Print Edition: 13 March 2014

Falgun 28, 1420 Jamadiul Awal 11, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 349

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014

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B1 | UKRAINE CRISIS HITS FOOD IMPORTERS

7 | PRESERVING OUR NATIONAL HERITAGE

12 | AR RAHMAN, AKON TO PERFORM TODAY

15 | DJOKOVIC AND LI ADVANCE

RAB ‘grabs’ parts of reserve forest
New Gazipur training centre driving away locals, hurting livelihoods
n Ahmed Zayeef
Elite force Rapid Action Battalion is constructing a training centre, destroying a part of the reserve forest in Gazipur. To pave the way, the government in a gazette notification earlier this month cancelled declaration of the allocated 20 acre land. Due to the sudden development, not only the forest but also the poor inhabitants, their age-old accommodation, education, property and assets have been threatened. RAB officials have allegedly been using forces to drive away the locals from the place. When contacted, top officials of the district administration and the forest department responded reluctantly, and April 13, 1955 and November 15, 1984. To establish the permanent building of RAB force’s training school, the government decided to withdraw the declaration of this land.” According to the gazette, the area is situated in Baupara Beat of Bhawal National Park Range. A total of 19.97 acres of land have been declared as non-classified area. The government officially declared it as a national park in 1973. The RAB authorities have already started their work. They marked the area with pillars and hung four signboards that read: Entry prohibited; area selected for RAB force’s training school. They also evacuated 27 landless families who had been living in the area for over 50 years. A non-government high school building and half of its playground also falls under the acquired area. Signs of destruction were seen all over the area. Few dismantled mudmade houses were standing without roofs. Most of the landless families left the area on a short notice issued by the RAB personnel. Some of them are now staying in the adjacent area by making temporary houses. Day labour Yunus Ali told this correspondent that some RAB personnel came to the area on January 3 this year, along with the local ward councillor Delwar Hossain. “They gathered us in an open place and ordered us to leave the area immediately. We urged them to give us some time, and they gave only 15 days. But they came back before that and forced us to leave.” While talking to Yunus, few other people gathered around a tea stall within a very short time. All of them were eager to say something about the sudden evacuation.
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27 landless families who had been living in the area for over 50 years have been forced to leave
did not give any details. On the other hand, RAB brushed away the allegations of intimidation. The Dhaka Tribune reporter visited the area, Porabari village, on Monday. It is around seven kilometres from Gazipur intersection, near the Porabari Bazar, and only a 5-minute walking distance from Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. It is green, verdant, peaceful village. A pond named “Botgachiar Pukur” is at the centre of the area. A lot of mango, banana, jackfruit, litchi, Shishu and eucalyptus trees were seen in the area. The gazette issued on March 5 said: “According to the Forest Law of 1927, the land was declared as a reserve forest through gazette notifications of

A cow grazes on the land that was acquired to set up a training school for the RAB forces in Porabari of Gazipur. The photo was taken yesterday

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Missing jet may have strayed toward Andaman Sea
n Reuters
Malaysia’s military has traced what could have been the jetliner missing for almost five days to an area south of the Thai holiday island of Phuket, hundreds of miles from its last known position, the country’s air force chief said yesterday. After a series of at times conflicting statements, the latest revelation underlined that authorities remain uncertain even where to look for the plane, and no closer to explaining what happened to Malaysia  Airlines  Flight MH370 or the 239 people on board. The flight disappeared from civilian radar screens shortly before 1:30am on Saturday, less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, as it flew northeast across the mouth of the Gulf of Thailand bound for Beijing. Malaysian Air Force Chief Rodzali Daud told a news conference that an aircraft was plotted on military radar at 2:15am, 200 miles northwest of Penang Island off Malaysia’s west coast. It was not confirmed that the unidentified plane was Flight MH370, but Malaysia was sharing the data with international civilian and military authorities, Rodzali said. “We are corroborating this,” he added. “We are still working with the experts, it is an unidentified plot.”

Plans to fence parliament suspended
n Kamran Reza Chowdhury
The authorities have temporarily halted the move to erect security fence around the parliament building until the original master plan is collected from the US. Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had a meeting with officials of the Public Works Department, the Department of Architecture and security wing of the parliament, where she enquired about the construction of the fence. She also asked them whether the fencing would hamper the proposed construction of the metro rail link that
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Agonising wait

According to the data from Rodzali, if it was the missing plane it would have flown for 45 minutes and lost only about 5,000 feet in altitude. There was no word on which direction it was headed and still no clue what happened aboard, prolonging the agonising wait for news for hundreds of relatives of those on board. A position 200 miles northwest of Penang, in the northern part of the Strait of Malacca, would put the plane roughly south of Phuket and east of the tip of Indonesia’s Aceh province and India’s Nicobar island chain. Indonesia and Thailand have said
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INSIDE
News
3 The prosecution yesterday completed its part of closing arguments against war crimes accused Motiur Rahman Nizami seeking highest punishment for the “ring leader” of collaborators.

Khoka now to quit city leadership to ‘save face’
His announcement stoked intra-party feud and controversy among the party leaders and activists as many of them think it was Khoka’s “face saving trick”. Khoka, who was in the helm of Dhaka city BNP for the last 17 years, tried his best to cling to the post and to this end he held a meeting with the BNP chairperson but eventually he failed to manage the party chief, sources said. Khaleda on March 9 in a standing committee meeting decided to reorganise the city committee. Party sources said Khoka sat with some of his colleagues on Tuesday night and decided to hold a press conference which the senior leaders of the party disagreed saying it would amount to humiliating party decision. Three senior leaders of the party
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Nation

6 Students of Nachol Madhabpur High School in Chapainawabganj fear they have to suffer a lot in the coming days as the summer season is nearer.

International

8 EU member states have agreed the wording of sanctions on Russia, including travel restrictions and asset freezes against those responsible for violating the sovereignty of Ukraine, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla
Two days after BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s decision to reconstitute the Dhaka city unit for its failure to build up any resistance against the January 5 polls the committee Convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka yesterday hoped his party would relieve him of his responsibility soon.

Op-Ed

11 While the entire Bangladesh banking industry is struggling with inefficiency and graft, many are thinking: How do we ensure the migration of best practices to Bangladesh banking?

NOTICE
Dear readers: starting this week, we shall be printing our Avenue T lifestyle supplement on Saturday instead of the usual Thursday

Violence escalates ahead of upazila polls
Al-Masum Molla n Mohammad and Mohammad Zakaria
Escalation of violence and violation of electoral code of conduct across the country have marked the scenario ahead of the third phase of upazila parishad elections. A total of 81 upazilas will go to the polls on March 15. As the BNP Jamaat-backed candidates led the last two phases of the elections, the ruling Awami League has been trying hard to make its candidates win in the next phase. The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have also been trying to keep on winning the victory. Election related violence slightly increased compared to the last two phases, but the Election Commission was yet to take any measures to combat violence and create a congenial atmosphere for voters. The EC only suspended polling in an upazila due to violence. Stray incidents of violence had also marked the first phase while one person was killed in the second phase of the upazila polls. But one person has already been killed ahead of the third phase prompting the EC to postpone voting in the upazila. The Awami League tried to ensure win of single candidates in more seats
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2
DEEP SEA PORT AT SONADIA

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Dubai firm proposes pre-construction study
n Mohosinul Karim
The DP World, an Emirati marine terminal operator interested in investing in three major projects in Bangladesh, yesterday proposed that a study be conducted before investment in construction of a deep-sea port at Sonadia in Cox’s Bazar was made. The idea was suggested during a presentation of its multi-billion dollar investment proposal for construction of deepsea port at the Prime Minister’s Office. Members of the government’s high-level committee led by the principal secretary to the prime minister were present at the presentation. DP World proposed a long-term agreement for the New Mooring Container Terminal at the port of Chittagong be made based on the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) method. This is a joint venture with the government of Bangladesh for building a deep-sea port at Sonadia and also an inland container terminal on JV/EOT/BOT at Gazipur. Jamal Abdul Nasser, CEO of the deep-sea port body told the Dhaka Tribune that two companies from the Netherlands and China also made presentations. “Nothing has been finalised yet. It will be done during the next meeting to be held soon,” he said. According to the shipping ministry, proposal of the DP World has its position on top of the list while that of Rotterdam Port, the Netherlands-based firm, and China Harbour, the Chinese firm, are also under consideration. According to the proposal of DP World submitted to the ministry earlier in the day, at least $14 billion will be needed to construct the deep-sea port. Construction will be done in three phases by 2055. The proposal says the UAE, through DP World, has experience in developing, operating and maintaining large seaports globally. “The DP World has a portfolio of more than 65 marine terminals across six continents, including new developments underway in India, Africa, Europe, South America and the Middle East. In 2012, it handled more than 56 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units),” the proposal reads. The proposal also mentioned that Bangladesh had achieved effective economic growth over the past 10 years and had seen consistent growth in its export and import trade. Majority of its export and import traffic is currently being handled from the port of Chittagong facing severe congestion because of infrastructure bottleneck which in turn is hampering Bangladesh’s trade growth, the proposal said. Meanwhile, additional secretary of the shipping ministry Mohammad Alauddin will be attending a meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in Thailand on March 18. Construction of deep-sea ports in the BIMSTEC area is expected to be discussed at the meeting. l

Abu Hafiz: Violence during polls is commonplace n Tribune Report
Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz yesterday said violence during polls became a commonplace in the country. “If violence does not occur during polls, it seems unusual. Our neighbouring country, India, also witnesses violence during polls,” he told reporters at the EC secretariat. The commission had taken stern measures and that was why incidents of violence during polls were much less, Hafiz said. The commissioner said holding election in a day had turned into a culture. The commission was holding polls in phases for different reasons like SSC examinations, he mentioned, adding that the army assisted the election officials in holding polls. The commission will sit today with the chiefs of law enforcement agencies, principal staff officer of armed forces division and officials concerned for talks on the deployment of lawmen to the Tangail 8 by-poll. The Tangail 8 by-election would be held on March 29. l

Muhith: Revenue target not possible
n Tribune Report
Finance Minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhit yesterday told the parliament that the government had made the decision to collect revenues for the 2013-14 fiscal year and said it would not be possible to achieve the revenue target because of political crisis and global recession. The recent political situation of the country and global recession had negative impact on investment, export and import, the minister said while replying to a question of Awami League lawmaker Musfafizur Rahman of Chittagong 16 constituency. The minister confessed that there was corruption in taxation and industrialisation, saying the government was not able to take action as there was no allegation in this regard. “All corruption cases become normal if there is not any complaint. But if we get a complaint, we take action against it,” he said. Replying to the question of M Abdul Lalif, the minister also said the government was informed about fraudulences in mobile and online banking, which mostly happened because of lack of IT related knowledge of the users. l

MPs take part in anthem rehearsal n Tribune Report
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and members of parliament yesterday took part in a rehearsal to sing the national anthem as preparation for a record-making attempt on March 26 at the national parade square. Over 50 MPs, including several ministers, assembled at the south plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the afternoon to the practice with singer Mita Haque. The rehearsal continued for about half an hour before the house went into session. The Parliament Secretariat provided the MPs with printed copies of the national anthem. However, most of the MPs fumbled while singing in tune with Mita. MP Rahmat Ali, who could not manage to stand for more than five minutes, fell ill and had to sit down while singing the national anthem. According to the plan, over three lakh people will sing the anthem on Independence Day to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. l

RAB ‘grabs’ parts of reserve forest
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Harun-or-Rashid, a tailor, said: “One day they [RAB members] came to my house and beat me up in front of my wife and children. They threatened me with dire consequences if I did not leave the area immediately.” The non-government educational institute, Shah Sufi Fosi Uddin High School, was established in 1995. Around 650 students are studying there now. The school has two buildings – one is a two-storied one, and the other is single-storied. There is a playground in front of the school. It is also used for Eid congregations where people from Baorait, Uttor Santra and Porabari villages gather every year. But the one-storey building and half of the ground have fallen under RAB’s acquisition. Headmaster Sanaullah Sarkar said: “The RAB authorities verbally told us that they will not acquire this land permanently. But few days ago, we wanted to cut a tree which the school authorities planted a couple of years back. We wanted to make some chairs and tables for the students but they [RAB] did not allow us to do it.” “Now we are concerned about the existence of the school.” Some 10 RAB personnel are now staying in the area in a house which was made by Abul Kalam Azad, former managing director of Bangladesh Tea Board. He said: “I bought this land in 1978. When the forest department claimed it to be government property, I went to the court. The High Court gave the decision in my favour. Now I am waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision.” Azad claimed that the RAB personnel went there all of a sudden and acquired his house without any notice. “I had a farm with 25 Australian cows.

They untied those cows and scattered them all over the village. After searching, I found only five of them.” Wing Commander ATM Habibur Rahman, director of RAB’s legal and media wing, said: “We wanted some land from the government to establish the school and they gave us this land. Ask them why they did so.” About the intimidation by RAB personnel in the acquired area, he said: “We did not receive any such allegations.” While talking to the Dhaka Tribune over phone, Chief Forest Conservator Yunus Ali first claimed that the area was not reserved forest, it is “acquired by the government.” As the reporter read out the full gazette, he started stammering. He said: “As the government is satisfied with the RAB, it gave them permission.” He declined to make any further comment on the issue. Md Nurul Islam, the Gazipur deputy commissioner, said he and his office did not have anything to do with the issue. He came to know about it upon receiving a copy of the gazette notification. Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmad, country representative for IUCN Bangladesh, told the Dhaka Tribune: “This reserved forest has already been disturbed. It has already shrunk in size. Any permanent infrastructure is harmful here.” The Border Guard Bangladesh authorities early last year took over 40 acres in Cox’s Bazar’s Rajarkul range and started developing it without prior permission from the forest department. Of the land, 36 acres fall within the purview of a reserve and the rest under a protected forest area. Former environment and forest minister Hasan Mahmud termed the land allocation a special consideration of the government. l

Red flags are erected near some date trees in front of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban to mark the areas designated for the proposed metro rail tracks. The photo was taken yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM

Plans to fence parliament suspended
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goes along the eastern side of Jatiya Sangsad Avenue. The officials told the premier that they did not have the original plan of the building and it would cost Tk85 lakh to get a copy from architect Luis I Kahn’s son. “Such a cost should not hold up the project,” Hasina told the officials and ordered the Department of Architecture to get the copy as soon as possible. “We have suspended the construction of the fence until we get the original copy of the master plan,” Selim Khan, executive engineer of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Meanwhile, the public works department has already marked a straight line with red flags from the northern side of Sangsad Avenue to the southern end of the parliament premises. The line is around 30 feet inside the proposed fencing point.

Metro rail route

According to the Parliament Secretariat sources, the public works department has assessed that the existing boundary wall on the eastern side has encroached at least 30 feet of the Sangsad Avenue, which should have been 150 feet. At present, the road is 120 feet. Starting in Pallabi of Mirpur, the proposed metro rail route is set to cross along

the eastern side of the Sangsad Avenue and take a left-turn near Ispahani Eye Hospital and head toward Sayedabad. Environmentalists and architects raised concerns over the construction of the metro rail project for alleged violation of Kahn’s design. An official of the Parliament Secretariat said the technical experts on the metro rail project would examine the site and go for construction of the infrastructure upon instruction from the prime minister who would examine the original plan. One of the largest legislative complexes in the world, the parliament building comprises 215 acres of land. It was inaugurated on January 28, 1982. l

Khoka now to quit city leadership to ‘save face’
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said though Khoka would be dropped from the committee his strong grip over it would remain ever strong as no other competent city leaders came to the limelight in more than a decade. When contacted senior leaders refused to comment but expressed their grievances saying Khoka was trying to linger the reconstitution of the committee by making his announcement public. “Those who are involved in corrupt politics only they can say like this. He made the announcement to conceal his failure,” Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, a standing committee member said. Earlier on February 10, Khaleda slammed the city unit leaders for not taking to the street. “When I was evicted from my cantonment residence nobody then opened fire on you but you were not seen on the streets. You have

failed,” Khaleda blamed the city leaders. Khoka at a press briefing said he did not want to stay in the committee and requested the BNP chairperson to reconstitute the city committee. “I do not want to carry on with the responsibility anymore. I requested Netri (Khaleda) to reconstitute the committee and she will take initiative soon. When I was in jail I sent a message to Madam (Khaleda) to do so with either Mirza Abbas or Abdul Awal Mintoo putting at the helm of the city unit,” Khoka said. “I believe in democracy. As I am a loyal activist of the party, I do not want the party to remain stagnant and that’s why I will carry on with the role of convener till the reconstitution of the committee,” he said. On criticism from inside and outside the party for poor performance of city leaders on the street, Khoka defending

himself said: “Those people have poor knowledge about politics. Some of our party leaders are making such statements and playing blame game. I think it is not proper party politics.” Explaining why they failed to build up any resistance on the instruction of the party chief he said: “We fought against Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and autocratic Ershad. This time the government was harsher than even the government of that time. We could not wage any movement because of killing and abduction.” “It was Khoka’s trick to share the blame of failure on senior leaders,” a senior leader told the Dhaka Tribune. The city unit was formed on May 14, 2011 with Sadeque Hossain Khoka as its convener and Salam the member secretary. It was asked to form the ward and the thana-level committees within six months. l

Khandaker Mosharraf detained in graft case n Tribune Report
The police detained BNP Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain yesterday night, in connection with a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The BNP leader was held from his Gulshan residence in the capital by ACC Deputy Director Ahsan Ali with the help of local police, said Pronob Kumar Bhattcharjee, public relation officer of the ACC. Earlier, the commission filed a case against Khandaker Mosharraf on charge of allegedly laundering around Tk9.54crore to the United Kingdom. Nasim Anwar, director of the anti-graft watchdog, filed the case with the Ramna police station on February 6. According to the case statement, the former minister earned foreign currency valued over £800,000 (Tk95,395,381) by abusing his power between 2001 and 2006, and through concealing information. He deposited the money at a fixed-term deposit account at Lloyds TSB Offshore Private Banking at Guernsey in the UK. The joint account belongs to the former minister and his wife Bilkis Akhter Hossain. Earlier on February 25, the Appellate Division canceled the High Court verdict that granted a six-week anticipatory bail to Khandaker Mosharraf in a money laundering case. The five-member apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain yesterday came up with the ruling in response to an appeal lodged on February 16 by the ACC. Meanwhile, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia condemned the “arrest” of Khandaker Mosharraf and demanded his immediate release. In a statement signed by the party’s Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Khaleda Zia said: “The incumbent illegal government has been hatching conspiracy to destroy the opposition party and Mosharraf’s arrest is part of that conspiracy.” Arresting a veteran leader like Mosharraf in a false case would lead the government to a wrong direction, she added.l

Missing jet may have strayed toward Andaman Sea Violence escalates
 PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

their militaries detected no sign of any unusual aircraft in their airspace. The position is hundreds of miles west of the point where the Boeing 777200ER dropped off air traffic control screens. Malaysia has asked India for help in tracing the aircraft and New Delhi’s coastguard planes have joined the search. Authorities however are continuing to search around both locations at the last known position of the plane over the Gulf of Thailand and around the radar plotting site where the Malacca Strait meets the Andaman Sea. In total, the search is over 27,000 square nautical miles (93,000 sq-km), an area the size of Hungary. Until now, there has been no confirmed sighting of the plane or any debris. A dozen countries are helping Malaysia in the search, with 42 ships and 39 aircraft involved, Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.

Malaysia has been criticised for giving conflicting and confusing information on the last known location of aircraft. Earlier yesterday, Air Force Chief Rodzali had denied saying military radar had tracked MH370 flying over the Strait of Malacca. Vietnam briefly scaled down search operations in waters off its southern coast, saying it was receiving scanty and confusing information from Malaysia over where the aircraft may have headed after it lost contact with air traffic control. Hanoi later said the search was back on in full force and was even extending on to land. China also said its air force would sweep areas in the sea, clarifying however that no searches over land were planned.

Nothing ruled out

Confusing information

In the absence of any concrete evidence to explain the plane’s disappearance, authorities have not ruled out anything. Police have said they were investigating whether any passengers

or crew on the plane had personal or psychological problems that might shed light on the mystery, along with the possibility of a hijacking, sabotage or mechanical failure. The airline said it was taking seriously a report by a South African woman who said the co-pilot of the missing plane had invited her and a female companion to sit in the cockpit during a flight two years ago, in an apparent breach of security. Hugh Dunleavy, the commercial director of Malaysia Airlines, however, told Reuters there was no reason to blame the crew. “We have no reason to believe that there was anything, any actions, internally by the crew that caused the disappearance of this aircraft,” he said. The Boeing 777 has one of the best safety records of any commercial aircraft in service. Its only previous fatal crash came on July 6 last year when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 struck a seawall on landing in San Francisco, killing three people. l

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failed in at least 50 seats. The BNP Jamaat coalition also failed to manage its rebel candidates. Candidates of both the Awami League and the BNP and rebels were busy carrying out last moment polls campaign with allegations and counter allegations of violation of electoral code of conduct. The polls campaign will end tonight. Although the EC was thinking of sending letters to the political parties, especially the ruling party ministers and MPs, asking them not to influence the local body polls, it did not as of yesterday, a senior EC official told the Dhaka Tribune seeking anonymity. The commission observed that most incidents of violence occurred in areas where there were ministers and MPs. “We are keeping watch on the situation. The commission asked the authorities concerned to take stern action against anyone violating electoral laws and to keep an eye on the situation,” Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. About writing to the political parties, he said the EC would observe the

third phase of polls and then make a decision on this. Meanwhile, the EC postponed the election in Shreepur upazila of Gazipur as violence flared up in the upazila. The High Court also stayed the polls in Fenchuganj upazila. At least 15 Awami League activists were injured in attacks by the supporters of BNP-backed candidate in Fulgazi upazila of Feni. The attackers vandalised the election office of the Awami Leaguebacked candidate and set fire to two cars. Army and other law enforcement agencies, including Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, police and Ansar, would be deployed from today in the upazilas to maintain law and order during the polls. A total of 1,119 candidates are contesting the polls in 81 upazilas. Of them, 419 are vying for chairman posts, 423 for vice-chairman posts, and 277 for women vice-chairman posts. A total of 76,216 law enforcers will be deployed in 5,444 polling stations in 81 upazilas where 35,331 polling booths have been set up. A total of 13,185,013 voters — 66,00,131 male and 65,67,832 female — will cast their votes in the polls. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, March 13, 2014

3

Rape victim’s condition deteriorates
n Mohammad Jamil Khan
The condition of a five-year-old rape victim of Mirpur yesterday was stated to be critical as the bleeding did not stop. She is now undergoing treatment at the One-stop Crisis Centre (OCC) of Dhaka medical College Hospital. “The condition of the girl has deteriorated as bleeding did not stop. The organ was badly ruptured by torture,” Bilkis Begum, coordinator of the OCC, told the Dhaka Tribune. “Our specialised doctors are doing their best to cure the child and we are hopeful about it.” She said they would say clearly about the torture after getting result of the DNA test. The child was admitted to the DMCH on Tuesday after she was allegedly raped by the Arabic teacher of her school – Holy Crescent School and College. Police arrested the culprit, Minhaz Uddin, after the incident and verified the arrestee by the victim. Bail, remand rejected Police yesterday placed the accused before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court seeking a five-day remand while the defence lawyer submitted bail prayer. After a hearing, Judge Alamgir Kabir Raj rejecting the prayers sent the accused to jail. Accused Minhaz is the younger brother of Mesbah Uddin, principal of the school. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sits for a photo session with members of the joint governing body of the National Defence College and the Defence Services Command and Staff College at Dhaka Cantonment yesterday

PMO

Prosecution ends arguments in Nizami case
n Udisa Islam
The prosecution yesterday completed its part of closing arguments against war crimes accused Motiur Rahman Nizami seeking highest punishment for the “ring leader” of collaborators. Prosecutors Mohammad Ali and Tureen Afroz sought the sentence as they completed their argument separately against the accused. The tribunal is hearing the closing arguments in the case for the second time as the former chairman of International Crimes Tribunal 1 had gone into retirement before delivering the verdict. On the third day of hearing, Ali argued on five charges. On charge number 16, which is related to intellectual killing, he read out the full deposition of Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, wife of martyred intellectual Alim Chowdhury. On Tuesday, the tribunal asked Ali to close the arguments by 1pm including the submission of Tureen and others, if any. But he took the whole time alone and sought one more session for Syed Haider Ali. The tribunal then asked Haider to place his submission after Tureen since he was senior to her. In the second session, Tureen argued on three specific parts – responses to some questions that came up during the submission by Ali and by the defence at different times and the legal arguments on incitement and criminal responsibility. After her two-hour submission she said: “Nizami was the ring leader of all the crimes committed by al-Badr and Islami Chhatra Sangha during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.” She argued that Nizami had superior responsibility in committing crimes against humanity. She also said the prosecution was able to prove all the charges against Nizami and therefore, seeking highest punishment for him. After her arguments, prosecutor Haider took part in the hearing. The tribunal then adjourned the hearing until today asking the defence to start placing their part of closing arguments in the case. Meanwhile, the tribunal 2 yesterday adjourned the hearing in the trial of Syed Md Qaisar until today. l

PM: Public health threatened by food adulteration
n Tribune Report
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday told the Jatiya Sangsad that adulteration of food items has become a threat against public health. “Some unscrupulous traders have been committing isolated crimes by mixing formalin with food items in some areas of the country,” she said while replying to a query by lawmaker Altab Uddin Sarkar during the question-answer session. The premier said the government had already taken stern steps to deal with the dishonest traders. The parliament sitting, chaired by Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, had the first 30 minutes of the question-answer session selected for the premier. Hasina also said the government had been carrying out a campaign to create awareness among the people against food adulteration. “The government has enacted laws and set up a directorate to protect consumers’ rights and impose restriction on import of formalin,” she added. Responding to a supplementary question from Awami League lawmaker Shamsul Haque Chowdhury, the prime minister said her government would keep up the development of the country, adding that the people had again given them the chance to form a government. Hasina said the country would march forward even in the face of political violence unleashed by the BNP Jamaat. Replying to a query by Awami League lawmaker Enamul Haque, the premier also told the parliament about six priority “fast track” projects for the current tenure that include Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant, coal-based power plant of Rampal, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) of Dhaka (Metro Rail Project), deep seaport of Sonadia and LNG terminal project. Listing the government’s longterm economic plan, Hasina said the country would turn into a mid-income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041. “The government has been working to decrease the poverty rate to 13% by 2021,” she added. l

HC drops contempt proceedings against journos n Tribune Report
The High Court yesterday dropped the contempt of court proceedings against two Bangla newspapers and president and general secretaries of four journalists bodies for demanding apology from lawyer Rokanuddin Mahmud for his demeaning comment against journalists. The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed passed the order after the journalists of the dailies – Samakal and Naya Diganta, and the Dhaka Reporters Unity, Barisal Division Journalists Association, Dhaka University Journalists Association and Jagannath University Journalists Association sought unconditional apology. The two dailies published the statements of the four organisations and later Rokanuddin drew the court’s attention to those. On Sunday, the bench issued a contempt of court ruling against the editors and publishers of the two newspapers, the president and secretaries of the journalists bodies. On March 2, the same bench on its own motion summoned Mizanur Rahman Khan, joint editor of Prothom Alo, for writing a post-editorial questioning the anticipatory bails granted by the bench. The court issued a contempt of court ruling against Editor Matiur Rahman and Mizanur. l

Alleged war criminal vandalises witness’ house in Begumganj
n Our correspondent, Noakhali
A man dubbed as “war criminal” in association with his cohorts in Begumganj upazila of the district allegedly vandalised the house of a witness in a war crimes case. The incident occurred early yesterday in the village of Choia Hossainpur under Rajganj union in the upazila. Locals said Belal ‘Rajakar’ – as he was known in the village for his alleged involvement in war crimes – allegedly vandalised the house of Md Abdul Gafur around 4am yesterday. Gafur was a witness in the war crimes case against Belal. The case was lodged with the judicial magistrate court of Noakhali on May 18, 2010, by one Moklesur Rahaman, son of Mofij Mia in the same village. Mostafijur Rahaman, officer-in-charge of Begumganj Model police station, said the lawmen rushed to the spot immediately after hearing the news of vandalism and brought the situation under control. A legal battle over a piece of land was going on between Belal and Gafur for a long time, the OC said, adding that on Tuesday Belal got the court verdict in his favour, and a sheer vengeance might have led to the vandalism. Gafur said he would file a case with the police station in this connection. l

A DMP employee installs CCTV cameras at an Uttara intersection yesterday as part of the beefed up security measures surrounding the T20 World Cup SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

HC to hear amici curie on judges’ appointment issue

7 amici curie to hear national poll’s uncontested winner case
n Nazmus Sakib
The High Court yesterday asked six Supreme Court lawyers and the secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJON) to place their opinions as amici curie during the hearing on constitutionality of declaring an uncontested candidate winner in general election. Senior lawyers Dr Kamal Hossain, M Amir-Ul Islam, Rafique-Ul Huq, Mahmudul Islam, Moudud Ahmed and Rokanuddin Mahmud and SHUJON Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder will attend the hearing when the case is put on the cause list from March 14 to 31, Deputy Attorney General Al-Amin SarkNOTICE FOR PUBLIC CONSULATION MEETING
A Public Consulation Meeting will be held as a part of preparation of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) at proposed plant site at APSCL Complex, Ashuganj, Brahmanbaria on 22 March, 2014 at 11.00 am. Your kind participation will be highly appreciated. Authority United Ashuganj Energy Ltd.

er told the Dhaka Tribune. The bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar gave the order. On February 16, the bench had issued a ruling seeking explanations as to why the provision of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) for declaring an uncontested candidate winner in parliamentary poll should not be declared unconstitutional. It passed the order in response to a writ plea filed on December 17 by Jatiya Party Vice-Chairman Khandker Abdus Salam. The cabinet secretary, the law secretary, the chief election commissioner

and the Election Commission secretary were asked to reply to the ruling in 10 days. However, they had not replied yet, lawyer for the petitioner Hassan MS Azim told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. The petition said: “The [RPO] provision is also contrary to the constitution as it inherently possesses the scope of arbitrary and discriminatory use of the election process by the political parties and, thereby, gets their choice of candidates declared by the Election Commission to have been elected avoiding participation of the people.” A total of 153 lawmakers were elected unopposed in the 10th parliamentary election held on January 5. l

Female leaders asked to testify May 6
n Tribune Report
A Sylhet court yesterday ruled that the four female leaders including an Awami League lawmaker injured in a JMB attack on March 24, 2004 appear before it on May 06 to testify against the accused of the banned Islamist outfit. Judge Mohidul Islam of Public Security Disruption Prevention Tribunal passed the order. The female leaders were supposed to appear before the tribunal yesterday, but they were absent from their court appearance. The four female witnesses are lawmaker Syeda Zebunnessa Haq, district unit Mohila Dal joint secretary Asma Kamran, Mohila League general secretary Rubi Fatema Islam and its leader Salma Basit. According to the court sources, JMB members launched an attack on a meeting held at the lawmaker’s house. At least 15 leaders of Awami League were injured in the attack. Following the attack, the lawmaker’s husband Enamul Haq filed a case with Kotwali police station against the JMB leaders including Mufti Abdul Hannan, Delowar Hossain, Mofijul Islam and Mufti Moinuddin. l

SYLHET JMB ATTACK

n Tribune Report

Five senior lawyers have been asked to present their opinion as amici curie on a writ petition that sought specific guidelines for appointing judges of the High Court. The lawyers are Dr Kamal Hossain, Barrister Rafique-Ul Huq, Moudud Ahmed, Rokanuddin Mahmud and Ajmalul Hossain QC. They would place their opinion in their convenient time. The bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the order. Hassan MS Azim, lawyer for the petitioner, told the Dhaka Tribune that the court on June 6, 2010 sought explanations from the government as to why specific guidelines should not be framed for the appointment to bring transparency and competitiveness in the process. The matter would be in cause list for hearing after vacation that starts from tomorrow until March 31, he said.l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Bangladesh presses for ending violence against women
Gender violence costing country 2% of total GDP
n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman
With the backdrop of recent studies finding that 87% married women in the country experience violence by their spouses, Bangladesh has been pressing for a stop to violence against women and the elimination of child marriage at the ongoing session of the Commission on Status of Women. Bangladesh has put forward its proposal to the UN for post-2015 development agenda, which includes two goals on ensuring equal opportunity and benefit for all women, and ensuring the role of women in decision-making process. The matter will be discussed during the 58th session of the Commission on Status of Women that started on March 10 and will continue until March 21 in New York. Speaking on the issue, Christine Hunter, country representative for UN Women Bangladesh, told the Dhaka Tribune: “I am really hoping that Bangladesh will continue to advocate for these positions.” The session in New York creates a very good platform for advocacy, she said, adding that the conclusions agreed at the session were binding for all member countries. About the role of women in decision-making process, Hunter said: “We have taken some good steps, and now we have to take our next steps.” Citing an example, she said out of 12 posts in the local government council, three were reserved for women. “There are nine men on a council and each man covers one constituency. And those three women cover three of those. So constituencies covered by three men have to be covered by one woman, but her budget is same,” Hunter pointed out. Saying the civil society and development partners were concerned about reproductive health and rights issues, the UN official added that although Bangladesh had done well in reducing maternal mortality, there was still more to do. Child marriage was linked to early pregnancy and the chance of dying in childbirth was higher for young women, she added. If adolescents had the full understanding and education about reproductive health, and were able to discuss it with their parents and get the services they need, it would greatly help in reducing maternal mortality, Hunter said. Recent studies had also found that the cost of violence against women constituted 2% of the total GDP in Bangladesh, while the country was ranked third in the world and first in Asia regarding child marriage, with 65% women being married before the age of 18. She also said Bangladesh has achieved many of the Millennium Development Goals despite being a poor country. In the discussion on the post-2015 agenda, the Bangladesh government was making a strong point that the post-2015 goals have to be in equal partnership between the wealthy and the poor countries, and that the wealthier countries would have to live up to their commitment, she said. “We should invest the resources. These are important because if we believe in human rights, we should not have people living in extreme poverty and destitution. We should not have people excluded from social processes; so, we need to invest on that,” Hunter added. l

No third carrier for hajj flights: Menon n Mohosinul Karim
No other airline except the flag carriers of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia would be allowed to carry hajj pilgrims this year, despite a recent High Court ruling to permit a third carrier, according to a decision by the civil aviation ministry. Only Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines would be permitted to operate hajj flights, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told reporters yesterday. “We want Biman and Saudia to carry pilgrims as it would be easy for us to deal with them. So, we have decided not to allow a third carrier. There will be no third carrier this year,” Menon added. On July 29, the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh and a pilgrim jointly filed a writ petition challenging the legality of a similar government decision last year to allow only Biman and Saudia to carry pilgrims. The High Court on February 20 declared the decision as illegal and ruled that pilgrims could choose any airline to go for hajj. However, Menon said the government had obtained a stay order on the HC ruling after an appeal two weeks ago. The minister, meanwhile, rejected a proposal to allow National Air Services (NAS Air), a Saudi state-owned airlines, to fly pilgrims. Saudi Ambassador Abdullah bin Nasser Al Basiri made the offer when he met the minister earlier at his secretariat office in the capital. “We have rejected their proposal to carry hajj pilgrims, as it is an inefficient and irresponsible air agency. There are lots of allegations against the agency,” Menon said. “But they may be allowed to carry passengers for umrah. We will consider it,” he added. According to the civil aviation ministry, NAS Air had carried pilgrims in 2011 and 2012. But the pilgrims had to suffer long delays at Jeddah airport. They also faced problems after returning home as most of them lost their luggage. Thus, the ministry decided not to reassign the airlines for hajj flights. l

A jubilant woman shows a victory sign in Dhanmondi yesterday after collecting her ticket for a concert that will celebrate the T20 World Cup DHAKA TRIBUNE

Policeman's 'hired goons kill' wife
n Our Correspondent, Rajbari
A case was filed yesterday with Rajbari sadar police station in connection with the alleged murder of a college girl on a Khulna-bound moving train on March 1. Police have started to investigate the incident and the station’s Officerin-Charge Md Abdul Khaleque said they were trying to arrest the accused as soon as possible. The college girl was killed allegedly by her husband’s hired goons after she was raped inside compartment No 5002 of Nokshikatha mail train. Sources said she was going to a rally of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. The girl’s was Morzina Khatun, 20, daughter of Abdus Sukur Mandal of village Gangaprosadpur in Rajbari sadar upazila. She was an HSC final year student of Rajbari Government Mohila College. The victim’s uncle Ahamed Mandal said Morzina was married two years ago with police constable Mamun Mollah, son of Helal Uddin Mollah of village Rotondia in Kalukhali upazila of the district, after she passed her SSC examinations. The uncle said Mamun was jobless when he married Morzina in exchange of Tk4.5 lakh as dowry. Mamun needed the money as bribe for getting a job in the police service, he added. Ahamed said Morzina’s husband now works as a police constable at Dhaka Metropolitan Police service, but denies he is married. Family sources said Mamun had cut-off relation with Morzina after getting the job in police. They claimed he later hired goons to kill her. When contacted, Investigation Officer of the case Babon Uddin Mollah, sub-inspector of Rajbari Government Rail Police, said there was no doubt that miscreants killed Morzina after rape. Police said when the train reached Pangsha Railway Station, railway police found the compartment door locked. They later peeped inside the compartment through the window and saw a girl’s body hanging with the ceiling fan. They then broke the door and recovered the body. After being informed, Mamun came to the victim’s house and asked Morzina’s father to dismiss the murder issue and offered him the dowry money back. As a result, the victim’s family could not file any case in this connection from the day of the incident. l

BSF returns four children
Correspondent, n Our Chapainawabganj
The Indian Border Security Force returned four Bangladeshi children yesterday, who were trafficked to India through Sonamoshjid port in Chapainawabganj district. They were identified as Masud Ali, 14, son of Rafiqul Islam, Imon Imam, 12, son of Iqbal Hossain of Sopura village, Abdul Zabbar, son of Rabiul Islam of Dinajpur district and Ripa Khatun,13, daughter of Abdul Khaleque of Mymensingh district. The children remained imprisoned for 19 months to 36 months in Bohrompur Jail of India. They were brought back to the country with the help of Jatiya Mohila Ainjibi Samity. Authorities of Mohdipur Immigration in Maldohol district in India handed them over to authorities of Sonamoshjid Immigration. BSF and BGB officers were present at that time. The children would be handed over to their family members, said sources. l

Oxygen plant explosion kills 2 n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj,
At least two workers were killed and 10 others injured in an oxygen plant explosion yesterday inside a rerolling factory in Barpa area in Narayanganj. The deceased were identified as Abu Zafar, 22, and Abdur Razzak, 23. The incident took place at 4pm inside the Ahmmad Rerolling Factory at Barpa, besides the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway. OC of Rupganj police station Asaduzzaman said they were investigating the matter. l

RAB beats up mother of JCD leader
n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur
Members of Rapid Action Battalion yesterday allegedly beat up the mother of former Chhatra Dal leader Solaiman Uddin Zisan in Lakshmipur’s West Latifpur village. Zisan’s family members alleged that identifying themselves as RAB members they entered into the house and carried out vandalism in the name of searching Zisan. They took away three mobile sets from the house, and hit Zisan’s mother on her face. They also threatened to break her hands and legs if she could not trace Zisan by today, Zisan’s mother Fatema Begum claimed. Maj Shahed of RAB 11, however, said the law enforcers had conducted many drives to nab many notorious terrorists, but there was no incident of misbehaviour with old persons or with any family.l

HC orders to give passport to Moudud

n Tribune Report
The High Court yesterday ordered the director general of the immigration and passport office to issue a machine readable passport to BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed within 48 hours. The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain gave the ruling on a writ petition filed by the BNP leader as he was not given a passport in 72-hours after applying on February 24. Last Thursday, the court issued a directive, which was made absolute yesterday. l

WEATHER

Dry weather likely n UNB
Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country with chances of light rain or thunder showers at one or two places over Rajshahi, Rangpur divisions and the regions of Tangail, Mymensingh and Sylhet until 6pm today. Day and night temperatures might rise slightly over the country, Met Office said. The sun sets in the capital at 6:07pm today and rises at 6:09am tomorrow. Country’s highest temperature 33.5 degree Celsius was recorded in Rajshahi and Mongla and lowest 12.0 degrees in Srimangal yesterday. Highest and lowest temperatures recorded in some major cities yesterday were: City Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar High 32.2 30.2 33.5 31.2 32.3 33.0 32.5 33.0 Low 18.2 19.0 15.6 15.4 19.5 18.4 16.4 20.4

Garment worker Momena, who was injured in the Rana Plaza collapse, addresses a programme marking the International Women’s Day at the National Press Club yesterday
NASHIRUL ISLAM

Sayedee appeals case adjourned till April 1
n Tribune Report
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday deferred the war crimes appeals case of death row convict Delawar Hossain Sayedee until April 1. The five-member top court bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain passed the order following a plea by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam. The top law officer of the country told the court that as per the deposition of two eye-witnesses – Muken Chakrabarty and Sukharanjan Bali, Sayedee had been involved in the killing of Bisabali. So, the International Crimes tribunal 1 had handed down the death penalty rightly for the Jamaat-e-Islami leader, he argued. On April 1, Mahbubey Alam would place his arguments on the charge of killing Bisabali. Assistant Attorney General Bashir Ahmed assisted him during the hearing while SM Shahjahan represented Sayedee. Arguments in the case began on January 28. The defence completed its part of arguments but would rebut the arguments made by the government, said Shahjahan. The International Crimes Tribunal 1 gave death penalty to Sayedee on February 28 last year. The Jamaat leader on March 28 lodged an appeal with the apex court seeking acquittal. The government also registered an appeal to specify the punishment in all the six charges that were proved at the tribunal. l

PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha 4:54am 6:09am 12:08am 4:27pm 6:07pm 7:22pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, March 13, 2014

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Kaliakoir hi-tech park gets another 40.5 hectare land
n Muhammad Zahidul Islam
Prime minister’s telecommunication and ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy yesterday announced to increase the area of the country’s first hi-tech park at Kaliakoir, Gazipur by another 40.47 hectare (100 acre). The area of the park, which was started about 15 years ago in 1999 and is still to be completed, will now stand at 332 acre. After a visit to the project site, Joy expressed dissatisfaction at the slow progress but said the park would be completed within the term of the present government. “I have been satisfied with the progress of other telecommunication and ICT projects over the past five years, but I have only one frustration, and that is this [Kaliakoir hi-tech] project,” said Joy, son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He said: “We do not want a hi-tech factory…We want a software park where only software and service related work will go on. We do not expect the hi-tech park to become an EPZ.” The tech park has progressed very little in the past 15 years since the project was conceived, and officials concerned blame frequent shifts in government’s decision and the World Bank’s intervention for this. In 1999, the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina decided to establish the park on 232 acres of land of the Kaliakoir Surface Satellite Station. But the following four-party alliance government did not carry on with the project. The then science, information and communications technology ministry initiated a new project at Kaliakoir in 2004, but it did nothing more than acquiring land. Project officials concerned alleged that the World Bank, which is financing Tk200 crore in the project, had often caused problems by interrupting decisions. Joy said if the World Bank refused to provide funds for these projects, the government would finance those from its own sources. “The World Bank gives us money and we repay it. It has been their habit to impose conditions. But Bangladesh is not a country of beggars, it is going ahead,” said Joy. After the army-backed caretaker government took new initiative in September 2007, the construction work of the project started, building basic infrastructure at a cost of Tk24.4 crore. In 2010, the government declared it as a high-priority project and established the Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority. In 2012, it decided to implement the project through public-private partnership and the Kuala Lumpur-based Kulim Technology Park Corporation became the top bidder in an international tender. In February 2013, the government approved the Tk2.26 billion project and in November the High Court stayed the appointment of a developer following a petition. On January 28 this year, the government filed an appeal with the Appellate Division against the High Court order and got the verdict in its favour. In the meantime, the cabinet decided to invite a re-tender for the project. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday, Project Director ANM Safiqul Islam expressed hope that the work of the Kaliakoir hi-tech park would go on smoothly from now. Junaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT Division, said: “We are not setting any deadline but the implementation work of the project has already started.” Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddique, Railway Minister Md Muzibul Hoque, Junaid Ahmed Palak and acting secretary of the ICT Division Kamal Uddin Ahmed accompanied Joy during his visit. l

JnU students to organise rally on March 16
n Mohammad Jamil Khan
The students and teachers of Jagannath University (JnU) announced to hold a rally in front of the central Shaheed Minar on March 16 to gather a mass support for their ongoing demonstration in retrieving their grabbed halls. Shariful Islam, convener of the hall recovery committee and president of JnU Bangladesh Chhatra League, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had already started campaigning and different steps were taken to make the rally successful. “All students, teachers and university staffs are expected to join the rally,” he said, adding that the rally would destroy the strength of all the land grabbers. Students said though the movement to retrieve their halls began in 2005, this is the first they were going arrange a grand to press home their demands. On the other hand, JnU Progressive Students’ Alliance extended their support and expressed solidarity with the ongoing students’ demo yesterday. Following a rally in front of the JnU Liberation War Sculpture at 11am, they made the announcement. The progressive students’ leaders also assured the students that they would lead the demo peacefully until the government met the demands. JnU Chhatra Union President Jahidul Islam Sajib, Chhatra Font President Masud Rana, Chhatra Federation President Tahmida Islam Tania, Chhatra League Secretary Shirajul Islam addressed the rally among others. Students of the university have been observing agitation programmes on the campus since February 12 this year, demanding recovery of halls which have been grabbed by vested interest group. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has already assured the students of taking measures to recover the hall without any delay. l

Rajuk, IFC to work together to strengthen building safety in city
n Tribune Report
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipaksha and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have joined hands together to improve building safety standards by strengthening the construction permit approval process and related building inspection mechanisms. Through a project, the IFC will support Rajuk, development authority of the capital, to introduce third party inspection for increasing safety, streamlining existing laws, automating the construction permits issue process, and introducing digital signatures to reduce paperwork. The project will actively encourage pro-environment green options to save water and energy at new buildings by incorporating green building measures in the construction regulations of Rajuk. “Dhaka is densely populated and situated in an earthquake prone zone. Bringing down risk levels in buildings is crucial. To address global concerns around safety in buildings, we are keen to support strict enforcement of building inspection and regulation of construction permits,” said Md Nurul Huda, Chairman of Rajuk. Dhaka is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and there is a need for more disciplined growth in the future for sustainable development, he added. In a landmark move, the government has committed cash contribution to the project aiming to improve the country’s investment climate, , says a press release. “IFC is committed to providing assistance to raise safety standards of buildings in Bangladesh. Once factories and buildings are given clearance using a thorough, fast and reliable system, investment confidence in Bangladeshwill get a boost. This will also help address concerns about unsafe infrastructure in the ready-made garment sector,” said Kyle F Kelhofer, IFC country manager. IFC and International Labour Organisation are working together on a labour standards programme called Better Work, which focuses on improved buildings for worker security. l

A labourer is involved in renovation work on Aparajeya Bangla at Dhaka University yesterday

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

DU reshuffles pre-convocation schedules n Tribune Report
Dhaka University authorities changed their schedule for providing invitation papers and gowns for the participants of the 48th convocation of the university. Participants can now collect all necessary stuff from 10am till 4pm on April 4 and 5 and from 10am to 1pm on April 6, said a university press release. The invitation papers and gowns would be available in the Social Science Faculty Building, Science Cafeteria, Curzon Hall, Business Studies Faculty Building and TSC (Teacher-Student Centre). However the date of the convocation remained unchanged as it would be held on the Central Playground of the university on April 7. l

DU student torture case DU students protest move to make Bangla, linguistics departments equal deposition recorded
n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu
A Dhaka court yesterday recorded the deposition of Dhaka University student Abdul Kader, against former OC Helal Uddin, in a case filed against the police official for torturing Kader, then master’s student of biochemistry. Metropolitan Magistrate Alamgir Kabir Raj recorded the statement and fixed April 6 for next prosecution witnesses. During the deposition, Kader described before the court how Helal brutally tortured him in custody and implicated him in false cases. Helal was present before the court during the recording. According to the statement, some plainclothes policemen held him in Segunbagicha on July 16, 2011 while he was returning to his dormitory, Fazlul Huq Hall, from a relative’s house at Eskaton. Later, Helal took him to his office room. Helal beat up Kader severely to make a confessional statement. As he denied to give confessional statement, Helal hacked him below his knee with a sharp weapon. Then, police lodged two separate cases against him one for robbery and another for possessing illegal firearm. He was also shown arrested in another false case filed with Mohammadpur police station for carjacking. Teachers and students of DU and people from different walks of life protested the torture. He was freed on bail on August 3, 2011, after 18 days of his detention. The court also acquitted him from the cases. Later, police submitted charge sheet before the court against Helal. l

n DU Correspondent
Students of Bangla department of Dhaka University staged demonstration in the campus yesterday protesting the recent decision jointly taken by the Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission (UGC) regarding approval of isometric status of linguistics students to that of Bangla. Earlier yesterday morning, education ministry sent a letter to the Bangla Department saying DU linguistics department and Bangla Department were now equivalent and linguistics students could be considered for the post of teacher at Bangla department. Around 500 students of Bangla Department started demonstration boycotting classes and brought out a procession from the pedestal of Aparajeyo Bangla

which marched different streets of the campus. Then the agitated students held a protest rally at the base of Aparajeyo Bangla denouncing the decision adopted by education ministry and UGC. Speakers at the rally said: “We (students of Bangla) have to face exams amounting to 3000 marks to complete our degree in Bangla. To the contrary, linguistics students have to face only 100 marks of examination related to our course. Of course the two courses cannot be counted as equal. We will never comply with education ministry’s decision.” They urged the Education Minister to withdraw the decision as early as possible and announced to form a human chain at Aparejeyo Bangla today. The agitated students also announced to wage tougher programmes if their rational demands were no met

immediately. When contacted with Prof Shoumitro Shekhor, faculty member of Bangla Department said the students of the two departments have to follow different types of syllabi, so it is not a wise decision by the UGC and Education Ministry.” S M Sadik, a master’s student from Bangla department told the Dhaka Tribune that it was a ridiculous decision by the authority and we want immediate cancellation of that decision. Meanwhile, teachers of the Bengla Department and Prof Emeritus Anisuzzaman also expressed their solidarity with the protesters. “Two departments, Bangla and Linguistics, are important in their respective sectors, so UGC should not bring any undue change in the course and curriculum of the subjects,” said Prof Anisozzaman. l

Bench assistants demonstrate, halt court activities in Chittagong
n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong
A half-day work abstention by bench assistants of Chittagong courts protesting the alleged assault on a colleague by some lawyers halted judicial activities for nearly four hours in the port city yesterday. The protesters locked the doors of the court rooms, preventing scheduled hearings from taking place and causing inconvenience to justice seekers, especially those from remote areas, sources said. “Several lawyers locked into an altercation with Md Kefayetullah,  a bench assistant of the Seventh Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge Court, at the Chittagong District Bar Association’s of ice and physically assaulted him on Tuesday evening over a trifling matter,” claimed Omar Fuad, bench assistant of Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge Court.  The bench assistants started their protest at 9am by locking the entries to 20 courts, including the Metropolitan Session Judge and Chief Metropolitan Magistrate courts. The protesters, however, unlocked the court rooms in the afternoon following discussions with judges and lawyers. But judicial proceedings could not resume for the day in most of the courts, the sources added. The bench assistances ended their protest and unlocked the court rooms around 1pm after a meeting with Metropolitan Session Judge SM Mojibur Rahman and leaders of the bar association.   “We withdrew the demonstration responding to the judge, but our movement will continue,” said Omar Fuad.  Meanwhile, lawyers demanding a stop to alleged irregularities by bench assistants also brought out a procession at the court premises around noon yesterday. Abdur Rashid, general secretary of the bar association, said the bench assistants staged the protest without any prior notice and caused sufferings to justice seekers. “If they have any objection, they could lodge a complaint,” Rashid said, adding that both sides came to an agreement through the intervention of Mojibur Rahman. l

Minister for Cultural Affairs along with other guests are seen at the inaugural function of the two-day dialogue titled ‘Creative BangladeshHard Skills and Soft Skills’ at a city hotel yesterday. The British Council has organised the event MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Thursday, March 13, 2014

20 years on, a school yet to get electricity
Students of Nachol Madhabpur Government Primary Schhol become exhausted while attending classes in summer has got 12 fans, computers, laptops is all the work that had been done so n Our Correspondent, from District education office, there is far, he said with frustration.
Chapainawabganj
Students of Nachol Madhabpur High School in Chapainawabganj fear they have to suffer a lot in the coming days as the summer season is nearer. The students, especially in summer, can neither concentrate on study nor feel comfort during school hours as their school has remained without electricity since its inception in 1994. No one knows when, if ever, they will get a power connection. Many students return home after becoming sick after school hours. And for that reason, attendance of students remains thin from April to September as students do not feel like going to school. Although the school, surprisingly, no use for them for lack of electricity connection. The country is now resounding with the aim of achieving digital Bangladesh by 2021. But the word “Digital Bangladesh” still remains a farce for these students since they cannot even turn on a computer. Headmaster of the school Ataur Rahman said, “The authorities are not providing us electricity connection for lack of three poles.” He said they had applied to the Rural Electrification Board (REB) several times to bring them under electrification, but the authorities did not pay heed to their demand. An electrician of the REB set up cables in the school 10 years ago, but that A few teams from both the education office and the REB visited the school several times, but no progress has been made. During the 10th national parliamentary election and fourth phase of upazila polls, the authorities of the REB connected the school with electricity, but the connection was snapped the next day of the election. When contacted, General Manager of Rural Electrification Board (REB) said, “I am going to USA. Steps will be taken after I come back to the country.” Since its establishment in 2004, the school (from class VI X) was listed for MPO (Monthly Pay Order). The number of students at the school is 300.l

Two HSC examinees go missing in Barisal
n Our correspondent, Barisal
Two higher secondary certificate examinees of Agorpur Degree College went missing since Tuesday evening from Sharikal area under Gournadi upazila of Barisal. The victims were identified as Kazi Shahriar Anik, son of Aktaruzzaman, and Sohag Khan, son of rickshaw van driver Shahid Khan and both of them hailed from Mahisha village under Sharikal union of Gournadi upazila. Aktaruzzaman, a teacher of Agorpur Degree College, told his son and Sohag were friends and HSC examinees of Agorpur Degree College. Abul Kalam, officer- in-charge of Gournadi police station, said Anik’s father lodged a general diary in connection with the missing of the two youths in yesterday morning and then it was turned into a kidnapping case in the same afternoon. Both of the victims went for a stroll on Tuesday evening and subsequently went missing since that night. Anik’s mother claimed that she received a cell phone call from her son around 2:20am early yesterday, told Sub-Inspector Ahsan Kabir, investigating officer of the case.

Man to die for killing wife

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur
A Gazipur court yesterday awarded death penalty to an accused in the Fatema murder case in Gazipur. Fatema Nazib, judge of Gazipur Women and Children Repression (Prevention) Tribunal, passed the verdict. According to case statement, Faruq bashed his wife Fatema’s head with bricks before his two sons for not providing dowry on October 29, 2011. The incident occurred at the roof of a hospital. On that night, Fatema succumbed to her injuries. Deceased’s mother Khodeza Begum filed a case with Tongi police station in this regard. Around seven witnesses, including Fatema’s two sons Sakib and Rakib gave deposition before the court. Following the hearing, the court gave the verdict. However, Faruq has been absconding after getting bail three months ago. Fatema’s relatives and Special Public Prosecutor of the tribunal Shahjahan Mia expressed content on the verdict. l

Police were trying to trace the call phone call and arrest those unknown kidnappers to recover the missing youths
Anik hurriedly informed her that unidentified people riding on a motor vehicle at Sakokati rickshaw stand asked them to show the way to Sharikal and they became senseless after that. They found that they were taken hostage by those unknown people when they regained sense. Anik switched off the phone telling hurriedly that he secretly called her mother and those people might their hear conversation, the IO said. Police were trying to trace the call phone call and arrest those unknown kidnappers to recover the missing youths, he said. l

7-month ban on vessel service on risky routes from tomorrow
n Our Correspondent, Barisal
The seven-month-long restriction on plying of passenger carrying water transports, including launches and trawlers, on risky four routes in the Meghna River estuary and coastal areas will come into effect from Friday. The restriction was imposed by shipping ministry from March 15 to October 15  because of nor’wester, cyclone and storm during the monsoon in the river estuaries and coastal belts in the southern region,  said Maruf Hossain, inspector, shipping directorate office in Barisal. The routes touching major stations are Shabajpur, Mozuchowdhurir Hat, Daulatkhan, Mirzakalu, Char Alexander, Serajganj, Shashiganj, Betua, Aslampur, Buriabon, Barguna, Patharghata, Baro Machuakati on Meghna, Ilisha, Kocha, Baleswar, Bishkhali, Tentulia and Bura Gourango. The  210-day restriction was first imposed  by the sea transportation directorate on June 18, 2000  following some fatal launch and trawler accidents in previous      years in the areas on about 3000 kilometers long routes which touched at least 26 stations, said Mahruf. “This region is vulnerable due to natural calamities like cyclone, storm and nor-wester,” said Abul Bashar Majumdar, deputy director, BIWTA and river safety and traffic management incharge of Barisal port. “The ban, without an arrangement of alternative transportation will confine a large number of people to islands and endanger their lives because of travel by unsafe small transports,” he said. Md Shahidullah, Barisal river port officer and deputy director BIWTA, said the ban on plying passenger transports without having valid license or seasurvey fitness was to save the life of the travellers. “Considering the shortage of vessels in the danger zone during the time, we were trying to manage four BIWTC sea trucks soon,” said Gopal Chandra Majumdar, assistant manager, BIWTC Barisal station. Sea trucks named-ST Shahid Fazlul Huq Moni on Char Alexandar-Mirzakalu route, ST Sukanta Babu/Sheikh Kamal on Manpura-Shashiganj route, ST Khizir-7 on Ilisha-Maju Chowdhury route and ST Khizir-8 on Barisal-Maju Chowdhury route would be placed on the danger-zone areas, he said. l

A kitchen market is set up on the premises of Kamarol Government Primary School, hampering educational activities

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Rail links in Dinajpur halted for 2 hrs
n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur
Train communications between Dinajpur-Khulna and Dinajpur-Rajshahi came to a halt for about two hours yesterday as some train masters went on a sudden strike protesting the attack on two of their colleagues by smugglers. Parbatipur Station Master Sheikh Abdul Jabbar said a gang of smugglers, who were in guise of passengers, beat up Rajshahi bound train Uttara Mail’s master Mozammel Hoque and his assistant Abdul Jalil in Bagdanga area in Jessore around 6:00am when they didn’t stop the train as per signal of some accomplices of the gang down here to carry Indian smuggled goods, leaving the former injured. Later, Mozammel was admitted to Joypurhat Sadar Hospital. Angered by the attack, about 8-10 locomotive masters from the station went on a flash work abstention stopping train communications on the routes from around 7:25am. However, the train communications resumed as the higher authorities assured the agitating masters of taking legal actions against the culprits. Due to the strike, Rajshahi bound “Borendra Express” and Khulna bound “Rupsha Express” stopped on the way, creating suffering to the commuters Emdadul Haque, inspector of Hakimpur government railway police (GRP), said they arrested two people in connection with the incident and trying to nab the rest culprits. l

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Local Government Engineering Department, Office of the Upazila Engineer, Boalmari, Faridpur.

INVITATION FOR TENDER (CIVIL WORKS)
TENDER NOTICE NO. 04/2013-2014
Memo No: LGED/U.E/Boal/Farid/2014/186 Dated: 12/03/2014 Sealed Tenders are hereby invited from the eligible tenderers as defined in the tender document for the under mentioned work as per terms and condition below: 01 Project Name 02 Source of funds 03 Procurement Method 04 List of work SL Package No. No 1 2 Name of work Estimate Cost (Tk) 4 Amount Price of Time for of Tender tender Completion security (Tk) documents 5 5500.00 6 250.00 7 60 days NEED BASED REPAIR GOB Limited Tender Method (LTM)Enlisted Contractors of LGED under LTM shall be participated in this Notice.

Five houses gutted in Chittagong n CU Correspondent
At least five houses were gutted in separate fire incidents at city’s Baizid area and Hathazari upazila yesterday. Fire service sources said two semipucca houses in Hamidpur area under Baizid police station were gutted in the city. The fire originated from an electric short circuit at 10am. On information, firefighters from Baizid Fire Service Station went to the spot and doused the fire after an hour of hectic effort. In another incident, three semi-pucca houses were gutted at Banikpara area in Nandirhat under Hathazari upazila. l

3

01. FRD/BOAL(URC) /01/2013-2014

Repair of Upazila 2,00,000.00 Resource Centre(URC) under Boalmari Upazila, Dist. Faridpur Date Time Place : 20/03/2014 : 11.00 AM : Office of the undersigned

02 Date, time & place of pretender meeting

Madrasa student dies falling from rooftop

03 Last date, time & places of Date : 06/04/2014 selling tender document Time : 5.00 PM Places : a) office of the undersigned b) office of the Executive Engineer, LGED, Faridpur c) Office of the Upazila Engineer, LGED, Alfadanga, Faridpur. 04 Last date, time & place of receiving tender Date : 07/04/2014 Time : 1.00 PM Places : a) office of the undersigned b) office of the Executive Engineer, LGED, Faridpur c) Office of the Upazila Engineer, LGED, Alfadanga, Faridpur. Date Time Place : 07/04/2014 : At 3.00 PM : Office of the undersigned.

n CU Correspondent
A student was killed falling off from the rooftop of a one-storied madarasa building at Patiya upazila in Chittagong yesterday afternoon. The deceased, Md Khokon, 12, son of Osi Ahmed, of Dakbarunpara at Anwara upazila, was a class IV student at Shah Akbariya Dakhil Madrasha at Hayidgaon of the upazila, said police. Khokon was slipped ‘accidentally’ while he was walking alone on the rooftop of the madrasa building and fall down around 2:30pm, said Sub-Inspector Jahirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Chittagong Medical College Hospital police outpost. Later, the student was rushed to upazila health complex and shifted to CMCH in critical condition where the on duty doctors of doctors pronounced his death, he said. l

05 Date, time & place of Opening tender

06 Only Tenderers enlisted in the districts under LGED Region, Faridpur (Dist: Faridpur, Rajbari, Gopalgonj, Madaripur & Shariatpur) are eligible. 07 According to the Gazette published of PPR-2006, Rules No.24 Clause 19(Revised) The Tender Price should not be more. 08 Than 5% (Five Percent) less or 5% (Five Percent) above than the Official Estimated Cost. Failing which the tender shall be rejected. 09 Tender shall be valid for a period of 60 days after tender opening and must be accompanied by the tender security specified above. Interested tenderers may obtain further information from the office of the undersigned and purchase the tender documents in cash/treasury chalan/bank draft form the places mentioned above. The tenderer or their authorizes representatives are allowed to attend the opening of tenders. The authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all the tenders with assigning any reasons whatsoever. Upazila Engineer LGED, Boalmari Faridpur

GC-28/14(10"×4)

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Juris

Thursday, March 13, 2014

7
JURIS QUOTE

Preserving our national heritage
Antiquities Act, 1968 is the applicable law in this regard

n Abdullah Al Arif
In Bangladesh, we have a vast number of archaeological sites and monuments, mostly belonging to the medieval period. Paharpur Buddhist Vihara of Naogaon, Lalbagh Fort of Dhaka, Shait-Gumbad Mosque of Bagherhat, Kantanagar Temple of Dinajpur and the historic city of Sonargaon near Dhaka are the major archeological sites in Bangladesh. Department of Archeology is the concerned authority for the preservation, presentation and promotion of our glorious cultural heritage. At present the department owns 448 heritage sites. Many of these archeological sites and monuments are at stake due to lack of proper preservation and management.

Laws are generally found to be nets of such a texture as the little creep through, the great break through, and the middle size are alone entangled in.
William Shenstone English poet (1714 – 1763)

Legal protection of national heritage

Article 24 of the constitution of Bangladesh says that the state shall adopt measures for the protection against disfigurement, damage or removal of all monuments, objects or places of special artistic or historic importance or interest. We also have the Antiquities Act, 1968 that provides the modes of protection and preservation of things which are part of our national history and heritage.

Antiquity

The law terms the archeological sites and monuments as antiquities. They include: l Any ancient product of human activity, movable or immovable, illustrative of art, architecture, craft, custom, literature, morals, politics, religion, warfare, science or of any aspect of civilisation or culture l Any ancient object or site of historical, ethnographical, anthropological, military or scientific interest l Any other ancient object or class of such objects declared as an antiquity by the government.

Immovable antiquity

Immoveable antiquity means an antiquity of any of the following descriptions: l Any archaeological deposits on land or under water l Any archaeological mound, tumulus, burial place or place of interment, or any ancient garden, structure, building, erection or other work of historical, archaeological, military or scientific interest l Any rock, cave or other natural object of historical, archaeological, artistic or scientific interest or containing sculpture, engraving, inscription or painting of such interest, and includes any gate, door, window, panelling dados, ceiling, inscription, wall-painting, wood work, iron work or sculpture or other thing which is attached or fastened to an immovable antiquity

NASHIRUL ISLAM

Advisory committee

rector may prescribe from time to time. Any persons contravening this provision shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.

The law provides for an advisory committee to be constituted by the government consisting of a director, who shall also be its chairman, two members of parliament and three other persons having special knowledge of antiquities.

Export of antiquity

Dispute as to whether any product is an antiquity

If any question arises whether any product, object or site is an antiquity within the meaning of the law, it shall be referred to the government and the government shall decide the question after consultation with the advisory committee.

Custody, preservation of ownerless antiquity

Where the director has any information on the discovery or existence of an antiquity of which there is no owner, she/he shall take such necessary steps for the safe custody, preservation and protection of the antiquity.

No person shall export any antiquity except under a licence granted by the director for the temporary export of antiquities for the purpose of exhibition, examination or treatment for preservation. One can export antiquities in accordance with agreement with foreign licensees for archaeological exploration and excavations within the term of their licences. Moreover, the director may give licence for the export of antiquities which are not of a unique nature in exchange for antiquities of any foreign country. All antiquities the export of which is prohibited under the law shall be deemed to be goods of which the export has been prohibited under section 16 of the Customs Act, 1969 and all the provisions of that Act shall have effect accordingly, except that the antiquity in respect of which the provisions of that Act have been contravened shall be confiscated where confiscation is authorised under that Act.

with a licence granted by the director. A licence under this provision, in respect of any land shall not be granted to any person other than the owner of the land except in accordance with the terms of an agreement with the owner. Any such agreement may contain the following terms and conditions: l The restriction of the owner's rights in respect of the use and occupation of such land l The compensation or any other consideration to be paid to the owner l Any other matter connected with the use of the land for the purpose of such excavation A licence under this provision shall not be refused to an owner if he undertakes to carry on the excavation in such manner that it will not result in the loss of archaeological or historical material which in the national interest should be preserved. Whoever contravenes the provisions shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

RIO SHUVO

NOTICE BOARD
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and also your articles on any legal issues at: [email protected]

Penalty for counterfeiting of antiquity

If any person counterfeits, or commits forgery in respect of any antiquity with intent to commit fraud shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.

Prohibition of movement of antiquity

Dealing in antiquities

No person shall transport an antiquity from one place in Bangladesh to another with the object of exporting it in contravention of the law. Whoever violates the provision shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.

Prohibition of making copies of protected antiquities without licence
No person shall, for any commercial purpose, make a cinematograph film of any protected antiquity or any part thereof except under and in accordance with a licence granted by the director.

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Dhaka Tribune

No person shall deal in antiquities except under and in accordance with a licence granted by the director and every dealer shall maintain a register in such manner and form as the di-

Prohibition of archaeological excavation without licence

Right of access to protected immovable antiquities

No person shall make any excavation on any land for archaeological purposes except under and in accordance

Subject to the provisions of this Act the public shall have a right of access to any immovable antiquity maintained by the government. l

Substantive approach to gender equality

T

n Juris Desk
he concept of equality for women is traditionally understood to mean “the right to be equal to men.” This becomes problematic when it is extended to the understanding that women must be treated exactly like men if they are to gain equality with men. It implies that women must be treated according to male standards, obscuring the ways in which women are different from men and how they will be disadvantaged because of these differences. Initiatives for the realisation of women’s rights need to compensate for or cater to the difference, disparity or disadvantage, rather than a “one size fits all” approach. It means taking into account the ways in which women are different from men, and ensuring that these differences are acknowledged and responded to by state measures toward achieving equality. Furthermore, real equality goes beyond formal (de jure) equality – women and men must be equal in fact (de facto) as in law.

The concept of substantive equality arose out of the recognition that formal equality may not be sufficient to ensure that women enjoy the same rights as men. An ostensibly gender-neutral policy, while not excluding women per se, may result in a de facto discrimination against women. It does not consider: l Sex or biological differences whereby, for example, women bear children, not men. l Gender differences or socially-created differences

resulting in norms and assumptions about women and men’s roles in society, and their capability and need. This in turn influences both policy-making and its implementation. Differences between women and men whether based on biological (sex) difference or socially created (gender) differences results in women’s asymmetrical experience of: l Disparity, and l Disadvantage

Substantive equality and difference

The Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) promotes the substantive equality model and consolidates two central approaches to equality: l Equality of opportunity in terms and access to the resources of a country, to be secured by a framework of laws and policies, and supported by institutions and mechanisms for their operation. l Equality of results upon access and opportunity, toward achieving real change for women. State parties to CEDAW have a responsibility to ensure the practical realisation of rights, and are thus obliged to show results.

BIGSTOCK

Approaches that take into account differences between women and men may not all be immediately favourable to women. In fact, they could be discriminatory in effect, if not in intention. To be able to intervene effectively in favour of women’s equality, it is important to have a conceptually sound understanding of what or why differences exist between women and men. There are two ways of responding to gender differences in policy or approach: l The protectionist approach which, while recognising differences, seeks to curtail or curb women’s activities or freedoms with the rationale that the aim is to “protect” women from harm or wrongdoing. This approach does not challenge gender discrimination, but reproduce it in the guise of protecting women. l The corrective or substantive approach which recognises that in order to redistribute benefits equally between women and men, measures to promote women’s rights must transform the unequal power relations between women and men in the process. There should not only be equal opportunities for women but also equal access to those opportunities. The substantive equality approach recognises that women and men cannot be treated the same, and for equality of results to occur, women and men may need to be treated differently. The challenge is to know when to take note of difference, and to decide on appropriate measures for different treatment that will facilitate equal access, control and equal result. Such measures will have to be assessed to ensure they promote autonomy rather than protection or dependency. This has to be done without compromising the claim for equal rights and equality as a legal standard. l

Responding to gender difference

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Thursday, March 13, 2014

No solutions in sight as Syria war EU approves framework and wording for sanctions on Russia enters fourth year
n Reuters
EU member states have agreed the wording of sanctions on Russia, including travel restrictions and asset freezes against those responsible for violating the sovereignty of Ukraine, according to a draft document seen by Reuters. The seven-page document describes in detail the restrictive measures to be taken against Moscow if it does not reverse course in Crimea and begin talks with international mediators on efforts to resolve the crisis over Ukraine. If approved by EU foreign ministers at a meeting on Monday, they would be the first sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia since the end of the Cold War, marking a severe deterioration in East-West relations. “Member states shall take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into, or transit through, their territories of the natural persons responsible for actions which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” reads Article 1 of the document. The second article covers assets held in the European Union and states that “all funds and economic resources belonging to, owned, held or controlled” by those responsible for actions which have undermined Ukraine’s integrity “shall be frozen.” The document was approved by what is known as a silence procedure after no EU member states raised objections to the wording by 1100 GMT on Wednesday, officials said. EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday and are expected to formally sign off on the restrictions, unless there is a dramatic change of course by Russia. That seems unlikely, with no indication of any ‘de-escalation’ in Crimea. A referendum in Crimea on Sunday is expected to see the region vote in favor of secession from Ukraine to join Russia, adding weight to calls for an international response. European officials have indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will not be on the list, so that channels of communication can be kept open and further escalation is possible at a later date. Instead the list - an annex to the sanctions document seen by Reuters - is expected to focus on targets close to Putin in the security services and military establishment as well as on prominent members of the Russian parliament. “The annex shall also contain, where available, the information necessary to identify the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies concerned,” reads the sanctions framework. “With regard to legal persons and entities, such information may include names, place and date of registration, registration number and place of business.” The EU and United States are coordinating on imposing the restrictions and have encouraged other countries, including Canada, Japan, Turkey and Switzerland, to take similar measures to maximize the impact. If Russia does not respond to the pressure, the EU has said it is prepared to take further steps, probably involving an arms embargo and other trade-related measures. It could also apply sanctions on Putin himself. l

Names still needed

While the EU has agreed the wording for its sanctions, it is still working on the names of those to be targeted. Discussions took place in London on Tuesday, when officials from Britain, the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and elsewhere met to discuss the issue. “My understanding is that there was detailed discussion of names at the meeting,” an EU official said. “No definitive list has been drawn up, but it will be ready by Monday.”

A Syrian flag flutters outside a military barrack in the devastated Baba Amr neighbourhood of Homs on May 2, 2012

AFP

n AFP, Paris
The Syrian conflict has claimed more than 140,000 lives, nearly half of the population is displaced, the rebellion has been hijacked by jihadists and President Bashar al-Assad is still firmly in the saddle. As the war rages into its fourth year and with no diplomatic and military solutions in sight, world powers appear at a loss as to how to deal with what has now joined the alarming club of “intractable conflicts,” according to Chatham House think tank researcher Christopher Phillips. And as the international community shifts its focus onto the crisis in Ukraine, the dragging conflict – which has pitted Assad’s traditional ally Russia against the West – now risks being put aside. “It’s quite tragic that Ukraine is happening at this moment when Syria can ill-afford to have attention elsewhere but it is almost inevitable that the longer it goes on, the more people will be distracted and begin to view Syria as something that can’t be fixed,” Phillips said. Peace talks in Geneva in January and February that for the first time brought representatives of the regime and the opposition to the table together failed to yield concrete results. US Secretary of State John Kerry, one of the main players in Geneva, defended the talks by asking: “How many years did the Vietnam talks take? How many years did Dayton take in Bosnia-Herzegovina?.”

Libya’s deposed PM flees country n Agencies
Former Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan yesterday fled his country defying a travel ban, hours after parliament removed him from office in a no-confidence vote. Zeidan was in Malta for two hours late on Tuesday on a refuelling stop before going to “another European country,” the island’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said, Reuters news agency reported. Muscat told state-owned television TVM that he spoke briefly to Zeidan, who was banned from travelling abroad because of his suspected involvement in the embezzlement of public funds. Libya’s parliament voted Zeidan out of of ice on Tuesday after rebels humiliated the government by loading crude on a tanker that fled from naval forces. State prosecutor Abdel-Qader Radwan said in Tripoli he had banned Zeidan from travelling abroad because he faced an investigation over the alleged inancial irregularities. Zeidan’s whereabouts are unknown. Of icials in Tripoli could not con irm his departure, according to the AP news agency. l

Ukraine vows not to fight Russia in Crimea
n AFP, Kiev
Ukraine’s acting president told AFP he would not wage war over Crimea as the ex-Soviet state’s premier prepared yesterday to seek US President Barack Obama’s help against Russia’s expansionist threat. The first meeting between Obama and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk comes with the nation on the EU’s eastern border in danger of breaking apart when the predominantly ethnic Russian region holds a Moscow-backed referendum Sunday on switching over to Kremlin rule. Ukraine’s acting President Oleksandr Turchynov said his heavily outnumbered army would never try to seize back the Black Sea peninsula from Russian troops who made their land grab days after the February 22 ouster in Kiev of pro-Kremlin leader Viktor Yanukovych. “We cannot launch a military operation in Crimea, as we would expose the eastern border and Ukraine would not be protected,” Turchynov said in an interview with AFP. Turchynov also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had so far resisted intense international pressure and refused all contacts with Kiev aimed at resolving the worst breakdown in EastWest relations since the Cold War. “Unfortunately, for now Russia is rejecting a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” he said. “They are refusing all contact at foreign ministry and top government level.” Russia’s first military involvement in a neighbouring country since its brief 2008 war with Georgia has sparked an explosive security crisis and exposed major rifts between Western allies over ways to deal with Putin’s undisguised efforts to rebuild vestiges of the Soviet state. Washington has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Russians held responsible for violating the territorial integrity of the culturally splintered nation of 46 million people. But the European Union – its financial and energy sectors much more dependent on Russia than those of the United States – has only threatened tougher measures after taking the lighter step of suspending free travel and broad economic treaty talks. l

But there is a rising feeling that it will take years for the crisis to be resolved. To further complicate matters, the West has become increasingly wary of the opposition after the emergence of Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters in its ranks. Infighting and factionalism within the moderate wing of the opposition has not helped either. The West wants “neither Assad nor the Islamists,” a European diplomatic source said.

There is a rising feeling that it will take years for the crisis to be resolved
Western nations have also been alarmed by the growing number of jihadists from their countries going to fight in Syria whom they fear could pose huge security threats if they returned as battle-hardened veterans.

‘War will go on for 10 years’

“The longer the war is going on and the more the sort of Al-Qaeda type groups have emerged in the opposition-held northern parts of Syria, the more it has become a security concern,” Phillips said. “That’s why it’s begun to prompt some to say: ‘Well actually we should accept Bashar al-Assad in power and actually support his government indirectly to contain that sort of security

threat of Al-Qaeda and so on,’” he said. “And we’ve already heard reports of Western intelligence agencies contacting the Syrian regime about a sort of joint counter Al-Qaeda strategy in Syria,” Phillips added. Assad’s ouster was an unwavering Western demand at the start of the crisis in 2011 but he appears to have strengthened his position following a September deal under which Damascus agreed to destroy its chemical arms arsenal. Assad has said he will likely run for elections scheduled in mid-2014. On the military level, neither the regime – backed by Russia and Iran – nor the opposition, which is armed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, appear close to victory. Analyst Daveed Gartenstein-Ross told the US Senate recently the most probable scenario was that the conflict would last for a decade. “Given the failures of both diplomacy and war to date, it seems likely that Syria will remain divided between the Assad-controlled west and a mix of competing rebel factions in the east,” said Anthony Cordesman from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Adam Baczko, a researcher at the Paris-based Noria think tank, warned of security threats – particularly as the West “had handed over the keys to regional actors” – and recalled the huge humanitarian crisis that resulted from the conflict. “For the United States, Syria is far away, for us it is at our border,” he said. l

Israel passes law to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jews
n AFP, Jerusalem
Israeli MPs on Wednesday voted through a law which will compel ultra-Orthodox Jews to either serve in the military or perform national civilian service. The bill was voted through by 65 to 1 in a poll broadcast on Israel’s parliamentary television channel. The lone dissenting vote was cast by an MP from the far-right Jewish Home who broke coalition discipline to oppose the law. Opposition parties within the 120seat parliament had earlier announced they would not participate in the vote. The cabinet last year agreed to end a practice under which tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox were exempted from military service if they were in full-time study at a Jewish seminary, or yeshiva. The new legislation stipulates that ultra-Orthodox men must either join the army or perform civilian service, in a law which will go into force in 2017. The law also includes a clause stipulating sanctions against draft dodgers – including imprisonment – in a move which has enraged the ultra-Orthodox leadership who said it would be tantamount to jailing people for practising their faith. Military service is compulsory in Israel, with men serving three years and women two. Earlier this month, more than 300,000 ultra-Orthodox took to the streets of Jerusalem in a mass prayer vigil to protest against the impending legislation. The new law is seen by many Israelis as amending the historic injustice of an exemption handed to the ultra-Orthodox in 1948, when Israel was created. At that time they were a small segment of society. l

Islamist militants ‘killed’ 22 in Syrian village n Reuters, Beirut
Islamist militants and their local supporters have killed at least 22 people in a village in northern Syria near the Turkish border, opposition activists said yesterday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group quoted residents in Shuyukh, 100 km (65 miles) northeast of Aleppo, as saying that militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), had killed 12 fighters from rival rebel groups and at least 10 local tribesmen, including a 16-year-old. The British-based watchdog, which has a network of sources across Syria and opposes President Bashar al-Assad, said the men had been executed by gunfire and knives. It said at least nine other villagers were missing and suspected to have been killed. Media activists circulated online a list of people they said were victims. They named 20 people killed and nine missing, and said four bodies had been thrown into the Euphrates River. “Residents of Shuyukh betrayed the mujahideen. Then ISIL stormed into the area,” said an opposition activist who runs a Facebook page for the Jarablus area, which includes Shuyukh. He said ISIL, an al Qaeda breakaway group, had participated in the attack, but that local men had led it. The Facebook page for Jarablus published a photo of what appeared to be the bodies of five men on a dirt path running through a field, as bystanders inspected the scene. ISIL has battled other Islamist rebel groups in the area in the past few weeks. A car bomb it detonated in Jarablus in January killed at least 26 people. l

Protestors hold newspapers bearing a picture of the crying mother of Berkin Elvan on the day of his funeral in Ankara

AFP

US death row inmate free after 30 years in jail
n
AFP, Washington
A man who spent 30 years on death row in Louisiana has walked free after a court threw out his murder conviction. Glenn Ford, 64, one of the longest-serving death row prisoners in the United States, was ordered to be released after new information cleared him of a 1983 murder. “My mind’s going all kinds of directions, but it feels good,” Ford told reporters outside the Louisiana State Penitentiary after his release Tuesday, according to CNN affiliate WAFB. Ford, an African-American who had been on death row since 1984 after his conviction by an all-white jury, said he has missed out on much of his life. “My sons, when I left, was babies. Now they grown men with babies.” A judge ordered that Ford be freed after prosecutors petitioned the court to release him, said the Capital Post Conviction Project of Louisiana. New information corroborated what Ford has maintained all along: that he was not present at nor involved in the November 1983 slaying of a jeweler. l

Boy’s death stirs protests in Turkey
n AFP, Istanbul
Protestors clashed with police in Turkey yesterday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets to mourn a teenage boy who died from injuries suffered during last year’s anti-government protests. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at protestors in the capital Ankara, while in Istabanbul, crowds shouting anti-government slogans lit a huge fire as they made their way to a cemetery for the burial of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan. Elvan, who died in an Istanbul hospital on Tuesday after 269 days in a coma, was hit on the head by a tear gas canister while going to buy bread during the demonstrations against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that gripped Turkey in June. “Berkin’s murderers are the AKP police,” protesters shouted in Istanbul, referring to Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). “The rage of mothers will suffocate the killers,” screamed others as they marched through the streets after Elvan’s funeral. His death prompted protests reminiscent of last year’s unrest, with thousands of people clashing with police on Tuesday in at least 32 cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, where the most violent clashes took place. The renewed unrest is likely to add to pressure on Erdogan, whose government has been rocked by an escalating corruption scandal ahead of elections that could decide his fate. Elvan’s story became a symbol of the heavy-handed police tactics against demonstrators in June, the biggest of Erdogan’s 11-year-rule. Erdogan has vowed to step down if the AKP, in power since 2002, loses local elections on March 30 that are seen as a key test of his popularity after last year’s unrest and the graft probe. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Thursday, March 13, 2014

9

Malaysia under fire over ‘chaotic’ search for missing jet
n AFP, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia denied yesterday that the hunt for a missing jet was in disarray, after the search veered far from its planned route and China said that conflicting information about its course was “pretty chaotic.” Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Malaysia would “never give up hope” of finding the plane’s 239 passengers and crew, dismissing allegations that efforts were mired in confusion after a series of false alarms, rumours and contradictory statements. “I don’t think so. It’s far from it. It’s only confusion if you want it to be seen as confusion,” he said at a press conference where military and civilian officials faced a grilling from a combative crowd of journalists. The hunt for Malaysia Airlines flight 370, involving the navies and air forces of multiple nations, had focused on an area off Vietnam’s South China Sea coast where it last made contact Saturday on a journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. But Malaysian authorities said yesterday they were expanding the search to the Andaman Sea north of Indonesia, hundreds of kilometres (miles) away. “So right now there is a lot of information, and it’s pretty chaotic, so up to this point we too have had difficulty confirming whether it is accurate or not,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said of accounts of the jet’s course.

What happened to the missing jetliner?
n AFP, Bangkok
Five days since it disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, there is still no trace of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Conflicting information, false alarms over debris and confusion over the focus of the search have produced more questions than answers. Here we take a look at the possible scenarios being weighed up by industry experts as the world waits for clues as to the fate of the Boeing 777: said former Inspector General of the US Department of Transportation and aviation lawyer, Mary Schiavo.

Structural disintegration?
The lack of wreckage or black box transmission has led to another speculation that the  plane  may have disintegrated mid-air. However, experts say while structural disintegration has been behind some previous aircraft disappearances, new planes use better materials, technology and maintenance schedules.

Explosion on board?
The presence on board of two suspect passengers travelling on stolen passports fuelled fears of a terrorist attack. But it was later revealed they were probably just Iranian migrants, but CIA Director John Brennan said a terror link had not been totally ruled out.

Hijacking?
The absence of debris around the intended flight path, the possibility that the flight turned back, and conflicting reports over whether the  plane  was spotted by Malaysian military way off course have added to the speculation of a hijack, which has still not been ruled out by investigators. Malaysia Airlines says that all its aircraft are equipped with the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) system – which puts out information about location and airspeed – but has so far declined to release whatever data it got from flight MH370.

Technical difficulties?
The sudden disappearance could also point to a technical problem that could have led to a rapid descent. Reports from the Malaysian authorities that the jet may have made a sharp turn west before it lost contact, possibly pointing to the pilots struggling to rectify a problem, have bolstered this theory. “To me that (the veer) suggests there was a stall. That doesn’t mean you lose your engines. It means that you’re losing your air flow over your wings, sufficient speed to keep the plane in the air... it would lose altitude really dramatically,”

Students lighting candles to pray for the passengers on the missing plane in Zhuji, in China’s Zhejiang province Meanwhile, Malaysian air force chief General Rodzali Daud attempted to explain why the search zone had been expanded, telling the press conference that military radar detected an unidentified object early Saturday north of the Malacca Strait off Malaysia’s west coast. He said that the reading, taken less than an hour after the plane lost contact over the South China Sea, was still being investigated and they were not able to confirm it was MH370. The confusion has fuelled perceptions that Malaysian authorities are unable to handle a crisis on this scale, and infuriat-

AFP

ed relatives gathered in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur as they endure an unbearable wait for news of their loved ones. Frustrations boiled over in Malaysia, with the country’s active social media and some press outlets turning from sympathy for the families of relatives to anger over the fruitless search. l

Pilot suicide?
While rare, there have been cases in the past of pilots crashing planes to take their own lives. Some experts opined that a suicide bid is possible and if that’s the case, there might not be a lot of debris because the plane would have come down in relatively structural integrity. l

India vows revenge after deadly Maoist attack

n AFP, New Delhi

Avalanches, heavy snow kill 14 across Kashmir
n AP, SRINAGAR
Unusually heavy snowfall has unleashed avalanches and collapsed homes in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing at least 14 people on both sides of the de-facto border between India and Pakistan, officials said. Ten died in the India-held portion of the territory, police said, while Pakistan’s military reported another four soldiers dead in an avalanche on that side of the border. ern Kulgam and Shopian areas on the India-held side, police officer Imtiyaz Hussain said. Avalanches are common in the mountainous region, especially in spring when the air has more moisture and snow is heavier. But the region has seen an unusually heavy snowfall for March, with 2 feet falling in the past three days, said Farooq Ahmed Khan of India-held Kashmir’s Meteorological Department. The last similar late-season snowfall was in 2007, when about 2 feet fell during a short time in March. “It’s definitely unprecedented to have such heavy snowfall in one single spell for three days,” Khan said. The snow disrupted power and communication lines in India-held Kashmir, while cutting some areas off from the rest of India. Authorities issued a “high danger avalanche” warning in many parts of the region, government official Amir Ali said. Avalanches have caused some of the heaviest tolls for the Indian and Pakistani armies camped near the de-facto frontier dividing their territories. In 2012, a massive avalanche on the Pakistani side of the Siachen glacier killed 140 people, including 129 soldiers. That same year, a wave of snow also buried an Indian army camp and killed 16 soldiers in another place along the Line of Control. Siachen is located on the northern tip of Kashmir, a Himalayan region which is divided between Pakistan and neighboring India. In 2010, another 17 Indian soldiers died when a wall of snow slammed into the army’s High Altitude Warfare School. l

16 dead as rival gangs clash in Pakistan’s Karachi
n AFP, Karachi
Street battles between two rival gangs armed with RPGs and machine guns killed at least 16 people – including four women – in Pakistan’s Karachi yesterday, officials said. The clash, which according to police also injured 39 people, mainly schoolchildren, was the worst outbreak of criminal-related violence to plague the troubled city in recent months. It “erupted this morning when two gangs exchanged heavy gunfire” in the Lyari neighbourhood, senior police official Faisal Bashir said, adding that school pupils had been hurt in the crossfire. “Later they fired RPGs and lobbed hand grenades at each other,” he added, saying the death toll was expected to rise. Major Sibtain Rizvi, a spokesman for paramilitary troops, added that two gangsters had been killed and one had been arrested. Dr Seemi Jamali of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where some of the injured were taken, said three paramilitary rangers and two police were wounded. Bashir, the police officer, said one of the gangs suspected the other of providing a tip to police that led to the killing of a top leader. According to police the firing began around 4:00 am (1100 GMT) while major blasts were heard at noon. By Wednesday afternoon, some 200 police commandos had arrived on the scene to conduct a search operation after the clash had ended, senior police official Shah Nawaz told AFP. Local police said Wednesday’s fight was believed to involve two splinter organisations – the “Uzair Baloch” and “Ghaffar Zikri” gangs – which grew out of the once-dominant Baba Ladla group. l

Pakistan clerics declare ban on child marriage ‘un-Islamic’

n AFP, Islamabad

India’s home minister yesterday vowed to exact revenge for a deadly ambush by Maoist rebels, as undercover agents tried to track down the attackers in their forest hideouts. “The way our soldiers have lost their lives, we will definitely take revenge for this,” Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters on a visit to the central state of Chhattisgarh, a day after the attack which left 16 dead. Shinde said members of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) had already taken up positions inside the thick forests where the rebels are believed to have taken refuge. On Tuesday morning, some 200 rebels in the south of Chhattisgarh ambushed a security patrol which was on a mission to open a road in a heavily-forested area, sparking a gun battle that lasted for three hours. Eleven members of the national paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed, along with four members of the state police force and a civilian. The attack has heightened fears of unrest in the Maoists’ stronghold in the build-up to the nationwide elections which begin in early April. Chhattisgarh will vote in three phases, on April 10, 17 and 24. The Maoists, who have been described by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the country’s most serious internal security threat, have been fighting since 1967 for a communist society by toppling what they call India’s “semi-colonial, semi-feudal” form of rule. l

Avalanches have caused some of the heaviest tolls for the Indian and Pakistani armies
The statement from the Pakistani military said four soldiers were killed when 26 troops came under a huge flow of snow late on Tuesday night near the northern district of Astore, about 155 kilometres from Skardu. The statement added that, despite extreme weather condition, 22 soldiers were “evacuated through heroic efforts” by rescuers. The Pakistani military provided no further details. On the Indian side, dozens were evacuated from high-risk areas Wednesday, after avalanches killed two Indian army soldiers camped in the Kargil region and another three Nepalese laborers working near the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC). Another five people were killed when dozens of homes crumpled under the weight of snow in the south-

Mamata takes dig at Modi
n Agencies
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee took on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi yesterday, saying, “Gujarat’s leader has a communal face.” The West Bengal chief minister, however, did not name her Gujarat counterpart while going on the offensive. She unveiled her party’s national agenda with a rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, but the muchhyped joint show of strength with social activist Anna Hazare did not materialise. Hazare was not present at the rally. Unfazed, Banerjee said she did not care who came for the rally and who did not. “Whether somebody supports us or not, we are going to shake up Delhi.” She added, “We have started from Bengal, but do not forget that Delhi too is my state, so is Punjab, so is Maharashta…” She recited lines from Sare Jahan Se Accha (an enduring patriotic poem) to showcase her inclusive credentials. “I don’t want individual power. I want people to be empowered. We won’t allow the people to be bulldozed.” l

Pakistan’s top religious body has declared the prohibition of child marriage incompatible with Islam and demanded that the government amend its laws, prompting outrage from human rights activists. The Council of Islamic Ideology, which was formed in 1962 to advise parliament on the compatibility of laws with Sharia, also ruled that a man does not need permission from his wife if he wants to marry another woman. Tahir Ashrafi, a member of the body told AFP yesterday that Pakistan’s Prohibition of Child Marriages Act, which stipulates the age of marriage at 16 for women and 18 for men, was not in accordance with Islamic teachings. “There is no specific age limit for marriage in Sharia,” he said. “Sharia says an individual can marry when he or she reaches puberty and puberty cannot be defined by age,” adding: “Family members can marry a child if they think he or she has reached puberty.” “Islam allows to marry four women so there is no question of asking the consent of first wife if a man wants to marry a second time,” he said. Activists have called on parliament to ignore both recommendations, terming them a violation of women’s fundamental rights. Zohra Yusuf, chairperson of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the rulings were “against the spirit of the religion.” She questioned why laws against child marriage, which have been in place since the country was created, were being reviewed now. l

S Korea, Japan hold talks on mending ties
n AFP, Seoul
Top South Korean and Japanese diplomats held talks in Seoul yesterday as the United States pushed its two key Asian allies to improve badly strained ties. The meeting between South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-Yong and his Japanese counterpart Akitaka Saiki came with relations between Seoul and Tokyo at their lowest ebb for years. At the core of the current stand-off are emotive, unresolved issues related to Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule, its wartime use of South Korean women in military brothels and an island territorial dispute. The situation was exacerbated by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to a controversial war shrine in December that drew strong protests from Seoul and Beijing. “It is an occasion to test whether South Korea-Japan relations would work out in the future,” Cho told reporters before the talks began. South Korean President Park GeunHye has ruled out a summit with Abe until Tokyo demonstrates sincere repentance for “past wrongdoings” and recent surveys have shown that the Japanese leader is more unpopular with South Koreans than North Korean supremo Kim Jong-Un. The rift has been viewed with growing alarm in Washington. South Korea and Japan are the two major US military allies in Asia and key to the US strategic “pivot” to the region. Last week, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia Danny Russel urged Seoul and Tokyo to find a way past the current diplomatic impasse. “We continue to stress the need for prudence and restraint, for all parties to take steps that will promote healing.” He held up the model of Japan and the US in overcoming the bitterness of World War II to nurture a close friendship. l

Thousands sue nuclear giants over Fukushima disaster n AFP, Tokyo
A class action lawsuit against nuclear suppliers General Electric, Toshiba and Hitachi has ballooned to more than 4,000 claimants who are seeking damages over the Fukushima atomic disaster, the lead lawyer said yesterday. The claimants, hailing from Japan and 32 other countries including the United States, Germany and South Korea, want the US and Japanese nuclear power plant suppliers to pay compensation. The filing – which asks for a largely symbolic 100 yen ($1) per claimant – was described as the first lawsuit to be brought against nuclear power-plant suppliers over the 2011 accident. It alleges that the firms did not make necessary safety updates to the stricken site, which was swamped by an earthquake-sparked tsunami. Embattled plant operator Tokyo Electric Power is facing massive lawsuits and compensation costs. l

WITHOUT DOCTORS

Raduan, left, helps her ailing mother Noor Jahan to steady her weak body at their living room in The’ Chaung village in north of Sittwe, Rakhine state, Myanmar. Conditions of living and healthcare in the impoverished village have reportedly detereorated after Doctors Without Borders was expelled from Myanmar over allegations of creating tensions in the violence-scarred region AP

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial
LETTER OF THE DAY

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Letters to

the Editor

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Load shedding is still a problem

Navy’s drone news is good news!
March 10 It was very heartening to note the Chief of Naval Staff ’s statement: “Import of drone-like devices used to cost the Navy a minimum Tk15m (1.5 crore taka), but now there are locally-made drones, costing Tk100,000!” And, perhaps with a camera installed with the drone, the cost may be between Tk200,000 to Tk300,000! So, instead of one drone, perhaps the Navy can buy more than 10, each with a camera! However, was it wise for the navy to buy submarines? Our prime aim is self defence, and the submarine is basically an offensive underwater vessel used in naval attacks. In our case, what we should do is continue to maintain friendly relations with all nations. For this, the role of the foreign ministry is more important than all our armed forces put together. Engr SA Mansoor

he claim by the state minister for power and energy, that the country is no longer experiencing even a single second of load-shedding, is at odds with the difficult realities that many Bangladeshis face every day. Reports suggest that a significant number of households and industries are still experiencing a significant amount of loadshedding, or at least enough to noticeably disrupt both domestic life and business operations. This claim strains credulity, and seems particularly unnecessary given the fact that it has placed a high, and welcome, priority on increasing the country’s generating capacity. The minister acknowledged that 62% of the people were getting electricity, but added that while electricity supply disruptions may occur for maintenance reasons, the country was free from the sort of power outages that could be classified as “load shedding.” Such an exaggerated claim on part of the government is damaging to its credibility. Voters may welcome the government’s promise that, by 2021, the entire country would have access to electricity. However, if claims which seem implausible are made by senior politicians, this decreases the people’s faith in promises made by public officials. We need to acknowledge the reality that load-shedding is indeed still a problem. Denial will not deliver more power. The government should encourage more transparency so that accurate data on the electricity shortage we face is available to all. Only then can we approach the problem fruitfully and realistically.

Divided by borders, united by rivers
March 10 Nabila Binte Zahur Interestingly, you can make out Bangladesh’s north and east borders by the colour of the land. I wonder if there is more deforestation on our side compared to the Indian side that makes this possible. Zahurul Islam I think it is due to the nature of the terrain! The Meghalya state is the distinctive feature here. You are right ... the northernmost district, Panchagarh, is supposed to have more trees than before because of new tea estates being established with plantations. I am rather taken aback to see vast land covering Bihar and UP not being that green!

India or Pakistan?
March 7 Sam As much as I enjoy cricket, I don’t think picking sides in a cricket match has much to do in the creation of a saint or sinner. And I am yet to know of a significant religious tradition where any kind of pathological hatred is a criterion for sainthood. Mr Kabir rightly points out the absurdity of equating something rather inconsequential like sports team support with something as sublime as patriotism. Muntasir N Chowdhury Would just like to point out, a few members of the crowd did get booed off the gallery when the socalled Bangladeshi souls were showing their support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh-Pakistan game. Ronnie I’m a lifelong sports fanatic and a huge cricket fan (though Test cricket – not ODIs and T20s – remains my mainstay in the sport). I have always liked a lot of individual Pakistani players, their highly attractive attacking flair and outsize talents. I normally support the Pakistan team against everybody (except Bangladesh ;-) ). Alas, Pakistani teams are also notorious for their chronic blow-outs in form and results. :-) There was a time, not too long ago, when our national team was a poor spectacle in international cricket, because they were scarcely competitive at all – losing all the time, and losing badly. And it was obvious how many of our fans, as much out of despair for our lack of success, as admiration for superior sides, simply took to lustily cheering for either India or Pakistan as their adopted proxies for Bangladesh. It’s exceedingly silly, though, to conflate the support of the average Bangladeshi cricket fan for Indian or Pakistan teams with necessarily any sort of political or emotional leanings with those countries, per se.

Denial will not deliver more power

The Turag dying a slow death!
March 10 After all that big talk by Hasina and her government about love for the nation, there has been no action whatsoever in putting a stop to the dumping of chemical and non-degradable solid waste into the Turag. Babul Sarwar

Joy: World Bank in the way of Bangladesh’s progress
March 12 Arif Ahmed Don’t forget to show our gratitude to him! Shaquib Quoreshi Ah! I now see clearly the reason behind our backwardness. :-/

Be Heard
Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: [email protected] Send us your Op-Ed articles: [email protected] Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

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Paying for RMG upgrading

First ever bone marrow transplant carried out in the country
March 12 Congrats to the whole medical team who has done this bone marrow transplant! Go ahead Bangladesh! Saiful Miah

takeholders have been making concerted efforts to improve safety standards in the RMG sector. The Accord and Alliance initiatives are a tangible sign of commitment by major brands to the future of the industry in Bangladesh. It is important for the industry that stakeholders, particularly the government, BGMEA and BKMEA and international buyers, work in co-operation to keep ensuring progress on improving safety. Clearly, long-term thinking is needed by all stakeholders to ensure necessary that upgrades are adequately financed. If done correctly, a combination of improved standards, better retrofitted factories and more modern purposebuilt sites will help to raise productivity and ensure long-term competitiveness and sustainability. This requires a mixture of effort and investment by all the stakeholders involved. For example, the government can help factory owners ensure the speedy development of planned industrial zones. Likewise factory owners can work with stakeholders to improve training programs for workers to increase the quality and volume of outputs. Even so, with so much of the finance and dynamism of the industry being dependant on overseas buyers and retailers, it is also incumbent on them to listen to factory owners’ concerns about paying for improvements. They should use the stakeholder initiatives to agree that improvement plans factor adequate time and sufficient pricing to allow improvements to be implemented. With concerted efforts, all stakeholders, most of all the factory workers themselves, will benefit from long-term investments being made to ensure the improvement and growth of this crucial sector.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

It is important for all stakeholders to ensure necessary upgrades are adequately financed

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Wander off (5) 4 Eternal city(4) 7 Land measure (3) 8 Vehicle (3) 9 Conjecture (5) 12 At hand (4) 13 Acknowledged rank (7) 15 Insane (3) 16 Newt (3) 18 Place for pigs (3) 19 Edge (3) 21 Remembers (7) 24 Fruit (4) 26 Hackneyed (5) 27 Tree (3) 28 Adults (3) 29 Expensive (4) 30 Vital organ (5) DOWN 1 Droops (4) 2 Unauthorised school absentee (6) 3 Stagger (4) 4 S African currency unit (4) 5 Metal-bearing rock (3) 6 White heron (5) 10 Result of addition (3) 11 Fixed gaze (5) 14 Decree (5) 17 Waver (6) 18 Not hollow (5) 20 Spoil (3) 21 Bring up (4) 22 Peruvian capital (4) 23 Transmitted (4) 25 Extinct bird (3)

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS
Crossword

How to solve Sudoku: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

Thursday, March 13, 2014

11

Blind desperation, desperate blindness

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n Syeda Samira Sadeque

recent ad by American Apparel has given rise to much debate and heat. It features a model, topless, in a pair of jeans, with “Made in Bangladesh,” printed over her bare chest. According to fashion magazine Elle’s website, “the model’s name is Maks, and she’s a Bangladesh-born merchandiser who’s been with American Apparel since 2010.” The description continues: “She doesn’t feel the need to identify herself as an American or a Bengali and is not content to fit her life into anyone else’s conventional narrative” – a justifiable stance that anyone has – and should have – the freedom to take.

to those in the US. Many could argue that wouldn’t make sense as the pair of jeans was not made in Bangladesh, but really, which part of the ad conveys a sensible message? Had Maks gone on to model as a Bangladeshi/Bengali, the ad would still have more relevance to the message it carries; but with the way it has been portrayed, it appears to be a mere collaboration of the three facts which were lost in transition: A topless model, a topless model who does not want to be put within the confines of a cultural identity, and a pair of jeans made in the US. Three facts that connect at no point except for the page where the ad has been portrayed.

Of freedom and fairness

The best banking practices need to come to Bangladesh

BIGSTOCK

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It would be unfair to attach a whole country’s label to any statement, let alone such a controversial one

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n Mamun Rashid
hile the entire Bangladesh banking industry is struggling with increasing non-performing loans, burglary, fraud, and a lack of efficient people, many are thinking: How do we ensure the migration of best practices to Bangladesh banking? When the new private sector commercial banks (PCBs) were allowed in the early 80s, most of their CEOs and senior management came from stateowned commercial banks. The trend continued till the mid or late 90s. These people, as usual, were known large private sector clients of those banks and afterwards, the sponsors of the new banks. They played a major role in expanding the country’s trade finance business. However, their focus was never on business process re-engineering, the establishment of a robust risk management culture, developing a delivery platform, integrated distribution channel, or even large project finance. For obvious reasons, the central bank emerged as the only “change driver” in the Bangladesh banking sector. Reform programs initiated and supported by the development partners through the central bank brought in some visible change in the way those banks handled classified loans, charged interest rates to the clients, and maintained coverage against risk assets. However, information technology, modern management practices, human resource development, and governance did not get much priority in their laundry list. During the implementation phase of the financial sector reform project

(FSRP), a few senior managers in the state owned banks, the central bank, and the finance ministry got trained in the global banks. When those senior managers later joined the private sector commercial banks, the market could see some changes in the way “risk” is being managed and cross-border trade is carried out. The tail end of the 90s and early 2000s saw a few dynamic young individuals with global outlook mostly from the foreign banks operating in Bangladesh join the private sector commercial banks.

brought in a lot of confidence among the private sector commercial bank directors/sponsors to attract more senior managers from foreign banks to join in decision-making roles in their banks. And this now almost became a “one way traffic.” Commercial banks started to gradually embed “change” in their growth strategies. Along with them, mid and junior level officials in those local banks also started to put in their efforts to ensure a better human resources policy, centralised processing,

We must invite young, energetic, capable people with banking experience to run the show

I would say the pressure for “change” started from there. Their spree for change was kick-started by the few second-generation foreign-educated entrepreneurs in their bank boards. This was further supported by the few at the central bank, who came from either the development partners or the foreign bank itself. The “core risk management guideline,” put up with the help of mostly the executives working for the global banks, worked as “equity” in the entire change process. With the fall of ANZ Grindlays Bank, the closing of American Express Bank, Banque Indosuez, and some other foreign commercial banks, the market saw some good human resources available. The success of the change process in Eastern Bank (erstwhile BCCI)

improved service delivery platform, a much improved and well-coordinated risk management process, an alternate product delivery and distribution channel, and more importantly relationship banking. We have reasons to celebrate the success of the “first phase” of change management process in Bangladesh commercial banking. With more customised client solutions building, automated teller machines (ATMS), credit cards, mobile cash (M-cash), large project loans, offshore banking, cross-border financing, spur in retail, and SME banking, Bangladesh’s banking sector is poised to integrate well with the global banking system. Centralised processing, higher investments in information technology,

service delivery platform and a bigger pool for training and development of the people are commanding the agenda of the commercial bank’s boards. CEOs of many of our banks spent considerable years in foreign banks. Many of their deputies also come from foreign banks. All of them may not be “world class,” or may not have clear visibility about the destination, but they know the importance of a people-centric policy, IT driven solutions, better risk management, and establishment of retail banking or transaction banking to diversify risk and introduce efficiency to the system. While the Bangladesh banking system is going through a trying time now, many owners and directors of PCBs are thinking about attracting seniors from global banks to join them in the next possible opportunity. They have reconciled within themselves that “change” is going to be the only constant in banking, and we must invite young, energetic, capable people with home-and-abroad banking experience to run the show. Though we have yet to see seniors from foreign banks driving the “change process” in state-owned banks and bring in visible changes, there and many other developing countries, the scenario may change there too, and soon. A success transfer is underway, and must continue its journey into excellence. People with global banking experience should be more identified in the development process of Bangladesh’s banking industry and beyond. Ways could be many, but best answers come only from a few. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

In this age of globalisation, national and cultural identities have become much more fluid in definition and have allowed individuals to make choices about such issues. Maks thus has the right and reason to not want to fit into a particular national – or any other – identity. The website then goes on to quote American Apparel as saying: “Maks was photographed in the High Waist Jean, a garment manufactured by 23 skilled American workers in Downtown Los Angeles, all of whom are paid a fair wage and have access to basic benefits such as healthcare.”

Lost in transition

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Solidarity for flight 370
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n Ifti Rashid
hen I first heard the news on Saturday, I could not believe my ears. It was most depressing and unsettling to hear Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 on the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing has gone “missing.”  Unfortunately, we live in a time and age when many of us have become somewhat apathetic to media reports on accidents. However, it always hurts most when it is close to home. Both Bangladesh and Malaysia have had strong diplomatic, economic, educational, cultural, and labour ties for decades. On a personal level, Malaysia is my country of birth and makes this news even harder to digest. Foremost, our heart goes out to the family members of the passengers and crew from Malaysia, China, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, India, Russia, Indonesia, France, Netherlands, and Ukraine. Though we are still hoping and praying for a miracle, we can only imagine how traumatic this ordeal must be for the family members. No words can be solace for them.  Our solidarity is for Malaysia and Malaysians during this difficult time. We share your pain. We also stand by Malaysia Airlines in this emergency. Let us not forget MAS has so far had one of the most outstanding safety records in the world. I have always felt at home aboard, and this will not change for me. There have been many rumours circulating online ever since the plane went missing, including the possibility of a terrorist attack. The case of at least two passengers who boarded the plane with stolen passports definitely raises suspicion of foul play, it seems too much of a coincidence that both passports were stolen in Thailand. Tickets were apparently booked through Southern China Airlines and purchased together. Other speculation is more hopeful, for instance, claims that the cell phone of one of the passengers is still ringing.  We don’t know the truth, but we can only hope. As for the official response and emergency mobilisation, one thing that struck me is how Malaysian officials, including Defence and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein Onn, have been so candid, forthright, and most importantly sensitive to the family members of those in the missing flight. It was constructive that the press conferences did not have the typical ambiance of officialdom normally expected, but a high level of sincerity and honesty that is truly impressive.  This is what we expect from those serving the public with taxpayer money.  I think there is something here for other countries in the region to learn from Malaysia on handling emergency situations with professionalism and compassion. In the meantime, our prayers go out for Flight MH 370. Our prayers are

The controversy, if you ask me, is not in Maks being topless, but in the statement on her toplessness that reads “Made in Bangladesh.” This implies, at first glance, that being topless is a Bangladeshi norm – which it is not. So the question that arises is: Where and how is Bangladesh relevant to any of this? The only way in which it is remotely connected to this ad is through Maks’ Bengali origin which she does not want to be attached to. So, doesn’t putting her up as a model with the statement defeat the whole purpose of both the ad and her realisation about her identity? American Apparel also shared information about how the pair of jeans was made by 23 American workers who are paid a fair wage and have access to certain facilities. If the ad is trying to bring to focus the fact that the manufactures of these jeans have all the benefits Bangladeshi workers don’t, that’s a fair point – and in fact, much needed to evoke conscience in our garment industries. But that has absolutely no relevance to a girl posing top-naked, showing her bare breasts. If the line “Made in Bangladesh” had to go anywhere in the ad at all, it might as well have been on the pair of jeans – as that would draw comparison between the status and condition of Bangladeshi workers

The ad is also likely to trigger a discussion on “freedom” – a woman’s freedom to flaunt her body, American Apparel’s freedom to portray their models the way they want to, etc – and these are all very reasonable arguments. But why attach a country’s label to it? This is not about being progressive or conservative, feminist or chauvinist, this is a clear violation of a country’s peoples’ sentiments. A country is not just one person or one girl and their ideologies of freedom and identity. A country is full of different people, different sentiments, and different ideologies. It would be unfair to attach a whole country’s label to any statement, let alone such a controversial one. In today’s world, with movements such as FEMEN that stage topless protests to convey their message, it has become very easy to associate feminism to such activities and/or statements. This, in turn, can potentially imply another association: If you don’t support a woman’s right and freedom to be naked in public, you are not progressive enough – which is dangerous. Being liberal should focus more on one’s stance on a topic than on how they choose to express it. And most importantly, being liberal should include being liberal enough to respect, if not understand, the opposing view. I fully support a woman’s right to be naked in public, but it must be looked at in context. This ad is blatantly associating a half-naked woman to Bangladesh – a whole country, a whole culture, and that creates a misleading and insensitive message.

This ad seems too desperate to make a statement and even that statement conveys no message

To sum it up, this ad seems too desperate – blindly desperate – with an aim solely to make a statement and even that statement conveys no message. There is a difference between being progressive and being patronising, one that American Apparel clearly fails to see. l Syeda Samira Sadeque is Staff Reporter at the Dhaka Tribune.

We can only imagine how traumatic this ordeal must be for the family members. No words can be solace for them

By being accessible and communicative, Malaysian authorities have dispelled rumours, but at the same time addressed public concerns as much as possible. What touched me most was the high level of empathy and engagement by not only the minister but every other civil and military official.

for the passengers, crew, and family members, while we stand by Malaysia, Malaysians, and Malaysia Airlines in this difficult time for all of you, in fact, for all of us. God bless us, and bring us some good news, please. l Ifti Rashid is a political and security analyst. Progress, or just patronising?
WIKIMEDIA

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment
n Shadma Malik

Thursday, March 13, 2014

15 artists present women as larger-than-life at Gallery Cosmos
Maksuda Iqbal Nipa loves to play with colour and new techniques of art. She is an artist who would go beyond a Life, a 15-day group exhibition featuring the lives of theme and subject, and make her own creation outstandwomen started at Gallery Cosmos in the city on Tues- ing. The experimental artist explaining her work titled day. The exhibition tries to portray the life of women in Beneath the Surface, said: “The colours on my canvas different styles, forms, colours and ideas by a total of keep on evolving every moment. Working on oil on canvas, I tried to create an 15 artists. The showing illusion. The technique will be open till March is referred as optical il25. lusion. It gives a vibrant The exhibition has look at the surface. It is been dedicated to three fun to play and perceive pioneering women in when two colours are Bangladesh who are merged in a new way Begum Rokeya, Beand creates a whole difgum Sufia Kamal and ferent version.” Jahanara Imam. The Curator, coordinator talented women artists and participiant of Life through their works have Afrozaa Jamil Konka tried to acknowledge said: “I always want to the courage, dedication portray the power that and sacrifices of these a woman has inside three women in their her. To mark the Interown fields. The entire national Women’s Day, exhibition turns out as a we have brought fifteen message to the viewers artists of wide range in to perceive the contribuone platform. The arttion in building a better ists’ endeavour differs and brighter future for all from one another. We the Bangladeshi women. invited veteran artists, An artwork named Glitz by Nazia Andaleeb Preema along with emerging Glitz by Nazia Andaleeb Preema is on display that immediately provokes the ones to showcase different perceptions.” “My series Faded Memories is about Rana Plaza. In spectator to think twice. About her work, the bold and dynamic artist said: “Women, all over the world are al- my work, I wanted to portray the process of woman ways challenged by the societal norms. She becomes empowerment the obstacles. I have tried to draw those the victim of glamour, glitz and festivals. She always obstructions through the symbol of a crow.” The inaugural ceremony was accompanied by acts in a certain way, regardless of her merit, aspiration, belief and talent. Yet, she rises above all and tries Heather Cruden, High Commissioner, Canadian High to stand tall despite her sufferings. She simply becomes Commission and eminent human rights activist Khuthe celebration of a stereotyped myth of womanhood.” shi Kabir. l

AR Rahman and Akon in BCB Celebration Concert today
n Limana Solaiman
Music fans all across the country are anticipating great things from the BCB Celebration Concert. For the first time, international artistes AR Rahman and Senegalese-American R&B and hip hop icon Akon will perform for the audience of Bangladesh today at the BCB Celebration Concert, scheduled to take place at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. All the tickets of the event are sold out and now, fans of the two artistes are buying tickets from the black market at elevated prices. After reaching Dhaka, Oscar winning Indian composer and singer AR Rahman paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Ganobhaban on Tuesday evening. Music of the subcontinent was discussed at the meeting and AR Rahman managed to impress the Prime Minister with his achievements and his successful projection of the rich music of the subcontinent before the world. If the two renowned international celebrities are not enough to satisfy the music lovers, celebrated bands of Bangladesh: LRB, Miles, and singer Arnob will also be present at the concert. Another attractive part of the event will be elaborate dance recitals of 90 dancers under the choreography of Warda Rihab. The dancers will perform to the tune of the welcome song of the event, Urchhe Shantir Payra, sung by Fuad Al Muktadir and Konal. The 90 dancers will also perform on four more tracks: Shadher Lau by Runa Laila, O Majhi Nao Chhaira De by Sabina Yasmin, Ektara Bajaiyo Na by Kumar Bishwajit, and Morar Kokile by Momtaz. It is confirmed that the show will be telecasted live on Channel9 from 1:30pm today. l

Tareque Masud Cultural Centre staged a technical show of their first production Ashchorjo Sundor Ei Beche Thaka, a play adapted from The Game by Louise Bryant, at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on March 11. The cultural organisation, a tribute to the late filmmaker Tareque Masud, plans on staging the premiere show on April 4 at the same venue

Peya in item song
n Shadma Malik
The stunning beauty Jannatul Ferdoush Peya is gearing up for her upcoming flick The Story of Samara, directed by Rikiya Masudo which is expected to release in the middle of this year. About the film the glamorous actor said: “In this film, I am a researcher in a university. A fantasy horror film, The Story of Samara is about five friends who have certain birth signs. When the power of five comes together, they are transported to a different plane called Samara. We explore a complete different world were humans look like animals. Suddenly, I am abducted by aliens who erase my memory and control my brain.” “I am also in an item song. When I am under the control of aliens, I dance to a song titled Matal Hawa and then the story reaches its climax,” added the winner of Miss Bangladesh 2007. Peya entered the ilmdom and debuted as an actor in 2012 through the movie Chorabali and achieved best actress award in the critics’ choice category in Meril Prothom Alo Award. The beautiful actor has two ilms in the pipe line, Gangster Returns and Probashir Bhalobasha. l

Mim’s telefilm airs on Maasranga
n Entertainment Desk
Watch out for sensational star of the media industry, Bidya Sinha Saha Mim in today’s telefilm Bedonar Shob Kotha Manush Bole Na. Additional members of the cast includes Azad Abul Kalam, Nazmul Kabir and many others. The telefilm will air on Maasranga at 7:50pm. Labonno and Ahir meets during a strike and from then on, they forge a relationship. They continue to keep in touch with one another over the phone and sometimes meeting in person. After a while, Ahir starts to feel that even though they are in love, Labonno seems to be holding back about being completely honest about her life. Whenever he tries to talk to her about it, Labonno replies “people do not talk about their grief in depth.” Frustrated Ahir gets kidnapped one day by the hooligans of a gangster named Shahin. He is clueless about his abduction until he is questioned in detail about his relationship with Labonno. He is tortured as if he is under police remand. l

Taylor Swift tops money makers list
n Entertainment Desk
Singer songwriter Taylor Swift has been named America’s highest-earning musician over the last year. She surpassed the likes of Beyoncé, Bon Jovi and even the Rolling Stones to earn nearly $40m from US tour dates, music sales, streaming and publishing royalties, according to Billboard’s annual Money Makers report. The seven-time Grammy Award-winner tops the overall Billboard list despite ranking only sixth in digital music sales and eighth in physical album sales. What’s more, over the course of Swift’s 66 sold-out concerts last year, each ticket-buyer apparently spent an average of $17 (£10) on the singer’s tour. Swift was previously crowned in the Billboard rich list in 2012. l

Marks All-rounder all set to launch
n Entertainment Desk
School based talent hunt competition Marks All-rounder 2014 is going to be held once again from March 28, sponsored by Marks Full Cream Milk Powder of the reputed corporate firm of Bangladesh named Abul Khair Group. Every child is unique in his or her rights and Marks’ show provides a platform for the youngsters to explore their creative and artistic side. The initial selection is divided into two groups, primary section will include participants from class one to five and the secondary section will include participants from class six to ten. Participants will be selected from the seven divisions of the country

based on their talent on dancing, singing, acting, drawing, recitation, quiz competitions, storytelling ability (primary) and extempore speech (secondary). The talent hunt will start from March 28 and the 7 divisions of the country are further divided into 25 zones. Scholarship amounting to Tk10lacs or a car shall be awarded to every “best all-rounder” of the two groups. Each of the four runner ups of the grand finale will be awarded scholarships of Tk1lacs. Other prizes in different categories include 100 computers to be distributed in schools, 42 gold, silver and bronze medals and numerous other attractive prizes are waiting for the winners of every round, regional and national. l

Ayushmann can sing as well!
n Entertainment Desk
Ayushmann Khurrana, who made a fruitful debut with Vicky Donor and is now looking forward to Bewakoofiyaan says he sees no “competitor” in the Hindi film industry. He further believes that he has a major plus point because

of the fact that he can act as well as sing. Bollywood currently has a whole lot of young blood and when asked who he considers as a competitor from among the likes of Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann said: “There is no competitor as such. I think my biggest plus point is that I am both an actor and a singer. As far as Ranbir Kapoor is concerned, he is my senior and I like his work,” added the multi-faceted talent, who was earlier a video jockey. l

Did you know?
Chris Gayle (5,813) needs 90 runs to pass Brad Hodge (5,902) as the leading run-scorer in all T20 matches

Sport

Thursday, March 13, 2014

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

0 0 3
DAYS TO GO

14 Wenger slams

Robben as Arsenal exit

15 Sammy secures

WI T20 series against England

Tigers warm-up with narrow win
Regardless of an irresponsible batting display and mediocre bowling performance, Bangladesh managed to sneak in a four-wicket victory over United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their T20 warm-up match at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah yesterday. Though the victory came with seven balls and four wickets to spare the Tigers had to sweat in front of around 2000 home crowd while chasing a modest 143 runs as the batsmen failed to grab the chance of gaining full confidence ahead of the ICC World Twenty20. The major concern in the bowling department remained as the bowlers looked bite less despite having a weaker opponent. After a gloomy start to this year, yesterday’s match was the perfect platform for the Bangladesh side to stamp their authority before the start of the world event in four days. However, the batting unit also showed signs of careless batting as they lost wickets very cheaply in regular breaks to keep UAE in hunt for an upset. Anamul Haque once again returned to the dressing room with a first over duck which saw the home side get off to a shaky start and things were getting ugly Shakib al Hasan (nine) followed back. Shakib attempted to flick Manjula Guruge but only ended up gifting the left-arm fast bowler his second wicket. Bangladesh were 17/2 when Mushfiq and his deputy Tamim Iqbal resqued the side with a 58-run partnership. However, quick dismissals of the two saw Bangladesh enter that danger territory where they have been in the past few matches. Mushfiq tried to lob over mid on but failed as he returned with 27 off 22 balls while Tamim left in the 11th over after making 43. On his return match Tamim was caught and bowled by Rohan Mostafa after clobbering six boundaries and one overboundary in 30 balls. Bangladesh lost two more wickets - Nasir Hossain and Mominul Haque before they strolled to victory courtesy of Mahmudullah and Farhad Reza. The duo added 32 runs for the seventh wicket from only 17 balls to land Bangladesh’s win. With five boundaries, Mahmudullah was unbeaten on 29 off 18 deliveries. Earlier, opting to bat first UAE were off to a decent start receiving no threat from the opponent bowlers until they started to open up with openers Faizan Asif and Ali Amjad, who also impressed in their last match against Hong Kong at Sharjah. Farhad Reza, in his first over, conceded two consecutive boundaries before giving his side the breakthrough by dismissing Amjad (19) caught at mid on by skipper Mushfiqur Rahim. Khurram Khan and Faizan (31) kept the Tigers in dissatisfaction for a while before the latter was dismissed by Mahmudullah after hitting the only six of their innings. Khurram’s dismissal ended UAE’s biggest partnership off 45 runs with Shaiman, as the associate members could add only 29 runs in the last five overs to post 142 for seven. Farhad gave away 25 runs in two overs and picked up two wickets. l

SCORECARD
United Arab Emirates innings
Amjad Ali c Mushf b Reza Asif c Mominul b Mahmudullah Khurram Khan* b Farhad Reza SP Patil† b Abdur Razzak Anwar c Tamim b Al-Amin Amjad Javed b Rubel Hossain Rohan Mustafa not out V Shetty run out (Mahmudullah) Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 3) Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 19 31 44 1 19 6 13 4 5 142

Farhad Reza (C) celebrates taking a wicket with teammates during Bangladesh’s World Twenty20 warm-up game against UAE at Fatullah yesterday

MUMIT M

Women’s face India in third T20 today
Bangladesh national women’s cricket team will take the field at the at Cox’s Bazar’s Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium for their third Twenty20 of the three-match series against India today. Already losing the series 2-0, the hosts will be eyeing a win to gain the momentum and avoid a three nil sweep.  The home side came into the series having secured their maiden ODI series victory defeating Pakistan 2-0. However the momentum shifted once they faced Pakistan for the twomatch T20 series. The Bangladeshi women lost the first match while the second and last match is scheduled after the India series at the same venue on March 15. The series’ are mainly the part of build-up for the women’s World T20  where hosts Bangladesh will be making their debut. l

IPL might come to Bangladesh
The second phase of the Indian Premier League season seven is likely to take place in Bangladesh from May 1 to 12 if the Indian government rejects organisers’ request to hold matches in specific Indian states once polling there ends. A media release from the IPL organisers yesterday informed that India has been forced to move part of its Twenty20 cricket competition to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and possibly Bangladesh due to a clash with elections. The seventh IPL season will begin on April 16 just days after the beginning of the country’s general elections. However, the Indian government has informed the IPL organisers that security forces are needed for the world’s biggest elections, which run until May 12 and cannot be diverted for the cricket competition. For that reason, IPL organisers have moved at least the first 16 matches to the UAE from April 16 to 30. The venues are still to be decided according to the tentative schedule while the second phase is likely to be staged in Bangladesh.  “We have also heard that the BCCI and the IPL organizers plan to hold few games from the upcoming season in Bangladesh. The discussion is taking place with our president Nazmul Hasan. I think we will be informed once it reaches a concrete decision,” said the Bangladesh Cricket Board grounds committee chairman Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.  “The BCCI and IPL organiseres have been informed that BCB has no problem in hosting the matches. All of our venues are ready to hold a phase from the tournament which they plan,” Lokman added.    Meanwhile, ICC (International Cricket Council) Chief Executive David Richardson welcomed the decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).   “The BCCI’s decision to stage the first part of the IPL 2014 season in the UAE is great news for the people of the UAE and the region. It will complete a remarkable season of cricket in the UAE, which has already seen the successful staging of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013 and the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2014,” said Richardson in an ICC media release.   “This news comes on the back of the on-field success of the UAE national team which has qualified for both the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand and has the potential to propel cricket’s profile to new heights in the country,” the statement mentioned. The third phase of the tournament after May 12 will be held in India, with the provision that no match be organised on May 16, when vote counting and election results are expected to be announced. l

FoW 1 32, 2 63, 3 70, 4 115, 5 124, 6 128, 7 142 Bowling Al-Amin 4 0 25 1, Rubel 4 0 17 1, Mahmudullah 2 0 19 1, Farhad 2 025 2, Shakib 4 0 28 0, Nasir 1 0 11 0, Razzak 3 0 15 1,

Bangladesh innings
Tamim Iqbal c & b Rohan Anamul † c Amjad b Guruge Shakib c Rohan b Guruge Mushfiqur* c Silva b Shazad Nasir Hossain b Amjad Javed Mominul c Shazad b Javed Mahmudullah not out Farhad Reza not out Extras (lb 1, w 2, nb 2) Total (6 wickets; 18.5 overs) 43 0 9 27 15 4 29 14 5 146

FoW 1 2, 2 17, 3 75, 4 82, 5 10, 6 112 Bowling Guruge 4 0 25 2, Silva 3 0 30 0, Amjad 4 0 25 2, Kamran 3 1 20 1, Rohan 3.5 0 36 1, Khurram 1 0 9 0 Players per side 15 (11 batting, 11 fielding) Bangladesh won by 4 wickets

Hong Kong pull big upset
Afghanistan, Ireland pick easy win
Right-arm pacer Aftab Alam’s fourICC associate mem- wicket haul allowed Afghanistan to seber Hong Kong pulled cure a 35-run victory over Netherlands a huge upset on the in a curtailed game in Chittagong. Mohammad Nabi’s 25-ball 40 and 39 opening day of the ICC World Twenty20 apiece from Karim Sadiq and Shafiqullah warm-up games as they saw the Afghans register 150/7. Netherhanded Test playing nation Zimbabwe lands’ chase was disrupted by floodlight a four-wicket defeat in Chittagong yes- issues. The target was curtailed to 122 terday. Meanwhile, Afghanistan and runs from 15 overs but the Dutchmen Ireland picked wins in their respective were bowled out for 86 in the 13th over. games against Nepal and Netherlands.    Only four batters reached double figures with Michael Swart top scoring with   20. Left-arm spinner Hamza Hotak also Zimbabwe v Hong Kong Riding on middle-order batsman Mark grabbed three wickets in 2.3 overs. l Chapman’s unbeaten 53 Hong Kong reached their target of 154 in the last ball of the innings. Chapman faced 33 Ireland v Nepal balls and slammed four boundaries and Nepal: 137/7 in 20 overs three sixes while he was well supported (Malla 47, Khadka 31, Kevin 2/22) by Tanwir Afzal (37* off 21 balls). EarIreland: 141/5 in 19.1 overs (Porterfield 38, lier, Hong Kong justified their decision of Wilson 31*, Mukhiya 3/24) fielding first by restricting Zimbabwe to Ireland won by 5 wickets 153/7. Late surge from Vusi Sibanda (31) Hong Kong v Zimbabwe and Chigumbura (45) helped the ZimbaZimbabwe: 153/7 in 20 overs bwean’s reach the modest T20 total.  (Chigumbura 45*, Raza 32, Sibanda 31, Irfan 3/25) Hong Kong: 159/6 in 20 overs Ireland v Nepal (Chapman 53*, Afzal 37*, Utseya 3/19) Ireland claimed an easy last over win over Hong Kong won by 4 wickets Nepal at Fatullah.  Nepal never looked a

Tamim hopes for improvement
The four-wicket win against UAE yesterday hardly explains the uneasiness the Bangladesh side went through during the course of the warm-up match at Fatullah. Chasing the modest 143 at one point Bangladesh were looking to concede the game to the associate member’s and Tamim Iqbal who returned to the side recovering from a neck strain said poor start caused them the discomfort. “It would have been much better if we had a good start with the ball. And I think we can bowl much better especially in the first six overs, but we made a good comeback at the end where at one stage they were looking to score 160-170 but we managed to restrict them to 140 odd runs. “Same goes to the batting where we tried to be more attacking from the start. We will try to improve these things on our next match. Though T20 looks a fast game but there is still some time to think and I hope we will sit and discuss to improve in the next match,” said Tamim at the post match briefing session. Bangladesh seemed to be in a relaxed mode yesterday but Tamim informed they are not in a position to take their opponents lightly. “Look we are not in a position to take any side lightly as we lost seven matches in a row recently and we are taking every match seriously and we are trying to work out on our mistakes and don’t repeat our mistakes and return to a better position where we earlier were,” he said. The shot selection cost most of the batters and when asked if they were finding it difficult to adjust to the format Tami said, “No I think every player knows his duty, maybe we are passing a bad time as a team and you can’t solve everything together and I am sure it will improve as we won the match today and gained confidence for the important match on March 16. “But we will be looking to attack in the first six overs and we have given the license to our top order batsmen

Afghanistan v Netherlands

BRIEF SCORES

We are taking every match seriously and we are trying to work out on our mistakes
because as you know we don’t have such big hitters like (Keiron) Pollard so the first six overs are always important for us,” said Tamim before adding that he is fully fit now and expects to be available for the coming matches. On the other hand, UAE skipper Khurram Khan, who was also the highest scorer for his side with 44 runs, was happy with his team’s performance. “I think it’s a wonderful performance to be honest as you know Bangladesh is an experienced side and they are in the international cricket for long time. Taking them almost to the last over was a huge achievement for us and we have a lot of positives from this game,” he said. l

comfortable batting unit in front of the Irish bowlers as Gyanendra Malla (47) top scored in their 137/7. Later, Ireland chased the target in 19.1 overs with five wickets to spare with skipper William Porterfield leading the side with a 35-ball 38.

Netherlands v Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 150/7 in 20 overs (Nabi 40, Shafiqullah 39, Karim 39, Malik 3/28) Netherlands: 86 all-out in 12.3 overs (Swart 20, Aftab 4/25, Hamza 3/16) Afghanistan won by 35 runs (D/L)

Tamim Iqbal plays a pull shot during Bangladesh’s World Twenty20 warm-up game against UAE at Fatullah yesterday MUMIT M

14
Fifa prepares fresh tickets launch
Football’s world governing body FIFA on Tuesday geared up for a fresh launch of World Cup ticket sales from Wednesday, with 345,000 up for grabs for 60 of the 64 matches. The tickets go on sale in what is the second window of the second sales phase from 1100 GMT although the opening match in Sao Paulo, the final in Rio and the semi-finals in Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo are already sold out. The sales allocation is on a first-come, first-served basis, FIFA said on its website, predicting “very high” demand through to the close of sales on April 1. –AFP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, March 13, 2014

'Tiger’s lost his intimidation factor'
Outspoken caddy Steve Williams says former employer Tiger Woods has lost his intimidation factor, as the New Zealander revealed he will quit full-time golf this year. Williams, who was sacked by Woods in 2011 after helping him win all but one of his 14 major titles, added that he had yet to reconcile with the world number one, but hopes to one day. “There’s just personal things and differences of opinion about how things went down. He thinks one thing and I think another,” Williams, who now carries the bags of Australian world number two Adam Scott. –AFP

Stoke fail with Walters red card appeal
Stoke City have lost an appeal against the red card shown to forward Jonathan Walters during Saturday’s 1 1 draw at Norwich City, the Football Association announced on Tuesday. Having just equalised from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute of the Premier League encounter at Carrow Road, Walters was shown a straight red card following a knee-high foul on Norwich midfielder Alexander Tettey. Stoke tabled an appeal, but an independent disciplinary commission upheld referee Andre Marriner’s decision. –AFP

Simeone open to all Spanish quarter-final
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone welcomed the possibility of meeting La Liga rivals Real Madrid or Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after his side thrashed AC Milan 4-1 in the second leg of their last 16 tie on Wednesday to progress 5-1 on aggregate. It is the first time since Simeone was an Atletico player back in 1997 that Los Rojiblancos have reached the last eight of the Champions League and the Argentine insists they must enjoy the experience no matter who they are paired with. “We will wait until the opponent comes out of the hat. It doesn’t bother me at all if it is a Spanish team. “We will continue with humility as we always do and you can’t choose who you play. All we can do is relax and recuperate.” “We started better and it seemed like the tie was well on track, but then they grew into the game. We weren’t getting to them on the wings and it complicated things for us. “It was not so much the second goal, but the third goal that allowed us to relax because it was then very difficult to come back in the tie.” Milan boss Clarence Seedorf congratulated Atletico on a deserved win over the two legs, but lamented his side’s luck as Arda’s deflected goal came when they were having a good spell. “Congratulations to Atletico, they deserved this victory, especially in the second-half. “We lost control of the game. Their second goal arrived when we were having our best spell in the game, but that is football.” Seedorf has only been in charge of the seven-time European champions since January as he replaced the sacked Massimiliano Allegri. The Rossoneri’s season is now effectively over as they lie 11th in Serie A, nine points off the European places. And the former Dutch international admitted he now has to build the side with an eye to returning Milan to their former glory next season. “I arrived to help and improve the situation. Next season we will build something new and better. This year everything started badly and now we are trying to fill the holes. l

Bayern Munich's midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (L) scores against FC Arsenal during their Uefa Champions League last 16 second-leg match in Munich, on Tuesday

Wenger slams Robben as Arsenal exit
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger blamed Wojciech Szczesny’s first-leg red card for the Gunners’ Champions League last 16 exit and slammed Arjen Robben for provoking the red card as the Gunners bowed out at Bayern Munich. Holders Bayern Munich booked their place in the Champions League’s quarter-finals, despite Arsenal earning a 1-1 draw in Bavaria in Tuesday’s last 16, second-leg clash. A second-half Bastian Schweinsteiger goal gave Bayern a brief lead before Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski equalised with a thunderbolt of a shot as the tie finished 3-1 on aggregate. Arsenal failed to overturn their 2-0 deficit from the first leg three weeks ago, which still riles Wenger. The Gunners finished with ten men in London after Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli sent off Gunners goalkeeper Szczesny for conceding a spot-kick with a foul on Robben. “Overall in the two games what made the difference was the decision to send our goalkeeper off,” said Wenger. “I felt it was not a red card as simple as that. Robben is very good at getting something out of nothing, he’s a good diver, but that’s part of his game. “I have to congratulate the (Arsenal) players for their heart and effort. “We wanted to come out of that tie qualified, but we came up short. “Good luck to Bayern, but I think they are a bit more vulnerable than last season.” Robben angrily rebuked Wenger’s diving claims.

AFP

Ozil out for 'a few weeks': Wenger
Mesut Ozil’s unhappy spell continued on Tuesday when the Arsenal and Germany midfielder suffered an injury against Bayern Munich that manager Arsene Wenger said is likely to keep him out for several weeks. Local media reported Ozil had sustained a hamstring injury though Wenger did not confirm that. “It looks quite serious,” said Wenger. “I don’t know (how long Ozil will be missing) but for sure he is out (of the Tottenham Hotspur game on Sunday). “We have to make a scan tomorrow to see how bad it is but he’s out for at least a few weeks. I hope it’s not too bad.” Ozil’s injury came just as he appeared to be turning the corner following a run of misfortune. l

RESULTS
Bayern Munich
Schweinsteiger 54

1 1 4 1

Arsenal
Podolski 57

Atletico Madrid

AC Milan
Kaka 27

Diego Costa 3, 85, Turan 40, Raul Garcia 70

“I expect more of great managers, they don’t need to resort to claims like that,” said the Dutch winger. “I don’t want to have to defend myself against remarks like that.” Bayern boss Pep Guardiola was pleased that his side restricted Arsenal’s

scoring chances – only a Olivier Giroud header and Podolski’s thunderbolt truly troubled the hosts defence. But Bayern’s honorary president Franz Beckenbauer criticised the holders for a lack of creativity. “In the end, it’ll be like Barca: unwatchable. They will pass the ball back even on the goal-line,” moaned the former West Germany World Cup winning captain and coach. But Guardiola, whose side are looking to go 50 Bundesliga games unbeaten against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, had a different take. “We were able to minimise our errors, we played intelligently and at a very high level, I am very satisfied,” said the Spaniard. “Arsenal had a chance in the first half,

but we wanted to control the game and we succeeded. “Apart from the goal, which might have been whistled as a foul, but nothing happened.” Podolski shoved Bayern captain Philipp Lahm off the ball before his second-half equaliser, but the Germany star said his challenge was legitimate. “The ref didn’t blow his whistle, so the matter is closed,” said Podolski. “We can discuss these little aspects over and over again, but at the end of the day, we are out. It’s always difficult coming back from 2-0 down against one of the best teams in the world. “Their second goal in the first-leg killed us a bit. “We’re out and now we need to focus on the Premier League and Cup.” l

Spurs under pressure ahead of Benfica clash
The pressure is on Tottenham Hotspur to perform in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Benfica on Thursday, while there are two enticing derbies on the cards elsewhere. This is a big week for Tim Sherwood’s Tottenham side as they look to bounce back from a thumping 4-0 defeat at Chelsea, the meeting with the Portuguese league leaders at White Hart Lane coming ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Arsenal in the Premier League. Spurs capitulated in the second half at Stamford Bridge and the defeat damaged their prospects of qualifying for next season’s Champions League while also turning up the pressure on their rookie manager. It has been suggested that Tottenham will look to replace Sherwood with experienced Dutchman Louis van Gaal in the summer, but a good result against an in-form Benfica would help the current incumbent’s cause. Benfica travel to England on a run of 23 matches undefeated in all competitions. Last season’s Europa League finalists have won eight consecutive games, all without conceding a goal, and are currently seven points clear at the top of their domestic Super League. The tie evokes memories of the clubs’ meeting in the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1962, when the late Eusebio’s Benfica prevailed en route to lifting the trophy. Meanwhile, one of the great rivalries in the Italian game will be translated to the European stage as Juventus take on Fiorentina in Turin. The form guide suggests Antonio Conte’s Juve are the clear favourites they beat La Viola 1-0 in Serie A at the weekend to go 14 points clear at the top of the table and leave Fiorentina with just one win in six games. There is also a derby in store in Spain, with bitter city rivals Sevilla and Betis meeting at the Sanchez Pizjuan. Unai Emery’s team are seventh in La Liga and won their last two home games against Betis by four-goal margins, while Betis lie bottom of their domestic league.

‘Very happy’ Lippi says no chance of China job
World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi has dismissed the possibility of one day coaching China’s national team after signing a new deal with Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande. The 65-year-old Italian, who inked a three-year extension at the end of February amid speculation he could take the China job, said: “No, no, no. It’s not possible. There is absolutely no possibility of coaching the national team.” “I have just signed a new contract with Guangzhou and I’m very happy at the club,” the former Juventus manager said. “I’m comfortable here and we have a great team spirit. So I don’t want people to think there is any chance of me coaching the Chinese national side going forwards.” l

FIXTURES
Porto (POR) Basel (SUI) Razgrad (BUL) Tottenham (ENG) Alkmaar (NED) Lyon (FRA) Sevilla (ESP) Juventus (ITA) v v v v v v v v Napoli (ITA) Salzburg (AUT) Valencia (ESP) Benfica (POR) Anzhi (RUS) Pilsen (CZE) Betis (ESP) Fiorentina (ITA)

Atletico Madrid's Brazilian-born forward Diego da Silva Costa celebrates after scoring against AC Milan during their Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg match at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on Tuesday AFP

Ozil’s vanishing act worry for Arsenal
When Arsenal paid a club record 42 million pounds ($69.84 million) for Mesut Ozil last August it was with nights like Tuesday in Munich in mind. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg of the Champions League last 16 tie against holders Bayern, it was the perfect stage for Germany playmaker Ozil to deliver a grandstand performance. What transpired, however, was a brief cameo as Ozil vanished at halftime with a hamstring niggle after being virtually invisible for the opening 45 minutes in the Allianz. Ozil’s worrying loss of form will be as perplexing for the Frenchman as his likely three-week lay-off. He has not scored in the Premier League since before Christmas and, more tellingly, his ability to influence games with a range of passing that made him “king of the assists” earlier in the campaign has waned. His penalty miss against Bayern in the first leg at the Emirates appeared to drain his already fragile confidence and the way he was jeered by Bayern’s fans on Tuesday summed up a horror tie for the former Real Madrid man. Paying so much money for Ozil was always going to be something of a gamble but when he began the season in scintillating form it looked as though the investment could spur Arsenal to silverware. However, with injuries taking their toll and Ozil struggling to maintain his form, Arsenal’s failure to bolster their ranks, particularly in attack, during the January transfer window could ultimately prove to be their undoing yet again. The addition of the injured Kim Kallstrom on loan from Russian side Spartak Moscow was hardly a statement of intent from the Gunners who at the time were going toe-to-toe with Chelsea and Manchester City. With a tough-looking run of fixtures to come, they are now behind a freescoring Liverpool side and defeat in the north London derby at fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday would leave them looking anxiously over their shoulders. l

Elsewhere, the 2011 Europa League winners Porto, who recently sacked coach Paulo Fonseca in response to their unsatisfactory form in the Portuguese Super League, could find life tough against Napoli. Benitez also won the UEFA Cup in 2004 with Valencia, the Spanish club who go to Bulgaria this week to face surprise package Ludogorets Razgrad, who have already beaten PSV Eindhoven and Lazio this season. Lyon host Czech champions Viktoria Pilsen, AZ Alkmaar face Anzhi Makhachkala, and Swiss champions Basel, semi-finalists last season, take on Salzburg, who have won 14 consecutive games, including beating Ajax over two legs in the last round. l

Spalletti to carry on living in St Petersburg
Italian coach Luciano Spalletti, who was sacked by Zenit St Petersburg last week, said Wednesday he intended to settle permanently in the Russian city. “I have spent four wonderful years in Saint Petersburg,” Spalletti wrote in his letter to the club posted on Zenit’s official site. “The love that surrounded me in Saint Petersburg all the time has made me its true resident, its citizen. Petersburg is my home and I will stay on here.” Last Tuesday Zenit sacked Spalletti. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, March 13, 2014

15
SCORECARD
England M. Lumb lbw b Santokie A. Hales c Simmons b D.J. Bravo M. Ali lbw b Santokie E. Morgan c Simmons b Badree J. Buttler c Sammy b Santokie R. Bopara c D.J. Bravo b Santokie L. Wright not out T. Bresnan c Ramdin b D.J. Bravo Extras (b-1,lb-3, w-1) Total (7 wickets, 20 overs) 4 40 5 3 67 14 7 7 5 152

QUICK BYTES

Roman Sana finishes 7th in Asian Archery Grand Prix

Roman Sana of Bangladesh finished 7th scoring 650 out of720 among the 56 archers in the qualification round of the 1st Asian Archery Grand Prix in Bangkok yesterday. However, Emdadul Haque Milon, the top ranked archer of the country finished 8th scoring 648, Sheikh Sajib was positioned 29th scoring 626 and Prennoy Murong scored 572 to finish 51st. Sana, Sajib and Milon’s score of 1924 saw Bangladesh finish fifth among the 13 countries at the team event. Women archers Mathui Pru Marma totaled 622 of 720 to finish 15th among 43 archers while Beauty Roy was 26th scoring 588, Shyamoli Roy grossed 569 to finish 31st. Bangladesh women’s finished 7th amongst the 11 teams totaling 1272. In the mixed doubles, Roman Sana and Mathui Pru Marma scored 1272 to finish 8th. –Tribune Desk

Sammy secures WI T20 series against England
West Indies rallied from a middle-order wobble to romp to a series-clinching five-wicket victory over England in the second Twenty20 International of the three-match series at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Tuesday. Jos Buttler’s career-best 67 saw the tourists’ to a total of 152 for seven batting first with left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie justifying his inclusion in place of injured spinner Sunil Narine by claiming four for 21 to earn the “Man of the Match” award. Cruising at 111 for two in the 15th over, the hosts lost three wickets for five runs before captain Darren Sammy belted an unbeaten 30 off just nine deliveries to take his team to 155 for five with seven balls to spare. With an unbeatable 2-0 lead going into the final match on Thursday at the same venue, the World T20 title-holders are looking for a strong finish in the Caribbean before heading off to Bangladesh for the defence of their crown. “This is all about building towards the T20 World Cup,” said a delighted Sammy. “It’s good that all the guys are firing and when you sit down and plan, then execute on the field, it feels good.” Handicapped by the absence of regular captain and key bowler Stuart Broad because of injury, England nevertheless proved far more competitive than in the first match on Sunday, although their poor start with the bat and inability to sustain the effort in the field eventually cost them dearly. “I though we were about 15-20 runs short at the end,” stand-in England skipper Eoin Morgan conceded. We showed a lot of fight though, which is good heading into the World Cup.” They were labouring at 26 for three in the fifth over after Morgan chose to bat first before Buttler joined opening batsman Alex Hales in putting on 76 for the fourth wicket. The wicketkeeper-batsman needed more than a bit of luck but was particularly impressive, hammering five fours and three sixes off 43 balls to put his team in position to post a competitive total. However Hales’ dismissal for 40 just before a rain interruption proved critical in limiting England’s progress on the resumption as Santokie’s clever variations over his final two overs proved extremely effective. “I just try to vary the pace, and it worked on this occasion,” said Santokie. I just stick to the basics and just seek to improve every time I get the opportunity to play.” In contrast to their opponents, Dwayne Smith (30) and Chris Gayle (36) gave the West Indies a flying start, and although both failed to carry on to the end, their rate of scoring eased the burden on the batsmen who followed. Ravi Bopara’s medium-pace - he conceded just ten runs from four overs for Gayle’s wicket - and James Tredwell’s left-arm spin gave England hope of a fightback while Tim

Top seed Amol upset by Dipu Lal
Dipu Lal of Nordic Club upset top seed Amol Roy Of Engineers Club in Runner Group Independence Day Open Tennis at the National Tennis Complex yesterday. In the pre-quarterfinal, Dipu Lal showed superb form to oust Amol Roy 6 3, 7 5 and cruise through to the quarter-finals. Anwar Hossain of British High Commission overpowered Zami of Mymensingh 7 5, 6 2 and Akhtar Hossain of BKSP outplayed Chanu Lal of Navy Club 6 2, 6 2 to move into the quarter-finals. In the men’s doubles, Delwar Hossain and Mamun Bepari defeated Laxman Lal and Biplob Ram 6 3, 6 1, Anwar Hossain and Rustom Ali prevailed over Zami and Badal 6 0, 6 0, and Asmtaullah and Munir Hossain overpowered Niranjan Ram and Arif Hossain 6 4, 6 0 to move into the quarter-finals. –Tribune Desk

B r e s n a n’s double-strike in removing Marlon Samuels and Andre Russell off successive balls in the 17th over lifted the prospect of a tight finish. However Sammy, in partnership with Dwayne Bravo, killed off England’s chances and allowed the home fans in another full-house at Kensington to savour the rarity in recent times of a West Indies series victory. l West Indies' Darren Sammy leaps to celebrate after the West Indies won their second T20I against England at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on Tuesday REUTERS

Fall of wickets 1 13 (Lumb), 2 21 (Ali), 3 26 (Morgan), 4 102 (Hales), 5 137 (Buttler), 6 143 (Bopara), 7 152 (Bresnan). Bowling Badree 4 0 16 1, Santokie 4 0 21 4, Samuels 2 0 17 0, Rampaul 3 0 30 0 (1w), Sammy 1 0 17 0, D.J. Bravo 4 034 2, Russell 2 0 13 0. West Indies D. Smith c Bresnan b Dernbach 30 C. Gayle b Bopara 36 M. Samuels c Hales b Bresnan 28 L. Simmons c wkpr Buttler b Wright 19 A. Russell c Hales b Bresnan 2 D. Sammy not out 30 D.J. Bravo not out 8 Extras (w-2) 2 Total (5 wickets, 18.5 overs) 155 Fall of wickets 1 48 (Smith), 2 75 (Gayle), 3 111 (Simmons), 4 116 (Samuels), 5 116 (Russell). Bowling Bresnan 3.5 0 51 2, (1w), Dernbach 3 0 30 1 (1w), Tredwell 4 0 27 0, Bopara 4 0 10 1, Parry 2 0 17 0, Wright 2 0 20 1. West Indies won by 5 wickets West Indies lead 3-match series 2 0

Djokovic and Li advance at Indian Wells
Normal service resumed at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Tuesday when Novak Djokovic safely booked his place in the fourth round of the men’s draw and Li Na moved into the women’s quarter-finals. Djokovic had a little hiccup when he dropped the second set of his match with Colombia’s Alejandro Gonzalez but was otherwise untroubled in winning 6-1 3-6 6-1. “I thought I played really well from the start,” said Djokovic, a two-time champion at Indian Wells. “Then suddenly I just had a big loss of concentration and allowed him to win the second set for no reason. I bounced back better in the third.” While the Serbian was not at his best, Djokovic did at least survive to fight another day in the Californian desert after the shock losses of world number one Rafa Nadal and Maria Sharapova on Monday. Djokovic’s next opponent is the big-serving Croatian Marin Cilic, who recorded his 20th win this season with a 6-4 6-3 over Spain’s Tommy Robredo. “I obviously cannot allow myself to have these particular concentration lapses in the match at this level especially in the next match when I’m playing Cilic, a guy who is in really good form and I think has gotten better in last couple of months working with (Goran) Ivanisevic.” Li, promoted to the women’s top seed after winning the Australian Open and in the absence of Serena Williams, beat Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1 6-4 but only after a extraordinary final game where she struggled to close out the match. Li raced through the opening set in just over half an hour then recovered from 3-0 down to serve for the match at 5-4 when she suddenly got the wobbles. The final game lasted 20 minutes as Li squandered 10 match points and took her tally of double-faults for the match to nine before she finally sealed the win. “I only can say: Welcome to the crazy women’s tennis tour,” she told the crowd in a courtside interview. “I think all the match I was feeling pretty good, except the last game,” Li was quoted as saying on the WTA website (www.wtatennis.com). “The funny thing was that in the beginning of the game I was feeling tight, nervous, and then I was like, “What’s going on? Why can’t I finish the match?” and she wasn’t giving up, and was defending so well. It was really tough. “All I can say is wow, she saved a lot of match points. She’s pretty good.” While Robredo lost to the towering Cilic, three of his compatriots all advanced with Fernando Verdasco upsetting world number nine Richard Gasquet of France 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to leave Djokovic as the only top-10 player left in the bottom half of the men’s draw. l

Pistorius court shown damaged bat, door from death scene
A forensics expert on Wednesday staged a dramatic re-enactment of how Paralympian Oscar Pistorius broke down the door of the toilet where he shot dead his girlfriend. Police Colonel Gerhard Vermeulen brought before the South African court both the door and the cricket bat -two pieces of physical evidence which could hold the key to the case. In opening testimony Vermeulen demonstrated how the door was struck with the bat, which was in turn used to wedge open a gap between a panel and the inner frame. “The bat went through the door and there’s actually marks on the tip of the bat which correspond with what happened,” said Vermuelen, a forensics expert with three decades of experience. l

Navy, PDB reach semis
Bangladesh Navy and Power Development Board secured last four places in the Minister Independence Day Volleyball, winning their respective quarterfinals at the volleyball stadium yesterday. The spikers of the Navy team beat Border Guards Bangladesh 25 19, 25 23, 23 25, 25 13 while PDB had to fight hard to oust Bangladesh Air Force 25 17, 19 25, 25 18, 21 25 and 15 06. Bangladesh Army and Titas Gas secured the other two semifinal slots on Tuesday. The semis will be played today while the final is billed to take place on Friday. –Tribune Desk

‘Small’ signs of hope for Schumi: family
Michael Schumacher is showing “small, encouraging signs” of recovery from injuries sustained in a ski accident, his family said Wednesday, while acknowledging the Formula One legend faced a long battle ahead. The family voiced confidence the 45-year-old would pull through after 11 weeks in a medically induced coma but declined to give further details of his condition. “We are and remain confident that Michael will pull through and will wake up,” said the statement. “There sometimes are small, encouraging signs, but we also know that this is the time to be very patient.” –AFP Li Na of China celebrates her victory at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Tuesday AFP

Clemon Naryanganj win 4H Group cricket
Clemon Naryanganj Cricket Academy clinched the title of the 4H Group Cricket Tournament organised by Mountain Sports by beating Body Line Cricket Academy by 40 runs at the Mirpur City Club Ground yesterday. Batting first, Clemon Naryanganj Cricket Academy posted a total of 153/6 with Rony, the eventual man of the match blasting 85 off 63 balls. Later the Naryanganj based academy bowled their opponents out for 113 with Rony claiming 4/19 and Ashraful 3/16. Rasel’s 54 gave some decency to the Body Line’s total. The tournament was the brain child of former national cricketers Habibul Bashar, Sanwar Hossain, Javed Omar and Hasanuzzman Jhoru. Eight academies participated in the meet. l

SCORECARD
Clemon Naryanganj Academy 153/6 in 20 overs (Rony 85 (63, 6X5, 4X4), Emon 0, Sumit 5,Masum 2, Sumon 9, Sarif 12, Rajon 13, Shahjahan 6*, Azim 1/29, Tarek 1/23, Khairul 1/16, Milon 1/27, Rasel 2/23. Body Line Academy 113/10 in 18.3 overs (Rana 8, Pappu 3, Tomal 0, Antu 1, Ali 21, Milon 8, Tarek 1, Rasel 54, Nazrul 0, Khairul 4, Azim 11. Masum 2/6, Rony 4/19, Ashraful 3/16) Result Clemon NCA won by 40 runs

DAY’S WATCH
Sony Six NBA 2013 14 5:30AM Boston v New York 8:30AM LA Clippers v Golden State Ten Cricket 12:15PM West Indies v England 3rd T20 Ten Sports Uefa Europa League, R 16 12:00AM Ludogorets v Valencia 2:00AM Juventus v Fiorentina 4:00AM Indian Wells 2014 Quarter Finals Ten Action UEFA Europa League, R 16 12:00AM Porto v Napoli 2:00AM Tottenham v Benfica Ten HD UEFA Europa League, R 16 12:00AM Basel v Salzburg 2:00AM Sevilla v Real Betis

Clemon Naryanganj Cricket Academy captain Sharif receives the 4H Group Cricket trophy from the chairman of the 4H Group Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury at the City Club Ground yesterday COURTESY

Ispahani Corporate Badminton starts today
The 2nd Ispahani Corporate Badminton Grand Slam with the participation of 19 renowned corporate houses of the country starts at the Officer’s Club today. The participating teams are Ispahani group, Securex, Banglalink, bkash, Holcim, City Schools Limited, Kazi Farms Limited, Pioneer Insurance, Qubee (two teams), Bando Design, Eastern Bank, GPIT, Brac Bank Limited, ULAB, Interstoff and Officers Club Limited. It’s the second consecutive year Ispahani Group has stepped up to sponsor the tournament. Dhaka Tribune is the newspaper partner, SATV is the TV partner, Colors FM is the radio partner while Design Matra will be working as the PR partner. Officers Club are the venue partners in the tournament organised by Excalibur Entertainment. The total of 100 shuttlers will be taking part across the four events - men’s and women’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles. Head of marketing of Ispahani Group Ismail Hossain said pepped up by the response of the last year’s edition his company decided to continue the sponsorship. Excalibur Entertainment chief executive officer Farhan Quddus was also present on the occasion. l

Ismail Hossain, the head of marketing of Ispahani Group speaks at the press conference of Corporate Badminton yesterday COURTESY

Dell, the champions of the Smart Cricket League celebrate their triumph with the chief guest state minister for telecommunications Junaed Ahmed Palak at the Kalabagan Club ground recently COURTESY

16
n Kailash Sarkar
A mobile court yesterday busted and sealed off a fake cancer hospital run by a number of doctors, officials and employees of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) and Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in Mohakhali of the capital. The court also sentenced two employees of the hospital named ‘Doctors’ Chamber’ to two years in prison and fined them Tk2 lakh each. In default, they would have to suffer another three months in jail. Convicts Beauty Begum, 38, and Shahadat Hossain, 24, were sent to jail while a total of 12 patients, who had been undergoing treatment at the hospital, were admitted to the NICRH for proper treatment. The convicts said a person named Tayabur Rahman, along with Mahbub-ul-Alam and Nayan Hasan, had been running the hospital with the assistance of two NICRH doctors Golam Mostofa and ARM Rafiqul Islam. The mobile court found prescriptions and other documents that showed involvement of the two with the hospital. The convicts also disclosed that Mahbub Alam, a leader of the ward boys at the NICRH and Abul Hasan, a stenographer at the DGHS, were the key people of the fake institution. They said they would entice NICRH patients

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Fake cancer hospital busted in capital, two jailed

into getting admitted at the hospital, saying the service offered would cure their cancer rapidly. Executive magistrate AHM Anwar Pasha who led the mobile court told the Dhaka Tribune: “During primary interrogation, convicts Shahadat and Beauty admitted that some unscrupulous NICRH and DGHS staff teamed up to run the hospital.” The magistrate said during the drive, they had found Beauty, having no expertise or training, applying chemotherapy to patients. “The hospital neither had any registration nor any doctor”, said Pasha, adding: “At least three doctors, six nurses and three cleaners are manda-

tory to operate a 20-bed hospital, but the hospital, with only four cabins and 18 beds, had no doctor, technician or nurse.” He said after the hospital was sealed off, all 12 patients were shifted to the NICRH. They were identi ied as Lalu Miah, Abul Hashem, Kabir Hossain, Maleka Begum, Abdul

Karim, Nur Begum, Md Golam Mostofa, Parul Akhter, Jahanara Begum, Bul Hossain, Altaf Hossain and Kashem Miah. Speaking about the fake hospital, patient Kabir Hossain of Jhalakathi said: “I visited Dr ARM Rafiqul Islam over a month ago but he suggested

me to get admitted to ‘Doctor’s Chamber’, saying there was no vacant seat at NICRH at the time.” “I’ve been taking treatment here for the last one month. The doctors would visit me twice a day in exchange for Tk 2000 a day while I was charged Tk 300 for seat rent per day. Besides, we were

asked to purchase medicines from ‘Mayer Doa’ medicine shop located on the ground floor of the building”, said Kabir. “In the last 30 days, my expense stood at Tk 30,000.” Major Md Asif Kuddus, a deputy director of RAB-1, and Dr Yogesh Chandra Roy accompanied the mobile court. l

Kidney Institute Hospital lags in transplant procedures
n Moniruzzaman Uzzal
The National Institute of Kidney Disease and Urology (NIKDU) Hospital has been lagging behind in carrying out kidney transplant procedures, with only 27 kidney transplant procedures taking place at the hospital since it was established in 2001. The number is a stark contrast to more than 100 kidney transplants being carried out during the last two years at the Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute and the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Several kidney specialists told the Dhaka Tribune that chronic kidney diseases have emerged as a deadly threat to Bangladesh. Around two crore people suffer from some sort of kidney disease, with 16%18% of those patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. Around 40,000 people reportedly die each year from chronic kidney diseases, while 20,000-30,000 more patients suffer from acute kidney failure. The NIKDU offers cabin, medicine and all medical investigation at the hospital free of cost to all chronic kidney failure patients, while patients reportedly need around Tk50,000 for additional diagnostic tests that are not available at the hospital. On the other hand, patients require Tk3.5 lakh to Tk7 lakh for treatment at private hospitals. The low costs, however, have failed to encourage patients to seek service at the national institute. Seeking anonymity, several kidney specialists told the Dhaka Tribune that political intervention had prevented the appointment of the right person to run the institute and gain patients’ confidence. However, Professor Zamanul Islam Bhuiyan, director of NIKDU, denied the allegation and said: “We are not getting enough donors for the transplant for the end-stage kidney failure patients.” He said the number of kidney transplants across the country had decreased since the illegal business of kidney transplant was exposed in Joypurhat in 2011. Several cases were lodged against specialist doctors, nurses and locals who were involved with the illegal practice, Zamanul added. Saying that relatives of kidney failure patients were afraid to donate their kidneys, the NIKDU director added that it would take more time to achieve the confidence of the patients. He, however, admitted that it was partially true that the number of transplants was low at the national institute, but added that the NIKDU had been providing healthcare services to thousands of kidney and urology patients in its hospital. With the existing situation persisting, Bangladesh will join the rest of the world in celebrating World Kidney Day 2014 today. The theme this year is: “Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and ageing.” Professor MA Samad, president of Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS), said patients who suffer kidney failure had to live on regular dialysis (haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis) or by transplanting their kidney. He said patients had to spend around Tk4-6 lakhs annually for haemodialysis, Tk4-5 lakh for peritoneal dialysis; while the costs for a kidney transplant was Tk3.5 lakh to Tk7 lakh and over 1 lakh taka was also needed annually for medicine. Professor Dr Harun-Ur-Rashid, chairman of Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government had enacted the human organ transplant act in 1999, but was yet to formulate the rules and regulations. A national committee, formed following the Joypurhat scandal in 2011 and headed by Dr Harun, prepared a set of rules and regulation and submitted it to the health ministry more than a year ago. However, the law ministry recommended that the rules be revised before forming an updated act. Dr Harun said the number of donors had decreased because of legal barriers. In order to save thousands of patients suffering from kidney failure, the government should launch a mass awareness programme for the relatives of brain-dead patients to donate their organs, he added. However, it was not possible under the existing law, and new rules and regulations needed to be formed, he also said. Professor Dr Rafiqul Alam, president of Renal Association of Bangladesh, told the Dhaka Tribune that the health ministry should take necessary steps to finalise the rules and regulations of the existing human organ transplant act of 1999. The lack of rules was discouraging potential donors, he said, and estimated that the number of kidney transplants had halved in the last three years. l

70,000 workers become illegal in Oman n Rabiul Islam
At least 70,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers have become illegal in Oman as they have fled from their workplaces without the permission of their sponsors. A four-member delegation led by Saleh Aayel Al Amri, adviser to the Omani manpower ministry, disclosed it at a joint committee meeting held at the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry in the city on Tuesday. Expatriates’ welfare secretary Khondaker Showkat Hossain led the Bangladesh side at the third joint committee meeting. A senior official of the ministry told the Dhaka Tribune that the delegation at the meeting expressed concern as the rate of runaway workers was very high. Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) Director General Begum Shamsun Nahar told the Dhaka Tribune that the migrant workers left their workplaces in search of better jobs that would pay more wages. Sometimes they failed to recover migration cost and left their original sponsors to work elsewhere to earn more, she added. The DG said Oman would not send back these Bangladeshi workers. l

Block 7 deal with Santos-Kris signed
n Aminur Rahman Rasel
Bangladesh yesterday signed a deal with a joint venture of Australia-based Santos and Singapore-based Kris Energy to start oil and gas exploration in offshore shallow block 11 in the Bay of Bengal. The government and Petrobangla together signed the production-sharing contract (PSC). The contract period for the block is eight year, with the first five years for initial exploration and the rest for subsequent exploration. Santos and Kris Energy offered to invest $32m to conduct 2D seismic survey of 887 line-km, 3D seismic survey of 300sq-km and drill a well. The profit share ratio of the government would be 55%-80% for both gas and oil. If the company goes into commercial operation, then Bapex will bear 10% of the total investment cost. “We will also sign a PSC for a shallow block with the US-based ConocoPhillips next month,” Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur told the Dhaka tribune yesterday. ConocoPhillips has offered to invest $23.5m to conduct 2D seismic survey of 2,347 line-km, 3D-seismic survey of a 500sq-km area and drill one exploration well in block 7. The profit-sharing ratio for the government would be 55%-80% for both gas and oil. After participating in an international tender, Santos and Kris Energy obtained the exploration rights to block 11 and ConocoPhillips got block 7. On February 17, Bangladesh signed two deals with India’s state-owned ONGC Videsh Limited and Oil India Limited to start oil and gas exploration in offshore shallow blocks 4 and 9. Yesterday during the signing with Santos and Kris, Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Prime Minister’s Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, and Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Md Mozammel Haque Khan were present. Senior Assistant Secretary for Energy and Mineral Resources Division Khadiza Naznin, Petrobangla Secretary Imam Hossain, Secretary of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex) Sawkat Osman, President of Santos Sangu Field Limited Andrew De Garis, and General Manager (Bangladesh) of Kris Energy (Asia) Limited Edwin G Bowles signed the deals on behalf of their sides. Muhith said: “We are giving importance to exploration for the energy sector as it has been the key to any development of the civilization. We will continue efforts to achieve energy security.” l

Operation of 6 fertiliser factories put on hold to save power for T20 WC
n Aminur Rahman Rasel
The Petrobangla has decided to halt operation in six fertiliser factories out of seven except for Jamuna Fertilizer Company Limited from tomorrow until further notice. The decision was taken to increase gas supply to power plants to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply for the upcoming T-20 Cricket World Cup and ongoing Boro-irrigation. Petrobangla will suspend gas supply to Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Limited (KAFCO), Asuganj Fertiliser and Chemical Company Limited, Urea Fertiliser Factory Limited, Polash Urea Fertiliser Factory Limited, Natural Gas Fertiliser Factory Limited and Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited. “We have no alternative but to shut down the fertiliser factories for a certain period of time to ensure supply of gas to power plants,” Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur said. He said the decision was taken on the instruction of Prime Minister’s Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid. “We will be able to supply an additional 200mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) of gas after halting operation in those six factories,” he said. KAFCO Corporate Planning Wing’s Deputy General Manager Kamal Uddin said if gas supply was suspended the company would count a daily loss in Tk5 crore. The T-20 World Cup Cricket will be held in Bangladesh from March 16 to April 6. The seven fertiliser factories are now being supplied 243 mmcfd of gas against their demand for 289 mmcfd, according to the Petrobangla official. KAFCO is a 100% export-oriented international joint venture company while the rest are state-owned. Most of the sectors like industries, CNG stations, households, power plants and fertiliser factories are now facing gas crisis due to shortfall of over 500mmcfd gas forcing Petrobangla to go for rationing the fuel. Currently, the CNG stations remain closed for four hours every day with a gas supply of 110mmcfd against the demand for 130 mmcfd. l

Father of Mohiuddin Ahad, who was picked up by men identifying themselves as RAB members, breaks down in tear as family members formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday to press authorities for finding his whereabouts NASHIRUL ISLAM

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MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Patients lie in bed at a makeshift illegal cancer hospital busted yesterday by a mobile court at Mohakhali. Right, a patient assisted by a relative leaves the fake hospital after the RAB drive

B3 How China’s official bank
card is used to smuggle money

B4 WeChat revolution: Chi-

na’s ‘killer app’ speaks to the masses

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Local food importers searching for new sources following Ukraine crisis
Wheat price jumps 15% following the trouble in the east European country
n Kayes Sohel
Worried over the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Bangladeshi importers are now searching for new sources across the globe to purchase food grains, mostly wheat, to meet the local demand. Despite the peak season for importing food grains from the troubled east European country, all the advance sale offers has almost been halted due to the unrest. As a result, the country’s food grain importers are not being able to place any purchase order to import any product from Ukraine. Bangladesh imports a large volume of wheat from Ukraine, which is up to 30% of the total imported wheat while two other grains--oil seed and yellow peas -- are also imported from Ukraine, according to the importers. “Now Ukrainian and Russian traders are not offering any advance sale,” said Abul Bashar Chowdhury, chairman of Masud & Brothers, a Chittagong based-company, which has long been purchasing grains from Ukraine. Following Ukraine crisis, local importers are also fretted over rising prices of wheat, oil seed and yellow peas in the global market. Since the beginning of the tension in Ukraine, prices of wheat jumped by 15% to US$360 a tonne, yellow peas rose to $410 a tonne from nearly $370 and oil seed to $600 a tonne from $530, according to the local importers. Ukraine was the fourth biggest seller of corn in last year and is set to be the sixth largest wheat supplier in 2014. “As the global grain prices are peaking up faster, we are now looking for new sources for purchasing our products to meet the local demand,” said Chowdhury. The prices of agricultural outputs

Muhith: Risks remain in achieving 7.2% GDP target
n Asif Showkat Kallol
The country has some risks towards achieving 7.2% GDP growth target in the current fiscal year, Finance Minister AMA Muhith told parliament yesterday. He said the growth target would not be difficult to achieve if “the private sector investment was not hampered by the destructive political programmes and the expected agricultural growth can be achieved.” The minister mentioned as possible risks that the insufficient fuel supply which could hurt affect private sector investment and the current negative flow of remittance which might restrict the expansion of private consumption expenditure. He was placing first quarter (July-September) report on the implementation of the current fiscal budget. Revenue target also could not be achieved in the current fiscal due to political instability and ongoing global recession, said AMA Muhith in reply to a question of Awami League MP Mustafizur Rahman. The major challenge during the rest of the fiscal would be to boost private sector investment and maintain macroeconomic stability, he added. Muhith however said despite the risks, the government had decided not to revise down the economic growth target. “The industrial development indices have already showed uptrend, and if it continues along with a good harvest of Aman-Boro, GDP target could be attained.” Earlier, the international Monetary Fund had forecasted Bangladesh’s GDP to grow at 5.5% this fiscal while the World Bank projected 5.7%. The total budget expenditure during the first quarter stood at Tk31,890 crore, which was 11.4% more than the same period last fiscal. Only 14.3% of the first

CHALLENGES WEIGHING ON GDP TARGET

Disrupted supply of fuel

Hampered private sector expenditure

Depressed agricultural output
quarter expenditure target was achieved. The amount spent in the July-September of last fiscal was Tk28,638 crore. For the current fiscal, the total outlay of budget was announced Tk222,483.15 crore. In first quarter, Tk25,826 crore of revenue budget was spent, up 9.5% from one year ago. The annual development programme (ADP) implementation rate increased by 20.2% this year compared to previous year’s first quarter. This first quarter, ADP expenditure amounted to Tk6,064 crore while it was Tk5,046 crore one year ago. In the quarter 1 this fiscal, 10 big ministries and divisions spent only 14% of their allocation. These ministries and divisions received 44.1% allocation of total ADP oulay. Of them, Power Division spent 7%, Road Division 9% and Bridges Division 17.7%, Local Government Division 12.28% and Ministry of Primary Education 14%. The railway ministry spent 51%, the highest among others during the quarter. The country paid a total of Tk2,758 crore loans in the fisrt three months of the fiscal. Last year’s quarter 1, it was Tk1,677 crore. l

A tractor makes pits next to a check point in Chongar, Ukraine blocking the entrance to Crimea recently. Spreading out from the road by the checkpoint there is a perfect row of holes dug into the earth, each about half-a-metre wide, in what looked like the first steps of installing a border fence. Signs nearby warned of mines and were marked "Stop! Danger to Life!" with a skull-and-crossbones. In Chongar, lives have paused lately due to fear of any possible violence AFP in Ukraine are also rising as its farmers held back grain to protect themselves against the country’s falling currency. “Almost all the deals are short-term, which badly hinders the flow of trades, as they are not at all committed to maintain the supply chain now,” he said. “Though it is the right time to purchase food grains, traders from both Russia and Ukraine - have almost halted their offer. As a result, we are unable to place any purchase order.” Usually, exports from Ukraine and Russia begin in June-July, each year. But brokers normally start contacting with the potential buyers well before the period start (January-February) for advance sales. Prices of wheat for delivery in coming May rose by 6% to $6.38 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade–the biggest rise for almost 18 months, according to Mohammad Ali, another food importer at Imam Group. Corn for delivery in May rose by up to 3.7% to a six-month high of $4.81, he said. “Under the prevailing condition, we are looking for new sources but it is really difficult for getting competitive alternative sources especially for wheat procurement.” Bangladesh government, however, has no contract with the Ukraine side on the wheat deal, according to food department sources. Buyers across the globe are worried whether the Ukraine will keep up its large exports of wheat and corn following Russia’s occupation of the Crimean region. Commodity price moves up since Russia alarmed the Western world by stepping up its military presence in Crimea, a peninsula at Black Sea, but mainly in the soft commodities of wheat and corn, where prices have in the past week risen 9% and 8% respectively. According to the New Zealand based financial service provider ANZ’s commodities desk, Russia and Ukraine long referred to as the bread basket of Europe - are forecast to export 26.5mn tonnes of wheat in the 2013-14 marketing season, accounting for 17% of world supply. And in case of corn, Ukraine itself is a top five corn producer, meeting about 16% of global supply. l

IMF review mission due on March 19 n Tribune Report
A review mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will visit Dhaka from March 19-26 under its Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme. Officials fear that the IMF mission is coming to Dhaka to tag a condition for slashing down the total subsidies under its ECF programme. It also wanted to increase the price of the gas and electricity before the budget of the next fiscal year 2014-15. During the visit, three-member IMF review mission led-by ECF mission chief Rodrigo Cubero, is scheduled to meet finance minister AMA Muhith, Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman, and Chairman of National Board of Revenue Ghulam Hossain. The mission will examine the proposal of increasing energy price, risk of budget management, reduce the subsidy of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and appointment of the foreign auditor and control of hard core loans and development of the stateowned banks including the security of vaults. Those conditions will be examined for the release of fifth tranche of loan, according finance ministry officials. l

Citycell pays Tk26.5cr, seeks more time for rest outstanding
n
Muhammad Zahidul Islam
Citycell, the country’s oldest mobile phone operator, has so far deposited Tk26.5 crore, out of an outstanding amount of Tk249 crore, which has been lying pending with the company during the few quarters. The outstanding amount includes spectrum charges, revenue sharing and social obligation fund (SoF), 2G license renewal fee and other unpaid dues. The unpaid amount has amounted to Tk255.3 crore including the late payment fees. “On Monday last, we deposited some money to the mobile regulator, excluding the 2G license renewal fee and the late payment fee, seeking more time for the payment of the whole outstanding amounts,” Mehbub Chowdhury, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Citycell told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. Citycell hopes that Bangladesh Telephone Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will give them more time to pay the rest of the dues including 2G license renewal fee and other dues. On February 3, the telecom regula-

BB to step up bank vault monitoring
n Jebun Nesa Alo
Bangladesh Bank has decided to launch a massive monitoring to ensure security of bank vaults across the country. Actions will be taken against respective banks if the inspection teams find any breach of safety directives made by the central bank, it said. In the wake of two recent burglaries in Sonali Bank, the central bank came up with the decision at a meeting yesterday held at its office in Dhaka. The bank inspection department of Bangladesh Bank will check vault safety measures. The inspection will be conducted in addition to the department’s regular inspection to financial activities of different bank branches. "If any branch is found vulnerable and not complying with the Bangladesh Bank directive on safety issue, punitive action will be taken," said Deputy Governor SK Sur Chowdhury. Bangladesh Bank issued a circular on January 27 asking all the banks to take every necessary stepto ensure their vaults’ safety. Following the burglary in Sonali Bank’s Kishorganj branch, the circular was issued. It mentioned that most of the banks

Sonali Bank’s decision to step up security measures
To install closed-circuit camera inside and outside the vault and bank buildings; To install security alarm system inside the vault room in next 15 days; To build steel wall around the vault; To increase security manpower; To appoint a retired army officer for monitoring security measures; To warn all branches to ensure security. didn’t follow the central bank’s instruction on safety of depositors’ money kept at vaults despite repeated warnings from Bangladesh Bank. Thus, the negligence in safety steps had resulted in looting of depositors’ money breaking into the bank vaults, the central bank added. If Sonali Bank stepped up vault security after the Kishoreganj branch heist, the following incident of same kind at a Bogra branch of the bank could have been avoided, according to Bangladesh Bank. On Tuesday, the central bank served a notice to Sonali Bank’s managing directorPradip Kumar Duttato let it know what safety steps were taken after the Kishoreganj branch burglary.

tor issued a show cause notice to CityCell asking why its license should not be cancelled following its failure to pay Tk255.3 crore as dues. BTRC had issued the notice under the Telecommunication Act asking the operator to explain the matter within 30 days. Later on, the mobile operator held meetings with the high-ups of the government and subsequently, the Citycell got more time for paying the dues for 2G renewal fees only if they deposit the unpaid amount of the revenue sharing and other charges. Citycell has claimed that they are yet to get the full spectrum, which BTRC allocated to them and that’s why they will not pay the full money for it. “BTRC allocated 10 Megahertz spectrum for us for 15 years but we are getting only 6.5 Megahertz even after two years,” a senior executive informed. Citycell renewed its 2G license on August 2012 and received the license to operation for the next 15 years. The operator had 13.65 lakh subscribers till the end of  December last year. l

While talking with the Dhaka Tribune, Pradip Kumar Dutta didn’t answer to the question if any additional security steps were taken after the Kishorganj incidence in January. Rather, he talked about the insurance coverage of the vaults and relocation of branches as part of security efforts. “Sonali Bankcancelled insurance policy for its vault safetyafter the government’s instruction as premiums were costing huge amounts to the bank,’’ said Pradip Kumar Dutta said. He said letter was to the government to revive insurance coverage, and the matter had been discussed with Sadharan Bima Corporation too. As far as insurance coverage is concerned, the insurance on the money deposited at the vaults has to be covered completely.  Sonali Bank MD said to ensure vault security they would need torelocate many branches and it involved a long process. “We have already begun it (relocation process). But for this interim period, we will have to increase securityguards.” Under the structural security measures set by Bangladesh Bank, banks are to set up security-tested
 B3 COLUMN 5

Padma Cement wraps up business
n Kayes Sohel
Padma Cement, a junk company listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange, has decided to wrap up its business after incurring losses over the years. “The company is going to be winding-up,” it said in a statement yesterday. This is the first listed company in Bangladesh to be winding up. Around nine years into its commercial operation since April 2001, the company located at Baghabari in Sirajganj has suspended its production. The winding up of a company requires the termination of legal existence through stopping its current business. For this reason the assets of the company will be distributed among the shareholders as well as creditors as laid down in the company act. The company asked its shareholders to contact with official liquidator of Padma Cement with proper documents before March 21, 2014. Nobody from the company and its liquidator M Moksadul Islam were available for comments even after sending text messages. The DSE had sent the stock to the OTC (over the counter market) in 2010 after its production suspension. Later, its land was rented out to AR Cement, but later in 2011 banks confiscated its land and sold to Deshbandhu Cement. The company owed Tk40 crore to banks. Since 2003, the company gave no dividend to its shareholders, but in listing year 2002 it announced dividend payout. Incorporated in 1998 as a private limited company, it subsequently converted into public limited company with an authorised capital of Tk30 crore. After completion of its IPO the paid up capital stood at Tk 27.6 crore. It produced only port-land cement. The production capacity of the company stood at 720 metric tonnes per day. The brand name of the product was “DOLPHIN.” In 2009, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission detected financial statement anomalies and asked to explain their position. During the year, the net operating loss was reduced to some extent but the accumulated loss of the company as of September 30, 2008 stood at Tk26 crore. Though the total assets of the company was higher than that of total liabilities, the then existing liabilities of the company was more than Tk11 crore against assets of Tk3.7 crore. These factors raised question as to whether the company will be able to continue as a going concern in the near future. l

Diploma engineers to be entitled to proposed Tk100cr entrepreneurship fund
n Tribune Report
The diploma engineers who are interested to become small and medium entrepreneurs will be entitled to the refinance fund of Tk100 crore Bangladesh Bank decided to form for development of new entrepreneurs. Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman made the announcement yesterday at the Entrepreneurship Development Workshop arranged by Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in Dhaka. Recently, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) took a project of developing 2,000 new entrepreneurs while Bangladesh Bank supporting with the refinance fund. The IDEB project that aims to make 1,000 new entrepreneurs within the year 2015 will be also entitled to get finance from the fund, said the governor. The DCCI and Bangladesh Bank are working to find out future entrepreneurs throughout the country. This project has created hype across the country and DCCI gets huge response especially from the young people. “We formed some refinance fund for entrepreneurs with policy support. There is a refinance fund of Tk600 crore. New entrepreneurs could take loan up to Tk50 lakh from the fund. Under the refinance fund of SME sector, 15% has been dedicated for the women,” Atiur said. BB has another refinance fund of Tk200 crore for agricultural products and green banking, he said. l

Banks asked to pay import bills on time n Tribune Report
The scheduled commercial banks have been asked to pay the bills on maturity of the import letter of credit (LC) they opened. They were also reminded of the penalty applicable as per law in case of default in payment. Bangladesh Bank issued a circular yesterday, asking the banks to comply with the LC payment obligations amid allegations that some banks were making unwanted delays in payment. As a result, the image of the country’s banks is being tarnished abroad as well as imports are becoming expensive due to increased interest and foreign bank confirmation charges, said the circular. “The increased import costs due to this type of irregularity directly affect the prices of goods, which hampers the public interest,” it said. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Stock
DSE GAINERS Company

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Stocks stay flat with persisting volatility
n
Tribune Report
Stocks closed flat further with persisting volatility yesterday as late selling pressure mainly on banks and textiles issues cut early gains. Although the market began the session on a positive note but later it saw a downward movement especially in the last 90 minutes of trade. After rising around 20 points, the benchmark DSEX was down 12 points or 0.3% to close at 4,660, after edging higher in the previous session. It is its lowest since January 22 this year. Shariah Index, DSES, gained marginally over 3 points or 0.4% to 1,015. The blue-chip comprising DS30 ended at 1,681 with fractional rise of 0.6 points. Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, fell 37 points to close at 9,099. Heavyweight banks were down by 1.7%, led by United Commercial Bank that dropped almost 10% due to adjustment of its cash dividend. Textile sector also lost its luster with a loss of 1.2%. Turnover at DSE stood at Tk450 crore, recovering well from previous session’s two month low turnover and was 34% higher over the previous session. “Coupled with ongoing volatility and apparent lack of directions, market continued mimicking last several sessions. Resultantly, the bourse ended flat once more time, approaching the same scenario for eighth session,” said IDLC Investment in its daily market analysis. Marginal selling pressure in some mid cap scrips, especially bank sector, pulled down the market at the later part of trading, it said. Among other major sectors, telecommunications had the highest gain of 0.8%, followed by power 0.5% and pharmaceuticals 0.5%. Financial institutions and food and allied sectors closed almost flat with no significant movement. Padma Oil continued to top turnover leader with shares worth Tk44 crore changing hands, followed by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, Meghna Petroleum, Square Pharmaceuticals, Olympic Industries, Bangladesh Submarine Cable, Grameenphone and Singer Bangladesh. l

DSE key features March 12, 2014
Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract Traded Issues Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis) Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis) Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
4,507.60 73,205,749 99,169 289 469 110 10 2,304.53 27.93

Closing (% change) 9.94 9.83 9.60 9.21 7.94 6.78 6.23 6.07 5.69 5.64

Samorita Hospital -A Eastern Cables-Z Hakkani P& Paper -B Apex SpinningA Standard Ceramic -A Republic Insu.-A Monno Ceramic -B Samata LeatheR -Z Anlima Yarn -A Eastern InsurA CSE GAINERS Company Eastern Cables-Z Apex SpinningA Samorita Hospital -A Hakkani P& Paper -B Kay & Que (BD) -Z Aziz PipesZ Samata LeatheR -Z CVO PetroChem RL Z Standard Ceramic -A Republic Insu.-A

Average (% change) 9.28 11.30 7.76 8.64 6.39 6.14 5.66 7.29 6.23 4.69 Average (% change) 9.52 7.61 9.72 7.52 8.60 7.33 7.00 5.70 7.84 6.08

Closing average 103.98 149.92 32.51 102.88 49.65 45.48 36.00 30.04 26.07 40.88

Closing 105.10 150.90 33.10 104.30 50.30 45.70 35.80 29.70 26.00 41.20

Daily high 105.10 151.10 33.20 105.00 51.10 47.00 36.60 30.80 27.00 42.50

Daily low 92.00 143.30 31.00 98.00 43.00 40.00 31.00 29.00 23.00 37.00

Turnover in million 24.272 16.356 2.715 17.449 1.317 16.720 7.842 0.826 3.053 1.683

Latest EPS 2.74 1.40 0.28 1.85 1.06 3.03 0.38 -0.04 0.80 2.60

Latest PE 37.9 107.1 116.1 55.6 46.8 15.0 94.7 -ve 32.6 15.7

Closing (% change) 9.94 9.69 9.27 7.67 7.43 7.33 7.14 7.11 7.10 6.50

Closing average 147.42 103.61 103.69 32.30 18.95 20.50 29.96 887.91 49.77 45.72

Closing 149.30 106.40 103.70 32.30 18.80 20.50 30.00 889.00 49.80 45.90

Daily high 149.30 98.10 104.30 33.00 19.00 20.50 30.80 892.00 49.90 46.30

Daily low 142.00 103.00 100.00 30.10 18.80 20.50 28.60 885.00 49.50 43.80

Turnover in million 0.486 0.166 1.452 0.598 0.038 0.010 0.375 1.021 0.075 0.297

Latest EPS 1.40 1.85 2.74 0.28 -0.89 0.59 -0.04 -4.06 1.06 3.03

Latest PE 105.3 56.0 37.8 115.4 -ve 34.7 -ve -ve 47.0 15.1

CSE key features March 12, 2014
Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract
405.95 7,114,046 14,918 226 129 92 4 2,202.87 26.70

News, analysis and recent disclosers
PRIMEINSUR: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has approved to purchase floor space measuring gross floor area of 4,236 sft. along with 2 car parking spaces at Unique Heights (10th floor), 117, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Ramna, Dhaka at a total cost of Tk. 5,30,30,656.00 only. REPUBLIC: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on March 16, 2014 at 3:30 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013. From BIASL Desk: Price Correction after Record Day: BRACBANK’s price correction was 14.98% (taka 4.30) against 10% cash and 10% stock Dividend (1+2.87=taka 3.87 per share approx.). After record day restated EPS is taka 2.91 and NAV per share is taka 25.80. RIGHT SHARE: ARAMITCEM: Subscription 23.03.2014 to 17.04.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 09.01.2014. RUPALILIFE: Subscription 06.04.2014 to 05.05.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 16.01.2014. BRACBANK: Subscription 20.04.2014 to 15.05.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 10.02.2014. GENNEXT: Subscription 18.03.2014 to 09.04.2014, Record date: 25.02.2014. IPO Subscription: Far Chemical Industries Limited subscription date 10 16 February 2014, NRB upto 25 March 2014. At per, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. The Peninsula Chittagong Limited subscription date 30 March-03 April 2014, NRB upto 12 April 2014. @ taka 30, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Shahjibazar Power Co. Limited subscription date 06 04 April 2014, NRB upto 19 April 2014. @ taka 25, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Dividend/AGM ARAMITCEM: 10% cash, AGM: 10.04.2014, Record Date: 20.03.2014. MTBL: 10% stock, AGM: 10.04.2014, Record date: 20.03.2014. SAFKOSPINN: 10% stock, AGM: 12.04.2014, Record Date: 20.03.2014. UNIQUEHRL: 25% cash, EGM and AGM: 08.04.2014, Record Date for EGM and AGM: 18.03.2014. BANKASIA: 10% stock, AGM: 31.03.2014, Record date: 16.03.2014. ULC: 5% cash & 10% stock, AGM: 10.04.2014, Record date: 18.03.2014. PRIMEBANK: 12.50% cash, 30.03.2014, Record date: 13.03.2014. UNIONCAP: 10% stock, AGM: 31.03.2014, Record date: 13.03.2014. SOUTHEASTB: 16% cash and 5% stock, AGM: 31.03.2014, RD: 13.03.2014. DUTCHBANGL: 40% cash dividend for the General Public Shareholders and Foreign Sponsors/Shareholders, AGM: 30.03.2014, RD: 13.03.2014. LAFSURCEML: No dividend, AGM: 10.06.2014, RD: 07.04.2014. UTTARAFIN: 30% cash, AGM: 30.04.2014, Record date: 12.03.2014. EBL: 20% cash, AGM: 31.03.2014, RD: 11.03.2014. PRIMEFIN: 15% cash, AGM: 30.03.2014, RD: 11.03.2014. UCBL: 20% cash, AGM: 17.04.2014, RD: 11.03.2014. PUBALIBANK: 10% stock, AGM: 25.03.2014, RD: 10.03.2014.

Daily capital market highlights
DSE Broad Index : DSE Shariah Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index :
DSE LOSERS Company UCBL - A Eastern Bank - A Midas Financing-Z EBL NRB M.F.-A Prime Finance-A Envoy Textiles Ltd-N Northern G Insur-A Mithun Knitting -A Closing (% change) -9.82 -8.77 -7.57 -6.33 -4.92 -3.91 -3.85 -3.84

4660.52575 1015.15777 1681.76077 14441.7696 12225.2691 9099.6542

(-) 0.26% (+) 0.34% (+) 0.03% (-) 0.23% (-) 0.41% (-) 0.41%

▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▼

Traded Issues Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis) Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis) Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

Average (% change) -8.92 -9.44 -7.43 -3.80 -3.95 -2.56 -2.84 0.34

Closing average 25.13 28.12 29.42 7.60 23.59 52.57 45.58 100.53

Closing 24.80 28.10 29.30 7.40 23.20 51.60 45.00 97.70

Daily high 26.70 28.80 29.30 7.50 24.20 54.00 47.00 105.00

Daily low 24.80 27.90 28.70 7.40 22.00 50.00 42.20 93.00

Turnover in million 60.001 5.258 0.071 0.019 18.554 33.585 2.910 37.420

Latest EPS 3.66 4.15 -5.96 0.44 1.10 1.12 3.04 2.42

Latest PE 6.9 6.8 -ve 17.3 21.4 46.9 15.0 41.5

AB Bank - A
CSE LOSERS Company Eastern Bank - A UCBL - A Islami Ins.BD A Safko Spinning-A Prime Islami Life -A IFIC Bank - A Prime Finance-A PragatiLife Insu. -A

-3.81

-0.74

28.24

27.80

29.00

26.50

10.870

1.65

17.1

Closing (% change) -9.94 -9.78 -9.37 -5.23 -5.00 -4.49 -4.49 -4.41

Average (% change) -9.23 -8.80 -9.31 -5.07 -2.52 -3.36 -6.15 -4.08

Closing average 28.33 25.19 30.00 29.03 112.10 32.18 23.64 229.50

Closing 28.10 24.90 30.00 29.00 112.10 31.90 23.40 229.50

Daily high 29.00 26.60 30.00 29.20 112.10 32.80 24.00 229.50

Daily low 28.10 24.90 30.00 29.00 112.10 31.80 23.30 229.50

Turnover in million 0.193 19.712 0.030 0.784 0.011 1.766 2.630 0.115

Latest EPS 4.15 3.66 1.60 1.14 4.95 4.33 1.10 2.38

Latest PE 6.8 6.9 18.8 25.5 22.6 7.4 21.5 96.4

AB Bank - A

-3.46

-0.07

28.12

27.90

29.40

27.70

0.885

1.65

17.0

ANALYST

Marginal selling pressure in some mid cap scrips, especially bank sector, pulled down the market at the later part of trading

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Padma Oil Co. -A BSC A Meghna Petroleum -A Square Pharma -A Olympic Ind. -A BD Submarine Cable-A
Grameenphone-A

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY
Sector Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 398.54 153.65 73.52 447.35 288.67 968.05 8.86 430.38 443.71 2.72 36.41 85.43 22.13 227.42 31.88 78.12 205.46 264.54 48.07 292.02 0.71

% change 8.84 3.41 1.63 9.92 6.40 21.48 0.20 9.55 9.84 0.06 0.81 1.90 0.49 5.05 0.71 1.73 4.56 5.87 1.07 6.48 0.02

Million Taka 40.70 12.29 3.48 28.14 25.69 71.34 36.00 52.51 3.01 3.17 7.98 2.79 18.86 3.58 2.21 8.83 31.09 7.35 54.12 0.04

CSE

% change 9.85 2.97 0.84 6.81 6.22 17.27 0.00 8.71 12.71 0.73 0.77 1.93 0.68 4.57 0.87 0.53 2.14 7.52 1.78 13.10 0.01

Million Taka 439.24 165.94 77.00 475.49 314.36 1039.39 8.86 466.38 496.22 5.72 39.58 93.41 24.92 246.28 35.46 80.32 214.29 295.62 55.42 346.13 0.75

Total

% change 8.93 3.37 1.56 9.66 6.39 21.12 0.18 9.48 10.08 0.12 0.80 1.90 0.51 5.00 0.72 1.63 4.35 6.01 1.13 7.03 0.02

Southeast Bank-A Square Textile -A Delta Life Insu. -A UCBL - A LankaBangla Fin. -A
CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BSC A

Singer BD -A Jamuna Oil -A LafargeS Cement-Z

Volume shares 1,297,637 362,075 740,033 714,993 713,391 620,318 591,441 548,287 514,000 2,450,080

4,915,417 803,767 352,050 2,387,378 798,414

Value in million 448.32 230.88 213.56 206.08 159.13 137.61 126.93 121.64 121.01 115.47

108.47 92.51 90.74 60.00 51.22

% of total turnover 9.95 5.12 4.74 4.57 3.53 3.05 2.82 2.70 2.68 2.56

2.41 2.05 2.01 1.33 1.14

Daily closing 349.30 638.75 287.70 288.20 223.20 221.40 214.30 223.20 235.10 47.70

21.90 113.90 256.30 24.80 64.10

Price change 3.53 2.57 0.74 1.09 1.50 1.56 0.70 4.15 0.94 4.15

-2.67 -1.98 -0.93 -9.82 3.39

Daily opening 337.40 622.75 285.60 285.10 219.90 218.00 212.80 214.30 232.90 45.80

22.50 116.20 258.70 27.50 62.00

Daily high 350.00 644.75 292.00 294.00 225.70 227.00 216.60 225.50 236.60 48.00

22.50 117.80 261.40 26.70 65.60
Daily high

Daily low 308.50 623.00 260.90 278.30 205.00 200.00 202.00 214.30 225.00 45.10

20.50 108.00 255.90 24.80 56.00
Daily low

Daily average 345.49 637.66 288.58 288.23 223.06 221.83 214.61 221.85 235.43 47.13

22.07 115.10 257.76 25.13 64.15

Volume shares

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to [email protected] or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

Padma Oil Co. -A Square Pharma -A BD Submarine Cable-A UCBL - A Square Textile -A LafargeS Cement-Z Jamuna Oil -A Beach Hatchery -A Singer BD -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Grameenphone-A Beximco Pharma -A Meghna Petroleum -A Delta Life Insu. -A

65,840 116,505 83,448 103,700 782,662 109,400 249,000 47,953 309,296 42,812 252,488 37,600 148,945 24,243 26,850

Value in million

41.96 40.35 24.02 23.01 19.71 12.68 11.73 11.31 9.81 9.50 8.23 8.07 7.84 7.00 6.93

% of total turnover

10.37 9.97 5.94 5.69 4.87 3.13 2.90 2.79 2.42 2.35 2.03 1.99 1.94 1.73 1.71

Daily closing

639.00 349.80 288.50 221.90 24.90 114.10 47.50 235.90 31.70 222.20 32.30 214.40 52.00 288.30 256.80

Price change

2.93 3.71 1.02 1.56 -9.78 -1.64 3.49 1.46 5.67 3.45 -0.62 0.70 -1.70 1.12 -1.12

Daily opening

620.80 337.30 285.60 218.50 27.60 116.00 45.90 232.50 30.00 214.80 32.50 212.90 52.90 285.10 259.70

646.00 350.40 289.30 225.30 26.60 117.50 47.90 237.80 32.30 226.00 33.10 216.50 53.50 292.00 261.30

622.00 341.00 285.50 212.00 24.90 113.00 46.00 234.00 30.20 215.00 32.20 213.70 51.10 286.00 255.60

Daily average

637.30 346.33 287.87 221.93 25.19 115.91 47.11 235.89 31.72 221.98 32.61 214.70 52.60 288.72 258.01

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Thursday, March 13, 2014

B3
dering, Yan says, “but it’s a major tool.” Macau is a prime gateway for this activity. It is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, and so Chinese gamblers bring vast sums of money here. Because Macau is administered separately from the mainland, there are restrictions on how much currency mainland Chinese can take into the gambling haven. But gamblers find ways of skirting currency controls when they cross into Macau. And much of the money these mainlanders ostensibly take to Macau for gambling, Chinese authorities believe, is actually going abroad into bank accounts. Any steps to clamp down on UnionPay cashback transactions would likely rattle Macau, because the cash also feeds the casino sector on which the territory’s $43.6bn economy overwhelmingly depends. Macau is now the world’s biggest gambling hub, with revenues seven times those of Las Vegas. Last year, gambling revenue rose 19% to $45.2bn. Nearly 40% of that went to the government in taxes. Beijing is particularly concerned about the role of this capital flight in the country’s endemic government corruption scandals. An internal research report in 2008 by the PBOC identified UnionPay cards as one of the main tools for corrupt individuals to facilitate cross-border transfer of funds. The central bank report said the practice was growing rapidly. Many card users follow their money abroad. Since the mid-1990s, an estimated 16,000 to 18,000 Communist party officials, businessmen, CEOs and other individuals have “disappeared” from China, according to a separate PBOC report prepared in 2008 - taking with them some 800bn yuan ($133bn). But the practice isn’t limited to corrupt officials. The ubiquitous UnionPay card, with its instant access to piles of cash, has made the task of whisking money out of China far easier for ordinary Chinese. l

How China’s official bank card is used to smuggle money
n Reuters, Macau
Growing numbers of Chinese are using the country’s state-backed bankcards to illegally spirit billions of dollars abroad, a Reuters examination has found. This underground money is flowing across the border into the gambling hub of Macau, a former Portuguese colony that like Hong Kong is an autonomous region of China. And the conduit for the cash is the Chinese governmentsupported payment card network, China UnionPay. In a warren of gritty streets around Macau’s ritzy casino resorts, hundreds of neon-lit jeweler, watch and pawn shops are doing a brisk business giving mainland Chinese customers cash by allowing them to use UnionPay cards to make fake purchases - a way of evading China’s strict currency-export controls. On a recent day at the Choi Seng Jeweler and Watches company, a middle-aged woman strode to the counter past dusty shelves of watches. She handed the clerk her UnionPay card and received HK$300,000 ($50,000) in cash. She signed a credit card receipt describing the transaction as a “general sale”, stuffed the cash into her handbag and strolled over to the Ponte 16 casino next door. The withdrawal far exceeded the daily limit of 20,000 yuan, or $3,200, in cash that individual Chinese can legally move out of the mainland. “Don’t worry,” said a store clerk when asked about the legality of the transaction. “Everyone does this.” Internal discussion documents prepared by UnionPay and by financial authorities in Macau and China show these fake sale cash-backs are widespread in such retail stores. The practice violates China’s anti-moneylaundering regulations as well as restrictions on currency exports, according to Chinese central bank documents reviewed by Reuters. Chinese authoriformer president, Xu Luode. They declined requests to be interviewed. UnionPay dominates the card market in China thanks to a central bank decree that requires all card issuers, including foreign ones, to process their yuan-based transactions through UnionPay’s electronic payment network. All Chinese merchants and automated teller machines are required to process their yuan transactions through UnionPay. The World Trade Organization in July 2012 ruled that China was discriminating against foreign card brands, but it made no specific recommendations. Foreign card brands still have to use UnionPay for settlements in China. UnionPay’s increasing use overseas is part of Beijing’s multi-pronged strategy to eventually open up China’s capital account and internationalize the yuan, which is formally known as the renminbi or yuan. Beijing also eased restrictions on many kinds of capital transfers as it gradually loosens up control over the currency, making it easier for money to leave China’s borders. The efforts have paid dividends. The renminbi has already overtaken the euro to become the second-most used currency in trade finance, according to data from global transaction services organization SWIFT. “(China) may be happy to see UnionPay sweeping different markets across the world in different countries and territories,” said Yan Lixin, head of Fudan University’s China Centre for Anti-Money Laundering Studies in Shanghai. “It is backed up by the government. It is the real son of the government.” At the same time, these changes have vastly complicated the compliance challenges for UnionPay. While the card system is helping monetary authorities open up the capital account, it is also enabling people to funnel their ill-gotten gains out of China, said Yan. “It’s not the only tool” for money laun-

ties also fear the UnionPay conduit is being used by corrupt officials and business people to send money out of the country. It’s unclear why the central bank, the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC), hasn’t cracked down harder on the practice, although the documents Reuters reviewed show the bank was aware it had become a growing problem. Industry experts point to a weak enforcement culture in China, a reluctance to hurt Macau financially with 80 percent of the city’s revenues drawn from gambling, and a willingness to tolerate some capital flight - especially if it can be tracked through names on bank cards. Moreover, the rapid growth of UnionPay, including the spread of its terminals at retail stores across the world, is playing a key role in China’s strategy for making the yuan a global currency. No one knows for sure how much Chinese money is being channeled il-

legally into Macau. Tam Chi Keong, an assistant professor at the Macau University of Science and Technology, puts the total at HK$1.57tn ($202bn) a year through various channels.. Tam says his estimate is based on his analysis of Macau’s finances and interviews with gambling industry participants. A senior UnionPay executive said the Shanghai-based company has long been aware of the payment card abuse in Macau and elsewhere, but was limited in its ability to act. That’s because the primary responsibility lies with authorities in Macau or any other country where the fraud is taking place, he said. “The problem you are talking about has existed for several years,” said the executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We have continuously taken measures.”

The government’s son

Though relatively unknown in the West, UnionPay has quietly grown to

become one of the biggest card brands and payment networks in the world, accepted in 142 countries. There are more UnionPay cards in circulation now than any other brand - 3.53 billion, or nearly a quarter of the world’s total, according to the industry newsletter, the Nilson Report. Visa remains the world leader by transaction value with $4.6tn in card transactions in the first half of 2013; UnionPay was second with $2.5tn. If UnionPay poses a problem for Chinese authorities, it is a problem of their own making. The card brand is often seen as an arm of Chinese state policy. UnionPay was established in 2002 by the PBOC and the State Council or Cabinet. Its founding shareholders were 85 Chinese banks, led by the five biggest state-owned banks. Former senior PBOC officials still fill the company’s top ranks, including UnionPay’s current chairman, Su Ning, and its

Dollar weakens in Asian trade
n AFP, Tokyo
The dollar softened against the yen in light Tokyo trade Wednesday, following the Bank of Japan’s decision to stand pat on any fresh monetary easing measures. The greenback stood at 102.87 yen, from 102.94 yen in New York and well down from the 103.30 yen seen in Tokyo Tuesday. And the euro was at 142.68 yen against 142.73 yen in US trade, also sharply lower than 143.30 yen earlier Tuesday in Asia. The single currency bought $1.3853 against $1.3863. Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda said he saw “no need for now to make adjustments to monetary policy” after a two-day meeting. “It was kind of expected but it is a confirmation from him that additional easing is not imminent,” a senior dealer at a major bank in Tokyo said. However, analysts expect the bank is holding back until it can assess the impact of a sales tax increase that is due to take effect next month and which some warn could impact the country’s economic recovery. Nomura Securities said in a note to clients that they believed the BoJ would “will engage in additional monetary easing in July”. l

Japan firms raise wages as consumers prepare for tax hike
n AFP, Tokyo
Major Japanese firms, including Toyota and Panasonic, yesterday said they would boost employees’ salaries for the first time in years, heeding a call from the prime minister ahead of a sales tax rise next month. The deal came as companies wrap up annual labour talks known as Shunto, or the “spring offensive”. The usually low-key negotiations were being closely watched to see if cash-rich firms would put more money in workers’ pockets, amid worries about the tax hike slamming the brakes on growth. Japan’s car sector was a key target, with all eyes on the world’s biggest automaker Toyota which - along with other exporters - posted big profits on the back of sharply weaker yen since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to power in late 2012. Toyota said it would raise employees’ pay by an average of 2,700 yen ($26) a month, while they would also get an average bonus worth about 6.8 months of their base wage - a common pay structure in Japan. It was the Camry and Corolla maker’s first wage hike in six years, and amounted to about a 0.8% rise above current pay. Among other firms raising wages were Nissan, Panasonic, Hitachi and Toshiba. The focus would now shift from blue-chip firms to see if small and midsized companies, which employ the bulk of Japanese workers, follow the lead on pay. The seemingly small wage hikes are a major development in a country that has suffered deflation for years, with consumers rarely facing higher prices for everyday goods. Abe’s growth blitz, dubbed Abenomics, is aimed at reversing falling prices and recent data suggest Tokyo is making headway in stoking lasting inflation, which would mean higher prices. Consumers are also getting set for a sales tax rise to 8% next month, up from 5%. The move is seen as crucial to shrinking Japan’s massive national debt, but there are fears it could weigh on consumer spending and slow growth. Threat of intervention Abe has been calling on firms to raise salaries so workers would have more money to spend, a move seen as crucial to making his growth bid work. On Tuesday, Abe’s point man on the economy, Akira Amari, raised the stakes with an apparent threat to take unspecified action against companies cycle - bigger profits leading to bigger investment, pay hikes..and better economic sentiment, which then leads to even larger corporate earnings,” he said. “This year’s labour negotiations focused more on that macro point of view.” But concerns gathered pace this week as revised growth data showed the world’s third-largest economy expanded at a slower pace than initially thought last year. Yesterday, a key consumer confidence indicator dropped in February, with the data likely to stoke further concerns about spending. “Any recovery in consumer confidence ... will be strongly dependent on an acceleration in wage growth,” London-based Capital Economics said. Japan’s number-two automaker Nissan said its employees would get 3,500 yen more a month, and a bonus worth 5.6 months of regular pay. The electronics sector, hammered by losses in recent years, also moved with six major firms hiking wages by 2,000 yen a month, their biggest-ever increase. Convenience store operator Lawson has agreed to its first wage rise in 12 years. Bonuses are usually paid out in a lump sum twice yearly, but it’s not guaranteed compensation. l

Workers assemble the front bumper of Toyota's Aqua compact hybrid vehicle on the assembly line of the Kanto Auto Works plant in Kanegasaki, Iwate prefecture, about 500km north of Tokyo AFP that don’t jack up wages. The government “will react in some way” against firms which are “uncooperative with our policy of creating a virtuous economic cycle,” he told reporters. Tabloid newspaper Nikkan Gendai compared Amari’s comments to the aggressive tactics of Japan’s notorious yakuza gangsters. Hideshi Nitta, a labour relations manager at top business lobby Keidanren, said firms recognised the need to reverse years of tepid growth. “For the economy to grow sustainably, (Japan) needs to create a virtuous

BB to step up bank vault monitoring
 B1 COLUMN 6

doors with steel wall around the vault space of the banks. The floors and roofs of around the vaults also have to be certified by an engineer. As part of technical security measure, there must be an alarming system round the clock along with a closedcircuit television camera at the vaults. There should be an uninterrupted

connectivity between the bank’s central information system and the vault’s security system. Automated fire extinguishers also must be set up into the vaults. An amount of around Tk16.4 crore was looted from Kishoreganj Sadar branch of Sonali Bank in Januarywhile more recentlyanother burglary hit a Bogra branch of the state-owned bank looting over Tk30 lakh. l

BASIC Bank Limited participated in School Banking Conference-2014 at Chittagong for building awareness among the school going children to develop their savings habit and introduce them with banking services. The Bangladesh Bank governor, Dr Atiur Rahman distributed the BASIC school banking gift bags among the school going children at BASIC Bank’s stall recently

A school banking conference was held in the Bangladesh Bank colony ground in Chittagong recently. Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Dr Atiur Rahman was present as chief guest in the conference and visited the stall of Pubali Bank Ltd in the presence of Pubali Bank’s DMD, Saiful Alam Khan Chowdhury and GM, Syed Abdul Mazid

Pakistan finance minister optimistic after rupee recovery
n AFP, Islamabad
Pakistan’s finance minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said he was optimistic about an economic recovery after the rupee breached the psychologically important 100 to the dollar mark. The currency had been losing its value against the greenback since Sharif’s PML N government came to power in June last year, sliding from 97 rupees to the dollar to a low of 108 in December. Since then it has mounted a recovery and as of Wednesday evening the rupee was trading at 97.90 to the dollar. Addressing a press conference Wednesday, Dar said: “The price of onions, tomatoes and dollars has been brought down to the level when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took oath.” “It is a positive development for the economy and will boost investors’ confidence into Pakistan,” Dar said, adding the government was not resorting to injecting reserves from the state bank in order to stabilise the currency. “We did not use State Bank money to strengthen the rupee, but persuaded exporters to bring back their money to Pakistan and checked currency speculation, which resulted in the rising value of the rupee,” he added. l

Bangladesh IT Talent Contest 2014 held on Tuesday to develop skilled manpower. Overseas Employment attended the award giving ceremony of the contest as chief guest at DIU auditorium

Real estate developer, Sheltech celebrated its 26th anniversary yesterday. Sheltech chairperson Engr Kutubuddin Ahmed, founder-MD Dr Toufiq M. Seraj and director (development) Tanvir Ahmed have cut a cake to mark the anniversary

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Thursday, March 13, 2014

ADB punishes individuals, firms in $1bn fraud probe
n AFP, Manila
The Asian Development Bank has imposed sanctions on 30 people and 31 firms for “integrity violations”, following a 2013 fraud investigation into $1bn worth of projects it funded, the lender said. The ADB said it investigated a record 250 allegations of corruption, collusion, coercion and fraud last year, 10 more than in 2012, the bank said in a report published yesterday. The investigation included six projects operational between 2006 and 2010 in China, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Nepal and Laos, which were probed for “procurement-related” issues, ADB said in the report. “Fraud related to work experience, qualifications, and technical and financial capacities of consulting firms or consultants continues to be the most common type of integrity violation reported,” the ADB’s Office of Anticorruption and Integrity chief Clare Wee said in a statement. The names and nationalities of the companies and individuals punished, as well as the nature of the sanctions, were not disclosed in the report by the Manila-based ADB. Bank representatives declined to comment further when contacted by AFP yesterday. However, ADB sources, who asked not to be named, said companies receiving sanctions would be “blacklisted” and barred from taking part in ADB projects for between three and 10 years. Sanctions can be imposed on individuals “indefinitely” depending on the circumstances, the sources added. The allegations investigated included an agricultural project in the Ningxia autonomous region in China that was funded by a $100m loan and a $4.545m grant and an Azerbaijan road project backed by an $500m ADB loan, it said. Investigators also looked into a Pakistan power transmission project supported by $358.747m in ADB loans, as well as three smaller projects in Nepal and Laos that obtained $92m in ADB loans and grants. The ADB sources said that in extreme cases, the lender also operates under a “cross debarment” system in which it and other multilateral institutions will all enforce each other’s blacklists. The report said 525 entities have been subjected to this type of sanction by the ADB, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Inter-American Development Bank since 2010. The ADB lent $9.4bn in 2012, according to the latest data released by the bank. l

Engineer Christoph Amma demonstrates "Air Writing" with a sensor wristband at the 2014 CeBIT computer technology trade fair in Hanover, central Germany. Developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the sensor attached to the wrist records hand movements and a computer system captures the signals and translates them into text. Great Britain is partner country of the fair considered as the world's biggest high-tech fair running from March 10 to 14 AFP

WeChat revolution: China’s ‘killer app’ speaks to the masses
n AFP, Shanghai
When condom maker Durex wants to send an intimate message to customers in China, it uses a homegrown instant messaging platform called WeChat which has taken the country by storm in just three years. WeChat - known as “weixin”, or micro-message in Chinese - has similarities to WhatsApp, the Silicon Valley start-up that Facebook bought for $19bn last month. Now the CEO of its parent company hopes the service can go global, branding it China’s “most hopeful product for internationalisation” - but concerns about cybersecurity could hamper its ambitions. WeChat is more versatile than WhatsApp, allowing its more than 300 million users to send text, photos, videos and voice messages over smartphones, find each other by shaking their devices - a common dating technique - and even book and pay for taxis. Its popularity has gone beyond individuals, with corporations and even the government using the application developed by Chinese Internet giant Tencent for their internal and public communications. Since the WhatsApp deal was announced, Hong Kong-listed Tencent’s shares have risen 9.4 percent, giving it a market capitalisation of $150bn, approaching Facebook’s monumental $180bn. “WeChat is an extremely peoplefriendly platform, something consumers frequently use every day,” said Fay Zhao, senior brand manager for Durex, which has asked its 200,000 followers to transmit “love stories” over WeChat in its latest campaign. Analysts say WeChat has eroded the popularity of another form of Chinese social media - microblogs or “weibo”, the equivalent of Twitter - which have been hurt by a government crackdown on content and users. WeChat is now the country’s second most popular instant messaging tool on mobile devices, according to consultancy Analysys International - behind the venerable QQ platform, launched in 1999 and also owned by Tencent - and is unlikely to be dislodged. “WeChat, as a ‘killer app’ of Tencent on mobile Internet, has experienced a rapid increase in its user base since it commercialised in 2013,” consultancy Analysys International said in a research report in February, referring to when it started charging for some services. “Killer app” is technological terminology for a unique and wildly popular product. WeChat is free to use, but charges for products such as emoticons and special features in games. To retain users, WeChat has introduced new services alongside basic communication, including gaming, online payments and the taxi booking the companies have denied. China’s Communist rulers maintain a huge surveillance network of their own in the country, including online, where the so-called Great Firewall of China blocks access to sites deemed sensitive, and a vast censorship machine deletes objectionable weibo posts and other content. Meanwhile, Chinese Internet firms and foreign firms operating in China have in the past provided user information to authorities in cases ruled to involve state security. Some Western users might have concerns over Internet security and the protection of personal data with WeChat, analysts said. “American and European countries always have concerns over the safety and personal privacy issues of Chinese products,” said iResearch analyst Lu Jingyu. “This might be an obstacle for its overseas development.” Other global players include Japan’s Line, with more than 300 million registered users, and South Korea’s Kakao Talk with over 100 million, which together dominate other Asian markets. “There are already some well-established instant messaging products in the global market... forming a natural barrier for the internationalisation of WeChat,” said Dong Xu, an analyst for Analysys International. On Tuesday, Tencent’s shares closed up 0.16% at HK$617.50 ($80.19). l

service. Tencent acquired a 20% stake in Chinese restaurant listing platform Dianping.com in February and started offering dining coupons through WeChat. Its latest deal, announced this week, sees Tencent take a 15% stake in Chinese online direct sales company JD.com, in a bid to better compete with e-commerce giant Alibaba. Overseas expansion plans Founded in 1998 in the southern

boom town of Shenzhen, Tencent is one of China’s largest Internet companies and rivals Alibaba and domestic search engine Baidu. Now the firm’s founder and CEO Pony Ma is putting high hopes on expanding WeChat abroad, budgeting $200m for overseas marketing last year and hiring football superstar Lionel Messi for advertisements. State media quoted Ma as calling the service “China’s most hopeful product in terms of internationalisation”.

But global concerns about cybersecurity could put a damper on its ambitions, analysts say. Before former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations of widespread electronic surveillance by the organisation, Washington and Beijing traded accusations of cyberspying for months. US lawmakers have expressed worries over the security of telecommunications equipment sold by Chinese firms such as Huawei and ZTE, which

World Cup brings trouble to Brazil’s economy Oil prices ease in
n Reuters, Brasilia
With the World Cup in June and July and a presidential election in October, many Brazilians aren’t thinking beyond 2014. But next year is likely to be memorable for all the wrong reasons in Latin America’s biggest economy. President Dilma Rousseff, or whoever wins the election, will have to make deep budget cuts, raise taxes and take other painful steps to address Brazil’s growing financial imbalances. The fallout will likely be more damaging than many investors anticipate, resulting in a fourth straight year of disappointing growth - a big fall back to earth for a country that last decade was one of the world’s most dynamic emerging markets. Economists currently expect Brazil’s gross domestic product to grow 1.68% this year, and 2% in 2015, according to a weekly survey by the central bank. Yet the latter forecast is somewhat misleading, because many economists admit their estimates are based on computer models that don’t fully account for what politicians will do after the election. “No matter who wins (the election), it’s going to be a difficult year, worse than many believe,” said Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who was president from 1995 to 2003 and still retains considerable influence in financial circles as a leader of the main opposition party. An official close to Rousseff, speaking on condition of anonymity, broadly concurred: “Few people are talking about 2015 right now. But it will be hard, no doubt.” The biggest and most disruptive task will be trimming Brazil’s fiscal deficit, which investors and ratings agencies say has been too high in recent years. No one expects Rousseff, a pragmatic leftist, to make painful budget cuts while campaigning for re-election. As a result, the cuts will need to be even deeper when the next presidential term begins on Jan. 1, 2015 - especially if Brazil’s sovereign credit is downgraded in the interim by Standard & Poor’s to its lowest investment-grade rating, as many in Brasilia now anticipate. Tax hikes are also likely. So are adjustments to bus fares, gasoline costs and other prices administered by the government, which Rousseff has held in check to prevent inflation, running around 6%, from rising even higher. If done properly, belt-tightening policies could restore balance to the economy and rebuild Brazil’s tattered credibility with the private sector. That, in turn, could set the stage for an eventual return to the good old days last decade when GDP often grew better than 4% a year. Yet, even in a best-case scenario, the measures will smother domestic demand in the short term - perhaps not quite enough to cause a recession, officials and economists say, but enough to result in another lost year in terms of GDP growth. “2015 is going to be the big year of adjustment,” said Marcelo Salomon, chief Brazil economist for Barclays in New York. “What needs to happen is a credibility shock so that the government shows it isn’t just thinking in the short term.” just as the economy was slowing, reacted by making a series of targeted tax cuts worth approximately 1.5% of GDP, while also keeping fiscal spending robust to stimulate the economy. Her actions may have prevented a sharper slump. The economy grew 2.3% in 2013, and defied predictions of a minor recession during the second half of the year. But priming the fiscal pump has carried a cost: The budget deficit is expected to hit nearly 4% of GDP in 2014, a percentage point above the past decade’s average. That’s not a huge budget gap by global standards. But investors hold Brazil to a tighter standard than most countries because of its history of runaway spending that resulted in hyperinflation in the 1980s and early 1990s. At the slightest sign of fiscal slippage or an uptick in inflation, it’s not just ratings agencies that get worried. Anyone over age 40 or so remembers watching their salary get decimated. “There’s been a very large worsening in expectations” among businesses and consumers alike, said Aloisio Campelo, who runs economic surveys for the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a Brazilian business school. “The incoming government will have to hold the line on fiscal austerity to bring credibility back,” Campelo said. l

Asian trade
n AFP, Singapore

Country stuck in traffic

The seeds of Brazil’s current predicament were sown during the good years. Thanks to strong demand for its soy and iron ore from China, plus smart fiscal management and social welfare policies under Rousseff ’s predecessors, Brazil has managed to pull some 35 million people out of poverty since the mid-1990s. It also became a top market for foreign automakers, retailers and telecom companies. But economists say that, generally speaking, Brazil sold too many cars during the boom while not building enough roads. That is, it channeled too much of the windfall toward consumption and not enough on investment. The result is an economy now plagued by infrastructure bottlenecks and low productivity - and, thus, high inflation and slow growth. Rousseff, who took office in 2011

Oil prices fell in Asian trade yesterday ahead of the weekly US stockpiles report that will give an indication of demand in the world’s biggest economy. New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for April delivery, dipped 61 cents to $99.42 in afternoon trade, and Brent North Sea crude for April eased 27 cents to $108.28. The US Department of Energy will release its report later in the day and analysts expected inventories to have risen two million barrels in the week ending March 7 as the severe winter weather draws to an end, leading to weaker demand for heating oil. Kelly Teoh, managing director at IR Resources, said that with the Ukrainian crisis and the cold winter weather in the US easing, investors would focus on

economic data from the United States and China. “In the short term, a lot of it has to do with (uncertainty over) the US economy ... and China showing a slowdown,” Teoh told AFP. Beijing said Saturday it had seen an unexpected trade deficit of $22.98bn in February as exports dived, fuelling fears about growth in the Asian economic giant. Investors are also keeping an eye on political developments in oil-producer Libya after the country’s parliament ousted Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. The vote of no-confidence in parliament came after a North Korean tanker laden with oil from a rebel-held terminal in eastern Libya broke through a naval blockade and escaped to sea despite the government’s threats to block it by force if necessary. l

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