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Agrahayan 28, 1420 Safar 8, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 258

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

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Quader Mollas execution halted again for hearing

Court hears maintainability of petition against death penalty
n Nazmus Sakib
The Appellate Division has clearly stated that the execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla could not take place until disposal of the Jamaat leaders plea filed seeking review of the death sentence. It said no further order was required to halt the execution as the matter was pending at the apex court. The top court yesterday heard both sides over the maintainability of the petition filed in the morning as there is no provision of review in the International Crimes (tribunals) Act, 1973. At the end of proceedings, the five-member Appellate Division bench that passed the verdict on September 17 adjourned the hearing until today. Usually, the apex court starts its sessions at 9-9:30am and lasts until 1pm. Later, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters that Quader Molla would not be hanged until the plea was disposed of, since the government has respect towards law and judiciary. For the first time in the countrys history, execution of a death row convict was halted by the chamber judge of the Appellate Division, in absence of the government lawyers, hours before the Jamaat leader was set to be hanged on Tuesday. The government around 7:40pm on Tuesday made it clear that Quader Molla would be hanged by midnight and the family members were asked to meet him for the last time. Then the defence lawyers meet Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, the chamber judge, and secured a stay order on the execution until 10:30am yesterday.
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Pro-blockade activists throw petrol and crude bombs targeting a Rab vehicle in the city yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Taranco leaves Dhaka as AL, BNP agree to sit in third meeting

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman
UN Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco has said the solution to the existing political deadlock centring the next parliamentary elections must be a homegrown one. I strongly believe that a solution to the current deadlock is still possible if there is political will, leadership and an attitude of compromise, Fernandez-Taranco said at a crowded press conference at the Hotel Sonargaon yesterday. There are measures that would contribute immensely: a call by all sides to end the violence, the release of opposition political leaders, and a mutually satisfactory solution to the concerns regarding the election schedule, he said. The UN envoy left Dhaka last evening. He arrived on Friday and was scheduled to leave on Tuesday but prolonged his trip for another 24 hours. Asked if he got any assurance that the polls would be deferred, Fernandez-Taranco told reporters, without elaborating, that the issue had been discussed. All issues related to the current situation have been discussed, he said. He encouraged both the ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP to continue their dialogue. I firmly believe there is ground for an agreement. Bangladeshi leaders must continue to come together, he said, adding that compromise in the dialogue would be decisive in finding a solution. He said he was successful in achieving what he had come for. The UN envoy arrived at a time
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Hopes flicker with great promise to end impasse

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla
Leaders of the Awami League and BNP committed to UN mediator Oscar Fernandez-Taranco to sitting again for a third round of talks even though none of the camps believe that the UN move would settle the political deadlock. Taranco in his wrap-up press briefing told journalists: A third meeting was agreed between the parties. The delegations of the two parties are likely to hold the meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss the way out of the ongoing political impasse. Though BNP is not much optimistic about the outcome of the current political impasse, they still believe if the ruling party responds positively, the solution will come at any time. The BNP has been reiterating its desire for suspension of the polls schedule and holding of the elections in the three months after January 24. However, a section of the leaders, who were not in the dialogue process, said the solution would come through street agitation rather than talks. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has
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Moon, Kerry condemn political violence n Tribune Report

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who sent his representative Oscar Fernandez-Taranco to Dhaka to get Awami League and the BNP to sit for talks, yesterday condemned the ongoing violence. Ban phoned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina around 4:45pm and hoped that the next elections would take place in line with the constitution, the national news agency BSS quoted the prime ministers Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad as saying. US Secretary of State John Kerry also condemned violence and hoped that the upcoming polls would take place in fair and peaceful ways. He also encouraged Awami League and BNP to engage in talks to settle their difference of opinion over the polls-time administration. I hope that the next polls will be held as per the constitution and it will further strengthen democracy, Abul Kalam Azad also told the Dhaka Tribune. The UN secretary-general condemned the ongoing violence in Bangladesh and hoped this type of acts would stop immediately. Ban expressed his optimism that the ongoing dialogue between the ruling and opposition parties would continue in the future. His telephonic conversation coincided with the diplomatic efforts of his envoy Oscar Fernandez-Taranco who
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Another Shahbagh arson victim dies n Mohammad Jamil Khan

At the age of just 28, the life of Masuma Akter tragically ended yesterday only after six months of getting married. Following a 13-day battle for life, Masuma yet another burn victim of the deadly Shahbagh bus arson attack died yesterday at the Dhaka Burn Hospital. A senior officer at the Farashganj branch of Rupali Bank, she succumbed to her injuries at 11:58am while undergoing treatment at the hospital. Dr Mohammad Shamsuddin, head of Dhaka Burn Hospital, told the Dhaka Tribune that Masuma was
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Justice Sinhas village home attacked

n Emran Hossain
Just a day after the murder of a prosecution witness at the trial of Sayedee, some unidentified Jamaat-Shibir activists set alight the ancestral home of Supreme Court Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha at Tilakpur in Maulvibazars Kamalganj in the early hours of yesterday. Better known as Justice SK Sinha, he is a judge of the five-member appellate division bench of the Supreme Court (SC) that awarded death sentence to Jamaat-e-Islami leader and a convicted war criminal Abdul Quader Molla. Our correspondent in Sylhet quoting witnesses said nine Jamaat activists on three motorbikes were seen riding through Monipuri inhabited Kamalganj locality at the time of Fazr prayer chanting slogans Naraye Takbir, Allahu Akbar. Local police officials suspected that the attackers belonged to Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir that had unleashed a reign of terror since Tuesday night throughout the country immediately after the news of Quader Moalls execution early Wednesday.
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Masuma, a victim of Shahbagh bus arson attack, succumbed to her injuries yesterday. The photo was taken on November 28 at the DMCH burn unit MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

INSIDE
News
3 The first prosecution witness in the case against alleged al-Badr leader Mir Kashem Ali yesterday told Tribunal 2 how the accused and his fellow collaborators had tortured freedom fighters at Daleem Hotel in Chittagong city. 5 The Express Mail Service offered by the Bangladesh Post Office has lately been providing emergency postal services to its clients in name only as many couriers remained undelivered.

International

9 A blaze which engulfed a Chinese food market killed 16 people in the early hours of Wednesday, firefighters and state media said.

Op-Ed

11 Amid the richly deserved tributes by world leaders at Nelson Mandelas memorial service this week, one theme stands out. Madiba unified his country and brought peace and reconciliation that earned the respect of enemies.

Nation

Entertainment

6 Power Division made special preparations to provide uninterrupted electricity supply for irrigation during Boro season.

12 Heartthrobs of two Bengals, Raima Sen and Nirab will be seen together on the silver screen for the first time in a film paying tribute to legendary actor Suchitra Sen.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, December 12, 2013

BNP must shun violence before next talk: Hasina

n Emran Hossain Shaikh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her party agreed to continue dialogue to end the political crisis but BNP must withdraw its destructive political programmes before the next round of talks. Movement and dialogue cannot go together, the premier told her cabinet colleagues at an informal meeting at Ganabhaban. Her Foreign Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi told reporters that the dialogue would continue. Workers Party of Bangladesh President and Post and Telecommunications Minister of the polls-time government Rashed Khan Menon who was present at the meeting said they discussed the dialogue issue, phone calls of Ban-Ki moon and John Kerry to the premier. Awami league and BNP will sit at the negotiation table again tomorrow, Menon confirmed. When asked about the outcome of the meeting Memon said he was not that much hopeful about the solution through dialogue. Tofail Ahmed, industries minister of the polls-time government, said the dialogue will continue. In reply to a question AL Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said election would be held on January 5. It does not matter who will participate in the election and who will not. Sheikh Hasina at the meeting also talked about seat sharing with the component organisations of the 14-party alliance. She agreed to leave four seats for Workers Party and four others for Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, said an insider. All cabinet members unanimously decided to offer 60 seats to the Ershad-led Jatiya Party to ensure its participation. Food Minister Amir Hossain Amu, AL presidium member Abdul Latif Siddique, Obaidul Quader, Abdus Sobhan Golap, among others, were present at the informal meeting. l

EC likely to deploy army late Dec n Mohammad Zakaria

The Election Commission may deploy armed forces in the polling centres in the last week of December as it prepares to hold the tenth parliamentary election on January 5, sources said. The army will form the core of the special units to be used to maintain law and order during the election. The commission has already approved papers related to its deployment plan and may soon communicate with the Armed Forces Division. A senior official said the army would be deployed as a striking force at all polling centres and would stay there until January 7. In addition, members of Border Guard Bangladesh and Coast Guard would be deployed for January 3-7. The EC would also deploy members of Rab and armed police on January 1. The commission will hold a meeting with the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division, chiefs of law enforcement agencies and the returning officers on December 19 to discuss its plan of action, the official said. l

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on his way to the courtroom for the hearing on the stay of the execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Ershads nomination withdrawal faces glitches

Moon, Kerry condemn political violence

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Another Shahbagh arson victim dies

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n Tribune Report
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday submitted applications to the Election Commission to withdraw his nomination papers. But the Dhaka district returning officer did not receive the applications as there was an error in the date. A party delegation, led by Presidium member Faisal Chishti, went to the district returning officers office to submit the application for withdrawal Ershad's candidacy from Dhaka 17 constituency. Returning Officer of Dhaka Zillar Rahman did not receive the application as the date mentioned was December 5 while it should have been December 7 and 13. JPs Presidium member Mashiur Rahman Ranga also placed two applications for withdrawing HM Ershad and GM Quaders nominations in Lalmonirhat 1 and 3. But, the returning officer did not issue any receipt, our correspondent reports. l

was mediating talks between the two main political parties in the country. Ban Ki-moon thanked the premier for her governments generous cooperation to his special envoy, Azad said. Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, the premiers press adviser, told the Dhaka Tribune that John Kerry phoned Sheikh Hasina around 7:30 am yesterday. The US Embassy in Dhaka confirmed John Kerrys telephone call to Sheikh Hasina saying he talked on the current events in Bangladesh. Prime ministers Information Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune: Secretary Kerry expressed concern over the ongoing political violence in the country. Quoting Kerry, he said: While expressing his hope that the country would be able to hold a peaceful election, Kerry welcomed the dialogue

between the representative of Awami League and BNP. The US secretary of state also raised the issue of the ongoing process of executing the war criminal (Abdul Quader Mollah), said Iqbal. Sheikh Hasina in her reply told him that Mollah faced execution after the government exhausted all judicial process, according to her information adviser. Following Kerrys phone, the US embassy issued a press statement saying that goodwill will lead to free, fair and credible elections. As we have previously stated, the United States believes that it is now more urgent than ever for both major parties to find a way forward to hold peaceful, free, and fair elections that are credible in the eyes of the Bangladeshi people. During her recent Dhaka visit, the

statement said, assistant secretary Biswal made clear: We believe unequivocally that violence can never be part of the democratic process, is not acceptable, and must stop immediately. The senseless violence of past days is especially reprehensible as innocent people, including young children, have fallen victim to arson and bombs. We call on all those responsible to immediately end the violence and allow the Bangladeshi people to go about their daily activities without fear and insecurity. The statement said the US believed all parties should have space to freely and peacefully express their views. The government bears responsibility to provide such space; the opposition parties bear responsibility to use such space in a peaceful manner. l

Quader Mollas execution halted again for hearing

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UP chairman burnt to death in Keraniganj n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Chairman of Kunda union parishad in south Keraniganj and president of the local unit of Awami League Atikullah Chowdhurys charred body was found yesterday evening, 21 hours after his disappearance. The 65-year-old freedom fighters body was recovered by police from the west side of the 10-bed hospital in Kunda area around 6pm. His legs and hands were tied up. Atikullah Chowdhurys son Farukullah Chowdhury identified the body. Police detained three individuals for questioning. Abu Bakar, investigation officer at south Keraniganj police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Atikullah had gone missing around 9:30pm Tuesday, on his way home from AL activist Aslam Sikders house in Hasnabad area. His son filed a GD with the south Keraniganj police on Wednesday morning. The police, however, were not completely convinced yet that the body was Atikullahs, as it was severely burnt. l

The attorney general and other government counsels were present in the court while the defence team had a number of counsels including Abdur Razzaq, Khandker Mahbub Hossain, Zainul Abedin and Mizanur Rahman. The defence earlier never appeared before the court during the days of hartal or blockade. Their repeated non-appearance at the war crimes tribunals has hampered the trial proceedings. Yesterday they went to the Supreme Court on ambulance which is out of the purview of hartals and blockades. The bench comprising Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain, Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, Justice Mahmud and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik took their seats at 9:56am. At the outset of the hearing, the chief justice urged media to be responsible in circulating any information. Many electronic media on Tuesday night reported that a meeting was held between the chief justice and the attorney general after the execution had been stayed by the chamber judge. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the court: The Attorney Generals Office was not informed officially about the matter yesterday. Then the court asked him to skip the matter and speak on the stay petition.

The attorney general said: The stay order is not correct as there is no scope to file a review petition as per the constitution and the tribunal law. He said: I vehemently oppose the stay. He also submitted a petition challenging the stay order. Then the chief justice asked the defence to start hearing on the review plea. Chief defence counsel Razzak told the court that they needed time for taking preparation as they got the certified copy of the full text of the verdict on December 8. The court, however, expressed disappointment and asked why they had not taken preparation since the death sentence was pronounced on September 17. Razzak pressed for allowing two days which the attorney general opposed. Mahbubey Alam reminded that today would be the last working day of the Supreme Court before winter vacation. As the chief defence counsel requested the court several times, it adjourned the hearing for an hour from 10:35am. The defence also asked the court to pass an order so that the jail authorities could not hang Quader Molla. The chief justice said it was not needed. The court resumed its proceedings at 11:34am with the attorney general placing his arguments against the re-

view petition. Referring to articles 47(3), 47A, 103 and 105 of the constitution as well as sections 21, 24, 26 of the ICT Act, he said there was no scope of filing a review petition against the Appellate Division verdict for anyone who was convicted for committing crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. He said a war crimes convict could not move to the Supreme Court seeking any remedy. In his counter-argument, Razzak said the review was not a remedy but a matter of applying inherent power of the apex court. Justice Sinha then said the inherent power was conditional. He cited article 105 of the constitution that states: The Appellate Division shall have power, subject to the provisions of any Act of parliament [ICT Act, 1973] and of any rules made by the division [Appellate Division Rules, 1988] to review any judgement pronounced or order made by it. Justice Manik said: Inherent power is not superior to the constitution. Razzak then claimed that nowhere in the tribunal law was stated that a review petition could not be lodged. After the deferral, pro-Jamaat lawyers coming out of the bench chanted slogans protesting the death sentence of Quader Molla. l

responding to the treatment for her 17% burn injuries, but was unable to continue as most of her respiratory system was damaged. Mahbub Bhuiyan, the victims husband who is a private university teacher, said he married Masuma on June 2013. On the day of the incident on November 28, Masuma told Mahbub to stay at home and added that she would be reaching at their rented house at Tejkunipara shortly, the husband said. However, Masuma was unable to keep her word as the bus she was on came under attack at Shahbagh, leaving her and 18 others injured. With Masumas death, the death toll from the incident climbed to four, with previous fatalities including Nahid, Robin and Dhaka College student Babu who died while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Masuma was also admitted to the ICU of the DMCH at first, but was later shifted to the private hospital at the capitals elephant road by her family members on December 1. Masumas dying words to her husband were: I might not be able to survive and live with you, would you please

excuse me and take care of my family? Mahbub said Masuma will be buried beside her father Shamsul Alam Bhuiyans grave. The husband also expressed his grief, saying some inhumane people had destroyed all the dreams the couple had formed during their happy family life. I do not know how I would manage regular life as Masumas memory is connected to every corner of my daily life, he added. Mahbub said Masuma was the youngest daughter of late Shamsul Alams ten children. She completed her graduation from Dhaka University and started working at the Rupali Bank. She worked hard for her studies and throughout her life, and just when she was starting a happy life, some inhumane people took away her dreams, Mahbub added. Since October 27, at least 14 people have been killed from arson attacks while around 132 people have taken treatment from the burn and plastic surgery unit of the DMCH. Currently, around 32 arson victims are receiving treatment at the DMCH, where a special 11-member medical board is looking after them. l

Taranco leaves Dhaka

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Justice Sinhas village home attacked

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A dramatic stay order of the Chamber Judge of the SC Justice Mahmud Hossain came Tuesday late night halting the execution. A five-member SC bench began to hear Mollas petition seeking stay on his execution and allowing review of the SC judgment yesterday. Sinha was one of the judges of the bench. Sinhas brother Nilmoni Sinha told the Dhaka Tribune: I noticed the fire around 5:30am and immediately went outside of my house. I saw three people fleeing the scene. According to him, some wooden furniture and window frames were damaged in the fire. Witnesses, politicians and police contacted by the Dhaka Tribune unanimously said such incidents point to the lax security system through which Jamaat can slip and hunt down its targets. According to witnesses and online media reports, the neighbours came out as soon as the attackers tried to set the house on fire by lighting dried fallen leaves with kerosene. They doused the fire.

Police arrested Abu Taleb, President of Kamalganj Shramik Kalyan Federation, Jamaats labour wing, in this connection. SK Sinha often visits his Tilakpur village home. He, for the last time, visited his village home on the occasion Eid-ul Azha. He stayed for about a fortnight in the house during that time. Thats why Sirs (SK Sinha) residence was under our close watch, said Maulvibazar Police Superintendent Tofayel Ahmed. Police were on alert last night on a tip off that residences of high-profile people from this area might be targeted in Jamaat attacks. The time the attackers made their move was around Fazr prayer (around 5:15am) coincided with the time of police duty shift taking place after a whole night of patrol, said Tofayel. As the attack on Sinhas residence grabbed media attention, Mostofa Howlader, 58, the Sayedee witness who sustained injuries from a Jamaat attack on Tuesday, was buried in Pirojpurs Parerhat yesterday. Sayedee witness Mostofa was hacked only 10 minutes after police

patrolled Huglabunia area where his house was located. The attackers entered his house, only a five-minute walk from a police camp, by digging a tunnel through earthen floor and took no time to hack Mostofa in the head. Another Sayedee witness in Pirojpurs Umedpur, Mahbubul Alam Howlader, was attacked in broad daylight on Oct 28 at 9 in the morning. Police deployed in front of Mostofa and Mahbub were withdrawn about a week before apparently to meet the demand for additional police on the streets during opposition blockades. Former Zianagar Upazila AL General Secretary Ruhul Amin Nobin sees his governments negligence in endangering lives of those involved in the war crimes trial. He questioned entertaining the appeal provision in the war crimes law given that it was unprecedented in other such trials around the world. The confrontation between the government and the Jamaat with general people and witnesses hanging in the balance has been created by the government intentionally for its own political gain.

Defence Chief Counsel for Jamaat-e-Islami leaders standing war crimes trial Abdur Razzaq in a statement condemned the cowardice arson attack and called it unprecedented. The Jamaat attacks brought under spotlight the much-talked-about witness protection act could not be passed throughout the Awami League governments tenure. Not only witnesses require protection but also those involved in the process of war crimes trial need protection, immediate-past Law Minister Shafiq Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday, after Sayedee witness was killed. Shafiq claims works on his part to formulate the law was completed long ago but it is still pending with the home ministry. Asked about the law for protecting witnesses, State Minister for Home Samsul Hoque Tuku on Tuesday said they had earlier considered that police protection was good enough. But now I consider having a law in this regard. I need to find out a way as the current parliament is not supposed to sit anymore. l

when the possibility of a dialogue between the two major parties was slim, but when he was leaving two meetings had already taken place between the leaders of the two parties. They also agreed to hold a third meeting. Asked if there was any agreement on holding the election with Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in power, he declined to make any comment. Fernandez-Taranco conveyed deep concerns of the UN secretary-general about the rising violence in Bangladesh. I discussed the violence issues with all the stakeholders, he said. Asked why his scheduled meeting with the PM was cancelled, he said it had been a very hectic day and there had been scheduling conflicts. In reply to questions on curtailing the PMs power during the election period and an election managed by the UN, he said: I am not here to go into details. The parties raised many issues and all the issues are related to the current situation. He said he found the parties had the goodwill to reach a solution. If there was a lack of goodwill, we

would not see meetings one after another so quickly. There has been an agreement on a third meeting. This is an important accomplishment. During his stay in Bangladesh, Fernandez-Taranco had a series of meetings with the PM, BNP chief Khaleda Zia, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, leaders of both the parties, ambassadors of various countries and members of the civil society. In his meeting with the prime minister on Saturday, he inquired if there was a scope to shift the date for the 10th general election, apparently to ensure the BNPs participation. Later in the afternoon, he had meetings with AL delegation at Hotel Sonargaon and then with Khaleda Zia in the evening. He met Khaleda again on Monday. The AL and the BNP have been engaged in conflicts over the arrangement of the polls-time government while the Election Commission declared January 5 as the polls date. The BNP and its alliance, and Jatiya Party boycotted the election while the Awami League and its alliance had already submitted nomination papers for the elections. l

Hopes flicker with great promise

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already asked the party senior leaders to remain present at the December 15 rally from where she might announce the next course of action like non-cooperation movement, said party insiders. Neither the BNP nor the Awami League said anything about the meetings outcome and party insiders said they would not hold any press conference regarding the discussion outcome right now. A senior leader seeking anonymity said any concrete discussion was yet to be held which could give hope. The main challenge of the dialogue is to bring a positive outcome, which entirely depends upon the government, especially the prime minister. He said they demanded suspension of the polls schedule and resignation of the PM to hold an inclusive election but the Awami League was still rigid on its stance. Regarding the BNPs demand for suspension of the election schedule Awami League said it was constitution-

ally obligated to hold the polls before January 24. Already 33 lawmakers were elected unopposed and if Jatiya Party withdraws their candidatures then some 100 more will join them. Will that election be acceptable inside or outside the country? the BNP leader said. Another leader said the government had actually taken the strategy of buying time in the name of dialogue. The last date for nomination withdrawal is December 13 but still there is no positive sign of resolving the crisis. Nazrul Islam Khan, partys Standing Committee member, told journalists at a press briefing: We have announced programmes before the talks began. Our movement will continue until the issues are settled. After holding the first round of meeting on Tuesday, the BNP leaders went to Khaleda Zias residence to inform her about the meetings outcome where she expressed her rigid stance over not participating in the polls under the incumbent prime minister. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, December 12, 2013

3
Intl community opposes Mollas execution n Tribune Report
The European Union, the UN Human Rights Commission and the Australian government have opposed the execution of convicted war criminal Abdul Quader Molla, who got a reprieve from the gallows hours before his scheduled hanging. On Tuesday, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami issued a statement urging global human rights bodies, international communities and the United Nations to raise their voices against the attempt to murder of Quader Molla. In separate statements, the international community opposed the war criminals execution as the states or organisations are against capital punishment. The European Union has followed the judicial proceedings in Bangladesh concerning the crimes committed during the war preceding the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. From the start of the trials, the European Union has repeatedly stressed its concern about the possible application of the death penalty under the International Crimes (tribunals) Act, the EU statement said. The EU opposes the use of capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances, and has consistently called for its universal abolition. The case of Abdul Quader Molla has now reached a stage where an execution of the death sentence given by the Supreme Court on 17th September could be imminent. The European Union notes the concerns that have been expressed by the United Nations special rapporteurs on independence of judges and lawyers and on summary executions regarding the lack of opportunity for appeal or review of the sentence, it added. Navi Pillay, the Geneva-based UN high commissioner for human rights, wrote to the prime minister in a last-minute appeal to halt Quader Mollas execution. In a statement last month, she urged Dhaka not to proceed with the death penalty in cases before the International Crimes Tribunals, particularly given concerns about the fairness of the trials. The UN also opposes the imposition of the death penalty under any circumstance, even for the most serious international crimes. Australia also called for suspending Mollas execution. Australia notes the concerns recently expressed by the United Nations special rapporteur on independence of judges and lawyers and by the special rapporteur on summary executions regarding the lack of opportunity for appeal or review of the sentence, said a statement of the Australian High Commission in Dhaka. Australia calls on Bangladesh to address these concerns before taking the judicial process further, it added. In line with the countrys universal opposition to the death penalty, Australia also urged Bangladesh to establish a moratorium on capital punishment. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned Sheikh Hasina yesterday and inquired about the process of execution of Quader Molla. The US does not oppose capital punishment. Hasina reportedly told Kerry that Mollas execution was ordered following due judicial process. l

Tribunal dismisses Yusufs counsel

n Udisa Islam
The International Crimes Tribunal 2 yesterday dismissed Mizanur Rahman, the conducting counsel for war crimes accused AKM Yusuf, for not showing up in the court proceedings during blockades despite several warnings. The tribunal ordered that Mizanur would never be able to conduct any war crimes case for any other accused in future. The senior defence counsel had been remained absent since November 25, when the opposition enforced the nationwide blockade programme. It said: We are giving you time whenever you want but when you go out of the tribunal you claim that it is not maintaining international standard, it is not fair enough. So we are setting standard. We shall not allow him [Mizanur] to come to this court. The tribunal also criticised the defence counsels for skipping the proceedings since they go to other places including the Supreme Court during blockade programmes. Mizanur was seen at the Appellate Division yesterday with Jamaat lawyers. Yesterday, junior defence counsel Gazi MH Tamim said Yusuf was not ready to accept a state defence counsel. The tribunal ordered that if Yusuf failed to appoint a new lawyer by Sunday, it would appoint a state defence lawyer. At the same time, the tribunal asked the defence to inform it by today the name of the new counsel and whether the lawyer would cross examine the prosecutions 18th witness. The tribunal also closed the cross-examination of the 17th witness, sixth time in the case. On Monday, the tribunal gave Yusuf four options to continue the trial process: whether he would cross examine the witnesses himself, order junior counsels to cross examine, appoint new counsel or allow the tribunal to appoint a state defence lawyer. Defence counsel Tajul Islam said: We cannot comment against any order passed by the tribunal. But it is unexpected. Later 18th prosecution witness Shikder Habibur Rahman, 61, testified. He said Yusuf had been responsible for killings, looting and arson at their village Bachhot in Bagerhat as well as killings in Dumuria, Batiaghata, Rampal, Kochua, Morelganj and Sarankhola areas. In mid May of 1971, at least 25 razakars attacked our house and that of Sunil Kumar Ghosh. Sunil died and my father was seriously wounded, he said. The witness, who was a freedom fighter trained in Bihar, claimed that by the order of Yusuf, razakars had converted at least 200 Hindu people to Muslim. He also said Razakars at Bhasha Bazar had abducted 20 people and killed them near Dhopabarir Moore. Following his testimony, defence counsel Tamim began cross examining the witness. The questioning remained incomplete. l

Ganajagaran Mancha to continue sit-in until Molla is hanged n Arif Ahmed

Activists of Ganajagaran Mancha yesterday announced to continue their sit-in at the Projonmo Chattar until the death sentence of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla was executed. The platform expressed dissatisfaction at the postponement of the execution without any logical grounds. Meanwhile, unidentified miscreants from a motorbike hurled a crude bomb near the gathering yesterday. Later, the activists held a youth from the spot on suspicion of involvement in the attack and handed him over to the police. Arrestee Russell, 17, was given treatment in custody. Apart from the organisers and individuals, various socio-cultural and political organisations including Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, Bangladesh Chhatra Maitri, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front and Udichi took part in the Shahbagh demonstration. In Satkhira, miscreants hurled two homemade bombs when a procession of Ganajagaran Mancha activists reached near the district post office. l

An activist of Ganajagaran Mancha chants slogans during a protest demonstration at Shahbagh yesterday, demanding prompt execution of the death sentence of war crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

First witness testifies in Mir Kashem case n Udisa Islam

The first prosecution witness in the case against alleged al-Badr leader Mir Kashem Ali yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal 2 how the accused and his fellow collaborators had tortured freedom fighters at Daleem Hotel in Chittagong City and confined many others until the independence of Bangladesh. Freedom fighter Syed Mohammad Eamran, 61, of Chandgaon said the accused had helped the Pakistani occupation forces to commit atrocities and crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. Mir Kashem, a senior Jamaat leader and key financier, was sitting in the dock. l

Reaction in social media over Mollas stay of execution

n Muktasree Chakma Sathi
Social networking media sites including Facebook, Twitter and blogs are now flooded with reaction and observations over the stay of execution of convicted war criminal Abdul Quader Molla. Quader Mollah was granted a stay of execution yesterday by a chamber judge. The account holders of those social media sites expressed their dissatisfaction over the international organisations intervention mainly to halt Quader Mollas death penalty. Prominent rights activists of Bangladesh Khushi Kabir in her Facebook status writes: Bangladesh won its Independence at a great cost we have our own battles to fight and our own histories to be righted. We won our independence without any support or help from these very Nations or Institutions who are expressing their concerns so righteously now. Where were their voices then? May I ask? We will have to bring to justice those who were responsible for the genocide. We owe it to our martyrs, the women who were raped, the people who lost their lives and homes. She further pointed out that none of these organisations the UN, EU, UK expressed their concerns when the US government executed Tim McVeigh for the Oklahoma bombings, when it killed Bin Laden in an independent and sovereign country, when it executed Saddam Hossain, when it invaded Iraq despite the UN resolution against an attack and when it razed Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to the ground preceded by the Korean War. A Facebook profile holder Imran Hossain Piplu in his status said in case of the execution of Saddam Hussain the UN said: We have to understand this is their national system. It is their national norms. All might not like this but we live in the same world. We try to work at the national level first and foremost and we cannot always expect it to be perfect The spirit of his status is that if the UN has no say while Saddam was executed then why it has so much to say about the execution of Quader Molla. Parvez Alam, another Facebook account holder said: People from western countries who halted the execution of Quader Molla their argument is that they do not support death penalty in any circumstances. They have the right to take stance they like but it does not necessarily mean the verdict cannot be executed here. There are lots of countries around the world where death penalty is still in place including Bangladesh. Why have they taken so much interest in this particular case of Quader Molla? While the Facebook is seen as a platform of the pro-liberation people Twitter is mostly used by pro- Jamaat people in Bangladesh. A Twitter account Save Bangladesh terms the death penalty of Quader Molla a Judicial murder. Abbas Faiz from Amnesty International in his twitter post sharing the organisations press release called for a halt to the execution: Stop calls for executions! Do not execute! l

Two cousins testify against Khokon Razakar

n Udisa Islam
Two witnesses against absconding war crimes suspect Zahid Hossain Khokon alias Khokon Razakar told the war crimes tribunal yesterday that the accused had been involved in the killings of their family members during the 1971 Liberation War. Abul Kashem Matubbar and Abdus Salam Matubbar gave depositions on the same charge. They said Khokon had led a group of collaborators and moved with the Pakistani occupation army. On October 9, the tribunal indicted Khokon, a BNP leader and sitting mayor of Nagarkanda Municipality of Faridpur, on 11 specific charges of crimes against humanity. Fourteenth prosecution witness Abul Kashem said around 8pm on May 29, 1971, his elder brother Noor Matubbar and cousin Salam had gone to a jute field near Digholia Beel (water body) to work.

Hiding in a bush near his house, the witness saw Khokon razakar, Ainal Razakar and others looting the houses. Later they started for the house of Komol Sheikh
At that time, he saw from the outside of their house that Khokon Razakar with some Pakistani army rushed towards Chander Haat. After two and a half hours, he heard gunshots from that side. After some time, Salam told my father that my brother Nuru was murdered by the razakars and the army persons near

War criminal Abdul Quader Mollas counsels Abdur Razzak, Khandokar Mahbub, Zainul Abedin and Mizanur Rahman come out after the hearing on the stay order of the Jamaat leaders execution at the Supreme Court amid hartal and blockade yesterday. They, however, often remain absent at the tribunal proceedings during such programmes, ultimately delaying the trial process Rajib Dhar

Digholia Beel. Later they went to the spot and found the body. Salam described the same incident in his deposition. Kashem also said around 1pm on May 30, he had seen fire at Kodalia village. Hiding in a bush near his house, the witness saw Khokon Razakar, Ainal Razakar and others looting the houses. Later they started for the house of Komol Sheikh. As the family members rushed towards the nearby jute field, Khokon with his accomplices chased them. And suddenly Khokon shot them all. In that incident, Salam Sheikh, Sreemoti and Baru Khatun died while Phulmati was seriously wounded. After their depositions, state defence counsel Md Abdus Shukur Khan cross examined the witnesses separately. l

Murdered Sayedee witness buried

n Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal
Mostafa Hawlader, the murdered prosecution witness against condemned war criminal Delawar Hossain Sayedee, was laid to rest yesterday at his family graveyard in Pirojpur. A namaz-e-janaza was held at the Parerhat Rajlakhsmi School ground around 10am. Administrative and police officials, Awami League leaders and locals joined the funeral prayers. Before that, family members of the victim and local AL leaders at a brief rally blamed BNP Jamaat-Shibir activists for the killing. They demanded exemplary punishment of the killers and also asked the government to ensure the safety and security of war crimes case witnesses and their families. The body reached Mostafas Hoglabunia village in Parerhat of Zianagar upazila on Tuesday night with police protection after an autopsy at Dhaka medical College Hospital where he succumbed to injuries. Miscreants hacked Mostafa, 58, with sharp weapons in his house early Sunday. His wife Hasina Begum also sustained minor injuries as she tried to resist the attackers who entered the house by digging the earthen floor. They were first admitted to Pirojpur General Hospital and then Mostafa was sent to Khulna Medical College Hospital. As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to the DMCH. After the incident, victims brother Abdul Majid lodged the attempt to murder case with Indurkani police. Following Mostafas death, the case turned into a murder case on Tuesday. The six people arrested in this connection were sent to jail on Tuesday evening after the police produced them at a court. They would be produced before the court on December 15 after holding an identification parade of the arrestees. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Muhith directs pay scale considering inflation

n Asif Showkat Kallol
Finance Minister AMA Muhith has directed the Pay and Service Commission to prepare a new pay scale for 13 lakh public servants taking in consideration the inflation rate, current house rent trend and transportation cost. An official of the Finance Division told the Dhaka Tribune that the ministry this year allocated Tk17,000 crore for the payment of the government employees salaries and 20% dearness allowance, and giving any allowance would take the expenditure beyond Tk20,000 crore. At a meeting with the newly formed commission at his Secretariat of ice yesterday, Muhith said most government employees now spent 70% of their salaries for house rent and transportation. Meeting sources said the finance minister had presented the real financial situation of the country before the commission representatives so it was reflected in the pay scale. Commission Chairman Dr Mohammad Farashuddin, who was present at the meeting, later told the Dhaka Tribune that Muhiths directives would be disclosed on December 17 when the commission started its operation. Finance Division officials, meanwhile, said their implementation wing had sent a letter to the public works ministry two weeks ago to find out a house for the Pay and Service Commissions office but the ministry had not yet responded. The 17-member commission was formed on November 24, comprising the chairman, three permanent and 12 temporary members, and a joint secretary as its member secretary. On October 6, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced a 20% increase in the dearness allowance at a flat rate for government employees, which takes up Tk5,000 crore of the current fiscal budget. l

Nasim asks lawmen to crack down on violence n Emran Hossain Shaikh

Awami League Presidium member Mohammad Nasim has said it was high time the law enforcers cracked down on the anarchy unleashed by the BNP and Jamaat-Shibir activists. People are with you, and there should not be any leniency for the offenders, he said. If lawmen were more vigilant, they would be able to rein in violence eating away at people of the nation. The Awami League Presidium member was speaking at a meeting of the 14-party alliance yesterday. Nasim said those who launched arson attacks on people should be dealt with heavy-handed tactics. He blamed opposition leader Khaleda Zia for the current political violence. The ruling party always wanted a solution to the present stalemate, but that must be under the constitutional framework, he said, adding that anything beyond the constitution would not be accepted. l

Security for war crimes witnesses demanded

n Arif Ahmed
Cultural personalities, educationists and freedom fighters yesterday urged the government to ensure proper security for prosecution witnesses who testified against accused war criminals in the International Crimes Tribunal. The call came from a rally, organised by Sammilita Sangskritik Jote, to protest the death of Mostafa Hawlader, who died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Monday, two days after he was attacked and seriously wounded by assailants at his home in Pirojpur. suf Bachhu, president of the cultural organisation, said at the rally, held at the Dhaka University campus. M Akhtaruzzaman, a former general secretary of Dhaka University Teachers Association, said Jamaat-Shibir activists were swooping on pro-liberation forces. Mostafa Hawlader sacrificed his life to protect the country from razakers, the professor said. He also urged the government to give adequate compensation to Mostafas family, and ensure proper punishment of the perpetrators who carried out the heinous attack. Kabir Ahmed, a freedom fighter, criticised all the political parties who supported the anti-liberation forces, such as Jamaat-e-Islami, in politics after the Liberation War. He also urged the government to prohibit the anti-Bangladesh forces totally, so that they cannot get the chance to run their political activities in the independent country. Among others, freedom fighters Jhorna Chowdhury, Ismat Kader and Quamrul Hasan were present at the rally. l

Mostafa Hawlader sacrificed his life to protect the country from razakers
Mostafa, 58, was the key prosecution witness in the ICT case against convicted war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Delawar Hossain Sayedee. The government has failed to ensure security for the prosecution witnesses, and that is why Mostafa Hawlader had to die in the hands of the anti-liberation forces, Nasiruddin You-

Bangladeshi UN official dies in Congo

Taxi drivers rally with their cars yesterday in front of the National Press Club, protesting the BRTAs decision of restricting old taxis from delivering service in the city SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

n Tribune Report
A Bangladeshi UN peacekeeper died in Orientale, Democratic Republic of the Congo yesterday while conducting an armoured personnel carrier (APC) domination patrol. Corporal Mohammad Rafiqul Islam of BANBAT-1/15 (MONUSCO) met an accident around 7:15am in Lagabo area 3km south of Bogoro COB. He suffered severe injury in the head and was immediately taken to Bogoro COB for medical aid. He was then shifted to Level-II hospital at Ndoromo Camp around 11am by a UN helicopter where doctors declared him dead. Rafiqul had gone to the mission last month. He hailed from Madhupur village of Brahmanbaria. He left behind wife, a son and a daughter. l

Probe body finds partial clue

n Rabiul Islam
The English and Bangla questions leaked out prior to the Primary School Certificate examinations bear a partial resemblance to the original ones, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has said. A three-member probe body entrusted with investigation into the question leakage found the clue, he told reporters yesterday at the Primary Education Ministry. Primary Education Ministry Additional Secretary Ashraf Hossain heads the probe team. The team found 80% similarity between the original question of English and the leaked one, and 50% between the original one for Bangla and the one leaked out. The minister termed the leakage of question papers partial and claimed that it would not put any negative impact over answer script evaluation and awarding scholarships for the best students. We have no plan to cancel the examinations, he said. The examination was supposed to end on November 28, but because of blockades, it ended on December 6. The probe team got a 15-working day to submit its report, but it came up with the report three days earlier than the deadline. Nahid said a coaching centre in Mymensingh and officials at the National Academy for Primary Education had been suspected of leakage. He added that questions of English and Bangla were partially leaked in Dhaka, Khulna, Satkhira and Dinajpur. He mentioned that the investigation was going on, and if the suspects were found guilty, steps would be taken against them under the criminal offences and administrative procedure. The committee also made recommendations for question selection and printing and also proofreading. All these had be done following modern system, he said, adding that the system of proofreading should be cancelled. l

PRIMARY SCHOOL QUESTION LEAKAGE

Mitford medical college closed sine die

Uzzal and n Moniruzzaman Mohammad Jamil Khan
The authorities of Salimullah Medical College Hospital widely known as Mitford Hospital yesterday declared the medical institute closed for an indefinite period following a clash between interns, students and Class IV medical staff. The decision on closure came at an urgent meeting of the academic council of the college held at about 3pm. The authorities also asked the students to vacate their dormitories by 8am yesterday as tensions ran high on the campus. Dilip Kumar Dhar, principle of the college, told the Dhaka Tribune that they took the decision to close down the college till the situation improved. Following the clash, the hospital authorities formed a five-member probe body to investigate the incident. The clash between interns and staff first broke out Monday night around 1:30am centring physical test of a patient. Intern Hassan Ali sent blood to the hospital lab for HBs test, but the technologist did HIV test instead, mindless of the doctors query. At that time, the staff beat two interns while the later five staff members. Later on Tuesday morning, the situation again turned violent when the college students staged demonstration, demanding punishment for the staff members who allegedly beat up the interns. Dr Shahnewaz, director (admin) of DGHS, told the Dhaka Tribune that they asked the hospital staff members to hold talks with the students, but the former refused to do it. Interns and students alleged that the blue-collar men beat them up and they often did so. They were locked into a clash with doctors and students even after committing fault with medical test. According to hospital sources, such type of clash was off and on between the doctors and staff members and the mastermind behind it was Hazi Selim and Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin, sources said. Hazi Selim always supported the hospital staff while Mohiuddin doctors. Patients admitted in the hospital experienced unbearable sufferings as staff did not join their work. No hospital staff in the general ward was found serving food to the patients. Even they threatened the nurses with action if they served the patients food. Visiting the hospital yesterday, it was found that no patient had been served any food in morning and the evening. Dr Abu Yousuf, deputy director of the hospital, told the Dhaka Tribune they had all arrangement but the staff abstained themselves from their duties. We hope that the situation would be normal within Thursday, he said. The students had already started leaving their dormitories. A tense situation had been prevailing in the area and additional forces deployed to avert further untoward situation. l

WEATHER

Weather likely to remain unchanged n UNB

Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today. Night temperature might fall by 1-2 degree Celsius and day temperature might remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said. The sun sets in the capital at 5:13pm today and rises at 6:32am tomorrow. Countrys highest temperature 31.0 degree Celsius was recorded at Coxs Bazar and lowest 13.0 degrees at Srimangal yesterday. Highest and lowest temperatures recorded in some major cities yesterday were: City Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Coxs Bazar High 28.0 28.0 27.4 26.4 28.2 27.8 29.2 31.0 Low 16.8 19.0 13.7 15.0 15.5 15.5 15.6 21.7

The ruins of eight shops and an Awami League office in Rajshahis Binodpur Bazar area after Jamaat-Shibir activists torched them early yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Three people killed in separate incidents

n Tribune Report
At least three people were killed in separate incidents in Dhaka, Chittagong and Narshingdi yesterday. Lover of a woman allegedly beat her husband to death in the capitals Khilgaon area in the early hours yesterday. Police recovered the body of Jahangir Alam from a hospital around 10:30am and sent it to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, said Shajedul Islam, sub-inspector of Khilgaon police station, adding that they were investigating into the case. Tushar Ahmed, brother of the victim, said Jahangir married Bakul Begum 14 years ago and they have two sons, adding that Jahangir used to live in his in-laws house at Khilgaon. Bakul had been having a love affair with her neighbour Mohammad Dulal for last one year and Jahangir and Bakul often locked into altercations over the issue, said Tushar. On Tuesday evening, Jahangir and Dulal locked into a clash over the issue. Dulal called some of his associates and beat Jahangir with sticks around 7:30pm, leaving him critically injured. Jahangir succumbed to his injuries around 2am, Tushar added. In Chittagong, police recovered the dead body of a woman who was allegedly strangled by her in-laws in Fatikchhari upazila. The deceased Nilu Akter, 21, was the wife of Saudi Arabia expatriate Md Ismail of Rangamatia area. Officer-in-Charge of Fatikchhari police station Shahjahan Bhuiyan said Nilu, mother of a one and a half year old son, was found dead in her room at her in-laws residence. Family members of the victim claimed that her in-laws killed Nilu over family feuds, the OC said, and added that a case was lodged in this connection. Three people, including Nilus mother-in-law, were detained for interrogation, the OC said. Moreover in Narsingdi, a batteryrun auto-rickshaw driver was stabbed to death by some unidentified assailants in Shibpur upazila. The deceased Abdus Salam, 35, hailed from Amirgonj village under Raipura upazila. Police and witnesses said miscreants boarded on Salams auto-rickshaw as passengers from Noadia bazar in Shibpur upazila. When they reached Srifulia jungle area, they stabbed the driver and threw his body inside the jungle, and fled the scene with the auto-rickshaw. A case was filed in this connection. l

JU admission test suspended n JU Correspondent

Jahangirnagar University authorities yesterday suspended the admission tests of first year honours programme under 2013-14 academic year for an indefinite term. A press release from universitys public relations office said the authorities had suspended the honours intake admission tests for unspecified reason, but authorities did not mentioned the next schedule for the admission test in the press release. The examinations were scheduled to be held from December 17 to 29. l

PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha 5:11am 6:31am 11:52am 3:37pm 5:13pm 6:33pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, December 12, 2013

5
Another gold cache from BG 048 flight in Chittagong n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong
Customs authorities at Chittagongs Shah Amanat International Airport yesterday seized a total of 138 abandoned gold bars from the washroom of a BG048 flight of Bangladesh Biman. Mashiur Rahman Mandal, assistant commissioner of customs at the airport, said the unidentified owner of the gold bars might have fled, leaving the bars, which weighed 16.90kgs and were worth about Tk69m. He said the pilot, before landing the plane around 11am, informed airport authorities that they noticed some illegal material in the washroom of the aircraft. With the recovery, customs authorities in seven separate drives from November 2 to yesterday have arrested three people and seized 465 gold bars worth about Tk243.5m from Biman flights on the Dubai-Chittagong route. In 2013 alone, customs authorities in 15 separate drives seized a total of 678 gold bars worth Tk349m from expatriates, mostly who came from Middle Eastern countries like the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The existing law allows a person to carry a highest of 200 gramsgoldfrom abroad, after paying mandatory taxes at the airport. Sources said most gold consignments were recovered from Biman flights on the route Dubai-Chittagong-Dhaka because of the relaxed vigilance in Chittagong. Mashiur claimed that they had recovered a huge amount of gold in recent times because of increased alertness at the airport. Nahid Nowshad Mukul, assistant director of Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation in Chittagong, said smugglers were using Chittagong as a transit point following the increase of duty on gold in India. l

A police vehicle burns as Jamaat-Shibir activists torched it that carries police men near Ghorakhali on the Norail-Magura road yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Fake physician held in Chittagong n FM Mizanur Rahaman Many people who still depend on the Bangladesh Post Office, as it is a government The Detective Branch of Chittagong organisation and EMS is comparatively cheaper, reveal their frustrations Metropolitan Police arrested a fake Anisur Rahman, 63, an asthma pa- not been delivered yet. His classes will ers were not delivered on time due to physician from the Natunbazar area of n Tazlina Zamila Khan tient, said: I visited a doctor in Ameri- start in January. What will happen to his delays by the mail carriers. Chittagong city yesterday.
The arrestee was Ram Jibon Shaha, 41, from Khanganj of Rajbari district. Babul Akhtar, additional deputy commissioner, said a team ofDB, led by Md Anwar Hossain, assistant commissioner of DB (port), conducted a drive at the Shaha Pharmacy in the area and arrested Ram red handed around 2pm. The ADC said the arrestee used to treat people by charging them high consultation fees while pretending to be a mother and child specialist MBBS doctor. Earlier, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Ram and a mobile court jailed him on September 21. He started the same business after posting bail from the court, added the ADC. l The Express Mail Service (EMS) offered by the Bangladesh Post Office has lately been providing emergency postal services to its clients in name only as many couriers remained undelivered at the airport sorting office, said customers. The EMS is offered by more than 150 global operators as part of an initiative by the Universal Postal Union under the UN. It is claimed to be one of the fastest and most reliable international postal services, however, in Bangladesh, the reality is rather different. Following the introduction of several private postal and courier services like DHL Express, FedEx Corporation, and UPS, most of the people in the country have been using these private services to send their packages abroad. However, many people who still depend on the Bangladesh Post Office, as it is a government organisation and EMS is comparatively cheaper, revealed their frustrations to the Dhaka Tribune over the service. ca last year and bought some medicines from there. After those medicines were finished, my son sent some more from the US through the EMS. It has been 15 days, but I have not get my medicines yet. They are stuck at the airport. studies if the admission is cancelled? They said I would get the documents by December 6, but I have not got them yet. Customers have also been facing the same problem when sending any courier out of the country. Abul Kalams son lives in Austria. He said last month he had sent a package (no: EE108204245BD) at Tk6,566 (13.255 kg) containing winter cloths, but it has not reached the country yet. Is this service? My son has been freezing in cold due to lack of warm cloths, he said. Seeking anonymity a high-up at the airports postal department said: More than a hundred of packages were kept undelivered at the airport sorting office for the last 5-6 days. However, any delay in postal deliveries is punishable under the Post Office Act 1898. Meanwhile, Assistant Postmaster General, Sharif Latif said: The couri-

EMS postal service working slowly

Seeking anonymity a high-up at the airports postal department said: More than a hundred of packages were kept undelivered at the airport sorting office for the last 5 6 days'
Another victim, Rezaul Islam said his younger brother got the opportunity to get admitted at a Japanese university. The necessary documents were sent by his cousin through EMS on November 29, which reached airport on December 1. On December 5, my brother was supposed to go to the Japanese Embassy with the documents for visa. But he missed the date as those papers have

CU and Cuet postpone admission processing n FM Mizanur Rahaman

Chittagong University and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) postponed their post-admission processes for first year honours courses under the 2013-2014 academic sessions yesterday. In an official press statement, signed by Fazlur Rahman, public relation officer of Cuet, it was stated that due to unavoidable reasons the authorities have postponed the admission procedures. In another press release at CU, sent by the Assistant Registrar Delwar Hossain, said the authorities of CU postponed the viva exams for B unit while extending the deadline for the admission procedures of D unit for freshers who qualified for seats based on their written admission test result. For more details regarding the sources referred, visit the university websites at www.cu.ac.bd and www. cuet.ac.bd. l

Alauddin Ahmed, postmaster general of Metropolitan Circle, Dhaka of Bangladesh Post Office said: The delays have taken place as some carriers like Malaysian Airlines, and Qatar Airways do not travel in all routes. He, however, assured that it would not happen anymore because now they have signed a new contract with Emirates, which travels to most of the countrys that is part of the EMS initiative. He also blamed the recent blockades for the delay. Local police can only offer protection in its area while airport police cannot offer protection from the GPO to the airport. We have requested the Police Commissioner, Benazir Ahmed for special protection. Deputy Postmaster General Ashrafuzzaman said: Pickets attacked one of our mail carriers once. The police commissioner has assured us of special protection. l

Train kills youth in city

n Tribune Desk
An unidentified youth aged about 22 died on the spot as a Kamlapur bound passenger train knocked him down while walking along the rail line in the capitals Mohakhali level crossing this afternoon. Witnesses said the accident took place at about 3:30pm, reports UNB. Clad in a black sweater and black colour jeans pant, the body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue. His identity could not be known immediately, hospital sources said. l

8,328 ansar members to guard rail tracks

n UNB
Railways Minister Mujibul Haque yesterday said a total of 8,328 ansar members would be deployed to guard 1,042km of high risk points of railways amid growing attacks on rail tracks by opposition activists. Bangladesh Railway has identified 1,042km of rail tracks as high risk ones and ansar members will guard that to check acts of sabotage, he said while briefing reporters at Railway Bhaban after a meeting with kitchen market traders. Eight ansar members equipped with sticks, lamps and flags will perform their duties in two shifts at each risky point, said the minister. Police, government railway police, and railway guards would assist the ansar members, he added. The minister said an Advance Petrol Train along with a locomotive and a compartment before the departure of any train will leave the station to check the acts of sabotage. During the briefing, Railway Director General Abu Taher said Bangladesh Railway had suffered a loss of Tk36.5 crore and infrastructural damage due to acts of sabotage and arsons during political shutdowns and blockades over the last 10 months, and added that a total of 22 trains have been torched so far. l

Clash over land kills one in Sylhet n Tribune Desk

A man was killed and nine others were injured in a clash over land-related dispute at Ronikhai village in Companyganj upazila yesterday morning. The deceased was identified as Sujit Baidya, 30, son of Shetu Baidya of the village. Witnesses said Subodh Baidya of the village and Jagesh Biswas of Betmura village of the upazila had a longstanding conflict over a piece of land. In the morning, both groups equipped with lethal weapons locked into a clash in the area around 8:00am, leaving Sujit dead on the spot and nine others injured, reports UNB. Of the injured, two were admitted to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital while the rest were sent to Companyganj Upazila Health Complex. l

Pro-hartal activists dig the Chapainawabganj-Sonamasjid highway that left communication between Bangladesh and India disconnected through border Shibganj yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

One in three children under five do not exist officially

n Tribune Report
The births of nearly 230 million children under five approximately one in three of all such children around the world have never been registered officially, according to a Unicef report released yesterday. Birth registration is more than just a right. Its how societies first recognise and acknowledge a childs identity and existence, said Geeta Rao Gupta, deputy executive director of Unicef. Birth registration is also a key to guaranteeing that children are not forgotten, denied their rights, or hidden from the progress of their nations. The new report, titled Every Childs Birth Right: Inequities and trends in birth registration, collected statistical analysis spanning over 61 countries and presented the latest estimates on birth registration. Globally, in 2012, only around 60% of all babies born were registered at birth. The rates varied significantly

The 10 countries with the lowest birth registration levels are: Somalia (3%), Liberia (4%), Ethiopia (7%), Zambia (14%), Chad (16%), United Republic of Tanzania (16%), Yemen (17%), GuineaBissau (24%), Pakistan (27%) and Democratic Republic of Congo (28%)
across regions, with the lowest levels of birth registration found in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The 10 countries with the lowest

birth registration levels are: Somalia (3%), Liberia (4%), Ethiopia (7%), Zambia (14%), Chad (16%), United Republic of Tanzania (16%), Yemen (17%), Guinea-Bissau (24%), Pakistan (27%) and Democratic Republic of Congo (28%). Even when children are registered, many have no proof of that. In Eastern and Southern Africa, for example, only about half of the registered children have birth certificates. Globally, one in seven registered children does not possess a birth certificate. In some countries, this is due to prohibitive fees, while in others, birth certificates are not issued and no proof of registration is available to families. Birth registration and a birth certificate is vital for unlocking a childs full potential, said Rao Gupta. All children are born with enormous poten-

tial. But if societies fail to count them, and dont even recognise that they are there, they are more vulnerable to neglect and abuse. Inevitably, their potential will be severely diminished. According to Unicef, unregistered births are a symptom of the inequities and disparities in a society. The most affected by these inequities include children from certain ethnic or religious groups, children living in rural or remote areas, children from poor households or children of uneducated mothers. Societies will never be equitable and inclusive until all children are counted, said Gupta, adding birth registration has lasting consequences, not only for the childs well-being, but also for the development of their communities and countries. l

Fresh remand against two Chhatra Dal activists

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday granted another three days fresh remand against two detained Chhatra Dal activists in connection with an arson case. Metropolitan Magistrate Harun-orRashid passed the order after DB Inspector Md Shahjahan produced Md Uzzal Hossain, president of ward 70 Chhatra Dal of Dhaka, and Sohel Chan alias Milon, a Chhatral Dal activist before the court with a seven-day remand prayer. Detective Branch of Police on Friday night arrested them claiming that they were among those who had set fire on a bus in the capitals Shahbagh on November 28 that left four dead and 15 others injured. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Special plan to supply constant electricity for Boro irrigation

Petrobangla assures that more gas would be allocated to the power sector for ensuring irrigation in Boro fields across the country

Jamaat-Shibir men create havoc in Gaibandha

n Tribune Report
Jamaat-Shibir activists vandalised and torched a number of houses, shops and vehicles at Palashbari and Sundarganj upazilas in Gaibandha on Tuesday night after hearing the news that Abdul Quader Mollah would be executed at midnight. Sources said as the news spread the Jamaat-Shibir men started their subversive activities in the evening and continued it till 10pm. During the period, they vandalised the house of Upazila Parishad Chairman AKM Mokshed Chowdhury Bidyut at Professorpara and torched his jeep and private car. The Jamaat-Shibir men also vandalised the houses of former MP and president of upazila Awami League Tofazzal Hossain Sarkar, freedom fighters Menhaz Uddin and Shakhawat Jaman Prodhan and Jubo League leader Munir Hossain one after another. Later, they torched business establishment of organising secretary of upazila AL Abdul Matin. The troublemakers set fire to several shops and two motorcycles on the Rangpur-Bogra Highway. Besides, they blasted more than a hundred of crude bombs on the road to create panic among the people. Police fired bullets from shot guns and lobbed a few tear gas shells at the troublemakers to bring the situation under control, said Nasir Uddin Mondal, officer-in-charge of Palashbari police station. Apart from it, the workers and leaders of Jammat-Shibir also vandalised houses and business establishments at Domerhat, Chhaitantala and Belka villages under Sundarganj upazila. Police Super M Shajid Hussain said members of law enforcing agencies including police, members of Border Guards Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion had been sent there. Additional members of law enforcing agencies had been patrolling the spots to avoid any untoward incident, he added. l

n Aminur Rahman Rasel

Power Division has taken special preparation to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to the rural areas for irrigation during the next Boro season. Monwar Islam, secretary of Power division told the Dhaka Tribune that We have taken special arrangements to provide uninterrupted electricity to rural areas from 11pm to 6am during (from January to May, 2014) the Boro season. Petrobangla also assured that more gas would be allocated to the power sector instead of fertiliser factories for ensuring irrigation in Boro fields across the country. Hossain Monsur, chairman of Petrobangla, said: We would be able to supply natural gas in line with the demand of power generation stations. The Power Division secretary said:

The Power Division has estimated the demand of about 1,700 megawatt (MW) of power for Boro irrigation in the coming season which would begin in January next year. In last years Boro season, the electricity demand for irrigation was 1,500MW. He added that It would be estimated that the countrys highest demand for power during next Boro irrigation season between January and May stands at 7,500MW which was about 7,000MW in the last season. Five electricity distribution companies have received a total of 31,256 new applications for new power connections for irrigation. The new applicants demanded about 150MW of power. he said. The connections will be provided before the Boro cultivation season begins, a power division official said.

He said that the utilities would divert electricity from the urban areas to the Boro fields from 11pm to 7am during next Boro season. He also ordered them not to provide irrigation connections to the areas which are overloaded now. Power secretary advised them to take necessary preparations to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the irrigation period. Power Division has so far provided electricity connections to about 13,000 irrigation pumps this year, raising the number of pumps to 308,600. On the other hand, the Power Development Board demanded for 1100 million cubic feet of gas per day for grid-feeding power plants during Boro season to increase power generation from gasfired plants. Hossain Monsur, chairman of Petrobangla, said that they sup-

plied over 900mmcfd gas to the power plants during the last Boro season. We will increase gas production by 100mmcfd by January. We have a plan to shut down fertiliser factories from March, 2014 to divert 250mmcfd of gas for power stations during the irrigation season, an official of Petrobangla said. He said Petrobangla is now allocating 700mmcfd of gas for power stations which would increase to 950mmcfd1000mmcfd against the demand of 1100mmcfd during the irrigation period. A Power Division official said the PDB would be able to produce around 7500MW of electricity against the demand of 8000MW during Boro irrigation period. If Petrobangla fails to supply sufficient gas then the electricity production would be maximum 70000MW during the irrigation season, he said. l

Land grabbers set up shops on canal in Barisal city

n Our Correspondent, Barisal
A group of land grabbers led by a land department official are encroaching upon a canal and raising business establishments over it at the Nathullabad area of the city. Zillur Rahman sub-assistant land officer of Banaripara upazila of Barisal led the group. After visiting the spot and talking with the local people it was learnt that construction of at least 18 shops on the 300-yard-long canal starting from Nathullabad Bridge going north was being carried out in full swing. Makbul Mridha, president, Nathullabad Khudra Bebosaeyee Samity, claimed that the BCC mayor permitted him to run a kitchen market at the site. Land official Zillur Rahman said he took the lease from the Zila Parishad to build some 18 stalls on the canal. He also claimed that he legally took the lease from the Zila Parishad along with permission from the Barisal City Corporation mayor. However, Makbul Hossain, chief executive officer, Barisal Zila Parishad, said the Zila Parishad authorities gave neither the permission or lease to build structures in and around the canal. Ahsan Habib Kamal, BCC Mayor, also denied giving any permission or consent to anybody in regard to constructing stalls. Abdus Salam, BCC market inspector, said he visited the spot and submitted a report against illegal construction on the canal. Nikhil Chandra Das, chief executive officer, BCC, said a group of small businessmen visited him and asked him to give them a ten-day period to remove the structures.

After visiting the spot and talking with the local people it was learnt that construction of at least 18 shops on the 300-yard-long canal starting from Nathullabad Bridge going north was being carried out in full swing
After the timeframe, BCC would operate an eviction drive, said the BCC CEO. Shakil Ahmed, a local resident who is opposed to the construction of the kitchen market said operating a kitchen market in this area would lead to health hazards and traffic problems. Besides, dumping waste in the canal will congest, maybe even damage the drainage and sewerage system, added Shakil. Sushanta Ghosh, activist, Movement for Preservation and Recovery of Canals, Ponds, Wetlands, said local government authorities should take needful steps to execute the related laws to stop the land grabbing at the canal and evict the illegal structures already raised. l

Land grabbers are setting up makeshift shops upon a canal in Nathullabad area of Barisal city

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Angst grabs Gaibandha poultry farmers

n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha
Poultry farmers of Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha face hardships for not being able to arrange fodder for their fowls, a direct result of the back-toback blockades sponsored by the BNPled 18-party alliance. According to local sources, there are over 650 poultry farms at the upazila where 4,450,000 fowls are being reared. About 100 grams of feed is required for a chicken each day. As per the measurement, 60 tonnes of feed are needed for chickens per day and 18,000 tonnes of fodder for a month. The lone fodder producing mill Sonali Feed established in the district few years back has been shut down due to a shortage of raw materials, forcing farmers to bring fodder for their chickens from outside the district. Upazila Livestock Officer M Shahidul Islam said farmers were frustrated, as they could not get sufficient fodder for their poultry. If the deadlock situation continues for longer, it would be impossible to keep all the chickens alive. Farmers would lose their zeal and interest in the poultry business, he said. Ripon Miah, owner of Bhai Poultry Farm located at district headquarters, said farmers have a little quantity of feed, which would only last for two or three days. If fodder is not stocked quickly, birds worth millions would soon die, he added. Tazul Islam, a feed businessman of district town, said they could not send chicken feed to local farmers due to lack of transport facilities. Farmers are coming from far-flung areas of the upazila to collect feed for their birds every day, but we could not supply it to them, as we do not have any in our warehouses, he added. However, the farmers urged the government and opposition parties to look into the matter seriously and take necessary measures as early as possible to save the lives of the chickens. Farmers are frustrated as they could not arrange feed for their poultry because of the ongoing blockade programmes. l

Waterborne diseases on the wane

n Tribune Report
Cases of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, hookworm and ringworm are declining across the nation, thanks to various preventive measures and awareness campaigns from government and nongovernment agencies, according to a report of BSS. Experts say the country has made significant progress in health, hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, safe drinking water and other areas of health over the past five years, reducing the prevalence of waterborne diseases to a minimum. In Rangpur one of the areas with relatively high incidence of waterborne diseases there has been marked progress because of adequate awareness and understanding of the causes of the diseases among the general people, said Dr Shahadat Hossain, the divisional director of health. Child and maternal mortality rates have reduced significantly. People are more aware of their health now than they were before; they are using sanitary latrines and drinking safe water. He also said health workers and officials owed much of their success to the combination of awareness-raising campaigns and grassroots-oriented policies implemented with the help of government and non-government organisations, community clinics and international bodies like WHO and UNICEF. Manjushree Saha, head of programme coordination at RDRS Bangladesh, also highlighted the efforts of government and non-government organisations as the driving force behind disease reduction.

Experts say the country has made significant progress in health, hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, safe drinking water and other areas of health over the past five years
According to Shahidul Islam, a social worker, the outbreak of diarrhoea has declined significantly in the recent past. But some people still have the tendency to consume food from wayside restaurants and outlets. This is unhygienic and potentially harmful. We need to pay more attention to this particular area. However, increased awareness of health issues means doctors have fewer patients now than before. Dr Fazlul Haque, a specialist in community medicine, said patients suffering from food poisoning and diarrhoea were few and far these days. The number of such patients was 20-30 times higher a decade ago. The decrease in patients also meant that there were now fewer deaths from such diseases, said Dr Syed Samsuzzaman, executive director of North Bengal Institute of Development Studies. This is a development we can be really proud of. l

Satkhira AL man stabbed, dies n Tribune Desk

A ruling Awami League (AL) activist, who was stabbed by unidentified miscreants at Madabkati Bazar in sadar upazila on Tuesday night, succumbed to his injuries yesterday morning. The deceased was identified as Abdul Hamid, 42, an activist of Satkhira sadar upazila unit AL, and son of Fazle Ali of Bolanda village of the upazila. A gang of several masked miscreants picked up him from the bazaar and later left him at nearby Pachrakhi intersection, with severe stab injuries. Later, locals rescued him and got him admitted to Satkhira Sadar Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at 7:00am. The body was kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy. l

Members of law enforcement agencies remove logs kept by blockaders on Dhaka-Dinajpur Highway

DHAKA TRIBUNE

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Juris

Thursday, December 12, 2013

7
JURIS QUOTE

Fly the national flag judiciously

The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh Flag Rules 1972 tell us how to use the national flag

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. United Nations, Martin Luther King, Jr. Universal Declaration of Human Rights

LAW CARTOON

RAJIB DHAR

n Mohammad Mozadded Hassan Adnan

ecember 16 is our Victory Day and the whole nation is looking forward to observing this years Victory Day amidst all these blockade and violence. The national flag is an indispensable part of the celebration of our national days. We have also seen many people cheering in cricket and other sports with our national flag held in their hands, sometimes draped around their heads. Many people also fly the national flag in their houses and vehicles. Are all these uses of our national flag lawful? Many of us may be surprised to know that we have a law regarding the use of our national flag. Its called The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh Flag Rules, 1972. The law provides detail guidelines relating to the size and color of the national flag, occasions when one can fly the national flag and use of flag in buildings, residences and vehicles, etc.

Our national flag

The national flag of Bangladesh consists of a red disc on a green field offset slightly towards the hoist so that it appears centered when the flag is flying. The red disc represents the sun rising over Bangladesh, and also the blood of those who sacrificed their lives for independence of Bangladesh. The green field stands for the lushness of the lands of Bangladesh.

Occasion on which the national flag is to be flown

Size and colour

On the following days and occasions national flag shall be flown on public and private buildings throughout Bangladesh and the office premises of Bangladesh diplomatic missions and consular posts: a) Birthday of the Holy Prophet (Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi) b) Independence Day on the March 26. c) Victory Day on the December 16. d) Any other day as may be notified by the government.

According to the Flag Rules, the national flag will be bottle green and rectangular in size, in the proportion of length to width 10:6 bearing a red circle on the body of the green. The red circle will have a radius of one-fifth of the length of the flag. Its centre will be placed on the intersecting point of the perpendicular drawn from the nine-twentieth part of the length of the flag and the horizontal line drawn through the middle of its width.

The flag shall be flown half-mast

a) Shaheed Day on February 21 and b) All other days as may be notified by the government

Use of the national flag on government buildings, official residence, motor cars, etc

MAINTENANCE OF THE DIGNITY OF THE NATIONAL FLAG

Due honour and respect shall always be shown to the national flag The flag shall never be draped over the hold, top side or back of a vehicle, railway train or boat The place of honour shall be reserved for the national flag when it is accompanied by flags of other foreign countries If there are only two flags the national flag of Bangladesh shall be flown at the right of the building No other flag shall be flown above the national flag of Bangladesh When the flag of any other country is flown together with the national Flag of Bangladesh the latter shall be hoisted first and lowered last The national flag of Bangladesh shall be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously The national flag shall never touch any object beneath it such as the floor, water or merchandise The national flag shall never be carried flat or horizontally but always aloft and free Nothing should be written or imprinted on the national flag nor should any mark be made on it

10

The national flag shall be flown on all working days on important government buildings and offices, eg the President House, legislative assembly buildings, all ministries and the secretariat buildings of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, offices of the High Court, courts of district and session judges, offices of the commissioners of divisions, deputy commissioner/collectors, chairman, Upazila Parishad, central and district jails, Police Stations, Custom Posts, primary, secondary and higher secondary level educational institutions and such other buildings as may be notified by the government from time to time.

r=2 3

The following persons shall be entitled to fly the national flag on motor vehicles and vessels:
a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h)

Colour of the flag

a) The green base of the flag will be of Procion Brilliant Green H-2RS 50 parts per 1,000. b) The red circular part will be of Procion Brilliant Orange H-2RS 60 parts per 1,000. a) 10ft 6ft b) 5ft 3ft c) 2.5ft 1.5ft (Depending on the size of the building) a) 15in 9in (For big cars) b) 10in 6in (For small and medium size cars)

The Speaker of Parliament The Chief Justice of Bangladesh Cabinet Ministers Chief Whip Deputy Speaker of Parliament The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Persons accorded status of a Cabinet Minister Heads of Diplomatic/Consular Missions of Bangladesh in foreign countries (The national flag shall be flown only when the dignitary concerned is in the car or vessels)

CARTOON BY RIO SHUVO

NOTICE BOARD
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and also your articles on any legal issues at: law@dhakatribune.com

Size of the flag for building

We got our national flag at the cost of the blood of the greatest sons of our soil. So, we should abid by the law when it comes to the use of our national flag. Beside the legal issues it is our sacred duty to respect our national flag. We should follow the rules regarding time, place, and manner of flying our national flag. l Mohammad Mozadded Hassan Adnan has an LLM from Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka. He can be reached at adnaninfinity@ yahoo.com.

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Dhaka Tribune

Size of the flag for cars

Nelson Mandela: Lawyer, leader and legend

n Juris Desk
While the world mourns the passing of Nelson Mandela on December 5, 2013, we look back to trace some significant events of the life of the great leader who was also a lawyer. In early 1940s Nelson Mandela began studying LLB at the University of the Witwatersrand. By his own admission he was a poor student and left the university in 1948 without graduating. He only started studying again through the University of London and also did not complete that degree. In 1989, while in the last months of his imprisonment, he obtained an LLB through the University of South Africa. He graduated in absentia at a ceremony in Cape Town. Nelson Mandela, while increasingly politically involved from 1942, only joined the African National Congress in 1944 when he helped form the ANC Youth League. In 1952 he was chosen at the National Volunteer-in-Chief of the defiance campaign with Maulvi Cachalia as his deputy. This campaign of civil disobedience against six unjust laws was a joint programme between the ANC and the South African Indian Congress. He and 19 others were charged under the Suppression of Communism Act for their part in the campaign and sentenced to nine months imprisonment. A two-year diploma in law on top of his BA allowed Nelson Mandela to practice law and in August 1952 he and Oliver Tambo established South Africas first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo. At the end of 1952 he was banned for the first time. As a restricted person he was only able to secretly watch as the Freedom Charter was adopted at Kliptown on June 26, 1955. Nelson Mandela was arrested in a countrywide police swoop of 156 activists on December 5, 1955, which led to the 1956 Treason Trial. Men and women of all races found themselves in the dock in the marathon trial that only ended when the last 28 accused, including Mr Mandela were acquitted on March 29, 1961. In October 1963 Nelson Mandela joined nine others on trial for sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial. Facing the death penalty his words to the court at the end of his famous Speech from the Dock on April 20, 1964 became immortalised: I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. On June 11, 1964 Nelson Mandela and seven other were convicted and in the next days were sentenced to life imprisonment. Denis Goldberg was sent to Pretoria Prison because he was white while the others went to Robben Island. Nelson Mandelas mother died in 1968 and his eldest son Thembi in 1969. He was not allowed to attend their funerals. Nelson Mandela immersed himself into official talks to end white minority rule and in 1991 was elected ANC President to replace his ailing friend Oliver Tambo. In 1993 he and President FW de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize and on April 27, 1994 he voted for the first time in his life. On May 10, 1994 he was sworn in as South Africas first democratically elected President. True to his promise Nelson Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one term as president. Nelson Mandela never wavered in his devotion to democracy, justice and equality. Despite terrible provocation, he never answered racism with racism. His life has been an inspiration to all who are oppressed and deprived, to all who are opposed to oppression and deprivation. l

A two-year diploma in law on top of his BA allowed Nelson Mandela to practice law and in August 1952 he and Oliver Tambo established South Africas first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo
On March 21, 1960 police killed 69 unarmed people in a protest at Sharpeville against the laws. This led to the countrys first state of emergency on March 31 and the banning of the ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress on April 8. Nelson Mandela and his colleagues in the Treason Trial were among the thousands detained during the state of emergency. As soon as he and his colleagues were acquitted in the Treason Trial Nelson Mandela went underground and began planning a national strike for March 29, 30 and 31. In the face of a massive mobilisation of state security the strike was called off early. In June 1961 he was asked to lead the armed struggle and helped to establish Umkhonto weSizwe (Spear of the Nation).

AP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International
said the French launched operations in the region a week ago involving aircraft and armoured ground forces that had succeeded in locating a number of Islamist position and weapons caches. Members of a camel caravan told a resident of the town of Timbuktu they had discovered a group of 19 bodies along with burnt out vehicles and destroyed weapons in an area called Arawane, around 250 km north of the city. The French are over there. For four days now they are permanently flying back and forth over our heads, said the resident, who asked not to be named. l

Thursday, December 12, 2013

French forces kill 19 Islamist fighters in northMali

n Reuters, Bamako
French forces have killed 19 Islamist fighters during security operations in Malis northern region of Timbuktu, a senior French officer in the West African nation said on Tuesday. Pockets of al Qaeda-linked fighters are still holding out across the north, nearly a year into a French offensive aimed at driving them from the desert region they occupied for most of 2012 after hijacking a rebellion by Tuareg separatists. There were clashes north of Timbuktu on the road to Taoudenit. We neutralised 19 people. The operations are continuing, said the officer, who asked not to be named. After being scattered across Mali and into neighbouring countries, Islamist groups have stepped up their operations in recent months. They have attacked U.N. peacekeepers and killed two French journalists in the northern town of Kidal last month. French Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Gilles Jaron confirmed a heavy death toll. He said operations were under way in the Timbuktu region and were within the French missions mandate to take on residual armed groups. A senior Malian military official

US suspends non-lethal aid into Syria

n Agencies

French President Francois Hollande (L) salutes soldiers on December 10 in Bangui

AFP

Spectre of lynching haunts Central Africa

n AFP, Bangui
The father of a slain French soldier has described how disarmed Muslim fighters in the Central African Republic were lynched by a Christian mob in harrowing testimony that raised the spectre of a new wave of sectarian killing in the troubled state. Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian admitted on Wednesday that Frances mission to pacify its former colony represented a much more difficult operation than the military intervention against Islamist rebels in Mali earlier this year. And those remarks were borne out by Philippe Vokaers account of his final contact with his 23-year-old son Nicolas, one of two French paratroopers killed in a firefight while on a night patrol in the capital Bangui on Monday. We had a text exchange the same evening, Vokaer senior told French daily Le Parisien. He had witnessed some atrocious scenes. As soon as the French soldiers disarmed the Muslim militia, they saw them being lynched by a Christian mob in the middle of the street. There was nothing the army could do to stop it. In Bangui, a humanitarian aid worker who did not want to be identified, told AFP he feared mass reprisals against members of the countrys Muslim minority, who are associated with the Seleka coalition behind the March coup which plunged the CAR into anarchic terror. What we are faced with now is the spectre of a vicious spiral of reprisals with the village self-defence militias organising return matches against Seleka and the Seleka themselves going on a killing spree as they retreat to their strongholds in the north, he said. Despite those fears, the situation in Bangui, where hundreds were slaughtered with clubs and machetes last week, appeared generally calm on Wednesday with residents suggesting that fear levels were subsiding following the weekend deployment of 1,600 French troops. Around me this morning people are going out and about in large numbers, said a resident of the Ben Zvi neighbourhood. Bangui, which is under an hours-of-darkness curfew, was also quiet overnight with the exception of some sporadic shooting heard close to the national broadcasters headquarters. The situation was in sharp contrast to Monday and Tuesday, when rampaging locals pillaged shops owned by Muslims. The scale of any violence outside Bangui remains unclear. French officers say the vast majority of the armed groups who had brought terror to Bangui were disarmed within 24 hours of the intervention force arriving to back up African troops in the 2,500-strong Misca force that has been in the country for some time but had proved incapable of preventing the recent violence. l

Hollande says intervention in CAR necessary

n Agencies
Francois Hollande, the French president, has said that Frances intervention in the Central African Republic is dangerous but necessary to avoid a bloodbath. Accompanied by Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, Hollande arrived on Tuesday in the violence-hit country, where two French soldiers were recently killed. They were carrying out operations against militias in capital Bangui, where sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians have been taking place. Upon his arrival in Bangui, the French leader took a moment to bow before the coffins of the two fallen soldiers. Antoine Le Quinio, 22, and Nicolas Vokaer, 23, were both members of the crack Eighth Parachute regiment based at Castres in southwestern France. The French campaign to pacify its former colony is necessary if one wants to avoid carnage here, Hollande said in his first remarks in the capital. More than 500 people have been killed over the past week in sectarian fighting, aid officials said Tuesday. Aid workers have collected 461 bodies across Bangui, the capital, since Thursday, said Antoine Mbao Bogo of the local Red Cross. But that latest figure does not include the scores of Muslim victims whose bodies were brought to mosques for burial. Meanwhile, the White House said the US administration had asked the State Department to spend up to $60m for defence supplies to assist the African Union-led international support mission in the CAR. France is deploying 1,600 troops in the country to try to restore security and has begun disarming dozens of militias that are running rampage through the country. l

The United States has suspended all non-lethal assistance into northern Syria after Islamic Front forces seized headquarters and warehouses belonging to the oppositions Supreme Military Council (SMC), a US embassy spokesman in Ankara has said. Fighters from the Islamic Front, a union of six major rebel groups, took control of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) bases at the Bab al-Hawa crossing on Syrias northwestern border with Turkey late on Friday, prompting the US announcement, which was made on the following Wednesday. Turkey has also shut its side of the border crossing, in Hatay province, due to a reported increase in clashes on the Syrian side, customs sources told Reuters news agency, although there was no immediate confirmation from Turkish officials. Infighting among Syrian rebels has weakened their efforts to bring down President Bashar al-Assad in the conflict which began as peaceful protests against his rule in March 2011 and has descended into civil war. It was unclear why the Islamic Front had seized the SMC premises and it was not known if any stock had gone missing. As a result of this situation, the United States has suspended all further deliveries of non-lethal assistance into northern Syria, the spokesman said, adding that humanitarian assistance was not impacted because it is distributed through international and non-governmental organisations. Under title 10 of the US code that defines the role of the US armed forces, non-lethal aid could consist of communications equipment, medical supplies, intelligence assistance and body armour. l

Native American masks returned to tribes

n AFP, Paris

A US foundation has revealed it was the mystery buyer of sacred Native American objects auctioned off Monday in Paris under a cloud of controversy, and will return them to the tribes that claim them. The Annenberg Foundation announced it had bought 21 Hopi masks -- which are worn by dancers during religious ceremonies and considered as living beings -- and three San Carlos Apache objects for $530,000 (390,000 euros) for the sole purpose of returning them to their rightful owner. Mondays auction had gone ahead despite several attempts to block the sale of the colourful masks and head-dresses, including by the US embassy. Advocacy group Survival International had also challenged the auction in court on behalf of the Hopi tribe, but was dismissed on Friday by a judge who ruled the sale was legal in France. Our hope is that this act sets an example for others that items of significant cultural and religious value can only be properly cared for by those vested with the proper knowledge and responsibility. They simply cannot be put up for sale, Sam Tenakhongva, a Hopi cultural leader, said in the Tuesday statement announcing the purchase. l

Ukrainian police withdraw Uruguay OKs first market for legal pot from move on demonstrators n
AP, Montevideo

Reuters, Kiev

Battalions of Ukrainian riot police withdrew on Wednesday from a protest camp after moving against demonstrators overnight in the authorities biggest attempt yet to reclaim streets after weeks of protests against President Viktor Yanukovich. Columns of police left positions around the protesters main camp in Independence Square and withdrew from state buildings occupied by demonstrators enraged at Yanukovichs decision to spurn an EU trade deal and move Ukraine further into Russias orbit. Overnight the police had cleared streets near the protest camp, bulldozed tents and skirmished with demonstrators. They later surrounded the City Hall, where protesters who have set up a makeshift hospital in the occupied building sprayed them with water hoses to prevent it from being stormed. Those moves by hundreds of blackclad police with visors and helmets were the boldest steps the authorities had ordered so far against demonstra-

tors, although it was not clear whether they were prepared to use full force. At stake is the future of a country of 46 million people, torn between popular hope of joining the European mainstream and the demands of former Soviet master Russia, which controls the flow of cheap natural gas needed to stave off descent into bankruptcy. At the main protest camp on Independence Square, pop stars, politicians and priests pleaded with police not to shed blood. Opposition politicians called for mass demonstrations to protect the square and predicted that Yanukovich would soon be toppled. The interior minister called for calm and said the square would not be stormed. Police had been bussed in to the city centre to shouts of Get out criminal - a reference to Yanukovich, who suspended plans to sign a trade pact with the European Union last month and instead embraced closer ties with Russia. The police moves began in darkness near Independence Square, where thousands of protesters have maintained a vigil in bitter winter cold. l

Uruguay has become the first country to create a national marketplace for legal marijuana, with the government regulating the production, sales and use of pot in a bold bid to control addiction and drug violence. The Senate gave final legislative approval to the bill late Tuesday, and President Jose Mujica, who campaigned for the legislation, is expected to sign it into law. The 78-year-old president has said he wants the market to begin operating next year. Today is an historic day. Many countries of Latin America, and many governments, will take this law as an example, Sen. Constanza Moreira, a member of the governing Broad Front coalition, said as the bill passed with 16 votes in favour and 13 against. Congress lower house approved the measure in late July. The ground breaking legislation to create a government-runmarijuanaindustry was opposed by two-thirds Uruguayans, recent opinion polls said. But Mujica, a former leftist guerrilla who spent years in jail as a younger man while others experi-

A man smokes a joint during a demonstration in support of the legalisation of marijuana outside the Congress in Montevideo, Uruguay, Tuesday, Dec. 10 AP mented with marijuana, went ahead with the legislation anyway. He argued the global drug war is a failure and said bureaucrats can do a better job of containing addictions and beating organised crime than police, soldiers and prison guards. Uruguays drug control agency will have 120 days, until mid-April, to draft regulations imposing state control over the entire market for marijuana, from seed to smoke. l

Ukraine seeks 20b Euros in aid from EU, PM says

n Reuters, Kiev
Ukraine wants 20 billion euros ($27.54 billion) in aid from the European Union in return for signing an agreement on trade and cooperation, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on Wednesday. In remarks at a cabinet meeting, as thousands protested in the capital Kiev following Ukraines decision to scrap plans to sign the agreement, Azarov urged the EU to understand the position of the countrys industry. He said the 28-country bloc should join in mutually profitable projects in Ukraine, an ex-Soviet state of 46-million people reliant on Soviet-era steel and chemical production. Instead of signing agreements last month that would marked a symbolic move away from former Soviet master Moscow, Ukraine decided to rebuild economic ties with Russia, prompting protests by demonstrators who want President Viktor Yanukovich to quit. We suggest that the European Union invest in mutually profitable projects such as the modernisation and development of European transport corridors, and the creation of a new corridor to the Caucasus, he said. Now European officials look at the protests in Maidan (in central Kiev) and are not rushing to consider such projects and questions about the size of aid. And who will benefit from these protests: European officials or the Ukrainian people, who urgently need economic and financial help? The political crisis has added to the financial hardship of a country on the brink of bankruptcy. But Urkaine also says it has not agreed to join a Moscow-led customs union which Russia is trying to persuade it to join. Ukraine owes just under $4 billion in gas bills and debt repayments in the first three months of 2014, and after that may struggle to pay rising sums from dwindling reserves. He said 20 billion euros would help Ukraines economy adapt to closer integration with the European Union and be compensation for potentially losing its large Russian market. Yanukovich has said his country needs $20 billion a year until 2017, and a total amount of $160 billion. The EU has set aside 610 million euros of what it calls macro-financial assistance for Ukraine once it has signed a stand-by agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which stopped providing credit in 2011 after Kiev failed to implement necessary reforms. In comments to local television last month, Yanukovich called that sum humiliating. We are not waiting and not asking that they give us a present or compensate us, we are not talking about the European Union giving us the necessary technical support to bring our industry in line with European standards, he said. l

World Watch
Tutuhomeburgled during visit to Mandela memorial
Burglars broke into the CapeTownhomeof South African peace icon DesondTutuwhen he was away speaking at Nelson Mandelas memorial, an aide said Wednesday. I can confirm that there was a burglary last night, saidTutuaide Roger Friedman. We are not able to tell exactly what was stolen, the archbishop and his wife were not athome. The house was not pillaged. Tutuhad used the memorial to call on South Africans to follow Mandelas example. I want to show the world we can come out here and celebrate the life of an icon. The timing of the incident is embarrassing for South Africa -the latest in a series of unflattering episodes to occur when the eyes of the world are on the country. It earlier emerged that the sign language interpreter at Mandelas memorial had been faking his signing. It is second time in five months thatTutushomein the Milnerton area of Cape Town had been hit. certain how it arrived in the country but it is thought that imported soil may have contained the cockroaches. Jessica Ware, a biologist at Rutgers University, said: Many nurseries in the United States have some native plants and some imported plants. She added:so its not a far stretch to picture that that is the source.

Taking photographs ruins the memory, research finds

Super cockroach spotted for the first time in the US

An extra tough species of cockroach has been identified in Manhattan - the first time it has been found in the United States.Typically New Yorks cockroaches can only survive in warm conditions but the new Asian species can survive outside in freezing conditions.The species was first spotted in New Yorks linear park, the High Line by an exterminator. The Periplaneta japonica is well documented in Asia but was confirmed in the United States by biologists at Rutgers University. It is not

Taking photographs at a birthday or a wedding has become as natural as blowing out candles or cutting the cake. But our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be damaging our ability to remember them, according to new research.A study has shown that taking pictures rather than concentrating fully on the events in front of us prevents memories taking hold. Dr Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, and her team carried out an experiment in a museum, to learn if taking pictures of the exhibits was hindering the ability of visitors to remember what they had seen. A group of university students were led on a tour at the Bellarmine Museum of Art at Fairfield University and asked to either photograph or try and remember objects on display. The next day their memory was tested. The results showed that people were less accurate in recognising the objects they had photographed compared to those they had only looked at. It was found that their memory of detail for the objects they had photographed was poorer.

A general view shows protesters gathering at Independence square in Kiev December 11

REUTERS

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Third broadcaster shot dead in Philippines in two weeks n AFP, Manila

Gunmen shot dead a broadcaster in the Philippines on Wednesday, police said, the third such fatal attack in two weeks in one of the worlds most dangerous countries for journalists. Motorcycle-riding gunmen attacked Rogelio Butalib, 44 in the southern city of Tagum on Mindanao island, said regional police spokesman Chief Inspector Jed Clamor. We are looking at the possibility that he was killed because of his profession, Clamor told reporters. Butalib was a commentator for the local Radyo Natin station and may have made enemies because of his programme that tackled various local issues, including corruption, Clamor said. However, the police official said the killing could have been politically motivated, because the victim was also elected to a hotly contested district post in October. Butalib was the third journalist shot and killed in the southern Philippines in two weeks. Michael Diaz Milo, a talk show host for DXFM radio, was killed in the city of Butuan Friday, while broadcaster Joas Dignos was murdered in the city of Valencia on November 29. Unidentified gunmen shot and wounded a fourth radio journalist, Jonavin Villalbal, in the central city of Iloilo late Tuesday. The suspects in all four attacks remain at large, police said. This is saddening and frustrating. Another one from our ranks is killed, Rowena Paraan, chairwoman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, told AFP. l

China residents drink pesticide in Beijing protest

n AP, Beijing
A dozen people protesting the demolition of their homes in central China drank pesticide in Beijing in a desperate bid for attention that underscores the failures of a decades-old petitioning system. The 12 survived the protest Tuesday near a historic watchtower in the heart of Chinas capital after police sent them to a hospital where they were being treated Wednesday for poisoning, said Wang Yuping, one of the residents. Chinese petitioners sometimes are driven to extreme measures as their frustration boils over after years of unresolved grievances and routine beatings by local authorities. Wang, 40, and the others had traveled to Beijing from a district in Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei province, to draw attention to their complaints. Wang described Firefighters clean a fire site inside an agricultural products wholesale market in Shenzhen, Guangdong province the protest as a group suicide attempt. We have been petitioning for so many years, but either we have been dragged back home or locked in secret jails and beaten, and no one has been willing to help us, Wang said by telephone. We felt like there was no hope left. Each petitioner drank about 50 milliliters (1.7 ounces) of pesticide, Wang said, then lay down on the ground until police arrived, bundled them into vehicles and drove them to a hospital. I felt dizzy and nauseous, he said from a hospital in the southwestern Fengtai district. Wang said the petitioners have been unsuccessfully seeking redress since 2010 for the razing of their homes by local authorities who provided little or no compensation. Local government and police offices in Wuhan could not be reached by phone. l

China market inferno kills 16

n AFP, Beijing
A blaze which engulfed a Chinese food market killed 16 people in the early hours of Wednesday, firefighters and state media said. The inferno raged through the Rongjian Agricultural Wholesale Market in Shenzhen bordering Hong Kong, the citys fire department said. The state news agency Xinhua said 16 people including an infant girl were killed and five injured, and the market manager was in police custody. It took 145 firefighters and 29 fire engines a hour and half to put out the blaze, the fire department said on its verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. The cause of the fire was still under investigation and rescuers were still searching the site. Zhang Xiaowei, spokesman for the city fire department, was quoted by Xinhua as saying all the victims were people associated with four stores in the market. Security guard Wang Long, who discovered the fire, was quoted as saying many shopowners and their families live

REUTERS

in the market and store their goods there to start business in the early morning. Workplace safety standards can be poor in China. Fatal accidents happen regularly at mines and factories, with some blaming lax enforcement of rules. In June 121 people died in an inferno at a poultry processing plant in northeast Chinas Jilin province, which started in a workshop that had only one unlocked door. It was the countrys worst fire for more than a decade. In 2000 a blaze at a shopping centre in Luoyang, in the central province of Henan, killed 309 people. l

Taiwan ex-captain gets life term for spying for China

n AFP, Taipei
A former Taiwanese air force captain was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for leaking military secrets to China, in the latest spying scandal to hit the island. Chiang Fu-chung was convicted of leaking large amounts of confidential documents to China through his uncle, a Taiwanese businessman based on the mainland, the high court said. No other details were released but he can appeal the ruling. Chiang, who worked for the air force radar command and control centre, has been detained since his arrest last year. Taiwanese media have reported that the Chinese military has long sought access to the centre, which houses highly sensitive information including details on the air forces Strong Net radar programme and the US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile system. The centre is responsible for surveillance of the skies stretching from the islands north to southeastern Chinese coastal provinces like Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi. l

Suspected rebels kill Indian soldier in Kashmir n AP, Srinagar

Officials say suspected rebels armed with automatic weapons attacked two soldiers guarding a highway in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing one of them and wounding the other. Paramilitary spokesman Kishore Prasad says the hit and run attack occurred Wednesday on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian Kashmirs main city. Police and soldiers cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt to find the militants. No rebel group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack in Kashmir, where an armed uprising and subsequent crackdown by Indian forces have left about 68,000 people dead since 1989. Although the armed rebellion is largely suppressed, resentment against Indian rule runs deep. Indian police and army officials have said separatist rebels were becoming more active in recent months. l

Indias Supreme Court slaps ban on gay sex

n Reuters, New Delhi
Indias Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated a ban on gay sex in the worlds largest democracy, following a four-year period of decriminalisation that had helped bring homosexuality into the open in the socially conservative country. In 2009 the Delhi High Court ruled unconstitutional a section of the penal code dating back to 1860 that prohibits carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal and lifted the ban for consenting adults. The Supreme Court threw out that decision, saying only parliament could change Section 377 of the penal code, widely interpreted to refer to homosexual sex. Violation of the law can be punished with up to 10 years in jail. The move shocked rights activists around the world, who had expected the court simply to rubber-stamp the earlier ruling. In recent years, IndiasSupreme Courthas made progressive rulings on several issues such as prisoners rights and child labour. Its a black day for us, said Anjali Gopalan, the executive director of the Naz Foundation, a Delhi-based NGO that works on sexual health and led the consortium of advocacy groups defending the 2009 judgment. I feel exhausted right now, thinking that we have been set back by 100 years. U.S. actress Mia Farrow described the decision as a very dark day for freedom and human rights, in a post on Twitter. Indias Law MinisterKapil Sibalsaid the government could raise the matter in parliament. The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was seen to broadly support the 2009 ruling, and some ministers said they opposed Wednesdays rollback. l

Indian gay-rights activists take part in a protest against the Supreme Court ruling reinstating a ban on gay sex in New Delhi

AFP

The end of Mysores Wodeyar dynasty and a peculiar curse

n Tribune Desk
The luxury-loving scion of a former south Indian royal family died Tuesday of a heart attack at the age of 60, doctors said. Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar was the last descendant of the Wodeyar dynasty, which ruled over the erstwhileMysore state that is now part of the Indian state of Karnataka. The system of princely states was phased out after independence from Britain in 1947. He was known for his passion for luxury cars but also dabbled in left-wing politics as a youth, Indian media quoted him as saying. All his cars bore the registration number 1953 -- the year he was born, the Deccan Herald newspaper reported. Doctors said the 60-year-old Wodeyar, who had been suffering from ill health, collapsed at his palace in Bangalore, which he had painstakingly restored. He was taken to hospital where doctors could not revive him, Vikram Hospital administrator K. Madan Kumar told AFP. In 1974, he succeeded his father, Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, as head of the dynasty which had ruled overMysorestate for nearly six centuries. The royal family was known for its progressive rule and social reforms. The bearded Wodeyar wore many hats, from being a fashion designer who walked the runway with models to an avid art collector. He was also a cricket enthusiast who had recently been elected president of the Karrevenge against a defeated king and sent his soldiers to confiscate his wealth. But the queen put all the ornaments she could find in a chest and made a secret exit and climbed a cliff that overlooked the torrents of the River Cauvery. She cried to the troops in loud voice Go tell your viceroy that in life he vanquished us but not in death. Honour is more important to us than life. Then she uttered a curse: I curse Talakad to be submerged under creeping sands. May a cruel whirlpool be a scourge of Malangi And the kings of Mysore suffer the pangs of Childlessness! And leapt to her death. When Raja Wodeyar heard of the incident at Malangi, he was overcome by remorse. To repent, he had a bronze idol of Rani Alamelamma made which is worshiped by the Wodeyars on the 9th day of Dusshera every year. Effects of the Curse: The chilling effects of this curse can be seen in the following ways: l The historic town of Talakad was completely submerged by sand dunes and was abandoned. The sand covered historical temples can be seen to this day. l River Cauvery generates fierce whirlpools near the village of Malangi, which has partly been consumed by the river. l Every alternate generation of Wodeyars had problems with heirs. Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, who married his distant cousin Pramoda Devi, had no children of his own. l

Roadside bomb kills Thai soldiers

n AFP
Four Thai soldiers were killed and at least a dozen others wounded when a roadside bomb went off in the south of Thailand. The 50kg bomb was hidden in a gas canister and detonated by a mobile phone around midday on Wednesday as an army truck approached, a police officer in the Kha Pho district of Pattani province told AFP news agency. Sixteen soldiers were in the army truck. They were being reshuffled for rest and recreation, the officer said. Four of the victims died at the local hospital and six other soldiers remain in critical condition. Southern Thailand has been plagued with unrest in recent years. More than 5,500 people have been killed in this region since 2004, with rebel groups blamed for near-daily bombings and shootings. Security personnel, those connected with the government and Muslims thought to be collaborating with the authorities are regular targets. Thailand held its first official peace talks with southern armed groups but no significant breakthroughs were made. l

Japan panel urges strong military amid China rise

n AP, Tokyo

Myanmars president pardons political prisoners

n AP, Yangon
Myanmarspresident on Wednesday pardoned more than three dozen political prisoners, coinciding with the countrys hosting of the Southeast Asian Games. Maj. Zaw Htay, the director of the presidents office, said on his Facebook page that 41 people whose names were submitted by the official Political Prisoner Scrutiny Committee were among 44 prisoners released. The other three were child soldiers, he said. Early reports had described all 44 as political prisoners. The majority of the political prisoners freed Wednesday were activists charged under a peaceful assembly law that sets a maximum one-year prison term to people who protest without official permission. Bo Kyi, a member of the Political Prisoner Scrutiny Committee, said about 50 political prisoners remained detained, while around 200 other people were still facing political charges that could see them jailed. More than 1,000 political prisoners had been previously freed under President Thein Seins reformist government, which came to power in 2011 after almost five decades of military rule. l

nataka state cricket association, and he also served as a federal lawmaker. Karnataka home minister K. J. George told reporters that the state had declared two days of mourning. Funeral rites were due to be held Wednesday. Our last connection with the Mysore royal family is lost. He was a sincere man, said former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa. Legend has it that a curse follows the royal family, which goes like this: Raja Wodeyar the founder of the royal Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore, wanted to take

A near-final draft of a new Japanese national security strategy calls for a stronger military to deal with a rising Chinaand other growing risks close to home. The development of the formal security strategy is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abes push to boost Japans defense and its international role. It reflects global power shifts, notably changes in the relative influence of Japans longtime protector, the United States. As the security environment surrounding our country gets increasingly severe, we have been working to rebuild our national security policy with a firm commitment to defend the peoples lives and possessions, Abe said Wednesday at a meeting where a panel of experts and lawmakers discussed their draft. The national security strategy is modeled in part on similar documents in the United States and elsewhere. The Cabinet is expected to approve the strategy next week, along with a revision of Japans long-term defense program guidelines. Much of the strategy is contentious, as many Japanese remain wary of moves away from the pacifist constitution adopted after World War II. One early sign of opposition was a drop in Abes popularity ratings last weekend after his government forced through legislation to strengthen the protection of government secrets. South Korea is also uncomfortable with any Japanese military expansion because it was colonised by Japan, andChinais likely to protest. l

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www.dhakatribune.com

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial
LETTER OF THE DAY

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Letters to

the Editor

The root of love

December 10 Your December 5 issue of Avenue T sprang a surprise in its Tease page, for this reader. I would like to quote it verbatim: The term love is from the Sanskrit lub hyal meaning desire. No doubt that desire is the root of love, but imagine the long linguistic jump from Sanskrit to English. If the Indian sub-continent has played a role here, then perhaps Hindi, Farsi, Bangali or even Urdu may have roots as well? However, with no knowledge of comparative language history, this is just an estimated guess, more than anything else, as I also do not know when the word love came into the English language. However, where love was backed by a limitless cash flow, there the result was awe-inspiring, and there for all to see and admire. I speak of course of the Taj Mahal at Agra, one of the seven Wonders of the World. Engr SA Mansoor

3 killed in Gaibandha railway sabotage

December 4 Sallyann Hall Despicable. Why isnt the government doing more to stop this carnage!?! Monon Mahadee May Allah give them his rahmat. Shopno Lok This is more likely a mass murder, rather than mass movement! All over the world, these sorts of activities are recognised as an act of terrorism. :-/

Stay the right course

he Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has adjourned a hearing on Abdul Quader Mollas review petition until Thursday morning. Lawyers for Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah successfully obtained a stay order on Mollas execution late on Tuesday evening. This holds up the carrying out of the death sentence imposed by the Supreme Court in September following Quader Mollas conviction for war crimes by Tuesdays stay order the ICT in February. on the execution of He had been set to be Quader Molla will be hanged at 12:01am Wednesday, effective until issues but the bench has formally relating to his review confirmed that Tuesdays petition are resolved. stay order on the execution of This is clearly the right Quader Molla will be effective decision until issues relating to his review petition are resolved. This is clearly the right decision. Nothing can be gained by rushing to execution. This case has been controversial enough already. Following public protests, the ICT rules were amended to allow the Supreme Court to hear the appeal in September which imposed the death sentence. Questions have been raised about the length of time applicable now for reviewing or appealing the death sentence. Rule of law requires that these questions are duly settled by the court. The government is still entitled to argue its position that the execution should take place without delay and that the extraordinary nature of this case means that normal Jail Code time limits for reviewing capital cases should not apply. However, the carrying out of verdicts and review of cases is a matter of law. Any outstanding issues relating to this case are matters for the court, not politicians.

100-day countdown begins today

December 5 Ash I wonder how the ICC might react to the ongoing political violence thats currently locked down Bangladesh. Siam Ashraful Mirpur is all set to rock again. Yaahooo!! Ruwa So, they will celebrate, while people are getting killed. What a waste of money. Mohaimanul Hassan Best of luck to all the teams. :-) :-)

World mourns peace icon Mandelas death

December 7 I still remember the day. So sad that some people hurled shoes at Mandela and Yassir Arafats motorcade as both accepted Hasinas invitation to join the 25th Independence ceremony of Bangladesh. It happened in Shahbagh circle. Not taking any sides, but those who threw the shoes were BNP sympathizers, and I wonder with what rationale in mind they did that. TruthnLie

Ershad asks his men to resign from cabinet

December 5 Parveen Ahmed What about his wife? Shamiul Adnan But #Ershad will again change his decision. Mehedi Kamran Shuvo Good decision. We want a free and fair election. Our citizens need to put pressure on the government to arrange an acceptable election. We want a peaceful solution. The opposition should react positively in this regard.

Right to vote No adds to peoples choice

December 5 Yay to the nay vote! Adnan

When the one-eyed king rules

December 7 S Mallik Agreed. Democracy can only work when society, or a sizable portion of the society, has evolved to the point where justice and well-being, as you mention in your article here, are valued and practiced actively. Ronald Inglehart has some great relevant work on perspectives on politics and linkages between mass attitude and democracy. On a related and sad note, all the writing, reading and talking is not doing any good. AH Nicely written. In a country, where people are so easily pushed into a deluded state of mind, corruption breeds corruption. Unless someone in a higher hierarchy of politics sets an example of resisting corruption, nothing will stop.

Time for pic-a-nic!

One more Shahbagh arson victim dies

December 4 Shame on our dirty politics and politicians. Ashish Moghul

December 6 Brilliant list! Great to see that Meghna Village has been added to the list. Its an excellent location for family outings. Thanks DT! munajj_k

Children used in political violence

Keep dialogue going

December 7 I would not be surprised if 1% of Bangladeshis cannot understand that it is crime to use children for such activities. We are a nation of selfish cowards. Arosh

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Be Heard

epresentatives of the two major political parties have reinitiated dialogue to resolve the stalemate over the upcoming polls, with UN envoy Oscar Fernandez-Taranco mediating the talks. After all the violence we have seen thus far, the parties willingness to engage in and continue with the talks is a Using this window of welcome move on both their opportunity to revive parts. talks has to be seen It shows renewed willingas a helpful move ness to listen to each other because intransigence and trying to compromise on and engaging in a solution. This is exactly the violence has solved state of mind that we expect from our parties and we hope nothing to see it continue. There are many issues to resolve, chief among them the polls-time government. However, using this window of opportunity to revive talks has to be seen as a helpful move because intransigence and engaging in violence has solved nothing. Rather, it has only led to injuries and deaths, and hurt the economy. Although it is a late hour to move ahead, we must hope that this dialogue continues and the parties can come to a compromise solution that works for both parties.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Goal (3) 3 Evil spirits (6) 8 Summit (4) 9 Sheltered side (3) 10 Having an end (6) 11 Useful things (6) 14 Long lock (5) 17 Worker in stone (5) 20 Come forth (6) 24 Struggle (6) 26 Digit (3) 27 Catch sight of (4) 28 Directs a course (6) 29 Bashful (3) DOWN 1 Operatic air (4) 2 Planet (4) 3 Dexterous (4) 4 Have being (5) 5 Oily fruit (5) 6 Fish trap (3) 7 Oozes (5) 12 Briny (3) 13 Self (3) 15 Cereal (3) 16 Droop (3) 17 Sail supports (5) 18 Merry frolic (5) 19 At no time (5) 21 Untidy state (4) 22 Narrow beams (4) 23 Whirlpool (4) 25 Small child (3)

SUDOKU

YESTERDAYS 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 numberrepeating.

Code-Cracker

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed
L

Thrusday, December 12, 2013

11
O N

Closer than you may think, Mandela and Mujib

however is that many biographers have been unable or unwilling to treat Mujibs achievements in context. They prefer to dwell in hagiography on his undisputed role as leader of the liberation struggle or on his brutal assassination. This makes it easier for critics to point out faults during his administration or the undemocratic error of BAKSAL. Yet no fair minded historian can honestly argue that anything got better after the murder of Mujib. Violence escalated and the bewildering array of conspiring factions in the armed forces which he had sought to contain killed each other in the cycle of coups and counter coups after August 15 1975. Likewise, Bangladeshs constitution may have failed to recognise the concerns of peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, but Mujibs mistake in not addressing this was amplified many fold by subsequent governments leading to prolonged conflict. And the countrys ability to counter Indias hegemonic tendencies was not improved by the stronger rhetoric of other parties either. It does not make sense to blame the many faults in Bangladeshs politics today with choices made four decades ago by Sheikh Mujib. Perhaps the seeds of the corruption and dynastic politics that blight the nation were present during his brief three and half years in office, but the problems of the nation today are the responsibility of the people of today, not the founding generation of independence. Blaming Sheikh Mujib for Bangladeshs problems in 2014 makes as little sense as criticising Nelson Mandela for the fact that the end of apartheid has not ended economic inequality in South Africa. It is easy to argue that he could have done more, but when you consider the circumstances, would that have actually been possible? To expect the ending of overt racism to overcome inequalities created by the worlds history of colonialism and capitalism, is putting too much faith in the power of Nelson Mandela. If this sounds fatalistic, well perhaps it is, but to think otherwise is to enter the realms of alternate history and speculative fiction. If people wanted to follow anti-apartheid style boycotts on every human rights issue, then every consumer and investor in the world would think twice about using products made in China. And petrol-heads proclaiming their freedom to drive fast would spend more time pondering the fact that a lot of oil for their cars comes from a country where women are not legally free to drive at all. But if we are going to go down the route of alternative history, then why not speculate on the positive? Born barely two years apart in British colonies, both Mandela and Mujb admired Gandhi. Both went to prison for the cause of liberation. Both maintained their faith in peaceful foreign policies. Both had their foibles and their detractors. Both championed non-alignment and national independence struggles even

The problems of the nation today are the responsibility of the people of today, not the founding generation of independence

WIKIMEDIA

n Niaz Alam
mid the richly deserved tributes by world leaders at Nelson Mandelas memorial service this week, one theme stands out. Madiba unified his country and brought peace and reconciliation that earned the respect of enemies, both within and outside South Africa. The praise is so great and widespread that it seems almost futile to ask the question of whether Sheikh Mujib can be compared to the icon of the struggle against apartheid. Almost, but not quite. By the time Mandela came out of prison, the apartheid regime was prepared to give up on violence. He could afford to be magnanimous. Apartheids defenders often used violence, most notoriously in Angola and Mozambique where hundreds of thousands died in countries that should have had more peaceful transitions to independence after the Portuguese left in 1974, but which became embroiled in the moral free conflicts of the Cold war. By the time Mandela was freed in 1990, South Africas army had

suffered a major defeat at the hands of Cuban backed Angolan soldiers at Cuito Carnavale in 1988. Throw in the arithmetic of a four fifths black majority and it was clear the jig was up. Only the usual quota of hardliners and nutcases found in every society, would seek to defend apartheid after all that.

for him to have insisted on trials of the leading Pakistani generals. That he did not do so, is usually explained by reference to the then recently independent Bangladeshs need to seek recognition from China, Pakistan and a swathe of Muslim states. In other words, it is said that he

Mujibs memory today is tarnished in part by the willingness of Bangladeshis to always look for the worst in other people. A greater problem however is that many biographers have been unable or unwilling to treat Mujibs achievements in context

Mujib on the other hand, showed magnanimity towards enemies who were deeply embittered and hostile to Bangladeshi independence. If he did not have instincts towards peace and reconciliation, he would not have invited Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Bangladesh in 1974. With evidence of the crimes committed by Pakistans forces so fresh in the memory, it would have been easier or at least more populist

had to be magnanimous. But this is to underplay his conciliatory instincts. Firsthand accounts about the time from Kamal Hossain in his memoir Bangladesh Quest for Freedom and Justice or Anthony Mascarenhas in Legacy of Blood point to an inherent preference on Mujibs part to seek what he saw as the moderate path. It also downplays the importance to Bhutto of achieving reconcilia-

tion with Bangladesh. Mujib was a respected global figure in the early 1970s, hailed by Castro and Western politicians alike. Bhutto meanwhile had been the willing accomplice and cynical foreign minister of a murderous military regime. For sure, the wily Bhutto used his charisma to denigrate Bangladesh and doubtless took advantage of Mujibs ability to show goodwill. But it is telling given his conduct during the war, that Bhutto was anxious to try and gloss over his role and put all the blame for war crimes onto those he liked to term drunken generals. Realpolitik then is too mealy mouthed a term to indicate Mujibs pragmatic inclinations. Unlike Mandela, he had to take over a country devastated by total war and beset by rival factions. His better instincts during this time are demonstrated by the fact that he was magnanimous towards the United States despite Nixon and Kissingers actions against Bangladeshi freedom. Mujibs memory today is tarnished in part by the willingness of Bangladeshis to always look for the worst in other people. A greater problem

after being lionised by the West. Had he not been murdered, who is to say that Mujib could not have lived up to his visions of a Sonar Bangla that strived to be the Switzerland of Asia? It is true that Mandela is singled out for celebration because he defied the trend of post independence disillusionment seen throughout the South after decolonisation. But Mujibs vision was a worthy one. However far from it he was when his life was cut short, might he too not have stepped down from power after being out of prison for nine years? Who is to say that he may not have turned his back on Baksal or have adapted his economic policies over time? Of such questions are science fiction stories written. Perhaps in one of these, Mandela and Mujib could have met each other in retirement as free men in the 1990s. But in real life of course, that is even more impossible than comparing a politician to Mandela. l Niaz Alam has worked on ethical business issues since 1992 and is a former vice-chair of War on Want.

How to behave in someone elses country

A tribute to Mandela

n Mamun Rashid

didnt go to the Fletcher Institute to learn diplomacy. I was not supposed to. However, I met many distinguished diplomats at home and abroad. If not all, almost all of them told me the importance of maintaining protocol while trying to forward the home countrys interest in the host country. I dont think that was the case for Sujata Singh, the Indian foreign secretary who visited Bangladesh a few days back.

request to confirm the appointment. General Chisti, after knowing the purpose of the meeting, presented a copy of the investment policy to the local representative for their chairman to read instead of unnecessarily spending time with the president, thus breaking the protocol. It was early 1997. Overenthusiastic local executives of Standard Chartered Bank went to the then banking secretary Shah Abdul Hannan, to expedite an audience between their executive director for Africa, Middle East and

The visiting friend giving advice, and more importantly, dictating the terms for our leadership, is not at all acceptable. Diplomatic protocol does not support this

It was possibly end of 1973, or early 1974. Sir Colin Campbell, the distinguished chairman of James Finlay from UK, came to see Mr Tajuddin Ahmad, the then finance minister. The local representative of James Finlay facilitated the meeting. The finance minister did meet Finlays chairman, but told the local representative: I doubt whether any Bangladeshi business chief would be entertained, or met by a British minister at 24 hours notice. It was 1983. The Ershad regime. The chairman from Grindlays Bank in the UK wanted to meet the president. The local Grindlays Bank representative went to Major General Chisti with a

South Asia, and the honourable prime minister of Bangladesh. Extremely polite but firm on maintaining protocol, Shah Hannan thought the executive director of a global commercial bank should be very happy to see a deputy governor at the central bank, if not the executive director only. Meeting the prime minister was beyond protocol, he thought. While the local representative cited the recent example of a CEO of a boutique investment firm based out of Hong Kong meeting the PM, the extremely humble but farsighted Shah Hannan said the result of breaking the protocol was never good. Days would be numbered for these

kinds of organisations, he added. He wished Standard Chartered to be a good corporate entity, always respecting the local culture and maintaining the protocol, therefore, not to push him hard for doing something that he was not supposed to do. Just after a few months, the boutique investment firm was no longer in operation. Sujata Singh visited, and called on the whos who of Bangladesh. This time, newspaper reports didnt mention that she was carrying any special message from the Indian president or prime minister, or representing any one of them. We Bangladeshis are very humble. Our leaders always follow an open door policy. There is nothing wrong with that, especially when they get the chance to show warmth and hospitality to a visitor from our neighbouring country. Thats fine too. But the visiting friend giving advice, and more importantly, dictating the terms for our leadership, is not at all acceptable. Diplomatic protocol does not support this. We came to know about her discussion with the fallen dictator, Jatiya Party chief Ershad. We heard her speech in the meeting with the media. We dont think a government servant of her stature has the right to speak in that way. She tried to dictate the terms for an independent country like Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi people will decide who to vote for, and how they expect their country to be lead and run. An Indian foreign secretary cant tell us they want the election to be held on time, or that if we are not with the government party, Jamaat-Shibir will come to power, especially when she is on an official visit in a foreign country. How dare a visiting government servant say in public, that if maxi-

mum parties join the poll, it would be fair and free. Who is she to define democracy for the people of Bangladesh? We have fought our Liberation War directly with deemed-to-be-powerful Pakistan, and indirectly with mightier China and the United States. We will keep on fighting for a just, prosperous, and forward-looking Bangladesh. India does not want any anti-India activities to be harboured in Bangladesh territory. They want Indian firms or institutions to enjoy due market access in Bangladesh. Fair enough. But it should be vice versa. The present Indian leadership is soft towards a particular family in Bangladesh, it seems. There is nothing wrong with this. But a government servant under no circumstances should try to dictate the terms for the political leadership, home and abroad. If too eager, he or she should immediately resign, join politics, and run for a parliamentary seat or become a minister. Shame on our political leadership, shame on our civil bureaucracy, and most importantly, shame on our foreign ministry officials! I dont know how long they will let us down for their own acute intelligence deficiency syndrome. Bangladesh wants to move ahead, come out of the colonial mentality, and keep its flag flying high in the world. Salute to all the freedom fighters and 1971 civil and military leadership in the month of victory. Felicitations to all our entrepreneurs, teachers, journalists, non-resident Bangladeshis and workers, for their commitment towards a better Bangladesh, despite all the challenges. There are days beyond today. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

n Shireen Huq

s the world mourns the passing of Madiba, I thought I would share with you this beautiful tribute to him. It is a creative work of art consisting of 50 steel rods symbolic of his years in prison. The world has lost one of its greatest leaders, who was undeterred in his fight against apartheid, and when the struggle was won, when the most horrific of revenges would have been justified, demonstrated even greater courage in forgiving those who had carried out the wrongs and injustices of the apartheid system. He showed the world that there could be justice without retribution, and saved his country from anarchy and further bloodshed. I grieve the passing of Nelson Mandela, and I grieve for the fact that my country did not have the

good fortune of a leader like him. Our president went to South Africa to attend the memorial service in Pretoria, leaving behind a country burning as a result of a political impasse between the two major political parties. There have been more than 55 deaths in the last one week, mostly ordinary people trying to go about earning their livelihoods. Appeals to the president to intervene have fallen on deaf ears, as has a three-day hunger strike for peace organised by freedom fighters last week. I hope that the recalling of Mandelas life on television channels around the world will offer a fresh opportunity for world leaders as well as political leaders in Bangladesh to consider seriously and sincerely what Mandela stood for and struggled for. l
Shireen Huq is a womens rights activist.

AFP

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment
Recitation department opens at BSA
n Entertainment Desk
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has opened a Recitation Department through an inaugural ceremony on December 10. The aim of the academy is to promote recitation artists and practice the art along with its other departments, such as, drama, film. music, dance, arts and research department. Honourable Minister of Cultural Affairs Hasanul Haq Inu was the chief guest at the inauguration programme. Director of BSA, Liaquat Ali Lucky presided over the inaugural ceremony. Cultural Secretary Ranjit Kumar Biswas, noted cultural activist and president of Bangladesh Abritti Samannay Parishad Asaduzzaman Noor was present as special guest of the evening. Sohrab Uddin, director of the music and dance department of BSA and general secretary of Bangladesh Abritti Samannay Parishad MD Ahkam Ullah gave the opening speech. After the inauguration programme, Ashraful Alam, Jayanto Chattopadhyay, Bhaskar Bandyopadhyay, Kazi Arif, Dalia Ahmed and Laila Afroz presented recitations. l

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Raima and Nirab pay tribute to Suchitra Sen on silver screen

Moushumi and Ferdous to perform at Bahrain today

n Entertainment Desk
Victory day is celebrated by Bangladeshis all over the world and celebrated silver screen actors Ferdous and Moushumi started for Bahrain on December 11 to perform at the Victory day celebration arranged by the expatriates residing there. There, a performance will take place today and the dynamic duo will perform on popular Bangla songs, including, Ore Shampanwala, Premer Agune and Khayrun Lo Tor Lomba Mathar Kesh. Moushumi shared her feelings over the phone saying: Twelve years ago, for the first time, I performed onstage with Ferdous at London. From there on, we have performed together on many programmes as the audience just loves to see us pair up for stage performances. Ferdous is a great performer and I enjoy working with him. Ferdous said: I have just returned from Australia and am off for Bahrain to participate at the show. I am hoping to represent our heritage and culture abroad successfully. The actors are expected to be back tomorrow.l

n Entertainment Desk
Heartthrobs of two Bengals, Raima Sen and Nirab will be seen together on the silver screen for the first time in a film paying tribute to legendary actor Suchitra Sen. Bangladeshi seasoned actor Tariq Anam Khan will also appear in the film titled Sadarghat which will partly be shot in Bangladesh, where Suchitra Sen was born. At the heart of the film is yesteryears screen goddess Suchitra Sen, who now leads the life of a recluse. Though the film revolves around her, shell not be seen in person. Confirming the news, the director said, In Sadarghat, Suchitra Sen is all over without being anywhere. Both Moon Moon Sen and Raima will be playing themselves in the film.

When I narrated the script to Moon Moon, she loved it. Elaborating on the storyline, Sankarlal said, In the film, it will be shown how Dhaka is preparing a tribute to Suchitra Sen on her 80th birthday. Suchitras daughter, Moon Moon, sends Raima to receive the honour on behalf of her grandmother. She also has a plan to set up a restaurant in Kolkata with the name Sadarghat, where only Bangladeshi recipes will be served. The movie, which commences at a documentary pitch, takes turn to a romantic fiction note when Raima meets Akram (Nirab), a Bangladeshi young man who escorts the lady to visit Pabna, the birth place of Suchitra Sen. Raima comes back to Kolkata, while Moon Moon gets busy finishing the dream project of Sadarghat, but a certain news from Dhaka brings twist to the story. l

Nirab Hossain

Raima Sen

TODAY IN DHAKA
Film
Pacific Rim in 3D Purno dhorgho prem kahini Riddick, The Conjuring Titanic (3D) Level 8, Bashundhara City Panthapath

Exhibition

Solo Painting Exhibition By Nurun Naher Supti Time: 3pm 9pm Alliance Francaise de Dhaka 26 Mirpur Road Dhanmondi Quest for Reality Rafiqun Nabi Time: 12pm-8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts House No 42, Road No 16 Sheik Kamal Sarani Dhanmondi

Jodio Shondha will air tonight at 11pm on ATN Bangla. Written by Shafiqur Rahman Shantanu and directed by Chayanika Chowdhury, the drama features Apurbo, Runa Khan, Shomapti and many more

Lovato reveals dark secrets

n Entertainment Desk
Ive really never talked about this stuff before, I dont know if I should be sharing this. Thats what X Factor judge Demi Lovato said while recounting how her cocaine addiction was once so bad, she couldnt go an hour without using the drug. Lovato, 21, told Access Hollywood that she hit rock bottom at 19. With my drug use I could hide it to where I would sneak drugs. I couldnt go without 30 minutes to an hour without cocaine and I would bring it on airplanes, she said. I would smuggle it basically and just wait until everyone in first class would go to sleep and I would do it right there. Id sneak to the bathroom and Id do it. Thats how difficult it got and that was even with somebody (with me), I had a sober companion, somebody who was watching me 24/7 and living with me (and) I was able to hide it from them as well. Her drinking was just as bad. I was going to the airport and I had a Sprite bottle just filled with vodka and it was just nine in the morning and I was throwing up in the car and this was just to get on a plane to go back to LA to the sober living house that I was staying at, she said. I had all the help in the world, but I didnt want it. Lovato, who sat down with her mom Dianna for the interview, also said she had an eating disorder as far back as age 8. l

ON TV
MOVIE
8:30pm Zee Studio
Miami Vice Ted

COMEDY
1:30pm Comedy Central
Awkward Psych

DRAMA
10:00pm Zee Tv
Qubool Hain

NEWS
6:00pm Boishakhi Tv 11:00pm Desh Tv
News Evening news bulletin

MIXED
10:30am TLC
Little Paris

9:30pmStar Movies

9:30pm Fox Crime

12:00pm Star Plus

Diya aur bati hum

10:30pm Travel XP
Xplore Cambodia

Soha Ali Khan tags Bollywood intellectually satisfying

n Entertainment Desk
Soha Ali Khan, who has studied at the Oxford University and the London School of Economics and Political Science, has revealed that she finds Bollywood intellectually satisfying. The Bollywood actor told L`officiel Magazine that the platform you get as an actor is probably the biggest in the world, so if you are smart, you can make the most of it. The Rang De Basanti star asserted that she feels that her intellectual levels are being tested every day in and outside the industry, when people ask for her opinion on many burning issues. The 35-year-old beauty insisted that she writes columns for magazines and newspapers and addresses people at various social initiatives, holds charity dinners and all of this challenges her intellect at various levels, so it becomes very important to be informed, educated, and well-read. l

Paul Walkers funeral open for invitees only

n Entertainment Desk
The family of Paul Walker is planning a private funeral for the Fast & Furious star after the Los Angeles County coroners office released his body to Forest Lawn Mortuaries on Tuesday, reports the Los Angeles Times. Walker, 40, died November 30 alongside friend Roger Rodas after the Porsche Carrera GT Rodas was driving in Santa Clarita, California, careened into a light pole and tree, then burst into flames. An autopsy last week confirmed Walker died of traumatic and thermal injuries. Authorities say speed played a role in the crash. Also last week, detectives arrested a teenager accused of stealing some wreckage from the Porsche. According to the Associated Press, a second man has surrendered in the case. Authorities say Anthony Janow, 25, turned himself in at the San Fernando courthouse on Tuesday. He was booked and released on $60,000 bail. Prosecutors say Janow and 18-year-old Jameson Witty stole a roof panel as the wreckage was being towed. They were charged Monday with felony grand theft of personal property and two misdemeanors. They face up to 4 years in jail if convicted. Thousands of fans gathered in California to pay tribute to late Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker at the site where he died on Sunday. Fans arrived hours before the event was due to start, leaving flowers, candles, stuffed animals and other tributes. A giant banner was hung up on the side of a truck for people to write tribute messages for the actor and his friend, financial adviser Roger Rodas, who also died in the crash. l

Sonam Kapoor to star in Disneys remake of Khoobsoorat n Entertainment Desk

Continuing the trend of sequel and remakes, the Walt Disney Studios and the Anil Kapoor Film Company are partnering to produce Khoobsoorat, a story of an exuberant, vivacious and fun girl who turns the lives of a royal family upside down. The film, directed by Shashank Ghosh and Produced by Anil and Rhea Kajoor, is a modern day spin on the 1980 Hrishikesh Mukherjee comedy-drama, and will star Sonam Kapoor in the lead. Khoobsoorats ensemble cast includes Kirron Kher, Ratna Pathak Shah and Amir Raza Hussain, with rumors linking Pakistani actor Fawad Khan as Ms. Kapoors lead. The actor, however, could not be reached for a comment confirming this. For a long time now we were looking for a script with Disneys values and were happy to have found that in Khoobsurat said Rucha Pathak, Senior Creative Director, Studios, Disney UTV. We are so excited to bring you Khoobsurat with Disney India. Shashanks take on the film is unexpected, colourful and fun, everything you find in your favorite Disney movie added producer Rhea Kapoor. The original Khubsoorat won the Film Fare for Best Film and Best Actress in 1981, and starred Rekha and Rakesh Roshan, along with Dina Pathak Shah and Ashok Kumar. The film is currently being shot in Bikaner, Rajasthan, and will be released by mid-2014. l

Did you know?

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score nine goals in the group stages of the Champions League as Real Madrid won 2 0 away at FC Copenhagen on Tuesday

Sport

Thursday, December 12, 2013

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

0 9 4
DAYS TO GO
14 Sneijder sinks Juventus to send Gala to last 16 15 Taylor century torments West Indies

Zia draws in London

n Shishir Hoque
Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman drew with International Master Houska Jovanka of England in the 4th round of 5th London Chess Classic FIDE Open at the Olympia Conference Center in Kensington in London on Tuesday. Zia now has three points at the end of the 4th round and plays IM Ansell Simon of England in the 5th round. Meanwhile in the SREI International Grandmaster Chess Tournament in Kolkata, Fide Master Debaraj Chatterjee beat WFM Gevorgyan Maria of Armenia in the 7th round yesterday. Debaraj now have 3.5 points. Saidul Islam Masum and Zoar Haque Prodhan stand on 2 points, while Md Sharif Hossainhave has 1.5points. Grandmaster Niaz Murshed earlier withdrew from the tournament after the 6th round due to illness. l

Muktis fined n Shishir Hoque

The disciplinary committee of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday fined Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra Tk18,000 for the club officials unsportsmanlike behavior towards the referee. During their semi-final match against Team BJMC on December 7, Muktijoddha manager Abdus Sattar, goalkeeper coach Paniruzzaman Ponir and assistant coach Abdul Kayum protested against the referees decision to award BJMC a penalty. l

Bangladesh A team skipper Nasir Hossain plays a square cut as National team captain Mushfiqur Rahim looks on during their first Twenty20 match at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday

A team takes first Twenty20

n Minhaz Uddin Khan
An all-round team effort by Bangladesh A team saw them win the first of the three match Twenty20 Challenge Series at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday. The A team, led by middleorder batsman Nasir Hossain, clinched a 12 run victory over the national team led by Mushfiqur Rahim. A team skipper Nasir won the toss and opted to bat first. Opening batsman Imrul Kayes carried on with the good form he showed in the recently concluded Dhaka Premier League and punched a six off the fourth delivery of the first over from speedster Mashrafe bin Mortaza. The left handed batsman struck 45 off 36 ball with three fours and as many sixes before he was dismissed. Middle order batsman Mominul Haque added 31 (four fours, one six) but when he was and Nasir (17) departed in the 12th over, the batting sides progress was stunted. Nonetheless, they managed to reach 171/9. Veteran spinner Abdur Razzak led the national team bowlers with a haul of 4/36.

MUMIT M

Brief Score
A team: 171/9 in 20 overs Imrul 45, Mominul 31, Razzak 4/36 National team: 159/5 in 20 overs Shamsur 48, Mushfiqur 33, Elias 2/30 A team won the match by 12 runs

In reply, national openers Anamul Haque and Shamsur Rahman made a good start as they put on 55 runs in seven overs before Anamul departed for 30 (three fours, one six). Shamsur went onto post another 55 runs of just 33 balls with skipper Mushfiqur and the duo were able to keep up with the re-

quired run rate. However, Mushfiq was dismissed for a 21-ball 33 (four fours, one six) and four balls later, Shamsur was caught at a wide long-on off Elias Sunny for 48 from 34 balls, leaving the national side in trouble. The two quick dismissals got the A team the momentum and the bowling attack capitalised on it. The A team made to sure not to give away runs and plied the pressure on their opponents. The strategy worked as the national needed 23 to win in the last over and were successfully restricted by the A team. Left-arm spinner Elias led the attack picking up 2/30 from his four overs while Arafat Sunny was named manof-the-match for his economical 1/16 in four overs. A team skipper Nasir won the toss and opted bat first. Opening batsman Imrul Kayes carried on with his good form from the recently concluded Dha-

ka Premier League. The batsman had scored the highest runs in the tournament among the local cricketers and the confidence showed when he had punched a six on the fourth delivery of the first over off speedster Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. The left handed batsman posted 45 off 36 hammering three fours and as many sixes. Middle order batsman Mominul Haque added 31 runs to the tally hitting four boundaries and a six. Mominul and Nasirs (17) departure in the 12th over had impact on the A teams innings slowing down the run raye but still the side managed to post 171 runs at the end of 20 overs with a wicket to spare. Veteran spinner Abdur Razzak led the national team bowlers picking up four wickets in four overs conceding 36 runs. The second game will be held today at the same venue. The game is scheduled to start at 5pm. l

Minahjul distressed at missing chief selector slot

n Minhaz Uddin Khan
Former national cricketer and member of the selection panel Minhajul Abedin Nannu is unhappy with the Bangladesh Cricket Board naming Faruk Ahmed as the chief of the selection panel. Though Minhajul has not expressed his opinion in publicly, sources revealed that he has reacted badly to the decision. Minhajul, who had eyes on the vacant post after Akram Khans resignation, had told BCB president Nazmul Hasan of his ambition, but after several meetings the board chose Faruk as the chief, leaving Minhajul frustrated. Sources have informed that Minhajul is looking forward to meet the BCB boss over the issue today and might resign from the selection panel. I will first talk to the president (Nazmul Hasan) and then talk to the media on my decision, said Minhajul at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

I will first talk to the BCB president (Nazmul Hasan) and then talk to the media on my decision
Minhajul have been a part of the national selection panel for the last three years and many think his wish to the chiefs post is reasonable. Nonetheless, the former hardhitting batsmen informed that he has been good friends with Faruk since their playing days and that has not changed. l

Big turnout at SBNS

n Mazhar Uddin
Cricket has always been the best form of entertainment in Bangladesh and it was proved once again as fans turned in large numbers at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) despite the nationwide blockade to witness their favourite stars yesterday. Around 8,000 cricket crazy fans were present at the home of cricket to watch the first match of the T20 Challenge Series between the national and the A team. Starting at 5pm, the eastern gallery and the international gallery gates were open for all in the evening game which pulled the several thousand spectators to the ground. However, more crowds could have made it in the ground if all the other galleries were open. Whenever I get the chance I come to watch cricket here (SBNS), said Shamsul Huda, a private service holder. When I heard Bangladesh national team will play against Bangladesh A side I could not wait to watch the match and also my favorite cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim, he continued. The ongoing political unrest in the country saw the West Indies Under-19 side return home before completing their tour for security reasons. It is really a contrasting image when on one side the countrys image is tarnished with the Caribbean youths going back while on the other side the fans showing no fear in visiting the stadium from different places to watch the game which is not even an international affair. The number of crowd is expected to grow bigger in the remaining two matches of the Challenge Series. The second game will also be played under lights on December 12 while the last match of series on December 14 will be a day game starting at 1pm at the same venue.l

Volleyball tournament

n Shishir Hoque
The Walton Victory Day Volleyball Tournament 2013 will begin at the Dhaka Volleyball Stadium tomorrow when defending champions Bangladesh Army take on Border Guard Bangladesh in the inaugural match at 8.30am. A total of eight teams, split into two groups, will participate in the four-day meet. Army, BGB, Air Force and Fire Service make up group A while Titas Gas, Navy, Bangladesh Power Development Board and Police are in group B. l

Chief Selector of the Bangladesh National cricket team Faruk Ahmed (2L) along with other two selectors Habibul Bashar (C) and Minhajul Abedin (2R) watch the first T20 match between A team and National team at SBNS yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Aminul out for three months

n Shishir Hoque
Muktijoddha SKC received a big blow ahead of their Walton Federation Cup final against Sheikh Jamal DC as it was confirmed that they will miss the service of veteran goalkeeper Aminul Islam who was ruled out with a knee injury for three months yesterday. The former national goalkeeper will also miss the first few games in the Bangladesh Premier League. Aminul had a successful ACL surgery at the citys Apollo Hospital on Tuesday after suffering a ligament tear on his left knee during their semi-final match against Team BJMC last Saturday. In that games 42nd minute, Aminul collided with BJMC forward Ismael Bangoura in an attempt to clear the ball outside the penalty area after which the Muktis custodian had to be immediately substituted by Rasel Mahmud Liton. Its a bad luck for me. Sheikh Jamal is my former club and Muktijoddha is my current address. I really wanted to play this game, said Aminul over the phone yesterday. The doctors said I will return to the field in three months. I wish my club all the best for the final, he added. Aminul, however, showed great faith in the teams second goalkeeper Liton who produced a stunning save during the tie-breaker against BJMC to take Muktijoddha to the Federation Cup final after eight long years. I trained with him (Liton). He is a very good keeper and good at tiebreaker also. He has the confidence and I hope he will perform well in the final, expressed Aminul. Muktijoddha coach Shafiqul Islam Manik admitted of missing Aminuls experience in the final, but he too put his faith on Liton and expects the youngster to shine in the final. Aminul is an experienced player. He would be an asset in such a big game against Sheikh Jamal in the final because of his experience. We will miss him, but Liton has done very well in the semi-final and I believe he will repeat the same performance in the final, said Manik yesterday. Manik also hinted a change in the Muktis defense line keeping the likes of Sheikh Jamal strikers Haitian international Sony Norde and Wesdon in mind. Egyptian defender Mohamed Elgilani Mahmoud Nagi is likely to partner Nigerian Eleta Benjamin Junior in the back four. l

A huge crowd gathered at the SBNS despite the nationwide blockade to witness their favourite stars yesterday

MUMIT M

14
Sneijder sinks Juventus to send Gala to last 16
n AFP, Istanbul
An 85th minute strike from Wesley Sneijder secured what will go down as a controversial 1-0 win for Galatasaray over Juventus and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League yesterday. Galatasarays second win in six games left them second in Group B on seven points, allowing the Turkish giants to join Real Madrid in the last 16 of the competition. Juventus finished third on six points, two more than FC Copenhagen, and drop into the Europa League. The match resumed in the 32nd minute at the Ali Sami Yen stadium after officials called a halt to proceedings while the match stood scoreless on Tuesday due to heavy snowfall. Officials had managed to clear the pitch of snow for the remaining 59 minutes of the game, however snow continued to fall and several areas of the pitch were virtually unplayable. Juventus coach Antonio Conte was clearly unhappy, especially as a large chunk of damaged pitch lay in Juventuss attacking end for the second half. Juve were having the lions share of play but were ultimately stunned five minutes from time when Sneijder beat Buffon at his far post from a tight angle after running on to Drogbas header.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Olympiakos, Leverkusen through, City stun Bayern

n AFP, Paris
Holders Bayern Munich saw their record run of 10 successive Champions League wins ended in dramatic fashion as Manchester City came from 2-0 down to beat them 3-2 in their final group match on Tuesday. Both sides had already qualified for the last 16 from Group D and they were joined in the knockout phase by two more sides. Bayerns Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen beat Real Sociedad 1-0 to progress from Group A, and Greek outfit Olympiakos advanced from Group C with a 3-1 win against an Anderlecht side reduced by the end to eight men, although the Greeks had made life harder for themselves by missing two penalties. But the final qualification place behind Real Madrid in Group B will not be decided until Wednesday after a snow storm in Istanbul forced the game between Galatasaray and Juventus to be abandoned after 31 minutes with the score 0-0 the Italian side need only a draw to progress as runners-up while the hosts must win. Madrid beat Copenhagen 2-0 in Denmark, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo scoring to set a new record of nine goals in one group-stage campaign. He later missed a penalty, but the defeat ensured that Copenhagen would finish bottom of the section. While City produced the performance of the night, their rivals Manchester United ended a two-match home losing streak with a 1-0 win over Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk to guarantee top spot in Group A. Extraordinary as it may seem, City manager Manuel Pellegrini intimated he was blissfully unaware that a fourth goal for his side after goals from the returning David Silva, Aleksandar Kolarov and James Milner had turned the game on its head would have seen them top the group ahead of Bayern. I was tempted if we scored the fourth goal, of course, replied the Chilean as to why he hadnt sent on leading scorer Sergio Aguero. Thats why I sent Aguero to warm up...I repeat, for our team it was very important to be first in the group, but not the most important thing. It was difficult to score two goals. His Bayern counterpart Pep Guardiola, who was experiencing defeat for the first time in a competitive match since he took the reins in the close season, said defeat could be a benefit for the team. Perhaps we needed a defeat to remind us of a few things, said Guardiola. The most important thing now is that we learn the lessons from the defeat. Ronaldo, who broke the record he had held with Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy (2004/05), Italian Filippo Inzaghi and Argentinian Hernan Crespo (both of whom scored eight apiece in the 2002/03 campaign), was not completely happy after the match with his performance. He is a little angry because he didnt score the penalty (the first he missed all season). But he scored another important goal and played well, said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti. By finishing top of their group, Ancelotti is at least for the moment spared meeting his former club Paris Saint-Germain, who were already assured of topping Group C prior to going down to a 2-1 defeat at Benfica. Benfica, though, were denied their place in the last 16 as Olympiakos did what they had to do by beating Anderlecht to reach the knockout stage for the first time since the 2009/10 season Benfica must be content with a place in the Europa League, a competition in which they reached the final last term. United too will avoid Bayern, Real and PSG after finishing top of their group, a Phil Jones goal in the second half following manager David Moyess tough halftime talk. We wanted to top the group and we have, said Moyes. I was tough with them at half-time, but we needed to be we need to win games. A club like Manchester United has to be trying to win the trophy; thats their job. You have to get better as the tournament goes on. Its a tough competition, a hard one, but we will take it one game at a time. l

Galatasaray's players celebrate winning against Juventus during their Uefa Champions League group B match at Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul yesterday

AFP

RESULTS
Galatasaray
Sneijder 85 Jones 67

10 10 01 02 21 31 23 21

Juventus Shakhtar Leverkusen

Man United Sociedad Copenhagen Benfica

Toprak 49

Modric 25, Ronaldo 48 Cavani 37

Real Madrid PSG

Lima 45-pen, Gaitan 58

Olympiakos

Saviola 33, 58, Dominguez 90+5-p

Anderlecht

Kljestan 39

Bayern Munich
Mueller 5, Goetze 12

Silva 28, Kolarov 59-p, Milner 62

Man City

Viktoria Pilsen
Kolar 76, Wagner 90

CSKA Moscow

Musa 65

Hanover turn to psychological help n AFP, Berlin

Bundesliga side Hanover 96 have turned to psychological help in a bid to halt their slide down the table and recapture some form. Hanover have dropped to 12th in the league table after winning just one of their last 10 matches including seven away defeats. Of course, its a mental problem when you lose seven games in a row away, said Hanovers general manager Dirk Dufner. In a bid to break into the top six to guarantee European football next season, Hanover have brought in former club employee and motivation specialist Peter Boltersdorf at the players request. He has worked with several sports teams, including the German mens handball team which won the 2007 world championships on home soil, but says there is no quick-fix solution. You cant solve the problem by just pressing a button, itll take time, said Boltersdorf with Hanover dropping to 12th after Saturdays 4-2 defeat at VfB Stuttgart. l

Swansea, Wigan fates go down to wire

n AFP, Paris
Swansea City and Wigan Athletic are on the road today as they bid to seal their berths in the first knockout round of the Europa League. A total of 18 clubs are already through to the last 32 of Europes second-tier competition with six more spots up for grabs on Thursday. They will be joined by the eight third-placed teams from the UEFA Champions League group stage. Tottenham Hotspur, are already through along with Spanish clubs Valencia and Sevilla, Frances Lyon and Fiorentina of Italy. The north London outfit host Russians Anzhi Makhachkala at White Hart Lane with both sides having already qualified from Group K. Swansea are second in Group A behind Valencia as they travel to face Swiss side St Gallen needing just a point to advance, while Championship outfit Wigan, third in Group D, visit Slovenian outfit Maribor. Of Swanseas task, goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel remarked: It wont be easy .. but the whole squad is determined to go to Switzerland and get the result we need to get through. Michael Laudrups Swansea were unable to get the point that would have clinched qualification last month as they lost 1-0 at home to Valencia. For Thursdays game, Laudrup has said he is reluctant to risk Michu despite the Spaniards return from five weeks on the sidelines, while Ivorian forward Wilfried Bony is recovering from a hamstring problem picked up against Valencia. Last seasons FA Cup winners Wigan know that their fate is out of their hands as they make the journey to Slovenia under new management. German Uwe Rosler was appointed to replace Owen Coyle, who departed last weekend after a run of three successive defeats left the club from the English northwest in 14th place in the Championship. Wigan, who lost 2-1 at home to Zulte Waregem last time out, visit Maribor needing to win while also hoping the Belgian side lose to group winners Rubin Kazan. Elsewhere, Dutch club PSV Eindhoven host Chornomorets Odessa of Ukraine in Group B with all to play for as both have seven points behind already qualified Ludogorets of Bulgaria. German side Freiburg will be looking to seal qualification from Group H alongside Sevilla when they host the Spaniards, although Czech side Slovan Liberec travel to eliminated Estoril also hoping to progress. Dynamo Kiev host Rapid Vienna with both sides looking for the remaining berth from Group G behind Genk, and Israels Maccabi Tel Aviv are on the verge of advancing from Group F.l

FIXTURE
St Gallen (SUI) Valencia (ESP) Zagreb (CRO) Eindhoven (NED) Salzburg (AUT) Liege (BEL) Maribor (SLO) Waregem (BEL) Fiorentina (ITA) Pandurii (ROM) Frankfurt (GER) M Tel Aviv (ISR) Dynamo (UKR) FC Thun (SUI) Estoril (POR) Freiburg (GER) Real Betis (ESP) Guimares (POR) Limassol (CYP) Lazio (ITA) Tiraspol (MDA) Tottenham (ENG) M Haifa (ISR) Salonika (GRE) v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v V v v v Swansea (ENG) Krasnodar (RUS) Ludogorets (BUL) Odessa (UKR) Esbjerg (DEN) Elfsborg (SWE) Wigan (ENG) Rubin Kazan (RUS) FC Dnipro (UKR) Ferreira (POR) Apoel (CYP) Bordeaux (FRA) Rapid Vienna (AUT) KRC Genk (BEL) Liberec (CZE) Sevilla (ESP) Rijeka (CRO) Lyon (FRA) Warsaw (POR) Trabzonspor (TUR) Troms (NOR) Anzhi (RUS) Karagandy (KAZ) AZ Alkmaar (NED)

Manchester City players celebrate after Serbian defender Aleksandar Kolarov scored from a penalty spot during their Uefa Champions League group D match against Bayern Munich in Munich, southern Germany, on Tuesday AFP

Brazil hooligan clubs face tough rap

n AFP, Rio De Janeiro
Brazilian sides Atletico PR and relegated Vasco da Gama face record fines and stadium closures after their fans were caught up in violence on Sunday. The shocking scenes of fans kicking and punching each other on the terraces in the southern city of Joinville has provoked a storm not least as it harms Brazils image six months before it hosts the World Cup. Brazils Supreme Tribunal for Sporting Justice (STJD), part of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), on Tuesday confirmed it was assessing what punishment should be dished out after violence which Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said the country would not tolerate. Given the seriousness of this case we must make a judgement now as everyone wants a response we shall not leave it til 2014, said STJD chairman Flavio Zveiter, adding the Tribunal would likely hold an extraordinary session on the case. The head of the CBF, Jose Maria Marin, Tuesday evening revealed that Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo had convened a meeting with the organisation for Thursday in Brasilia to discuss the violence. Minster Aldo Rebelo has called us to a meeting Thursday to discuss the problem of violence following the dreadful occurrences at the match between Vasco and Atletico, said Marin, who earlier met with several club chairmen. The CBF was appalled at what happened and will follow (the issue) closely, added Marin, stressing the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on hooligans. Additional controversy erupted Sunday after it emerged police were only on duty outside with private security drafted inside, a decision which had police and state government firing accusations and counter-accusations at each other Tuesday. The STJD could hand both clubs as much as a 20-game stadium ban and a fine in the region of $50,000 dollars. Match referee Ricardo Ribeiro faces a four-month suspension if he is found to have officiated a match without adequate security, Zveiter told Lance sports daily. Atletico were playing in Joinville, some 150 km (90 miles) south of their Curitiba home the latter is scheduled to host World Cup action in June after previous disorder. l

Jose backs Cole for deal extension

n AFP, London
Ashley Cole may have lost his starting spot for Chelsea, but manager Jose Mourinho says he is fully deserving of a contract extension. Mourinho has recalled Cole for Wednesdays Champions League clash against Steaua Bucharest, the left-back set to make his first start since November 2 when he lost his place to Cesar Azpilicueta. Sometimes, even if youre not playing every game and are not first-choice, like he was always, it doesnt mean you are not well or deserving of a new contract, Mourinho said. I feel hes fine and I think tomorrow hes going to show hes fine. Naturally, with the evolution of the season, he will play matches.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, December 12, 2013

15
Cooks brain scrambled: Boycott n AFP, Perth
England great Geoffrey Boycott on Wednesday blasted captain Alastair Cooks scrambled brain and said the team needed to use more common sense to prevent yet another defeat to Australia. Boycott has been shocked by Englands lacklustre efforts during the Ashes tour and laid some of the blame at Cooks feet, saying he appeared frustrated and worn down by the Australian attack. Australia have worked Alastair out, Boycott said in a column for the West Australian newspaper. They give him nothing to score off his legs or hip and they are winning the battle. The plain-speaking Boycott could barely contain his anger at Cooks second-innings dismissal in Adelaide for one, when he needed to get a big score. Here was our captain, who is supposed to set the tone, hooking Mitchell Johnson down fine legs throat in the second over of the day, which shows his brain is scrambled, he said. We have some serious problems, Boycott added. What they have to work out is how they are going to get some pride back in the team, the former opening batsman said. They cannot do that unless they bat with more common sense and stop gifting wickets away. l

QUICK BYTES

Nishikori hires Chang as advisory coach

Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori said Wednesday he has signed up former French Open champion Michael Chang of the United States as a coach from next year. Excited to announce an addition to the team. Michael Chang will join us in 2014, Nishikori, who will be 24 on December 29, said on Twitter and Facebook. His current full-time coach Dante Bottini will remain in his job, said the worlds number 17, who made his ATP Tour debut in 2007 and has won three singles titles. We have already spent the last two weeks working hard and are getting ready for 2014, Nishikori added. His agent, IMG Japan, said Chang, 41, will serve as a sort of advisory coach to use his experience in helping Nishikori particularly on his mental side. Chang will accompany Nishikori to some of his tournaments and may advise him in the run-up to Grand Slam events, an IMG official told AFP. AFP

Barcelona to let fans decide on the new Camp Nou

Barcelona will ask their fans to decide on whether the club should rebuild their Camp Nou stadium or move to a new site, vice-president Javier Faus told local radio on Tuesday. Faus said the board would meet on Jan. 20 to consider the proposals, both of which would lift capacity from 98,000 to 105,000, and then be put to a fans vote. We have ruled out making small changes as that would be more complex and worse for the fans who would lose 12,000 seats, said Faus, the clubs economic vicepresident. The cost of rebuilding would be 300 million euros ($413.14 million) or 600 million for a new stadium, but that would be more expensive still with a new sports hall. We will not make a decision, it will be down to the fans. The club can generate between 100 and 120 million euros annually and half of this could be spent on the sports project and the rest on preparing the surroundings. Reuters

Ross Taylor of New Zealand plays a shot during day one of the second Test against West Indies at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday

Taylor ton torments West Indies

n AFP, Wellington
New Zealands Ross Taylor tormented the West Indies bowlers Wednesday, making the most of an early let-off to score a century on the first day of the second Test as the home side reached 307 for six. The former skipper, who scored an unbeaten double century in the series opener, was dismissed shortly before close of play at Wellingtons Basin Reserve for 129 when Shane Shillingford pulled off a diving catch. In-form Taylor arrived at the crease with the home side in deep trouble at 24-2 on a green wicket and was dropped before he got off the mark. In conditions that favoured the bowlers, the 29-year-old forged halfcentury partnerships with Kane Williamson, Brendon McCullum and Corey Anderson to swing the match New Zealands way, taking the sting out of the second new ball with BJ Watling. Taylor has amassed a total of 362 runs in just three innings and been dismissed just once. He also passed 4,000 Test runs during his innings and now has an average of 46.52, topping the list of New Zealand batsmen who have played a minimum of 20 innings. After his early life when dropped in the slips by Kirk Edwards, Taylor offered another opportunity on 122 when Tino Best spilled a catch at fine leg. That came just after Taylor had belted 13 runs off one over by the West Indies quick. But he was seldom under pressure as he faced 227 balls and hit 15 boundaries before slashing at Shannon Gabriel and being well caught by Shillingford. New Zealands cause was also helped by the inability of West Indies strike bowlers Best and Gabriel to maintain the good line and length that saw them claim openers Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford in quick succession. Fulton, whose leg before wicket first ball dismissal was overturned on appeal, did not make the most of his reprieve as he poked at a Darren Sammy delivery outside off-stump a few overs later and was caught behind for six. Rutherford, dropped by Sammy on eight, made only three more runs before chasing a shorter Best delivery, which he edged to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. Kane Williamson, returning to the New Zealand line-up after missing the Dunedin Test with a thumb injury, scored freely until he reached 45, when he flashed at a wide Best delivery to be caught by Sammy in the slips. McCullum and Anderson, like Williamson, also made solid starts before being undone. l

AFP

SCORE CARD
New Zealand 1st innings P. Fulton c Ramdin b Sammy 6 H. Rutherford c Ramdin b Best 11 K. Williamson c Sammy b Best 45 R. Taylor c Shillingford b Gabriel 129 B. McCullum c Edwards b Deonarine 37 C. Anderson c Edwards b Shillingford 38 B. Watling not out 8 T. Southee not out 9 Extras (b16, lb6, nb2) 24 Total: (6 wickets; 90 overs) 307 Fall of wickets 1 14 (Fulton), 2 24 (Rutherford), 3 112 (Williamson), 4 189 (McCullum), 5 257 (Anderson), 6 296 (Taylor) Bowling Best 14 1 66 2, Gabriel 18 4 56 1, Sammy 19 3 65 1, Shillingford 23 4 591, Deonarine 16 2 39 1

'Lyon likely to play in Perth scorcher' n Reuters, Sydney

Spinner Nathan Lyon is likely to retain his place in the Australia side for the third Ashes test despite the attractions of going with a four-pronged pace attack in Perth this week, coach Darren Lehmann said on Wednesday. The hosts could wrap up the series 3-0 with victory at the WACA but with temperatures soaring in the Western Australian capital, Lehmann said James Faulkner looked likely to remain 12th man for a third straight test. Well have to look at the wicket first, see what its like. If we think it warrants (Faulkner) playing and the four quicks so be it. But, look, its going to be hot weather here - its 35 (degrees Celsius) and getting up to 40 on Monday - so, I think well play the spinner. Again, weve got to work out who has pulled up fit from the last Test, so well see what happens, said Lehman. l

Evertons Baines plots Christmas comeback

Evertons England left-back Leighton Baines revealed on Wednesday that he hopes to return to action in time for his clubs busy festive fixture schedule. The 29-year-old, who is bidding to oust Ashley Cole as Englands first-choice leftback at next years World Cup, has not played since breaking a toe in Evertons 3 3 draw with Liverpool on November 23. Manager Roberto Martinez estimated that he would be out of action until early January, but Baines is hoping to recover before the end of the year. The manager said early on its quite a broad timeframe that you can be looking at, he said. AFP

Were not scared of Johnson: Flower

n AFP, Perth
Coach Andy Flower insists England are not scared of Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson, and says the tourists dismal record in Perth will have no bearing on the outcome of the pivotal third Ashes Test. Johnson terrorised the England batsmen in Brisbane and Adelaide, taking his side to the brink of reclaiming the Ashes after three consecutive series defeats. And the left-arm quick, who has taken 17 wickets with his 150 kilometresan-hour (93 miles-an-hour) deliveries, has been tipped to bowl even faster on his home ground, the WACA, in the match starting on Friday. Despite the England batsmen being bruised and battered, Flower rejected claims they were afraid of Johnson. I wouldnt say scared, he said. One thing I would say about playing fast bowling is that our batsmen have to display the combination of skill and determination to bat long periods against it. Because if we do expose our lower order, they will struggle against that sort of pace. So the responsibility lies with the batsmen in that regard. Flower is undaunted by his sides previous struggles at the WACA but is hoping captain Alastair Cook wins the toss so the team can bat first and post a big score. I think past glories mean nothing in this context. The challenge at Perth will be to assess those conditions accurately and have clarity on the risk/ reward that you always have to judge when youre batting, he said.l

No decision yet on Deulofeu future: Martino

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has not ruled out the possibility that 19-yearold winger Gerard Deulofeu could spend another season on loan at Premier League side Everton. Deulofeu joined the Toffees on a season-long loan deal at the start of the current campaign and has begun to make his presence felt in England with two goals in his last three games, including a stunning strike which salvaged a 1 1 draw at leaders Arsenal on Sunday. After that match Everton boss Roberto Martinez hinted that the Spanish under-21 international could be allowed to spend another season on loan should he be surplus to requirements at Barcelona. AFP

ICC chairman Dave Richardson (L) and retired cricket player Waqar Younis of Pakistan pose with a framed cricket cap after the latter was inducted into the ICC hall of fame prior the start of the T20 match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dubai yesterday AFP

Champion Vettel slams double points plan

n AFP, Berlin
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has slammed approved Formula One rule changes for next season, which includes doubling the points awarded for the last race of the season. This is absurd and punishes those who have worked hard for a whole season, the 26-year-old German Red Bull driver told German magazine Sports Bild. Imagine that on the last weekend of the Bundesliga season, they suddenly double the points. I value the old traditions in Formula One and I dont understand this new rule. Motorsports world governing-body FIA brought in a series of new reforms during a meeting of the F1 Strategy Group and Formula One Commission in Paris on Monday. They included doubling the number of points in the world drivers championships for the seasons final race, meaning the winner would get 50 points. Vettel was crowned world champion for the fourth successive year this season, winning 13 of the 19 races including nine in succession. l

DAYS WATCH
Ten Golf 06:00PM Nelson Mandela Championship Day 2 Sony Six NBA 7:00AM New York vs Chicago 9:30AM Golden State vs Dallas Neo Prime 3:00AM (Thursday) West Indies Tour of New Zealand 2nd Test, Day 3 UEFA Europa League Ten Sports 11:55 PM St Gallen v Swansea City Ten Action 11:55 PM NK Maribor v Wigan Athletic Ten HD 11:55 PM Valencia v Kuban Krasanodar

Murray to miss BBC awards ceremony

n AFP, London
Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has decided not to attend Sundays BBCs Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony despite being the hot favourite to take the top prize. The Scot was installed as the frontrunner for the prestigious award immediately following his historic win over Novak Djokovic in July made him the first British mens singles victor at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. Murray had considered being present at the hugely popular ceremony in Leeds, but in the end decided to stay at his training base in Miami where he is working his way back to fitness after an operation on his lower back in September. Instead the 26-year-old Murray will link up with the show live by video from Florida, as he did last year, when he was presented with the third-placed trophy by boxer Lennox Lewis. The world number four intends to train every day up to and including Christmas Day before flying to Abu Dhabi, where he is due to begin his season on December 26 with a match against Tsonga. Murray does not want his decision to be seen as a snub to the award or the BBC, who he writes a column for during Wimbledon and with whom he collaborated on a documentary ahead of this years Championships. The Scot only began playing points in practice last week and, although his recovery is said to be broadly on track, he feels he still has a lot of work to do. Murray is renowned as one of the tours hardest trainers and knowing he has done everything possible to prepare himself for big events is central to his approach. l

South Africa opener Quinton de Kock celebrates after scoring his third consecutive hundred against India during their 3rd ODI in Centurion yesterday. South Africa scored 301 for eight in their stipulated 50 overs AGENCIES

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The flag that soared

n Ishrat Jahan
The mood will be joyous this Victory Day at the Army Parade Ground, when Bangladesh attempts to break the record for the worlds largest human flag. More than 30,000 people will lift their arms above their heads to hoist their piece of red or green. But the mood on March 3, 1971, when the flag was first hoisted at Dhaka University, was entirely different. Just four days before Sheikh Mujibur Rahmans famous call for independence, the resistance movement was already well underway. The Pakistani military junta led by Gen Yahya Khan had ordered the inflow of the Pakistani Army to Dhaka at a rate of one Boeing 707 filled with Pakistani soldiers every day. Yahya Khan had been delaying the convening of the Pakistan national assembly, a move seen by East Pakistan as a plan to deny Sheikh Mujib from taking charge, despite having won the elections by a landslide in December 1970. Anticipating imminent Pakistani onslaught, the executive committee of the Bangladesh Chhatra League led by ASM Abdur Rab, then Vice President of Dhaka University Students Union hastily called an emergency meeting, at midnight on March 2, at Modhur Canteen in Dhaka University. Rab reasoned that there was no alternative but to hoist the national flag of independent Bangladesh, which had been designed as an insignia during Sheikh Mujibs campaign. On March 3 at 11am, at the Dhaka University premises popularly known as Bat-Tala, students from all over the campus gathered to witness the historical moment. Rab pulled down the Pakistani flag and burned it. Moments later, he hoisted the flag of independent Bangladesh.

A woman stiches a Bangladesh flag at a factory in the capitals Rayerbagh area with the Victory Day approaching yesterday

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

One killed, over 250 hurt in blockade

Jamaat-Shibir men snatch pistol from police at Shonir Akhra in city

n Tribune Report
At least one person was killed and more than 250 others injured in clashes yesterday, the fifth day of the 144-hour blockade enforced by the 18-party opposition alliance alongside a hartal by Jamaat-e-Islami protesting the move to execute its leader war criminal Abdul Quader Molla. Akhtar Hossain, 50, a poultry trader of Santhia upazila of Pabna district, was killed and five others were injured as a truck, after being chased by pickets, overturned at Madhya Bhadraghat village in Kamarkhand upazila of Sirajganj district early yesterday, according to UNB. Pickets torched and damaged over 160 vehicles, ransacked a large number of establishments and blasted several hundred bombs, while law enforcers fired around 700 gunshots and teargas canisters and arrested around 70 people. Clips were removed from railway tracks and trees were used to blockade roads for suspending traffic movement and cutting off communication between Dhaka and the rest of the country. In Dhaka, Jamaat-Shibir men snatched a pistol from a policeman after physically assaulting him at Shonir Akhra, while separate clashes in Badda and old parts of Dhaka also left several people injured. Ilias Sharif, deputy commissioner of Wari division, said a pistol was

snatched away from Sub-Inspector Abdul Khaleq of Kadamtoli police station near Shonir Akhra Bridge when he was on his way to his workplace on a motorcycle at around 9am. Clashes in Badda also saw Jamaat-Shibir men exploding around 30 crude bombs and law enforcers retaliating with 20 gunshots, while a different clash in Laxmibazar left several people injured at around 8:30am. In Coxs Bazar, at least 10 people, including five policemen, were injured when Jamaat-Shibir activists locked into several phases of fierce gunfight with law enforcers at the towns Bazarghata, Burmese Market, Tekpara and Kalurdokan areas. They also vandalised vehicles and business establishments during the violence. According to witnesses, the Jamaat-Shibir men attacked law enforcers from different alleyways and behind buildings, prompting Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh to join the police, who fired over 60 rounds of bullets. In Narail, at least 50 people, including eight policemen, were injured in a fierce clash at Ghorakhali-Dumurtola area of sadar upazila. Equipped with various sharp weapons, Jamaat-Shibir men attacked law enforcers, while police charged truncheons and fired around 80 rounds of bullets. Acting superintendent of police, BM Nuruzzaman, confirmed the matter

and said the BGB, Rab and additional police have been deployed in the area and the district town. In Sylhet, over 50 people were injured in clashes between Jamaat-Shibir and police at Tukerbazar on the outskirts of the city at noon, while Shibir men torched two police vehicles in the citys Darshan Dewri and vandalised several vehicles. During the clash at Tukerbazar, police arrested 10 activists from the spot. In Comilla, more than 15 people, including three policemen, were injured in separate clashes in Comilla sadar and Chauddagram upazilas. At least eight Jamaat-Shibir men were arrested. In Lakshmipur, Jamaat-Shibir men injured at least eight people, including two journalists and an activist of Bangladesh Chhatra League, as well as torching six motorcycles and vandalising different government offices and business establishments. Blockades were also set up on the road by felling over 200 trees. In Tangail, over 20 passenger sustained injuries as Jamaat-Shibir cadres vandalised and torched vehicles near Bangabandhu Bridge under Basail upazila. They also vandalised 50 other vehicles as well as setting an auto-rickshaw on fire. In Jessore, two policemen were injured in an attack carried out by blockade-supporters at Laujani under Jhikargachha upazila. In Khulna, at least 15 Shibir activists received bullet wounds in a clash

with police in Sonadanga upazila in the morning. During the clash on the Khulna-Sonadanga Road, police fired over 100 rounds of bullets and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the pickets and arrested five of them. In Rajshahi, at least 20 Shibir activists were injured with bullets in separate clashes with police in Kajla, Shalbagan, Charkhutar intersection and Bornali of the city in the morning. In Chittagong, pro-blockade activists in separate incidents vandalised at least 10 vehicles in the district and blasted crude bombs. Police arrested 10 suspects and recovered explosives from the port citys Jamal Khan and Boropul area. In Jhenaidah, a number of auto-rickshaws were vandalized, while one the drivers were stabbed by the Jamaat-Shibir men at Lautala on the Kaliganj-Chuadanga highway. The Shibir men also cut off the tendons of Harindia ward unit president of Awami League, Rafiqul Islam Mandal. In Lalmonirhat, at least 250 clips of railway tracks on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari route were removed from between the Bawra and Patgram stations at Patgram upazila. The subversive act left a Lalmonirhat-bound passenger train stranded at Patgram station, with train communications suspended since dawn. In Natore, more than 10 Jamaat-Shibir activists were injured during a clash in the town. l

It was an unknown Awami League worker who hoisted the flag at Ramna Racecourse on March 7, where Sheikh Mujib declared Bangladesh independent, and called for armed struggle against the Pakistani occupation army. Sheikh Mujib hoisted the flag at his own residence in Dhanmondi on March 23. After the Liberation War, the national flag was officially adopted on January 17, 1972. For simplicity, the yellow map of the country was omitted. The flag of Bangladesh was first hoisted at the United Nations in New York in September 1974. China had twice used its veto against the admission of Bangladesh in the UN in 1972 and 1973. But at last the new country was recognised. The hoisting of the flag is more than a mere emblem of Bangladeshs nationhood. It is also a symbol of recognition for the pride, sacrifice and blood that gave Bangladesh its place on the world map. Do you know:Why is the red circle on our flag off-centre? Email your answer toinfo@dhakatribune.comfor a chance to win exclusive passes to the Worlds Largest Human Flag event on December 16, and see history in the making. l

More awards for foreign friends unlikely this year

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik
The outgoing government is unlikely to present any more awards this year to foreign individuals or organisations honouring their contributions to Bangladeshs Liberation War in 1971, officials said. In view of the ongoing political situation in the country, the liberation war affairs ministry has dropped its plans to hold a third award ceremony this year. However, more foreign friends will be presented with awards in batches later; officials at the ministry told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. It would not be possible to honour our foreign friends this year, said Md Abul Kashem Talukder, joint secretary of the ministry. When a new government is formed, another ceremony will likely be held on March 26, 2014, he added. At two other ceremonies held in March and October this year, some 129 foreign friends were awarded. To recognise the support and contributions of foreigners and overseas organisations during the nine-month war, the Awami League-led government started handing out awards to foreign friends on July 25, 2011, conferring the highest award, Bangladesh Freedom Honour, posthumously on the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Two other award categories Bangladesh Liberation War Honour and Friends of Liberation War Honour are given respectively to former heads of state/government and to individuals or organisations. A list of 562 individual and organisations has already been prepared for the awards, ministry sources said. Since 2011, a total of 338 individuals and organisations have already received their awards in seven phases. The others will get their awards gradually in phases. The honoured friends include former Indian President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, former Indian PM IK Gujral, former Nepalese PM late Girija Prasad Koirala, Pakistani politicians late Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and late Khan Abdul Wali Khan, noted singer late Suchitra Mitra and film actress Waheeda Rahman. l

Blockades intensify patients sufferings

n Moniruzzaman Uzzal
Sufferings of patients especially those who are critically ill, know no bounds, as they cannot reach hospitals for better treatment out of fear of vandalism and arson attacks by miscreants in the background of raging blockades and shutdowns. The number of patients at renowned hospitals like Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Birdem and other private ones has drastically fallen since last week. Even ambulances used to transport grievously ill patients are not spared during blockades. If by any chance one manages to get an ambulance, it charges four to five times than usual rate due to the risk involved. One of the ambulance owners said life is more precious than money. Drivers do not want to go outside Dhaka as they do not want to risk their lives. Brigadier General Mustafizur Rahman, director of the DMCH, said two days back a patient came to him and requested him to arrange an ambulance for his relative. When he talked to an ambulance owner, he charged Tk50,000 for a trip to Jamalpur. When contacted, Brigadier General (Retd) Abdul Mazid Bhuyan said patients could not reach hospitals timely. In most cases, proper treatment is impossible when they reach late causing huge suffering for them. Usually around 2,500-3,000 patients visit the DMCH outdoor each a day. Now, however, the number has fallen to 400-500. The BSMMU director said at least 3,000 patients visit the outdoor hospital every day but over the last two weeks it has fallen to less than 1,500. As the BSMMU does not allow extra patients, however the number of their indoor patients has remained the same as earlier. But the patients who are ready to leave cannot do so as the ambulance charge has shot up. The picture is almost the same at the Birdem hospital where the number of diabetic patients has decreased significantly over the last two weeks. Usually more than 3,000 patients visit the hospital a day to seek treatment at the outdoor of the hospital. The number has now fallen below 900. Brigadier General (Retd) Shahidul Hoque Mollick, director of the Birdem hospital, said it is unusual and unexpected. We have never had such a low number of patients even during the past hartals. The number of indoor patients has decreased too. Shahidul Hoque Mollick, director of the hospital, said the hospitals income had also shrunk dramatically. l

Mostafas death rings alarm for witnesses

n Emran Hossain
The death of war crimes witness Mostafa Hawlader from injuries he had suffered allegedly in an attack by Jamaat-e-Islami activists rings the alarm as the government prepares for the execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla, a senior Jamaat leader. Witnesses in Pirojpur say the attack on Mostafa underscores a porous witness security system, pointing finger at the governments indifference over enacting the much-talked-about witness protection act. Known as a brave witness speaking openly about Delawar Hossain Sayedees war crimes, Mostafas house, only a five minute-walk from a police camp at Parerhat of Pirojpur, was invaded by a group of three people early Sunday. The victims wife recognised two of the three attackers as local Jamaat activists. Police have arrested six people after a case was filed over the attack. Another suspected attacker, Mahbubur Rahman, an influential local Jamaat activist, is on the run. Immediate-past law minister Shafique Ahmed confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune that works on preparation of the act had been completed on part of his ministry and that it was pending with the home ministry. State Minister for Home Shamsul Huq Tuku said they thought the protective measures taken for the witnesses had been enough. But now I will try to find a way to get the law enacted. We will investigate Mostafas case thoroughly and seriously. Another witness in Sayedee case Ruhul Amin Nobin said: The recent development with regard to Mollas execution and this attack [on Mostafa] are related like the beads in a pendant are connected. The signal to the government is clear: we execute before you [the government executing war crimes convict]. Nobin, who was the Zianagar upazila ALs general secretary for over half a decade, said the security measures would have been better had the government put the issue of war crimes trial above politics. The Dhaka Tribune contacted Mahbubul Alam Hawlader, plaintiff of the Sayedee case and a witness whose house was attacked by over 200 Jamaat-BNP activists on October 28. They [Jamaat activists] told me earlier that not a single witness will survive, Mahbub recalled. He was at the wits end to make any comment further. The Dhaka Tribune had interviewed him several times during a recent trip to Pirojpur recently. Mahbub had decided to not always move escorted by three to four police as he could not afford it. The idea of providing security this way is superfluous, said Mahbub describing the food and accommodation problem of the police personnel. Both the incidents of attack took place within a week after police protection had been withdrawn from the spots. Mostafas son Hafizur Rahman on Tuesday was carrying his fathers body back home on a microbus, well-guarded by the police. District Police Superintendent Akhteruzzaman said witnesses in the area had been protected according to the plan by the districts witness protection committee. Temporary police and Rab camps were set up at strategic points while the segregated witnesses residences were guarded by deploying police there. A police patrol car drove through the area of Mostafas house even 10 minutes before the attack was reported to them, he said. A witness protection act could have provided better arrangements if enacted considering the situation the country has been going through. But the government did not do it, said a highly-placed police official preferring anonymity. Many suggest complete rehabilitation of the witnesses, if needed by creating a special protected zone, providing them with livelihoods. Protection is needed not only for witnesses, but for all involved with the trial process. The government does not have time to waste, and should evaluate its security situation seriously without delay, said Shafique Ahmed, who is now an adviser to the prime minister. l

Hefazat calls hartal for Sunday in Ctg n UNB

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh on Wednesday called a daylong hartal in greater Chittagong for Sunday protesting the governments refusal to give it permission for its scheduled rally in the city. The Islamist group will also stage demonstrations after Juma prayers on Friday protesting the government action. The announcement came from a meeting of Hefazat central committee held at Hathazari at noon. Hefazat Organising Secretary Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi said authorities concerned did not give them permission to hold their two-day rally at Jamiatul Falah Mosque ground in the city today and tomorrow. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093 94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

Continue to the Business section...

Business

B2 BBs audit report

not qualified

B3 Political turmoil hits

poultry industry
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

Business
www.dhakatribune.com/business
2011 12 2010 11 2009 10 2008 09 2007 08 2006 07 2005 06 2004 05 2003 04
Figures in crore

Tale of a state money making machine

BTCL faces worst ever losses of Tk546 crore in FY13 as international call services go private erator lost some of its subscribers. income? Fi s c a l Income Ex pen di t u re n Muhammad Zahidul Islam They had 935,760 subscribers in June last BTCL Managing Director SOM Kalim Ul2012 13 1,056 1,602
Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL) has incurred a loss of Tk546 crore in the last fiscal year worst in the companys history as earnings from international calls dropped sharply. The state-owned company faced the setback for second time in last 15 years after 2007-08 when it posted a loss of Tk190 crore. In 2012-13, they earned Tk1,056 crore but spent Tk1,602 crore while the income falling about 58% short of the target of Tk2,498 crore as stated in the draft annual report obtained by Dhaka Tribune. The setback is due to massive privatisation of most of the international call termination services, officials said. During the period, BTCL earned only over Tk401 crore from foreign market, which is only little over 37% of previous years earnings of Tk1,070 crore. In 2008-09, the company had earned Tk1,237.6 crore highest from internation1,703 1,387 1,284 2,109 1,565 1,667 1,316 1,424 1,531 1,435 1,237 1,252 662 1,755 929 825 819 609 lah would not, however, comment to explain the reasons behind the setback. In 2008, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission had permitted three private international gateway (IGW) operators and 25 more in 2012. It was due to short capacity of the lone operator BTCL to handle huge international calls, officials said. There were also allegations of misappropriation of fund earned through the international calls. At least six of the private IGWs have already been blocked for being default of a payment of more than Tk600 crore as revenue sharing, indicating that the private operators were making money but not sharing it with the national exchequer. This is our money. These calls can be terminated through us, said the BTCL high official. Meanwhile, state-owned land phone opyear, which came down to 903,299 in June this year. Four other state-owned telecommunication companies, however, recorded profit in the last fiscal year though marginally. Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) registered a net profit of Tk109.59 crore against a revenue income of Tk144.15 crore, according to a report released by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication on the governments five years success. Teletalk, the lone state-owned mobile phone operator, earned a net profit of Tk60 crore from total revenue of Tk660 crore. Telephone Shipa Sangstha made Tk70.46 lakh in net profit from a revenue of Tk68.07 crore, gradually recovering from a losing concern only three years back. Bangladesh Cable Shilpa Limited (BCSL), the smallest company, earned Tk45.35 crore and recorded a net profit of Tk9.12 crore. l

al call termination. The income from local market increased marginally, however, to Tk654 crore in 2012-13 from Tk632 crore in 2011-12. Frequent policy shifts have made us nearly bankrupt, a high official of BTCL told Dhaka Tribune, wishing anonymity. Once, we were the lone stakeholder to maintain the international calls. Now there are another 28 private players. Most of them are not real players. How then we can maintain the

Apparel makers get Muhiths assurance to demands

BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA place eight-point demand before finance minister their businesses. n Tribune Report In reply, finance
Finance minister AMA Muhith assured that the demands of apparel makers affected by the current political crisis will be taken into considerations. The assurance comes at a meeting with readymade garment, knitwear and textile leaders at the finance ministrys secretariat office in Dhaka yesterday. BGMEA president M Atiqul Islam, BKMEA president AKM Salim Osman, BTMA president Jahangir Alamin, among others, attended the meeting. Representative from Bangladesh Bank was also present. The leaders placed eight-point demands before the finance minister. The demands include payment of workers wages of four months from November 2013 to February 2014 creating special PC and BAISALAM to be adjustment in next two years, blocking of term loans, project loans, LTR, MPI, forced loan for two years without interest, a two-year exemption from classifying loans of textile, garment and backward linkages, uninterrupted continuation of letter of credit and other facilities, two-year blocking of instalment of any loan etc. They also asked for giving financial minister said the government would consider the demands though all of them would not be possible to address. We will consider your demands including tax reduction at source and giving incentive though all will be not possible to meet, he said. At the meeting, the garment leaders alleged that they were not getting cash incentive for telegraphic transfer (TT). In response to the allegation, finance minister asked the central bank official to make sure in one week that the sectors are getting TT incentive. On classification of loans, AMA Muhith said: We can deal with the issue of classifying loans, but we cannot enact law in this regard right now. Commenting on political situation, Muhith described the current situation as very difficult. Give us special PC (packing credit) Baisalam for four month from November 13 to February 14, which would be adjusted in next two years so that we can pay wages as are facing fund crunch due to ongoing political unrest that caused disruption of shipment, he added. l

Finance Minister AMA Muhith speaking at a meeting with BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA leaders at his office in Dhaka yesterday incentives to explore new markets and reducing tax at source. BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said supply chain has been broken, which is putting us under huge losses. We need financial and banking supports to make up losses that we are facing because of ongoing political unrest, said Atiqul Islam, also urging exit help for those who have become unable to become continue to

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

BBs audit report not qualified

Says IMF in its recent ECF report, suggesting appointment of a CA to prepare report for global audit firm
n Asif Showkat Kallol
Bangladesh Bank failed to provide a qualified audit report in August to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a global audit firm, under the IMFs extended credit facility conditions, said a recent report of the global lender. International Monetary Fund set an ECF condition for Bangladesh Bank to carry out its annual audit by a globally renowned audit firm. The central bank appointed PwC for its external annual audit.

Oil prices edge lower ahead of US stockpiles data

n AFP, Singapore
Oil prices edged lower in Asian trade with few leads to spur fresh market movement, but retained support from signs of resurgent demand in the United States, the worlds biggest oil consumer, analysts said. New Yorks main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for January delivery, was down six cents at $98.45 in afternoon Asian trade while Brent North Sea crude for January eased one cent to $109.37. Cautiousness and profit-taking was the dominant mood in the market amid a lack of data and events, French bank Credit Agricole said in a note. Desmond Chua, market analyst at CMC Markets in Singapore, said a report from the US Department of Energy is likely to show a substantial drawdown in US stockpiles.

International traders may lose confidence on Bangladesh Bank, which could lead to casting adverse impact on the countrys whole business environment
The central bank submitted an unqualified report to PwC in August for doing the external auditing of its financial reports, said the ECF report. The submitted report failed to match up to the IMF fund recommendations that it had laid out in July 2011 alongside with the safeguards assessment requirement, the report added. IMF has set a new benchmark for audit report of Bangladesh to meet ECF conditions. An audit report will be placed in March 2014. According to the lender, Bangladesh Bank is on track to complete a full external audit of its fiscal 2013 financial statements by PwC. IMF suggested the central bank appoint a certified chartered accountant as an adviser to the audit committee of the banks board until the committee is reconstituted. It also said Bangladesh Bank also planned to engage a global firm to audit its financial statements on an annual basis. While talking to the Dhaka Tribune on the issue, ex-adviser of a caretaker government, Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam said: International traders may lose confidence on Bangladesh Bank, which could lead to casting adverse impact on the countrys whole business environment. He also suggested Bangladesh Bank appoint a professional auditor should the report submitted earlier was not qualified. However, auditing of the central bank will not only be examined by the IMF but also by the Bank and Financial Institution Division. Former finance adviser added. According to him, quality of audit reporting has been falling sharply since last four years, which made large-scale credit frauds like Hall-Mark and Bismillah in the banking sector possible. Auditing standard in the banking sector must be improved, Mirza Aziz stressed. l

Cautiousness and profit-taking was the dominant mood in the market amid a lack of data and events
Industry group American Petroleum Institute (API) said US crude stockpiles dipped 7.5 million barrels in the week to December 6. The US DoE will release official stockpile figures later Wednesday. On Tuesday, the OPEC oil cartel stuck to its forecast that 2014 global oil demand would grow at a faster rate than in 2013 thanks to accelerating world economic growth. Average 2014 demand would be 98.84 million barrels per day, up 1.04 million bpd from 2013, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said in its December report. In OPEC member Libya, a months-long blockade by armed protesters of vital oil terminals will be lifted on December 15, a tribal chief announced Tuesday. The protests as well as blockades of fuel deliveries by the Berber minority have slashed Libyas oil output to about 250,000 bpd from normal levels of nearly 1.5 million bpd. The return of Libyan oil into markets is likely to bring down Brent crude prices, said Singapore-based Phillip Futures. l

Eastern Housing holds AGM

Bata organises a day long programme with disabled children
Bata Bangladesh organised a day long program with disabled children at Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) in Savar recently. A colourful cultural program and different activities like wheel chair race, pillow passing, ball throw and art competition rendered by the underprivileged disable children. The children received gifts and special snacks during the occasion. Bata Shoe Organisation CEO Jack Clemons handed over wheel chairs and EVA Sheet (produced in our company) to the disable children. Bata Emerging Market President Jorge Carbajal and Bata Bangladesh Managing Director Kumar Nitesh were also present in the occasion to make the program glorious. l 49th Annual General Meeting of Eastern Housing Limited (EHL) was held at Officers Club, Dhaka yesterday. Company declared 10% cash dividend and 12.5% stock dividend (bonus share) to its shareholders for the year ended July 31, 2013 in the meeting. The meeting was presided over by the chairman Manzurul Islam. Other Board of Directors members Dr Zia U Ahmed (Independent Director), Md Abdul Wadud, Md Mostafizur Rahman, Sarwar Boudius Salam attended the meeting. Managing Director Dhiraj Malakar was also present along with the company secretary and other senior officials of the company. In the meeting Zahiduzzaman Faruque was elected by shareholders as the second Independent Director of the company. In the meeting, companys legal advisor Barrister Rafiqul Haque was also present. EHL achieved net sales of Tk203 crores as against Tk183 crores in the previous year. The company accounted gross profit of Tk68 crores in FY2012-13 from Tk45 crores in FY2011-12. Net profit after tax increased to Tk22.6 crores in FY2012-13 from Tk20.6 crores in FY2011-12 registering a growth of 10.03%.l

Bangladeshi-made advanced technology MF battery dominates major global markets

The countrys only advanced technology MF battery is at its full-thrust in positioning itself among worlds leading auto battery brands. As the demand for Maintenance Free Battery started growing globally, because of the increasing demand of modern cars with updated technical advancements built within. This unique situation has made Rahimafrooz GLOBATT a very strong contender in the global arena and currently they are leading all the brands in maintenance free category in Asia, Africa, GCC and EU markets. l

RFL inaugurates its Best Buy outlet

A RFL Best Buy outlet was inaugurated by RN Paul, Director of RFL in Mymensingh yesterday. Nabanur Islam Khan, Chief Operating Officer of Best Buy, Allahma Murshed Muneem, Head of Marketing of RFL, Manager (Sales) Shahidul Islam, Manager (Development) Rabiul Hasan were present among others. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

Tk4,000 crore loss in 3 months

Industry leaders claim 30% of the affected farms are already closed

POLITICAL TURMOIL HITS POULTRY INDUSTRY

Stocks end flat amid cautious trading

n Tribune Report
Stocks ended flat amid volatility yesterday as investors remained cautious over the latest developments in the political front. The market was in the positive territory throughout the session, but saw bumpy trading as intraday volatility was almost 40 points. The benchmark DSEX closed at 4,333 with a slight gain of 4 points or 0.1%. The blue chip index DS30 saw fractional rise of 0.2 points to settle at 1,500. The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Categories Index, CSCX, also gained marginally almost 20 points to 8,510. Trading activities declined after rising for three consecutive sessions as the total DSE turnover stood at Tk700 crore, down 4% from the previous session. Textile sector accounted for more than one-fourth of the total market turnover. The market closed flat in the end, as market reaction was mixed regarding commitment by political forces to sit together and end violence. Since confidence could not solidify, doubts obstructed further rise of optimism, said IDLC Investment in its market analysis. All major sectors ended in red, except pharmaceuticals which gained 0.4%. Lanka Bangla Securities said some major sectors opened positive, supporting the market to spot on green zone from the beginning of trade.

n Abu Hayat Mahmud

The countrys poultry industry has suffered losses of more than Tk4,000 crore in last three months due to escalating political turmoil, said the sector leaders. Around 30% of farms were also closed during the period, they claimed at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday. Bangladesh Poultry Industries Coordination Committee (BPICC), a combined body of six major poultry associations in the country, organised it at the National Press Club. The industry leaders urged the ruling party and the opposition to find an immediate solution to the current political crisis so that the businesses could be run in a peaceful environment. Moshiur Rahman, convenor of BPICC, said: We are unable to bear losses caused by the on-going political unrest. Thirty per cent of the farms have already been closed and the rest are sinking in debts. Moshiur demanded rescheduling of bank loans, waiver of interest, providing financial support to resume the closed-down farms and incentives and monetary stimulus to recover their losses. Saidur Rahman Babu, secretary of Breeders Association of Bangladesh (BAB), said: Farmers had to sell day-old chicks at a rate of Tk15-20 per chick while the production cost was Tk35. Broiler chickens were sold at Tk70-80 per kilogram at farm level against the production cost of Tk110-120, he added. Saidur claimed that the breeders suffered losses of around Tk382 crore in last three months. Kazi Zahedul Hasan, managing director of Kazi Farms Limited and senior vice-president of BAB, said continuous hartals and blockades have almost stalled supply of eggs. There are thousands of eggs lying in our farms as supply becomes impossible due to

Poultry industry leaders are seen at a press briefing at Press Club in Dhaka yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE hartals and blockades. Not only that, supply of poultry feeds to the farms has also been disrupted as political unrest continues, Kazi Zahedul Hasan added. He urged the parties concerned to keep vehicles carrying eggs, chicks, chickens and feeds from enforcement of hartals and blockades. We want security of our professions and investments. Fazle Rahim Khan Shahriar, secretary of the Feed Industries Association Bangladesh (FIAB), said the demand reduced to 35-40% as the farms incurred Tk1,000 crore loss in the past 13 weeks (three months). The demand of feeds during the period was around 600,000 metric ton, he said. Taher Ahmed Siddiqui, president of the Egg Producers Association, said the weekly production of eggs is around 105 million pieces. He said they suffered losses of Tk266 crore for failure to sell 30% of their total production and Tk364 crore for selling at rates less than production costs. Rafiqul Haque, secretary of the Worlds Poultry Science Association- Bangladesh Branch (WPSA BB), said the industry has suffered losses of Tk975 crore from commercial broiler poultry farming. Dr M Nazrul Islam, general secretary of Animal Health Companies Association of Bangladesh (AHCAB), claimed the market has squeezed to 63% from that of normal situation, making it suffer Tk158 crore loss in the last 13 weeks. Md Helal Uddin, vice president of FBCCI, said the poultry sector as well as the entire businesses of the country are burning in politics. He hoped the political leaders would soon understand the situation and come to a peaceful solution. Poultry industry leaders stressed that if poultry industry crashed, poverty, unemployment and malnutrition will rise, rural economy will be affected while food security will face a serious challenge. They forwarded memorandums with seven-point demands to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Leader of the Opposition Begum Khaleda Zia and Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad. l

The market closed flat in the end, as market reaction was mixed regarding commitment by political forces to sit together and end violence. Since confidence could not solidify, doubts obstructed further rise of optimism

$1.5m ADB grant to improve trade capacity

n Tribune Report
Japan will provide $1.5m to help Bangladesh trade more efficiently and lower trading cost. Asian Development Bank (ADB) will administer the technical assistance project. Economic Relations Division (ERD) Joint Secretary Saifuddin Ahmed and ADB Deputy Country Director for Bangladesh Stefan Ekelund signed an agreement on behalf of their respective organisations, said a statement yesterday. Japan is providing the grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), a fund that provides grants and technical assistance for projects to support poverty reduction and related social development activities. ADB will also provide expertise and training for the improvement of border clearance processes in line with the Revised Kyoto Convention - an international accord providing standards and best practices on customs administration. The technical assistance project will supplement efforts being made under the SASEC Trade Facilitation Project, which is being supported by ADB with a $21m loan. The project is aimed at removing the lack of customs automation and unavailability of one-stop shop for trade-related information, which currently constrain the growth of trade. Improving the trade environment in Bangladesh through measures that will make exporting and importing faster and less costly would enhance the countrys competitiveness and attractiveness to foreign investors, said M Teresa Kho, ADB country director for Bangladesh. l

In contrast, economic activities of the country got the hit in recent times as an aftermath of political collision, it said. To at least some extent, investors have shown their concern over the financial sector. In last hour of the trading session, market slipped sharply as large cap sectors saw the sell pressure closing the index at the end point of previous session, it said. Gainers took a modest lead over the losers as out of 291 issues traded, 153 closed positive, 111 negative and 27 remained unchanged on the prime bourse. Generation Next Fashions was the most traded stock of the session with a turnover of Tk26.9 crore changing hands. Other turnover leaders were Paramount Textile, RN Spinning, Golden Son, Delta Life Insurance, Aamra Technologies, Delta Spinning, Keya Cosmetics, Central Pharmaceuticals and Argon Denim. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

Google feeds India and China from data centres next door
n Reuters
Google Inc opened its first two data centres in Asia yesterday to cater to the worlds fastest growing consumer technology markets, but the company has no plans to open one in China or India. Choosing Taiwan and Singapore instead illustrates the problem that tech companies face in trying to feed data demand in the worlds two most populous countries: With regulations in flux in India and cyberspace censorship in China, Google had to look next door. Mobile data traffic in emerging Asia-Pacific countries will likely rise 68% in 2014, well ahead of the global growth rate of 48% and the fastest growing region in the world, according to Analysys Mason, a research consultancy. Tech companies normally try to keep data centres as close to the customer base as possible because distance hurts speed. While weve been busy building, the growth in Asias Internet has been amazing. The number of Internet users in India doubled, from 100 million to 200 million. It took six years to achieve that milestone in the U.S., Googles vice president of data centres, Joe Kava, said in a statement. And this growth probably wont slow for some time, since the majority of people that have yet to come online also happen to live in Asia, he said. Kava said the cost of building the centres was one consideration for locating in Taiwan, but things like data privacy policies, a highly trained workforce and network infrastructure were equally important. Its no secret that the Taiwanese ecosystem for technology companies is outstanding, he told reporters. Being close to the technology companies will give us opportunity to further some of our partnerships in Taiwan. month that the company is in no hurry to return. Chinas censorship regime has gotten significantly worse since we left so something would have to change before we come back, he said. That left an opening for Chinas Baidu Inc to further dominate the search engine market with a 66% share this year, according to web analytical tool StatCounter, and another local rival, 360 Search, to emerge, grabbing 21%. Googles share dropped to 9% from 41% in 2009 before its exit China. The regulatory environment in China is designed in a way to nurture local service providers such as Alibaba, so it makes it harder for foreign companies to enter the market, tech researcher IDC analyst Leon Kao, who is based in Taipei, said. But adding service support in Asia such as Hong Kong still increases a companys flexibility. For example, Amazon is able to deliver goods in a much shorter time now if theres a sudden surge in orders. In India, Google dominates 97% share of the search engine market, data from StatCounter showed. In India, the challenge is mostly the cost of infrastructure and the ability of building infrastructure, said RadhaKrishna Hiremane, Intel Corps Asia-Pacific regional product marketing manager of data centre business, based in Singapore. He said putting an India-focused data centre in Singapore may not cost more, but it could affect speed. What matters is latency. At the end of the day, if a service provider is able to provide acceptable latency for the end customers by serving from outside the region and theres no conflicting regulation such as data sovereignty, then theres not anything in the APEC countries we know would be an issue right now. l

A man stands in front of a Google logo at the Chinese University of Hong Kong The importance of a countrys data policies was highlighted by the way Google opened its centres in Taiwan and Singapore and its decision to double spending in Taiwan to $600m compared to $120m in Singapore. While Google brought out executives and media to celebrate its Taiwan opening on Wednesday, the Singapore launch received no such fanfare. The company has expressed concern over a Singapore regulation announced in May that requires certain websites that regularly report on Singapore to be licensed, put up a S$50,000 performance bond and take down within 24 hours any content that authorities deemed objectionable. Singaporean opinion news site Breakfast Network effectively shut down this week as a result, saying the demand to register has created a wrinkle in our barely formed plans

REUTERS

to become a sustainable and professional outfit. Google also announced it abandoned plans to build a third data centre in Hong Kong, citing primarily a lack of land. Serving 2.5bn Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore are all popular with global tech companies because they boast well-established privacy laws, reliable power and fibre broadband infrastructure, and skilled workforces, all essential to operating data centres. Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp are also building data centres in Asia in Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. But the real appeal is the giant number of Internet users in China and India. Google left mainland China in 2010 after a cyber attack and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt told the Wall Street Journal last

China bitcoin arbitrage ends as punters work around capital controls

n Reuters
The price gap between bitcoins trading in Chinese yuan and those sold for other currencies has evaporated in recent days, highlighting the porous nature of Chinas capital controls. Chinese bitcoin chat rooms buzzed last month as investors noticed that the digital currency as sold on Chinas biggest exchange was more expensive, in dollar terms, than bitcoins traded abroad using dollars, creating a tempting arbitrage play. Traders could earn profits by buying bitcoins using dollars on a foreign exchange such as Mt. Gox, reselling them for yuan at the higher price on BTC China, the main local exchange, and finally converting the yuan back to dollars. Insane bitcoin. If youve got dollars, hurry and do arbitrage, a user called foxtree wrote on Weibo, a Twitter-like micro-blogging platform, on November 19, the day the gap peaked at more than 30%. A key driver of the price gap was Chinas capital controls, which make it difficult for speculators to swap yuan proceeds from the sale of high-priced Chinese bitcoins into dollars. Certainly a portion of the premium on BTC China was a result of the fact that any coins sold would be in RMB, which isnt the most portable currency, said Zennon Kapron, head of Kapronasia, a Hong Kongbased finance and technology consultancy, using an alternate term for the Chinese currency. So if you did trade that market, getting your money back into another currency is more difficult, he said. RAPID EVOLUTION In recent days, however, the spread between bitcoins as priced in yuan and those priced in dollars has disappeared. An announcement by Chinas central bank last week forbidding commercial banks from dealing in bitcoin also contributed to the price decline on BTC China. But analysts say the price convergence also reflects the rapid evolution of the bitcoin market, which began with technology enthusiasts but quickly expanded to include those with the financial know-how to evade Chinas strict capital controls. A 27-year-old e-commerce professional from the east coast city of Xiamen, who goes by the screen name King, is typical of earlywave amateur punters. He told Reuters that he used RChange, an online currency exchange and payment service based in the Seychelles, to exchange yuan for commercially-operated electronic currencies such as OKPay and EgoPay, which are accepted by several international bitcoin exchanges. But because such currencies carry hefty charges, this method is only profitable when the bitcoin spread is very wide. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

India tycoons agree telecom infrastructure pact

n AFP, New Delhi
Two of Indias billionaire tycoons announced a pact Tuesday to share telecom infrastructure that could accelerate rollout of communication services in the fiercely competitive sector and cut costs. The Reliance conglomerate, which plans to launch an ultra-fast fouth-generation (4G) network, and the nations biggest mobile company by subscribers will be able to use each others existing and future telecom infrastructure under the deal. Reliance Industries is headed by Indias wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani while Bharti Airtel is led by billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal. The cooperation is aimed at avoiding duplication of infrastructure (and) preserving the environment, the companies said in a statement which adding the pricing would be at prevailing market rates but gave no other financial details. The pooled infrastructure will include optic fibre, submarine cable networks, telecom towers and Internet broadband services and will help the two companies lower costs in expanding service. Last week, the government, which sees mobile services as a key to economic development in the still overwhelmingly poor nation of 1.2 billion people, appealed to telecom firms to cooperate in infrastructureand equipment-sharing to expand networks faster. Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom arm of energy-to-retail Reliance Industries, and Bharti had earlier clinched another deal under which Bharti supplied capacity on its i2i submarine cable to Reliance Jio. Reliance was awarded spectrum three years ago but has not yet started 4G commercial services. Bharti already operates 4G services in some cities. The latest deal is far bigger than than the $2.1bn pact Ambani announced in June with his younger brother Anil Ambani to share telecom tower infrastructure, cementing a reconciliation between the once-warring siblings. The two brothers had been in a bitter feud for control of Reliance Industries that erupted after their father died in 2002 without a will. Reliance Jio is the lone Indian company with a pan-India permit to operate 4G services and aims to become one of the countrys biggest telecommunications operators. Lower infrastructure costs could reduce service costs and bring more subscribers for 4G which has drawn scant interest yet because of its high price, analysts say. Reliance Industries, owner of the worlds largest oil refining complex, has been seeking to diversify into new ventures in the face of declining gas output. Indian media reports had said Ambani would launch his 4G broadband service before the end of Indias financial year in March 2014 but there has been no recent word on when the rollout will begin. l

Economic crisis not over yet, IMF chief warns Europe

n AFP, Brussels
The head of the International Monetary Fund warned Europe Tuesday that it was too early to declare victory over its crippling economic crisis and urged fresh efforts to enact much-needed reforms. Speaking in the European Parliament, Christine Lagarde noted the Europe Union had made some progress in tackling the crisis that has brought the economy to its knees but stressed: Looking past the headlines, there are clearly signs that not all is well. Can we actually argue that the crisis is really well behind us when, at the same time, 12% of the labour force is without a job? she asked. We dont think its appropriate to claim victory and to assume that the crisis is over. More needs to be done and more focus needs to be applied, said the IMF chief. She called on the European Central Bank, which surprisingly cut interest rates in November, to keep its lending rates low and to act against further declines in inflation. A Banking Union, which finance ministers were thrashing out just metres (feet) away in a separate building, remains a priority, she said of the plans for a new bank regulatory system. It is critical that the flow of credit on reasonable terms to businesses and households be restored. Lagarde also urged Europeans to slash debt levels and implement reforms in the labour

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde talks during a session of the EU Parliaments Economic and Monetary Affairs Commission at EU headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday AFP market to make economies more competitive. Looking back at the beginning of the crisis, she acknowledged it was remarkable how much progress had been made in Europe and said that the 28-nation block was on the right track. It was no accident that growth figures in the bloc were looking up and unemployment levels were dropping, she said. Nevertheless, she emphasised: There can be no letting up on reforms and it is not because the euro area will grow at one percent that we should just slow down, give up and reduce the pace of reforms. Reforms have to be continued ... because they will lead to something that is better. l

BOJ tankan seen showing improved business mood, capex

n Reuters
A central bank survey out next week is expected to show Japanese business confidence improved in the three months to December as robust fiscal and household spending made up for soft exports - thanks to Premier Shinzo Abes stimulus policies. The Bank of Japans quarterly tankan survey is also expected to show companies maintaining upbeat capital expenditure plans, according to a Reuters poll, reflecting their optimism over the outlook as the recovery gathers momentum. Such readings will underscore the Bank of Japans view that the economy is recovering moderately and allow it to hold off on expanding stimulus in coming months, although some analysts warn of economic uncertainties next year. The tankan will be in line with the BOJs upbeat projections and offer no reason to ease policy, said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. The economy will be booming until the sales tax hike in April. After that, theres a lot of uncertainty, including whether the strength in capital expenditure will be sustained and whether exports will pick up. The central banks quarterly tankan sur-

Pedestrians walk past the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo vey, due on Monday, is expected to show the headline index for big manufacturers sentiment improved three points from the previous quarter to plus 15, according to a Reuters poll of 21 economists. That would be the fourth straight quarter of positive readings, which means optimists outnumbered pessimists, supporting the view that the economy is steadily emerging from a temporary soft patch in July-September.

REUTERS

The Reuters poll found that service-sector mood also improved as consumers rush to beat the sales tax hike, with the big non-manufacturers index seen up two points at plus 16. Big firms are seen raising capital spending by 5.5% in the current business year to next March, up from 5.1% in the previous tankan, the poll showed, a sign the positive mood is gradually encouraging companies to spend more. l

6
Combined Turnover Leader Generation Next Fashions-A Paramount Textile Ltd.-N R. N. Spinning-A Delta Life Insu. -A Golden Son -A

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Share
DSE Gainer Samata Leather-Z 35.76 C% 10.00 9.96 9.84 9.81 9.80 A% 10.00 10.93 10.24 7.98 11.79 Beach Hatchery-A Delta Spinners-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Fareast Finance-N

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

DSEBroadIndex:4333.790.10%,Turnover:7159.54M.Tk4.03%,PE:13.28 Turnover8,092.50MTk.2.58% 11 December2013 MarketCap.2,084.65BTk.0.02% CSEAllShareIndex:134670.15%,Turnover:932.96MTk.10.22%,PE:13.09

Vol. 8459300 4247500 6096524 700150 3306466 TO M. Tk. 302.52 287.94 226.64 192.79 188.76 % of TTL 3.74 3.56 2.80 2.38 2.33 Avg. P CP 24.20 29.80 40.20 68.30 16.80 DSE Loser BD Fixed Income MF A Eastern Lubricants-A EBL NRB M.F.-A Legacy Footwear -A Kohinoor Chem-A C% -6.59 -5.73 -5.26 -4.91 -4.86 A% -6.52 -4.83 -5.26 -5.10 -4.75 CP 8.50 312.80 7.20 44.50 344.30

67.79 37.18 275.36 57.09

CompanyCode | EPS | BV | Volume Traded (Share) DSE/CSE: ClosePrice / Chn % | Avg.Price | Hi / Lo

BANK ABBANK | 2.95 | 32.60 | Vol. 743946 D: 27.00 2.53% | 27.22 | 28.00 / 25.00 C: 27.30 1.09% | 27.45 | 27.70 / 27.30 CITYBANK | 1.15 | 25.97 | Vol. 867345 D: 21.20 0.47% | 21.23 | 22.20 / 19.00 C: 21.20 0.47% | 21.17 | 21.30 / 20.90 IFIC | 1.10 | 18.34 | Vol. 1438797 D: 34.40 1.15% | 34.72 | 35.60 / 32.00 C: 34.60 0.86% | 34.69 | 35.50 / 34.20 ISLAMIBANK | 3.78 | 27.16 | Vol. 449020 D: 35.10 0.28% | 35.17 | 35.50 / 34.00 C: 35.10 0.29% | 35.02 | 35.30 / 34.90 NBL | 1.05 | 15.76 | Vol. 1634958 D: 12.20 0.81% | 12.33 | 13.30 / 11.10 C: 12.30 0.00% | 12.31 | 12.50 / 12.20 PUBALIBANK | 1.92 | 21.18 | Vol. 153266 D: 32.50 0.93% | 32.59 | 33.50 / 29.50 C: 32.30 0.94% | 32.13 | 32.50 / 31.90 RUPALIBANK | 6.70 | 64.27 | Vol. 43600 D: 65.70 1.50% | 66.01 | 66.90 / 65.70 C: 67.00 1.47% | 66.99 | 68.00 / 66.00 UCBL | 1.90 | 21.72 | Vol. 3469710 D: 25.10 0.40% | 25.06 | 27.00 / 22.50 C: 25.10 0.40% | 25.06 | 25.50 / 24.80 UTTARABANK | 3.42 | 26.97 | Vol. 263601 D: 31.80 1.55% | 32.07 | 33.00 / 30.00 C: 31.80 0.63% | 31.83 | 32.20 / 31.00 ICBIBANK | -1.60 | -13.03 | Vol. 178500 D: 6.60 2.94% | 6.73 | 6.80 / 6.60 EBL | 3.91 | 28.22 | Vol. 63354 D: 28.60 1.04% | 28.71 | 29.50 / 27.00 C: 29.00 0.00% | 28.97 | 29.10 / 28.40 ALARABANK | 2.03 | 14.91 | Vol. 3453566 D: 20.10 0.99% | 20.43 | 22.00 / 18.50 C: 20.20 0.98% | 20.42 | 20.90 / 20.00 PRIMEBANK | 2.89 | 22.40 | Vol. 309372 D: 24.00 1.23% | 24.25 | 24.90 / 22.00 C: 24.20 1.26% | 24.12 | 24.20 / 24.10 SOUTHEASTB | 1.89 | 22.66 | Vol. 846889 D: 18.40 1.08% | 18.60 | 18.90 / 16.90 C: 18.50 0.54% | 18.55 | 18.70 / 16.60 DHAKABANK | 1.46 | 18.08 | Vol. 284789 D: 19.30 0.52% | 19.43 | 19.80 / 17.50 C: 19.20 1.59% | 19.36 | 20.00 / 18.50 NCCBANK | 1.90 | 15.88 | Vol. 876567 D: 13.70 1.44% | 13.81 | 15.00 / 12.80 C: 13.80 1.43% | 13.82 | 14.20 / 13.70 SIBL | 2.05 | 14.47 | Vol. 1120463 D: 13.40 0.74% | 13.52 | 13.90 / 12.20 C: 13.50 0.74% | 13.51 | 13.80 / 13.40 DUTCHBANGL | 11.57 | 54.27 | Vol. 31880 D: 99.60 0.00% | 99.94 | 101.0 / 92.00 MTBL | 1.17 | 17.27 | Vol. 64168 D: 16.20 0.00% | 16.38 | 16.90 / 15.80 C: 16.60 0.00% | 16.00 | 16.60 / 16.60 STANDBANKL | 2.33 | 14.41 | Vol. 919226 D: 15.10 1.31% | 15.16 | 16.00 / 13.90 C: 15.20 0.00% | 15.21 | 15.30 / 15.10 ONEBANKLTD | 2.35 | 15.34 | Vol. 1223768 D: 16.60 1.78% | 16.78 | 17.30 / 16.00 C: 16.70 1.76% | 16.81 | 17.00 / 16.60 BANKASIA | 1.35 | 20.80 | Vol. 236554 D: 19.30 1.53% | 19.30 | 20.50 / 18.00 C: 19.30 0.52% | 19.30 | 19.30 / 19.30 MERCANBANK | 2.07 | 16.59 | Vol. 5142477 D: 16.40 1.20% | 16.49 | 17.00 / 15.00 C: 16.50 1.79% | 16.60 | 17.00 / 16.40 EXIMBANK | 1.80 | 14.31 | Vol. 632294 D: 12.70 0.00% | 12.78 | 13.00 / 11.50 C: 12.70 0.78% | 12.81 | 13.10 / 12.70 JAMUNABANK | 2.47 | 18.56 | Vol. 90458 D: 16.50 1.20% | 16.55 | 17.00 / 15.20 C: 16.50 0.00% | 16.44 | 17.00 / 16.20 BRACBANK | 1.51 | 24.87 | Vol. 342682 D: 31.90 0.31% | 31.95 | 32.60 / 29.50 C: 31.50 0.32% | 31.43 | 31.60 / 31.30 SHAHJABANK | 2.61 | 14.47 | Vol. 789404 D: 17.10 1.16% | 17.26 | 17.80 / 16.00 C: 17.20 1.15% | 17.38 | 17.70 / 17.20 PREMIERBAN | 1.18 | 13.95 | Vol. 459245 D: 11.60 1.69% | 11.78 | 12.00 / 10.70 C: 11.70 0.85% | 11.73 | 11.90 / 11.00 TRUSTBANK | 0.50 | 18.00 | Vol. 532319 D: 21.60 2.70% | 21.83 | 22.20 / 20.00 C: 21.90 2.67% | 21.82 | 22.00 / 21.60

FIRSTSBANK | 1.85 | 13.89 | Vol. 998532 D: 15.70 1.88% | 15.86 | 16.40 / 15.00 C: 15.70 3.68% | 15.88 | 16.10 / 15.50 NON BANKING F I IDLC | 4.43 | 29.18 | Vol. 145415 D: 62.10 0.32% | 62.68 | 63.60 / 60.00 C: 62.40 0.79% | 62.73 | 63.30 / 62.30 ULC | 1.80 | 14.90 | Vol. 245840 D: 29.60 1.99% | 30.10 | 30.90 / 27.30 UTTARAFIN | 7.16 | 41.54 | Vol. 106700 D: 81.40 0.12% | 81.54 | 82.00 / 74.00 C: 80.80 1.34% | 80.77 | 82.60 / 80.50 MIDASFIN | 0.16 | 10.21 | Vol. 4500 D: 29.20 0.34% | 29.11 | 29.30 / 29.10 FLEASEINT | 2.34 | 13.93 | Vol. 1473541 D: 31.90 4.20% | 32.50 | 33.70 / 30.00 C: 32.10 3.89% | 32.67 | 33.40 / 31.80 PLFSL | 1.37 | 17.48 | Vol. 746180 D: 24.50 1.21% | 24.68 | 25.00 / 22.50 C: 24.50 1.21% | 24.72 | 25.10 / 24.40 PRIMEFIN | 0.87 | 17.88 | Vol. 483643 D: 25.70 0.00% | 25.95 | 26.40 / 24.00 C: 25.60 0.78% | 26.03 | 26.50 / 25.50 PREMIERLEA | 0.10 | 11.37 | Vol. 223087 D: 10.30 1.98% | 10.38 | 10.50 / 9.10 C: 10.30 1.98% | 10.27 | 10.40 / 10.10 ISLAMICFIN | 1.03 | 15.48 | Vol. 664312 D: 17.30 1.14% | 17.49 | 17.80 / 15.80 C: 17.50 0.00% | 17.57 | 17.90 / 17.20 LANKABAFIN | 1.61 | 31.07 | Vol. 1752795 D: 60.50 1.63% | 61.79 | 63.90 / 56.00 C: 60.50 1.14% | 61.30 | 63.00 / 60.00 BIFC | 0.15 | 18.58 | Vol. 590427 D: 17.80 3.49% | 17.80 | 18.40 / 16.00 C: 18.00 2.86% | 18.01 | 18.60 / 17.40 IPDC | 1.23 | 19.43 | Vol. 156500 D: 19.00 0.00% | 19.19 | 19.50 / 19.00 C: 18.80 2.59% | 18.85 | 19.10 / 18.70 UNIONCAP | 0.54 | 17.85 | Vol. 185106 D: 29.10 0.34% | 29.05 | 29.50 / 27.00 C: 29.50 1.72% | 29.62 | 30.00 / 27.50 BDFINANCE | 0.57 | 14.77 | Vol. 348325 D: 19.50 0.00% | 19.57 | 20.00 / 18.50 C: 19.70 1.03% | 19.59 | 19.90 / 19.10 ILFSL | 0.35 | 12.19 | Vol. 1179635 D: 15.60 1.30% | 15.69 | 15.90 / 14.80 C: 15.70 1.29% | 15.90 | 16.20 / 15.40 PHOENIXFIN | 2.46 | 19.39 | Vol. 374633 D: 33.90 2.59% | 34.39 | 35.50 / 33.00 C: 34.00 2.86% | 34.49 | 36.00 / 33.60 FASFIN | 0.19 | 13.56 | Vol. 2794000 D: 15.60 7.59% | 15.38 | 15.80 / 14.60 C: 15.80 7.48% | 15.66 | 16.10 / 14.70 DBH | 4.47 | 21.27 | Vol. 72175 D: 55.40 0.72% | 55.52 | 56.00 / 53.00 C: 56.50 0.00% | 56.50 | 56.50 / 56.50 NHFIL | 0.57 | 12.70 | Vol. 258505 D: 30.60 0.97% | 31.01 | 31.60 / 30.50 C: 30.90 1.59% | 31.34 | 31.60 / 30.60 BAYLEASING | 0.72 | 25.55 | Vol. 318644 D: 30.00 0.33% | 30.07 | 30.80 / 27.50 C: 30.00 0.99% | 30.06 | 30.90 / 29.80 ICB | 89.23 | 607.74 | Vol. 4050 D: 1532 0.33% | 1534 | 1545 / 1525 GSPFINANCE | 1.63 | 22.23 | Vol. 1054962 D: 29.20 8.15% | 28.36 | 29.70 / 25.00 C: 28.70 5.51% | 28.24 | 29.70 / 27.30 FAREASTFIN | 0.68 | 13.64 | Vol. 2915000 D: 16.80 9.80% | 16.69 | 16.80 / 15.60 C: 17.00 9.68% | 16.85 | 17.00 / 15.70 INVESTMENT 3RDICB | 26.16 | 235.16 | Vol. 200 D: 200.0 4.11% | 200.00 | 200.0 / 200.0 5THICB | 23.45 | 188.92 | Vol. 900 D: 152.5 0.26% | 152.50 | 152.5 / 152.5 6THICB | 10.99 | 60.14 | Vol. 26900 D: 52.70 1.13% | 53.05 | 53.30 / 52.60 7THICB | 13.53 | 98.60 | Vol. 1500 D: 86.80 1.36% | 86.67 | 87.50 / 86.00 8THICB | 12.47 | 70.07 | Vol. 5000 D: 53.10 0.19% | 53.20 | 53.30 / 53.00 AIMS1STMF | 3.02 | 15.70 | Vol. 1068750 D: 39.70 0.51% | 39.47 | 40.20 / 39.20 C: 39.90 1.27% | 39.76 | 40.40 / 39.30 ICBISLAMIC | 2.21 | 26.81 | Vol. 8500 D: 18.30 0.54% | 18.35 | 18.60 / 18.30

GRAMEEN1 | 6.26 | 33.23 | Vol. 219250 D: 44.90 0.00% | 45.29 | 46.00 / 44.00 C: 45.20 0.22% | 45.19 | 45.70 / 45.00 ICB1STNRB | 4.06 | 35.31 | Vol. 1500 D: 25.70 1.58% | 25.70 | 25.70 / 25.70 ICB2NDNRB | 2.49 | 16.24 | Vol. 256500 D: 9.90 0.00% | 9.93 | 10.00 / 9.90 C: 10.00 1.01% | 10.03 | 10.20 / 10.00 GRAMEENS2 | 2.17 | 16.41 | Vol. 1846100 D: 17.20 1.18% | 17.43 | 17.80 / 17.00 C: 17.30 1.17% | 17.39 | 17.60 / 15.40 1STPRIMFMF | 0.64 | 11.63 | Vol. 1349000 D: 25.30 4.17% | 26.10 | 27.80 / 25.30 C: 25.50 1.92% | 26.00 | 27.10 / 25.40 EBL1STMF | 0.55 | 12.62 | Vol. 453398 D: 7.10 0.00% | 7.14 | 7.80 / 7.00 C: 7.10 1.39% | 7.16 | 7.20 / 7.10 ICBAMCL2ND | 0.60 | 12.12 | Vol. 151500 D: 5.90 1.67% | 5.98 | 6.10 / 5.90 C: 6.00 0.00% | 6.00 | 6.00 / 6.00 ICBEPMF1S1 | 0.52 | 11.32 | Vol. 149000 D: 6.10 1.67% | 6.10 | 6.20 / 6.00 C: 6.20 0.00% | 6.11 | 6.20 / 6.00 TRUSTB1MF | 0.75 | 11.65 | Vol. 714476 D: 7.40 1.33% | 7.59 | 7.80 / 7.20 C: 7.60 0.00% | 7.60 | 7.70 / 7.00 PRIME1ICBA | 0.42 | 11.18 | Vol. 764500 D: 6.00 3.45% | 5.96 | 6.20 / 5.80 C: 5.90 0.00% | 5.92 | 6.00 / 5.80 DBH1STMF | -1.12 | 10.15 | Vol. 492000 D: 5.90 0.00% | 5.95 | 6.10 / 5.80 C: 6.00 1.69% | 5.99 | 6.10 / 5.80 IFIC1STMF | 0.83 | 11.88 | Vol. 774505 D: 6.70 1.47% | 6.74 | 6.90 / 6.50 C: 6.70 1.47% | 6.73 | 6.80 / 6.70 PF1STMF | 0.51 | 11.11 | Vol. 520000 D: 5.70 0.00% | 5.77 | 5.80 / 5.70 C: 5.80 3.57% | 5.80 | 5.80 / 5.80 ICB3RDNRB | 0.00 | 10.60 | Vol. 99500 D: 5.40 0.00% | 5.42 | 5.50 / 5.40 C: 5.40 0.00% | 5.40 | 5.40 / 5.40 1JANATAMF | 0.78 | 10.68 | Vol. 276500 D: 6.30 3.28% | 6.30 | 6.40 / 6.10 C: 6.20 0.00% | 6.22 | 6.30 / 6.10 GREENDELMF | -0.82 | 9.72 | Vol. 270000 D: 5.50 0.00% | 5.46 | 5.60 / 5.40 C: 5.50 0.00% | 5.50 | 5.60 / 5.40 POPULAR1MF | 0.77 | 11.38 | Vol. 665042 D: 6.20 1.59% | 6.28 | 6.40 / 6.00 C: 6.20 3.13% | 6.21 | 6.30 / 5.80 IFILISLMF1 | 0.00 | 10.45 | Vol. 398000 D: 5.90 1.72% | 5.92 | 6.00 / 5.80 C: 5.80 1.75% | 5.80 | 5.90 / 5.70 PHPMF1 | 0.63 | 10.92 | Vol. 880500 D: 5.70 1.72% | 5.75 | 5.90 / 5.70 C: 5.80 1.75% | 5.78 | 5.90 / 5.70 AIBL1STIMF | -0.07 | 9.25 | Vol. 61500 D: 7.00 0.00% | 7.08 | 7.20 / 7.00 C: 7.20 2.86% | 7.20 | 7.20 / 7.20 MBL1STMF | -0.16 | 9.08 | Vol. 44500 D: 6.20 1.59% | 6.29 | 6.40 / 6.20 C: 6.30 0.00% | 6.30 | 6.30 / 6.30 SEBL1STMF | 0.94 | 11.85 | Vol. 765550 D: 8.20 1.23% | 8.24 | 8.30 / 7.50 C: 8.30 3.75% | 8.23 | 8.30 / 8.00 EBLNRBMF | 1.07 | 10.88 | Vol. 5500 D: 7.20 5.26% | 7.20 | 7.20 / 7.20 RELIANCE1 | 0.95 | 10.33 | Vol. 675500 D: 8.70 0.00% | 8.81 | 8.90 / 8.60 C: 9.00 2.27% | 8.97 | 9.00 / 8.90 LRGLOBMF1 | 0.45 | 10.78 | Vol. 121000 D: 6.70 0.00% | 6.80 | 6.90 / 6.70 C: 6.80 1.49% | 6.73 | 6.80 / 6.70 ABB1STMF | 0.92 | 10.63 | Vol. 707000 D: 7.20 0.00% | 7.35 | 7.50 / 7.20 C: 7.20 1.37% | 7.20 | 7.20 / 7.20 NLI1STMF | 1.17 | 12.22 | Vol. 1412750 D: 9.30 1.09% | 9.44 | 9.60 / 8.90 C: 9.30 1.09% | 9.37 | 9.70 / 9.30 FBFIF | 1.30 | 10.27 | Vol. 10000 D: 8.50 6.59% | 8.60 | 8.60 / 8.50 NCCBLMF1 | 1.16 | 10.48 | Vol. 55500 D: 8.20 1.20% | 8.29 | 8.50 / 8.20 ICBSONALI1 | 0.00 | 10.39 | Vol. 260000 D: 8.10 0.00% | 8.17 | 8.30 / 8.10 C: 8.10 0.00% | 8.13 | 8.20 / 8.10

ENGINEERING AFTABAUTO | 3.60 | 50.81 | Vol. 504200 D: 93.00 0.85% | 93.28 | 95.00 / 85.00 C: 93.00 0.85% | 93.21 | 94.30 / 92.80 AZIZPIPES | 0.39 | -42.04 | Vol. 98800 D: 21.80 4.80% | 23.22 | 24.90 / 21.40 C: 22.50 4.26% | 23.89 | 25.80 / 22.50 OLYMPIC | 5.23 | 14.73 | Vol. 384000 D: 153.7 2.29% | 156.68 | 159.8 / 153.0 C: 155.0 0.45% | 156.03 | 159.0 / 154.2 BDLAMPS | -5.31 | 37.07 | Vol. 21500 D: 132.8 0.38% | 133.14 | 134.0 / 132.0 C: 137.8 3.61% | 134.45 | 137.8 / 133.0 ECABLES | 6.10 | 23.97 | Vol. 526800 D: 98.10 1.31% | 98.10 | 100.0 / 97.30 C: 90.30 2.48% | 99.49 | 99.70 / 85.10 MONNOSTAF | 5.31 | 44.78 | Vol. 1500 D: 315.8 4.42% | 316.67 | 328.8 / 310.0 SINGERBD | 9.99 | 45.74 | Vol. 62975 D: 195.5 0.31% | 195.42 | 196.3 / 193.1 C: 195.0 0.83% | 195.14 | 196.0 / 194.5 ATLASBANG | 9.14 | 222.05 | Vol. 24467 D: 161.3 0.74% | 161.68 | 162.8 / 160.1 BDAUTOCA | -0.43 | 5.68 | Vol. 68310 D: 36.80 3.92% | 37.21 | 39.20 / 35.50 QSMDRYCELL | 1.06 | 52.31 | Vol. 1827056 D: 38.70 4.59% | 38.58 | 40.40 / 33.50 C: 39.10 5.68% | 39.91 | 40.60 / 38.70 RENWICKJA | 5.77 | -31.13 | Vol. 10850 D: 145.2 0.27% | 146.64 | 148.8 / 144.3 NTLTUBES | 0.67 | 311.00 | Vol. 43500 D: 74.70 0.40% | 74.90 | 76.00 / 74.30 BDTHAI | 0.43 | 39.35 | Vol. 1126794 D: 32.80 1.86% | 32.31 | 33.50 / 29.50 C: 32.70 0.00% | 32.24 | 33.10 / 31.30 ANWARGALV | 0.52 | 8.10 | Vol. 459000 D: 31.60 2.47% | 32.29 | 33.40 / 31.20 C: 31.80 3.34% | 32.47 | 34.90 / 31.60 KAY&QUE | -3.89 | 6.03 | Vol. 166000 D: 20.70 7.81% | 20.78 | 21.10 / 18.20 C: 21.00 9.95% | 20.85 | 21.00 / 19.50 RANFOUNDRY | 2.84 | 18.62 | Vol. 40500 D: 96.60 2.88% | 96.62 | 98.80 / 95.00 C: 97.00 2.86% | 99.00 | 97.00 / 101.0 SALAMCRST | 3.31 | 20.00 | Vol. 677830 D: 46.30 0.22% | 46.61 | 47.80 / 45.50 C: 46.50 0.43% | 46.70 | 47.00 / 42.00 GOLDENSON | 3.70 | 28.70 | Vol. 3306466 D: 57.30 1.06% | 57.09 | 58.30 / 52.00 C: 57.70 1.41% | 56.96 | 58.10 / 53.00 BSRMSTEEL | 3.06 | 19.53 | Vol. 318745 D: 72.00 0.14% | 72.60 | 75.00 / 67.00 C: 72.10 0.28% | 72.41 | 73.50 / 72.00 NAVANACNG | 4.09 | 27.04 | Vol. 175340 D: 67.60 2.58% | 67.20 | 68.00 / 61.00 C: 67.90 3.03% | 67.37 | 68.00 / 65.80 DESHBANDHU | 0.26 | 10.67 | Vol. 1608837 D: 23.10 1.32% | 23.29 | 24.00 / 20.80 C: 23.20 1.31% | 23.21 | 23.60 / 22.40 GPHISPAT | 2.11 | 15.27 | Vol. 600500 D: 57.90 2.53% | 58.09 | 60.00 / 54.00 C: 58.00 1.69% | 57.86 | 59.00 / 57.40 BENGALWTL | 3.85 | 24.30 | Vol. 1659400 D: 65.70 1.70% | 65.89 | 67.90 / 64.10 C: 65.80 1.70% | 66.01 | 67.80 / 64.60 BDBUILDING | 1.33 | 12.70 | Vol. 1044500 D: 75.20 1.35% | 75.52 | 78.40 / 73.60 C: 75.50 1.89% | 75.63 | 78.90 / 73.10 NPOLYMAR | 2.38 | 32.89 | Vol. 161000 D: 59.80 0.99% | 59.98 | 61.80 / 59.20 C: 59.90 1.35% | 61.00 | 61.90 / 59.70 FOOD & ALLIED APEXFOODS | 2.54 | 90.81 | Vol. 97700 D: 95.70 4.13% | 95.42 | 98.50 / 91.70 C: 95.30 4.38% | 95.28 | 100.0 / 93.50 BANGAS | 7.20 | 50.27 | Vol. 47280 D: 461.6 0.94% | 464.53 | 500.1 / 458.0 C: 464.8 0.32% | 465.08 | 467.0 / 464.0 BATBC | 65.69 | 117.22 | Vol. 1450 D: 1630 1.89% | 1633 | 1650 / 1616 C: 1600 5.88% | 1600 | 1600 / 1600 GEMINISEA | -15.39 | -5.70 | Vol. 1600 D: 155.7 1.17% | 155.63 | 157.3 / 155.0 NTC | 29.88 | 110.05 | Vol. 2250 D: 806.0 1.10% | 806.67 | 815.0 / 805.0 ZEALBANGLA | -28.94 | -221.34 | Vol. 3000 D: 8.00 2.56% | 8.00 | 8.30 / 7.70

AMCL(PRAN) | 6.85 | 57.14 | Vol. 49200 D: 192.5 0.73% | 192.17 | 194.0 / 190.0 C: 191.8 0.37% | 190.85 | 192.0 / 188.0 SHYAMPSUG | -45.77 | -396.49 | Vol. 1300 D: 7.90 6.76% | 7.90 | 7.90 / 7.90 RAHIMAFOOD | 0.52 | 4.45 | Vol. 827390 D: 83.60 1.18% | 87.92 | 92.90 / 76.50 C: 83.60 1.65% | 88.34 | 92.90 / 77.00 FUWANGFOOD | 0.94 | 12.28 | Vol. 3244175 D: 26.10 7.41% | 25.91 | 26.70 / 23.00 C: 26.30 6.48% | 26.21 | 27.10 / 24.90 MEGHNAPET | -0.50 | -1.52 | Vol. 16500 D: 7.10 2.90% | 7.15 | 7.40 / 6.90 MEGCONMILK | -7.48 | -23.70 | Vol. 76000 D: 8.20 7.89% | 8.17 | 8.30 / 7.70 BEACHHATCH | 1.01 | 12.48 | Vol. 2380405 D: 29.80 9.96% | 29.64 | 29.80 / 26.80 C: 30.20 9.82% | 30.03 | 30.20 / 27.00 FINEFOODS | 0.05 | 10.63 | Vol. 654500 D: 26.30 3.54% | 26.28 | 27.00 / 25.20 C: 26.00 2.36% | 26.29 | 27.00 / 25.20 RDFOOD | 0.91 | 16.84 | Vol. 2693249 D: 27.70 4.53% | 27.28 | 27.90 / 24.00 C: 27.80 3.35% | 27.38 | 28.10 / 26.60 GHAIL | 2.31 | 24.36 | Vol. 2978460 D: 48.90 2.59% | 49.45 | 50.90 / 46.00 C: 49.50 2.75% | 49.79 | 51.00 / 48.20 FUEL & POWER LINDEBD | 31.71 | 144.00 | Vol. 18850 D: 629.8 1.30% | 635.76 | 645.0 / 626.0 PADMAOIL | 27.62 | 79.74 | Vol. 152653 D: 315.6 0.09% | 317.18 | 321.8 / 300.0 C: 316.2 0.16% | 316.94 | 321.8 / 315.1 EASTRNLUB | 5.33 | 71.01 | Vol. 4300 D: 312.8 5.73% | 315.12 | 320.0 / 312.3 BDWELDING | 0.33 | 16.82 | Vol. 1382316 D: 25.00 1.63% | 24.96 | 25.50 / 24.00 C: 25.10 1.21% | 25.09 | 25.80 / 24.20 SUMITPOWER | 3.17 | 19.26 | Vol. 993802 D: 38.90 1.04% | 39.22 | 40.00 / 35.00 C: 38.80 0.52% | 39.26 | 39.90 / 38.60 DESCO | 2.34 | 31.27 | Vol. 216094 D: 60.70 1.51% | 60.34 | 61.00 / 56.00 C: 61.30 2.51% | 61.28 | 61.80 / 60.10 POWERGRID | 2.19 | 63.69 | Vol. 108014 D: 54.20 0.37% | 54.47 | 55.90 / 51.00 C: 53.90 0.94% | 53.85 | 54.50 / 53.20 JAMUNAOIL | 19.83 | 57.32 | Vol. 266650 D: 202.5 1.22% | 204.02 | 206.0 / 195.0 C: 202.5 1.65% | 203.69 | 205.5 / 201.0 MPETROLEUM | 21.34 | 59.26 | Vol. 340155 D: 219.7 0.54% | 219.73 | 223.4 / 214.0 C: 218.5 1.35% | 219.57 | 221.6 / 217.5 TITASGAS | 9.20 | 46.26 | Vol. 338017 D: 73.60 0.41% | 74.06 | 75.00 / 67.00 C: 73.80 0.40% | 74.12 | 74.80 / 73.70 KPCL | 4.73 | 15.86 | Vol. 499491 D: 50.60 1.00% | 50.67 | 51.50 / 47.00 C: 50.20 1.01% | 50.59 | 51.10 / 50.00 BEDL | 1.48 | 19.43 | Vol. 1747381 D: 34.50 0.29% | 34.86 | 36.00 / 31.20 C: 34.50 0.58% | 34.78 | 35.40 / 34.30 MJLBD | 2.73 | 30.24 | Vol. 468748 D: 76.10 0.26% | 76.36 | 78.00 / 70.00 C: 77.00 1.72% | 76.81 | 77.40 / 74.00 GBBPOWER | 1.86 | 22.63 | Vol. 1623984 D: 31.30 0.64% | 31.30 | 32.50 / 28.50 C: 31.40 0.64% | 31.24 | 31.60 / 28.10 SPPCL | 3.81 | 23.34 | Vol. 1021850 D: 63.10 0.96% | 63.45 | 64.00 / 59.00 C: 63.10 0.64% | 63.48 | 64.20 / 61.30 JUTE JUTESPINN | -48.14 | -39.89 | Vol. 3300 D: 83.90 0.72% | 83.94 | 85.00 / 81.10 NORTHERN | -9.98 | -18.22 | Vol. 12200 D: 40.00 9.59% | 40.08 | 40.10 / 40.00 SONALIANSH | 2.65 | 226.00 | Vol. 37300 D: 152.5 0.66% | 152.63 | 154.0 / 151.2 TEXTILE AL-HAJTEX | 2.22 | 16.53 | Vol. 135226 D: 75.50 0.66% | 77.00 | 78.70 / 75.00 RAHIMTEXT | 4.65 | 56.68 | Vol. 4300 D: 256.5 1.54% | 257.67 | 269.0 / 254.3 SAIHAMTEX | 2.75 | 29.50 | Vol. 3103800 D: 31.50 9.76% | 30.83 | 31.50 / 28.50 C: 31.20 9.86% | 30.24 | 31.20 / 28.60

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

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PROVATIINS | 1.90 | 14.30 | Vol. 116033 D: 28.80 1.41% | 28.88 | 29.30 / 26.50 C: 29.30 3.17% | 29.35 | 29.50 / 29.30 DHAKAINS | 2.84 | 18.02 | Vol. 145500 D: 41.30 0.73% | 41.37 | 41.90 / 41.00 C: 41.30 0.48% | 41.38 | 41.50 / 41.20 LIFE INSURANCE NATLIFEINS | 12.34 | 80.99 | Vol. 61221 D: 289.6 2.22% | 288.52 | 296.0 / 275.0 C: 276.5 0.00% | 276.50 | 276.5 / 276.5 DELTALIFE | 38.53 | 189.40 | Vol. 700150 D: 273.2 1.55% | 275.35 | 282.0 / 272.1 C: 273.8 1.33% | 275.46 | 289.8 / 272.3 SANDHANINS | 2.39 | 28.22 | Vol. 68084 D: 73.40 0.27% | 73.65 | 75.10 / 73.10 C: 73.10 1.62% | 72.27 | 73.20 / 72.00 POPULARLIF | 3.70 | 715.41 | Vol. 48100 D: 224.4 1.75% | 225.28 | 230.0 / 210.0 FAREASTLIF | 9.21 | 60.79 | Vol. 112693 D: 99.80 1.67% | 101.15 | 103.8 / 96.00 C: 99.30 2.65% | 99.34 | 100.1 / 99.00 MEGHNALIFE | 10.82 | 48.87 | Vol. 289150 D: 114.6 0.35% | 114.71 | 117.0 / 110.0 C: 115.6 3.03% | 114.91 | 116.0 / 109.0 PROGRESLIF | 2.30 | 31.45 | Vol. 558 D: 116.9 0.86% | 116.18 | 116.9 / 110.0 PRAGATILIF | 0.60 | 30.15 | Vol. 16767 D: 156.0 2.50% | 156.50 | 167.0 / 145.0 PRIMELIFE | 5.51 | 27.10 | Vol. 10811 D: 99.90 1.67% | 99.99 | 100.9 / 99.00 RUPALILIFE | 3.75 | 31.25 | Vol. 260056 D: 127.1 4.87% | 125.08 | 129.0 / 119.3 C: 127.0 0.78% | 126.58 | 129.0 / 125.0 PADMALIFE | 1.63 | 25.76 | Vol. 464640 D: 68.00 4.36% | 69.46 | 71.50 / 64.00 C: 67.50 4.80% | 68.52 | 70.50 / 66.10 SUNLIFEINS | 0.00 | 0.00 | Vol. 224850 D: 61.90 1.90% | 62.29 | 63.30 / 58.00 C: 62.00 1.74% | 62.33 | 63.40 / 61.80 TELECOM GP | 12.96 | 26.26 | Vol. 325200 D: 204.3 0.15% | 204.36 | 207.0 / 203.5 C: 204.4 0.10% | 204.48 | 205.0 / 203.5 BSCCL | 5.82 | 26.38 | Vol. 289842 D: 172.1 0.47% | 172.07 | 177.0 / 155.0 C: 172.3 0.70% | 171.89 | 174.5 / 170.7 TRAVEL & LEISURE UNITEDAIR | 1.10 | 12.87 | Vol. 8606979 D: 17.30 3.59% | 17.32 | 17.70 / 15.50 C: 17.40 3.57% | 17.30 | 17.60 / 16.80 UNIQUEHRL | 4.02 | 86.29 | Vol. 543340 D: 82.80 1.60% | 82.75 | 84.00 / 80.00 C: 82.90 1.47% | 82.66 | 83.80 / 81.60 MISCELLANEOUS ARAMIT | 16.07 | 99.93 | Vol. 5650 D: 336.7 0.18% | 339.18 | 345.9 / 332.1 C: 335.7 0.42% | 332.88 | 349.0 / 330.0 BSC | 1.77 | 565.82 | Vol. 68235 D: 434.8 0.17% | 435.45 | 440.0 / 433.8 C: 434.8 0.00% | 435.74 | 440.0 / 433.0 GQBALLPEN | 6.55 | 250.45 | Vol. 84283 D: 147.1 0.41% | 147.98 | 151.0 / 135.0 C: 147.2 0.27% | 148.44 | 154.0 / 147.0 USMANIAGL | 3.45 | 27.20 | Vol. 75115 D: 142.6 0.07% | 143.63 | 145.9 / 130.0 C: 141.8 0.98% | 141.94 | 146.9 / 139.5 SAVAREFR | 0.14 | 10.57 | Vol. 700 D: 63.40 2.09% | 62.86 | 63.90 / 62.10 BEXIMCO | 3.24 | 86.74 | Vol. 2516092 D: 33.90 0.89% | 34.17 | 35.00 / 30.80 C: 34.00 0.59% | 34.11 | 34.40 / 33.80 SINOBANGLA | 1.75 | 21.01 | Vol. 588000 D: 26.10 1.16% | 26.08 | 26.70 / 25.00 C: 25.70 1.15% | 26.01 | 26.90 / 25.60 MIRACLEIND | 0.09 | 14.41 | Vol. 468025 D: 18.60 2.62% | 19.00 | 20.10 / 18.50 C: 18.60 2.11% | 18.93 | 19.50 / 18.30 BOND IBBLPBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 100 D: 984.5 0.30% | 980.00 | 987.0 / 980.3 ACIZCBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 50 D: 891.0 0.00% | 895.83 | 900.0 / 890.0 C: 880.0 0.00% | 880.00 | 880.0 / 880.0

December 11, 2013 Sectotal Index: BANK: 37,926.10 0.22% NBFI: 21,510.01 0.46% INVS: 4,896.24 0.25% ENGG: 6,631.30 0.26% FOOD: 10,550.71 0.76% F&P: 10,310.75 0.04% TEXT: 3,828.15 3.35% PHAR: 18,439.66 0.39% PAPR: 1,304.85 1.46% SERV: 3,110.04 2.58% LEAT: 5,416.06 0.28% CERA: 560.49 2.45% CMNT: 4,378.82 1.28% INFO: 8,577.67 3.38% GINS: 9,294.46 1.71% LINS: 123,250.05 0.90% TELC: 1,353.91 0.23% MISC: 6,495.79 2.24%
MODERNDYE | 0.91 | 10.37 | Vol. 2750 D: 99.60 4.69% | 100.00 | 103.0 / 98.00 DSHGARME | 0.88 | 12.12 | Vol. 34200 D: 72.20 2.43% | 73.07 | 76.00 / 71.70 DULAMIACOT | -1.90 | -29.70 | Vol. 28800 D: 8.40 6.33% | 8.33 | 8.50 / 8.00 TALLUSPIN | 1.75 | 16.17 | Vol. 3199020 D: 38.70 2.93% | 38.79 | 39.50 / 37.60 C: 38.80 3.19% | 38.87 | 39.30 / 37.60 APEXSPINN | 2.01 | 49.32 | Vol. 18400 D: 72.60 0.00% | 73.70 | 74.50 / 71.30 MITHUNKNIT | 2.87 | 20.53 | Vol. 152040 D: 80.50 1.77% | 82.18 | 84.50 / 79.80 C: 81.20 2.78% | 83.10 | 84.90 / 80.00 DELTASPINN | 3.06 | 26.84 | Vol. 4254000 D: 40.20 9.84% | 40.05 | 40.20 / 36.60 C: 40.10 9.86% | 39.93 | 40.10 / 37.50 SONARGAON | 0.27 | 34.50 | Vol. 782000 D: 21.70 1.88% | 21.69 | 22.10 / 20.70 C: 21.70 2.84% | 21.70 | 22.30 / 20.60 PRIMETEX | 1.21 | 59.34 | Vol. 928250 D: 28.00 5.26% | 27.98 | 28.90 / 26.60 C: 28.30 5.99% | 28.13 | 29.10 / 26.30 ALLTEX | -1.26 | 8.10 | Vol. 281500 D: 7.60 2.70% | 7.72 | 7.90 / 7.50 C: 7.70 2.67% | 7.62 | 7.70 / 7.50 ANLIMAYARN | 1.36 | 11.99 | Vol. 351500 D: 29.90 1.64% | 30.75 | 31.80 / 29.50 C: 30.30 2.26% | 30.66 | 31.70 / 30.10 HRTEX | 2.08 | 14.92 | Vol. 538567 D: 46.00 2.13% | 46.60 | 50.00 / 45.00 C: 46.20 2.53% | 46.77 | 48.00 / 46.00 CMCKAMAL | 1.37 | 19.31 | Vol. 3021186 D: 34.40 4.24% | 34.54 | 35.50 / 31.00 SAFKOSPINN | 0.95 | 21.78 | Vol. 1903737 D: 30.50 5.90% | 30.60 | 31.20 / 27.00 C: 31.00 8.01% | 30.57 | 31.50 / 28.50 SQUARETEXT | 4.32 | 31.82 | Vol. 117850 D: 92.60 0.11% | 92.75 | 93.20 / 92.00 C: 93.10 0.22% | 93.04 | 95.00 / 92.50 METROSPIN | 0.56 | 17.71 | Vol. 2325891 D: 22.60 4.63% | 22.78 | 23.20 / 20.00 C: 22.90 5.05% | 22.81 | 23.20 / 21.90 MAKSONSPIN | 0.16 | 20.55 | Vol. 6085738 D: 21.70 6.37% | 21.64 | 22.20 / 18.50 C: 21.80 5.83% | 21.63 | 22.20 / 20.70 DACCADYE | 0.93 | 25.85 | Vol. 1622551 D: 27.10 5.86% | 27.01 | 27.90 / 25.00 C: 27.20 5.84% | 26.97 | 27.90 / 25.80 RNSPIN | 2.80 | 16.58 | Vol. 6096524 D: 37.00 1.93% | 37.18 | 38.00 / 33.00 C: 37.10 1.92% | 37.18 | 37.80 / 36.50 BXSYNTH | 0.93 | 25.42 | Vol. 1446442 D: 17.60 2.33% | 17.86 | 18.40 / 16.00 C: 17.80 2.89% | 17.90 | 18.40 / 17.10 MALEKSPIN | 2.81 | 43.48 | Vol. 2993770 D: 29.00 2.47% | 29.20 | 29.90 / 26.00 C: 29.40 3.52% | 29.42 | 30.00 / 28.50 ZAHINTEX | 1.20 | 31.07 | Vol. 1691200 D: 30.80 6.94% | 30.48 | 31.60 / 28.00 C: 30.90 8.42% | 30.18 | 31.30 / 28.60 SAIHAMCOT | 1.92 | 23.62 | Vol. 4260750 D: 27.00 9.76% | 26.57 | 27.00 / 24.90 C: 27.20 9.68% | 26.92 | 27.20 / 25.00 GENNEXT | 1.68 | 15.15 | Vol. 8459300 D: 35.60 0.28% | 35.77 | 36.30 / 32.00 C: 35.60 0.84% | 35.71 | 36.20 / 35.20 ENVOYTEX | 3.10 | 37.86 | Vol. 2617430 D: 55.90 0.53% | 56.16 | 57.10 / 50.70 C: 55.90 0.53% | 56.04 | 56.90 / 55.70 ARGONDENIM | 1.89 | 38.86 | Vol. 1478120 D: 86.70 0.23% | 87.06 | 88.00 / 78.00 C: 86.40 0.82% | 85.69 | 88.00 / 85.00 FAMILYTEX | 3.72 | 14.68 | Vol. 731500 D: 68.30 9.81% | 66.84 | 68.40 / 63.30 C: 67.80 8.83% | 67.84 | 68.50 / 64.90 PTL | 2.12 | 20.06 | Vol. 4247500 D: 67.50 0.15% | 67.81 | 69.60 / 66.10 C: 67.50 0.00% | 67.61 | 69.30 / 66.00 PHARMACEUTICAL & CHEMICAL AMBEEPHA | 3.94 | 26.15 | Vol. 14100 D: 270.7 1.67% | 271.92 | 281.8 / 270.0 C: 271.3 0.48% | 273.68 | 280.0 / 269.0 BXPHARMA | 3.77 | 52.55 | Vol. 275798 D: 47.40 0.85% | 47.43 | 47.70 / 44.00 C: 47.30 0.42% | 47.40 | 47.80 / 47.00 GLAXOSMITH | 20.25 | 123.32 | Vol. 2800 D: 1008 1.81% | 1009 | 1020 / 1000
BD Fixed Income MF Three Months Graph
45 40 35 30 25 20 15 8 10 5 0
5 14 18 19 20 21 22 25 29 1 11 12 16 17 18 19 22 23 25 26 29 30 6 7 8 10 20 22 4 5 7 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 24 28 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 11 15 16 18 21 22 23 24 25 30 31

Turnover Price

ACI | -5.82 | 126.42 | Vol. 8914 D: 172.6 1.03% | 173.21 | 175.0 / 165.0 C: 171.3 0.06% | 170.85 | 171.3 / 160.0 RENATA | 33.57 | 138.83 | Vol. 5984 D: 746.8 0.34% | 744.99 | 748.0 / 733.0 RECKITTBEN | 27.16 | 78.89 | Vol. 250 D: 899.2 2.98% | 900.00 | 900.0 / 899.0 PHARMAID | 1.39 | 26.19 | Vol. 57750 D: 168.8 1.52% | 168.78 | 171.0 / 167.2 KOHINOOR | 11.46 | 15.99 | Vol. 4080 D: 344.3 4.86% | 344.81 | 390.0 / 342.1 C: 302.5 18.62% | 302.50 | 310.0 / 295.0 IBNSINA | 3.44 | 34.02 | Vol. 70140 D: 103.4 0.96% | 103.86 | 106.0 / 102.9 C: 103.0 2.65% | 103.88 | 105.0 / 102.3 LIBRAINFU | 4.21 | 1567.59 | Vol. 600 D: 421.1 3.52% | 421.67 | 442.3 / 410.0 ORIONINFU | 1.27 | 7.00 | Vol. 402200 D: 44.20 0.91% | 44.63 | 45.50 / 41.00 C: 44.00 0.92% | 44.64 | 45.50 / 43.50 SQURPHARMA | 6.93 | 37.18 | Vol. 207851 D: 193.6 0.10% | 193.21 | 196.0 / 189.0 C: 193.5 0.31% | 193.38 | 195.0 / 192.2 IMAMBUTTON | -1.51 | 4.16 | Vol. 68500 D: 8.70 8.75% | 8.79 | 8.80 / 8.20 C: 9.00 5.88% | 8.77 | 9.00 / 8.10 KEYACOSMET | 1.55 | 21.54 | Vol. 5637312 D: 29.70 6.07% | 29.41 | 30.40 / 25.20 C: 29.90 6.41% | 29.38 | 30.20 / 28.10 BERGERPBL | 32.46 | 100.20 | Vol. 4400 D: 863.3 0.71% | 845.68 | 883.9 / 835.0 ACIFORMULA | 3.33 | 38.08 | Vol. 41000 D: 79.60 0.62% | 80.03 | 81.40 / 79.00 C: 79.30 1.00% | 79.56 | 81.00 / 76.60 MARICO | 27.53 | 62.47 | Vol. 7300 D: 757.2 0.56% | 756.58 | 758.8 / 752.3 BEACONPHAR | 0.04 | 12.01 | Vol. 340850 D: 13.30 1.48% | 13.47 | 13.90 / 12.20 C: 13.40 1.47% | 13.54 | 13.80 / 13.20 ACTIVEFINE | 3.23 | 13.89 | Vol. 624690 D: 87.40 1.47% | 88.08 | 90.00 / 85.00 C: 87.40 1.13% | 87.78 | 89.00 / 85.00 SALVOCHEM | 0.68 | 10.57 | Vol. 4142372 D: 27.20 5.84% | 27.07 | 28.10 / 24.00 C: 27.00 5.47% | 26.90 | 28.00 / 25.60 GHCL | 2.14 | 57.31 | Vol. 1281250 D: 64.30 2.88% | 63.51 | 65.00 / 61.40 C: 64.00 1.75% | 63.26 | 65.10 / 61.20 ORIONPHARM | 5.02 | 68.68 | Vol. 1456410 D: 62.20 1.27% | 62.86 | 64.10 / 57.00 C: 62.20 1.11% | 62.69 | 63.90 / 62.00 JMISMDL | 1.12 | 12.83 | Vol. 140000 D: 204.9 0.20% | 205.98 | 211.9 / 203.4 C: 204.6 0.68% | 205.45 | 214.0 / 202.5 CENTRALPHL | 1.62 | 12.24 | Vol. 3073365 D: 51.90 1.17% | 51.07 | 54.00 / 46.50 C: 51.70 1.17% | 50.65 | 54.00 / 49.30 PAPER & PACKAGING HAKKANIPUL | 0.51 | 31.01 | Vol. 219000 D: 43.40 9.60% | 42.46 | 43.50 / 38.30 C: 43.10 9.67% | 42.28 | 43.20 / 40.00 SERVICE SAMORITA | 2.49 | 57.42 | Vol. 62000 D: 94.10 1.73% | 93.92 | 95.40 / 91.70 C: 96.60 2.77% | 96.05 | 98.00 / 95.00 SAPORTL | 1.23 | 38.39 | Vol. 612195 D: 31.40 3.97% | 31.06 | 31.50 / 28.00 C: 31.40 3.63% | 31.11 | 31.50 / 30.30 EHL | 2.81 | 18.44 | Vol. 661567 D: 53.30 0.19% | 53.65 | 54.40 / 53.10 C: 53.80 0.19% | 53.98 | 55.20 / 53.20

LEATHER APEXTANRY | 6.57 | 69.38 | Vol. 117800 D: 126.2 0.55% | 129.87 | 134.5 / 126.0 C: 124.4 1.97% | 125.32 | 129.1 / 124.2 BATASHOE | 49.12 | 135.53 | Vol. 9600 D: 693.2 0.26% | 692.29 | 700.0 / 691.1 APEXADELFT | 23.01 | 203.26 | Vol. 93200 D: 397.0 0.18% | 397.55 | 401.0 / 395.5 SAMATALETH | 0.22 | 12.93 | Vol. 23500 D: 24.20 10.00% | 24.20 | 24.20 / 24.20 C: 21.00 9.95% | 21.00 | 21.00 / 21.00 LEGACYFOOT | 0.63 | 17.19 | Vol. 795897 D: 44.50 4.91% | 45.56 | 47.00 / 43.00 C: 44.60 4.09% | 45.29 | 47.00 / 44.10 CERAMIC MONNOCERA | 0.35 | 95.30 | Vol. 128250 D: 37.00 2.12% | 37.72 | 39.50 / 36.20 C: 37.10 1.33% | 38.19 | 39.60 / 37.00 STANCERAM | 1.12 | 15.49 | Vol. 37500 D: 43.00 9.14% | 42.81 | 43.30 / 40.00 C: 41.30 7.83% | 41.29 | 42.00 / 40.00 FUWANGCER | 0.65 | 12.70 | Vol. 3282100 D: 23.20 3.11% | 23.12 | 24.00 / 21.00 C: 23.30 4.48% | 23.18 | 24.10 / 22.10 SPCERAMICS | 0.62 | 30.92 | Vol. 1292264 D: 19.80 5.32% | 19.64 | 20.00 / 17.00 C: 19.90 4.74% | 19.71 | 20.10 / 19.00 RAKCERAMIC | 1.98 | 16.76 | Vol. 291223 D: 53.40 0.56% | 53.75 | 54.30 / 48.00 C: 53.80 1.13% | 53.94 | 54.40 / 53.50 CEMENT HEIDELBCEM | 22.85 | 111.50 | Vol. 40600 D: 381.2 0.29% | 382.72 | 387.9 / 380.0 C: 381.0 1.06% | 381.00 | 381.0 / 381.0 CONFIDCEM | 6.23 | 90.76 | Vol. 424469 D: 127.0 2.58% | 126.82 | 128.1 / 120.0 C: 126.9 2.67% | 127.12 | 128.9 / 124.6 MEGHNACEM | 6.28 | 33.81 | Vol. 183500 D: 137.3 3.94% | 136.24 | 138.7 / 131.0 C: 136.2 3.18% | 136.46 | 139.9 / 131.0 ARAMITCEM | 3.03 | 14.65 | Vol. 826120 D: 88.80 0.34% | 92.48 | 97.70 / 87.00 C: 90.00 2.27% | 92.62 | 96.80 / 89.00 LAFSURCEML | 1.60 | 7.22 | Vol. 548000 D: 32.70 0.61% | 32.83 | 33.00 / 32.60 C: 32.80 0.31% | 32.80 | 33.00 / 32.60 MICEMENT | 4.48 | 37.67 | Vol. 235188 D: 84.00 0.60% | 84.39 | 90.10 / 77.00 C: 84.10 0.84% | 84.39 | 85.90 / 82.80 PREMIERCEM | 5.00 | 32.60 | Vol. 969400 D: 109.5 3.30% | 109.67 | 112.5 / 106.6 C: 109.7 5.38% | 110.27 | 113.0 / 106.0 IT IINDUSTRIES ISNLTD | 0.28 | 17.31 | Vol. 337102 D: 21.50 0.46% | 21.75 | 22.50 / 20.00 C: 21.00 4.55% | 21.48 | 22.20 / 20.00 BDCOM | 1.40 | 14.41 | Vol. 1239468 D: 29.50 6.88% | 29.31 | 30.00 / 25.00 C: 29.50 6.50% | 29.02 | 29.70 / 25.00 INTECH | 0.94 | 10.08 | Vol. 463155 D: 18.20 0.00% | 18.22 | 18.90 / 16.50 C: 18.30 0.00% | 18.19 | 18.70 / 17.90 AGNISYSL | 0.96 | 14.90 | Vol. 1022350 D: 24.40 0.83% | 24.50 | 25.00 / 23.00 C: 24.30 0.00% | 24.44 | 24.90 / 23.90 DAFODILCOM | 0.85 | 10.99 | Vol. 1517560 D: 16.60 5.73% | 16.81 | 17.20 / 15.00 C: 16.60 5.06% | 16.75 | 17.20 / 16.30 AAMRATECH | 1.33 | 19.91 | Vol. 4746900 D: 39.70 6.15% | 39.37 | 40.00 / 34.00 C: 40.10 6.37% | 39.60 | 40.70 / 38.00

GENERAL INSURANCE BGIC | 1.65 | 20.33 | Vol. 74236 D: 29.60 0.00% | 29.82 | 32.00 / 27.00 C: 29.90 0.33% | 29.92 | 30.30 / 29.60 GREENDELT | 4.05 | 64.44 | Vol. 33287 D: 86.60 0.12% | 86.43 | 88.00 / 83.00 C: 88.20 0.80% | 88.18 | 88.50 / 88.00 UNITEDINS | 2.47 | 21.04 | Vol. 19500 D: 44.10 0.23% | 44.46 | 45.00 / 43.60 PEOPLESINS | 2.05 | 20.72 | Vol. 71145 D: 34.80 0.58% | 35.09 | 35.50 / 34.00 C: 35.10 0.29% | 35.10 | 35.20 / 34.60 EASTERNINS | 2.22 | 35.88 | Vol. 26538 D: 38.10 1.60% | 38.22 | 40.00 / 35.00 C: 40.00 6.10% | 40.00 | 40.00 / 40.00 JANATAINS | 0.78 | 17.07 | Vol. 198670 D: 28.30 2.91% | 28.07 | 28.50 / 25.00 C: 28.30 2.54% | 28.14 | 28.50 / 27.50 PHENIXINS | 2.70 | 20.96 | Vol. 49555 D: 43.10 2.13% | 42.94 | 43.30 / 40.00 C: 42.40 2.17% | 42.27 | 42.40 / 42.10 EASTLAND | 4.06 | 23.29 | Vol. 124838 D: 48.40 0.62% | 48.46 | 48.80 / 43.50 C: 48.30 0.00% | 50.00 | 48.30 / 48.30 CENTRALINS | 1.54 | 19.04 | Vol. 62700 D: 30.10 2.38% | 30.10 | 30.40 / 28.00 KARNAPHULI | 1.56 | 19.42 | Vol. 79600 D: 25.10 1.21% | 25.06 | 25.60 / 24.60 RUPALIINS | 2.76 | 23.38 | Vol. 182840 D: 34.30 1.48% | 34.14 | 34.50 / 32.00 C: 34.10 1.19% | 34.13 | 34.30 / 34.00 FEDERALINS | 1.10 | 10.98 | Vol. 419748 D: 25.20 1.20% | 25.18 | 26.00 / 23.00 C: 25.00 1.63% | 25.10 | 25.40 / 24.60 RELIANCINS | 3.93 | 61.52 | Vol. 16550 D: 74.30 2.48% | 74.13 | 75.00 / 72.50 PURABIGEN | 1.05 | 18.71 | Vol. 232919 D: 24.40 2.09% | 24.29 | 24.50 / 23.00 PRAGATIINS | 2.01 | 50.30 | Vol. 87324 D: 57.00 1.72% | 58.11 | 59.60 / 56.00 C: 59.00 3.51% | 59.00 | 59.00 / 59.00 PRIMEINSUR | 2.14 | 14.14 | Vol. 225999 D: 32.60 0.91% | 32.96 | 34.00 / 30.00 C: 32.30 4.19% | 32.30 | 32.30 / 32.30 PIONEERINS | 3.11 | 23.84 | Vol. 68280 D: 67.60 0.15% | 67.65 | 68.40 / 62.00 MERCINS | 1.53 | 14.50 | Vol. 234773 D: 27.70 1.09% | 27.73 | 28.30 / 25.00 C: 28.30 9.27% | 28.38 | 28.40 / 28.30 AGRANINS | 1.73 | 14.39 | Vol. 64000 D: 28.10 1.08% | 28.17 | 28.40 / 27.90 GLOBALINS | 1.09 | 11.78 | Vol. 49751 D: 29.50 2.08% | 29.33 | 29.70 / 28.90 NITOLINS | 2.59 | 15.41 | Vol. 38000 D: 34.50 0.86% | 34.56 | 35.00 / 34.40 C: 34.00 0.00% | 34.00 | 34.00 / 34.00 ASIAPACINS | 1.84 | 13.76 | Vol. 53050 D: 30.60 1.66% | 30.57 | 31.00 / 28.00 C: 30.20 2.37% | 30.75 | 30.90 / 30.20 SONARBAINS | 1.68 | 13.38 | Vol. 126519 D: 25.60 1.59% | 25.84 | 26.30 / 25.00 C: 25.90 1.57% | 25.86 | 26.00 / 25.50 PARAMOUNT | 1.26 | 13.19 | Vol. 84184 D: 25.00 0.81% | 25.09 | 25.50 / 23.00 C: 25.50 2.00% | 25.25 | 26.00 / 25.00 CITYGENINS | 1.65 | 14.26 | Vol. 171633 D: 28.40 1.43% | 28.43 | 28.90 / 27.00 C: 28.60 2.14% | 28.55 | 28.80 / 28.30 CONTININS | 1.41 | 15.68 | Vol. 190374 D: 30.90 2.66% | 30.69 | 31.10 / 28.00 C: 30.80 2.33% | 30.71 | 31.30 / 30.20 TAKAFULINS | 2.19 | 15.17 | Vol. 336277 D: 40.90 5.68% | 40.25 | 41.60 / 36.00 C: 40.70 5.99% | 40.30 | 41.40 / 39.60 STANDARINS | 2.58 | 13.99 | Vol. 18935 D: 41.00 4.06% | 40.90 | 42.00 / 36.60 C: 38.50 1.28% | 38.50 | 38.50 / 38.50 NORTHRNINS | 1.77 | 11.15 | Vol. 67187 D: 42.00 2.69% | 41.82 | 43.00 / 38.00 C: 41.40 1.72% | 41.40 | 41.40 / 41.40 REPUBLIC | 2.14 | 12.42 | Vol. 346103 D: 44.70 4.20% | 44.17 | 44.90 / 39.00 C: 44.10 3.76% | 44.52 | 45.50 / 43.00 ASIAINS | 1.56 | 17.34 | Vol. 70219 D: 27.60 0.36% | 27.67 | 28.10 / 25.00 C: 28.00 1.08% | 28.04 | 28.30 / 27.30 ISLAMIINS | 1.29 | 11.96 | Vol. 45644 D: 34.10 1.79% | 34.12 | 34.30 / 30.50 C: 33.40 1.21% | 33.35 | 35.40 / 31.30

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013

Gary: A networked society under way

Managing Director of Ericsson Bangladesh shares his vision with Dhaka Tribune

n Tasnuva Amin Nova

With the recent deployment of 3G network services in Bangladesh, despite being a few years behind, telecom operators here are now attempting to catch up with the rest of the world in the race of attaining high-speed mobile broadband. As these telecom service providers roll-out the fastest network available in the domestic market, its implications on the lives of people and society remain incomprehensible for many. In a recent interview, Gary Alan Dewing, Managing Director of Ericsson Bangladesh Limited, shared with the Dhaka Tribune his insights into the countrys telecom industry and its recent developments. Currently there is only 50% penetration in the market for mobile users with approximately 110 million voice subscribers of which just 8-10 million are data subscribers using edge technology. In the future connections will be available to everything and any device that can be connected will be connected. Being a leader in innovation and technology, Ericsson wants to help Bangladesh grow into a networked society, said the managing director of the global supplier of network infrastructure and services. Talking about his experience working in Bangladesh, Gary said, Bangladesh is full of challenges but with a well networked society these can be easily overcome. We are not too far from building intelligent technologies to solve societys problems such as traffic congestion, illiteracy, poverty and poor healthcare services; I believe, with 3G now in the market, this will happen even quicker. Discussing the benefits of 3G technology, Gary pointed out that the high-speed Internet facilities will help education and health-

care services flourish, especially in rural areas, as well as encourage entrepreneurship centring technology. He referred to studies that show favourable impact on economic growth of mobile broadband especially in developing nations. Using the farming community as an example, Gary said businesses in remote areas with lack of connectivity can gain better access to market information about prices and demand for their commodities if 3G services are rolled out as expected. Doctors can reach patients in remote areas through video and voice conferencing

on their phones through faster data transmission. Also, the education system can be made more interactive with well-developed content and universities can exchange information amongst themselves, he said elaborating on the benefits of 3G technology. Addressing the youth, who will mostly be using 3G technology, Gary said, The youth should be able to think and utilise this opportunity for their gain. There is a need to create a lot of contents both for business and entertainment purposes. Mobile and web applications dedicated to these contents can be developed to take advantage of the huge opportunity. It is about innovative entrepreneurship. Gary likened the state of having a fixed network here before mobile data services were introduced with the situation in South Africa, where he lived and worked for many years, saying, As mobile technology started to come to Africa over time, it led to the development of the mobile banking sector there. Growth opportunities for the mobile banking sector in Bangladesh are huge. As networks develop, banking facilities need to be made available to the unbanked society in rural parts and through mobile services banks can gain access to those markets, added Gary, who also serves as a board member for several companies in Sub Saharan Africa. In Bangladesh, Ericsson works with four major mobile operators that make up 97% of the mobile connections market. Our main challenge is to keep improving the networks provided to operators so that they can ensure better services for the mobile subscribers, he said. For expanding existing network cover-

age throughout the country, mostly in the rural parts, so as to make best use of the mobile broadband, huge investment is required. The telecom operators are willing to make substantial investments to procure 3G spectrum. For now, they have an existing business plan to roll-out their services. However, the biggest hindrance now is the political turmoil within the country as this is slowing down the roll-out process, added Gary. He also shared his investigations on the affordability of smartphones in Bangladesh to increase data subscribers, Currently a smartphone with good functionality in Bangladesh costs around $90 which is still out of reach of many users. I expect this price to go down up to $50 by the end of a year within the launch of 3G technology. About the rates of data subscription going down, Gary seemed skeptical based on the number of data subscribers in the market but further added, I hope the data charges will be competitive as has been the call rates. Nevertheless, the determining factor in case of voice and video calling services over data network is quality and consumers will demand it. Gary believes in helping people arrive at a certain direction by working alongside them rather than pointing directions from a distance. In the future, Ericsson wants to work together with the government to help the growth of ICT and its vision of creating a digital Bangladesh by 2020. The government could empower the private enterprise a bit more by pointing a direction to a regulations rather than directly getting involved. Doing so might be tough from the governments point of view in this sector as technology is moving very fast but there is a need to facilitate more. l

S&P: India rating may be pressured if polls end in hung parliament

n Reuters
Indias sovereign rating may come under pressure if general elections due by May next year end up with a hung parliament or with a government unable to push through reforms, Standard & Poors said on Wednesday. If it is a hung parliament or if the government is unable to effect reforms, definitely by implication the rating will come under pressure, said Terry Chan, credit analyst at Standard & Poors during a teleconference with reporters. S&P has a negative outlook on Indias sovereign ratings, meaning any downgrade from its current BBB-minus would place the countrys debt in so-called junk. l

Airlines pay-byweight fares take off with passengers

n AFP, Wellington
The head of a tiny Pacific airline that pioneered a fare system based on passengers weight said yesterday the move had been so successful the carrier is upgrading its fleet. Samoa Air introduced its world-first system late last year, when it began charging passengers fares based on how much they weigh, rather than a set price for each seat. Chief executive Chris Langton said the 1.34 tala (57.5 US cents) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) charge had proved popular over the first 12 months as it meant cheaper fares for most passengers. People do the sums, thats their first interest he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. They compare what they would pay on a pay-by-weight system and just do basic arithmetic. The World Health Organisation says Samoa has one of the worlds highest rates of obesity, leading to soaring levels of weight-related coronary disease, diabetes and strokes in the Pacific island nation. l

A farmer winnows paddy crops at a field on the outskirts of Agartala

REUTERS