Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
DA 6238 Vol 2, No 13
www.dhakatribune.com
SECOND EDITION
Children of the locality make the stagnant drain water adjacent to Hatirjheel bridge a water world of their own as they play in there to ward off daytime heat yesterday. They are absolutely oblivious of the fact that the water is polluted and harmful for their health MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
P9 MORE STORIES
suspension in voting in some parts of eastern Bihar state, police said. The soldiers were patrolling a forest in a rebel stronghold in Munger district when their jeep hit a land mine nearly 225 kilometers (145 miles) southeast of Patna, the state capital, police officer Jitendra Rana said. Voting was suspended at 20 nearby polling stations because of the safety threat, Rana said, but started as scheduled in other parts of Bihar state. Election authorities are expected to hold
INSIDE
Business
B1 The countrys foreign exchange reserve has crossed US$20bn a buildup equivalent to six months of import payments.
Nation
6 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas pledge for promoting Mymensingh Municipality into a full-fledged city corporation has not been implemented although it has been a year.
Op-Ed
11 When there is conflict, democracy is the solution. Conflict and political hostility not only result in devastating direct violence, they also impede growth, threaten public health, and aggravate poverty.
Sport
13 The rumours of Sheikh Jamal DCs Sony Norde leaving Bangladesh for a club in India has taken a new turn as it was learnt yesterday that the Haitian international capped footballer is expected to leave Dhaka today for a trial at a Belgium club.
There has been conflicts between Rawshan Ershad and Ruhul Amin Howlader centring January 5 poll
Sources said the matter of bringing a change to the top post had been discussed within the party for months. Eventually, following special recommendation from Rawshan Ershad, Bablu is being made the new secretary general. Rawshan however refused to make any comment on the issue. Ruhul told the Dhaka Tribune that he had met Ershad yesterday afternoon and had very little idea about the development then. I learnt about the change through media, he said. l
of diarrhoea patients has suddenly increased in the capital, while there were concerns that the number might rise. Although the average number of patients receiving daily treatment at the ICDDRB stood at around 400 last month, the hospital had 722 patients admitted on April 9 the highest recorded so far this year. In 2013, the highest number of daily admitted patients was 587. Among the total patients this year, around 55% were adult and the rest were
children. Around 25% the diarrhoeal disease patients suffered from cholera. Professor Dr Mahmudur Rahman, director of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told the Dhaka Tribune that the number of cholera patients was increasing for various reasons including climate change, water contamination, lack of personal hygiene and awareness. According to the national crisis management centre of the health directorate,
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
People from all walks of life pay their respects to renowned journalist ABM Musa yesterday at the National Press Club
RAJIB DHAR
Diarrhoea
PAGE 1 COLUMN 4
opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, the vote is also crucial for the future of Indias anti-corruption party, led by Arvind Kejriwal. The Aam Admi Party, or Common Mans Party, scored a stunning upset in the New Delhi election, launching Kejriwal to the national stage. He has led protests and hunger strikes to highlight his fight against government corruption over the past two years. The party is contesting nearly 400 parliamentary seats. The threat of insurgent attacks is always a shadow over Indian elections, although voting in the northeast on Monday and Wednesday was mainly peaceful. On Wednesday, Maoist rebels killed three soldiers in a gunbattle in Chhattisgarh state a day before voting started. In March, rebels killed 15 government soldiers and one civilian in their deadliest raid in Chhattisgarh in almost a year, ambushing dozens of troops and police guarding construction workers. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the rebels Indias biggest internal security threat. They operate in 20 of Indias 28 states and have thousands of fighters, according to the Home Ministry. l
The report was prepared by a three-member commission headed by former district judge M Shahabuddin Chuppu, now a commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission. The probe body was formed on December 27, 2009 and it submitted the report to the Home Ministry on April 24, 2011. According to the report, as many as 3,625 incidents of violence took place across the country between October 1, 2001 and December 31, 2002. During that time, 355 political murders occurred while the other 3,270 incidents are related to rape, gang rape, arson, looting and other serious crimes. But only 221 cases were lodged, in which police submitted final report in 27 cases but discharged the accused. The law enforcers pressed charge sheets in rest of the cases, says the report. The commission suggested that as there is no timeframe for filing of cases for crimes, the authorities can lodge cases against the perpetrators now. If an accused is acquitted, appeals should be lodged against them, while if anyone is discharged, then revision cases should be filed, says the report. The commission also said between 2003 and 2006, more than 14,000 incidents of violence including political murders took place. Deputy Attorney General Biswojit said the report did not cover all the
horrific incidents of violence as many people did not appear before the commission fearing further attacks. Barisal was the worst-affected division where a total of 2,189 incidents of serious crimes including rape, gang rape, arson and loot were committed just after the election. Almost all the women, from child to age-old, of three Hindu villages in Lalmohan Upazila of Bhola were raped. Even a physically-handicapped woman, whose two legs were cut, and another 70-year-old woman were not spared. As many as 38 political murders took place during the same period. But only 39 cases were registered on the incidents and the accused of four cases were discharged, says the report. Death row war criminal Salauddin Quaders men killed 12 persons at a house in Chittagong by setting fire. In the district, 97 political murders and 360 incidents of gang rape, arson, loot and other serious crimes took place. On the incidents, only 49 cases were lodged while the accused in eight cases were discharged. Priya Saha, general secretary of Bangladesh Women Unity Council, told the Dhaka Tribune that war criminal Sayedees men had forcefully taken the possession of land more than 200 acres owned by her father and other relatives in Pirojpur. She did not file any complaint or give statement before the commission out of fear. l
the average number of patients at the ICDDRB during the first nine days of the month was 581. There are claims that the health directorate had failed to take necessary initiatives to create mass awareness, as well as failing to hold a regular joint meeting with Dhaka Wasa this year. Visiting the ICDDRB hospital yesterday, the Dhaka Tribune found that hospital authority were providing treatment to patients in extended tents to cope up with the added pressure of patients. Dr Azharul said the number of diarrhoea patients suddenly increased this year, after experiencing downward trends in the past couple of years. The government should look into the quality of drinking water, he added. l
Question of BNPs
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circumstance got him married at a very young age, his elder brother Somabhai Damodardas said in a statement yesterday. But for Narendra, service to the nation was foremost so he left home, he added, recalling his parents modest means to bring up six children and how there was little education in our family. Modi, a hardline Hindu nationalist consistently ahead in the polls, told a biographer recently that he actually enjoys loneliness and has said that because he has no children he is more likely to be a clean politician. Ive no familial ties. Who would I ever try to benefit through corruption? he told a recent rally. He has four times contested seats in Gujarats regional assembly but has never given his marital status on the affidavits. Political opponents criticised the prime ministerial candidate for the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who rarely speaks to the media, for failing to be candid about his personal life. I believe that Modi should first seek an apology from the people of Gujarat for misleading them, said Arjun Modhwadia, head of the Congress party in Gujarat. In New Delhi, Congress party spokesman Rashid Alvi queried why he had neither divorced nor cared for his wife. If a man cant take care of his wife, how can he take care of the country? he told AFP. Indias mammoth national election, which entered the third of nine phases on Thursday with almost a fifth of the 543 seats in the parliament up for grabs, has been described as a battle of the bachelors. Modis main opponent Rahul Gandhi is single. He is the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that runs the ruling Congress party, which has been in power nationally since 2004. Unlike in many other democracies,
being unmarried is not seen as a handicap in India because Hinduism has a strong tradition of asceticism in which followers renounce worldly pleasures. Other parts of Modis personal story remain unclear, particularly a period as a young man when he is believed to have wandered in the Himalayas on a journey of spiritual discovery. Modis personal life hit headlines last November in a scandal dubbed Stalkergate in which alleged transcripts of conversations between Gujarats thenhome minister and policemen were released by an investigative news portal. In them the minister purportedly orders officers to trail a woman at the behest of saheb, a Hindi term for boss, ordering them to report every movement of the young architect, particularly if and when she met any male friends. The BJP dismissed the tapes as a conspiracy to malign Modi by the Congress party, which polls show faces its heaviest ever defeat in the elections. l
Everybody knows the situation in the judiciary. People are not getting justice. They are harassed. In order to overcome such predicaments, movement strategy [of BNP] should be changed, Zafarullah said. A little later, BNP Standing Committee Member Rafiqul Islam Miah strongly shot back at Farhad Mazhar. We want to say that BNP is a pro-people party and its movements are for the people. So, this party will never cease to exist... After the assassination of Ziaur Rahman, everybody said BNP will [die]... Khaleda Zia took over the helm and the party moved forward. Under the leadership of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, BNP will never cease to exist, Rafiqul said. At this point, Mazhar stood up in protest and interrupted Rafiqul. You [Rafiqul] are talking from a political point of view. We are professionals. You have to understand my sentiment and my perspective. We are not involved in active politics. If you talk like this then why do you call us [to these discussions]? I just gave my advice, Mazhar said. Holding him by his hands, the other leaders then tried to calm Mazhar down. BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir then tried to pacify the heated situation. He said: In a democratic movement, there will always be ups and downs. There is no reason to believe that we are falling behind. Nobody should be frustrated... BNP leaders and activists have made the biggest of sacrifices for the movement and they are still doing so. I believe BNP will never cease to exist. When Fakhrul was talking, Farhad Mazhar and Rafiqul Islam Miah were sitting beside each other and talking with smiling faces. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Was your father an elected representative? Did he see the election? Your father used to spew spit calling us sir
If anyone want to live in the county must show respect to the constitution and liberation of the country, he said. Health Minister Mohammad Nasim claimed that BNP was distorting the history of Bangladesh as part of a plot. He urged the government to be stern against those who are destroying the history of Bangladesh. Nasim, also the presidium member of Awami League, admitted the fact of violence in the upazila election saying that some incidents were seen during the election. Railway Minister Mujibul Haque said the countrymen were surprised at the remark of Tarique Rahman on Bangabandhu. Tarique Zia is betraying with the country taking money from the ISI, he said. l
Speakers at the programme titled Debriefing Session of 6th Joint Monitoring Mission 2014 organised by the Bangladesh National Tuberculosis Control Programme yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM
Garden Hotel yesterday. Childhood TB is a neglected problem in Bangladesh. We have recognised it as an important issue [to deal with], said Leopold Blance, team leader of Joint Monitoring Mission. Skilled personnel are needed to expand the diagnosis programme to solve the problem. Bangladesh is among 27 priority countries for MDR (Multi-drug-resistant) TB and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB). According to the summary report,
MDR TB in new cases is 1.4% while it is 29% in retreatment cases. However, the MDR TB was 14.7% in retreatment cases. A total of 180,000 patients were detected with TB in 2013, of whom 2761 were in the MDR TB category and enrolled for treatment from 2008 to 31 December 2013, said NTP MDR TB Adviser MA Hamid Salim. Thirty GeneXpert machines have been installed in different places of the country to enhance diagnosis of MDR TB and there is a plan to install 64 machines
for all districts within 2014, he said. Salim feels that diagnosis and control of MDR TB, Smear Negative & Extrapulmonary TB and Childhood TB are major challenges. The smear-negative TB and Extrapulmonary TB also remain undetected at the national level, according to Dr Md Ashaque Husain, director, MBDC and Line Director TB-leprosy under the NTP. There are around 869 Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) centres and 1,089 microscopy labs under NTP, he said. Bangladesh National Tuberculosis Control Programme conducted surveys in Rangpur, Naogaon, Tangail, Dhaka, Khulna and Coxs Bazar districts from March 30 to April 10 this year. l
Eyewitness tes- AG: Sayedees crimes more dreadful than Mollas Suspected robber beaten to tifies against n death in Feni ATM Azhar
Nazmus Sakib
n Udisa Islam
Another eyewitness in the trial against Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam yesterday claimed that the accused had been involved with the abduction and killing of Carmichael College teachers during the 1971 Liberation War. Tenth witness Ratan Chandra Das, 61, corroborated with the deposition of previous witness Shobha Kar. Ratan was a cook in the house of Sunil Baran Chakrabarty and Ram Krishna Adhikari, teachers of Carmichael College. After his deposition, the International Crimes Tribunal 1 adjourned trial of the al-Badr leader from Rangpur until Sunday keeping the cross-examination incomplete. The witness said he had been present at the scene when Carmichael College teacher Kala Chand, his wife Manjushree and Sunil were abducted on 15th Baishakh, the first month of Bengali calendar. The Pakistani Army freed him as he had identified himself to be a Muslim. That night, some army personnel along with ATM Azhar came to Kala Chands house and took them away blindfolded. I identified Azhar then. Manjushree prayed to them not to take her husband. Then they took her with them as well. The witness said the next day he had gone to the house of Chityaranjan Roy. His sister told me that Azhar and some Pakistani Army men took two teachers from their house in that night. Later we came to know that all of them were killed at Damdam Bridge in the town. Before that, the defence counsel cross examined ninth witness Shobha, sister of Chityaranjan Roy. Meanwhile, New York-based Human Rights Watch yesterday submitted its reply to the notice issued by the same tribunal for commenting on the trial of former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam. After the submission of the correspondence by Md Asaduzzaman Khan, a lawyer representing the HRW, the tribunal set May 12 for hearing on the answer. The tribunal yesterday also allowed adjournment of the hearing on contempt notice against Supreme Court lawyer Khandaker Mahbub Hossain until April 29. The tribunal on October 6 last year issued the notice asking Mahbub as to why contempt proceedings would not be initiated against him for his comments that he passed on the verdict in Salauddin Quader Chowdhury case on October 1. An adviser to the BNP chief, Mahbub threatened to try all the persons involved in the war crimes trials process if his party came to power. l
At the end of governments arguments yesterday, attorney general Mahbubey Alam pleaded for upholding the capital punishment of war criminal Delawar Hossain Sayedee for the sake of justice. He said the Jamaat-e-Islami leader had committed more monstrous crimes than war criminal Abdul Quader Molla, who was executed on December 12. Molla had to walk to gallows for a deposition from Momena. Similarly, reliable witnesses like Momena gave testimonies in the case against Sayedee. As per their depositions, Sayedees crimes are more despicable and terrible than Mollas, he said. Mahbubey said that no other punishment is appropriate for the heinous
crimes Sayedee had committed during the 1971 Liberation War in Pirojpur. He pleaded for upholding the death penalty in two charges killing Ibrahim Kutti and Bisabali, and sought punishment for the six other charges which were proved at the tribunal but no sentence was given. The attorney general admitted that the government should have appealed for the other 12 charges where Sayedee was acquitted. The five-member apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain fixed Sunday for the defence to rebut the government sides arguments. In his submission, Mahbubey said Sayedee had also committed crime by forcefully converting Hindus to Islam. It is more horrible than murder. If I am
forced to convert to another religion, my soul will die. It is more shocking than physical death.
He pleaded for upholding death penalty in two charges and sought punishment for the six other charges which were proved at the tribunal but no sentence was given
The top law officer of the country argued that Sayedee had aided the Pakistani Army in committing all kinds of crimes against humanity for which the
tribunal had rightly handed down the death sentence to him. Mahbubey on Wednesday told the court that the defence had submitted a fake document to the tribunal to save Sayedee. Additional attorney general MK Rahman, deputy attorney general Ekramul Hoque and assistant attorney general Bashir Ahmed assisted Mahbubey Alam while SM Shahjahan represented Sayedee during the hearing. The international Crimes Tribunal 1 awarded death sentence to Sayedee on February 28 last year. Both the sides appealed against the tribunal verdict on March 28 last year. The hearing for the case began on September 24 last year and the argument stage on January 28 this year. l
An alleged robber was killed in a mass beating at Karimullahpur village under Daganbhuiyan upazila in Feni yesterday. The deceased was identified as Bacchu Mian, 45, son of Shamsul Haque of the upazila. Police said the robbers had stormed into the village and were preparing to commit robbery. As the news of robbery spread, neighbours gathered in the area and beat up them, leaving Bacchu and two others critically injured. The injured were sent to Feni Sadar Hospital where Bacchu died. l
BNP grassroots vent IO testifies on al-Badr leader Mir Kashems involvement in war crimes anger on central leaders
n Udisa Islam
The investigation officer in the case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Kashem Ali, an alleged commander of notorious al-Badr force in Chittagong during the 1971 Liberation War, testified at the war crimes tribunal yesterday. Nurul Islam is the 24th and last prosecution witness in the case. After his submission, defence lawyer Nazibur Rahman began questioning him. The International Crimes Tribunal 2 adjourned the proceedings until April 15 keeping the cross-examination incomplete. The IO said as a leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then Jamaats student wing, the accused had created armed group al-Bad. He led the abduction and persecution of many pro-liberation people at three torture cells in the city. Nurul identified Dost Mohammad Panjabi building, Salma Manjil and Daleem Hotel as the torture cells of al-Badr force. Hundreds of people had been killed by the al-Badr members upon order of Mir Kashem. Mir Kashem, now the Jamaat treasurer and also key financier of the party, had been directly involved in committing crimes against humanity with the help of the Pakistani occupation forces, the IO said.
The accused created al-Badr in Chittagong and led the abduction and killing of many pro-liberation people at three torture cells
Nurul Islam was also the investigation officer in the case against death row convict Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a former BNP lawmaker from Chittagong. In his deposition, the IO said he had begun the investigation on July 26, 2010 and submitted report to the chief prosecutor on May 2 last year. Nurul said he had been informed about the crimes of Mir Kashem from freedom fighters, victims and the vic-
tims family. Upon specific complaints, he started the investigation and pleaded to the chief prosecutor for the arrest of the accused. The tribunal issued the arrest warrant on June 17, 2012 and the accused was arrested the same day. Chairman of Diganta Media Corporation that owns Diganta TV and the daily Naya Diganta, Mir Kashem is facing 14 charges of crimes against humanity. According to the defence, Mir Kashem is the founding trustee and also a member responsible for administration of the Ibn Sina Trust and director (marketing) of Ibn Sina Pharmaceutical Industries. He was also the member secretary of Islami Bank Foundation, a sister concern of Islami Bank. Additionally, he is the chairman of Agro Industrial Trust, and chairman and director of Keari Limited, which is involved in real estate and tourism business. The government claims that Mir Kashem paid a US lobbyist firm $25m to make the trial of war criminals controversial. l
Prodhan, president of Panchagarh district unit, told the Dhaka Tribune. Pointing finger to the central leaders, K Hasan, vice-president of the same unit, said: If anyone becomes convener of a district unit, he cannot be president or general secretary of the district committee. If so, intra-party feud can never be eliminated. Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, member secretary of the Nilphamari district BNP, said they would hold council to form the full-pledged committee soon. The long-march towards Teesta Barrage will begin on April 23 under the leadership of acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Later we will hold our council, he told the Dhaka Tribune. Asked about the district leaders grievances against the Jamaat, Zaman said: First we should organise our party and when we are strong enough we can focus on the alliance partners. If there is no rice in my house now, how can I entertain others? Abdul Gafur Sarkar, president of the Syedpur district unit, said the district committee would be dissolved and a convening committee be formed soon to inject new blood in the movement. We said the grassroots leaders are all right, but the central leaders should now be active to launch a successful movement, he told the Dhaka Tribune. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
The decision was taken in a bid to curb any kind of irregularities in the appointment of AC (land) in the metropolitan and city corporation areas
instructions of the land minister, state minister and senior secretary of the ministry. I am not aware of the reason for curtailing the authority, he said. Mohammad Safiul Alam, senior
secretary of the land ministry, told the Dhaka Tribune that it was done on the governments orders. The land minister and state minister want to know as to how transfer and posting of AC (land) are being done. He added: They also want to look after transfer and posting of AC (land) in city corporation and metropolitan areas as they can immediately remove them or take action against them if found guilty. But some ministry officials said the decision was taken in a bid to curb any kind of irregularities regarding the appointment of AC (land) in the metropolitan and city corporation areas. AC (land) is the most attractive post for the civil servants as most of the revenues are collected by them. There are some allegations of irregularities in the postings of AC (land).
The order said the ministry will directly look after the issues of transfer and posting of AC (land) in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal, Rangpur, Narayanganj, Comilla and Gazipur and monitor their activities. But the divisional commissioners will retain the authority over transfer and postings of the AC (land) outside the metropolitan and city corporation areas. According to the order, only the officials who have experience of serving as AC (land) for minimum one year would be considered to be an AC (land) in any metropolitan or city corporation area. They will be appointed as AC (land) in a workplace for only two years. None will be allowed to stay in any workplace for more than two years in the areas where they will be posted. l
Activists of Gonotantric Baam Morcha gather at Nilphamaris Teesta Doyani Bazar yesterday following a long march demanding equitable share of Teesta River water FOCUS BANGLA
The police sources said Alam killed his wife as she tried to prevent him from taking drugs. Police also recovered the body of an unidentified woman from a forest at Patultia village of the upazila. The miscreants might have killed the woman at any place three days ago and dumped it there, said police sources. In another incident, the police had recovered a body of a woman named Alimunnesa, 60, wife of Fazir Uddin in Deshipara area under Gazipur City Corporation, SM Karuzzaman, officer-In-charge of Joudebpur police station said She went missing on Wednesday night. She was the first wife of Fazir. Relatives of Alimunnesa said the second wife of Fazir including her relatives murdered Alimunnesa over family feud. Another body of a woman named Khaleda Akter, 30, wife of Makbul Hossen, was recovered hanging from a branch of jackfruit tree at Dinekani village in Kaliakoir upazila. Khaleda might have been killed over family feud, said family sources. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
5
RMG workers stage demo for arrears at CEPZ n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong
Workers of APS Pearl staged demonstration at Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) yesterday morning in demand of arrears. The agitated workers also vandalised the factory building during the demonstration that started around 10am. On receiving information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control after dispersing the agitators at about 11am, said Sub-Inspector of EPZ police stationAlamgir Hossain. Later, representatives from workers, authorities of the factory and police sat in a meeting over the demand of the workers. At the meeting, authorities of the factory assured that they would take measures to fulfill the demands of workers as soon as possible, he said. Workers of the factory said the authorities had earlier assured them to give them arrears. But they did not keep their words. l
journey by bus and human haulers to getting on board the water buses which go on a few trips throughout the day after a long interval, added the officials. The BIWTC officials alleged that the
higher authority leased the water bus to one private firm Nabila Navigation in order to eke out profit, but to no avail. In February, the leaseholder intro-
Additional law enforcers will also be deployed to ensure security during the Boishabi celebration
Pointing out the hazards of letting Easybikes and unfit vehicles ply the roads, the top law and order body urged the rickshaw owners to lift their vehicles by October or face legal action. The government body also decided to deploy personnel of four law enforcement agencies to ensure security during the Boishabi celebration, the biggest socio-cultural festival in the region that began yesterday and will continue until April 16. Superintendent of Police SK Mizanur Rahman, Khagrachhari Municipality Mayor Md Rafiqul Alam, Additional District Magistrate Anar Koli, District Civil Surgeon Dr Narayan Chandra Das, General Secretary of Khagrachhari Press Club Abu Daud Muhammad, all upazila nirbahi officers (UNO), OCs and many civil society leaders were also present in the meeting. l
Parishad, presided over the programmes. Speakers said if CMCH were upgraded into university it would be run by an autonomous body which would affect about five crore people in this region. As a result, those who are dependent on the hospital will be deprived of getting treatment at a low expense due to increase of different fees. We also want a medical university but it should be established in another place, they added. Ratan Ali Mia, member secretary, Rukhma Chowdhury, joint secretary of the organisation, and Ratan Kumar Nath, general secretary of Diploma Nurse Association, spoke among others. l
Scores of people gather at Barisals Bangabandhu Udyan yesterday to receive the dead body of Awami League lawmaker Alhaj Shawkat Hossain Hiron DHAKA TRIBUNE
WEATHER
37.6C Jessore
Source: Accuweather/UNB
19.7C Srimangal
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha 4:27am 5:41am 12:00am 3:28pm 6:17pm 7:33pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
Visitors look at photographs displayed in an exhibition of photographer Abir Abdullah in the capitals Alliance Franaise yesterday
NASHIRUL ISLAM
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Nation
At present we are awaiting a gazette copy of a no-objection letter from the Local Government Division of the government
ple have settled in the outskirts of the town just like any other major city.
College student Nasrin Akter said if Mymensingh became a city corporation, the historical MA College would get the status of a university and many new educational institutions would be established. Businessman Azharul Islam believes that the towns trade scene will get a much needed boost if it becomes a city. In that case, with better administrative activities, people will be benefited by the presence of better facilities. Anisur Rahman Khan, president of a local citizen movement, blamed administrative tailbacks for the delay in Mymensinghs status change. AHM Lokman, deputy director of the Mymensingh local government
division, however snubbed out the allegation of a lack of administrative urgency. He claimed that the work for taking the town to the next level had already progressed quite a bit. At present we are awaiting a gazette copy of a no-objection letter from the Local Government Division of the government. That would propel the administrative initiatives, Lokman said. He also said the process for turning the town into a city began in May and the primary paperwork detailing all the required information was completed in September last year. Although he expressed hopes about finishing the work soon but could not give any specific timeframe. l
A boy stands in front of tobacco processing unit. A local influential person builds it on the temple premises at Daspara village of Khuniyagachh union in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. The photo was taken recently DHAKA TRIBUNE that he would free up the space by this month following completion of tobacco leaf processing. President of the temple Ananda Kumar Das said: Before building the facility, Abu Bakar informed only one person of this and the person was me. I, however, didnt respond positively. We are in trouble but we can do nothing, he added. Contacted, field supervisor of the tobacco company Asadul Islam said: The firm provides funds for farmers to build tobacco processing facilities but we never suggest any location. Regarding the facility built on the temple premises, we will look into it. l
Memo No-LGED/EE/B-205/2013/658
Date: 09/04/2014
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Invitation Ref No Date Procurement Method Budget and Source of Funds Tender Publication Date Tender Last Selling Date Tender Closing Date & Time Tender Opening Date & Time Tender Validity Period Name & Address of the Ofce(s) -Selling Tender Document (Principal) -Selling Tender Document (Others) -Receiving Tender Document -Opening Tender Document
LGED/SSWRDP-JIC Construction of Hydraulic Structures and A/BD-P57/2013-14/3 Related Works Bairakhali Khal Sub-project 5218-Structures (SP ID-35218) under Upazila: Melandah, District: Jamalpur (FY: 2013-14). 1 Name of Project 2 Source of Funds
Small Scale Water Resources Development Project in Greater Mymensingh, Sylhet and Faridpur Areas (SSWRDP-JICA). Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) & GoB Funded.
3 Date, Time and Place of pre- Date: 17 April 2014, Time: 12.00 pm and tender meeting Place: Ofce of the undersigned. 4 Last date, Time and Places of selling tender documents. Date: 11 May 2014, Time: During ofce Hours; and Places of Selling Tender Documents: 1. The Superintending Engineer, LGED, Mymensingh Region, Mymensingh. 2. Project Director, SSWRDP-JICA, RDEC Building Level-6, Agargaon, Sheer-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207. 3. Deputy Commissioner, Jamalpur, District. 4. Superintendent of Police, Jamalpur, District. 5. Ofce of the undersigned. 6. Executive Engineer, LGED, Sherpur, District 7. Upazila Engineer, Melandah Upazila, Jamalpur, District. Date: 12 May 2014, Time: 12.00 noon and Places of Receiving Tender: 1. The Superintending Engineer, LGED, Mymensingh Region, Mymensingh. 2. Deputy Commissioner, Jamalpur, District. 3. Superintendent of Police, Jamalpur, District. 4. Ofce of the undersigned. 5. Executive Engineer, LGED, Sherpur, District 6. Upazila Engineer, Melandah Upazila, Jamalpur, District. Date: 12 May 2014, Time: 3.00 pm and Place of Opening Tender Ofce of the undersigned.
Name of Ofcial Inviting Tender A.K.M Mahbubul Alam Designation of Ofcial Inviting Tender Chief Engineer (East), Bangladesh, Railway. Address of Ofcial Inviting Tender Central Railway Building (CRB), Chittagong. Contact details of Ofcial Inviting Tel. No-031-2863162, email: cee@railway.gov.bd Tender 25 The Procuring Entity Reserves the right to reject all the Tenders or annual the Tender proceedings. 21 22 23 24 (A.K.M) Mahbubul Alam) Chief Engineer (East) Bangladesh, Railway CRB, Chittagong.
7 Tender shall be valid for a period of ninety (90) days after tender opening and must be accompanied by the tender security specied above. Interested tenderers may obtain further information from the ofce of the undersigned and purchase the Tender documents in cash/treasury chalan (Code No: 1-3731-5135-2366)/bank draft from the place(s) mentioned above. The tenderer or their authorised representatives are allowed to attend the opening of tenders. The authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all the tenders without assigning any reasons whatsoever. This invitation for tender is available on the website www.lged.gov.bd and www.cptu.gov.bd (Md. Anisul Wahab Khan) Executive Engineer Local Govt. Engineering Department Jamalpur. Tel. No: 0981-63698 Fax No: 0981-62569
GC-47/14 (84)
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Long Form
A BJP supporter wearing a Modi mask in an election rally. BJP supporters have been boyant and bullish in the anticipation of a Modi-led victory
REUTERS
n Samrat Choudhury
lections for a new government in India have begun, and all opinion polls are unanimous in their expectations of the Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Narendra Modi, emerging as the largest party. The Congress, it is expected, will fare badly, with several polls having predicted its worst performance ever. Whether the BJPs numbers will be sufficient for it to form a government is still in some doubt, but the polls suggest that it will get enough seats to be able to find allies, and form a coalition. A year ago, this would have appeared unlikely. The party was going through an open leadership tussle between Modi and his erstwhile mentor LK Advani. It was also facing the challenge of expanding its areas of influence. In the last parliamentary polls in 2009, the BJP got 116 seats to the Congress 206. In several of the biggest states, it drew a blank, which was not unexpected, as it had no real presence in those places to start with. So, for example, it got zero in the following:
Andhra Pradesh, which has 42 seats, Tamil Nadu, which has 39 seats, and Kerala, which has 20 seats. It got one seat in West Bengal out of 42. In the electoral heartland of India, the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which together have 120 seats, it got only 22. The Congress, in contrast, managed to pick up seats from around the country. Its total for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was only 23, but it pulled ahead thanks to good performances in Rajasthan, Kerala, and especially, Andhra Pradesh. This time around, the tables are expected to turn in Rajasthan. Kerala continues to remain a battle between the Congress and the Left. However, Andhra Pradesh, which gave Congress 33 seats last time, is expected to be a disaster for the party this time. The state has been divided into two smaller states, Seemandhra and Telangana, and the division has decimated the Congress party there. What will make the real difference, though, is if either of the major national parties can make a comeback in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Both of these states have been dominated since the 1990s by regional parties such as the Bahujan Samaj Party of Mayawati, and
the Janata Dal and its offshoots, the Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal of Lalu Prasad Yadav, and the Janata Dal (United) of Nitish Kumar. The opinion polls say, the BJP is about to steal a march over these regional leaders in their own fortresses in the coming elections. This is remarkable; and if it happens, it may ensure a Modi government as the party has plenty of headroom to grow in these states. With anything over 200 seats for the BJP in the house of 545, a Modi government is almost certain. However, if the party emerges as the single largest party but falls short of majority by a wide margin, its search for allies will have to go further. If Modis hardline image becomes a hurdle at that point, the party will have to choose between putting forward a more moderate face, and sitting in opposition.
communities alongside their social and economic empowerment. It includes a promise of madrasa modernisation, which is being met with suspicion. However, there is already an existing madrasa modernisation scheme under the current government, and it was part of Manmohan Singhs programme for the welfare of minorities. It also reiterates two old BJP promises that have been contentious. One is a single line saying: BJP reiterates its stand to explore all possibilities within the framework of the constitution to facilitate the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The construction of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya has been a routine part of every BJP manifesto since 1998, when the BJP came to power under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Instability in Afghanistan will rub off on Pakistan, where extremists are already gaining ground. The relations of Pakistans deep state with such extremists are old and well known. That India has long been a target of attacks from Pakistani extremist groups is also old hat. It is impossible to predict what might happen if there is a major terrorist attack on India with Narendra Modi at the helm. If this scary eventuality is avoided, it should be business as usual. Modi has shown himself to be very keen on trade and investment and it is likely to extend to his foreign relations as well. The BJP in general is friendly towards business, and has major support from traders and industrialists. The partys manifesto promises: Equations will be mended through
that target India. Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh could also cast a shadow. Mamata is politely described as a maverick here. She may prove to be beyond even Modis capacity to tackle, though he is a lot more assertive than Manmohan Singh, who she famously ditched on a trip to Dhaka. Alleged illegal immigration from Bangladesh has long been a political issue in north-eastern India, and this is unlikely to change. The BJP president in Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, is among those who cut their teeth in the foreigners issue agitation which was aimed at turfing out illegal migrants into that state. The realities and myths of migration are something credible that Bangladeshi and Indian scholars ought to study jointly, to establish once and for all whether there is any illegal migration or not, and if yes, what the numbers are like.
I will never be found wanting on hard work, I will not do anything for myself and I will not do anything with bad intent
The second is a commitment towards a uniform civil code. This is one of the directive principles enshrined in the Constitution of India, but it has never been implemented, except in Goa, where it has long been in force. Narendra Modi presented the manifesto saying: I want to make three promises personally I will never be found wanting on hard work, I will not do anything for myself and I will not do anything with bad intent. This may well be true, but his intent is not the only factor to consider. In Modis case, how he reacts has been more important to how he acts.
Chief Minister of the western Indian state of Gujarat and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi (L) greets a former Congress Party member who joined the BJP AFP
pragmatism and a doctrine of mutually beneficial and interlocking relationships, based on enlightened national interest. It adds: Instead of being led by big power interests, we will engage proactively on our own with countries in the neighbourhood and beyond. In our neighbourhood, we will pursue friendly relations. However, where required we will not hesitate from taking strong stands and steps. We will work towards strengthening regional forums like the Saarc and the Asean. It is likely that any BJP foreign policy will be based on pragmatism and realism. It will also be shaped by a suspicion of the United States, at least initially. Modi has never visited the US, which had denied him a visa in 2005. He has however been to China and Japan, and is likely to expand ties with both of those countries, apart from other rising powers such as Brazil and South Africa. Foreign policy in places where a domestic political angle exists is likely to be more complicated. This is the case with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In the case of Sri Lanka, Seshadri Chari, the head of BJPs external affairs cell, recently expressed support for the Indian governments move to abstain from a UN vote sponsored by the US condemning human rights violations against Tamils. However, the partys state unit condemned the move. In the case of Bangladesh, the complicating factors are West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and migration from Bangladesh into India, apart from the possibility of Bangladesh territory being used by terrorist groups
In case Narendra Modi does come to power, Bangladesh and Indias minorities will have far less to worry about compared to his political rivals. The Congress is fighting these polls under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the son of Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi. If it hits a historic low, the Gandhi familys grip on the party may loosen. There could be substantial defections. Rahul is keen to bring in his own people and methods, but is up against an entrenched old guard that bows low before him even as it quietly trips him. A bad defeat would probably bring some of this hidden opposition out into the open. It could potentially change Indian politics. The rise of the Aam Aadmi Party as a national alternative is currently a work in progress. The party is unlikely to make too much of an electoral dent this time around, but it is establishing a nation-wide presence very rapidly. If the BJP becomes the natural party of power, it will be left to the AAP and Congress to fight for the opposition space at the national level. Another set of people who would fear an outright Modi victory are the old guard in the BJP itself. Jaswant Singh, a former foreign minister and a senior party leader, has already been expelled. LK Advani and former party chief MM Joshi have been sidelined. Even the extremist fringes of the Sangh Parivar would have cause for concern. In Gujarat, Modi has successfully marginalised the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and its leaders such as Pravin Togadia and Ashok Singhal. He is said to hold more influence on the RSS there than vice versa. The Left liberal elites and the minorities are probably not the only ones hoping Modi falls short of his aspirational target of a simple majority for the BJP. A Modi sarkar would mess with established power equations in more ways than one. l The writer is a senior journalist and author based in Mumbai.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
World
The negotiations in Donetsk a blue-collar coal mining region where ousted president Viktor Yanukovych made his political career have involved some of Ukraines most powerful security officers as well as its richest tycoon. Officials said businessman and Shakhtar football club owner Rinat Akhmetov and the regions governor have both joined Kievs efforts to tone down the militants demands. They are working on a peaceful solution, and this fills us with optimism, said First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaliy Yarema. Akhmetov his wealth estimated by Forbes magazine at $11.4 billion (8.2 billion euros) was a key financial backer of Yanukovych who is thought to wield tremendous influence throughout Donetsk. But he is believed to be trying to establish closer relations with the new pro-Western leaders who are likely to prevail in snap May 25 presidential polls. l
Pro-Russian protesters stand next to a barricade in front of the seized office of the SBU state security service in Luhansk
REUTERS
Russian MPs want Gorbachev probed for treason over USSR breakup
n AFP, Moscow
A group of Russian lawmakers have formally requested prosecutors to probe former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for treason over the breakup of the Soviet Union, one lawmaker said yesterday. Ivan Nikitchuk, a lawmaker with the Communist party, said that recent events and the crisis in Ukraine in particular have led several MPs, including some from the ruling party, to ask Prosecutor General Yury Chaika to probe Gorbachev, 83. We asked to prosecute him and those who helped him destroy the Soviet Union for treason of national interests, Nikitchuk told AFP, adding that Soviet citizens in 1991 were against the countrys breakup. Seeking to create a more open and prosperous Soviet Union through glasnost and perestroika, Gorbachev ended up inadvertently unleashing forces that swept the country he had sought to preserve from the map and himself from power. The consequences of that destruction can be felt today in the conflicts that we have seen in former Soviet countries over the past two decades and today, in Ukraine, Nikitchuk said. What is happening in Ukraine can happen in Russia, too, said Nikitchuk. This pushed us to write to the Prosecutor General, so that professional lawyers rather than historians investigate the events of 1991. There have been previous attempts by the Communist party to have Gorbachev prosecuted but they have led nowhere. Unlike the previous cases, the current request is backed by two lawmakers from Russian President Vladimir Putins ruling party United Russia. l
With Russia blocking a UN mandate, Western governments held back from the kind of military engagement that could have toppled the Syrian leader
This is why the option is clear. Either to have an understanding with Assad, to reach a result, or to keep the crisis open with President Assad having the upper hand in running the
Western resignation
It is a view of Assad that - quietly - seems to be gaining ground in Western capitals. Calling it bad news for Syrians, the French foreign ministry said this week: Maybe he will be the sole survivor of this policy of mass crimes. France, which last year was preparing to
DHAKA TRIBUNE
World
BJP supporters wear masks of PM candidate Narendra Modi during campaign in Darjeeling yesterday. Indians have begun voting in the worlds biggest election AFP religious tensions run high. The fighting in Muzaffarnagar left some 65 dead, including four in Balyans village 118 km (73 miles) northeast of Delhi. Like many others voting in the redbrick villages, Balyan blames Muslim neighbours for starting the violence and the state government for refusing to keep the perpetrators locked up. People have been attracted towards BJP because of the riots, said Balyan, who belongs to the same Hindu caste as - and shares a surname with - the BJP parliamentary candidate in Muzaffarnagar. He openly admits to joining the frenzy of violence. Uttar Pradesh, said E. Sridharan, of the Pennsylvania Center for Advanced Study of India. The partys manifesto, published this week, kept in place several issues dear to the partys Hindu nationalist core, including doing away with laws applying only to Muslims that it sees as favouritism. Almost all the victims of last years riots were Muslims, including about 12,000 people who were made homeless and now shelter under tents on plots of land bought with compensation money. l
Appeal to hindus
Indias 1.2 billion people include about 150 million Muslims and they form a significant minority in Uttar Pradesh. By adding religious and caste issues to its broader national appeal based on good governance, the BJP is making a last-minute push for support in the electorally vital state, analysts said. This would help them mobilise votes at the last moment. That could be the calculation to harvest votes in
In India, show the finger after voting, get cheaper gas and food
n Reuters, New Delhi
Showing the finger can get you a punch in the face in many parts of the world. In India, during this general election at least, it can earn discounts at gas stations, restaurants, spas, stores and hospitals after voting. Indias polling stations mark each voters left forefinger with an indelible dot of a silver nitrate solution after casting the ballot to guard against voter fraud. In a move to increase political involvement, Young Indians, a group linked to Confederation of Indian Industry trade association, launched the Show the ink, See prices sink campaign, which gives discounts and other incentives to people who vote. Among youngsters its become a cool thing to flaunt their fingers after theyve cast their vote, said DNV Kumara Guru, national chairman of the group, saying more than 100 businesses had signed up for the campaign. There is a lot of momentum across the country. At the last general election, only about 58% of the electorate voted, with many urban Indians in particular apathetic. During this years election, which began on Monday and runs until May 12, 815 million voters will be eligible to participate. Besides the discounts, the Election Commission has issued newspaper advertisements using celebrities like ViratKohli, the cricket star heartthrob of millions, to exhort people to vote. In the capital, New Delhi, which went to the polls yesterday, people who show the marked forefinger can get a discount of about 0.7% on petrol at any one of 67 pumps in and around the city during the day. Its our moral and social duty to motivate citizens of India. After a long freedom struggle we got this right, said Ajay Bansal, general secretary of the Federation of All India Petroleum Traders. Gas station owners wanted to share the cost of travelling to a poll booth by offering this measure, Bansal said. They also wanted to encourage youngsters because in India people can start to vote at the same age they can begin to drive a car. In the southern tech capital of Bangalore, the Sakra World Hospital is offering a 10% discount on outpatient services such as health check-ups and consultations between April 18 and May 1 to people with an ink-marked finger. Virgin Atlantic Airways, known for its unusual promotions, announced voters have the chance to win cabin upgrades, lounge access and goodie hampers in a lucky draw. l
THE BEEKEEPER
n AFP, Islamabad
This picture taken on Wednesday shows She Ping, a 34 year-old local beekeeper, covered with a swarm of bees on a small hill in southwest Chinas Chongqing. She Ping released more than 460,000 bees, attracted them to his body, and made himself a suit of bees that weighs 45.65kg within 40 minutes AFP
Pakistans interior ministry yesterday rejected claims by a Baluch separatist group that it carried out a bombing at a market in Islamabad that killed 24 people. The United Baluch Army (UBA), one of a number of militant separatist outfits from the southwestern province of Baluchistan, said it staged the attack the deadliest in the Pakistani capital since 2008. But a spokesman for the ministry dismissed the claim. Initial investigations have revealed that the United Baluch Army has no links with yesterdays attack, the spokesman said in a statement. A bomb tore through the bustling wholesale fruit and vegetable market on the edge of the capital at around 8:00 am on Wednesday as hundreds of traders gathered to do business. The UBA statement was the first time a Baluch group had claimed an attack in Islamabad, parts of which are heavily guarded. Various Baluch groups have waged a bloody insurgency for at least a decade to demand more autonomy. l
10
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
LETTER OF THE DAY
Letters to
the Editor
he StartUp Cup is the first ever business model competition for Bangladesh. It is a competition to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality. The StartUp Cup is an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs who have ideas, but not much by way of startup money. An explosion of entrepreneurial initiative is taking place in Bangladesh right now, and we should be doing all we can to nurture these risktakers. The nature of the way startups come about is changing rapidly. Gone are the days when energetic young people with powerful ideas had to wait around for the perfect environment to come along. Nowadays they are acting fast. They are going to the market fast, finding their customer-base, and aggressively making revenue and profit. It is not easy, but it is being done and should be encouraged. The StartUp Cup is a great way to help entrepreneurs with this process. It is a remarkable fact that a mere 2% of startups have the sort of business model or experienced team that can secure large-scale funding from investors. This means that the other 98% of entrepreneurs many of them with terrific ideas and growth potential are not getting the resources and financing they need for their businesses to flourish. The Bangladesh StartUp Cup is a bold and exciting contest. Entrepreneurs are modern-day heroes. They take risks and brave tremendous obstacles in their journey. With an initiative like StartUp Cup, some in this 98% might start to get the attention they deserve.
An obvious conflict
April 5 It takes a special brand of stupid to think that a move like this will go unnoticed. Zero-Agenda
April 4 As a member of the gay community, I thought the previous write up the March 21 review of Roopban magazine, A missed opportunity to address LGBT issues was quite a balanced piece. While the most common argument is that its a magazine and not a book, it is also not just a magazine. Its a look into the lifestyle of a minority that many are not familiar with and while sexuality is definitely a large part of the community, a much larger part of this community is loneliness and lack of sympathy. The magazine doesnt depict that feeling of helplessness much and also shuns other harder hitting topics like homophobia. Yes, a magazine has the need to be entertaining but for this particular magazine, that need also required to be complemented with some serious discussions which this magazine was lacking. ABCD
April 4 The police could have managed this situation far more easily without resorting to over-thetop violence. Shafikul Islam Liton
Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune
Be Heard
Progress in gender equality requires the womens voice in the countrys policy-making
PEANUTS
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Make fast a vessel (4) 6 Vigour (3) 7 Fashion (4) 9 Require (4) 10 Diminished by (5) 11 Allude (5) 12 Strange (3) 14 Held principle (5) 17 Henhouse (5) 20 Tree (3) 21 Flier (5) 23 Mohammedan Scriptures (5) 25 Stubborn animal (4) 26 Golf club (4) 27 Melody (3) 28 Biblical quotation (4) DOWN 1 Wise counselor (6) 2 Carry too far (6) 3 Be carried (4) 4 Vast age (3) 5 Word of acceptance (3) 7 Deep mud (4) 8 Low sand hills (5) 10 Encountered (3) 13 Giver (5) 15 Inherent character (6) 16 Menace (6) 18 Bridge (4) 19 Metal (3) 22 Leave out (4) 23 Outfit (3) 24 Fish eggs (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.
Sudoku
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Op-Ed
11
A doctrine misunderstood
I
n Shaqur Rahman
n the Bangladesh foreign affairs discussions, the historical term Monroe Doctrine appears quite frequently. The term has special significance in our foreign policy community because our small country is placed snugly in the lap of an aspiring global power. Monroe Doctrine has a wholly negative connotation to its users and readers in our country. It is known as an early 19th century American imperialistic proclamation that declared the western hemisphere, North and South America, as Americas own backyard and warned European powers to desist from any interference in the countries of that part of the globe. With perceived emphasis on backyard, the doctrine and its architects are regarded as an epitome of US imperialism and arrogance. As there is a wide perception that India has assertively influenced the political course of Bangladesh in 201314, and has thwarted the interference of western powers, the term Monroe Doctrine is going to be invoked with increased frequency in the coming days. But contemporary users of this geopolitical term greatly misunderstand the context, the formulation, and evolution of this doctrine. The doctrine, famously proclaimed in 1823 by the fifth president of US, James Monroe, was actually a ringing declaration of anti-colonialism and freedom for the then newly independent countries of Latin America. A short lesson in its history may be illuminating to foreign affair enthusiasts. Students of colonial history know that the most important factor that precipitated the great decolonisation wave in the second half of the 20thcentury, creating all these independent countries in Asia and Africa, was the two World Wars. World Wars I and II so greatly weakened the already declining colonial powers, such as Britain, France, Holland, etc, to such an extent that they had no means to hold on to their colonial possessions. A similar decolonisation wave occurred in the Americas when the great war of 19thcentury, the Napoleonic wars, fatally weakened declining empires of that time Spanish and Portuguese empires. Inspired by American Independence (1775-83) and the French Revolution (1789-99), the politically restive people of various Latin colonies were already thirsting for freedom from their distant European overlords. While Europe was gripped with the imperial ambitions of Napoleon Bonaparte, Latin American leaders and their people seized the chance and began their struggle for independence. The island country of Haiti was the first to revolt, and after a long war, gained independence from France in 1804. Uprisings spread from country to country, and by 1810, revolution had spread throughout South America. Historically known as the Latin American Wars of Independence, these freedom struggles were long, hard, and full of twists and turns. By 1820, most of the countries were independent or were in the process of gaining freedom. After the defeat of Napoleon, the Spanish monarchy was restored and the old European powers conspired to get the rebel American colonies back into the empires fold. The counter-revolution to squelchindependence movements began. Russia, a big victor in the Napoleonic Wars, claimed the whole Pacific seaboard of North America as its exclusive area. United States was quite wary of European colonial powers re-exerting in the Western hemisphere. An ex-colony itself, US popular sentiment was very much against them. Also, the US wanted to develop trade and business relationships with newly independent countries, a relationship previously hard to build because of protectionist colonial policies. First enunciated in December, 1923, the Monroe doctrine is basically a very progressive and benevolent declaration. Its basic principles were that the US would not interfere in the internal affairs of, or the wars between, European powers. The Western Hemisphere was closed to future colonisation and any attempt by a European power to oppress or control any nation in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as a hostile act against the United States.
Though not infallible, Shakib is Bangladeshs first truly world class athlete
MUMIT M
The progressive origin of the Monroe Doctrine doesnt mean the negative reputation is wholly undeserved
n Zafar Sobhan
ere we go again. Once again, Bangladesh has disappointed on the cricket field, and once again the national teams legions of fair-weather fans are trying to salve their battered pride by lashing out and pouring scorn and derision on the players who they feel let them down by performing so tamely. This ugly chorus of recrimination that invariable greets any kind of a loss is the flip-side of the misplaced pride in someone elses achievement that is the most distasteful aspect of spectator sports, and one that has regrettably become a durable mainstay of the Bangladeshi cricket world. Dont get me wrong. It is fine to feel proud and happy when your team wins. But too many people strut about with their chests puffed out when their team wins, as though they personally scored the winning run or took the crucial wicket. Newsflash: You didnt win. Your team did. You achieved nothing. The achievement and the accomplishment was that of the players. Its a crucial distinction that is lost on far too many. By the same token, when the team loses, they have not personally let you down, they have not betrayed you, they have not hurt you in any way. In fact, they have done nothing to you. You dont own them and they owe you nothing. Fair-weather sports fans not only
pat themselves on the back when their team wins, but they are the ones who screech the loudest in their criticism of the players when the team loses. They act as though a loss is a personal affront and the losing team has committed some kind of offense against them. Win or lose, therefore, the one constant is the smug superiority they clearly feel to the poor saps sweating out there in the field, who exist apparently as nothing more than instruments if not accessories to the ambitions and self-worth of their socalled fans.
How is this in any way controversial? It is a truism that holds not just for cricket and not just for Bangladesh, but all over the world. If you think that the kind of pressure that the team faces is nothing special, then you should try holding the hopes of the nation on your shoulders, facing down 90 miles per hour deliveries in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans. I would imagine that it is pretty nerve-wracking. Yes, the team played poorly at the T20 World Cup. It happens. Get over it. And please note that while the team
You dont get to bask in the reflected glory of his achievements all these years and then get to turn around and call him a cry-baby
This sense of superiority has come through loud and clear in the hysterical response to Shakib Al Hasans perfectly reasonable and defensible statements in the wake of Bangladeshs poor performance at the T20 World Cup. What did he say that was so wrong? He had the temerity to suggest that the nation has outsize and unrealistic expectations of the national cricket team, and that the enormous pressure under which they operate contributes to their chronic under-performance.
played poorly overall, Shakib himself performed creditably, averaging over 37 with the bat, and taking 8 wickets with an economy rate of 5.68, not outstanding, perhaps, but nothing to sneeze at, either. The latest outburst of vitriol against Shakib is especially galling. All the haters out there gleefully bashing him and sneering about how he has lost their respect need to get one thing straight: Neither you (nor I) are fit to lace Shakibs cricket boots.
Shakib has more talent in his little finger than you and I have in our entire bodies. He is Bangladeshs first truly world class athlete, a national pride and a national treasure, and dont you ever forget it. He has done more to make the nation proud and thus done more for the nation than you or I could hope to do in ten lifetimes. Lets start with that understanding. All criticism needs to be tempered by this realisation. Does it mean he is infallible? No. Does it mean that he is above criticism? Of course not. But everything he has achieved should afford him some minimum measure of respect and some minimum goodwill and support. You dont get to bask in the reflected glory of his achievements all these years and then get to turn around and call him a cry-baby or whiner the minute he doesnt live up to your expectations and his frustrations get the better of him. Thats what being a true fan means. It means standing up for your team through thick and thin. It means cheering their victories, but not jeering their losses. It means celebrating the good times and commiserating the bad. It means taking the rough with the smooth. It means thinking of and treating the players as the heroes they are, not just when they win, but when they lose, as well. l Zafar Sobhan is the Editor, Dhaka Tribune.
An EC that works
W
n Syed Ishtiaque Reza
hen there is conflict, democracy is the solution. Conflict and political hostility not only result in devastating direct violence, they also impede growth, threaten public health, and aggravate poverty. Democracy largely depends on the functions of a number of institutions. Democratic values prevail essentially on the efficiency and integrity of these institutions. From the centre to the periphery, everywhere, democracy flourishes if the people who are to take the responsibility of ruling, are elected through free and fair elections. Elections are the foundation stone of any democracy as the democracies are mainly representative in character. Free and fair elections are the strongest way to shape democracy. The conduct of free, fair, and impartial elections depends much upon the performance of the three elements which form a triangle. They are the independent and impartial electoral machinery, the political parties and candidates, and the electorate. The entire election system is supposed to function under the Bangladesh Election Commission, which has been granted the freedom of functioning from the administration under the constitution. Holding regular elections is not a small and easy task. The role of the EC has always been under critical scrutiny in every election, be it parliamentary polls, or any other local government election. The recently held upazila election displayed the EC before the people very badly. It is perceived that the election system has been pushed behind to the 80s, when rigging through violence and administrative support was widespread. Bangladesh has been in political turmoil for a long time. The country faces issues of long-term sustainability, not only in the context of global recession, but also due to domestic political uncertainties. saw how brutally the ruling party could exert its influence in a local government election, and the most pathetic one was the role of the EC. The first and second phases of the upazila election were reasonably peaceful, but from the second phase, the show was fully taken over by ruling party men with the help of local administrations. The role of the EC is to provide a level playing field for all parties and candidates. In the just-held upazila elections, the day-long coverage of the TV channels, as well as the stories in the newspapers and online news sites, suggest that the EC kept the field only for the ruling party-backed candidates. Even in some places like the Laxmipur Sadar, it was seen that the on-duty officials (polling officers, assistant presiding officers, etc) were on their desks with sealed (with the symbols of particular candidates) ballot papers. The entire election system was seen to be messed up, and the EC had no way to avoid its responsibility. Here comes the process of appointment to the commission. The civil society has been crying for an impartial selection committee for the EC for a long time. But the reality is too different. The present method of appointment is through an executive decision, where the president approves the appointment based on the proposal given by the government. BNP bitterly criticised the ECs partisan activities. But there is public perception that it will do the same thing after coming to power. Instead of just criticising, the civil society and political parties can sit together to draw up a concrete proposal for appointing election commissioners in an acceptable and neutral process. There is also a strong suggestion for granting financial autonomy to the EC. This would avert any potential conflict of interest, and ensure that the EC works in a transparent and impartial manner. The EC is not adequately equipped to regulate the political parties. It can think of its role in enforcing inner-party democracy, and the regulation of party finances. Everyone wants to see that the EC becomes the final trend-setter of the electoral activities of political parties. There is also an expectation from the commission that it would go for fixing policies regarding finalisation of electoral roles, government sponsored advertisements prior to election, restriction on the movement of ministers, MPs, and other political hi-ups in the poll areas, effective prohibition of campaigning during the last 48 hours, transfers and appointments of officers identified with election machinery, etc. The upazila election frustrated common citizens. The EC itself earned a bad name. It is only fair to the citizens of our country that the EC plays a proactive role and uses its constitutional powers effectively, and the judiciary ensures the legitimacy of this power in the future. l Syed Ishtiaque Reza is Director of News, Ekattor Television.
Holding regular elections is not an easy task. The role of the EC has always been under critical scrutiny
The declaration said: With the governments who have declared their independence and maintain it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States. It is essential to know that the new nations of South America welcomed the Monroe declaration wholeheartedly. Revolutionary leaders like Simon Bolivar openly embraced this offer of protective shelter by US. But both US and Latin American leaders knew that in the 1820s America did not have sufficient naval and military power to enforce such a doctrine. It was closer to a bluff than an assertion. Fortunately, Britain, the worlds premier naval power, also wanted South America free from protectionist colonial powers so that it can trade freely. British navy was the instrument that helped enforce the doctrine in 19th century. The progressive origin of the Monroe Doctrine doesnt mean that the current negative reputation is wholly undeserved. By the end of 19th century, the US was a world power and its big companies were dominating trade throughout the Americas. The US intervened in various Latin American countries many times with different pretexts. Reflecting the new American mood, Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed a corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, asserting thatthe United States had the right to intervene in Latin America in cases of flagrant and chronic wrongdoing by a Latin American Nation. The Roosevelt Corollary essentially turned the Monroe Doctrine on its head. In place of seeking to stop the imperial design of European powers in Latin America, it declaredAmericas intention to take their place. However much the Monroe Doctrine was later tarnished by US imperialism in South America, we should remember that originally the doctrine and its namesake had very wholesome motives. The newly independent countries heartily welcomed the protective umbrella that the doctrine provided. Before using the term Monroe Doctrine liberally to describe current geopolitical situations both in near and far neighborhoods, the users should ponder awhile whether subject countries now welcome any forced protective custodianship.l Shafiqur Rahman is a freelance contributor.
If a constitutional body like the EC succumbs to the pressures of hoodlums of the ruling party, can anyone expect that democracy has a future in Bangladesh? The credit and discredit, both for elections in the Bangladesh-style democracy, goes to the institution of the EC. Now, this is up to the EC to decide, to credit or discredit. The upazila election was a non-partisan one. There was no party symbol for the candidates. But Bangladesh
WIKIMEDIA
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
I have done huge homeworks about working on the silver screen. I learnt how to be a dancer, co-ordinate as action hero and also did a lot of work to improve my acting. From the very begging of my career, everyone helped me a lot. Who inspired you? First I thought its not cup of my tea. Being a host was enough for me. But, Afzal Hossain just played the lead role in launching my career and he is my mentor. He taught me every small detail of the trade. I have learned so many things from him. Celebrated and noted actor Asaduzzaman Noor also inspired me. Do you have any plan to stick to modeling? I wont stop modeling. In my entire career I have done only eight advertisements and every single one succeeded in the market. What is your current goal? I dont have any plan right now except for this film. A movie reel keeps a performance alive for years with repeated views by the audience. I want my performance to leave a good impression.
the audience. Another point is, I trust that he is introducing this role specifically with for me, because it feels that this role is tailor-made to suit my abilities. How did you get yourself ready for the silver screen debut?
Where do you see yourself ten years from now? Ten years from now, I want my works to leave a lasting impression on the audience. According to Sajal, hardwork and determination never goes unrewarded and he believes that he is director's actor. l
TODAY IN DHAKA
Film
Jibondhuli, Shongram, Frozen in 3D, Boishomyo, Avatar in 3D Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City Panthapath
Exhibition
Serenading Suchitra Time: 12pm 8pm Shilpangan Gallery, House-7, Road-13, Dhanmondi Crossing Through Time: 3pm 8pm Dhaka Art Center (DAC) House-60, Road-7A Dhanmondi R/A
Music
Jazz and Pop, Red Shift Coffee Lounge Time: 7:00pm 9:30pm Red Shift Coffee Lounge, Radius Centre, 5th fl, Bays Galleria , 57 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan
n Entertainment Desk
Electro, QuickSand and Ozone Records are the three new labels launched under the banner of Incursion Music on April 9 at the Incursion Headquarters situated at Banglamotor. Electro is a label for the local and international electronic music artists. Starting with popular artistes like Fuad Almuqtadir and K Sarfaraz Latifullah, Electro is now signing a host of other local artistes. Electro is working with house music. The label is promoting and marketing electronic music, to play at clubs and parties. QuickSand and Ozone Records have been launched to cover different genres such as house and trance. The genre covered under QuickSand are grrovy, funky and deep music and Ozone is for more airy music. The songs will be available in iTunes, Beats Music, Spotify and Amazon. l
the song in his honour. The lyric of the song includes the lines: Amar Dekha Prothom Nayok Amar Kachhe Sera, Baba Tomar Hridoyte Je Ador Snehe Ghera. The composition of the song is by Ibrar Tipu. About the song, Tareen said: My mother is my mentor and my first guru. I have grown up watching her sing. I dedicated a song in my first album to her. This
time I thought I should dedicate something to my beloved father. Releasing my second solo is not my main aspiration. Singing a beautiful song for my beloved father holds more appeal to me. Tareen's last song was for the drama series titled Sopnogulo Jonaki Pokar Moton. She will lent her voice on a new drama series titled Kalo Mokhmol, which will be directed by Niaz Mahbub. l
The music launching ceremony of upcoming film Tarkata featuring Arifin Shuvoo, Moushumi and Mim in the lead roles has been held on Wednesday.
Sport
DHAKA TRIBUNE
13
14 Atletico stun
14 Champion League
Fifa ambassador and former French player Christian Karembeu (2R) and Japan Football Association honorary chairman Junji Ogura (R), along with former Japanese soccer player Masashi Nakayama (L) unveil the trophy during the Fifa World Cup Trophy Tour event to promote this years World Cup in Brazil, at Haneda airport in Tokyo yesterday AP
Norde to Belgium?
The rumours of Sheikh Jamal DCs Sony Norde leaving Bangladesh for a club in India has taken a new turn as it was learnt yesterday that the Haitian international capped footballer is expected to leave Dhaka today for a trial at a Belgium club. Norde, who had earlier expressed his desire to play in Europe, drew attention of big I League clubs including Mohun Bagan and East Bengal during the IFA Shield with his dazzling skills. He played a major role behind Jamals road to the final in the 118th edition of the tournament where he was also adjudged as the best player. He (Sony) is not going to join Mohun Bagan, it is a rumour. Sony is interested to go for a trial for a club in Belgium. He also took leave from the club, said Sheikh Jamal club member Abu Hasan Chowdhury Prince yesterday. The clubs president Manjur Kader also confirmed the news and said Sony asked for a three-day leave which was granted. While contacted over phone Norde said he was not leaving Sheikh Jamal, but hung up when asked if he was going to Belgium for a trial Big-budgeted Sheikh Jamal spent around Tk7m to sign the Haitian from Sheikh Russell in this season. Norde also played a chief role in Russells treble winning last season. The 24-year-old forward is unarguably the best player in the Bangladesh Premier League at present for his pace, power, dribbling skills and goal scoring ability. l
Abdul Karim, the president of Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation speaks at the press conference of school TT yesterday COURTESY
14
Two killed watching CL in Nigeria
Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram Islamists stormed a packed viewing centre in Nigerias restive northeast and shot dead two people watching Champions League matches, police said Thursday. The centre was showing the two quarter-final matches between defending champions Bayern Munich and Manchester United, and Atletico Madrid-Barcelona, on Wednesday when it was attacked. The gunmen came in a car and opened fire outside the viewing centre and sped off, Yobe State police commissioner Sanusi Rufai told AFP. AFP
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
Atletico Madrid
Koke 5
RESULTS
1 0 3 1
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Man United
Atletico Madrid players react after winning their Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Barcelona, in Madrid on Wednesday
REUTERS
beating Manchester United 3-1, to go through 4-2 on aggregate. They join Uniteds Premier League rivals Chelsea who beat Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday and Atleticos city rivals Real, victors over last seasons beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund, in Fridays draw. Atletico who last beat Barcelona four years ago came roaring out of the blocks and got the only goal of the game through Koke, his first in this seasons tournament, in the fifth minute. Atletico, who are also top of La Liga in a three way battle with Barca and Real, could have been 3-0 up after fifteen minutes as former Barcelona striker David Villa hit the woodwork on two occasions. Barcelona were largely contained by Atletico and star player Lionel Messi had an especially torrid night as he
2. Missing Messi
The key to Atleticos defensive job had been crowding out four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi. Prior to May last year Messi had scored 20 times in 15 games against Atletico. He has been held scoreless in the six matches between the two since.
What made Atleticos triumph even more remarkable was that it was done without their talisman Diego Costa for the vast majority of the tie. The Spanish international, who has scored 33 goals this season, limped off after just half an hour of the first leg with a hamstring injury. l AFP
FIFA RANKINGS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 6. 8. 9. 10. Spain Germany Portugal (+1 place) Colombia (+1) Uruguay (+1) Argentina (-3) Brazil (+3) Switzerland (-1) Italy (-1) Greece (+3) 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. England (+1) Belgium (-2) United States (+1) Chile (+1) Netherlands (-4) France (+1) Ukraine (+1) Russia (+1) Mexico (+1) Croatia (-4)
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (C) reacts after their Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Bayern Munich in Munich on Wednesday REUTERS
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
QUICK BYTES
The 78th Masters got underway under blue skies at Augusta National early Thursday morning with living legends Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hitting the first balls as honorary starters. Another legend of the game, though, was missing as, for the first time since he made his debut as a willowy amateur in 1995, Tiger Woods was absent. The world number one and four time Masters winner announced on April 1 he would not be competing following surgery to repair a pinched nerve in his back that had been troubling him for months. It was a huge blow for a tournament he has come to symbolize over the last 17 years since his first win in 1997, but players and fans agree that the Masters will always work its magic no matter what. AFP
Serbia's tennis player Jelena Jankovic returns the ball to France's Mathilde Johansson, during their Bogota Open match in Bogota on Wednesday. Jankovic won 7 5, 7 5 AFP
Germanys Dustin Brown upset top seeded American John Isner in three sets to reach the quarter-finals of the US mens clay court championships on Wednesday. The world number 101 Brown outlasted the hard-hitting defending champ Isner 6 4, 6 7 (7/9), 7 6 (7/4) on the clay courts at the River Oaks Country Club. Isner forced a deciding set by winning an extended tiebreaker in the second, but Brown rebounded to claim the final tiebreak. It was his first-ever victory over a top-10 opponent. Isner, who is ranked ninth in the world, beat Nicolas Almargo in the 2013 final. AFP
South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius (2nd R) leaves the North Gauteng High Court during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria yesterday AFP
Austrian cross country skier Johannes Duerr and Polish bobsleigher Daniel Zalewski were on Wednesday sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for failing drug controls at the Sochi Olympics. Duerr, 27, has been disqualified from the mens skiathlon in which he finished eighth after testing positive on February 22 for the banned substance recombinant erythropoietin (EPO). AFP
has announced $1 million for each of the four World Cup qualifiers -- Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Ireland and Scotland -- and have also arranged their camps in Australia and New Zealand in September-October this year. We had a few good results in the Asia Cup where we beat the hosts Bangladesh, said Khan of his teams success in the event held in March this year. But our batsmen did not handle pressure well in the World Twenty20. Afghanistan lost to Bangladesh and Nepal in the qualifying stages and failed to reach the Super-10 group stage of the World Twenty20 held in Bangladesh. Afghanistan are in Group A of the World Cup 2015 along with hosts Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Bangladesh, England and Sri Lanka. They open their World Cup campaign with a match against Bangladesh in Canberra on February 18. Sohail said he was looking forward to coaching Afghanistan. l
But sources said the PCB wanted him to report to the director of game development Haroon Rasheed, and as a result he turned the job down. No hard feelings for both parties. I dont want to get into controversy and I hope Pakistan cricket will flourish under the chairman and board, said Latif. I will not make any further statement. There has been too many (specu-
DAYS WATCH
Star Sports 4 1:00AM Osasuna v Real Valladolid Star Sports HD1 1:00AM Masters Tournament Sony Six NBA 2013 14 6:00AM Dallas v San Antonio 8:30AM Golden State v Denver
Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid inaugurates the Clemon Indoor University Cricket at the Mirpur indoor stadium yesterday
COURTESY
Although its serious, no ones talked to him about possibly not being able to use his arm or whatever. Erskine said Thorpe had broken his shoulder in a fall in Australia some months ago and the swimmer known as the thorpedo would not be resuming his career in the pool. l
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
A victim of Tejgaon fire receiving treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday opened the lid of the drum. Later, some chemicals came out of the drum and scattered on the shop floor. I went to wash my body. A fire broke out before I had come back to the shop, leaving the owner and staff injured, he added. Of the injured, Ibrahim Khalil received 91% burn injuries while Motaleb 75%, Saiful Alam 95%, Mohammad Maksud 25%, Uzzal 20% and Jakir Hossain 25% burn injuries. Meanwhile, four other people suffered burn injuries as a fire broke out at Shohag Shoe Factory in Alinagar area of Kamrangirchar around 6pm. Victims
Mantu Sheikh, 40, Abdur Rashid, 21, Alamgir, 14, and Rubel, 21, were admitted to the DMCH burn unit. Rashid said the fire broke out from sparking of a shoe finishing machine while they were working there. The local people later put out the fire after half an hour hectic effort, he added. l
Tazreen Fashions chairman Mahmuda Akhter granted bail n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu
A Dhaka court yesterday granted bail to Tazreen Fashions Chairman Mahmuda Akhter in a homicide case . The case was filed in connection with the devastating fire in the garment factory that killed at least 112 workers in 2012. Dhakas District and Sessions Judge Md Abdul Majid granted the bail on a Tk20,000 bond after hearing the bail petition filed by Mahmudas lawyer Md Golam Gaus. The defence counsel told the Dhaka Tribune: Now that the court has granted bail, there is no bar to releasing Mahmuda from prison. Mahmuda secured bail on February 10 but it was cancelled on April 3 upon a prosecution plea. Her husband Delwar Hossain, the managing director of the Tazreen, is currently in jail. The case was filed in connection with the fire that broke out at Tazreen Fashions in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital on November 25, 2012. The couple and 11 other officials of the factory have been facing the same lawsuit for their negligence in ensuring adequate safety measures at the factory. According to the charge sheet, submitted by the police to the court they have been shown guilty for constructing the building in blatant violation of the commercial building code. It is the first-ever move in the country to prosecute garment factory owners for a factory fire. l
Spectrum factory collapse Biman starts search for a new CEO n slides into oblivion
Muhammad Zahidul Islam
n Udisa Islam
The 70-death collapse of the Spectrum garment in April 2005 could have been the wakeup call for the countrys policymakers, that could have prevented the over 1,000-death Rana Plaza collapse. But over a span of nine years, everything about the deadly collapse have virtually sled into oblivion, let alone the victims getting justice. This now can be another wakeup call itself for the victims and their relatives of the Rana Plaza disaster, especially for those who have been waiting for justice.
On April 11, 2005, the nine-storey factory building of Spectrum Garments in Palashbari of Savar crashed, killing around 70 people
On April 11, 2005, the nine-storey factory building of Spectrum Garments in Palashbari of Savar crashed, killing around 70 people and injuring at least a hundred. A boiler explosion and also faulty construction have been blamed for the collapse. The building, erected on a marshland, had several unapproved floors. On May 24, 2005, about a month after the collapse, the High Court granted bail to Shahriar alias Sayeed Hossain, managing director of the collapse sweater factory building, and Abul Hasem Fakir, a director of the factory. The two accused were later discharged from a trial court on consideration that the case was filed by police and not by any of the victims families.
On the same day, following a writ petition, filed by four injured workers in association with several rights bodies, the High Court issued a rule asking the government why it should not be directed to form a commission headed by a sitting or a retired Supreme Court judge to inquire into the collapse, find the culprits and suggest ways to prevent recurrence. The High Court is yet to settle that petition, with only BGMEA and Rajuk among the respondents answering the ruling. But the hearing on the petition never quite gained any pace with files containing BGMEA and Rajuks replies going mysteriously missing. Insiders said the lost file containing BGMEAs reply actually admitted, following a probe by a 14-member team, that the Spectrum building had several additional floors on top of the approved ones. Rajuk, in its reply, said just like the collapsed building, many other structures in the area had been built on filled marshlands. Garment Workers Unity Forum President Moshrefa Mishu said: Justice delayed is justice denied. The state will have to bring the culprits to justice after such incidents and must recognise an obligation about providing sufficient compensation for the victims. If that does not happen, such incidents cannot be prevented. Anthropologist Saydia Gulrukh, whose organisation is dealing with case against the owner of Tazreen Fashions, said: If everyone responsible for the faulty construction of the Spectrum Factory [building] could be brought to book, the Rana Plaza collapse could have been prevented... By everyone, I mean all the government officials from the factory inspection department and the local administration. l
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has begun searching for a new managing director and chief executive officer, as the incumbent MD and CEO, Kevin Steele, is set to leave his office on April 19. An invitation of applications for the Biman leadership position has already been published on the national flag carriers website, while advertisements in this regard will also be published in newspapers within a couple of days, said Bimans general manager (public relations) Mosharaf Hosen Khan. Interested candidates have been requested to send their applications along with other required documents to the authorities concerned by May 16. In its online advertisement, Biman
sought applications from both Bangladeshi and foreign nationals for the positions of MD and CEO. The advertisement also said the salary for the position is negotiable. Earlier, there was much controversy surrounding Steels remuneration, which included Tk18.3 lakh as a monthly salary, along with a flat in an expensive neighbourhood in Dhaka, transport facilities and 12 business class air tickets annually. However, no previous MD of the organisation had ever received more than Tk3 lakh for their services. Steele joined Biman in March 2013 on a two-year contract as the airlines first foreign MD and CEO; but just 13 months in, he is set to leave, citing health reasons. I am leaving on the 19th of this month, and everything has been decid-
ed and made final. If Biman wants, we can maintain a very close contact after my departure, Steele, who submitted his resignation in December last year, told the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday. Bimans board of directors was free to accept or reject his suggestions as they saw fit, Steel said, adding that he was willing to help Biman until a successor was found. The outgoing CEO also denied claims that he had any dispute with the airlines board members. Earlier, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon formed a four-member sub-committee, headed by Civil Aviation Secretary Khurshed Alam Chowdhury, to find a new MD. This sub-committee requested Steele to stay with the flag carrier until Biman found his successor. 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
Sluggish investment Three more furnace oil-based power drives forex reserve plants under PDB evaluation If these plants approved, total generation from the costly fuel will exceed 5000MW to $20bn
n Tribune Report
The countrys foreign exchange reserve has crossed US$20bn a buildup equivalent to six months of import payments. In accordance with the international standards, a country remains comfortable enough with having only a reserve equivalent to three months of import payments. The reserve yesterday stood at $20.03bn, 41% higher than on the same day last year, according to a Bangladesh Bank release yesterday. It attributed the record rise to the steady inflow of remittance, constant export growth and stable exchange rates. It took only one and half month to reach the new high from $19bn in February. The reserve was $18bn in December last. The central bank measures to maintain a stable exchange rate of taka against US dollars and stimulus to exporters, including expansion of the export development fund, have helped the reserve to this level. Besides, the bumper crop production helped reduce the import cost, contributing to the international reserve second largest among SAARC countries after India. The foreign direct investment and private borrowing from external sources were also among the major factors, said the release. It said the reserve is well enough to face any internal or external economic shock. This is a good cushion to have against the possibility of yet another round of political instability, the World Bank said, however, in its latest update on Bangladesh development released on Wednesday. The high level of reserves helped Bangladeshs sovereign rating needed to catalyse higher foreign direct investment. The World Bank said the combination of a sizable current account surplus and a moderate surplus in the financial and capital account contributed to maintaining a still large, though smaller relative to last year, surplus in the overall balance of payment position and a consequent build-up of external foreign exchange reserves. If you look at the capital machinery import trend, investment situation is not good right now, said economist MA Taslim. The investors, both local and foreign, still feel shy to go for investment due to number of reasons including persisting political uncertainty, infrastructure constraints and fragile banking sector. Sluggish imports contribute to build up the reserve. This is good as it cushions for import, he told the Dhaka Tribune. Considering the overall investment situation, we are actually stepping back. A senior executive of Bangladesh Bank said remittance inflow started rising in the recent months as the business activities began to move slowly after the national election. It was almost stuck up for last one year. l
Three local private companies have proposed to set up five power projects of total 2300 megawatt in Chittagong, nearly half of which will be generated from costly furnace oil. Summit Power Limited, United Power Generation and Distribution Co. Ltd and a joint-venture consortium of Bangla Trac Communication and Acron Infrastructure Services Ltd submitted the proposals to Power Division recently. Furnace oil-based plants cost Tk16 for a unit of electricity while the coalbased plants cost Tk6 and the gasbased plants cost Tk2 for a unit. Power Development Board (PDB) officials said as the government has extended the tenures of nine rental power plants, there is no need of heavy fuel oil (HFO)-based power plants. HFO is known as furnace oil. We have received proposals from three companies to build five power plants in Chittagong. They can be considered, Power Secretary Monowar Islam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. But the governments possible consideration has greatly astonished the PDB high officials as they see no necessity of any new costly plant now. Three HFO-based and two Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-based plants have been proposed by the companies. Of them, Summit wants to construct 500MW HFO-based and 700MW LNGbased plants, United proposes to set
up 500MW HFO-based and 500MW LNG-based plants and the joint venture seeks permission for 100MW HFObased plant. All the proposals have been sent to the PDB for evaluation. If PDB is positive about the projects, the proposals will be sent to the cabinet committee on public purchase for approval, he said. PDB sources said the country already has such plants with a total of 1963MW generation capacity and this capacity is 19.17% of the countrys total power generation capacity. More 15 HFO-based power projects are under construction now in public and private sectors and the total capacity of these plants is around 1400MW. Besides, tenders are under process for more six furnace oil-based projects with 900MW capacity. If all these plants come to operation, the furnace oil-based generation will exceed 5000MW. Further, the country has diesel-run power plants with a generation capacity of 683MW which is 6.67% of total capacity. Power Division initially decided not to extend tenure of any expensive rental and quick rental plants. But as commencement of the less costly based-load power projects were delayed, the division extended the tenures of nine rental and quick rental plants. According to the proposals, the five projects will be run as independent power producers (IPPs) on build, own
Photo shows Orion Group's heavy fuel oil based power plant and operate (BOO) basis. The companies will import fuel at their own arrangement to operate the plants. The government earlier cancelled deal to install Summits Bibiyana-1 341MW combined-cycle power project because of the companys failure to complete the plant within deadline. Summits Bibiyana-2 341MW combined-cycle power project also missed its previous deadline which was August, 2013. The deadline for Bibiyana-2 project has been reset for December, 2014. Besides, the 335MW Meghnaghat combined-cycle power project of Summit was scheduled to begin generation also in August 2013, but missed the deadline. Now the Summit officials are expecting to start the plants generation by April, 2014. Summit Power is a company under Summit Group and United Power Generation belongs to United Group. Summit Group operates a total of 11 power plants currently having 573.55MW power generation capacity while the United Group has two power plants with a total of 170MW capacity. Acron has one power plant of 100MW. l
shrimps at cheaper prices. Currently, only shrimp exporters are enjoying 10% cash incentives against the export-value. BFFEA leaders also demanded 100% withdrawal of electricity and gas tariffs in line with other agrobased industries as they call it an agricultural industry. In the first eight month of the current financial year, Bangladeshi frozen foods earned US$458m, which is 24.23% higher than the same period of last fiscal years value of $369m due to the increased price. Of the total export value, shrimp
has earned $396m, frozen foods $36m and the rest from others. The government has set a target of $543.84m for the FY2013-14. In 2012-13 fiscal year, frozen foods exports recorded 9% fall to $544m as fish production fell due to detected disease in prawn. According to statistic of BFFEA, around 1.5 crore people are involved in the sector either directly or indirectly. Bangladesh exports around 60,000 metric tonnes shrimps to the world market against its production capacity of nearly 1.5 lakh metric tonnes. l
Galaxy S5 is equipped with some special features like kids mode, water proof and professional photography option to make more easy the people`s lives, said the officials at the launching programme. Mobile phone operator Robi is the official partner of the device and offers some facilities like internet using benefit for six months to the users of the device. Samsung official informed the media that the customers could buy the product through 12 installments by using the channel of Brac Bank, Standard Bank, Bank Asia and MS card holders of City Bank. l
B2
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS Company
Closing (% change) 9.79 8.03 7.71 7.31 5.65 5.56 5.25 5.19 4.97 4.21
Salvo Chemicals-B AB Bank - A Eastern Housing -A HeidelbergCement -A Eastern Lubricants -A Zeal Bangla Sugar -Z Emerald Oil Ind. -N Summit Power -A Monno Stafllers -A ICB AMCL IslamicMF A CSE GAINERS Company Salvo Chemicals-B 8th ICB M F A AB Bank - A Samata LeatheR -Z Eastern Housing -A Trust Bank-A Summit Power -A Bay Leasing.-A IFIC Bank - A Federal Insu.-A
Average (% change) 8.33 8.44 2.71 2.21 3.26 3.99 3.17 3.79 5.30 5.61 Average (% change) 8.73 9.15 10.34 9.00 2.72 8.87 3.05 5.26 4.13 4.52
Closing average 20.93 29.30 55.67 571.00 536.91 9.38 47.57 38.10 371.32 22.58
Closing 21.30 29.60 57.30 589.00 550.10 9.50 48.10 38.50 369.90 22.30
Daily high 21.30 30.00 58.30 590.00 555.00 9.80 49.20 39.40 381.90 23.50
Daily low 17.50 24.70 50.00 540.00 515.00 9.20 45.20 34.00 366.50 21.30
Turnover in million 12.530 93.058 43.276 295.188 4.000 0.015 46.045 15.990 0.984 3.782
Latest EPS 0.93 2.06 1.56 26.09 6.02 -25.08 1.40 3.59 5.25 2.56
Latest PE 22.5 14.2 35.7 21.9 89.2 -ve 34.0 10.6 70.7 8.8
Closing (% change) 9.84 9.15 8.42 8.36 6.33 5.33 4.63 3.92 3.89 3.82
Closing average 21.04 70.40 29.24 35.24 55.86 15.83 37.89 31.80 29.72 30.09
Closing 21.20 70.40 29.60 35.00 57.10 15.80 38.40 31.80 29.40 29.90
Daily high 21.20 70.40 29.90 35.50 58.50 15.90 38.70 31.80 30.80 30.50
Daily low 19.20 70.40 27.80 35.00 53.00 15.60 36.70 31.80 29.00 29.60
Turnover in million 1.358 0.035 8.984 0.194 2.022 0.253 0.956 0.016 1.254 1.318
Latest EPS 0.93 8.32 2.06 -0.04 1.56 0.76 3.59 1.56 3.60 1.79
Latest PE 22.6 8.5 14.2 -ve 35.8 20.8 10.6 20.4 8.3 16.8
'Despite finishing positively, market likely to remain cautious as index wrapped the week red and it has been consolidating at the level of 4,600 points'
The benchmark DSEX was down 1.6 points to close at 4,593, after hitting highest 4,634 in the morning. However, the blue chips index DS30 saw fractional gain of 0.4 points to 1,020. The Shariah index DSES also witnessed fractional gain of 0.9 points to 1,675. The Chittagong Stock Exchanges Selective Category Index, CSCX, dropped 28 points to 8,900. Trading activities continued to decline as DSE turnover stood at Tk420 crore, down 22% over the previous session. Among the large cap sectors, tele-
(-) 0.03% (+) 0.03% (+) 0.05% (+) 0.15% (+) 0.29% (+) 0.32%
Traded Issues Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis) Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis) Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
Average (% change) -15.27 -9.09 -5.77 -5.32 -5.12 -2.88 -6.80 -4.66
Closing average 16.20 90.00 1002.00 25.46 1266.46 126.68 57.26 195.88
Daily high 16.70 90.00 1002.00 25.50 1399.00 131.80 60.00 204.10
Daily low 14.30 90.00 1002.00 25.40 1243.00 121.20 55.60 185.00
Turnover in million 24.982 0.018 0.005 0.331 14.121 11.794 338.903 29.824
Latest EPS 3.00 -10.24 0.00 -5.96 41.12 3.12 2.19 5.10
2014, NRB upto 19 April 2014. @ taka 25, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Dividend/AGM NITOLINS: 5% cash & 12% stock, AGM: 09.06.2014, Record Date: 27.04.2014. FASFIN: 5.20% cash, AGM: 22.05.2014, Record Date: 22.04.2014. RECKITTBEN: 400%, AGM: 06.05.2014, Record Date: 20.04.2014. PHOENIXFIN: 20% cash, AGM: 29.05.2014, Record Date: 17.04.2014. NORTHRNINS: 10% stock, AGM: 08.06.2014, Record Date: 16.04.2014. BDLAMPS: 20% cash, AGM: 20.05.2014, Record Date: 17.04.2014. ARGONDENIM: 6% cash & 15% stock, AGM: 24.04.2014, Record date: 10.04.2014. HEIDELBCEM: 380% cash, AGM: 22.05.2014, Record Date: 17.04.2014. FAMILYTEX: 100% stock, AGM: 15.05.2014, Record Date: 22.04.2014. SIBL: 12% cash, AGM: 31.05.2014, Record Date: 24.04.2014. RUPALIINS: 10% cash & 10% stock, AGM: 28.04.2014, Record Date: 10.04.2014. BEACHHATCH: 15% stock, EGM and AGM: 14.05.2014, Record Date for EGM and AGM: 17.04.2014.
-4.14 -4.09
-1.58 -3.50
641.78 40.48
624.50 39.90
665.00 43.00
622.00 39.60
166.154 1.599
23.48 -1.00
27.3 -ve
Closing (% change) -10.61 -9.91 -7.79 -7.26 -6.20 -5.35 -5.06 -4.90
Average (% change) -11.49 -9.91 -8.15 -7.07 -6.20 -3.89 -4.67 -5.75
Closing average 16.18 110.00 28.27 23.00 1,302.00 40.80 16.94 102.03
Daily high 16.50 110.00 28.40 23.00 1,302.00 41.00 17.00 103.10
Daily low 14.40 110.00 28.20 23.00 1,302.00 40.20 16.80 100.50
Turnover in million 3.455 0.055 0.017 0.035 0.065 0.082 0.119 0.306
Latest EPS 3.00 5.33 2.20 1.85 41.12 -1.00 -0.36 2.74
-4.76 -4.59
-4.88 -5.58
39.95 58.18
40.00 58.20
40.00 60.10
39.90 57.00
0.160 19.955
1.06 2.19
37.7 26.6
ANALYST
SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY
Sector Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture
Investors enthusiasm in capitalising on fundamentally sound stocks, profit taking and large cap wise swings are what kept the market alive with high turnover volume
% change 11.95 2.61 1.22 6.39 6.89 10.14 0.06 5.97 8.26 0.02 1.24 1.77 0.45 16.01 0.46 1.11 2.47 16.92 0.62 5.33 0.14 Million Taka 63.31 6.83 3.40 25.12 27.20 37.31 44.50 26.06 26.42 3.00 29.94 3.13 53.87 3.53 1.94 7.47 54.65 4.89 46.83 0.01 CSE % change 13.49 1.46 0.72 5.35 5.79 7.95 0.00 9.48 5.55 5.63 0.64 6.38 0.67 11.48 0.75 0.41 1.59 11.64 1.04 9.98 0.00 Million Taka 566.18 116.50 54.59 294.14 317.25 463.97 2.51 295.63 373.52 27.10 55.06 104.35 21.90 727.42 23.00 48.47 111.56 766.52 30.79 271.06 6.04 Total % change 12.10 2.49 1.17 6.29 6.78 9.92 0.05 6.32 7.99 0.58 1.18 2.23 0.47 15.55 0.49 1.04 2.39 16.39 0.66 5.79 0.13
DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-Z HeidelbergCement -A Olympic Ind. -A BSC A
Meghna Petroleum -A
DSE Million Taka 502.87 109.66 51.19 269.01 290.05 426.66 2.51 251.13 347.46 0.68 52.07 74.42 18.77 673.54 19.47 46.53 104.09 711.87 25.91 224.23 6.03
BD Submarine Cable-A UCBL - A Delta Life Insu. -A Singer BD -A Golden Son -A Emerald Oil Ind. -N
CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BSC A
Volume shares 2,472,995 5,919,000 516,970 816,687 258,895 538,181 529,147 348,852 3,175,521
Value in million 626.77 338.90 295.19 184.19 166.15 152.39 149.15 123.60 93.06
% of total turnover 14.89 8.05 7.01 4.38 3.95 3.62 3.54 2.94 2.21
Daily closing 256.00 56.40 589.00 226.90 624.50 283.10 280.30 353.80 29.60
Price change 3.27 -5.21 7.31 1.16 -4.14 -0.39 0.39 -0.14 8.03
Daily opening 247.90 59.50 548.90 224.30 651.50 284.20 279.20 354.30 27.40
Daily high 260.00 60.00 590.00 228.00 665.00 290.00 285.00 360.10 30.00
Daily low 235.00 55.60 540.00 223.60 622.00 260.00 270.00 340.00 24.70
Daily average 253.44 57.26 571.00 225.53 641.78 283.15 281.87 354.30 29.30
Volume shares
Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net
Grameenphone-A HeidelbergCement -A LafargeS Cement-Z BD Submarine Cable-A UCBL - A Square Pharma -A Matin Spinning-N Padma Oil Co. -A AB Bank - A Delta Life Insu. -A Emerald Oil Ind. -N Appollo Ispat CL -N Golden Son -A Meghna Petroleum -A
62,145 150,200 54,900 343,000 78,100 654,991 51,201 324,600 28,450 307,231 27,600 27,000 222,600 87,132 15,900
Value in million
40.29 38.22 31.07 19.95 16.43 16.00 14.43 13.61 10.09 8.98 6.14 6.11 5.83 5.26 4.52
% of total turnover
10.67 10.12 8.23 5.28 4.35 4.24 3.82 3.61 2.67 2.38 1.63 1.62 1.54 1.39 1.20
Daily closing
626.80 255.50 589.90 58.20 209.30 24.10 279.70 41.80 353.60 29.60 220.50 48.10 26.10 60.10 283.70
Price change
-3.72 3.19 7.37 -4.59 -1.32 1.69 0.11 -2.56 -0.31 8.42 -3.16 5.71 -1.14 -2.12 -0.35
Daily opening
651.00 247.60 549.40 61.00 212.10 23.70 279.40 42.90 354.70 27.30 227.70 45.50 26.40 61.40 284.70
680.00 257.00 590.60 60.10 214.90 25.10 285.00 43.00 363.50 29.90 230.00 49.40 26.70 62.00 288.70
625.00 244.10 549.00 57.00 208.50 23.80 279.00 41.50 352.10 27.80 218.30 45.20 25.90 59.40 282.30
Daily average
648.27 254.48 565.95 58.18 210.36 24.43 281.92 41.94 354.59 29.24 222.50 226.19 26.18 60.35 284.02
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
B3
Blackberry CEO John Chen poses for a portrait in Toronto of the challenge Chen faces in turning around the company. Chen said BlackBerry remained on track to be cash-flow positive by the end of the current fiscal year, which runs to the end of February 2015, and to return to profit some time in the fiscal year after that. Chen said his long-term plans for BlackBerry included competing in the burgeoning business of connecting all manner of devices, from kitchen appliances to automotive consoles to smartphones. Chen said he was not sure how long it would take for the machine-tomachine or M2M world to become a mainstream business, but he said he was sure that was coming. We are not only interested in managing BlackBerry devices. We are interested in managing all devices that you would like to speak to each other, he said. To achieve our dream of being a major player in M2M requires more partnerships with others, including telecom companies eager to participate.
REUTERS
Chen, viewed by tech industry insiders as a turnaround artist, wants BlackBerry to zero in on its core base of corporate and government clients, and on its services arm, which secures mobile devices on the internal networks of big clients. Chen was credited with turning around Sybase Inc in the late 1990s. Sybase, an enterprise software company, was eventually acquired by SAP AG in 2010. Canadas BlackBerry, which has lost most of the smartphone market to Apple Incs iPhone and gadgets powered by Google Incs Android operating system, has laid off about 9,500 employees, or more than half its work force over the last three years, as it has rushed to cut costs in the face of mounting losses. The company, a one-time pioneer in the smartphone arena, has seen its fortunes fade dramatically within a span of less than five years. BlackBerry, which boasted a global smartphone
market share of roughly 20% back in 2009, has since seen that share shrink to less than 2% as of the end of 2013. Chen, who joined BlackBerry after it was unable to find a buyer in a sale process last year, said he was not fazed by recent acquisitions of companies offering similar services, such as Facebook Incs $19bn purchase of mobile messaging service Whatsapp. We are not going to go up against Whatsapp. We are going to be more focused on secure communications, secure messaging, he said of BlackBerrys BBM platform. Chen said he was determined not to lose focus on the corporate and other customers that helped it build its global reach in the first place, and would not be tempted back into the much larger but more fickle consumer smartphone race. We are not going to spend any more money to maintain the latest version of Angry Birds, Chen said, referring to a wildly popular consumer mobile videogame. l
City Bank recently signed a strategic partnership agreement with Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel Dhaka at City Bank Centre. The agreement was signed by City Banks DMD and COO, Mashrur Arefin and Radission Blu, Dhakas EAM and director (sales & marketing), Saeed Ahmed
HM Jahangir Alam Rana, executive director of Partex Plastics Ltd seen handing over a gold ornament to the winner of lottery contest - Partex Leo Water Pump Rimzim Offer, Md Akhter Mridha at the award giving ceremony held on April 8
An agreement has been recently signed between the paper manufacturing company, Double A and M & U Distribution, a sister concern of Meghna Group. The deal was signed by Nadim Adnan Shams, country manager of Double A Pulp & Paper Company Ltd and Sadiq Mahmood, managing director of M & U Distribution
Mutual Trust Bank Limited held its 15th annual general meeting yesterday at Bashundhara Convention Center 2 in the city. The shareholders attending the meeting approved 10% stock dividend for 2013 on its face value of each share outstanding. The meeting was presided over by the banks chair, Rashed A Chowdhury
B4
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
Japan's smartphone based social networking service (SNS) "Line" president Akira Morikawa speaks at the New Economy Summit 2014 in Tokyo on April 10, the Line has 400 million users over the world. More than 1,000 business leaders, entrepreneurs, businessmen and students took part in the two-day forum AFP
PC sales see modest drop amid Windows XP replacements n AFP, New York
Global personal computer sales saw a modest dip in the first quarter of 2014, as the pace of decline was eased by replacements of older PCs using Windows XP. Figures released Wednesday by Gartner showed global sales down 1.7% year-over-year at 76.6 million units in the first quarter of 2014. A separate survey by IDC showed a 4.4% drop to 73.4 million. Analysts said the PC market is still ailing amid a shift to mobile devices such as tablets but saw a brief respite with the replacement of machines using Windows XP, for which Microsoft ended its technical support this week. The end of XP support by Microsoft on April 8 has played a role in the easing decline of PC shipments, said Mikako Kitagawa, analyst at Gartner. All regions indicated a positive effect since the end of XP support stimulated the PC refresh of XP systems. Professional desktops, in particular, showed strength in the quarter. Japan saw a stunning 35% year-onyear jump in PC sales, helped by the replacement of Windows XP machines and a sales tax change, the analyst noted. While the PC market remains weak, it is showing signs of improvement compared to last year, she said. The PC professional market generally improved in regions such as EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). The US saw the gradual recovery of PC spending as the impact of tablets faded. Loren Loverde at IDC said that the woes of traditional PCs are not over, and pointed to eight consecutive quarterly declines. The transition to more mobile devices and usage modes is unlikely to stop, although the short term impact on PC shipments may slow as tablet penetration rises - as weve begun to see in some mature regions, he said. l
US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (left) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right) during a meeting
AFP
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