around 10pm on Saturday; whispered voice. ter their tenure is over. under an arson attack. But I feel a little  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6 and Mohammad Majedul, a 25-year-old causing truck driver Ataur Rahman to  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1 As per the Ministers and State Min- isters Privileges Act ministers and state ministers are not entitled to housing fa- cility one month into their resignation Fanatics suspected in ‘pir’ murder When lawmakers are or dismissal. The resignation papers of the outgo- n Kailash Sarkar disciples might have links with the “My father had also been vocal ing minister were accepted on Novem- murder including those kept as hostag- against the Islamist fundamentalist found guilty of perjury... ber 20. Both the intelligence and the family es during the killings which took place leaders like Delawar Hossain Sayedee, Only  ve ministers and state minis- members of self-proclaimed pir Lutfor around 5:30pm. former leader Mufti n Muhammad Zahidul Party, who was elected from -6 ters handed over their o cial residenc- Rahman Faruk blame fanatic Islamists Abdullah, who is a bank o cial, Fazlul Huq Amini, Charmonai Pir Faz- constituency, said he had a college de- es until yesterday to the Department of for the murder of six people includ- told the Dhaka Tribune that his father, lul Karim and Shaikh-ul Hadis for their Political integrity of a section of law- gree. Public Accommodation (DPA). ing the religious leader at his Ramakr- brother Sarwarul Islam Monir and four anti-state activities and corruption.” makers has been called into question Md Aslamul Hoque, already elect- The ministers who are yet to hand ishna Mission Road house on Saturday disciples might have been killed for the He also suspects some disciples of following their fraudulent and contra- ed from Dhaka-14 constituency unop- over their o cial residences are Rajiud- afternoon. religious practices and views. his father. dictory statements on their education- posed on ticket, in his din Ahmed Raju, Shahara Khatun, Mu- Lutfor’s younger son Abdullah Al Lutfor claimed himself to be the When asked, Abdullah said he was al quali cations. hiuddin Khan Alamgir, Faruk in the case statement hinted commander-in-chief of the forces of out for a walk at the time of the incident. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister P3 AL REQUEST TO EC Hira, , Enamul Hoque the involvement of Islamist militants Imam Mahdi since 1997. Lutfor’s wife Salma claimed that ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, contesting Mustafa Shaheed, Muhammad Faruk by mentioning about several previous Pointing  ngers at the militants, Ab- although a lot of money was looted from Patuakhali-1 constituency for the a davit in the ninth parliamentary Khan, AFM Ruhal Haque, Dipu Moni attacks on his father, brother and their dullah said: “The killings could be the from the house, the motive was some- 10th parliament, in his a davit submit- election said he had passed only Class and Mostafa Faruque Mohammed. house. He  led the case with Wari po- continuation of previous attacks carried thing else. “The killers also wanted to ted to the Election Commission (EC) VIII while this time he claimed he is The state ministers who are still en- lice station accusing 10-11 unknown out by cadres. Later we were informed be disciples. But all on a sudden, they said he was doing his MBA. pursuing BBA programme. joying the government accommoda- killers. that those were followers of [detained swooped on us with sharp weapons.” However, in 2008, Howlader, also And in the biography of MP tion facility are AB , Yeafesh Police suspect that some of Lutfor’s Huji chief] Mufti Abdul Hannan.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1 secretary general of Ershad-led Jatiya  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6 INSIDE Business Charge sheet at last in B1 The government has planned to defer the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2014 by 10 days due to the the Tazreen re case political turmoil and violence. n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu Among the 13 accused, six, includ- News ing the owners, are currently on the 3 Yet another arson victim died The Criminal Investigation Department run. One is in custody and the others yesterday from his injuries. of Police yesterday pressed charges in are out on bail. Three others who were the Tazreen factory  re case against 13, found guilty in primary investigation, Nation including the absconding owner, more were relieved of the charges. 6 Despite many reports published in than a year after the disaster that killed The absconding six are: Delwar, di erent media, including the Dhaka over a hundred. Mahmuda, Razzaq, quality manag- Tribune on December 12, a group of Owner Delwar Hossain, his wife er Shahiduzzaman Dulal, engineer M land grabbers have been continuing Mahmuda Akhter, and 11 others were Mahabubul Morshed and production construction of a kitchen market charged with culpable homicide and manager Mobarak Hossain Manju. on a canal in Nathullabad area in unplanned construction of the building Barisal city. under the penal code. The charge sheet accused CID Inspector AKM Mohosinudzam- the owners of erecting Entertainment an Khan  led the charges with the the factory building in 12 Young Bangladeshi  lmmaker Kamar court of Washim Sheikh, senior chief an unplanned way that Ahmad Simon has won The Asian Pitch judicial magistrate of Dhaka. If proven eventually led to the disaster held in Singapore last week. guilty, the accused may get maximum of 10 years in jail. The other seven accused are: admin Inspector Khan  led a charge sheet o cer Dulal, security in-charge Anisur once before on December 2, but the Rahman, security supervisor Al-Amin, general recording o cer of the court did store in-charges Hamidul Islam Lavlu not produce the charge sheet before the and Al-Amin, loader Shamim Mia and magistrate without citing any cause. security guard Rana. Delwar, managing director of Taz- All these seven have been arrested, reen Fashions, his wife Mahmuda but only Anisur Rahman is now in jail. Akhter, a director, and factory manager The rest have all secured bail from the were among those found High Court and a judge’s courts. guilty in primary investigation. Inspector Khan said the prosecution According to the charge sheet, the had  led for producing a total of 111 accused did not allow workers to get witnesses in the case. Earlier, Decem- out of the factory saying the  re alarm ber 31 was  xed by the court for hearing that started ringing after the  re broke to take the charge sheet in cognisance. out, was just a drill.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6 2 DHAKA TRIBUNE News Monday, December 23, 2013

Zohra Tajuddin Now BNP mulls buried in state noncooperation honour n BSS Syeda Zohra Tajuddin, Awami League movement Presidium member and wife of the country’s  rst prime minister Syed Ta- to hold a press conference juddin Ahmad, was laid to eternal rest at Banani Graveyard in the capital yes- tomorrow after blockade ends terday evening. She was given state honour during n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla performance of the Dhaka city unit, the burial. Khaleda Zia has reportedly decided to She died of old-age complications Amid the prevailing ambience of skep- take the charge in her own hands to on Friday morning at the age of 80. ticism within the party regarding the mobilise the mass into the movement. A pall of gloom descended on Kapa- success of the ongoing movement, Khandakar Mahbub Hossain, advis- sia of Gazipur, her birthplace, after her main opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia er to the BNP chairperson, said Khaleda body reached there. is likely to announce “noncooperation” Zia would soon take to the streets her- Three namaz-e-janazas of Zohra programmes in her much hyped press self to gear up the movement. were held at her native district. Zohra’s conference tomorrow. However, another senior leader, son and former state minister for home A senior leader of the party said seeking anonymity, said she might go to a airs Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj, MPs Khaleda Zia’s presser was scheduled the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters to and political leaders, among others, at- for 5:45pm at her Gulshan o ce to- cheer up the party leaders and activists. Fuel oil tankers line up at Matuail in the capital as they are escorted for smooth supply during the opposition's blockade FOCUS BANGLA tended the janazas. l morrow, minutes after the end of the ongoing 83-hour  fth spell of country- Diplomatic efforts wide rail, road and waterway blockade Reportedly, the BNP has also been trying Chinese foreign 22 ex-ministers programme enforced by the BNP-led to keep the foreign missions in the loop EC asks AFD to deploy opposition combine. about how “controversial” the upcom- secy due in Dhaka  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3 The leader also said the opposition ing 10th parliamentary elections were. Osman, Ahad Ali Sarkar, Md Shahjahan chief might reply to the prime minister’s The party is also maintaining con- n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman troops for polls Miah, Abdul Mannan Khan, Jahangir recent statements, give her views on tacts with over the current politi- Kabir Nanak, Muhammad Enamul Huq, why the dialogue initiatives failed and cal situation. Just three weeks after the visit of In- n Mohammad Zakaria procedure directed by executive mag- Mozibur Rahman Fakir, Mahabubur urge leaders and activists to build stron- The European Union has already dian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, istrates, the letter stated. Rahaman Talukdar, Omor Faruk ger resistance at the polling centers. said they would not send any observer China is now sending its Foreign Sec- The Election Commission yesterday The army personnel would be de- Chowdhury, Md Abdul Hyee and Meher According to a press release signed to the January 5 elections. retary Liu Zhenmin to discuss political sent a letter to the Armed Forces Divi- ployed at the nodal points of every Afroze Chumki. by BNP chairperson’s Press Secretary Senior leaders of the party have already situation in Bangladesh. sion (AFD), formally asking to deploy district//metropolitan area and However, the DPA authorities are Maruf Kamal Khan, Khaleda will pres- held a series of meetings with the diplo- Sujatha Singh who came to Dhaka on troops for maintaining law and order other areas as striking force. Coordi- not planning to serve them any notice ent her speech before the nation re- mats, portraying to them the latest politi- December 4 also discussed political sit- surrounding the 10th parliamentary nated by the returning o cer, the army to quit the houses. garding the prevailing political situa- cal scenario and explaining their positions. uation with the Bangladeshi leadership. elections slated for January 5. would be deployed at upazila/thana Information Minister Hasanul Haq tion in the country. Yesterday, two BNP leaders held a Zhenmin in his visit will meet Prime The letter, signed by the EC’s Joint levels as striking force. Inu, in accordance of his wish, has About the skepticism, party insid- meeting with some diplomats at a city Minister , leader of the Secretary Jesmin Tuli, has been sent to The letter also stated that the army recently been allocated an o cial ers said it was a result of two mainly hotel. BNP Vice-Chairman Shamsher Opposition Khaleda Zia, Foreign Min- the principal sta o cer of the AFD, personnel would be deployed at im- residence in the Hare Road by the things:  rstly, because most of the se- Mobin Chowdhury and adviser to the ister AH Mahmood Ali and have a bi- stating that as per article 126 of the con- portant roads and highways to main- DPA. None of the other ministers of nior leaders had not been on the  eld BNP Chairperson Sabihuddin Ahmed lateral meeting with Foreign Secretary stitution, the commission has decided tain law and order, while also assisting the polls-time government, however, during the  ve spells of blockade; and were present at the meeting with UK Md Shahidul Haque, his Bangladesh to deploy army – along with law enforce- the commission in election-related expressed their willingness to get a secondly, there had not been much par- High Commissioner Robert Gibson, counterpart. ment agencies – for holding the election works, if needed. residence. ticipation from people either. Canadian High Commissioner Heath- China sent a letter on December 18, in free, fair and peaceful manner. The copies of the letter were also Public Works Secretary Dr Seeking anonymity, a senior leader er Cruden, Dutch Ambassador Gerben expressing desire to have diplomatic con- The letter also stated that at a meet- sent to the concerned authorities. Khondakar Showkat Hossain said: told the Dhaka Tribune that the Dhaka Sjoerd de Jong, Australian High Com- sultation and learn about current political ing with law enforcement agencies on About army deployment, Chief “Some ministers and state ministers city unit of the party had been com- missioner Greg Wilcock and South Ko- situation from the Bangladesh leaders, December 20, the EC had decided to Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi have already handed over their houses. pletely inactive. This, he said, had not rean Ambassador Lee Yun-young were said an o cial of the Foreign Ministry. deploy army from December 26 to Jan- Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday told re- Some others are leaving and the rest only triggering questions about the present in the meeting. “The Chinese side proposed to have uary 9. porters that the commission would not are taking preparation to leave the success of the movement, but also ut- A senior leader said the party high the visit on December 26 and 27, but we The army would assist the civil ad- deploy army in  ve districts where can- houses. We hope they will leave their terly frustrated the grassroots. command considered the meetings want to defer the dates to December 27 ministration regarding the election-re- didates of all constituencies were set to houses shortly.” Apparently frustrated with the poor successful. l and 28,” he said. l lated works, as per the code of criminal be elected uncontested. l When asked whether the ministry has any plan to serve a notice in this regard, the secretary said: “I think it would not be necessary Fanatics suspected in 'pir' murder to serve notices. They will leave  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3 ing that they could not complete their to the house he was interested to enter- also came under attack several times. Shaheen had been engaged in trading willingly.” Some seven people including the fam- mission as they could not kill Abdul- tain them. Earlier, Lutfor had long beard while vegetables with him at Jatrabari. But Dr Ashraful Islam, director of the ily members and two disciples were lah, said Deputy Commissioner Jahan- One of the killers was wearing a residing at Bibirbagicha of Demra in four years ago, he became a follower of DPA under the housing and public kept as hostages – hands tied and faces gir Hossain Matubbar of the Detective blazer and all of them were wearing 2007, but trimmed it later. Lutfor and left the business. works ministry, said: “Only a few zipped with cellulose tape – in another Branch (east). jeans. They had long daggers and Chi- His uncle Ma dul Islam said they ministers and state ministers have room at that time. “We are carrying out investigation nese knives with them. Other deceased could not take Shaheen back despite handed over their o cial residences to According to the case statement, focusing on the militant links as well as Shahida told the DB o cials that the The other victims are Lutfor’s elder son repeated attempts in the last two years. the DPA.” Lutfor’s daughter Shamsunnahar had the controversial religious practices of killers had been asking for Abdullah. Monir, 40, who was an o cial of the Another victim Mujibul is the son “We will wait until they intend to untied herself and cried out. She then Lutfor,” he said adding that they were They also claimed to have been ordered Sadarghat branch of City Bank; and dis- of Fazlul Huq from Gazipur. His wife hand those over themselves. We hope freed Monir’s father-in-law Golam Mo- verifying whether there was any other to kill six people, “but said ‘none of you ciples – Manjurul Alam, Mujibur Rah- Rabeya said Mujibul had worked at a they will do it shortly,” he added. stafa, Manjurul’s brother-in-law Anwar issue like personal enmity. will be spared if you make noise,’” she man, 25, Russel Bhuiyan, 20, and Md garment factory. On Thursday, he had “If they do not leave within the and another unknown disciple. But said quoting a killer. Shaheen, 25. gone to Savar to visit her and returned expected time they will have to pay for within minutes, Mostafa and the un- DB detains two Manju, son of Khalil Sheikh of to Dhaka. overstay.” known disciple ran out of the house. DB sources said they detained Mostafa Details of the deceased Brammangati in Sirajganj, was Lutfor’s Russel, son of Tofazzal Islam Bhu- According to the DPA, former and disciple Shahida Khatun, 54, who Hailing from Bhorua village under Bhu- principal disciple. His brother Abdul iyan of Comilla, was a student of tex- ministers Afsarul Amin, Abdur ‘Killers repented’ was among the hostages. apur in , Lutfor passed SSC in Mumin said Manju and his wife Asma tile engineering at BGMEA Institute of Razzaque and Abdul Latif Bishwas According to the police, the killers ex- DC Jahangir, however, did not admit 1975 and HSC in 1977 from Pingna High had been staying at Lutfor’s house for Fashion Technology. His uncle Zakir and former state ministers Mosta zur pressed disappointment as they could the detention. School and College in Jamalpur. He had the last two years along with their child Hossain said they had no idea about Rahman and Motaher Hossain have not kill Abdullah. During the incident, Quoting captive eyewitnesses, come to Dhaka in 1997. aged three and a half years. Russel’s links with Lutfor. already left their houses. l they were searching for him and asked the sources said the killers had been He is facing several cases  led against Shaheen, son of Kauser Ahmed, The bodies were sent to Sir Salimul- the captives his whereabouts. known to one of the deceased Shaheen, him with Shahbagh, Sutrapur and Dem- hailed from Badarpur village under Lal- lah Medical College morgue early yes- More buses start The killers had left the house say- a disciple, as after the killers had come ra police stations for his activities. He mohan upazila in Bhola. His father said terday for autopsy. l  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2 The Mohakhali bus-terminal workers’ Pickets set two men on re in Sirajganj association said around 95 buses had  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5 not be able to come to the capital to see to his home at Noyahati in Mymens- left the terminal yesterday and reached Habibul Islam, o cer-in-charge of Sir- Majedul as they lacked the necessary ingh on an auto-rickshaw on Saturday their destinations without facing any ajganj police station, told the Dhaka money, she said. evening, when pickets hurled petrol problems. Tribune that the injured driver Ataur “Last night, when the police o - bombs at the vehicles near Ahmedpur Asked if the army was providing was also undergoing treatment at the cials informed me about the incident, I area. support to vehicular movement, Inter- sadar hospital as the crude bomb attack ran over to sadar hospital. My brother However, Hamidul Islam, OC of Services Public Relations’ Director burned his hands. was telling me ‘they set  re on me by Gouripur police station in Mymens- Shahinur Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pouring petrol. Do you have something ingh, claimed that no auto-rickshaw “The winter exercise [of the army] is spoke on television, calling to bring out to eat? I haven’t eaten anything, please was set on  re in the area, adding that going on. Vehicles also move during the vehicles for work; then why is she not feed me.’ other passengers of the same vehicle exercise and the troops are providing coming and saving us?” asked Shumi, Shumi later bought some food and were unharmed. A probe was being support if roads are not clear. The sister of Majedul. In an angered voice, fed both the injured men at the hospi- carried out, the OC said. people are getting its bene t.” l she said there were demons around us tal. Partha Shankar Pal, residential sur- who carried out such destructive activ- Meanwhile, Md Shahjahan, another geon at the DMCH, said the condition Tazreen re ities following the two female leaders’ burn victim was also admitted at the of Shahjahan was too critical because order. hospital yesterday and was undergo- of the damaged respiratory system,  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3 Shumi said Majedul had come out ing treatment at the ICU with 31% of while the other two victims were kept On November 24 last year, the dev- from home after quarrelling with his his body burnt along with respiratory at the observation ward and would be astating  re at the factory of Tazreen wife Ashrafun, as there was no food at damages. shifted to specialised ward as per their Fashions in Nischintapur of Ashu- home. The family members would also The victim was reportedly returning conditions. l Shahdat takes care of Shaheen in DMCH burn unit yesterday RAJIB DHAR lia near Dhaka, claimed 111 lives and left another 104 workers injured, the charge sheet said. When lawmakers found guilty of perjury... The charge sheet also said at 7pm  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5 ondary level. But in the declaration of herself to be “self-educated” during (HSC) examination. mentioned he passed BA from Pabna on November 24, 2012, the workers of prepared by the parliament he said the ninth general election he claimed the election in 2008. But later in the But in the book of introduction to Edward College in 1962. the factory tried to run out after the  re he had strong command over English, to be a graduate saying he was about to document of parliament she claimed lawmakers of the ninth parliament Li- When contacted he only said: “I alarm started ringing. But they could Bangla and Hindi languages. collect his certi cates. she studied in Dinajpur High School ton declared that he obtained his Bach- can’t manage the certi cate as I ob- not go past the main gate of the facto- “Earlier I did not collect my certif- But in his biography prepared by and Surendra Nath College in Dinajpur. elor Degree (Accounting) in 1986 from tained the degree half a ago. ry because it was locked. The security icates in 2008. But now I am doing a parliament Syed Ashraful Islam, elect- Death penalty awarded war criminal Bazlul Haque College in his own town. May be it was destroyed during the Lib- guards on duty told the workers that BBA,” Md Aslamul Hoque told the Dhaka ed from Kishorganj-1 constituency, said Salah Uddin Quader Chowdhury before Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury from eration War.” the alarm was a part of a  re drill. Tribune. But interestingly he could not he obtained Masters of Arts Degree. He the ninth general elections said he had Chittagong -11 constituency in both “When we stepped in politics we The report also accused the owners recall where he was doing his BBA from. provided the same information in the no education. a davits submitted to the EC before never thought that a certi cate would of erecting the factory building in an Aslam also made silly mistakes in the parliamentary document in 2005. After that the detained MP claimed in the ninth and tenth parliament said really matter. So I have never tried to unplanned way that eventually led to spelling of his mother’s name in the af- Nasrin Jahan Ratna, a lawmaker of the parliamentary document that he was he passed HSC examination but in the collect it.” the disaster. There was no emergency  davit submitted to the EC. In 2008 he the ninth parliament and wife of ABM a graduate from Panjab University, Pa- book published by parliament he was The Election Commission amended exit in the building. spelt his mother’s name as Feroza Hoque Ruhul Amin Howlader, who has been kistan, in Political Science. Salah Uddin mentioned a man with a Bachelor of the Representation of the People Order The  re at Tazreen factory raised a which was later changed to Reroza Haze. declared elected unopposed in the 10th Quader, the six-time elected member of Commerce Degree. (RPO) before the ninth parliamentary wave of concern throughout the national LGRD Minister and Awami League parliament in her a davit said she was the parliament, also obtained post grad- AKM Rahmatullah in his a davit election where they had introduced as- and international community over facto- General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam “self-educated.” uate degree under University. declared he had passed HSC but later pirants’ educational quali cations with ry building standards in Bangladesh. provided three di erent information But earlier in her life sketch pre- In both a davits before the ninth he claimed he was a graduate. other information. On April 24 this year, the multi-sto- on his educational quali cations in pared by parliament she claimed she and tenth parliamentary elections Parliamentarian Shamsur Rahman “If one provides any incorrect or ried Rana Plaza, located in Savar near three di erent documents. passed SSC examination. Whip Noor-EAlam Chowdhury Li- Sherif in his a davits in 2008 and 2014 wrong information his/her candidature Dhaka, caved in killing over a thousand A few days back in his a davit to Earlier, Khaleda Zia, leader of the ton (Madaripur-1) mentioned he had said he had a Matriculation degree. will be cancelled,” a high o cial of the garment workers and injuring more the EC he said he passed only the sec- opposition, for the  rst time declared passed Higher Secondary Certi cate But in the parliamentary document he EC told the Dhaka Tribune. l two and a half thousand. l DHAKA TRIBUNE News Monday, December 23, 2013 3

MPS’ WEALTH STATEMENTS BNP still shying away from resolution issue Awami League asks EC to stop n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla between states,” the BNP leader said. Hasina on Saturday said Khaleda did The main opposition BNP still shirks not feel good with the victory of Ban- from making any comment on the Pa- galees and for this she was remaining kistan’s resolution over war criminal silent about the resolution adopted on publishing a davits Quader Molla’s execution. December 16. It might have grieved her On December 16, the Pakistan parlia- to speak against Pakistan. ment adopted a resolution, expressing War criminal Quader Molla was hand- CEC says the matter is not in his hand – the commission will work as per laws concern over the execution of Quader ed life imprisonment on February 5, Molla who was hanged at 10:01pm on triggering a countrywide protest and the n Mohammad Zakaria statements were published in the The Awami League delegation also than 10% representation in the current December 12 for his crimes against hu- formation of the Ganajagaran Mancha. media in the last couple of days. told the Election Commission that the parliament, does not join the polls,” he manity in 1971. The government later amended the In- Awami League has requested The publishing of a davits by the two sides could work in a coordinated told reporters after the meeting at the On Sunday, during a press confer- ternational Crimes Tribunal acts (1973) the Election Commission to stop EC started from 2008 parliamentary manner to make the 10th parliamentary EC secretariat. ence, BNP standing committee member that paved the way for an appeal against publishing the a davits submitted by elections. The reports showed that a elections acceptable to the people. A total of 1,567 candidates contested Nazrul Islam Khan was asked about his the Molla verdict. election candidates. signi cant number of ministers and in the ninth parliamentary election party’s stance on the resolution. The Supreme Court handed the war A delegation of the Awami League’s lawmakers had amassed sizeable MK Alamgir told the CEC that held in 2008, according to the EC. In Avoiding the query, Nazrul rather criminal death sentence upon the Inter- election steering committee made the fortunes while in o ce during the last reports had been published the 10th parliamentary elections, 540 questioned: “Does the government not national Crimes Tribunal appeal. request in a meeting with the chief  ve years. in the media on the a davits candidates are contesting the polls. have [diplomatic] ties with Pakistan? If Molla, scheduled to be executed on In the history of parliamentary December 10, applied to  le a review pe- election commissioner yesterday. The Anti-Corruption Commission in the past few days. He said not, it should make matters clear.” Sources at the Election Commission has said it is unwilling to probe into elections in the country, this is Following the Pakistan resolution, tition hours before his hanging. On De- if it was not mandatory, the said former home minister Muhiuddin the surge in wealth of ministers and the lowest number of candidates the Foreign Ministry summoned the cember 12, the Supreme Court dismissed Khan Alamgir, who led the delegation, lawmakers. commission should stop contesting in any general elections. Pakistan’s envoy to Dhaka to register its his application. had asked CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad The nine-member delegation to the publishing the a davits Of the contestants, 154 are already protest. About the prime minister’s state- whether it was mandatory to publish CEC was a sub-committee of the Awami set to be elected uncontested. The Protesting the resolution, Ganajaga- ment that the BNP should cut o rela- the candidates’ a davits or not. League Election Steering Committee. The party also extended its o er elections would be held only in 146 ran Mancha activists marched towards tions with the Jamaat-e-Islami, Nazrul “Alamgir told the CEC that reports The CEC told the delegation that to cooperate with the Election constituencies. the Pakistan High Commission on De- said: “Is it the government that should had been published in media on the the commission would work as per the Commission in this regard. “On behalf of Awami League and cember 18. decide which party to remain in politics a davits in the last few days. He said if Representation of the People Order After the meeting, Muhiuddin the committee, we have expressed our They also demanded cancellation of and which not? People will take the de- it was not mandatory, the commission (RPO) and publishing the a davits was Khan Alamgir told reporters that more determination to assist the commission any diplomatic relations with Pakistan. cision.” should stop publishing the a davits,” mandatory in the RPO. candidates were contesting in the 10th to hold the election peacefully,” BNP leader Nazrul also reacted to Asked whether BNP would tone an EC source said. “But he told them that the full parliamentary elections compared to Alamgir said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s remarks down its ongoing protest because of The a davits submitted by the commission would take a decision the ninth. Responding to a question about that the BNP chief had remained silent Hefazat-e-Islam’s rally on December 24, candidates include their wealth after examining the request. He also “A total of 12 political parties are foreign observers, he said foreign on the resolution for her alleged ties with Nazrul said: “Hefazat-e-Islam is not a po- statements and educational told them the matter was not in his contesting in this election. There is observers not praising the polls could Pakistan. litical party. It is an organisation.” information. hands and the commission would work no reason to say the election is not not be a reason for the election to be “[Diplomatic] relations cannot be be- “There has yet to be any decision on Reports on candidates’ wealth as per the laws,” the source said. acceptable, if a party, which has less unacceptable. l tween an individual and a state, rather whether to let up blockade or not.” l

Hefazat mulls JaPa ‘confused’ over alternative polls: Firoz Rashid programme n Manik Miazee n Manik Miazee leader Kazi Firoz Rashid yesterday said his party was confused Retracting from its  rm stance to hold about whether to participate in the tomorrow’s rally at Motijheel, Hefaz- parliamentary elections, mainly due at-e-Islam is now considering a protest to con icting statements made by the demonstration in Kamrangirchar in party’s top brass. the capital as until last night the Dhaka “We are going to participate in the Metropolitan Police had not allow ed January 5 polls under the instructions of them to hold the rally. Ershad’s wife Rawshan Ershad,” Rashid Leaders of the Chittagong-based told journalists yesterday. Islamist group told the Dhaka Tribune Earlier, JaPa chairman HM Ershad an- that they were thinking about the alter- nounced that the party was going to stay native as the government said it would away from the polls. On the other hand, not allow them in Motijheel. Firoz Rashid on Thursday said JaPa was For the last few days, Hefazat leaders joining the polls with Ershad’s consent. have been expressing resolve to hold “The party leaders and activists are the rally at any cost demanding imple- confused whether JaPa is participating mentation of its 13-point demands that in the polls or not,” said Rashid, who is include an anti-blasphemy law. contesting the polls from Dhaka 6. One of the central leaders said: “We Rashid also said JaPa’s election mani- are taking preparation to hold demo in festo was ready, but there was no instruc- Kamrangirchar area.” tion from the top about announcement. This madrasa is run by Shah Ahmadul- “We need help from the country’s lah Ashraf, Hefazat’s central leader and biggest political party Awami League,” chief of Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon. said Rashid. State Minister of Law Quamrul Islam A total of 88 JaPa candidates are con- alleged that the opposition were trying testing the polls. to create anarchy using Hefazat. A DMP Meanwhile, Party Secretary General, source con rmed that Hefazat would ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader avoided a not get the permission. scheduled press conference on Saturday. DMP Commissioner (media) Masu- However, GM Quader, Ershad’s dur Rahman, however, told the Dhaka brother, told reporters on Saturday that Tribune that they were yet to make a People recover some of the goods that went under water after an overloaded trawler sank in the at Sadarghat in the capital yesterday. Traders are forced to use the the party chief was determined not to decision. l waterway to transport goods as the roads are unsafe during blockades SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN join the polls. l Hefazat Dhaka Five-day remand chief ‘detained,’ One succumbs to injuries from blockade arson for Chhatra Dal ‘freed’ later 171 arrested in nine districts, section 144 imposed in Joypurhat, Bogra acting president n Kailash Sarkar n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu n Tribune Report clashes were reported from several dis- Bogra-Rangpur highway. Another truck In Sirajganj, Rab in overnight drives ar- Dhaka City unit Hefazat-e-Islam Con- tricts on the second day of the  fth spell was set on  re in Bogra-Noagaon road at rested four Jamaat leaders. The joint forc- A Dhaka Court yesterday granted  ve- vener Maulana Nur Hossain Quashemi, Yet another victim of an arson attack of blockade. Arulia around 12am. es also arrested 64 opposition men from day remand for Chhatra Dal acting also a nayeb-e-ameer of the Islamist during the opposition-enforced block- In Satkhira, known as a stronghold of Section 144 was imposed in Gabtoli Bogra, 49 from Dinajpur, 18 from Gaib- president Fazlul Karim Chowdhury organisation, was allegedly picked up ade died yesterday from his injuries. Jamaat-e-Islami, a Shibir man sustained upazila town yesterday as both the rul- andha and Barisal each, 14 from Natore, Abed in connection with violence, ar- by (Rab) along The victim, Md Ahsan Ullah, 35, of Lax- bullet wounds and three policemen were ing and opposition alliance called a rally 10 from Chittagong, 2 from Kishoreganj son attack, vandalism and assaulting with  ve of his associates at the capital’s mipur, had sustained burn injuries when injured in a clash on Saturday night. at Tinmatha Bazar around 12pm. and one from Lalmonorhat. Mozammel the law enforcers. Gulshan. blockaders torched his vehicle on Decem- Joydeb Chowdhury, an additional super- In Joypurhat’s Pachbibi upazila, Hossain, the head of the Rangpur branch Metropolitan Magistrate Anwar Sa- However, Rab 1 Commanding O cer ber 17 in Chittagong. He died on his way to intendent of police in Satkhira, said the blockaders vandalised and torched a of an NGO, Muslim Aid, was arrested for dat passed the order after Inspector Md Lt Col Kismat Haiyat rejected the allega- Dhaka Medical College Hospital. joint forces went to Kaliganj upazila to local Awami League o ce following a  nancing subversive activities. Serajul Islam of of Po- tion outright, saying: “We did not arrest Ahsan died around 7am when his am- arrest the killers of local Awami League clash. They also vandalised and set  re District units of Chittagong and lice  led 10-day remand prayer. or detain Quashemi or any of his associ- bulance was near Dhaka. leader Moslem Uddin. Jamaat-Shibir to the Awami League men’s homes and Noakhali Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal called On the other hand, defence counsel ates. He came to us and after a discus- On December 17, miscreants spread men armed with local weapons con- business establishments. dawn-to-dusk hartal there for today pro- Zainul Abdin Mesbah  led bail petition sion he left.” gunpowder on his vehicle and set it on fronted them, throwing brick-chips and Local Administration imposed sec- testing arrests of their leaders. with remand rejection prayer. In reply to a query, he said: “We  re on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway crude bombs at Gorer Math area. tion 144 at Pachbibi municipality follow- In the capital, blockaders exploded 12- In his remand prayer, the DB inspec- just spoke to him about Hefazat’s rally, in Sitakunda upazila. Trapped in the In Bogra, at least 30 opposition activists ing the incident. 14 crude bombs in Gabtali, Karwanbazar tor said they needed to quiz the ac- scheduled for December 24 at the cap- driver’s cabin, he was burnt severely and were injured when law enforcers allegedly In Laxmipur, blockaders attacked the and areas from processions. cused to  nd out the motive of crimes. ital’s Shapla Chhatar in Motijheel. After was under treatment at Chittagong Med- attacked their rally at Battala in Shajahan- motorcade of Abdullah Al Manun, Awami A mobile court sentenced  ve Shibir After the hearing, the court rejected an hour-long discussion, he left the Rab ical College Hospital. His condition de- pur upazila. Law enforcers also detained League’s candidate for the Laxmipur-4 activists to di erent terms of imprison- the bail plea and passed the order. 1 o ce by 2:30pm.” teriorated on Saturday night and he was 65 opposition men from the spot. constituency at Mia intersection. They ment for attacking cops and exploding DB police arrested Abed along He said: “The claim of arrest or deten- referred to DMCH for better treatment. Later blockaders torched three vandalised 7-8 motorbikes and torched a crude bombs in the city’s Shahjahanpur with another Chhatra Dal leader in tion of the Hefazat leader is completely Yesterday a number of incidents of goods-laden trucks on the Bogra-Dha- private car. Blockaders also hacked local area. Vehicular movement on the city the capital’s Science Laboratory on false and nothing but a rumour.” l violence, arson attack, vandalism and ka highway and three others on leader Md Solaiman. streets was almost normal. l December 21. l Twenty nine return from Iran with help of embassy n Rabiul Islam Special Police Super for Immigration Feni, Lalon from Madaripur, Jurith December 14. “We do not know the rea- Na ul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune. Ullah from Shunamganj, Manik from son behind the murder.” Twenty nine yesterday Six of them reportedly killed a fel- Chandpur, Selim Ullah and Nur Mo- Na ul Islam said all of them went to returned home from Iran with the help low Bangladeshis – Jewl Molla of Shar- hammad from Cox’s Bazar. Dubai through legal process but with of Bangladesh embassy in Tehran, a iatpur – on December 14 in Iran, the of- Talking to this correspondent, the help of middlemen they went to police o cial at Hazrat Shajalal Inter-  cial said adding that the accused were Borhanuddin, an o cial of the Crime Iran in a bid to get to or some national Airport said. handed over to Airport Police Station. Investigation Department said a case is other countries. But they were de- A ight of Airline carrying the But the detailed could not be known under process against the six. tained in Iran. 29 Bangladeshis landed at the Shahjalal immediately. Joya, Jewel’s brother’s wife, told this He said twenty three migrants were International Airport around 10:20am, Six alleged killers are Yasin from correspondent that Jewel was killed on handed over to their relatives. l 4 DHAKA TRIBUNE News Monday, December 23, 2013

Commonwealth Ganajagaran will not send demands election observers n Mohammad Zakaria After the European Union, now the punishment of Commonwealth says it would not send o cials to observe the 10th parliamen- tary elections slated for January 5. guilty policemen Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma yesterday sent a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Urges people to boycott Pakistani goods Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad in this regard, EC sources said. n Rabiul Islam criticised the execution. Seeking anonymity, an o cial told In protest against the resolution, the the Dhaka Tribune that the EC had re- Ganajagaran Mancha yesterday sub- platform on December 18 and 19 tried ceived a letter of the commonwealth mitted a note of protest to the home to besiege the Pakistan High Commis- where the organisation said there was ministry, demanding action against the sion at Gulshan in the capital. no proper environment for holding an responsible police o cials for attack- “We were observing our programme election and that all parties were not ing its activists during demonstrations as per law,” Imran said alleging that contesting the polls. in Gulshan last week. the police obstructed the peaceful pro- On December 20, the EU said it de- The platform submitted a separate gramme “without any reason,” and cided not to deploy its Election Obser- memorandum to the foreign ministry, charged batons on the activists. They vation Mission (EOM) for the polls. requesting the government to suspend also hurled abusive towards a Hindu Asked, EC Secretary Muhammed diplomatic relations with Pakistan. woman and assaulted her. Sadique said he did not know about the A team led by spokesperson Imran “We have already disclosed to the Commonwealth’s decision. H Sarker submitted the protest notes media about the seven-day ultimatum On December 4, a three-member to Additional Home Secretary Mainud- for taking action against the policemen delegation led by Commonwealth’s din Khandker and Foreign Minister AH who assaulted the protesters,” he said Head of Democracy Section Martin Ka- Mahmood Ali at their o ces. adding that they would go for tougher sirye met with the CEC on invitation. Imran told reporters: “The additional programmes if no action was taken. After an hour-long meeting, Martin secretary has assured us that the matter He also urged the people to boycott later said they would send a report will be conveyed to the higher authori- Pakistani commodities as a protest. to the headquarters after discussions ties and legal action will be taken ac- Imran also expressed concern over with political parties, representatives cordingly at the shortest possible time.” the rising incidents of attacks on its ac- of civil society and diplomats. l After the execution of death sen- tivists in the capital and other places of tence against war criminal Abdul the country. Quader Molla, the National Assembly The Mancha, a platform of youths, Only Bangladeshis of Pakistan on December 16 adopted in February waged a historic move- a resolution, proposed by a Jamaat-e- ment at Shahbagh demanding capital can resolve crisis: Islami lawmaker, expressing concern. punishment for all war criminals and a Earlier the Pakistan home minister ban on Jamaat-e-Islami’s politics. l Mozena n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Only Bangladeshis can break the ongo- Chhatra Sangram ing political impasse over the forma- tion of a polls-time government, ac- cording to the US envoy to Bangladesh. Parishad demands “It is not a question of America or anyone else having a plan to break this political impasse; only Bangladeshis ban on Jamaat-Shibir can resolve the impasse,” US Ambas- sador Dan W Mozena said in reply to n Arif Ahmed Shohag said: “Jamaat-Shibir men are a question during a live chat on Face- continuing their heinous acts across book yesterday. Activists of Bangladesh Chhatra San- the country with the help of BNP and When asked what steps the US gram Parishad brought out a proces- its leader, they are responsible for all would take if the BNP did not join the sion yesterday morning, protesting the recent killings.” He also alleged that elections, he replied: “I think the next Jamaat-Shibir violence and the bomb Shibir activists had attacked Chhatra step is for the two major parties to en- attack on a Ganajagaran Mancha organ- Maitri President Bappaditya Basu on gage in a meaningful dialogue to en- iser Bappaditya Basu. the orders of BNP chief Khaleda Zia. sure that elections are free and fair in The procession which ended in front Shohag also criticised the BNP-led the eyes of the Bangladeshi people.” of the National Press Club was brought 18-party alliance for calling frequent People gather to buy rice from a TCB Open Market Sale (OMS) outlet set up on a truck yesterday in the capital’s Lalbagh He also urged all sides to eschew out around 11am from Dhaka Univer- blockades and had compared the op- SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN violence and protect the rights of sity Madhur Canteen, following di er- position’s activity with that of . ethnic and religious minorities. l ent streets of the campus. The platform Siddique Nazmul Alam, Chhatra also staged a rally in front of the club League general secretary, said: “BNP 37 foreigners and demanded a ban on Jamaat-e-Isla- and its ally Jamat-Shibir are attacking mi and its student wing Islami Chhatra our progressive minded students, but Remove barriers on Indo-Bangla held for illegal Shibir. They also vowed to protest and we did not give any stern response be- resist the organisation’s violent activi- cause we do not violate the law.” “But VoIP business ties across the country. if the evil forces continue their attacks, rice seed trading Speaking at the rally, Chhatra San- we as well as the general people will n Kailash Sarkar gram Parishad Coordinator, and Chha- never remain silent and will take ap- n Tazlina Zamila Khan Formalising rice seed trading be- and other Eastern states of India during tra League president, Bodiuzzaman propriate revenge,” Nazmul added. l tween the two countries would en- Boro season. Members of Rapid Action Battalion Formalisation of rice seeds trading be- sure the availability and accessibility The key points of such trade were arrested  ve Chinese and 32 Taiwanese tween India and Bangladesh is neces- of quality seeds and at an a ordable Jessore, Lalmonirhat, Rajshahi, Kushtia nationals yesterday for running WEATHER ‘Ongoing violence sary to meet farmers’ demands in en- price to farmers. There was scope for and other areas. Small local syndicates Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) suring the quality of rice, said speakers. such cooperation because of the simi- usually do the informal trading with business illegally in the capital’s crimes against They said this while addressing an lar agro-climate condition of the two farmers. . Weather to remain international press conference titled countries, he added. Swapan K Datta, the deputy direc- Two Bangladeshis were also held with humanity’ “Addressing Barriers to Rice Seeds AH Iqbal Ahmed, the director of tor general (Crop Sciences) of the In- the foreigners in the raid around 9pm unchanged Trade between India and Bangladesh” Seed Certi cation Agency, said the dian Council of Agricultural Research, from a building in Uttara’s Sector 12. n UNB n Tribune Report in the capital’s Brac Centre Inn, yester- demand and supply gap of rice seeds said farmers were not being bene tted O cials of Rab 1 said they had day. The conference was jointly organ- among the farmers of Bangladesh is by the low quality seeds they received also seized a large number of VoIP Weather is likely to remain dry with Barrister Amir-Ul Islam yesterday ised by CUTS International of India and met by the import of Chinese hybrid through informal trading. equipment from their possessions. temporary partly cloudy sky over the termed the ongoing violence crimes Unnayan Shamannay, and supported by seeds, as Indian hybrid seeds are not India has strict regulations and poli- Lt Col Kismat Hayat, commanding country. Having chances of light rain against humanity. the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. performing well. cies against importing rice seeds. It is o cer of the unit, told the Dhaka Tribune or drizzle at one or two places over Ra- Bangladesh had to build ties with Pak- Bipul Chatterjee, the deputy execu- “Indian scientists should invest di cult for farmers to complete the that they had arrested the 39 people jshahi, Dhaka and divisions and istani people so that 195 military person- tive secretary of CUTS International, more on research to give farmers a larg- processes required to import seeds le- for running VoIP business illegally and the regions of Jessore and Kushtia until nel listed as war criminals could be pros- said, “Rice is the staple for both coun- er variety of hybrid seeds,” he added. gally. dodging taxes and duties. 6pm today. ecuted, the member of the constitution tries so a sustainable production is A study made by CUTS International Director General Anwar Fauque, “The foreign nationals were staying Moderate to thick fog might occur at framing committee said at a roundtable. important for the growing population. and Unnayan Shamannay revealed of the Seed Wing of the agriculture in Bangladesh for few years now and places over the river basins and light to He said the resolution passed by the There is a lot of informal trading of rice that during the Amon season Indian ministry, said the government was ran the illegal business in cooperation moderate fog elsewhere over the coun- Pakistan parliament condemning the seeds in the bordering areas and a large Swarna variety dominated at least 70% trying to accelerate the speed of seed with the detained Bangladeshis,” he try during midnight till morning, Met execution of justi- area is used for the cultivation of infor- of the cultivated areas in Bangladesh trade among Saarc nations to ensure said adding that the building owner O ce said. Night and day temperatures  ed the war crimes trial and recognised mally traded seeds such as Miniket and and Bangladeshi varieties such as BR- quality rice production in the South was one of the associates in the may remain nearly unchanged over the genocides carried in 1971. l Swarna.” 11 and BR-12 were being used in Assam Asian region. l business. l country. The sun sets in the capital at 5:18pm today and rises at 6:38am tomorrow. Country’s highest temperature 28.5 degree Celsius was recorded at Cox’s Army gets new SP guns, Metis M1 missiles Bazar and lowest 10.2 degrees at Dinaj- pur yesterday. n BSS the members of Artillery and Infantry strength of the Artillery and Infantry Highest and lowest temperatures re- Regiments of Bangladesh Army. Regiments meaning all members of corded in some major cities yesterday Bangladesh Army entered into a new The Prime Minister accompanied by Bangladesh Army would be boosted to were: era as the much-awaited self-propelled Chief of Army Sta General Iqbal Karim a great extent. (SP) guns and Metis M- 1 anti-tank Bhuiyan inspected the parade riding on “I think that induction of most mod- City High Low guided missiles were inducted in the an open jeep. The Premier also took a ern equipment in Bangladesh Army Dhaka 25.0 16.3 force yesterday. state salute. would cross a crucial step in achieving Chittagong 25.2 16.0 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for- Lieutenant Col Md Aminul Islam the Forces Goal-2030,” she said. Rajshahi 25.3 13.7 mally handed over the Serbia- made and Md Sajib were the parade Besides, she said, necessary equip- Rangpur 24.8 12.0 155mm NORA B-52 SP guns to the 11 commander and parade adjutant re- ment have been purchased for Bangla- 28.0 16.6 SP Regiment, the lone SP Unit of Ban- spectively. desh Navy and . Barisal 27.5 15.6 gladesh Army, and the Russsia-made Ministers, defence adviser to the Sheikh Hasina said most modern Sylhet 25.5 13.2 Metis M-1 missiles to the Infantry Regi- Prime Minister, the chief of air sta , de- SP guns, sound ranging equipment, Cox’s Bazar 28.5 15.5 ment of Bangladesh Army in Tarmac fence attaches and advisers of di erent anti-tank missiles and light armoured Area at Dhaka Cantonment this morn- embassies and high commissions and vehicles have been procured for Ban- ing. high civil and military o cials were gladesh Army to build it as a well- PRAYER TIMES She also handed over the China present on the occasion. equipped modern force and Sonar Ban- Fajar 5:16am -made PF-98 anti-tank weapons and Earlier on her arrival at the Tarmac gla as dreamt by Bangabandhu. Sunrise 6:37am Turkey-made light armoured vehicles Area , the Prime Minister was received The Prime Minister said agreements Zohr 11:57am to the Infantry Regiment and sound by the chief of army sta . have already been signed to buy more Asr 3:42pm ranging equipment to Locating Wing of Speaking on the occasion, the Prime modern war equipment including the Magrib 5:18pm the Artillery Regiment. Minister hoped that with the addition multiple rocket launcher system which Esha 6:38pm PM Sheikh Hasina formally hands over Metis M1 anti-tank guided missiles to the Infantry On the occasion, a spectacular pa- of most-modern canons, armoured would be inducted in the army very Source: IslamicFinder.org Regiment of Bangladesh Army at Dhaka Cantonment yesterday PMO rade was held with the participation of vehicles and equipment, the moral soon. l Monday, December 23, 2013 5 DHAKA TRIBUNE News Rice price draws mixed reactions City schools risk having late starts next year from farmers and millers n Mushfi que Wadud ians have expressed scepticism about such a possibility. Several schools in the capital are like- When contacted, the school’s prin- Millers are worried they might fail to meet government’s procurement target ly to fail to start class in the  rst week cipal Manjua Ara Begum said the man- of the new academic year because of agement was trying to complete all ex- n Abu Bakar Siddique nearly 200,000 metric tonnes, accord- eight-acre farm. the rising market trends. pending examinations. ams as soon as possible but shutdowns ing to Ra qul Hasan, deputy director of What motivated the hoarders fur- “The production cost of rice has ris- Normally, textbooks are distributed remained a constant irritant. After a bumper production of TAman the Department of Agriculture Exten- ther was the assurance of getting seeds, en and so has the price at the market,” on the  rst or second of the new year and positive market trends so far, farm- sion. The government had  xed a tar- fertilisers and other resources on credit said Tow qul Islam Babu, urging the and classes begin following the distri- Several schoolteachers said ers are expecting a higher turnover this get of producing over 1.28 crore metric as they prepare to cultivate Boro in the government to provide millers with bution. the problem would not be over year to recoup the losses incurred over tonnes. coming season. an incentive of Tk4 against each kilo- But this year, academics say, there with the completion of exams the past two years. TAman is the second highest food But the millers, procuring rice for gramme of rice. might be an exception as schedules of only, since they would need Small-scale farmers, who hold the grain in the country in terms of pro- the government so that it can build up In this regard, Quazi Shahabuddin, year-end exams and admission tests additional time to evaluate key to meeting the country’s rocketing duction after Boro, which recorded a a stock of its own, say they are being former director general of the Bangla- were heavily disrupted by the consec- answer scripts and prepare food needs, are happy with the surge production of over 1.87 crore metric a ected by both the current trends of desh Institute of Development Studies utive shutdowns and blockades of past result-sheets in price and have already started pre- tonnes last season. pricing as well as the hoarding. (BIDS), told the Dhaka Tribune that weeks. paring for the next cultivation season. “It is astonishing that there is not the current price would go down once Several schoolteachers said the “We had been conducting exams only The millers, however, are worried they Small-scale farmers, who enough rice to buy despite a bumper there was a steady supply of rice. problem would not be over with the on Friday these past weeks.” might not be able to meet the procure- hold the key to meeting the production. An arti cial crisis is being Until that happens, argues Nirod completion of exams only, since they The management of Government ment target set by the government. country’s rocketing food created by the hoarders,” said Tow qul Baran Saha, president of Naogaon Rice would need additional time to eval- Laboratory School said it would an- Currently, the price of each maund needs, are happy with the Islam Babu, president of Naogaon Rice Wholesalers Association, most of the uate answer scripts and prepare re- nounce the results of its students on De- of coarse rice is around Tk750, which is surge in price and have already Mill Owners Association. suppliers will have to continue procur- sult-sheets. cember 29, but several teachers said 30% almost Tk200 more than the previous started preparing for the next “If the existing trends continue for ing rice at a loss in order to retain their Schools may have to face further of the scripts were yet to be checked. year’s rate. cultivation season another month, we will have to face supply license. “Some suppliers may delay because of the general elections The school is expecting to start class “The price is good this year and huge losses since most of the millers discontinue supply but there will be slated for January 5, they added. on the second day of the new year. turning in favour of smallholders like However, the high price of rice has led have been purchasing rice on loan.” some who may supply imported rice, According to sources, Viqarunnisa On the other hand, Monipur School me,” said Sajjad Hossain, a farmer of many farmers to resort to hoarding in The government on November 27 which will be unethical and against the Noon School and College, which has a and College has reportedly  nished its Dinajpur who cultivated TAman on a the hope of getting still better prices at  xed a target of procuring 200,000 tons law,” he said. track record for timely completion of examinations but is yet to get admis-  ve-plot. a later point of time. of TAman for its own stock at Tk30 for According to Mahabub Hossain, ex- exams and admission tests, is headed sions over and done with. “This year’s production was bet- “Many farmers are hoarding their each kilogramme of rice. The decision ecutive director of Brac, it is important for a sure delay with its annual exams Basirul Islam, president of Bangla- ter than last year’s, thanks mostly produce with the expectation that the was based on estimates that farmers that the millers have their due pro ts yet to be over. desh Teachers’ Association, told the to favourable weather conditions all price will go up further within a short would get “fair prices” against their but it is more important to save the But the school management is hope- Dhaka Tribune that a good number of through the season.” time,” said Masud Chowdhury, a farm- production cost of Tk25.42 per kg. farmers  rst. “Otherwise, they may ful of  nishing all exams by this week schools in the capital could not com- The countrywide production may er of Thakurgaon, who admitted to However, the millers maintain that switch their attention to cultivating and publishing the results on Decem- plete their annual examinations and outstrip the government target by storing his stock of rice produced on an the price  xed is not in proportion to other crops.” l ber 31, although teachers and guard- would fail to start classes in time. l JU VC takes o ce in Dhaka n JU Correspondent of the o ce order into a dustbin, protest- ing the VC’s decision of returning to work The vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar and taking up an o ce in Dhaka City. University yesterday started occupying Sources said around 30 to 40 mem- a house in the capital’s Uttara, as his of- bers of the JU Teachers-Students and  ce, with the ongoing teachers’ move- O cers-Employees United Forum ment reportedly making him unable to gathered in front of the administrative stay at the campus. o ce sometime near 12pm and threat- Sources said Prof Anwar Hossain ened to prevent the incumbent VC if he had started conducting the VC’s duties tried to enter the campus. from a house in Uttara, where he had Criticising Prof Anwar, the forum been living since the start of December members claimed that the only reason during his medical leave. behind the university’s ongoing crisis Since then, the VC had been unable and halt was the VC’s attempt of hold- to enter the university as the agitating ing onto his post despite the govern- teachers announced him prohibited in ment having him removed from JU. the university and sealed his residence Prof Kamrul Ahsan, the secretary on campus. member of the united forum, said: A resolution from the authorities, “Taking an o ce for JU in Dhaka city signed yesterday by registrar Abu Bakr and doing o ce there is an unheard Siddique, said: “VC Prof Anwar Hossain of incident in the whole history of the cannot stay on the university campus university, and this is illegal. We are re- as his house has been kept locked ille- jecting the decision with much ire.” gally. So the house in which he is living At the demonstration, the forum would be considered as the o ce of the also decided that the VC would not be VC from now.” allowed to make any decisions con- The current o ce address of the JU cerning JU, no  les of the university VC was 89 Gausul Azam Avenue (Lev- would be allowed to be sent to the VC el-4), Sector 14, Uttara, Dhaka – an of- for signatures and no employee or ve-  ce order of the university signed by hicle would be provided for the VC. the registrar said. Forum leader Prof Hanif Ali said: Sources said Prof Anwar Hossain “Nobody from this university is al- informed registrar Abu Bakr Siddique lowed to meet Prof Anwar Hossain. Tomato traders stack sacks  lled with tomato on roadside  elds as they are unable to transport them anywhere because of the continuous blockade. The photo was taken yesterday about his return to work from his med- If anybody does so, the united forum from Rajshahi’s Kakonhat area DHAKA TRIBUNE ical leave – through a letter he had sent would take steps against them.” on Saturday. Despite repeated attempts, the JU Meanwhile, agitated teachers staged VC could not be reached on his phone demonstrations and threw away a copy for comments. l ‘Government puts emphasis on coal for Charges against two for electricity production’ n Aminur Rahman Rasel gas run plant at less than Tk2 while the ty: options for Bangladesh” organised lution under control. The projected cost cost of electricity per unit produced by the Power Development Board and of the power plant has been estimated at embezzling Tk38 lakh The government is emphasising coal from a diesel or oil run plants is Tk14 Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Tk 1,4510 crore. out of its seven options to generate to Tk 18. The electricity produced from Company limited. The 1,320-megawatt Maitree super n Tribune Report Limited through cheque forgery. electricity, aiming to reduce costs and coal- red plants will cost Tk6. Md Anwar Hossain, joint secretary of thermal power plant will be set up in He created an account with the bank alleviate the fuel shortage. “The government aims to reach the Power Division, in his keynote pa- Rampal of Bagerhat under a joint ven- The Anti-Corruption Commission yes- changing his name to Shahriar Chowd- Adequate electricity supply is a ma- electricity generation capacity of per, said they had planned to generate ture of the Bangladesh Power Devel- terday approved charge sheets  led hury Ahmed which M Selim Reza au- jor challenge for the country and it’s about 40,000MW by 2030, of which electricity through clean coal technol- opment Board and Bangladesh-India against two on charges of embezzling thorised to. also important to provide electricity 24,000MW will be achieved by 2021, ogy. Clean coal technology was intro- Friendship Power Company limited. around Tk38lakh. Though not a ected by land acqui- to consumers at reasonable price, said under its Power System Master Plan.” duced in the USA during the 1980s. The Among others, the following ad- “The accused – Shawon Kumer Das sition, Shaon issued the cheque and Power Division Secretary Monowar he added. main bene ts of clean coal technology dressed the programme: PDB Chair- and M Selim Reza, misappropriated withdrew the money as compensation Islam while addressing a workshop at “To ensure sustainable energy the are reduction in emissions, fuel exi- man Md Abduhu Ruhullah, Rural Tk37.70lakh from land acquisition by forging signatures of land acqui- Bidyut Bhaban in the city yesterday. country needs technical,  nancial and bility, increases in generating e ciency Electri cation Board Chairman Brig- funds from the deputy commissioner sition o cials Delowara Begum and The seven options to which the sec- environmental sustainability. and a reduction of generating cost. adier General Moin Uddin, Power cell o ce in Dhaka,” ACC Public Relations Mahmudul Kabor Murad, and former retary referred are gas, liquid fuel, coal, “We have achieved a lot in the acqui- “The coal power plant will cause no Director General Mohammad Hossain, O cer Pranav Kumer Bhattacharya Audit and Accounts O cer M Golam regional power trades, lique ed natu- sition of technical sustainability and  - harm to the .” Managing Direc- North-West Power Generation Com- told reporters. Mostafa. ral gas, nuclear power and renewable nancial sustainability, and we are also tor of Bangladesh-India Friendship Power pany limited Managing Director AM ACC sources said Shawon Kumer The charges will be  led under sec- energy. putting emphasis on environmental Company limited VS Tamrakar said, add- Khurshedul Alam and Power Grid Com- Das had withdrewn the money from tions of Money Laundering Prevention Currently the Power Development sustainability,” he told the workshop ing that steps would also be taken to im- pany of Bangladesh Managing Director Dholaikhal branch of Jamuna Bank Act 2009 and 2012 respectively. l Board buys electricity per unit from a entitled “Sustainable Energy Securi- prove the ecosystem and bring sound pol- Chowdhury Alamgir Hossain. l Pabna science university teachers for immediate appointment of VC n Our Correspondent, Pabna Teachers of the university have al- tion minister on November 25, seeking ready submitted memorandums to the the appointment of a new VC. But the Teachers at Pabna University of Sci- Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid government is yet to appoint a VC,” said ence and Technology formed a human and President , but no Shamim Reza, secretary of the univer- chain in front of the administrative steps have been taken to appoint a new sity teachers’ association. building of the university yesterday VC for the university. The university authority could not morning, demanding the appointment Former VC Professor Moza ar Hos- make preparations for admission test of a vice-chancellor for the university. sain ended his four year tenure as VC for the 2013-14 academic session un- Teachers from all departments on November 22. He left the university till now because of the absence of a joined the human chain, which was on November, 23, since then the uni- vice-chancellor. held in front of the administrative versity has had no VC, which is not only “December is ending, but the uni- building of the university around 11am. hampering administrative activities, versity could not set the admissions During the human chain, the teach- but also academic activities. test, although it is usually complet- ers said there was deadlock at the uni- “After the departure of the former ed within November,” said Rashedul Teachers of Pabna Science and Technology University form a human in the district town yesterday, demanding appoinment of versity, as there has been no vice-chan- VC, we submitted a memorandum to Haque, chairman of the Civil Engineer- vice-chancellor DHAKA TRIBUNE cellor for the last month. the honourable president and educa- ing Department of the university. l 6 DHAKA TRIBUNE Nation Monday, December 23, 2013 Construction of kitchen market on canal continues Authorities concerned have not taken any action despite publication of reports in di erent media about land grabbing in Barisal city n Our Correspondent, Barisal mitted him to run a kitchen market on the spot. Despite many reports published in dif- On the other hand, ferent media, including the Dhaka Trib- claimed that after taking a lease from une on December 12, a group of land Barisal Zila Parishad legally, and with grabbers have been continuing con- consent and permission of the BCC struction of a kitchen market on a canal mayor, he had started the construction near Nathullabad area in Barisal city. work of the kitchen market. Following the reports, the authori- However, Ahsan Habib Kamal, BCC ties concerned had taken no action in mayor, denied giving any permission this regard. to construct a kitchen market on the Construction of 18 shops on 300 canal. yards of the canal has been in full swing Makbul Hossain, chief executive of- since last month.  cer of Barisal Zila Parishad, asserted Visiting the spot yesterday, we that the parishad never leased the ca- found that the squatters, led by Nathul- nal to anybody. labad Khudra Bebosayee Samity, Presi- BCC Market Inspector Abdus Salam dent Mokbul Mirdha and Sub-Assistant said after visiting the spot he would Land O cer Zillur Rahman, had con- submit a report against illegal con- structed roofs on their structures. struction of the kitchen market. Enayet Hossain Chowdhury, an ac- BCC Chief Executive O cer Nikhil tivist of a movement for the preserva- Chandra Das, who earlier said a group tion and recovery of canals, ponds and of small businessmen had requested wetlands in the city, alleged that not him to give them 10 days to remove the only did the authorities concerned fail illegal structures, claimed that he did to protect the canal, but that they were not know of any developments to the instigating the squatters to  ll up the status of their request. wetlands. He also said if BCC authorities di- Mokbul Mridha claimed that the Ba- rected him, he would carry out an risal City Corporation mayor had per- eviction. l Land grabbers have set up makeshift shops on a canal at Nathullabad in Barisal city DHAKA TRIBUNE

Housewives torch gamblers’ den Nine get life in prison Balance of fertiliser and pesticide in Rajbari for killing in Rajshahi advocated to boost production n Our Correspondent, Rajbari n Tribune Desk of BDRCS, inaugurated the day pro- project bene ciary farmers at Koria n Tribune Report convicts following an enmity over the gramme as the guest of honour. Barishal Junior High School under No- Some housewives in Bokshiabari vil- ownership of a mango grove on June A balanced use of compost, fertilisers, Secretary to the Kurigram unit of yarhat union in the upazila. lage, under Nababpur union in Balia- A tribunal in Rajshahi yesterday con- 16, 2009, reports BSS. Kashem, Kha- and pesticides can boost crop produc- BDRCS Alhaj ATM Akhter Hossain The participating farmers were pro- kandi upazila of the district, torched a victed nine people and sentenced them dem and Azam were nephews of the tion and ensure food security in disas- Chinu attended the ceremony as a spe- vided with practical technology train- den of gamblers on Saturday night. to life imprisonment for killing a man victim. ter-prone areas. cial guest, with Chilmari Union Parishad ing and knowledge of how to produce Locals said some gamblers of the in 2009. A case had been  led with Shibganj The comments came at a training Chairman Jahangir Alam in the chair. vermi compost, and how to balance village had been gathering at Sirajul Is- The convicts are Kashem Ali, Kha- Police Station accusing 11 people in this course on how to use fertiliser and pes- Speaking at the programme, in front compost fertilisers alongside chemical lam’s to gamble and take hemp. dem Ali, Azam, Mintu, Lal Chan, Tuel connection. ticide properly. of an audience of farmers from 25 fertilisers and pesticides. As a result, many of the gamblers alias Rezaul, Abdul Latif, Tou q and Police submitted the charge sheet The Bangladesh Red Crescent Soci- ood-hit areas of Chilmari union, were: The trainers demonstrated the have sold their land and properties. Badal. Of them, Mintu was tried in ab- against four people. Following the ety organised the programme in Chil- Kurigram unit BDRCS O cer ABM process of preparing vermi fertiliser, When family members prevented them sentia. All of the convicts are the resi- complaint of the plainti , the case was mari upazila of Kurigram district. Bayezid, British Red Cross Technical its preservation and uses in the crop from going there, they misbehaved dents of Rasulpur village under Shib- shifted to the Criminal Investigation The district unit BDRCS hosted the O cer Kazi Asaduzzaman, Chilmari  elds, and described the bene ts of with them. ganj upazila in Chapainawabganj. Department and sent to the Rajshahi training programme under the Flood Upazila Organiser of the Flood Recov- earthworm fertilisers for soil health Bring irritated, the family members The court also  ned the convicts Speedy Trial Tribunal. Recovery Project for the bene t of the ery Project Md Kawser, Noyarhat Union and crop production. decided to set  re to the residence of Tk10,000 each, in default, to su er six After examining records and wit- farmers of Chilmari and Noyarhat un- Community Organiser SM Nurul Amin The speakers highlighted the use of Sirajul. When gamblers were gambling, months more in prison. nesses, Judge Shamsul Alam Khan of ions in the upazila. The British Red Sarker, DAE Agriculture Extension Of- vermi compost to revive soil health, in- they set  re to the house, burning down According to the prosecution, Ma z the tribunal pronounced the verdict Cross provided  nancial support for  cer Ahsan and DAE Sub-Assistant Ag- crease bio-diversity, improve ecologi- a motorcycle and other valuables. Uddin, a trader of Rasulpur village in acquitting two other accused as alle- the programme. riculture O cer Zahid Hossain Ansari. cal balance, and to expand sustainable However, no casualties were Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj gation brought against them was not Aminul Islam Manju Mandal, A similar training course was also and environmentally friendly agro- reported. l district, was hacked to death by the proved. l vice-chairman of the Kurigram unit hosted simultaneously for another 25 technology. l

Production at NEWS IN BRIEF Thakurgaon Sugar Cotton mill gutted in Khulna fire AKM Mohsin Khan said being tipped A cotton mill was gutted in a devastat- off, they recovered eight crude bombs Mill suspended for ing  re at Bejerdanga area in Fultala from Chartha area and six bombs from upazila yesterday morning. How- Taltola area in an abandoned condi- inde nite period ever, no casualty was reported in the tion. – UNB incident. Fire service sources said the n Tribune Report  re had originated from electric short One person killed in Magura circuit in the cotton mill owned by road accident Production in Thakurgaon Sugar Mill former union parishad chairman Sheikh A truck driver was killed and four has been suspended for an inde nite pe- Robiul Islam and soon engulfed the others were injured in a road accident riod for disruption in sugarcane supply. mill at about 7:50am. On information, at Salai village under sadar upazila of Authority of the mill said that they had four  re ghting units from Khulna and the district yesterday morning. The been compelled to shut down the mill Nayapara  re stations rushed to the deceased Chanchal Mullah, 27, is son as they were not getting su cient sup- spot and controlled the  ames around of Mujibur Rahman of the same area. ply of sugercane because of frequent 10pm. The extent of loss from the Police and local said when a mini truck blockade programmes enforced by the  re could not be known immediately. turned turtle into a roadside ditch as BNP-led 18-party alliance. Deputy Commissioner and Superinten- its driver lost control of the steering dent of police visited the spot after the wheel, leaving five persons injured. Police escort nine people sentenced to life-term imprisonment for killing a man DHAKA TRIBUNE Sugarcane growers and the incident. – UNB The injured were sent to Magura mill authorities urged the local Sadar Hospital wh ere Chanchal died. unit of BNP to keep sugarcane- Five held with arms in Bogra – UNB carrying vehicles out of the Detective Branch of police arrested Safe drinking water and sanitation purview of blockade, but it fell  ve activists of Jubo League, youth 400 opposition leaders and on deaf ears wing of Awami League, along with arms activists sued in Dinajpur and weapons in Circuit House area of A case has been filed against some needed in the dry regions The mill authorities announced yes- district town on Saturday night. The 400 opposition leaders and activ- terday morning that they would not arrestees were identi ed as Rakib, ists in connection with Saturday’s n Tribune desk Akbarul Hassan Millat, Talanda Union healthcare, they said. accept sugercane from farmers until 21, Nantu, 28, his younger brother violence in Kaharole upazila. Shafiquz- Parishad Chairman Akheruzzaman District Facilitator of Bangladesh Lo- further notice. Production in the mill Jhantu, 26, both sons of late Shukur zaman, sub-inspector of Kaharole Speakers at a meeting in Rajshahi called Hannan and Centre for Capacity Build- cal Governance Support Project (LGSP)- came to a complete halt for lack of sug- Ali, Nazmul, 28, son of Abdul Zabbar of police station, filed the case against for the right to safe drinking water and ing of Voluntary Organisations Chief II Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal said climate arcane on Saturday night. the town and Tuhin, 18, son of Mozibur 48 identified and 350 unidentified sanitation in the vulnerable communi- Executive Sarwar-e-Kamal Swapan change had been posing a serious threat Managing Director of the mill SM Rahman of Darogapara village in Mun- opposition men under the Speedy ties in the dry regions of the country, to spoke at the occasion. to public health in the vast Barind Tract Abdul Aziz said they could not collect shiganj. Mizanur Rahman, o cer-in- Trial Act on Saturday night, said its ensure the health of local inhabitants. They said people in the drier part of covering the Rajshahi, Chapainawab- adequate sugarcane due to the block- charge of Bogra DB police, said a patrol officer-in-charge Mosabberul Haque. They made the call at a discussion the country had become vulnerable in ganj and Naogaon districts. ade which led to the suspension of team of DB police intercepted the  ve On Saturday, the 18-party men from entitled, “Knowledge Sharing on Sali- terms of access to safe water and sanita- To mitigate the situation, substantial cane crushing on Saturday night. on suspicion while they on two motor- a procession swooped on the rally of ent Governance-related Issues.” The tion, as both surface and underground promotion of water management and He, however, said the mill will re- bikes were going through the road in Awami League arranged in Dashmile event on Saturday was organised by water resources were depleting. modern technology related to sanitation sume production once the sugarcane front of circuit house. Later, detectives area protesting hartals and blockades the regional o ce of the NGO Forum Supply of safe drinking water and was needed immediately, he remarked. supply gets normal, reports UNB. searched their bodies and recovered being enforced by the opposition for Public Health. sanitation were the prerequisites to Coordinated e orts from di erent Earlier, sugarcane crushing that be- seized a US made pistol, four bullets alliance, triggering a clash. During the Lack of access to safe drinking water meet fundamental rights like educa- government and non- government sec- gan in the mill on December 13 also re- and two draggers. – UNB clash, four people were injured, 1012 and sanitation is a national problem tion and health. tors were essential to  ght the vulner- mained halted on December 17-19 due motorcycles and several shops vandal- rather an individual one, observed the Moreover, safe water and adequate ability, he suggested. to blockade. 14 crude bombs recovered ised. As police rushed to the spot to speakers. sanitation facilities are crucial to pro- Programme Facilitator of NGO Fo- Meanwhile, sugarcane growers and in Comilla bring the situation under control, the There was no alternative but to en- tect the underprivileged community rum for Public Health Sabit Jahan Sisir the mill authorities urged the local unit Police recovered 14 crude bombs from opposition men started hurling brick sure transparency, accountability and from di erent waterborne diseases, conducted the technical sessions with of BNP to keep sugarcane-carrying ve- separate places in the town early Sun- chunks at the law enforcers, leaving good governance in the sector, they said. as many of them su er from such dis- Regional Manager Rabiul Haque in the hicles out of the purview of blockade, day. Detective Branch officer-in-charge one of them injured. – UNB Executive Editor of Daily Sonar Desh eases because of their ignorance about chair. l but it fell on deaf ears. l 7 DHAKA TRIBUNE Long Form Monday, December 23, 2013 The curse of the two-thirds

In South Asia, 11 out of 35 elections delivered supermajority to a ruling party, resulting in serious political instability

n Ali Riaz olitical parties participate in elections to win, and surely they aspire to win big. Any political party would hope that the election provides Pa mandate to implement its agenda. The larger the scale of the victory, the better it is for the winner. In the parliamentary system of governance, usually victory means se- curing an absolute majority of seats in SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN the legislature. Occasionally plurality or relative majority (that is the number Rahman was elected president by the constitutional changes under pressure court declared Indira Gandhi’s election as corrective measures for balanc- The election results, including the of seats for the party receiving the parliament. from the opposition, one can hardly null and void and unseated her from ing power between the PM and the ones participated in by well-organised greatest number but less than half of Despite some weaknesses, the discount the 2001 and 2008 election her parliamentary membership. The president it also made the PM virtually competing parties, show that a South the seats) may be enough in getting to constitution, framed by the Constit- results as such. court also banned her from contest- unaccountable. With the Fourteenth Asian electorate has never voted a par- power. In some cases parties may have uent Assembly (1972) dominated by The 2001 elections, one of the ing any election for an additional six Amendment, called the anti-defec- ty or a coalition to secure two-thirds to be satis ed with sharing power but the AL in the previous year, ensured fairest elections held in Bangladesh, years. During the nineteen months of tion clause, elected members were majority. That is, in a fair election no prefer to gain an absolute majority fundamental rights to the citizens. But delivered 70.67% seats to the BNP-led the emergency, elections for the par- prohibited from “ oor crossing” or political party has secured 66% or which party leaders view as the vindi- two amendments to the constitutions, 4-party coalition which included the liament and state governments were voting against party lines. Arguing that above popular votes (in this account cation of their leadership. the Second and the Fourth, essentially Islamists. postponed. it will stop horse-trading and provide we have excluded two Bangladeshi But do parties like to have a super took away these rights. The Fourth The  ve-year rule of the BNP re- The INC garnered the second super- stability to the government, it also elections – 1988 and February 1996. In majority – that is a two-thirds majority Amendment made the judiciary sub- gime is marked by the rise of Islamist majority – in 1984 – largely a sympathy became impossible to dissent with the both instances, there were no viable - in the legislature? Is supermajority servient to the executive. The AL rule militancy, but most importantly its vote following the assassination of party, particularly the PM. alternatives for electorates to choose helpful for democracy? Is a two-thirds came to an end through a brutal coup The arbitrary power assumed by from. Notably voter turnout was low majority in a parliamentary system of on August 15, 1975 leading to coups the PM through these changes was re- in these two elections). government a blessing for the country and counter-coups until the end of the vealed when the Newaz Sharif govern- The only exception to this is the or a curse? year. ment became engaged in a protracted 1973 election. But that too was fraught As it is now evident that, if the elec- The 1979 election, which deliv- It is worth noting that parliaments with a dispute with the judiciary, culminating with widespread rigging and electoral tion scheduled on January 5, 2014 is ered 69% of seats to the then ruling in the storming of the Supreme Court manipulation. In Bangladesh, ruling held, the Awami League-led coalition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), supermajority held under civilian regimes have by ruling party loyalists in November AL garnered 73% popular votes, in will have more than two-thirds of established under the aegis of the 1997. The PM was also alleged to have 2001 the BNP-led alliance secured seats in the 10th parliament of Bang- military government led by Ziaur resorted to constitutional manipulation as engineered the dismissal of the chief 46.62% of popular votes, in 2008 the ladesh, these questions warrant closer Rahman, was manipulated from the much as the military rulers did justice and the resignation of Presi- AL-led alliance received 57% of popu- attention. outset with an objective to legitimise dent Farook Leghari in December 1997. lar votes. This will be the third consecutive the actions of the military rulers after All in all, Pakistani politics became In India, only 43.68% popular votes parliament in Bangladesh where the brutal coup of August 15, 1975. The embroiled in a battle between the leg- were bagged by the ruling INC 1971 a party or a coalition will have the Fifth Amendment changed the nature islature and the judiciary. As the PM election (percentage of their seats was supermajority. It is worth exploring and course of the Bangladeshi state e ort at constitutional manipulation Indira Gandhi (October 31, 1984). The attempted to remove the chief of the 67.95); in 1984 the share of popular whether the experience of Bangladesh forever. through the Fourteenth Amendment INC secured 75.8% of seats under the army, Pakistan experienced another vote was 49.01% (75.8% seats). is di erent from that of other coun- The amendment also indemni ed which increased the retirement age of leadership of Rajiv Gandhi. While his coup in 1999. Pakistan People’s Party had 60.1% tries in South Asia. those who killed the founder President the chief justice to ensure that the CTG tenure (1984-89) was marred by large of popular votes in 1977 (77.5% seats), Between 1971 and 2011, four South and his fam- is headed by a BNP sympathiser. scale corruption scandals, particularly The election of 1977 in Sri Lanka dealt and PML’s share of popular votes Asian countries namely Bangladesh, ily, and the leaders of the liberation The instability that it engendered the allegation that he received kick- the United National Party (UNP) and was 45.9% in 1997. In similar vein, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, have war. The 1988 election, held under led to the deferral of elections for two backs from a Swedish arms company its leader JR Jayewardene a resound- with only 50.92% of popular votes, held 35 parliamentary elections. All another military ruler, was boycotted years, and the installation of a mili- in the 1986 weapons buying deal, ing victory with 83.33% of parlia- UNP in Sri Lanka secured 83.33% of them, except Sri Lanka after 1978, by major political parties namely the tary-backed CTG. The 2008 election, there were no extra-constitutional mentary seats. The former ruling Sri of seats. follow the Westminster style parlia- AL and the BNP, and delivered 83.67% after a two year hiatus, with more than measures implemented to further his Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) secured These results re ect a deep-seated mentary system which is based on the of seats to the Jatiya Party (JP) led by 85% turnout, delivered an unprece- political power. only 4.76% of seats. The ruling problem with the FPTP system. The First Past The Post (FPTP) system. then military ruler HM Ershad. dented result of 81% of seats to the AL- The criticisms of Rajiv Gandhi, party amended the 1972 constitution system has allowed and will continue The FPTP system allows a can- The legitimacy of the election is led coalition headed by Sheikh Hasina. for ine ective leadership, should be through the Second Amendment in to allow a party to claim for a super- didate to win when she/he secures questionable, to say the least. But the Within three years, the parliament tempered by the acknowledgement 1977 which created the powerful exec- majority when the electorate have not relatively more votes than her/his ruling party went ahead with another amended the constitutional proviso of that he is the only leader in South Asia utive presidency. provided an express mandate. opponent in a single constituency. A amendment of the constitution – the holding elections under a non-partisan who has not abused his supermajority party can thereby secure a majority of Eighth Amendment – making Islam caretaker government. The experience in the past four decades. parliamentary seats without securing the state religion. Despite popular of all parliaments with a supermajor- the majority of popular votes. Among opposition and a commitment by the ity has been the amendment of the Pakistan’s history of supermajority these 35 elections, Bangladesh had opposition to repeal it, it has become a constitution which has in uenced the parliaments, in 1977 and 1997, ended Recurrence of such kind of results, particularly in nine elections, India had eleven, Paki- permanent feature of the Bangladeshi quality of governance and the elector- with the demise of civilian govern- stan had eight and Sri Lanka had seven constitution. al system. ment. The 1977 elections, the  rst such short interval, is bound to have long-lasting elections. The epitome of the supermajority It is worth noting that parliaments since the country lost its eastern wing e ects on the institutions, political psyche and Of these, 11 elections had delivered in parliament by a single party was with a supermajority held under civil- (as Bangladesh emerged as an inde- a supermajority to a ruling party or a achieved in February 1996 through a ian regimes have resorted to consti- pendent country in 1971), was a mark political culture coalition. Save one exception, these sham election boycotted by all parties tutional manipulation as much as the of its step towards democracy. countries have experienced tumultu- and with a small voter turnout. The military rulers did. The incumbent Pakistan People’s ous times under the supermajority, election held under the BNP regime Party (PPP) led by Zul qur Ali Bhutto, faced serious political instability, led by Khaleda Zia constituted a In the past four decades India expe- who ruled the country from 1972 experienced erosion of civil liberties. parliament with 100% BNP members, rienced the rule of a supermajority allegedly manipulated the elections to Jayewardene assumed the presiden- One can draw a tentative conclu- twice, both by the Indian National secure an absolute majority. The 77.5% cy on February 4, 1978. Then a new sion from these experiences which Congress (INC). The 1971 election of seats in the parliament provided constitution was framed which re- will be akin to what Chris Addock, in provided the Indira Gandhi-led INC credence to the allegation and helped moved the FPTP system. But through his study of Guatemala, Colombia and 67.95% of seats in the parliament. the opposition to intensify the street subsequent amendments the tenure Algeria, mentioned: “The presence of This supermajority enabled the ruling agitations on the one hand while the of the parliament was extended until [a] functioning electoral system does party to pass the 24th Amendment to government adopted a heavy-handed 1989 (the Fourth Amendment in 1982), not automatically ensure the exist- Is a two-third majority in a parliamentary system of the constitution. The genesis of the policy to curb the opposition. weakened the judiciary, and extended ence of true democracy or rule out the amendment lay with the battle with Capitalising on public agitation, the immunity of the president (via possibility of authoritarian structures government a blessing for the country or a curse? the judiciary. the military intervened and Pakistan Fourteenth Amendment in 1988). or practices.” The Supreme Court, in a verdict fell into a long spell of military rule. Overall a di erent political landscape The survey also shows that among stated that parliament has no power to The military rule continued until the and system of governance emerged the South Asian countries Bangladesh amend the parts of the constitution re- suspicious death of the then President out of the parliament that remained has experienced the phenomenon lating to fundamental rights. Declaring Zia ul Huq in a plane crash on August e ective between 1977 and 1989. more than any other country in the fundamental rights “transcendental in 17, 1988. Overall, the supermajority in parlia- past four decades. And during the periods under super- had the shortest tenure in the history nature,” the court opined that parlia- In the 1997 election, the Pakistan ment has accorded enormous powers The discrepancy between the majority rule drastic constitutional of the country. Yet, its single legisla- ment cannot abridge or take away any Muslim League (PML) under the to the ruling parties and its leaders in popular votes and the parliamentary changes have been made with signi - tive action has remained a source of fundamental rights. leadership of Newaz Sharif emerged South Asia in the past four decades seats allowing a party to operate with cant consequences. contention among the political parties Subsequently, the ruling party as the winner, one seat shy of the which have been used to change almost no checks has been detrimen- Bangladesh’s brush with the super- to date. introduced and passed amendments supermajority. But soon it managed to constitutions and strengthen the tal to democracy, in Bangladesh and majority began with its  rst election The Thirteenth Amendment, as to Article 368 and Article 13 enabling get the support to ensure a two-thirds executive power of the prime minister elsewhere. in 1973. The Awami League (AL) led many are aware, introduced the care- parliament to suspend fundamen- majority. Subsequently the parliament (or the president, in case of Sri Lanka). But recurrence of such kind of by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman secured taker system during the elections but tal rights. The amendments, made adopted the Thirteenth Amendment The only exception is India in 1984. results, particularly in such short 97.67% of seats in the parliament. This it was not done in consultation with in 1971, were viewed by many as of the constitution which stripped One can argue that many of these interval, is bound to have long-lasting provided the party with the opportu- the electorate. overreach by the incumbent. This the president of the power to dismiss elections were held fairly and these e ects on the institutions, political nity to change the constitution to the While one can exclude these three amendment was instrumental in the the government and made his power parties have been elected by popular psyche and political culture. l extent that the country ended up with elections as anomalies, for the results declaration of the state of emergency to appoint military service chiefs and votes. Therefore, these should be seen a one-party system within less than of two elections were outcomes of the on June 26, 1975, suspending civil provincial governors contingent on the as expressions of the popular will. But Ali Riaz is Professor and Chair of the two years, the parliament extended machinations of the military rulers to liberties and elections. “advice” of the prime minister. close scrutiny of these results reveal Department of Politics and Government its own tenure and Sheikh Mujibur earn legitimacy and one was to make The declaration came soon after a While many viewed these changes otherwise. at Illinois State University, USA. 8 DHAKA TRIBUNE International Monday, December 23, 2013 AFRICA Sudan court acquits S Sudan sends more troops to retake  ashpoint town award-winning journalist of ‘lies’ n Reuters, Juba July, of trying to launch a coup. The two men have long been political ri- n AFP, Khartoum South Sudan said it had sent more vals. soldiers to retake the ashpoint town Machar dismissed the charge but A Sudanese court on Sunday acquit- of Bor from rebels and kept control of has since told the BBC and other out- ted award-winning journalist Faisal oil elds as  ghting spread to a neigh- lets that he is commanding troops Mohammed Salih of publishing lies in bouring state in a con ict that has  ghting the government. a column he wrote about an activist’s raised fears of a collapse into ethnic Government soldiers had come allegation of rape in custody. civil war. across Machar with a group of  ghters A member of Sudan’s security bu- Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial in Bor, foreign minister Benjamin said, reau charged Salih under the criminal Benjamin said the army in Bor had without going into details of where or code, alleging he had lied and insulted spotted former Vice President Riek when the encounter took place. the state in a 2011 column. Machar - the man the government ac- “Riek managed to escape, used Salih could have been jailed for up cuses of starting the  ghting in Africa’s his boat along the Nile and ended up to six months if convicted but Judge newest country - on the battle eld, but in his village of Ado and went into Esmat Suliman threw out the charge. he had escaped by boat. Bentiu (the administrative capital of The journalist “did not publish lies It was impossible to verify the min- Unity) ... the night before he attacked and did not insult the state,” Suliman ister’s account independently and government institutions,” Benjamin ruled. Machar could not be reached for com- added. “A lot of media published about this ment. There have been varying reports Reuters television footage showed case.” Salih could not be immediately of his whereabouts since the  ghting the government sent more troops on reached for comment. started. Saturday to Bor - the scene of an ethnic In his article, Salih had called for a Clashes between rival groups of massacre carried out in 1991 by Nuer “serious investigation” into the activ- soldiers in the capital Juba a week ago  ghters loyal to Machar. ist’s allegation that she was raped in have spread across the landlocked and “The government had to assert its detention. impoverished country, which won its sovereignty and send in troops in or- Last year, a judge also acquitted Sa- independence from Sudan in 2011 with der to push out these renegades in lih after security agents charged him support from successive US adminis- the main city centre ... they are being following comments he made about trations. cleared from this city now,” he added. Soldiers in Juba join battle in a bid to end  ghting that threatens to drag the world’s newest country into an ethnic civil war REUTERS President Omar al-Bashir. The army acknowledged losing Benjamin said Machar was not in Salih, who also teaches journalism Bor in the northern Jonglei state on control of oil elds in Unity state. and advocates for press freedom, said Wednesday, and a day later the United “Of course there is a threat. But ... he Obama warns South Sudan over violence it was inappropriate for Bashir to call Nations said oil workers had taken ref- is not occupying the oil elds. The oil South Sudan’s government an “insect.” uge in its bases in neighbouring Unity. has been running. It is just because the n Agencies wounded when their aircraft were  red dan, which gained independence from In October, Salih travelled to Wash- International and regional powers workers there are frightened because upon on Saturday during a mission to Sudan in 2011, despite an o er from ington to receive the Peter Mackler have urged both sides to stop  ght- of what is happening. I am sure this is US President Barack Obama has evacuate American citizens. “Any e ort President Salva Kiir to open talks with Award for Courageous and Ethical ing, fearing for the stability of an al- an area that must be properly protect- warned South Sudan that Washington to seize power through the use of mili- his former deputy, Riek Machar, whom Journalism. ready fragile surrounding region that ed,” he said. and its allies would cut aid to the coun- tary force will result in the end of long- Kiir accuses of having started the  ght- The annual prize is named for the includes some ofAfrica’s most prom- Information Minister Michael try over any attempted military coup, standing support from the United States ing last week by attempting a coup. late Agence France-Presse reporter and ising economies, including Kenya and Makuei said on Saturday an army divi- amid growing fears of civil war. and the international community,” the Machar denies a coup plot and in editor Peter Mackler. Ethiopia. sional commander in Unity State, John Obama also urged South Sudan’s lead- White House said in a statement follow- turn accuses Kiir of conducting a vio- Sudan ranks near the bottom, at 170 President Salva Kiir, from South Koang, had defected and joined Mach- ers to help protect US personnel and citi- ing Obama’s call with National Security lent purge over the past week. His loy- out of 179, in the Reporters Without Sudan’s Dinka ethnic group, accused ar, who had named him the governor of zens in the con ict-ravaged country, after Adviser Susan Rice and other top aides. alists are now  ghting the central gov- Borders (RSF) 2013 World Press Free- Machar, a Nuer who he dismissed in the state. l four US military service members were Violence is escalating in South Su- ernment on several fronts. l dom Index. l

Madagascar polls EUROPE free, credible, IN OTHER NEWS Gay Icon Nesting Dolls Sent to began when Williams began to feel faint Khodorkovsky: I won’t get into politics democratic the Kremlin for Christmas on his way to the dentist. “He tried to hold AFP, Antananarivo Who wouldn’t love a set of traditional me up,” an emotional Williams told The AP, Moscow n Russian nesting dolls painted to look like Associated Press from his hospital bed, n Observers certi ed Madagascar’s run-o famous gay icons? Probably not anybody his voice breaking at times. Witnesses Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the onetime presidential polls as free, credible and working at the Kremlin. But o cials said Orlando began barking frantically and Russian oil tycoon who was impris- democratic on Sunday, urging bickering there will still receive the novelty gift as tried to stop Williams from falling from oned for a decade in a politically tinged candidates to stay calm as counting con- a Christmas present this year meant to the platform. Matthew Martin told the case, says he doesn’t intend to get in- tinued after the vote to restore democ- “stick two  ngers up at homophobia in New York Post that Orlando jumped down volved in politics now that he’s been racy. “According to the parameters and Russia.” For its holiday campaign titled, and tried to rouse Williams even as a train pardoned and released. methodology of the European Union, #To Russia with Love, UK-based creative approached. “He was kissing him, trying to President Vladimir Putin pardoned the elections were free, credible and agency Mother London commissioned get him to move,” Martin said. Witnesses Khodorkovsky on Friday, and hours democratic,” said EU mission chief Ma- seven sets of the matryoshka dolls, each called for help and the train’s motorman later he ew on a private jet to Berlin. ria Muniz de Urquiza of Friday’s vote to painted to look like a openly-gay celebrity, slowed his approach as Williams and Or- Khodorkovsky had been imprisoned restore democracy to the island nation. such as Elton John and Stephen Fry. One lando lay in the trench between the rails. for tax evasion and money-laundering. But she cautioned that “the pro- set of the dolls will be sent to the Kremlin, “The dog saved my life,” Williams said. The cases were widely criticized as cess has not  nished. We have to wait and another to the Russian Consulate in political revenge, for Khodorkovsky for counting to end and the reporting London. The rest of the dolls are being Few women attend Rio topless had challenged Putin’s dominance by of the results,” after both candidates auctioned o on eBay to raise money for ban protest funding opposition parties. He was claimed victory in an ominous remind- Kaleidoscope Trust, a human rights or- A protest in Brazil against a decades-old also believed to have personal political er of similar disputes during 2001 polls. ganization dedicated to promoting LGBT ban on topless sunbathing has failed to at- ambitions. Freemason doctor Robinson Jean equality worldwide. tract more than a dozen women. Instead, In an interview published Sunday Louis, 66, candidate of ousted presi- hundreds of photographers and men on the website of the Russian newspa- dent Marc Ravalomanana, and his rival Blind man, guide dog safe after turned up for the event on Rio de Janeiro’s per Novoye Vremya, Khodorkovsky is Hery Rajaonarimampianina, backed by subway track fall Ipanema beach. More than 2,000 wom- quoted as saying in his pardon appli- strongman Andry Rajoelina, have also Gallant guide dog Orlando was just doing en had said they would take their tops o cation he said he did not intend to get traded accusations of fraud such as his duty. The black Lab bravely leapt on the beach on Saturday morning to call involved in politics or seek the return stu ng ballot boxes and transporting onto the tracks at a Manhattan subway for the law to be scrapped. Organisers say of the assets of his dismantled Yukos pre-marked ballots. The parliamenta- platform Tuesday after his blind owner most women probably felt too intimidated oil company. Former Russian oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky holds a photograph ry and run-o presidential polls were lost consciousness and tumbled in front of to join the protest. Protesters say Brazilian However, Khodorkovsky was quot- of him running that was handed by a photographer after a press conference at the Wall aimed at pulling the island nation out an oncoming train. Cecil Williams, 61, and legislation, which de nes beach topless as ed as telling reporters in Berlin on Sun- Museum at Checkpoint Charlie AFP of its stagnation after Rajoelina seized Orlando both escaped serious injury when an obscene act, is anachronistic and hypo- day that he does intend to continue power from Ravalomanana in an ar- the train passed over top of them — a critical. They argue that nudity is tolerated appealing his convictions. non-political reasoning you would equate work in the special services,” my-backed coup in 2009. l miraculous end to a harrowing ordeal that during the annual carnival parade in Rio. The accusations “were so phan- probably have to accept the postulate he said, according to the news agency tasmagoric that to describe them by that people who aren’t completely ad- Interfax. l MIDDLE EAST Air strikes on Aleppo kill dozens Al-Qaeda ‘sorry’ for New pro-EU protest in Ukraine, Turkey removes hospital attack another 25 police n AFP, Beirut hoods of the former commercial capi- chiefs over graft tal, it said. n AFP turnout down sharply Dozens of people were killed in an The Aleppo Media Centre, a network inquiry eighth day of air strikes on Aleppo in of citizen journalists on the ground, In a rare public apology, the military n AFP, Kiev been at a loss as to how to respond to Syria on Sunday, a watchdog said, as also reported the attacks, adding that leader of al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen a controversial deal clinched by Pres- n Reuters, Ankara a bombing in Homs killed  ve school- the barrel bomb attack “destroyed a has said that one of his  ghters dis- Some 40,000 people on Sunday rallied ident Viktor Yanukovych in Moscow children. bus, leaving no survivors.” obeyed orders and attacked a hospi- at the latest protest in Ukraine against this week for billions of dollars in Rus- Turkish authorities have removed an- “Dozens of people were killed or The bombing also destroyed “some tal attached to the defence ministry the government’s rejection of a pact sian help to bail out Ukraine’s ailing other 25 police chiefs from their posts, wounded” in attacks that saw loyalist 10 cars, as well as a residential build- during a December assault that killed with the European Union, a turnout that economy. media reported, widening a crackdown warplanes drop so-called barrel bombs ing,” the AMC said. 52 people. was down sharply on previous weeks. One of the chief opposition lead- on the force since it launched a corrup- near the Friday market in Aleppo city, It added that “hospitals are packed Qassim al-Rimi, commander of The rally on Independence Square ers, the world boxing champion Vitali tion investigation that Prime Minister the Syrian Observatory for Human with wounded,” and that the number al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, said in the capital Kiev was the  fth in a se- Klitschko, told those gathered Sunday Tayyip Erdogan has called a “dirty op- Rights said. of dead could not yet be con rmed. in a video posted on the Internet that ries of regular Sunday protests against that the protests would continue. “We eration” against his rule. Separate attacks also targeted The air force was “continuing to the attackers were warned in advance the U-turn by the government in No- are going to  ght and we are not going Erdogan accused “international the rebel-held Sakhur, Ahmadiyeh, bombard several areas of Aleppo,” the not to enter the hospital within the vember, when it decided not to sign to go anywhere from here,” he said. groups” and “dark alliances” on Satur- Baideen and Ard al-Hamra neighbour- AMC added. l complex, nor a place for prayer there. the Association Agreement for closer “We demand not only the resigna- day of encouraging the graft investiga- But he said one  ghter did. That ties with the EU. tion of the government but snap pres- tions and signaled the purge of people  ghter and eight others were killed in But all the previous rallies had at- idential elections,” he added. behind it would continue. the December 5 suicide bombing and tracted hundreds of thousands of pro- The protesters have occupied Inde- The furore has roiled markets and Half a million wounded in Syria gunmen attack on the ministry com- testers. The turnout at the latest rally pendence Square – known in Kiev as exposed deep rifts between Erdogan plex in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. Seven was the lowest since the Sunday pro- the Maidan – since late November and and his former ally Fethullah Gulen, a n AFP, Beirut ten do not receive the treatment they foreigners from Germany, India, the tests began on November 24. erected barricades to prevent security US-based Islamic preacher who wields need,” Barth added. Philippines and Vietnam were among The protest movement has so far forces from entering the area. l in uence in the police and judiciary. l Half a million people across war-hit The ICRC urged again the Syrian the dead - all who were providing aid Syria have been wounded, many of government and the rebels to allow at the hospital. them lacking access to basic health- humanitarian assistance to reach “Now we acknowledge our mistake care and treatment, the International all people a ected by the 33-month and guilt,” al-Rimi said in a video re- Patient receives rst arti cial heart in France Committee for the Red Cross said on con ict. leased late Saturday by al-Qaeda’s me- Sunday. Barth said Syrian authorities were dia arm al-Mallahem. n AFP told reporters, according to The Tele- sensors that simulate the contractions of Millions have also been displaced preventing access to rebel-held areas “We o er our apology and con- graph. “It shows we are pioneers in a real heart, and is powered by a battery inside Syria and tens of thousands de- besieged by loyalists troops, including dolences to the victims’ families. We Surgeons in France have successfully health care, that we can invent, that we belt that is worn outside the body. The tained, ICRC chief Magne Barth said in in Homs and Damascus provinces, de- accept full responsibility for what implanted an arti cial heart into a pa- can carry an innovation that will also patient who received the arti cial heart a statement. spite saying more humanitarian assis- happened in the hospital and will pay tient su ering from heart disease. Ac- bring great hope to plenty of people.” A is said to be recovering well. “The inter- “At least half a million people have tance was needed. blood money for the victims’ families.” cording to The Telegraph, the arti cial team of surgeons performed the trans- vention took place in good conditions been wounded across the country and “Our sta are still not allowed to The apology seemed prompted by heart, made partly from bovine tissue, plant at the Georges Pompidou Hospi- ... There were no complications linked millions remain displaced and tens of enter besieged areas to deliver aid, Yemen state television earlier broad- could add as much as  ve years to the tal in Paris on Wednesday. to the innovative nature of the implant thousands detained,” he said. including much-needed medical sup- casting a video showing a gunman 75-year-old patient’s life. “This news The arti cial heart, which weighs operation,” said Christian Latremouille, “The wounded are often not cared plies, to all people in need whoever attacking doctors and other hospital brings great pride to France,” Marisol just less than 2 pounds, is made of sev- one of the doctors who performed the for properly and the chronically ill of- they may be,” said Barth. l sta . l Touraine, France’s health minister, eral soft “biomaterials” and a variety of operation, during a press conference. l 9 DHAKA TRIBUNE International Monday, December 23, 2013 ASIA Cambodian Protesters swarm in Thai capital to demand PM resigns protesters demand n Reuters, Bangkok Hun Sen’s exit Tens of thousands of anti-government n Reuters demonstrators massed at sites around Thailand’s capital on Sunday in a bid to Tens of thousands of Cambodian op- topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawa- position party supporters have staged tra before an uncertain February election demonstrations demanding new elec- the main opposition party will boycott. tions, or the resignation of Prime Min- Yingluck has called a snap poll for ister Hun Sen. February 2 to try to cool tension and The Cambodia National Rescue Par- renew her mandate, but protesters re- ty (CNRP), an alliance of opposition ject any election until the implementa- groups, vowed on Sunday to hold pro- tion of vague reforms ostensibly aimed tests every day until the prime minister at weakening the in uence of the Shi- steps down or calls for a new election. nawatra family. They urged Hun Sen to follow the lead The weeks-long political deadlock of Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shi- became more uncertain on Saturday nawatra, who last week dissolved parlia- when the opposition Democrat Party, ment and called for snap elections. Thailand’s oldest, announced it would Opposition party leaders Sam Rain- boycott the election, saying the demo- sy and his deputy Kem Sokha joined cratic system had failed Thais. the protests, waving to supporters, The boycott adds to concern that which the opposition CNRP claimed powerful forces allied with the oppo- numbered up to 500,000. sition would try to scuttle an election “I want Hun Sen out because he that is otherwise likely to return Yin- sold our Khmer land, our nation, our gluck’s Puea Thai Party to power, and logs and other things,” Som Chanthy a perpetuate the in uence of her self-ex- factory worker said. Another protester iled brother, former premier Thaksin accused the prime minister of being Shinawatra. corrupt, helping neighbouring Vietnam Chanting “Yingluck, get out,” thou- instead of Cambodia. sands of whistle-blowing protesters Hun Sen, facing his biggest political gathered at locations around the city and challenge in two decades, has ignored set up stages in at least four places, bring- the opposition’s demands for an inves- ing tra c to a halt at three main intersec- tigation into last July’s elections, and tions and in two commercial districts. forged ahead with forming a govern- Hundreds surrounded Yingluck’s ment and parliament. l house and demanded she quit. Yin- gluck, now caretaker premier, is not Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators massed at sites around Thailand’s capital on Sunday in a bid to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra before an uncertain India anti-graft in Bangkok and has been visiting the February election the main opposition party will boycott REUTERS northeast, her party’s stronghold. crusader hints The protest leader, Suthep Thaug- ment cable television station. powerful minority - Bangkok’s middle The protests enjoy big support cessful, some failed, insists it is neu- suban, a former Democrat heavy- Suthep has earned a reputation for class, bureaucrats, conservative elites from Bangkok and though the size tral, but many Thais suspect the alle- at forming Delhi weight, wants a suspension of de- overstated rhetoric during  ery nightly and top army generals. of the crowd often dwindles, Suthep giance of the generals, who removed mocracy and the installation of an speeches, where he has told police and Thaksin’s mainly working-class sup- has managed to mobilize more than Thaksin in a 2006 coup, is with the an- government appointed “people’s council.” civil servants to report to him, prom- porters see him as a benevolent billion- 100,000 on some marches. ti-government camp. “I don’t know what Yingluck is ised to retire to the beach and issued aire committed to raising their living The Election Commission on Friday The Democrats boycotted an election n AFP, New Delhi thinking. But, what I know for sure deadlines to army leaders to meet him standards, but his enemies call him an ruled out postponing the vote having called during similar protests in 2006, now is that all civil servants, the army to discuss ousting Yingluck. authoritarian crony capitalist who ex- earlier said it was concerned the polls when Thaksin tried to renew his man- India’s anti-corruption crusader the police have realized all Thai people Yingluck and Thaksin remain huge- ploited the poor and abused his power could be marred by violence. date. His party won in a landslide, but Arvind Kejriwal vowed Sunday to clean are rising up against the government,” ly popular in the north and northeast, by helping wealthy business friends The politicized military, which has the result was annulled on a technicality up “dirty politics” in a  ery speech sug- Suthep told Blue Sky, an anti-govern- but Suthep’s movement is backed by a and family. staged 18 coups since 1932, some suc- and he was later overthrown in a coup. l gesting that his party will team up with the Congress party to form a state gov- ernment in Delhi. Kejriwal, a former civil servant turned politician, has been under pres- India keeps up pressure sure to form a government with sup- Sex, drugs and beards: an afternoon in a port from a major party since the stun- ning performance of his Aam Aadmi on US in diplomat row (Common Man) Party in the December Pakistani porn cinema 4 state election. n AFP, New Delhi search have caused outrage in India, The party won 28 of the 70 seats, n AFP, Peshawar ers, students and others who had come to es- screen was a sinful depravation bad for the which wants Washington to drop the trouncing Congress which previously cape the day-to-day claustrophobia of life in soul of a good Muslim. India kept up pressure on the United case and o er an apology. ruled the state but took only eight seats Three times a day dozens of men pack the a deeply conservative Muslim region where The rise of videos, DVDs and the Internet States on Sunday over a furore at the The US and India have been hold- and depriving the biggest winner – the auditorium, the air heavy with hashish family and neighbours keep a close eye on accelerated the decline and now of around arrest and strip search of one of its ing a series of talks to try to draw a line Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 31 – of smoke, to watch graphic sex movies: wel- everything. Most arrive alone and want to 15 cinemas in Peshawar 20 years ago, only diplomats in New York, saying “they under the crisis, while US Secretary of an overall majority. come to the Shama – a pornographic cinema remain so, arranging themselves around the seven remain. must do something.” Foreign minister State John Kerry has expressed “re- But Kejriwal has been wary of ac- in Pakistan’s Taliban heartland. seats to avoid sitting next to anyone. Three of them show pornography, Salman Khurshid has sought to ease gret” over the episode. Khurshid said cepting support from either the nation- For more than 30 years it has supplied They are all soon gripped by the drama of sometimes discreetly via clips hidden part the crisis, saying the episode should on Friday that he hoped the “valuable ally ruling Congress or the main nation- erotic fantasies in Peshawar, the main city the day’s o ering, “Dostana” (“Friendship”), a way through mainstream action movies. not be allowed to derail “the valuable relationship” with Washington would al opposition BJP, after voters ocked of northwestern Pakistan which borders the semi-amateur production made for the Sha- The Shama, the best-known of the three, relationship” between the world’s two soon return to an even keel, remarks to him because they were disillusioned tribal districts that are a haven for Taliban ma in the more liberal eastern city of Lahore. is regularly full, with tickets three or four largest democracies. that he repeated on Saturday. with mainstream politics and angry at and Al-Qaeda-linked militants. The plot hinges on a romantic dilemma: times the price of normal  lms. But when told the US State De- US State Department spokeswoman rampant corruption. l Terri ed of being recognised, the Sha- the hero, Shah Sawar (“the Horseman” in the Key to its success is showing local-made partment had welcomed his remarks, Jen Psaki pointed to Kurshid’s com- ma’s customers hide their faces as they local language) cannot decide whether to pornography, which is much harder to  nd Khurshid told the Press Trust of India ments during a press brie ng, saying Iran: World powers make their way to the cinema between a marry his sweetheart Gulpana or his cousin in Peshawar – or on the Internet – than news agency on Sunday: “They (the “we certainly fully agree that it’s im- goat market and a bus station. Doa, chosen for him as a wife by his family. Western adult  lms. US) must do something. Welcoming is portant to preserve and protect our should avoid There are three X-rated shows a day in He decides to “test” his would-be brides Coming to see “Dostana” for a second not enough.” partnership. “It’s not just about diplo- the Shama’s discreet back room, while the and much of the  lm’s two hours is taken up time, Khaliq Khan, 30, said: “Like a lot of Asked if he was hopeful of a resolu- matic ties. We have over $90 billion in ‘troublemaking’ main hall is reserved for mainstream movies with long and extremely graphic sex scenes people here I prefer  lms with Pakistani tion of the issue soon, Khurshid also bilateral trade. We’re supporting thou- n AP, Tehran – the only ones advertised outside. between the Horseman and his paramours. girls. It’s better, it seems more amateur, said: “World keeps moving forward, sands of jobs in both of our countries,” “Class X” customers pay 200 rupees A reverential hush reigns over the au- more real.” “Dostana” is certainly amateur- world never dies, world never stops. she said in Washington on Friday. Iran’s foreign minister Sunday urged the ($1.90) and after a brief search by a Kalash- dience throughout, broken only by a few ish, with actors regularly turning to the cam- Something will happen.” The diplomat, a mother of two, now world powers to avoid “troublemaking” nikov-toting guard, they are whisked through suspicious noises from certain rows, while era quizzically, looking for direction for their The crisis was sparked by the arrest free on bail, was arrested over accusa- issues as expert-level talks continue a courtyard and down a concrete passageway. at least half sneak out before the end. next move. of Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy tions that she lied about the salary she over its contested nuclear program. Inside the auditorium a thick cloud of The formula has made the Shama one of The dialogue is dubbed in Pashto, the consul general at its mission in New was paying her Indian maid in a US visa Mohammad Javad Zarif made the cannabis smoke hangs over the 20-odd Peshawar’s most successful cinemas at a time main language of the northwest, with an York, on December 12, over accusations application. comment in a joint news conference rows of tattered fake-leather seats. when many others have been forced to close. enthusiasm somewhat at odds with the that she underpaid her maid. According to New York authorities, with Italian Foreign Minister Emma During one showing, the hall was more The Islamisation that Pakistan witnessed bored, uninterested way the actors seem to Subsequent revelations that Kho- she was paying the domestic worker Bonino. He also expressed hope the talks than half full, populated by labourers, farm- in the 1980s persuaded many that the silver be speaking in the original Punjabi. l bragade was stripped by US Marshals a third of the  gure mentioned in the will conclude “sooner or later,” though and subjected to an invasive body visa application. l he said the current expert-level talks in Geneva are “slowly” moving forward. “All parties should avoid addressing Early end-life plan for issues that could be troublemaking,” Australia to monitor Japanese Zarif said. He did not elaborate. elderly in aging Japan Also Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minis- n AP, Tokyo ter Abbas Araghchi told state television whalers as con ict looms from Geneva that the talks have faced Japan’s Emperor Akihito surprised the trouble. He said there are “incorrect nation last month when palace o cials n AFP, Sydney “The exibility and the range of the interpretations” in settling a protocol announced plans for his funeral. His A319 allows it to operate across a large to implement the deal. He suggested wishes for a relatively modest one — Australia will send a government jet area at great speed and therefore it can there might need to be a “pause in the and the act of planning ahead — were to conduct aerial surveillance of the identify any breaches,” he said. talks.” l widely seen as a good example in this Southern Ocean as an annual show- “So this is an important asset... it rapidly aging country. down brews between Japanese whal- gives us the ability to cover not just one Karzai should sign US Akihito, who turns 80 on Monday, ers and militant conservationists, the point in the eet but a variety of points is still active, making an o cial visit to environment minister said Sunday. within the whaling eet.” pact: new German India in November with his wife, the Greg Hunt said Canberra would dis- The aerial mission will run between 79-year-old Empress Michiko. But con- patch an Airbus A-319 Customs and January and March 2014. defence minister cerns have grown since he had heart Border Protection crew to monitor ex- Sea Shepherd activists left Austra- n AFP, Mazar-I-Sharif bypass surgery nearly two years ago on changes between Japan’s harpoon eet lia for their 10th annual harassment top of prostate cancer earlier. and the Sea Shepherd Conservation campaign of the Japanese last week as Germany’s  rst female defence minister After an expert panel discussion for Society. the international community warned visited troops in Afghanistan on Sunday more than a year, the palace announced “The purpose of the Customs mis- against violence from either side. and appealed for President Hamid Kar- that Akihito would be cremated, and sion will be to record the incidents on High-seas clashes between the zai to sign a troubled deal to allow some his remains placed in a mausoleum the high seas. It will be to ensure there groups are common and Sea Shep- foreign forces to stay in the country af- smaller than those of his predecessors, is a presence to make sure that there herd, which has sent three ships to ter 2014. Ursula von der Leyen, who was with Michiko by his side at the Imperial is no con ict between the parties,” the Antarctic this year, regularly pelts appointed a week ago, made an unan- compound in western Tokyo. Akihito’s Hunt said. the whaling ships with stink bombs, nounced two-day trip to the northern cremation breaks a 400-year burial “It will also be to ensure that there attempts to foul their propellers and city of Mazar-i-Sharif to meet German custom of the world’s oldest monarchy, is awareness from all parties that the manoeuvres vessels between harpoons soldiers in the NATO coalition that is as he wishes to trim cost, space and world is watching.” and whales. now withdrawing from Afghanistan. burden on the people, o cials said. The government had promised to Last year, the environmental group The US and other coalition members The revelation of the couple’s life- send a ship to tail the clashing groups, claimed that a Japanese boat had are pushing Karzai to sign a long-de- end plans was well received in the but Hunt said he had settled on aerial rammed its vessels on multiple occa- layed deal with Washington to enable world’s fastest-graying nation, where surveillance as a more e ective way sions – destroying masts and a radar on several thousand troops to remain in 20 years from now one in three people of covering the vast area in which the the Bob Barker and leaving it without Afghanistan to train the local security will be senior citizens. l whalers hunt. power. l Japan factory ship Nisshin Maru whaling a mother and calf in 2012 WIKI forces and target Al-Qaeda remnants. l 10 DHAKA TRIBUNE Editorial Monday, December 23, 2013

www.dhakatribune.com Letters to the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY Please stop the destruction of our economy Justice for Tazreen December 20 Imran Khan: Quader

Nobody has the right to stop others from working. At the same time, everybody has the right not to work. Molla innocent December 17 a boon for RMG A group of people are trying to destroy the . Bangladesh cannot, should not, and must not tolerate this type of forced blockade. Let the government of Bangladesh use all its power YasserTamim Haque t long last, formal charges have been  nally  led against diligently and judiciously to stop these blockades. Not expected from Imran Khan. those thought to be responsible for the Tazreen factory Muktijoddha Dr Emarat Hossain Pannah A re that claimed the lives of 112 garment workers last USA Alo Adhar year. I used to think, Mr Imran Khan is different, Delwar Hossain, the managing director of Tazreen Fashions, compared to other Pakistanis, but thanks to him is among 13 people charged for manslaughter and negligence for proving me wrong. under the Code of Criminal Shuvo Shams Conduct. Pakistan critisises Quader Molla’s execution Say what?! Does he even know about our war? In addition to the 112 people December 15 killed in the devastating  re The arrests a helpful Fahad Muza ar that swept through the factory Tandua ketra their army, and they continue to make the same Shuvo Shams: Other news sources seem to on November 24 2012, over 200 step in ongoing moves Nisar Khan is being simplistic and insensitive. Does mistakes in Pashtun, Baluchistan, and other tribal towards winning back indicate he was simply quoting the lawyer, and workers su ered burn injuries. he know enough about the 1971 issue? It appears areas today. Once a jewel of the East and soon to those were not his words. Reports point to improper con dence in the RMG not. Kader Mollah’s death is not my issue. Nisar become in economic par with Dubai, Pakistan went maintenance and violation of sector calls the ’71 war a civil war, when it was a war of down the drain because of their army’s mindless Tilka the building code and many independence. War was perpetuated by the West intervention into the country’s politics. Before the When Imran Khan quoted the lawyer, he gave workers indicated that the Pakistanis. internet arrived and facts became more available, his support to the statement. Had he not felt factory exits were locked, most Pakistanis had never seen a single picture the same way he wouldn’t have said it in their preventing them from escaping Naveed of the Pakistani army’s genocide in Bangladesh. It parliament. Now he is also responsible for the when the  re broke out. Tandua ketra: One nation’s hero is another’s villain. seems that the honourable minister is a product of statement. He didn’t say the lawyer claimed We welcome the  ling of charges in this case which can that “pre-internet” age. it. He said it himself and gave the lawyer as now be decided on by the legal system. It is reassuring to see Pen Muni Most of the Pakistanis today have nothing to do reference to prove the statement right. that the gears of justice have  nally begun to move. Six of the After the Second World War, Germany as a nation with 1971. Neither do we in Bangladesh. Our qualm thirteen accused are currently on the run so it is important to realised the horrible atrocities its military leaders is not with them. Our deal is with the war criminals Mahmudul Islam ensure that they too are brought before the legal process. committed. “Never again” they said, and decided to that Pakistan still fails to recognise. If the minister Did Mr Khan represent Mollah in the lawsuit Progress in the Tazreen factory  re case is not only crucial teach their children about the past shame. Even to- was sensible and educated, he would not be hurting against the latter? Does he know the ins and outs towards providing long-overdue justice for the victims of the day, a large part of their textbooks consist of events so many Bangladeshi people’s sentiments in the of the whole matter? If not, then how does he incident, it can also demonstrate to international buyers that from WWII. This is not to make them feel inferior, month of independence with his atrocious words. claim that Molla was innocent and the charges meaningful progress can be made in the sector to protect the but to make them understand the history, so they We wish him peace and send him independence brought against him were false? rights of the workers. never repeat the same mistakes again. ay greetings from Bangladesh. waheed In light of the considerable challenges the garment industry It is not the case with Pakistan. Their textbooks Imran has always condemned the military is currently facing, these arrests represent a helpful step in are  lled with convoluted history, often glorifying Asif operation against and now ongoing moves towards winning back con dence in the health the army, completely eradicating the facts about As a Pakistani I feel ashamed at the statement of Bangladesh. He is closely a liated with Reprieve of the sector. the Pakistani army’s genocide in Bangladesh. It our home minister. He does not speak for us. The NGO, which is working on Guantanamo Bay is presented as though Pakistan was a victim of victims of Quader Mollah got justice when he was prisoners and drones in Pakistan. While I agree India’s diplomacy. Because of these manipulative hanged. My respects to the Bangladeshi people for that he should not have made this sweeping academia, they have not learned the truth about not being intimidated by Jamaat-e-Islami thugs. statement, it is also true that we Pakistanis wish Bangladesh well, and even we feel happy for you on your economic improvements. Good luck. Be Heard Build regional Write to us at: Ganajagaran Mancha Dhaka Tribune demands execution of all Awami League to win 127 FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath war crimes verdicts Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 seats uncontested trade links December 15 December 15 Email us at: [email protected] Send us your Op-Ed articles: I hope our Bangladeshi friends also remem- e welcome the discussions being held by the Under the current disturbing situation, this is [email protected] ber General Shabeg Singh who trained the Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Forum for about the best option to keep people safe from Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com  ghters. Regional Cooperation (BCIM) to improve integration further problems. W Come join our Facebook community: msingh of trade and investment relations. WaliulHaqueKhondker https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune After preparatory discussions in Dhaka in October, a joint working group is meeting in Beijing this week to follow up Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s proposal for building the economic corridors linking the four countries. Developing economic partnerships among BCIM is vitally CALVIN AND HOBBES needed to boost regional stability. Such negotiations can help provide greater economic resources to Bangladesh and Myanmar by easing the ow of goods in the region. In this context, it is encouraging to note that Bangladesh and Myanmar will be holding a Joint Trade Developing Commission in January 9-10, partnerships between to discuss ways to ease and Bangladesh, China, increase trade between our India and Myanmar bordering nations. will increase economic Bangladesh’s trade with opportunity and boost Myanmar is very low by regional stability regional standards but is beginning to grow. O cials say the talks could help to increase trade from $160m now to $500m. As Myanmar’s economy is now attracting huge inward PEANUTS investment, it is vital that Bangladesh works in partnership to boost trade and investment links. Mutual trade with Myanmar has the potential to grow very fast and bene t both economies. The JTC meeting can help improve cross border trade and linkages by easing export and credit processes. We welcome moves to remove trade barriers and improve trade relations bilaterally. Multilateral initiatives such as BCIM also need to be encouraged as they have the potential to deliver even greater bene ts.

CROSSWORD CODECRACKER YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS DOWN Crossword 1 Su ering (4) 1 Small bouquet (4) 3 Younger son (5) 2 Metal (4) 8 Thin and delicate 4 Consumed (3) membrane (4) 5 Strong fabric (5) 9 Exhibit (4) 6 Dash (4) 11 Of the kidneys (5) 7 Converses (5) 12 Part of a church (4) 10 Undulate (4) 14 Writing  uid (3) 11 Replenish (5) 15 Snake poison (5) 13 Stanza (5) Sudoku 18 Headwear (5) 16 Of the ear (4) 19 Corn spike (3) 17 Exploits (5) 21 Deep drink (4) 18 Very salty water (5) 24 Dwell (5) 20 To be adjacent (4) 26 Grotto (4) 22 Pro t (4) 27 Melody (4) 23 Pile (4) 28 Precipitous (5) 25 Scottish river (3) 29 Break suddenly (4) 11 DHAKA TRIBUNE Op-Ed Monday, December 23, 2013 Pakistan and us n Sajib Arman requires Pakistan to make an e ort too. So far we have not seen any at- o be honest, I was never a big tempt by Pakistan to make amends as fan of Pakistan (or anything a state. It is evident from the state- TPakistani) from a young age. I ments by Pakistani politicians in the had politely returned a kabli set (the past week that they continue to be Pakistani-style punjabi) I had received insensitive and indi erent about our as a gift for Eid – it was not possible for pain and su ering during the Libera- me to bear the sight, let alone consider tion War. wearing an out t that represented the Pakistani civil society leaders have Pakistanis and their local collaborators. apologised for the atrocities in 1971, As a matter of principle, I have while I have many Pakistani friends always refused to drink a certain juice who have privately and publicly originally imported from Pakistan expressed sympathy and apologised and now a Pakistan-Bangladesh joint for the atrocities committed by the venture. I have told many shopkeep- Pakistani occupation forces and their ers that self-respecting Bangladeshis local collaborators. Sadly the same cannot drink a Pakistani juice. I have cannot be said of the Pakistani state or also found it revolting to see a handful political elite. of shameless Bangladeshis ying the Pakistani ag during match- es – what an insult to our history and founding fathers. Bangladeshis of my generation Anyone who knows me would tell will continue to remain hostile, you this is quite uncharacteristic of negative and antagonistic me – I am a patriotic Bangladeshi, towards Pakistanis until and but not a jingoist. In fact, I consider unless Pakistan o ers a formal myself more of a global citizen than apology only Bangladeshi/Bengali/Muslim. Not only that, I envision a Southasia (as opposed to South Asia) of the future, when countries can come together in Of course we need to move forward, When will this cycle of power politics end? DHAKA TRIBUNE a spirit of collaboration and coopera- but playboy-turned-(born again) Isla- tion. Maybe the day will come when mist politicians like Imran Khan are an we will compare regional, economic, impediment for us in gaining closure and social development rates. Howev- for the past. Imran Khan’s statement er, none of this will be possible until does not come as a surprise because it No solution in sight we get closure for 1971. falls in the same pattern of pandering Bangladeshis of my generation will to religious extremism in the guise of a continue to remain hostile, negative third-party alternative. Other politi- n Shafi qur Rahman open the government’s grip on power of this current round of confrontation. plaints from AL leaders and apologists, and antagonistic towards Pakistanis cians are also adding insult to injury by preparing the ground for a third BNP wants a free and fair election – an I am reminded of the world’s most until and unless Pakistan o ers a by making deplorable statements ower politics is political party to intervene. BNP is incapable of election that most neutral observers contentious issue, the Israel-Palestine formal apology to Bangladesh for attacking Bangladesh. action characterised by creating that scenario on its own, and agree the BNP will easily win. The AL con ict. The global community broad- atrocities amounting to ethnic cleans- I hope the next generation of Paki- exercise of power, especial- that is why Jamaat is so indispensable recognises that as well, which is why it ly recognises the fundamental injus- ing, compensates Bangladesh for its stanis will make an e ort to learn their ly of physical force, by a to them now. Few would doubt that if is determined to hold the election un- tice at the heart of the Israel-Palestine deprivation during the East Pakistan history and make amends – there is no political group as a means BNP could achieve the goal of power der its own terms denying the people con ict – an occupying power appro- era and losses during the occupation reason why they need to carry the bag- Pof coercion in the attainment of its politics without the help of Jamaat, it their voice. priating land from a native people and period, justice is served for the crimes gage of the past by defending Bangla- objectives. Like many political terms would discard Jamaat in an instant like This foundational subtext of power denying them the freedom to choose against humanity committed during deshi anti-liberation forces. Pakistanis with aggressive undertones, the term a used tissue paper. politics is not because of any inherent their own destiny. Again to obfuscate the Liberation war, and correct history need to come to terms with their came from the Germans who were the core injustice, apologists of Israeli is taught to the next generation of history, instead of being in denial, if determined to set out to develop the Lebensraum employ a myriad of com- Pakistanis. they want a healthy relationship with archetypes in un-subtlety in political plaints against the Palestinians. Bangladeshis are willing to start us. It’s as simple as that. Godspeed actions in their not too distant past. The main political parties have been engaging in naked power They say that Israel doesn’t have afresh in the spirit of regional collab- Southasia! l In Bangladesh too, the main po- politics since the dawn of the new democratic era in 1991, but it has a reliable partner in Palestine for a oration between Bangladesh, India, litical parties have been engaging in reached hitherto unknown depths of depravity this time around peaceful settlement. Palestinians do Pakistan and other countries, but this Sajib Arman is a political and security analyst. naked power politics since the dawn of not want peace. Palestinian authority the new democratic era in 1991, but it is deeply in cahoots with religious has reached hitherto unknown depths In pursuing this strategy, BNP is again virtue of either party. This situation is absolutists and terrorists. Palestinians of depravity this time around. following the “manual of tactics” to essentially the reverse of what was in use heinous terror tactics. Palestinians In the everyday violent melee of create maximum destabilisation by place in 1996 and 2006, the only di er- are backed by foreign entities deter- power politics, it is sometimes easy to interrupting regular life in the country. ence being that this time opinion polls mined to annihilate Israel. Palestini- lose sight of the strategies behind the But this year, the BNP-led opposition and local elections have repeatedly ans are living far better under Israeli tactics. With some presumption, it is has upped the ante. The lives of gener- underscored this fact on the ground. occupation than their counterparts not hard to divide the broad strategies al people are not only being interrupt- The AL government is aware of the living in Arab absolutist regimes. Israel behind the two warring factions. ed, but they are even being targeted. original sin of its position, and that is an oasis of civilisation and progress Basically, the AL government is The series of vehicles burning with is why it is throwing around a host of in the midst of a sea of barbarism. pursuing a two-pronged strategy. Its people inside has aroused universal allegations about BNP to obfuscate the Sound familiar? And all the while preferred strategy is to get BNP to disgust and apprehension of this das- issue. BNP doesn’t want elections, it Israel is busy changing the facts on the participate in an election managed and tardly deed becoming a regular part of wants to free war-criminals. BNP does ground so that a peaceful settlement supervised by AL so that the next AL Bangladeshi politics. not want to respect the rule of law as becomes all but impossible. government gets the stamp of legiti- The ruling Awami League on the enshrined in the constitution recently Just like the Israel-Palestine issue, macy from domestic constituents and other hand is using state power in an amended by AL to uphold democracy. the current political problem in Bang- international partners. unprecedented crushing of the oppo- BNP wants to install a religious the- ladesh is complex and there is no easy Failing that, AL’s second option is sition. Entire ranks of senior leaders ocracy. BNP is colluding with hostile solution that will satisfy all parties. to try to paint Jamaat as a full- edged have been rounded up and all mass foreign entities. BNP wants to reverse But this should not mask the simple terrorist organisation internationally, political activity has been clamped the great developmental achievements injustice lying at the heart of the issue. with BNP as its patron-accomplice, upon. In scenes reminiscing brutal of the AL government. BNP is joined The controversy about the means used and manage the low level insurgency foreign occupation, law enforcement at the hip with Jamaat, a terrorist in political confrontation should not by BNP and Jamaat inde nitely while agencies are using lethal force without organisation. Terror tactics cannot be mask the cause of the con ict. l sitting snugly at the throne of state restraint. allowed to succeed. Terrorism is the power. In the daily barrage of atrocities and biggest threat facing the country. And Sha qur Rahman is pursuing his PhD in BNP’s strategy is singular. It is going excesses of the political power players, so on. Business in the USA and blogs regularly by the tested and proved way to pry it is easy to lose sight of the root cause Every time I hear this litany of com- at alalodulal.org. AFP

S E R P E N T I N E D E N Don’t worry, there is a miracle man n Towheed Feroze The trend actually began in the 60’s blessings. (docile and illiterate) audiences; some person from his/her money, though when India, in a bid to present to the There are quite a few such “pirs” adopt radical measures like going in no way will there be an attempt to he customary political news was world an exotic side to its culture, also who have a large fan base … I mean around with mud smeared all over the demean a major religious faith. The elbowed out on Sunday from the promoted people like Mahesh Yogi and disciples. They sit around the blessed body and performing simple conjuring strategy is to earn someone’s trust by Tmain headlines. The focus was the likes. one, serve him, capitulate to him, and tricks which involves taking a piece of showing total reliance on religion. on the gruesome murder of a self- A new generation in the West, in the case of the killed “pir,” we  nd small rock from a curious listener to Having problems getting married? proclaimed holy man, Lutfar Rahman severing ties with the old order which that his acolytes not only bowed to turn it into a raisin. Faruque, who claimed to be the sole always remained aloof to the mystical him but also touched their forehead What Lutfar Rahman did to representative of Imam Mahdi. attraction of the East, found itself at his feet in the form of traditional mesmerise a few hundred people is Reportedly, unknown assailants imbued by the psychedelic explosion “sijda” performed by Muslims during unknown, but it’s on record that his prayers. followers paid him a regular amount. entered his rented at, locked up all of the time, espousing unequivocally The stories of miracles are either opaque or propagated by a set the people, and then systematically the need to immerse in the “unknown Interestingly, a few months back, And they got receipts in return! of paid actors. However, one must give the devil his due. These went about killing six persons, magic” of the Indian sub-continent. when a reporter of a local TV channel Solid accountancy never fails. including the son (also a cohort) of the Whether the magic existed or not, asked these followers to show their Not surprisingly, this is where all people have one great talent – the force of persuasion so-called spiritual leader. They spared with psychedelic senses overtaking all, respect in front of a camera, they holy men fall on the same platform – the children and Lutfar Rahman’s people needed to believe in something refused along with the “pir” himself. whatever the operating style, at one wife, which suggests that the killing novel. It’s safe to speculate that Lutfar point of the game there is a monetary was done mainly to silence the The rush to taste a morsel of Rahman was a charlatan because he transaction. Either it’s done directly spiritual leader and his closest aides. eastern mysticism even beguiled The had not performed any miracle, at or the amount is collected by some A lover has jilted you? Your boss is a One newspaper, reporting the Beatles. Meditation, communal living, least not one which was documented trusted cohorts, because obviously, nightmare? Caught in a legal wrangling death, has hinted at con ict of discarding of all social divisions with credible evidence. In fact, this is being a holy man, the “hujur” (lord) with relatives over property? No religious sects, though there can be were topped by something which possibly true for all those who ply the cannot deal in something so material problem is beyond solution. And of many reasons, the prime being that never fails – unrestrained carnal trade of spiritual healer or guru across and unre ned. course, results are guaranteed! too many tigers in one jungle will association. the country. For good reason this trade now has In the desperation of the moment, only result in a scu e for the top Enlightenment or not, no one says The stories of miracles are either many branches, going into astrology many of us do not realise that most spot. no to some old-fashioned fun in opaque or propagated by a set of paid and treatment of human problems problems in life eventually lose their It reminds me of the line “ek the hay. The trend quickly spawned actors. with stones. intensity. Over time, we become gharme do pir” from Syed Waliullah’s several spiritual directions and the However, one must give the devil Right in this city there are quite a resigned to them or learn to live with novel on the fraud of holy men. culture of the holy man became a his due. These people have one great few people who have given the rather them, while in between, some people Sorry to sound so harsh, but the social mainstay. talent – the power of the gab, the force hoary trade of the “pir” a new ashy get rich. culture of holy men in Bangladesh and In Bangladesh, the “pir” culture of persuasion. Once people’s trust appearance. These people dress smart, Well, let the recent killing be a most parts of South Asia has become is so intertwined with common life is secured, the toughest challenge is talk smoothly, have nicely maintained warning: some also end up murdered. l so entrenched that traditional faith that we  nd a large number of socially won. o ces, and use religious references in is often relegated to glorify these in uential people regularly thronging This is attained by an array of their dialogue. Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently spiritual gurus. the homes of such people to seek fascinating ploys: some prefer large The main objective is to part a working in the development sector. 12 DHAKA TRIBUNE Entertainment Monday, December 23, 2013

Simon wins Asian Swapnadal pays tribute to Grand Pitch Khaled Khan n Entertainment Desk In expressing homage to the late eminent cultural personali- ty Khaled Khan, theatre troupe Swapnadal will stage Rabin- dranath Tagore’s Chitrangada at the Studio Theatre Hall of Ban- gladesh Shilpakala Academy on December 25. Tagore’s play revolves around the princess of Monipur Chitran- gada who has been brought up like a prince and is trained in all the techniques of war. One day, A scene from Ohetuk Kichchha by Prantik Theatre SADIA MARIUM she meets legendary hero Arjun while he is visiting Manipur. See- ing him in action, Chitrangada Prantik Theatre hits the stage with falls in love with him. But Arjun n Punny Kabir mon said: “I am trying to establish my refuses her. own style of storytelling as you saw in Being refused, Chitranga- Ohetuk Kichchha Young Bangladeshi  lmmaker Kamar Shunte Ki Pao! Which neither followed da, who is also called Kurupa in Ahmad Simon has won The Asian Pitch the fundamental style of documentary the story, approaches the god of held in Singapore last week. nor had any scripted story-like  ction. love Madan and begs for beau- A satirical portrayal of social irregularities Kamar’s name was declared on the I believe reality is stranger than  ction ty. Pleased with her prayer, the website along with two others: Da Jung if it can be portrayed with authenticity god of love blesses her with a n Afrose Jahan Chaity lives. The plot revolves around an It demonstrates how the big guns Jang from Taiwan and Chaitali Mukher- and creativity.” new formation, granting her a in uential person of the society and of our society with forces manipu- jee from India. The Asian Pitch’s mis- Early this year Kamar’s  rst  lm beautiful appearance as Shurupa Prantik Theatre launched with its sa- narrates how he misuses his power for late the mass for their own personal sion is to uncover compelling human Shunte Ki Pao! (Are You Listening!) won for a year so that she can impress tirical comedy, Ohetuk Kichchha at own personal interest. A pet crow of interest. interest stories and to discover new the Grand Prix in the main internation- Arjun. the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh the protagonist steals the show with It also highlights that this particu- and hidden talent in Asia. Out of 164 al competition as the best feature of the Chitrangada upholds the fact Shilpakala Academy yesterday. punches. lar group of society believes that mon- submitted proposals, 11  lmmakers 35th Cinema du Reel held in Paris and that the beauty of soul and spir- With the core theme adapted from The story rolls on with the crow go- ey can buy anything and everything. were invited to present their ideas in the Jury Award in Film South Asia 2013. itual strength are eternal human William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ohet- ing missing one day. The protagonist Niloy designed the set while Nazim Singapore and from there the three Simon said, due to the current po- qualities rather than external uk Kichchha is written and directed by  nds the crow on a lamp-post near a did justice to the lighting -both result- best projects were declared winners for litical unrest in the country, they had beauty, through the symbolic Kamruzzaman Liton. police box. He uses all his power and ing in a powerpac performance. 2013. An aspiring director Simon told postponed their plan to screen the  lm portrayal of some legends of the However, it does not contain any even manages to drive out a pregnant The cast includes Nazim, Mala the Dhaka Tribune: “The title of the countrywide, like eminent  lmmak- epic Mahabharata. dialogue from the original play. So far lady from her place to provide the Talukder, Shahriar Bakul, Sheikh  lm has not been  nalised yet. How- er late Tareque Masud and his team Swapnadal’s production, di- the third production of the troupe, the crow a more hygienic nest. Nurunnabi, Mominul Islam Nayan, ever, like my previous  lm Shunte Ki screened Runway. “But today or to- rected by Zahid Repon, is full of play was staged for the eleventh time. The play was successful in pro- Noman Uddin, Kutubuddin, Marziana Pao!, this one will also narrate stories morrow we will de nitely do it since dialogue in verse with Tagore The play projects social irregu- jecting the powerplay of our soci- Bithi, Kamruzzaman Liton, Maksu- of our ordinary people.” While talking we made the  lm for the people of Ban- songs from the dance drama ver- larities in a humorous manner with ety and the misdeeds that cripple da Parvin, Sajal, Mohon, Akash and about the style of the narration, Si- gladesh.” l sion of Chitrangada. l manifold stories from people’s daily the lives of the underpriviledged. Hashi. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Drama series Gobrachor airs tonight n Entertainment Desk Exhibition City of Rhythm Drama Series Gobrachor airs on Moho- Second phase of Kazi Salahuddin na TV at 11:15pm. Directed by Saidul Ahmed Anam Titu and written by Brindabon Time: 128pm Das, the drama series airs every Sun- Shilpangan, House 7, Road 13 (New) day, Monday and Tuesday. Dhanmondi The story of the drama series re- volves around a poor family who lives Eternal Japan in a village. The family contains only By Monzurul Huq two members, a widowed mother and Time: 128pm her son. The son takes all responsibil- Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts ity and looks for work here and there. House 42, Road 16 (New) / 27 (old) But, he can not manage anything and Sheikh Kamal Sarani, Dhanmondi decides to be a thief for survival. After being a thief, he is named Go- Music brachor by the villagers. Once, a tradi- Open mic & jam session tional Kabadi tournament is held be- Time: 7:30pm – 9:30pm tween two villages where Gobrachor Kozmo, Banani plays for his village and wins the game. After winning the game, no one Theatre Popular actor Tisha plays the role of a terrorist in an upcoming drama serial ‘Bijli’ calls him a thief anymore. Then he A scene from Gobrachor Rarang directed by Sumon Anwar. Here Tisha plays the role of Bijli who is the daughter starts changing his habit of stealing. By Aronok Natyadol of a smuggler and also follows the path of her father. The serial features the clash He falls in love with a girl in the same Popular soap actors, such as, Das, Mosharraf Karim, Saju Khadem Time: 7pm between two underground troupes. The drama includes Raunak Hassan, Jyotika village. That is how the story goes for- Mir Sabbir, Tamalika Karmaker, and many more acted in the drama Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Jyoti, Sabbir Ahmed and many others in di erent roles. ward. Wahida Mallick Joly, Brindaban series. l

Dhoom 3 sets North ON TV MOVIE DRAMA COMEDY MIXED American record 7:30pmHBO 8:00pm Star Plus 2:30pm Z Cafe 10:30am Travel XP Wrath of the Titans Saraswatica Malibu Country The Nordic Quest 11:20pm Fox Movies Premium 10:30pm Colors 10:30pm Fox Crime 8:30pm AXN Oz the Great and Powerful Uttaran Psych So You Think You Can Dance?

Singer Shakira’s  rst single from her up- coming album will be released in January next year. The title of the track and the al- bum are currently unknown. The album, which is her  rst under Sony label RCA, is set for n Entertainment Desk an early 2014 release. The Yash Raj Films’ action thriller Dhoom 3 opened with a roaring $9.54 36-year-old had million worldwide total on its  rst day. earlier men- The motorbike-heavy picture clocked up $6.1 million in India and tioned that the a further $3.44 million in the rest of the world, according to company new recording, sources. her  rst since That total included $1.28 million from the Gulf and Middle East, 2010’s Sale el Sol, is which YRF claims is a record, and $1.1 from North America, which also The : The Desolation Of dedicated to Span- would be a record for a Bollywood  lm. The  lm plays on 236 screens ish soccer player in North America and with close to $4,500 per screen average on Friday Gerard Pique, her is comfortably the best performing  lm in the top ten. Smaug rules US Box o ce partner and the In Pakistan, where authorities have recently tried to crimp Indian father of her son  lms, Dhoom 3 scored $210,000, which YRF says is the highest  rst day n Entertainment Desk Fellman, president of domestic distribution at Milan. ever for any  lm. Warner Bros. “Of course, it could have been a Recently, In Australia it took $172,00, some $100,000 higher than previous re- Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug became num- little better, but the weather back East was re- Shakira con- cord holder Jab Tak Hai Jaan. In the UK it managed a more moderate ber 1 at the weekend box o ce with $73.7 mil- ally tough last night and probably took a couple  rmed on Twitter estimated $400,000. lion, beating last weekend’s box o ce ruler million dollars out of my pocket. But our box that she shot a Aamir Khan starrer action thriller is the highest ever grossing col- Disney’s animated fable Frozen. o ce will survive. We are right on target to do video for the song lection, beating both holiday and non-holiday releases, in Bollywood. Despite its  rst place position, The Desola- very similar numbers to the last ‘Hobbit,’ which with director Though the stars of the  lm were not seen hopping from one TV tion of Smaug fell short of topping its prequel’s grossed a $1 billion worldwide (overall).” Joseph Kahn. “I show to another to promote their latest o ering, they tried other inno- debut. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, In the  lm, the dwarves, along with Bilbo just  nished the vative marketing strategies like launching an extensive range of mer- which opened this same weekend last year, Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their video for my  rst chandise and dolls. l gained $84.6 million. It earned $131.2 million quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from single with director in international sales. Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a Joseph Kahn,” she “We had an excellent weekend,” said Dan mysterious and magical ring. l tweeted.l Monday, December 23, 2013 DHAKA TRIBUNE 13 Did you know? This was the third time Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has won the Club World Cup after lifting the trophy with Barcelona 0 8 3 in 2009 and 2011 DAYS TO GO 14 Five-star Bayern 15 Swann calls time Sport win Club World Cup on England career BFF get hold of Kamalapur stadium n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and National Sports Council (NSC) signed a Memorandum of Understand- ing (MOU) for 10 years at the NSC con- ference room yesterday, in order to setup arti cial turf at the Bir Sreshtho Shaheed Sipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur. BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag and NSC secretary Sibnath Roy signed the contract on behalf of their respective association. The deal means BFF now has no barrier to send necessary documents to Fifa to get the stadium approved for the turf, which is under Fifa’s Goal Project Four. “The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed according to instructions from Fifa. We will send the required documents to Fifa within this month. The stadium will get the permission after the next meeting of Fifa technical and o cials and players of UCBBCB XI and Abahani Ltd stand during the inauguration of the Amber Victory Day Twenty20 at the Sylhet Divisional Stadium yesterday COURTESY development committee. After that, the installation process will start,” said Shohag yesterday. The BFF general secretary also spoke about the possible time to set up UCB BCB team win opening nail-biter the astro turf at the venue. “It will take few months to  nish n Minhaz Uddin Khan in their chase with Ront Talukder fall- men Aftab Ahmed and per Mush qur Rahim for a duck. Delwar the formalities to get the approval of- ing for a golden duck and his opening scored two runs in the  rst over. The struck again in his next over as well as  cially. By this time, the league will UCB BCB XI won a nail bit- partner falling for 14 to leave the side at side lost their  rst , Soumya (1), he sent back for another be complete and World Cup will start. ing game against Abahani 15/2. An 89 run partnership for the third with four runs on the board. Aftab how- duck.The 28-year old paceman’s fourth During the break for World Cup, we ex- Limited by six in wicket between skipper wicket was that of Aftab for a 26-ball 33 pect to  nish the installation process,” the inaugural match of the and Mithun however, went a long way BRIEF SCORE (six fours). With six wickets down, it was he added. Amber Victory Day Twen- to repair the damage. Abahani: 139/8 in 20 overs left to Sohrawardi Shuvo (31 o 29 balls) Sibnath Roy said that the renovation ty20 tournament at Sylhet Divisional Mithun was aggressive in his approach Aftab 33, Sohrawardi 31, Delwar 4/18 and Ziaur Rahman (20 o 19 balls) to take work of BFF football academy at Sylhet Abahani to a respectable total of 139/8. Stadium yesterday. while Tamim played a more patient in- UCB BCB XI: 140/4 in 20 overs BKSP will resume very soon. BFF de- Chasing 140, UCB BCB XI needed 11 nings. The latter accelerated after reach- Delwar returned  gures of 4/18 while Mithun 67*, Tamim 43, Shuvashis 2/24 velopment committee chairman Badal to win o the last over. Wicket-keeper ing 30 and in all, made 43 from 46 balls Al Amin and Muktar Ali took a wicket UCB BCB won by six wickets Roy is also hopeful that if everything batsman Mohammed Mithun hit the (three fours, one six). Mithun went on to each for UCB BCB XI. goes according to plan the academy  rst ball for six and UCB BCB needed remain 67 o 44 balls ( ve fours, Earlier, Bangladesh Cricket Board will begin in February. one to win from the last ball. Middle four sixes). Shuvashis Roy took two wick- ever stood strong and put on 32 for the president Nazmul Hasan inaugurated Earlier Fifa wanted BFF to get order batsman Naeem Islam scampered ets for Abahani while Nabil Samad and second wicket with Mizanur Rahman. the 10-day tournament. Sylhet city may- the long-term control of Kamalapur the required run without making con- claimed one apiece. UCB BCB pacer Delwar Hossain dis- or Ariiful Haque Chowdhury, BCB acting stadium before they start working on tact with the ball. Earlier UCB BCB XI won the toss and missed Mizan for a run-a-ball 18 and CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury were also the turf. l UCB BCB XI su ered early set-backs invited Abahani to bat. Opening bats- two balls later removed Abahani skip- present at the opening ceremony. l Mithun Ali

VDay hockey Mohammedan cruise to victory nal today n Minhaz Uddin Khan chipped in with 11, but Rakibul Hasan, side as was on leave. n Tribune Desk who impressed in the Dhaka Premier The ace all-rounder is expected to play Riding on opening League fell for two and wicket-keeper/ from today. Abahani Limited will lock horns with batsman ’s batsman Nurul followed immediately Opening pair and Bangladesh Army in the  nal of the unbeaten half-century, afterwards for a duck. Saykat Ali got Prime Bank o to a Walton Victory Day Hockey at the Mau- Mohammedan Sporting Nonetheless, Mohammedan were smooth start as they put on 56. lana Bhashani National Hockey Sta- Club beat Prime Bank untroubled as Jahurul kept up an end. Saykot scored 25 o 18 before he dium today. Earlier, Abahani defeated CC by  ve wickets in the second Sharif Ullah was with him at the end, was sent back to the dressing room Azad SC while Army beat Usha KC on game of the Amber Victory Day by Elias Sunny in the sixth over and Saturday to set up the  nal clash. l Twenty20 at Sylhet Divisional Stadium BRIEF SCORE Anamul score 35 o 27 balls with two yesterday. Prime Bank: 126/7 in 20 overs fours and two sixes. South East Bank Jahurul remained unbeaten on 65 Anamul 35, Saykat 25, Elias 3/26 There were no other notable from 52 balls as Mohammedan chased partnerships in the Prime Bank innings to sponsor TT MSC: 130/5 in 19 overs Iranian coach Ali Akbar Parmoslemi during a training session yesterday MUMIT M down their target of 127. The left- as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Jahurul 65*, Sharif 22*, Taihul 2/23 n Tribune Desk hander struck eight fours and a six in With Kapali, and Sohag his innings and hit the winning runs MSC won by  ve wickets Gazi all falling cheaply, it seemed In a bid to develop the standard of Parmoslemi hits in the 19th over. Mohammedan were unlikely that Prime Bank would table tennis in Bangladesh, South East always poised in their innings and having scored 22 o 23 balls to put the even reach 120 at one stage, but a Bank Limited became the title sponsor the opening stand of 41 in  ves overs  nishing touches on the chase. striking late innings of 24 not out o 24 of National Table Tennis tournament Dhaka running put them well ahead of the required Taijul Isam picked up two wickets balls from Mehrab Hossain took them after signing a new two-year deal with run rate. for Prime Bank, while paceman Robiul to 127/7 at the end of the allotted 20 Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation n Shishir Hoque team, Muktijoddha are also playing After opener Junaid Siddiqe fell Islam and spinner took one overs. yesterday. The sponsor will provide a very well. I only have  ve days to get for 13, Jahurul went on to add 35 in each. Sunny Elias took three wickets for total of Tk1.5m to the federation to ar- Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) gi- my team prepared for the league, so partnership with Shahriar Nafees, Earlier, Prime Bank won the toss and MSC, Alauddin claimed two, while range the National Table Tennis tour- ants Abahani Limited’s newly re-ap- the situation is di cult for me. I need who scored nine. also opted to bat. captained the Mominul and Sharif took one each. l nament in 2014 and 2015. l pointed Iranian coach Ali Akbar Par- to work more on technical and tacti- moslemi arrived in Dhaka yesterday. cal sides,” said the Iranian coach who On his  rst day back, the Iranian after leaving Abahani, worked as a Fifa SCORE CARD coach who guided the sky-blue out t instructor in Afghanistan, Malaysia, INDIA, FIRST INNINGS, 280 SA just fall short in record run chase to the BPL title in 2011, held a training Pakistan and his own country Iran. SOUTH AFRICA, FIRST INNINGS, 244 session in the afternoon and admitted “Tomorrow we will do aerobic train- n AFP, Johannesburg edging it into his stumps. Ab’s knocks would go down as the best that the situation is “challenging” for ing where I can get an idea about my INDIA, SECOND INNINGS, 421 JP Duminy cracked a boundary in all time,” said South Africa captain him as he has only  ve days to prepare players’ capability and ability. As the SOUTH AFRICA, SECOND INNINGS Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers hit o Mohammed Shami but was then Graeme Smith. his team for the league. league is a three phase league, the  rst A. Petersen b Mohammed Shami 76 centuries as South Africa and India bowled o an inside edge, attempting Dhoni praised his attack for seeing After an unproductive spell with phase will be a preparation period for me G. Smith run out (Rahane) 44 fought out an epic draw in the  rst Test another drive. his side through to the draw. another Iranian coach Ardeshir Pour- as well as build up time. But we will  ght H. Amla b Mohammed Shami 4 at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday. Vernon Philander, who hit a half- Du Plessis and De Villiers came to- nemat, Abahani brought in Australian to get maximum points from the nine F. du Plessis run out (Rahane) 134 Set a world record victory target of century in the  rst innings, joined Du gether before lunch and batted through coach Nathan Hall for the season but matches in the  rst phase,” he added. J. Kallis lbw b Zaheer Khan 34 458, South Africa  nished eight runs Plessis and pushed the score along the afternoon session with only mini- A. de Villiers b I. Sharma 103 later sacked him just a day before the Abahani won the title the season Ali short on 450 for seven after a day of while Du Plessis remained rock solid. mal alarms on a pitch which played J. Duminy b Shami 5 Federation Cup. “Ardeshir is a good Akbar left them in 2011. The previous V. Philander not out 25 tension and drama. With 20 needed o four overs, Du reasonably easily, although there was coach. I have no idea why he didn’t have season he won the Federation Cup title D. Steyn not out 6 Du Plessis (134) and De Villiers (103) Plessis pulled Zaheer Khan for four but still some uneven bounce and devia- any success last season,” said Parmosle- with the four-time league champions. Extras (b2, lb7, nb2, w8) 19 shared a  fth wicket partnership of 205 was then run out by a direct hit from tion from a cracked surface. mi, referring to Abahani failing to reach Ali Akbar admitted that those two titles Total (7 wkts, 136 overs) 450 -- a world record for a  fth wicket stand Ajinkya Rahane at mid-o as he at- The partnership was launched after the  nal of any tournament and  nish- were good for him and he would “be in the fourth innings of a Test match. tempted to retain the strike. Khan claimed his 300th Test wicket ing fourth in the league last season. very happy if I can do it again.” Fall of wickets For much of the day, a draw seemed Du Plessis, who saved a Test with a when he won a leg before wicket deci- Parmoslemi was expected to ar- A coach-less Abahani side were out- 1108 (Smith), 2118 (Amla), 3143 (Pe- to be the best result that South Africa century against Australia in similar cir- sion against Jacques Kallis, South Af- tersen), 4197 (Kallis), 5402 (De Villiers), rive during the Federation Cup but the played by Sheikh Jamal DC in the semi- could hope for, but with De Villiers in cumstances on his debut in Adelaide rica’s senior batsman. 6407 (Duminy), 7442 (Du Plessis) coach explained there was no contrac-  nal of the recently concluded Federa- particular with positive intent, last year, batted for 395 minutes, faced At that stage there were 74.2 overs tual obligation for him to have come tion Cup. Parmoslemi said he needed Bowling the required run rate was always below 309 balls and hit 15 fours. remaining and India were favourites that early. The three-phase BPL is set to to “mentally boost up” his players for Zaheer Khan 3411351 (1w), I. Sharma 29-  ve runs an over. South Africa settled for the draw but to close out victory, but Du Plessis con- kick-o on December 27 and the coach the league after the defeat. 4911 (2nb, 1w), Mohammed Shami 285- With Indian captain Mahendra Dale Steyn hit the last ball of the match tinued to play an anchor role, while AB 1073 (1w), Ashwin 365830 (1w), Vijay said the  rst phase will be a prepara- The Iranian went on to admit, “It Singh Dhoni forced to set defensive from Shami for six to leave the hosts de Villiers played positively. The world 1030, Dhoni 2040, Kohli 60180 tion period for the team. would have been better for me if I had  elds, De Villiers was bowled with 56 tantalisingly close. record for a successful run chase is 418 Result “Current situation is very challeng- come here early so that I could under- runs required in 13.5 overs, attempting “We showed a lot of mental strength for seven by West Indies against Aus- Match drawn ing for me. Jamal are a very strong stand my team in a better way.” l to run the ball down to third man but not to fade away. I thought Faf and tralia in St John’s in 2002/03. l 14 DHAKA TRIBUNE Sport Monday, December 23, 2013

Mourinho demands Chelsea show more focus in title chase n AFP, London Jose Mourinho has warned his Chelsea stars they cannot af- ford any more careless lapses in concentration when they face title rivals Arsenal on Monday. Mourinho is growing increasingly vexed by the mis ring form of Chel- sea’s strikers and his defenders’ alarm- ing habit of switching o at key mo- ments. The Blues boss has so far been un- able to  nd solutions to problems that threaten to wreck Chelsea’s challenge for the Premier League crown. Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba have scored just  ve league goals between them this term, while Mourinho has chopped and changed in an unsuccessful bid to  nd his best back-four. Chelsea dropped to fourth place in the table on Saturday, three points adrift of new leaders Liverpool and one behind third placed Arsenal. And, with so much at stake when Chelsea visit the Emirates Stadium for the  nal top- ight match before Christmas, Mourinho has made it clear he won’t tolerate more sloppiness from Bayern Munich celebrate their victory after winning their 2013 Fifa Club World Cup  nal against Raja Casablanca in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, on Saturday AFP his players. l Five-star Bayern win Club WC Spurs edge Southampton n AFP, Marrakech He added: “Since my arrival I have day’s 3-0 semi- nal win over Asian  nal where they had plenty of home to get back on track tried to care for the heritage of the club. champions Guangzhou Evergrande, support. European champions Bayern Munich “Now I will try and add other things the Germans dominated throughout. With time running out, they so near- n AFP, London quality,” Sherwood told Sky Sports. claimed their  fth title of 2013 as they that I hope will be positive for the club. Bayern took the lead after only ly grabbed a consolation goal. On Adebayor, who made his  rst lifted the Club World Cup with a 2-0 win We have to turn to the future.” seven minutes when Germany star Je- After substitute Vianney Mabide’s Tim Sherwood claimed league start of the season, Sherwood over Raja Casablanca in Saturday’s  nal. Raja coach Faouzi Benzarti said he rome Boateng found his centre-back shot was parried by Neuer, Raja’s cap- his  rst victory as added: “Emmanuel Adebayor has not The Bavarian giants had few prob- was proud of his team’s e orts. partner Dante onside with the goal at tain Mouhcine Moutouali  red the re- interim Tottenham been playing, so he did not require lems against Moroccan champions Raja “I think my players were a little ner- his mercy. bound over the bar six minutes from Hotspur coach on much motivating. You put him back as Bayern grabbed both goals inside the vous in the  rst half, with the crowd The Raja o side trap had failed and time. Sunday as his side came from behind to in because of what he has done in opening 22 minutes from Brazil centre- and with the king being present,” he with his second touch, Dante hit the Bayern are on course to defend all win 3-2 at Southampton in the Premier history.” back Dante, then mid elder Thiago. said. back of the net. their titles in 2014 having reached the League. Having become the  rst German “But to lose to Bayern by only 2-0 is Munich doubled their lead on 22 min- Champions League knock-out phase as Tottenham lost at home to West RESULTS team to win the treble of Champions very honourable.” utes when left-back David Alaba won group winners. Ham United in the League Cup in Southampton 23 Tottenham the ball, then laid it back for Thiago, who They are also seven points clear in League, Bundesliga and German Cup Bayern winger Franck Ribery was mid-week, following the sacking Lallana 13, Adebayor 25, 64, titles last season, Bayern now add the voted player of the tournament. The blasted his shot into the top right-hand the Bundesliga with a game in hand of manager Andre Villas-Boas, and Lambert 60 Hooiveld 54-og Club World Cup to the UEFA Super Cup France winger must wait until January corner from the edge of the area. having broken or equalled 25 German Sherwood saw his side fall behind Swansea City 12 Everton league records last season. title they won in August. 13 to  nd out if he has beaten Lionel Bayern gifted Casablanca a strong against Southampton to an early goal Oviedo 70-og Coleman 66, This was the third time Bayern Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bal-  rst-half chance when goalkeeper In the third-place play-o earlier from Adam Lallana. Barkley 84 coach Pep Guardiola has won the Club lon d’Or. Manuel Neuer’s lazy clearance was Saturday, Atletico Mineiro defeated Emmanuel Adebayor equalised for World Cup after lifting the trophy with Even without injured Germany star snapped up by Chemseddine Chtibi Guangzhou 3-2 thanks to a last-minute Spurs and a Jos Hooiveld own goal put Barcelona in 2009 and 2011. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nether- who  red wide from 26 metres out strike from substitute Luan. the visitors in front, only for Rickie In the late game, England mid- “2013 is now  nished and it’s behind lands winger Arjen Robben, Guardio- with 38 minutes gone. The Brazilians played the closing Lambert to draw Southampton level,  elder Ross Barkley scored a bril- us,” said Guardiola. la’s Bayern had too much  repower for The Moroccans have earned admir- minutes of the match with 10 men but Adebayor struck again to seal the liant 84th-minute free-kick to earn “Five titles is really a great achieve- Raja at the 45,000 sell-out Marrakech ers for a tremendous run which saw after veteran star Ronaldinho, who  rst win of the post-Villas-Boas era. Everton a 2-1 win at Swansea City that ment. I am proud of this club and for all Stadium. them beat Auckland City, Monterrey had scored his team’s second goal, was “In the second half they (the players) propelled his side into the Champions the people involved.” Just as they had done in Wednes- and Atletico Mineiro en route to the red-carded. l took it on. We showed we have real League places.l

Hafeez all-round Hat-trick hero Pedro acts help Pakistan revives Barcelona beat Sri Lanka n AFP, Madrid Vicente Calderon inside two minutes n AFP, Sharjah as he slotted home the  rst league goal Barcelona ensured they Atletico had conceded at home since demonstrated his will  nish 2013 on top of early October. l all-round skills to guide Pakistan to a La Liga as a Pedro Rodri- convincing 113-run win over Sri Lanka guez hat-trick helped them RESULTS in the third day-night international on come from 2-0 down to win Espanyol 42 Valladolid Sunday. 5-2 at Getafe on Sunday. Sergio Garcia 5P, Javi Guerra 75, The 33-year-old right-hander The hosts had got o to a ying Stuani 37, 70, Perez 88 smashed a career best unbeaten 140 start as goals from Sergio Escudero and Sanchez 68 to steer Pakistan to an imperious 326-5 Lisandro Lopez put them 2-0 up inside Getafe 25 Barcelona before Hafeez the bowler took 2-35 to 14 minutes. Escudero 10, Pedro 35, 41, 43, dismiss Sri Lanka for 213 in 44.4 overs However, the Catalans responded Lisandro 14 Fabregas 68, 72P at Sharjah stadium. like champions as Pedro scored three Saturday The win gives Pakistan a 2-1 lead in times in eight minutes before the break. the  ve-match series. Hafeez account- Villarreal Sevilla Cesc Fabregas gave Barca breathing 12 ed for the dangerous Dinesh Chandi- Perbet 88P Cala 24, Bacca 71 space when he volleyed home Pedro’s mal (36) and Seekkugge Prasanna (22) cross 22 minutes from time and the for- Real Betis 01 Almeria in an incisive spell to thwart any hopes Azeez 4 mer Arsenal captain doubled his tally Sri Lanka had harboured. from the penalty spot moments later. Atletico Madrid 32 Levante Paceman , playing his  rst Atletico Madrid moved three points Godin 30, Ivanschitz 2, match since March this year after a Diego Costa 47, 77P Pedro Rios 57 clear at the top of La Liga after coming knee operation, gave Pakistan a sound from behind to beat Levante 3-2 thanks Granada 13 Real Sociedad start by dismissing Kusal Perera (sev- RESULTS to another two goals from Diego Costa. Piti 37 Vela 29, 64, en) and Dimuth Karunaratne (nought) Juventus' Paul Pogba (C) hits an aerial ball during the Italian Serie A match against Bologna 10 Genoa Griezmann 42 Diamanti 57 Andreas Ivanschitz had stunned the in his  rst spell of  ve overs and then Atalanta at Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium in Bergamo yesterday REUTERS had the last man to  n- Atalanta 14 Juventus ish with 3-19. Moralez 15 Tevez 6, Pogba 46, Llorente 75, Vidal 79 Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan hit ten Goals galore as Juve, boundaries in an aggressive 62-ball Verona 41 Lazio knock of 59 but fell to as Toni 5, 78, Biglia 27 Iturbe 44, Romulo 63 the Sri Lankan innings fell apart. Roma distance Napoli Kumar Sangakkara also hit a six in Roma 40 Catania his 14 before he fell to paceman Junaid a  ve-point lead over Roma during the Benatia 18, 59, n AFP, Milan Destro 55, Gervinho 80 Khan who took 2-40. Skipper Angelo Christmas break. Roma sit second with Mathews chipped in with 44 but his Title chasers Juventus and a  ve-point lead on Napoli, who saw Sampdoria 11 Parma dismissal signalled the end. Roma piled on the goals Fiorentina edge to within three points Eder 44 Lucarelli 64 The remaining two matches will be on the  nal Serie A match- of third place after Giuseppe Rossi hit Sassuolo 01 Fiorentina played in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday day before the festive an 80th-minute winner for La Viola Rossi 82 and Friday. l break on Sunday to leave away to struggling Sassuolo. Torino 41 Chievo mis ring Napoli frustrat- Elsewhere, Bologna claimed a pre- Immobile 45+2, 65, Thereau 9 BRIEF SCORE ed with a 1-1 draw against Cagliari. cious 1-0 home win over Genoa, their Vives 80, Cerci 90+3 Champions Juventus conceded their third win of the season, to move out of On Saturday Pakistan 326 for 5  rst goal in nine games but saw Carlos the relegation zone. Hafeez 140*, Shehzad 81 Tevez, Paul Pogba, Fernando Llorente Parma were one of the biggest win- Livorno 12 Udinese Siligardi 32 Nico Lopez 10, Sri Lanka 213 and Arturo Vidal all hit the net in a 4-1 ners on the day, Roberto Donadoni’s Heurtaux 65 Dilshan 59, Gul 319 win away to Atalanta. men securing a 1-1 draw away to Samp- Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas (L) celebrates his goal against Getafe with teammates Pedro (C) and Juventus’s 15th win in 17 games doria which, thanks to results elsewhere, Cagliari 11 Napoli Pakistan won by 113 runs Nene 9 Higuain 19P Iniesta during their La Liga match at Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium yesterday REUTERS means Antonio Conte’s men will enjoy moved them from 13th to eighth. l DHAKA TRIBUNE Sport Monday, December 23, 2013 15

QUICK BYTES Bima edge past Purbachal Swann calls time on Sadharan Bima KS edged past Purbachal Parishad 10 in the Kool 2nd Division Football League at the Kamalapur Stadium yesterday. Md Tufan scored the England career all important goal in the 40th minute. In the day’s other game BG Press and n AFP, Melbourne ond innings a day later. mer against Sri Lanka and India, I feel Kawran Bazar Progati Sangha played out “I could feel my performances ta- that it is a great time for someone a 11 draw at the same venue. Md Awlad England spinner Graeme Swann an- pering o to the back-end of games else to strap themselves in and hope- put BG Press ahead in the 25th minute nounced his retirement from inter- and I wasn’t happy with that. As a spin- fully enjoy the ride as much as I have,” before Md Manik restored the parity in national and  rst-class cricket with ner, that’s when you need to come into Swann said. the 70th minute from penalty. immediate e ect on Sunday, in a your own. I am not willing just to hang “It was very di cult decision. This –Tribune Desk bombshell just days before the belea- on and just get by, by being a bit-part England team has been my family for guered tourists meet Australia in the player. I want to win matches for Eng- the best part of a decade now, and you Fahad 21st after fourth Ashes Test. land and I don’t feel like I was doing spend so much time with guys you ab- Swann, who took 255 wickets in 60 that in the second innings any more. solutely love to pieces. round ve Tests in just  ve years and is sixth on As a result, it’s time to go.” “There are things I will genuinely Young Fide Master Fahad Rahman the list of Test wicket-takers for Eng- The o -spinner, a jovial and popular miss and I am nervous about that, but defeated Maache Jawad of France in the land, said defeat in Perth last week, character within the England team, has to carry on just for those reasons would 5th round of Under-10 Open Classic Sec- where Australia sealed the Ashes, had been under pressure to keep his place be really sel sh and I’m not prepared tion of the World Youth Chess Champi- cemented his decision to call it a day. in the squad after taking just seven to do that.” onship in Al-Ain, UAE on Saturday. Fahad His abrupt announcement further wickets at an average of 80.00 in the “Why didn’t I stop then? I knew earned four points after the end of 5th unsettles England, who trail 3-0 in the three Tests in Australia. more or less that the time was coming round game and he is placed 21st among series after three heavy defeats and are Swann, a key member of the Eng- up,” he said. “But I’d never forgive my- more than 200 players. Fahad was battling to avoid a humiliating 5-0 se- lish team that won the previous three self – we had the chance to potentially scheduled to play against CM Ngo Duc Tri ries whitewash. Ashes series, will miss the fourth Test come out here and win four Ashes se- of Vietnam in the 6th round yesterday. “I know I’m making a decision for starting in Melbourne on Thursday and ries on the bounce.” –Tribune Desk the right reasons. I made the decision the  nal Test in Sydney, with fellow Swann, who made his Test debut in after the Perth Test. It was probably spinner Monty Panesar likely to take 2008 and averaged 29.96 with the ball, Graeme Swann arrives for his retirement press conference in Melbourne yesterday Handball president halfway through that Perth game, to be his place for the Boxing Day Test. said his decision had nothing to do honest,” Swann, 34, told a press confer- Swann’s withdrawal means further with uproar over comments he made CAREER AT A GLANCE elected to Asian body ence in Melbourne. disruption for England following the de- on Facebook last week that likened the Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10w Bangladesh Handball Federation presi- “My body doesn’t like playing long parture of batsman Jonathan Trott earli- third Ashes Test loss to being “raped”. Tests 60 109 15349 7642 255 6/65 10/132 29.96 2.98 60.1 14 17 3 dent A K M Nurul Fazal Bulbul has been forms of cricket, my arm doesn’t cope er in the tour with a stress-related illness. England team director Andy Flower ODIs 79 76 3809 2888 104 5/28 5/28 27.76 4.54 36.6 3 1 0 elected a member of Asian Handball with bowling 30-40 overs in the  rst in- “With two games to go in Australia said Swann had played a major role in T20Is 39 38 810 859 51 3/13 3/13 16.84 6.36 15.8 0 0 0 Federation marketing commission. The nings and then repeating it in the sec- and then a  ercely competitive sum- England’s recent success. l polls took place in Qatar on October 25 at a meeting of the Asian council and the  nal result was published on Saturday. Bulbul will remain in his elected position Australian Czech Davis in the marketing commission till 2017. Lehmann wants Australia to pile –Tribune Desk interest in Int'l Cup captain Pearson joy as Leicester down Premier Tennis woe on wounded England extends deal n AFP, Sydney n Reuters, Singapore would be an unchanged side for the “They have had some good opening n AFP, Prague promotion rivals QPR Melbourne test. partnerships for us, which we didn’t get Leicester boss Nigel Pearson conceded Tennis Australia is investigating buy- Australia coach Daren Lehmann has “Our top order know they have to in England,” the former batsman said. Jaroslav Navratil has extended his con- he was a relieved man as the Foxes got ing an Asian-based franchise in the called on his top order to hammer make some more runs and one of the “The 150 they put on in Perth, when tract as captain of the Czech Republic’s their Championship promotion push planned lucrative International Pre- home the Ashes pain for a dispirited big things is making them in the  rst we had a lead but we needed to start Davis Cup team through to 2015. back on track with a crucial 10 win at mier Tennis League team tournament, and depleted England in the fourth test innings,” Lehmann told reporters on well... he’s (Rogers) contributed.” Navratil, 56, who has overseen the QPR. Pearson’s team had taken just one a report said Friday. starting on Thursday as they chase a Sunday. Some of those runs came o the Czech team’s triumphs in the 2012 and point from a possible nine and were in The IPTL, the brainchild of veteran 5-0 whitewash. “We need our guys performing bowling of Swann, who had struggled 2013 tournaments, also indicated that danger of falling adrift in the race for Indian tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, The hosts have already reclaimed straight up, day one, if we bat  rst.” to replicate his Ashes successes of past his two leading players, world number automatic promotion to the Premier is inspired by the television-friendly the urn with three big victories in the Rogers opening partner David War- in the opening three matches of the seven Tomas Berdych and 44th-ranked League. But that poor run came to an format of cricket’s IPL in India opening tests against a woeful England ner has been a great form with the bat, current series before announcing his Radek Stepanek, would continue to end at Loftus Road on Saturday with Ja- and will have teams of six to 10 players side that su ered a further blow on smashing centuries in Perth and Bris- shock retirement. play Davis Cup tennis next year. mie Vardy’s  ne  rst-half strike securing compete for six franchises dotted Sunday with the shock retirement of bane and an unbeaten 83 in Adelaide. His departure follows that of num- “I was waiting for a decision from a 10 win that shattered QPR’s unbeaten across Asia. spearhead spinner Graeme Swann. But Lehmann, who said there was ber three batsman Jonathan Trott, who Berdych and Stepanek, and then I de- home record and moved Leicester level Like the IPL, international players Australia opener Chris Rogers has hit ‘no dramas’ with Rogers, opted to returned home after the  rst test de- cided to sign for two more seasons,” on points with their second placed would be paid hundreds of thousands two  fties in his six Ashes innings but share the praise, hailing the work of the feat with a stress-related illness. Navratil, who has been captain since hosts. “We did well and it was needed,” of dollars to represent city-based said on Saturday he still felt on shaky duo whose performances have been a Lehmann did not want his side to 2006, told agency CTK. The Czech Re- Pearson said. “Results haven’t gone the franchises, with the potential to ground. Lehman said the 36-year-old huge improvement on the 3-0 away se- become distracted by the crisis in the public will face the Netherlands in the way that we would have liked of late. disrupt the existing tennis calendar.l would keep his place in what he hoped ries loss to England earlier in the year. England camp. l  rst round of the 2014 World Group. l –AFP Schalke, Hanover SCORE CARD bosses face an WEST INDIES 1ST INNINGS 367 Marseille battle back to anxious Xmas S. Chanderpaul 122 not out, D. Ramdin Bundesliga coaches Jens Keller of 107, K. Brathwaite 45; T. Southee 479, draw with Bordeaux Schalke and Hanover’s Mirko Slomka C. Anderson 347 face an uncertain start to 2014 with NEW ZEALAND 1ST INNINGS 349 n AFP, Paris bate - headed in from Ludovic Obra- their respective clubs set to decide their R. Taylor 131, K. Williamson 58; S. Narine niak’s corner. futures over the winter break. Keller, 43, 691. D. Sammy 269 For the second week run- It was Jussie’s third goal in as many and Slomka, 46,  nd themselves in the WEST INDIES 2ND INNINGS 103 ning, Marseille fought games but he went o injured at half- uncomfortable position of knowing their back from two goals down time. Nevertheless, the visitors went Sammy 24; Boult 423, Southee 312 futures are being discussed. Both have to draw 2-2 on Sunday, on to increase their lead on 66 minutes fallen a long way short of their clubs’ NEW ZEALAND 2ND INNINGS sharing the spoils with when Kassim Abdallah failed to cut pre-season objections as the league (overnight 06) Bordeaux in an engaging out a cross at the back post and Nicolas breaks for winter on Sunday. Hanover, P. Fulton c & b Sammy 10 contest at the Stade Velo- Maurice-Belay pounced to score. 13th, are already ten points o a targeted H. Rutherford not out 48 drome. At that point, Bordeaux seemed set top six spot to claim a European place K. Williamson b Permaul 56 A week after showing great spirit to for a  fth successive win, but OM got next season after su ering their eighth- R. Taylor not out 2 hold Lyon in their  rst Ligue 1 match a goal back in the 73rd minute, Alaixys straight away defeat on Saturday. Extras: (b7, nb 1) 8 since sporting director Jose Anigo was Romao scrambled the ball over the line –AFP Total: (2 wickets, 40.4 overs) 124 asked to replace the sacked Elie Baup after Carrasso had pushed away a Flo- in the dugout, OM were rescued by two rian Thauvin free-kick. Fall of wickets Ribery scoops second New Zealand players celebrate series win over the West Indies after day four of their third goals a minute apart in the second half And the equaliser followed immedi- cricket Test at the Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday AFP 133 (Fulton), 2116 (Williamson) in a game played on a poor pitch. ately after, Benjamin Mendy lifting the award in 24 hours Bowling The hosts had looked the more likely ball into the box for Andre-Pierre Gig- Less than 24 hours after being voted Best 73220, Narine 166390, side in the  rst half but were denied by nac to convert despite the presence of player of the tournament at the Club New Zealand cruise to Sammy 93211 (1nb), V. Permaul 71- a combination of poor  nishing and two defenders. World Cup, France’s Franck Ribery has 291, Deonarine 1.4060 good goalkeeping from Cedric Carrasso. They might even have won it had again been named Man of the Year in Ger- RESULT And it was Bordeaux who seized Carrasso not produced a superb save to many. After he also won the title in 2008, the lead 11 minutes before the interval keep out a Souleymane Diawara head- series win over Windies New Zealand won by eight wickets German football magazine Kicker voted er, but it is Bordeaux who are in the Series: New Zealand 20 when Brazilian forward Jussie - again the 30-year-old France star their man of n AFP, Hamilton New Zealand take the series 2-0 af- standing in for top scorer Cheick Dia- better position after this result. l 2013 for his outstanding displays for Bay- ter the  rst Test in Dunedin was drawn ern Munich. The France winger joins some New Zealand eased to an eight-wicket and they won the second by an innings prestigious previous winners including win over the West Indies on Sunday to and 73 runs in Wellington. Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp claim their  rst victory in a three-Test It is the  rst time New Zealand have in 2012 and Germany boss Joachim Loew, series in nearly eight years. achieved back-to-back Test victories the 2011 recipient. On Saturday, Ribery The home side, needing just 122 against a top-eight side since March picked up the top player award at the runs to seal the series 2-0, reached their 2006 – also against the West Indies. Club World Cup as Bayern beat hosts Raja target for the loss of two wickets after The Black Caps also won that three- Casablanca 20 in the Marrakech  nal to the West Indies collapsed in the face of Test series 2-0. collect their  fth title of 2013. “This year hostile New Zealand swing bowling. New Zealand resumed their second he has taken the step up to the level of The rapid end to the match sur- innings on the fourth morning at 6-0 absolute world class,” Bayern’s chairman prised New Zealand captain Brendon and although Narine, who took six Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Ribery was a key McCullum after his side trailed by 18 wickets in the home side’s  rst innings, factor in Bayern becoming the  rst Ger- runs on the  rst innings following a bowled unchanged throughout the man team to win the treble of Champions mesmerising spell of spin bowling by  rst session, he went without reward. League, Bundesliga and German Cup last Sunil Narine. Rutherford, who was stuck at the season, as well as the Uefa Super Cup. But once New Zealand seamers spinner’s end for a prolonged spell, of- –AFP Trent Boult and Tim Southee tore fered a chance on 20 but Permaul did through the West Indies’ second in- not see the ball early enough and it nings, scuttling the tourists for a paltry landed short of his grasp. It was a re- DAY’S WATCH 103, it became easy work for New Zea- markable change in the complexion of land to bat out the win. the match after the West Indies restrict- Ten Golf Hamish Rutherford, who sealed vic- ed New Zealand to 349 in their  rst in- 9: 00AM tory with a boundary to take New Zea- nings, with the home side struggling to The Royal Trophy 2013 land to 124-2,  nished on 48 not out, handle Narine on a turning wicket. Day 4 with Ross Taylor on two. But the tourists su ered from ques- Star Sports 4 Peter Fulton was the  rst wicket to tionable shot selection against the fall on Sunday, caught and bowled by swing bowling of Boult and Southee 1: 45AM Darren Sammy for 10, and Kane Wil- in their second innings on Saturday, English Premier League liamson was dismissed for 56, bowled leaving New Zealand with a straight- Deputy President of Coca-Cola India & SWA Venkatesh Kini (L), Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar (2L), Fifa WC 2014 Ambassador Alberto Arsenal v Chelsea by Veerasammy Permaul. forward task. l Torres (2R) and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly speak to media during the Fifa WC Trophy Tour in Kolkata yesterday AFP 16 DHAKA TRIBUNE Back Page Monday, December 23, 2013 Rampant political promotions at BSMMU Around 200 medical o cers to be promoted n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The BSMMU also recently recruited 200 nurses – out of 3,000 who applied Around 200 medical o cers of Bangab- for the posts – amid allegations that andhu Sheikh Mujib Medical Universi- most appointments were made on po- ty (BSMMU) would soon be promoted litical consideration. to junior consultants, after members of Several doctor leaders of the BSMMU the BSMMU syndicate gave their pri- have reportedly been trying to gain pop- mary approval to the move. ularity by ensuring appointments or pro- However, sources said the decision – motions. It has been learnt that a single made during a meeting on Friday – was leader had provided ad hoc appointment not unanimous. Many syndicate mem- to around 40 daily-basis employees. bers reportedly opined against the move, Seeking anonymity, several senior o - but the syndicate was compelled to ap- cials admitted that political pressure had prove the proposal, allegedly because of been increasing day by day at the BSM- a few in uential doctors’ leaders. MU, with the authority having no other Seeking anonymity, several syndi- choice but to accept recommendations. cate members told the Dhaka Tribune Several departmental heads told the that the approval was not a healthy de- Dhaka Tribune that medical o cers were cision for the university. being appointed and given posting at They said the huge number of medical their departments without their concern. o cers was not a big burden for the BSM- No work could be o ered to med- Activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance dig a portion of a road to disrupt communication in Gaibandha, protesting arrest of its leaders and activists FOCUS BANGLA MU, as it was not an ordinary hospital. ical o cers, as the residency course Another source claimed that only students – who were more competent – the medical o cers who had already worked closely with the patients on the completed their post-graduations limited number of beds, they said. Government price too low compared to would be given promotion. There are allegations that sever- It has been learnt that the BSMMU al groups of the ruling party-backed currently had more than 800 medical Swadhinata Chikitshyak Parishad have actual prices of assets o cers, most of whom had no work to interfered in the selection process. do. Moreover the university also had Swachip’s BSMMU unit President n Syed Samiul Basher Anik by the government, while in reality, the actual number of “wealthy” people the o cial said. around 1,000 daily-basis employees. Professor Sharfuddin Ahmed told the amounts they actually realise as pro- would be much higher because many “People evade tax by registering Despite having more than a su - Dhaka Tribune: “We made some re- Discrepancies between actual pric- ceeds are much higher; thus depriving take advantage of the low prices set by newly bought apartments or lands in cient number of medical o cers, the quests. But sweeping allegations about es of tangible assets and those set by the government from huge amounts of the government and underquote their the names of their relatives. Vehicles authorities reportedly appointed 38 the selection process are not true.” the government have been hampering tax revenue. properties to evade tax. are often registered against company new medical o cers recently – almost Prof Dr Ruhal Amin, Pro-VC (edu- revenue collection, especially from “The board will soon recommend An o cial said: “As per the rule, we names. If the actual and government all of them on political consideration – cation) of BSMMU, however claimed sale of assets such as land, apartments the land and law ministries and the charge 10% surcharge in addition to the prices could be synchronised, we ignoring the recruitment rules. that all recruitment and promotion de- and cars. inspector general of the Directorate of income tax paid by a person, who owns would be able to conduct surveys and Political in uence allegedly also cision were made in accordance with The National Board of Revenue Registration to reevaluate the prices net asset worth over Tk2 crore. But, be- collect legitimate taxes from them,” played a part in the authority’s ad hoc the rules. The appointments of medical (NBR) yesterday discussed the issue set for lands, apartments and vehicles cause of the information gap, we can- he said. appointment of 140 daily-basis em- o cers were given as the university in a meeting, chaired by its Chairman in order to narrow the gap and en- not identify many of them.” According to the World Ultra Wealth ployees. needed the recruitment, he claimed. l Ghulam Hussain, with all its commis- sure smooth tax collection,” the NBR “Let us say a person inherited a Report 2012-13, there are 85 Ultra High sioners from the Dhaka Zone. o cial said. piece of land in Gulshan. He hand- Net Wealth Individuals in Bangladesh An o cial, who attended the meet- According to the NBR, there are ed that land over to the developers who own a total wealth of $13bn (ap- ing, said the prices that the govern- around 5,000 “wealthy” people in and got three apartments in return. If proximately Tk1 lakh crore). AL discriminates between ment had set, were far too low com- Bangladesh who own properties worth that person lives with his family in all The o cial also said the Central pared to the prices at which these over Tk2 crore. those three apartments, then there will Intelligence Cell of the NBR had been assets were actually sold, especially by When these people sell any of their be no rent income from those apart- collecting information on the owners rebel candidates private owners. assets, the government generally ments. But considering that fact that of vehicles, lands and apartments. As The sellers often take advantage of charges them 10% surcharge in addi- the person owns three apartments soon as the problem was resolved, NBR n Emran Hossain Shaikh bearing the brunt of dismissal from the these discrepancies and prepare doc- tion to their regular income taxes. in such a posh area, it is hard to be- would impose taxes on them to boost ruling party while most of them run- uments quoting assets at the rates set However, NBR o cials said the lieve that the person has no income,” revenue collection. l The ruling Awami League plays a dual ning for the polls without facing any role in dealing with the rebel candi- opposition. The expelled candidates dates running for the upcoming elec- alleged that the party had been playing tion as independent candidates. a dual role for which they were facing Nizami verdict ‘delayed for prosecution’ Central Awami League has so far discrimination. expelled one candidate and the party “Awami League has done injustice by n Udisa Islam His statement irked the tribunal. dent wing) of erstwhile East Pakistan Mohammad Ali, the conducting local units sacked some rebel Awami dismissing some of us from the party pol- The nation is eagerly waiting for chapter before October in 1971. Later prosecutor in the case, told the tri- League leaders contesting the polls, vi- itics while a large number of independent Some “unnecessary” public statements the verdict in the case against Nizami, he became the chief of all Pakistan bunal that he had made the com- olating the party order. contestants are campaigning for the polls,” made by the prosecution are behind allegedly a top collaborator of the Paki- Chhatra Sangha. Para militia group ment based on assumption. “We are Incumbent lawmaker Sha qul Azam alleged Dr Awlad Hossain, an independent the delay in delivering verdict in the stani occupation forces. He is facing 16 al-Badr, which is responsible for the not saying anything that may ham- Khan of Jhenaidah 3 is one of the rebel candidate for Dhaka 4 constituency in- war crimes case against Motiur Rah- counts of crimes against humanity that systematic killings of intellectuals, per any decision or position of the candidates excluded from the party’s volved with Awami League politics. man Nizami, the incumbent chief of include conspiracy, planning, complic- was formed with the Chhatra Sangha tribunal.” local unit. AL presidium Member Zafarullah Jamaat-e-Islami. ity, incitement and active participation members. Yesterday, he also echoed the pre- Sources said around 60 Awami League said he was also facing a rebel candi- On every working day, reporters in Pabna and Dhaka during the 1971 On December 3, the tribunal 1 ex- diction that the verdict might be given men were contesting the 10th national date in his parliamentary seat. visit the International Crimes Tribunal Liberation War. pressed disappointment after a pros- by December 31. election as independent candidates. “It gives me pain to face the rebel- to hear announcement of the verdict The trial began on May 28 last year ecutor had commented on a possible This would be the 10th verdict in Even there is no let-up in rebellion lion of the independent candidates date, but they get no con rmation. and after around 18-month-long pro- date of verdict before the media. war crimes cases. Earlier, the tribunal against veteran Awami League leaders within the party,” he added. They assume that the verdict may ceedings, it was kept for verdict on The tribunal warned him saying: 1 gave three verdicts and took three – Agriculture Minister of the interim A source in the party said Awami come up before December 31, the day November 20. A total of 25 witnesses “Do not mix up politics with your pro- months for the case government Begum Matia Chowdhury, League chief wanted to boost voters’ when tribunal 1 Chairman Justice ATM testi ed against Nizami while four in fession. Some unnecessary comments – from keeping the case for verdict presidium member Kazi Zafarullah turnout in the polls and that was why Fazle Kabir retires. his favour. [you made] sometimes hamper pro- until its pronouncement. In the case and State Minister for Home advocate the party was reluctant to take any ac- Earlier, a prosecutor told the media According to the formal charges, ceedings of the tribunal.” It also said against Salauddin Quader Chowd- Shamsul Haque Tuku. tion against the rebel candidates still that the verdict might be pronounced Nizami had been the chief of Isla- since it was the month of the Victory hury, the tribunal took one and a half A few independent candidates are vying for the polls. l before the Victory Day, December 16. mi Chhatra Sangha (Jamaat’s stu- Day, the court would go slowly. months. l Cold to intensify n Tribune Report The country may face severe cold at the beginning of Janu- ary as strong cold waves are expected to sweep through its most parts of the country during the period, according to a meteorologist. Met O ce sources said intensity of cold has increased as minimum temperature has fallen slightly, reports BSS. The weather might start cooling down at the end of De- cember as mild to moderate cold waves may sweep north- ern, north-eastern and central parts of the country during the period, they added. 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 O ce: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 913209394, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], Website: www.dhakatribune.com Continue to the Business section...

Business B3 RMG exports jump by B4 ‘RMG industry falling 30% from frying pan into the fi re’ MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2013 www.dhakatribune.com/business MEETING CASH DEMAND FOR BUSINESS Minister asks BTRC to Bankers see it tough sans BB intervention realise outstanding Central bank sits today to devise an incentive plan bills soon n Jebun Nesa Alo su ering. So, who will take the bene t are negative for the growth of banking nior banker, recommending that the and how much it would be have to be sector,” Prime Bank Managing Director central bank could release the reserve The country’s banks are facing di - decided,” Executive Ehsan Khasru said. They demanded as compensation package by taking culties to meet the businessmen’s de- Director M Mahfuzur Rahman told the interest block, rearranging loan instal- consent of the government instead of Telecom operators owe Tk3,000cr mands for low cost  nance as a con- Dhaka Tribune. ments for two years, labor wages for putting pressure on the banks. tingency measure to help overcome Pubali Bank Managing Director He- four months. “The demands may be “The central bank can re nance the to government the setback in business due to the pro- lal Ahmed Chowdhury said keeping the justi ed, but banks are not capable to a ected businessmen at lower rate by longed political crisis. non-performing loans (NPL) under con- ful ll them.” using the package,” he said. n Muhammad Zahidul Islam which would be an example for other The bankers also expressed concern trol is the big challenge for the banks at He said the banks’ major respon- Bangladesh Bank already an- operators. that the non-performing loans (NPL) the end of the year, as transports do not sibility is to pay depositors a certain nounced cutting interest on loans Bangladesh Telecommunication Regu- According to the guideline, IGW’s would be increased by the end of the year. move and production being hampered. percentage of interest as we already taken from the export development latory Commission (BTRC) came under earn $.03 for every minute of incom- Businessmen are demanding loan “Under this circumstance, the banks committed. “We all are demanding for fund and allowing the member manu- heavy criticism in Dhaka yesterday for ing international calls and they have facilities from the banks to recover the will face pressure to meet the demand one side of businessmen, but nobody is facturer-exporters of Leather Goods & their negligence in realising outstand- to share 51.75% of it with the regulator. losses as they could not pay timely as of businessmen.” talking about depositors’ interest.” Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters ing bills from di erent service opera- In response to the minister’s warn- their business activities are now almost Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers He said the a ected businessmen Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB) tors, especially few international gate- ing, BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose suspended. and Exporters Association (BGMEA) could get support under the bailout and Bangladesh Ceramic Wares Manu- way operators. said they would show zero tolerance in Bangladesh Bank, however, has an- demanded low cost loans to pay wages process, but the banks are not capable facturers’ Association (BCWMA) to take The operators earned a huge collecting the revenue from the IGW’s nounced providing some incentives for next four months as they were fac- enough to give the support as every EDF  nance for bulk imports against amount of money and allegedly went and, at the same time, they would take and relaxing conditions on loans, con- ing fund shortage due to failure of ship- bank operates marginally. “So, we have estimated requirements for up to one out of operation without paying the some legal actions. sidering the consequences of the situ- ment caused by the political unrest. to think who is going to give the bailout year, based on their export perfor- government at least Tk2,611 crore re- BTRC could not collect Tk613 crore ation. Of their other demands, garments programme.” mance over the preceding year. mained due against spectrum charges, from only six IGW operators, most of Bangladesh Bank holds a meet- and backward linkage industry should The central bank might give us in- It asked the scheduled banks to o er revenue sharing and annual licence them are politically powerful and the ing with the commercial banks and not be classi ed in next two years struction, but where the money is some privileges for the small and me- fees. total outstanding amount of IGW’s rev- businessmen today to decide how the from Q4 of 2013. They also appealed to going to come from, he said. “This dium enterprise sector hit by political enue sharing stood at Tk1,115 crore so BLOCKED IGW AND THEIR special incentive could be given to the block the term loan, project loan, loan question is unresolved yet. We need a unrest. far, sources say. OUTSTANDING businessmen badly a ected by the po- against trustee receipt, Murabah Post solution,” said Ehsan Khasru. The central bank also provided $25m An amount of Tk146.5 crore re- litical unrest. Import (MPI) and installment without ‘We do not need of that high forex loan to  re-ravaged Standard Group IGW Paid Outstand- mained unpaid in the name of Vision “Due to the political unrest, both the any interest for next two years. reserve of $18bn. This reserve can be from EDF with 1% interest for helping ing left Tel Ltd, previously owned by a former banks as well as the businessmen are “The demands of the apparel sector used for bailout package,” said the se- its business to revive. l Vision Tel Ltd Tk28 Tk146.5 minister’s daughter. Ratul Telecom Crore Crore Limited, an IGW of Ex-LGRD State Min- Bestec Telecom Tk6 Tk127.5 ister Jahangir Kabir Nanak’s wife and NBR requests Limited Crore Crore daughter owes Tk96.5 crore. DITF 2014 may Ratul Telecom Tk19 Tk96.5 Kay Telecommunications Limited a nance ministry to defer Ltd Crore Crore company of ruling party leader Sham- lower tax revenue Telex Limited ----- Tk92.5 im Osman from only paid n Asif Showkat Kallol Crore Tk9 crore and their outstanding re- Kay Telecommu- Tk9 Tk91.5 mains at Tk91.5 crore. target in revised The government has planned to de- nications Ltd Crore Crore Telex Limited’s outstanding budget fer the Dhaka International Trade Fair Apple GlobalTel Tk9.5 Tk58.5 Tk92.5cr while two other IGWs Bestec (DITF) 2014 by 10 days due to the po- Com Ltd Crore Crore Telecom Limited and Apple GlobalTel n Tribune Report litical turmoil and destruction ahead of Com Ltd’s outstanding respectively the general election. Newly appointed Post and Telecom- Tk127.5 crore and Tk58.5 crore. In the face of the ongoing political un- “A summary on the delayed start if munication Minister Rashed Khan At the meeting, Telecom Secretary rest, the National Board of Revenue the annual event will be forwarded to Menon lambasted the regulator at a Md Abubakar Siddique questioned has requested the  nance ministry to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today meeting with the o cials, forewarning about BTRC’s monitoring system. “Now lower the NBR’s revenue target in the for her approval,” said an o cial at the them to collect the money for the na- the illegal termination system spread revised budget for the current  scal commerce ministry. tional exchequer. out to district and upzila headquarters. year, a senior tax o cial said. He said the 19th DITF would then In October, BTRC sent a statement You people must think about it.” The NBR o cial, who spoke on con- start at Sher-EBangla Nagar in the cap- to the post and telecommunication The minister warned BTRC to take dition of anonymity, said the frequent ital from January 11 instead of existing ministry apprising of the outstand- necessary action and said: “You are shutdowns and blockades enforced by Photo shows International Telecommunications Union o ce in Geneva schedule of January 1. ing bills, which sources believe would claiming the scenario is develop- the opposition have been adversely af- A summary on the delayed cross Tk3,000 crore by now. ing, but whenever I got any call from fecting the country’s business sector, start if the annual event will “You need to be tough to collect the abroad I  nd it from local numbers.” particularly import and export busi- Bangladesh to contest be forwarded to the Prime thousands of crores of taka remained He said: “I found this sector is al- nesses. As a result, businesses were Minister today outstanding,” Menon told the o cials ready going to be unstable. We need to unable to pay due taxes, which would of the regulator, expressing his dissat- take care the people who are the real largely hamper revenue earnings. ITU council election Earlier, nearly 100 domestic and for- isfaction. businessmen putting their money and This  scal, a target was set to collect eign participants have threatened not “I will give you all the support even labor into it.” about Tk136,000 crore, but the unabat- n Muhammad Zahidul Islam priorities. to participate in the DITF -2014 unless if there is any pressure from any corner He asked for monitoring the blogs, ed political turmoil has made the target In 1973, Bangladesh became a mem- it is deferred beyond the general elec- of the government.” protect open sources SMS and regulate almost impossible to achieve. Bangladesh has decided to participate ber of ITU. tion. Small businessmen have also de- Menon learned about the out- the proper bandwidth uses. During the July-November period, in the next council election of Interna- The ITU Council acts as the Union’s cided to stop construction of pavilions standing bills from newspaper reports The BTRC chairman said abusing revenue collection fell Tk6,000 crore tional Telecommunication Union (ITU) governing body in the interval be- and stalls for the month-long fair if that some of the IGW’s doesn’t share blogs, SMS and facebook is a current short of target, according to provision- to retain membership. tween plenipotentiary conferences there is no immediate announcement their revenues in accordance with the phenomenon and they are aware of it. al data. The next plenipotentiary confer- and regulates telecommunication pol- to defer the event. guideline. “We’re taking up projects and you will Since the government is working ence of ITU to be held from October icies at the both national and interna- The ministry sources suggest a large He requested the regulator to sus- see the results within a week,” he as- on preparing the revised budget for 20 to November 7 next year in Busan, tional levels. number of domestic and foreign partic- pend some of the IGW’s licences, sured the minister. l FY2013-14, the NBR has requested the South Korea will elect the council for a ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is ipants of the DITF last week submitted  nance ministry to give the revenue four-year term. the top policy-making body of ITU, applications to Commerce Secretary issue high importance, the o cial said. Bangladesh is currently a member which is held every four years and sets Mahbub Ahmed in this regard. “We will request the  nance of ITU Council which expires in 2014. the ITU’s general policies. Small businessmen who participate Mobile transactions surge ministry to set the revised target at A meeting chaired by post and tele- It also adopts four-year strategic in the DITF expressed concern that Tk125,000 crore from the existing communication minister Rashed Khan and  nancial plans, and elects council they might lose money if the event Tk136,000 crore,” the o cial said. Menon at the ministry o ce in Dhaka members. The conference determines starts before the election. 8.6% in November Earlier, NBR Chairman Md Ghulam yesterday made the decision, said o - the ITU’s position on issues such as The Export Promotion Bureau Hussain told the Dhaka Tribune that cial sources. convergence, telephone tari s, inter- (EPB), the organiser of the event has n Tribune Report 15.70% monthly growth rate. revenue collection in July-November “We have primarily decided to com- net, universal service and electronic constituted a 20-member team for su- Of di erent types of transaction, was Tk5,000 crore less than the target. pete in the next election of ITU,” Abu commerce. pervising progress of the DITF-2014. Transactions under the Mobile Finan- the “cash-in” transaction was the most The political situation has also im- Bakar Siddique, secretary of post and The present Council was elected at The bureau could not complete alloca- cial Service (MFS) system increased by popular among the MFS users, the data pacted other revenue sectors. telecommunication ministry, told the the October 2010 conference in Guada- tion of pavilions and stalls to the par- nearly 8.6% to Tk5,533 crore in Novem- showed. The NBR had to extend the income Dhaka Tribune. lajara, the capital of Mexican state of ticipants until yesterday. ber from the previous month’s Tk5,095 A total of 1 crore “cash-in” trans- tax return deadline thrice due to poor “However, it will be  nalised after Jalisco. The event is being held to display crore, showed a Bangladesh Bank re- actions were made by the users in response from businesses and individ- January 5 election,” he added. In that election Bangladesh had exportable items of Bangladesh to vis- port yesterday. In the month, a total of November with an amount totalling ual taxpayers. According to the government sourc- secured sixth positionwith 123 votes, itors from home and abroad. On the 2.67 crore transactions took place un- Tk2,333 crore which was 7.81% higher Meanwhile, the ETIN project is es, if Bangladesh can retain its mem- where 17 candidates competed for the other hand, the overseas participants der the system. than the previous month. also far from reaching its target. Only bership in the ITU Council, the country 13-seat Asian Group of ITU Council. would have the opportunity to display According to the MFS report, the The use of MFS to pay utility bills 9.5lakh people had registered for ETIN will be able to exert in uences to help That was the  rst time Bangladesh- their products to consumers of Bangla- number of registered agents stood at and in person-to-person transactions until last week, whereas there are some developing countries get favours in contested in the 46-member ITU Coun- desh, where domestic market of con- some 172,000 while the number of has also surged by 52.38% and 21.04% 17lakh valid taxpayers in the country. l global telecommunication policies and cil election. l sumer goods is gradually expanding. l registered clients reached 1.15 crore at respectively in November. l

STOCKS Economic losses from unrest not repairable DSEX 1.04% 4288.87 ▲ DS30 0.94% 1480.87 ▲ Fears  nance minister after meeting with Canadian envoy CSEX 1.13% 8435.24 ▲ n Tribune report expressed concern over the current AMA Muhith said to help exports hold meeting on 29th this month. political crisis and violence in Bangla- continue during hartals and blockades, He harshly criticised the opposition CURRENCIES Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul desh. the government has initiated giving and its leaders Begum Khaleda Zia for Average selling rates to public in BDT Muhith has expressed fear that the “It will be impossible to recov- police escorts in the highway. resorting to “violent politics.” economic loss incurred by the contin- er economic loss during the last two According to him, the agricul- Canadian envoy in Dhaka Heather Rupali Bank Sonali Bank uous hartals and blockades could not months of political violence,” said  - ture sector was also a ected by the Cruden expressed concern over the SELL BUY SELL BUY be recovered. nance minister. political crisis, but not to that great country’s political situation. He was talking to the journalists “If Bangladesh economy was a so- extent. While speaking at a press brie ng USD 77.4 78.4 79 80 after the meeting with Canadian High phisticated one, emergency would Finance minister said a deal on the after the meeting with  nance minis- EURO Commissioner to Bangladesh Heather need to be declared by this time,” he import of Muriate of Potash (MOP) ter, she said it is unfortunate that po- 105.190 108.417 103 107 Cruden at his secretariat in Dhaka yes- viewed, adding that “the government would be signed with Canada after litical parties in Bangladesh could not INR 1.171 1.328 1.17 1.287 terday. will be strict after the January 5th approval of cabinet committee on reach a consensus regarding general The Canadian High Commissioner polls.” economic a airs. The committee will elections. l SAR 20.536 21.004 20.532 21.009 B2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Stock Monday, December 23, 2013

DSE GAINERS DSE key features - Aver- Closing (% Closing Yearly Yearly Turnover Company age (% Closing Daily high Daily low December 22, 2013 change) average high low in million change) Stocks rally after 7,100.86 Turnover Rahima Food -Z 9.79 7.42 80.32 81.90 82.00 67.50 92.9 13.0 24.188 (Million Taka) Tallu Spinning -A 9.71 9.24 41.28 41.80 41.90 38.10 47.1 17.5 276.711 Bay Leasing.-A 9.71 7.26 33.10 33.90 33.90 29.00 43.7 22.5 68.435 5-day fall Turnover 179,341,707 Miracle Industries -B 9.57 7.44 20.22 20.60 20.60 18.50 23.5 10.4 22.139 (Volume) GSP Finance-A 9.38 8.94 31.07 31.50 31.60 26.00 39.0 20.0 43.537 the investors to move in,” said IDLC R. N. Spinning-A 9.26 8.16 39.37 40.10 40.30 34.00 44.0 22.6 552.433 n Tribune Report Number of Contract 155,084 Sinobangla Indu.-A 9.12 13.26 33.32 33.50 33.70 31.70 33.7 17.8 36.106 Investment. United Leasing - A 8.47 6.51 31.25 32.00 32.20 27.50 41.2 22.2 39.772 Stocks rallied yesterday on buy- The positivity was widely per- Traded Issues 285 Bank Asia -A 8.47 6.81 20.22 20.50 20.70 17.20 23.0 14.5 31.951 ing spree, ending a  ve-day losing ceived, resulting in a towering surge Issue Gain 209 Meghna Con. Milk -B 7.69 7.55 8.40 8.40 8.50 7.80 10.3 6.5 0.315 streak. of 49% in turnover, it said. (Avg. Price Basis) The market opened positive in Lanka Bangla Securities said CSE GAINERS the morning and the momentum while frequent country wide shut Issue Loss 72 Aver- Closing (% Closing Yearly Yearly Turnover Company age (% Closing Daily high Daily low scaled up till close, driven by textile down and blockade has broken (Avg. Price Basis) change) average high low in million down the industrial operation with change) sector that rose more than 2%. Unchanged Issue (Avg. 4 slow growth in credit and  nancial Bay Leasing.-A 10.00 7.89 33.36 34.10 34.10 30.60 43.5 23.0 9.042 R. N. Spinning-A 9.84 8.45 39.39 40.20 40.20 37.00 42.7 23.1 90.626 sector, market reacted positively Price Basis) GSP Finance-A 9.82 9.08 30.88 31.30 31.30 28.70 37.0 22.0 3.357 amid unrest ahead of parliamentary Market Capital Equity 2,060.85 Sinobangla Indu.-A 9.71 13.44 33.43 33.90 33.90 32.60 33.9 16.5 9.428 election. (Billion. Tk.) Tallu Spinning -A 9.66 9.59 41.71 42.00 42.10 38.70 47.9 18.5 43.282 As government intensi es Among the major triggers, the Miracle Industries -B 9.57 8.76 20.37 20.60 20.60 19.00 23.9 11.0 3.066 24.98 e orts to keep law and news on the IOSCO’s approval of Market Capital Equity I P D C -A 8.06 9.29 20.00 20.10 20.40 18.80 22.2 14.6 1.090 order, investors hope for up-gradation of BSEC’s category (Billion US$) S. Alam CR Steel -A 7.36 6.77 53.44 54.00 55.00 51.60 55.0 33.0 8.123 a reduction in political to ‘A’ from existing ‘B’ might have Deshbandhu Polymer-A 6.94 7.99 26.23 26.20 26.60 25.00 28.0 15.4 10.771 volatility and thus some turned on the market direction for- Malek Spinning-A 6.81 6.00 29.50 29.80 30.30 28.30 32.7 15.4 9.486 improvement in short term ward, it said. business outlook. This Activities were still extremely created an impetus for the consolidated to a handful of stocks, investors to move in especially from textile sector. The sector captured 34% of total Capital Market Highlights turnover and spurred signi cant re- turn due to investors’ expectation regarding government incentive to The benchmark DSEX index end- the sector. ed at 4,288 with a rise of 44 points Top gaining sector was non-bank- or 1%. The DS30 Index comprising ing  nancial institutions that gained blue chips was up nearly 13 points or 2%, while top loser was life insur- 1% to 1,480. ance that shed almost 1%. But low The Chittagong Stock Exchange cap companies shined on the day, Selective Category Index, CSCX, rising 1.85%. rose 89 points to 8,429. Gainers took a strong lead over CSE key features - The (DSE) the losers as out of 274 issues trad- December 22, 2013 saw higher trading with a turnover ed, 169 advanced, 89 declined and Turnover 825.28 of Tk7oo crore, which was 49.5% 26 remained unchanged. (Million Taka) higher over the previous session RN Spinning was the most trad- and highest in the last six sessions. ed stocks with shares worth Tk55.2 Turnover 23,668,021 “As government intensi es ef- crore changing hands. (Volume) forts to keep law and order, inves- It was followed by Generation Number of Contract 26,486 tors hope for a reduction in political Next Fashion, Tallu Spinning, Gold- News from trade server volatility and thus some improve- en Son, CMC Kamal, Paramount Traded Issues 223 ment in short term business out- Textile, Argon Denim, Delta Life In- GOLDENSON: The Company has in- to 23,26,222.50 cubic meter/month for NORTHERN: No dividend, AGM: Issue Gain 171 look. This created an impetus for surance and Lanka Bangla Finance. l formed that "GSL Export Ltd., a subsidiary enhancement of the production capacity 22.12.2013, RD: 09.12.2013. (Avg. Price Basis) company of Golden Son Ltd. has signed of the Company. HAKKANIPUL: 5% Cash, AGM: Issue Loss 45 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 30.12.2013, RD: 13.11.2013. Daily capital market highlights (Avg. Price Basis) with Mr. Stephen Christenson, a famous Dividend/AGM SAMATALETH: No dividend, AGM: German Industrialist and businessman to DESHBANDHU: 5% Stock, AGM: 24.12.2013, RD: 25.11.2013. DSE Broad Index 4288.87 (+) 1.04% ▲ Unchanged Issue (Avg. 6 set up a large scale 100% export oriented 29.12.2013, RD: 29.10.2013. MONNOCERA: 5% Cash, AGM: Price Basis) toys manufacturing factory in GSL Export AAMRATECH: 5% Cash & 10% Stock, 26.12.2013, RD: 13.11.2013. DS - 30 Index 1480.86 (+) 0.94% ▲ Market Capital Equity 1,982.22 Ltd. Under the said MoU, Mr. Stephen has AGM: 22.12.2013, RD: 07.11.2013. SAMORITA: 30% Stock, AGM: CSE All Share Index 13337.82 (+) 1.06% ▲ agreed to invest in 50% shares of GSL Ex- TITASGAS: 35% Cash, AGM: 24.12.2013, 06.03.2014, RD: 25.11.2013. (Billion. Tk.) port Ltd., Golden Son will invest 40% and RD: 05.11.2013. STANCERAM: 10% Cash, AGM: ▲ CSE - 30 Index 10818.36 (+) 0.76% Market Capital Equity 24.03 Mr. Belal Ahmed will invest in 10% shares. RAHIMTEXT: 25% Stock, AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 19.11.2013. CSE Selected Index 8435.23 (+) 1.13% ▲ (Billion US$) Presently, Mr. Stephen has business and 24.12.2013, RD: 12.11.2013. MPETROLEUM: 70% Cash & 20% Stock, factories of similar product lines in Germa- FUWANGCER: 10% Stock, AGM: AGM: 17.01.2014, RD: 28.11.2013. ny, Latvia and China of which the business 26.12.2013, RD: 13.11.2013. DELTASPINN: 10% Cash, AGM: DSE LOSERS Aver- and factory of Latvia named Latvian MALEKSPIN: 10% Cash, AGM: 24.12.2013, 28.12.2013. RD: 21.11.2013. Closing (% Closing Yearly Yearly Turnover Company age (% Closing Daily high Daily low Corporation has been in operation for last RD: 13.11.2013. POWERGRID: 15% Cash, AGM: change) average high low in million change) 103 years. Due to recent increase in labour USMANIAGL: 11% Cash & 10% Stock, 18.01.2014, Time: 10:00 AM. RD: Samata LeatheR -Z -9.09 -11.11 22.00 22.00 22.20 22.00 27.5 10.7 0.275 and production cost in those countries, Mr. AGM: 27.12.2013, RD: 07.11.2013. 01.12.2013. CVO PetroChem RLZ -7.50 -7.50 757.40 757.40 757.40 757.40 943.7 87.0 12.270 Stephen has decided to shift his business MICEMENT: 40% Cash, AGM: 24.12.2013, PADMAOIL: 90% Cash, 10% Stock, AGM: Paramount Textile Ltd.-N -7.15 -2.05 59.33 57.10 63.70 55.90 72.0 44.0 161.445 from those countries to Bangladesh and RD: 10.11.2013. 15.02.2014, RD: 23.12.2013. Hakkani P& Paper -B -6.39 -4.28 37.16 36.60 39.70 36.10 43.5 15.6 1.282 signed the said MoU with GSL Export Ltd. DESCO: 10% Cash & 15% Stock, AGM: EASTRNLUB: 30% Cash, AGM: Legacy Footwear -A -5.74 -1.07 45.19 44.30 48.80 44.00 51.1 12.4 9.626 GSL Export Ltd. has hired a  oor space 04.01.2014, RD: 05.11.2013. 25.01.2014, RD: 04.12.2013. Eastern Cables-Z -5.72 -3.71 85.57 84.00 90.00 83.00 111.0 46.0 5.622 Prime Bank 1st MFA -5.00 -1.37 5.78 5.70 5.90 5.60 7.8 4.9 2.980 of 50,000 sft. from Golden Son Ltd. to LIBRAINFU: 20% Cash, AGM: 26.12.2013, PHARMAID: 15% Cash, AGM: 26.12.2013, Delta SpinnersA -4.78 3.19 43.63 41.80 45.70 41.20 46.0 25.0 88.297 set up its own factory to manufacture RD: 12.11.2013. RD: 04.12.2013. Aziz PipesZ -4.13 -3.08 21.07 20.90 22.10 20.20 25.0 14.3 0.393 various types of toys for export purpose. BDCOM: 10% Stock, AGM: 25.12.2013, RD: ORIONINFU: 12% Cash, AGM: 17.12.2013, BD. Thai Alum -B -4.13 -1.72 33.23 32.50 34.30 31.00 38.3 17.4 24.683 The production in the factory will start 17.11.2013. RD: 25.11.2013. from April 2014 and the products will be FUWANGFOOD: 10% Stock, AGM: KOHINOOR: 25% Stock, AGM: 17.12.2013, CSE LOSERS exported to whole over the world. As the 26.12.2013, RD: 20.11.2013. RD: 25.11.2013. Aver- parent Company, the Board of Directors of ANLIMAYARN: 10% Cash, AGM: DACCADYE: 10% Stock, AGM: 24.12.2013, Closing (% Closing Yearly Yearly Turnover Company age (% Closing Daily high Daily low change) average high low in million Golden Son Ltd. has also approved the said 24.12.2013, RD: 10.11.2013. RD: 28.11.2013. change) proposal/scheme." MIRACLEIND: 5% Stock, AGM: 21.12.2013, ENVOYTEX: 17% Cash and 3% Stock, Samata LeatheR -Z -9.09 -11.11 22.00 22.00 22.20 22.00 27.5 10.7 0.275 NPOLYMAR: The Company has informed RD: 19.11.2013. AGM: 20.12.2013, RD: 28.11.2013. EPS of CVO PetroChem RLZ -7.50 -7.50 757.40 757.40 757.40 757.40 943.7 87.0 12.270 that it has credited the bonus shares for 10% Cash and 50% Stock, Tk. 3.19, NAV per share of Tk. 39.00. Paramount Textile Ltd.-N -7.15 -2.05 59.33 57.10 63.70 55.90 72.0 44.0 161.445 OLYMPIC: Hakkani P& Paper -B -6.39 -4.28 37.16 36.60 39.70 36.10 43.5 15.6 1.282 the year ended on June 30, 2013 to the EGM and AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 21.11.2013. RAHIMAFOOD: 10% Cash to the share- Legacy Footwear -A -5.74 -1.07 45.19 44.30 48.80 44.00 51.1 12.4 9.626 respective shareholders' BO Accounts on ZAHINTEX: 5% Cash, 15% Stock, AGM: holders other than the Sponsor share- Eastern Cables-Z -5.72 -3.71 85.57 84.00 90.00 83.00 111.0 46.0 5.622 December 18, 2013. 26.12.2013, RD: 07.11.2013. holders, Directors and Deposed Directors, Prime Bank 1st MFA -5.00 -1.37 5.78 5.70 5.90 5.60 7.8 4.9 2.980 RUPALILIFE: The Company has informed METROSPIN: 10% Stock, AGM: AGM: 26.12.2013, RD: 28.11.2013. EPS of Delta SpinnersA -4.78 3.19 43.63 41.80 45.70 41.20 46.0 25.0 88.297 that the Board of Directors of the Com- 30.12.2013, RD: 17.11.2013. Tk. 0.52, NAV per share of Tk. 4.45. Aziz PipesZ -4.13 -3.08 21.07 20.90 22.10 20.20 25.0 14.3 0.393 pany has decided to procure a  oor space IMAMBUTTON: No dividend, AGM: ATLASBANG: 50% Cash, AGM: BD. Thai Alum -B -4.13 -1.72 33.23 32.50 34.30 31.00 38.3 17.4 24.683 measuring 6,240 sft. including common 21.12.2013, RD: 11.11.2013. 28.12.2013, RD: 01.12.2013. EPS of Tk. 9.14, space at 4th  oor of S.B Trade Centre, 94 AGNISYSL: 10% Stock, AGM: 24.12.2013, NAV per share of Tk. 222.05. Sheikh Mujib Road, Agrabad, Chittagong RD: 13.11.2013. JAMUNAOIL: 90% Cash & 10% Stock, @ Tk. 12,500.00 per sft. amounting a total CVOPRL: 10% Stock, AGM: 15.12.2013, RD: AGM: 25.01.2014, RD: 04.12.2013. of Tk. 7.80 crore only excluding registra- 18.11.2013. GEMINISEA: No dividend, AGM: tion cost, subject to approval of Insurance SAVAREFR: No dividend, AGM: 30.12.2013, RD: 04.12.2013. BSEC’s becoming ‘A’ category regulator Regulatory & Development Authority. 30.01.2014, RD: 19.12.2013. AFTABAUTO: 8% Cash & 12% Stock, coupled with investors hope for a less RAKCERAMIC: The Company has ANWARGALV: 7% Case for general share- AGM: 23.12.2013, RD: 05.12.2013. informed that Titas Gas Transmission holders, AGM: 13.01.2014, RD: 11.11.2013. PTL: 12% Stock, AGM: 30.12.2013, RD: ANALYST volatile political situation contributed to and Distribution Co. Ltd. (A concern of BDAUTOCA: No dividend, AGM: 12.12.2013. pull up stock prices Petrobangla) has approved the increase 24.12.2013, RD: 13.11.2013. SONALIANSH: 10% cash for only public of gas load in the existing factory of RAK PRIMETEX: 10% Cash, AGM: 28.12.2013, shareholders, AGM: 24.12.2013, RD: Ceramics (Bangladesh) Limited from RD: 12.11.2013. 12.12.2013. 1,18,839 cft/hour to 1,64,563 cft/hour DAFODILCOM: No dividend, AGM: ECABLES: 10% cash, AGM: 01.03.2014, i.e. from 16,79,879.17 cubic meter/month 30.12.2013, RD: 21.11.2013. RD: 29.12.2013.

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY DSE CSE Total DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Sector Volume Value in % of total Daily Price Daily Daily Daily Daily Million Taka % change Million Taka % change Million Taka % change Company Bank 429.17 6.04 52.17 6.32 481.35 6.07 shares million turnover closing change opening high low average NBFI 599.23 8.44 75.87 9.19 675.10 8.52 R. N. Spinning-A 14,032,743 552.43 7.78 40.10 9.26 36.70 40.30 34.00 39.37 Investment 254.37 3.58 29.22 3.54 283.59 3.58 Generation Next-A 8,919,960 357.48 5.03 39.30 1.03 38.90 41.00 36.00 40.08 Engineering 810.57 11.42 87.65 10.62 898.22 11.33 Tallu Spinning -A 6,702,973 276.71 3.90 41.80 9.71 38.10 41.90 38.10 41.28 Food & Allied 320.16 4.51 55.76 6.76 375.92 4.74 Golden Son -A 4,430,507 275.86 3.88 61.20 0.49 60.90 65.00 55.00 62.26 CMC Kamal Tex. -A 4,688,345 165.64 2.33 35.30 6.01 33.30 36.40 31.90 35.33 Fuel & Power 387.26 5.45 41.77 5.06 429.03 5.41 Paramount Textile Ltd.-N 2,721,000 161.45 2.27 57.10 -7.15 61.50 63.70 55.90 59.33 Jute 3.05 0.04 0.00 3.05 0.04 Argon Denims Limited-A 1,576,420 154.99 2.18 98.20 -1.50 99.70 100.80 90.00 98.32 Textile 2452.49 34.54 293.91 35.61 2746.41 34.65 Delta Life Insu. -A 570,800 152.72 2.15 264.30 -2.22 270.30 273.80 262.10 267.55 Pharma & Chemical 527.46 7.43 51.31 6.22 578.77 7.30 LankaBangla Fin. -A 2,256,781 150.03 2.11 66.70 3.25 64.60 67.50 58.50 66.48 Paper & Packaging 1.28 0.02 0.05 0.01 1.33 0.02 Envoy Textiles Ltd-N 2,438,610 143.61 2.02 58.80 2.08 57.60 59.60 52.20 58.89 Service 39.29 0.55 4.23 0.51 43.52 0.55 Leather 125.77 1.77 10.82 1.31 136.60 1.72 CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Volume Value in % of total Daily Price Daily Daily Daily Daily Ceramic 50.91 0.72 5.88 0.71 56.79 0.72 Company Cement 190.86 2.69 13.23 1.60 204.10 2.57 shares million turnover closing change opening high low average Information Technology 131.92 1.86 34.60 4.19 166.52 2.10 R. N. Spinning-A 2,300,953 90.63 10.98 40.20 9.84 36.60 40.20 37.00 39.39 General Insurance 126.77 1.79 5.06 0.61 131.83 1.66 Tallu Spinning -A 1,037,700 43.28 5.24 42.00 9.66 38.30 42.10 38.70 41.71 Life Insurance 243.67 3.43 15.65 1.90 259.31 3.27 Generation Next-A 906,660 36.47 4.42 39.40 0.77 39.10 41.00 39.00 40.22 Telecom 132.87 1.87 7.66 0.93 140.54 1.77 Paramount Textile Ltd.-N 564,250 33.85 4.10 57.70 -6.03 61.40 63.60 56.20 59.99 Golden Son -A 412,075 25.66 3.11 61.60 0.98 61.00 64.60 61.00 62.27 Travel & Leisure 104.51 1.47 12.95 1.57 117.46 1.48 Beach Hatchery -A 553,434 19.23 2.33 33.60 -2.89 34.60 36.50 33.40 34.74 Miscellaneous 168.82 2.38 27.51 3.33 196.34 2.48 BDCOM Online-A 552,082 17.28 2.09 32.60 4.15 31.30 34.00 30.60 31.30 Debenture 0.40 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.01 LankaBangla Fin. -A 247,195 16.40 1.99 66.40 2.95 64.50 67.60 65.50 66.35 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 Grameen1:Scheme2 -A 816,000 16.10 1.95 19.40 3.74 18.70 20.00 19.20 19.73 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 Bengal Windsor-N 246,000 16.00 1.94 62.20 -2.05 63.50 68.50 62.00 65.05 and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to [email protected] or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net DHAKA TRIBUNE Business Monday, December 23, 2013 B3

Golden Son S&P downgrades to set up toy RMG exports jump by 30% EU debt, manufacturing Commission factory n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi hits back Bangladesh’s readymade garment n Kayes Sohel exports have seen a 30% jump to n AFP, Brussels US$1,767m in November 2013 com- The GSL Export Ltd, a subsidiary of the pared to the same period last year, de- The Standard and Poor’s ratings agency listed company, Golden Son Ltd (GSL), fying all political and labour unrests, slapped a credit downgrade on the Eu- will set up a toy-manufacturing factory according to Export Promotion Bureau ropean Union, blaming threats to cohe- in its premises in Chittagong. (EPB) data released yesterday. sion including Britain’s role in curtail- The Bangladesh-Taiwan joint ven- The exports rose sharply, which ing budgets and holding a membership ture company has signed a memoran- runs counter to the apparel exporters referendum. dum of understanding with Stephen claim that they failed to ship products But Brussels shrugged o the agen- Christenson, a German industrialist due to the ongoing political unrest. cy’s decision to slash its long-term and businessman, to commence pro- Bangladesh exported RMG products debt rating by one notch from “AAA” to duction by April next year. The produce worth US$1,767m in November com- “AA+”, saying the grounds cited were will be exported all over the world. pared to US$1,364m in the same month “questionable”. Under the agreement, Christenson last year, which is 30% higher than that French President Francois Hollande will own 50%, Golden Son will own of the last year. said he found it “strange” that the S&P 40%, and Belal Ahmed will own10% In November 2013, Bangladesh was even issuing ratings on the EU which stakes in GSL Export Ltd. exported knitwear products worth has very little borrowings. S&P made GSL Export has hired a oor space US$878m while it fetched $889m by the cut while EU leaders were holding a of more than4,5 00 square metres from exporting woven products, which is summit marking a big political step for- Golden Son to set up the factory. 34% and 25% higher respectively com- The troubles being faced by Meanwhile, the country’s export The agricultural products that in- ward with an agreement on a banking “I formed the GSL Export Ltd a long pared to the same period last year. the RMG sector took place earnings rose to US$12bn in July-No- clude tea, vegetables, and tobacco, cut union intended eventually to ring-fence time ago, to explore a new business, “The troubles being faced by the in the second quarter and vember period of the current  scal ower and foliage, fruits, spices and failing banks from bringing down an en- but political uncertainty delayed the RMG sector took place in the second the impact of this disruption year, which is 18% higher compared dry food fetched $229.48m posting a tire economy as happened in Ireland. overall process,” Belal Ahmed, man- quarter and the impact of this dis- would be seen in February to US$10.13bn of the same period last 13.43% growth. The ensuing crisis forced the bloc aging director of GSL, told the Dhaka ruption would be seen in February onward year. Specialised textiles sector marked to step in with billions in funds to bail Tribune. onward,” Bangladesh Garment Man- Bangladesh exported knitwear 0.67% rise to $49.51m, while home out entire economies, putting national However, it came true after Stephen ufacturers and Exporters Association products worth US$4.9bn while fetch- textile fetched $298 m with 3.79% neg- budgets under constraints and expos- decided to shift his business to Bangla- (BGMEA) Vice President Shahidullah ing US$4.75bn by exporting woven ative growth. ing an endemic debt problem in some desh due to recent increases in labour Azim told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. war-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez said. products, which is 20.48% and 21% “Export earnings showed continu- countries such as France and Italy. and production costs in Latvia and Chi- On the other hand, he said the sec- “It is not the real re ection of ex- higher respectively compared to the ous growth due to our price competi- Explaining its decision, the agency na, he said. tor did not witness the impact of polit- ports. Look at the export earnings of same period last year. tiveness,” said Shubhashis Bose, EPB said: “In our view, EU budgetary ne- Presently, Stephen has business ical unrest as manufacturers shipped October and it was only 3% up,” he The export earnings from jute and vice chairman. “We can o er products gotiations have become more conten- and factories of similar product lines the products by air, which caused added. jute goods including raw jute, jute yarn at reasonable price while others cannot tious signaling what we consider to in Germany, Latvia and China,among them losses. Export earnings will see negative and twine, jute sacks and bags and oth- provide the products at same prices.” be rising risks to the support of the EU which, the factory in Latvia has been in Azim, however, said this is the ex- growth in December-January period ers posted a negative growth by 20% to Bose said the supply chain strength from some member states.” operation for the last 103 years. ecution of June-July orders. “I have as the country’s export-import supply $332.40m in July-November against is another reason behind the growth as “The downgrade re ects our view of GSL is one of Bangladesh’s largest to talk based on the facts and  gures chain has collapsed due to political $414.45m during the same period last we have strong workforce with cheap- the overall weaker creditworthiness of public companies involved with the not on the allegation,” said Shubhashis deadlock, said Parvez. year. In July-November frozen foods er labour cost. the EU’s member states. We believe the manufacturing, importing and export- Bose, EPB vice chairman. He said price Following the demands of apparel export earnings went up by 37% to “The country’s export earnings  nancial pro le of the EU has deteriorat- ing of a variety of products. competiveness helped the country to makers, the government has provided $325m from $238m in the same period would have increased by at least 35% ed, and that cohesion among EU mem- Since its inception in 2003, GSL maintain the growth. security through deploying police on of last  scal year. to 40% if there was no political tur- bers has lessened.” But Brussels said has embarked on a joint venture with “There were less working day in the highways to facilitate shipments of Leather export grew by 49.57% to moil,” said BGMEA vice president Reaz the EU’s credit-worthiness should be Taiwan’s  nest engineers and Bangla- September due to holidays on the oc- RMG products. $194.39m in July-November of the Bin Mahmood. “We have to spend assessed on its “own merit” as the bloc’s desh’s industrial experts to provide the casion of Eid-ul-Azha, which caused The government set $30.5bn export FY14 from $130m of last year’s val- time to see the impact of present polit- budget bene ts from a special treaty sta- highest quality products and services less exports and in November export target for the current  scal, which is ue, followed by footwear up 37% to ical unrest as most of the buyers held tus and runs neither a de cit nor debt. l at competitive prices. volume was high that pushed the earn- around 13% higher than the last  scal’s $238.18m and leather products, which up orders due to the escalating politi- Currently, GSL makes an array of ings up,” BGMEA former president An- earning of $27.01bn. went up by 24.34% to $78m. cal deadlock.” l products: CPU casing, LED light, aero- Tallu Spinning tops sols, household items, perfumes, body DSE gainer sprays, air-fresheners, garment acces- sories, sporting toys, fans, fan accesso- n Tribune Business Desk ries, and garment accessories. l RN Spinning becomes market leader Tallu Spinning Mills Limited was the n Tahmidur Rahman crore, which is more than 25% from highest gainer a sits share prices rose Samata Leather Tk88.7 crore in the corresponding pe- 9.97% to Tk41.9 each on Dhaka Stock RN Spinning Mills Limited emerged riod a year ago, said the company. Exchange yesterday. worst loser at DSE as the top market leader with a rise in Company’s performance over the Its shares peaked as high as Tk41.9 n Tribune Business Desk price of 9.81% in the opening trading last couple of years has been improv- and fell as low as Tk38.1 during the session of the week at Dhaka Stock Ex- ing consistently as its retain earning trading session. Samata Leather Complex Limited change yesterday. doubled from Tk125 crore in January Upswing of the company’s price was was the worst loser as its share prices Its turnover worth more than Tk55 2012 to Tk263 crore in September 2013. centred on the Annual General Meet- dropped more than 9% to Tk22 each at crore was changed hands, making up The textile company’s stocks at- ing (AGM) to be held on Friday. the Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday. 7.7% of the total DSE turnover. tracted investors because of the com- According to the company’s unau- The “Z” category or junk stock rose pany’s satisfactory performance, said a dited  rst quarter report ended on Sep- 85% in the  rst two week of December stock dealer. The company’s a net as- tember, it stood at Tk7.2 crore, which without any fundamental reason. set value is Tk14.05 as of 2011. is more than twice from Tk2.9 crore in Earlier in a DSE query, the compa- In October, the court has The company plans to expand its the same period a year earlier. ny replied that there is no undisclosed stayed the commission’s order business by investing approximately On November 14, the company pro- price sensitive information. The DSE, issued on January 14 for a Tk95 crore, which will allow the com- posed to give bonus share of 15% for however, formed an enquiry commit- period of six months pany to produce the necessary raw the year 2013. tee to investigate the unusual price materials, said a company o cial. In October, the company’s board de- movement of the stocks. Currently it imports the raw materials cided to declare rights share (one rights In its  rst quarter (July 2013 to Sep- from Germany. share for every one existing share with tember 2013) report, the company made Yesterday, its stock prices closed at Earlier, Bangladesh Securities and a face value of Tk10) for  nancing losses of Tk2.1 lakh against a loss of Tk3.2 Tk40.1 each before rising as high as Exchange Commission (BSEC)  ned project expansion and term loan liq- lakh during the same period last year. Tk40.3 and falling as low as Tk37. The the company and its directors for uidation subject to the approval of the Net asset value of the company is company’s face value is Tk10 each. breaking securities rules in issuing shareholders in the AGM and the regu- Tk4.74 as of 2012, which is lower than According to its third quarterly un- rights shares. latory authority. its face value of Tk10. The stock price audited statement, the textile com- In June, an investigation by the ments to the BSEC inquiry committee. 14 for a period of six months. The net asset value of the shares swung between Tk10.7and Tk26.2 in pany’s pro t stood at Tk40.8 crore, a BSEC found major breaches of proce- Then, the regulator directed RN Spin- The High Court (HC) has issued a stood at Tk10.08 in 2012. The company the last six months. sharp increase of 174% from pro t it dure in the rights o er subscription of ning to decrease rights o er issue to rule upon the securities regulator to has paid out no cash dividend but stock Accumulated loss of the company made in the same period a year earlier. RN Spinning Mills. Tk1.2bn from Tk2.78bn. show cause as to why the reduction of dividend in the past three years. Spon- was Tk8.7 crore as of the beginning of In the  rst nine months of this cal- The BSEC also found that the RN In October, the court has stayed the rights o er by RN Spinning should not sor-director holds 59.11% and general 2013. l endar year, its net pro t was Tk111.3 Spinning Mills provided fake docu- commission’s order issued on January be declared unlawful. l public 15.86% stakes in the company. l

Award giving Marico donates ceremony DMP a pick-up van arranged by NBL Marico Bangladesh MD Aditya Shome handed over the key of the pick-up van National Bank Limited (NBL) arranged a to Deputy Police Commissioner Nis- scholarship program to distribute certif- harul Arif recently. The donation was icates of appreciation and crests among organised as part of the company’s cor- the children of it's employees under the porate social responsibility initiatives ‘NBL Employees Welfare Scheme’ at driven by the company’s strong aspi- National Bank Training Institute (NBTI) Agricultural Marketing Company Ltd –AMCL (PRAN) held its 28th Annual General Meeting ration to reach out to its community. l recently. Total 55 students who secured (AGM) recently. AMCL declared 31% dividend to its shareholders for the year 20122013 at outstanding result in the HSC & SSC the AGM. Chairman Lt Col Mahtabuddin Ahmed (Retd), Managing Director Maj Gen Amjad examinations held in 2012 have been Khan Chowdhury (Retd), Deputy Managing Director Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Director Korean bbq team awarded with scholarship. Sabiha Amjad, Independent Director M A Mannan, Director (Finance) Uzma Chowdhury, NBL Managing Director (Acting) Md Executive Director Md Eleash Mridha, Chief Financial O cer Choudhury Atiur Rasul, up with Roop Jamuna Bank Limited awarded Badiul Alam, attended the function as Director (Marketing) Kamruzzaman Kamal and Company Secretary Muhammad Aminur Jamuna Bank Limited (JBL) has been a program in Dhaka city recently. Min- chief guest and Additional Managing Di- Rahman attended the AGM in Dhaka awarded for the Best Presented Annual istry of Commerce Secretary Mahbub rector A K M Sha qur Rahman was pres- Genesis BBQ, a global franchise group Reports 2012 in the Private Sector Bank- Ahmed was present in the program as ent on the occasion as special guest. from Korea came with their premi- ing Organisations by ICAB. JBL Manag- special guest. Besides ICAB president EVP & Head of system and operations um cafe in Bangladesh in collabora- ing Director Sha qul Alam received Cer- Md Abdus Salam FCA, high o cials of division Mohammad Salim, VP & head tion with Puro Foods Limited named ti cate of Merit from chief guest Finance di erent govt and private organisations of HRD Md Jahangir Bin Hamid, VP & ‘bbq’. Covering 56 countries bbq is Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, MP in were also present. l head of GBD Md Abdul Wahab spoke on now in Dhaka with their brand prom- the meeting. Among others, the meet- ise of “best of the best quality”. Roop ing was attended by NBL senior execu- has been awarded the brand strategy, 'Hope for the Poorest' gives vaccines tives, o cers, sta s and parents. l management consultancy and IMC mandate to launch, nurture and build Hope for the Poorest (HP) took part in gramme. ASA University Vice Chancel- the brand- bbq. An agreement has the 21st National Immunisation Day at lor Dr Dalim Ch Barman, ASA EVP HR been signed between Brig Gen (Retd) its Dhaka o ce and ten other prima- Shusil Roy, HP Member Secretary Md Md Manzur Qader, MD & CEO, Puro ry health centres of HP in 10 di erent Enamul Haque, HP Treasurer Md Azim Foods Limited and Yusuf Hassan, CEO, districts to give polio vaccination to Hossain, HP Governing body Member The 22nd Annual General Meeting of Mithun Knitting and Dyeing (CEPZ) Limited was held Roop in presence of General Manag- children recently. ASA President and Md Tau qul Islam chowdhury, HP Ex- recently. The meeting was presided over by the Director Md Atiqul Haque. Among others er, Young An Choi and Asst. Manager, HP Chairperson Md Sha qual Haque ecutive Director Dr A T M Nazrul Islam Managing Dirctor Md Mahbub-Ul Haque, Executive Director and Company Secretary S M Kwang Ho Kyeong of Genesis BBQ glob- Choudhury inaugurated the pro- were also present at the event. l Shahid-ul-Ara n were also present in the meeting. al operation. l B4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Business Monday, December 23, 2013 ‘RMG industry falling from frying pan into the re’

Are buyers abandoning Bangladesh? How do you see the recent labour as the country’s economy. It is also true that we have been they will fail to run the country. That You see, we – owners and buyers – re- unrest and sabotage in factories? getting negative international atten- is the reality. cently had a meeting with the labour If you look at the pattern of unrest in Will Bangladesh lose its tion since the Tazreen  re, Rana Plaza and employment minister. This is a the apparel industry,you can see it oc- competitiveness after building collapse and Standard Group What is a permanent solution for clear message on how much we are curs in a certain area. Some (people) implementation of the new wage arson incidents, and it has just scaled running business smoothly? concerned about the political unrest. are trying to  sh in troubled water to board for workers? up beyond tolerance. The bottom line is that political sta- Buyers have already started to look Everybody needs to know that most bility is a prerequisite for putting ev- for new out-sourcing countries. This is of the manufacturers are having ex- erything on track. Political unrest, very bad news for us. treme di culties with paying the in- strikes and the lack of ease in doing Some buyers recently mailed me. They creased wages, as most of the brands business are major concerns for en- said there was nothing a buyer could do have not been agreeing to pay the up- trepreneurs and buyers. If the supply to protect his business from acts of ter- Some buyers recently mailed me. They said there was nothing charge. chain is disrupted, pressure mounts rorism, sabotage and political instability, a buyer could do to protect his business from acts of terrorism, Who will bail the sector? The gov- every day. other than reevaluating the risk factors of sabotage and political instability, other than reevaluating the risk ernment? The buyers? The banks? It is high time for our politics to be the production order to assess the prac- factors of the production order to assess the practices in place, cleaned up – this has become urgent tices in place, take out a world map and take out a world map and review it country by country, and most for now and the future. review it country by country, and most probably, redistribute the business What are you doing to come out of the The government, the opposition probably, redistribute the business. present situation? parties, suppliers and buyers must Md Atiqul Islam, president of BGMEA If you take a look at our recent activi- work together to realise the potential If the political unrest lingers, what ties, you will understand this. We have of Bangladesh’s RMG market. might happen? taken to the street. We will do business Infrastructure constraint, including n Kayes Sohel Buyers will not come to Bangladesh as and politicians will do politics. Why transportation and energy supply, is they cannot wait for long. Then, facto- should we form human chains? Why the single largest bottleneck hamper- The country’s economy feels the pinch ries will be closed down … workers will ruin our industry. Some NGOs are in- Of course, it will lose competitiveness. should we be on the streets? ing our garments industry. This issue of political unrest as businesses trans- become unemployed. Entrepreneurs stigating the innocent workers to serve Production costs will rise by up to Our requests and appeals have gone will become even more important in port and all other aspects of daily life will go bankrupt. Large number of un- someone’s interest. The government 40%, which might force 30% of facto- unheeded. This is very concerning for the future, since buyers want to source almost grind to a halt due to long spells employment means social unrest. The should take this into account seriously ries to shut down. Buyers are reluctant the nation. Politicians should bear in more fashionable products with short- of anti-government strikes and block- nation will slip into crisis. and immediately, and save us as well to cut down on costs. mind that if the economy collapses, er lead times. l ades. For the $20bn-apparel industry, which employs more than 44 lakh people and accounts for nearly 80% of the country’s total exports, the situa- tion becomes worse as it is a fully ex- port-oriented industry. In the present situation, Md Atiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh (BGMEA), talks about the state of the readymade garments industry and a possible way out in an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune.

What is the impact of the ongoing spell of political unrest on the RMG industry? No doubt the situation is serious. Un- healthy politics has made healthy factories sick. It means people will become jobless. The spinal cord of the RMG sector is about to break as it has already been hit hard by labour unrest,  re incidents and sabotages. It is now facing order cancellations and rising transport costs, which have skyrocket- ed by more than 30% due to expensive air shipment. Exporters are failing to meet the lead time due to transport problems. To rub salt to our wounds, some buyers are even imposing penalties in case of delayed shipments, and cutting prices of products by demanding dis- counts. Many factories have stopped pro- duction as they are unable to bring im- ported raw materials from Chittagong port, and many exporters cannot af- ford shipment by air. Small factory owners and newcom- ers will face bankruptcy if they fail to deliver goods and pay bank interests on time. Also, the cost of production in- creased around  ve-folds in some cas- es during the blockades. Investment is at stake. Moreover, the taka has be- come stronger against the US dollar, making business costlier. So, we are falling from the frying pan into the  re. Women make 2013 gains, but glass ceiling still there n AFP, New York women hold just 15% of the top posts. 1000 companies are women, includ- man at DuPont, according to Catalyst es the percentage,” said Columbia Uni- care, distrust in abilities and a stub- And the numbers drop even further ing Meg Whitman at the head of Hew- consultants. versity professor Katherine Phillips. born cultural bias against women. In two high-pro le  rsts, women were in the biggest companies. lett-Packard, Virginia Rometty at IBM, “We would have to see a lot of wom- That said, over the past two de- “Women are being judged more named to lead General Motors and the Just 4.5% of the bosses in Fortune Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo and Ellen Kull- en” named CEO, before “it even chang- cades, the numbers are improving, if harshly,” said Marianne Cooper, refer- US Federal Reserve this year - posts slowly. ring to a study by consulting  rm McK- that had always been held by men. Yet In 1995, not one of the Fortune 1000 insey. women are still rarely found at the top. companies was run by a woman, and “Women are more likely to get into In addition to Mary Barra at GM just two percent were in 2005, accord- leadership roles in times of crisis, and Janet Yellen at the Fed, 2013 also ing to Phillips. (which) highly increases the likelihood saw Marillyn Hewson chosen to take Worldwide, women hold 11% of of failures.” charge of Lockheed Martin. board seats, according to GMI Ratings. In a perfect example, Hewson was In Europe, Inga Beal was named But some countries are doing far promoted at Lockheed Martin as the to head British insurance  rm Lloyd’s better than others. In Finland, Norway company faced major budget cuts and Daniele Nouy was picked to lead and Sweden, where the governments from the and only after reve- the eurozone-banking supervisor. have created parity quotas, women lations of an “inappropriate” relation- “We  nally have role models,” hold 30% of board positions. ship by the previous pick for CEO. cheered Tami Polmanteer, director of “Italy and France are seeing signif- And “women tend to earn less” human resources for the Daymon mar- icant increases in women’s represen- than men in equivalent jobs across keting group. tation following the passage of recent the board, said Cooper. In the United Stanford University sociologist Mar- laws on board diversity,” GMI Ratings States, the di erence is around six per- ianne Cooper said “each time a woman said. cent. gets a position like this, it is a victory But outside Europe, progress is There’s also a “mommy penalty,” because there are so few of them.” slow, especially in the United States said Phillips, citing a study by a Stan- But a similar wave of high-pro le and Canada. ford researcher that found women earn nominations a decade ago failed to And the developed country with the less as soon as they have children, be- trigger major changes. worst record of women in the top lev- cause they are viewed as less invested. Cooper contributed to Facebook els of business is Japan, where just one The opposite is true when men have top exec Sheryl Sandberg’s bestseller percent of board member positions are children. “Lean In,” which encouraged women held by women. A study of 130 countries on sala- to take on more responsibility in busi- Few cracks in the ceiling ry equality by the World Economic ness. Certain sectors are particularly be- Forum found the countries with Yesterday, more women graduate hind in promoting women, including the best records were Malaysia and with four-year college degrees than  nance and the sciences, where the Singapore. men. Women hold around half of the number of women in top positions is The United States was somewhere mid-level management positions in actually decreasing. in the middle of the pack, and France, big companies. Experts trace the di culties in in- where women earn 27% less than men But the presence of women in creasing parity to a lack of support in the private sector, was second to last top-level management tapers sharply: Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos REUTERS from management, insu cient child- ahead of just Mauritania. l